spidermike007

The world has changed, everything has changed, we have changed along with it, we simply have to adapt. As different as things are, I still love it here.

It is unrecognizable from what it was on my first trip here nearly 50 years ago, but such is life.

Spent some on Phuket a few years back. Was first there in 1976. No resorts. A few bungalows on the beaches. Beachfront land was 1,000 baht a rai. They could not give it away. Thailand was a very different world back then. Very quaint. Quite poor. Very 3rd world. Went back in 1986. Phuket and Samui. Had developed alot. Still very nice. Again in 1993. Far more development. Still amazing. Azure seas. Spectacular women everywhere. Great food. Did not return until around 2008. It was degraded, for the most part. But, still decent. The nightlife and the selection of women was still outstanding. Again back to Phuket last year. No need to ever return. The charm is lost. The over development is stunning. The prices were crazy. I still enjoy visiting Samui, as it's a beautiful Island and as long as you're on the beaches or up in the mountains it's quite lovely. But only for a visit, used to live there, but thrilled to death that I left. The bottom line is that the entire world has changed so dramatically, even in just the last five years, so we adapt or we die. Or we live our lives in the state of misery.

And perhaps that is okay, all empires must come to an end, and the US is certainly a greatly diminished version of itself. The arrogance the US has displayed will likely disappear along with its influence, and that may be a good thing for the planet. The simpletons and the ones displaying the greatest level of fealty to the new king will accuse me of hating the US, and being unpatriotic for speaking truth as an American.

Absolutely correct, delusion is something that exists within the minds of a lot of people, but Trump redefines that, and he simply doesn't understand that the US cannot exist without Mexico, Canada and China, much less Europe. US influence is diminishing by the day, and both Trump and his supporters dramatically overestimate the importance of the US to the world.

All of us on this forum are expressing our own opinions. I have never stated that my opinions are fact. I have never stated that I'm talking for the majority. It is you, within the confines of your small mind, that takes offense to other people's opinions, rather than being open-minded and weighing a multiplicity of factors.

With many people, once they got attached to a theory, it was hard to get them detached. They’d screen out unhelpful facts, invent favorable ones, and ignore contradictions in their own claims. Look at those Sandy Hook, multiple fraud convictions, and Jan. 6th truthers, babbling about false flags and crisis actors and all the rest. When people were motivated enough to believe something, they were going to believe it no matter what. There was no such thing as a bridge too far.

The one variable is if the youth are able to wrestle control from the caustic toxic dinosaurs, and they embrace an attitude of progress and open-mindedness. There are some pretty incredible Thai youth here. I'm very hopeful they'll end up running the country. Dinosaurs, be gone!

Nowhere else in the world have I seen people consistency take the kinds of chances and risks in the road, that they take here, with their families in the car. Nowhere. When they could have waited four seconds to make the uturn or turn onto the highway, and have a completely clear path, they instead choose to take a tremendous risk. It is beyond comprehension. I see it all the time. My eyes do not lie to me. This rarely ever happens to me in the US. The same applies to driving a scooter where infinitely more care is required in order to survive on the roads here. It is very likely that Thailand has the highest fatality rate in the world for scooter and motorbike drivers. If I decide to cut you off on a highway, when you are going 120kph, and I am making a u-turn, and there was plenty of room behind your car, to make a safe turn, is that an error, if it results in a horrific, fatal accident, and I take the lives of you and your family, and mine? Or is it sheer stupidity, blatant ignorance, no concern for your safety and the safety of my own family, or utter recklessness? Or all combined?

I agree with the first half of your sentiment, but the latter half I believe will change. I do believe that the youth will eventually kick out the dinosaurs, they are not needed, they are not required, they bring absolutely nothing to the table, they are obnoxious, they are arrogant, they are ignorant, and they are all empty suits. Perhaps the time has come for them to move on, they can spend their billions overseas in exile. Just wait and see.

Nah. The decline simply cannot be arrested, after all they are manufacturing overseas for a reason. The US does not have the capability to be a competitive manufacturing base. Everything is overpriced. Everything is over inflated. Everything is out of control. Including Trump and Musk.

