You have any question about (gay) life in Thailand? Post it here.
Tags: gay Thailand, Thai boys
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June 30th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Ok, Ask Silom!
What do you you talk about with Thai’s when it is all on the “need to know” basis and very light. Does intellectual conversation have to be only with your western friends? Do you think you can train Chalerm or any others. Personally, the Thai’s here in US, learn to or suffer boredom. What’s your take?
June 30th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Ok, Ask Silom!
what is this?, honey:
Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that!
thai trick?
June 30th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Where is this Thaighland place anyway?
June 30th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
You want to train a Thai boy to converse in an analytical, serious manner like Farangs do?
Thai boy say: Too serious. Thinking too much. Not fun.
The only Thais I know who can do it are educated abroad.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
“Duplicate comment detected”. I didn’t know it said that. It could be the software who sees that you comment twice to the same post?
June 30th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Sorry, this is more like an interview, but i’d appreciate your answers, as I’m thinking about working and living in Thailand in 1-2 years time.
How long had you been planning to come to Thailand before you left?
Do you remember making a single decision to leave and emigrate?
Do you think you will ever move back to the UK permamanently?
Overall, are you glad you emigrated?
Does it get unbearably hot at times?
June 30th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
How much is your rent per month?
June 30th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Does Chalerm read this blog? If so, does he have any reaction from time to time?
-Former Farang
June 30th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
How long had you been planning to come to Thailand before you left?
For 7-8 years, while I was still visiting Thailand as a tourist every year.
Do you remember making a single decision to leave and emigrate?
I made the decision and changed my mind many times, sometimes when waking up at 4am. I agonised over it.
Do you think you will ever move back to the UK permamanently?
Who said I am from the UK? It is possible I will move back to Farangland one day but I am not planning to do so. One never knows.
Overall, are you glad you emigrated?
Yes. I was bored and isolated in Farangland. Farangland was OK while I was young and still a student, but once 30+ as a gay man kicked in… How dreadful… everyone working all the time or raising their kids in suburbia.
Does it get unbearably hot at times?
I could not live in Bangkok without air condition.
June 30th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
How much is your rent per month?
A small fortune by Thai standards. But it is a roomy apartment in the central business district of Bangkok.
June 30th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Does Chalerm read this blog? If so, does he have any reaction from time to time?
He has read it a few times but he thinks it is boring and the English is too difficult.
June 30th, 2007 at 7:47 pm
rent - How much is a small fortune by Thai standards?
June 30th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Ahem! I am trying to avoid that question.
June 30th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Your recommended accomodation venues in Pattaya would be……???
June 30th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
A small fortune in Thai standards might be regarded as a fifth of what you will pay in western terms. Some CBD accommodation can be “through the roof ” by Thai standards! Please bare in mind that very often Thai people struggle to earn US$100 a week. Anyone have any closer or more reliable figures?
June 30th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
I can’t recommend any of the 500 baht dumps I stay in.
June 30th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
SF you have shocked me “500 Baht dumps!” and you are are man of substance????
LOL……I think you are joking?
June 30th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
SF,
How come you set yourself up as an expert on Thailand when in reality you don’t speak Thai and have very limited contact with Thai people? At times your blog is fascinating when you describe life as it happens to you, but to be honest too often you make demeaning generalisations about the people and the country you are living in. Shouldn’t a guest be more circumspect in the presence of his kind hosts?
June 30th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I have tried 300 baht dumps in Pattaya but then I don’t get any window.
June 30th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
AussieAL:
Unskilled workers (security guards, maids etc) get maybe 5 000 baht a month in Bangkok, less in the provinces.
Skilled workers (university degree) might get 10 000 in Bangkok.
Chalerm makes 7 000 if he works a full month in the office. That is considered good pay for that level of job.
June 30th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Dear Mr. Real Thailand (earlier comment) May I ask what your qualifications are to be Mr Real Thailand?
You sound like someone who visits Klongs regularly (perhaps you should take a closer inspection!)
You obviously speak, read and write Thai, maybe even Sanskrit?????
I have never read SF making demeaning remarks about his chosen host country. As far as being “kind hosts” They are indeed in Thailand, and any other “developing country” in the world. It has been my experience that if you are spending money - you are welcome in any country.
