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Ringo R posted:Sheep-Goats: Did he think you were a fellow pedo? Can't imagine why anyone would introduce themselves like that. I didn't ask to see any pedo credentials but with the way he said it it's possible all he meant was: "I am a very shocking guy  "
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Nov 23, 2011 12:36
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Ringo R posted:Manchester biker who rode with boy, 3, 'a disgrace', say police I'd probably not even notice that he had a kid on the bike. Seems very tame compared to some of the things I've witnessed in SEA. As for PP:s Boeng Kak area, I stayed there in 2010 and then they planned to start demolishing soon. Later on I've heard that they started doing it, which is also backed up by the article on http://wikitravel.org/en/Phnom_Penh - but this page says that there are still some guesthouses open. Staying at Boeng Kak sucked anyway, it was just a really dirty version of Khao San Road.
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Nov 23, 2011 13:03
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Morricone posted:I'd probably not even notice that he had a kid on the bike. Seems very tame compared to some of the things I've witnessed in SEA. The most people i've seen on a single honda wave scooter in Thailand is a family of 5 with infant toddler dangling from the front. It was father driving w/infant son balanced on front, mom behind him, 2 daughters. If I witnessed a collision it would have scarred me for life.
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Nov 23, 2011 16:59
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Cheesemaster200 posted:Question for all you ex-pat folks: As for making friends, the trick there is to start going to expat functions. Just from joining and attending some of the various organizations for more professional farangs I've made tons of acquaintances and some good friends. I hate the loving American Chamber of Commerce as an organization, but attending their young professionals happy hour is a good start in terms of networking. Just don't give them any dues money and you can still feel okay about yourself, heh. After that there are so many drat expat clubs (Rotary, Hash, charities, etc) and the longer you stay and the more you can put on some decent clothes and speak clearly (which I'm sure you can) the easier it is to branch out. Bangkok's expat community is very Bohemian compared to probably all the other huge Asian cities and tends to co-mingle more, but there is definitely a world of people who could work just about anywhere in the world that you can tap into. Ringo R posted:Manchester biker who rode with boy, 3, 'a disgrace', say police
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Nov 23, 2011 17:49
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You know you're talking to a bougie Thai when he or she doesn't have a scar somewhere from when daddy got drunk and crashed the motosai while he had the whole family on board. But even your most rural of Thais knows having five on a bike is a little ridiculous -- it's just that in Thailand being ridiculous is funny and cool while in the US it's shameful. Hot tip: sweeping cultural generalizations are sometimes innacurate! raton fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Nov 23, 2011 |
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Nov 23, 2011 18:11
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I know a lot of international construction/engineering/design companies have offices in Singapore. Many of which are actively looking for people with almost exact qualifications. Thailand is a little different, but I haven't looked there that much. All these big transit/energy/infrastructure projects you see all over Asia are generally designed by western firms. That's kind of what I am looking at.
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Nov 23, 2011 18:30
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Cheesemaster200 posted:I know a lot of international construction/engineering/design companies have offices in Singapore. Many of which are actively looking for people with almost exact qualifications. Thailand is a little different, but I haven't looked there that much. Thailand's long had this great appeal to Western firms that's largely quality of life based, but was always also about their being non-colonial and aligned strongly with the West via America, but in the last decade or so as other countries have opened up and the remnants of colonialism and the Cold War have finally started to wash away in institutional memory Thailand's taken a beating that will continue. Their laws are designed very unintelligently (they do a great job of protecting local industry, but of course unlike Korea and Singapore and others, the Thais then do almost nothing to develop strong domestic companies - SCG & PTT being among the only standouts). When you're obstinate the way Thailand is, and every other country is busy crafting laws that protect domestic industries while incentivizing foreign investment, you're eventually going to get creamed. If the government could stop stealing long enough to pass some forward-looking legislation they could fix a lot of problems - from flooding to the flight of foreign investment - but that would require overturning a lot of rice bowls and we can't have that! When you're checking out Singapore, don't just look at companies, contact the government. If you're a well-credentialed foreigner, they'll help you find a job, give you PR and extend you help finding housing and so on. I've personally been in meetings where the MOM representatives talk about how they work to poach very well-educated Thais (who all disdain Singapore, heh) and Westerners who fit their criteria, which you probably would. It's a little counterintuitive for Americans, I think, because government is the last place you contact about all jobs that aren't government contracting here in the US, but I'd at least contact them. They might jump all over you. I'm not sure if you have to go through some other partner, but I know the MOM there works with all kinds of institutions and companies to poach people and I think think they do direct contact, but am not 100% sure. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Nov 23, 2011 |
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Nov 23, 2011 21:18
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Singapore is actually more appealing to me to be quite honest. In my short time in Singapore I felt like it was more a place I would like to live/work. It essentially "has everything", including diversity, location and a lot more first world comforts. I love Thailand, but I could see myself needing a break from the filth and corruption every now and again. Especially since my industry deals heavily in construction and applicable building codes.
