Weasel100

30 minutes ago, bankruatsteve said:

While this thread is not about the wine container, I would just like to clarify some possible misconceptions...  The wine container, whether a bottle with/without a 'bump' in the bottom, or a bottle that is corked versus capped, or whether it is contained in a box has NO AFFECT on the taste.  The only difference is that boxed wines are not designed for long term (like years) storage.  Mont Clair red "Celebration" from RSA, for example, is sold in both bottle and box.  It is the same wine, the same taste from either.  I find it much more pleasing in taste than any of the cheap imports sold in bottles.  Yet the price for the box Mont Clair (before this latest tax craziness) is much lower per liter.  Again, bottled wine doesn't make it good and boxed wine doesn't make it bad; it's all in the wine itself.

With respect, I think it is true that bottled wines are often better wines than those sold in boxes.
My country Australia invented the box of wine as I understand it. Australia's greatest contribution to the welfare of humanity? I wonder??

But, here's the point. Boxed wine is (or should be in Thailand) cheap BECAUSE it's not terribly good, generally speaking. Some boxed wine is fine (I used to quite like the Castle Creek Dry White sold in Makro) but it was by no means a quality wine - wine and fruit juice yes but it was 12.5% alcohol so it did the job it was intended to do.

Similarly, not all wine in bottles is good either. The good wines sold in Thailand in bottles (here I will give the example of a good French Bordeaux) will cost you close to 1,000 baht a bottle these days. Perhaps more and that's just crazy ridiculous. And because of the heat in Thailand and sometimes a  lack of appropriate storage, such a wine that you might choose to buy even at that crazy price could well be off when it's opened. And good luck taking such a wine back to Villa Market or anywhere else that sells decent wines if it is off. Am I alone in always having to fight for my consumer rights in such a situation? 

And it's all because of greed and the fact that Thais are quite OK with their national game of screw the falang. Certainly the container (box or bottle) shouldn't affect the taste of the wine they contain if it's the same wine. But, generally speaking, the better wines come in bottles, not in boxes.

The Thais just DON'T understand that boxed wine is not the same as bottled wine and it necessarily has to be considerably cheaper than bottled wine to fulfill the purpose for which the wine box was invented, a cheap alternative to good bottled wines. A wine of which you can have a glass or two often without breaking the bloody bank. As with so much, Thais just don't get this basic piece of information. Wine is for foreigners whether in a box or a bottle so let's screw the foreigners. Only the foreigners like me will simply not buy ANY wine at extortionate prices and the income stream from sale of wine will dry up, as I suspect is happening in Thailand right now.

3 hours ago, Weasel100 said:

Look folks. I think I'm pretty typical of foreigners here although I seem to be more down on the Thais than most.
I am not short of money but, as anywhere else, even in my former home Australia, I will not allow myself to be screwed by people I wouldn't piss on for wine that's at best just passable as wine of a kind.
Decent bottled wine is ridiculously expensive in Thailand. $AUD45 or more for a French Bordeaux. Why? Because, by and large, Thais don't drink it. Most Thais drink beer or cheap shitty "Whisky" - I hesitate to call it that.
I will drink beer mainly as an alternative to incredibly over-priced wine. I will not play their stupid game and I will not let them rip me off. They are the ones who will suffer when importers stop importing wine altogether because it's too ***ing expensive to be saleable. The previous revenue that these stupid ****ers had from wine sales will then simply be gone and up will go VAT from 7% to 10%. Watch this space

Look folks. I think I'm pretty typical of foreigners here I think although I seem to be more down on the Thais than most.
I am not short of money but, as anywhere else, even in my former home Australia, I will not allow myself to be screwed by people I wouldn't piss on for wine that's at best just passable as wine of a kind.
Decent bottled wine is ridiculously expensive in Thailand. $AUD40 or more for a French Bordeax. Why? Because, by and large, Thais don't drink it. Most Thais drink beer or cheap shitty "Whisky" - I hesitate to call it that.
I will drink beer mainly as an alternative to incredibly over-priced wine. I will not play their stupid game and I will not let them rip me off. They are the ones who will suffer when importers stop importing wine because it's too ***ing expensive to be saleable. The previous revenue that these stupid ****ers had from wine sales will then simply be gone and up will go VAT from 7% to 10%. Watch this space

