TheSiemReaper

Vietnamese women are not at all embarrassed to be with foreigners. It's the only place I've ever been in Asia where they were also keen to be a financial equal and would pay for food, drinks, etc. too. Yes, there are fewer "English speakers" in Vietnam but those who do speak English tend to speak it to a much higher standard than most Thais. The only issue I had was that they all seemed to want to get married after spending a week with you.

Stay away from the tourist traps of Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien and you'll find a city where no-one wants to cheat you at all. I have never lived anywhere with such low prices and honest people. Even my Chinese wife was stunned by their honesty (privately admitting that she didn't understand why they didn't cheat her as had the positions been reversed the Chinese would have cheated them).

I've lived in Cambodia, Vietnam and China as well as Thailand.

1. Cambodia - easiest visas in the region, beer and smokes cheapest in region, availability of Western products is good, electronics are cheapest in the region. The downsides are that good quality accommodation is expensive and electricity is hellishly expensive. English is spoken in most big cities and usually of a higher standard than in Thailand but out in the sticks... not a word of English to be found most of the time. The people are friendly but petty crime is the national sport and both street theft and burglary are as common as muck. Violent crime is comparatively rare though. No 90 day reporting or indeed any kind of reporting. Can start a business easily. Overstay is no big deal.

2. Vietnam - visas are a bit of a pain. Book business visa through company online for 3 months but arrive by air, renew twice (progressively more expensive) and then leave and fly back and start again. Friendly, honest people outside of tourist hotspots where they are vultures. Beer and smokers are cheaper than Thailand. Girly bars, for those who care, are very different to the rest of the region - you cannot take a girl out of the bar except at closing time (2 a.m. ish) and in most cases you will need to book her for another day and pay through the nose for her company in a short-time hotel. Having said that, Vietnamese girls like foreigners and there is zero shame in being with one - it's the only place in the region where girls regularly bought me drinks rather than the other way round. However... most tried to close getting married in the first week of dating. Accommodation is on a par with Thailand in terms of cost, electricity is also about the same. Street crime in tourist areas is rife. Violent crime is rare. 90 day reporting is required but often can managed by your landlord if you live in a decent building. Overstay will get you in a ton of trouble and banned from the country.

3. China - visas are easy but expensive (find a local broker). It is much more expensive than SE Asia for most things though beer and smokes are still cheaper than Thailand. Accommodation is cramped and often roach infested for much more money than here. Expat areas are few and far between. Women are the best on earth but there is a small but significant segment of the local population which is rude, dirty and generally unpleasant. English is rarely spoken anywhere. (Despite 400 million people learning English at the moment). Electricity is cheap. Internet is cheap and excellent. Petty crime is common and crimes often turn violent. Must report to police within 24 hours of entering the country, or if you check into any accommodation which is not a hotel. Overstay is expensive and will get you in a ton of trouble.

It was used very briefly following the fall as the VC mopped up in the South but it wasn't used much and is still, supposedly, in the same state as it was the day that Saigon fell. The intention was to demonstrate that they didn't need the trappings of wealth that the vanquished did. It's telling that when the palace was surrendered the VC that it was surrendered to is supposed to have said; "You cannot give, what does not belong to you."

I have a 70D and a 6D and a bunch of lenses. The big question is what do you want to shoot, followed by - do you need full frame?

If it's just a holiday/snapshots camera - any of the XXX D series will be fine. Pick the one you like best by weight and feel.

If you are looking to transition to something a bit more than that - a XX D series should be fine. Pick based on your needs for video, low light, frame rate, etc.

If you want to shoot like a pro - an X D series will do the job. The 6D offering a nice entry level to full frame, the 5D offering 3 options for more discerning photographers and the 1D being the best camera of them all (with a nice price tag to match) but it's an essential for pro-sports photography, wildlife photography, etc.

So if you can't think of any reason to work here, what do you care what the salaries are or aren't? The whole haze/pollution thing is really not the issue that a few big babies make it out to be. But again what do you care? You're not coming here, you've made up your mind, why ask at all? Stick to Isaan. It's very nice there and those of us who spend any time at Chiang Mai immigration will be grateful for one less person in the queue.

