For better or worse? Expats think Thailand is going down the pan, poll

[Odysseus123]

43 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Australia is the most expensive country in the western world.

You might cherry pick a few items that are cheaper, but just your property taxes would overwhelm the whole basket.

 

Not to mention your manly oversized women,

My Brit son just reproduced with one of your women, and she is taller than him and twice his weight.

..and probably twice his brains too.Anyway..enjoy your crash and burn in Cambodia-it is even more autocratic than this one and hence more unpredictable.

[HalfLight]

3 hours ago, Peterhua said:

Actually i had games of crib, dominoes or quiz nights in mind for you. I prefer wild nights of anything goes, you know, balls felt and groping girls type of things .

You say tht like it ought to be surprising. It isn't, but thanks for confirming my original thoughts. By the way, I don't play crib or dominoes and I don't go to quiz nights, especially not in pubs.

 

Thanks for not being embarrassed though... many people would have been.

 

 

 

[jimn]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

 

I agree.

Couple years ago, a friend back in Canada posted a pic of a head of cauliflower she'd bought in Canada - cost her $8.00 (about 230 baht at the time).

I went to the local market and bought some vegetables. Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, garlic, red chilies, green beans and straw mushrooms. Enough to last me a week.

 

Cost me 180 baht for the lot. (Yes, I laid it all out on the counter, took a pic and posted it on her Facebook page.)

 

Few years ago I had a root canal and a filing done at a Thai dentist on South Pattaya road. Cost me the equivalent of about $90 Canadian. I was told that the same thing in Canada would have cost around $1,800 Canadian.

 

Took a trip back home one summer. Stopped at a "big box" supermarket to get some food for the weekend. Nothing fancy, some hamburgers, hotdogs, buns, condiments (small relish/ketchup/mustard) butter, bacon, eggs, bread.

Just enough to last me from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. Walked out with one bag of groceries - almost $300 Canadian (nearly 9,000 baht at the time) !

 

Just came back from my weekly shopping trip to Tops. Veggies, some chicken, pork and beef. Yogurts, cheese, eggs, bread. Very little junk food, no sodas or alcohol. 

Cost me just over 2,000 baht (about $75 Canadian). Got enough to last me a week.

Had an electrician come to the house one time to replace a wonky circuit breaker. Ended up replacing 2 of them. Took about an hour total (including going to get the new circuit breakers. Cost 500 baht total (about $20 Canadian). You wouldn't even get an electrician to your door for that much in Canada.

 

Some things are frikken expensive though but I've found that it's usually the "imported" stuff that is the priciest. Like the imported cherries, blackberries and strawberries at Foodland. Or the imported cheeses and other "farang" foods.

Which is really NO different than "back home" when you go to buy stuff like imported Japanese oranges or Thai coconuts or French cheese. Those things are usually more expensive than the "local" stuff back home, just like imported items here tend to be.

And for the record, for anyone who has actually researched the matter (like I've done) - Thailand is considerably cheaper to live in than Canada. There are a number of websites out there that track all manner of "cost of living" factors and produce stats on which countries are cheaper to live in and, consistently, Thailand ranks well above Canada in almost every category (and on every site) when it comes to which place is cheaper to live in.

You think its cheap and you are shopping at Tops which is expensive. Yes agree imported Strawbwlerries very expensive 250 baht small box. I have been buying them out of the back of a truck in Pattaya. 80 - 120 baht a kilo.

[marcusarelus]

26 minutes ago, johnarth said:

my worry is the Thai Baht, just what country is propping it up and why? my guess is China they have billions of reasons most of them moldy old subs they want to get rid off if there are new elections ho-hum and the new party do not want the subs etc will be interesting

It is not being propped up the pound is sinking. 

[HalfLight]

4 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

But it has been that way since the mid 1970s when mainly the Germans and other European visitors put Pattaya among other Thai resorts on the map. They liked it so much that those who could do so decided to stay.

 

When I first came to Bangkok and Pattaya in 1984 I was amazed at the high percentage of middle aged and elderly Western men who had settled there; All of whom were hitched up with young Thai women or were chasing them round the bars like their successors are now in 2019.

