smotherb

10 hours ago, bartender100 said:

Why do you want to know? why is it so important to you? anyone answering would just be guessing anyway

Well, curiosity is as good a reason as any. I can state with some certainty, that 100% of the expats living in Thailand do not return home--I know many who have died and been cremated here.

1 minute ago, swoods58 said:

That's Hooa Hin

No, it is pronounced Wah Hin

Well, let's go to the experts on pronunciation; those expats who live in Hooa Hen.

On 1/5/2017 at 1:50 PM, huanga said:

It just goes to show, if you have money and power, this is the country to be in.

 

Something definitely defies the usual logic when this hi-so girl (drank her ass off, got into his car, puked herself into oblivion) accused him for rape/molest/kidnap, all in the face-saving gesture. In the US, it will be a he said-she said, and the doctor's report already gave him more credibility than her.

 

If the family is so concerned with its name and reputation, they should have sent her behind to a "catholic" school long ago to learn how to keep both of her mouth and you-know-where shut! 

Well now, money and power has privileges in any country, including the good ole US of A.  All she would have to say is he forced her to do oral on him and that caused the vomiting--try that with your he said, she said. In the US, the woman has more weight behind her word in such cases. You really don't want to get into a discussion of lies, sex, and Catholicism, do you?

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Rise in household spending is unlikely but more so that household debt will continue to increase with little or no increase in consumer wealth to offset it.

 

A rise in household spending is expected by the Thais since the new visa restrictions are reducing the numbers of ne're-do-wells who spend little.

20 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

$850 per month? At ROE of 35.83, that's slightly over Thb 30,000 a month. Should be able to live fairly comfortably.

Yeah, maybe if he started teaching English and doubled his income, but still would may a problem with visas, especially if he has no degree

1 hour ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

That is why I wrote sex/raped, because in this case if she had sex she was probably raped as the guy said he did not have sex with her. Thus if the test showed she had sex the guy was lying which implied that she was either too drunk to remember she had sex or she was raped after getting drunk or after she was drugged. But by proving she had sex would be a starting point to find the truth. 

Probably raped or maybe raped;  when she was with him or before or after him?

13 hours ago, cooked said:

Theory, not practice.

 

Yes, quite right. I sat at the Songkhla driver's exam driving course. The prospective drivers would line up to receive their cue to begin the driving circuit. The beginning is a 20 meter straight, the end of which is a stop sign; then, a left turn.  Only two of the 14 drivers I watched even stopped at the stop sign.

5 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I think many people would find it more convenient to have their SS payments sent directly to their bank here. It saves the time and expense of having it sent to a bank in the states and then having to have it sent to a bank here.

Aso if immigration wanted back up proof of your income affidavit nothing would be better than showing a bank book that shows it transferred in every month.

The post to which I commented stated there may be a problem sending SS to Vietnam.

Not sure of the illegality of being a surrogate mother.

42 minutes ago, NickJ said:

The ol Peep Inn. If those walls could talk.......The one on Sukhumvit 33 used to have those weird segmented beds that were mounted on rocking wheels. Every room a different layout. Elevator to an underground car park.

I would bet his story is the truth. 

There used to be two of short-time hotels in Angeles that had CCTV discreetly placed in each room. You could simply punch in any room number and view the happenings--of course, anyone could punch-in your room number too.

2 hours ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

So did they do a medical examination of the woman to find out if she had sex/raped? If she had sex he is lying and lock him up, if not let him walk.

A medical exam cannot determine rape; it can determine sex, even rough sex, but not rape.

6 hours ago, georgemandm said:

Village life to me in issan thai is a joke and a s??? Hole could not wait to get out of the s??? Hole , I was staying 3 months In my friends home he has two homes on his land , big dam to fish in every day swimming pool aircon and a great looking thai partner to wake up to every morning but after 2 weeks could not stand the village s??? Life .

 Needed to stay in his home because I hard something to do in issan.

i am a city boy not like the country life at all , love the city life .

village life to me is for poor Thais who can't afford city life .

not understand how lots of western man give up their life's to live in a thai village but up to them .

but has a lot to do with their thai partners .

 

 

 

Yeah, I too cannot stay in the country. I have a lovely old farm in the hills of West Virginia. From my cabin, I cannot see anything that isn't mine. My nearest neighbor is over three miles away, but he is usually at his girlfriend's house about six miles away. The nearest grocery store is 31 miles away and five miles of that road is unpaved--so, it is in the boondocks. A trip into town for shopping takes all day. I love it, for limited periods of time. Funny, it is the only thing I really miss about the States.

21 hours ago, opalred said:

if you like being called hansum man all day 

stay in town

if you like fresh air   mountain woman

DOGS AND ROOSTERS BARKING AND CROWING ALL NIGHT

BURNING RUBBISH DAY AND NIGHT 

i love my country life

I do not believe you are living the country life just because you are not in the city. Having neighbors close enough for their activities and their animals to bother you appears to be suburbia rather than in the country.

9 hours ago, Credo said:

Well when they call it a perversion, that is something that many of them know quite a lot about.  

 

 

Perhaps they can buy the choir boys a happy meal first.

9 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

Check carefully on the U.S. Social Security rules for  money transfer to Vietnam.

I was told about 4 years ago that it was not possible to transfer a Social Security pension directly to a Vietnamese bank. by a U.S Social Security supervisor.

