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youngexpat
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as it turns out my total lack of commitment to my business during these summer months has left me in a financial hole as i prepare for my stay in thailand. what began as a budget of Ýseveral thousand dollars a month has been reduced to 1000 dollars when i arrive which will hopefully be supplemented but i have no guarantees. if money rolls in no problems however i have no money for an apartment deposit. I was thinking about living outside of bkk for a month or so on the cheap. any suggestions? are pattaya and the islands cheap for rent?
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 3:18 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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chateaujade
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You can easily find an apartment even in the Sukhumvit area for anywhere from <5000 baht a month, and the deposit isn't onerous, No, it won't be one of the fat-cat serviced apartments, but it will be air conditioned, it will be furnished, it will have a phone through a switchboard, and in that range you can still have more than 1 bedroom and use the 2nd for an office. Try the Rich Inn just off Soi 53, behind the Pizza Hut (you can spit on the Pizza Hut if you like, I would too now that they screwed over Bill H. (he who know has Pizza Company etc. - the Minor Food group.) I used to live there, you can do worse for more!
You can also, till you get on your feet again, live in one of the 500-1000 baht a day hotels, maybe get a lower daily rate by paying by week or month, and then there will be no deposit at all.
If you live within the Thai economy, eating Thai food most of the time, $1000 US a month = 43,000 baht, you will be just fine. Your largest potential expenses are girls and drinks. I assume that you don't gamble, and you already said you will wisely forego weed in LOS so that takes care of the other costly vices.
I've gone bust a few times over the years here and still managed to survive. Even (gasp!) went out and got a job once or twice. However, working for yourself, having your own business, is the only way to really make it in Thailand IMHO. Salaries are generally low, unless you have a shit-hot CV and want to work for one of those US or multinational corporations you don't seem to like.
You neither need nor should want a car. Taxis are cheap, skip tuk-tuks entirely, same IMHO motorcycle-taxis. Both are dirty and dangerous and not really much less than an aircon taxi. Radio taxis are available, you can call for one and only pay 20 baht over the meter rate. If you like to drink beer, buy it in the supermarket and chill it in your fridge. It's a fraction of the (also cheap) bar prices, a small fraction if you want to go to the live-music houses and trendier clubs. I advise against the local 'whiskies' which are swill, that includes not only Maekhong, but also the cheap scotches which are really blends, I think, of the legal minimum of real Scotch (and some cheao lowland ones at that) with...the same swill that the liquor monopoly churns out as Maekhong, Sang Thip, Hong Thong, etc. These are labeled as Hundred Pipers, Black Cat, Master Blend, etc but at the retail prices, and knowing the import tarrifs and excise taxes, they can't be genuine. Economically impossible. If you want to drink scotch in Thailand, get one of the single malts for not too much more money, in the $10-$14 a bottle range. I'd recommend Laphroiag, or Glenmorangie if you can find it. Not Glenlivet. Even better, Irish whiskies, Jameson or Bushmills. The most popular blends in Thailand are Johnny Walker in various colors, but, no scotsman would go near them...
Clothing is cheap. Shoes are cheap. Computers are cheap. Video rentals are cheap. (Blockbuster is ubiquitous.) Don't buy jewely or gemstones. Not unless you are a bona fide expert. Too many scams. Be cautious with your cash. Travellers cheques can be replaced, cash can't (well, you can earn more but you see what I mean.) Make friends easily but use common sense, fast talkers and new friends who have surefire get rich quick ideas are best shined on. Stay out of politics in any way shape or form. I mean, the Burmese resistance groups can get along without your help. Try not to overstay. The fine is cheap if you don't get caught till you are going out (200 baht a day) but if you do get asked for your your passport in meantime, it's the Immigration clink on Soi Suan Phlu for you, and that is not a fun place. Don't EVER insult or criticize the monarchy, no one will like it and you may get an ass-kicking. Learn the language, and learning to read and write Thai will help and is actually easy. This will open doors for you. Listen to your elder brothers on this board, not just me, that way you won't have to learn through the making of the same mistakes we all have!
