Truthhurts

On 9/1/2019 at 10:00 AM, Fex Bluse said:

I think a few of the responses above are correct.

 

My trick has been to simply ignore them like other Asians do.

 

It is our Western instincts to be polite and respond when someone talks to/at us. 

 

But, here in Thailand, a sales person is regarded as 'lower' than you the customer and as such is not entitled to acknowledgement.

 

Just ignore them until you need something from them, at which time there is a high likelihood they will demonstrate their uselessness.

You talk about westerners being polite then in the next sentence seem to be putting shopworkers at a level to scrapings on your shoe.

I'm sure you demonstrate your undoubted usefulness on a regular basis.

Clearly it goes hand in hand with your humility and equanimity. 

14 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I don't think the Thai Government cares...  Like most Thai's they are indifferent to us foreigners and can take us or leave us, regardless of what we think, we are nothing special and deserve no special rights. 

 

Like many nations, it seems Thailand has decided to enforce its existing Immigration regulations which for so long people have been making a mockery of. 

 

Unfortunately many have been caught in the mix with diminishing exchange rates and Embassies which no longer Affirm Documents which cannot be verified (i.e. income).

 

It seems many have translated the enforcement as 'they [the Thai Government] don't want us', I don't believe that is true. It just means we can enjoy Thailand at our pleasure if we meet the requirements, which if we are being fair are not exactly 'harsh'.

That sort of truth will not go down well

However you are spot on

17 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

Sad is that the kids look so clean and well dressed, while their teacher looks like a plumber. 

Someone who can tell a book by its cover..well done

3 minutes ago, Bobsuruncle said:

smutcakes, you're absolutely right. Having 2 people living in a small place is definitely going to be a challenge. I've lived this life style before but I was by myself. I know that it will be much different with 2 people. For medical assistance I can park near any VA clinic and get medical care anywhere in the US.

I'm an introvert and living this type of lifestyle is right up my alley. I've lived it before and really enjoyed so it's not really a pipe dream without research. Actually I would still be doing that life if I hadn't made the mistake of visiting Thailand 12 years ago and got stuck here. 

Although I am a little concerned about how my wife will adjust to that life style. First it will be a culture shock and then it will be a small living space. Don't know if it will work if I don't give it a chance.????

As a point of interest will your wife be entitled to VA healthcare

4 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

A TM30 flounce then. OK.

Ouch

21 minutes ago, BradinAsia said:

Bobsuncle, good luck on your nomadic life in America. We just did that for 8 months -- moving every two weeks between RV parks and state parks, seven months in Florida, then cross country to Colorado, and a month in Colorado. We saw a lot of nice places, but it nearly bankrupted us. Over and above the $25k cash for the travel trailer and F-150 tow truck, we spent over $5,000 per month, and came back here with a fairly large credit card debt. We are rather thrifty with our budget and during my 27 years in Asia, I never had any credit card debt. Yes, there are free places to camp for a week or two, such as BLM, but in the long run it's not really a sustainable lifestyle and gets very tiresome. 

 

Not only that -- America is not the same country it was 10-20 years ago. The major corporation tend to be predatory in their business practices. For example, internet. In the Philippines, we pay $25/month for fiber-optic broadband internet. In the U.S. we paid over $100/month (Verizon) and it was the worst internet I've had since the internet was first started in the early 1990's. Worst of all, after we cancelled Verizon and confirmed that our account was all clear, they are still billing us and threatening us 10 months later.

 

Before we left the U.S. we sold our F-150 but GEICO won't let us cancel our insurance coverage. They expect me to call them (international phone call from Philippines) to discuss "the reasons we should keep our auto insurance even after we sold the vehicle." I wouldn't recommend either Verizon or GEICO to my worst enemy.

 

You seem to me a very reasonable and intelligent person. I'd suggest you do your study and research well, unless you are independently wealthy and ready to lose a fortune chasing a dream you may never find.

 

 

 

Some sage advice there.

Too many people come to developing countries and are expecting switzerland for swaziland money. It doesnt work like that.

The wages and tax collection in a place like thailand would be lucky to keep the lights on in somewhere like eg manchester.

There are sacrifices and compromises we have to make and realities we have to live up to. Just because we are white and speak english doesnt mean that those that arent, owe us a living or respect. 

You cannot live somewhere like eg uk, usa, oz or canada etc without having at least 60k thb per month ( assuming you already own outright where you live ). Best of luck in usa if you have no health insurance.

Everywhere one lives has its good and bad points. Those that live here but now bemoan the fact obviously had major gripes at one stage.

Life is what you make it

4 hours ago, balo said:

You forgot to mention that Phuket island is a ripoff place for tourists and expats and taxi mafia everywhere. Restaurant prices are double of Pattaya etc etc etc.  

It's the last place in Thailand I would relocate to. 

In a room full of balloons there is always 1 needle

2 hours ago, grumbleweed said:

A charity for charities. 

Charities are well known for taking a much bigger cut than those they are supposed to be helping

I hate to think, with the double filtering, just how much actually seeps down to the people who need it

People cant do good for doing bad it seems.

The time must fly by in your world 

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

So many foreigners (in Thailand) gripe and moan about having to do the TM.30s and 90 day reports.
Imagine if they had to renew their visa every 90 days !

As I've mentioned in other threads, there is a huge difference between visiting a place and actually living there. The OP's post helps highlight that difference. I've also mentioned that one has to consider what one is willing to put up with (or without) when deciding to live in a foreign country. Obviously there are cheaper countries to live in than Thailand, but the downside(s) may be more than most are willing to accept.

