Boarn

Haha is this a comedy piece???

Yes, I attempted Cambodia for a few months back in 2009 after Thailand started on it's path to now. I liked most things just the lack of suitable accommodation put me off, maybe now that's changed.

Haha, if only that were true. This is not a money issue, it's a feeling issue, I have more than I did when I arrived but feel worse off. The issue is the feeling you get when you can do certain things for pennies. I got a kick out of going out and doing everything I wanted for pocket change, it just doesn't feel the same when you're paying actual money for it. 70k baht a month in 2005, 135k baht a month now, take me back to 2005 it was a better time.

Further to my original post. The issue is not change, it's how it's changed. Let's say they closed your favorite location, that may be the pool places on Soi 7, this is not replaced with something similar, it's going to be a condo block. That is not suitable change. If you heard someone say, wow they just opened a new place on Soi 11, it's even cheaper than xyz, yes I would like this change. But it's not happened this may.

Haha yes, no I no longer live in Bangkok, everywhere I used to frequent, well 90%, of places are no longer there and they were not replaced with something similar, just a big condo block.

That might be an idea, get things back into perspective, not been back to the UK for 13 years!

That's not quite true, the issue is not not being able to afford something, it's that you can't get that same thrill than you could. Yes things change but as a 16 year old I found Thailand as I wished it to remain, I had no idea it would change so much away from where I found it. Change but don't transform is what I'm trying to say.

Requirements are the same for me, but very annoying to have to do, used to think it was a worthwhile hassle, now it's like why I am degrading myself like this?

After being here for 16 years I thought it an idea to go over all the issues I see with Thailand, most of which were not here when I arrived. To all those who say 'go home then', well there is far worse! 1. Bangkok is no longer Bangkok, all the best places are gone and new condos in place. 2. Overdevelopment at certain island retreats remove from the character. 3. Cheap only if you liked being bored, yes it's cheaper to be bored in Thailand than bored back in the West. 4. Entertainment is so expensive, a night out in 'Bangkok' runs 4x to 5x want it did in 2005. 5. Houses for sale in developments usually come with no land. 6. Land prices are absurd. 7. Fun cars are too expensive. 8. The sky train in Bangkok is more than Mo Chit to On Nut. 9. Whimsical government schemes start to grate when related to foreigners. 10. A huge change in foreigner 'demographics'. 11. Inconsiderate neighbors, burning, cooking with wood, spraying trees with fertilizer etc. 12. Cheap only if you like pork or chicken, not cheap if you prefer beef and lamb. 13. The Thailand I moved to no longer exists in so many ways. 14. Annoyance of immigration rules which used to be a worthwhile yearly hassle now seem to be over burdensome for benefits accrued. 15. The playing field has shifted away from Western expats. Well that's 15. For me, I moved to Thailand because I could be entertained for a tiny amount of money, this is no longer true. Point in question, on I think my 2nd night here I went out for a meal in a lower Sukhumvit, a Western meal, looked at the menu and saw fish and chips for 69 baht. I assumed this must be a tiny portion and ended up ordering 3 meals and about 4 beers, the bill was 520 baht, just under 8 pound GBP. It turned out that these were real size meals and of course I ordered 2 meals too much, but I was hooked, I could live for pocket change, beers in the bars were a third of now and the workers were a lot more fun and expected far less in return. So, I was sold a lie, bought in hook line and sinker and have been yearning for this ever since. You simply can't have the same thrill when things aren't dirt cheap. I have no idea what attracts people to Thailand now, if you've moved recently, why? I would genuinely like to know!

Normal 'Thais' are mostly already priced out of the market, was looking at some 2 million baht houses in Chiang Mai the other day priced at 4.5 million. I wanted to say to the developer, THIS IS THAILAND but that would likely fall on deaf ears. Shocking quality an arms reach from next door with basically no land. I've never had an issue with foreigners not being abler to buy land, if you have a genuine company you can still buy anyway, but I am starting to have an issue with all these government scheme ideas over the last few months to attract new foreigners (Chinese???) when there are already so many here. They want very wealthy foreigners??? NO, Thailand's sole purpose is to be an extremely cheap destination that offers everything cheaper than elsewhere. At least it was when I moved here, stop changing policies, it's getting frustrating.

Laughable, land in Thailand is already way overpriced, who on earth do they think they are.

I've been to Union Auction in Chiang Mai, personally I found the cars to be more than I expected and didn't buy. Maybe a 5% reduction on average prices you see in the second hand shops around give or take. To buy from auction I was expecting 15 to 20 percent lower than second hand shops.

I'm hoping when things reopen prices will go back to old levels, pre 2008. I like the hectic Bangkok but in recent years it's become too expensive to remain the thrill it was. Let's hope when they do open, good value is offered above all else, no price gouging and no greed.

Malta and Cyprus.

Should they not separate the terms 'foreigner' and 'Chinese' so we know what they're talking about.

Nice, however I could never do that. At the time 5k baht was only 60 odd pounds so could go all in most nights of the week, trying to scrimp and save was not essential and would have limited the enjoyment. Maybe I am just bitter because I can't do what I used to do. Or to word it better, I can do what I used to do but it doesn't have the same thrill when things aren't dirt cheap haha!