We all know that the Thais are remarkably stupid people and successive Thai Government have been playing screw the falang for years.
They are so stupid and short-sighted that they just can't see that incessant increases in the cost of wine will backfire and we falangs who did drink wine before simply won't drink boxed wine at ****king extortionate prices. They also just don't get the fact that boxed wine is supposed to be a cheap alternative to proper wine in bottles.
STUPID, STUPID STUPID

1 hour ago, TunnelRat69 said:

Hmmmm  I did get ripped off for nine baht in a 7/11 one night.  Your statements on the surrounding countries being way ahead of Thailand accepting Western Ways??  Rubbish. Mongolia??  Ulanbataar is still stuck in the Soviet Nineties.

It would be handy if people bothered to read posts properly before denigrating those who have taken the time to post thorough impressions of life in Thailand compared to life in other countries in this region. I didn't say all the countries in the region were ahead of Thailand. I singled out South Korea and Malaysia if you'd bothered to read.
Been to UB recently? It's becoming Western very quickly and I predict that Mongolia will certainly overtake Thailand in the next ten years.

You can disagree. That's fine

20 minutes ago, The manic said:

I get the impression police in the USA are more dangerous for black males.

That is certainly true!!

Hi there
I just picked up on this thread a short time ago and I'd like to offer my perspective if I may.
There is another specific thread about whether expats who have come to Thailand to live would leave if they could or indeed as many of them do.
I put up a comprehensive post yesterday here 

I don't say that my comments and my feelings are any better than anyone else's but I did go to some trouble to write my initial post which sets out quite clearly the many problems that I have in living in Thailand, having moved here from Australia nearly seven years ago.

The thing that have have to know is that disenchantment among expats with the way of life in Thailand is very common and that many expats choose to leave Thailand for various reasons after living here for a time, often for many years. My post from yesterday I think if you look at the above page sets out I believe many of the problems that expats have in Thailand. There are of course many who don't regret moving to Thailand and who think that people like me are just griping unreasonably. I am pleased for them that they are happy here.

For what they're worth, here are my feelings about your particular situation based on what you've said about yourself.

1  I think it would be fair to say that foreigners (falangs in Thai) are not generally all that welcome in Thailand - the Thai authorities refer to foreigners as aliens which I find offensive but then I believe that's also the case in your country, the US. While foreigners are generally unwelcome in Thailand, our money certainly is welcome

2  to live in Thailand as a young person is not easy. You would probably have to live on a tourist visa which requires your leaving the country and coming back in again through an immigration post at the border or at the airports every 15 to 30 days. Most of us who live in Thailand are here on what is known as a retirement visa which requires a certain minimum age (50) and a certain income from abroad OR money in the bank in Thailand (about $US26,000 at today's rate)

Otherwise, you would have to obtain a work permit which can also be problematic unless you're prepared to pay backhanders to people who specialize in immigration matters and who can (at your expense of course)  pay the right people the right amount of graft money and get a work permit for you. Others who have greater knowledge of this than I will probably chime in to set me straight

3  you say that you are a young black man but I notice that you also say that you don't look black.
Others have already pointed out earlier that white skin is highly prized in Thailand (except on people like me) and you just wouldn't believe the number of products and other shit that's on sale in Thailand which are claimed to lighten skin colour.
I may again be wrong but it is my impression that people who are of darker skin colour may have additional problems in Thailand due to what can only be described as a prejudice again dark skin.

Finally, for a young swarthy man, I would have to say I would NOT recommend Thailand as a potential home. You may be better off somewhere like Puerto Rico, Cuba, Costa Rica which is a popular relocation home for many US citizens or somewhere else in the Caribbean, rather than in Thailand. Whatever you choose to do, I wish you the very best of luck in finding a place that suits you better than the US with all the political problems that it has at the moment due to the moron that now occupies the White House.

