ttthailand

Those terrible westerners trying to stop the noise blasting at 3:00am every night on the beach, and complaining about the garbage everywhere, and making a fuss about the jet ski scammers and their police buddies, and worrying about those terrible Thai drivers running red lights and their noisy bikes racing up the road... Etc etc .... This is all part of Thai culture and if you can't fit in and learn to be more Thai go home !!!

Is this what he means ???

Lady boys are guys, treat them accordingly

Bar girls are for fun not keeps

Don't rent jet skis, never !

Never walk away from an open beer

Thais fight in packs like dogs

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Been here for the most part of 21 years. A lot of good advice mentioned here that you should follow; don't burn bridges back home, rent for awhile before buying, learn to Speak Thai, don't spend your life in a bar, find a hobby, be careful with the girls but have fun, don't fall in love too quickly, don't invest what you can't afford to loose, best to walk away from a fight with a Thai and loose a little pride even if you can kick his butt.....etc etc

You will go through phases while living here. First you are all excited and love the place, then you start to experience some problems and find out that things can not be resolved the way they were back home and you get upset and start to rethink the hole move. Then after many crazy things happen you hopefully can put aside your anger and start to accept things the way they are, not like but accept what you can't change. If you get to this stage you are now ready to call Thailand your home.

Good luck and Enjoy !

My last trip,

Good Cigars, cost is 75% less than here

Nice bottle of drambuie 50% savings

Levi jeans, cost half as here

Shoes, half the cost

Pocket book for GF, non copy

Service in Thailand is iffy at best.... Had a turning signal light go out recently and stopped by the local car dealer for a lamp. Not in stock but can get in a few day .... We are talking about going to an authorized service center for a car manufacturer and not stocking a basic part like a lamp. Last time I needed a part there it took two weeks to get the part and I had to pay in advance, I don't call that good service.

With the light I ended up stopping at a little dirty motorbike repair shack along the street and getting a lamp that I changed myself.

Service and Thailand don't fit into the same sentence unless there is a No included.... Perhaps an over statement but very Sadly normally the case....

Maybe they will paint the roofs on all Bkk buildings white to help reflect the run's rays and reduce the heat in the city. As far as reducing energy use... nothing I would think.

It's all getting a bit complicated these days.... Makes you stop and think what's next ....

This means no more trips to see the girlfriend's mother. I am sure the mother would love to travel the 40km to immigration every time we stop by for a night stay. Stupid as stupid gets .... This country gets dumber and more confusing year after year. And if we have to report every time I am away for 24 hours won't happen as this is weekly. Hahaha.....

Thais are bullet proof... they think with a charm hanging around their neck nothing can happen to them.

I wouldn't change a thing. I am not perfect nor has my life been but I like the way I have turned out so far. Without my past experiences, good and bad, I would not be the man I am today.

Although a few less beers could have decreased the number of sit-ups I have to do now .... Hahaha

I care what happens here but have zero power to make a change. I can't vote, buy property, stay without checking in every 90 days, etc....

Really no use to care, just a waste of time and energy.

Pick your battles, this one is a no win. So move on to fight another day.

I know a little how you feel. Have had an address in Thailand the best part of 21 years and find myself questioning my decisions in life from time to time. Have traveled most of the world for business and pleasure. Have flown airplanes, sailed the oceans, water and snow skied, hunted, fished, played golf, tennis, play guitar....... I smoked, drank, played around, was married once, have a child......The list of things I can do, still do and have done seems endless. Being board is something that goes with an active mind and body. We need the excitement and change to feel alive.

I am about 10 years younger than you (op). So I still take on a contract now and again and do some work but most of my time My day is up to me. Now I go to pool and gym almost daily, cook, travel around Thailand, go out sometimes for a few beers with some of the local guys, go visit friends in other cities, read TV, spend time with my Thai gf ( she works), play my guitar..... And I still find myself getting bored. I have tried living in different cities in Thailand but have found Bangkok more to my liking.... More options...

Good luck....

In Thailand I try to never drive at night. I arrange my trips so my arrival time is before dark. If I am driving long distances I stop at hotels half way. I also try to avoid the Bangkok rush hours. It's all about planning and avoiding dangerous places and times.

