spidermike007

22 hours ago, Thaidream said:

Thailand is simply not as appealing as it once was to expats looking to relocate or long term expats and some of the reasons are-

-  Rising Baht and rising prices-  Products from the USA/Europe/Australia are 5 x the cost of the home country while Thai products sold abroad are sold at lower prices.  Not everyone can eat Thai food every day.

 

-While rents are low compared to home country- prices of Condominiums with space and land prices in the major urban areas have risen tremendously.  

 

-The quality of most Thai products are poor and the Chinese imports are worse- to get a good quality product one has to purchase Korean/Japanese or Western at much higher prices.

 

=The Immigration conundrum- After 40 years married to a Thai- I still have to get together all my yearly paperwork and head to Immigration in the hopes they will let me stay one more year.  My wife's US Permanent Residency took less than 60 days to obtain; gave her unlimited access to the US forever and no 90 day reporting.  No such reciprocity in Thailand. I can't even apply for PR in Thailand due to not working in Thailand for at least a decade and no current tax payments.

 

-The weather in Thailand is no longer appealing- it has gotten much hotter over the decades and with the increase in traffic- the pollution has made  many of the Thai cities unlivable and there is no plan to do anything about it.   Most of the beaches are filthy and the water unhealthy to swim in.

 

-The Police- completely untrustworthy and an industry in themselves-  

 

-Wealth disparity-  a situation that is  so serious that IMHO it is a national emergency- it is true the rich are getting vastly richer and the poor are remaining vastly poorer.  Many have lost hope- turning to  alcohol and drugs to relieve the pain. Working as a clerk in 7 or the big box producers for 9-10K a month is going to work much longer.

 

Yet- with all of the above stated- I am still going to remain because of family  and the fact that the majority of Thai people that I interact with are still polite; still resourceful and still basically honest. The majority of them live day by day toiling to stay alive and provide for their families. It is their country and only they can change it...

 

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Everything you say is spot on. And the part about immigration is probably the most annoying. I too am married. There is no reason in the world why I should have to bring in the reams of paperwork each year. My file is probably 175 pages thick. Is that really necessary? Each year, duplicate everything? It is sheer nonsense, and massive xenophobia, in my opinion. And this administration, and Biggest Joke is leading Thailand in the wrong direction, on nearly every level. 

Renting is the way to go. Unless you build on reasonably priced land, and are willing to just give the house to the wife, should things go belly up. It is a renters market for sure. The prices of real estate here, and land, are completely disproportionate to the value. Things may change. There is alot of unsold inventory on the market right now. 

I too am going to stay. But, I hope the army is booted out of power with a vengeance. They are so far beyond useless, it defies the imagination. 

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

2019 is not going to be your year.

 

You’re going to be dragged back into the reality based universe.

 

Since you are so emphatic in your statement about Stone being ‘a tough guy’ I suggest the moment Stone starts ‘singing’ would be a good time for you to understand your journey back to reality has started.

 

Enoy the journey.

Thank you. Most Trump supporters are finding this to be quite a rough ride. They knew going in, that he was filthy. They knew of the 3,600 lawsuits, that were being pursued by small contractors, just normal hard working Americans, trying to make a living, who had the misfortune of doing work for a gangster developer. They knew all that. They knew about the Orgy Island stuff, the connections to the convicted child molester Jeffrey Epstein, his 22 trips to Orgy Island, his many visits to Epsteins mansion, where the parties often took place. They knew about the "Grab them by the pu***" statements. They knew about the statements like "when I see a beautiful women, I just have to stick my tongue in her mouth" statements. Yet, they voted him in anyway, at least partly due to the fact that he was running against the worst democratic candidate since Mondale, and a women who was also a gangster. So, many felt they did not have a choice. 

However, I am sure that many did not know the extent of the level of corruption this man engages in, how low he was willing to stoop, and how deceitful he was. Some of my friends who supported him, have backed away. Some have just come to the conclusion he is an absolute pig, but they continue to believe in his policies. No doubt his support is dropping. The shutdown has been a fiasco for Trump. He was way, way in over his head with Pelosi. She is so much smarter and cunning than Trump, and she can negotiate, unlike Trump, who cannot negotiate his way out of a paper bag. So, in the end he caved. He had to. His poll numbers are plummeting. His hammer over the head approach does not work with everyone! 

Stone is just another in the continuing string of criminals that Mueller will arrest. By the end of all this, his son, and daughter could be looking at time in the slammer. And in my estimation, Trump will be given a choice of either resigning, or choosing not to run again, in exchange for not being prosecuted, once he leaves office. One thing is certain. Trump colluded. It is just his M.O. His entire career he has sought any nasty advantage over his perceived adversaries. There is a reason why he so vociferously protected those notes from the translator, during the meetings with Putin. No American would have wanted to hear what was said. Especially supporters of the traitor. That is just the way he rolls. He is as dirty as a Bombay street cleaner. At this stage he is scared. Very scared. They are closing in on him, after a lifetime of crime.

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

Who said it?

 

"At 16 I was shocked at how little my father actually knew. At 20 I was amazed to know how much he had learned in just 4 years!"

 

Give him a bit of LAA (love and attention).

Mark Twain. Duties. Kids that are not given duties and responsibilities are heavily challenged later on in life. Make him do stuff around the house. Have him wash your car. Have him clean the toilets. Whatever. Just make stuff up. But make sure it gets done. And use the word NO alot. Set limits, and figure out a way to enforce them. Thai boys are the most spoiled creatures on planet earth.

I have another suggestion for raising Thai boys. From the age of 3, start telling him he is nothing special. Tell him his sister is better, smarter, more ambitious, and more likely to succeed in life. Tell him he means little to the world, until he has made a contribution, and proven himself. Until then, he is nothing special, at all.

