MrWorldwide

Rather than comparing Thailand to its basket case neighbors, why not compare Thailand's visa regime to your home country's --- looking at it through a Thai person's eyes? And be grateful you have as much freedom as you do as a foreigner here.

I have one word for you - Malaysia. As a Commonwealth citizen, I can stay in Malaysia for 3 months at a time and get my passport restamped after spending a couple of days getting drunk on Soi 4 seeing the temples in Bangkok. I can do this again and again and again and again, until I have no brain cells left whatsoever. It's pretty clear that I rock.

...

My post was intended to bring visa regime bitching into perspective, not encourage more.

I found the visa regime in Thailand the most onerous and least efficiently managed of all the countries that I've lived as an alien.

The inconvenience, the time spent at immigration, the quantity of documentation, the frequency of renewal and the amount of the passport taken up with stamps...

I don't think I would class that as hatred though

SC

That sort of moderate, considered response will win you absolutely no friends here, SC !

Sadly, the Indonesian system seems even nastier, but it seems that if you pay Indonesians to do it for you, eventually you will get a long-stay visa. I'm going to check out a couple of visa agents in Singapore and stick my toe in the water for 3 months.

Its funny how many people - caught up in the daily commute and endless crowds everywhere they go - will tell you they want to 'go and sit on a deserted beach somewhere'. The last time I visited the tiny fishing village south of Chumphon with a Thai ex-GF, a local resort manager went out of his way to take me around both of his resorts - brand new rooms, five-star accommodation and, from what I could see, a complete lack of guests (hence his enthusiasm). 'Tell your friends !' he said as we bade our goodbyes and headed back to my humble shack down the road.

One was comprised of just 4 villas, right on the beachfront, and each villa looked like something out of a magazine - they had spared no expense - and I expect that you could have an absolutely fantastic time there with 3 or 4 friends : little seafood restaurant nearby and literally miles of deserted beachfront. You could sit in the pool outside your villa and gaze at the sunset sipping whatever concoction you desired, but for all that luxury I thought it was a profoundly depressing place. Like it or not, I need to be in a town where something is going on around me, even if the downside of that something is that idiots run up and down 'your' beach all day long and occasionally wake you at 2am with their drunken antics. I'm not sure that has to mean Jakarta or even Bangkok, but I'm determined to find a happy medium - the whole 'sitting on a deserted beach' thing is severely overrated, IMO, unless you need to find somewhere quite to write the great SEA novel

I spend my free time posting nonsensical topics on TV. And masturbating. But not at the same time, 'cause that would be wrong, right guys ? Er, guys ?

<sounds of crickets chirping>

On a more serious note:

http://www.scv.org.au/

That charity is 100% real, and Geraldine Cox has dedicated her life to giving Cambodian kids something most of us took for granted - a roof over our heads, food and an education. When they finally let me off my leash in 2014, part of my return to PP will be a trip to see her orphanage and make a small donation. Plenty of time for bar hopping and other indulgences once I get that out of the way. The OP could do a lot worse.

Is 'Cosmopolitan' a similar euphemism to 'confirmed bachelor' ? Better yet, 'highly eccentric confirmed bachelor' ?

(not that there is ANYTHING wrong with that ! Some of my best friends are confirmed bachelors)

The only way this differs from a vice-related murder in Oz is that the Police here would spend a little more time and effort investigating the murder - even that is a recent development. For years, cops in several states didnt seem too put out by the death of a pimp/junkie/hooker - one less set of paperwork each month.

Fingers crossed it goes down the same route in the near future. Would be nice to get more bhat for my pound next time I holiday there. Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

I wish for no such thing - the strong economy and full employment gives various political agitators in Thailand a whole lot less to work with. We aren't allowed to talk about the elephant in the room here, but when the inevitable does happen, I don't want to be in Thailand - esp if the economy is in the toilet. Having more baht in your pocket is absolutely useless if they blockade the airports.

Not sure what's going on over there, but it must be abysmal. The AUD strengthened against the USD/baht overnight, on the back of better employment numbers released yesterday. In other news, the Federal government here basically imploded, publicly and spectacularly: The country is effectively being run by a group of stooges who know their days are numbered - many wont even have seats after the September election - but the currency market ignored that in favour of those employment numbers. I guess a leaking roof doesn't seem so bad when the houses around yours have been flattened in a cyclone ...

http://www.news.com.au/national-news/leadership-live-prime-minister-julia-gillard-elected-unopposed-in-labor-leadership-ballot/story-fncynjr2-1226602153908

Our media did the only thing it could do - despatched a reporter to LAX to ask Ellen Degeneres her opinion on the basis that Ellen was about to board a jet to fly to Australia. It's a shame they couldn't find Kim Kardashian ...