 

They only came to the LOS for the main attraction which was cheap and attentive young women. There are beautiful beaches, places of cultural interest and pleasant climates to be found a lot closer to home in Europe, the US and the Antipodes. Why else would they flock to Thailand. There is only one answer to that question and well know what it is.

 

Most fellows who I know who are regular visitors the the LOS never holiday anywhere else apart from occasional trips to the PI.

I am happy to take your word for it rather than find out for myself...

 

 

 

[Batty]

7 hours ago, Aforek said:

Leave Bangkok, Pattaya etc, and go to upcountry: life is nice and not expansive if you have a "thai life " 

True, it is cheaper. But its incredibly boring, way hotter in peak season, rains solidly for 5 months in wet season and the fellow ex-pats are ancient, grumpy and gossip worse than the women.  

 

I genuinley cant grasp why so many ferangs live up here in Isarn. I have lived in 5 provinces over 15 years and this region is the only one I have disliked. In a big way. It would be just as inspiring living on the moon - if the moon had a Big C, half a dozen run down beer bars with cheap battered pvc sofas, insane drivers and an incredibly stinky local market. Throw those 4 things on the moon and you basicly have Udon <deleted> Thani.

 

 

[HalfLight]

4 hours ago, roo860 said:

Glitter wasn't allowed to enter Thailand after his release from a Vietnamese prison. He arrived in Bangkok and was kept airside, immigration refused to allow him into the country. He then left Thailand on another flight.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Nice evasion by careful use of a modified. Makes the point worthless and I've seen it done better, but kudos for the effort.

[HalfLight]

4 hours ago, villagefarang said:

If your septic tank is properly installed it will emit no oder except when it is opened for periodic cleaning.  I manage my life so it doesn't stink either.

Pointless statement arguing the point in a sub-selection of circumstances and pretending it makes your point valid.

 

Jeez. Do these people reall think other foreigners are stupid?

 

 

 

[wvavin]

Needless to say, Cambodia & Vietnam are far better.

[ramr]

17 minutes ago, jmd8800 said:

If I leave Thailand it will be because most expats I run into here are flat out miserable. 

On TV or in person?  Either way, they are a tiny percentage of the general population, so avoiding them seems relatively simple.  Although I do get that this might just be a humorous exaggeration on your part.

 

17 minutes ago, jmd8800 said:

The contempt and disdain many expats here in Thailand have for the Thai gov't / people is incredible.

Well, you have half a point there.  Contempt for the government here is just evidence of properly functioning reasoning/moral faculties.

 

 

Edited January 25, 2019 by ramr

[marcusarelus]

7 minutes ago, jimn said:

You think its cheap and you are shopping at Tops which is expensive. Yes agree imported Strawbwlerries very expensive 250 baht small box. I have been buying them out of the back of a truck in Pattaya. 80 - 120 baht a kilo.

1 kilo tomatoes (good tomatoes) 1 baht from farmer.  ????

[villagefarang]

5 minutes ago, HalfLight said:

Pointless statement arguing the point in a sub-selection of circumstances and pretending it makes your point valid.

 

Jeez. Do these people reall think other foreigners are stupid?

 

 

 

Just following your lead.????

[HalfLight]

2 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

Just following your lead.????

And finding it very hard apparently. Must be time for that beer...

 

 

 

[moe666]

Since the day I signed up on Thai visa there has always been a number of folks who have lamented the passing of Thailand as the place to be. The saying at that time was another nail in the coffin, well it is still here and kicking. Yes, not as inexpensive now as it was a few years ago but still ok. I just came back from a trip in the states just about any meal for me and the wife was 20.00 dollars and up depending what we were having here we can get by on 10.00 for two of us. Prices in the states double what they are here. Sorry boys if the fire in the kitchen is getting too hot get out and the lines at immigration should go down

[yogi100]

16 minutes ago, HalfLight said:

Just because you don't know something does not make it not so. To draw your own conclusions, do the research.

 

 

 

What research and where.

 

You can't just tell someone to do the research! What research have you done and what have you compared the results to?

 

I've googled paedophilia in Pattaya and there is nothing to get worked up about. It's may well be worse in any Western city of the same size.

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, malibukid said:

have you heard of culture?

It is my understanding that you love Malibu beach.  Is there a lot of culture there?  Or are you just another hypocrite? 

