Information That Everyone Wants To Know!
Bar Girls
What is a bar girl? A bar girl is a lady who works in a bar to make money for her family, it is just a job to them for what they do. If you treat them nicely, they will return that. They work in the bar to entertain you; sit with you and talk, play pool with, play bar games with like connect four or jenga, or the various dice games. If your in a bar and a girl approaches you and you're not interested, just tell her politely your not interested, although most girls just want to talk to you because they are also practicing English at the same time. If you see a girl you are interested in, ask her to sit with you and talk to her.
As explained in the Bar Conduct section, it is very rude if you try and sit with a girl for an hour or so and not buy her a drink, we say try and sit for that long, because most girls will simply walk away and find another customer to entertain, after all, they are making money from drinks, not idle chit chat with you. If you buy a girl a drink and after talking with her are not interested, tell her your not interested. These are just people doing a job, if you are polite to them, they will be polite and friendly in return.
Can you take a girl out of the bar? You certainly can, and is explained further in Bar Fines.
Bar Fines
What is a bar fine? The bar fine is compensation for the bar when the girl is gone. Bar fines can range from 300 Baht to several thousand. Understand that a bar fine is not a guarantee of sex! It is only compensation for the bar, period. Some people bar fine girls just to take them out to dinner or to a movie, after that they bring them back to the bar. Some individuals bar fine girls just to have the company on a trip or travel within Thailand (it is always easier to get around when you have a Thai with you speaking the language).
Sex is between two consenting adults, nothing more, but do tip the lady as well, this is not just expected, it is usually stated before hand. Tips can range from 1,000 Baht to 8,000 Baht, or more.
Dating A Bar Girl - What Does It Take?
Everyone asks this question. Can you date a bar girl? Yes, but be aware of what you are doing!
Most people think that after they are here for 1-2 week vacation, they think they fall in love and want a bar girl to stop working in the bar, so they ask the girl to stop work, and they will send them money from their home country after their vacation is over and they leave Thailand. Well, this is not dating. You will spend a lot of money on a girl who will still be working in the bar!
Dating a bar girl means you live in Thailand and can be with the lady every day. If you have asked her to stop working in a bar, make sure you give her something to do, like college, language school, or even working at a normal job. To get a girl to stop working involves several things that she will ask for:
When do you want to meet my parents? Avoid this for as long as possible, meeting the parents can be a costly adventure and does not always turn out as expected. Essentially, meeting the parents is a promise of marriage. Also, when meeting the parents, the farang is expected to pay for everything, and I mean everything! It is customary for the farang to give a "gift" to the parents when meeting them, usually several thousand Baht will suffice, but ask before hand.
How much will you pay me each month? This is money for her, after all she is usually supporting children or parents or siblings in another province, and having her stop work at the bar means you must compensate her on what she was making, and more. Once you give her the money, forget about what she does with it, it's hers, it is up to her to keep a little spending money with her...
 A highly recommended book to read before "falling in love" with a bar girl is Private Dancer, by Stephen Leather and is found in many book stores in Thailand and at the airport in Bangkok, also available online at Amazon.com
Synopsis - This is an engrossing thriller about relationships with bar girls by a bestselling crime author. It is set in Thailand in 1996, the year of the Rat. Pete, a young travel writer, wanders into a Bangkok go-go bar and meets the love of his life. Joy is the girl of his dreams: young, stunningly pretty and one of the Zombie Bar's top earning pole dancers. What follows is a roller-coaster ride of sex, drugs and deception, as Pete discovers that his own very private dancer is not all that she claims to be and that far from being the girl of his dreams, Joy is his own personal nightmare.
 Another recommended book is Thailand Fever - A Road Map for Thai-Western Relationships, by C. Pirazzi and V. Vasant. This is a relationship quidebook that explains the culture of Thai female and what a relationship is to them. The book is written in English on one page and Thai on the next page, and parts are for the Western man and parts are for the Thai female. This book was written by a farang and a Thai woman. This book is available in many book stores and at the airport in Bangkok. Also available online at Amazon.com and you can read the first two chapters online at thailandfever.com This book will save you and your girlfriend pain and money.