Throughout the region, not just Thailand, ladyboys may be common but they aren't treated well by society at all. Look at their portrayal on local television - either fat jokes or stunning deceitful scum, no reflection on reality at all. Many are rejected by their families (thanks mainly to American cultural influences - it wasn't always that way but it is now). The vast majority don't steal to pay for surgery; instead they take enormous and foolish risks to get cheap surgery instead. I know a ladyboy in Bangkok who had her boobs put in under a local anesthetic and who was thrown out of the surgery 10 minutes after the stitches were complete. I know one in Chiang Mai who is saving a pair of second hand implants (e.g. they've been removed from someone else who wanted an upgrade on her boobs) to have those inserted when she can afford surgery and so on.

But the Philippines is way, way worse than Indochina for ladyboys. The vast majority cannot afford surgery of any kind. They are violently discriminated against not just by family but in many cases - absolutely everyone. The lead story is quite right to be amazed at what has happened and it's a testament to people being better than their culture, legal system, etc. allow for.

Ladies and gentlemen. Let's introduce the members of the Chiang Mai Thaivisa forum, who would have thought we had so many would-be Rosa Parks among us? People who cannot tell the difference between nationalism and racism but are willing to endlessly moan about the state of affairs on Thaivisa (a forum so influential that it shapes exactly no public policy in Thailand whatsoever) about it anyway.

Those unable to spot the insane advantages that every single expat has over the AVERAGE Thai person. That's the average Thai person who will never be able to afford a plane ticket to your country, the average Thai person who even if they were foolish enough to pay for a visa would be turned down immediately by your immigration authorities, etc. Those people who are discriminated against both economically and straight up racially are denying you, your right to a discount on entry fees to attractions? Get over yourselves already.

Every nation in the world is entitled to discriminate in favor of its own citizens and every single one of them does. That's not racist, it's a perk of being a citizen. Those of us working or retiring in Thailand are not citizens. There is an expectation that you will leave one day. If you want the discounts, jump through the hoops and get a Thai passport, don't qualify for a passport? Then you don't get the discounts. Pretty simple. It is 100% impractical to gauge people's incomes when applying this policy - so it works on the simple idea that the AVERAGE Thai is poorer than the average foreign tourist. And yes, even if you've lived here 40 years - when you visit a site of natural heritage, if you don't have a Thai passport, you're a foreign tourist. Expecting foreign tourists to pay more for the upkeep of tourist sites seems incredibly practical to me and saves on taxing Thai people (and foreign earners) to pay for the upkeep of such heritage by collecting fees from those who use that heritage and exempting those who do not.

Yay, another Thai Visa thread with desperately sad people moaning about the occasional 50 baht price difference. "It's the principle"; they cry. What they mean is; "I'm cheap and that's the principle but I am never, ever going to admit that so I have to pretend it's a stand against racism instead." You might try examining the hoops that the average Thai has to jump through just to get a visa to your own country (and the additional cost and effort compared to the Westerner entering Thailand) and see that a tiny fee here and there is nothing at all to get upset about. But you're cheap, so you won't.

I wouldn't call myself cheap. Like most anyone else, when I go shopping I like a bargain. How about you? Does that make you cheap?

However, I'm not looking for a bargain here. I, as well as many others, have lived and worked here for a very long time. We pay taxes; a lot of taxes in some cases. We think the least we could be afforded is entrance to national parks at the fair rate. I'm not demanding it and I don't think not being admitted to the national parks at the Thai rate fits the definition of racism. It's just not fair because a portion of our taxes go for keeping up those parks I would think.

For those of us who share a similar view, I wouldn't say we are desperate or sad. It is "the principal". Your altruistic view on the subject holds about as much water as a thimble.

