Thailand Really Likes Old Western Guys

[wana]

you cant afford to give your son 5 thb for food snacks some months ? are you honestly that poor as a farang in bangkok ?

Yes, sometimes I've only got a few hundred baht cash, not sure if my customer's going to pay my invoice tomorrow or in five days, five hungry mouths to feed, so start to get very conservative, only spend on what's absolutely necessary.

Plus I don't want him to grow up thinking he can just take something like that for granted, even when I can afford it, some days he gets 20, some days none.

its good to teach children not to take things for granted ,i was just surprised that a farang in thailand wouldnt have 5 thb somedays

my old dad used to say ,never be too proud to pick up a penny !

i believe you ,but im sure thai people assume you a farang must be a millionaire

[ericg]

still dont see it as common, happens but in know way is it common with thai on thai,

even if you see one every hour, still not ciommon.

does anyone besides me find the age gap relationships dodgy, or am i now in the minority on here, that tells me most here must be far older then there girls.

I would say the majority of village and hill-tribe girls are married to much older men, that is what traditionally happens in Thailand. (and even more common in China)

(Usually the rural Thai girls aged 13-16 get married to someone 10-20 years or more older)

In the more westernized areas Thais are influenced by 'Hollywood' ideals and tend to date/marry similar aged.

Is it 'dodgy', well if you are a Victorian/Christian prude, then it would seem so.

If you are a Buddhist then it is irrelevant.

As for posters on this forum, I'm guessing most, like me, have partners that are 20 years younger.

We are older, we have money, we can provide.

You youngsters, on the other hand, generally have little money, little future prospects and can't provide.

And my fellow villagers see nothing 'dodgy' in me aged 50+ marrying a widow lady aged 30, she was far too old for any of the other men to consider marrying (the single guys all want 15YOs), and was causing problems among the married men. I problem I kindly solved for everyone.

Most of the young people who make the sort of post you do, appear envious rather than disgusted.

I find this hilarious. Did you come to earth old and rich? We all start somewhere, and we all grow into someone. Some people will be well off financially and others won't, young or old.

Now I agree that a lot of people will perceive some older people as more stable, which can be true or the opposite. There's plenty of us young men with bright futures and already made something of our lives

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Completely off-topic but cute little

effect of anger. Personally I think the same holds true for love and kindness - pay it forward. . .

[GuestHouse]

And please, while you might want to buy into the myth of the perfect extended family, all taking care of each other - it remains a myth at best an economic necessity at worst a living hell.

I'm not claiming there aren't plenty of dysfunctional Thai parents or whole families out there.

I'm saying the tradition of family helping each other out is a very valuable one, and IMO much stronger here than what I see back home.

And more specifically, I feel the same way about the subsidiary tradition of children taking care of their parents in their old age, and the fact that that needs to be done in person, not by shipping them off to an institution.

I wish I could do more to help my mum, even though she is very wealthy and doesn't need financial help, my experience here in Thailand makes me feel my personal obligations to her much more strongly than I would if I hadn't lived here.

I think before blasting the west with this <deleted> that western families don't take care of each other you ought to read up on the extent of intergenerational care in western families. You might also want to read up on the growth of multigenerational families in the west. The facts don't support your view.

I'm reminded of an occasions when I had to arrange a compassionate leave for an expat - The Thai administrator charged with booking the flight was being obstructive, she seemed to object to him getting a free flight home. When I spoke to her and her manager to get this flight sorted she interjects with "But why does he want to go home, Farangs don't love their parents"

OK I get an idiot Thai believing their own propaganda on this but why oh why would an expat choose to perpetuate this cr@p.

[TommoPhysicist]

I find this hilarious. Did you come to earth old and rich? We all start somewhere, and we all grow into someone. Some people will be well off financially and others won't, young or old.

I was merely trying to suggest that those youngsters working and living in Thailand were less likely to be receiving fat pensions in their old age than those of us who spent our working lives in the west.

I would also suggest that Thai ladies also know this to be true.

[ericg]

I find this hilarious. Did you come to earth old and rich? We all start somewhere, and we all grow into someone. Some people will be well off financially and others won't, young or old.

I was merely trying to suggest that those youngsters working and living in Thailand were less likely to be receiving fat pensions in their old age than those of us who spent our working lives in the west.

