Category: Partners
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THE INVISIBLE HUSBANDS: BEYOND THE TRANSACTIONAL MYTH
“No money, no honey.” It is the most famously cynical proverb in the expat bars. Many foreigners will swear on their lives that every relationship in this country is a cold, calculated financial transaction. But if you look closely at the immigration police blotters and the stories of extreme overstayers caught deep in the Thai…
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THE FIXERS: THE REAL BACKEND OF PATTAYA’s BUSINESS & VISAS
There is a very specific trap that Western men fall into in Thailand. You meet a girl, you decide to open a cute little coffee shop or a salon for your “special someone,” and you think your biggest challenge will be choosing the right espresso machine. The reality is entirely different. Survival in the Thai…
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THE THAI INSURANCE BAZAAR: STOP OVERPAYING
Recently, it was time to renew the premium on my Isuzu. I drove to one local insurance broker’s office, then drove across town to a second one, and finally called a third. The result – Three completely different price quotes for the exact same policy from the exact same insurance company. The Thai insurance market…
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THE AUSTRIAN DREAM: HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE IN SURIN YOU WILL NEVER LIVE IN
Thomas, 55, from Austria, decided it was time to hit the reset button on life. He told his friends back in Vienna that he was moving to Pattaya for the superior climate, the fresh seafood, and the long, meditative walks along the ocean. He conveniently forgot to mention that the air quality index (AQI) was…
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THE UNSEEN BREAKUP: WHY GOOD THINGS END IN PATTAYA
Relationships in Pattaya don’t always end because of a grand betrayal. It isn’t always about discovering that the guy she called “brother” — who has been living in your house for seven months — is actually her husband. And it doesn’t always end because of whatever happened in that massage parlor when you asked for…
