JensenZ

I've been here for 20 years, and haven't noticed any difference at all... in fact, there have been people on here who have been whining about the decline of the Thai smile for the last 20 years I've been on this forum. Having said that, worrying about how much people are smiling at you is quite weird. I prefer no smile to fake smiles, and don't care too much if people smile or not.

I visited the Sanctuary of Truth in late January, which was crowded. They cherry-pick a photo with few people in it, near losing time or opening time, perhaps.

Only lose their jobs?

Plenty of media outlets covered his decline, and anyone who wasn't sleeping would have been aware of it.

I think the main reason for that is that people who live in other SE Asian countries have their own established forums, especially the Philippines. Good content is being diluted by too many trolls obsessed with post count, reputation and likes, creating threads about nothing.

However, the forum changed dramatically when they were first introduced. Do you have the date? I was guessing it was somewhere in the 2010 - 2012 time period. A lot of old members looked bad as a result because they had a low reputation (starting from zero) compared to new members who were obsessed with it. In social media in general, it causes a lot of heartache. Some people who don't get likes become genuinely disheartened, depressed and even suicidal. YouTube discontinued displaying downvotes a few years ago, but I see AN just introduced thumbs down again. I would suggest you get rid of all negative reactions. It was a happier place before reputation was introduced. People posted more genuinely and informatively back in the day. Now there is a boatload of trolls who post ony for maximum reactions. I agree with MalcolmB, it is childish as most here are expats, maybe going through their 2nd childhood LOL.

It was flooded with too many topics and you don't have to read them all. I don't need a lesson in Nostalgia, thank you. Some things were better before, and some things not, but that's beside the point, as there has been a huge decline since the old Thaivisa days. Have you only been around since 2022? I was on here for 16 years before that. When they introduced reputation, maybe around 2010 - 2012, this place deteriorated as many members are obsessed with it and post for responses and likes.

How about offering some useful information, such as: 1. What or who is Thaiger? 2. When did they take over? Some people might like to know. I don't spend a lot of time on here these days, but have been here for nearly 20 years, and it's very quiet compared to how it used to be, but I can't put a date on the decline; it was many years ago. They started doing so poorly that they had to discontinue the Thaivisa app. That was a major sign of decline. Moderation was heavy in the old days. I believe Internet forums are just going through a general decline, and one day in the not-so-distant future, apps will take over completely.

Could you please define a dirtbag? Are you one? If not, why not?

Not sure what makes a person good. To a bargirl, a good person is a big spender. If that's the case, I'm a horrible person. What kind of person are you?

Yeah, they are trying to avoid weird Farangs like you who waste their retirement years posting nonsense on here.

You seem to be quite knowledgeable about such matters these days.

That'll be a change from the left wing's constant whining since their November 5 wipeout.

I've never had a problem with the Internet in Thailand. I don't care about free wifi as I would never use it, but most shops do have free Wifi if you care to use it, and major shopping malls too. I have good cellular packages to use when travelling, and 1000/1000 fiber at home. It surprises me that anyone would need anything better, and possibly leave the country for it. You can get much better if you pay for business packages and get dedicated lines (no sharing). It's all here.

It doesn't matter where you end up. There is no paradise where everything is exactly as you like it. Leave Thailand, and after your honeymoon period is over, in a new location, you'll end up finding new problems to complain about. It's quite likely you'll regret leaving Thailand. I'm not interested in living in a one-party Communist (Socialist) state (from 1976) despite some of the advantages being touted on here. I suspect that some expats moved to Vietnam and secretly regret it, and are trying to convince themselves that they made a good decision; moreover, they are still in the Thailand (ASEAN) forum talking about it.

You're talking about special deals that pop up all week through special messages from your provider, but that's irrelevant, as you cannot subscribe to them unless you've been offered the deal. I just happen to be on one myself - 10GB per month at full speed for 100 baht. I've been using it for 2 years.

Why would you need 40 GB per month for reading the news and using Google Maps? I get 10GB per month, and my heaviest use was only 5GB, using it for everything you can imagine.

Whoever told you that is talking nonsense. Your location is irrelevant. You download the app and check the packages of your provider. They will be the same anywhere in Thailand.

Yes, correct. Unlimited packages will come with very slow speeds if they are cheap.

Where in the world would police be able to recover cash stolen from a wallet? How would you prove it? Going to the police station would be a waste of time. Very few people walk around with that much cash these days. 95% of my transactions are debit card or QR transfer. Even food vendors accept QR payments. Having said that, you should be more careful about the company you keep. I could keep 100k in my wallet, and my gf would touch it.

If you're getting too many fake smiles, you might be in the wrong place. Try moving out of the main tourist areas. I can understand how difficult it is for Thais to put up with all the Indian and Chinese tourists, and plenty from the Middle East and Russia. They have to deal with them all day long. I asked my Thai gf, who works in a 5-star hotel in Pattaya, if she likes them. Graciously, she replied, "not too much" LOL Why am I still here? I like it here and don't want to start over in another country after 20 years, even if there might be some advantages. I've never been to Vietnam and don't have a desire to visit. I don't believe your story that in Vietnam they smile genuinely all the time, and that they aren't after your money, and that they really "dig" all foreigners. The desire for money is universal around the world.

You're defending a foreigner who has no respect for Thai elders, calling them "old crows" and "fossils", just because they cannot speak English. The OP most definitely should pack his bags and leave. The sooner the better. I agree that it's cliché when foreigners who complain are invited to leave, but defending this pr**k is a step too far.

Stop living in the dark ages. I don't speak Thai, but I open my Buz App and translate to Thai and vice versa. It makes life easy if you put in just a little bit of effort, and they appreciate it too. Criticising older Thai people for not speaking English is the height of ignorance. Calling an older woman "an old crow" is beyond ignorant; The words I need to define that are banned on here. Regarding optometrists, I could hook you up with one of the best in Pattaya, who speaks perfect English.

You must live in Lala Land. The borders of countries around the world have been shaped by the winners and losers of wars over millennia. It doesn't belong to Ukraine anymore because Russia took it from them, and there is no way to get it back. Ceding territory is the only way this war will end. If any other countries enter this war to help drive out Russia, a Nuclear war is a strong possibility. You're sitting here in safety behind your keyboard. No one is asking you or your family to die in a war that cannot be won.

Ukraine has already lost and is only holding on by a thread due to waning foreign support. Should they give up now, or wait until 100s of thousands more are slaughtered on the battlefield with the possibility of nukes being deployed? Ukraine cannot win this war even with foreign support. They should take the best deal possible and save lives. Every battle has losers - they lost.