SURVEY: What is the biggest drawback to living in Thailand?

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

A bit difficult when you are in an apartment without a griller, and you would stink the place out with the smell anyway. Although I suppose if I wanted to pay 3000 baht at Le Coq D'Or for a chateaubriand, it might get close.

You're right - the advice is worth two cents.

 

But for the price of one meal there you can buy a tabletop oven plus fresh air sprays and cook the chateaubriand exactly the way you want and after the second one you are in profit. If you buy a decent bottle of wine at Villa for example it will always be cheaper than the restaurant.

[jenny2017]

10 minutes ago, billd766 said:

 

But for the price of one meal there you can buy a tabletop oven plus fresh air sprays and cook the chateaubriand exactly the way you want and after the second one you are in profit. If you buy a decent bottle of wine at Villa for example it will always be cheaper than the restaurant.

  In vino veritas.

[jenny2017]

1 hour ago, PocoLoco said:

My wife is not a mirror of the average Thai population.

And she never will and never had lost face, right? 

[lou62]

God, there's some  moaning buggers on this thread.

[The Theory]

11 hours ago, milwaukeeboy said:

I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but at customs, they single me out and go through everything in my bags and force me to give passwords to all my electronic devices.

Not me.

perhaps there are some reminder notes about you in immigration computers.

[lannarebirth]

6 hours ago, sirineou said:

Too far from my US home country.

 

Yeah, that's an inconvenience but not too bad unless someone needs to get to the states frequently. Frankly I'm surprised by the poll results. I'd have guessed education as #1, followed by pollution. Probably means most here are pensioners without children.

[JLCrab]

3 hours ago, PocoLoco said:

My wife is not a mirror of the average Thai population.

Right -- she's different.

[sirineou]

25 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

Yeah, that's an inconvenience but not too bad unless someone needs to get to the states frequently. Frankly I'm surprised by the poll results. I'd have guessed education as #1, followed by pollution. Probably means most here are pensioners without children.

I reside in NY and Florida, I don't think there any place in the US further away from Thailand than  Florida. Until I retire  june 2019 , I make the trip at least once a year.

The plane trip requires a lot of alcohol. LOL

[Laza 45]

6 hours ago, markaoffy said:

The one that sums up the country !


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

You are talking about America... right?

[Sapporillo]

5 hours ago, PocoLoco said:

After 8 years i had enough and left, it's a dangerous place.
 

This is my top 11 but i could name way more.
 

1a. Injustice, a cop killer gets away and an importer of toy waterguns faces 10 years
 b. Inhumane conditions for prisoners. 
 

2. Visa problems. The inability to ever obtain residence even as a married man. You're just a tourist ATM machine in their eyes and always will be.
 

3. Inability to buy land. 
 

4. Corruption, 
 

5. Traffic accidents. 
 

6. Air pollution. 
 

7. Pesticides and herbicides in food. 
 

8. Lack of competent health care. 
 

9. Characteristics; Childish and the inability to take any responsibility for mistakes made. MUST save face no matter the consequences.
   Average person has a low IQ.
 

10. Junta rule, 
 

11. Seriously bad education system,

The only positive thing i can think about Thailand? My wife. That's it.

Some of these points, while certainly true, are unfortunately also true for almost all destinations where life’s much cheaper than in the US or Europe: good healthcare and education for everyone is only available in very few places outside Western Europe as far as I know, and not even for all US citizens. 

 

Food safety, air pollution, corruption and traffic accidents are all getting better when a country gets richer, no doubt about it. That’s not unique to Thailand at all, it’s just part of the trade-off if you’re going to live in a less developed country. You want the advantages as well, don’t you? You can’t have it both ways....

 

Inability to buy land: this is actually a good thing, otherwise the best and nicest areas in the country would be completely inaccessible for the ordinary Thai , they would just get priced out of the market by rich foreigners.

 

Visa problems: that’s true, it’s a pity that there aren’t easier and more comfortable (90 day reporting is a hassle) options. 

 

Injustice:  also true, sometimes I still can’t believe that a guy like OJ could walk free, and all these rape stories from the prisons....oh wait, that was elsewhere, wasn’t it?

[JLCrab]

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

I reside in NY and Florida, I don't think there any place in the US further away from Thailand than  Florida. Until I retire  june 2019 , I make the trip at least once a year.

