Have you left Thailand ?

[JLCrab]

Living in Myanmar is OK as long as you don't mind living in a country where the leadership may very well be accused of ethnic genocide.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-un/u-n-s-zeid-toughens-warning-of-genocide-in-myanmar-idUSKBN1EC007

 

[Thai Ron]

15 hours ago, amvet said:

I don't really pay for ladyboys as they are free most of the time.  Women I always pay even if they don't ask or try to give me the money back.  

Why on earth would prostitutes try to return your money?

[MaeJoMTB]

4 minutes ago, Thai Ron said:

Why on earth would prostitutes try to return your money?

Some of the girls like to pretend they aren't hookers. Makes them feel better about themselves I guess.

"What's this money for?" (they say), "taxi fare home" (you reply) ..... money goes in bag everyone happy, they aren't hookers, you aren't paying for sex.

Edited January 15, 2018 by MaeJoMTB

[NanLaew]

16 hours ago, amvet said:

Was the "Anti-British, National Liberation War" comparable to the Vietnam war?  America was not the colonial master of Vietnam and the Anti-British, National Liberation War was fought against Chinese whom both the Brits and the Malays considered foreigners as opposed to the Vietnam war which was fought against other Vietnamese.  And that's just for starters.  The Brits  had 200 years in Malaysia to prepare for the war and the Americans had about a half hour.  I think you need some reading about both wars before you are ready to launch into an intelligent discussion of the issues and how they effect the countries today and their desirability as alternatives to Thailand.  For starters I'd read "Bangkok Connection." by Ron Chepesiuk.  Two time Fulbright scholar he has  reported  from  more  than  thirty-five  countries. Westmorland lost the war but not for the reasons you gave and it was lost much earlier.  Good luck and maybe after a couple of years study you can start a thread comparing the two wars and how they shaped everything we are talking about on this thread and many more.  

Easy there Tonto... there's nobody here willy-waving on their home nation's inappropriate forays in foreign lands. Just some did it more effectively and discretely. As you (almost) correctly state, the British had simply ages to prepare through at least a couple of hundred years of living and governing in the regions where they ultimately, successfully put out the bush fires. Their US counterparts had maybe 8 years tops to appreciate that despite footing the increasing bill for the French to keep Vietnam "free", without a proven legacy of global empire building beyond the invasion and suppression stages, there was no chance in hell of pulling the French bacon out of that fire. When General Navarre exceeded his mandate that resulted in their significant, opinion-changing losses at Điện Biên Phủ and the French waved the white hankies and sailed away, that should have been time to insert an appropriate pause and possibly, just an idea here, confer with the Brits on how to best manage the circus. Alternatively, they could have asked the Belgians and Portuguese but their empires were even less built on appreciating the culture and desires of the people under their rule.

 

16 hours ago, JLCrab said:

And medical insurance isn't? BTW you joined ThaiVisa in April 2017. With all your smart phones and Apps you never heard about it before then even though Google searches about Thailand routinely point to ThaiVisa topics?

Ah yes... checking the 'bona fides' of your forum adversary; always a sign of weakness IMHO.

[NanLaew]

17 hours ago, giddyup said:

95 and sex 10 times a week? I'm skeptical.

He said at least 10 times a week. Pay attention.

 

16 hours ago, amvet said:

Karma.  The reason he is 95 and sex 10 times a week is he is accepting of others and celebrates their being instead of trying to tear them down.  

No worries, Thai Ron will be along shortly with a sharpened <deleted> ripper.

 

...or JLCrab.

 

15 hours ago, giddyup said:

It's a fault of mine that I just don't take everyone at their word, call it part of life's experience. Grow up.

In one word, it's called cynicism. You'll get used to it.

Edited January 15, 2018 by NanLaew

[giddyup]

7 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

He said at least 10 times a week. Pay attention.

 

No worries, Thai Ron will be along shortly with a sharpened <deleted> ripper.

 

...or JLCrab.

 

In one word, it's called cynicism. You'll get used to it.