By all means though, come to Thailand for two or three months initially to make an assessment for yourself. However, you have to understand that the Thai people you will meet and have to deal with in restaurants, bars, tourist attractions and hotels in Thailand are NOT your typical Thais. They generally present a friendly and helpful face to foreign tourists because that's their job. Living in Thailand and having to deal with ordinary non tourist industry Thais is a completely different matter. Generally speaking, as I have already said, your average Thai does not like or respect foreigners although they love our money and they have myriad ways of trying to relieve us of as much of it as possible in whatever way they can, often by deviousness, lying, swindling and cheating us.

So, be careful in all matters of a financial nature when dealing with Thais. In my view, based on seven years here, the great majority of Thais are not to be trusted. I have been ripped off, lied to, cheated and misled by Thais many times and it has always cost me money, sometimes significant amounts of money. Others are welcome to disagree with me based on their own experiences.
 

And you my friend have found a happy balance that works for you and your family. Good luck to you. Many others like me took the plunge to live full time in Thailand and now, to some extent or other, many of us regret having done so.
You speak of racial tensions mounting back in Australia due to immigration. I expect that will just continue to get worse over the coming years. However, Australia has been and will probably continue to be much better protected by successive Governments because of Australia's policy not to allow unfettered  immigration as has happened across much of Europe in the last 20 odd years.
Many countries in Europe are in serious trouble and have a very bleak future due to their having opened their doors to immigrants who commonly either do not value or respect Western society or will actively seek to destroy it.
Back to you and your family though. Glad you're happy with your Thailand/Australia compromise life.

Despite all my bitching about what I find either annoying or nearly intolerable about living in Thailand, I'll be here until stumps unless health problems force me to return to Australia for a time. I'm in fine fettle right now at age 62 so no immediate cause for concern.
I'm not truly unhappy and thankfully not suicidal as some others have regrettably indicated here. I feel for them very much and I urge any of you out there who may read this to try withdrawing to a quiet and somewhat solitary way of life. Thailand I find can best be tolerated when largely on my own. It'll work for some and not for others I guess.

Having said that, I will retire for a while now as this thread, as engrossing as it has proven to be, is taking up way too much of my time. 

Just now, Weasel100 said:

Better now??

Perhaps it's the maladjusted and self-appointed experts on everything that's wrong with Thailand who are right and that you're mistaken.
Ever consider that possibility?

16 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

@Weasel100

 

Sorry, bro, but after reading your follow up posts on this thread, I have concluded that you are more in need of a swift kick in the pants than any words of encouragement or commiseration. You are starting to sound like just another maladjusted farang who ia a self-appointed expert on everything that is wrong with Thailand. Just another guy who claims to love his Thai spouse to death but then turns around and spews contempt for the people and culture which shaped her as a person. A guy who faults Thais for not speaking better English when you've scarcely made an effort to learn the language of your adopted country. You need to look in the mirror and get off your butt. The majority of Thais are decent and honest people. Many know a lot of things you don't know. Many have a great sense of humor. Many know how to enjoy life...

Better now??

Thanks for what I accept as your genuine concern.
I do suffer from a diagnosed psych disorder (Bipolar Type 2) but I'm actually fine most of the time. This often sounds like an excuse to other people I think but psychiatric illness is very very real to those who suffer.
Leave me alone and don't make me have to deal with Thais and Thai authorities and I'm OK.
The truth here is that there were many things about Australia and Australian society and Australian people which drove me made for the 56 years that I lived there and it was I guess disenchantment with Australia that prompted my move to Thailand. I think I'm probably even more disenchanted with Thailand because I expected that it'd be better than Australia which makes me more than a bit down on Thailand and Thai people in particular.

I will say that one of the things that truly drives me crazy here in Thailand is the lack of proper education of the local people. My Thai wife is as intelligent as anyone I've ever met here (Thai or falang) and she has a University degree in something or other which I've never quite been able to nail down. But, here's the point. I love her and respect her but what she didn't know after having been schooled and university educated in Thailand would fill an encyclopaedia.
I find myself constantly having to lecture her regarding things that were routinely taught in school in Australia when I was young.
When we met, my intelligent wife had next to no knowledge of world history including such things as two pretty significant world wars, the great depression, Hitler and the Nazis, US, UK, European, Australian and other famous world leaders and those countries' political histories, next to no knowledge of geography and little if any knowledge of other countries and their cultures. It is gratifying to me that she often thanks sincerely me for my efforts to inform her about these things, something I might add that I am very pleased to do. We have travelled widely together in the nearly six years we've been together and she has become much more a citizen of the world. Quite different to the uneducated masses in Thailand.
It is often said that the Thai education system is deliberately designed to keep the populace "dumbed down". After all, an uneducated populace is much easier to control than an educated one. What is the very first thing that any dictatorship does? Yup. Round up and murder the educated classes. The m**itary in charge in Thailand now is not up to that I don't think but stay tuned folks.

