Genmai

On 9/22/2020 at 11:07 AM, webfact said:

Real Estate agents reported a huge number of properties of all descriptions up for sale

All at pre-covid prices. Thai-style economics ????

2 hours ago, Eindhoven said:

Certain characters like to gloat at the misfortune of others.

It's difficult to understand what they get out of it tho. Makes them feel extra special? They wanna be the last farang left in LOS?

Personally I have a company and work permit here so I'm all good for the foreseeable future, but the memories of tourist visa runs, ED visas, disrespectful officers and long queues in immigration parking lots at 4am (bring your own chair) are still fresh on my mind. I have nothing but sympathy for the folks that have to endure the musical chairs clown show of Thai immigration. If I was in that situation now I'd be thinking pretty hard if the juice is still worth the squeeze.

It infuriates me to see an eager customer wanting to pay for something that they want on one side and on the other side a business that's so badly run that they make that transaction process as stupid and convoluted as possible. I feel like that's exactly what this country has been doing in regards to potential expats that just want a good time and are ready to pay for it.

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Another tweet said the boat was unable to move and "no longer the master of her own destiny" due to her overcrowded deck

totally not a metaphor for the European countries that are having these """""migrants""""" forced upon them, nope, no sir, noo no no

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Imagine you travelled somewhere only to be told you can’t enter because you were not Thai?

imagine being so brainwashed by liberalism that you believe it to be the evolutionary apex of societies which should be forced upon every other culture. Neo-colonialism much?

46 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

it just goes to show how uneducated and insecure you lot are

oh please Mr American, do grace us uncultured savages with your enlightened wisdom. How is egalitarianism working out in your country? 

31 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

And what if this were BigC and you were told ‘Farangs can’t do their grocery shopping’.

Why is it always all or nothing with you people? In the case of BigC you can make a reasonable argument that they are denying you access to basic necessities. You could pursue a legal course of action on that basis. If in the end you get nowhere, guess what - in a free market economy one of BigC's many competitors will seize that opportunity and fill in the gap. 

32 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

If some farang here opened a business with a policy that said, "No Thais allowed,"  how do you think that's going to go over with the police, government, etc???

Honestly? I think it would go over with a bit of grumbling, but it would actually go over - because most Thais aren't leftist <deleted> who argue for "principles" that in reality don't apply to their ideological opponents. 

 This is the key. The "racist xenophobes" being bashed in this thread are actually standing up for a set of principles even when it's at the cost of their own quality of life in this country. Do you understand this? 

22 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

The misogynists, the bigots, the racists and the downright dumb all lend to a more entertaining forum experience. It’s just concerning that these folks also walk amongst us and our children !!!  

You know, as an inherently privileged white male every position you occupy is one more position that cannot be filled by an oppressed colored trans petrasexual midget pedophile. Maybe you could check your privilege and relinquish your forum account and internet subscription to some of those people, so their voices can be heard? It's only fair.

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Funny, we only very occasionally have those kinds of staffing problems at our companies.

 

Sounds like your HR and management are the problem. 

Sounds like you're working in a space that employs well-educated people.

Not everyone is managing some latest blockchain cross-platform solution software gizmo project. Some of us (much like the rest of the country) are running gigs with unskilled labor. This is where the cultural proclivities you quoted are most pronounced. 

9 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I'm guessing that doubling their pay would have been more effective than pretending to be their friend.

Last thing I ever wanted from a boss is his companionship, more money was always welcome.

Tried that. You'd be surprised how many don't even take up the offer. "I'll pay you more if you do a proper job" - "Ohhh... hmm.. no thanks, I'm good."

Most would just prefer to take it easy. The ones who take up the offer think "too hard" to themselves after a few days and leave. 

I would have no problem doubling or tripling people's pay - if their productivity and logical reasoning skills increased in the same proportion. 

There's no shortage of stories on TV of folks trying to hire local help and getting very little out of them no matter how much they pay. Trying to remember the name of a guy here with pineapples on his land...

It's my own fault for setting up shop outside of Bangkok. At least in the capital one has access to Chinese-Thai who have better work ethics and education. Mass migration from China 2-3 generations ago is the best thing to have ever happened to this country.

17 hours ago, Yinn said:

I see that the guys who speak thai well are positive attitude and have Thai freinds a lot. High knowledge.

Generally speaking,

the guys with negative and paranoia attitude not want to learn to speak Thai. Low knowledge.

lol - low knowledge, nice try. Yeah all the farangs that have the slightest issue with anything here must just be dumb as rocks. 

High/low knowledge of what exactly @Yinn? Knowledge of the workings of the country? One can have high knowledge about something and find it utterly distasteful.

I'd argue it's very much a chicken-or-egg situation. Were the expats with limited Thai language abilities disgusted with the country and chose not to engage with the local community (thereby limiting their language ability to basic/nonexistent levels) - and the opposite for the well adjusted expats?

I speak 3 languages fluently, all from very different cultures. When I first moved here I spent a year going to Thai language school before I gave up - not because it was too difficult but because of two main reasons: 1 - as I became proficient in the language I also became prone to speaking my mind about certain issues (which in Thailand gets you in all sorts of trouble) and 2 - the more I understood the less sense everything made. I suspect many other "low knowledge" expats are in a similar position.

