yogi100

A 

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Thanks for your sincere post and yes, I can relate to that. Repatriation after a very long time is usually no piece of cake and can sometimes be traumatic even ruinous. In some cases people getting out of long prison terms are in a better place to cope than long gone expats. For example there are sometimes half way houses for such people. There are no such half way houses for reintegrating expats. Obviously the degree of difficulty depends on lots of specific personal circumstances. The typical advice is don't burn your bridges but for expats away for decades it's not always so much about burning them as having them slowly slip away.

A falang I knew returned to London a couple of years ago with health concerns after a few years living in Pattaya. He's a native born Londoner.

He was about 67. At one time a homeless person in the UK was considered vulnerable if over 60 and was given housing priority. That's history.

He was given the address of a hostel. (AKA Doss House) 

He'd be admitted at 8 pm and had to leave at 9 am. His days were spent in cafes, pubs and libraries. This was in the winter. He visited the hospital concerning his health and was told to come back in 10 days time.

He gave up and got a flight back to BKK and returned to his cheap lodging house in Pattaya. The last we knew he was still in Pattaya but no one has seen nor heard from him.

He could be dead for all we know. He had a drink problem.

Myself and a few friends use Dr Suskan at Hollywood Dental in Soi Lengkee in Pattaya. He's a good natured and funny fellow who puts you at ease.

Usual sort of prices. You can possibly do a deal with him if you are considering a number of implants.

1 hour ago, mauGR1 said:

Football, like the ancient gladiators fights, is very useful for the people to vent off a bit, not that i justify any form of violence, verbal or physical.

Perhaps the senseless violence which happen regularly in US, happens because people are not allowed to vent off ?

It's only because the Yanks have got guns. It'd be the same in the UK if we could get them.

Just look at Central and South American violence where they have football and guns. The shoot each other over drugs and football and then hang the bodies from bridges.

12 minutes ago, JamJar said:

 

I was in Brixton two nights ago. Travelled there from my home in Pimlico. Good pizza restaurant there. Franco Manca. Met a senior official from the Department for International Development whilst I was eating. Interesting.

Was in Peckham yesterday, as they don't have an ALDI near where I live. So I have to travel if I want to visit one for any reason. Though I do have four Waitrose, a Sainsbury's superstore and an M&S nearby.

Peckham is a bustling area with lots of students. A mix of long term residents of all hues, new people moving in.  Was in the Bellenden Road area with friends just the other day. Have you been there? 

 

Perhaps your problem is that you act like an outsider and therefore are an outsider. Afraid of anything that looks different.

I am not afraid. This is my London. Best city in the world. Get out there. I'm in a different part of London almost every day.

I love South London. Amazing architecture. Lots of character. Beautiful green spaces.

Wherever I go, no matter which area, I greet people with a "good morning" if I'm out bright and early, training. 

I don't see life in the way that you do. 

If I see anyone not respecting my city, they get an earful. Throw rubbish on the ground and I'll be asking them why they are doing so.

See an argument, I'll try to diffuse it before it goes too far.

 

I can go through areas that are predominantly Portuguese or South Asian or......so what? I can get some authentic foodstuffs.

 

Life is what you make it. You can sit around slagging off everything around you or you can make the best of your days.

 

So you won't see me slagging off the British women like many do, in describing their own in a derogatory fashion. Nor will I slag off my country, as many do did in proclaiming Thailand as the best thing since sliced bread. Many are now eating their words.

 

I just try to love everything I do, where ever I am. 

 

So no, I don't subscribe to your categorising people because of the shade of their skin. 

 

I've tried both Brixton and Peckham and probably any area you care to describe.

I have friends who grew up there and have visited often. I travail most areas throughout West and South London and some areas of North London. Haven't spent that much time in East London, other than areas near the river.

What's your plan? To ask all immigrants to leave? Perhaps we can go back and ask the Danes to not invade.

 

Some people just need someone to blame for their miserable lives. London is great.

I worked off Bellenden Rd for four years and have lived near there all my life so far. 

You 'embrace' multiculturalism, I do not. Let's just leave it at that.

4 minutes ago, fruitman said:

Fan belt can't cause the battery to run empty....it will cause an overheated engine.

 

You're not the sharpest knife in the drawer it seems.

The fan belt runs the alternator or dynamo which charges the battery.

With no fan belt the lights and other items on the vehicle that use electrical energy will after a time cause the battery to become flat rendering the starter motor among everything else unusable. Even the interior light will stop working.

6 hours ago, JamJar said:

 

I too live in London. I fancy myself as a bit of an explorer. Seeking out new places.

I've yet to discover these "black townships" and "African ghettoes". Where can I find them? Exact locations and I'll take a look for myself.

 

Township violence? Have you taken leave of your senses? More like kids being encouraged to attack each other.