Some more detailed information would be helpful though.
Such as, can foreigners own land there or is it like Thailand ?
How much are the (3 month) Visas (if there is any cost) and what are the requirements (if any) ?

Do they have reporting requirements like Thailand ? 
What are the internet speeds and packages like (price-wise) ? Also, the availablity outside of the major cities.

Many foreigners love their "footie" (or other English language programming such as news and movies), what are the TV services like ? (Cost and availability).

One thing I hated about Cambodia was the noise, especially for wedding ceremonies where they blast the music as loud as possible ALL DAY LONG. Frik - it seemed every village and town we went through had at least one wedding happening everyday ! That alone is enough to for me to never want to move there.
It's already been mentioned about the constant honking in Vietnam. (I noticed India was like that as well - people would start honking the moment they saw another vehicle, even if it was on the other side of a divided, well lit, 4 lane highway at 2 in the morning !)
What about other noise such as weddings, blaring announcements on loudspeakers, bars/karaokes blasting music until the wee hours, etc.

The availabilty of foreign foods would be an issue for some, especially if living away from the larger cities. Not much different from Thailand in that case, except that Thailand seems to have a 7/11 or Family Mart (or both) on almost every city block or in every village of more than a thousand people (and it's pretty easy to get stuff delivered if ordering online). Of course, that would be the more expensive option which would rule it out for those seeking greener "cheaper" pastures. Again, it depends on what a person is willing to give up in exchange for a cheaper cost of living.

Medical clinics and healthcare would also be a consideration (for some of us). It's obvious that a lot of foreigners in Thailand can't afford Health Insurance (if they can't afford to meet the financial requirements and are using agents to get around that, I seriously doubt they are splashing out for health insurance either). Those people wouldn't care about such matters in a place like Vietnam either, but others might.

Years ago (almost 25 years ago now, when I was still in the Army) I was trying to find a place I might like to retire to one day. I made a list of some countries in SE Asia, Central and South America that might be suitable.

I never even considered Vietnam (or Laos), mainly because of their communist governments. Other places have shaky governments as well but I've never trusted a communist government and certainly wouldn't want to live under one. Cambodia was shaky as well back then (the UN had a peacekeeping mission there back in '93 at the same time I was on a peacekeeping mission in Croatia). 
It seemed to be the common thread amongst all the "cheaper" retirement destinations - shady governments that could crumble (or go rogue) in an instant. The places with seemingly more stable governments (like Belize and Costa Rica) were also the more expensive options.

All that being said, it is nice to hear from people that actually live in a place (as opposed to just visiting it for a weekend) as it can be a real eye opener, especially for all those "That's the final straw ! I'm leaving Thailand and moving to (wherever) because (wherever) is so much better then here !" people. (Not that it'll stop them from saying that. Might make a few of them change their supposed destination to a different greener cheaper destination though !)

 

Great great post

Good report. 

Must say I am bewildered.

I read on here many times that thailand was ruined/finished etc and that anywhere else was better.

Just goes to show eh.

Grass, greener etc etc

5 hours ago, jonclark said:

Wait for a

Wait ten minutes and the normal government stooges will be along to tell you, it's the law, it's easy, stop whining and if you do not like it leave. 

A not unreasonable point of view.

Just because they differ from you why are they stooges.

Name calling only serves to stifle grown up debate..dont you think?

5 minutes ago, kellersphuket said:

Do you even know the backstory as to why you where allowed to keep your precious independence?

 

I bet you don't.

Oh great!

Cue getting out your last night of the proms cd on and saluting in front of the mirror

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Is there any statistic what else the guys who talk and write about TM30 do in their life?

Do they have a life?

 

What would you do if TM30 would not exist anymore? Complain about something else?

Or would you just be happy, have a beer and enjoy life?

If you think you would be happy without TM30 I suggest don't think about it, have a beer and enjoy life!

 

Ouch!

5 minutes ago, jiffers said:

Actually, I think buying a condo was a good investment when I consider the rent I've saved and the appreciation in its value in Sterling. I accept it's not very liquid with the over supply in the market, but if I wrote it off tomorrow I'd still have done okay with it.

Also, I don't live in Thailand for the whole year so it's nice to come here and have my own place to stay, that's worth a lot.

Exactly.

No one can raise your rent, refuse to fix things, rip you off for power bills etc.

6 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Your whine is reliant on the ludicrous assertion that the DoJ headed by Trump’s hand picked lackey Billy Barr gave Comey a ‘free pass’.

 

If Comey had broken the law, any law, Barr would have prosecuted him.

 

Comey did not break the law, hence no prosecution

Which pretty much sums up the whole deal.

33 minutes ago, lupin said:

One might argue it is the high level of opportunistic theft by Thais that necessitates regular media stories praising "Thai Honesty" to begin with

The biggest liar on the planet is POTUS

2 hours ago, SammyT said:

Agree re the competency of the Thai police, but you'd find similar numbers in most western countries too. Sexual offending is severely under-reported globally for a number of reasons

Being the governments are dominated by men!

Even the POTUS is a noted recalcitrant in this field.

3 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Just 10% are saying they'd be willing to report sexual harassment to police. That pretty well tells you where the police stand in the estimation of the Thai public.

 

Yes of course it does.

3 hours ago, faraday said:

You don't.

They do.

It isn't.

I wont make a disparaging response to your post.

I was raised properly  unlike some

20 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Every bar owner I know pays plenty to the bobbes as in BiB.  Not just bars, just about any night venue. You ever been here ?  

Only about a 100 times and know at least a dozen owners in bangkok and patts.

I have 3 properties in thailand so spend a large part of every year in the place. 

So in answer to your sarcy request I know 'here' very well