Bar Conduct
There are numerous bars in the beach resort areas, Bangla Road is the largest and is in Patong Beach. The majority of the bars are open air but there are several nightclubs as well. Staff in the bars are usually friendly and helpful, and you can make some good friends in the bars - either meeting expats who live here, or tourists here on vacation, but there is also unwritten rules to the bar scene. Always remember you are just a customer. As a customer you are their for one thing, drinking. And of course to meet and talk with the bar girls, play pool, throw darts, and enjoy good company with friends.
Advice or suggestions - do not offer advice on something, or suggestions as to how a bar should be ran, especially to a Thai person, they will not ask for it and do not care to hear it, and are offended by this. Some owners will ask you to leave if this continues. Certainly do not say such things as "in Australia we do things this way..." or "if this was my bar I would do things this way..." Well, your in Thailand, and probably don't own that particular bar, so just keep things like this to yourself.
Fights - if you see a fight between Thai and Thai (man and man or man and woman) leave the area, DO NOT try to stop the fight. It is not your business or place to do this and you will probably find yourself being beaten by the two that were fighting. If you have a farang friend starting or getting involved in what could turn out to be a fight, get that person out of there and return them to their hotel or house. Thais do not fight by "Western" standards, the people in the fight will get all their friends together to assist them, if you are caught in this, you can get beaten to death. Simple put, if you see a fight, leave the area!
Ice - ice is used for cooling beer in large coolers in many of the bars, is NOT safe to drink and is NOT used in making drinks. It is OK to ask for a mixed drink with ice, the ice they'll use is cubed iced, usually with a hole in it, and IS safe for drinking, after all, why would a bar give you ice that if you drink, will make you very sick and not be able to visit their bar...
Ladies drinks - these can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic (coke or juice) depending on the bar. The lady's drink is how the bar girl is making money, when you order her a drink, she gets a portion of the money. It is considered rude to talk to a girl and not buy at least one lady's drink.
Non-drinking - Once in a while we see this, there is a pretty girl sitting in the bar, a fellow walking down the street sees her and steps into the bar to talk to her. The person does not order a drink, not even water, just talks to the girl. This is rude and is not accepted here. When the staff or owner see this, they will immediately ask the person to buy a drink or to leave.
Pool - great fun, but you play by Thai rules when playing with a Thai person, when unsure of the rules, ask before you play. If you are playing with a friend of yours of and your both from the same country, by all means, use the rules you have. When playing in an established pool league, make sure you know the rules, they should be clearly stated in the bars the league plays in. Tables can be pay table where you insert money to get the balls out, other tables have no coin machine, and the looser gets a the amount, usually 20 Baht, tacked onto their check. Like it was mentioned in Advice, don't argue with a bar girl by saying "in England we play pool this way..."
Tabs - tabs are a great way to loose track of your drinks, and when you loose track of your drinks, you will quickly loose your money as well. Don't run a tab if you do not personally know the owner, or have never been to that bar before. Order your drink and pay, and you will not get anyone else's check at the end of the night.
Toilets - anyone that has sat in the open air bars the line the center of Soi Sea Dragon needs to go to the toilet after many drinks, and there are no toilets in these bars, as they are in the center of the street, so one asks the bar they are in where the toilet is, and they point to the closest bar on the side of the street. Many people will walk into the bar, use the toilet, then when leaving, they are asked for 5 Baht. Some people are offended by this but nearly all will pay. The ones who refuse to pay will not be allowed back to use the facilities again. So what is this 5 Baht fee? Simply put, it is for the water, tissue, and upkeep on the facility, if you are drinking in the bar with the toilet, then there is no charge because you are a customer and money earned in the bar pays for the water. There are numerous areas that are setup like this, one toilet to service many bars in an area. Just pay the 5 Baht, water costs money.
Some toilets you will find here are squatters, meaning the toilet is flat, just a few inches above the floor, and as the name implies, you squat on it, instead of a "seat," there are large areas for your feet). In the toilet room (also called a wet room) there will be a container of water and a scoop in it, this is used to flush the toilet, just throw a scoop or two down the toilet. Other toilet you will see look like a regular sit down toilet but are not connected to any water, again, use the scoop from the container to flush.
