As long as it's provided by "true" and in central bangkok you don't need to worry too much about internet connection. 1mb is a minimum i'd say.


Very racist actually but it's a strange kind of racism. Basically everything darker and/or poorer than them is segregated.
( indians,lao,cambodian,africans, even black americans... )

If you are white it's a bit different it's more a combination of jealousy ( rich farang, rich chinese, rich japanese ect... ) and fear/feeling of being inferior.
It's very funny to go out with a mix thai-farang or chinese girl, the people behaviour around you becomes kind of subservient ( for a lack of a better word ).

It's because they have an "asian hierarchy" white skinned asian and developed asian countries are considered as richer,better,more beautiful ect...

For farang it's harder to guess what social status they have, so they are automatically classified Hi-so until further examination, but do not receive the king's treatment because well, they are not asian.

Funny thing some jobs are very respected by some and not by others : example I'm a french teacher. If I just say "I'm a teacher" they tend to relax and treat me more like a middle class thai, If i add "french teacher" they tend to show more respect and if i go for the whole " french teacher in a private international school" I'm automatically put in the Hi-so farang strata.

It also depends on the age and background of the thai person : older people tend to give me more respect, even standing up to let me seat in buses and giving me big wais when i'm around my workplace ( smaller town ) it's embarrassing since i'm 26, i can stand for a while... .

Others like young hookers are used to your run of the mill "permanent sex tourist ex builder/bus driver from Blackpool england turned into an english teacher for 20k a month" and will not be specially respectful until i tell them the whole picture. I know who cares about hooker's respect...

Beside skin color their internal hierarchy is based on what you do and where you shop.

For example i went to a field trip at work with a big Paragon (hi-so department store ) bag, not to show off but because it was the only one i had. My coordinator told me that i should not come with this kind of bag because it makes the thai teachers jealous. ( a thai teacher in a good school makes 8000 a month after a few years, i know an university lecturer who earns 14k... so it's understable since a normal shopping trip to paragon is for minimum 2-3k)

Just go to paragon and observe the thais there : white skinned well dressed thais have a shopping bag, the rest ( huge majority ) just hang out there and maybe go to the food court ( about 40b on average ). A funny symptom of that is the development of a "shopping bag black market", you can actually buy a paragon shopping bag on the market for a few bahts and show off at work with it. A girl asked me if she could buy my shopping bag once.

The thai materialism is a symptom of the "thai castes system" determined by money and skin color. If you manage to acquire one of those hi-so places memorabilia you gain face and status.

Funny thing : some places are considered "low-so territory". No hi-so thai would ever step in klong-toei market for example. In the same idea ask a hooker what her favorite shop in gaysorn plaza ( another hi-so dept. store ) is, most of the time she won't ever consider going there, not her world even if she has money.

I don't know about this one, I just think their definition of being mature is very different from the western one.

TL/DR

Very well explained. But I guess it comes as how a "normal" person tends to think ... . Nevertheless it's nice that everybody treats you with respect, but that would be really nice if it wasn't because you are "white".

If a thai teacher makes 8K Baths a month, 1K baths it's like 1/8 of a good salary, like 200 eur at Spain. Am I correct?

good post ofdabeat !

dardo, you wont have luck with a K bank account and moneybookers because moneybookers blocks thai banks if youre connected with gambling.

I dont know what youre saying but 8k baht is almost 200€, thats pretty sad actually

Did you have to show a copy of your lease or anything to Kasikorn (sp?) bank? Has anyone deposited a foreign check there?

I opened a Kasikorn bank account a couple of weeks ago and only had to show them my passport. You do have to give them your address but no proof of it.

Not sure about the Moneybookers thai block. Last week I cashed out from my poker account via moneybookers & then to Kasikorn. All in it took 4 days so not bad imo and the FX rate was pretty good to.

Anyone have experience with USD/EUR currency bank account in Kasikorn/other thai bank? I know it can be done but from brief research it seems pretty hard so just wondering if anyone has done it.

Just the passport. No proof of the address was required.

