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    how do i live in thailand?

    By Anonymous, Created on: 03/06/2007, Last updated on: 17/12/2007

    » ok so i'm a 24 years old white british guy and i'm going to marry my thai girlfriend here in bangkok. I've now been living here in Thailand since January 2007 on a non-immigrant muti entry visa. However once we get married what will i have to do next to be able to live here? will...

    • Anonymous commented : I'm Happy for you Tobby, I hope you have a happy life with your lovly wife. You shouldn't appolise to AD. He has lived in Thailand for a long time and understands the issan side of the story. But you are a new young generation which he does not understand. I am 31 years old. lived in thailand for 10 years. And yes, god help the thai kids, i'm a teacher ( that scary as I am an unedurcated soul) and ready for AD to take the piss out of me. I use to be a cleaner too. Anyway, I too have a buetiful Thai wife. from a middle class family. Whos family has never asked anything from me. Gave the money back to me after we got married so we could by a house. Her extended family payed for her education buy selling noodles and pork before I met her and we are really happy together in her country. BUT!!! We were walking down the street the other day when a farang girl behind me said " Look at that guy and his prositute". This made my wife sad. We went to the beach. sat down on the mats to injoy or holiday together only to be steerd at and feel abit uncoftable by little wispers and steers. Of a white guy with a Thai girl. Thailand is a buetiful country full of buitiful poeple but you know what the world thinks of thai girls. Is sad yer. And why is this??? I know more thai, farrang marraiges that have worked than failed. but then I never suronded myself with old farrang and dirty sluts. lol. Bring it on. AD. Too funny. I'm not rich. just live my life best I can. I don't look down on bar girl but I do feel sorry for the thai poeple who work hard to live but have a country famous for old farts and dirty bargirls. WHo at the end of the day could look after there own kids and live a okay life selling noodles but really wont that new cell phone and von duch hand bag. Poor Thailand. I think you have lived in the country for to long AD.Open your eye's to the world. Lots of love. Old fart. Ps. I love Thai.

    • 42 replies, 18,870 views

    Forum

    About Face.

    By Sean Moran, Created on: 14/10/2008, Last updated on: 13/04/2014

    » One olde axiom that comes to mind is, '[i:3b539sim]If you can't say something nice, then keep your mouth s.h.u.t.[/i:3b539sim]' Just a thread that pertains to one of the cultural differences one might notice in venturing from a typical 'westernised' society of the assertive kind to the shores of...

    • fast eddy commented : Klauskent, thanks for the compliment - I do like to put it down on paper/post it on the internet. Sean, mate, you have found a very good friend and I too have benefitted from being on the inside of relationships out here. I do wonder if your mistake would have been rectified it it happened in the big mango. fortunately, as I mentioned, there are still parts of Thailand who view westerners with favour and are happy to help us struggle along.Hope you manage to get back into contact as it is a shame to loose a truly good friend like that! I well remember a story told to me by a friend when we were living in Tokyo. He had had a night out on the tiles and had stumbled his way to a street stall selling ramen. Being much the worse for wear,he sank to a chair and downed a dish of the tasty pick-me-up. Having paid, his thoughts turned to his warm futon which was whispering in his ear 'sleep, sleeeep, sleeeeeeeeppp'. He staggered on home, though by now he was a little wary, for gathered on the corner was a gang of skinheads, tattooed-up, with big doc martin boots, red braces and stay-press jeans. Now, this was about 2 a.m. and he could barely walk - the last thing he needed was a run in with a fascist/rascist gang of Japanese skins! Making sure he didn't make any eye-contact, he made his way home hoping he'd slipped by undetected. However, not before too long he heard the pounding of boots on cement paving stones - a lot of them and they were getting closer. He tried not to panick and thought if he didn't turn around or start running maybe everything would work out o.k. By now the thump of boots were ringing in his ears as they caught up with him. He braced himself for the worst and just stopped walking as they surrounded him. This is it, he thought! The skins, gasping for breath, managed to get out the following in broken English 'Mr. Gaijun san,(Mr. foreigner) Mr. Gaijun san, you forgot your change!' The ramen stall owner had given them the money and sent them off to give it to him! How about that? Not sure about how it works into the thread on 'face' but it sure was an alutristic act by many people to someone they probably would never see again. I usually equate most things to my experiences travelling as that is all I have been doing for the last 30 years. Consequently, I only really understand extremes of relationships between people (nine years in the Royal Navy: living and breathing with guys who had become closer than family) or living across the other side of the world where I am very much on my own as an outsider. Therefore, my take may be different from that of others - still, this does allow me to observe from a distance. Probably, my favourite show of Thai alturism is based on travelling on buses. When I was living day by day earning a couple of hundred baht an hour teaching, I used to travel Bangkok by red and cream buses. Usually, the seats would already be taken and I would be standing. It was a really pleasant feeling when a Thai lady, sometimes young, sometimes still at school and in uniform, would take my bag from me and place it on her lap. She was sharing my load as she had a seat and I was standing! such kind and caring gestures really make the world go around!

