Top Ten hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand

[cornishcarlos]

3 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

And you have a report on every accident? That's better than the police!

 

Pathetic response pal... 39 people died yesterday on the roads.. 

Whether it was their own fault or that of some equally "skilled" driver, the point is that Thailand is No.1 in the world for road deaths !!

[watcharacters]

1 hour ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

39 people weren't so skilled yesterday and that is the tip of the iceberg !! 

What a bizarre comment... 

 

 

"What a bizarre comment... "

 

Yes,   off the wall at best.

[DavidAlexander]

Everyone complains about Thai police (minor) corruption. My last ticket in the States was 'running' a red light at 6am one Sunday morning, could see 200 meters in every direction, except for the <deleted> motorcycle cop. Cost?..$200, 6000 baht.

Yeah it went into the city coffers instead of the cop's back pocket but I see little difference. Many US police jurisdictions have quotas for tickets, gotta pay the bills.

[AntDee]

30 minutes ago, DavidAlexander said:

Everyone complains about Thai police (minor) corruption. My last ticket in the States was 'running' a red light at 6am one Sunday morning, could see 200 meters in every direction, except for the <deleted> motorcycle cop. Cost?..$200, 6000 baht.

Yeah it went into the city coffers instead of the cop's back pocket but I see little difference. Many US police jurisdictions have quotas for tickets, gotta pay the bills.

One key difference is that you didn't get out of the ticket because your last name is long or that of a "big" important family. 

 

Because you could see 200 meters in every direction is irrelevant if you actually did run the light. I'm sure you agree. 

[AntDee]

3 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

The majority of Thai people are far more skilled at negotiating the roads here than foreigners. Those foreigners who think otherwise just can't cope with driving here.

Your comment is difficult to make sense of. It considers a totally chaotic situation, entirely the making of nationals, and, instead of critiquing their inability to improve upon the carnage, focuses on the questionable "upside?" of their ability to navigate their disastrous roads. That's an odd focus. 

[transam]

20 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

Sadly a hard truth about expats is that they are often too set in their ways to actually sit down and consider what is going on around them...it is far easier for them to bolster their feelings of inadequacy by slagging off Thai people.

One classic example of this is their positively  Siamo-phobic interpretation of driving skills.

the death rate per 100k which is the ONLY stat they have heard of is regurgitated time and again by people who 30 to forty years ago had exactly the same death rates back home - so were they all dreadful drivers then? How come they have gotten so much better and "superior" to THai people?

 

the hard truth is that expats many spend an undue amount of time trying to make themselves feel superior to Thai people....

 

What a load of tosh....

[dick dasterdly]

3 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

The majority of Thai people are far more skilled at negotiating the roads here than foreigners. Those foreigners who think otherwise just can't cope with driving here.

 

3 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

That sir,   is Post of the year,  no one will beat that one before Christmas

Well done.  

To be fair, he has a point.

 

Personally, I give tourists on 'bikes a far wider berth than Thais!  Too many tourists 'adopt' the Thais' driving behaviour - even though they have far less experience....

[AntDee]

7 hours ago, dick dasterdly said:

 

To be fair, he has a point.

 

Personally, I give tourists on 'bikes a far wider berth than Thais!  Too many tourists 'adopt' the Thais' driving behaviour - even though they have far less experience....

He has a point, but it is one that would appeal more to an adolescent than an adult.  We would not expect a reporter covering a war zone to be intrigued by how skillfully some of the survivors escape death by their countrymen. A more useful thought process would be one that considers the parameters though which they can end the war or at least one that focuses on those that got them there. 

[joeyg]

9 hours ago, AntDee said:

One key difference is that you didn't get out of the ticket because your last name is long or that of a "big" important family. 

 

Because you could see 200 meters in every direction is irrelevant if you actually did run the light. I'm sure you agree. 

I got out of 95% of my tickets in the states because of my "pocket medical license."

[Bangkokazy]

Land of smiles, Thai culture and losing face are the lamest excuses that seem to explain all the deplorable acts delinquent Thais force upon foreigners.
Ask any Thai man about Thai culture and he will probably come out with Sang Som, Giks and lazing around looking for an opportunity to make money dishonestly.
You confront a Thai man with wit and he loses face due to his lack of education and his cave man mentality and will want to beat you up as long as he has a gang of his friends to back him.
Land of fake smiles. Thais are jealous of all foreigners because they think they have wealth and will smile through gritted teeth and bend over backwards to relieve them of their monies.
Thais are taught from a young age to be nationalistic, the country has never been colonized by a foreign power and racism is a by product of this. They think they are superior to all foreigners and despise them but deep down they know they are not.
Until Thais realise that Thailand is not the centre of the world and know their place in the world then nothing will change.