[ramr]

20 minutes ago, jmd8800 said:

You should be happy they let you live here.

Yes, massah.  Right away, massah.

 

22 minutes ago, jmd8800 said:

Go!!! Don't let the door... well you know.

Original.

 

I see more nuance from the people bringing up problems with Thailand for discussion on TV than I do from the "love it or leave it" crowd.  Not that there aren't mindlessly Thai-bashing idiots here as well. 

 

[LivinLOS]

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Are you OK with the 30% tax on your global assets/investments/pension/rental income, including property and pensions derived in other countries?

https://www.expatica.com/pt/finance/taxes/guide-to-taxes-in-portugal-105742/

Income goes into a shell corp... Cost of living goes out as 'income'.. 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, NextStationBangkok said:

Even for Thai's Sukumvit is a different country, comparing with Thonburi side, where is life is much affordable.

 

One can eat 35-40 baht a meal in Thonburi street side shops, i am not sure about Sukumvit area.

Meals under 50B are still available in Sukhumvit (1-21).

But I guess most people who live in that area don't live there because of cheap street food. I have at least 10 international restaurants in 5 minutes walking distance, and a couple of 7/11, supermarket, etc.

And personally I am willing to pay a higher rent to have all these options without the need to drive anywhere.

I don't have a car because I don't need a car.

[HalfLight]

2 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

You can't just tell someone to do the research!

Sure I can. I just did.

 

 

3 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

I've googled paedophilia in Pattaya

Don't think I mentioned Pattaya, I mentiond Thais. Have a read of the past few months of newspapers...

[roo860]

Nice evasion by careful use of a modified. Makes the point worthless and I've seen it done better, but kudos for the effort.

As was your comment about Glitter and Thailand. Need to keep to the facts, the point being the topic is about Thailand, Mr Gadd was never here, the authorities made sure of that.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[HalfLight]

31 minutes ago, Batty said:

True, it is cheaper. But its incredibly boring, way hotter in peak season, rains solidly for 5 months in wet season and the fellow ex-pats are ancient, grumpy and gossip worse than the women.  

 

I genuinley cant grasp why so many ferangs live up here in Isarn. I have lived in 5 provinces over 15 years and this region is the only one I have disliked. In a big way. It would be just as inspiring living on the moon - if the moon had a Big C, half a dozen run down beer bars with cheap battered pvc sofas, insane drivers and an incredibly stinky local market. Throw those 4 things on the moon and you basicly have Udon <deleted> Thani.

 

 

Many other <deleted> places too. I tend to agree, though I don't bother with the beer bars. with or without battered PVC sofas - ditto stinky markets, though in  my experience they are stinky because they are run by people who are among the poorest folk in Thailand..

 

The conversation is making me feel quite sad really because underneath all my criticism of Thais - which is all valid, I feel unhappy when I look at what the rich in Thailand have done. If there is an afterlife, I'd love to see how some of these folk end up. Pity I've learned to be an anti-theist perhaps...

Edited January 25, 2019 by HalfLight

[jimn]

I really do enjoy reading and having a laugh at these sort of threads. Of course Thailand has changed and it will continue to change in the next 5 years. Some things for better some for worse. I have been coming here since 2007 on holiday and since 2013 I have lived here 7.5 months a year. Pattaya is still generally the same place. If you want to drink and take a girl cheaply you go to a beer bar or a Scooters type bar. If you want a stunner go to a gogo or a nightclub and expect to pay more. I myself enjoy Pattaya, I go out with my wife drinking (bars and gogos) 2 nights a week, I have one night out with my friends and 1 night my wife and I go to the movies and eat out. One day a week we take our dog to the beach. Why on earth would I want to leave Thailand or even live up country. Its so boring I cant wait to get back when we visit family. 

We go to the UK every summer for 4.5 months to see family and friends. But by the end of that time I get fed up with the nanny state and the political correctness of the place. I cant wait to get back to Thailand and I miss my dog who stays up the village when we are away. I retired at 56 in 2013 to be with my girlfriend of 2 years, we have been married since 2014. I am now 62 and my wife is 26 life is good. I own my house outright in the UK, my wife owns our house outright in Thailand. So thats my experience, dont forget we are all different.

