artinamerica

Regardless of what nationality is to blame the most; Phukhet's tourism industry is the old style Thailand with scams galore and touts all over. Of the two trips I've had their they were the worst experiences I've had in all of Thailand over several years of living, working and travelling here. They haven't sorted it and I will never return until they finally sort the horrendous tourist industry problems that exist. Such a pity as they really have some beautiful beaches and temples.

Tell your friends and co-workers, relatives and blog sites-"Don't go to Phukhet!" There are so many other nicer places here with genuine friendly people and beautiful beaches. There are so many great alternatives. The only way these fools will change is until the tourists and the ex-pats vote with their feet.

Simple: DON'T GO TO PHUKHET. They can keep it!

Some people here are saying ther are "better places" and "better alternatives".

WHERE?

Please, NAME some of those places so that others can check it out for themselves

madonna or "the morning after pill" is freely available at most pharmacies, is this illegal also?

I wonder about that , too.

But, my teerak has been using a "morning-after" pill regularly, as needed, and it has been working so far. (keeping my fingers crossed!).

It's a new law for the 90 days reporting (andI prefer this new one). You can report 15days before the date till 7 days after. It's not a new interpretation, and I think this new law going in the good way for us.

But well, very annoying to report every 90 days (and stress too). I hate to wait 1 hour at the "country" immigration check point of Nakhon Pathom for just this stuff cleared in 1 min by the officer...

In Western countries, only Ex-Cons or people on criminal probation are required to report in this way. So, naturally, many foreigners dislike being treated like a criminal.

That's the same feeling I get when in Thailand -- I wonder if there is actually a purpose to 90-day reporting, other than being an (as usual) income-generator form the farang ATM's.

Thailand is not a rich western country and it does a lot more for its mentally ill than a lot of other countries. India for example. The country just has not got enough funds to do everything that should be done. They need to widen tax collection to a lot more people including all the farangs who live here and pay no taxes.

I think we have found the first nutcase to put in a newly built ward...

I am a Farang who lives here and I don't pay taxes and why should I? I don't work but still contribute to the economy through my overseas savings and investments. What do you want the thai government to do introduce a farang tax? Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that someone from the thai tax office may see it and think that is a great idea. :licklips: :licklips:

If Thailand actually starts some form of "farang tax", that will be another nail in their economic coffin.

I, for one, will simply stop coming to Thailand every 1-3 months , and will simply abandon the new house I pay for, and my teerak that lives in it.

No more gravy train of baht sent over every month, being put into the Thai economy.

Maybe a rich Thai will buy the house, and enjoy a farang-free Thailand, which is what the Thais seem to want.

Farangs can only take so much BS with the existing farang rip-offs in every possible way the Thais can conceive.

Enough is enough. I am getting quite tired of being regarded as a walking ATM.

Let the rich Thai law-makers support their poor, and the lousy economy.

If all farang spending stops, their economy will feel the hit. Tough.

I love my pretty teerak, and my new house and car are nice to have in my retirement years that I am enjoying right now -- but everything has limits and a breaking-point.

"Farang tax" -- absolutely absurd.

That could maybe make me "walk away" form all the Thai BS with farangs, and start exploring other country destinations, starting with the Philippines, for instance.

slowly.. they are getting the idea... but still in denial.

most of my friends are closing their business in Thailand and moving to neighbor countries...

Sorry Thailand but it is not just the floods or unrest... all your racist policies have paid... good job... the farangs are gone... guess u r happy with that... now have fun with middle east tourists...

You hit the nail right on the head!

madonna or "the morning after pill" is freely available at most pharmacies, is this illegal also?

I hope it is legal, my girlfriend has been making me take it regularly after sex...!!

Errrr...uhm....Oh never mind.

I would spend $1,000-$1,500 per month -every month- in Thailand.

Then they changed the immigration rules and I left.

I suspect hundreds of thousands to millions of men and women left that were free to come and go as they please.

Thailand should get back to its roots and become a free country again.

Somebody has really screwed up.

Russian gangsters running Pattaya but the people that supported the backbone of this country with hard currency are the ones that are made to leave.

Change your immigration policies, Thailand.I have lived on a nice island in Indonesia since the Immigration laws labelled me as persona non grata.

Cheaper,nice people,no alcohol culture.

I miss Thailand but no way will I ever go back until the attitude in the country changes.

Same for me.

If the immigration laws would make it easier to get a visa for visits,

and especially th retirement visa regualtions, I would be living there now, and spending lots of USA dollars every month.

I don't understand why Thailand makes all things so difficult for farangs, -- they are losing lots of money to help the Thai economy.

What the hack are they supposed to be helping by the carzy (hard) visa regualtions?

Thailand should make visas easier to get, and welcome farangs (and their money) with open arms -- it would halp the Thai economy get richer and better for all concerned.

Why do farangs get no respect, when their presence helps all they come in contact with, by spending lots of money on the Thai economy?

No

but thanks for helping me to get my post count up!

Same here -- and NO to the question.

