(08-15-2016 11:09 AM)0898 Wrote:  I doubt the bombings in isolation will have any effect on tourism.

I can say I am one of the people who walked past one of these bombs! I was in Thailand for 10 days. I did a running on the beach in Patong daily early morning. On my LAST day there, I was on the beach just before 7 am. 7:30 am, so just moments after I left that spot, a bomb exploded where I walked just earlier. I think I am officially the only rooshv member that can claim to have intercepted one of these bombs unless someone else comes forward too. I am sure I am the only one because in fact also, the bomb exploded during the quiet morning when I just so happy to be one of the few people on that beach doing exercise. Even locals were scarce at the time, but I was there just before the bomb exploded and I must have walked right beside a bomb without even knowing it! Highly coincidental because I left the next day but the bomb incident fit into my 10 day stay! and Patong beach made front page news worldwide while I was still in it!

Foreigners who flirt with death (or die) in Thailand is not an exclusive club. I've also come close to checking out permanently on two occasions as well.

Interestingly, if you have family back home who would be saddened by your premature departure, they would probably fall into even greater depression once they realize how quickly the Thai authorities want the incident and news (if there was any) of your death to go away.

Has the rainy season changed the nightlife dynamic at all? I'm heading back to BKK on Tuesday and was wondering if that should impact where to stay, go out, etc. I was previously there in January. I'm also contemplating a few days in Chiang Mai to check it out - more as a tourist than gamewise.

Also, if anyone wants a wing, let me know.

Yeah I'm about til Sunday. My game is rather bad but I stand out cause of my height here so it's still easy-ish to pull. Early 20s, I'd probably just make your night worse haha but if you still want to chill give me a shout.

(09-10-2016 12:37 PM)Mare Wrote:  Yeah I'm about til Sunday. My game is rather bad but I stand out cause of my height here so it's still easy-ish to pull. Early 20s, I'd probably just make your night worse haha but if you still want to chill give me a shot.

curious - how tall are you?

(09-10-2016 12:43 PM)Sandstorm Wrote:  

(09-10-2016 12:37 PM)Mare Wrote:  Yeah I'm about til Sunday. My game is rather bad but I stand out cause of my height here so it's still easy-ish to pull. Early 20s, I'd probably just make your night worse haha but if you still want to chill give me a shot.

curious - how tall are you?

6'2

Read Afarangabroad.com, he has several lesser known apartments mentioned and reviewed.

Actually, looks to me like rent might be dropping, saw a furnished 1 bedroom in The Clover Thonglor at only 19.000THB that is very cheap, usually would go for at least 25K, more likely 30K.

I'm paying 30K in Ari (which most Thais consider is sooooo far!)

It isn't - it's 5 stops to Siam. In any other city in the world that would be considered totally central.

It's more than I wanted to pay - I'd have rather paid 15-20K given that I'm not even working here, and also my contract is for 1 year which is a pain in the ass coz with 2 months deposit, that's 60K ready to be lost if I need to leave before that time.

I saw a few places this time and 30K seemed pretty standard for a nice place. I took this place almost on the spot because I liked it as soon as I got in - the decor, the view, the pool (gym is shit - just running machines etc) but you'll never get everything you want, I just wanted to be settled somewhere I liked ASAP.

It's also literally right next to the BTS and that's why I pay so much more. It was top of my list after having lived a good 10 minutes walk from the BTS last time which got really boring, fast.

Ari is an awesome area - loads of street food right underneath me, plus many upscale restaurants (Thai, Japanese, Korean, rib shack, steak house, big Chinese restaurants, burger bar) tonnes of cafes, Italian place for pizza.

Great bars, where lost of creative Thais go out on weekends (kinda like Thong Lor but without so much showing off of wealth)

There's a McDonalds up the road if the need should arise for a cheeseburger and fries! A Villa Market right next to the BTS, a Fuji sushi place, Boots chemist, nice famous Thai restaurant, some trendy hair salon called Never Say Cutz (street style, yo!)

Not that many farang, just a couple now and again. I like this now. Sukhumvit gets boring with all the tourists and bell-ends in flip-flops and Chang t-shirts.