 

[Airbagwill]

21 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Pathetic response pal... 39 people died yesterday on the roads.. 

Whether it was their own fault or that of some equally "skilled" driver, the point is that Thailand is No.1 in the world for road deaths !!

You appear to be blaming their demise on their own stupidity, yet you know nothing about how they died.

The fact us that there is no truly effective crash analysis in Thailand, only expats prepared to make sweeping generalisations based on....Well, nothing it would appear.

Edited April 14, 2018 by Airbagwill

[Airbagwill]

20 hours ago, transam said:

What a load of tosh....

QED

[bkk6060]

10 hours ago, Bangkokazy said:

You confront a Thai man with wit and he loses face due to his lack of education and his cave man mentality and will want to beat you up as long as he has a gang of his friends to back him.

 

You posted you went back to your home country.  So, now you should be safe...

 

[cornishcarlos]

18 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

You appear to be blaming their demise on their own stupidity, yet you know nothing about how they died.

The fact us that there is no truly effective crash analysis in Thailand, only expats prepared to make sweeping generalisations based on....Well, nothing it would appear.

 

Ok, we all got it wrong... Thailand in not No.1 in the world for road deaths, driving standards are far superior to most Western countries and enforcement of traffic laws is a priority of the police... 

 

You are living either in dream world or a drug induced stupor !!

[stanleycoin]

On 4/13/2018 at 10:59 AM, dick dasterdly said:

 

To be fair, he has a point.

 

Personally, I give tourists on 'bikes a far wider berth than Thais!  Too many tourists 'adopt' the Thais' driving behaviour - even though they have far less experience....

Ok mate. Black is white after all. 

 

Think he missed about 25,000 points a year.

way to go Thailand,  Job well done. 

 

[geriatrickid]

Oh please. Such BS.

 

1. At the end of the day, ask yourself how difficult is it for Thai citizens to live in your country…   A Thai of my background and financial position would be welcomed. He could own property with no problems.

 

2. YOU CALL IT CORRUPTION. THEY CALL IT BUSINESS. 

No. My employer, my government and the  egulators and legal bodies I am subject to, call it a crime. If I pay a bribe, I am subject to stiff legal penalties and sanctions. I will lose my professional license(s), and can face serious jail time. 

 

8. DON’T LOSE YOUR COOL

Ever seen a hiso or a person in uniform  behave? They easily lose their cool and suffer few negative ramifications.

 

10. We are, after all, guests in the Kingdom of Thailand and it’s up to us to find away around THEIR systems, as best we can.

Funny, how such a position does not apply to Thais in my country or elsewhere in the west. They are quick to file a claim of  discrimination with the human rights   commissions wherever they may be if they  are treated in that manner. As a foreigner in Thailand, I have few if any legal rights, no matter what the  legislation may say.  The arrogance of this  line is infuriating. Stop calling me a "guest". I pay my taxes and I meet the legal requirements. I contribute more benefits to Thailand and tax revenue than the majority of individual Thais.

[transam]

8 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

Road deaths per 100 k....are the figures that everyone uses.....usually out of context....France and USA  in the 1970s and 1960s respectively had the same or similar death rates to Thailand.

 

Before you jump to any conclusions, compare car ownership, miles travelled and density of traffic

I'm sorry but your answers appear to be the result of an amateurish thinks that a hour or so on Google will reach some serious research.

People need firstly to read the premise and then learn the difference between search and research.

I guess it's back to Google for you.

You are fluffing......

Edited April 14, 2018 by metisdead
Oversize and intrusive emoji removed.

[smutcakes]

2 hours ago, Airbagwill said:

Road deaths per 100 k....are the figures that everyone uses.....usually out of context....France and USA  in the 1970s and 1960s respectively had the same or similar death rates to Thailand.

 

Before you jump to any conclusions, compare car ownership, miles travelled and density of traffic

I'm sorry but your answers appear to be the result of an amateurish thinks that a hour or so on Google will reach some serious research.

People need firstly to read the premise and then learn the difference between search and research.

I guess it's back to Google for you.

lol. stop digging.

