Tanomazu

When people see a strong uptrend they tend to think that it will last forever. They never do. If you looked at the charts you will have seen that gold fell considerably a few days ago, down from over 2000 to 1636. That's not to say that gold may not go up now substantially, it probably will, but in 10 years nobody knows where gold may be. It could easily fall considerably as well. Having said that it is still a good investment at this point in time.

I think this is one of the main problems of living in a country that is not your native country. The locals will never let you be truly part of the place, that is true as much of Japan as it is of Thailand. Just to speak the language, even if you master it fully, you will still obviously be a foreigner and not a local. Even if you jumped through all the hoops and got citizenship. Your kids might, you will not.

Lol, and they also burn the Malaysian flag. Like you say, not everywhere is the same. I found Bali to be extremely relaxed with a large expat contingent, and expat food in supermarkets. Very limited Muslim stuff going in Bali, bar the odd bombing. But yeah, safety wise, I feel a lot safer in Thailand. Even in Bali the rip-off factor is bigger than Thailand. I just feel Bali has so much going for it, has so much to offer, it is probably the next best place in SE Asia, after Thailand, in my eyes. Great artistic culture, spiritual places, real culture in other words, including world class food culture, maybe even better than Thailand, in the tourist areas I felt very safe in Bali. Just yah, venturing out, I guess you'd always have the rip-off fear in the back of the head. I could live in Malaysia, but I have to say I would prefer Bali. Just feels freer and more exciting. Yah, KL is calm and organised, I totally agree, but yah, it's a bit staid. I think the excitment factor in Indonesia is bigger.

I think the wild freedom in Thailand has a lot going for it. I just hope it will not be eroded more, but it probably will. I guess Malaysia was once like that. I don't like women in veils, so that alone is a big turnoff for me in KL. Thailand def seems more exciting.

The shopping centres are pretty unique in SE Asia. Really only Bangkok comes close. I'd go so far to say that they have the best malls in KL bar nowhere else. Which of course means you get magnificent food in those centres. I've had authentic Hong Kong Chinese food, Japanese, Catalan, you really can get anything you want at a price. The supermarkets are also excellent. Of course the Twin Towers and the park are a wonder of the modern world, though completely overrun with people and overcrowded (pre-Covid anyway). I wouldn't say KL is so super clean though, I did frequent the seedier parts and KL was a place I did not feel safe in at all times. There is a very strong African/Middle Eastern contingent there, many nice people as well, but it feels too "out there" for me now. I spoke to some Korean guy who would not retire anywhere else. Simple the quality of services is not bad. Again, the malls are world class, where else can you play basketball in a mall? Still, this cultural emptiness, confusion or lack of identity does not fill me with a desire to be in Malaysia. Of course if you want a massage you can get it, but the price is much higher than Thailand. I think Thai food is better. Some Malays were friendly enough, but they seem a bit more "clever" than Thais. The naivety of the latter makes me feel more at ease in Thailand. That's why I don't like Taiwan or China either, though there are very nice places, the people just seem a bit smarter than me, which I don't like. I mean, if you have money you can live very well in Malaysia. But if given the choice, I'd go elsewhere. There's just nothing to grab you by the testes and draw you into Malaysia. Why not go to Indonesia outright? Or better still, to Thailand?

And when is polite, civilized behaviour not "fake"? I don't care at all, if the guy who bows to me in the fitness club does so but still thinks he hates doing it. The point is he does it. Much better than in some other countries where people actually show you they hate their job and dislike serving you. Honesty is overrated in that regard. I have to say I miss all the pre-Covid fake friendliness from Thai service personnel.

Thais are made for show. This is a general feature of SE Asia though. Filipinos are amazing singers and guitar players, Indonesians put on amazing dance shows and were also known as good musicians.