True enough, there are hoops to jump through for Thais who want to go to my country. What's that got to do with the price of fertilizer? When a Thai is successful at getting into my country, they can work in any job they are qualified to do, own land, build a house in their name, collect unemployment & social security, their children can collect social security if the bread winner is disabled or passes away, they won't be subjected to double pricing, they can go to public schools where they will actually learn something, in most cases, like how to find other countries on a map. And they don't have to worry about reporting in every 90 days. This is just a partial list of positives for Thais living legally in my country.

Oh, and I don't go to the national parks here very often. Not because I can't afford it. I just don't think they are worth the price of admission.

Yup, it's definitely worth getting worked up over that 50 baht. Do you realize that the time you put into typing that paragraph could have been used to earn a few more $ and then you wouldn't need to whine about it any more? You'd have the money to pay.

I'd love to know which country allows a foreigner with a work permit to just switch to "any job they are qualified to do" - mine, the UK, certainly doesn't. You don't get a "get employed anywhere" permit, Thais get a "as long as you keep this job - you can stay" work permit. Admittedly, our own countries tend to be better about the "live here for 7 years... apply for citizenship" rule but they certainly do not extend benefits, voting rights, etc. to non-citizens on work permits. This is the lie that people tell themselves regarding overseas immigrants. (They're not only stealing "all our jobs" but somehow "all our benefits" too when neither is the truth).

Many European countries require registration and police station reporting and so on... and that's just for other EU member nations' citizens.

People who get hung up on 50 baht will go to any length to justify their cheapness as long as it never requires acknowledging that cheapness.

Yay, another Thai Visa thread with desperately sad people moaning about the occasional 50 baht price difference. "It's the principle"; they cry. What they mean is; "I'm cheap and that's the principle but I am never, ever going to admit that so I have to pretend it's a stand against racism instead." You might try examining the hoops that the average Thai has to jump through just to get a visa to your own country (and the additional cost and effort compared to the Westerner entering Thailand) and see that a tiny fee here and there is nothing at all to get upset about. But you're cheap, so you won't.

11 days notice is pretty good. I don't think you'd get compensation anywhere for a flight cancelled that far in advance.

I see bribery as part of the South East Asia experience and a sensible way to avoid paperwork and hassle. Who would you rather support; a policeman's family or a faceless system? It's an easy choice to make.

Can't say as I am rite but isn't the policemen out doing the traffic work fairly low on a wage scale plus they have to buy their guns and uniforms. If they would raise the tax a bit they could probably pay them a decent salary and pay their clothes and guns. Not sure on that. I know at the higher levels they make good money.

Not sure about that either. I have heard it said that they have to pay to get the promotions. Not saying it is wrong it is just different than what they do back home.

Yes, lower ranks do have to pay for their own kit. Not sure about "higher levels making good money" though; during the Bangkok bombing - the police chief who coughed up a very substantial reward (which would then be awarded to the police themselves) was earning... $1,250 a month. Not exactly a huge sum is it?

Hilarious to see the vile sexpats like Siam Raper and amexpat coming out from under their collective rocks like the cockroaches they are,with nothing more constructive to add than ad hominem attacks in their alcoholic hazes of rage and indignation.Siem Raper is that what they call you in Boyztown,as they spot your morbidly obese,lumbering,slovenly shadow once more and feel the ground shaking like a buffalo stampede heading their way for some back door action again?

You're a sad person. I genuinely pity you.

Book via their website or app. Pay for ticket in 7-11. Don't worry about trying to buy a ticket in the bus station. Easiest way.

Although 7/11 will charge B 30 for each segment so there and back B60 .When you get to the bus station you still need to go to the ticket counter to get your official ticket .

Yes, there's a tiny fee to pay in 7-11. Though you only pay once. No, you don't need to go to a ticket counter to get an official ticket. Done it many times. Never been to any counter whatsoever.

You use your internet booking print on A4 paper ,whatever ,to show the driver ?..And a B60 total fee from 7/11 there and back (B30 each way ) i class as substantial .

No. You use the ticket which is the 7-11 receipt. If you count a sum of less than $1 as substantial I can only pity you.

Book via their website or app. Pay for ticket in 7-11. Don't worry about trying to buy a ticket in the bus station. Easiest way.