In summary:

- our government is a joke

- our manufacturing industry is largely in tatters

- our mainstream media couldn't find their butts with both hands

- tourism operators have been crying into their cafe lattes for years

For all that, our dollar is close to it's all-time high against the USD at 1.044 : Clearly, the currency market reacts to business confidence, and I'm sure there is no shortage of that in Thailand (and the other Asian Tigers) atm. Thailand may have it's share of problems - no argument - but the people who actually run the factories don't seem too concerned : something for the conspiracy theorists to consider before they start ranting about 'big players seem to be manipulating the strength of the baht'.

Interesting that no-one mentioned the traffic in Chonburi City, or the fact that it's the centre of an industrial hub. I'm all for exploring new possibilities, but most of the expats who live there seem to be there because its close to work - they aren't there for the views.

Sigh - the endless negativity and self-doubt - might be time folk gazed at a more inspiring graph or two:

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=AUD&to=IDR&view=10Y

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=AUD&to=MYR&view=10Y

Of course, prices have risen in both countries over the last 10 years, but I'll take what I can get. Ultimately, there's only one graph that really matters, and ironically it's the one graph where we want to see their currency getting stronger against ours:

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=AUD&to=CNY&view=10Y

China has gone to great pains to keep the Yuan artificially weak to protect its own export markets - big flow-on impacts for everyone here when that changes.

Yawn - the same conspiracy theories that were debunked in the 4 or 5 'THB vs GBP' threads - that Thailand is somehow responsible for this 'mysteriously strong baht'. Couldn't have anything to do with gross financial mismanagement and political inaction in Europe/UK or the US, could it ? Just the usual foaming at the mouth without a single link to any trade figures showing that 'Thailand is suffering'. If I had to guess who is doing the 'suffering', Thailand wouldn't be in my top 3 atm - time to pack those bags for PI, lads. That, or suck it up. Your choice.

I don't see anyone questioning productivity in S Korea or Indonesia, but somehow the Thais are seen as incapable of doing anything beyond popping the top off a bottle of Chang. I'd suggest that it might be time to change the focus back to the gutless politicians who have colluded with bankers and developers to bring Western economies to their current nadir - last time I checked, not one of those politicians was Thai.

If I'm going to lie awake at night wondering about economic fundamentals, it wont be Thailand - a major downturn in China would be catastrophic for Australia's economy. Our exchange rate with the THB would be the least of our problems - without jobs, none of us could even get on a plane. Think happy thoughts.

http://www.infochoice.com.au/banking/savings-account/rams/rams-saver/24819

I like the idea that I can spend my days and nights doing something other than scouring rows of data on a laptop, but that's just me. For some, I suspect that the prospect of Forex or share trading is as much about finding something to fill in their days when they retire - fortunately, I've discovered fast women and slow horses.

Thanks for that link. Are those Gov't. insured accounts ? Is it the same as the USA, where the FDIC will always pay back your money if there is a problem?

No - RAMS is a non-bank lender and not covered by the Federal Government's Guarantee scheme from what I can see on this page:

http://www.guaranteescheme.gov.au/guaranteed-liabilities/

I don't believe this scheme was ever designed to do anything more than assure Australians with bank accounts that they weren't going to wake up to the same headlines as those seen in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Any investment - however 'low risk' - needs to be researched thoroughly. I posted that link after someone mentioned earlier that his friend is getting 5% pa in Oz - when the Bank of England is no longer seen as 'impregnable', I dont see any investment as 100% risk free.

http://www.infochoice.com.au/banking/savings-account/rams/rams-saver/24819

I like the idea that I can spend my days and nights doing something other than scouring rows of data on a laptop, but that's just me. For some, I suspect that the prospect of Forex or share trading is as much about finding something to fill in their days when they retire - fortunately, I've discovered fast women and slow horses.

Thanks for that link. Are those Gov't. insured accounts ? Is it the same as the USA, where the FDIC will always pay back your money if there is a problem?

No - RAMS is a non-bank lender and not covered by the Federal Government's Guarantee scheme from what I can see on this page:

http://www.guaranteescheme.gov.au/guaranteed-liabilities/

I don't believe this scheme was ever designed to do anything more than assure Australians with bank accounts that they weren't going to wake up to the same headlines as those seen in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Any investment - however 'low risk' - needs to be researched thoroughly. I posted that link after someone mentioned earlier that his friend is getting 5% pa in Oz - when the Bank of England is no longer seen as 'impregnable', I dont see any investment as 100% risk free.

http://www.infochoice.com.au/banking/savings-account/rams/rams-saver/24819

I like the idea that I can spend my days and nights doing something other than scouring rows of data on a laptop, but that's just me. For some, I suspect that the prospect of Forex or share trading is as much about finding something to fill in their days when they retire - fortunately, I've discovered fast women and slow horses.

