Colonel_Mustard

Everyones circumstances are different and this reflects in how they see and feel and talk about this place..what's the problem with that?

Someones 'milk and honey' vision isn't neccessarily the same as his neighbours is it?

Also at times relates directly to just how rose coloured the observer/commenters specs are.

I don't think expats, tourists and locals want "milk and honey." They just want what everywhere else in Thailand has, nothing more, nothing less.

We are all being held to ransom here by the "influential people."

You got it wrong... I never said that expats, tourists and locals want "milk and honey." i was saying that peoples interpretation of their lifestyle/surroundings can vary immensely..in that, say for eg, GOM may interpret his lifestyle/surroundings as being great ie ''milk and honey'' but his neighbour for example may hate his own lifestyle/surroundings.

Nothing at all to do with how you replied.

If you read some of the posts you will see that some people are perfectly happy with their lot here., which i feel is what GOM was saying in #70.....

I understand what you are saying.

Every morning I wake up, in good health, I'm happy for another day on this earth. If you have your health, you have everything. A good life can be viewed as simple as that. Saying that, people may view me as optimistic, although I sure many here see me as pessimistic.

Circumstances do change in life. Sometimes overnight, sometimes, over a longer period of time.

An example may be, today you are "perfectly happy with your lot" on Phuket, tomorrow, you find out they are building a pig farm next door to your house. So, you go from being happy on Phuket, to not so happy, now owning a worthless property, and you will have to move and buy again.

Another example, applicible to all of us here, is, you are riding your motorbike along, doing the right thing, and then you are hit by a drunk tourist, causing serious injury to yourself. Surely, you would have to think the lack of transport on Phuket had a role to play in your accident. If you were to interview the drunk tourist and ask. "Why were you riding drunk?" If they reply, "Because the tuk-tuks are too expensive" - maybe the transport issue on Phuket is now well and truly in your face, as you lay in hospital. Sure, this does not diminish the culpability of the drunk tourist, but the transport issue here has now affected "your lot in life" here, through no fault of your own.

There's been many complaints, recently, of lengthy black outs on Phuket. I haven't had them here in Patong. Should my attitude be, who cares, it doesn't effect me, therefore, I am "happy with my lot" on Phuket, in relation to electric supply, when a short distance away, electric is going down for hours, regularly?

There seems to be a general attitude of, "It doesn't effect me, so I don't care" here on Phuket, despite the motorbike example a gave above, that it could happen to anyone, anytime.

Years ago, many came here with the "TIT" (This Is Thailand) attitude. We all had a laugh at things and simply just put it down to "TIT." Most were "happy with their lot" on Phuket back then. Slowly, we discovered it wasn't TIT, it was "influential people" that have created such negative change on Phuket, and they continue to do so, unabated.

I would suggest, that "negative change" effects us all here, therefore, effecting our "happiness with our lot in life" here, and those negative changes keep happening, in the short term, and the long term here, and will continue to change one's attitude and perspective of Phuket, to the point of tourists will not come here and expats ill move away from.

I think that is a rather poor example to be honest. Tourists CAN afford taxis and tuk tuks here and there are plenty of drunken accidents in places with cheaper transport. I am also sure you could have a pig farm built next to you in other provinces too.

You keep going on about negative change but that's always been perceived to be the case. When I came here 12 years ago, there were people who had been here 10 years already and they complained about how things had changed negatively.

As I have stated previously some of the changes have a slightly negative impact on my life but many of the changes have had a positive impact, so for me Phuket is overall a better place to live than it used to be as it is for many other people too.

Alice in Wonderland was great, the Mad Hater, CheshireCat, brillliant characters.

The point I was making is that True are not the best at movies and no doubt other channels.

I don't find True to be as bad as many make out and a comparison of CTH and True for anything other than football, comes out heavily in True's favour, all of course IMHO.