The plane trip requires a lot of alcohol. LOL

I have lived now in Thailand for 14 years but I still go back to Florida USA once a year or so to visit my money.

 

(That was the phrase I used while still living in Florida for the Brazilians who used to visit Orlando to "visit their money")

[sirineou]

1 minute ago, JLCrab said:

I have lived now in Thailand for 14 years but I still go back to Florida USA once a year or so to visit my money.

 

(That was the phrase I used while still living in Florida for the Brazilians who used to visit Orlando to "visit their money")

Me too, since my ex-wife also lives in Florida , and she has most of my money. LOL

[JLCrab]

OK but I have no wife ex- or otherwise in US or in Thailand -- too much paperwork.

[ThaiSydGuy]

19 hours ago, Suradit69 said:

Yes and maybe get a different result! Possibly the biggest drawback is all the complainers that hate everything about LOS but yet they remain here........

[jacko45k]

What appears to a direction of deterioration and increasing corruption.

[wwest5829]

18 hours ago, milwaukeeboy said:

My biggest problem is being profiled as a white male living in Asia for almost 30 years when I return to the USA for one visit of about five weeks every year.

I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but at customs, they single me out and go through everything in my bags and force me to give passwords to all my electronic devices.

They belittle me and accuse me in so many words of being a money launderer, human trafficker and drug dealer for about 40 minutes and then let me go on my way after asking where I'm staying and who I'll be seeing.

They take copious notes.

I have not been subjected to this on my visits of 2013 and 2015, however.... I'm thinking that I would end up in jail under the current regime in the US for refusing to go through being treated as a criminal suspect in my own country. Sooo...No plans to ever go back unless I can be treated as a citizen whose pedigree goes back before the country's founding. If you must treat your citizens in this manner...you have already lost the country.

[Credo]

I worked in Thailand for 20+ years.  I worked for several years in the late 80's/early 90's.     I first worked for a foreign entity and the last 19 years for a Thai institution.   I then returned to my home country but return frequently as I do some consulting work for a company.   

 

One of the major reasons I left was because of the traffic/accident rate.   I had to do a fair amount of driving and what I saw on the roads was horrendous.   It was also difficult to get things without becoming a long ordeal of traffic, parking, shopping and getting back home.   None of that 'pop down to the market' to pick up a few things.   

 

Visa issues were never a real problem (I always had a work permit and Thai staff who took care of it), but even then, there were changes in rules and it was nerve wracking.   The 90 day was a pain and rarely, but occasionally forgotten.   We had a number of employees who did have major issues with visas and it varied from officer to officer and province to province, so we never knew what to expect.   

 

I find that it is much nicer to visit Thailand than to live there.   My partner had no trouble getting a visa to my home country and does not wish to return to Thailand to live at all.   

 

 

 

 

[JLCrab]

Well I guess that's the rub -- I don't work in Thailand, I never drive in rush hour traffic, I can pop down to the market any time I want. And at least so far, visas and extensions have never been a problem

For many years I was on a US travel watch list as I traveled extensively to PRChina when the only way to do so was on an invitation from a Communist party official which I did indeed have. Though I was often pulled aside upon returning to USA, I can say that I was always treated with courtesy especially after being queried as to what was the purpose of my trip.
 

[JAFO]

41 minutes ago, JLCrab said:

Well I guess that's the rub -- I don't work in Thailand, I never drive in rush hour traffic, I can pop down to the market any time I want. And at least so far, visas and extensions have never been a problem

Same here JLcrab except I did work here in Thailand but the companies took care of everything so never a concern.

 

I really have no issues living here. The Visa deal takes 5 minutes every 90 days albeit it would be nice if it was an annual check in but I do not blame the Thai govt given the high influx of Scam artists, pedos, alcoholics, Drug traffickers, criminals etc etc that come here. Only way to attempt to control it.

 

I do not sweat the driving stuff because it's just part of life here and like anywhere you adapt. I have driven all over the country and it has never been an issue.

 

The other categories are noise to me.  Costs will always rise, Education will improve as will managing pollution. Westerners move here then complain because its not like their home country.  Then when costs go up to improve the country to what they expect they complain its not cheap anymore.  Can't have it both ways. 

