Love and Romance If you happen to be middle aged, lonely, and reasonably well off, you should seriously consider moving to Thailand, especially if you have a pension or a reasonable amount of investment income. Will you find a pretty young wife, if that's what you're looking for? The answer to that is a very definite yes. Not eighty per cent or ninety percent certain. It is a one hundred percent certainty.

The trouble with Thai ladies, though, is when they're good and genuine, they really are very, very good. But if you get a bad one, they tend to be extremely bad. If you marry the wrong one, this second type will skin you alive.

Obviously if you're in your fifties, don't get involved with or marry an eighteen year old. If you did that in the West you'd be asking for trouble, but in Thailand it will definitely be fatal. Thai ladies actually age very well and remain attractive almost indefinitely, so there's really no need to stray too far out of your age group.

Love - Thai Mentality I said above if you're middle aged and lonely you will definitely find a wife or girlfriend in Thailand. But you're probably thinking, yes, that may be, but they'll only want me for my money. Well, in Thailand, saying that is about as absurd as saying in the West - She only loves me because I'm good-looking and have a great personality.

If you find a good Thai girl, she will genuinely love you. Not just love you, but be absolutely devoted to you. And the more gold you buy her, and the more money you give her, the more she'll love you. In her mind, her job is to serve you and make you happy. Your job is to be provider. The role of provider is of course of great importance in the West, but the emphasis on the role is stronger in Thailand. Generally speaking, when a Western girl marries for money, she marries for just that and doesn't genuinely love the man. But for a Thai girl, marrying for money can't be separated from marrying for love. I really wish I could explain this, but Western norms just don't apply in Thailand

So what if I run out of money? - you may ask. Well, that's almost certainly the end of the relationship. The Thais have a saying - No money, no honey! But discarding a partner because they've become poor isn't a lot different from discarding a partner because they've grown old and ugly. And anyway, relationships collapse for the same reason in the West. I guess the best way to explain it is to say that the emphasis is different in Thailand. Instead of good-looks or personality, the first thing

But the bottom line for a Westerner in Thailand who marrys a Thai is to ask himself if his relationship is making him happy. The merry-go-round of worrying whether someone loves you for your money goes on forever, and in the end is totally pointless considering. Believe me when I tell you that there are a lot of very happy farangs living blissful lives in Thailand. But, there are others for whom Thailand has brought ruin, myself included. But my problems were caused mostly by my own stupidity, and I don't blame Thailand at all. If I ever get the chance to go back, I won't hesitate for a moment.