General Information
Diving
Phuket is a diving paradise, many dive shops are located here, and most have similar prices. Shops can instruct courses, offer day trip to the outlying islands, and liveaboards trips for those that want explore the Similan Islands, etc. Recommended dive center is Visa Diving Center located on Phi Phi Island, offering exceptional instruction and dive trips. Visa Diving arranges liveaboard diving on 22 different boats, offering dive sites in the Similan and Surin National Marine Parks, Bali and Komodo Indonesia, and Burma.
Driving
Driving in Thailand can be confusing at times, even if you come from a country that drives on the left side of the road. Lines in the road are just that, lines, most people do not follow or use the lines. It is recommended that you have someone drive you around a little before you go renting a car or motorcycle in order to see what the rules or lack of, are. This is true give-way driving. An example of give-way driving is suppose you are driving up a hill and come across another vehicle coming towards you in their lane, but they are being passed by another vehicle. You are required to slow and move over to allow the passing vehicle to pass the other car, in essence, to give-way.
For the adventurous type who want to rent a motorcycle, there are many shops that rent these, even the hotels rent them. All it takes is a passport to rent one, the person renting you the bike may or may not tell you that a driver license is also required. The license can be from any country, but have a license. Rental shops will also give you a helmet, only the driver is required to wear one, passengers are not required to wear one. Wear your helmet, it is the law here and will save you money and time when you get stopped at a police check point. Check points are usually setup in various locations and they are mainly looking for licenses and helmets. If you are stopped at one of these, be polite, show your license (and hopefully you have a helmet on) and the police will be polite in return.
Many intersections are circles, you go through a circle to the left (clockwise), when there is no traffic to your right. Be aware that ambulances however, can drive to the right in a circle! If you are approaching a circle intersection, and you hear an ambulance coming (sirens and blue lights), give way! Your not going to know which side of the circle they will go through! If your driving on any road and hear an ambulance coming up behind you, always give way!
Drugs
Thailand has harsh punishments for drug users and drug traffickers. Possesion alone can get you life in prison, and trafficking drugs will get you sentenced to death. If this is something you desire to do while here, be aware that whom you are dealing with is probably undercover police. If you are in possesion of a large quantity of drugs, the senior police officer on the scene can just shoot you! Drug use/trafficking is illegal in Thailand and is dealt with very seriously.
Food
 Thai food is generally spicy, the further north you go in the country, the spicier it is. The reason for the spice is to kill the bacteria in the water, and this was very true until bottled water was introduced, which everyone drinks now, including the Thais. The spicy food is part of the culture here that has been used for as long as the region has been inhabited.
Food here is wonderful, with a selection of spices that make each meal delicious. There are numerous cafes, restaurants, open air dining areas and markets. Venders with push carts or setup in back streets is a great way to experience Thai food and is inexpensive as well, usually less than 40 Baht for a meal.
When you are with a group of Thais eating, they will offer you food, this is the friendliness of the Thais, and they always share meals with others. At least try each dish, don't refuse, it is an insult to them. If you try something and you do not like it, say so and try something else. Now the Thais will try to get you to try some spicy dishes as well, this is just The Thais good nature and having some fun, they mean you no harm.
For those travelling here that miss foods from their home countries, there are many British and Australian restaurants, as well as German, Swedish, and Danish foods. Fast food (McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Pizza) are available in many places well.
High & Low Season
High and Low Seasons pertain mainly to the resort areas, such as Phuket Island. In the non-resort areas, it refers to the rainy and dry seasons. Our explanations here are for Phuket since this is where we live.
High Season - October to April, generally dry, light showers occasionally. Highest prices for hotels, tours, and diving. For the water lovers, swimming is good during this time of year, all the beaches will be open for water sports and swimming. Diving is great due to the calm seas, visibility is excellent. The only time the beaches are closed is when a storm passes through and makes the seas to rough. Signs are posted and colored flags are flown to indicate if the beach is open (safe) or closed (unsafe) for swimming. One can usually expect to pay a little more for transportation as well.
