JensenZ

That's what you think, and what they want you to think. They are just better at playing the game in the Philippines, making you believe they are not in it just for the money. The Thai girls are usually too straightforward with demands and too obvious for everyone except newbies who can't see past the sex. They want more than Thai chicks. They want to live overseas. Once they get there, they'll kick your sorry a**ses to the curb LOL. Even if that wasn't originally their plan, once they see the opportunities available to them in Farangland, it becomes a plan. Even if the girl doesn't see it, her Filipino compatriots from the Filipino community networks abroad will teach her everything she needs to know. Old, rich foreigners are their Holy Grail. The closer to death, the better. One friend of my wife used to feed her US husband in the States the fattiest of foods hoping he'd get a heart attack, and they laugh about this. Mothers teach their daughters to marry old foreigners suggesting they can still play with Filipinos. Filipinos put on a kind face, but they can be extremely nasty and heartless.

But there still will be no duty on anything imported under 1500 baht, so only about 100 baht tax at the limit. It won't change the cost of anything over 1500, as they are technically liable for duty and tax from 1501 baht.

In this case, imported items under 1500 baht have not been taxed. I frequently buy products from iHerb. It is duty and tax-free if it's below 1500 baht, but I often order much higher, from 2000 to 3000 baht and haven't had to pay tax. I've only been hit with duty and tax on 2 parcels in over 10 years. They let most slip through, but when they stop a parcel, you have to pay tax on the full amount (including shipping), not just the amount over the 1500 baht limit. A 7% tax on a 1500 parcel is peanuts, but when I have to pay tax and duty I need to make a 16km round trip to the mail centre where they hold the parcel for payment. Can you imagine the back log of parcels awaiting tax payment at mail centres around the country?

I'm not from the Philippines, but I have lived there for many years. Let's not start on English grammar. It's impossible to solve. No one can agree on sentence structure. There are more exceptions than rules in English. Grammar (and spelling) Nazis are a dime a dozen on most forums. It's not about how good their English grammar (or spelling) is, but how well they are understood in conversational English. Let's take some examples of English dialects that many English speakers (as a first or second language) around the world would have trouble with: Geordie, Scouse, Brummie, Cockney, Welsh, Yorkshire, Irish, Scottish, Cheshire, Estuary English, Indian English, South African English... Put them in a call centre and see how well they are understood in OTHER countries. American English and its Filipino English derivative are generally the most easily understood dialects. You'll note I mentioned Indian English. There would be an endless availability of cheaply hired Indian English speakers, but no one can understand them. The same goes for English speakers in other "cheap labour" countries.

What I do see are long queues at the mail centres; of people picking up parcels that were previously delivered, to pay 100 baht or less.

Yes, dead coral is white, but bleached coral is not dead. What is coral bleaching? When corals are under stress, they expel the microscopic algae that live in their tissues. Without these algae, corals' tissues become transparent, exposing their white skeleton. This is called coral bleaching. Bleached corals are not dead, but are more at risk of starvation and disease. Coral Bleaching

Currently, there are no VAT or import duties on imported items under 1500 baht. When they introduce a 7% VAT, it will also be charged on shipping fees. It will be a big money grab.

I didn't believe a word of his story. I would be more likely to believe some "girlie" reported him. It seems likely they were searching for him.

How will the removal of some trash and plastic lower water temperatures in a huge body of water? An increase of just 1C can cause these bleaching events. It is no surprise considering how hot it has been throughout April and May.

Talk about ignorance. Unless they can control the temperature of the water in the Gulf of Thailand, there's absolutely nothing they can do. The Gulf is like a giant bathtub, so it's not surprising this area is suffering the most. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered 7 major bleaching events since 1998 and they are always well documented, including recovery. Perhaps they should talk to the marine biologists in Australia.

I suppose that I've lived in Thailand since 2006 points to the fact that I have no interest in living in the Philippines again or even having a relationship with a Filipino. I have visited Dumaguette a number of times in the past and never liked it or understood the attraction for it, other than there being a university there, I suppose. I went there on scuba diving trips. If I had to find a place to resettle there, the choice would be difficult, but at least I would need to be somewhere central in a big city. I've lived in provinces (Cavite, Leyte) and wouldn't want to do that again.

It hasn't changed since "way back then". Wealthy clans still run the show in the deep provinces. Everyone is on the take - police, lawyers, judges, mayors. The central federal government has little penetration or control when you leave the big cities. Summary executions are common all over the country. Some provinces are worse than others, but provinces like Samar, or the far North of Luzon can be particularly brutal.

