Global Guy

The prices have gone up and service has gone down. The Thais don't get that if you scam a tourist or an expat who lives here, you may have gotten 50 or 100 baht extra today, but that person isn't coming back to your bar tomorrow and will tell everyone he knows plus on the internet to stay away. 

We talked about this years ago and now they see the results. Now you have Chinese groups that don't go outside of their pre-planned tourist stops and then go back to Bangkok. Having not spent any money in the local economy except these few main tourist places.

Plus they stick to the larger hotels, don't go to the bars, and don't spend as much here.

On 9/2/2019 at 2:33 AM, sillyfool said:

anyone here believe in xrp........? 

Yes, XRP using the Ripple platform is transforming the movement of value globally. Global adoption of it is happening, not if, but when.

The next turn around south of this one, by the 7-11, is where I was hit by a taxi van that did an illegal U turn. I think they blocked the U turn soon after that, someone told me. This was four years ago. No matter what you do, if there is an opening for a car, they will use it, legal or not.

40 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

You think that this does not happen in other countries ?

 

In the UK it certainly does. In 2011 it was estimated that " between £130 million and £150 million is currently lying in dormant accounts with building societies".

Always a "well in this country, they do....." 

Who cares what happens in other countries if you live in Thailand?

On 10/3/2017 at 6:53 AM, jaywalker said:

I've kinda withheld an opinion on the Junta, but. this is FAILURE.

 

I worked 18 months or so for a Thai company as a consultant/trainer, and NO MATTER WHAT I SAID, the workers would just grin at me and do it however they wanted to do the work.

 

It was probably the most unfulfilling job I ever had.

 

Suppose I has delusions of grandeur, in that I figured I could turn them into a highly efficient, productive crew...NOPE.

 

I quit, as I could not figure out what purpose I was serving, other than to present a Farang face to the customer on occasion.

Quite often that is the case. A Thai company being able to brag to other Thais that they have a farang staff member. I saw it when I worked at a private college about 15 years ago. It was a pure dog and pony show. Nothing we did mattered as the students never listened or learned. 

4 hours ago, YetAnother said:

agreed; try this exercise: make a list that has 2 columns; one that captions 'items suggesting thailand is other than a third world country', next , another column captioned 'items suggesting thailand Is a third world country'; next fill out the list adjusting the items for personal importance; then critically examine the list;

conclusion should be clear: thailand is definitely a third world country;

note : many of us love it here, primarily due to the ease of which first worlders and seasoned international travelers can identify and end-run foolishness here

Yes, "end running" the nonsense in Thailand is the key to surviving and enjoying it here. I know people get offended by calling Thailand a third world country but that's what it is. Good or bad. Most people in BKK are just one or two generations from living in rural farming country.

A friend once said "You have to crack the code here. Pattaya has its own code, BKK has its own code, and Thailand has its own code."

What has dramatically reduced my frustrating incidents and stress levels is whenever I need to do something that involves interacting with a Thai, I have my wife do it. In the minority of times I have to do it without her, I have her write out what I need and if I can include a pic on my mobile, I do that as well. Learning the language, which I did study quite successfully, is only so helpful. Studying the language doesn't change my ethnicity or the inherent discrimination that Thais have towards foreigners.

I'm all about immersion and have studied numerous languages of other countries I've lived in and traveled to, but in Thailand, that helps reduce some of the scam attempts, that's where I found it most useful.

I feel bad for the newer people who have discovered Thailand in the last ten years or less and missed out on how it used to be 15 or so years ago. But now it's probably better than it will be in five years from now so it's all contextual. And the people who lived here 25+ years say the same thing.

I do miss the elephants walking around the cities though!

11 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

 

Yes, I bought my condo when I was still working in the UAE and for nearly a decade used it 3 or 4 months a year for holidays.  Then 11 years ago I moved in to live year round. So I've occupied it, quite happily, for roughly 11x12 + 10x 3.5 = 167 months. Even assuming a modest average rental of 15,000 a month (and had I stayed in hotels on holiday it would have been way more), that's around Baht 2.5 million not paid to someone else The bed and bath have been used only by me. The furnishings and kitchen are of my own choosing. The building has been well maintained and had periodic improvements and refurbishments. And I still have a few more years ahead of me ... living rent free. When I die, my heir will be able to sell for a decent amount. Even if it doesn't sell at a great price (although at present the building is pretty much fully occupied ) it will be a lot more than if I had died in a rental.

 

Can honestly say it's been nearly hassle-free and any minor problems have been easily resolved. A great investment, especially since I bought it in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis when the baht was around 40 baht to the dollar and real estate was fairly cheap.

