PingRoundTheWorld

Prices are a function fo demand and purchasing power. Masses of people spending on consumer goods all at the same time is likely to increase prices in the short term. Those "cheap charlies" are who pays the wages of a great number of Thais. Any decrease is bad for Thais who work in the service industry. It doesn't really matter if inflation is 3% or 4% and tourism is down by 5% or 10% - seemingly small percentages translate to a big number of jobs lost or wage cuts. I never said anything about deflation. Prices tend to remain high once they've gone higher. They just won't increase further. They win in the short term, only to lose in the long term. Wage cuts, jobs cuts, higher prices - all translate to a decrease in welfare for them. Again it doesn't matter if they lose 1000 baht or 2000 baht per month of real buying power (wage vs prices) - they still lose either way. Inflation is ALWAYS bad for those who can't keep up with it.

The US and many other countries paid for these handouts dearly in inflation, reduced purchasing power and welfare, and all sorts of other problems. The real end result is that poor people have LESS spending power than they had pre-Covid, and rich people are much, much richer. I'm not necessarily saying those handouts weren't necessary and didn't play a key role in balancing the economy - they did - but someone (the working class) has to pay for it down the line.

Literally taking money from one pocket and moving it to the next. Likely results: 1. Taxpayers will pay for this crap. 2. Temporary consumer spending increase, resulting in inflation. 3. Inflation will cause interest rates to rise. 4. Consumers will pay higher rates for their loans. 5. Taxpayers will earn higher returns on their investments. 6. Inflation will drive tourism down due to the added cost. 7. Decreased tourism will stifle economic growth again. 8. Inflation and interest rates will subside - but by that time the damage's done. 9. No one wins, everybody loses. Money doesn't magically grow in "digital accounts". Either taxpayers pay for it or you print money and cause inflation. The only good GDP growth is real industry growth, not fake growth causes by printing money. What's the point of growth if there's no increase in people's welfare or spending power?

In my personal experience that rarely exists with attractive women in Thailand. The order of her priorities will usually be (her) family first, kids if there are any, herself, and only then you. It's hard to build a partnership who has so many priorities above you IMHO. Well, that's a different topic entirely. I don't believe men should be relegated to a single sexual partner for the rest of their lives, but of course no woman wants to know her man is playing with other women. I like the Japanese-style "solution" which is to pretend it's not happening and look the other way - they are not mad as long as you don't shove it in their face and make an effort to keep it discrete. With Thais it's more complicated, but doable.

I've lost weight since, but I was near 110kg back then. The much smaller drivers had a hard time controlling the bike with me at the back. I wasn't driving.

Or at least a freelancer who works the same venues every night. If they know you can find them, the chances of theft go dramatically down. As for this incident though, it sounds like his version of the story isn't exactly how it happened. It's unlikely she targetted him from a dating app and brought date-rape drugs with her. More likely they took "regular" drugs together - probably ones which he provided, he passed out, and she seized the opportunity to grab what she could and run. Reminds me of some street hooker I used to know- a customer refused to pay her after sex, so she grabbed a gold necklace when he fell asleep. Incredibly dumb move because the guy showed up at the street bar she always worked at the next night. I've had small things and cash go "missing" with girls too, but with small amounts and no actual proof they took it no point going to police. And I'm not even talking about (only) hookers - also supposedly "normal" girls - there was a dancer who worked at a club I attended, she was all over me saying she wants me to be her boyfriend blah blah, and eventually came home with me. The first couple of times while she still worked at the club things were fine - she did not ask for money nor take anything. She quit the club shortly after and messaged me to meet, which we did. During that time she asked for 2000 for some random excuse, which I gave her, leaving 4000 baht in my pocket (I felt it there as I handed her the cash). I then went to the bathroom and a few minutes later she left. When checking my pocket the 4000 were gone, she saw the opportunity and just grabbed it from my pocket before leaving. I guess she felt safe because she knew I'd have trouble finding her now that she no longer works in that club. She was correct- I've never seen her since, although funny enough her Facebook profile did show up as we have mutual friends. Never bothered with it though - her loss - she could've milked me for a lot more than that for a lot longer if she didn't pull that stunt.

