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spidermike007

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About spidermike007

  • Birthday 05/02/1966

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    Happy no longer the US!

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  1. I know a lot of Thai men through my woman, when we go out we have a great time and they're very warm towards me. But I don't think any of them would consider hanging out with me on their own, it's just not not their style, granted the language is somewhat of a barrier but even the ones who speak really good English don't seem to have an interest in hanging out. It's not a socioeconomic issue, because these are successful Thais, so there are other issues at play here.
  2. You sound like a monk. I happen to really enjoy my friends and I derive a tremendous amount of fulfillment out of my friendships, so the fact that I don't have any close Thai friends here is a regret. But it is what it is. Fortunately I have a lot of good friends elsewhere and I have some very good expat friends here.
  3. You are right, I've never seen a nation that is so utterly obsessed with social media. I consider it to be fairly toxic on a lot of levels but I'm sure there are very few locals that would agree with me.
  4. That would be a terrific excuse for the Armed Forces to actually get some real hands on practice and it's also a reason to put them to use. What else do they do? They seem like the most useless defense organizations I've ever encountered, and when you take into account their budget that's a crime against the Thai people. So is Sretta's astonishing negligence.
  5. Yep, I think that's an accurate observation and I will bet that most of these Thai friends who speak fluent English have spent time outside the country, which tends to open the mind and stimulate curiosity. I think the average Thai person is not a particularly curious being, therefore they don't really have much interest and getting to know us, getting to know what's going on in our lives, and getting to know about the outside world.
  6. Exactly, Mexicans tend to be warm and friendly and welcoming. If you live in Mexico for 5 or 10 years you're considered to be an honorary Mexican, totally the opposite of life here for an expat. Fortunately I've never felt the need to belong, but I certainly don't feel like I belong here, even though I love it here, and I will likely be here for the rest of my life.
  7. Okay they must have revised the policy, because I have a friend who's been there for over a decade and he had to put up some kind of bond for a significant amount of money to get a long-term visa, and he's still fighting to get that money back even though it was represented as being just a bank deposit.
  8. I haven't seen the video tape so I don't know for certain but how often do you hear about Thai cop's gunning down foreigners here? It just doesn't happen, so the policeman must have felt threatened to have pulled his gun. I don't have much respect for the RTP, but there are some instances where you just have to say okay something was going on.
  9. Thailand feels like pure luxury compared to the PI, and for me the entire nation in there feels like one huge Tijuana.
  10. One can only hope and pray for something like this, with the air being the worst I've ever seen it in the decade plus I've been here we need rain desperately.
  11. Many of these people are being forced from the country by dire economics, drug cartels and threats of death. Yet they're not human because they're trying to escape destitution and poverty. These kind of statements indicate exactly who this man is, what he is and what he is lacking in the way of heart and soul. Perhaps it's Trump that's is not a human. At a minimum he is lacking any sort of qualities of decency and he is a very dangerous man.
  12. Don't go after the farmers, don't try to tackle the wildfire issues, don't try to do anything progressive or productive. Just make some rain, make a miracle, make it go away, pretend it doesn't exist. Sretta. The do nothing PM.
  13. Lies. It is your nature. Anything to avoid reality. You are presiding over a health emergency and you are doing nothing. You are protecting your super rich Big Agra cronies. Sretta. The do nothing PM.
  14. You asked. From what I hear from my friends who live there, the threshold for taking care of a PI gal is far lower than here, and so are their expectations. There is nothing inexpensive about caring for a Thai woman! I speak from experience! In terms of beauty, I find both have stunning women. But, the primary issue for me, if I was single, would be the actual quality of life there. From my point of view: Philippines Pros- 1. The women can be lovely. And many of them speak english. And if you are older guy, that is a plus in the PI. Plus they are way less demanding, and the bar is set much lower, in terms of their expectations. Older guys can get with far younger women, without an issue. The parents actually encourage it! Generally, it is possible to have a real conversation with many women there. Not the case here. It is rare here. Unlike most Thai women, the women there can have a real sense of curiousity, and will ask genuine questions about you, and your life, beyond where do you come from, how much do you earn, and what do you own? The PI seems to have a higher level of intellectual development. 2. The visa system is something that some think is simpler. You do need to have money on deposit, and unlike Thailand it remains on deposit the entire time you live there. A minimum of $20,000 for the SRRV Smile visa, unless that has changed. 3. The place has thousands of islands, and some stunning beaches, and cleaner water than Thailand, at least on the Gulf Coast. But, the islands are fairly hard to get to, and the services are very limited, and more expensive than in Thailand. So, you really need a yacht, or a helicopter to enjoy the outer islands. And most lack basic services. 4. In general I would say the people can be quite friendly. Especially the women. But, unlike Thailand, even the men can be friendly. I suspect if I lived there, I would have a number of local male friends, unlike here. I have never met a society of men, who are less interested, less curious about, and less willing to get to know foreigners, than I have here in Thailand. It is sometimes astonishing. It is a real disappointment. The place is more Westernized. You do not feel like you are living on another planet, which can be nice sometimes. Some shopping can be better, as there are Costco type outlets there. Some of the highways are better, and as an American, I can have goods shipped to me, with a preferred system, that allows low cost shipping, and duty free imports. Unheard of in Thailand. Importation of goods in Thailand can be horrendously difficult. It is an onerous system, one that is outdated by decades, in this age of globalization. Thailand is far, far more insular and fearful of the outside world, than the PI. They are more Western in their mindset. The colonial occupation by Spain, which was largely managed by Mexico, means the culture is more Western leaning. Which makes them more open to the outside world and more curious. Qualities which are sorely lacking here. I find it rare for Thai men to have much interest at all, in really getting to know us. They seem to be lacking curiosity of the outside world, to a remarkable degree. nomadcapitalist.com/2018/01/15/the-philippines-residency-srrv/ Cons- 1. The entire country is like one big Tijuana. It is depressing. Very little landscaping in the homes, even nice homes are ugly, and have barbed wire, and glass topped walls everywhere you look. 2. The security situation is not very good. You always have to keep your eyes open, keep an eye on your back, and beware of robbery, home theft, and violence. It is rampant. I have many friends who live there, and they all say the same thing. 