 

Of course if you choose to rent some place that offers condos for Baht 6000 a month, that may seem a bargain but you can hardly be surprised if the place isn't well-maintained and some of your transient neighbors aren't overly worried about how they behave.

Well, I guess your example represents every expat in Thailand now, right? I move more than once every 11 years. I would be bored in the same exact spot for that long.

Please share your story about how you know a bar girl who is an honest one too, will you? That will convince me that they all are! LOL Yes, that was sarcasm.

22 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

 

 You're leaving our members, and the lucky members of your investment group, still exposed to terrifying risk, man. What happened to fiduciary duty? Remember, we don't know what nasty surprises they have in store for us. Look what happened to the bridge players. So

 

 

 

Now after years of reading postings from our sharpest analysts with the best advice, in 2014 I distilled the collective wisdom into the now-classic shrewd, street-smart TVF Poster Three Primal Laws Of Survival In Thailand, with a small addition recently suggested by thaibeachlovers:

 

1. Never invest in anything you aren't ready to lose;

2. Never own more than you can carry with you or don't mind leaving behind;

3. Keep your suitcase packed at all times.

 

Which is all you need. BTW, quoting one or more of the Laws gives you ten (+10) instant points of TVF posting cred from the peanut gallery.

 

 

Keep movin' and payin' that rent, pal. Love it. I did that many years ago before I wised up. But the rental hordes have comforted themselves with the Little Miss Muffet Model for decades in the countless CONDO GLUT/CONDO CRASH/FOOLS BUY REAL ESTATE threads. Nothing new here. But they keep banging their heads against the wall of this inconvenient truth:

 

 

Yep. In proportion to the thousands of owners, or former owners, only a few malcontents post here. Most owners are happy enough. That's why though our renters keep chanting everybody's heading for the exits, we've yet to see any evidence of it. It's really more of a wish, as renters don't like owners being happy in their properties. Gripes them to no end. Why's that?

 

Now the renters aren't really talking to the vast majority of owners, who don't care who's renting and who isn't, or care what renters think about ownership when after all they don't even own anything. So what we always have are merely renters in a circle jerk reinforcing the renter groupthink.

 

 

But many buildings, esp. older buildings, are constructed well and the quality is quite good 'nuff. Give me one complaint ever about the construction of Northshore, Royal Cliff Garden, Ocean Marina, or Markland. One example is enough to prove my point.

 

As this is one of your fears, it appears you just don't know much about construction at all, so yes, you'd probably suffer buyer's remorse. Keep payin' rent. Buying a condo in a Third World country takes due diligence. Most of the disappointments come from those bought off plan, which was rather foolish of them, though it sometimes works out OK.

 

And then if you had crazy neighbors or heard some noise, it appears you'd have to spend most of your time in residence curled up on the floor in a fetal position. And that would be sad. Happened to one of members some months ago. Helpless.

 

But if you're cut out for owning, you grow a pair and talk to the neighbors, work w/ the condo office, install soundproofing etc. And so merely fix the problems and go right on not paying any rent and enjoying having your own place. Piece o' cake. Obviously there can be the odd exception to every rule.

 

 

Nonsense. I know farangs who've lived happily in the same condo for decades. Known a few that the only way they left was in ambulances taking their old corpses to the Police Hospital for the autopsies. As noted, if someone tries to screw up your happiness you deal with it; you adapt and keep right on goin'.

 

So, kinda boils down to what a person prefers and can deal with. I don't have a problem with your embrace of the Little Miss Muffet Model at all.

 

 

Using outliers do not prove the rule. By your own writing you said one example proves your point. Unfortunately you proved yourself wrong. In dealing with construction quality, I defer to my wife who spent over 10 years in the commercial engineering field where she did exactly this - assessing construction quality and developing renovation plans to fix said problems. She can tell which large construction companies to avoid and they number more than ones to buy from in Thailand.

Regarding renting...I own numerous properties, just not in Thailand. The properties I do own are far more profitable than anything I could own in Thailand...including appreciation, equity build up, tax benefits, and money cash flow. Throw in the lack of rule of law here compared to where I own and your attempts at preaching about renting don't apply in my case. 

So, having been a real estate investor for 27 years I'm going to rely on my experience and success in this field. Buying a condo in Thailand means nothing, any idiot can do it. That doesn't mean it's financially intelligent. When your neighbors start having nightly parties, keeping you up all night, I'd like to see you fight that at the local courthouse. Good luck failing with that. If you rely on rule of law for a foreigner to protect your investment, now that is a risk profile that qualifies as gambling, not investing.

You have to wonder about foreigners who want so bad to think Thailand is anything other than a third world country that they ignore reality.

