Less Western Expats arriving than ever before and a significant fall in working Western expats now in Thailand

[The manic]

1 hour ago, janclaes47 said:

For the same reason as some Swedish gentleman cashed in lol

I thought Stickman left, if he did leave,  was because his anonymity was blown. He was exposed as a New Zealand TEFL teacher possibly giving biased reviews ....his mystique left him

 

[hottrader77]

On 8/3/2018 at 5:15 PM, BritManToo said:

First came here in 2009, got 50bht/pound, last week changed at 44.15bht/pound. It isn't that much different IMHO, certainly not a dealbreaker.

i came here in 1995 first time they just floated the baht at 38 to pound then recession came to thailand about 1998-99 and pound hit 90 to pound then it settled about 2002 -2006 at 70 -75 to pound then by 2009 start of uk bank crisis when they almost went bust pound started dropping to 50bahtr to pound , thats when you britman arrived so you had missed the party when it was 90 baht to pound everyone was taking at least 2 girls back to hotel at same time , so britman you missed the party , after 2012 pound started rising a little until we made a mess up with the vote on bexit going wrong and the pound fell from 55 to 42 thats 25% drop in a couple of days that wonderful vote to brexit ,, since then the pound has stayed betwwen 42 - 45 to the pound because the government made an announcement that we would export to the world so to be competetive the pound had to stay low ( what a brainless idea ) so now with brexit unless we get another vote every expat from uk and other places in world apart from a few places will get a rubbish exchange rate for years and years as it has to stay low, so unlike me who has a good pension and possiblly 80,000 baht a month when i retire others will be struggling from uk but the thai government are not helping by keeping the pound at 42-45 bt to pound thus losing alot of visitors from uk and one day will realise they have to give us more than this , we should be around 80 baht to pound , so lets hope at start can happen and we get a 2nd vote on brexit if the result is to stay in europe the pound will soar another 25%  

 

Edited August 5, 2018 by hottrader77

[hottrader77]

On 8/3/2018 at 8:25 PM, scottiejohn said:

If the exchange rate is such a concern stay home!  You don't need to bother then.

I came here to enjoy myself with more than sufficient funds to do so.

If you don't like the heat get out of the fire. 

Stop whinging. Stay or go. Your choice!

I'm staying as long as my Thai partner can support me!. ?

why is your thai partner supporting you if you say you came with enough funds , are they drying up now ? we are getting a rubbish exchange rate but as i say i dont need to stay in uk as i have an excellent pension to stay in thailand so your wrong i am not whinging just speaking the truth like i said i getb enough pension even if the pound falls to 39 baht to pound but will you start whinging then ? i think so !

[Damrongsak]

17 hours ago, BritManToo said:

..  women and beer in Thailand ....cannabis and cider in the UK.

Alex, I'll take women and beer in Thai for $100, please.  (Game show reference.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't lived in Thailand for 38 years, though I've visited.  Though the town in Loei I would return to is still rather tame, a lot of stuff seems to have gone downhill in LOS.  Makes me hesitant to return for any extended period.  Only good part is we have a nice house, relatives, friends and acquaintances to help out if needed.  Kind funny, kinda a shocker - my wife says one of her relatives of same age and rather modest upbringing is now worth about 200-300 million Baht.  Last time we visited years ago, she gave my kids some free sandals at her shoe store, 555.  Business was good, I guess.  Did a good land deal, too, out by Phu Reua.  Wife's sister bought 45 rai of land in the boonies and half-ass farmed it for years.  Now someone wants to buy it for 45 million Baht if they can get the financing together.  It's across the road from the Mirt Phol sugar factory.  Another friend has two hotels, one a large resort on the Mekong river, the other in downtown Loei. But I still like her buddy who was selling grilled chicken in the morning market.  Being a "hansum man", they remember me.  Or maybe it's because we fed them at our wedding 40 years ago. ?

Edited August 5, 2018 by Damrongsak

[Kerryd]

16 hours ago, rumak said:

OK....moving on.   oh,  thanks for not calling me DUDE   

 

16 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Who the hell is DUDE??

 

8 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

Dude, if you call me dude again I'll press the dude button. ?‍♀️

Dude looks like a lady ? (Aerosmith, Permament Vacation album 1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf0oXY4nDxE

Meanwhile. It seems everything is on a "cycle" here and sooner or later we will again see a shift in the "demographics". Whether that is for the better or worse, we have no way of knowing. Too many variables to be able to make any predictions. The next government could be led by someone who has a beef against a Chinese neighbour that dates back 40 years and suddenly some rules are changed and fewer "zero dollar" tourists arrive.
Or we could end up with an "isolationist" and see the numbers of all tourists drop (etc, etc).