I would also suggest that Thai ladies also know this to be true.

This I can agree with, although there's some exception's to the rule.

[GuestHouse]

I find this hilarious. Did you come to earth old and rich? We all start somewhere, and we all grow into someone. Some people will be well off financially and others won't, young or old.

I was merely trying to suggest that those youngsters working and living in Thailand were less likely to be receiving fat pensions in their old age than those of us who spent our working lives in the west.

I would also suggest that Thai ladies also know this to be true.

There's a problem with this Tommo.

Not all of use washed up in Thailand in our old age flush with money.

Some of use have been here for decades, making good money and stashing the fat final salary pension while we're at it. Add working in a professional environment surrounded by all those professional single women we keep hearing about and their view might be instructive.

Well looking back twenty years, young, earning the full expat deal, all the access to those smart well educated middle class women - Yes I think when I was a young man in Thailand young I had no problem finding dates and relationships with beautiful, well educated and affluent Thai women.

20 Years later, I'd like to be able to say the same, the expats I work with would like to say the same - but no we can't we've lived and know the difference.

But your right, money is a lure - It is almost without exception the only lure.

Just keep paying the bills, splashing the cash and you'll get women in Thailand - but it has sod all to do with you and everything to do with your cash.

Thailand does not really love old western guys, but certain part of Thai society loves your money - Enjoy.

[Kananga]

still dont see it as common, happens but in know way is it common with thai on thai,

even if you see one every hour, still not ciommon.

does anyone besides me find the age gap relationships dodgy, or am i now in the minority on here, that tells me most here must be far older then there girls.

I would say the majority of village and hill-tribe girls are married to much older men, that is what traditionally happens in Thailand. (and even more common in China)

(Usually the rural Thai girls aged 13-16 get married to someone 10-20 years or more older)

In the more westernized areas Thais are influenced by 'Hollywood' ideals and tend to date/marry similar aged.

Is it 'dodgy', well if you are a Victorian/Christian prude, then it would seem so.

If you are a Buddhist then it is irrelevant.

As for posters on this forum, I'm guessing most, like me, have partners that are 20 years younger.

We are older, we have money, we can provide.

You youngsters, on the other hand, generally have little money, little future prospects and can't provide.

And my fellow villagers see nothing 'dodgy' in me aged 50+ marrying a widow lady aged 30, she was far too old for any of the other men to consider marrying (the single guys all want 15YOs), and was causing problems among the married men. I problem I kindly solved for everyone.

Most of the young people who make the sort of post you do, appear envious rather than disgusted.

Just out of interest, if old people are so much better than young ones, why did you not marry someone of a similar age instead of one with generally little money, little future prospects and can't provide?

Personally, I couldn't imagine marrying someone 20 years older than me, but that's just my feelings on the matter. Christ, they'd be nearly 60 by now. Too weird for me.

Interesting to read of other people's experiences though.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

Just out of interest, if old people are so much better than young ones, why did you not marry someone of a similar age instead of one with generally little money, little future prospects and can't provide?

Personally, I couldn't imagine marrying someone 20 years older than me, but that's just my feelings on the matter. Christ, they'd be nearly 60 by now. Too weird for me.

Interesting to read of other people's experiences though.

Now I'm really confused. You are male, correct? You seem to be suggesting that some of us are silly enough to be looking for an older Thai **woman**, because she's going to support **us** financially in our old age?

Now my first wife was 10 years older than me - which has resulted in my current batch of kids being younger than my grandkids from the first batch - but usually it goes the other way.

I don't think anyone was talking about "older is better", just that "older usually has more money", and the fact that the latter is the real reason the majority of us attract our younger usually female "partners".

Now as to the reason we older farang prefer our Thai beauties younger than ourselves (in my case half the age of my first batch of children), you're not sincerely questioning **that** are you? And I don't think many of us start out looking to be supported financially by them, we're fully aware thank you that the expectation is the traditional arrangement.

[maxme]

Regarding family "love", I find such bonds to be much stronger and long-lasting here than what is common back home, and agree that's because the Thais are fewer generations away from knowing real hunger, and also that they don't have any other safety net to fall back on.

You are confusing the life long burden of gilt strapped on Thai children by their parents (usually their mother) with family love.