Few of the ASEAN powers seem to be all that concerned about what's going on in Burma, though now it looks like the Burmese government is about to be taken down by the resistance, and now all of a sudden they're expressing concern. Makes one wonder.

Nothing this man says should ever be acknowledged, though he does seem to continue to hold positions of power, he is one of the least knowledgeable and least informed people in Thailand. He definitely reminds me of another leader elsewhere, just kind of a hapless fool.

One thing that really never gets discussed much here is that the Thai government simply does not want us here. They tolerate us, but they don't not see any benefit to us, they do not acknowledge the fact that we bring in two to five times as much money per month as the average Thai person earns, and they do not consider us to be a plus for their nation, on any level. So one does have to wonder if things will change in the future.

He has always adored dictators, and despots. They have the kind of unfettered power he dreams of. He lacks the moral compass to know any better. This makes him very dangerous. Time will demonstrate to what extent. He showed his contempt for the rest of the world, and for Americans, by selecting hugely unqualified candidates for secretary of state, and other very important appointments and positions. He is eroding US influence by the day. The world is both laughing and crying. And his supporters will be doing the same, soon enough. Just. Give them time to realize who he really is.

This process will take some time, many did not realize that he was using Marxist propaganda to get elected, and that he is the world's greatest circus huckster. They got fooled into believing that he's a man that he claimed to be, but I in reality is not on any level. It's going to take a while until people realize that, and see it with their own eyes and understand that they elected an incredibly reckless and dangerous man with very little skill and intelligence, who will diminish the US daily, rather than improve it. Don the wrecking machine is in full swing mode. So is Elon the fool.

He does not get it. But, he will eventually. US influence is not what it used to be. And they will pay a huge price for his isolationism, ignorance, arrogance, tariffs (tax hikes), environmental recklessness, and unwillingness to abide by the law. Already the US is declining rapidly. This clip starkly shows the difference in improvements in infrastructure between the lowly US, and their Chinese counterpart. Not world class. Not by a long shot. Woe is America. Such massive delusion and hubris. China VS the US. https://youtu.be/rSgvI1ELfqQ?si=ZdVepEu0gxzhWXjb

The harmony is being disrupted and the moral fabric of society is being torn apart by evil foreigners. There is a chance the locals might get corrupted. They might be engaging in behavior and immorality never before seen on these pure and pristine shores. Oh my. Those pesky foreigners and spoiling the nation. They are to blame for most of the nations woes. Bad, bad boys.

What would be utterly shocking is if there wasn't vote rigging, and the weren't bribes being paid for election results. Sums up the recent history of Thailand. And the super toxic and useless, power hungry army.

If this is indeed true it is certainly a step in the right direction. I have never in two decades seen either a policeman or the highway patrol pull over a driver for reckless driving, this would be a first. It would be a rare demonstration of law enforcement.

Yes, absolutely. In its present form, without regulation, without authority, without legality, and with a man leading it who has a design on increasing his power and his authority. I'm absolutely against it and so is most of America.

Very well said, and that is exactly my point. Many of us would agree with the fundamental reasons behind trying to clean up the government and trying to eliminate waste, but Trump is a rather dull bull in a China closet, and he's a ridiculously dangerous man. So is Musk the fool. It's going to take quite some time for his followers to start learning more about the man, and realize that he is not the man that they elected, not by a long shot. There's nothing about the man that is for the people, it is all about big money and corporations.

10,000 people? Why has Thailand done nothing about it up until now? How did those people get abducted? Surely people don't travel to Burma for a job offer.

Shocked companions? What is that all about? What were their companions doing as the train was hurtling toward their friends? Why didn't they say anything, why didn't they pull them off the tracks? There are so many unanswered questions here, but there's one thing that's for sure, you never want to get in the way of an oncoming train, under any circumstances. It would appear these guys lacked high quality survival instincts. They are necessary to thrive in this world.

Companionship can be found in Pattaya, but it is of the paid variety, and if you're lucky you'll find someone who has a good attitude and is fun to hang out with for a few days. Nothing really beats the companionship of a woman who has your back all the time, is fun to be around, and is a dear friend. That is a very satisfying and fulfilling dream to live out. It is very unlikely you will find that kind of gal in Pattaya.