I've tried a few years ago - sites like match.com have. I gave up when far too many older (40, 50+) Thai men kept contacting me to 'be friends' when I clearly stated I wasn't interested in men over 40 etc. I don't think there is a stigma at all these days about using dating sites (free or paid for). Anyone that thinks there is a stigma is so behind the times. Internet dating works for loads of people, I just don't think it works that well in Thailand for women looking for genuine relationships. Obviously if you are like the poster above, dating sites work well ... but why pay to join a site when any old retired man can pick up 10 pretty ladies if they just pop on down to Patpong or Nana.... same results.

I think its unfair (and untrue) to class Thai women who use dating sites as being the same as women in Patpong or Nana. For the men paying to use those sites, i cannot see how the result would be the same. Im sure some of the ladies are out to bag some farang they think can help them out, but im also sure there must be many ladies who would just like to meet a nice man. LaughingMan is obviously proof of this, and im happy for him.

You're right, apologies. I was actually referring to artinamerica's post, not LaughingMan's though. He is a retired man looking for Thai women on a dating site which only shows pictures of very young women looking for western men. I made the assumption that his 10 pretty ladies were all young and probably 20 something but he has now clarified that the site has older women too. While the women on these site are not all like women down at Patpong or Nana, I do think there would be a fair number that are on the site looking for a western man for what he can offer financially rather than emotionally and most (from my limited understanding) bar girls are looking for the same. I believe this to be true as I have Thai female friends that go on internet dating sites for this very reason and I have had discussions with them about it. From my point of view, I find it hard to understand why my educated friends who earn a comparatively good salary in thailand, would settle for a western man they barely know just because he's financially secure and lives in the US or similar. I do sort of understand where they are coming from, but it's very different from how I think.

Though I was contacted by many under-20 women on TLL, i did not even reply t them.

I am a realist, and was looking for someone that I could actually have a life with, not just a sex holiday.

I only replied to the many women that were between 30 and 60 years old. Even the 30 year old was too young for me, after i thought about it.

So, I finally just shared emails and chats with women that were between 40 and 60, whiich allowed me plenty of real beauties, because we all know that Thia (and many other Asian women) hold their age well.

I ended up coming to BKK to meet and holiday with a beautiful 48 year old, and we are doing great together now. My teerak looks like she is in her early 30;s, and has absolutely flawless skin and figure.

Plus she is taking very good care of me, much better than either of my first 2 American wives ever did.

I hit the jackpot with my teerak, and if it did n't work out for us initially,

I had many others to choose from for a meeting and holiday to get to know if we were meant to be together.

Now 48 is old for you younger guys, but she is 19 years younger than me (old retired guy) and is so pretty she makes my eyes ache. Jing.

And, of course, we have the best sex-life I could ever hope for, and we have much sanuk (fun) togather.

Sex is more natural for Thai women, with none of the hang-ups I found in the American women i have known.

I finally completely gave up on try to have a relationship with an American women, and went with various Asians instead, because I met many of them during my life-long study and practice of various martial arts.

My second wife was a Filipina, but she was the biggest scammer, thief and disappointment, and the marriage did not last long, after she got her USA citizenship papers. Yes, she used me for that, then the marriage was over, as I became "expendable" after that.

My Thai teerak has no desire to move out of Thailand, and we are happy to live together in our house in Samut Praken, close to BKK in the suburbs, near the airport.

Again, I am fully pleased with TLL website, and can recommend it to anyone, any age -- not just for young girls in their 20's.

I could have went on holiday with 4 different women, for 1 week each, on my first vist to Thailand, but felt that my teerak was really right for me, and I hit the jackpot!

The ThaiLoveLinks site is used by people of all ages -- not just older retiring guys like me.

My teerak's best friend is a younger woman, and her friend met her teerak , a younger man in another country that is still working and saving money for his retiring in Thailand later on.

They are doing great together, with regular visits to each other's vountry, until they are able to live together permanantly, later on.

A;so. we lnow of others that have met their match on the interent, and are very happy.

We also know many Thai couples where the husband is away working for various periods of time, and only is home with his wife at various time intervals. Some work on jobs that require frequent travel, and so they are away a lot. Same as many Thai-Farang couples.

NONE of these women I speak of is or was working in the bar scene, and are normal, Thai women -- not bargilrs or other pay-for-play types.

All the ones we know, are working regular jobs, nothing to do with the bar scene or other pay-for-play pros.

There are many, many nice (and not-so-nice, of course) Thai women out there looking for a mate, same as many of us here are doing.

I had the choice, obviously, of going to Pattaya or Nana Plaza or other places to easily find a woman. but decided I wanted to avoid that scene, and wanted someone that I could live out my retirement with, without so much drama that comes with the bar scene and the pay-for-play games. That, plus the fact that I don't visit bars to begin with.

NO -- I am not paid by TLL to say good things about the site -- BUT, I sure am a happy, stisfied customer!

JING!

ThaiLoveLinks does do matches for you to select from, based on your match criteria.

Then you choose which ones to conatct.

That site worked well for me when I was still working in America,

I had many many nice women to chooses from, and had a hard time to narrow it down to less than 10 pretty THai ladies, that were all interested in meeting me when I got off the plane.

Now I am retired, with a beautiful teerak in BKK,.

I highly recommend ThaiLoveLinks to meet a person, whether you are male or female.

It has a low cost for men to join, but is well worth it.