seriously, do farang actually live like that? awesome.

I think some farang live like that. Not me though.

My wife and I did for a month. It was f'in brutal.

One thing I'm surprised is that no one has mentioned the fact that farang can't own property.

Golf has been discussed a little.. Lemme tell you what its like in Chiang Mai.. At the more expensive courses a round will cost you somewhere from $20-$40 ish. Driving ranges are ridiculously cheap. .50 for a tray of 40 balls. Whenever you play a round u HAVE to get a caddy. Caddies are of course female, but unfortunately not always cute.

KKF is right, for some reason, Pizza Hut girls are HOT!!! Like, ridiculously hot.

Also, asian people and they're stretching routines are pretty anoying. And, what's with them being so comfortable sitting in the catcher position?

Spa:

I'm sure any of the spa's in the big hotels like those you mention are very very nice. There are so many spa's and massage places in Bangkok, the big hotels have to go the extra mile to stand out. I haven't been to any high end spas , only some average ones when I was down in Phuket.

DimSum:

There is a good place on Sukumvit Soi 11 called "Joke Club". The dim sum is very good and cooked fresh to order. They have a bunch of big aquariums in the front where you can order your fish/seafood from. The broccoli and scallops is excellent too. That's my favorite for dimsum in Bangtown. There is also a cheap chain called "chokdee dimsum" with branches around town. That's pretty good too but much cheaper and lower quality than Joke Club.

There are hot girls working everywhere.

There are still legal loopholes for a farang to own property. You can setup a consulting comapny and do a miniscule amount of work, pay tiny tax each year etc etc. This is still available even after some of the latest crackdowns. Ive spoken extensivly to a lawyer and he asures me that it is still possible.

I have a satellite package from UBC and it is decent. CNN international, BBC, Star Movies, HBO Asia etc. Also get shows like Survivor, Fear factor, Alias, 24, Lost, 4 sports channels (a lot of soccer). Here's a link to UBC Thailand:

http://www.ubctv.com

I would book something online first. At least for the first night. That way you can go there direct from the airport and not have to worry about it. I haven't booked using this site before but maybe others can comment on this.

http://www.hotelthailand.com

LOL Degen is starting a 2+2 Thailand Expat Wave!

Be careful with OTC medicine. I got really sick yesterday so I went in the drug store and was like "I have a cold give me something" and whatever they gave me [censored] my head up. I thought I was going to puke all over the airplane, I was kinda seeing tracers (like when you are on drugs) and it was awful. I feel like I just went on a drug binge and can hardly move.

And I went to the wrong cafe and no poker here


PS Airplane ticket was 40 bucks and I flew into THE NEW AIRPORT. Cab fare on the meter from the new airport to Khao San is 211 baht + 65 baht in road tolls + 50 baht airport charge.

The airport is super sweet. Probably the best airport I've ever been in. I almost fell down the escalator because instead of it turning into stairs when it slopes down it stays flat like a ramp. Its hard to describe but I've never seen anything like that before and it almost made take out like 20 people. I'm sure the medicine didn't help

OH HELLO THERE ANTI GAMBOOOLING LEGISLATION

looks like there will be a stampede of 2+2 posters next year or whenever this bill goes into effect

Bring it.

Thailand [censored] RULES.

Tonight a manager of a fancy restaurant invited me to come eat for free at his restaurant. I [censored] pigged out on the nicest seafood I have seen in a long time. I washed that [censored] down with coctail after coctail after coctail after beer and here I stand at 9pm drunk as hell, full as hell and havent spend a single baht all day. Im in [censored] heaven. Thailand amazes me day after day/

How early do I have to get to Hat Rin to lock down a room for the full moon party? I gotta do a visa run tomorrow but I think I'll head to Koh Samui the next day and then Hat Rin. I'll be straight if I get there 3 days early right?

I'm worried I'll still be sick and have to wait another day to travel.

4 days early id say. But are you really planning on sleeping? And if so you wont be able to sleep in hadrin with all the [censored] music blasting all night.

Better off getting a room in another area and that way you wont have to worry about them all being full. But everything is pretty full. It is low season though so who knows...

Don't stay at Hat Rin. Every beach on the island AND Samui run boats all night (Take at your own risk. I was too drunk to care )

Anyhow Hat Rin fills up three days prior and becomes a garbage and broken glass filled [censored] hole after the party. Plus, hope you like people effing on your bungalow patio. Yikes.

I stayed at Broken Bottle beach on the north side. It was full two days prior to the party. If you want a decent place try to arrive three days or more ahead of time. Have fun. I enjoyed myself but doubt I would do it again.

Has anyone ever done commercials while in Bangkok? I know there are a few companies that use farang and non farang; just wondering what I should watch out for if I send in a headshot and get picked.

I have done 6 commercials in Bangkok. I am half Japanese/American though so I fit into the half-asian "look" that is popular in some advertisements. In the last year and a half I did TV commercials for Honda, True, Sony, Mama Noodles, Swensens, and Thairung (Thai Izuzu). I had an agent that handled both Thai and Farang model/actors, but mostly Thai girls. It was funny seeing myself on TV eating noodles! Interestingly enough, my "girlfriend" in the noodle commercial was a model from the czech republic.

If you get picked for a commercial, you will probably go to a "fitting" to take some pics and try on wardrobe and make up the day before. If you get an agent, he/she will call you when casting auditions are open and you can go to various studios and do your thing. I never spoke any thai. Payment usually takes about 1-2 months though. TV Commercials for me were about 50,000 baht/day 80-100k if they do print ads too. The agency will take 25-35%.

What if you know how to cook, can you get your western meals that way?

Damn thats pretty good money if you can get a few gigs a month.

I wisH i was in the mama soup comercial.

well obviously if you can cook you can make whatever the [censored] you want

Comon guys, this thread should be at 50 pages by now. Ask some questions.

Not if you can't get good ingredients.

YOu can buy almost anything.

Especially in bkk, there are food stores that import everything you have back home.

Ever had a medical condition serious enough to warrant a hospital stay? Do you have health insurance? If so, how much do you pay?

No I have not had a medical issue. I also dont have insurace. Im will be getting some kind of coverage over the next few months though,

THe hospitals are pretty good here so I dont worry.

Are rats and/or cockroaches an issue at all in houses or apartment buildings?

The only place I have seen rats in Thailand is when I was walking down soi nana in bkk.

I have seen cockroaches in dirty ass houses before as well. Not really a problem though cause ive never seen them in my place.

Geckos are everywhere, inside your house as well, and they eat all the bugs and [censored] that might wander in. They are great