Top Ten hard truths of living as an expat in Thailand

[Rc2702]

Just now, Kadilo said:

They are all in Pattaya undercover .........in a bar. 

I gotta go and have a browse in Pattaya one day. I never been there. Is it really as bad as it sounds? 

[flyingdoc]

I suppose that the Elite Visa covers most problems, but is expensive!

[Kadilo]

1 minute ago, Rc2702 said:

I gotta go and have a browse in Pattaya one day. I never been there. Is it really as bad as it sounds? 

Depends on what your definition of "bad" is I guess. I love the place for all its warts n all, but I don't want to live there personally. 

[Rc2702]

Just now, Kadilo said:

Depends on what your definition of "bad" is I guess. I love the place for all its warts n all, but I don't want to live there personally. 

It's difficult to imagine. I have visions of older lads acting like teenagers in Amsterdam for the 1st time.

[Kadilo]

9 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

It's difficult to imagine. I have visions of older lads acting like teenagers in Amsterdam for the 1st time.

There is an element of that for sure, but there a lot more to the place. 

[Rc2702]

Just now, Kadilo said:

There is an element of that for sure, but there a lot more to the place. 

Would you have a family holiday there?

Edited February 2, 2018 by Rc2702

[crazykopite]

Very good article ,sometimes I ask myself why the hell do I live here it’s normally around the time that my extension of stay is due , never knowing if your immigration office has introduced a new rule without announcing it . Last year for example after spending 2 hours to get to my immigration department I handed all my paperwork only to be told to come back and pick up my passport with new extended of stay stamp in 7 days time so that equates to travelling time of 8 hours as well as all the expense of Ferry.  Transport and food costs , it’s no good questioning why because you get no answer although I do know the guy who signs the applications off spends a lot of time on the local golf course ?

[Laza 45]

34 minutes ago, catman20 said:

your gonna struggle with that one here mate. i gave up years ago talking to farangs

I'm lucky I guess.. I've got a good group of ferang friends.. I'm not sure about advice on how to go about achieving it but my strategy is to be friendly and keep the bullshit sensors on high alert..  good luck.. 

[YetAnother]

missing in the larger article is : dealing with the thai version of logic

it sometimes can lead to very short discussions and loss of breath by westerners

[Peterw42]

26 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Didn't the Thai army surrender to the Japanese only after a day or so during WW2?

But that's not colonisation...despite the fact they had Thai/Japanese banknotes during the war.

I'm happy to stand (well, sit) corrected if I'm way out on that one.

Not so much surrendered to the Japanese, more like joined up with the Japanese, very similar to Italy in ww2. Thailand declared war against Britain , US etc, started claiming and fighting the allies in parts of Malaysia, Burma, Laos etc. At one point during ww2, Thailand bordered with china.

 

[Peterw42]

28 minutes ago, Rc2702 said:

I gotta go and have a browse in Pattaya one day. I never been there. Is it really as bad as it sounds? 

No its not, more a reputation thats perpetuated by people who have never been here, visited once etc. Sexpat area is no different to BKK, Phuket etc. Step outside of the sexpat area and its no different to the rest of Thailand. Possibly better because lots of established western infrastucure, resturants, services etc

[mikebell]

I was curious to see how far down the list Thai police corruption came.  I was stunned to find it didn't figure at all.  How can holding businesses to ransom; creating bogus accident reports; failure to leave their offices; ignoring 98% of traffic violations; selective prosecution; not figure?

[CGW]

1 hour ago, gunderhill said:

If nobody ever complained about anything  the world would be a  seriously  screwed  up  place.

Have you not noticed, the world is a "seriously screwed up place"!

[CGW]

27 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Not so much surrendered to the Japanese, more like joined up with the Japanese, very similar to Italy in ww2. Thailand declared war against Britain , US etc, started claiming and fighting the allies in parts of Malaysia, Burma, Laos etc. At one point during ww2, Thailand bordered with china.

 

Quite & the only reason they never had to "officially" surrender was they stated the decision to go to war was "undemocratic" they have been playing politics for a long time!

[yellowboat]

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

Just for you '  Moaning about it never helps but accepting the bumps is part of the adventure '   

In other words .....  either just accept it and it's workings or move on  !!  

You are right.  There are much better places to live an work than Thailand.  You can do business in Thailand without actually having to live there. Visits from a neighboring country are enough.  If you need to stay for a few months, you just pay as you go and invest NOTHING !

[bluesofa]

7 minutes ago, CGW said:

Quite & the only reason they never had to "officially" surrender was they stated the decision to go to war was "undemocratic" they have been playing politics for a long time!

IIRC when Thailand declared war on the allies, the Thai ambassador to the US was charged with delivering it the the US government, but the ambassador refused to do it point blank.

So I think Thailand was never officially at war with the allies?

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, BaldPlumber said:

Am I the only one who has never met anyone who has claimed to be ex-SAS or Navy Seal?

No and thanks for posting. I've been here every late fall and winter for 17 years and many other trips before that as well.  Never met anyone who ever claimed this and I socialize a good amount. I think there are a lot of what I call TVF urban myths!  

But hey, I actually get taxis that use a meter all the time in BKK so maybe I'm just special lol. 

Edited February 2, 2018 by alex8912

[alex8912]

57 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

There is an element of that for sure, but there a lot more to the place. 

The museums??

