Taking Bt500K Into Isaan Village: Safe Or Not?

[Johnniey]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

[Keith67]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

Edited April 17, 2013 by Keith67

[wellred]

The fact that you even have to do this should have the alarm bells ringing. It's not too late to say no man.

If you really must do this then ensure there is someone present who is armed and at all times no more than 5 ft away from the stash. A 2nd minder placed outside the residence would also not hurt.

Edited April 17, 2013 by wellred

[Keith67]

The fact that you even have to do this should have the alarm bells ringing. It's not too late to say no man. If you really must do this then ensure there is someone present who is armed and at all times no more than 5 ft away from the stash. A 2nd minder placed outside the residence would also not hurt.

Next thing you'll be suggesting that police should close all road junctions between Bangkok and his final destination with point duty officers lining the route and stopping all vehicle movement so he can proceed without incident.

<deleted> - he's a normal guy going to his wedding with an amount of money that in the real world is not that large a sum, if you go to an issan bank you will see regular Thais withdrawing sums of B2,3 or 400,000 cash with no armed guard in sight it's called common sense.

[uptheos]

The fact that you even have to do this should have the alarm bells ringing. It's not too late to say no man. If you really must do this then ensure there is someone present who is armed and at all times no more than 5 ft away from the stash. A 2nd minder placed outside the residence would also not hurt.

Like this?

[Phronesis]

For someone about to marry a Thai your question is ridiculously naive.

You can have someone clipped here for less than 50K THB.

You do the math...

[Johnniey]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

I've lived in Eesarn for 24 years, so actually been to many Thai, Thai weddings. The average village school teacher will not give 500k, let alone 1.5 mill. I remember two teachers got married and the sinsod was 50k.

There are extreme cases, I was at the wedding of a friends daughter and an ex provincial head policeman and ex senator(very very wealthy.) The cash on show was 500K.

When you've been here for a while you get to know that farang are equivalent to no Thai and cannot be placed on any of their social levels.

[rgs2001uk]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold

I can assure you that certainly aint the norm for Thai/Thai marriages in Issan.

Anywhere from 10k to 100k is more usual, I would sure like to know what type of girl and family he was marrying into to pay that sort of sin sot.

Another question, you say teacher, earning lets say 20k per month, thats over 10 years salary if we assume 5 baht of gold at 20k per 1 baht.

In fact the above would be considered above the norm in Bkk, unless you start getting into HiSo types.

[doontp]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

I think you're right about this. Initially, her dad said $50,000 plus gold and I laughed. He didn't laugh with me. He appeared surprised and confused when I told him that all Americans are not rich, including myself. He then said Bt1m plus gold and I said no. A thai celebrity recently got married and her sinsot was Bt1m.

[midasthailand]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Seems to me that this bunch of people in an Isaan village have already determined one thing in your life and that is that you will be carrying 500k to display in order to satisfy the ridiculous measure of face that is common in most Asian cultures.

For someone that has lived in Isaan for 24 years it surprises me that you have bowed to the will of the future in laws and set the benchmark for all future dealings with them.

Good luck with the marriage.

[danbradster]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold

I can assure you that certainly aint the norm for Thai/Thai marriages in Issan.

Anywhere from 10k to 100k is more usual, I would sure like to know what type of girl and family he was marrying into to pay that sort of sin sot.

Another question, you say teacher, earning lets say 20k per month, thats over 10 years salary if we assume 5 baht of gold at 20k per 1 baht.

In fact the above would be considered above the norm in Bkk, unless you start getting into HiSo types.

I see some with regular jobs or small businesses displaying 1 million + gold. It's an annoying precedent.

[doontp]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this vill

[doontp]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Seems to me that this bunch of people in an Isaan village have already determined one thing in your life and that is that you will be carrying 500k to display in order to satisfy the ridiculous measure of face that is common in most Asian cultures.

For someone that has lived in Isaan for 24 years it surprises me that you have bowed to the will of the future in laws and set the benchmark for all future dealings with them.

Good luck with the marriage.

Thanks for the hope of good luck.

Bowing down means doing what the other party wants without standing your ground.

I disagree that I bowed down. Two cultures coming together must meet somewhere in the middle. Her dad initially wanted me to give him the money as reimbursement for sending his daughter to university and upbringing. But he refused to reimburse my dad for doing the same for me. He then came to terms with me simply displaying the money and gold. I stood my ground and everyone seems happy.