    • 61 replies, 76,687 views

    Forum

    Operation OF The Taxi Service In Bangkok

    By antonabe, Created on: 21/10/2008, Last updated on: 10/05/2009

    » I wish to share my experience of the Taxi service in Bangkok.The service from the Airport to the Hotels is excellent and is no cause for concern.However if one to get about in Bangkok from the Hotels to the different shopping molls etc the Taxi driver refuse to oprate the Meter although they have...

    • Sean Moran commented : [quote="Dave Masman":3w4pydej]For the sheer quantity and value of taxis, Bangkok is very unique and for that we should be thankful. Most drivers get us where we need to -at least if you have the minimal language skills required. I really can't say enough about the abundance of this service. [/quote:3w4pydej] That's about the way I look at it too. Maybe the service differs depending on the language skills of the passenger, or maybe the bad guys don't prey on able-bodied tourists with two good legs, but I can only remember two interesting times out of around 100 or more legitimate meter taxi rides. Usually never a problem at all, and a great opportunity to practice one's language skills - works both ways sometimes. One was on July 4th 2006, and it was all over before I even got in the cab. First time I went for a walk down Soi Cowboy and I'd caught the cab from Nonthaburi that night for somewhere around 250 baht inlcuding a 50 baht tip from memory. Going home I came across a cab right on the Asoke side of Cowboy and all I said was "pai nonthaburi mai" before the reply came back as jet roi (700thb). My last words before crossing the street to find a meter cab down on Sukh were "khun bah mai" which in hindsight, probably wasn't quite the right way to explain my decision not to accept the ride, but I never heard gunfire as I walked away so I guess the driver saw the funny side. Lucky for me. The other time was a completely different problem. I was the cause, but it wasn't me who suffered the cost. I was in the process of ferrying my suitcase back from the office to my apartment. Only around 2km up Chaengwattana, I'd usually walk but the suitcase was fairiy cumbersome and the castors probably wouldn't have lasted the distance, and besides the meter taxi was under 50 baht. So there I am standing on the side of the road with the suitcase at my feet looking out for a passing taxi. A taxi pulled up around ten minutes later, and the driver got out to open the boot (trunk) for me to put the case. Lo and behold if a cop doesn't arrive just before we got in the cab and booked the poor bloke 400 baht for parking in a bus stop. This was his reward for stopping to accepting a 50 baht fare within walking distance. I noticed that his face didn't match the ID photo in the cab, and assumed he was just filling in on the weekend for a friend of his to try to make some extra cash, or something like that? What a rotten weekend he had to live through because stupid me didn't know the right place to stand on the side of the road to hail a taxi. I paid the poor fellow 200 baht for the 50 baht fare. haa-sip/haa-sip, song-roi/song-roi.

    • 9 replies, 16,243 views

    Forum

    IS Thailand Safe?