Apart from a few idiots stabbing each other, you'll see more violence in a city centre up north after a night of drinking.

 

I fail to understand why you brought Grenfell into it. That had more to do with the policies of that particular council, who also failed to heed the repeated warnings given by the Residents Association, that a tragedy was imminent.

Do you think they were all sitting on their backsides? No doubt many had low paid jobs and there were others who owned their apartments.

 

Immigrants fuel the wealth of the "comparatively wealthy western nations". They do the jobs that the people already there don't want to do.

 

See how the country would fare, if all of the 'immigrants' got up and left. Where would we draw the line as to who should leave?

Immigrants who arrived within the past five years? Ten years? Fifty years?

 

It's a well worn theme to blame the newest wave of immigrants for the ills of the country.

 

On the one hand one could blame the Poles for undercutting the Brits and doing a better job. On the other, thank goodness we have hard working people who will do the job at a reasonable price.

 

If you don't have the willing labour, you have to put up with idiots holding you to ransom. Maybe turning up for work, maybe not.

A sense of entitlement. Enraged when someone else comes along, offering to do the job for much less and happy to live five to a small apartment in order to save money for a better life.

 

Same thing happens around the world. That's why you have Burmese, Laotian, Cambodians going to work in Thailand.

 

Things don't stay the same. 

 

That's possibly why you loved Thailand. it took you back to more simple days. Unfortunately, the same thing has occurred there too. Changing policies affect us all.

Blaming immigrants for your ills isn't the way forward. Some are good for the country and some are not.

 

Black township and African ghettoes? Listen to yourself man. You are totally out of touch.

 

I went past a Territorial Army base the other day. Almost every single young person who filtered out was black. Very many looked African, to my eyes.

 

So they, at some point, could be fighting for your/their country.

Have some respect for yourself, rather than to repeat, parrot fashion, some nonsense from the likes of The Sun, Daily Express, Telegraph et al.

 

I went to school with Africans and Caribbeans. Their families are more conservative and education aware than anyone you are likely to meet.

 

But if choose to believe that a few drug dealing idiots is all their is, you are doing them and yourself, an injustice.

 

Don't join the ranks of the ignorant. There are idiots of every nationality. 

Try Brixton and Peckham in South London.

And I'd hardly call them idiots. People who go round stabbing others often fatally are violent thuggish savages, anyway that's what I and others call them.

One of my neighbours was mugged a few months ago by a young black man. He did not just rob her he beat the daylights out of her in broad daylight at the same time.

She is in her early sixties and will not leave her home alone any more. She and her husband are looking at joining white flight and moving out of London all together. Luckily they can afford to.

12 hours ago, rickudon said:

ARRIVALS are up. But the long stay western tourists are being replaced by 3-7 day Chinese and Indians. The Chinese tourists are plateauing, western tourists in slow decline, only india is a growth market - and they are notoriously careful with their money. These days also more people are doing several countries, and only stay a few days.

 

Pollution, litter, filthy water are all putting people off returning. Many resorts are seriously overcrowded - the infrastructure cannot cope. Too many hotels fighting for customers. Last couple of times I stayed at hotels occupancy was under 50%. The high baht and more cynical pricing in restaurants and other services is also putting people off.

 

So more arrivals, but QUALITY of the tourist experience is declining.

If "many resorts are seriously overcrowded" how is it that 'too many hotels fighting for customers" and that the "last couple of times I stayed at hotels occupancy was under 50%"

This is all because of Brexit, Farage and Johnson.

We must never, ever buy any more German cars. Nazi swine!

1 hour ago, Farangwithaplan said:

And I have known parents who have lost children in car collisions. Should the driver of fatal collisions be shot without trail at the scene fo the accident, too?

 

Who determines guilt? What If an influential person accused you in the public arena or otherwise gave falsified information that you were peddling drugs. Would you be willing to accept a bullet in the head with no trial or other opportunity to plead your case?

 

Now tell me honestly.

 

No influential person is ever gonna accuse me of peddling drugs so it's irrelevant.

But if someone gave my child drugs that killed him I'd want that person killed. So might you if it were your child.

14 minutes ago, Farangwithaplan said:

He just needs to start executing in the streets people accused of crimes before they get their day in court.

They are not run of the mill 'crimes' though are they?

If dealers are going to push their drugs on children to get them addicted like happens in the PI then they now know what the consequences are likely to be. 

Over the years I've known parents who've lost their children to heroin. Drug taking is not always just a matter of having a joint out in the garden at a party.

It often eventually results in a wasteful unnecessary death just to put a bit of money in the pockets of vultures.

If your child had been a victim of these vermin perhaps you'd wish death upon them as well otherwise these drug dealers get off unscathed while you're watching earth being shoveled on to your son or daughter's coffin. I've been to one of these funerals.