There may have been some changes since that time.

I haven't followed the rules since then as I am now established in Thailand and I have my Social Security pension sent monthly by direct deposit to my Thai Bangkok Bank account.

That is why I live in Bangkok and not Ho Chi Minh City.

In fact today, 4 January 2017 is pension day for me here.

 

There are many other ways to get at your social security without sending it to the foreign country in which you live. Granted, if you are living monthly check to check, it may be more convenient.

3 minutes ago, asianscouser said:

No no. Maybe i could of worded it better. My point is Thai custom. If I had a complaint I'd keep it to myself. That's all.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

"If I had a complaint I'd keep it to myself. That's all." 

Leally? It seems to me you are the one complaining. I am making a simple statement of my opinion.

3 hours ago, YeahSiam said:

 

Again, this thread is about how to avoid being overcharged; it's not about whether I could get what I have for less by living in the arsse-end of nowhere

I would be being overcharged if I was paying 60k a month for my condo because that'd be more than my Thai neighbours are paying.

When I lived in England, I paid the going rate to live in a desirable part of central London.

Could I have got a similarly-specced place more cheaply if I'd chosen to live in Weybridge, Surrey? Of course I could but it wouldn't have suited my needs.

 

Do my lifestyle choices command a premium? Hell yes but I'm not being overcharged - I'm paying a price dictated by supply, demand and location.

If I wanted to be as myopic as you, I could easily say that you're the one being overcharged for where you live because you could get the same spec accommodation in Khon Kaen or Korat for less than what you're paying now but I haven't forgotten what the topic of discussion is.

 

Your comments on service people etc show just how naive you are. Do you really think farangs living outside tourist areas don't get overcharged by tradesmen?

If you wanted to hire a lawyer, do you really think the fact you live in a non-tourist area would lessen the chances of him or her bleeding you dry?

Wake up, man!

A couple of years ago, I needed to sort out parental rights for my daughter.

I called a bunch of provincial lawyers recommended in the family & children forum and got silly quotes ranging from 40,000 to 70,000 baht.

I ended up engaging a brief at a firm in Asoke's CBD for 20,000 baht.

I think that kinda puts paid to your daft argument 

I am happy to hear you have an opinion; however, I do not share it. If you would care to re-read and re-think, you may see I never suggested that a farang would never be charged more, I only offered advice on how to avoid some charges and not to be charged as much.

22 hours ago, PoorSucker said:

If you were one of the following, you will pay more.

1. Chang singlet.

2. Singha singlet

3. Same Same T-shirt

4. Socks and sandals.

5. No shirt.

 

 

 

So, the Thais figure you're rich dressed like that?   I think the fashion police have little to do with overcharging.

5 hours ago, lungnorm said:

I would suggest you buy some goggles to wear when riding.

Yeah, I wear a full-faced helmet on the highway, but in town I wear wraparound safety glasses and a half-helmet. However, the point is not my choice of eye wear.

14 minutes ago, TSF said:

I haven't bartered for years. Whatever I need to buy I go to Big C, or Lotus, or 7-11 and pay the marked price. 

 

As for restaurants, whenever I go to a restaurant for the 1st time I take a look at the menu before taking a seat. I check the prices of food and the prices of beer, if the prices are OK I take a seat. If there are no prices listed on the menu I walk off. 

 

I don't drink much in bars but when I do I always check prices first.

 

As for national parks & temples charging foreigners 400%, they can stick them where the sun don't shine. I've seen enough gaudy temples to last 10 lifetimes. same goes for caves & waterfalls.

Well, I don't base my patronage on price alone--good value is generated by much more than cost.  I will try the food and make-up my mind; a one-time higher price is not going to break me and I have better reason than a few baht to like or dislike the place.

Just now, YeahSiam said:

You're more likely to be overcharged in an area where the locals aren't used to foreigners

Well, I do not believe that and my opinion is based upon almost 50 years of living in Asia and ten years living in Thailand. For example, I live in a non-tourist area and enjoy cheaper prices on almost everything I have also purchased in tourist areas--e.g., Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, Chiang Mai.  My house is a three-story row house with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, backyard, carport and rooftop deck in a very nice in-town neighborhood; my rent just went up to B8k/mo. Meals in restaurants; local or Western, are cheaper than in the places above, I can buy a Jack Daniels and Soda--my drink of choice--for B60 in Hatyai, and its at least double that price in tourist areas mentioned above. I ride motorcycles and often get irritations in the eyes, the eye drops I prefer cost B30 where I live and the same eye drops in Phuket just a few months ago cost me B120. My wife is the shopper of the family or I could give you more specific examples, but she has often mentioned how high prices are in the tourist areas. 

Well, short of learning Thai and getting plastic surgery to look Thai; I suggest staying away from the tourist areas and learn how to barter.

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

You go to a full moon party you risk your life.

 

Enough said.

Stay in bed at home and you risk your life.

Yes, it is unbelievable how cheap some people can be. A friend of mine opened a little bar and grille and offered good food and drinks at very reasonable prices. Many on-the-cheap expats frequented the place; some brought their own bottles of spirits, Thai-style. Then, would smuggle in their own mixers and even ask for glasses of ice, rather than paying for a bucket.  The killer was when they started bringing in food off the street and just using his music, a/c, tables and chairs, toilet facilities and condiments.