I asked, and they told me they would need 1 month to clear the check. It seems possible.

I forgot about this. Next time I'll ask and see what they tell me. Being a tourist area I don't see it too difficult, but let's see.

hmm I tried to deposit with my K bank visa and it wouldnt work and I also tried to verify my K bank Visa card and they wouldnt let me. Ive also read here before that people were unable to withdraw money to thai bank accounts.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Open-P...0-t177299.html
This will get you a working debit card number. Also, this info does work for making ebay accounts to sell clothing, etc.

One of the best books i have ever read:
http://www.conanstevens.com/temp/private-dancer.pdf

its like so true about gogo girls, what the thay smiles really are, sex-tourists etc
its mostly in negative colors, ofc there are always exeptions tho.
But even i have heard of guys who fall in love with a bargirls. I saw an old guy from australia who told me about how he was ripped off buy a thai woman. He bought the house for both of them, then one month later the bitch sold the house and ran with the money.

anyway, maybe some of ya have read it already, but who has not and wants to go to thailand some day, i urge you to read it. (btw, maybe the same links are already on this topic, dont scream OLD in that case mkay)

theres another nice page:
http://www.stickmanweekly.com/Stickm...ubmissions.htm

going out to find this one also:
http://www.stephenleather.com/thebooks_confessions.htm

Hello !

Im living in bangkok playing poker on the net, so if there is anyone out there who does the same and wans to meet new people just send me an mail and we can arrange something. My mail is jagmotalla@Live.se

How much for one night of pure pleasure?

khap,

Bill

khRap

I don't think most of them are like that. But they are used to meet different men all the time, so they are much less prone to fall in love, etc... than the lonely farang who suddenly thinks he has "found" the girl of his dreams. (Most of the time the girl is just trying to be nice with him, that's all.)

TRIP REPORT: "The oh so secret not for farang suburban scene"

Ok so i went out a couple of times with locals expats to check out the local suburban scene. I never did before for some reason. Damn i was in for a surprise.

1. The small bar-karaoke scene

Just like mushrooms in a german forest ( hi manylevels ) the suburbs of bangkok are full of small anonymous places that light up when the night begins. It's usually quite small there is sometime a small stage and/or a karaoke machine.
In most of those places you can find between 5 and 20 girls/men with tits ready to entertain.
It's basically a beer bar with sing a song included.

how does that work: quite easy really, enter sit order a beer (big bottle 75cl for 50 to 100 bahts , whisky and spirits 60 to 100 bahts ) you should have immediate action : you are a farang, an oddity a strange white person with money and no clue.

The other customers are thai men, vellly friendly bunch usually, they like to share drinks and try to improve their english "hello, my friend ( gives you a glass of whisky ) how are you! where you come from?"

The girls are surprisingly nice to look at, it's kind of like in bkk, some lookers some average and a few issan monsters.

They charge 500bahts for the dirty deed, most of the time the bar has a room or two that you can use for free. If you prefer going home with your new found love the barfine is 200. No lady drinks.

2. The short time meat market

There are a few of those places, it's a bar with a stage full of girls (10 to 30 no that's not their age ). You can pick up one and talk for a bit, then if you feel like it use one of the short time room in the club. Or take her out.

The drinks are cheap and the girls even cheaper between 300 and 600 all inclusive room and all. No lady drinks nonsense.


3. The mia noi marketplaces

It's a kind of bar karaoke place, usually quite nice and comfy. There is no girls working there. It's a place where thai men go to find a mia noi ( mistress ) there is on any given night 5 to 15 girls, they are looking for a sponsor they can be office workers, massage girls, freelancers, students ect...

I've been quoted 6000 a month for a full time mia noi, live-in or not, your choice. It can go up to 15000 for the best ones.

It's really weird i know.

The drinks are a bit on the expensive side 75cl or beer is 120bahts, spirits 100.

4. the after hours disco pick up joints

Well in the suburbs every disco is an after hour, the police is cheaper to bribe i guess.
I've been to 3 of them, let me describe my most recent trip:

We arrived around midnight, free entrance no id check. The bottle of whisky is 450bahts, 800 for two ( benmore ****e ). If you want a nicer whisky take the 7/11 price and add 150 bahts.
You can also bring your own bottle and pay 200bahts.