I however drive day and night in all other countries but Thailand is just too dangerous !

Have been in a few different relationships over the 20+ years here. Each relationship was different regarding money.

What I have discovered and works best for me is a relationship where both people have an income and control their own money. My current gf makes good money and it is hers to do with as she likes, give to mom, buy makeup, go out to lunch with friends, etc etc .... Since my income is much more I am responsible for paying our living expenses, electric, water, shopping for food, rent, gas for car, etc.

I save as much as I can for a rainy day and she basically spends or gives to mom everything she makes. I help out a little here and there but don't hand over large amounts of cash. If we were to have a baby and she could not work for a few years I guess I would be supporting all of us until she started back to work again.

I have never found A Thai woman who can truly spend and save but I am sure there are some around.

Not sure really why you had to pay but my thinking is that it was tea money. Did you get a receipt ? Always ask for a detailed receipt and insist that they sign it prior to handing over any money. This will help weed out some of the scams. I would also take a photo with my phone showing me handing the money over

Don't worry about all the low life comments you get on Thai Visa. Some of these people are just lonely, angry fools with nothing better to do than insult other members. I feel sorry for most of them.

Just asked my gf who has a two year degree in hotel management and is working on her 4 year degree a question about English knowledge of the students. Question was " how many students that finished their two year degree in hotel management with you could have a basic conversation with me in English ?" . She said that out of the 37 students who finished only 4 including herself would be able to speak and understand English. She continued to say that most could not speak or understand any English, none ! Most of these students hope to some day work in an international 4 or 5 star hotel.

For what it's worth.....

To be honest I think there is room for improvement for just about everything in Thailand. Some things are hopeless so I don't even bother listing.

I think all foreigners should pack up and go back to their own countries and all Thais return to Thailand. Not really ....

Thais should permit foreigners to own 100% of anything they buy. For land I think one rai but must hold for 5 years before resale. Can only have one property, condo or house and must live in it and report this address on 90 day report. I also think that the property price should be applied to the 800,000 baht required to stay in country. This way it will keep foreigners from buying and selling property and taking jobs away from Thais. Buying and selling and having rentals is really a business and should be considered working and with out a permit it should not be legal. If done any other way foreigners would buy up all the land and condos and normal Thais would not be able to afford a home. I look for a win win situation but I know most Farang would not agree with this.

Quality going down while prices going up is one reason.

I also believe most if not all western visitors now will have at least one negative experience during their stay; being ripped off or having a problem with a taxi or tuktuk driver, being in or seeing an accident, being scammed or watching a scam take place by a jetski operator, being ripped off in a bar or restaurant, being robbed on the street, etc etc .... It finally reached the point that everyone takes notice to the negative side of Thailand and are telling their friends back home.

The Internet and smart phones are also exposing the ugly side of this country and it over shadows the lovely parts.

A tourist friend who has been to Thailand many times and normally stops once or twice a year for a few weeks went to Soi Cowboy recently. He had not been there in a few years. He asked me what happened to the ladies there. As I also don't normally go to those types of areas I said what happened. He goes on to speak about buying two different ladies drinks but after they didn't want be bar fined. This guy is not old and is friendly and has been around. He continued to say the girls drank their shot and was asking for another in 5 minutes. I have had others tell me same.

A Korean friend who also went same place said a girl wanted 1,500 BF and 4,000 for her. He said cheaper in Korea.

Once the sex is gone the tourists will follow.

Great post and I too have had many great experiences in Thailand. Too bad to read stories like the ladies getting charged 8,840 baht for a simple meal. I guess there are good and bad everywhere but with all too many bad stories it is wise to keep up your guard.

Last Sunday walking street was packed with Chinese tourists, I mean really packed ! You could hardly walk. The bars however along the street were nearly empty. Even the bars that have chairs facing the street where you can sit and watch the people go by were empty. These seats are always full ! I was a little shocked by the sharp contrast between the street and the bars and the number of people. If this is any indication of the future times will be getting ruff....

I had similar problems and after a good cleaning it worked great. Filters, coils etc must be cleaned for the air to flow and be cooled.