When I lived on Phuket I tried to compromise in a way by living near the Heroines monument in a Thai subdivision. It was quiet and I had some of the finest neighbors I have ever had. But to get to anywhere from there for shopping, school at Darasamut, trips to Villa, I had to do a lot of driving. The traffic eventually became too stressful for me so I escaped to Krabi a little over a year ago. Here the traffic is very minimal, one can actually relax a little and "cruise". This is a very different lifestyle but so far the peace and quiet has been very therapeutic for me and my family. My trips over to Villa every month or two tend to overwhelmingly support my decision to move. Last month the traffic seemed to have doubled on Phuket. Krabi is not the answer for all of the ills found in Thailand, but for me it was a good move, and that is what I like. To each his own... I can also relate to the needs you have now as we all get a bit older almost every day. Good luck with whatever direction suits YOU.

I quite like Krabi too and if I were retired and without kids, it's a place that I might consider. However, it lacks a lot of facilities that I need right now such as decent schooling, shopping etc.

A lot of people talk about Phuket being worse than it used to be but for my life it's actually got better overall with more facilities and a wider range of options and activities for the kids to do. Having said that I do understand why that those who don't need such things and are just looking for a quiet and cheap life are looking elsewhere.

less tourists coming from bad publicity =cheaper prices, I dont know why everyone is complaining

According to TAT, there are continually more tourists coming.

I have yet to find an effective putting teacher here. I would love to find one though.

Double pricing..Price for Thais and a Very Unfair Price for X Pats that live here....

Not everyone lives in Pattaya or Phuket. Never been falang priced...where I live but then it's worth knowing what things are worth.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

While it's obviously true that not everyone lives in Phuket or Pattaya, this is the Phuket forum and dual pricing exists all over Thailand (unless you have a Thai driver's license which makes it generally a non-issue).

Just saw Superman and it was great! Might go back tomorrow and see it again in 3D.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I saw it in 3D today and wasn't impressed (not because of the 3D but the film itself) but each to his own.

Zombie movie?

Must be aimed at juveniles, then.

Will give it a big miss.

Also give after Earth a miss, a poor film and the acting by Will Smiths son leaves a lot to be desired!

My family and I quite enjoyed it and while it isn't going to win any awards or stagger you with its depth we all preferred it to the new Supeman film that we watched today.

@NKM

I believe you are correct that some businesses are hurting but where I differ is that I believe others are booming. The change in demographic to Russian and Chinese tourists has probably hit the typical Western hang outs in Patong/Kata/Karon but other businesses catering to those nationalities are doing extremely well.

I might be wrong but I suspect the average Russian spends as much in Phuket as did the average Brit/Aussie/American, they just spend it on different products in different places. Same with the Korean tourists.

I see no signs of an imminent recession here but if it would wake up the powers that be into tackling some of the island's problems, then that might not be such a bad thing.

I would be happy to hear where the Chinese and Russians are spending their money on Phuket and what businesses are booming.

Drive past the large jewellery shop on the bypass road and count the tour busses. Never seen as many before as in the last couple of years. Hotels and restaurants in the North West of the island are full of Russians and Koreans. Tour companies that offer the day trips. Go to Central and you'll see loads of them in the restaurants and walking around with plenty of shopping bags. Fantasea, Siam Niramit etc. Plenty are doing fine out of the Russians especially.

Some are buying real estate and quite a few are now becoming expats too. The number of Russian kids in Phuket's international schools is growing quite quickly. Judging from the numbers of Chinese/Koreans we get stuck behind every round, I'm guessing Blue Canton and the other golf courses are doing just fine too

There has obviously been a significant drop in Western tourists but I personally believe that has far more to do with the economies in their own country than it does with them being our priced/put off Phuket. It'll be interesting to see when their economies recover whether they'll start coming back in greater numbers again or not.

@NKM

I believe you are correct that some businesses are hurting but where I differ is that I believe others are booming. The change in demographic to Russian and Chinese tourists has probably hit the typical Western hang outs in Patong/Kata/Karon but other businesses catering to those nationalities are doing extremely well.

