vegasdave

Jeez I love the Thais. They are amongst the world experts at shooting themselves in the foot. Rather than have a comprehensive immigration plan that investors, expats, and retired folks can plan around and work with, they just willy nilly change up the rules. Of course it is their country and they can do as they please. Honestly as I have stated several times before it is actually a good thing. It is what keeps LOS a "developing" country and will prevent it from becoming an overpriced Japan of SEA. Thus continued opportunity for mongers and cheap charlies of the world.

Well yet another case of if it flys, floats or f*cks its cheaper to rent than own. There seems to be no way to get divorced and not take it in the shorts. I was listening to a show on the radio the other day. A woman had been divorced for 16 years. Was married for 6. The guy had just retired and was getting his pension. She is entitled to half of his pension for the rest of his life. She gets not a portion but an entire half. So it would seem to me the trick for a woman is to get married 3 or 4 time while she is young and marketable. Always marry an older guy by lets say 30 years. Then just wait for them to reach retirement age and live off them the rest of your llfe. I bet if the roles where reversed the guy would get nothing.

I keep hearing the term "dark side" What does that refer to?

It has been frustrating watching the baht go up and the dollar down. As well as inflation in LOS adding insult to injury. But I still feel that it is possible to retire to LOS on about $1500 a month. I am lucky because I live a modest lifestyle in the states. I don't drink to speak of, I love Thai food. I am fine with a studio apt. My only real "have to" expenses would be internet and cable. I generaly prefer traveling low to the ground in terms of where I stay and where I go. I do tend to go semi-native where ever I go. And lets face it I rarely get laid here, so even once or so a week would be a step up. At any rate I am hoping to do a 6 month test run in the next year or so and see just what the economic realitys are. In a way LOS is like Vegas. People come here to party and spend lots of cash. But the truth is when you live here you just cant afford to keep up that kind of pace. You just find a place to live. Find a couple of nice neiborhood places to eat. and just have a pretty normal life. I suspect the same is the case in LOS once you get settled in.

I came in at about 40k baht. So if I live it up looks like I can do just fine on $1500 a month.

Hey its their country, they can do stupid things if they want. Hell look at the US they do plenty of stupid things, like allow bushyboy to be prez. On the other hand the sooner the Thais get on with the boneheaded ideas, the sooner they will get back to a more reaalistic approach. quality tourists. Yeah like Russians and Chinese.

I think it is possible to live in LOS on 50k a month. But if yoiu think you can live like you do when you are on vacation then you would be in trouble. It is important to consider the exchange rate issue as well as general inflation in LOS. combined in the past few years you are looking at about a 30% rate. I tend to think the notion of trying it out for a set period of time is a good idea. The five year plan mentioned really makes sense. I know that I could get by on 50k but I live very modestly and dont drink and dont have too many vices. I would be fine with a small studio, and would cook in a fair amount of the time. I also liike Thai food so would not end up paying for expensive western food a lot. Regarding a GF I would probably try and find a live in girlfriend (only child, parents dead would be the ideal LOL), and just settle into a simple lifestyle.

Pete I do tend to agree with you regarding loud. I think the worst part is that the equipment and the souce material is of low quality to begin with. People tend to think of loud and volume as the same thing and they are not. You can have a lot of volume and it won't "feel" loud. If it is a good system and source you can rattle the glasses on the bar and still be able to decifer a conversation. As far as video goes I have a friend that just got a slingbox. I am waiting for a report. With one of these you can connect to and control your home based system anywhere in the world. This includes a DVR, cable box, ect. Not sure what the min bandwidth speeds are but dont think it is really that high. Also got to love the H264 codec. Thanks again apple for being on the cutting edge of media delivery.

