rabang

This is coming to the rest of SEA, Africa, Latin America who have freed themselves from the tyranny of the West and made themselves slaves of China.

Talk about beating a dead horse.

I am not American but I understand that it is expensive and time consuming to travel abroad from the US, especially if you don't live in the southern states. In the north there is Canada but that's it. A valid comparison for Europeans would be to ask if they have travelled outside of Europe.

I hardly plan further than the next week. Planning 30 or 40 years in advance sounds like fantasizing to me.

At the end of the day there is not that much to do in Thailand except booze and womanizing. The climate is so hot it takes the fun out of many outdoor activities (even if northern climates are usually bad in other ways during the cold winter season). Work opportunities and cultural offering are limited and it is hard to make a deep connection with the local population due to cultural differences and their mistrust in foreigners so it doesn't attract high quality people that much. Also many low class people consider Thailand as a free-for-all and anything type of place.

If you have a US or Canadian passport (and most other passports from the Americas will do as well) and unless you fly through Belarus or Russia, which is very unlikely and complicated nowadays, you don't need a transit visa or any visa whatsoever for a short visit on tourism purposes.

Last time I was in Thailand Tops was way more expensive than high-end supermarkets in Scandinavia.

When I have stayed longer periods in Thailand I have usually made a trip to some nearby country every 1 or 2 months, meaning that during a 3 month trip I have been counted as an arrival thrice on average.

Looks like Russians are more and more spoiled goods that don't benefit the receiving nation. Even if some leave money the total sum isn't positive.

There you got already two errors in a few sentences.

Centuries of cruelty, slavery, violence, poverty and despair have unfortunately ruined the Russian soul.

You can sort of think of it as facts being completely opposite to what he says. Black becomes white, dark becomes bright and so on.

Like he said the society is very divided (based on my perception, I am not Russian). You can wqtch YouTube channel 1402 to get some idea. Many famous Russian Youtubers have fled the country and are showing how ridiculous their government is. I am not going for whataboutism but how did American people view the Iraq war in the early 2000's? There are always people supporting and opposing any war.

You should. Only then you know if it is your cup of tea. Or rather cup of coffee in this case.

My passport is on that list but I once visited Vietnam twice within a month so I needed a visa for the second visit. It was a bit cumbersome process and will probably keep away many casual weekend visitors who reside in nearby countries.

Less stressful in Bangkok by a mile.

I might agree about visiting but for longer term Thailand must be more convenient.

There is a strong and long victimization mentality in Russia with a self image of a fortress surrounded by enemies.

My first thought as well. The social media and smartphone addiction is bad everywhere but it is off the charts in Thailand. Add to that a bad education system and immature people so no wonder that something like this occurs.

He was just being polite and tried to make sure we would remember.

It is very simple: Russia is the aggressor and only needs to withdraw from Ukraine. No one is going to invade Russia if they stay behind their own borders. Everything else is just propaganda from a paranoid former KGB man.

My understanding is that you don't need a confirmed flight ticket for the visa application. Everyone in the embassy knows it is risky considering the possibility that the visa is not approved. Here is some general info I found: https://www.axa-schengen.com/en/schengen-visa/flight-itinerary

I like to visit Việt Nam but after a few days I feel like I have got enough of the place. It is just too rough around the edges. Just walking around is massively stressful with all the motos running around so you have to constantly stay alert, at least in Saigon and Hanoi. Some places like Da Nang are less stressful thanks to proper sidewalks. And yes, people can be a bit tense. No fake smiles over there, don't know if that is good or bad, it's your choice. Thailand is far from perfect as we all know but it feels much easier and more benign than VN.

Many people have been conditioned into believing that anytime you feel even the slightest amount of hunger you should eat something. I sometimes hear people saying how they must eat even 7 or 8 times a day or more!

There are certainly many affluent Russians too. I saw an article claiming that last year 40% of foreign condo buyers in Phuket were Russian. Not all of them are though. The demographic I saw last time I visited Pattaya four years ago didn't give an impression they could survive an extended period with their savings alone.