I might be wrong but I suspect the average Russian spends as much in Phuket as did the average Brit/Aussie/American, they just spend it on different products in different places. Same with the Korean tourists.

I see no signs of an imminent recession here but if it would wake up the powers that be into tackling some of the island's problems, then that might not be such a bad thing.

How on earth did you stick it in that dump for so long, only Pattaya is worse. Anywhere other than these two places has to be a move in the right direction. Went once in 1998 never again, just a rip off all around.

Thanks for sharing your wisdom gleaned from 1 trip 15 years ago.

For the benefit of those thinking of leaving, perhaps you could share with us the name of the wonderful paradise that you have found.

My wife will normally drive herself or use a reliable and trustworthy driver (they do exist!).

If you do use a taxi, NKM's advice about chatting on the phone for the duration of the journey seems like a good idea.

@ Colonel_Mustard

There are many factors, I'll name just a few.

Since 2008, the Global Financial Crisis, many retirees took a big hit to their pensions. Since then, the British Pound, Euro and US Dollar are all down, and the the baht has become stronger. These are facts.

Now, for my speculation. As "money go down - put price up" comes into play on Phuket, which already has the highest prices in Thailand, I can see how the rising cost of living, and the shrinking pensions and currencies, will start to knock a few off the island.

So, while some will leave because they are fed up with the place, others will have to leave, as they can no longer afford to stay here and maintain the lifestyle they have become a custom to. They will move to a similar place, Eg. Pattaya - where they can maintain a similar lifestyle at more affordable prices.

Not only is Phuket outpricing itself in the tourist market, but also for expats.

Ok I get it now thanks.

The few expats I know who have left, or are planning on leaving, are doing so primarily because they can't really afford to stay here. Some go, others come. Some get disaffected with the place, while others prefer it now to before. I have no idea on total number of resident expats but the numbers of kids in the international schools I know seem to increase year on year.

I'm also not really sure that Phuket is outpricing itself for tourists. The tourist numbers would appear to go up still each year (though with a different demographic). It probably is outpricing the budget traveller but that seems to be TAT policy anyway.

The beauty of Thailand is that you have the choice. Right now for me Phuket still remains the best option. When it no longer does, I'll move elsewhere.

I must admit I have never had problems with True and will stick with them for the house. Their range of channels looks quite a bit superior to CTH.

However, I'm thinking about having a CTH dish for my sala. It would be nice sitting outdoors with a beer watching the mighty Blues regain the title

Anyone know if there'a a CTH office in Phuket?

Moving from Phuket to Pattaya haha... Here is me thinking your moving to a place I call real Thailand but no your going to Pattaya.. Pattaya ain't no different than Phuket.. Rip off prices just the same.. You will soon get tired of Pattaya if you think Phuket is expensive to live there

If you really think pattaya and Phuket pricing is the same it is obvious you have never been to Pattaya....pattaya has more bargains available to include 10 baht baht buses, dirt cheap beer, cheap food, cheap girls, cheap rents, etc....Phuket is overpriced in every single area compared to pattaya...not even close.

Pattaya is certainly cheaper and if price is your only/main criteria, then it's probably a better bet for you than Phuket.

"Price" may end up being the "only/main criteria" for many here in the future.

I'm probably being a bit dim but I don't really get what you're trying to say with that post.

Moving from Phuket to Pattaya haha... Here is me thinking your moving to a place I call real Thailand but no your going to Pattaya.. Pattaya ain't no different than Phuket.. Rip off prices just the same.. You will soon get tired of Pattaya if you think Phuket is expensive to live there

If you really think pattaya and Phuket pricing is the same it is obvious you have never been to Pattaya....pattaya has more bargains available to include 10 baht baht buses, dirt cheap beer, cheap food, cheap girls, cheap rents, etc....Phuket is overpriced in every single area compared to pattaya...not even close.

Pattaya is certainly cheaper and if price is your only/main criteria, then it's probably a better bet for you than Phuket.

