Internet Connections in Bangkok and Thailand

Still answering questions from “What Do YOU Want to Know About Thailand?” this post veers away from the Thai dating questions and addresses a question regarding internet access in Thailand from Cody.

Question:  How does one set up a reliable, fast internet connection? (Seems like you must have a reliable connection?)

Answer:  I’m actually going to cheat a bit on this one because part of it has been answered so well on another site.  I seriously recommend that unless you have a business need for internet you simply go with the free Wi-fi that is available all over Thailand.  First of all it’s free and second of all it comes without the hassle of dealing with the Thai Cable or Telecom providers.

For a really complete guide to free Wi-fi access throughout Thailand just point your browser to Stickmans Guide to Thailand Wi-fi.

Stickman claims that he isn’t going to list all of the Wi-fi spots on the page, but there are so many that he really doesn’t need to list them all.  Of course the list is best for Bangkok, but there are listings for other places as well including Samui, Krabi and Pattaya.

You can also head off to one of the many internet cafe’s in Bangkok where prices range from 20-100 baht per hour.

If you’re looking to get broadband access in your apartment you could face some serious frustrations.  Thailand is not noted for its efficiency and internet communication is no exception to this rule.

Currently there are just two telecoms in Bangkok for wired connections - TOT (Telephone Organization of Thailand) and True.  Both offer ADSL or you can go with one of many other (unproven?) ISP’s.

Here’s where the fun begins.  To get a phone line installed you will need a work permit.  No permit…then you will have to try to get your landlord to set up the service in his/her name, but be prepared for them to try to tack on a bit extra or even balk at the idea because they have no idea about the internet.

The cost will be between 600-2000 baht per month and speeds can be anywhere from 512k to 1Mb/sec.  True is generally recognized to be much better, but you might not have a choice.  If TOT installed the phone line then you’ll have to go with TOT.

There are other ISP’s out there, but they are so new that most of them are leasing bandwidth from TOT and True anyway.

Here’s what you’ll need to set up broadband a condo/apartment renter (courtesy of ThailandGuru)

1. Photocopy of the “House Registration” of the owner (showing who owns the property that the service is going to)
2. Photocopy of the Thai ID card of the owner, which they must sign
3. Photocopy of the lease (which links the property to you)
4. Photocopy of your passport, signed
5. A few thousand baht handy
6. A smile

You can read the rest of his article here, it goes into much greater depth than this post.

Overall I go with Wi-Fi or an internet cafe to make my life easier and cheaper, especially if you won’t be staying in Thailand long term.

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Thai Womens Expectations in Farang/Thai Marriages

I would like to know more about what a Thai woman seeks in marriage abroad to a western husband. Do they have a realistic view of us, or do they subscribe to various fantasies about us?

Answer: I spoke with Golf about this and she told me that for her and her friends the expectations are completely normal. Of course Thai’s do believe that Americans are all rich and we are in terms of Thai earning potential. The only way to truly dispel this is once you get married and your new Thai wife comes to the U.S. Make sure she is involved in the finances and bill paying and she will begin to see that while we Americans make a lot of money it is also much more expensive to live in the U.S.

The thing that opened Golf’s eyes the most was after she started working and interacting with working class Americans (vs the typical well off Thailand tourist). She came back from work one day and commented “Americans aren’t all rich are they?” I replied that I had been trying to tell her that and she shook her head and said “yes”, but she hadn’t really understood before. Golf still gets surprised at the cost of some things here compared to Thailand.

That aside, Thai women know that Americans and Europeans are more faithful in relationships, less abusive and more generous as a whole than their Thai counterparts. So, they expect these things, but I believe that is the reality anyway. They also know that the standard of living in America and Europe is much higher than in Thailand. So, they are seeking a better standard of living and a husband that is faithful, generous and loving. Pretty realistic I’d say.

And then I received this back:

Sounds to me that Thai women just want a reasonable married life with an appreciative husband. Like you say, pretty realistic. If fidelity, kindness, and generosity are lacking in the average Thai man, then Thai women will find American men to be much more satisfactory in this regard. Add to that our improved living standard, our mandated gender equality, the broad scope of opportunities for work and for education, then I think that the western world is very likely a big step up for many Thai woman.

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Thailand Musings 100th Post

Here it is! The 100th post at Thailand Musings! I am very excited and to commemorate the 100th post I have (finally) updated the “About Golf and Steve” page. Golf is also working on her contribution to that page.

Thank you to my older readers and welcome to the new readers. I hope to get to know you much better over the coming year.

It’s somehow right that the hundredth post comes at the beginning of a new year. I am seeing the potential here to help many and to share my thoughts and stories as well as the thoughts and stories of others. I’m very excited for the upcoming new year and expect that it will hold good things for us all.

To all of you I want to wish a happy and prosperous 2008!

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How Well Can Thai’s Speak English?

I hope that English is not unusually difficult for a Thai person to learn, especially when motivated. Are there special courses available for this here in the US, or is it more efficient for the woman to attend English classes in Thailand?

Answer: Have you tried to learn any Thai yet? If you have you will know how difficult it is. English is just as hard for a Thai person to learn in my experience. The languages are so completely different that it is impossible to form a common frame of reference. Grammar, sentence structure and etymology for the languages are so far apart that there is no common reference like there would be for you and I learning a Romance language or for a Thai person learning an Asian language. It may be getting better for younger Thai’s as English is now taught from a young age at many of the Thai schools.

I am not aware of any special classes available here specifically for Thai’s, however you can find ESL classes at your local universities usually and there are other non-profit’s that do ESL tutoring. Check with your local United Way agency or Literacy Council in your area.

The best way is to have your girlfriend start taking classes now in Thailand, practice speaking as much as possible and then take more classes here in the U.S. Of course the best way to learn is by actual practice and while Golf’s English was already pretty good, she made the best progress once she started working here in the U.S. and interacting everyday with native English speakers.

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Traveling From the U.S. to Thailand

More questions and answers today that were generated  by the post What Do YOU Want to Know About Thailand?  Keep the questions coming and I will be answering as fast as possible.

My travel abroad has been limited to European destinations, so I have never traveled to Asia.  I understand that the flight time is quite long.  I’d be interested in learning the best way to get there. I assume that you depart from New York westbound, but I really don’t know.

Answer:  Yes, the flight is long.  Thai Airways runs a 17 hour flight non-stop leaving from JFK airport.  They fly east (well actually north as they go over the north pole).  As you can imagine the flight is not fun, but Thai Airways makes it as bearable as possible.  The cost is around $1600 round trip last time I looked.

Alternatively you can look for cheaper flights with connections, but that usually pushes the flight over 20 hours and you typically don’t save that much, maybe a couple hundred dollars.  I remember I once took a flight on Gulf Airlines that connected in Paris (CDG) and then again in Dubai (no idea what the airport is).  The total flight was 24 hours, but the cost was just $850.  At the time I could have flown non-stop with Thai at $1200.

Thinking back on the experience I would have been better off paying more for the convenience of a non-stop flight.  Of course if you don’t want to be cooped up for 17 hours straight then connecting flights might be the better way to go.  Needless to say, my last 4 flights have been non-stop on Thai Airways.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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