Why you as a farrang live in Thailand

[Thainesss]

3 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Another two posts about why not to live in Thailand 180 degrees off topic which is why are you living in Thailand.  You just can't help posting negatives about Thailand.  Your fingers hit the keyboard and out comes bad bad bad.  

 

Who died and made you moderator? 

 

You've posted about 10,000 words crying about what other people are posting, disrupting the thread more than anyone. 

 

And why does it bother you SO BAD? Are you the resident defender of Thailands 'reputation' or something? 

[hanssna]

16 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

I live here, for laid back life, late night life, wide range of topographies to explore, cultural depth and variety, P4P girly scene, easy going social scene and to avoid cold winters. Whenever I have to deal with chores and bureaucracy there is always some to help. A wide variety of food is available at a good price and medical treatment is good.

Agree, can add more;  beautiful beaches,  better scuba diving and reefs then in Europe,  easy to go around; can get from friend-to-friend, bar-to-bar on my motorbike without freezing cold or harassments or theft, beautiful scenery, national parks to visit with my family,  quiet living (no noise here in the south, maybe the crickets and an occasional dog; nothing like the noisy neighbors in Amsterdam), prefer the Thai people around me over the north africans,  a beautiful country to drive around, without speed camera's and traffic jams, no parking problems, good internet in my home that I have been building for a small part of the price compared to Netherlands, well, can go on for a while..  ???? 

[Colabamumbai]

I came because it's a warm corrupt Third World country. 

[wombat]

because i can

[pgrahmm]

16 hours ago, Parsve said:

Put on your brian and read. Easy as that.

You want him to read or watch Monty Python & report back to you?

[marcusarelus]

34 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

Who died and made you moderator? 

 

You've posted about 10,000 words crying about what other people are posting, disrupting the thread more than anyone. 

 

And why does it bother you SO BAD? Are you the resident defender of Thailands 'reputation' or something? 

Good question.  I'm a civic minded individual.  I feel that many here are opposed to free speech and feel that the truth about Thailand in this case "why people choose to live here" should not be allowed to be discussed. 

 

The moderator wrote, "Multiple off topic and Thai bashing posts removed, you can either stay on topic or we will close the topic"  

 

If the topic is closed the Thai bashing censors who are against free speech will win and this is a blow for totalitarianism which I am against.

 

But I give the benefit of the doubt to those posting anti Thai posts here as perhaps not being able to control their emotions and when typing are not aware they constantly type anti Thai talking points over and over.    

 

It's not Thailand's reputation it is the reputation of a free society on the internet under attack by totalitarian interests.  

[Parsve]

1 minute ago, pgrahmm said:

You want him to read or watch Monty Python & report back to you?

Sorry for the misspelling and I really love your reply.

[OneMoreFarang]

17 minutes ago, Colabamumbai said:

I came because it's a warm corrupt Third World country. 

Hopefully it never happens to you or anybody else here.

But the problem with the corrupt country is that if someone "important" does not like you (maybe an accident, maybe you talked the wrong way to his daughter) you can have lots of bad problems.

[simon43]

Marcus, Is it OK by you for forum members to post why they came to live in Thailand, but also explain the reasons why they have now decided to leave?

 

Because there are always two sides to a story.

[simon43]

14 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Hopefully it never happens to you or anybody else here.

But the problem with the corrupt country is that if someone "important" does not like you (maybe an accident, maybe you talked the wrong way to his daughter) you can have lots of bad problems.

So that's what happened to me some years ago in Phuket.  My little guesthouse that I built near the airport was physically invaded by some Thai drug dealers and I was locked out.  My appeal to the local police was denied because they were customers of those dealers.  My appeal to Phuket police HQ was ignored, even though I had worked for more than 12 years as an unpaid police volunteer and translator at Phuket Airport.  I was 'run off' the island in fear of my life and loss about $100,000 invested in my guesthouse.

 

Corruption in Thailand?  Don't get me started about it.....

 

 

[marcusarelus]

10 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Marcus, Is it OK by you for forum members to post why they came to live in Thailand, but also explain the reasons why they have now decided to leave?

 

Because there are always two sides to a story.