Low Season - May to September, more rains, usually starting in April, with May and June being the wettest months, usually. Lowest prices for hotels, tours, and diving. Beaches are generally open, but may be closed at times due to the rough seas. Rip tides can be severe here, head the warnings about the beaches. For diving, there can be reduced visibility due to the rough seas, some dive sites are not accessible during this time of the year. Check with local dive shops, they can recommend where the seas are calm. Low season is still an excellent time to visit Phuket, one just has to put up with the showers that 1 to 3 hours at a time. Transportation is easier to negotiate for a lower price as well during the low season.
Hotels
 Hotels, resorts, and guest houses are widely available. Prices can vary widely and also vary depending on the season, low (May-Sep) or high (Oct-Apr). Prices for an average guest house is 500 to 1,000 Baht a night. These are no frills place but have comfortable beds, shower, air-conditioning or fan, and may or may not have a small TV. Guest houses are for people who need a place to crash for the night and are out and about throughout the day.
Hotels and resorts can vary widely in price, a low end hotel, on or near the beach can be from 2,000 to 5,000 Baht a night, resorts can go up to 40,000 Baht a night. These places are for people who come to Thailand and never leave, or have to leave, the hotel or resort, as everything a traveller could want can be catered by the hotel or resort. Low season drops all the prices by one third to one half.
Some recommended hotels in Patong, with very reasonable prices are:
American run The Place to Stay and the Irish run Hotel Lek Murphy's both of which have great rooms, some with kitchens, and are very close to the nightlife and beach.
Swedish managed is Orange Hotel and Jan & Kan Sea Hotel. Both have large rooms, very reasonable prices, and are located in a quieter area of Patong Beach, just minutes from the beach.
Internet
Internet is widely available in internet cafes throughout Thailand, fees range from 20 to 100 Baht an hour. Some cafes charge a minutely rate, 1-3 Baht a minute. The higher rates are for resort areas. The resort areas usually have card readers for your digital photos, web cams, and headsets for chat.
Wi-Fi is available is select bars and hotels, most have signs to reflect this to bring in customers. Internet cafes in the rural areas are usually occupied by kids playing online games, so they could be a little noisy or even crowded. Cafes generally have 5 to 20 work stations, comfortable chairs and air-conditioning.
Internet is DSL or Dial-up in Thailand, there is currently no cable internet available. Most people use DSL since it is inexpensive, less that 1,200 Baht a month. There are wireless towers in Phuket, where the user signs up for service, and connects wireless anywhere in Phuket for internet service, but the reliability in these has been poor at best. Another internet provider uses satellite technology where the user has a small satellite dish and cable modem installed, and your computer uses the dish for internet. The drawback is that any cloud, rain, or even sunspots will cause the system to stop working. These dishes are used in remote places where landlines are not available.
Katoeys
 Katoeys and Ladyboys abound in Thailand, with Phuket probably having the largest concentration. Bangkok and Pattaya also have their share. A ladyboy is a man undergoing the change to become female orientated and the male body parts are still there, a katoey on the other hand, has made the complete change to female orientation, complete with female body parts (and there's no Adam's apple either!) Both are generally referred to as katoeys by farangs.
These people are accepted in this culture and seeing a ladyboy or a katoey is common place, they certainly do not hide who they are. You may have heard about these people and think you can easily spot one, but the technology they use here is state of the art. Some Soi's and bar areas are mainly katoeys and you may not realize this at first. When you are approached by what you think is a katoey, you can ask them if they are, they are open about this and will tell if they are. They do not mean to offend you and will leave you alone.
Katoeys are generally spotted by their height, most are 6 feet tall, and this is very tall for most Thais. Always remember that a katoey is a man, regardless of what the body looks like. They take hormones to assist in the voice and enlarge the breasts. Because of the hormones, there is more emotions going on inside a katoeys head, there is two people in there! Katoeys can be very moody and emotional. Never start a fight or an argument with a katoey, they will get all their katoey friends together and they will beat you, remember, they are still men and they fight like men.
Some people who choose to go with a katoey, who is a freelancer on a street and not working in a bar, may be drugged and robbed either at their hotel or at the katoeys place, if you choose to persue these, do so with caution.
Language
The Thai language is a monosyllabic language, meaning one syllable - one word. This was true in the days when the language was created, but with new things and new technology, several syllables will make up some words. The language is also tone based, 5 tones for every syllable. If you are interested there are several good tourist books that give you simple, day-to-day words that you can find handy to use.