In fact, I always have a great Christmas Day every year. I cook a roast for my Thai wife and I on Christmas Eve and have left-overs for lunch on Christmas day. Sit down, watch a traditional Christmas Day movie often on my own as my wife has a shop and works most Christmas Days, and I have a few beers of glasses of wine (if I can afford wine - who can in this bloody country with criminally high taxes on wine because it's predominantly consumed by falangs).

No complaint about Christmas Days Mate.

35 minutes ago, altcarrbob said:

The more you get to know about Thai society .the less you want to know,lying cheating ,scamming,part of life.  Surrounding yourself with dash cams no help,they will come up with a tale the dash cams were lying

I do agree

When I first moved to Thailand, I bought a ten CD course regarding conversational Thai language. I wanted to learn to speak the language here reasonably well because I previously liked the Thais I had met when on holiday.
I listened to the first disc only soon after I arrived and I haven't touched them since. The reason is not laziness on my part; I'll leave that to the Thais. The reason is actually that I have little if any respect for Thai people, so-called Thai culture or the Thai authorities including the Police and the Customs Service (both corrupt to the core), Banks etc (although I dislike banks everywhere in truth).

My disenchantment with Thailand and Thai people in particular has been complete for many years and now I just live a pretty reclusive life here with all the material things that I could want or need and alcohol when I need or want it. This life largely suits me fine.

All of this discussion I think has been useful and I've followed it for the past day since I appear to have kicked off a lot of it with my long and hopefully not uninteresting post yesterday morning about my experiences in Thailand since I moved here nearly seven years ago.
What it all comes down to is that some falangs appear to be very happy living in Thailand while others, like me, have a hard time here but just IN SOME WAYS.
Most of my problem is with the attitudes that most Thais appear to have to life and money and basic honesty. Their religion, like most other religions, teaches them good ways to live a life and five basic things that they should not do:

• harming living things.
• taking what is not given.
• sexual misconduct.
• lying or gossip.
• taking intoxicating substances eg drugs or drink.

I may be wrong but I suspect that something around 80 to 90 per cent of Thais would, if asked, claim to be good Buddhists. If I am right, this to me illustrates huge hypocrisy as I believe that probably 80 per cent of Thais routinely lie and gossip, 50 per cent take intoxicating substances such as alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs, most Thai males at least could be said to lead sexually dissolute lives and a significant percentage of Thais appear to have no trouble with taking money improperly through scams and dishonest business dealings. The only one of the five basic tenets that, to me, appears to be observed by a large proportion of Thais appears to be that dealing with not harming living things. But, even there, there are problems.
A few years ago, a falang friend near where I live had a dog that developed a nasty and obviously cancerous tumour on its side. It had been confirmed to be malignant. The tumour grew to such an extent that it ruptured one morning so I loaded the dog and my falang friend into my car and drove to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital near where we live. They recommended treatment despite the fact that the dog was clearly suffering and was about to die. Not even the staff at a Veterinary Hospital were prepared to do what was necessary and put the poor dog out of its terrible distress. And no, this was not a case for treatment; it was a case for euthenasia. So, that's where the one tenet of the Buddhist religion which appears to be followed by most Thais can also cause a bad result.
And, please, I am well aware that quite possibly the majority of professed Christians don't follow the good things that whatever their brand of Christianity demands or recommends. There is hypocrisy everywhere.

But, my friends, here's the difference. In Western countries, dishonest people who go into business are not allowed to deal with their clients dishonestly or, if they do, they will find themselves in trouble with Police and Government regulatory agencies that do actually give a shit about shady businesses and prosecute them when they're found. There is little if any protection at all for people in Thailand who find that they've been ripped off by Thais as happens so very often here in my view. The Police are corrupt and useless and no Government agency wants to get involved in such things particularly when there's money to be made through back-handers.