[bluesofa]

3 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

No and thanks for posting. I've been here every late fall and winter for 17 years and many other trips before that as well.  Never met anyone who ever claimed this and I socialize a good amount. I think there are a lot of what I call TVF urban myths!  

But hey, I actually get taxis that use a meter all the time in BKK so maybe I'm just special lol. 

I did meet a guy who claimed he used to be in the CIA, but no one believed him. When asked what he did, he claimed it was very 'hush-hush' and he couldn't go into details.

I had his name saved in my phone as Lee-CIA to distinguish him from another Lee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PEE TEE]

Weigh up the bad things and the good things . compare to your own country and decide where to stay  HUm ok i stay here in Thailand easy as that 

[Dukeleto]

Good article and good advice for any newby to Thailand would do well to print out bind and keep it with him as a guide book to refer back to when necessary until he has been through it all. Throw it away when what was written it ALL makes sense.

[bluesofa]

9 minutes ago, CGW said:

Lot of different stories out there, which is the truth, bearing in mind the victors writes the history.

"The Thai ambassador to the US (A great-grandson of King Rama II) in Washington was offered the money that America had frozen in Thai bank accounts if he didn’t deliver the declaration of war."

Regardless, they certainly helped the Japanese! which given the way they had been treated by the British & Americans was hardly surprising.

I'm glad everyone is putting me right on my incorrect posts. As I said earlier, I sit corrected. Thanks.

[Emster23]

Someone ought to (maybe already have?) write "Ten soft truths about Thailand" article. Not the rosy eyed prattle from first time visitor, not the ravings of a "sex-pat" about how all you need is cash to find true love and/or bar stool jockey, but rather someone who fits within one standard deviation of "normal" in home country.

 Bribes are a pain and rubs most of us wrong. Usually still less than paying for "permits" back home.

 Anyone who is upset a prostitute doesn't really love you instantly just fell off the turnip truck

 Whatever the visa hassles may be here in Thailand, I would still rather deal with immigration here than run the gauntlet of US Embassy getting visa for Thai wife. Better to just throw the cash in the street, save time and frustration.

 The food is great if you avoid farang joints and go for food stalls. Yum yum

 The section where I live in Bangkok has perhaps one bar in 10 block radius, and that serves alcohol as a sideline. People are hard working, have real lives and don't go out of their way to cheat you

[Suradit69]

2 hours ago, gunderhill said:

If nobody ever complained about anything  the world would be a  seriously  screwed  up  place.

And you don't have to live in Thailand to find things that cause you to get your knickers in a knot. For many people, moaning comes in just after eating and breathing on their list of activities that are necessary to sustain life ... and for some reason they tend to gravitate to TV and they all want to share their misery.

[Ahab]

1 hour ago, Rc2702 said:

I gotta go and have a browse in Pattaya one day. I never been there. Is it really as bad as it sounds? 

Yes, it is as bad as it sounds.  Jomtien is a bit better, but still not my cup of tea.

 

You might like it if you are looking for at buying sex (male or female or maybe a bit of both). Walking street is a complete freak show.

 

They do have a couple of decent grocery stores that have items not easily available in the more rural areas of Thailand (decent cuts of beef, spices, alcohol, condiments, etc.)

[reenatinnakor]

In England you have to pay 100 quid fine for being 10 minutes over your parking meter... Here you pay 10 quid for a traffic violation. Who's more corrupt?

[bluesofa]

2 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

And you don't have to live in Thailand to find things that cause you to get your knickers in a knot. For many people, moaning comes in just after eating and breathing on their list of activities that are necessary to sustain life ... and for some reason they tend to gravitate to TV and they all want to share their misery.

Ha ha, yes!

Please help me, I got tangled up in the duvet and got out of bed the wrong side. What should I do?

[bert bloggs]

I am sorry to say this ,but after 25 years of coming here ,living here and having a business here , no one has ever claimed to be from the sas or any spy organization ,i have never been ripped off by any girl telling me she "loves" me i have only once paid a bribe to a traffic cop and that was almost 20 years ago ,and i have been ripped off on a commission owed me by an expat ,once , it is very rare that a Thai tries to get a higher "tourist" price off me and i have been happily married to a Thai woman for 20 years .

Tell me what am i doing wrong?

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, bert bloggs said:

I am sorry to say this ,but after 25 years of coming here ,living here and having a business here , no one has ever claimed to be from the sas or any spy organization ,i have never been ripped off by any girl telling me she "loves" me i have only once paid a bribe to a traffic cop and that was almost 20 years ago ,and i have been ripped off on a commission owed me by an expat ,once , it is very rare that a Thai tries to get a higher "tourist" price off me and i have been happily married to a Thai woman for 20 years .

Tell me what am i doing wrong?

You didn't believe anyone when they told that 'gullible' was no longer listed in the dictionary...

[DDBKK]

2 hours ago, BaldPlumber said:

Am I the only one who has never met anyone who has claimed to be ex-SAS or Navy Seal?

No. There are many of us. I did once meet a guy who wanted to take my picture around Suk, when I refused started to shout "ohhhh I'm <deleted> Special Services, I'm too important to have my picture taken". Had a massive scar across his face and sounded like a guy from Scotland. A <deleted> basically. I don't think normal people have these types of encounters. Only internet "try hards" like to spoon it out as if they have thought of something witty.