Trump probably understands this just like Duterte does and has a similar degree of sympathy for those who commit these 'crimes'.

On 9/30/2019 at 5:40 AM, Khon Kaen Jeff said:

Right, it's just random, but realistically you aren't going to keep getting issued tv's or allowed in on non exempts forever. maybe time it was made law so everyone knows where they stand at least, or maybe the gov are afraid they could lose money, plus it could create big problems for offshore workers who are under 50 and not married who come and go?

And those offshore workers who are under 50 and not married earn a hell of a lot of money. On an oil rig you've nothing to spend it on so they usually blow a fortune in the night time entertainment venues and hotels

You'd think they'd encourage them to come rather than risk scaring 'em off.

29 minutes ago, Beechboy said:

Bkk is never a problem. Ask for wheelchair assistance .... both ways.

 

If you are travelling BA then you will likely get a contrasting experience when returning via T4.

 

The assistance at Heathrow is somewhat unreliable and uncaring upon return  ... beware.

 

 

 

LHR wheel chair assistance especially at arrivals immigration control is a disgrace when compared to BKK. At BKK you can't fault it.

It does not say much for the UK when a comparatively poor country like Thailand takes better care of disabled passengers than the sixth richest country in the world.

Request wheelchair assistance when you book your flight.

14 minutes ago, dreaming said:

You can make the exact same arguement for farang tourists.

 

Drink in farang owned bars, eat in farang owned restaurants, stay in farang owned guesthouses.

Falangs just put the money up to buy these businesses yet are not even allowed to work in them.

Thai people staff and run these businesses and get tipped, salaried and sometimes bar fined by other falangs.

If falangs stop coming will these Thais be able to depend on Indians and Chinese punters to provide them with a livelihood?

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Beers were never that cheap, especially in Pattaya, seem to recall 45-50 baht for Carlsberg. Money went further yes, a good exchange rate helped. Barfines weren't that high, I recall Misty's were pilloried for putting them up to 500 baht. All BFs were LT. Girl got 500-1000. 

In 1984 there was no Carlsberg in Pattaya. Nor Tiger, San Miguel, Chang or Leo. The only two bottled beers generally available were Singha and Kloster which is German.

Rather than the GIs it was the Germans who really put Pattaya on the map.

2 hours ago, madmen said:

How can they survive when selling pints for 150 when all around them Thai bars selling tallies for 70 baht 24/7

They survived just fine for years when there more punters in Pattaya who liked air conditioned comfort and 150 baht was the two or three quid it was a few years ago rather than the four quid it would be now.

Very few bars around them are open 24/7 a day. They almost all shut at 3 am or earlier if no punters are about. 

23 minutes ago, Chelseafan said:

The difference though is that your pound in 1984 went a lot further than it does today.

How much were you paying for a beer or for a barfine, 30baht and 1000LT I suspect.

 

Beers were from 30 (Singha) - 45 (Kloster) depending on the venue.

You're way off with the 1,000 baht barfines which were only 100 - 150 and the girl wanted 300 - 500 for herself. Even today only GGBs expect 1000 baht for a barfine.

There was no such arrangement as LT nor ST unless you yourself dispensed with the girls company before she had to go to work. It was a foregone conclusion that she'd stay with you till well into the next day.

It was a great holiday but much too expensive for us to even consider going back. I finally returned in 1999 to 62 baht to the GBP and that was marvelous.

I first encountered the mention of a ST in about 2001 from a girl in Classroom Agogo in Pattayaland. Since then IMO the attitude of the girls has slowly but surely worsened as their income has doubtlessly improved.

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

Why would they be?

 

It's obvious why.

Admittedly they are of no consequence to the Thai tour and hotel operators if that's what you are referring to but they are of considerable consequence to those Thai families who benefit from a falang husband's money.

While a falang ex pat does not put any money into the likes the Amari, Marriott or Hilton hotel chains his wife's family usually are very glad that Lek or Noi or whatever their daughter's name is managed to snare him.

His being in the family often allows them to afford the things in life that they would otherwise have to go without.

I for one would sooner see a Thai family benefit from our presence than I would some huge international business consortium.

1 hour ago, shdmn said:

People who own british pubs...lol.  Seems like there are a few here who have some sort of business interest that caters to them the way some are acting like it's the end of the world.

I know two established British pubs that have thrown in the towel this year.

The Butchers Arms Soi Buhkaow.

The Pig and Whistle Soi 7.

And one recently opened venture that's folded.

The Queens Arms. Soi Buhkaow

That's just the ones I'm aware of. There are also bars closed or with For Sale signs up all over the place.

Maybe things aren't really that bad and it's just that the owners have reacted 'like it's the end of the world'.

2 hours ago, Leaver said:

And how much was accommodation and F&B back in 1984????

And how much was a Briton getting paid for weeks work then. 

I was on about 120 quid.