RikDao

Yo cuz, given it a little thought and come to the only possible conclusion, I think: it's your nose, definitely, your nose, cuz.

Isn't this thread all a bit ironic being posted on a web form?

where would you suggest he post it, letters to the editor of the post?

Hahahah! I think the key word here is "ironic," which you seemed to miss, sam.

having a abundance of shopping malls in c/mai is no different to the following

7/11..hairdressers...new cars..tuk tuks..red taxis.. noodle shops.. restaruants..condos ..moo baans.. massage shops....bars..coffee shops..tour operators..golf courses

thats off the top,of my good looking melon,

simply no logic, but they keep tumbling in like oranges,

but if you look to makros,testcos,rimpings,big c new car franchises etc etc. only open at selected venues,where they can vialibly trade at a nice profit

my guess to the o/p that the malls are backed by black money,and i will leave it at that

Hahahahahahah! Wow! I'm laughing out loud because I agree with everything on this post, everything!

Time for a Joke here, made up by me:

Q: Hey, know why those upscale malls are so clean?

A: Cause of all the laundering going on.

Hahahahahahah! There's no other answer!

i like the idea of the bike ride. no divide there

except your bum crack and nads being pushed apart...

Clearly you are not perched properly upon your saddle or wearing the proper apparel.

Hey OP, nice, thoughtful, interesting post. (BTW, I used to love hardcore mountain biking, and when I figured out how to ride properly, I was rarely in the saddle).

I've found that plenty of old farangs (I'm one) in my lil neighborhood in Chiang Mai are sad, isolated, lonely, and grumpy. This was a shock to me, naturally friendly fellow that I am. At first, I wondered if it was something I said or did. Then I realized that some of these guys are just that way with (almost) everyone, that not all of them are that way, and I gradually started meeting some nice people.

Another important point: I don't drink alcohol, and I love to get outside in the morning. A lot of these curmudgeons drink in the evening, in fact, most of them need to be drinking to be comfortable with other humans, and when morning rolls around, they have miserable hangovers. Yo, no wonder they're unhappy! Sitting in the hot sun along the soi, drinking lousy coffee, pretty girls walking by and the poor guys don't even have the energy to look at them, the last thing they might want to do is be friendly to other farangs.

In my first couple of years here, when I was more likely to actually meet farang persons, I would routinely ask them if they spent any time on ThaiVisa.com. The routine answer was: ThaiVisa -- what's that?

So if so many farang persons don't know about it, I wonder why there would be any influence negative or otherwise among the general Thai population.

Der, duh: Facebook, Line, WeChat, etc, who knows how many Thai sites and forums, smart phones, email and the internet in general? Ummm, dunno when your "first couple of years here" was, but it's possible things have changed a tad, eh? What's more, if the "farang persons" you talk about were as quick-witted as some of the farangs on TV today, it's not surprising they hadn"t heard of it.

I haven't read all the replies to my OP, and probably won't, but it seems clear that, as usual, few farangs have a clue what Thais think about this subject, and possibly what they really think about anything else.

Good to know because every now and then I get the insane thought of moving back myself.

OP, looks like you made a mistake, but you can correct it. Believe me, you're not the only one.

Mistake is right. I live around Americans now. What a bunch of ... well, can't post it here. These people are mildly annoying. If you like living around boring, LOUD, bible reading, fast food eating patriots who've never set food outside their own country, America is the place for you. Unfortunately, I'm not in those categories.

They're not all like that, not by a long shot. Of course it depends on where you are in America...

The trouble is, I disagree with the premise of what you suppose in the OP.

Apart from the usual argy bargy ... I have honestly never felt the 'negative vibes between Thais and Farangs'.

Maybe it's just me.

.

WHAAAA? 14,220 posts and you've never... Oh, skip it. I think what we have here is a failure to communicate.

I'm just tossing out a theory, not trying to blame anyone really. Maybe I should read my OP again...

But if I were compelled to blame someone, well, of course, I'd blame the silly FARANGS! Right?

