ozzieovaseas Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Living a Thai lifestyle means...Burning the garbage in the garden to save 20 THB on rubbish collection. Spending the savings on Whiskey in the evening. Inviting the neighbours to drink the same. Borrowing 500 THB from the neighbour. Spending the 500 THB on a prospective mia noi. Borrowing another 500 THB to appease the mia luang if she finds out. Maintaining a small library that consists mainly of comic books. Working only when absolutely necessary. Eating five meals per day. Spending 50% of brain activity to think about what to eat next. CMX If there was ever a definative stereotype on the thai male i would consider this the most concisive and definative description ever written.BRAVO!!!! Maybe the female version goes something like this: Wanting to get into hock up to the eyeballs for a chevrolet to impress the work mates..but driving it to the nearest parking station each day and getting the MRT to work. Complaining about not having enough money but getting three massages a week,new clothes constantly, and getting motorsai or taxi when faced with walking more than 10 metres. Arguing thats its cheaper to eat out than to buy all the ingredients needed to eat at home...and then choosing a fancy korean restaurant (because its trendy) and ordering 15 dishes costing around 500 baht...an STILL walking away hungry!! Saying she needs to go on a short holiday to relieve the stress of all this pressure of having to scrimp and save and booking a hotel on the net for 1500 baht per night... AND THEN..saying that you are wasting money on the 300 baht you spend on beer!! I could go on all night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcy Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 lol ozzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Yes, granted, maybe some of the places where i have met women differ from that of you, but i think it would be better to walk away offering nothing than to give a 100 baht note, simply for the reason of this whole "face" culture...In their mind they are probably thinking " oi, this guy thinks i am only worth a 100 baht!!??" do you ever see them again?? In answer to your question... yes I do see them again... almost nightly, and they all like me. But, it seems we are talking apples and oranges here. I'm not talking about a woman working outside a bar. I wouldn't insult a woman who works outside a bar, with an offer of money if we went on a proper date... unless she truly needed it as a loan... which I would give and then not accept back. I'm not trying to BUY anyone. I just know the girls in bars make their earnings on the number of lady drinks they can get from customers. A 100 baht is like 3 lady drinks. How many drinks do YOU buy on a nightly basis for strangers you have no personal interest in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzieovaseas Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 i think the ozzie was confused and assumed you gave them the money for sex instead of as a gratuity for their time conversation and pool / connect4 expertise Yes...TRUE And i must say i am most disgusted with myself.. In the past i thought i was doing a great deed by offering the 20 baht fee needed for the pool table Seems I am a cheap charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcy Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 The drunker i get the cheaper the drinks seem to be , when i walk into a bar sober and a girl says "hello wot you name "i say steve because its easier. to pronounce . then they say buy me dink ! and i say "no" . 3 hours later and its me going hello whats your name again ? and they go a or b or f or dee because its easier to pronounce , and i'm going go on have a drink try a blue hawaiin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzieovaseas Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Yes, granted, maybe some of the places where i have met women differ from that of you, but i think it would be better to walk away offering nothing than to give a 100 baht note, simply for the reason of this whole "face" culture...In their mind they are probably thinking " oi, this guy thinks i am only worth a 100 baht!!??" do you ever see them again?? In answer to your question... yes I do see them again... almost nightly, and they all like me. But, it seems we are talking apples and oranges here. I'm not talking about a woman working outside a bar. I wouldn't insult a woman who works outside a bar, with an offer of money if we went on a proper date... unless she truly needed it as a loan... which I would give and then not accept back. I'm not trying to BUY anyone. I just know the girls in bars make their earnings on the number of lady drinks they can get from customers. A 100 baht is like 3 lady drinks. How many drinks do YOU buy on a nightly basis for strangers you have no personal interest in? Yes we are talking apples and oranges!! Actually i rarely buy drinks for anyone, anynight, and to be honest i dont even know what lady drinks are as im in the jungle out here in raminthra, as another poster called it. I find the gals out here are intersted in talking to a farang for the chance to test their English and have a different conversation...also they are equally impressed with someone who buys some food and invites others to come and have some with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcy Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 ozzie wheres raminthra ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzieovaseas Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 ozzie wheres raminthra ? There i rest my case!! Out in the bloody jungle!! From town i have to get the BTS to Mo-chit and then bus 30 mins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzieovaseas Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 ozzie wheres raminthra ? here, read my response to this other bugger that reckoned raminthra was "out in the sticks" http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Hiso-s-Day-L...55#entry2587755 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcy Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 sorry mate i didn't realise you were near bangkok i thought raminthra was another country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaimai Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 sorry mate i didn't realise you were near bangkok i thought raminthra was another country Sounds like it is - it doesn't have currency notes under 100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzieovaseas Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 sorry mate i didn't realise you were near bangkok i thought raminthra was another country good on ya, bugger it,you lot have got my gander enough, im going out for beers ...and not chang...bloody singhas this time cheers big ears!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcy Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzieovaseas Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 sorry mate i didn't realise you were near bangkok i thought raminthra was another country Sounds like it is - it doesn't have currency notes under 100 huh!! they check 100 baht notes in case they are forgeries!! anyway im ouuta here, probably end up stealing a couple of beers and a taxi like that other drongo.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 sorry mate i didn't realise you were near bangkok i thought raminthra was another country From the sounds of things it might as well be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 good on ya,bugger it,you lot have got my gander enough, im going out for beers ...and not chang...bloody singhas this time cheers big ears!! Ah, Singha. Best taken to wash down an ice cream sundae.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyd Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 You look Pimpin' mate. Nice one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robblok Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I was probably the guy you were thinking about when you started the post. For me it means living around Thais and not in a farang zone, learning the language. I also try to spend it like a Thai meaning i don't buy things like wine (did not drink it in Europe). I have a motorcycle and use it a lot, when im with my wife we sometimes take the minivan's instead of taxi's buses too.. but only when I am patient enough. I eat Thai food a lot and don't visit many bars, i go fishing with farang and thaifriends. I just think you can spend a lot less if you dont hang out in the tourist area's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coreyp2 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) I have found that I live in Thailand pretty much as I lived in Australia but it costs a lot less. I don't miss wine and now drink Leo with lots of ice, from choice. I have a cappuccino most days. I live in a OK townhouse and pay 7000 a month. I don't use air con so my power bills have been zero for the last few months. I use public transport when I can. Like to walk as much as possible, weather permitting. Eat at local Thai food stalls/restaurants with occasional expensive meals. Cook mostly Thai dishes at home. Buy cheap books and any clothes I can find at a reasonable price and in my size. I also do Yoga classes and swim regularly. I have WeTV and adsl web access. This I could never afford in Aus. I am returning to Aus in a few months. I have loved much of the 2 years I spent here in Chiang Mai - (but not the pollution just now !!!) I will be living on the pension - VERY frugally. I have to remain in Aus for 2 years or the pension stops. I know I will be tempted to return to Asia later - either Thailand or Malaysia (so easy to live there as a participant in Malaysia My Second Home Scheme!). (Anyone want to buy a nice Vios. As new - one careful older lady driver. ) My one real indulgence! All pretty much same same! Edited March 12, 2009 by coreyp2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adjan jb Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I don't use air con so my power bills have been zero for the last few months. You don't even turn on the light in the evening?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzieovaseas Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I don't use air con so my power bills have been zero for the last few months. You don't even turn on the light in the evening?? I presume when he says the power bills are "zero" he means that they are "bugger all"..as in not much. If your place has a big old antique model, and used often, you can easily rack up a 2000 baht bill,meterage @7 FORBSEY..thats a pretty impressive beard and haircut..where are you? i will be visiting your hairdresser very soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) I also don't use the aircon. Smartest move I made in Thailand. Not only saves 4 or 5K baht a month but now I am totally acclimated which is obviously much healthier. The only downside is I am starting to feel cold like the Thais at absurdly warm temperatures. Edited March 12, 2009 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonthai Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 You don't even