I ask you where in this blog SF has “set up to be an expert on Thailand????????”
If you are the “expert” Mr Real Thailand, let us see your blog/website!
Or go and sit by a quiet klong…….
June 30th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
No matter how hard one tries one can never totally become part of another culture. There will always be that sense of “…on the outside looking in…”
My BF’s family are of Chinese descent from Laos. They have been in the US for over 25 years. They own businesses, big homes, and are generally well off.
But they also spend alot of time criticizing Americans, badmouthing our stupidity, bragging about their superiority…so on and so forth.
It makes me laugh at all the help I have given them over the years and the community as a whole…and rather than being thankful they are arrogant about it.
They are basically visitors….I was expecting the 2nd generation to be different but that isn’t happening. They are just as arrogant and self righteous.
But they will no way be anywhere as successful as their parents.
So, when SF makes the comments that he does, we have to remember that he is a Farang communicating to Farangs….for those of us who have spent time in Thailand and love Thailand it doesn’t mean that we are being disrespectful of Thai’s when we highlight some of the “oddities” that we observe…
It is just the clash of one culture against another.
June 30th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Was it easy adjusting to the climate in Thailand? And would $2000.00 a month pension be enough to live in Bangkok?
July 1st, 2007 at 12:25 am
Adjusting to the climate was less of a problem than I had expected. It is too hot really, but you don’t have to be outdoors in the afternoon when it is hottest.
$2000 US per month is 70 000 B, which is more than most of the foreigners living here have. Some teachers life on half that.
It is a question of how grand your lifestyle is. You can live cheaply in Thailand if you want to live like a Thai on a small budget, but it may not be what you are used to. On the other hand there are people who spend 150 000 B just on rent in upmarket places.
July 1st, 2007 at 4:10 am
How do you earn a living there? I notice you do some web work, but I dont think its that much now.
Could you set up a small business to avoid the visa run?
Could you live next to a border, so you could do a visa walk?
Are there any other asian countries you might consider moving to to make life easier?
I am semi-retired and have some money from home.
Setting up a small biz to avoid visa running is getting hard now. You must show turnover and profit and employ X number of Thais.
The nearest border is 300 km away. You could walk but a 200 baht bus ticket is worth it.
Malaysia is easier for visas.
July 1st, 2007 at 7:57 am
Dear Silom Farang,How hard is it to find Gainful employment for a 48 yr old Farang there? Im interested in teaching (I DO NOT HAVE A TEACHING DEGREE)but would Love to teach English there & Would LOVE TO LIVE THERE TOO!!!Is this feasible??
You can always teach, but in your case you are unlikely to get a teaching job that comes with a Thai work permit. So you would be illegal and do visa runs.
July 1st, 2007 at 8:06 am
A few more questions for you. Are apartments hard to find there? And what does the rent run for a decent apt? Nothing lavish, but clean and comfortable. Also how is crime in Bangkok? And are your utility bills high? Would you recommend public transpotation or buying a car? I have heard horror stories about the traffic in Bangkok. You advice is truely appreciated. Thank you so much.
You are welcome
Apartments are for rent everywhere in Bangkok.
Rents from 3000 B per month (small basic room, no air condition) to 300 000 B (for the rich).
Street crime is low in Bangkok.
Electricity for air condition adds up if you use it a lot. Your landlord may charge you more per unit of electricity than it really costs - ask before you rent if they add a markup.
Traffic jams are notorious and I see no need to buy a car in Bangkok.
July 1st, 2007 at 11:35 am
Thanks, I know this(analytical talk). I also know that my Tee Rak has a great heart…his Mom stills loves him and me. He works for an overseas company making 11,000-12,000 a month and going to school weekends. After 6 years together I know I am lucky!
July 1st, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I meant move, and live on a border say Laos, and every visa run would be 5 minurtes walk away.
Imagine having a house right next to a border, maybe a 30 second walk, that would be funny!
July 1st, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I’m single and gay and 39, hows this for a plan…..
Sell my £250,000 house to get the equivalent of 75,000 baht per month in interest and move to thailand and never work again…
What can go wrong?
Don’t invest your money in Thailand. In particular don’t buy a home in Thailand. Both the currency and the country as such can go bust.
