Gary

I think most farangs have used a motorbike taxi from time to time, including me. I know that LDK thinks nothing about jumping on the back of one. I'm one of those guys who will normally patiently wait for a baht bus. Maybe it's because I am retired and live here. I have no schedule to keep and am NEVER in a hurry.

It would appear, at least to me, that honeypot has some sort of vendetta against this guy. I see no reason to continuously pick on a guy who is trying to make a few baht and introducing a service that many people may not know about. If you are not interested in the visa possibilities, just don't reply. I do see the education visa as a way to be able to stay and not as a desire to actually learn Thai. I have no problems with his posts.

Putting 800,000 in the bank is far easier than proving income. I had to go to the US Embassy in Bangkok for the income document. When I took the document to Loei immigration the old bastard made me take it back to Bangkok to have it legalized and translated. It is up to the immigration officer how easy or difficult the visa is to get. The Loei office wants a new income statement every year. A marriage visa is even more complicated. You have to have income of 40,000 baht per month OR 400,000 baht in a Thai bank, that's the good part. The support (marriage) visa, it is more work for the poli

I have had food poisoning but never from a street vendor. The last two times were both from farang run restaurants. Look for the busy stands and you should be fine.

Yes, this is just normal procedure. Unfortunately here in Thailand we are on Thai time rather than western time where people are normally prompt and always in a hurry. I usually call the desk and tell them I am checking out now. This gets things moving faster than normal. Some problems can be avoided if you are in the room while the maid is checking that everything is there and accounted for.

I lived in Bangkok for 7 years. I got bored and very tired of the congestion and polluted air. After I was able to retire, I was VERY happy to make the move to Jomtien. Pattaya is also too congested for me. I am basically a country boy and now live in the boonies upcountry. I still have my Jomtien condo as a safety net but hope to never have to live there again. I have a workshop/garage and all the tools to tinker to my hearts delight. I have a dog and plenty of land to play with my favorite toy. My toy is a little 4 wheel drive diesel tractor. I can go fishing and watch the sun go down ov

I had wondered about the engine braking of automatics going down a mountain. I go up a mountain a couple times a week to my favorite watering hole. I know now that the engine braking is not as good as a geared bike but it is actually surprisingly good. I had thought that it may be free wheeling but that is not the case. It actually works better than my diesel pick up truck. I use the truck gears and have to use the brakes to keep it from over revving. The scooter variator works as well going down as going up without any over revving.

The reason I prefer the new fully automatics is because I want the extra safety factor. I don't want my leg trapped between the road and the bike nor do I want my leg between the bike frame and whatever happens to run into me. When you get older, you think about these things.

I would think the hotel is the safer option. I would NEVER trust an Internet Cafe. Neither are secure. If you are using your own laptop and have a Thai SIM card phone, you can use the phone's EDGE connection.

I think lemon face is a woman. A woman will never admit they are wrong. He may just think his bike is a Honda PCX and it is really a Tiger.

I do think the PCX is the best looking scooter on the market. Had they made the brakes and the stop/start features optional and lowered the price, I would have been more interested. As Tom mentioned, with the exception of the bulgy sided Scoopy and Fino, they do all look pretty much the same. Fuel injection is a great advance and makes for easier starting and smoother running when the engine is cold. BUT, a good friend of mine bought one of the first fuel injected Honda Waves. He bitched about it for about two years. It would just stop running. The dealer worked on it a number of times

As I mentioned previously, if you are happy with your bike, that is what is important. Are you SURE you bought a PCX? Put the bike on the center stand, have someone sit on the back and apply the left brake lever and see if you can turn the front wheel.

Unfortunately anti-lock brakes appear to be too expensive for small bikes. There are a number of big bikes where they are standard or offered as an option. I think that option costs about $600 US. Someone buying a small bike would likely balk at paying that much for the braking system. Here in Thailand riders balk at paying for a decent helmet. I do think that the systems could be made cheaper by using anti-lock for the front wheel only. Guys putting bigger or dual brakes on the front are throwing away money for a more dangerous braking system. The standard brakes are capable of locking u

I SURE know what you mean. The last time I laid a bike down was on Beach Road in Jomtien. There was sand on the road and I locked up the front brake. Some may like them but no combination brakes for me.

If it's all the same to you, I want to control the front brake all by myself and the two brake levers work just fine for me.

The front and rear brakes DO come on together. That may be OK for good clean paved roads but NOT OK for sand and gravel covered concrete roads here in Thailand. There is no doubt that the PCX would be a very comfortable ride IF you replace the stock seat with a custom seat without the silly bump and one that slopes to the rear rather than to the front. Neither bikes are performance race bikes but both are great short range transportation. The Elegance is a bit faster and more bike for the money, at least the money that comes out of my pocket. An extra 19,000 baht is a lot to pay at least in pa

That's the important thing. Being happy with your bike is what counts. As for myself, I prefer a bigger, heavier and more powerful bike. Not that a 135 cc is a powerhouse, but it is a stable comfortable ride.

If the Scoopy was the most comfortable, I'd bet you didn't drive either the Honda PCX or the Yamaha Elegance. And you're right, I'd look pretty silly with my leather jacket and helmet on a Scoopy.

The Fino and Scoopy both look like girl's scooters and both are too small for normal sized farangs. They remind my of those ugly bulgy sided Italian small wheeled scooters. Small wheels and stability DON'T belong in the same sentence. The Elegance at least has 16 inch wheels and they are still too small.

I have had motorcycles all my life and prefer a manual clutch transmission. Being an old fart and having lost some reflexes and coordination, I finally decided it would be a good idea to give up motorcycles. I found that is easier said than done. The urge to ride just wouldn't go away. One scary thing was seeing accidents where the riders lost a foot or leg by being broadsided by cars and trucks. I had no desire to lose a foot or leg by getting it trapped between the motorcycle frame and whatever hit the bike. I had never really considered the automatic transmission bikes until a friend of

The Bangkeaw is fearless. I have a large half Rottweiler and half Golden Retriever male. These little dogs think nothing of attacking him. Fortunately the good natured Golden Retriever part of him prevents him from seriously injuring the little dogs. The big dog knocks them down and basically stands on top of them and growls. This happens every time they see my dog and they never seem to learn that they can't win. I admire their courage but not their intelligence. And yes, they are very protective of their master. They have no qualms about biting kids. That can cause you major problems and co

Recently I was sitting outside the Rockhouse and across the soi, saw a big banner being hung up that said MASH Go Go. The banner was advertising for girls and said 8,000 to 20,000 baht salary per month.

In my case rent has nothing to do with it. I pay no rent in Jomtien and no rent upcountry. Electricity cost are exactly the same and food costs are very similar at the fresh markets. Discretionary expenses are where the big differences are. If you want to live in a mansion, it's up to you. You are paying for it. Most of us, including myself are perfectly happy in a much more conservative place. My wife cleans our house and there is no maid. With just the two of us, if she demanded a maid, I'd look for a new wife. Another thing different than some people is that I live to suit myself and don't

My Internet sucks, double post.

Back on topic, I lived in Bangkok and Jomtien for a number of years. In fact I still have a condo in Jomtien. In those years I NEVER spent more than 2,000 US per month. When I retired to Jomtien I really didn't know what it would cost me so I kept a spread sheet that included every baht I spent. That was before I bought the condo and was paying rent. I did everything I wanted and never had a budget. As expected discretionary spending was the most expensive item. I averaged 40,000 baht a month. The answer is that unless you really go wild and stupid, 30,000 US per year is plenty to live on.