    By Wally, Created on: 08/11/2008, Last updated on: 07/12/2008

    » Thailand is relatively safe, many of the statistics you cite are largely Thai-Thai. All countries have areas best avoided, Thailand is no different, but for the most part I think it is quite safe. Mind you this will vary depending whether you are in Chiang Mai or Pattaya.

    • Sean Moran commented : [quote="rogera":1vt5whvb] Is Thailand Safe? For Whom? Not too safe for those children on the motercycle or you if you start waving your arms over your head close to electrical wires. If you run away from, instead of toward the sound of gunfire, you too might live as I do here in wonderful Thailand. Free of bulletholes. In fact, I have never had a gun fired at me, here. I have been visiting and living here for over 44 years without undue problems IF I keep my nose out of other peoples problems. When I first came here, the price of a killing was $100.. Now I think it has gone up to $5 or 600. Keep to your own affairs, live long and prosper.[/quote:1vt5whvb] Funny that, but when you wrote "...Safe For Whom? ", I first read it as "Safe FROM Whom?" If you're 6'4" and 350lbs and you're walking across a footbridge over the thanon to the skytrain and you see a friend down in the street below and you get excited and wave your arms up in the air and jump up to say hello and you accidentally put your fingernails through the insulation of a 440v 3-phase overhead cable and electrocute yourself and unconsciously tumble over the edge of the bridge and down towards the macadam, and there happens to be a young family of five who can't afford a car yet riding back from the market with a week's supply of shopping on the back of an old Yamaha stuck in traffic at the red light below and you fall on them, you could hurt the poor little kiddies, couldn't you? I'd have to agree that the ONLY place I feel unsafe in Thailand is riding on the bike into or out of Bangkok, and it's the one place in the World where I'd always take a taxi and leave the bike back up in Nonthaburi, except on those odd occasions when I'd have to ride through Bangkok on the way out of town, or back from the train station once. Funny thing is, I never get lost in a cab, and I never get lost on the bike north of Chaengwattana, east of Samut Prakan, or west of Ratchaburi, day or night, I never lose my sense of direction in a new soi, but every single time I've had to ride through the Big Mango on a bike, I've continued to do some kind of 360 act without fail, and think I've made it to Ratchaburi until I pass by the Victory Monument again, or think I must be just crossing the railway line on the way to Sattahip, and then do a lap of Chitralada Palace, and happens every single time I try to find my way through Bangkok on a bike in a hurry. Always have the Michelin mapbook and the Lonely Planet right there in the top rucksack, but no matter how easy those maps make it to find your way around the Chantaburi markets on an overcast day, it just don't work for me in Krungthep. It's safe, but it's not much fun at all when it takes me all day to ride from Pak Kret to Bang Kapi.

    • 13 replies, 20,072 views

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    • Forum

    Taxi Alightment Protocol.

    By Sean Moran, Created on: 17/11/2008, Last updated on: 21/11/2008

    » Please be careful when getting out of a taxi in congested traffic such as central Bangkok. In the olden days, cars built with the door hinges at the back and the latch at the front were called "suicide doors" but conversely the doors on a typical taxi cab can be like homicide doors if you're...

    • Sean Moran commented : Certainly do seem to be more than a few manic motorcyclists getting around on the footpaths of Nonthaburi at high speed to the point where I feel it wise for pedestrians to purchase sunglasses with rear-view lenses to avoid the neck strain that goes with repeatedly having to look behind you when you're walking down the street. Main reason I'd rather buy a bike - it's safer on the road and much drier for navigating long deep puddles after the last rain shower if you can stick your feet up on the handlebars! Actually I can't quite remember why I started this topic now, but it was something to do with occupational health and safety procedures and not really relevant to the realities of life. I hope we can keep in communication over the rest of the year and I'm usually here every morning from around 05:00 BKK time, and I have email and phone numbers and Skype as well, so there's a few media by which to maintain communication over such a distance. How's the recovery going this week?

    • 8 replies, 10,160 views

    Forum

    The Value of a Tourist.

