Monthly Archives: May 2008

Down and Out

May 19, 2008 – 7:37 am

www.mangozeen.com was down for the weekend due to having exceeded our bandwidth. I couldn’t expand it since I’m not a computer tech, but we are now ready for another span of time until we are overloaded again with too much information. Cheers.

By Peter | Posted in Internet | Comments (0)

Thai etiquette

May 16, 2008 – 4:51 pm

Whether visiting or living in Thailand an understanding of Thai customs and culture can open doors to a world beyond the the temples, shopping malls, and beaches. Thai value systems regarding dress, social behavior, religion, authority figures, and sexuality are much more conservative than those of the average Westerner. Although the Thais are an extremely […]

By Peter | Posted in Traditions | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Samak Slanders Bald Men Everywhere

May 16, 2008 – 4:46 pm

PM Samak is devoted to free speech, mostly his own and this week on TV accused a bald man ie Ai Hua Therk of attempting to harm the government. That brevity of the accused provocateur’s description was breath-taking. Bald or balding. Hua lan. Only about several million men and a few thousand women answer that […]

By Peter | Posted in politics | Comments (0)

Swearing in Thai

May 16, 2008 – 1:58 pm

Like most farangs I had a hard time learning Thai. It has taken years and only those Thais who know me well can decipher what I’m trying to say with a Bostonian accent. Conversely most of what is said to me is too fast for my ears to catch the meaning, but one day I […]

By Peter | Posted in Asia, Education, language, Thailand | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Thai Lease Laws up for Review

May 15, 2008 – 9:11 am

Thai land ownership laws deny foreigners from owning property in perpetuity. Farangs found ways around this ban by owning leasehold contracts for the land in 30-year periods with the right to renew for another 30 years. This loophole has appeared in jeopardy since the coup tightened the FBA or Foreign Business Act. No one wants […]

By Peter | Posted in real estate, Thailand | Comments (0)