Many book stores have a various selection of learning books used to learn not only speaking, but reading and writing as well. For the most part, Thais in the larger towns and cities can speak a little English, if you wander to far out into a remote part of a province, you can find yourself where no one speaks any English. A select few will know other languages, usually those married to Europeans, or have went to college to learn.
Coming soon will be a brief listing of Thai words to help you get along.
Marriage
As described on our forum, there is no reason to get married in Thailand to a Thai national. But for those that wish to do this, so do this for the marriage visa so they can remain in country, the laws vary depending on your country of origin, check with your embassy in Bangkok for the latest information on this.
For those wishing to come to Thailand to get married (meaning 2 foreigners on vacation here,) there are rules to this as well. Again, your embassy has the current information you will need in order to make your marriage here, legal in your home country. A resource for marriage in Thailand is wedding-phuket.com and on their site is good information regarding what is legal and how to do the basic steps in paperwork processing.
Money
 The currency used in Thailand is the Baht, with note denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 Baht, and occasionally you will see 10 Baht note (keep these, as they are rare now). Coins are in denominations of 1, 2, 5, and 10 Baht, and some stores will give you small brass coins which are 50 Satang for the small one and 25 Satang for the even smaller one. 100 Satang = 1 Baht. For exchange rates, go to xe.com/ucc/ to check rates for your currency.
 Tavellerers checks and foreign currency can be exchanged for Baht at all banks throughout Thailand, in the resort areas, banks may have money exchange booths at various locations. Use only a bank or a bank exchange booth to exchange money. There are independant exchange booths but the rate will be different than the bank rates.
ATM's are available nearly everywhere, and in the resort areas, they appear on nearly every street, many just meters apart. Bring more than one ATM card with you, some machines may refuse on and accept another.
 If you are looking at doing cash advances while here on vacation, you need to have your passport with you when you do this.
This is an example of where NOT to go for money exchange! This is a private company and will charge you a fee to exchange money as well as the exchange rate will be less than at a bank.
Pricing
In Thailand, an approved form of pricing is called "double pricing," which means that a foreigner will pay more for services than a Thai person. Understand that Thais know farangs earn more money, so they charge them more, they are NOT ripping you off! This is an acceptable and publicized practice, this is NOT illegal.
An example of double pricing is at the Phuket Zoo and Phuket Aquarium, signs are posted at the entrance, Thais one price, farangs another price, usually double.
Another example is Baht busses (listed under the Transportation in Thailand topic). There are 5 Baht busses and 10 Baht busses, for farangs on a 5 Baht bus are charged 10 Baht, and on a 10 Baht bus are charged 20 Baht. Most of the Baht busses have their prices now listed as 5-10 Baht or 10-20 Baht, this is to clarify for farangs their prices.
Property
 There are two ways as a farang to have property in which to build a house or business on. The first way is a Freehold Title, which means you need to form a company, and the company holds the title on the property. The other way is Leasehold Title, in which you are leasing the property for a 30 year term, leaseholds can be obtained for a 90 year period. A recommended site for further information on property and home ownership/leasing, is no1phukethomes.com. You can buy a condominium with out a company and this is explained on their site also. Another respectable and professional agency recommended is Zarpazo Real Estate Solutions and is probably the best on the island! Also recommended is Phuket Propertys, this company is just starting out but offer only quality homes in prime locations.
There are several pitfalls to be aware of when having a house or condominium built. First ensure that the money is for the complete house, some farangs have put up large sums of money only to get a shell of a house, nothing finished on the inside, then the contractor will ask for more money, will do some work, and then will ask for more money and will do some work, this may happen several times until the interior is completed. The buyer has spent more than expected, and the contractor simply used the additional money asked for to build another unit at a different location - the money the buyer put up initially easily paid for everything for the house and profit for the contractor.
There are numerous web sites that sell/lease property in Thailand, but make sure you talk to people here and get their advice, and when you go through a company here, get references as well.
Transportation In Thailand
Getting around in Thailand can be a challenge at times, and that is just the language barrier. In Phuket, transportation can be a tuk-tuk, up to a large double-decker coach with air-conditioning and lounge with bar on the bottom deck. In Bangkok, there are more choices for transportation, such as the Subaru and the water taxi. In Bangkok, taxi passengers pay the tolls on the toll road. Each is explained with location (Bangkok or Phuket, or both). Be aware that for private taxis, tuk-tuks, and motorcycle taxis, their prices increase when gasoline prices increase.