I call it common sense. So, it could have been more than 10 times a week. Wow! I'm impressed (if true).

Edited January 15, 2018 by giddyup

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

This thread has turned into 'ping-pong'. Can we get back on-topic.

Concerning Myanmar, (where I now live and work), some have commented that the place is a sh*thole. Actually, if you stay in a typical Burmese city, then I tend to agree, often overcrowded, unmade roads, too much traffic etc.

Yangon is hugely overcrowded with cars and lorries, and with no underground system, no overhead motorways, no Skytrain etc. Some new flyovers have been constructed, but it is much busier than when I lived there 5 years ago.

The city does have many more foreigners living there now, and as a result, there is a good choice of restaurants to cater for all tastebuds. But I wouldn't want to go and live in Yangon again.

The second city of Mandalay is pretty soulless. After being virtually destroyed in WW2, it was rebuilt on a grid system, but the planners forgot to include green areas within the city boundary. Outside the city there are some very pleasant areas. I worked in Mandalay about 2 years ago, but left because of the lack of green parks and safe cycling.

That brings me to the city of Naypyidaw, where I have been working since 2016. The city is often described as a bizarre place, with 20-lane highways and no people. The last 2 adjectives are correct, but 'bizarre' is a tad of an exaggeration.

I like living in Naypyidaw for a few reasons:

- Lack of traffic
- Legal to ride my motorbike (motorbikes are not allowed in central Yangon)
- Very safe to ride my bike (lots of cycle paths)
- Many green areas and lakes
- Air quality is very good (few cars and few factories)
- Not overcrowded (there is no designated 'centre' of the city)

Of course, there are disadvantages:
- Few foreigners (hang on, shouldn't that be listed under advantages? :)
- Few facilities for foreigners (have to search for shops to buy common items, uncommon things needs a trip to BKK)
- Only 1 flight to/from BKK each day (Bangkok Airways)
- Small choice of restaurants (but there are Shan, Thai, Chinese, Italian, French etc restaurants)

Living in Myanmar is definitely not for the sexpats and not for those in bad health (need to fly to BKK to visit a decent hospital).

Since there currently no retirement visa, I will probably return to live in Thailand or Laos when I retire.

OTOH, there is a 5-year Permanent Resident visa which one can apply for (and be granted), after living here for 3 years. Unless you have committed mass-murder in the country, almost any foreigner will be granted PR if they apply after 5 years. (PR allows one to purchase a condo, but no other important benefits right now).

Very good assessment based over several years in different locations, thanks.

 

I am on my first Myanmar rodeo, albeit a working one, raping the country's resources on behalf of some faceless, foreign entity but I must say living on a bush camp about 3 hours out of Yangon is so very peaceful. Once we get off the main roads and go cross-country, it reminds me of the vast expanses of paddy and water buffalo that stretched between Patong beach and the hills, way, way back when I were a lad and could have probably bought the whole enchilada for the £7000 end-of-contract bonus that I was burning through. 

 

Here, I can go jogging through the nearby villages in the early evening and we have a huge, barn of a restaurant next door where, if you remind them in the afternoon, they will refrigerate half-a-dozen big bottles of Myanmar beer before you drop by for a sun-downer.... before the 8:30 camp curfew.

 

It's a bit disappointing to hear they are already doing condo's for foreigners.

Edited January 15, 2018 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

28 minutes ago, Thai Ron said:

Why on earth would prostitutes try to return your money?

Probably similar reasons as to why you can't tell when your buttons are being repeatedly  pushed?

 

We've been working on house-training the new camp puppy BTW. It's funny how she keeps doing the same 'wrong' things over and over again as well. But she is just a puppy after all.

[NanLaew]

29 minutes ago, MaeJoMTB said:

Some of the girls like to pretend they aren't hookers. Makes them feel better about themselves I guess.

"What's this money for?" (they say), "taxi fare home" (you reply) ..... money goes in bag everyone happy, they aren't hookers, you aren't paying for sex.

A female variation on the well-known Charlie Sheen defense maybe?

