Why arent Pattaya expats as close ?

[georgegeorgia]

Reading the Chiang Mai forum over the years one can see it seems the expat community in CM are all close and knw each other , unlike The Pattaya expats.

 

Their forum even has a Remembrance section and they all seem to help each other ,either with home repairs or meeting up at immigration etc whilst the Pattaya expats seem to be a different kettle of fish ,

.

I guess thats ehy  they say more elderly farang ladies retire to CM instead of Pattaya as they seem to have more social type groups up there in CM, writers clubs, bowls,  etc c etc compared to pattaya .

 

Udon Thani also gives me that impression although it seems the Expats are not as close and helpful to each other as in Chiang Mai.

 

I am thinking its because the more wealthier or educated expats retire to Chiang mai rather than the working or lower classes .

 

I always find sadly especially nowadays the lower and working class expats hate each other and wouldnt do give the steam off their pissss to help each other unlike the wealthier or educated expats , i think thats why CM expats are more community cohesive 

 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2019 by georgegeorgia

[brokenbone]

err, pattaya is more expensive then chiang mai,

that contradicts your guess.

i went with a falang as he was searching

for a place outside pattaya to get cost down

 

as for socializing with other expats,

i dont have that urge just for the sake of it

Edited March 16, 2019 by brokenbone

[georgegeorgia]

1 minute ago, brokenbone said:

err, pattaya is more expensive then chiang mai,

that contradicts your guess.

Regardless, i still believe the educated , ex professors, teachers etc choose CM and my belief that they are more sociable and helpful to each other is because they are not of the same class as pattaya expats.

[brokenbone]

4 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

Regardless, i still believe the educated , ex professors, teachers etc choose CM and my belief that they are more sociable and helpful to each other is because they are not of the same class as pattaya expats.

i dont think educated people would expose them self to the smoke in cm when they can get sea breeze in pattaya,

even if it comes at a premium cost.

 

you might be right they are more sociable,

that tend to be the case for lower income class.
 

[champers]

I'll get my butler to organise something, when he's finished polishing the silver.

[Swiss1960]

37 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

Regardless, i still believe the educated , ex professors, teachers etc choose CM and my belief that they are more sociable and helpful to each other is because they are not of the same class as pattaya expats.

OP, you are completely wrong with your statement. People generally socialize within their peer group, i.e. teachers with teachers, bar mongers with bar mongers, working expat with working expat etc. Socialization for example happens within the moo baans and you will see that most closed communities exist within those moo baans. 

 

Second point, you can't compare Chiang Mai with Pattaya. Pattaya has more expat clubs with various languages offered, has a load of English spoken information sources (radio stations, TV stations, nespapers, websites, cinemas) and is number two to western style restaurants behind Bangkok. 

 

Third point, the expat community in Pattaya is MUCH more diverse than in Chiang Mai, specially with regards to working expats. Also, Pattaya is much bigger in size and population than CM. 

 

I belong to the educated and moderately successful non-working expats, living in a moderately expensive moo baan. I can socialize across the street or in one of the many restaurants around my place. I can get help in any number of places, be this ThaiVisa, asking in the restaurant, in the expat clubs etc. and I always get answers and help, but we don't need to "socialize" in bowling clubs et al, my family and few close people are enough for me. 

 

Pattaya, being almost completely expat oriented, provides most of the help and information for expats without the need for bowling clubs. 

[swissie]

That's easy. The less Farangs around, (per square KM) the more sociable you get. Naturally, as there is little enriching conversation to be had from a Thai-Wife. Rumor has it, that some Farangs will drive to Golf-Courses 100 Km away just to see other Farangs.

Pattaya Farangs are "overfed" with other Farangs, (per square KM).

- Country Farangs tend to spend their money on elderly Thai Females. (Wifes & Family).
- Pattaya Farangs tend to spend their money on younger Thai Females. (Girlfriends and Girlfriends).
Scientists are still torn: Who wins, who loses? The studies are not conclusive. But the general understanding seems to be: The less a Farang seeks social exchange (may it be with Farangs or Thais), the higher his life-expectancy in Thailand.
As far as "who is having more fun", depending on lifestyle? Not known.
But the general consensus seems to be: If your out of money, it's game over. Regardless if one socialises much (per square KM) or not.

[newnative]

     I've said several times in other posts that my lifestyle didn't change that much when my partner and I moved to Pattaya from the US.  The things that interested me in the US still interest me here.   I liked to read and go to the movies in the US, and still like them here.  Loved to swim in the US, still love it here and can do it year-round.   Enjoyed flipping condos with my partner in the US, doing the same here.

