My Thai Life

Having been living in Thailand for a few years, I’ve grown to know more about Thai girls and what to expect from them and how to tell a real Thai girl from a working Thai girl. For those of you that don’t know what a working Thai girl is, then let me explain. A working Thai girl is a Thai bar girl, a escort. Basically a prostitute. I won’t talk down about them because they have to earn money for themselves and their family. Considering Thailand is not a wealthy country and all.

Sure I’ve dated Thai girls and they can’t be compared to Western girls from say America or from UK. I’ve found that real Thai girls are not materialistic like their Western counterparts. Now I don’t want to start getting hate mail from any of you Western girls. The truth is that you just can’t compare the two. Not going to happen. Thai girls know how to treat their men. I mean the real Thai girls. Of course we know that the Thai bar girls know how to treat their men, they get paid to! LOL.

Real Thai girls are sweet. I have tons of Thai girl friends and they all want the same thing. They want to have a special man in their lives that’s not a butterfly, drug addict or a liar. They don’t really care about money. They just want to be happy and be happy with a nice farang is even better. A farang is a foreigner. I have many friends that are married to Thai girls and they are extremely happy.

Dating Thai girls is pretty simple. They don’t ask for much and if you treat them with respect, you will get the world back 10 fold. It’s just my observation…

MyThaiLife

p.s. If you are a single guy and you want to date a Thai girl then check out ThaiLoveLinks. They are the largest Thai dating site on the Internet.

Well, it’s official. I’ve gone to Trang again! YEAH!!!. The last time I was in Trang was for New Years this year and that was amazing. This time I took some time off from my busy schedule and spent 7 days at the Sukorn Islands again. Below is one of my favorite pictures.

The last time before New Years was a couple years ago where I spent a week down in Trang. I stayed in some small fishing village. I remember it well. That’s because lightning struck the small building I was sitting under having lunch. One of many monsoons that hit Thailand.

Trang will always has a special place in my heart. If you want secluded, quite beach time then check out Trang. There are so many islands off the coast that you can hop on that you could spend months exploring them. Some islands have people and some don’t. It’s really a great trip.

So, if you are wanting to hear what waves sound like as they lap onto the beach and hear nothing else, then you need to visit Trang, seriously…

Michael
MyThaiLife

Well, some of us knew that it was going to happen. If you didn’t know, Thaksin and his wife fled Thailand while visiting China for the Olympics. Not sure where they are headed but in my eyes when you run it just makes you look guilty. Maybe he is and maybe he isn’t. It’s not up to me to judge. It’s up to the Thais and their court system. Everyone deserves a fair trial but when you don’t make the trial… Oops!

From what I can read on the net, he is seeking asylum in Great Britain and will live there. Not sure for how long though. I don’t think he can seek political asylum because he is not part of the government anymore. Whether it’s self exile or just being on the run, time will tell I suppose.

Now, his wife got 3 years. Seems to me that if you get sentenced 3 years then it would be smart to do the 3 years. Now you’re on the run and if caught or extradited then you will probably do more time. Seems to me like a very stupid move. Time will tell on that one too!

Anyway, I’m not sure if Thailand politics is better off now that he’s gone. There is a lot of talk about the government stabilizing now that he’s gone. Hope so, Thais need a stable government and country…

MyThaiLife

First of all, long live the King and Queen but this morning when I got up, as I always do, I checked out the BangkokPost.com and on the front page was a lovely purple image of Her Majesty the Queen Sirikit with a date at the bottom that read 12 August 2008. I mistook that for her dying. While not paying attention to the actual date and today’s date, I thought she had passed. What a twat I was for thinking that.

It took about 5 minutes for me to figure out that I was absolutely 100% wrong and that she is fine and doing well. I searched high and low for the obituary and couldn’t find anything at all. Nothing on BangkokPost, National Multimedia, nothing anywhere. Then I got to looking at the photo and saw 12 of August. Then it hit me. Ahhh, her birthday is August 12. WTF was I thinking? Did I have too many Singhas last night? Well, it’s easy to see why because when the Kings sister Princess Galyani Vadhana died this past January, they all put a photo of just like this one. See how easy it was for me to think that?

Anyway, her Majesty the Queen is doing just fine and it was all me just overeating a bit. But all is well that ends well. Long live the King and Queen and I wish her the best birthday ever!!!

Chok Dee Mak Mak and Khap Kun Khrup for listening.

MyThaiLife

Well, if you are in Bangkok like me then you really won’t get to see it but if you are in Chiang Mai today you will see a partial eclipse of the sun. Now, the folks in Canada will get about a good minute of nighttime where the moon will pass fully in between Earth and the sun. It’s a great thing to see. I’ve listed a link below where you can see a video of some Canadians that were up in a plane about 27,000 feet and took some really cool video of the eclipse. It’s really cool to watch so enjoy it.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=04a_1217608584

Not sure when we will get a chance to see something like that but it is a pretty cool thing.

MyThaiLife

The wife of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been found guilty of tax evasion, and sentenced both Khunying Potjaman and her brother Bannapot Damapong to three years in prison. That was from the Bangkok post yesterday. Now, the real question that a lot of Thais are asking is will she do any time. The post goes on to say probably not. After the verdict, she was seen being escorted to her own personal car where she drove off. Now, when you are in America and you are found guilty, you don’t really get to get in your car and go. Now there are some cases where the defendent is allowed to be out of jail until sentensing but only in the minor of cases. This is tax evasion on a grand scale.