[Naam]

Get a check to display.

or a simple IOU written on toiletp.... a Kleenex tissue. that proves that you are a "Gentlemen of Means" and well adapted to today's financial dealings.

all wedding participants will look at you with awe and great respect!

[doontp]

From a previous post:

I see some with regular jobs or small businesses displaying 1 million + gold. It's an annoying precedent.

A lot of people borrow money to display. It's just a show. I do agree it's annoying. Globally speaking, many things in life are just a "show." A famous phrase, "image is everything." Analyze the world's political scene......that's the biggest display of all.

[MobileContent]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

I think you're right about this. Initially, her dad said $50,000 plus gold and I laughed. He didn't laugh with me. He appeared surprised and confused when I told him that all Americans are not rich, including myself. He then said Bt1m plus gold and I said no. A thai celebrity recently got married and her sinsot was Bt1m.

50,000 USD ?

I would walk away as far as I can from this in-laws. Is your future Mrs the branch manager of the bank with Chinese background? My wife isn't any branch manager but she was runner up of the Thai Scrabble championship from all Isaan schools (Mat 6) in the year 2010 and I paid 200,000 Baht of which 50,000 was returned to me and the 150,000 Baht was burned on the party.

If my in-laws would have asked me for 50,000 USD even if it is only for show I would have said thanks but no thanks.

You will be under tremendous pressure in the future to show that you are the Number 1 foreigner not only in your village but in the whole Korat or possible Isaan.

Regarding 500k in a safe from Bangkok? 500k isn't really that much so no worries. Don't you have your own bank account in Thailand so you could just withdraw that money from a bank nearby and just deposit it back. Never heard about a cheque but if you have doubts why continue.

Nobody will steal your money if it doesn't come from the inside within the family.

[chiang mai]

Taking that much cash into a village for a wedding is foolish, much better to use a cheque, I did and it all worked out really well.

[Keith67]

"Can anyone anticipate problems I might have" ?

You mean except from posting it on a public forum with a picture of yourself ??

Relax. Thailand is very much a cash-society, so a lot of money is moved around every day in different fashions. And 500k isn't THAT much, so why the safe (!) in the car? A Tesco plasticbag and in the pocket will do the trick. When the "showing" is over, count the money, back in the plasticbag and to the bank you go, Hope your new inlaws are going to keep some of it ??

I agree with Soi41 THB500k is not a lot of cash in Thai society. I know many locals in my village who buy a 900K pickup with cash. I have not heard of any robbery during any weddings in my village either. Best not to show the safe. I think you will be the laughing stock in the village thereafter - the first farang to bring a safe (and from your description a 'portable' one) to keep his 500k safe!

Just have a buddy take 100% care of it, from the time it is out of the bank (or money changer) to the time it gets deposited back into the bank account. And make sure he or she doesn't drink on that day! Good luck and congratulations.

I am supposedly the first falang to ever set foot in this village. this village does not have any nice houses. only one nice pickup truck.

also, with all due respect.....I am not worried about what a bunch of people in an Isaan village think of me. they don't determine anything in my life. Do you think they worry about what we think of them?

thank you for the congrats and your post.

Not atall, the only people to be affected by what you do before you get back in your car and drive away are the parents and family of your wife to be, a little thought and consideration for their feelings during and after your wedding would not be amiss, after all a small Thai village is a relentless place to live if you are the focus of all the gossip and trust me they would be and for along time. A cheque and small amount of money would cause your future wifes family to "lose face" and could therefore soil future relations with you and them, also remember any deemed wrong doing by you would put excessive pressure on your wife and in turn possibly on your relationship.

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

I've lived in Eesarn for 24 years, so actually been to many Thai, Thai weddings. The average village school teacher will not give 500k, let alone 1.5 mill. I remember two teachers got married and the sinsod was 50k.

There are extreme cases, I was at the wedding of a friends daughter and an ex provincial head policeman and ex senator(very very wealthy.) The cash on show was 500K.

When you've been here for a while you get to know that farang are equivalent to no Thai and cannot be placed on any of their social levels.

Fortunately i have been here a while, i might not have made it clear what i meant though, i was refering to the mindset of the people in the villages when i said how they view class, as in a teacher, policeman or industry leader outside the village i.e. in the city or bangkok are seen as middle class, also that farangs financial level would be of a middle class Thai or above, the teacher next door to me works in Sakhon and earns in excess of 45K per/mth.