No, I think you are coming from your own cultural programming that says the elderly should make their own arrangements for security and children shouldn't have to take care of their parents in their old age.

That just isn't possible for 90% of Thais, and even in the wealthy west most people will find it very very difficult because they bought into BS that their employers, unions or government would take care of them in their old age.

I think the traditional Asian model to be much more sensible and sustainable.

IMO love is a verb, shown by actions in helping each other. The mythical "love" - ie based solely on feeling and words isn't nearly as important.

Thailand always had rice and lots of it. Google Thailand famine. No results? Of course not. Thais never had a famine.

True for the country as a whole, but I'm not talking about national statistics. Individual areas have had extended droughts for years where people may not die, but malnutrition definitely takes place as a result. The was much more true in the past before government-assisted irrigation schemes, but still, the government doesn't help out until people start actually starving. The degree of malnutrition required to cause misery, negative effects on children's growth etc is actually still present in many of Thailand's poor provinces. Not all families help each other out, and in many areas nearly everyone in the community suffers together.

The fact that they can't catch frogs, snakes and fish in the rice canals anymore is a frequent complaint heard from village elders - and they aren't complaining just out nostalgia, but because they are now dependent on cash income for survival, whereas before subsistence farmers used cash money for only a small fraction of their food.

You may find it difficult to get hard numbers on this stuff online, but if so I reckon that's just because those in a position to gather accurate statistics probably don't care that much, such facts are quite rightly embarrassing to TPTB and "harmful to the reputation of the country".

If you want "hard evidence" of this, just head upcountry and visit the schools in the poorest areas; you will find that a high percentage of students' development has been severely stunted by lack of sufficient protein. You don't need fancy tests and statistics, just squeeze their limbs, weigh them and compare their BMI to the children of your wealthier Thai friends. Even more so if you visit the homes that **don't** send their children to school, because they can't afford the cost of books and uniform, or even the 5 or 10 baht per day that most kids get to spend on snacks at lunchtime, or need them to go out and work from 12-13 on to put food on the table.

Next you'll be telling me how immoral the parents are, how they're just lazy and its all their own fault for not bettering themselves. . .

If you want to blame anything for the situation in this country, blame the Thai culture. Instead of being innovative like the Thais actually are, they follow a hierarchy led by the poo yai. The even slightest change suggested by the younger generation is met by contempt with the answer: "Why should it change? It has always been like this and so shall it remain. Its the Thai way." So the obvious question is, is it the Thai way not to advance and progress building up effecient structures of the society?of course not but the will to change is not there. There are possibilities to change the Isaan life but that is not done either because of insecurity and lack of will. The village leader can live a good life like those in bkk yet the ones under him suffer and nobody asks why.

You think the Thai model suits you because you want to adapt and be accepted. Maybe Im a bit more ambitious than that, I certainly am not gonna let my kid go through all that but atleast try to teach him/her that life is what you make it and he/she can certainly do better than me and his/her mommy did The only way for a developed society to collapse is if people stop believing they can not achieve any higher than sth ordinary. The Thai system is already on the verge of collapsing it hasnt just sunken in to ppl yet.

There are countries that suffer far worse than Thailand because of war, starvation and natural disasters. Thailand just suffers from bad managment and if you dont think that spreads from family roots then you are dead wrong. This is where all begins.

So don't throw people's opinions out the wind because you didnt want achieve sth better than an ordinary life. The people here may they be Thai, Malay, Lao or Burmese deserve better.

[maxme]

Just out of interest, if old people are so much better than young ones, why did you not marry someone of a similar age instead of one with generally little money, little future prospects and can't provide?

Personally, I couldn't imagine marrying someone 20 years older than me, but that's just my feelings on the matter. Christ, they'd be nearly 60 by now. Too weird for me.

Interesting to read of other people's experiences though.

Now I'm really confused. You are male, correct? You seem to be suggesting that some of us are silly enough to be looking for an older Thai **woman**, because she's going to support **us** financially in our old age?

Now my first wife was 10 years older than me - which has resulted in my current batch of kids being younger than my grandkids from the first batch - but usually it goes the other way.

I don't think anyone was talking about "older is better", just that "older usually has more money", and the fact that the latter is the real reason the majority of us attract our younger usually female "partners".