If this were an American defendent then she would already be in jail. Just go to show what money can do for you. I think I, like a lot of Thais, will be watching the tube to see what happens next.

MyThaiLife

Just want to give a quick shoutout to the All Star Band, playing for the last night at Club CM2 tomorrow night (July 30th). They have had like a 3 year run there and I got many many many ops to hang with them. Tino and crew will be sorely missed. They are going to be taking some time off and will be playing again soon in Bangkok. Once I find out where they are playing again, I’ll be sure to post it here.

Thanks guys for keeping a whole shitload of people entertained! Rock on!

MyThaiLife

It’s been a while since my last blog so I want to bring you guys up to date on where I’ve been. I’m not back in Thailand but will be back soon enough. I’ve been on a huge travel expedition and it’s been pretty fun. Currently I’m in Saigon, Vietnam doing some sightseeing and will be back in Bangkok in a few weeks. I’ve been in the states, China, Hong Kong and Japan doing some some “Stuff”.

I can’t wait to get back to Bangkok and start writing about my Thailand life. As you know things in Thailand are changing almost on a daily basis and I know some of you have been wondering about it so need not worry, I’ll start reporting them soon enough…

Talk to you all very soon.

Michael

OK, some good news for us expats living here in Thailand. The baht has been falling against the dollar lately and that is a good thing for Americans living in Thailand. I remember a few years ago when the baht was 41 baht to the dollar. WoW, those were cheap shopping days let me tell you. But this year the baht started rising on the weak dollar to about 31 baht to the dollar. Now over the last few days it’s been falling to about 33 baht to the dollar. I know that sounds backwards. If the baht raises to a higher number then that is the baht falling and if it lowers then it’s rising. Lower baht means good for Thai. Higher baht means good for farang! LOL.

What does this all mean really? Well, it’s good for Americans if the baht continues to fall and that means good shopping and good prices on condos and real estate in Thailand. Good for all of us.

I predict that come November in America when the elections are held that the dollar will surge up in value due to the Democrats taking office. Does that mean that it’s a good time to invest in the dollar? Some people say it is. Time will tell. So, enjoy it while you can…

MyThaiLife

There are a few things you need to keep in mind when you travel Bangkok. Bangkok is a very fast city and there are many tuk-tuks and taxis around. There are also buses and motobikes. So, one of the most important things you need to know is to be careful when crossing the streets. Thai people on motobikes will not stop for you. They will keep going. The object of the game is eye contact. You have to keep eye contact with those oncoming motobike drivers. If you do not then you might just get slammed into. It’s happened to me once or twice so make sure when you cross that you always keep looking in the direction that the traffic is coming towards. Slowly inch your way across the street. Do not hesitate or waver. Keep and stand your ground and they will go around you.

Before getting into a tuk-tuk make sure you finalize the price. This will alleviate unwanted issues at the end of the ride. Most tuk-tuk drivers will tell you a price but that is always never the final price. If you are going to MBK which is a huge mall near Sukhumvit Road, and you know the ride is about 10 minutes then you should pay about 100 to 150 baht and no more. A taxi might charge a bit more depending on traffic. If the tuk-tuk drivers says 400 or 300 baht, don’t do it. Not worth it. Turn around and walk away. If he wants the fare then he will tell you ok. Make sure he agrees with the fare. If he does then 9 times out of 10 you won’t have a problem. That’s unless he tries to tell you that he can take you there for an outrageously low price. A price that sounds too good to be true. There is a reason for that. Don’t fall for it. They get you in the ride for 50 baht to go just about anywhere and then they take you to “Their” shopping areas. Some will tell you that they get free gas if they take you to a shopping place. Don’t fall for it. They get paid to bring you to a shopping place and it’s just a scam. Don’t go anywhere you don’t want to go. Be firm and don’t waver. If all else fails and you are in a situation, kindly walk away. You can always take the skytrain or BTS. Cheaper and has air conditioner.

Make sure if you are a guy that you keep your wallet in your front pocket. There are pickpockets in Thailand. Now, over the last few years that I have been living here, not one time has that happened. I’m always conscience about it at all times and do keep my wallet in my front pocket. Be aware of your surroundings. Thailand is a safe place but like most countries, it does have its crime. Just be smart.

If you have a strong stomach then go ahead with the street food. Recently I did a weekend test and ate nothing but street food. I didn’t have a problem. I had Tom Yum, Pad Thai and numerous types of curries. Not a problem. If it looks scary then don’t eat it. The grilled chicken you see is decent so just look at it. You can tell a lot by looking at your food. Do not smell it. Thai food has some interesting smells and a lot of dishes use fish sauce and oyster sauce. If you have ever smelled these items then you know what I mean. Alone these things are NASTY! But with the other ingredients they are fine.

Be smart and travel smart. Don’t get taken for a ride. Got questions, then feel free to ask me. Need places to visit and see, then ask me. I’ve traveled all over Thailand and I know some of the best places to eat as well as the best places to stay on any budget.

In closing, one of my favorite places to eat is the Seafood Buffet at the Shangra La hotel that is in Bangkok on the Chayo Praya river. It’s a very nice 5 star hotel but anyone can eat at the buffet. There is a dress code so no shorts and tshirts. The price is about 1500 baht per person and it’s all you can eat. The food is amazing and the service is perfect. You will enjoy this place I can guarantee it.

Thanks,

MyThaiLife