(Yo, I sometimes think using the word "honestly" is a kind of, you know, red flag. Sorry. Although, honestly, I'm sure you're being truthful).

Not every poster to the General Forum is a Thai basher, not even close, but a lot of them are. (Early on, I myself made highly negative remarks about Thai drivers, for instance, but I've since changed my ways). Thais aren't dummies, and although they don't seem to spend a lot of time reading, they CAN read, and some can read English. Therefore, it might take only one or two Thais reading some of the negative stuff about them on here to turn to Facebook and tell all their friends. Then some of those folks spread it even further by word of mouth, so that soon even Grandmother hears about it, and so on down the line. I'm sure many of them are already annoyed by the fact that their economy has to rely on tourist and expat money so much, right? So they might even be looking for reasons to be annoyed.

So, when a Thai waitress doesn't smile at you, or a tradesman arrives three hours late, etc, maybe the whiners (whingers?) on theThaiVisa General Forum had something to do with it. After all, some people might have to hear only one or two stories about farangs posting negative crap about Thais to cause them to think all farangs think that way.

Finally, I understand that there are many, many other reasons for Thais and farangs to mistrust each other, of course, we all know that. But hey kids! Let's face it: there are UH LOT (as my Thai wife would say) of venting curmudgeons on here, some with legitimate issues, but many with very, very petty concerns.

Nuff said. It's 6am, and I'm ready to get rolling on into the beautiful day it's gonna be out there. 6am? Yep, you guessed it! I'm visiting the STATES for a while! (Love it here!) My wife says: Everyone has a car around here. Uh, yeah baby...

http://canada.siam-legal.com/Thailand-Retirement-Visa-for-Canadian-Citizens.php

The way I read it was you needed to have 800,000 baht to qualify for a 1 year visa... I was reading it as either 800,000 baht or 65,000 baht income per month. And low and behold 65,000 baht * 12 months = 780,000 baht.

Personally I would recommend keeping some of your money in Thailand and some of the money in your home country in a different bank account where you can transfer money back and forth as necessary. Ya know, just in case a bank fails somewhere...

Huh? Yo, nobody ain't gonna be transferrin' no money fum no fail bank, y'all.

Admittedly,part of my problem or phobia is my mail situation. Although I do online bill paying, I am still very reticent to go completely computer since I have an aversion to possible hackers and malware, etc. I am very organized and need a place where my mail is delivered to so upon my return back to the USA I can go through it and sort it out. The thought of having my mail forwarded to Thailand is not very palpable to me and would worry about lost or stolen mail. I am in the process of trying to establish a situation whereby I can stay in Thailand for upwards of 8 months at a clip and then go back to the USA to get my mail, do my taxes, maybe work a little bit, see my friends and relatives a bit and then get ready to head back to Thailand for another 8 months or so. I want to dump my condo because I don't relish the thought of paying condo fees, taxes, insurance, etc on a place that is vacant for 8 months at a clip. Renting it out doesn't sound practical since it would be hard to find someone for that limited duration. I don't want to completely divest myself of any ties to the USA since my excellent health insurance coverage is only good in the USA. Anyway I appreciate the feedback and need to resolve my situation so I can enjoy Thailand for 8 months or so every year.

Mail forwarding and physical address: www.escapees.com. I forward everything registered mail and nothing sent that way has been lost. Not all that expensive. All my US mail goes there and that is my "official" US address for voting, US driver license, bank address, etc. Texas address so no state income tax.

Package forwarding: www.shipito.com. I order multiple packages from various online vendors and have them consolidated and shipped to Thailand. No problem except ever since January 2014 the packages stay in customs for 10 days or so here in Thailand.

I can track all forwarded mail and packages online.

Skype online US number for $60 per year.

All in all, lots cheaper than keeping a residence there. When I go back, which is less and less, I get a hotel or stay with relatives.

