fredwiggy

Along with the numerous land developers that care nothing about tearing down millions of trees to put up houses in the country where deer, rabbits, squirrels, porcupines, raccoons, and innumerable birds live, just to they can have a million dollar house in the suburbs to show off to their friends.

Thanks for all the info. I'll keep it in mind and probably visit some of the places mentioned when I go.

Mike Mangini from Dream Theater is the fastest I know about.

Stats aren't something you argue with. It is what it is. Many people never see crime in major cities, missing them by a few minutes or a block away. My parents and brother were born in Brooklyn, and my parents rarely saw anything involving crime, especially murders or rapes. And Brooklyn has a lot of crime, as does NYC next door, along with the Bronx and Queens. Many here rarely leave their villages, so they never know what goes on around them. People think Thailand is immune to mass shootings, while they happen almost every month here. News stations aren't like they are in the west. A lot of coverage here would never be shown on western stations because it's not newsworthy. Much of what you see here is people robbing gold stores, traffic accidents and deaths, snakes in homes and people ganging up 5 against 1, armed with sticks and kicking people while they're already down. You don't hear much about gang activity and there's a reason. Tourism suffers the more news on crime gets out besides locally. They don't realize that crime is easy to research, because it still has to be noted in police offices and hospitals, which is public accessed. If you want to know what goes on here yearly, google it. Wikipedia has all you need to know.....https://www.wikipedia.org/

Stats kept are easy to find. You won't see but a fraction of what goes on here on local TV daily. All hospitals and tesabans report deaths, including those in traffic. When they say 60 die here daily, they aren't taking into account those who die later at hospitals, so there are more that eventually get to the stats of the year. Those are easy to find by google. ........https://www.nso.go.th/public/e-book/Statistical-Yearbook/SYB-2023/514/

I'm guessing you're used to a few here who make one sentence a paragraph. I usually separate mine and the others aren't so long a person couldn't follow them. I have no trouble reading some others longer paragraphs ,so. Also, there are many here that don't actually live in Thailand and still post, daily, so my going back to Texas doesn't have any bearing.

Don't assume you know what I do or don't know. All one has to do is research and watch daily news on a variety of channels to see what goes on here. This along with what's published on AN. Along with also word of mouth of friends who live here, lived here and visited here...............https://www.countryreports.org/country/Thailand/crimes.htm Most crime involving gangs and drugs in is the larger cities, just as it is in the west. I lived in the US for 62 years and never saw any crime either, especially involving guns, which is one topic many seem to go to. I worked in NYC for years, lived near it for 30, and the other 32 next to San Antonio, high crime areas. Most people never encounter crime although it happens daily.Google does have it's uses. One link found in 3 seconds..........https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Thailand

You can disagree with anything anyone says. I just tell it as it is as opinions mean little. Gangs are mostly in big cities, as that's where they money and victims are. Human trafficking is huge in Thailand, with major cities the hub for women and boys being forced or addicted into the trade. Some families encourage their daughters to prostitute themselves yes, but it's nowhere near the ones who are in it by other means. There is almost no law enforcement all over Thailand, hence the daily accidents and road deaths but Bangkok usually leads the stats in those, as does other large cities. If you watch and read the daily news, not only on local TV but on Yahoo and other news platforms, you'll see that farangs are almost always targeted in tourist areas and Bangkok. People living in villages aren't into attacking foreigners as we blend in and most everyone around us knows us. We usually get along with our neighbors as blending in is a necessity. It's definitely quieter in rural and country areas, besides the morning news and music, which isn't a bother unless you're right next door. large cities are always noisy, at all hours. City areas always have more accidents that country, just by the amount of people driving. You can research any of this online, as I do. One link...........https://www.statista.com/statistics/1013330/thailand-number-of-local-road-accidents-by-region/

For the last 51 years I've eaten almost all very healthy, with only an occasional cheat. Before that I ate what my parents cooked, which was mostly healthy also.

Anywhere you go you can get healthy food, if that's your passion. Steaks, pizza, roasts, sandwiches, and burgers can all be healthy if you make them yourself or go to places and tell them what you want in them. Thailand food, tasty, can be healthy or not, depending on how it's prepared. I eat mostly western food, healthy, made mostly by myself but sometimes I go to a western restaurant, although many aren't close, and like when I visit my girlfriend, who makes a variety of healthy Thai food.

Cheddar on the potato, melted

It's rice with turmeric, saffron and sometimes annatto. Pretty tasty.

Grilled swordfish, baked potato with cheese, chives, black pepper, or yellow rice, asparagus spears, oysters on the half shell and a California Chardonnay.

No gangs, human trafficking, safer driving, less pollution (not all areas), farangs aren't targets like in big cities and tourist areas, quieter, less accidents.

There are city people and country people. He and his wife have worries, so I suggested living in the country because it's much safer.

Many countries have leaders who or were or are narcissists and sociopaths. History has seen the results.

I meant to live, not visit

True, I deleted that.

That might be true, although they might ask for the birth certificate. Being all western should eliminate the need but I think having a letter from your wife would be insurance.

Always best to have that letter, with her phone number so they can call to verify it, as you don't want to go to the airport and be held up. A passport actually is permission for a child to travel, as it's signed by both parents, but when you're dealing with officials that might not know all the ins and outs, it's best to have everything you can. Stamps on his passport help but again. . I had a letter signed and dated by my ex Thai wife, in Thai, just to make sure, along with her phone number. They did call her from the airport.

I'm thinking it's the women that are the idiots. Why tolerate this type of boy who feels more is necessary?

As there aren't any battlefields here, his lifestyle will be one.

I'd like to see the war sites, so thinking I would first fly to Hanoi, go to Halong Bay for a couple of days,then take Britmans advice and maybe try Trang An, then to Danang. I would like to see more of South Vietnam but only have about a week or so to travel. I love Vietnamese food, and want my GF to try some, along with the coffee there. If I can arrange the transportation a train to those spots you went to would also be good.How was getting the 15 visa on arrival? I'm only going to be there at most 9 days so that would be good. I was going to get the visa online but if it's no problem I might go that route.I did read this though so was thinking of just getting the online one...........American citizens can obtain a visa on arrival (VOA) in Vietnam, but it's generally recommended to apply for an e-visa online beforehand, as VOA is only available in specific situations like departing from a country with no Vietnamese embassy

Problem there, is that many "quality residents", those with that sort of funds, are or were criminals themselves, obtaining that money by taking advantage of others. Many people aren't retiring with 10-25 million baht as savings. And those that retire here on what's asked, aren't riff raff but putting that money into providing for wives and children here, contributing to the Thai economy,besides those that are just here to buy women and go from one to another.

1933 to 1945