Why?  This topic is, "why do you live in Thailand."  There have been hundreds of topics recently about why you are leaving Thailand.  Two different topics.  A good example is a poster who has a topic running about moving to Latin America.  He has made it very clear it is not about why staying in Thailand is a better alternative or moving to another country outside of Latin America is a valid discussion.   And, the moderator wrote, "Multiple off topic and Thai bashing posts removed, you can either stay on topic or we will close the topic" Your posts are mainly Thai Bashing posts in one way or another.  For example you wrote, "

So that's what happened to me some years ago in Phuket.  My little guesthouse that I built near the airport was physically invaded by some Thai drug dealers and I was locked out.  My appeal to the local police was denied because they were customers of those dealers.  My appeal to Phuket police HQ was ignored, even though I had worked for more than 12 years as an unpaid police volunteer and translator at Phuket Airport.  I was 'run off' the island in fear of my life and loss about $100,000 invested in my guesthouse.  Corruption in Thailand?  Don't get me started about it."  May be true and terrible but it is Thai bashing and nothing to do with this topic.  

Edited July 27, 2019 by marcusarelus

[faraday]

12 minutes ago, simon43 said:

So that's what happened to me some years ago in Phuket.  My little guesthouse that I built near the airport was physically invaded by some Thai drug dealers and I was locked out.  My appeal to the local police was denied because they were customers of those dealers.  My appeal to Phuket police HQ was ignored, even though I had worked for more than 12 years as an unpaid police volunteer and translator at Phuket Airport.  I was 'run off' the island in fear of my life and loss about $100,000 invested in my guesthouse.

 

Corruption in Thailand?  Don't get me started about it.....

 

 

Wow, what a story. Have written all the events anywhere else, such as Stickman?

Let me know if you have.

 

[simon43]

Quote

 

Your posts are mainly Thai Bashing posts in one way or another. 
 

 

 

Ah, now I get it.  It's OK if I write good things about Thailand, but I'm not allowed to mention any bad things. My post about my hotel is just one of many examples of bad things that I've experienced in Thailand, mostly down to corruption. 

 

It is not Thai-bashing. There are many, many things that I love about this country. But It is being honest to speak the truth and sometimes the truth is not what people want to hear.

 

As I say again - there are always two sides to a story.  You only want posters to say good things about this country.  When something bad occurs, you don't want them to speak up.  Very democratic.....

 

Stop posting Marcus, because you're making a fool of yourself ????

Edited July 27, 2019 by simon43

[steven100]

I live in Thailand for the piss and banging

[rwill]

19 hours ago, Parsve said:

because Thailand really sucks.

the vacuum that creates makes it hard to leave.

[totally thaied up]

16 minutes ago, simon43 said:

As I say again - there are always two sides to a story.  You only want posters to say good things about this country.  When something bad occurs, you don't want them to speak up.  Very democratic.....

This is correct - two sides to Thailand and any story.

 

Good side to me I a met my wife

 

Bad side to me is health care and health insurances

 

Both sides of the story most people want to hear. Before I make any informed decision, I check on line and I most likely read a lot of BS but I read both side to the story. I also do this for most products I buy as well.

 

TV has a lot of stories, a lot of BS but if you read it enough and been here long enough as I have now, gleaning the truth about it all is pretty easy. I left Australia 10 years ago as I had changed and I did not like my country much then. After a lot of travel here and it now being 10 years later, I am changing again. I see things I have not noticed before and realize I also had it pretty good 10 years ago in Australia but I was too blinded to see this because over time after living somewhere for a long term, you forget things and bash the place.

 

Same thing for Thailand. I do like Thailand but I am lucky enough I have somewhere else I can compare it too and everything, no matter how you look at it, will have two sides to the story and you can forgot how good you had it. Oh, Thailand is good but I hate to say a lot of people are locked here either for some time (like me married to a Thai) or for good as they brought everything they had over to Thailand and are locked here with no way out. Many people posting would have trouble getting back home and would have pretty big issues if they did.

 

Yep, two stories to everything and neither will be true depending on whose eyes you are looking through it with.