Hey, thanks for this info, mesquite. I'm new in Thailand, in my first year anyway, and I'm also nervous about mail, etc.

And thanks to OP for bringing up this subject. Sometimes I'm a bit shy about posting questions like this on TV because I don't care for a lot of the dripping sarcasm, such as "Oh, this thread again???" (But then, I'm guilty of sarcasm meself now and then, mainly when the OP is obviously from England, the "Mother Country." (Sarcasm, that! Love England!))

Haven't been to China so I dunno (from experience) what they would do there, traffic-wise. But I bet one of the reasons there are so many of them in Chiang Mai is Facebook, and I bet they post stuff like "Hey, in Thailand you can just walk across the street without even looking and the Thais will stop for you, something we would never do in Shanghai."

Maybe similar to what the Scots think of the English or the Canadians think of the yanks.

Oh, you mean jealous? That's possible...

Or maybe feeling guilty about being protected by their more advanced neighbors to the south, and still complaining.

Lived in wife's childhood home in a village near Phrae for 5 months. Beautiful area, and I bet the rice fields are amazing right now. There are a few nice wats around the area, but one of the most interesting places to visit is Baan Pratap Jai, which is a teakwood mansion made of abandoned wood brought in from other parts of Northern Thailand.

I'm OK with 'em. Economic opportunities, back Stateside anyway, are slim for many of them, so why not go out and see the world?

Hygiene? It's hard for me to tell. Lots of 'em just look like skinny, scruffy kids, and I have no idea how they smell.

I was lucky enough to spend 4 months in Kenya back in the glory days of '73, in my twenties. Lived like a king on $5 (black market rate) a day, traveled solo, interacted closely with the locals. Best time of my life. Lots of these kids today look a lot more nervous than we were back then, not sure why.

I would defo use one if I was homosexual, Iam not so I do not.

You sure you are not? You seem to know how/what they think.

Lets face it, Thai food is pretty darn good.  I reckon that country folk who grow up on copious amounts of spicy foods find the average western meal quite bland. I've got a theory that their taste buds have been dulled by all that chili. But I know just as many Thais who adore food from all over the world, eating local is their comfort food.

 

 

 

 

Umm, my wife makes and eats some horrendously spicy som tam type stuff, stuff which I find very tasty but can't eat comfortably because it burns my lips up. At any rate, she has the most sensitive palate of anyone I've ever known. She doesn't care for some of the western food I make because it messes with her digestion. Also, now and then I can score a pretty good Aussie or NZ steak at the store, but she doesn't like it because I cook it medium rare. "Cook all the way and I'll eat," she says. Sorry, baby. 

 

As usual, almost everything I've read in this and similar threads is fascinating. 

It's always good to hear from others with similar interests.

I grew up north of New York City near the Hudson Highlands, an area that played a key role during the Revolution.  History and the remains of it were a living presence, and I took a great interest in it, even as a child.

I feel the same way about Chiang Mai and Lanna T'ai. History is a living presence here also... as Faulkner said  "The past is never dead, it's not even past."

All the best.

 

Thanks. I'm from Texas, descended from two slave-owning families (father's father's and mother's mother's sides), but haven't taken too much interest in local history there. I know it's not fashionable to admit any connection with the abomination of slavery, but it's historical fact, and acting like it didn't exist by not talking about it isn't helping anything. Of course, talking about it doesn't help too much, either. Still, slavery exists in certain parts of the world today, even if the forms it's taken are decidedly different. 

At least I can say that Travis County (Austin, my home in the US) voted 2 to 1 NOT to join the Confederacy and fight in the Civil War. As we all know, they were in the minority state-wide. 

As usual, almost everything I've read in this and similar threads is fascinating. 

 

If you have a disposable income of $20,000 a month then Singapore is a good place to base yourself. You can have the best of both worlds - live in a safe, organized, clean, non-corrupt, English speaking environment, and still go to Thailand each weekend to indulge in all your humanly sins cheaply. Money makes a happy person in Singapore, unfortunately.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

If you have the money- no contest for Singapore.