[Keith67]

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold

I can assure you that certainly aint the norm for Thai/Thai marriages in Issan.

Anywhere from 10k to 100k is more usual, I would sure like to know what type of girl and family he was marrying into to pay that sort of sin sot.

Another question, you say teacher, earning lets say 20k per month, thats over 10 years salary if we assume 5 baht of gold at 20k per 1 baht.

In fact the above would be considered above the norm in Bkk, unless you start getting into HiSo types.

I didn't say it was the norm, but then again a farang marrying in his village is not the norm either.

The teacher in question earns 45K+ per/mth

[HanSRT10]

For someone about to marry a Thai your question is ridiculously naive.You can have someone clipped here for less than 50K THB.You do the math...

Yes and that 50k includes the right (or is it duty?) to be misrable on TV and complain aout Thai women and Thailand in general because you'd be making the same mistake they made X years ago already...

I think you worry too much about the safety matter, wish you a great wedding, wonderful future!

Edited April 19, 2013 by HanSRT10

[rgs2001uk]

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold

I can assure you that certainly aint the norm for Thai/Thai marriages in Issan.

Anywhere from 10k to 100k is more usual, I would sure like to know what type of girl and family he was marrying into to pay that sort of sin sot.

Another question, you say teacher, earning lets say 20k per month, thats over 10 years salary if we assume 5 baht of gold at 20k per 1 baht.

In fact the above would be considered above the norm in Bkk, unless you start getting into HiSo types.

I didn't say it was the norm, but then again a farang marrying in his village is not the norm either.

The teacher in question earns 45K+ per/mth

The teacher in question earns 45K+ per/mth

I am not trying to be funny here, do you mean teacher as in kru or ajarn?

45k for a teacher is Issan certainly aint the norm.

Or are we talking about some TEFLr?

Jeez teachers in Bkk aint making 45k per month, by that I mean govt teachers at govt schools.

Salaries of 12/15 or 20k are the norm, not unless we are talking of someone at an international school with international qualifications to back up the salary.

[Keith67]

The safety of your money is more important than a loss of face by them.

What about your loss of face , 500k is far to much for this type of wedding. If you show this much you'll l never get them off your back asking for money. They already think all farang are millionaires. Be wise and don't play the big shot.

Tell them you have a cashflow problem and can only get 200k, which is still above normal for a poor village in Issarn.

If they have a problem with this, its best you know now.

If you are happy with them all saying that your wife is only with you for your wealth, then go ahead and take a safe to your wedding.

You have not been to too many thai-thai weddings in Issan then, most farang would be classed as equivalent to at least middle class Thai or above, middle class Thai would be teachers, police or industry management types in any village, the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view. It was brought to the wedding just before the counting and returned to the bank straight after, Thais more than most understand the security issues with displaying large sums of money and should have no problem with a small time frame for show and counting in your presence before returning it to the safety of the bank vault.

B500K has already been agreed and there is no desire for them to keep the money, flip the coin how would he feel if they suddenly for no reason decided B500K wasn't enough and they wanted him to display B1M.

And before the ditch her or run for the hills comments are made, i didn't ask what he would do, i asked how he would feel.....

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold

I can assure you that certainly aint the norm for Thai/Thai marriages in Issan.

Anywhere from 10k to 100k is more usual, I would sure like to know what type of girl and family he was marrying into to pay that sort of sin sot.

Another question, you say teacher, earning lets say 20k per month, thats over 10 years salary if we assume 5 baht of gold at 20k per 1 baht.

In fact the above would be considered above the norm in Bkk, unless you start getting into HiSo types.

I didn't say it was the norm, but then again a farang marrying in his village is not the norm either.

The teacher in question earns 45K+ per/mth

The teacher in question earns 45K+ per/mth

I am not trying to be funny here, do you mean teacher as in kru or ajarn?

45k for a teacher is Issan certainly aint the norm.

Or are we talking about some TEFLr?

Jeez teachers in Bkk aint making 45k per month, by that I mean govt teachers at govt schools.

Salaries of 12/15 or 20k are the norm, not unless we are talking of someone at an international school with international qualifications to back up the salary.

I don't know where he works only it's in Sakhon or what level he is, although i was offered 3 jobs teaching here in Udon (although i'm not a teacher) i just speak English, the first was in the local town 50km outside Udon 40K p/mth for 30hrs per week, the second was in Sakhon that was 45-50K + accomodation and the third was a village school about 20km from me and that was 17K p/mth. All these were offered to me in the restaurant my wife owned by the heads of the schools also the offer to sort out work permits and all paperwork at their expense and these were all state run schools.