[watcharacters]

On 4/13/2018 at 9:50 AM, DavidAlexander said:

Everyone complains about Thai police (minor) corruption. My last ticket in the States was 'running' a red light at 6am one Sunday morning, could see 200 meters in every direction, except for the <deleted> motorcycle cop. Cost?..$200, 6000 baht.

Yeah it went into the city coffers instead of the cop's back pocket but I see little difference. Many US police jurisdictions have quotas for tickets, gotta pay the bills.

"Many US police jurisdictions have quotas for tickets, gotta pay the bills."

 

I hope one day to see some proof of that claim if it exists.

 

Still waiting.

[KiwiKiwi]

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

... (snipped for brevity)

That said, I would agree with you that there does appear to be a large number of people who live here in Thailand, who post on these forums who are unable to see the positivity here in Thailand, ..

 

What positivity are you thinking of exactly? Specifics are often useful.

[transam]

6 hours ago, KiwiKiwi said:

What positivity are you thinking of exactly? Specifics are often useful.

Well minding ones own business and shaking off farangland grrrrr is a good start....

Edited April 14, 2018 by metisdead
Oversize and intrusive emoji removed.

[jenny2017]

On 3/10/2018 at 5:31 AM, Dexlowe said:

Or you can do what I did. I searched aliexpress for a portable bum gun and came up with one with a hooked nozzle that you squeeze manually, and a very classy one for us lazy baztards: It has a battery-powered motor that sends out a jet stream of water -- TAH DAH! Both work brilliantly. Tip for the delicate: In very cold climes (such as where I am now), fill the tanks with warm tap water before going to the khazi, as a jet spray of ice cold water not only shrinks your testicles, it is rumored to promote haemarrhoids.

 

And now ... back to the topic at hand.  

I had a toilet like that in a Bangkok hotel, fully automatic. Unfortunately, you've got to understand how to use it. 

Edited April 14, 2018 by jenny2017

[transam]

5 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

I had a toilet like that in a Bangkok hotel, fully automatic. Unfortunately, you've got to understand how to use it. 

It has a "phone a friend" button....

Edited April 14, 2018 by metisdead
Oversize and intrusive emoji removed.

[jenny2017]

5 hours ago, transam said:

It has a "phone a friend" button....

Not really. But if you don't sit down and press the wrong one, your floor will be flooded before you know it. A funny feeling on your ar-e. 

[Airbagwill]

9 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Ok, we all got it wrong... Thailand in not No.1 in the world for road deaths, driving standards are far superior to most Western countries and enforcement of traffic laws is a priority of the police... 

 

You are living either in dream world or a drug induced stupor !!

 

Who is "we" are you under the impression you are part of a group?

If so it would appear you are a fully paid up flat-earther...or their road safety subdivision?

...and  you appear have problems with reading comprehension.

Perhaps you could back up your ridiculous conclusions with a couple of quotes from my posts? No? I thought not.

The fact you have resorted to ad hominem, reveals that you simply have no argument.

Edited April 14, 2018 by Airbagwill

[KiwiKiwi]

5 hours ago, transam said:

Well minding ones own business and shaking off farangland grrrrr is a good start....

Not sure I can see how either of those is a positive, but hey, if you're sure.

[KiwiKiwi]

2 hours ago, watcharacters said:

"Many US police jurisdictions have quotas for tickets, gotta pay the bills."

 

I hope one day to see some proof of that claim if it exists.

 

Still waiting.

 

Incompetence and a desperate urge to establish an imagined ascendency over the other guy are often factors in corruption. There's some interesting research somewhere on why people choose to join law enforcement agencies. I believe it was done in the USA, but wherever it was done, it was an interesting read. Can't find it now, probably binned it, but Google is your friend.

Edited April 14, 2018 by KiwiKiwi

[richard_smith237]

5 hours ago, KiwiKiwi said:

What positivity are you thinking of exactly? Specifics are often useful.

 

A huge wealth of positive reasons why people choose to live here...  food, weather, cost etc etc

[KiwiKiwi]

39 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

A huge wealth of positive reasons why people choose to live here...  food, weather, cost etc etc

I agree, but these are *your* positive reasons, mine might be similar . The other guy's appear to include minding your own business and forgetting how to be a farang. Hardly persuasive though.

 

But hey, each to his or her own I guess...

[Dexlowe]

12 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

I had a toilet like that in a Bangkok hotel, fully automatic. Unfortunately, you've got to understand how to use it. 

I can't see the automatic tampon remover. Or is this the men's toilet?