I don't know - it was you who brought up the virgin topic. I do live in a different world. I'm in my 60s and don't spend time on Messenger chatting to girls... in fact, I just divorced a Filipino last year after 13 years of marriage and 20 years together. My time of dating young girls is long past. Most Filipinos are Christian, but by birth and tradition more than faith, so corrupting them wouldn't be difficult. Back about 20 - 25 years ago, in bars, the virgins would wear tags to indicate they couldn't/wouldn't go out on bar fines, but apparently, it was a scam and most were fake virgins looking for big payments.

There was no Facebook when I first visited the Philippines in the 90s (when I was in my 30s) and it wasn't in existence when I left. All my relationships with Filipinos were in the flesh as I lived full-time there for many years. I'm certain that most girls at age 18 are not virgins despite them being fundamental Christians or another religion. I am also certain that most of what you learn about them in Facebook Messenger is nonsense.

Without getting too far off-topic. They use a hell of a lot more makeup in Thailand, so I firmly disagree there. Most of the pretty girls are not looking for old expats. You'll find plenty of skinny girls in the provinces, but it's because they don't eat enough. As soon as a foreigner gets their hands on them, they blow up like balloons. The Filipino men prefer larger girls, as it's a sign of wealth. Good luck landing a virgin. They might say they are, but they are sexually active from a very young age. "Virgin" usually means "untouched by foreigner".

That depends on who is eating it. Filipinos prefer their food over Thai food. It also should be noted that their food varies a lot from island to island. I prefer Thai food overall, but that doesn't make it better. Most of the time I eat Western food. The advantage in Thailand is they do Western cuisines better here.

Apart from the fact that Japan was an advanced nation before the war, they were given a lot more assistance to rebuild. The US occupied Japan until 1952, whereas The Philippines was granted independence in 1946 and left to their own devices. US Occupation assistance to Japan after WW2 "Total U.S. assistance to Japan for 1946-1952 was roughly $15.2 billion in 2005 dollars, of which 77% was grants and 23% was loans. Most of these funds were provided through GARIOA grants. Japan repaid $490 million of the total postwar assistance. Of the $2.2 billion in total aid, an estimated $655 million, or almost a third, went to categories that would mostly contribute directly to economic recovery (industrial materials, including machinery and raw goods; petroleum and products; and transportation, vehicles, and equipment). Most of the rest went for agricultural equipment, foodstuffs, and food supplies with smaller amounts spent on medical and sanitary supplies, education, and clothing." By contrast, the Philippines received a small fraction of that. Their GDP was reduced to 30% of prewar and they experienced the worst inflation in their history.

The comparison is not even close, Japan was an advanced empire at the time, and the Philippines was a group of disconnected islands. I thought you were interested in a comparison between Thailand and the Philippines. As I suggested, to draw a more valid comparison, compare the Philippines vs Indonesia.

Despite your personal feelings about Filipino English, it's easier to understand for most people than many dialects throughout the world, including from the English language's original source in the UK. The purpose of all languages is communication and Filipino English does the job. They are sought after in call centres worldwide because they are easy to understand.

Manila was trashed by the Japanese in 1945... with their scorched earth policy. The Japanese trashed the whole of the Philippines throughout the war. There was no such problem in Thailand which kowtowed to the Japanese throughout the war. It might have been a long time ago, but it made a huge difference to the development of these two nations. Thailand is one contiguous landmass. Transportation and integration of the population is easy. The Philippines is a group of islands, each with unique languages and cultures, that the Spanish decided to call the Philippines. It's a difficult country to integrate. If you want to make comparisons, compare with Indonesia.

And in Pattaya, most of those people who own cars also own motorcycles. All my neighbours own both and use their motorcycles more often than their cars. It's worth noting that petrol is now roughly the price of milk.

I concur, absolutely. The extensive overuse of adverbs and adjectives is ridiculously redundant and extremely annoying in a rather feeble attempt to turn this extremely, very dull and boring non-event into an epic, fantastic saga that we might possibly care something about. The solution is simple: post armed security guards at the entrance of all of Thailand's Pattaya eateries.

They would be advised to consider how much this YouTuber will trash Thailand if he leaves voluntarily after their warning/threat A young guy his age will hardly spend the rest of his life in Thailand. You can find videos trashing every country on Earth.

Most places in Thailand are recording the hottest temperatures since recording began. I've been here since 2006, in Pattaya, and there is no doubt this year is the hottest. My room temperature in a shaded room reaches 32C and never goes below 30C. Right now, at midnight, the recorded outdoor temp is 30C. It's best to keep the windows shut during the day and open them at night to prevent hotter air from blowing in during the day. Today the max in Bangkok is predicted to reach 38C, which is pretty damn hot, even for Bangkok.

I insisted on nothing of the sort. You were insisting that carrying any cash is an inconvenience, which is nonsense. Many places won't accept phone or card payments. Market stalls, street stalls, small restaurants - the list is long. The people who insist on paying small amounts by phone hold up the queues in many stores. So many times I'm held up in a queue waiting for you to fiddle around on your phone.