I MUST STRESS that these are simply my observations of Thais and Thai society after having lived in Thailand for close to seven years. If others have had different experiences and do not agree with anything I've said, then that's great and fine. Everyone is entitled to an opinion so please don't seek to deny me mine.
I confess that I am a loner by nature; I always have been, even as a small boy. I cope with the problems that I have living in Thailand by keeping very much to myself. I see my one local falang friend for a few hours every week or ten days but otherwise I spend the great majority of my time at home alone.

I have plenty to keep me amused with a very large collection of DVDs and Blu-rays (I don't have TV service because I don't want any possibility of getting Thai TV shit in my house), and I have books and musical instruments that I fiddle about with.

This may sound like a pretty sad sort of life to many others but it works for me so that's all that really matters. It's fine for me and for my Thai wife whom I love to bits and who I'm quite sure loves me too (and not just the money that I have).
Am I (un)happy in Thailand. No, not really.  It's just that there are so many ways in which Thailand could be much better if it really wanted to be.

Let's just agree to disagree here.
If you were me and chose to hand over your pension money to a new Thai wife, that's your decision. It's not one that I've made or will make in the future.
Through the extraordinarily beneficial superannuation scheme under which my Australian Government pension is paid, if we are still married at the time I pass from this world, my Thai wife will be entitled to 67 per cent of whatever benefit I receive at the time of my death, subject to CPI adjustment twice a year.

So, she will be well cared for financially by me before I go and by the Australian Government when I'm gone.
Not a bad outcome for a Thai lady I'd suggest. 

Just now, AYJAYDEE said:

your married, its "our' money

So, I receive a pension from Australia after 30 years of hard work there. And THAT becomes my wife's money when I come to Thailand and marry her. Forgive me but that's a very old fashioned way of looking at it.
As it is, I provide for both my Thai wife and I very well. She has nothing to complain about  

1 minute ago, AYJAYDEE said:

and do you insist on a say on how she spends the money?

 

I don't understand the question. I've already said that my wife has no involvement in my finances. Are you asking whether I try to involve myself in how she spends her money. If so, the answer is a clear no. If I don't want my wife telling me how to spend my money, then I would hardly expect her to tolerate my interfering in her financial affairs

I am by no means "infantalised" although I do understand what you mean. I am my own man and the sole boss of my finances which is I admit something that my Thai wife has had trouble understanding over the years that we've been together. I often have to remind her that she has absolutely no place in my financial affairs and that her thoughts and opinions about how I should spend my money are neither wanted nor welcome.
Nonetheless, as I've said, she is the most honest person I know (including yours truly) and has never once in nearly six years tried to take any money from me that was not freely given. I am very fortunate to have someone like Noo to help me cope with all that life in Thailand throws at me (not to baby me).

22 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Ever thought that your Thai wife is the problem... and because you can't understand what Thai people (including you wife) are saying in front of you very face you just believe her that EVER Thai is ripping you off?  

 

We are a farang couple.  No Thai wife.  I learnt to speak Thai because I needed too. In 12 years living here full time, building 3 houses, living in various rented places, and all areas of buying things I have NEVER been ripped off or lied to.  In fact, I found the Thai people, and the Burmese builders, very trustworthy.  The only habit they have that is frustrating is if there is some problem they are shy to say anything about it and this causes confusion and misunderstands about motives, as they are afraid to tell us things like mistakes or that will disappoint us because of loss of face stuff. 

 

Concerning your relationship.... stop relying on your Thai wife to baby you!!!

 

Because I can speak Thai I have witnesses on several occasions a Farang husband being lied to by their (usually X bar girl) wife... when they are saying to the husband they need more money for building work, purchases, services etc, then the Thai people are asking for, and the husband blindly believing her.. and falling out with the other Thai people, neighbours and relatives. 

 

I have also seen the husband instruct the wife to tell the Thai workers or shop staff something... then she tells them something totally different... only to tell the husband she did what he asked, and he gets angry at the poor Thai people trying to do their job... (and they will not want to upset the farang wife either due to the face thing).