All we can do is ride it out and hope that things will improve. Unfortunately, the people with the power to help that don't really care about a few "small potatoes" living in Thailand so any changes that may, or may not, happen won't be taking us into consideration.

Change the things you can't accept and accept the things you can not change.

[ChipButty]

I've known quite a few farangs (UK) leave Thailand in the last couple of years gone to live in Cyprus 

[melvinmelvin]

5 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I've known quite a few farangs (UK) leave Thailand in the last couple of years gone to live in Cyprus 

Cyprus is quite OK me thinks, I enjoy it a lot. A LOT!

 

Would guess that UK has some special arrangements with Cyprus, (their military bases etc).

 

Otherwise, Cyprus sells citizenships at reasonable prices.

Desire a EU passport? Buy one in Cyprus.

 

[madmen]

It was better 10 years ago, much better 20 years ago, and a different world 30 years ago. As simple as that.

Pretty much goes for the whole world..

[overherebc]

On 8/6/2018 at 10:23 AM, Kerryd said:

 

 

Dude looks like a lady ? (Aerosmith, Permament Vacation album 1987)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf0oXY4nDxE

Meanwhile. It seems everything is on a "cycle" here and sooner or later we will again see a shift in the "demographics". Whether that is for the better or worse, we have no way of knowing. Too many variables to be able to make any predictions. The next government could be led by someone who has a beef against a Chinese neighbour that dates back 40 years and suddenly some rules are changed and fewer "zero dollar" tourists arrive.
Or we could end up with an "isolationist" and see the numbers of all tourists drop (etc, etc).

All we can do is ride it out and hope that things will improve. Unfortunately, the people with the power to help that don't really care about a few "small potatoes" living in Thailand so any changes that may, or may not, happen won't be taking us into consideration.

Change the things you can't accept and accept the things you can not change.

Most important is to know the difference.

[madmen]

It's what I've been saying all year. Less Farang and more Chinese. The thing with the Chinese is, they all hop on their buses, see sights, and get the hell out. They don't stop off in restaurants or 'gogo' bars like many farang do, and this spend less money which doesn't feed into the economy. 

I think that things have become too expensive here for what it is. There are a myriad of countries that are equally as beautiful if not more so, at a fraction of the price. Also, Thailands rubbish problem is getting out of control. It is a beautiful country naturally speaking, but they are ruining it with their trash and plastics. It's a shame but it is what it is 

You are describing Pattaya Chinese and certainly not bangkok. Malls are crawling with them and they are spending

[bkk6060]

On 8/6/2018 at 10:23 AM, Kerryd said:

 

Change the things you can't accept and accept the things you can not change.

Exactly!

Should be at the head of every TVF thread.

 

 

 

[bkk6060]

1 minute ago, madmen said:

On 8/3/2018 at 8:52 AM, Easy Come Easy Go said:

It's what I've been saying all year. Less Farang and more Chinese. The thing with the Chinese is, they all hop on their buses, see sights, and get the hell out. They don't stop off in restaurants or 'gogo' bars like many farang do, and this spend less money which doesn't feed into the economy. 

I think that things have become too expensive here for what it is. There are a myriad of countries that are equally as beautiful if not more so, at a fraction of the price. Also, Thailands rubbish problem is getting out of control. It is a beautiful country naturally speaking, but they are ruining it with their trash and plastics. It's a shame but it is what it is 

You are describing Pattaya Chinese and certainly not bangkok. Malls are crawling with them and they are spending

100 % correct.

I am at Siam/Centralworld right now.

Full of many many Chinese everywhere carrying lots of bags and in the hiso shops.

[rumak]

48 minutes ago, madmen said:

On 8/2/2018 at 8:31 PM, Jeremy50 said:

It was better 10 years ago, much better 20 years ago, and a different world 30 years ago. As simple as that.

Pretty much goes for the whole world..

Don't know about the rest of the world.........but certainly true about my wife's figure !

[Easy Come Easy Go]

1 hour ago, ChipButty said:

I've known quite a few farangs (UK) leave Thailand in the last couple of years gone to live in Cyprus 

I went on a holiday there when I was a wee lad. But the great thing is that it's tropical and within the EU, which means British people can live and work there as they so wish.. for now anyway. I did enjoy it there, from what my 10 year old boy memory serves at least 

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

100 % correct.

I am at Siam/Centralworld right now.

Full of many many Chinese everywhere carrying lots of bags and in the hiso shops.

Could you pick me up a few things?

[Easy Come Easy Go]

I've spoken to a few people recently about this situation, and one of the main aspects that keeps cropping up is the fact that neighbouring countries make life much easier for tourists in terms of visas and what not. The other thing that is pretty prevalent is the price of everything be too high these days, something echoes multiple times over in this thread. That isn't something that can be changed easily though. 