 

I think most points of view are directly related to where one lives here in Thailand.  Take Pattaya for example. I wonder how many voters reside there?

 

In the end you make it what it is.  

[wgdanson]

7 hours ago, lannarebirth said:

 

Yeah, that's an inconvenience but not too bad unless someone needs to get to the states frequently. Frankly I'm surprised by the poll results. I'd have guessed education as #1, followed by pollution. Probably means most here are pensioners without children.

Very observant of you sir.

[Farang99]

The biggest drawback is, to quote Rooster in today's Week in Thailand:

 

But while a huge number of laws and fines need updating, the overwhelming problem that exists remains twofold – a lawless population who places personal freedom above the public good and the almost complete inactivity of great swathes of both city and up-country plod.

[Ahab]

8 minutes ago, Farang99 said:

The biggest drawback is, to quote Rooster in today's Week in Thailand:

 

But while a huge number of laws and fines need updating, the overwhelming problem that exists remains twofold – a lawless population who places personal freedom above the public good and the almost complete inactivity of great swathes of both city and up-country plod.

Personal freedom as long as you are not taking other peoples thing, injuring other people, or destroying others property should be above the public good in my libertarian influenced opinion.

[Cranky]

15 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

For all you guys who keep insisting that Thailand's cost of living isn't any lower than back home, take it up with Numbeo.

 

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp

 

 

Ball Hooks. This is the site that reckons you can get a three course meal for two in a 'mid-range'  restaurant for 850 Baht.  Good luck with that.  For those of us that like a decent bottle of wine and a bit of cheese, drive a half decent motor and enjoy all things imported the costs here are absurd, try putting the cost of kids education (if it affects you) into the equation.

[Lacessit]

11 hours ago, PocoLoco said:

My wife is not a mirror of the average Thai population.

My GF can be rightly accused of being poorly educated, superstitious etc. etc. She has more attractive attributes which far outweigh the negatives. She is street-smart, loyal and loving. She is a good driver, very careful. That's because I have trained her.

IMHO it is not the fault of individual Thais they have negative attributes. It's the fault of the system they live in.

[Hummin]

13 minutes ago, Cranky said:

Ball Hooks. This is the site that reckons you can get a three course meal for two in a 'mid-range'  restaurant for 850 Baht.  Good luck with that.  For those of us that like a decent bottle of wine and a bit of cheese, drive a half decent motor and enjoy all things imported the costs here are absurd, try putting the cost of kids education (if it affects you) into the equation.

When in rome, do as the romans! 

 

I fully understand thai mentality when it  comes to foreigner owning land, visa and imported goods. But if they took better care of their own, it would have been great. Except from that I can live a great life here. Even without to much noise. The best for me is great clima, makes it easy to live and better health.

[phuketrichard]

IN truth, after 30+years here the ONLY thing i really miss are the cold winters and Fresh powder sking, (coming from Colorado)

when i first moved to Phuket could not buy anything western, (usually went to Penang or Singapore), no fresh milk, no cheese,  worthless shopping except for thai goods , even the bangkok post arrived the next day

now....its all western...

[alwaysrainsinUK]

The positives out gun the negatives for me as living back in the UK is just Hell.......

 

Negatives are the cost of schooling for my daughter ,ridiculous the price .

Marriage Visa having to always keep a mental calendar isnt cool .

 

 

But thats it really and everything else is wonderful .

[meechai]

Pretty much every reason on the list is a valid reason

 

Truthfully unless your seeking cheap  living or sex Thailand does not offer much.

"Quality" of life is quite low overall

 

 

 

[Wallich]

For me, a fantastic quality of life.

No way I could live as I do here, on the OZ pension, biggest problem is being over 75 and the inability to obtain health insurance.

[Laza 45]

10 minutes ago, Wallich said:

For me, a fantastic quality of life.

No way I could live as I do here, on the OZ pension, biggest problem is being over 75 and the inability to obtain health insurance.

Exactly.. we are in the same boat...  I just got back from 3 months in Adelaide.. a friend had to move house.. now pays $270 a week rent.. very high electricity cost.. a meal in a restaurant is out of the question.. if his car breaks down he is in trouble.. he has Medicare but if he needs medical treatment he will be on a very long wait list... everything is expensive.. My wife and I have a nice home here our monthly expense for electricity, water and internet come in just under $100 a month.. :-)