You will like it here. It's a safe, relaxed place and the people are friendly. Siam even had a farang Prime Minister once, four centuries ago. This created some jealousy but his enemies had to wait for the King (his friend) to die before they could execute him. Timing is everything!
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 5:22 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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MrJoe
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Ah yes, the amazing Phalkoun (sp?). There were even some rather influential falang Royal advisors, some with official government positions up to the "Constitutional Coup" in '32.
youngexpat, once again CJE is correct (I just follow him around pointing at him and nodding my head). In fact you could live here, as many Thais do, on half of that budget (OK, it wouldn't be much fun-believe me I know), but certainly your budget is doable. I don't know what job skills you have but you could even supplement your income by doing a bit of teaching. (Please no lengthy posts about the evils of teachers- I'm just saying it is an easy way to add to your income.)
One more method of saving money (that might not be appealing at all) is to get a girlfriend-believeit or not. I realize that many of the brothers will tell you that no TG will like you if you don't have money but it is simply not true. I'm sorry to say that I've had my share of troubles here and spent a lot of my almost 20 years here quite poor; but I have virtually NEVER been without a girlfriend unless by choice. And not only do save money by not chasing other TGs (or at least doing it less!), your girlfriend will be an expert at living on the cheap.
Good luck to ya'. As chateau said, definitely use this forum but feel free to contact me if you think I can help.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 6:38 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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kmanrox
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umm they EXECUTED the farang prime minster as in killed him??
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Sexy Bangkok Girls
Posted on: 7:06 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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kmanrox
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good advice CJ, thx
expat, hopefully we can do some business when i get out there in some form...
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:09 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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chateaujade
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The trick is to get a GOOD girlfriend, which is altogether more problematic than getting a girlfriend, period. I don't mean a goody-doody one, I mean one who isn't a layabout just digging for gold. At this point you can't afford a maid (although, you may well get free linen service included with your apt, and of course you will in a hotel, even a cheap hotel. But, your GF will need to be a good housekeeper. You probably won't be doing much cooking in the room/small apt so her culinary skills need not be taxed at first. Anyway, if she is good, she will pinch pennies, or squeeze satang, for you. My wife still does and we don't have to!! And of course now is not the time for her to be asking you to support any sickly buffaloes, or buy her mama's village a karaoke machine.
Anyway, your situation is hopefully a very temporary one, and the worst thing you can do is to rush into having a live-in GF in Bangkok. That's like being a diabetic and living in a pastry shop.
Maybe you should save this economy device for later.
BTW, if you do have a GF and you run out of $$$ this is an acid test. Most BGs etc will then piss off like a rat out of an aquaduct. A tiny proportion will suck in their belly and go pawn their gold. That's a good one. BUT DON'T COUNT ON IT! This is like getting all horseshoes on a slot machine in Vegas. And such a girl is probably a keeper. Don't fail to get her gold out of hock! That gold is a large part of her self esteem and her face. You really can't imagine how important it is to her, or in many cases what she had to do to earn it!
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Bangkok Women : Meet Beautiful Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:15 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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chateaujade
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Yep, they cut old Phaulkon's head off, times were touch in the 1600s. No golden parachute! I believe that occurred in Lopburi and if memory serves, that was just after the death of his sponsort King Narai, but I'll have to peek in the history book to make sure.
Yep, 1688, Khun Luang Sorasak (later known as King Tiger) had his longtime enemy Phaulkon clubbed to death by his guards upon the death of King Narai. Not beheaded. Sorasak had previously knocked out two of the Greek's teeth in a fistfight. And that was while King Narai was still on the throne.
King Tiger only ruled for 6 years and was not a nice guy. In fact in modern terms he was a serial killer, his hobby was kidnapping young girls. If they pleased him, they were richly rewarded; but if they couldn't handle his sexual requirements, they were tortured and raped to death. The corpses were disposed of through a special palace gate that became known as the Spirit Gate because so many dead girls' bodies left that way.