But they do shoot themselves in the foot, 'mai bpen rai' is the motto around here, and it trickles down into society and just about everything. You'll probably see urgency and action taken by the powers that be when it's too late. Thais often don't prepare to fix things in the future, or when there are signs things might break, they tend to only take action once something is broken. 

[DrTuner]

On 8/6/2018 at 10:23 AM, Kerryd said:

Change the things you can't accept and accept the things you can not change.

Unfortunately others change things into something one can't accept. Raise the moat and ready the pitch, it's a Chinese siege.

[rumak]

47 minutes ago, Easy Come Easy Go said:

Thais often don't prepare to fix things in the future, or when there are signs things might break, they tend to only take action once something is broken. 

Yep, another one that sees the clear picture.  Too bad those thais can't just see that all it takes is a printing press .    So simple !   

https://www.thebalance.com › Investing › US Economy › National Debt

[zzaa09]

Blessings come far a few between these days.

 

Still, can't be enough.

 

????

[KhunFred]

Thai people deftly shooting a hole in that foot, then blaming the evil farang for all their problems. "Waaaaaah, they won't give us their money and let us abuse them." The logic of an eight year old child.

[moontang]

The shoot yourself in the foot thing is clearly prevalent, but you can focus more on doing business with the right people.  Immigration can't be avoided..and unfortunately kind of sets the tone, but the arrogant bankers can be avoided, as well as the people that would rather make 20 THB extra than have a long time customer.  And how about this phenomena....everything is going good, and you think you have a new regular business to use..then a third party approaches, maybe a distant family member, and all of a sudden it is a rip-off.  Happened to me on single edge razor blades...price went from 5 to 20, after a new guy comes and mumbles something...no thanks..bought a 10 pack in the US for 33 THB.  And the Moto guys...it is thirty, unless you don't remind them before, or need change..then it is 40...but a metered cab was 41 last night.

 

Was in a deserted mini-mall and went into a school supply store.  Lady in front had a lot of stuff so I had to stand in line three minutes.  I was buying a plastic holder for my Chinote.  Unmarked.  Could buy them at 20 places in CM for under 10 THB...same thing happened..third party approaches, mumbles something...the 5 THB folder is now 25 THB...I walked, and will never return.

Edited December 10, 2018 by moontang

[zzaa09]

24 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Really?

Then why are you marrying one if you dislike them so much?

The grand paradox.

Even more perplexing if one gives it too much thought. 

 

 

Another paradoxical mindphuck is the one that Thailand/Thais are so incredibly dependent on Farang and their cash flow. 

All apart of the accompanying fantasy of superiority and disconnections.

[fruitman]

17 minutes ago, moontang said:

The shoot yourself in the foot thing is clearly prevalent, but you can focus more on doing business with the right people.  Immigration can't be avoided..and unfortunately kind of sets the tone, but the arrogant bankers can be avoided, as well as the people that would rather make 20 THB extra than have a long time customer.  And how about this phenomena....everything is going good, and you think you have a new regular business to use..then a third party approaches, maybe a distant family member, and all of a sudden it is a rip-off.  Happened to me on single edge razor blades...price went from 5 to 20, after a new guy comes and mumbles something...no thanks..bought a 10 pack in the US for 33 THB.  And the Moto guys...it is thirty, unless you don't remind them before, or need change..then it is 40...but a metered cab was 41 last night.

 

Was in a deserted mini-mall and went into a school supply store.  Lady in front had a lot of stuff so I had to stand in line three minutes.  I was buying a plastic holder for my Chinote.  Unmarked.  Could buy them at 20 places in CM for under 10 THB...same thing happened..third party approaches, mumbles something...the 5 THB folder is now 25 THB...I walked, and will never return.

I bought a new teakwood wardrobe this week.

 

First time i went in the shop the young son told me it was 20k baht.

Second day i was there to measure again his mum told me it was 22k .

Yesterday i went there with 22k to buy it, an old man was there and he said 27k for it. I told him no way, 22k was what his wife told me...he said nope...i found the wife in his office and she agreed again for 22k so i paid 2k and the rest at my house when delivered.

 

Yesterday they would come at 5pm, at 6 pm they were still not here, my wife was out of town but she called them and nobody picked up the phone..she tried all numbers on their receipt and got the old man on the line, he said they were coming and was very rude to her.

 

Later the deliveryguys (the son was one of them) also called my wife and were very angry/rude because they couldn't find our house and couldn't drive here because of that cycletour which was in our area.

