After a while she decided that she wasn't going back to England and washed her hands of her husband and kids and decided to look for a new husband. His name is David Matthes and he helped her get divorced by paying 1,000's in expenses. The sad part about this is that Alex Borland does not come from England but he can't leave as Sarakul and Matthes slapped a land registry order on his flat meaning he can't sell it and move on.
The flat can only be sold when the youngest is 21 which is over 8 years away so Alex Borland is literally a prisoner in a country he doesn't belong in. He will have had to live in England for 18 years. When he can sell the flat Apinya Sarakul gets a percentage which will leave Alex Borland and kids not enough to buy even a studio flat. Apinya Sarakul is living a high life in a big house with Matthes in Rayong, Thailand but Alex Borland and his kids get kicked on the street in 8 years!
'Papadave' (David Matthes) the old rich fart wrote...
- On arriving here in BKK over 2 years ago we had some home improvements done including the installation of 2 sets of large floor-to-ceiling sliding doors (3m x 2.5m approx) to allow more light and ventilation into an otherwise dull living room. I was well impressed with the service and of course the price (compared to UK). They came to measure and manufactured all within 48 hours. Fitting included removing existing windows and knocking out the single-skin wall. Six or seven guys arrived 8am on the Saturday armed with hammers and cold-chisels to knock-out the wall, remove the debris, and refinish. This took the whole day. Doors were installed satisfactorily on the Sunday morning. Job well done. Armed with some power tools, 2 guys could have done the job in 1 day. HOWEVER, here comes the first cultural acceptance lesson... 6 guys had work and as you know if your an un-employed Thai, your on your own, the state doesn't help you survive.
- Thais lack confidence? An acquaintance of mine, a German sales engineer, gets a lot of business here in the petrochem industry. He said his company first gets a vague fax or e-mail enquiry for equipment (from highly paid and 'educated' buyers holding engineering masters degrees) to which he responds. He comes over here to specify their requirement and at the same time tout other companies for further business. The Thais tell him they 'think' they need the equipment (could be a health and safety issue) but are not sure. He then first has to do a feasibility study for them to determine what is the problem (if any) then report back and recommend a solution. He later, maybe several months later, gets a formal faxed purchase order. He also told me that he has received repeat orders for equipment, and found the original equipment was never used. I've heard similar examples. This echos a former post where it was said 'the Thais prefer to follow rather than lead'. This status quo is good news for foreign contractors who are coining it here but so much money is wasted by these cash-rich Thai companies.
I personally have a big respect for the Thai working class and hope they enjoy a brighter future.
For me, 'mai pen rai' is a phrase I've quickly grown accustomed to.