[Boombum]

I would consider myself to be a proud Sex Pat... having lived a sexless, unloving, and mindlessly sexually boring single life in England ?..I came to Thailand and have had the most fantastic time of my life...

ive explored the delights of Ladyboys, had Two Pettit ladies giving me pleasures that you could only ever dream of, instead of a 60 yr old size 18 Granny laying on her back thinking she’s doing me a massive favour... I met a Girl 2 years ago  [ 50 yr old, 2x kids, 2x grand kids, ] plying for sex on the Pattaya beach I love her totally and stay we stay together faithfully in total bliss...I have had money issues and she has supported me through with her meagre savings...

<deleted> is this issue of so called “Sexpats” everyone on the planet craves for and enjoys SEX, we are HUMAN ...perhaps those who protest too much about a natural human emotion are those who cannot take part, and have jealousy issues....go see a shrink. 

[HalfLight]

7 minutes ago, roo860 said:

As was your comment about Glitter and Thailand. Need to keep to the facts, the point being the topic is about Thailand, Mr Gadd was never here, the authorities made sure of that.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Wrong. Must try harder.

[Humpy]

When was this poll held ?

[KMartinHandyman]

A few things have gotten better: there is more variety in stuff you can buy, especially in food. But the negatives are outweighing the positives at this point. My neighborhood in Bangkok has become dense, overdeveloped, noisier and more expensive. I used to be able to go to Phuket three or four times a year, but now I'm lucky if I can go once because it has become so expensive. Even worse, when I came to live here a couple of decades ago, most Thai women were slim, in the 42-45 kg range. Now, it seems the majority of them are 60 kg and up. Western diets, more sugar in Thai food, whatever. The Ministry of Public Health isn't wrong when they say this country has an obesity problem. And many of the women are so materialistic now. Actually, they have been for quite a while already. Don't give me the 'why don't you go home, then?' Life is complicated and sometimes choices are limited for various reasons.

42 kilos seems malnourished and emaciated for a grown woman.

[yogi100]

5 minutes ago, HalfLight said:

Sure I can. I just did.

 

 

Don't think I mentioned Pattaya, I mentiond Thais. Have a read of the past few months of newspapers...

I mentioned Pattaya. I did not mention Thailand so we are talking about two different subjects. Me Pattaya and you Thailand.

 

"Have a read of the past few months of newspapers..."

 

Are you for real do you sincerely think that I'm going to hunt the world for some old newspapers to make your point! What a moronic childish thing to think about let alone suggest.

 

You pick out a few items and C & P them, but they don't exist do they. If they did there is nothing to prevent you from doing so. Just pick out one incident that happened in Pattaya concerning child abuse.

[Orton Rd]

Don't see what people see is sex over 60 and staying in another country for it, and boasting about it is rather sad to see

[HalfLight]

5 minutes ago, jimn said:

I really do enjoy reading and having a laugh at these sort of threads. Of course Thailand has changed and it will continue to change in the next 5 years. Some things for better some for worse. I have been coming here since 2007 on holiday and since 2013 I have lived here 7.5 months a year. Pattaya is still generally the same place. If you want to drink and take a girl cheaply you go to a beer bar or a Scooters type bar. If you want a stunner go to a gogo or a nightclub and expect to pay more. I myself enjoy Pattaya, I go out with my wife drinking (bars and gogos) 2 nights a week, I have one night out with my friends and 1 night my wife and I go to the movies and eat out. One day a week we take our dog to the beach. Why on earth would I want to leave Thailand or even live up country. Its so boring I cant wait to get back when we visit family. 

We go to the UK every summer for 4.5 months to see family and friends. But by the end of that time I get fed up with the nanny state and the political correctness of the place. I cant wait to get back to Thailand and I miss my dog who stays up the village when we are away. I retired at 56 in 2013 to be with my girlfriend of 2 years, we have been married since 2014. I am now 62 and my wife is 26 life is good. I own my house outright in the UK, my wife owns our house outright in Thailand. So thats my experience, dont forget we are all different.

Indeed we are, friend, and I suspect you are not the average BPB fgoreigner, so while it makes your post interesting, you aren't really representative of the mainstream ex-pats. Nor I imagine am I...

Edited January 25, 2019 by HalfLight