Airport limosine - I mention this one first because people have to get from the airport to somewhere. Airport limos can be 4-door sedans or large vans, available in Bangkok and Phuket, green license plates. To take one, there will be a counter or desk inside the airport, in the arrival hall. There should be prices listed for single person for a sedan, and if you do not mind sharing the ride with other people, a price listed for a shared van. In Bangkok, price is dependant on location of your hotel from the airport, and in Phuket, the price is for the Patong area which is 500 Baht person in a sedan, and 175 Baht for shared in a van. Reliable and efficient.
Private taxi - These are the people hanging out on the outside of the airport in Bangkok and Phuket, and at various places in the resort areas in Phuket. These are sedans or vans, and should have yellow license plates if they are legitimate, and can be expensive, in Phuket, prices can be 1,000 Baht just to drive across the island, or about 20-24 km. You can also hire these out for all day if you like, price is about 500 to 2,000 Baht. Can be reliable, try and get one recommended by a friend, Offshore Bar has a reliable driver that speaks good English, highly recommended by them, and can be hired by the day.
Meter taxi - Available in Bangkok and are limited in Phuket. In Bangkok, after leaving the terminal, look for a desk that says meter taxi, que up to the desk and tell the person at the desk your hotel or other destination, they will write this on a slip and hand it to you, get in a metered taxi, there should be a line of them waiting, give them the paper and away to will go, they will use the meter or you can negotiate your price, meter is best. In Phuket, after leaving the airport terminal, look across the parking lot and you will see metered taxis, walk over and ask for a taxi; you usually have to negotiate the price based on your destination. Can be reliable.
 Tuk-tuk - In Bangkok these are three-wheeled contraptions, and in Phuket they are tiny, open air, vans. Price is negotiated by destination but this is for everyone you can put in one, six comfortably. Prices increase at night. In Phuket, people use these to get around the island, and they are everywhere! Usually red in color but can vary; yellow, green, white, orange, and pink. Red ones are owned and operated by a tuk-tuk company, other colors are privately owned and may be more reliable and easier to negotiate a price. Reliable for the most part, if you say a price for where you want to go and the driver refuses, thank him and go to the next, they are everywhere!
Motorcycle taxi - Bangkok and Phuket have these, and one of most reliable and speedy ways to get around. In Bangkok, they are making passengers wear helmets now, in Phuket, only the driver has a helmet. Bikes have yellow license plates, and some can be quite old, breakdowns while you are trying to get somewhere do happen from time to time. Prices can be 30 Baht within Patong Beach, and 150 to 200 Baht to cross the island, 20-24 km. The drivers can be identified by a colored vest with a number on it and their motorcycles should have a yellow license plate.
Public bus - In Bangkok, these are regular buses and have somewhat regular schedules and regular routes, inexpensive to take, usually around 14-30 Baht depending on your destination. To catch one of these busses, most of the signs are in Thai, and there are numbers on them as well, so most people will tell you which bus to take. Simply wait at a bus stop, well marked throughout Bangkok, and you pay after you get on, an attendant will approach you for the fee, you tell them where you are going and they give you a ticket with the amount on it. There are charter busses in Phuket that take tourists around to various locations, and you can also catch charter busses to Bangkok or other provinces.
Baht bus - In Phuket, there is no public transportation buses, busses are private owned, actually large trucks with benches built in, open air, very rickety looking and very slow. Baht busses and cost 5-20 Baht depending on your destination. Baht busses travel from the south beach resort areas to Phuket Town, and from Phuket Town to the western beach resort areas, although the distances is only 15-25 kilometers, these can take well over an hour. If you want to sit back and see the towns and country side for a few hours, these are the busses to take. Pay the driver after you get out, not hard to find the driver, as the busses have no doors on them usually.