    By Sean Moran, Created on: 18/01/2009, Last updated on: 15/12/2010

    » What are some of the most common positive and negative results of foreign tourists from overseas visiting Thailand? Thai opinions welcome, kap.

    • james commented : I would have to agree that Thailand does attract a lot of criminals. You can easily spot them in pattaya, koh samui, bangkok, chang mai or just about any tourist destination. A large percent of them are drunks, lowlifes and criminals on the run that Thailand allows to wander in on few if any checks. These types are screened when ever they try to enter the U.S. or Canada and often sent packing back onto the plane. Since Thailand is so concerned with money first it,s an open door to these types. But giving these guys a little slack there are many so called high quality tourists with families that certainly act like lowlifes with their rude behavior towards the thais as nothing more than a peg above slave. I am embarrassed to be around them so avoid these areas all together. Having lived here for over eight years it just got old having to avoid these idiots. I made an effort shortly after arriving to learn thai just so i could avoid them. They encourage bad behavior from the thais from tossing money around like there is no tomorrow. How often do you witness a farang paying 100 to 200 percent more for a taxi, dinner, bargirl, hotel etc. Walking down main street half naked on Koh Samui just shows total disrespect to the locals. So do us all a favor who live here in peace with the thais .Learn some common sense as to the price of a taxi, a meal, a bargirl etc. But above all learn some common manners.

    • villager commented : [quote="james":sgsyl7qu]I would have to agree that Thailand does attract a lot of criminals. You can easily spot them in pattaya, koh samui, bangkok, chang mai or just about any tourist destination. A large percent of them are drunks, lowlifes and criminals on the run that Thailand allows to wander in on few if any checks. These types are screened when ever they try to enter the U.S. or Canada and often sent packing back onto the plane. Since Thailand is so concerned with money first it,s an open door to these types. But giving these guys a little slack there are many so called high quality tourists with families that certainly act like lowlifes with their rude behavior towards the thais as nothing more than a peg above slave. I am embarrassed to be around them so avoid these areas all together. Having lived here for over eight years it just got old having to avoid these idiots. I made an effort shortly after arriving to learn thai just so i could avoid them. They encourage bad behavior from the thais from tossing money around like there is no tomorrow. How often do you witness a farang paying 100 to 200 percent more for a taxi, dinner, bargirl, hotel etc. Walking down main street half naked on Koh Samui just shows total disrespect to the locals. So do us all a favor who live here in peace with the thais .Learn some common sense as to the price of a taxi, a meal, a bargirl etc. But above all learn some common manners.[/quote:sgsyl7qu]Hi James, it would appear that your home base is Samui, i first went there in 89 and stayed for 3 months in a sleepy little fishing village called Bophut ,my late wife and i fell in love with the place and went annually for extended holidays , i visited 3 years ago , my my how things have changed!

    • 85 replies, 111,416 views

  • VDOs search for " walking street "

    • Forum

    men in tight brown shirts and related stories

    By fast eddy, Created on: 05/02/2009, Last updated on: 06/02/2009

    » Todya's opinion page saw a highly charged discussion on Thailand's thin brown line (well except for those in the 'oh my God it's 40 inches' weight control scheme) and their creative policing of the realm. I'm sure most of us have experienced twilight zone mini-episodes with these gentlemen and a couple...