Although 7/11 will charge B 30 for each segment so there and back B60 .When you get to the bus station you still need to go to the ticket counter to get your official ticket .

Yes, there's a tiny fee to pay in 7-11. Though you only pay once. No, you don't need to go to a ticket counter to get an official ticket. Done it many times. Never been to any counter whatsoever.

"True love" is the fantasy of children and those who have failed to move past their childhood. Real love is the product of years of work, shared responsibility and mutual affection. Everyone, everywhere is capable of that - though many seem to choose not to rise to the challenge.

I think I'd buy all of my wife rather than just her hand. Though I admire a little kink in people's lives this seems to take it to extremes.

I like the fact that the list of "tourist hotspots" above are all, in essence, red light districts. Being outraged by the cost of a pint and prostitution = move to the Philippines? We can only pity the poor Filipinos on the receiving end of the bargain basement brothel crawler. The only time I pay "the price of a pint in London" here is in a 5 star hotel or a very upmarket bar and I'm drinking a pint... from London. I particularly like the idea that we should move to Makati to buy designer clothes (at insane prices) in order to refuse to pay more than $2 for a Singha. Congratulations you're a credit to humanity.

I see bribery as part of the South East Asia experience and a sensible way to avoid paperwork and hassle. Who would you rather support; a policeman's family or a faceless system? It's an easy choice to make.

Cambodia's dentists, which are excellent (unlike all other forms of healthcare in that country), will happily get you baked on whatever you need to get your teeth done. It's also cheaper than Thailand.

​Actually the draught Guinness here (at least in the Red Lion Pub ) is pretty good .Its true though that the best Guinness in the World is the one you get in pubs in Ireland .

I must assume you've not had Guinness in Nigeria.

I used to live in Nigeria. Anything which takes away the pain of living in Nigeria tastes great. You'd be absolutely thrilled by the taste of aftershave if you were there long enough and that was the only alcohol you could find.

Book via their website or app. Pay for ticket in 7-11. Don't worry about trying to buy a ticket in the bus station. Easiest way.

The roads on the Cambodian side are perfectly drive-able - I've done that trip more than 50 times now. But it is only $25 in a taxi too...

I'll be fair though from Chiang Mai flying is a much better option. Why give up a day of your life on dangerous roads when you could be there in 1/4 of the time and be having fun doing something safer; like skydiving or Russian roulette?

Congratulations to the OP you appear to have brought out an incredible level of daftness in the comparison of two nations; let racism rule eh? The Philippines is not the crime capital of the world nor is Thailand the promised land. While there are parts of the Philippines which are crime ridden danger zones; there are parts which are no more worrisome than a trip to Tesco back home too. Conversely while Thailand may be generally safer when it comes to street crime - when Thais go mad, it leads to a higher murder and crime rate (partly due to Thailand's endless appealing [as opposed to appeal] to foreign visitors).

The best comparisons of places to live aren't based on others' histrionics but rather on what you need from a place. There are good reasons to prefer to Manila to Chiang Mai and vice-versa. And many reasons to prefer one part of a country over another in a different country. Yes, Thailand attracts more retirees. That is people with nothing but time (and rarely money) on their hands. They are whining, complaining gits in the main and make Thailand seem snowed under with misery but the truth is that it's quite pleasant here and you don't have to mix with expats unless you want to. There are many hi-so Thais (and indeed middle and lower class) who speak great English but the whiners will never give them a chance to demonstrate that (they've judged and found wanting everyone they have never spoken to based on a conversation with a taxi driver on their first day in country). And so on...

Don't choose based on forum recommendations. Spend a couple of months here and then decide if you like it more or less than where you are now. It is the only rational thing to do.

The airline is usually a better guide to check in times than the destination. Usually it's 2 hours before at CNX for international flights; however, if you are flying with an airline which keeps a counter open all the time - they may let you check in earlier. If you're flying with Air Asia... it's normally 90 minutes before at CNX despite the claim of 2 hours on the tickets...