Reverse Culture shock......Naaaaaaah

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

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Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

Man is a hunter and gatherer. Going out on a hunt for some wild game seems legit to me if the kill is to be eaten. What is slightly disturbing though is maiming an animal and not being able to locate it.

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Absolutely. I have enjoyed hunting, fishing, backpacking and hiking and always will. I only hunt animals with feathers and ate all I shot. I am now a catch and release fisherman for the most part unless the Trout get hurts. Been doing that since I was about 10.

Here is a funny little story. Yesterday I hit a Turkey while returning to the house. Simply unavoidable. I quickly pulled over and chased the crippled bird down. Being this is a game bird I rung its neck to put it out of its misery, tossed it in the bed of the truck and headed to the house. My GF helped me pluck it and we prepped it. We BBQ'd the bird and it was awesome. who said "Road Kill" cant taste good. :rofl:. The bird contact did cost me $139 for a new head light assy on the truck.



After plucking



Seasoned and ready for the BBQ

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

All done and ready.

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nicely done JPPR2. looking tasty. this one belongs in the food thread.

Today was a US Cell phone wake up call.

When we landed I set us up with T Mobile pay as you go SIMS. We both have unlocked tele's so I did not want to buy new phones. It is $50 a month flat, unlimited text, voice, internet and 100MB data at 4G with no contract. The problem with this deal is after you leave a major metro area the service diminishes.

So I decided to visit ATT and Verizon today. FFS!!!!!. Firstly they will not power up a phone not branded by them, second if you happen to have a phone branded by them but do not have a contract they charge you a hefty service charge to do it. So out of morbid curiosity I asked them what the fee was to set up 2 smart phones.

ATT: For the Android phone it was $650 plus a 2 year contract with a monthly service charge of ~ $165 a month. So doing the math over a 2 year period you would be out nearly $4500. I walked down 5 doors to Verizon.....No surprise here. For the Samsung Galaxy was $680 for 2 phones set up and ~$160 a month service charge. Again about $4500 if you go the 2 full years. The cancellation fees on both are steep.

It is quite interesting, Verizon and ATT are clearly price fixing and the way its going it will be back to where it was when the FCC and US gov broke up "Ma Bell" for this monopoly type price fixing. What was more eye opening was the lines at each store buying up and paying it. Most people are clearly clueless and terribly misinformed about what they actually get and what they need.

Needless to say T Mobile will work just fine. But that is still 1000 baht more a month then I paid in Thailand and got far better service everywhere I went.

Anyway just a FWIIW comment.

I came back to the US for medical care back in December, mainly because I didn't trust the Chinese doctors and Macau didn't really have much in terms of things. In terms of medical, it's been a mixed bag, they've found some issues with the repairs to my bones (they placed a few screws from the plate in my ankle through a joint so it no longer will move properly, and they somehow managed to increase its size quite a bit, yay for two different shoes).

Regardless of that, my biggest complaint is all of the medicine they throw at you. Not even an hour off the plane after I went to the hospital they had already had an IV and drugs flowing. Great for relieving the pain, but when they are constantly pumping you full of it its not so fun. A lot of times its just about making you forget about the bad things while these guys can figure out what to do, whether its days or months.

Outside of medical care, a lot of things have become quite a nuisance. Transportation is probably my main gripe. I had a car in storage, so its not like I had to rent things, but I really despise the pure length between things here. I loved walking to work, or walking to the store. Here in the US that's not really possible in almost every city except for New York. Things are just too far apart and public transportation is pretty horrible.

Once I have surgery to repair the screw-ups from the doctors I will undoubtedly return

^^ same in Europe, they have engaged in price fixing with all the operators

Thailand is a good deal those days, it wasn't 15 years ago, how things change fast :p

Wow that pricing is a shocker. Dont you have to pay for incoming calls as well? 10 bucks a month for unlimited calling is all I pay here. Plus I think all in all the coverage is better here. Same price for a call anywhere in Thailand. No zones or long distance billing for domestic calls anywhere in Thailand.

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Originally Posted by aging one

Wow that pricing is a shocker. Dont you have to pay for incoming calls as well? 10 bucks a month for unlimited calling is all I pay here. Plus I think all in all the coverage is better here. Same price for a call anywhere in Thailand. No zones or long distance billing for domestic calls anywhere in Thailand.