These days I find it safer and less stressful not to engage with any Thais anyway. The ones who are worth talking to in my experience are well traveled/educated and coincidentally have a good grasp of English. They're exceptionally rare but are a pleasure to talk with.

20 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

If there had been a couple Ifone's  laying in the road, it'd been considered theft. Right?

Don’t worry, those kinds of temple donations never leave the monks’ sights ????

This topic got me thinking - maybe I can “donate” my MIL?

7 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

And Papaya salad is just that. Salad. Some different ingredients and preparation methods but not that much different than a chef's salad or other green salad. 

Nothing "sad" about it. No law or tradition says you have to eat Papaya salad plain every single time for your entire life.

This is not a criticism of you - but if you're having to squeeze goops of chunky blue cheese dressing from a bottle onto a dish to make it enjoyable maybe the problem is with the plate of pickled bait with shredded raw fruit and rotten fish juice in front of you... God almighty up in heaven and all that is holy - if I've learned anything from living in Thailand it's an appreciation for how underrated and CIVILIZED a good burger or steak w/ fries are.

Try the Aussie meat pies from "Lanna Patisserie (Quiche Pie เค้กผลไม้สด ชีสทาร์ตผลไม้สด เค้กดอกไม้สด)" in San Sai. The owners are a lovely Thai couple, English speaking (the staff don't speak English but are kind folks nevertheless). Highly recommend their cakes as well, works of art those things are. They'll even deliver everything to your face in their cute van for the same price as the equivalent Grab ride. I believe they also have a Sunday stall at Baan Kang Wat.

On 6/9/2020 at 3:40 AM, swissie said:

How much time do you have left in Thailand? Instead of chasing after "hidden jewels" recommended by the TAT or your neighborhood travel agency, head "upcountry". Somewhere, throw a dart at the Thai-Map. Any small Thai-Village will do. Rent a room from the wealthiest Thai-Family in the village. (200 Bht/Day). Stay at least 1 month. Will give you the best insight of what you may have missed (or can do without) in Thailand, instead of hopping all over Thailand, frantically looking for things that "you may have missed".
My recommendation. Be careful, you may not want to leave.

- Pointless if you don't speak basic Thai. Assuming that your GF can serve as a translator would make it possible. If not, forget all the above and go with the recommendations of your travel-agent.

A lot of people have suggested something like this in the past, the "real Thailand". Can somebody explain this to me? I live outside CM so I'm already well acquainted with aggressive stray dogs, mosquitoes, bad driving, alcoholics, poor infrastructure/service, garbage burning and boom boom parties until late. Always assumed "upcountry" would just mean more of the same? 

It is with indescribable joy and anticipation that I am now making preparations to leave Thailand. In fact if it hadn't been for the WuFlu I would already have been enjoying greener pastures in March. However, this thread is not meant to be made in the spirit of "see ya suckers, enjoy your cesspit". There have been enough threads of that kind already.

Instead I would like to ask for advice from some of the more experienced members of this forum.

Regrettably it has come to my attention that I may not have used my few years in Thailand fully to experience all that this country has to offer. This is a thought that occurs frequently when my friends ask me all the expected questions about ladyboys, ping pong shows and elephants. Unfortunately I have to admit to them and myself that I've never been with a handsome big-titted well-endowed Jeffrey, or paid to see chicks shooting pingpong balls out of their orifices, or even ridden on top of an elephant. I've never availed myself of the services of a lady-of-the-night or any other such pay-for-play merriment. I came here already having a Thai girlfriend with the purpose of building a business together, which is what I have focused on during my brief stay here. 

As such I would like to use the last bit of my remaining time here in the kingdom to experience some things which are unique to it. Some of the stuff I'm thinking of doing is:

• Cooking class
• Multi-day jungle horse riding
• Trekking with overnight stays at hill-tribe villages

Can't think of any more right now. I would love if members could add to this list.

What would you consider to be some of the quintessential Thailand experiences that are a MUST? Are there sights or activities which defined your stay/time here? I'm open to trying pretty much everything (even the pay-for-play stuff if it's really that good - although I must admit I'm a skeptic and my gf services me very well in that regard already).

2 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

That is exactly what it means. If they meant the Yazidi sex slaves lives also matter they would say All Lives Matter. If they think the abused Chinese Uygers lives also mattered again they would say All Lives Matter. If they believed little Emily Jones life also mattered, yes indeed. All Lives Matter. Sadly it is more akin to a black supremacy movement, and a bit surprising to see so many naively going along with a poisonous narrative. For the record. All Lives Matter. Each and every person, regardless of color or creed or education level. End of.

Of course they mean that all lives matter..... just some lives matter more than others ????????

On 6/6/2020 at 1:46 PM, DoctorG said:

It will be interesting to see the outcome if the movements to defund the police succeed in any meaningful way. Back to the old wild west where everyone is armed and sorts out their problems themselves.

Indeed. Maybe law enforcement should pull out from black neighborhoods entirely and let black people organize their own police force if they're so unhappy. Let's see what they come up with!