turn on the light in the evening?? within a certain limit of electricity usage, the government pays the bill. Same with water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vagabond48 Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I also don't use the aircon. Smartest move I made in Thailand. Not only saves 4 or 5K baht a month but now I am totally acclimated which is obviously much healthier. The only downside is I am starting to feel cold like the Thais at absurdly warm temperatures. I have never had a AC in my home both here and in NYC where the summers can get hot and humid. I also believe in acclimating to my surroundings except I do it when it gets hot and when it drops down like it did in December/January. IMO, our weather discomforts, most of the time, is a state of mind. We then exaggerate our physical discomfort by going from 70F/21C (indoor) to 95F/35C (outdoor). That being said, I will be challenging myself when I will be probably heading to the south of India in a couple of weeks for several months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caf Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I think I would rather be able to critically think for myself, about the future, and be curious about the question "Why?", than live a Thai lifestyle. Questioning is more important than believing everything you hear. I definitely agree with eating what they eat and travel like they do as well. It was a good comment about not living like you are on a holiday. A good summary. You're right it's about having the right balance Some mae bhen rai but not over the top so much that you drop your standards walk away sometimes but stand your guns for the important issues integrate but don't sell your soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caf Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 In their mind they are probably thinking " oi, this guy thinks i am only worth a 100 baht!!??"do you ever see them again?? Frequently - they work in bars ! 100 Baht is equivalent to a days pay in some cases and my local we usually check bin and leave 20 Baht. Yes, Chaimai. Most farangs have no concept of a Thai's economic realities; how much they earn, spend on food etc. Their concepts of losing face vs. being truthful. Their concept of caring for others which can be more caring than in the west but has some very tough conotations as they can turn that off in a wink of an eye. Farangs trying to integrate is a foreign concept to them. They don't understand the thais but pretend they do because they have a western mindset. I have no problem with that - each to his own - but I wish they would just accept that they are in the ghetto and not the real thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 You don't have to anything very special to live here and to live here well and cheaply. Just be yourself, be polite without kow-towing to anyone and treat people with respect. You certainly don't need to try and be Thai, it's not natural and you will be laughed at anyway. Just figure out your budget, do what you need to do and you will be OK, whether you are on 20,000 or 200,000. In fact I know quite a few who are on big money and thoroughly miserable. Can't survive without aircon both in and outside, so can't enjoy many places that don't have aircon. They 'eat so well' that they are 100lb overweight with swollen ankles, clogged arteries and shortness of breath. They become trapped couch potatoes glued to UBC in their mansion with a 'little thing' treating them like helpless babies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungian Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 I'm quite baffled when I see comments like this perhaps I am sheltered from what actually goes on here. I would say 99% of the Thai people I know live a semi-Western life style, by that I mean they have a modern house a car or two they send their children to good schools, have enough money to come and go as they please buy what they need and want with in reason. Most Thai people (I know) are better off than the average middle class American family hands down. The 1% of Thai people I know that live a more "traditional" life style are older and do so because they choose to it's not a matter of money they just don't spend it. In proportion to the economy I earn the equivalent here that I did in the USA, I own the same car live in the same size house in the same kind of community the obvious difference is the culture which I much prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 perhaps I am sheltered from what actually goes on here. Not perhaps. Definitely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungian Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 perhaps I am sheltered from what actually goes on here. Not perhaps. Definitely. Although I worked in Philadelphia I never saw crime, violence, drugs, poverty or homelessness (and yes I know it is real) but I never went to those areas and I am very particular with the company I keep. The Thai people I know have a minimum of a Bachelors degree most have a Masters of Ph.D. and were educated in other countries. The small village I live is 99% Thai and everyone I know is fluent in English and gainfully employed so.... other than people that sell flowers in the street which is much higher up on the food chain than the guys in NYC that spit on my windshield and dry it with news paper I don't see the things that are being described. Keep in mind I'm talking about here in the city not in the mountain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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