Now as to the reason we older farang prefer our Thai beauties younger than ourselves (in my case half the age of my first batch of children), you're not sincerely questioning **that** are you? And I don't think many of us start out looking to be supported financially by them, we're fully aware thank you that the expectation is the traditional arrangement.

A bit of sticks and stones to me. Your definition of love seems to interpreted as a financial agreement. That would usually happen if you don't find what you are looking for more like what you can comfort with. I guess everybody has their own definition but I bet that some guys here go by that creed and it cost them more than a few relationships.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

If you want to blame anything for the situation in this country, blame the Thai culture. Instead of being innovative like the Thais actually are, they follow a hierarchy led by the poo yai.

...

So don't throw people's opinions out the wind because you didnt want achieve sth better than an ordinary life. The people here may they be Thai, Malay, Lao or Burmese deserve better.

I wasn't blaming anything, nor talking about causes of the problems, simply responding to someone making a statement that Thais have never known hunger.

Of course Thai culture needs to be revolutionized from the bottom up, and if it happens, it's likely to be led by the young. I just hope that if this ever happens they won't throw the baby out with the bathwater, and families will still hold their foundational importance to society and ideally support each other even more than they do now.

And one can still respect one's elders without having to believe and obey everything they say.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

A bit of sticks and stones to me. Your definition of love seems to interpreted as a financial agreement. That would usually happen if you don't find what you are looking for more like what you can comfort with. I guess everybody has their own definition but I bet that some guys here go by that creed and it cost them more than a few relationships.

No, my definition of love is the day-to-acts that support and nourish my loved one's development as a human being. I try to practice such as much as possible, with as many people in my life I can, within my limited resources, and to the degree they can make use of such by their own efforts as well.

None of this has anything to do with arrangements for childcare, housecleaning, massage or any other personal services, although if one of my service providers proves to be interested and ambitious then our relationship may well develop along those lines, and once in a while it works out quite well for a few years.

And "love" **certainly** has nothing to do with fluttering eyelashes or luscious lips mouthing the words she thinks I want to hear. I may go along for the sake of the play but have learned to take all that with a metric tonne of salt.

When I myself feel that wonderful sensation of "falling in love" - happens very frequently - then I'm even stricter with myself than I am with my five-year-old pulling a tantrum to try to get a new robot toy. When I'm wealthy I'll probably be able to indulge that pleasant fantasy a bit more, but I'm not in a position to do so at the moment.

[Kananga]

Just out of interest, if old people are so much better than young ones, why did you not marry someone of a similar age instead of one with generally little money, little future prospects and can't provide?

Personally, I couldn't imagine marrying someone 20 years older than me, but that's just my feelings on the matter. Christ, they'd be nearly 60 by now. Too weird for me.

Interesting to read of other people's experiences though.

Now I'm really confused. You are male, correct? You seem to be suggesting that some of us are silly enough to be looking for an older Thai **woman**, because she's going to support **us** financially in our old age?

Now my first wife was 10 years older than me - which has resulted in my current batch of kids being younger than my grandkids from the first batch - but usually it goes the other way.

I don't think anyone was talking about "older is better", just that "older usually has more money", and the fact that the latter is the real reason the majority of us attract our younger usually female "partners".

Now as to the reason we older farang prefer our Thai beauties younger than ourselves (in my case half the age of my first batch of children), you're not sincerely questioning **that** are you? And I don't think many of us start out looking to be supported financially by them, we're fully aware thank you that the expectation is the traditional arrangement.

Actually there are plenty of wealthy Thai 'cougars' out there, but that doesnt fit into the 19th century 'traditional arrangement' that Thailand is slowly pulling itself out of. You should be proud of yourself, your probably the last of a dying breed. As Thailand and its people prosper there will be less and less reliance on pretty young women marrying men 20 years older than them for money. Although I agree, the term 'financial security' is a little softer on the soul.

I will however say your direct input into the overpopulation of the planet is commendable. Good work!

[Lancelot]

[Thailand does not really love old western guys, but certain part of Thai society loves your money - Enjoy.

Well said GH. You see Thailand as it is; not as some wish it to be...