This is just another exercise in foot draging. Basicly it is a give away to the insurance companies. I think the idea of tax deductions only helps out industry, not the people. Why is it certain "products" are deductable. Why should any business be able to sell their products with this built in rebate. All it really does is allow them to pad up the price because it is "dedutable" I think that home mortgages are a classic example. I would venture to say that if you where to eliminate the deduction you would see mortgage rates drop by about 2%. I believe the only sensable tax reform is to eliminate ALL dedutions. No dedutions because you have kids, are old, poor, rich, donate, invest, married, farmer, church. absolutely no deductions. This would allow the market to determine things. Then basicly they could throw out 99% of the tax code. The tax form would be a post card. how much did you make? subtract the first $25,000 pay us X% on the balance This is the simplest and fairest thing I can come up with. Oh and each person files for themselves no joint returns ect. After doing the math the deductions system would be helpful to me for about 1 1/2 years until the cost increases in my insurance caught up with it. The solution is to open up medicare to anyone who wants to pay into it. I pay $469 a month for crap insurance. I would gladly buy into medicare for that money instead. This is a system that does work for the most part. The administration costs are about 1% as compared to 25% for insurance companies. The biggest problem with medicare is that they have a pool of older and less healthy people. If they where to take in younger people who would pay in, it would be much more solvent. Just my 2 cents worth.

Lots of great advice and opinions. Indeed I dont intend to use any moneys that I cant afford to lose. Here in Vegas they call it "scared money". I also accept that fact that it is a long learning curve. And part of my education will be learning to lose gracefully. Basicly I am looking to learn something that will keep me occupied and challenged when I eventualy move into retirement. Again not depending on it but wanting to keep my fingers in something. I forgot to mention that I worked with a friend that had developed a pretty successful nasdq e-mini system. So I have had a bit of a chance to learn how to look at charts ect. And do back testing ect. It seems that some of the basic principles are the same with forex. Again I would never risk needed money or depend on it for my livelyhood. Basicly I see it as "mental golf". But again all suggestions and ideas are very appreciated.

Just wondering if anyone has gotten involved in forex currency trading. I am in the early stages of learning about it and practicing with the free accounts. I realize that there is risk involved but there is also opportunity. Because it is all done electronicly and it is a 24 hour 5 day a week market with lots of liquidity it does seem appealing. The other thing I was wondering is if one is trading while in LOS is there an issue regarding work permits ect. Of couse it would seem that just keeping a low profile woudl be fine. Also I would not be trading baht. I am mostly interested int EUR/USD, USD/JYN, and GBP/USD. I am mostly doing intraday scalping. And settling for small (5-7 pip) profits. If I could generate a realitively small amout each day I would be pretty content. It is obvious that it can take years to really learn all the factors in the market but there does seem to be some opportunity while learning. At any rate be fun to hear what others have to say.

Well I dont think the US will go bankrupt. But there is definatly a shift in things. The transfer of middle class wealth to the upper class has been massive under the bushyboy admin. This is a real problem and will come back to haunt us. What I think many folks from outside the US dont seem to realize is just how much wealth the US has. Both in terms of general GDP and in resources. California is in itself one of the largest econonys in the world. I was once talking to a Thai friend, here in the US. She was getting all worried about us running out of food. I went to the cia world fact book and showed her that we export more food alone than the entire GDP of Thailand. Indeed the dollar is taking a bit of a bath but it is in fact benificial because we are able to pay down debt with "cheaper" dollars. There is no question that the next admin will be faced with having to institute some fiscal responsabilty, after years of spend spend spend. But the basic foundation of wealth in the US is there for generations to come. Regarding places like China ect. well basicly they are creating wealth out of cheap labor. This is unsistainable. Along with the corrupt banking and lack of transparncy within their business practices they will eventualy take a nose dive. Look at what happened in Japan, it has taken then years to get back on track. I think that India will in fact have a much better long term prospect than China. The dollar will always ebb and flow just like any other currency. But I must say the long term economic stability of the US if quite good.