Chatuchak market is two stops away on the BTS, where there are also bars at night-time (yet to explore this) there is Central Ladprao shopping mall nearby (where I was successful in getting a bank account with Krungsri bank with just my condo agreement and tourist only visa - that's the yellow bank)

Also, from here is a short taxi ride to the immigration at Chaeng Wattana which makes the dreaded visa extension so much easier. Also not far to DMK airport by taxi if you want a trip to Phuket or whatever. Only 2 stops on the BTS to Victory Monument for all the vans that connect to the other parts of Thailand. And 2 stops the other way to Mo Chit where there are also loads more vans that go to various places!

Opposite my condo is an older building that has a basic but quite good gym - membership is 1500 baht a month, or 3600 for 3 months, 6,000 for 6 months. It's not bad. Has a big pool too and yoga room. Enough for what a gym newbie like me needs. Bench, squats, pull up bar, dip bar, dumbells, small multigum for lat pulldowns etc.

All in all, I like Ari.

It's modest distance from downtown helps prevent me from being tempted to just wander out of my home and get easy access to Western bars - this encourages me to stay in a bit more and get on with my work - the reason I'm here!!

^^ Ari is great. I used to live very close to there and I am very fond of the area. Go check out JJ Green when you get a chance. It's always been good but now it has expanded and is even better. Great food, places to drink and cool stuff to buy for your condo. Also not too many foreigners at all so you will be quite the novelty. I really enjoy the vibe there and is one of the things I miss most when I reflect on living in that area, (close to Central Ladprao).

30K is enough to stay in Thonglor and 2 bedroom in Ekamai though.

I literally know the apartment Sandstorm is in. I know this because while gym hunting in BKK I went to the exactly same gym in the older building he mentions.

The gym is decent though, and if I wasn't staying at Ekkamai at the time, was a pretty good choice.

Will second nomadbrah though, you can get the same in Thonglor for 30K, although it probably might not be right next to the BTS.

(09-11-2016 12:11 AM)Sandstorm Wrote:  I'm paying 30K in Ari (which most Thais consider is sooooo far!)

It isn't - it's 5 stops to Siam. In any other city in the world that would be considered totally central.

It's more than I wanted to pay - I'd have rather paid 15-20K given that I'm not even working here, and also my contract is for 1 year which is a pain in the ass coz with 2 months deposit, that's 60K ready to be lost if I need to leave before that time.

If you are happy and like where you live and can afford the price, why not. I would never live in a super small box style studio apt that are common here. That said, there are too many Thais earning 15K or less per month, and if your willing to put in the time searching, can definitely find places that middle income Thai can afford. I used to live in Ari, didn't need to be next to the BTS (motorbike and car) and paid 7k baht for a decent enough apt with a kitchen in an older building.

Also don't pay asking price for condos and try not to use an agent - Thai owners usually have a bottom line price they will accept, so the agent's commision gets tacked on to that. I once had an agent show me a 37M condo on the top floor listed at 14K and ended up renting the same size unit on the third floor for 7.5K direct from the owner. Other than the time I was visiting for 1 month and had a girl I was banging find me an apt for 12K, I have never paid more than 8K rent living in Thailand.

Is it against forum rules to offer something for sale here to other forum members? (thing, not a service)

Suitable for Bangkok folk only

(09-12-2016 02:05 AM)Sandstorm Wrote:  Is it against forum rules to offer something for sale here to other forum members? (thing, not a service)

Suitable for Bangkok folk only

If it is, and certainly it is, something totally legal, no problem I'm sure.

(09-12-2016 03:11 AM)Going strong Wrote:  

(09-12-2016 02:05 AM)Sandstorm Wrote:  Is it against forum rules to offer something for sale here to other forum members? (thing, not a service)

Suitable for Bangkok folk only

If it is, and certainly it is, something totally legal, no problem I'm sure.

Yes 100% legal!

(09-11-2016 11:07 PM)Kamaki4 Wrote:  If you are happy and like where you live and can afford the price, why not. I would never live in a super small box style studio apt that are common here. That said, there are too many Thais earning 15K or less per month, and if your willing to put in the time searching, can definitely find places that middle income Thai can afford. I used to live in Ari, didn't need to be next to the BTS (motorbike and car) and paid 7k baht for a decent enough apt with a kitchen in an older building.

Also don't pay asking price for condos and try not to use an agent - Thai owners usually have a bottom line price they will accept, so the agent's commision gets tacked on to that. I once had an agent show me a 37M condo on the top floor listed at 14K and ended up renting the same size unit on the third floor for 7.5K direct from the owner. Other than the time I was visiting for 1 month and had a girl I was banging find me an apt for 12K, I have never paid more than 8K rent living in Thailand.