<and there is a lot to like about Thailand >

[TommoPhysicist]

You think the Thai model suits you because you want to adapt and be accepted. Maybe Im a bit more ambitious than that, I certainly am not gonna let my kid go through all that but atleast try to teach him/her that life is what you make it and he/she can certainly do better than me and his/her mommy did

This can only be true if you consider yourself and your wife as failures, if you are satisfied with your life then in reality it would be impossible for your children to 'do better'.

I'm always a little puzzled by people wanting their children to 'do better',

have better relationships, happier marriage?

produce more and healthier children?

accumulate more possessions?

accumulate more money?

have a better education?

Could you explain In what ways you feel you and your wife have failed?

[TommoPhysicist]

Just out of interest, if old people are so much better than young ones, why did you not marry someone of a similar age instead of one with generally little money, little future prospects and can't provide?

Personally, I couldn't imagine marrying someone 20 years older than me, but that's just my feelings on the matter. Christ, they'd be nearly 60 by now. Too weird for me.

Interesting to read of other people's experiences though.

Now I'm really confused. You are male, correct? You seem to be suggesting that some of us are silly enough to be looking for an older Thai **woman**, because she's going to support **us** financially in our old age?

Now my first wife was 10 years older than me - which has resulted in my current batch of kids being younger than my grandkids from the first batch - but usually it goes the other way.

I don't think anyone was talking about "older is better", just that "older usually has more money", and the fact that the latter is the real reason the majority of us attract our younger usually female "partners".

Now as to the reason we older farang prefer our Thai beauties younger than ourselves (in my case half the age of my first batch of children), you're not sincerely questioning **that** are you? And I don't think many of us start out looking to be supported financially by them, we're fully aware thank you that the expectation is the traditional arrangement.

Actually there are plenty of wealthy Thai 'cougars' out there, but that doesnt fit into the 19th century 'traditional arrangement' that Thailand is slowly pulling itself out of. You should be proud of yourself, your probably the last of a dying breed. As Thailand and its people prosper there will be less and less reliance on pretty young women marrying men 20 years older than them for money. Although I agree, the term 'financial security' is a little softer on the soul.

I will however say your direct input into the overpopulation of the planet is commendable. Good work!

Another good post by BJBKK, I agree you you almost entirely.

Seems to me that you ,Kananga, are the dying breed as both BJ and myself are reproducing at full speed ahead. As for Thailands economic outlook, I'm fairly certain it will be providing enough women for BJ, myself, and others like us for the foreseeable future.

[maxme]

You think the Thai model suits you because you want to adapt and be accepted. Maybe Im a bit more ambitious than that, I certainly am not gonna let my kid go through all that but atleast try to teach him/her that life is what you make it and he/she can certainly do better than me and his/her mommy did

This can only be true if you consider yourself and your wife as failures, if you are satisfied with your life then in reality it would be impossible for your children to 'do better'.

Read again Tommo old boy... Time changes but only brcause people do. I want ppl here to strive for a better life than they already have. Sitting on my a$$ and liking that I fet 30 baht for a meal while the one who serves me maybe only get 5-6000 baht a month shows just egocentrism if not egoism. I can understand u like that and that suits u. Me, I strive for me and my family to make a change for the better. That kind of stone age thinking that u have only see black and white so i thank god for the tounger generation

[TommoPhysicist]

Read again Tommo old boy... Time changes but only brcause people do. I want ppl here to strive for a better life than they already have. Sitting on my a$$ and liking that I fet 30 baht for a meal while the one who serves me maybe only get 5-6000 baht a month shows just egocentrism if not egoism. I can understand u like that and that suits u. Me, I strive for me and my family to make a change for the better. That kind of stone age thinking that u have only see black and white so i thank god for the tounger generation

You have avoided answering the question, do you consider you and your wife as failures (list please).

In what ways would you want your children to 'do better' (list please)

My last 25bht meal (30bht is a little on the expensive side for me) was almost perfect.

Red pork, with narrow noodles in a clear soup. If only there had been crispy dumplings to dunk it it, it would have been perfect.

Spending more money does not equate to a better eating experience IMHO and what the server is paid is entirely irrelevant to the meal quality.