I do agree riding bikes in general is dangerous, and refuse to get on one even as a passenger. You don't have to choose between bikes and driving a car drunk though. Taxis and apps work just fine. Bangkok is extra easy with taxis everywhere and anywhere, Pattaya Bolt works well enough (InDrive and Grab less so), and Phuket you're better off not visiting anyway. 🤣 I rarely ever ride bikes at all - but I managed to get injured riding ones 3 times in Thailand. Minor injuries but it's indicative of worse that could easily happen. Since the last one which was very bleedy I've decided to completely abort any and all future bike rides. It's not safe and not worth it.

Not sure why you are singling out foreigners. I know a lot more Thai people who drink and drive on a daily basis than foreigners. Many women who work in entertainment drink as part of their job, but drive home afterwards. I'm not condoning it - on the contrary - I've seen the way some of them drive and it's just a matter of time and how bad the accident will be. But to the question at hand: why? because they can, and they've gotten away with it so far. Police rarely enforce drunk driving here. Technically the penalties are very high, but if they're never enforced then what's the point?

You always pay one way or another. Some men are just delusional that they're not. Even if you're not giving her cash - if you're paying the rent, food, her car, insurance, etc etc - you are paying for her. If you bring more money into the "partnership" than she does - you are paying. The real difference between a wife and a rental gf is the gf will put more effort into pleasing you. The wife doesn't need to - she owns you already. There is zero reason for a man to get married - especially not in Thailand when replacing models to a younger one if the current one gets big ideas is so easy. My ex-gf pre-Covid started nagging me about her friends getting married and she wants to too. I disregarded it at first, but she became more and more insufferable and jealous until I eventually dumped her and happily moved on. The really stupid part is that when I asked her WHY she wants to get married so badly she replied she wants to ensure I can't leave her because it would cost me a lot of money to do so. Literally said exactly why I should NOT marry her. The even funnier part is that after I ditched her she went back to her ex who cheated on her and she used to trash talk all the time (hint: major red flag that showed what was to come, in retrospect).

It's unfortunate that imported alcohol is taxed so highly in Thailand. I think it was what.. 300%? 400%? And let's not start on imported cars...

Yep, this. The hordes of "quality" tourists flooding Thailand isn't doing Thais any favors. They need to wake up and realize they need tourists with money and manners, not low cost masses. As for this story, without discounting that the guy is an ***hole, the punch itself does not look strong or able to knock someone out. More likely is that the mascot is exaggerating in an attempt to get monetary compensation. Because foreigners = 🏧.

Outraged? Just don't buy. Problem solved.

Why? sounds about right for Bolt from Phukey City->Patong.

Exactly. How would he know her room number if she hadn't invited him in? she probably did and don't remember it. Also unexplained is how he managed to enter the car park, elevator, etc - assuming it's a typical condo and you need a key card for those. Still kind of weird for a Bolt driver to hook up with a passenger, but it wasn't necessarily uninvited. Bottom line: getting drunk af is a great way to find yourself with a stranger in bed the next morning.

Odd that they were specifically targetted. It doesn't sound like anyone was trafficked or exploited or underage. There's literally thousands of such establishments in Thailand. Must've pissed someone off or neglect to pay up.

Uhh, no. What has she done aside from being "the wife of"? What exactly qualifies her to be president? And in other news: women usually make terrible leaders. Just look at Germany and Sweden, being figureatively and literally raped by hordes of Muslim immigrants who wil never integrate into normal society. These were women leaders who allowed them in.