    • pachangamac042 commented : Fast Eddy, festival in town, so my wife and me went there. After walking around the crowded place for a while, I soon got quite tired of it, and decided to sit it out in a Chang beer garden, while my wife enjoys the market and Lao food. By the time she came back, I was quite happy and we took a sam lo to go back to the village. It was one of this three wheels motorbike taxis on witch you get on from behind with to benches left and right. Well, I thought from the beginning, that the old lady driving it looked rather drunk, but my wife said, that it was probably ok, as she was an old vintage. So off we drive and out of the city. Traffic lights up front, we still some 300 meters away, when they change to orange. Now the old lady opens the throttle to full speed, but we were still some 100 meters away when the lights turned red. So about 50 meters from the traffic lights, the lady realizes, that she can not do it and hits the breaks very hard. Same moment, I see this pick up truck following us at about the same speed going for the crossing as well. I thought, ups, when are in rather deep s**t, and boom, the truck hits us from behind. The sam lo in the middle of the crossing, my wife lying like 1 meter from where the truck stopped and myself on my feet, after a James Bond style roll. So I run to my wife, well I limp over, as my right ankle was not quite right, anyways, I check her, and she was conscious but obviously hurting. No blood visible and she was able to move her body. So I help her out of the street, sit her on the side of the street and ask her, how she was doing. All the time I was taking care of my wife, the Thais were making an unbelievable noise. Suddenly this quite well dress guy comes over asking for my wife’s id. Big boom. I got up and got real angry with him. In English and remember, quite happy after my little bender in the beer garden, I say to him, well everything, repeating the infamous f word all the time and calling for police and ambulance. Some quite drunk police men were there within minutes after the crash, things explained to them, and now the friends in brown start blaming me for being “mao”. Of course, now I loose it even more, telling them that I was not driving and we were the victims, but they insisted in farang mao, bla, bla, bla. Suddenly, there he comes on his bike, a cousin from my wife who is a police men as well. Quite drunk as well but a higher rank then the other 4 drunk police men on the scene. Suddenly everything gets very civilized, and folks start asking about my wife’s well being. No more farang mao. The cousin puts us on an other tuk tuk and sends as home. Well to make a long story short, my wife and I got 1,000 Bath each. The police, tuk tuk lady and the folks of the pick up truck went to a sing a song nearby to sort out the details. Two hours later an uncle had to go to pick the police cousin up, he couldn’t drive anymore, but apparently were the other 4 police men and the people involved still sorting out things over some bottles of white whiskey. Sorry Fast Eddy, I know, not so exciting, but a true story witch happened to myself.

    • 7 replies, 7,650 views

    Forum

    Are Farang invisible to Thai?

    By Jason McDonald, Created on: 21/06/2009, Last updated on: 15/12/2010

    » I ask this to find out if farang are really invisible to Thai. This has happened to me many times and I was wondering if it happens to other Westerners who live in Thai areas of Bangkok (or maybe elsewhere). When I am out with my Thai wife, especially shopping, I find that, Thai people refuse to...

    • dutchboy commented : I agree with most of the posters here, it's not a matter of invisibility, more of insecurity in speaking English. I am not married with Thai, but with a Filipina. Unfortunately most Thai people think, Philippine same same Thailand, which is a big mistake, no comparison whatsoever (keep in mind I'm not objective int his matter). When shopping, and especially having questions or inquiries, I ask the question, the shop attendent turns to my wife and starts babbling in Thai. After a while we will point out that we don't speak Thai (in Thai) either of us. Most of the time, face of the attendent lights up and quotes to my wife, "you Philippine?, oh look same same Thai". After that most of the time they will try their best to communicate in English to both of us. or get a colleague to help. As for us, since we are not in Thailand to stay (will retire in the Philippines in a few years time) our Thai language skills are very limited. We are just waiting for our 2 daughters (3 & 4 years old) to grow up a little bit so they can translate for us since they are tri-lingual, going to a Thai pre-school. When shopping or walking in the street/soi together with them, and they start to talk to people in Thai, we do get the attention of the Thai people, and they start talking in English because they are very interested why our children speak Thai, and we don't and we get into long conversations with them, so again, not a matter of invisibility, but more a matter of insecurity about using English and the perception that "Farang" are "different" so difficult to talk to. Just my opinion.

    • 29 replies, 50,831 views

  • News & article

    An ode to the service industry

    Brunch, Andrew Biggs, Published on 10/01/2010

    » This is a column for my Thai readers only. That's because I want to teach them a lesson about their service staff. I want to make a complaint and I want Thais to sit up and take notice. Simply put ... what on earth has happened to good ol' service these days? I'm talking about restaurants.

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