July 1st, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Perhaps a better plan might be to rent £250k house in uk, pay a managing agent to manage renting it, and stay in thailand for a large proportion of the time with a passive, secure and index linked income.
Its my plan when the mortgage finishes in 5 years.
Rent in Thailand - Im led to believe its not so terribly expensive and certainly safe.
July 1st, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Liam asks, “What can go wrong?” None of this might happen to you, but there ARE tales of farang who have sold $3m homes and wound up penniless three years later in Thailand. Along the way, they apparently bought a motorbike for every relative who showed up, lent money to buy land, etc. etc. etc. If you keep the house and rent it out, you will be living on a relatively fixed income, and you can index that rental income to the cost of living or the market price of rentals. And you will still have a house to go home to if things don’t work out.
July 1st, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Intellectual conversation. You do not specify whether this conversation is to be in Thai or English, and that’s a critical point. I have actually heard farang tourists having “intellectual chats” with Thai boys who clearly did not understand a word, but smiled charmingly while the tourist went on with the vapid intellectual-cum-political blablabla he did at home.
If you want to have intellectual chats in Thai (and this is possible) then you have a task cut out for you which is going to take many years.
But I hope you didn’t come here for intellectual chats!
By the way, as a note to Mr. Real Thailand, it is always helpful (obviously) to speak, read, and write Thai. I hate to rain on anyone’s parade by admitting that I know some farang who are darned near fluent in Thai — and who have remained truly objectionable people.
July 1st, 2007 at 8:05 pm
And a real question: I have heard from many different sources that visa runs are history. After just 6-9 months, entry is denied, and you must go somewhere else for 90 days, and apply for a new visa outside the country.What have you heard?
Two different things here: visa run and border run.
The border run every 30 days is dead as a sole means of living in Thailand. They only accept 90 days of this (visa exemption on arrival) for every six months. Once that is used up you must get a proper visa from a Thai embasssy or consulate.
The visa run as such (to Thai embassies and consulates abroad as opposed to just doing a border hop) is not dead yet.
July 2nd, 2007 at 1:09 am
Thanks Jaafar
With interest rates running at 6% here in the UK, the return would be better selling than renting (i think?!?).
I certainly wouldn’t buy or invest in Thailand with some of the stories i have heard.
Thr real problem seems to be staying in Thailand legally and not getting bored.
July 2nd, 2007 at 2:07 am
Well, you’re right about that. (Getting bored.) Lots of farang come here just for the sex, and then it gradually or rapidly sinks in that sex is not going to occupy 100% of their time.
The big thing for me has been trying to cultivate Thai friends, plus learning the Thai language. Just last year, I was sitting in my own school (!) studying written Thai with 2-3 Shan boys, and we went all the way from first grade to sixth grade!
It was extremely important for them (Shan boys = Burmese refugees), but I had no idea that it would turn out to be such a pleasure for me! I can now TEACH Thai to Burmese refugees, at least at 1st-grade level — and it turns out that this is a skill in hot demand! Of course I need the right kind of student, who cannot distinguish between s/sh/ch, or between p/f, or of course between r/l. But believe me, I am doing it: I am teaching Thai to Shan refugees, and I’m doing it because one of my best friends (Thai/Shan) insisted that I could teach Thai to his younger brother. And I could! His Thai is abysmal!
Bored in Thailand?? Not me! The place where I WAS bored was Farangistan, where you could be as nice as possible to all the handsome guys running around, and get spit on in return. I exaggerate, I suspect you take my meaning.
July 2nd, 2007 at 2:09 am
Once you’re age 50 you can apply for a retirement visa to Thailand. You have to show a pile of money in a Thai bank and some regular income (i.e. pension). I’ve got the particulars muddled in my mind at the moment, there are rules for people who marry a Thai that are similar but with different amounts. I think 800k baht in a Thai bank and 35k a month income from investments will meet either set of requirements.
The point is they want you to prove you won’t be a burden on Thai society (which is sort of funny given how it works so much the other way for farangs).
With this visa you are good for a year at a time, and I think you can renew in bangkok.
All the details are on ThaiVisa.com.