     In the US, we had a half dozen couples and singles that we mainly socialized with and it's the same here.  We prefer a smaller group of close friends rather than lots of acquaintances.   Pattaya has ex-pat clubs and other organizations that bring people together but, again, my partner and I didn't avail ourselves of things like that in the US and haven't felt the need to do so here.

[Nyezhov]

If I wanted to hang with whitey I would have stayed home. Bad enough the weather forces me to hang with the privileged for the summer. 

[bkk6060]

It is a world of hate.

Everybody seems to hate each other.

Even close allies, hate.

I never knew the British and other allied countries hated the US so much, until I came here.

And I hear all the Euro countries hating on each other.

Not everyone agrees with the politics of their country which in many cases seems to be the reason.

We are mostly just older people trying to have a life but sadly getting along and showing some support seems to be a low priority.

Edited March 16, 2019 by bkk6060

[stanleycoin]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

It is a world of hate.

Everybody seems to hate each other.

Even close allies, hate.

I never knew the British and other allied countries hated the US so much, until I came here.

And I hear all the Euro countries hating on each other.

Not everyone agrees with the politics of their country which in many cases seems to be the reason.

We are mostly just older people trying to have a life but sadly getting along and showing some support seems to be a low priority.

Think you need to find some better friends or social group to hang with.

we all don't think the same as you.

 

Ps I'm a Brit,  and i love the Americans, all stand up guys

that i know and have worked with. 

[Nyezhov]

16 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Ps I'm a Brit,  and i love the Americans, all stand up guys

that i know and have worked with

Keep being nice and we will let you continue to have your own country.

[madmen]

"I am thinking its because the more wealthier or educated expats retire to Chiang mai rather than the working or lower classes"

 

Post of the year so far Im speechless ????

[1FinickyOne]

Different interests? 

 

Assuming the OP is correct, I would assume there is one major reason why people retire to Pattaya and maybe they view others as competition or just ... ?

 

CM keeps being voted in the top 5 places to retire, so, whoever else that might appeal to... [just bring oxygen for smog season]

[Puchaiyank]

As a newbie to the Pattaya area I was excited about the prospect of joining the expat club and becoming engaged in community activities.  Attending my first meeting...like a trooper...I immediately went over to the lady signing up new recruits and taking their yearly club dues. Found a large round table filled with expats and one vacant seat...handshakes and names with smiles all around...great start...as I began to actually pay attention to the banter around the table I was amused that to a man they were discussing their boyfriends...stayed the course until meeting was over...never went back to pickup my ID card...I believe they have managed fine without me...and vis versa...

[Lacessit]

11 hours ago, Swiss1960 said:

OP, you are completely wrong with your statement. People generally socialize within their peer group, i.e. teachers with teachers, bar mongers with bar mongers, working expat with working expat etc. Socialization for example happens within the moo baans and you will see that most closed communities exist within those moo baans. 

 

 

Fair comment. I mainly socialise through golf. I suppose if I took up bowls or bridge, I would socialise via those conduits.

Is there some point to comparing Pattaya and Chiang Mai? I would have thought the demographics of farangs would be quite different.

[CGW]

8 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

2 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

Keep being nice and we will let you continue to have your own country.

 

Another ungrateful colonial that considers treason a positive attribute 

[roo860]

"I am thinking its because the more wealthier or educated expats retire to Chiang mai rather than the working or lower classes"
 
Post of the year so far Im speechless [emoji1787]

Exactly, much more cleverer than wot them are.

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

[Nyezhov]

24 minutes ago, CGW said:

Another ungrateful colonial that considers treason a positive attribute 

Shouldnt have been taxing us then.

[grifbel]

12 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Regardless, i still believe the educated , ex professors, teachers etc choose CM and my belief that they are more sociable and helpful to each other is because they are not of the same class as pattaya expats.

So all the "retired" English teachers congregate in CM.  Thanks for the warning...I think I will give it a miss!

[CGW]

36 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Shouldnt have been taxing us then.

You could have just asked for a reduction! we would have been willing to discuss, look how well we are dragging out Brexit! ????

[Cryingdick]

On 3/15/2019 at 9:48 PM, champers said:

I'll get my butler to organise something, when he's finished polishing the silver.

 

I hope you pay your butler well he is doing the maids work.

[animalmagic]

On 3/16/2019 at 8:48 AM, georgegeorgia said:

On 3/16/2019 at 8:48 AM, georgegeorgia said:

I am thinking its because the more wealthier or educated expats retire to Chiang mai rather than the working or lower classes .

Make a decision to move somewhere different then spend your time trying to come up with self justification by looking down on other people.  

I am thinking that the generalisation of people into classes is the single most ridiculous thing that people do.  I don't give a monkeys what people's backgrounds are or what class they are; how they behave and act towards others is my yardstick for how I want to interact with them.

