joekicker

Just to be clear, I don't mind a little nationalist fervour, but horses-for-courses and all. This subject is just airplanes fer crissakes. As I say, everyone has a hobby horse and for a lot of people it's the companies who make airplanes, apparently. Me, I can get emotional about the actual birds, but not the People In Suits responsible for them, whatever accent they have. But again, that's me. If people have to go at it, they have to, I guess. Lord knows I own a couple of hobby horses, just different ones. I'm not complaining, just saying. I take your flag comment. I can be a very nat

And if I read posts by ... um, certain other people I am equally well informed about exactly the opposite, and only the opposite. Unremittingly. And not a single poster has any influence over whether Boeing doesn't or it does. I'm sorry, but to me, it's like bragging/bitxhing about your ancestors. None of us deserves any credit/blame for what happened when we weren't even alive. I'd rather know the facts of what's going on in the business of making inanimate objects. I don't even see the point of showing a flag, let alone waving it. But most folks here disagree. No boblum. Everyon

Totally agree with that. He seems to have a lot of facts, very good background and a distinct air of "let the facts speak for themselves." I like reports that let me make up my mind. This is definitely one, and the blog is excellent in general.

Not sure what anyone "contributing" here can do about it, one way or another. For any fact-lovers that might be around, the best, most-informative reporting I have seen at this particular stage is here: http://flightblogger.blogspot.com/2007/08/...unities-on.html

Er, no, you're talking about a woman who is in the United States and has been there for a while. Or at least that's the subject of this thread. The only reason I took the Miss Universe example is that it is a well-known example that shows that Thai divorces go on and on and are very aggravating and time-consuming. If this woman in America contests the divorce, the guy is in trouble in several different ways, that's the point. The advice to come back to Bangkok is BAD advice unless she totally agrees to the divorce, in all aspects. THEN it is good advice.

Hmmm. I would have thought that when you arrived in Pattaya, that is just when the pipe-laying really gets started.

The last sentence is the main point in this thread. So far the lady has agreed to zilch, and the OP seems to be convinced she won't. If she doesn't agree, Thailand is no more pleasant about divorce than anywhere else, but it can take a lot longer. Civil divorce suits are not settled in a hearing next week, not by any means. I do agree the man has the upper hand, but not anything like freedom, not in a court case. Just ask Miss Universe if the Central Department Store owner "just walked away" from her when he got stupid again, heh.

So after you spent some time in Pattaya your intelligence improved and your realised how hugely silly your post was. Good.

What he said. Look, then leave the immigration desk.

Yes. Well, that is two "ifs", neither of which exists.

An alternative for whom? Rice isn't a staple food in Thailand, it's part of the culture and tradition. On this particular subject, you need a lot more research. Plantain in Thailand sells like shark's fin at a Greenpeace convention, and for some of the same reasons. Next you'll be recommending sago and poi? Lemons, limes are sort of like rice. The fruit the Thais call manao is well accepted and entrenched in the market. Manao are an integral part of Thai food, and lemons (for sure) and even limes are not acceptable substitutes -- for the simple reason they cost three or 10 times as mu

Actually there are decent tomatoes. The problem, as always, is trying to get them to market, and then for shoppers to find where they are. This is one of the really, REALLY big problems for small-unit farmers in Thailand who have something valuable -- getting it to market.

1. Trying to "think" what the immigration guy at the airport might do is a terrible way to run your life. If you come to Thailand these days, THINK about getting a visa. 2. Trying to tell other people the state of affairs in Thailand going by what you "think" is perhaps not too instructive. I know you're trying to be helpful and don't mean a flame here, but other people should "think" about how useful it is to run their business according to what you "think" after a single incident where you're actually not sure what really happened. 3. Here's the latest skinny on the 90-rule: Like

This is actually a fascinating story, which boiled down is "because leftist tree-huggers convinced them not to" about, oh, 15 or 20 years ago when there was talk of putting in massive gum plantations. Farmers were either convinced or intimidated into accepting that gum trees sucked all life out of the soil and would kill Thailand as a viable nation. It's not a bad illustration of use of environmental issues as a political tool that in the end had absolutely nothing to do with facts, environment or what was good for the farmers.

Absolutely agree that this is the horrible part. That's why I think there must be a story behind this story - someone or someones have done something that has really got up the authorities' nose. Sure. Bear in mind that no other visa type except retiree is affected. If he's working, for example, his family can still accompany him. In other cases, a guy married to a Thai on a spouse visa could bring his foreign kids. And so on. There are about a dozen different categories of non-immigrants, one of which is retiree and it's the only one affected by this sudden new policy.

This is definitely authentic by the way. I wonder how many people this affects. I don't personally know of any such case of a retired foreign couple or a retired guy with minor foreign children. Looks like someone pixxed off the authorities by having too many young dependents, who then got in trouble, that's my read.

Small farms are just a horrible way to make a living. When everything goes against you, you're destitute. In a really good year, you eat well for a while. But it's a bloody satisfying life and healthy.

Mexico of course, but there are sooooo many! I'd recommend southern Texas, better. If your wrist is just a shade limp, you might like southern California. There are a couple of restaurants that pass in Bangkok, but only in the sense you can't get really good stuff. Best in my experience is in the Rembrandt hotel on Soi 18. I believe it's only open in the evening. Thais don't like Mexican for some reason, so there just aren't any good Mexican restaurants. What exists is if you really like Mexican and need a fix. Better than Taco Bell, but hardly San Antonio or even Armpit, Nebra

Fruit seems to be the most consistently profitable crop. I think it's important not to get into fads, either, such as tangerines at the moment. Just something solidly good, and I'd have two, maybe three types. I'd look really carefully at durian, depending on where you're located, they're always a market bomb. Mongkut (mangosteen) seems a constant seller but with low upkeep, like rambutan. Unless you're up north, I don't think veggies is a good proposition. Even if they grow, it's hard to find good and dependable markets because everyone's used to getting them up north. Where are you?

Oh, sure, lie to the court. Why didn't the OP think of that?!? That's a good recommendation. She has a green card and a visa. She'd have to be stupid and not have a single brain cell and not have a single friend in America to stand still for that. And if she doesn't stand still for it, the OP goes to jail for perjury. Somehow, I don't think this really qualifies as excellent advice.

This is a send-up, right? Do you figure it's simple to find someone arriving at the precise time you are, alone, and already thinking about the joys of a joint cab ride to Pattaya? Or do you figure that if you can't find someone to pay the 600 baht, then your holiday is down the tubes? You might want to take the free shuttle to the bus terminal at the airport, and get a bus to Pattaya.

It certainly works for me. The teaching I do in here provides me a rather luxurious lifestyle really. In fact, next week is my turn with the Martin Airlines executive jet.

Wow, you're going to be around, too? That's great. I know people who have just given up on being here in thousands of years from now, the losers.

Reading the thread first can help you be helpful. You don't just "divorce her there" during a brief stopover in this case. She doesn't know she's being divorced yet. If there is an amicable settlement, there's no reason to go to Thailand to do it. If it is not amicable, then a divorce suit in Thailand will take a long time, cost a lot of money and result predictably in her owning him. Now if they had been married in Thailand in the first place, this whole thread would have read differently. If they both wanted a pleasant, amicable divorce, it wouldn't be here at all.

Hmmmm Mutual Admiration? That is also excellent advice HansumRob. It's unclear whether the OP expects TB to go to Thailand, but if she does, he can pwn her as you suggest.