I agree with the advice not to sell one’s house in Farangland. Besides the practical point of keeping the nest-egg locked up where you can’t blow it in a moment of passion or insanity, it gives you a place to go back to should the political situation go into the toilet (or if the difference between being a tourist and resident isn’t something you can adjust to), and it gives you a place (if it has an attic or basement) to store some things that you dont want to get rid of and you don’t want to take with you on your one-way trip.
I agree with the advice to rent in Thailand. Thai’s have a bias against living in a ‘used house’. Those that can afford to own nearly always build their own house new. When they want to move, they rent out the old one, because there’s almost no market for ‘used’ houses.
The impact of this is a relative disparity in the cost of renting versus buying that favors anyone willing to live in a used house. So it would be cheaper to buy a used house — if you could find one to buy — but its both cheap and easy to find something to rent. And Thai real estate (land) deeds are a complicated mess with multiple types and many of them not really giving the ‘land owner’ much in the way of rights. Renting lets all that be someone else’s problem.
Caveat/disclaimer: this is all regurgitation of stuff I’ve read, I’m still in the planning stage myself.
July 2nd, 2007 at 7:47 pm
That retirement visa: if you read the rules carefully, you will find that you need to have that 800,000 baht in the bank OR a statement of income which amounts to the same thing. That would be 66,000 per month or so. If you’re American, you can go to the consulate and simply declare any amount of income you like. The Embassy won’t check, although you do sign that statement under penalty of perjury. The next step is a medical certificate and a bank letter. Take these three along with your bank book (a copy of every page) to Immigration. There, they will look through your bank-book to see if the cash flowing in and out seems consistent with your statement of income. The point of all this is that you don’t actually need 800,000 baht cash in the bank. That’s around $20,000 cash, and hard to come up with (for some). The alternative is what I just described, plus transferring a monthly amount to your Thai bank for living expenses. I used to simply pull the money out of my US bank at the ATM machine (for free) but Citibank recently introduced a 3% foreign fee for doing stuff like that, so it now makes more sense all around to do one monthly wire transfer for $30.
July 2nd, 2007 at 8:09 pm
The only catch is that one must be 50 to get a retirement visa. For the first time since I was 17 I wish I was older.
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Buying versus renting. This advice comes from Chiang Mai, and applies to Chiang Mai only.
Most of the reasonably-priced new housing is in suburban-type developments where you will be surrounded by families. For some odd reason, a lot of gay men who are fixated on the idea of buying a house in Thailand actually buy a house in one of these places, move in with their boy “wife,” and begin to plan a life which revolves around associating with similar couples.
If I may be frank, I think this idea is fraught with problems. First, a 20-minute commute into downtown Chiang Mai, each way. Many farang do not enjoy driving in Thailand, but this way they get a double dose of it almost every day.
Second, you obviously need a car (or cars) to make this work, unless you are just aching to become a statistic.
Third, your neighbors will spy on you and comment on you and gossip about you. If you ever had an idea of bringing some fresh talent home, you have to be PARANOID about it.
Now, if you decide to rent a “used house,” you could wind up with what I have — a centrally located townhouse, 3 stories all, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a short walk or motorbike ride (on side sois) to Central on Huay Kaew — all the entertainment and night life within 5-15 minutes — for the “exorbitant” price of 12,000 baht per month.
And one other thing. I live in a nice section of town, and the empty lot across the street was once offered to me for 3.5 million baht. By the time I decided to pursue this (acting like an idiot), the offer was withdrawn. Now, this lot was being held for a child. The “child” is now married and raising a family in Bangkok, so the plot changed: the lot is being held for HER child. As a result, the owners were delighted to rent the land to me for 3,000 baht per month.
Now, ask your financial advisors about that! The price of the land is 3.5 million, and yet they rent it out, for many years, at 3,000 per month. That’s 36,000 per year, and represents a return of something like 1 percent on the alleged value of the land.
I have no idea which number is right, but I am pretty sure that land worth 3.5 million should rent for about 350,000 per year — and that land which rents for 36,000 per year is worth around 360,000 baht.
Which is cheaper, and safer? Seems clear to me!
July 6th, 2007 at 3:29 am
UK property is overpriced @ at the top of the cycle.
German property is probably a better bet, if you want something to rent out in Thailand long term.
SF, I am thinking of visiting Thailand on holiday. Where is best to meet guys?