This is awesome advice.

How much were deposits, and how long was the rental period?

IME, it's harder to get short-term places (3-6 months) direct with "local prices".

However. If the deposit isn't too high. It may make sense to just go direct with landlord / get a girl to arrange it, and forfeit the deposit, given how big a discount you're able to get with this method.

I've heard that suggested for eastern europe.

Wonder if it's the way to go in SEA.

(09-12-2016 05:54 PM)RichieP Wrote:  

(09-11-2016 11:07 PM)Kamaki4 Wrote:  

This is awesome advice.

How much were deposits, and how long was the rental period?

IME, it's harder to get short-term places (3-6 months) direct with "local prices".

However. If the deposit isn't too high. It may make sense to just go direct with landlord / get a girl to arrange it, and forfeit the deposit, given how big a discount you're able to get with this method.

I've heard that suggested for eastern europe.

Wonder if it's the way to go in SEA.

That works here as well and exactly what I did for the condo that I mentioned earlier. The Condo owner wanted 8.5K with 2 months deposit and a 6 month contract. I came back at her with 7.5K and 1 month deposit. She said ok but only on a 1 year contract. I ended up staying longer than 1 year, but was willing to forego the deposit because at month 8, I'm ahead. Most places ask for a 1 or 2 month deposit, but it seems like the majority want 2.

For guys that are looking to stay 1 or 2 months I would go with apartments, especially new ones that are usually looking for revenue because construction has gone over budget.

To get a long term rate, apartments usually ask for a minimum 3 months, sometimes 6, but in reality not always the case. I just helped a guy rent an apt in CM at the 6 month rate with no contract because it was built a few months ago and they are having trouble filling it. This building is hidden from main roads and you would need to know the specific area to find it. Driving down small sois in hidden areas with my scooter is another tactic I use to find good value apts.

That said many apartments and condo owners won't budge on their contract term, but that's ok because BK, CM, Phuket etc are overdevolped anyway and there is a lot of vacancy, especially at this time of year so with some patience and negotiation you can find a place with no term/short term contract at a reasonable price.

Anyone in BKK want to grab a drink tonight? I have Viber and Line, drop me a PM.

So, apparently the Army has started enforcing a 2:30 closing time at clubs. I've also heard / read that they've been raiding clubs that are open after legal closing time and drug testing patrons.

Couple of questions for those more experienced than I:

1. Do they e re raid the higher end clubs (Levels, Oscars, Mixx, etc)?
2. Are the drug tests simply an effort to extract a bribe, or is the Army serious (as opposed to the police)?
3. Can anyone recommend high end nightclubs that are open after hours?

(09-23-2016 03:25 AM)Lance Blastoff Wrote:  So, apparently the Army has started enforcing a 2:30 closing time at clubs. I've also heard / read that they've been raiding clubs that are open after legal closing time and drug testing patrons.

Couple of questions for those more experienced than I:

1. Do they e re raid the higher end clubs (Levels, Oscars, Mixx, etc)?
2. Are the drug tests simply an effort to extract a bribe, or is the Army serious (as opposed to the police)?
3. Can anyone recommend high end nightclubs that are open after hours?

Met up with fellow RVFer

We started in RCA, never seen it so quiet there on a Thursday night. Route 66 where girls are usually relatively difficult, but the level of bitch shields even there put me in a total state of shock.

Then we went to Mixx around 1:30a, they were closing at 2am but it was 100% working girls anyways, then went to Sugar they said they were closing around 2:30am but didn't let us in.

It seems OP is correct in that there ain't too many places to go after 2am.

After 3 days in BKK, I would say the party (in every sense of the word) has been getting shut down for a while but its going into overdrive now. I'm literally in total shock how much has changed in just 10 short months.

Last year I would match every single girl on tinder, now I swipe for 10 minutes before getting a match. Girls seem way more ambivalent about farangs now, much bitchier than just 2 years ago. When I message girls they are much less enthusiastic to respond and meet up.

I mean its still not hard to get laid here, pulled some girl 2 nights ago, I took out all my recent frustration from BKK on her mouth, poor thing lol. BKK is ok but its not the wild place it used to be for sure. Even BKK from 3 years ago is totally different then BKK of today.