20 years ago I'd have said Thailand, but the smile has gone long ago. However, Thailand is Singapore for poor guys and the pretty girls compensate for a lot. 

 

"the smile has gone long ago?" Sadly from your face, perhaps, and that really is sad. I see 'em plenty, and I show 'em a lot, too. Connection, maybe?

re

 

It cost nothing to smile,gives joy to the receiver and happiness from the giver.Try going back to the west and walk down "main street" and see how many smiles you receive!

 

i was in camp coffee shop in maya last week playing with / learning my new tab s and i saw two girls of about 14 keep looking at me and talking about me from another table a few feet away

 

about 5 minits later one came over and said can you tell me what tablet that is please mister so i told her

 

she asked me a few questions about it and said can i show it to my friend i said yes and gave it to her

 

she went back to her friend and they played with it as all teens do swiping here and there with lots of laughs and giggles like schoolgirls and 5 minits later she bought it back with the biggest smile ive ever seen and lots of thank you mister thank you mister and said you like cats

 

so i said yes ... how they found my cat pics file iin that time ive no idea but it didnt matter coz theres nothing bad in my computers

 

my point .... two schoolgirls in the west would never talk to an old man like me but here its ok and seeing these two laughing and giggling while they played on my tablet made my day

 

dave2

Wow, nice post. Made me break out in a wide smile. My wife goes: What you smiling, Honey? You chat with girlfriend???

Haven't been to Singapore, but I know the main reason why I'm in Thailand: the people. And yeah, of course, by "people" I mean women! Lol. No-brainer there! 

Other reasons, too. 

do what I did, shag yourself silly for the first 6 weeks or until it gets boring bedding different women and then settle down to a normal life as you would anywhere else

Thats pretty much how it went for me.

I moved straight into Pattaya. I had no idea what was to great me. but was emptying a load within 30 minutes of arrival. !!

Lol. If you're a good guy, just be yourself and things will be cool. If you're a revolting, misogynistic braggart, I have no advice for you.

You precious little darling RikDao, would you like a tissue to wipe the tear from your eye ?

I think you need all the tissue you can get, right by your bedside.

do what I did, shag yourself silly for the first 6 weeks or until it gets boring bedding different women and then settle down to a normal life as you would anywhere else

Thats pretty much how it went for me.

I moved straight into Pattaya. I had no idea what was to great me. but was emptying a load within 30 minutes of arrival. !!

Lol. If you're a good guy, just be yourself and things will be cool. If you're a revolting, misogynistic braggart, I have no advice for you.

Revolting, misogynistic braggarts are the single largest means of support for single mums in Thailand.

I have no advice for you.

do what I did, shag yourself silly for the first 6 weeks or until it gets boring bedding different women and then settle down to a normal life as you would anywhere else

Thats pretty much how it went for me.

I moved straight into Pattaya. I had no idea what was to great me. but was emptying a load within 30 minutes of arrival. !!

Lol. If you're a good guy, just be yourself and things will be cool. If you're a revolting, misogynistic braggart, I have no advice for you.

I like it fine. I call 'em farangs, too. My wife doesn't like "farang food," by and large, and I'm not too swift on a lot of "north food" dishes. We laugh about it, it's not a big deal at all. Maybe some Thais use the word impolitely, but I've never heard anyone sneer it at me. It will sound haughty of me, but I'm a confident person, so how could a silly thing like the "f" word brother me? It just doesn't. Farangs constantly putting Thailand down bothers me a LOT more.

Sent from my HTC One using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I believe in what i see. I'm 68 and still waiting to see a ghost, yet i've had young Thai's telling me they've seen lots of them. It's all in the mind and people will believe what they want to believe.

Implication being you don't believe in what you hear, touch, taste, smell? (Sorry, couldn't resist).

Often people believe what they're told to believe when they're little. I don't know much about the ghost thing in Thailand, but it would be nice to know that parents don't try to scare kids.