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Nov 23, 2011 21:32
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Cheesemaster200 posted:Singapore is actually more appealing to me to be quite honest. In my short time in Singapore I felt like it was more a place I would like to live/work. It essentially "has everything", including diversity, location and a lot more first world comforts. There's an old saying in Midland/Odessa in Texas that goes something like, "Raise your kids in Midland, raise Hell in Odessa." That's roughly the reputation Singapore and Bangkok have among SE Asian expats, though of course with ISB and places like Nichida you can have a somewhat austere and compound-ish existence too, heh. I have to get out of Bangkok every few months for the same reason or I'll go insane as well, but I'm always happy to get back. So, get in touch with folks in Singapore! ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Nov 23, 2011 |
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Nov 23, 2011 22:48
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Anyone have any information about buying a condo in Thailand? I'd like to buy one within the next 5 years; hinging on any good international school opportunities that may arise there in the future. There's no way I am going to buy anything where I currently work in Beijing, but I was thinking it would be nice to get a vacation condo and rent it out with a property manager while I am living in Thailand. Is it possible to get a freehold condo? Do you need a residency permit to purchase one, or can it simply be a "vacation home"? How likely is it to be hosed over? Is it feasible to use it as vacation rental property while you are out of country? When buying a real house, do you need to be married to a Thai woman; or is that just to get freehold? I was looking into something in a fairly laid back coastal area in the south, around 3-4 million baht. I've checked 1rai.com- and there seems to be plenty.
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Nov 24, 2011 10:29
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B-Rad posted:Is it possible to get a freehold condo? Buying a condo is reasonably safe and straight forward but they have some asinine rules about transferring money from outside Thailand which has to be officially earmarked for condo purchase. It's very easy to rent condos out in Bangkok at least. I know two Thais who do this and make a decent 8-9% return on their investment. There are a lot of expats and tourists that would like to rent condos and might be leery about renting from Thais because many unscrupulous types have a reputation for pocketing deposits. All you'd need to do is throw up a website and advertise a little on travel forums. You won't be able to buy an actual home or the law states that you can own the house but not the land or some nonsense which basically ends up being the same as not owning it at all. In the past you could form your own shell corporation and then buy land with random trusted Thai people as your 51% but they started cracking down on that. Another possibility is trusting a Thai lady and getting her to take out a loan then paying her monthly over a long period of time, heh. Ok, i'm just kidding about that one.
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Nov 24, 2011 11:20
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ReindeerF posted:That's correct. Just my experience, but in Thailand those firms tend to be based elsewhere and contracted into Thailand on jobs (Siemens, for example). I'm sure they maintain some local staff, but I'd bet it's minimal. There are a lot of energy and consulting firms based out of Bangkok, though. The big thing in Thailand is that unless your company is American owned, you have to have 51%+ Thai ownership, so a lot of Western firms are really sketchy about moving in as you can imagine, and routinely get the shaft (see current DTAC acrimony). Eastern countries operate an that other East Asian business ethic that transcends laws, heh. As well, Singapore has been blowing anyone who will move there increasingly for years. Unilever uprooted their head Asian office two years ago and moved it to Singapore. Vietnam's pulling away a ton of the cheap labor jobs too. Japanese investors seem to be the largest percentage of foreign investors in Thailand. It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall in a board room to see how they hammer out business deals with Thai businessmen. Both sides aren't exactly known for straight forwardness or cultural transparency in business dealings. I think on some level the Chinese-Thai elite probably realize they can't really pull the same shenanigans with Japanese businessmen that they do with western businessmen. Then again with the recent floods Japanese businesses might be taken to the cleaners. It seems like the government is planning on shifting the recovery burden on foreign insurance companies.