I agree that Thailand can be cheaper than the UK, however I find now that my monthly shop in Makro (stocking up on steaks, frozen berries, lamb etc, not cheap produce) costs less than what was my typical night out in Bangkok back in day. I don't live in Bangkok anymore but when a night out is costing 20k baht, when the same night out used to cost 5k back when I moved here - and that was the main reason I moved here, cheap, not just cheap living, cheap entertainment, entertainment came first for me, Thailand can't be classed as a cheap destination for fun at all anymore. The people who are here stay here due to commitments, the people who move here now don't know how it used to be. I don't know anyone who lived here pre around 2008 and like it more now.

The Chinese infrastructure, highways etc are in plain sight.

Bit old fashioned on the India front I'm afraid. My grandfather was a PIO having been born in Ooty, sadly India is now Indian, couldn't live there, too fond of the history, although yes I agree better food and the people are generally very friendly.

I moved to Thailand in 2005, 16 years old and the naive ambition to get rid of my citizenship and obtain Thai citizenship, a hatred of all the West has become, wrongly assuming that it must be easier for a Westerner to get Thai citizenship than a Thai to get a Western citizenship based on financial benefits obtained. Of course at the time there was a lot less information around and I was rather young and naive. I stuck with it though as I moved here in good faith, good faith in the understanding that Thailand will always be a dirt cheap place to live, where I could go out for a fantastic night in Bangkok for actual pocket change. I committed and am now under the bus. Although I earn a lot more than I did back then, relatively I am far worse off, I was, and still am due to commitments, planning on staying here and putting up with the nonsense, it's still better than 'home' and the fact that the place I want to live (pre 2008 Bangkok), doesn't exist here, or anywhere else for that matter, if it did I would be there. The fact that the government are going after wealthy foreigners is a stab in the back to those who moved to a dirt cheap country on the understanding it would remain so. No to Chinese (mainland) and Indian tourists, we could go to Indian for that! When I arrived there were only a few so to change 'my' and 'our' Thailand so much is a spit in the face. The last time I was out in Bangkok down Soi 4, walked in to one place, looked at the menu and they wanted 160 for a small beer, this was not an 'entertainment' venue as well. Out of principle this is sick, Bangkok was Bangkok because Bangkok was extraordinarily cheap and just by the very nature that you came from a Western country, where your pittance was enough to live like a king here, means that it should have remained this way, you just simply can't get the same enjoyment than you could when it was cheap, sort of like, what, they'll do all that for 10 quid???!!! Wow what a thrill, it just doesn't have the same ring if you replaced the 10 with 75! Thailand is ruined yet I remain, where else can I go, there exists no place like I want, pre 2008 Bangkok, the government will continue down the wrong path for long stay expats, we can't do anything, goalposts are moved and shifted, yet we remain and suffer. The countries we left behind are becoming a cesspit of PC and woke, the country we moved to develops and foreigner demographics change. I've tried Cambodia (Chinese ruined ), I've tried Laos (didn't like it and Chinese ruined it), I've tried the Philippines, (some things better, most worse), I don't like Vietnam.... WHERE CAN I GO, HELP ME!!!

I was rummaging around in my storage room over the weekend and happened across a brown Chang bottle with the 6.3% alcohol content. Unfortunately it was empty, maybe a long shot but I'm sure there must be some unopened real Chang somewhere, if anyone knows of somewhere please advise. (not to drink just as a reminder) Feeling nostalgic and then something else to remind of how things were here not so long ago pops up in storage! Cheap Charlies on Soi 11 back in the day, the start of a good night out - with real Chang!

Yes, not hard to work out really. Let's say each location averages 1,500 profit a day x 4 = 6,000 a day x 30 = 180,000. 10 staff on 10k each = 100,000 baht Electric for all locations = 10,000 baht No rent Not hard

We have a few drink shops, nothing special but it does OK. I am against under-utilized and over priced land, the community would benefit if more people could afford land, more people with productive land means more people with money to spend. I am against rent, fitting out something we don't own in my opinion is throwing money away, I mentally can't add value to something the company doesn't own. Anyway it's a moot point, the issue is land documentation at the end of the day, in some countryside areas such as where we are there simply is not enough proper papered land. Talking about causing financial hardship to farmers, around this area most farmland is Sor Tor Gor, farmers can't raise finance on the land or sell legally and numerous other things. If they were given proper documents this would help them out the most.

Could say what is the benefit of increasing land prices? Increasing land prices makes people sit on land, making it harder for new entrants to the market, less opportunity for business, less opportunity to create jobs etc etc. Talking in relation to our business, I despise rent in any way shape or form so we need to own the properties we do business from, we currently have 4 locations, 10 staff overall. I want to expand the business but land in the location we want to go next (bear in mind this is in the countryside, not talking about city property here) is more than absurdly priced, we need to be next to a road for obvious reasons and people are asking for 3 million a rai on average when 10% of this would be more reasonable. People sit on the land, it is underutilized, not being used for it's best reason, now in the same area there is a load of Sor Tor Gor land, just off the main road, I would say in fact 80% of the land in that area is Sor Tor Gor, people will sell, they are asking on average 400k a rai but you can't actually and legally buy and own the land especially in our company name. So, the because of the above 2 or 3 people are not going to have a job, a local builders is not going to turnover a few million in construction fees and the economy will not grow, this is tiny I know but the way land works in Thailand is a detriment to the economy as a whole. If all land was chanote, people couldnt attempt such high prices if there was so much more available. The only benefit for increasing land prices is to people who own land already. The benefit for reducing land prices is abundant.

But there would be more land available which in my opinion would reduce the overall value of chanote land as there is a lot more of it, land becoming chanote land from a worse paper may increase in value but overall there should be a reduction.