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No you do not have to pay for incoming calls but you do only have 700 minutes(ATT and Verizon). My T Mobile is unlimited. T Mobile is the only one that will power up any cell phone for no charge.

All in all T mobile is not bad but Thailand's AIS and DTAC services has the phone service beat hands down.

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

We BBQ'd the bird and it was awesome. who said "Road Kill" cant taste good.

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when I lived in Scotland I regularly used to pick up roadkill on my way to work; rabbit, hare, grouse, deer, even Capercailie once, all killed from the night before

as long as you get them before they get ruined by more traffic, roadkill is great

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Originally Posted by Butterfly

^^ same in Europe, they have engaged in price fixing with all the operators Thailand is a good deal those days, it wasn't 15 years ago, how things change fast

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not in the UK

all sorts of deals and all sorts of prices

Lebara has good deals at the mo

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

T Mobile is the only one that will power up any cell phone for no charge.

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what does "power up" mean?

In the UK you just get a SIM card free, stick it in your unlocked phone and buy some time from whatever provider you like

I bought a cheapish Nokia in Thailand, 1600 baht, and can use it here where they sell them for 2500 baht

Cellphone companies cram it up your ass sideways in the US- the charges are ridiculous, and the service quality is awful.

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Originally Posted by DrAndy

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

We BBQ'd the bird and it was awesome. who said "Road Kill" cant taste good.

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when I lived in Scotland I regularly used to pick up roadkill on my way to work; rabbit, hare, grouse, deer, even Capercailie once, all killed from the night before

as long as you get them before they get ruined by more traffic, roadkill is great

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I rather think this admission explains quite a lot.

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

Today was a US Cell phone wake up call.

When we landed I set us up with T Mobile pay as you go SIMS. We both have unlocked tele's so I did not want to buy new phones. It is $50 a month flat, unlimited text, voice, internet and 100MB data at 4G with no contract. The problem with this deal is after you leave a major metro area the service diminishes.

So I decided to visit ATT and Verizon today. FFS!!!!!. Firstly they will not power up a phone not branded by them, second if you happen to have a phone branded by them but do not have a contract they charge you a hefty service charge to do it. So out of morbid curiosity I asked them what the fee was to set up 2 smart phones.

ATT: For the Android phone it was $650 plus a 2 year contract with a monthly service charge of ~ $165 a month. So doing the math over a 2 year period you would be out nearly $4500. I walked down 5 doors to Verizon.....No surprise here. For the Samsung Galaxy was $680 for 2 phones set up and ~$160 a month service charge. Again about $4500 if you go the 2 full years. The cancellation fees on both are steep.

It is quite interesting, Verizon and ATT are clearly price fixing and the way its going it will be back to where it was when the FCC and US gov broke up "Ma Bell" for this monopoly type price fixing. What was more eye opening was the lines at each store buying up and paying it. Most people are clearly clueless and terribly misinformed about what they actually get and what they need.

Needless to say T Mobile will work just fine. But that is still 1000 baht more a month then I paid in Thailand and got far better service everywhere I went.

Anyway just a FWIIW comment.

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hence the title of the thread "REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK"!

you'll acclimate soon enough I'm sure because you are interested in doing so. Good Luck Mate.

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Originally Posted by aging one

Wow that pricing is a shocker. Dont you have to pay for incoming calls as well? 10 bucks a month for unlimited calling is all I pay here. Plus I think all in all the coverage is better here. Same price for a call anywhere in Thailand. No zones or long distance billing for domestic calls anywhere in Thailand.

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yup about having to pay for the incoming calls also. Now that is something I didn't care for at all. It's a racket.

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

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Originally Posted by aging one

Wow that pricing is a shocker. Dont you have to pay for incoming calls as well? 10 bucks a month for unlimited calling is all I pay here. Plus I think all in all the coverage is better here. Same price for a call anywhere in Thailand. No zones or long distance billing for domestic calls anywhere in Thailand.

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No you do not have to pay for incoming calls.....

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might want to check this out. it might be specific to your T Mobile but I know that almost all other companies in the US will charge your min allowance for incoming calls. If unlimited then no big deal.... but I'm pretty sure that the min used on incoming calls get added to usage min.

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Originally Posted by thegent

I rather think this admission explains quite a lot.

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it is hardly an admission, more a choice

I like game of all kinds but do not hunt

why waste a beautiful animal?

Indeed!