 

When Charlie Sheen was being sentenced for using a prostitute, the judge asked him why a man like him would pay for sex, Sheen replied: "I don't pay them for sex. I pay them to leave".

[metisdead]

Some inflammatory posts have been removed. 

[JLCrab]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

<snip>

Ah yes... checking the 'bona fides' of your forum adversary; always a sign of weakness IMHO.

I agree -- I definitely think it is a sign of weakness when someone feels the need to create a new personality on here. Some have done it multiple times either by choice or duress.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

I call it common sense. So, it could have been more than 10 times a week. Wow! I'm impressed (if true).

I agree. If true, I want what he's having (when I'm +90)

[NanLaew]

2 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

I agree -- I definitely think it is a sign of weakness when someone feels the need to create a new personality on here. Some have done it multiple times either by choice or duress.

People do that? Really?!

[Thai Ron]

There's very little chance that a 95 year old is getting laid 10 times a week.

Unless it's while he's dreaming

[Odysseus123]

That's nuthin.

 

My uncle who lost a leg in the Crimean War still liked to gallop with the fillies until late last year when he finally settled down with a 24 year old Thai and all her brood.

 

He pays her in gold sovereigns-one damn lucky Thai as she proudly announces to all and sundry.

Edited January 15, 2018 by Odysseus123

[JLCrab]

9 minutes ago, Thai Ron said:

There's very little chance that a 95 year old is getting laid 10 times a week.

Unless it's while he's dreaming

Hey Ron if you read some his posts about his travels there is a good chance he is not 95 years old and is just sitting back and having a good laugh.

 

So where was he shot 5 times -- Iwo Jima?

Edited January 15, 2018 by JLCrab

[simon43]

It's a bit disappointing to hear they are already doing condo's for foreigners.

I think the law-makers are still arguing over the condo ownership laws for foreigners who don't have PR, (which will be almost 100% of them, since the PR rules were only introduced last year AFAIK).

But I'm sure that condo building will go crazy when/if there is easy access for foreigners to legally buy condos.

It can only go 'downhill' from here...

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, Thai Ron said:

There's very little chance that a 95 year old is getting laid 10 times a week.

Unless it's while he's dreaming

psych (again)!

 

1 hour ago, JLCrab said:

Hey Ron if you read some his posts about his travels there is a good chance he is not 95 years old and is just sitting back and having a good laugh.

 

So where was he shot 5 times -- Iwo Jima?

Is that the sound of a penny dropping?

[JLCrab]

10 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

psych (again)!

 

Is that the sound of a penny dropping?

Ask him. That post was JAN 7 and he's certainly logged on since then.

[amvet]

4 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

That's nuthin.

 

My uncle who lost a leg in the Crimean War still liked to gallop with the fillies until late last year when he finally settled down with a 24 year old Thai and all her brood.

 

He pays her in gold sovereigns-one damn lucky Thai as she proudly announces to all and sundry.

The Crimean War in 1853?

[JLCrab]

12 minutes ago, amvet said:

The Crimean War in 1853?

So? That would only make him about 165. Maybe it's karma.

[amvet]

6 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Easy there Tonto... there's nobody here willy-waving on their home nation's inappropriate forays in foreign lands. Just some did it more effectively and discretely. As you (almost) correctly state, the British had simply ages to prepare through at least a couple of hundred years of living and governing in the regions where they ultimately, successfully put out the bush fires. Their US counterparts had maybe 8 years tops to appreciate that despite footing the increasing bill for the French to keep Vietnam "free", without a proven legacy of global empire building beyond the invasion and suppression stages, there was no chance in hell of pulling the French bacon out of that fire. When General Navarre exceeded his mandate that resulted in their significant, opinion-changing losses at Điện Biên Phủ and the French waved the white hankies and sailed away, that should have been time to insert an appropriate pause and possibly, just an idea here, confer with the Brits on how to best manage the circus. Alternatively, they could have asked the Belgians and Portuguese but their empires were even less built on appreciating the culture and desires of the people under their rule.

 

Ah yes... checking the 'bona fides' of your forum adversary; always a sign of weakness IMHO.

