thailandsgreat

Please help me out with a quick one. I usually use my Mastercard in Krungsri ATM (yellow) and choose "no conversion". I believe that has been the best. Some weeks ago I had to use Kasikorn. I now read my statement. It seems the Kasikorn 30k Baht came out $100 more expensive than my average Krungsri withdrawal. (given in Swedish currency on my statement). Kasikorn seem to come up as "Thai farmers bank" on the statement. Is Kasikorn really that bad or is this a coincidence with rates. Both Baht and SEK have been up and down lately.

It seems they are covered. I am not sure what I am allowed to link here. Buy you will find this by search, I think. While Pattaya’s image as a European holiday haven still lingers in the local imagination, hard data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports shows a different reality. The city’s tourism survival in 2025 is increasingly thanks to its Asian neighbors—not long-haul European visitors.

I like this robot discussion we have. * Big.C was more than a grocery store. It has been the center for meeting other foreigners. It also had grocery selection for foreigner. German bread. Steaks in the food court. All was there. Reasonably priced. * Yes! More dispersed. Divide and conquer. * Yes building during the last 15 years continues. But the decline is accelerating. Spreading out ferlung under control of their thai wives impair our connections. * Yes. "beyond Westerners" i.e. Chinese, Indians, Gulf, Asian neighbors. We are fried. 😉

But it is the social aspect the regime wants to stamp out 😉 Like during Covid-19. We should all sit home and shop with a click. To isolate people is to control them. Think of all the foreigner guys down in BigC food court, eating, having a coffee and chatting with friends. Shopping centers are contact points.

Very good point. I was looking for a spelling similar to "n...ah" but didnt come up with a good one

Buy Europe has slipped back considerably, compared to the US. But google calls it US outpacing us. We took all the refugees from the US wars. Now we buy expensive US LPG instead of cheap Russian. All westeners are falling back. China taking over. But Europe more than US. All westerners are probably fewer in Pattaya now. is european exonomy slipping back after the us No, the European economy is not simply slipping back after the U.S.; rather, the U.S. economy has consistently outpaced Europe in growth and productivity for decades, leading to a growing economic divide. While there's been a recent shift in sentiment toward Europe, with some upgraded growth forecasts and increased portfolio flows into the region, Europe still faces significant structural challenges like high energy costs, low investment in high-growth sectors, and sluggish productivity growth, preventing it from matching U.S. performance.

Google AI is not the ultimate truth, but it says this: do europeans have less purchasing power lately Yes, many Europeans have experienced a significant decrease in purchasing power, primarily due to high inflation driven by factors like the COVID-19 pandemic fallout and the war in Ukraine. While some sources report a recent increase in disposable income and declining concerns about purchasing power in specific areas or timeframes, surveys from 2023 and 2024 indicated that a majority felt their purchasing power had declined, with rising prices cited as the main reason. This situation has put many households in a precarious financial position, disproportionately affecting lower-income individuals and certain regions of Europe. ... And these factors hit harder when Thailand has become more expensive. Another factor is that more tourists are going to Vietnam, Bali ... In addition the world is closing up. Trump tariffs. EU trade war with US and similar with China. War with Russia. Europeans are more and more supposed to stay in Europe. Tourism to US also falling.

Yes it has changed. This is from P mail. While Pattaya’s image as a European holiday haven still lingers in the local imagination, hard data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports shows a different reality. The city’s tourism survival in 2025 is increasingly thanks to its Asian neighbors—not long-haul European visitors. And Big C was a farlang place. I think there is a connection. We'll see come the high season. "An obedient EU citizen will holiday within the EU." - and in a few years nothing else will be allowed 😉 Wonder why farlang are fewer. Do they have less money to throw after bar girls or is Thailand intentionally attracting Asians instead? China and Asia are taking over us in more than one way. Russia and China will beat Musk to the moon by years.

I dont know what you are allowed to link here. I just cut this from a page and have read similar in several places The assumption being made is that tourism in Pattaya will thrive in the next 10 years with Asian visitors. Americans, Europeans and Aussies are no longer the center of attention.

Yes. Building is going on. But farlang are shipping out. P. Mail wrote that. I wonder where they are going. The gang on the benches outside Big C supermarket all looked like they had been here for decades. And then you are no longer suited for life back home 😁

Strange. Mini Big C have much less items. You don't go there to hang out. And what is Pattaya missing? The bar girls are still here. The alleged downfall of Pattaya makes no sense to me. I wear a thick tin foil hat and start to suspect the NWO and Soros are behind it all. 😋 Pattaya is intentionally repelling the farlang?

But Big C Extra is a big, reasonably priced (compared to a mall like Festival) department store. How can it have reduced its merch by about 1/3? Such department stores always attract customers. Is the pattern the same in Lotus etc?

I haven't been to Big C Extra on Pattaya Glang for a while. Today I noted all scaled down, supermarket and food court. I also read farlang in Pattaya are fewer. I don't frequent tourist areas so often. Can someone please help answer these questions. Why are farlang fewer? Is EU making the Europeans poor so they can not travel? Is Thailand intentionally attracting Indians and Gulf tourists instead? Why? Is Big C scaling down because farlang are fewer? But where do the Indians and Arabs shop? Is this the same trend in Festival and Walking Street (where I seldom go). Someone said BigC actually is preparing to expand and build larger areas or repairing a leaking roof?

KTM finances have not been the best but company persists and has now been saved by Bajaj. I am interested in looking at a Super Duke. I found some dealerships in Thailand and a Thai friend called. But no one had any such bike in and no sure dates for improvement. Does anyone have any ideas how to find a bike?

I dont live in BKK. Maybe it isn't a cap. It was just what the article gave as max fare for a trip. I just gave it for comparison. Please see link.