If you are looking for something just for the trip go cheap. There are lots of low end PC's that will do the job and last a year or two. thus if it gets stolen or damaged no big deal. But if you are looking for a longer term unit then the best way to go is with a mac book pro. It allows you to run windows and mac os using a program called paralles (about $80 plus the cost of win xp) But the truth is you will find yourself avoiding the windoze os as much as possible. in terms of value you can't beat it. It seems more up front but with a bit of looking into it you will find mac's to be a good value. A stable elegant OS. then you get the ilife suite that is second to none. You can do video editing, dvd burning, create music, archive and play music, achrive photos, create podcasts, and make really nice web pages. I know you are saying I can do this on my PC. Yes you can but they are different programs and are often "lite" versions. Not to mention that they dont work seamlessly together as in the ilife suite. Then there is depreciation. Look on ebay and you will find that the value on used mac's is much better. I have PC's and mac's and I like to say I do my have to work on my PC and my want to work on the mac's

Well these things happen in all places not just LOS. I was in Orlando on business and was robbed at gunpoint in my room. I opened the door and went to turn on the light but the switch at the door didnt work. So foolishly I walked into to room to turn on the lamp. Of course the lamp was unplugged (inside job) and when I turned around there where two youths of color (is that PC enough:) ) with a gun. They ordered me on the floor and then proceded to go through my pockets and took everything including my blackberry. They then forced me at gunpoint into the bathroom and into the bathtub. I figured this was it, they where going to kill me. It was all very sureal and I am still very shaken by it. It was so odd and I am so mad that I was not able to react especialy when they put me in the tub, I should have made a move or something but was just removed from the situation and felt like my mind was in mud. My friends all say I did the right thing and that putting up a fight would have made it worse, but it doesnt feel that way. As it turned out after they left I finaly reacted and looked out the window to see one of them (not the guy with the gun) just hanging out laughing with some friends. At this point I grabed an ashtray as a weopon and ran out the door after him. I was able to chase him down all the while yelling police police. Sure enough the police reacted increadably fast and caught the guy. So now I have to go back there to testify against him. But if you can believe this his bail was $5000 but then they let him out on $0. Fat chance he will show up. And will probably try to wack me before the trial. Great!. On a more positive note. I have hired a lawyer in Orlando and she feels that we have a good case against the motel. It is a large chain so they my end up settling with a reasonable amount. Depending, I could at the least get airfare to LOS at the best I could move ahead my schedule to retire there:) Sorry for the rant, basicly be careful out there.

If its not boeing Im not going LOL. That was the saying when I lived in Seattle. Boeing is indeed a bit slow on the uptake, but look at the laurles they do rest on. Simply some of the best planes ever made. Airbus still has years to go in terms of having planes that have been in service as long. And no matter how you look at it, it still takes multi countries to compete with boeing. It is basicly a gang against just one. Boeing will continue to be a major if not the major player in the game. It is not a matter of 5 years or 10 years for that matter. It is about decades of quality aircraft, and alas airbus is an upstart. It takes many years for new planes to come to market and it is almost like slow motion in regards to sales and projected sales. But with the dreamliner, and the huge range of product boeing has they are here to stay. I predict the 380 will be a boondogle or at the least a minimaly profitable craft. I am not aware of airbus's other departments, but boeing is involved in so many other aspects of aviation besides comercial aircraft that they are a powerhouse. I have always felt that airbus planes are flimsy and poorly constructed, though they seem to be fairly safe. But lets see how they hold up over time. Yes it is nice to have bragging rights and the management at boeing needs to pay attention, but believe me they are far from a second rate company.

I got snipped about 8 years ago. It was a totaly painless procedure. I was a bit sore for a couple days but not incapacitated at all. For me it has been a very good experiece. No worries about the old I have your baby scam. Basicly a fantastic insurance policy.

I found the service to be ok, but the seats where imposibly small. the seat back only came up to my shoulders. thus it was impossible to sleep. I got very lucky in as much as the flight from LAX to narita I had a row of 3 all to myself.

I wouldnt do it. Not without a ssl hookup. You could be asking for trouble. I have arrived in BBK and Pattaya at all hours of the day and night and never had a reservation. The worst was a 1am arrival in BKK on Dec 30 and I still managed to find a place after just a few tries, and I got a great rate.