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Nov 24, 2011 11:34
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Cheesemaster200 posted:Singapore is actually more appealing to me to be quite honest. In my short time in Singapore I felt like it was more a place I would like to live/work. It essentially "has everything", including diversity, location and a lot more first world comforts. I move to Singapore on Dec 1st, so give me a shout if you end up here! (This also applies to other goons)
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Nov 24, 2011 14:04
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B-Rad posted:Is it possible to get a freehold condo? The other things I'd add are that there are some restrictions on what kind of condos foreigners can own outright - has to have more than X units, has to have greater than X% Thai ownership, something like that. However you approach this, contact one of the reputable local law firms to review everything if you don't have some upper class local contacts you trust with real money. I'm sure some outfit like Gibbins reviews real estate deals. Where most foreigners get screwed is in between the real estate agent and the bank, with weird little clauses inserted that no one catches. Also, banks will loan to foreigners, but unless you have higher up connections at a bank and have a substantial financial history in Thailand, they require a 50% deposit and usually some local income. So, if you're financing this (sounds like you live in China) I'd do it through HSBC abroad or something. Expect to plunk over the full 3-4MM locally, or whatever the total bill is. Have the lawyers review everything and don't settle for anything less than a major local firm like Gibbins (e.g. don't use anyone who advertises anywhere). Last thing - there's some kind of investment visa that kicks in at a certain level of local investment. I forget if it's 2.5MM Baht, 5MM Baht or 20MM Baht or what, but you should look into that. You may qualify as I know condo ownership is one of the allowed investment types. If you do qualify, it gives you a special class of renewable, annual Non Immigrant B visa that's very helpful. He's right about the vacation property, but you'll need to establish a relationship with a trustworthy local to act as a caretaker and maid so that she can turn the place over and clean it up after visitors come and go. Other than that, like Modus said, start listing it on airbnb and Facebook and so on and you'll have tenants regularly enough.
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Nov 24, 2011 15:11
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Or, as Modus alludes to, just meet a nice Thai girl named Nan (with a heart of gold!) in a bar and take her down to the bank to handle everything immediately after she seduces you. This plan works out well for heaps of foreigners every year!
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Nov 24, 2011 15:13
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For anyone headed to the Philippines, El Nido should go on your list of must-sees. It's like Halong Bay, but more awesome and with significantly less people. Some great diving too. Amen to the Xanax/Dramamine suggestion on bus trips - we did 6 hours in a van with 16 people crammed in it from El Nido to Puerto Princessa and it would have truly sucked without the Xanax. Very similar to the bus rides in Laos (Vang Vieng to Phonsavan, Phonsavan to Luang Prabang) that I did.
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Nov 26, 2011 23:49
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I was planning on leaving Bangkok via rail from Hua Lomphong on December 5, but I learned that it's the King's birthday that day. Is it going to be a complete shitshow trying to get out that day?
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Nov 27, 2011 17:46
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eviljelly posted:I was planning on leaving Bangkok via rail from Hua Lomphong on December 5, but I learned that it's the King's birthday that day. Is it going to be a complete shitshow trying to get out that day? They don't close anything for the king's birthday, but that is a cool day to be in Bangkok. Delay your trip by a day and go sing a song with a bazillion Thais at the grand palace.
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Nov 27, 2011 17:53
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I lived in a condo I rented out from a Thai dude the year I studied in Bangkok (found it on Craigslist). He apparently sub-contracted the renting out to an agent, which I'd definitely recommend doing if you do go the vacation rental route. One cool thing about condo living is that you only pay the standard municipal utility rates; most apartment complex landlords jack up the electricity and water rates for renters. Sheep-Goats posted:They don't close anything for the king's birthday, but that is a cool day to be in Bangkok. Unless you want to drink. (My birthday is on Coronation Day) 
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Nov 28, 2011 02:00
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eviljelly posted:I was planning on leaving Bangkok via rail from Hua Lomphong on December 5, but I learned that it's the King's birthday that day. Is it going to be a complete shitshow trying to get out that day? I arrived in Bangkok in the evening of December 5 last year. It took about 4 hours to get from the airport to more or less the Golden Mount. Traffic was a nightmare. However, the King's Birthday celebrations are really cool.
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Nov 28, 2011 02:01
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poo poo, I'm stuck in Ko Pha Ngan because I really like it here. Doing the divers course tomorrow and the half moon on Friday. Less then two weeks to go now 
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Nov 28, 2011 12:07
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I was on Soi Thaniya (the Japanese Patpong) eating dinner with the girlfriend on the King's 80th birthday, which was a huge national event where everyone came outside and sang the special 80th birthday song. Watching like 500 hookers pour out of these Japanese brothels into the street wearing their outfits and little numbers and sing to HM with candles in their hands and tears streaming down their faces was surreal.