 

 

 

 

I am not allowing my Thai wife to baby me. She's as honest as the day is long and she simply helps me to deal with things.
I know what you're talking about but it's really not the case in my relationship with my wife.
I would never ever even have considered a relationship with a bar girl. Prostitution is morally wrong and I'll have no part of it

Sad isn't it that, for many of us, life here is only made tolerable by, variously it appears, alcohol or something stronger or masturbation.
Look, I'm not truly unhappy here or I WOULD pack up and go home. It's just that there is so much about Thai society and Thai people and the Thais' couldn't give a shit attitude that just drives me crazy. This could be a much better country if the majority of Thai people were honest in their business dealings, stopped lying all the time (and let's not have any of that crap about lying being acceptable in this culture as a face saving device - lying is lying is lying), if Government actually gave a shit about road safety, if the Police were not corrupt to the core and if Thailand had a forward looking attitude to the world and its place in it.
 

17 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

@Weasel100

 

I have experienced almost all of the sentiments you expressed in your excellent post. I would offer the following feedback.

 

Regarding your sense of never being able to let down your guard because someone is constantly trying to rip you off, the way I manage this problem is to verify prices beforehand, comparison shop, put stuff in writing, review specifications carefully, and get recommendations from Thai neighbors and friends about vendors and service providers. Slowly over time I think I have established a reputation locally as someone who can not be easily taken advantage of, but that's certainly not to suggest that I haven't been taken advantage of plenty of times along the way.

 

You mentioned the lack of English proficiency in Thailand, which begs the question about your proficiency in Thai. Please note that most of the above advice about how to avoid getting ripped off requires at least a basic proficiency in Thai in order to communicate what you need and what your expectations are. I also wanted to share with you that I have often been really surprised when complaining to Thai neighbors and friends about being ripped off or overcharged by how often I am told by them that the vendor has a similar reputation among Thai people for overcharging Thai people. 'Kaw khit paang' (He charges a lot) they always say, so it's not always because you're a foreigner that you're being overcharged. Not saying foreigners aren't sometimes overcharged here because they definitely are, but it's important not to go overboard in the paranoia department.

 

Regarding consumer protections, I make most of my major purchases through major retailers which have more consumer friendly return policies, and try to do research beforehand on the product I am in the market for so as not be overly reliant on the advice of the sales clerk helping me who may have a different agenda other than helping me select the best appliance for my needs. Regarding traffic safety, agree 100% that this is a huge problem. You have to compensate for this by slowing down and driving more defensively than you otherwise would.

 

In summary, I'd say the feeling that you don't know who you can trust over here is a fairly common reaction most people have at one time or another experienced here. I guess I'm trying to encourage you by reporting that it is possible to work through that distrust and get to a place where transactions involving money are less stressful and less likely to result in feelings you've been ripped off.  My sense is that this is possible for you. The direction I would point you in is better preparation before transactions and improving your language skills so as to be better able to communicate your needs and expectations. Good luck.

 

 

Thanks Gecko
I agree with what you say and I admit that Thai language is not a strong point for me. But please understand that it is precisely because I have had so many terrible experiences in dealing with Thais that leaves me without any real desire to improve my Thai language skills. Lazy? Certainly. Understandable? I hope so.
And I also have to say that it a huge advantage for me to have my Thai wife who is obviously fluent in her own language.
It's interesting that when we met my little wife had a very different attitude to business dealings with Thais. Now, after some six years together, she gets increasingly exasperated and borders on angry with the Thais that she deals with on our behalf and who try to rip me off via her. And trust me, this happens almost all the time.
I am not a stupid person and I do my research and try to get things nailed down before I enter into business transactions with Thais. But, even when I have believed that my wife and I have a proper understanding with a Thai who is to do work for us, lies and deceptions almost always follow and it's always me who ends up being ripped off, despite my efforts to avoid that happening. 
Thanks again for your comments and your element of support for what I was trying to say in my original post.

19 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Have to honestly say I'm glad not to have your experiences or your overall outlook......If I did I'd constantly be swiveling my head waiting for the next anxiety attack....Not a good way to live.....

You're right. It's not a good way to live but it is a fact and a result of my psyche and what I perceive here in Thailand