You're unlikely to see much or any of your deposit back anyway, so don't bother with cleaning. Even if they charge you(r deposit) for cleaning it'll only be 1-2k, but you're guaranteed they will find "damage" and other things allegedly wrong with the place and deduct it from your deposit. In ~8 years in Thailand I have never gotten my deposit back, from any landlord. Illegal? yes. But there's not much you can do and going through legal channels for small amounts is a waste of time. I'm a landlord myself (not in Thailand) so I can see their side and why they would want to receive the place back in perfect condition, however in reality wear and tear happens, and it is THEIR responsibility, not the renter's. Unfortunately most landlords I've encountered are out to squeeze every last baht they can out of the property so will nickel and dime you for anything you allegedly caused, even if it was already there before. (and then they'll pass it on to the next renter WITHOUT fixing it, and when they move out "find it" again) P.S. These were all Thai landlords. I haven't had any foreign landlords (so far). Not sure which would be better...

If you have to go through all of that to keep your girlfriend then you don't have a girlfriend - you have a rental. A normal Thai girl isn't going to fall on random ****s just because she met your friends, on the contrary - meeting your friends and family (assuming THEY are normal....) is a good thing. Living in tourist areas in itself isn't an issue as long as she stays out of the bars. If she does go out partying (without you) on a regular basis, however, then ditch her yesterday. There is only one reason people go out *on a regular basis* - make all the excuses you want, but one underlying reason. Single occurences like birthdays etc can be excusable, as long as it's in somewhat respectable venues.

Jeff Bezos: Beta male with money - worst combination possible. Bore her to death + the possibily of disengaing AND keeping a good chunk of his money = divorce. Bill Gates and Paul McCartney: See above. Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt: Narcissistic psycho women with assets and resources of their own don't make the best partners, hot or not. The problem wasn't that they were rich or successful, the problem was that the women were not dependent on them financially or emotionally. It worked well when it suited the women, ended when it no longer did. None of the beta breakups would've happened if they weren't married and the women weren't set to receive millions at divorce. As for Johnny and Brad - they weren't their wifes, it just was just their turn. A wise poster once wrote: always make sure you are more valuable to her alive than dead. So expand that further: always make sure you are valuable to her, period. Great rule to live by IMHO.

Absolute nonsense. Internet service is barely useable in half the hotels on the island. When I moved to a condo it got slightly better with fiber internet at the zoomin' speed of 50/50mbps. Bangkok and Pattaya you can easily get 500mbps, 1gbps, etc. I can't think of a single technological area they are better at than Bangkok or Pattaya.

You can clearly see the ladyboy grabbing the first guy, hitting him on the back and in the face, then pointing and being aggressive towards the second guy. No idea what happened before all of this (if anything), but hitting someone in the face and being aggressive makes the punch self-defence. Live by the sword, die by the sword - ladyboy is violent, so he met violence.

I like the concept in general, and I'm sure from a housing perspective they're probably even better than a lot of other options out there, however I can't help but wonder about my number 1 personal concern: safety and security. Basically anyone with a rock can break into these - just smash one of the huge windows. Way too easy to break into when you're away, way to easy to attack you if someone wanted to. Or am I worng to assume that? I'd have the same concerns with a regular house, however with a house you can at least put bars on the windows to deter those who seek easy targets. With a lot of these half the walls are windows so it isn't feasible to put bars on them.

If by soon you mean 2040 then yeah, MAYBE. Other countries sure, Thailand? it'll be a while...

Sounds like these Chinese are gang/mafia, and likely do weild influence in the area. Hopefully they do get prison time and deportation as this kind of scum is exactly who Thailand needs to kick out. Attempted rape, then attempted murder. In any normal country they'd be behind bars already and stay there for many many years. You can't buy yourself off an attempted murder case, and attempted rape with witnesses should be prosecuted regardless of whether the victim presses charges or not (she won't - she's too scared). Kudos to the father for pressing forward but he better watch his back as it's almost guaranteed a group of other Chinese will pay him a visit in the future.

Do you want a router that tethers internet from your phone? if so you've got answers already, but keep in mind it may disconnect often, not reliable, and drain your phone battery. Another option to consider if you must use a SIM card (why?) is to buy a 4G or 5G router with a sim card slot and skip the phone altogether. Similar to a Pocket Wifi but in router form.