Eating Roadkill - YouTube

Good stuff. I know back in Pennsylvania where there are as many deer seen dead alongside the roads as one sees dead dogs along the road here in Thailand, the deer road kill are picked up by the game veterinarians or some one like that and the meat given to orphanages and other such institutions.

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

Today was a US Cell phone wake up call.

When we landed I set us up with T Mobile pay as you go SIMS. We both have unlocked tele's so I did not want to buy new phones. It is $50 a month flat, unlimited text, voice, internet and 100MB data at 4G with no contract. The problem with this deal is after you leave a major metro area the service diminishes.

So I decided to visit ATT and Verizon today. FFS!!!!!. Firstly they will not power up a phone not branded by them, second if you happen to have a phone branded by them but do not have a contract they charge you a hefty service charge to do it. So out of morbid curiosity I asked them what the fee was to set up 2 smart phones.

ATT: For the Android phone it was $650 plus a 2 year contract with a monthly service charge of ~ $165 a month. So doing the math over a 2 year period you would be out nearly $4500. I walked down 5 doors to Verizon.....No surprise here. For the Samsung Galaxy was $680 for 2 phones set up and ~$160 a month service charge. Again about $4500 if you go the 2 full years. The cancellation fees on both are steep.

It is quite interesting, Verizon and ATT are clearly price fixing and the way its going it will be back to where it was when the FCC and US gov broke up "Ma Bell" for this monopoly type price fixing. What was more eye opening was the lines at each store buying up and paying it. Most people are clearly clueless and terribly misinformed about what they actually get and what they need.

Needless to say T Mobile will work just fine. But that is still 1000 baht more a month then I paid in Thailand and got far better service everywhere I went.

Anyway just a FWIIW comment.

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Quick look into AT&T intenet pages:

Samsung Galaxy S II mobile $9.99 (requires 2 year plan)
Unlimited calls within USA $69.99 per month (New York Zip code)
3GB data (4G) + unlimited Wi-Fi $30.00 per month (New York Zip code)

Not so bad, instead of unlimited calls you can also get 450 mins for 39.99 or 900 mins for 59.99 that include roll-over, unlimited weekends and nights and unlimited mobile to mobile etc etc.

Although the SGS II is promotion and a good one as it is comparable to latest iPhone. iPhone 4S is 199.99 for low and 399.99 for top model with two year deal. New Nokia Lumia 900 is 99.99 also with two year plan on top.

So not that bad.

Maybe they just punish you if your not going to buy a phone from them i.e. they charge arm and a leg for "activation" if you want to use your own phone?

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Originally Posted by DrAndy

what does "power up" mean?

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Sorry about the lingo, here it is a term for hooking you up to their network. They give you a SIM, then link you to their network. ATT and Verizon will not do this anymore. They want you to buy their top of the line new smart phones so they can get the subsidies rebate from the tele mfr.

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Originally Posted by SEA Traveler

might want to check this out. it might be specific to your T Mobile but I know that almost all other companies in the US will charge your min allowance for incoming calls. If unlimited then no big deal.... but I'm pretty sure that the min used on incoming calls get added to usage min.

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If the calls are to the same provider there are no charges, its called mobile to mobile. Outside your provider the minutes apply. Its all such a convoluted BS mess and that's how they want it, the more they can baffle you with BS the more likely you are to give up and take the plunge.

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Originally Posted by Mojo

Maybe they just punish you if your not going to buy a phone from them i.e. they charge arm and a leg for "activation" if you want to use your own phone?

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Before I moved to Thailand I used to live off internet deals. They can prove to be fruitful. They are clearly punishing me as you state as I do not want to pony out the money for their phone as they lose subsidies. In the end for me I do not want a 2 year contract. Its really that simple.


The Smartphone craze is out of hand anyway. Its a world wide deal, just happens to cost more here in the US. People live in their phones and upgrade for no apparent reason. I would watch Thais walk in to walls and people while texting and facebook updating etc. Hell I used to watch them do it while they rode their Moto's. Here is just the same. Everybody has to have the new iPhone.
I'll pass I have an older smartphone and it works great and I like my pay as I go.

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Originally Posted by sabang

One of my rare beefs with the USA is so many people there like shooting poor animals.

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Not every country can be as developed as Northern Europe's.

On to the next line of business, Living arrangements. While I had planned to tour around for the first month or so with my GF I need to have a place to land when we stop sightseeing.