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Nov 28, 2011 17:41
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ReindeerF posted:Watching like 500 hookers pour out of these Japanese brothels into the street wearing their outfits and little numbers and sing to HM with candles in their hands and tears streaming down their faces was surreal.
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Nov 28, 2011 19:05
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Modus Operandi posted:Were there any Japanese punters using this opportunity to scope the whole set prior to making the big selection? Sounds like a restaurant; "I'll have the number 4, the 11 and the 24 thanks"
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Nov 29, 2011 06:13
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Jonnymonster posted:Sounds like a restaurant; "I'll have the number 4, the 11 and the 24 thanks" My friend got dumped by his girlfriend, so after a few drinks he talked me into going to the bar at one of the local soaplands (Ratchada has a shitload of them, we were both pretty curious but never had a good reason to go) to people-watch. The girls were all sitting on rows of bleachers in a pink-lit room off to the side with a glass (one way mirror?) wall; they were playing on their mobiles, watching TV, or idly chatting. Dudes would come in, the pimp-guy would take them over to eye the girls, and then the customer would make a selection, like picking out a lobster from a tank at a seafood restaurant or something. They'd walk over to the elevator with their purchases, and come down a while later. The clientele was mostly Asian, although we saw one or two middle-aged white guys as well. One guy took two. When we got up to leave the pimp acted hurt, he asked if none of the girls were to our liking. The Heinekens we had were relatively overpriced, but not outrageously so.
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Nov 29, 2011 09:46
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Pompous Rhombus posted:My friend got dumped by his girlfriend, so after a few drinks he talked me into going to the bar at one of the local soaplands I am assuming by 'soaplands' you are speaking of the soap bath brothels? There is one in the main drag in Patong off Bangla Rd called Christine Massage iirc. I've ridden past there numerous times whilst doing laps on the scooter and last time i was in Phuket curiosity got the better of me. I felt seedy as all hell walking in there and did one lap of the joint before wandering out. I couldn't even pretend I was actually interested in what was going on there. It was pretty early in the day though so I had a perfect excuse to hightail it outta there; something along the lines of "what time do the rest of the girls arrive?". Had the aura of some Thai mafia run stripclub with extras
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Nov 30, 2011 04:20
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Travelling around Vietnam, Cambodia & that area what would be a good general weekly budget (inc. food) if you were hosteling it? How about if you were staying in decent hotels?
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Nov 30, 2011 07:35
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I'm planning to go to Bali in March with the girlfriend for about three weeks, this thread was great for my previous trips to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia but there isn't a lot of info I can find on Bali. So does anyone have a rough list of awesome stuff to do see? I'd like to incorporate the Gili islands and Lombok, open to pretty much everything except won't be doing any surfing, thinking heavily about doing a dive course. So any ideas? I'm looking for attractions, activities, good food/hotels, anything really.
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Nov 30, 2011 09:46
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It took the thread "!NWS! Brazilian campaign for LGBT rights creating heated discussion in FB" in GBS 4 pages before it derailed into Kathoey-Ville. They are like unicorns to people who´ve never been to SEA.
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Nov 30, 2011 13:59
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Caedes posted:I'm planning to go to Bali in March with the girlfriend for about three weeks, this thread was great for my previous trips to Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia but there isn't a lot of info I can find on Bali. My advice is get out of Kuta as soon as possible. Rent a motorcycle and drive North. You can get to Ubud in around an hour, and its a nice town but its a little overrun. There are many chill beach communities not far from Kuta. My favorite part of my Indonesia trip was Lombok. You MUST visit Kuta (Lombok), as its one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. There are deserted beaches within 10 minutes of the town, and some of the nicest waters I've ever seen. To get there you need to fly into Sengigi from Kuta (Bali) and then hire a car for the 2.5 hour drive through the villages to the north side of the island. Its really worth it.