The place is big and booming, even on a weekday, they close at 8am.
Many groups of girls, you will be the only farang in the club 99% of the time, it attracts a lot of attention.

There is a band playing until 2am and then it becomes pretty much awesome, they bring a crew of stunners, really hot pieces of ass on the stage and they strip, dance in skimpy underwear poor water on each others ect... there is a giant screen linked to a camera that zooms on the interesting parts of the female dancer's body.


5. the upscale karaokes

A big karaoke with about 25-50 girls waiting. Book a room and a girl (350bahts) have a bottle (500 to 1000) and she's going to start singing, you can be naughty in the room obv or take her out (300) after that the girl usually ask for 700 to 1000. The girls working there are damn hot, could be the main attraction of most nana plaza gogo.

6. the upscale massage joint

A rip off imo, 90minute with a girl (usually quite hot i admit ) for 1500 to 2000.
At least after that you are clean and the restaurant is pretty good and cheap.

That's it.
If you feel like visiting those places ( weekdays only ) PM me.

ofdabeat, don't forget the guide

Great guide. Thank you.

It seems paying 1K for 1 day is a good amount, then.

And also, ladydrinks, seems like a small ripoff, specially if you only want to talk with a girl a get to know her.

Anyway, I think this report is on the optimistic side. The girls are not that impressive and cloths can lie a lot.

But, what can I say, they are all lovely.

Hum Dardo it's a suburban guide have you noticed? not about typical foreigner areas. and there is no ladydrinks bullshiat.

I don't know what you mean by optimistic side, do you know any of those places and the girls there to say : ?
I kinda doubt you know the BKK suburban scene.

That guide seems like a nice change of pace from the average bkk scene. Thanks for posting.

Anyone know of storage options in bkk? I need to leave about a suitcase worth of stuff there for a few weeks.

I don't know how much it costs for a few weeks but there is luggage storage available at the airport.

I found a (really bad ) video of a dancer at the "smile pub" one of the suburban disco i've been a few days ago:

http://video.mthai.com/player.php?id=3M1217980701M0

Another one of another club around:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMQQnf0-jXo

oh and this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4fi4f-XFzE

Damn i'm bored at work

nice poast again ofdabeat, good job!



A few Qs:

What about the gogo bars? Is this what u r refering to as " short time meat market " usually they have a group picture of all the girls working there outside.

The prices for the upscale massage joints you quoted are on the lower end imo and they often charge you a " farang fee "

Do all these karaoke bars have rooms to have fun with the girls? Like you can go there drink and **** a girl if u want and then go back to drink? If yes that would be ***** awesome and we should def. check that out ...whats the quality of these rooms? I cant think of them beeing very clean but u tell me.

The discos, how many of them close at 2 and how many stay open until 8? Do the girls speak english? Do they have a dance floor? Are there normal working girls or just hookers/freelancers?

Why only weekdays?

Where do you live?

regarding massage parlours, dont they offer special treatments? Sometimes its worth it to pay alot if you can get an awesome body2body massage and whatnot if youre bored of the 0815 number with those beerbargirls and they look hotter.

The cheap girls in karaoke bars and " meat markets "...
Dont they charge you more then the usual if youre a foreigner? The brother of my gf told me that the normal price for a thai is like 500 baht but they charge more for falangs.

and pls tell me what I get if I buy a mia noi for say 10k baht amonth and how this works

2 days 3 night in Bangkok (seeing cool stuff, checking out the nightlife)
5 days 4 nights in Chiang Mai (monkey center, 2 day 1 night trek, seeing the town)

Is that enough time for these respective cities? I'll probably be back in BKK but not Chiang Mai.

what is the monkey center in Chiang Mai? never heard of it in my ~2 months there.

as far as time is concerned, ya you can see all the major spots in Chiang Mai in that time no problem. Doi Suthep, a trek, night market, not much else major.