I own a house that my Ex wife lives in until late next year when we will sell it so I will remain a renter for the near term. For now I like it that way. Gives me ample time to look for where I want to buy but gives me a place where my daughters can stop by when not busy with college, jobs and boyfriends.

I secured a place in near downtown San Jose. I rented the entire downstairs of a house( basically 2 bedrooms private bath and full access to all kitchen and house supplies) for $650(19,500 baht) a month. This includes, water, garbage, electric, wireless internet, cable and one place in the garage to park the car. I negotiated no deposit. This location is perfect as there is a huge Ranch 99 Asian store about 3 blocks away and my GF can get all her required food. She walked the store already and was extremely happy and it is not expensive at all. Its walking distance which is nice. We are also central to a huge mall area for those needs and close to downtown. The place has a big backyard. Now in fairness I do know the other roommate. She is a Vietnamese gal I worked with in the past(I also know her BF who is a whitey like me) They live upstairs in the other 2 rooms.

So not to bad on living expenses here for the near term especially based on location and access to a myriad of required stores within walking distance.

Next up....Employment.....Hmmmm. What do I want to do...A Walmart Greeter...:rofl: a Panhandler standing at stop light asking for money.... Maybe a Caltrans guy holding the Stop/Slow sign while they do road construction. The opportunities seem endless......:smileylaughing:. Actually I might look into opening a Thai food Noodle house restaurant.

Few more update pics of my acclimation back to California living

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

I restrung my Parker crossbow late yesterday and took in some target practice. Still pretty accurate at 35 yds out. Its a 175lb 385fps set up. I use it for Turkey hunting when not using my truck..:)

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

I headed out for some ultralight fishing this Friday am on Battle Creek. The water was very fast from the mountain snow run off. Did manage a 14" Cuttthroat trout which I kindly let go..

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

After fishing my GF and I found this little Thai restaurant near Shasta Lake. What a cool encounter. When we went in the place was empty and the owner seated us. My GF started talking to her in Thai. She sat down and called her husband out and we all started talking. It was great for her and the owners. They have not returned to Thailand in 9 years. They are from Chachoengsao. So they shared stories and updates and we talked for a few hours. I had not been able to find any Kuai Tiao. I happen to like it with egg . The owners took us to the back and he, with their cook, made it up while they all talked. Of course we laughed about how big the bowl size was and we all said "Welcome to America":smileylaughing:

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif

After such a refreshing lunch we headed to the O'brien launch ramp where Shasta House boat rental operates. I have rented one in the past for a week and it was a blast. We went on a tour of a few houseboats so she could get an idea of how well equipped they are and how much fun they can be. The lake was simply gorgeous and dead flat. Absolutely perfect Wakeskate water...

Roadkill, fair game. Having just returned from Surin, I reckon you could live off roadkill here (if you like dog). Then there's dogkill- I've personally eaten (and paid for) some dogkilled duck. I think the juvenile dog in question was eaten too.

Why do temperate climes enjoy such pristine water, yet are mostly too cold to swim in? But here in ze tropics the water is varying shades of milk tea, but otherwise would be very tempting to plunge into?

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

After such a refreshing lunch we headed to the O'brien launch ramp where Shasta House boat rental operates. I have rented one in the past for a week and it was a blast. We went on a tour of a few houseboats so she could get an idea of how well equipped they are and how much fun they can be. The lake was simply gorgeous and dead flat. Absolutely perfect Wakeskate water...

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I went to university at Chico, so every summer we would get together a group of ten people and head up. 2 speedboats and a houseboat. What more could you want. Divided by ten back then it was cheap as chips.

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Originally Posted by aging one

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Originally Posted by JPPR2

After such a refreshing lunch we headed to the O'brien launch ramp where Shasta House boat rental operates. I have rented one in the past for a week and it was a blast. We went on a tour of a few houseboats so she could get an idea of how well equipped they are and how much fun they can be. The lake was simply gorgeous and dead flat. Absolutely perfect Wakeskate water...

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I went to university at Chico, so every summer we would get together a group of ten people and head up. 2 speedboats and a houseboat. What more could you want. Divided by ten back then it was cheap as chips.

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I did my college days out on Mead. Still is "cheap as chips" when you have 10 to 14 people pooling money in. Few boats, tons of booze, good music, some trick dives off the top deck and then some late night(illegal mind you) wakeboard runs.

I may organize a get together with some folks out here. Be fun. House boating never gets old.