1 hour ago, Aditi Sharma said:

I want to know who controls visa policy in Thailand. And who I can write to if I want to suggest changes in visa policy/policies.

As a non-Thai world citizen do I have a right to suggest changes in the first place? I want to know if thaivisa.com has created a wish-list of changes which visitors and expats have suggested over the years in these fora.

A laundry-list of changes can be regularly sent to the right department which invites suggestions on policy so that they can be understood and the best ones implemented.

 

A non-Thai writing to the government with suggestions? You've got to be kidding right?  Oh, no, you do not have a RIGHT to do anything in a country you're not a citizen of. 

23 hours ago, jaywalker said:

 

Woof! She looks SO familiar. Can't put my finger on just who, gotta say one of my wife's cousins. GORGEOUS smile! Happy, Pretty Lady. Thanks.

 

I like Attractive, Happy People..

From BKK

19 hours ago, anto said:

 

How about in her birthday suit ? 

Now that wouldn't be gentlemanly of me would it?

On 8/1/2017 at 10:45 AM, sweatalot said:

you're right - but

just us men are so receptive for beauty

Another teacher. I sure didn't have teachers like this growing up! BTW, you should see her in street clothes! WOW!

On 8/2/2017 at 9:17 PM, mlmcleod said:

In the USA, the Chinese are always so quiet and respectful that you would hardly notice them.  Sadly, The Asian Chinese have never been exposed to the rest of the world so they will have to learn the hard way.  I remember the Ugly American and I do hope we learned.  The Chinese will too!

 

It's just my opinion, please don't get mad!

Where in the USA?  Try Rosemead, Temple City, San Gabriel, etc. If you know these cities, you'll know what I mean. 

On 7/28/2017 at 8:55 AM, williamgeorgeallen said:

thats why it is better to rent and move to another condo if you are not happy. house i bought was on a street next to a hotel being renovated. it was renovated twice in 4 years. 12 hours of jackhammering  a day sometimes 7 days a week. was horrible when my son was born. it was the same hotel on soi holiday that was confiscated last week due to being used by zero dollar chinese tourists. it was also right beside the reflection development. i wanted to move but it took 4 years to sell at a loss. i have always believed in buying property to live in, thailand changed that.

So, so true! I will never buy a place to live in, and for the same lack of rule of law here, is the reason the investment group I lead decided to pass on purchasing hotels here. I'll gladly pay the rent to have the freedom to move when another stupid situation pops up, like crazy neighbors, building construction, horrible quality of the houses/condos, etc. And, there is always something popping up too.

Always. You can be sure that if you have peace in Pattaya, it won't last, someone will screw it up.

I live sort of near ground zero of the hotels for the Chinese tour groups and talk to an expat who owns a guesthouse in the area. In fact, a hotel was made especially for them at the end of our soi (so I was told). He said all these groups demand heavy discounts from wherever they go....hotels, buffet restaurants, etc. to the point where he won't bother with them. But he said the larger hotels accept them and they never have a "low season" as a result, they are booked year round.

There is vacant plaza near us and they cleared out all the garbage, put gravel down, and use it as a large parking lot just for the tour buses for these groups. It's crazy. But, these groups are corralled by the tour guides and don't venture outside of their groups. So, local businesses don't benefit from them unless they are part of the pre-arranged circuit as the hotels and buffet places are. So, there's added traffic congestion and reduced parking but no financial benefit to locals.

Plus, these bus drivers are crazier than crazy. I see them flying down the roads, often running red lights, and passing into oncoming traffic on the beach road (Jomtien). Worse than the "limo" van drivers.

The Chinese spend far less per person so the govt thinks they will make up for it in volume. They're counting tourist heads so they see an increase in that stat and are happy. More backwards thinking. Nothing new there.

On 9/29/2017 at 2:01 PM, nasa123 said:

Why can we not pay with cards on Immigration in Thailand ? And why they just want cash ? :)

I was told by someone with firsthand knowledge that the entire immigration office is "on the take." Money is handled by certain people and then distributed accordingly.

Also, I would imagine there is a high degree of credit card charge offs in Thailand. Much of the country operates on cash. It is a third world country, after all.

On 9/28/2017 at 9:10 AM, ThaiBob said:

There was a gym in the basement of View Talay Residence 1(or was it 2?),don't recall the name, lots of cardio, no ac, not expensive. 

Thanks, that was one I was trying to find out about again. 

On 9/28/2017 at 8:50 AM, soistalker said:

I have been all over Jomtien looking for a gym, and I didn't see one gym where I would feel comfortable working out. 

What I saw at these places:

-No A/C.

-Very poorly lit at night ( which makes safely working out difficult).

-Lots of rust.