[maxme]

Read again Tommo old boy... Time changes but only brcause people do. I want ppl here to strive for a better life than they already have. Sitting on my a$$ and liking that I fet 30 baht for a meal while the one who serves me maybe only get 5-6000 baht a month shows just egocentrism if not egoism. I can understand u like that and that suits u. Me, I strive for me and my family to make a change for the better. That kind of stone age thinking that u have only see black and white so i thank god for the tounger generation

You have avoided answering the question, do you consider you and your wife as failures (list please).

In what ways would you want your children to 'do better' (list please)

My last 25bht meal (30bht is a little on the expensive side for me) was almost perfect.

Red pork, with narrow noodles in a clear soup. If only there had been crispy dumplings to dunk it it, it would have been perfect.

Spending more money does not equate to a better eating experience IMHO and what the server is paid is entirely irrelevant to the meal quality.

No not as failures as such but we have been working too hard our entire young life but I can see someone like u wouldnt understand as u dont care about ur surroundings. Its not just about me and my family, its about the society as whole, my hopes for my kids are to make achange for the better for those around them not just fir ourselves. This is where u fail Tommo, as an individual, an adult and as a parent.

[TommoPhysicist]

No not as failures as such but we have been working too hard our entire young life but I can see someone like u wouldnt understand as u dont care about ur surroundings. Its not just about me and my family, its about the society as whole, my hopes for my kids are to make achange for the better for those around them not just fir ourselves. This is where u fail Tommo, as an individual, an adult and as a parent.

I live in surroundings that most western families aspire to, so not sure how you can say I'm not bothered.

You are never going to change anything, you don't have the right family connections and nor do your children.

Please don't call me a failure, just because you are vaguely dissatisfied with your life, but can't actually express that dissatisfaction in words. I've done 'big city' life, in one of the biggest cities of the world, I've done education at one of the UKs top universities.

Now I'm doing rural ideal, and I can tell you, it's the best of the bunch, for me and the family.

(and please no more personal insults, against forum rules)

[kerryk]

If you want to blame anything for the situation in this country, blame the Thai culture. Instead of being innovative like the Thais actually are, they follow a hierarchy led by the poo yai.

...

So don't throw people's opinions out the wind because you didnt want achieve sth better than an ordinary life. The people here may they be Thai, Malay, Lao or Burmese deserve better.

I wasn't blaming anything, nor talking about causes of the problems, simply responding to someone making a statement that Thais have never known hunger.

Of course Thai culture needs to be revolutionized from the bottom up, and if it happens, it's likely to be led by the young. I just hope that if this ever happens they won't throw the baby out with the bathwater, and families will still hold their foundational importance to society and ideally support each other even more than they do now.

And one can still respect one's elders without having to believe and obey everything they say.

Speaking of revolution.  My favorite revolutionary was Benjamin Franklin.  Not only was he planking every pretty woman in Paris during the American Revolution but he was 70 when he was doing it and had at least 13 illegitimate children along the way.

[kerryk]

The self delusion continues.

I am old now and I would agree the beautiful women marry the old men for money. I was also here when I was 22. I had women from Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and China and at 22 I was movie star handsome. And I discovered something. Beautiful women marry young men for money. Let the delusion continue.

[cardholder]

There are symbiotic coexistences wherever you look in the world.

[maxme]

No not as failures as such but we have been working too hard our entire young life but I can see someone like u wouldnt understand as u dont care about ur surroundings. Its not just about me and my family, its about the society as whole, my hopes for my kids are to make achange for the better for those around them not just fir ourselves. This is where u fail Tommo, as an individual, an adult and as a parent.

I live in surroundings that most western families aspire to, so not sure how you can say I'm not bothered.

You are never going to change anything, you don't have the right family connections and nor do your children.

Please don't call me a failure, just because you are vaguely dissatisfied with your life, but can't actually express that dissatisfaction in words. I've done 'big city' life, in one of the biggest cities of the world, I've done education at one of the UKs top universities.

Now I'm doing rural ideal, and I can tell you, it's the best of the bunch, for me and the family.

(and please no more personal insults, against forum rules)

Tommo boy I think sometimes u dont connect really. I dont see me and my wife as failures but our ambition is the same creed the western societies were built on. If we did ur way there would be a stalemate like most developing countries. Social welfare for example is one of those benifits we can use thanks to our way of thinking.