1. The local climate is warming and each year seems to be hotter, with the "cool" season seemingly getting shorter, bringing little relief.

2. The current batch of ridiculously incompetent authorities seems to be hellbent on scaring away foreigners.

3. The current head of immigration seems to be going out of his way to make life more difficult for ex-pats, with the changes in rules, regulations, and policies.

4. The constant announcements of arrests, of massive amounts of foreigners, cannot be making people who have chose Thailand as their home, comfortable. Granted most have probably committed crimes. Nonetheless it is disturbing to be constantly reminded of these arrests.

5. The current administration and immigration bureau, seem to be getting more and more xenophobic.

6. For some strange reason, the Thai baht keeps getting stronger, against most of our currencies.

7. Inflation here is rampant, despite protestations to the contrary. 

8. The situation regarding public safety, and traffic safety has not improved one iota, and it appears the authorities are so far past indifferent and apathetic about this, that it boggles the mind. 

9. The highways seem to be generally getting worse, and not better, with the ever increasing amount of cars and trucks on the road.

10. In places like Samui, Phuket, and Pattaya in particular, a good portion of the locals seem to be getting very jaded, are lacking in pride of their local areas, and are not particularly pleasant to be around.

11. The environment seems to be more degraded by the day. The land, the sea, and especially the air. Little seems to be happening, in the way of creative solutions. Does anyone in a position of power care?

12. The democratic process seems lost here. Will a democratically elected government happen soon? Will it be anything resembling a true democracy, or will the increasingly desperate army attempt to cling to power, at all costs?

13. Law enforcement is non existent. To some extent, this is a good thing. Please, please stay out of my face, and my life. That is, until you need them.

I could go on. This is the tip of the iceberg, but a decent summary.

On the flip side, I live in a small town, where the local people are pleasant, friendly, warm, and helpful. They genuinely seem to like foreigners, so this is a wonderful contrast to the government, and the so called leaders here. I also love the food, and have a good life here. So, I am truly hoping it does not get much worse, to the point where we will have to seriously look for alternatives, as I do not have many. No countries in SE Asia are of interest to me. So, where does that leave? Even though I speak good Spanish, the only Spanish speaking country of interest, is Spain, and that may be well beyond my budget.

Not unusual for this madman despot serial killer. Never forget the history of this dictator, posing as a democratically elected leaded. He was a commander with the Kymer Rouge. Sometimes, history must never be forgotten. Hun Sen would do anything to further his own interests, and keep the ridiculously lucrative gravy train going. 

The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, nor enforcement of the law. A few tips for staying alive:

1. Expect cars and trucks to be coming at you in the wrong lane.

2. Expect people to overtake you with the slimmest of margins. 

3. Expect trucks to be driving very slowly in the fast lane of a highway. 

4. If riding a motorbike, only do so if you have many years of experience. Especially on the southern islands, where huge numbers of foreigners leave Thailand in a wooden box. Wear the best helmet you can afford. Do not even consider getting on a motorbike, even for a short distance, without a good helmet. And drive like a grandmother. This applies to ex-pats too.

5. Bring along an international drivers license. Or better yet, use a Thai drivers license, if you live here. This helps you to avoid being fleeced by the local police franchisee.

Just ask yourself- do I have enough problems already, without a broken skull, or smashed head, or face injury, or a lost eye? I have two friends who have been in motorbike accidents on Samui within the last few years. One still cannot walk, or talk or function on her own, from a motorbike accident, where she hit her head on the pavement going only 20 kph. No helmet. The other one has lost alot of his mental capacity after hitting his head. He insisted for years he would never wear a helmet. Now, he seems 15 years older. 

One can only hope. The fortunes being made are the primary reason for all of the postponements to date. I believe the Thai people will show how much they truly despise Prayuth and the army, come election time. Many believe there are few who are competent enough to lead the nation. Well, it does not take much to be more competent than Prayuth. 

The war on drugs is a lost cause. In the US, the only reason it continues is the false moral crusade waged by many Christian conservatives, Big Pharma, and the prison industry. It is a lost cause. Legalization of all drugs is the answer. Thailand continues to pursue draconian sentencing, when rapists, murderers, corrupt politicians, and slave traders roam free, or face light sentencing. It is all about the money. If you have enough cash, you do not serve the time. Even in the US, if you have millions to throw at a defense team, at least you have a chance. 

The problem with the shutdown, is that it is being waged over a fake crisis on the border, and Trump has picked a fight with a women who has alot of political experience, and is ten times the negotiator he is. He has never really developed any negotiating skills. And the meetings with Kim, Putin, the EU, Canada, NATO, and others have proven this. So have his five massive bankruptcies. So, he has backed himself into a corner, and continues digging the very deep Trump hole. His incompetency is really showing itself, at this state of his self made crisis.

As of now, based on a broad survey of political scientists and historians, he is rated 44th. Only Cleveland fared worse. Among conservatives, he is rated 40th. And that is now. Imaging how the future will judge this man?

An unbelievable act of cowardice on the part of the army, and Prayuth. He wants so desperately to cling to power, yet he is pathologically afraid of the elections. I think he knows he is unpopular, and despised by the masses, and at this stage, even Justin Bieber could beat him in an election. They people are desperate for change, and are tired of his incompetence, his lies, his excuses, and his arrogance. Remember his statement about the recent tropical storm. The damage to Thailand was far less, due to his prayers. Right!

Get out. Get out now. You are not liked. You are not wanted. You are despised by your people. You have done nothing for them, in the four plus years you have clung to power. You are holding back your people. You are sabotaging tourism. You are not the man for the job. Get out now.