3. If you do get into an altercation with a Philippine man, or are getting robbed or harassed, unless you are a 6th degree sensei, do not fight back. An astonishing number of locals are well trained in the fighting arts. Many are good with sticks, knives, blades or any sort, and their hands, fists and feet. I have a friend who is a world class security consultant. He is a black belt in a few different martial arts. He says he can usually fight his way out of a gang of men, nearly anywhere in the world. Except in the PI. That is the only country he will NOT take an assignment. The average guys there, can take down the average Westerner in five seconds. In Thailand few have those kinds of skills. Very few. 4. The food sucks. The only other country I can think of with worse food, is Cuba. Granted, if you are willing to spend the money, you can find good food. But, it is not the general rule, as it is here. Also, the access to fresh fruits and vegetables is pathetic compared to Thailand. Very low quality, and often not fresh. Thailand is a paradise by comparison, when it comes to all things related to food. 5. Pollution. They use a lower grade of diesel. So, there is alot of soot in the air. The PI has an epidemic of lung diseases and respiratory diseases. Even on many of the populated islands. The hospitals are full of people who are having a very hard time breathing. It is a real issue there. Lung disease is at an epidemic level, though the authorities do not like to talk about it, and publish very little information on it. Having said that the pollution does seem to be getting worse here in Thailand, year by year. 6. Aesthetics. The average house you would rent, looks like a slum. Tall walls, with barbed wire, to keep out intruders. And they just do not pay attention to landscaping and gardens like the Thai people do. So, most neighborhoods are fabulously ugly. Alot of slums in the big cities, and just not physically appealing. 7. Renting. There is a vastly lower number of rental units available, few are as nice as what you can find in Thailand, and it is almost always more expensive, with the possible exception of Central Bangkok. You just cannot find the studio apartments like the ones available all over Hua Hin, for 6,000 to 8,000 baht a month. That does not exist there. 8. Infrastructure. The entire country lacks the infrastructure you have here in Thailand. As I am typing now, I am enjoying a 1GB download speed, and a 500MB upload speed, all on fiber optic cable, for 600 baht a month. Unheard of in many countries, including the US! Triple the cost there. No sky train network anywhere near comparable to Bangkok. Mo MRT network either. They have one under construction, and it will be limited to ten stations. I have a friend who does private security for a lot of very high net worth individuals, and corporate CEOs, when they travel, and he told me that the only country in the world that he will not take an assignment is the Philippines. When I asked him why he reminded me that he was at the 6th or 7th degree level in six different martial arts, besides the fact that he was 6'5 and about 280 lbs. of muscle. Spent his whole life training. Not the kind of guy you would want to mess with. He told me under normal circumstances he could incapacitate a group of four or five guys, in under a minute. Not in the PI. He said that in general, the Philippine men had the greatest degree of fighting skills of any group of people in the world, and that if you encountered a single guy, or a group of Philippine guys on the street you just never knew what their level of skill was, and you had to assume that they were expert street fighters. He said many were experts with knives, sticks and improvised weapons. Not the case here. If you add on top of that, the fact that the country is extremely poor and that there's a fairly high level of desperation, it makes the Philippines a very, very dangerous place. Crime there is very opportunistic. And being a foreigner makes you a potential target. Again, not the case in Thailand. You really have to know what you're doing, you really have to know where you're going at all times, especially at night, and you always have to have eyes in the back of your head, and constantly looking over your shoulder. Of course, it varies depending on the city, the part of the city, and the region. But it is just one of many reasons I would not want to live there. I've been told this by a number of friends who live in the Philippines and it's been my observation, the several times that I have visited. I like the people. The level of english skills and the women seem to be the big draw for most guys. But random guys in the street, can be a hazard, and that is variable I would want to have to deal with, regularly. I consider the PI to be far more of a ghetto experience. But, I am referring to the environment, and I think you are referring to the social aspect. I agree with that. Thais are spectacularly insular, and seem to have little to no curiosity about the outside world. The people in the PI are infinitely more open minded, and far more Western. And the language is a huge plus in the PI. Many speak good english, and I would guess if you were attempting to speak poor Tagalog, the people would try far harder than here, to understand what you are trying to say. Since they are more Westernized, they are likely more creative, linguistically. If you do not have the pronunciation and the tones down perfectly here, the people are completely lost. A total inability to dance around in circles intellectually. And they barely even care to try to understand what you are saying! That is a huge nuisance and annoyance here. The PI is a foreign country. Thailand is a distant planet.
  15. Yes, I know somebody who owns quite a bit of land up country and is growing teak and rosewood. It can be very profitable, but keep in mind it's a very long-term investment, 20 years minimum, and some areas have restrictions. We have land up north, some of the land it would be allowed and some of the land we could grow the trees but we'd never be allowed to cut them down. So you have to look into the local regulations. But it's very profitable in the long run if you have the right land for it, and you're willing to invest a significant amount of money, and you've willing to wait decades for a return. For most of us it would be a legacy type investment for our woman and her family.
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