Subaru - These are found in parts of Bangkok. A "subaru" follows a set route and is 7 Baht when I used this in early 2006. The route is a circle, and they only go at the most 3 km. The subaru is a small truck with benches in the back, simply stand on the street, wave one down by holding your hand down and out towards the street (same applies for a motorcycle taxi) and get in, hopefully you know the route, if not, just stay in it and it will return you in about 10 minutes to where you started, with these you also pay the driver after you get out. These are reliable and inexpensive, but limited routes.
 Water taxi - Also found in Bangkok. The water taxi is a long boat that travels the various canals, klongs, in and around the city. The boat is longer than the klong. There is signs for them to follow and the taxi stops are well marked where a road crosses a klong. Cost is 15-35 Baht depending on your destination. This is a very popular way to get around if you know where you are going, many people use this routinely.
An interesting way to see the city, boats are crowded so try and take a seat along the outer edge of the boat, this way you get a fantastic view.
Underage Sex
The age of consent for girls working in bars is 20 years old. The legal consent age for a girl that walks into a bar, meets a customer, and goes home with them, is 18, if they are not associated with any bar. DO NOT come to Thailand looking for anything younger than that, it is illegal and a serious crime, with hefty prison sentences. Many foreigners are in prisons here for underage sex. If you are unsure of a bar girls age, ask to see her ID Card, if she refuses or says she does not have it with her, you may want to seriously consider moving onto another establishment.
Visa Information
For current visa information, please look at immigration.go.th there is an English version of the site. Rules on visas, length of stays, and the types of visas are explained in depth. Various forms are available there as well. There has been some recent changes in visa rules, ensure you understand what an upon arrival visa is and what a tourist visa is.
Other useful sites are thaivisa.com and no1visa.com These sites explain visa and immigration rules in clear language by people trained to assist with visas.
Water
Tap water in Thailand is NOT safe to drink under any circumstance! (unless you have nothing better to do than sit on a toilet for a few days!) Drink only bottled water, it readily available everywhere and in bars as well. Some hotels will have free bottled water for you in the refrigerator in your room. It is OK to wash, shower, and brush your teeth with it but do not drink it, just a few drops will make you very sick for several days. Because of the heat here, you will want to drink plenty of water throughout the day, your body will thank you for it. Boiled tap water is also not advised to drink either.
Why We Live In Thailand
Many of the farangs in Thailand have businesses or are employed by a company here. We usually moved here after doing research on what this entails.
Many farangs are retired and have regular incomes to sustain them and can live a very good life here, things cost money, but usually less than other countries.
The weather here is great, but you have to like the heat as well. Some farangs come from countries where we had to deal with snow and freezing temperatures. Thailand, is 85 to 105 all year round, dipping into the 80's during the rainy season.
We enjoy the company of Thais, many of us have girlfriends or even wives, most of us can speak a little Thai, we enjoy the food, and we understand the rules to live by here.
Why You Should Not Live In Thailand
If you believe that you can live in Thailand on mere pennies a day, you're mistaken. If you are planning on moving here and living on a savings you have, this is the wrong place, things still cost money, like rent, food, electric, and transportation, not to mention what you will have to give your girlfriend every month. Unless you get a furnished house or apartment, and this is usually just furniture, not appliances, you will find yourself going through a lot of money to setup a house or apartment. Expenses here are usually less than other countries however.
If you are looking at working or starting a company, research what is involved first before coming here, there are options to this, but still costs money to do. Do not come here if you decide to move here, and then look for a job, within months you are going to be out of money and will find yourself returning to your home country with nothing. Be aware that there is income taxes if you work for yourself or for someone else, this is an added expense.
Do not think you can come here after meeting a bar girl, and start a business, with the business in her name, and have it successful. Many farangs have been burned doing this! Once you have put up the money, and sometimes this is very large sums, the business is established, everything is in her name, then you will be forgotten, after all, it was not your business, you gave it to her...
Your Conduct
The most important way to conduct yourself is to always remain calm, regardless of the situation, raising your voice or showing anger, will turn off people and you will get no help. A smile goes a long way.
Never disrespect His Majesty the King or any member of the Royal Family. This kingdom is ruled by the longest reigning monarch in the world, 60 years so far, and by the same family for about 600 years. There is a parliament and prime minister per say, but the King can always step in and when he does, he has the final say, on any matter. Open disrespect or slander about the King or the Family, in public place, can get you into very serious trouble!
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