But thank you for the information, on my next trip to CM I will be sure to doff my cap and grovel when I meet CM residents who are obviously of a much higher class than me. 

 

[jesimps]

Nonsense! It's because people tend to cling together in adversity. When you think of what the Chiang Mai expats have to put up with, like acute boredom, choking smog, dreadful immigration office, chaotic dangerous traffic, stuck out on a limb etc etc. Compare it to the entertainment on offer in Pattaya; great restaurants, loads of cinemas, world-class shopping malls, beaches, sea breezes, short drive to suvarnabhumi etc. People don't need to cling together because there's so much to do, I'd hate to have to rely on quiz nights, US Democrats abroad and expat clubs for my entertainment.

[peterb17]

On 3/16/2019 at 7:48 PM, Puchaiyank said:

As a newbie to the Pattaya area I was excited about the prospect of joining the expat club and becoming engaged in community activities.  Attending my first meeting...like a trooper...I immediately went over to the lady signing up new recruits and taking their yearly club dues. Found a large round table filled with expats and one vacant seat...handshakes and names with smiles all around...great start...as I began to actually pay attention to the banter around the table I was amused that to a man they were discussing their boyfriends...stayed the course until meeting was over...never went back to pickup my ID card...I believe they have managed fine without me...and vis versa...

Well it’s quite easy - get there a bit earlier- sit at another table- (the breakfast is not bad)

 

its not a bad club - and will help you out ( things like taking you to get a driving licence - if you are not sure of the system)

 

Anyway - you might end up on a table with the American veterans taking about their conquests and girlfriends- probably worse.

 

 

 

 

[suzannegoh]

I’m surprised to hear that you think that farangs in Chiang Mai are more social because I live in Chaing Mai and they don’t seem very sociable to me.  Or at least not in any sort of genuine way.  Yes, there are things like the Chiang Mai Expats Club but that's mostly a forum for elderly people to drop hints to each other about how much money they have.  However I would agree that farangs in Chaing Mai seem to know a lot about each other’s business.

[Mark1972]

l lived in Pattaya for 7 years, before returning to the UK.  Next year l am moving back with my Thai daughter to Pattaya. When l was there a few years ago, Pattaya was full of English criminals, l was one. There are distinct classes as other posters have mentioned, but when l was there, we all knew each other, l mean the expats living there. l went to prison for a few years ( totally deserved ) and now run courses with the probation service to keep people out of prison and not create victims. l was in Pattaya 2 months ago and there are still alot of my old mates and that criminal class. l am not judging anyone, l have no right, but Thailand will always attract the sort of person l was, here for the girls, sex and drugs if l am honest. All that said it is much harder to remain in Thailand if you are a criminal on the run as l was. Pattaya will always attract men after sex, it's that simple. LOS ! 

[chrisinth]

On 3/16/2019 at 8:48 AM, champers said:

I'll get my butler to organise something, when he's finished polishing the silver.

Multitasking your butler?

 

Maybe not as Hi-So as you thought you were?

 

[Pilotman]

We expats in Thailand are in many ways a strange breed.  We have left our native countries to come to a totally different culture.  That takes courage of a kind but also a spirit of individualism, adventure and risk taking. I'm not sure that those qualities translate into being a very social person who needs lots of friends support to thrive.  I know that I don't and although I have a few acquaintances here, nice people all, that I do occasionally socialise with, I don't count any of them as true long lasting friends.     

[Kerryd]

On 3/16/2019 at 7:48 AM, georgegeorgia said:

I am thinking its because the more wealthier or educated expats retire to Chiang mai rather than the working or lower classes .

I thought all the elitist snobs live in Hua Hin ? 

And we basically did this topic to death (31 pages) just a few days ago (https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1088662-why-do-tvf-expats-so-dislike-other-expats/)

Basically the same topic with a different title. "Why aren't all us expats all lovey-dovey besties that have each other's back no matter what so I can sponge off of them without feeling guilty or being turned down no matter what I do or whether I ever repay anything while drooling at your wife and trying to scam you out of your life's savings".

 

Yawn. I seriously doubt that the expats in Chiang Mai are all that much better, in any way, than the expats in Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket or anywhere else. I've seen expats in small villages where there may only be 1-2 in total, and they try to pretend they don't see you or barely acknowledge your existence (at least in the beginning). I've also met expats who are the epitome of the extrovert and seem to make it their mission in life to meet every expat they can.

There are groups of "friendly" expats in every major community just as there are large numbers of people who have zero interest in associating with others (for all the same reasons discussed in the linked thread). Chiang Mai is no different (though it may be easier to breath in Pattaya these days).