 

At 7 pm they arrived finally, put the wardrobe under the carport and wanted the 20k baht..i told them to put it in my livingroom where i wanted it to be...after they did that they started speaking tiptiptip all the time...i tried to open the slidingdoor but it was out of the rail and didn't open...angry they demanded my screwdrivers and fixed it...again one said tiptiptip all the time but i acted like i didn't understand it. Then they left.

 

Now my wife is back home and very angry with me!! because i bought that wardrobe from an idiot shop (just a big woodshop along the road) and they were sooo rude to her...she still won't speak to me, all day long..she liked the wardrobe though....

 

From now on i only buy from IKEA and other big shops, never again from real thai mom and pap companies..

 

 

 

[rumak]

52 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Really?

Then why are you marrying one if you dislike them so much?

"SHE"S DIFFERENT"   ????

[moontang]

24 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I bought a new teakwood wardrobe this week.

 

First time i went in the shop the young son told me it was 20k baht.

Second day i was there to measure again his mum told me it was 22k .

Yesterday i went there with 22k to buy it, an old man was there and he said 27k for it. I told him no way, 22k was what his wife told me...he said nope...i found the wife in his office and she agreed again for 22k so i paid 2k and the rest at my house when delivered.

 

Yesterday they would come at 5pm, at 6 pm they were still not here, my wife was out of town but she called them and nobody picked up the phone..she tried all numbers on their receipt and got the old man on the line, he said they were coming and was very rude to her.

 

Later the deliveryguys (the son was one of them) also called my wife and were very angry/rude because they couldn't find our house and couldn't drive here because of that cycletour which was in our area.

 

At 7 pm they arrived finally, put the wardrobe under the carport and wanted the 20k baht..i told them to put it in my livingroom where i wanted it to be...after they did that they started speaking tiptiptip all the time...i tried to open the slidingdoor but it was out of the rail and didn't open...angry they demanded my screwdrivers and fixed it...again one said tiptiptip all the time but i acted like i didn't understand it. Then they left.

 

Now my wife is back home and very angry with me!! because i bought that wardrobe from an idiot shop (just a big woodshop along the road) and they were sooo rude to her...she still won't speak to me, all day long..she liked the wardrobe though....

 

From now on i only buy from IKEA and other big shops, never again from real thai mom and pap companies..

 

 

 

Those wood furniture places give you a thousand reasons to buy engineered wood in kits.....they will also attempt to bring you a different item...you can tell by the ant/termite holes.

[fruitman]

Just now, moontang said:

Those wood furniture places give you a thousand reasons to buy engineered wood in kits.....they will also attempt to bring you a different item...you can tell by the ant/termite holes.

I ALWAYS inspect for termite holes and that's why i buy teak...it can still have holes though but it's also flooding proof.

 

But when buying teak you have to check for massive wood or vineer, those shops in Bang sue where the whole street sells teak won't even sell massive wood, only vineer...

 

Handmade stands for not perfect in Thailand but i can also live with that. It's the bad rude service i'm really done with from now on...those family companies are soo dumb, rude and unprofessional i can't stand it anymore.

 

[PremiumLane]

On 8/2/2018 at 7:18 PM, Misterwhisper said:

Soon we Thai Visa geezers will be all by ourselves, complaining and whining as loudly as ever... and holding high the slowly flickering-out torch of Western civilization in a country full of uncultured savages that neither want us nor need us.

 

Sorry for the melodramatics ?

If TVF is an example of Western Civilization, then we are truly screwed

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, moontang said:

Those wood furniture places give you a thousand reasons to buy engineered wood in kits.....they will also attempt to bring you a different item...you can tell by the ant/termite holes.

True, but try getting whole wood furniture as kits. I just bought one teak showcase, all the doors were fitted badly, locks painted over, etc but I didn't care as the first thing I did was to sand it down, fit everything properly, put in new locks and paint it. Looks very nice now and works as it should. DIY all the way, except big jobs, specialized tooling and heavy lifting.

 

Never, ever, not even for a millisecond trust a Thai to do a good job. Accept that you're buying raw materials and DIY, get rid of any somchais as fast as you can after they drop off the thing. If you can't do it yourself, give up, go the way of somchai and get a hammock to put next to you bamboo shack. Or leave, not worth exploding your brains trying to teach monkeys to write with a typewriter.

 

Oh and BTW: Not all "teak" is Teak. They'll happily sell you any hardwood as Mai Sak.

Edited December 10, 2018 by DrTuner

[mommysboy]

Not a good place for younger expats to work. The wages are low and the cost of living spirals.  

[madmen]

Young expats unless running a business shouldn't waste the best years of their earning life here.
If your a gun at what you do, work it in the West where you get top dollar. To many wasted opportunities just to be able to say I live in Thailand