Wrong on so many points.  The US fought the French in Saigon.  The US fought China and the Soviet Union in Vietnam in addition to most of Vietnam while the Brits fought a few outcast Chinese that the Malaysians didn't like either.  Brit efficiency at war =  60,000 artillery shells, 30,000 rounds of mortar ammunition, and 2,000 aircraft bombs for 35 terrorists killed or captured.  But having said that little piece there are thousands of words more although I see it being on topic to repair delusions of the some of the posters here I find it hard to justify it to a person who is not really involved in South East Asia and I assume most people here could care less about South East Asia and don't really know much about it's history and even if they did don't accept that history shapes the present.

Edited January 15, 2018 by amvet

[NanLaew]

13 minutes ago, amvet said:

The Crimean War in 1853?

Was there another one?

[amvet]

1 minute ago, JLCrab said:

So? That would only make him about 165. Maybe it's karma.

I would like some of whatever he is taking.

[NanLaew]

1 minute ago, JLCrab said:

So? That would only make him about 165. Maybe it's karma.

I wonder if he's also bangin' +10 a week?

[Golden Triangle]

Anyhoo, back on topic, I thought about heading to PI but heard that it was a pretty dangerous place to live with indiscriminate shootings (of Westerners) armed guards in banks, shops and ATM's

 

Anyone care to comment, TIA. 

[NanLaew]

3 minutes ago, amvet said:

Wrong on so many points.  The US fought the French in Saigon.  The US fought China and the Soviet Union in Vietnam in addition to most of Vietnam while the Brits fought a few outcast Chinese.  Brit efficiency at war =  60,000 artillery shells, 30,000 rounds of mortar ammunition, and 2,000 aircraft bombs for 35 terrorists killed or captured.  But having said that little piece there are thousands of words more although I see it being on topic to repair delusions of the some of the posters here I find it hard to justify it to a person who is not really involved in South East Asia and I assume most people here could care less about South East Asia and don't really know much about it's history and even if they did don't accept that history shapes the present.

All of my points are solid facts based on published history. Not at all sure about your chaps fighting the French in Saigon but apart from re-stating the ideological war behind the battle that is already acknowledged, you are the one introducing the somewhat arcane and less arguable armaments expended lesson. I guess for some it really IS all about the willy wave.

 

Carry on.

 

PS: While you're sorting through your impressive and no doubt copious armaments disbursed statistics, can you come up with the weight-to-kill ratio for the carpet bombing in Laos and Cambodia?

[amvet]

5 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

Anyhoo, back on topic, I thought about heading to PI but heard that it was a pretty dangerous place to live with indiscriminate shootings (of Westerners) armed guards in banks, shops and ATM's

 

Anyone care to comment, TIA. 

They have very few robberies of fast food stores. 

[amvet]

3 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

All of my points are solid facts based on published history. Not at all sure about your chaps fighting the French in Saigon but apart from re-stating the ideological war behind the battle that is already acknowledged, you are the one introducing the somewhat arcane and less arguable armaments expended lesson. I guess for some it really IS all about the willy wave.

 

Carry on.

 

PS: While you're sorting through your impressive and no doubt copious armaments disbursed statistics, can you come up with the weight-to-kill ratio for the carpet bombing in Laos and Cambodia?

No they aren't.  But I can't reply as that would drag the thread off topic.  For your personal edification try reading about Battle of Saigon (1955) French VS USA.  My points are based on experience and personal interviews of the people involved. 

[MaeJoMTB]

11 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

Anyhoo, back on topic, I thought about heading to PI but heard that it was a pretty dangerous place to live with indiscriminate shootings (of Westerners) armed guards in banks, shops and ATM's

 

Anyone care to comment, TIA. 

Go there all the time, never any problems, everyone very polite.

Even the 'street thugs' say 'Enjoy your stay sir' as I walk through the barrio.

 

Armed guards everywhere, usually with shotguns, at the 7-11 at the JollyBee, at the shopping malls and at the restaurants, not convinced they have any shells though.