What I have learned in 20+ years of visiting Thailand....

A rejoinder to Rainwalker:

Farang friends in Thailand do not need to be nurtured: a friend is a friend is a friend.

Avoid dangerous streets, sidewalks and highways: stay at home.

If you want to lose your temper go ahead; bottled up emotions lead to heart attacks.

Always drive defensively: the only idiots on the roads are others.

People usually laughing at you have a point; usually covering their own embarrassment

When "offing" a companion believe nothing of what he says he will do: actions speak louder than words.

If you live in Pattaya then you are a resident: sex tourists are transient.

You may look old but you are young at heart.

There is no such thing as Thai time unless you buy your boyfriend a watch.

You will be stared at everywhere; walking banks are welcome.

You will always have more money than most of the Thais you meet.

Friendships last a lifetime and a real friend is there to help you in any circumstances. Most of us have few friends only lots of people we know.

Thais are friendly: see above; would you turn your bank manager the door?

Thai drinking habits are contrary to their way of life; a bottle is welcomed head on.

Only some Thais like being "offed" by old, fat, bald, smelly farangs.

YOUR status matters to Thais.

Polite society would not know what "Cheap Charlies" are.

Greetings to Thai policemen should be with one hand out and the other on your wallet.

Polite members of society always dress well.

Buying your own bottle to take to a bar shows you know that bar prices for singles are expensive especially if your Thai friends drink the same as you which is nearly always the case.

Money loaned to Thais is considered a gift even before your friend asks for a loan.

Never ask a Thai to chose between you and his family; family always comes first.

Remember, at some point in the future, be it days, months or years, your Thai partner will always stab you in the back (how many of your farang friends have a relationship with a Thai that has not turned sour and expensive?).

Thailand is for Thais; farangs are a necessary (so far) evil who provides money and little else but complain about the way of life. We can always leave but which country welcomes low (or no) income, ill educated and unpredictable Thais?

And yes, I still would prefer to be in Thailand.

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Rainwalker99 wrote :

What have you learned???

The same in only 10 years ! :flower:

A rejoinder to Rainwalker:

Farang friends in Thailand do not need to be nurtured: a friend is a friend is a friend.

etc etc etc

And yes, I still would prefer to be in Thailand.

And a clever rejoinder it is, geneman.

Now somebody copy it to Gaythailand, please (wowpow?).

Ayatollah Gaybutton will have a heart attack.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

I knew all that in 6 months !!..why did it take you 20 years ?? :idea:

also "If you live in Pattaya, you are a sex tourist. "..not so..you are a sex tourist anywhere you live. :cheese:

• Nurture Farangs because they are your greatest resource in Thailand. Remember that favours require reciprocation.
  Friendship with Farangs is mostly situational.

Hmmm. I'm sure it's sound advice ... if only I could understand what it means. Use other people as you want to be used?

[catawampuscat]

You would enjoy Pattaya/Jomtien right now as you could walk in the rain most days. Today feels like "cold" season
and very cloudy as well. Not quite a beach day.
Absolutely loved your well thought out thread topic and opening.
Geneman's response was generally humorous . cynical but clever.

Great to have a thread which challenges us to think a bit about our lives and look at ourselves. Of course, this response
will be attacked and ripped apart. You can't like everyone and everyone can't like you.

Wisdom does take time and my viewpoints have changed from the first few trips to the last few years.
Aside from mentioning one poster by names, I think your thread belongs in the resource section and could be of
use to newbies as well as long timers and expats.

Can I borrow 500,000B. because the bird flu knocked out my chicken ranch and my boyfriend needs breast implants,
and I could use a face lift and some liposuction, and my ATM card is lost in the mail, and I got screwed on a condo deal
and the money from my hotel is due any day and my passport was stolen and we have been best friends for two hours already.
PM me for account info. Oops! I forgot I already borrowed 500,000B. from you and can't remember what bullshit I told you for that. :cat:

I should add that I wake up in the morning speaking Thai and go to bed at night speaking Thai, which is a situation I regard as normal because I am living in Thailand.

What a bizarre notion. Do you also dream in Thai? Accept Thai precepts about the nature of the world? Consider the king to be truly a demi-god?

[Smiles]

" ... Nurture Farangs because they are your greatest resource in Thailand. Remember that favours require reciprocation.... "

My greatest resource ~ by a country mile ~ in Thailand is my Beloved ... bar none. So I nuture that above all.
I doubt my farang friends in Thailand would begrudge me that ... as they know who they are, and who we are.

I wouldn't be quite so dramatic & negative as jaafarabutarab's post regarding "farang social circles" . . . as I'm sure Rainwalker did not mean that kind of cliched, gossipy ~ often sozzled ~ aquaintance.

Cheers ...

[TrongpaiExpat]

Of course, I should add that I wake up in the morning speaking Thai and go to bed at night speaking Thai, which is a situation I regard as normal because I am living in Thailand.

OK, if that's fine with me but what are you doing here on an English speaking farang message board? There are Thai boards.

www.postjung.com/

nice thread - i couldnt agree more about the smiling statement rainwalker

sorry to change the subject, but following on from Cats weather update, where i must say the rain was to blame many times for me not having my share of fun at the beach for several days

- why is there so much rain in this time of year? after all this is hot season, yes!? is this normal for pty now, or global warming to blame.....

ps - what do you do when you cant make the beach due to rain?