Thanks for that link. Are those Gov't. insured accounts ? Is it the same as the USA, where the FDIC will always pay back your money if there is a problem?

No - RAMS is a non-bank lender and not covered by the Federal Government's Guarantee scheme from what I can see on this page:

http://www.guaranteescheme.gov.au/guaranteed-liabilities/

I don't believe this scheme was ever designed to do anything more than assure Australians with bank accounts that they weren't going to wake up to the same headlines as those seen in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Any investment - however 'low risk' - needs to be researched thoroughly. I posted that link after someone mentioned earlier that his friend is getting 5% pa in Oz - when the Bank of England is no longer seen as 'impregnable', I dont see any investment as 100% risk free.

TO FDOG

i can just imagine you going to the police station and say ."please officer the shop down the road did not want to serve me "next you will ask them to tuck you in at night time .

Kevvy, the whole 'get the Police involved thing' was my reference to what I would say to Chinese shop owner in Sydney who refused to serve me for no apparent reason - as several have pointed out, Thailand isnt Sydney and I accept that. Any chance we could move on, or would you rather just continue mocking those of us who accept that some countries dont allow blatant discrimination on the basis of race ? The tourist Police in Pattaya intervene constantly in disputes between bars and patrons, but clearly it wouldnt happen at 3pm in CentralWorld - I get that.

Given that I started this thread hoping to elicit a few 'yeah, it happens, but mai pen rai' or 'no, never happened to me' responses, some of the agendas in this thread have just totally blindsided me - live and learn. Anything that gives people an avenue for Thai bashing clearly isnt a good idea.

Caught a bus from Patts back to Swampy last Feb and had the misfortune to find myself sitting near two Poms who spent the entire trip - and I mean every minute - bitching about the number of Russian tourists at their hotel and everywhere they went in Pattaya. They bitched about the signs in Russian, about the Thais speaking Russian, and on and bloody on. The cracker came towards the end of this interminable trip when one Pom turned to the other and said 'Mate, if it's like this next time, I wont be coming back to Pattaya !'. The definition of insanity is repeating an identical sequence and expecting a different result, but that was lost on my Brit friends - they were clearly in 'the zone' and loving every minute of it. Intensely glad I wasnt on the same flight.

Yup - anal probes of the morbidly obese : just when I thought this thread couldnt get any worse, it did.

http://www.infochoice.com.au/banking/savings-account/rams/rams-saver/24819

I like the idea that I can spend my days and nights doing something other than scouring rows of data on a laptop, but that's just me. For some, I suspect that the prospect of Forex or share trading is as much about finding something to fill in their days when they retire - fortunately, I've discovered fast women and slow horses.

LoL @ "my analysis" ...you mean "my thoughts"

I don't even claim they are my thoughts - the voices often tell me to 'kill them - kill them all !'

I wonder how many of you miserable bastards grew up with parents who bitched endlessly about the people around them - seems to be a national sport in the UK and we aren't a whole lot better here in Oz. I don't have any kids to torture, but sadly some here do. .

Gotta love the people who 'hate Thais but love Thailand'. Must live in a hut deep in the jungle somewhere. With an internet connection.

Laugh if you must naam, but my analysis happens to be shared by folk with a lot of letters after their names, and not all of those designations amount to 'SOB'

Wild broad-brush predictions that make no allowances for the fact that Thailand has significant infrastructure which Vietnam does not. As for the Chinese tourist thing, why would you 'fear for Thailand' if more tourists are on their way ? Xenophobic, IMO.

Mr. Worldwide, can you name the places you have actually lived in? Presently, I live in China, for 3 years now, so can I speak about anything Chinese with more authority than you? you bet. If you actually need me to explain what I meant, then you don't know much about China. But you ask and I can inform.

Wait - I have to *live* in China to question the statement 'I fear for Thailand', prefaced by a 'he he' ? Clearly, that trip to Guilin was a total waste of time - all those folk going about their business was just a smokescreen for the Yellow Horde massing at the border. Thanks for the heads up - I'll stay away from that nasty Thailand for the next 50 or so years.

Just not sure what was wrong with the other Cyprus thread - did we really need a second ?

You bought something in a Shop? I read One Time The Indian Orient carpet dealers, most of them have a black market device to Copy the card ! In the eu I have protection in my homecountry , also when someone take my money during withdrawal ! The insurance does not cover a street thiefs that take your bag, only under life danger! I must ask my bank about this kind of protection outside Europe! But a good advice go to the counter directly with your passport , and ask for Visa cash coasts around 5€ for one time use!

Strange place to buy something, you're right, in a shop!

You should change your TV name to" Sandman77!", or are your keyboard full stop and exclamation mark keys interlinked?

I have some other suggestions for a more appropriate board name, but I expect that I would be booted if I made them public.