I saw someone on the forum recommend in 2012 to just go around passing out pieces of paper with your whatsapp to girls in shopping malls, if you tried that now eveyrone would just laugh at you. The city is starting to feel more like Hong Kong or Singapore.

Nightlife is way more tame now.

Tourism is up like 35% 2016 over 2015, and 2015 tourism is up 30% over 2014 so you guys do the math, don't believe me check the numbers. The city is getting wealthier too. I'm seeing the best looking girls only with very good looking farangs, and i've seen really busted chicks with decent farangs too, its not a good sign at all.

I'm paying $50 /night for the exact same airbnb I paid $30/night for just 10 months ago. Prices are shooting up like a rocket, especially for rent. The entire Nana area is getting completely razed more or less.

I think Jakarta is the new BKK guys, will checkout Phillipines as well for the first time and see how that goes.

(09-23-2016 05:16 AM)frankiecred Wrote:  I'm paying $50 /night for the exact same airbnb I paid $30/night for just 10 months ago. Prices are shooting up like a rocket, especially for rent. The entire Nana area is getting completely razed more or less.

If you're talking about the nightlife in the well trodden spots, then yeah it's taken a hit lately. But I wouldn't say prices are shooting up like a rocket here.

(09-23-2016 05:16 AM)frankiecred Wrote:  I think Jakarta is the new BKK guys, will checkout Phillipines as well for the first time and see how that goes.

Whoa slow down there, hoss. I've visited all three places, including BKK, Manila, and Jakarta -- and if you look at the flag next to my name, you can easily guess where I ended up. And, aside from a bit of culture shock, I'm fucking loving it here.

You seem to be broad-brushing the entire metropolis of Bangkok based on what you've seen in Nana. There's still plenty of good times to be had in BKK apart from the typical well-known and well-trodden tourist traps like Nana.

And Jakarta? Not so much. If you go there for the nightlife, you're going to be sorely disappointed. It's simply not a nightlife-centric city and what you will find are Indo-Chinese groups trying to one-up each other with expensive bottle service while aggressively mate guarding their girls.

Manila's nightlife doesn't hold a candle to any other city in SEA either. Even with the raids and earlier closing times, BKK is still the king of nightlife in SEA. In Manila, there is Duterte's ordinance in action with an early midnight closing time (or was it 1 am? can't recall).

If BKK is faranged out then I might as well apply for euthanasia. No point in being alive anymore.

Can you guys stop please? You're making me depressed for my visit in December.

Whether we like to admit it or not, the increasing exposure of this forum is partly to blame for bitch shields in Bangkok rising at a rapid pace. I was there in 2014 and 2015 and noticed a dramatic difference then so dreading what this year has in store.

Is Khaosan Road still pumping with farang hunters and Tourist girls?

Frankiecred,

Finally, someone else who doesn't have his head buried in the sand. Nice post, although depressing. The exact same thing is happening in the Philippines as you've described. I've been here for a year straight. The amount of change in this time is shocking. Granted I'm still getting girls, but I'm probably in the top 1% of foreigners in regards to status/money, and even so there has been a noticeable decline in their attitude. Last year, logging onto any of the dating sites resulted in a flood of messages, Tinder tons of matches. Now, like 10% of what it was, and the girls that do message have this kind of "So what?" vibe. It's really amazing how fast things are changing. Guessing SEA is soon on its way to becoming another Hong Kong.

(09-23-2016 06:31 PM)erikak Wrote:  Frankiecred,

Finally, someone else who doesn't have his head buried in the sand. Nice post, although depressing. The exact same thing is happening in the Philippines as you've described. I've been here for a year straight. The amount of change in this time is shocking. Granted I'm still getting girls, but I'm probably in the top 1% of foreigners in regards to status/money, and even so there has been a noticeable decline in their attitude. Last year, logging onto any of the dating sites resulted in a flood of messages, Tinder tons of matches. Now, like 10% of what it was, and the girls that do message have this kind of "So what?" vibe. It's really amazing how fast things are changing. Guessing SEA is soon on its way to becoming another Hong Kong.

Undervalued commodities can only stay that way for so long... Guess a longshot would be the West finally coming back around and casting off the yoke of feminazi nonsense... hoping vasalgel and VR porn will knock some sense into women in general, but who knows.