I just moved here from California with my husband and two kids. I'm not sure exactly the answer to your question regarding whether you can live here without a car or motorcycle, but I wanted to recommend someone to help you find a house. We used Brett from Expat Homes, he is an "American" who speaks Thai and he's a bit different from other brokers in that his team is always pounding the pavement getting new listings by scouring the neighborhoods and talking to folks. He took us out for a whole day and showed us house after house in our budget, and he's a great resource for newcomers as far as tips and such. Definitely email him : <removed>

I just moved here from California with my husband and two kids. I'm not sure exactly the answer to your question regarding whether you can live here without a car or motorcycle, but I wanted to recommend someone to help you find a house. We used Brett from Expat Homes, he is an "American" who speaks Thai and he's a bit different from other brokers in that his team is always pounding the pavement getting new listings by scouring the neighborhoods and talking to folks. He took us out for a whole day and showed us house after house in our budget, and he's a great resource for newcomers as far as tips and such. Definitely email him : <removed>

Brett form Expat Homes sounds like a good guy but remember that most homes here are either sold or rented by the owners putting a sign on the front gate.

Obviously you need transport and preferably someone who can speak Thai. Dealing direct saves you quite a bit of cash too. Just an option, not a criticism, good luck

Appreciate the advice. Do you need a thai licence to ride a scooter or will an American license be adequate?

"American" motorcycle license, yes.

Isn't it odd how US citizens so often consider themselves to be the only Americans? Approximately two thirds of the American people are not in the US, are not US citizens.

Odd? We think of ourselves and call ourselves Americans because it's our name; we are from the United States of America. Would you prefer we called ourselves Statesians?

Yes please.

sometimes youll be so hungry , thirsty, tired that you wont want to walk....get transport

So anyway, Hang Dong is a big district. If you're directly on the 108 then I suppose you can subsist. Other places, or deep into housing developments it'll be difficult to get anywhere.

Downtown is really the only place you could live without a car or bike. And even there I would prefer wheels.

Appreciate the advice. Do you need a thai licence to ride a scooter or will an American license be adequate?

"American" motorcycle license, yes.

Isn't it odd how US citizens so often consider themselves to be the only Americans? Approximately two thirds of the American people are not in the US, are not US citizens.

Sure, but they don't use American english, only Americans do.

Appreciate the advice. Do you need a thai licence to ride a scooter or will an American license be adequate?

"American" motorcycle license, yes.

Isn't it odd how US citizens so often consider themselves to be the only Americans? Approximately two thirds of the American people are not in the US, are not US citizens.

Odd? We think of ourselves and call ourselves Americans because it's our name; we are from the United States of America. Would you prefer we called ourselves Statesians?

Yes please.

Okay, that's one vote.

I've got too much time on my hands. I think I'll have a look at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_(word)

I realize academia is far from TV, but for credibility, you really ought to cite more viable sources:

Wikipedia Founder Discourages Academic Use of His Creation

Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia compiled by a distributed network of volunteers, has often come under attack by academics as being shoddy and full of inaccuracies. Even Wikipedias founder, Jimmy Wales, says he wants to get the message out to college students that they shouldnt use it for class projects or serious research.

Speaking at a conference at the University of Pennsylvania on Friday called The Hyperlinked Society, Mr. Wales said that he gets about 10 e-mail messages a week from students who complain that Wikipedia has gotten them into academic hot water. They say, Please help me. I got an F on my paper because I cited Wikipedia and the information turned out to be wrong, he says. But he said he has no sympathy for their plight, noting that he thinks to himself: For God sake, youre in college; dont cite the encyclopedia.

Mr. Wales said that leaders of Wikipedia have considered putting together a fact sheet that professors could give out to students explaining what Wikipedia is and that it is not always a definitive source. It is pretty good, but you have to be careful with it, he said. Its good enough knowledge, depending on what your purpose is.

In an interview, Mr. Wales said that Wikipedia is ideal for many uses. If you are reading a novel that mentions the Battle of the Bulge, for instance, you could use Wikipedia to get a quick basic overview of the historical event to understand the context. But students writing a paper about the battle should hit the history books.

Posted on Monday June 12, 2006 | Permalink |