I can recall on my first trip, there was a guy in front of me checking in. He had what amounted to a shaving kit. The person said, your going to BKK and that is all your luggage. Well I have come to learn that he had the right idea. On my last trip everything fit into a large day pack, including laptop. I just breezed through passport and customs, and was on my way in record time. Anything I needed I bought as I needed. I would also just jetison things as I went along as well. Basicly I see no reason to bring lots of clothes. For all practical puroposes you are just draging around a bunch of dirty laundry. My goal on my next trip is to carry even less. My current supplies are,3 sox, 2 shorts-swim trunks, 3 underwear,one pair of pants, (wear on plane) nice shoes,(wear on plane) one long sleeve shirt, 2 t's. Med's and toiletries and thats about it. Less than 15 pounds. Less is more.

The 380 has a very specific market in mind and should do well. The 7e7 will be a more versital plane. It is aimed more at point to point as opposed to the hub and spoke system. It is the first airliner to use carbon fiber for the fusalage and will weigh about 20% less then normal. It will be capable of long range and also can be used on shorter flights as well. It will have better cabin comfort in terms of presure, and humindity and has larger windows ect. It should find a very wide appeal for lots of different routes. I think the 380 is just a bigger version of a typical plane, but the 7e7 will actualy break lots of new ground. (no pun intended). Both will do very well.

I have stayed at the Apex several times. There is not doubt that it I could find a place for the same price that was nicer I would go there. I agree the staff is rude at times, but they seem very short staffed and under lots of stress. For the most part it was fine for my purposes. I would definatly get a room with the tile floor. Lets face it carpet and the tropics is a bad mix. Also the breakfast buffet is great. You do get what you pay for and all and all I will stay there again, all the while looking for a better place for the same price. Oh by the way one thing they do have thats nice is parking for your car or scooter. Just go down the ally and honk and a guy will open a gate and let you in.

jeez Turk56 I got my trip from lax to bkk for $146 and that included FF miles. You was robbed! LOL

The old 10% service charge trick eh! And adding the vat tax as well. I am sure in the mind of the average Thai businessman he will truely belive that the "price" for the room is still the same. This is pulled by lots of places that just dont want to admit that they are raising prices. Its ok to raise prices but to do it in such a backhanded way blows. The bad part is that the herd instinct will enssue and in no time at all they will all raise the price to match their fellow hotel owner. It strikes me that in Thailand competition is more about how much you can charge for your product or service and have very little to do with whether or not you run a successful business.

I travel from Vegas as well. It seems that $700 is the going rate for those dates, but that can change quickly. One of the things you might look into is leaving from LAX, and then seeing if you can get a cheap flight over to LAX. You may find a $595 price out of LAX from time to time. But it may cost you $60 to $120 to fly there. Its really nice to just have to get to one airport and check in once rather than have to go to LA then get your bag, and recheck in at LA. I have usualy gotten the best prices and service from America Asia travel. The women there named Iris is really on top of the cheapest fares, and knows the routes and airlines very well. They are over on spring mountain in the China town center. I recieved a quote of $695 from Las Vegas. I said oh China airlines, she grinned and said "its safe" I smiled and shook my head. She said "ok, Japan airlines $700" This is a pretty good price but I would wait a bit before you commit lots could happen between now and your departure date.

I would agree that the Pornping is a pretty good bet in Chiang Mai. The price is right the rooms are clean if not a bit out dated. But the nice part is you are near the river and the night bazzar. I enjoy Krabi. It is a very nice change of scene. I always stay in Krabi town. Au nong is just an over developed tourist trap. The beach is not that great and the whole scene there is tolerable for about 2 hours. Krabi town is much more fun to me. I rent a scooter and I can explore the area. There is lots to check out there. Within a 50 km. radius, there are many great beachs and mountains, water falls, hot springs, ect. Also there is some really great food to be had as well. Down by the river each night there is a series of stalls, more like potable restaurants. These serve up a great range of great food for incredibly cheap prices. On the outskirts of town there is a restaurant that has to be one of the best I have eaten in. It is called the chow suah (sp) this place is amazing it is open very late and serves the most amazing aray of dishs you could imagine. True gourmet food at burger king prices. If you want to go to the raily or the other beachs there are longtail boats that will take you there for about 70 baht. All and all the best bet is to look around the net for Krabi lodging. There is not much night life there but there are a few bars to relax and enjoy. ------ D