[rgs2001uk]

^^^^^, is he Thai or farang?

[Keith67]

^^^^^, is he Thai or farang?

A Thai

Edited April 19, 2013 by Keith67

[rgs2001uk]

^^^^^, is he Thai or farang?

Are we not talking about a teacher in a Thai - Thai wedding?

^^^^, I honestly dont know, from a previous post you made,

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view.

No mention of Thai or farang.

I stand by my claim, there aint many Thai teachers in Issan earning 45k per month, thats assuming we are talking kru and not ajarn, you do know the difference do you?

So please verify, was this guy a Thai or farang, is he a kru or an ajarn?

[Keith67]

^^^^^, is he Thai or farang?

Are we not talking about a teacher in a Thai - Thai wedding?

^^^^, I honestly dont know, from a previous post you made,

the teacher who lives with his family next door to me just paid B1.5M + 5 baht gold and the cash was laid out on view.

No mention of Thai or farang.

I stand by my claim, there aint many Thai teachers in Issan earning 45k per month, thats assuming we are talking kru and not ajarn, you do know the difference do you?

So please verify, was this guy a Thai or farang, is he a kru or an ajarn?

I appologise as i just corrected my original post to your question, i was having a disscussion with another member about how much sin sod can be paid in Thai - Thai weddings and the post about the teacher was my reply, somewhere in the middle you came into the disscussion without me realising i was talking to somebody else.

As i say i don't know a great deal about him only he is a teacher in Sakhon.

Edited April 19, 2013 by Keith67

[rgs2001uk]

^^^^^^, Keith no need to apologise, all I am trying to find out is, are there Thai teachers earning 45k per month in Issan, by teacher I mean kru not ajarn.

As i say i don't know a great deal about him only he is a teacher in Sakhon.

Is he Thai or farang?

Reason for asking, I know many Thais working here in Bkk for way less than that, they would be more than happy to relocate to Issan for 45k per month, sorry if I come across as rather obtuse.

Edited April 19, 2013 by rgs2001uk

[Keith67]

^^^^^^, Keith no need to apologise, all I am trying to find out is, are there Thai teachers earning 45k per month in Issan, by teacher I mean kru not ajarn.

As i say i don't know a great deal about him only he is a teacher in Sakhon.

Is he Thai or farang?

Reason for asking, I know many Thais working here in Bkk for way less than that, they would be more than happy to relocate to Issan for 45k per month, sorry if I come across as rather obtuse.

No problem atall, he is Thai and as i said i really know very little about him he spends most of his time away as we live mear Udon and he works in Sakhon, his familylive next door to me in his house and they speak alot to my wife, his salary could be family bragging but when i do see him i tend to think it is true due to his dress, car and his general ways, i know from my wife she has known him for most of her life he is very well educated to the highest possible standard, i have just spoke to my wife and she says he is now midway between the two, soon he will become (big boss)....lol.

[Neeranam]

^^^^^^, Keith no need to apologise, all I am trying to find out is, are there Thai teachers earning 45k per month in Issan, by teacher I mean kru not ajarn.

As i say i don't know a great deal about him only he is a teacher in Sakhon.

Is he Thai or farang?

Reason for asking, I know many Thais working here in Bkk for way less than that, they would be more than happy to relocate to Issan for 45k per month, sorry if I come across as rather obtuse.

Do you know the difference between khru and ajarn?

Khru is an old word which many University lecturers prefer to be called, any teacher really is called ajarn.

[fletchsmile]

I've seen some sin sod threads in my time. This is the funniest variation I've seen in ages though.

Taking a safe because "these people are poor" and you're worried about the "showing, handling and transporting of the money"

When you say "open the safe at the wedding at the proper time and allowing the money to be spread out for viewing" are you planning to do this in front of everyone?

If you're for real, then all I'd say is do it with a big smile on your face, full of theatrics, and big bundles of notes including some small denominations in addition to 1000's so you fill the safe completely and the show lasts as long as possible.

Fletch

BTW Have to say I never even considered the risk of theft. We got back all the gold, and half of the money exactly as agreed. Really can't remember where it was kept though. I just trusted the outlaws to handle it all - as they did everything else during the day.

Edited April 19, 2013 by fletchsmile