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Dec 1, 2011 01:07
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Took this on the entrance to passport control at Sauvarnabhumi at about midnight upon my return: I'm not sure how they detect it exactly, but I'm guessing over 50% of all white male visitors will be turned away if they actually enforce it! On a separate note, I now recall the deal on the onward ticket. I have to get some paperwork processed that got delayed because of the flood, so I'm stamped in this time. In America, the kiosk-driven system mandates that they ask you about your onward ticket. I forgot to book one, so when the lady asked I just started babbling about it being on my computer and asking if they had wifi so I could show her the email and then I leaned in and typed in a date and pressed enter. Before she knew what was going on my boarding pass was printed and I was on my way. Flawless victory. ReindeerF fucked around with this message at 23:51 on Dec 1, 2011 |
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Dec 1, 2011 23:48
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7 days until I land in Phnom Penh. In Cambodia for a month, so I'm going to take my time in each place. Unless I catch a plane or ferry or something to Borneo or something. My visa for Vietnam doesn't kick in until January 5th. I'm booked in PP City Hotel for the first two nights, Encounters for the second two nights, and no plans after that other than a hit list of destinations. I'm stoked!
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Dec 2, 2011 01:06
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stratdax posted:7 days until I land in Phnom Penh. In Cambodia for a month, so I'm going to take my time in each place. Unless I catch a plane or ferry or something to Borneo or something. My visa for Vietnam doesn't kick in until January 5th. Go to Sen Monorom, Mondulkiri, damnit. And if you're cool like me, take a scooter on the jungle trail from there to Banlung, Ratanakiri on a 110cc Honda Dream. I'll upload some pictures from the trip when I get back home because the internet in Ko Phangan is slow as poo poo, but it was easily one of the most memorable things I've done in SE Asia. Don't miss Kratie and the Irrawaddy dolphins either. Yesterday I got my open water divers license here in Ko Phangan. The original idea was to get it in Ko Tao but I wanted to stick around for the half moon party. I think the diving in Ko Tao is a bit cheaper and it might also be a bit better, but here in Ko Phangan it was not very crowded and the last two dives were made on Sail Rock anyway. It was pretty mind blowing to go down and see a two meter long Murray eel and a shoal of Barracudas just chilling around. There was also sightings of a whale shark around Sail Rock the day before but no-one on the boat saw it yesterday. Tonight: Half moon party in the jungle and then Bangkok in a couple of days and then the brutal darkness of December time Finland. I'll miss this place a lot.
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Dec 2, 2011 05:09
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MonkeeKong posted:Go to Sen Monorom, Mondulkiri, damnit. And if you're cool like me, take a scooter on the jungle trail from there to Banlung, Ratanakiri on a 110cc Honda Dream. I'll upload some pictures from the trip when I get back home because the internet in Ko Phangan is slow as poo poo, but it was easily one of the most memorable things I've done in SE Asia. Don't miss Kratie and the Irrawaddy dolphins either. Nice - I wanted to go in that direction after Phnom Penh before heading to Angkor, so now I have a solid destination. Thanks boss. I guess I'll hit Kratie on the way there. Also, that seems like quite a distance with a scooter. What do you do with it once you reach Banlung? Can I drop it off there and hop on a bus and head to Angkor? Or do I have to take it back to Senmonorom.
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Dec 2, 2011 07:40
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gently caress you I'm gonna be cooler than you by riding across Cambodia on bicycle. Cambodia and Vietnam and Laos and parts of Thailand.
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Dec 2, 2011 07:43
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Gonna be in Hoi An soon, suggestions for a tailor to make a suit for me? Also anyone know if shops can make leather jackets there as well?
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Dec 3, 2011 10:20
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Bulging Nipples posted:Gonna be in Hoi An soon, suggestions for a tailor to make a suit for me? Also anyone know if shops can make leather jackets there as well? I went with Yali Couture when I was there. It's somewhat more expensive than most shops, but it had the most consistent positive reviews of any place at the time (summer 2008). Got lots of complements on the Hugo Boss they knocked off for me when I got back to the States.
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Dec 4, 2011 14:56
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ReindeerF is my goddamn hero. He taxied over to a skytrain station just to meet me and take me to his local bike shop so that I could buy a bike for my tour. He patiently waited around while the shop got everything together for me and made sure I got a ride back before heading out. He did all this two days after coming back from the U.S., so he must've had a poo poo ton of stuff to do. Stand-up guy all around, A+++ would goonmeet again. And here she is, the girl who's going to take me around Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand - picture taken before installing new pedals, and sans pannier bags and handlebar bag. 
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Dec 4, 2011 15:05
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holy crap you weren't kidding. 
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Dec 4, 2011 22:16
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Sadly the bike purchase took too long, so I wasn't able to take eviljelly to the kidney farm. I was forced to settle for haggling over my commission with the bike lady. On his way back, though, he's promised me that we can visit the government jewelry store and a tailor!
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Dec 5, 2011 01:30
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