You are tired of the duty full life you had to live in the west and wanna live sabai sabai here, doing not even half the stuffs you did back home, reaching old age... I get it, who wouldnt but its hard work that keep the socities prosper and therefor I hope to leave a legacy to my kids that all the fruits they enjoy then didnt come cheap but with sweat, blood and tears , so they dont do the same mistakes we ALL did some time ago.

If you consider yourself a perfect person then congrats. Perhaps Im a bit naive thinking that concepts like being perfect or Utopia only exist on paper.

[Berkshire]

[Thailand does not really love old western guys, but certain part of Thai society loves your money - Enjoy.

Well said GH. You see Thailand as it is; not as some wish it to be...

<and there is a lot to like about Thailand >

Just curious your take: Dirt poor, peasant Thai women marry young western guys for...?

[billd766]

still dont see it as common, happens but in know way is it common with thai on thai,

even if you see one every hour, still not ciommon.

does anyone besides me find the age gap relationships dodgy, or am i now in the minority on here, that tells me most here must be far older then there girls.

I would say the majority of village and hill-tribe girls are married to much older men, that is what traditionally happens in Thailand. (and even more common in China)

(Usually the rural Thai girls aged 13-16 get married to someone 10-20 years or more older)

In the more westernized areas Thais are influenced by 'Hollywood' ideals and tend to date/marry similar aged.

Is it 'dodgy', well if you are a Victorian/Christian prude, then it would seem so.

If you are a Buddhist then it is irrelevant.

As for posters on this forum, I'm guessing most, like me, have partners that are 20 years younger.

We are older, we have money, we can provide.

You youngsters, on the other hand, generally have little money, little future prospects and can't provide.

And my fellow villagers see nothing 'dodgy' in me aged 50+ marrying a widow lady aged 30, she was far too old for any of the other men to consider marrying (the single guys all want 15YOs), and was causing problems among the married men. I problem I kindly solved for everyone.

Most of the young people who make the sort of post you do, appear envious rather than disgusted.

Just out of interest, if old people are so much better than young ones, why did you not marry someone of a similar age instead of one with generally little money, little future prospects and can't provide?

Personally, I couldn't imagine marrying someone 20 years older than me, but that's just my feelings on the matter. Christ, they'd be nearly 60 by now. Too weird for me.

Interesting to read of other people's experiences though.

Well when my parents got married in the UK my Dad was 15 years older than my Mum.

Granted it was in 1924 and may have been unusual in those days but as far as I know nobody looked down on my Mum for marrying someone 15 years older.

My first wife in the UK was nearly 2 years younger and mt second and current Thai wife is 21 years younger than me.

I don't suppose my parents would have thought that the age difference was that important.

[Kananga]

[Thailand does not really love old western guys, but certain part of Thai society loves your money - Enjoy.

Well said GH. You see Thailand as it is; not as some wish it to be...

<and there is a lot to like about Thailand >

Just curious your take: Dirt poor, peasant Thai women marry young western guys for...?

Their hot bodies. Their overall treatment and respect of women compared to the equivalent aged Thai men poor or otherwise. Their ability to eat 'spicy'. Their moves on the dance floor and finally their ability to have a family where one momber isnt likely to die within 20 years.

[Berkshire]

[Thailand does not really love old western guys, but certain part of Thai society loves your money - Enjoy.

Well said GH. You see Thailand as it is; not as some wish it to be...

<and there is a lot to like about Thailand >

Just curious your take: Dirt poor, peasant Thai women marry young western guys for...?

Their hot bodies. Their overall treatment and respect of women compared to the equivalent aged Thai men poor or otherwise. Their ability to eat 'spicy'. Their moves on the dance floor and finally their ability to have a family where one momber isnt likely to die within 20 years.

I would say their perceived wealth and western passport trumps all of the above. A young Thai woman who's not really looking for money would prefer a guy her age that she can communicate with. This pretty much eliminates farangs. But if she's in dire straits....any westerner will do. Regardless of age.

[cardholder]

I would say their perceived wealth and western passport trumps all of the above. A young Thai woman who's not really looking for money would prefer a guy her age that she can communicate with. This pretty much eliminates farangs. But if she's in dire straits....any westerner will do. Regardless of age.

That's my sort of gal !