This is from "Popular History of Thailand" written by a Mom (Prince) of the current (Chakri) Dynasty, by the way, I'm not making this up!! Mom Luang Manich Xumsai. This particular copy was a gift to me from 'kaisersoldaten' Bruce W. of this forum, when he was a guest of CJ last year. Thanks, Bruce, I have enjoyed it immensely.
BTW, any of you interested in Thai history, by all means see BANG RAJAN about the defense of Suphanburi by common people against the might of the Burmese Empire, and SURIYOTHAI which is the story of a turbulent string of succession fights for the throne of Ayudhya, amidst a different Burmese invasion. Both are available in Thailand from Blockbuster, and SURIYOTHAI is being recut for release by F.F. Coppola. BANG RAJAN is a sort of true Thai Alamo, while SURIYOTHAI is sort of a true Thai Macbeth. Much to learn of Thai history both proud, and not so proud. Not for the squeamish!!
(Edited by chateaujade at 7:37 am on Aug. 24, 2002)
(Edited by chateaujade at 7:52 am on Aug. 24, 2002)
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:20 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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kmanrox
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Quote: from chateaujade on 7:20 am on Aug. 24, 2002
Yep, they cut old Phaulkon's head off, times were touch in the 1600s. No golden parachute! I believe that occurred in Lopburi and if memory serves, that was just after the death of his sponsort King Narai, but I'll have to peek in the history book to make sure.
poor bastard... RIP =)
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Thai Girls : Meet Active Thai Girls
Posted on: 7:30 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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chateaujade
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MrJoe, yes, a number of Europeans held advisory positions in the pendins of Rama V, VI and VII. Rama V was the first King to travel abroad, toured Europe twice and sent a lot of the young aristocrats abroad to study. These reigns were in the last decades of colonialism (the coup and the abdication were not long before WWII) and the Siamese Kings were adept at playing the colonial powers off against each other.
Foreign influence played major roles in the rise of the People's Party. Many of the coup organizers, for example Dr.Pridi, were educated in France and became friends and conspirators there. But, the coup would have never succeeded without the support of the senior professional military (Pibulsongkram was a junior officer at that time). The generals were furious at crooked arms deals that the Princes who controlled the Defense Ministry were doing, which resulted in the Army having inferior equipment -- the case in point was crappy French artillery. The role of the professional military is often discounted in the popular mind with all the credit going to Pibulsongkram, Pridi and friends. But their bluff would never have succeeded if the poo yai taharn hadn't been willing to back them against the Moms. And of course, the King (Rama VII) was a not so secret advocate of a constitutional democracy, and his lack of strong opposition to the People's Party coup left the monarchist side leaderless, more or less.
It wasn't till Pridi and the King fell out over policy matters that Rama VII abdicated, without a direct heir, ushering in the first of two Mahidol Kings, both too young to reign without a Regent. Then WWII started and complicated matters even more.
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Thai Women : Meet Matured Thai Women
Posted on: 8:16 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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MrJoe
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chateau,
We're well off the topic but my ego can't resist the urge to tell you that - as hard as you may find this to believe- I know all of the facts which you posted- though I think that some of what you reported is open to slightly different interpretation (and indeed has been read differently by some Thai scholars) or at least open to question. In particular, though I would mostly agree with your interpretation of Rama VII's actions and motivations I don't think we can say with certainty that we are entirely correct. OBVIOUSLY I know that not only Pridi but much of the leaders of "the revolution" (which it was not), were educated in France. IMO the artillery issue was more of an excuse for these people to move. I share the opinion of those who believe that the upperclass commoners were frustrated by the lack of upward mobility available to them and resentful of the priveleges granted at birth to the nobility.
And I have to say I'm kind of insulted that you would think that you would have to mention that this took place shortly before WWII. Did you really think I didn't know when World War 2 began? I should know better than to get in a pissing contest with someone as erudite as yourself, but please give me a little credit; I've read a book or two. I would never intetionally condescend to you - I hope that's not what you're doing with me.
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Bangkok Girls : Meet Attractive Thai Girls
Posted on: 9:19 pm on Aug. 23, 2002
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