-Cable crossover machine bolted so the height cannot be changed.

-Old, old equipment.

-Very limited space, so that even a few people makes it crowded.

 

I know you said you only want cardio. I find beach runs are good for that.

I agree, but like much of Thailand, doing things half ass is the norm here. And gym etiquette is non-existent as well. Using equipment as lounge chairs to play on their cell phones, not cleaning up equipment after using it, not restacking weights and all the stuff you wrote about is the norm. 

On 9/27/2017 at 11:13 PM, pegman said:

Yeah it's much debated whether that is Jomtien or not. Half the time it is called Jomtien  the rest South Pattaya. I think officially it is recognized by the city as jomtien. There are not many, if any, people working out during the afternoon, low humidity, is why I like it. 

It's not the name per se, it's the location. We just want something closer, in our area. I used to live right by that gym and worked out there so I l know it pretty well.

20 hours ago, YetAnother said:

really do not understand her (lawyers') tactic; just stay in dubai

I think the culture for women in the UK might be more favorable for her than Dubai. Just a guess. 

Yeah, Refresh, I used to go there and when I lived right by it, unfortunately it's not in Jomtien. My wife wants something in our neighborhood. It does have the treadmills though. It looks like they might have actually painted it since I've been. That was about 3-4 years ago.

Thanks!

Why this happens? Yes, you aren't Thai and Thais have zero use for manners towards foreigners, different definitions of personal space, privacy, and respect, and overall can only see the part of life from the tip of their nose inward. They have almost zero ability to integrate the concept that there are other people on the planet than them. (Look at how they drive, walk on a crowded sidewalk, tune out life when on their mobiles, or fail to queue in line). Me, me, me is what you see.

You have every right to protect your children the way you see fit. That's it. If strangers don't like it, too bad. 

I've seen my Thai wife get a little "rough" with a neighborhood kid we see all the time. She'll pinch her cheeks, try and scare her, and everyone laughs, even if the kid starts to cry. I cringe, but that's their issue among them, not mine. If we had a kid and she did that, I'd stop it immediately. I can't fight the culture outside of my circle, but in it is another story.

I don't worry about what people here think of me. They don't worry about me either, it's mutual. They label me before they know me anyway, so why fight it?

Yes, it's time for another "Looking for a gym in....Jomtien" thread. I've searched and called around to all the known places...Bear's, Primal, (won't touch any of Tony's places), Hard whatever, and haven't found any updated info. I've ruled all these gyms out.

I'll probably find what I'm looking for in one of the big hotels in the area so if anyone knows of a gym in Jomtien only (NOT NOT NOT Pattaya) in a  hotel that has:

1) Two or more working treadmills (Two of us). Not ellipticals or bikes, but treadmills (there's a medical reason for this). I specify "working" because having them and them working are not always the same. I know of at least one hotel that has only one treadmill but it's broken half the time and repairs take 1-2 weeks.

2) At least better than Tony's but don't have to be fancy. We're just going to do cardio at them. I walk outside now but I get sick of dodging cars and having song taos trying to run me over. I'm used to fighting off the soi dogs, no big deal there.

3) Have monthly rates.

That's about all I can think of.  All the threads I found on this were old info or not what we are looking for so I'm hoping to find some updates.

Thanks in advance!

On 5/31/2017 at 7:27 PM, sinbin said:

The younger ones I'd say have gone for the better money in the likes of Malaysia and Taiwan.

 

 

If things go to plan the Baht buses will be phased out once the tram system is up and running.

As Bob Dylan once said, 'Times they are a changing.'

The prettier girls are using the internet dating sites now as well so that has thinned out the talent level at the bars. So, the remaining girls who were lower on the ladder, looks wise, have been bumped up a notch so of course with less competition their attitudes have gotten piss poor as the better looking girls are sitting at home or at the malls checking their emails for prospective customers and now th lesser looking girls have become the queens of the bars.

I find that the attitudes of Thai women in general have gotten worse. Go to a store and service sucks worse than ever. Thai women used to be known for being kind, a bit reserved, and generally pleasant to be around. There are still some like that but it's just not as prevalent as when I first moved here 16+ years ago. I think the explosion of tourists kissing their asses for so many years bloated their egos. That....and dealing with tourists on their worse behavior turned some sour on foreigners. 

With the internet, they see first world countries and the materialism that comes with it and many want some of that too. Materialism was always part of this culture, but now it's more prominent and widespread outside of the bar scene too.

These are just observations of trends, I know there are exceptions to these generalities. I'd like to think my wife is or I wouldn't have married her. LOL Why bring a sandwich to a buffet, right? Unless it's one hell of a sandwich! LOL