Many people seem to look for the negatives, In the 12 years I have been here there are certainly some things that have got worse (traffic most notably) but there are also other things that have improved my life (wider choice of facilities). Many of the issues that posters complain about, just don't seem to affect me greatly. I guess it all depends on your lifestyle.

If I were a single guy, without a car and living somewhere like Patong, then maybe these issues would be more of a problem. As it is, I live a family life in a very friendly, quiet, predominantly Thai area but with easy access to quality schooling, excellent sports facilities, reasonable shopping and nice beaches. I have my own transport and on the rare occasion I go out drinking at night I arrange for a driver. For what I presently need/want, I doubt I could find a better place to live in Thailand than Phuket.

As I age and my kids grow up and leave home my requirements will change and I may find a different place better suited to me, but for now Phuket remains the best place to live in Thailand (though I do occasionally get tempted by Bangkok).

Anyway I guess we're getting off the topic a bit, so farewell Bill and good luck to you both wherever you decide to go next.

I have no real problem living in Thailand.

However, living on Planet Phuket is a different question. I have listed the main issues, for me, on another thread, and they have been quoted by another member in an above post.

I, and possibly others, wait and wait and wait for Phuket to come into line with the rest of Thailand, sadly it does not appear like it will ever happen.

Since change is not coming to Phuket, many are changing their envioronment. Eg Big Bill - and a few friends of mine have already left Phuket.

Really, no one on Phuket is asking for Phuket to be like Singapore. All most want here is simply what other places in Thailand have, nothing more, nothing less, but all we get, year after year is more BS, with things getting worse and worse, and for that privilege, you get to pay the highest prices in Thailand, for everything.

So, if I had to pick an annoyance for only "Thailand" as opposed to "Phuket" - for me, I would say the Thailand visa laws. In my opinion, they are outdated, labour intensive and cumbersome, and in true Thai style, make visas a big money making industry out of farang.

I think most of the issues you listed for Phuket are also true of the most popular areas of Thailand. Phuket is far from perfect but then again so is everywhere else that I have lived or visited. Expats the world over seem to have complaints about where they are living.

Obviously you have had some bad experiences with the caddies here. Any course in particular?

As I said, I have never had any problems with them. They have all been friendly and willing but I don't really see them as true caddies but rather just someone to lug my golf bag round for a few hours and in this heat, they're most welcome.

I suppose that if you take a buggy, then they would be quite superfluous though.

If you're moving to Chiang Mai you are going to love it. Don't know what concrete pastures of the North you are talking about

Anyway I wish you good luck.

Doubt he'd be moving to Chiang Mai with all its smoke/smog as he mentions he's moving for health reasons.

And as for the poster calling Phuket, yet has Pattaya as his location, words fail me

Anyway Bill, good luck with your move, wherever it is that you're heading.

are you for real ? compared to phuket pattaya is paradise on earth, kuckily the most idiotic tourists still seem to flock to the pristine phuket beaches

That's funny most of the idiots I knew have already left for Pattaya

If you're moving to Chiang Mai you are going to love it. Don't know what concrete pastures of the North you are talking about

Anyway I wish you good luck.

Doubt he'd be moving to Chiang Mai with all its smoke/smog as he mentions he's moving for health reasons.

And as for the poster calling Phuket, yet has Pattaya as his location, words fail me

Anyway Bill, good luck with your move, wherever it is that you're heading.

I'm a member at Blue Canyon and while the course maintenance went off for a while it is gradually improving again though still not as good as in the glory days.

As far as I understand the ownership situation was resolved a year or two ago but the owners are trying to either bring in new investors or sell.

Although it is still not back to its best, the Lake's and Canyon courses are still the best courses on the island and only Red Mountain runs them close.

Because there is plenty to bitch about, as there pretty much is in every country.

whats being built at the cargo area of PIA?

Deleted. I thought you meant PIA as in the school but now realize you meant the airport.