Edited July 27, 2019 by totally thaied up

[spidermike007]

You want my first ten reasons, or my next ten? Where would one even start? I am an American. So, here goes just a few of my issues with living back there.

 

The economy is not doing nearly as well as they state. Unemployment figures have been reconfigured a dozen times, to enable them to leave millions off the final numbers. And inflation is at a nearly runaway level. Despite what they tell us, prices are going up dramatically, and the cost of living in the US is at a level that is nearly unsustainable for many. Recent studies have shown that 70% of all Americans, are living paycheck to paycheck, and have no savings. This recent runup in the markets has been great for the top 5-10%. Others are losing their homes, and many are becoming homeless. 

 

Then there is the fact that alot of Americans seem to me to be disenfranchised, bitter and angry. Not much fun to be around. I can walk around LA all day, cracking jokes and being as lighthearted as I can possibly be, and I would consider myself fortunate, if I could get one person to laugh or smile. There is alot of unhappiness back there. 

 

I do not want to dwell on the leadership crisis back there. It is about as bad as it is here. In my opinion Trump is assuring that America will never be great again. Practicing WWF style diplomacy, on a daily basis. The art of I cannot make a deal to save my life. Making sure the truth is never considered, never thought about, never uttered, and never spoken. 

 

And how about intimacy, for the single guy? I consider most sex workers in Thailand, to be far, far more honest than the average American woman. At least here, a man knows where he stands, if he wants sex with a woman. In a minute, you can determine exactly what it will require financially, and what you will get in return. In the US, it can take multiple dates, and countless dinners and gifts, to get to the precious zone. There is no set price. There is no knowing what it is going to take. Many of the women I have dated, have been with hundreds of men, in a similar way as many of the massage girls here. And those men have paid dearly. The only difference was that the price was not stated up front. However, recently a friend of mine has been attempting to use Tinder, in LA. He has been quoted $800 for 90 minutes, by several different women, who were not exactly playmate material. 

 

Then there is "me too". Totally out of control. The idea of sexual harassment in the US, has passed all reasonable boundaries. When Matt Damon recently came out and stated that there was a big difference between a little pat on the butt, and forceful rape, he was nearly crucified by some women in Hollywood, (especially the shrill, elderly, and way, way, way past the sell by date) Minnie Driver. That alone demonstrated to the most reasonable mind, how far out of control this "war on men" has gone. It is beyond ridiculous. It is petty, silly, surly, and just plain old dumb. Not to say there are not men who deserve it. But, a pat on the butt, or a man putting his hand on a woman's thigh, when they are engaged in a friendly conversation is NOT the same as rape and does not constitute sexual harassment. And yes, I would feel the same way if it happened to my daughter. Give me a break. This whole situation is stupid. American men have been emasculated already. Now, it is getting so extreme, pretty soon it might be illegal to even possess a male organ in the US. So, I propose this. When a woman accuses a man of "sexual harassment" the burden of proof lies on her. She has to demonstrate some evidence. Otherwise, it is he said, she said. And in the US, she said always wins out. 

 

Many of these things are the reflection of the utter embodiment of a nation that has lost it's footing, has really never found it's identity, and has a population of women, 90% of whom, have no ability, willingness, wherewithal, or desire to connect with, manifest, or embody their inner woman, or express femininity for anything other than personal gain. The US is  on the decline, and has been for the past 30-40 years. It is the Western Roman Empire, in the late 5th century AD, prior to Odoacer marching onto Rome. 

 

I could go on and on and on. Fortunately, I have never really felt the need to "belong". So the outsider thing is not an issue for me here. I am accepted by my lovely wife, and her amazing family. That is about all that matters for me. From the rest of the population, I get reactions ranging from ambivalent, to warm and friendly. That works for me! Rarely do I ever get the kind of cold shoulder and unpleasantness I get back in the US. Especially from women under 40! Back there, I am a ghost in my own land. 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2019 by spidermike007

[watcharacters]

15 hours ago, wilailuk said:

Here in the sticks 330 km north of BKK it´s def. 4th W. - so it exists, at least for me!

 

Ambience? I had my best times down in Phuket when I first came here, driving around on motorcy with no helmet, and only t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, with a hooker on the backseat, a wonder I survived those crazy years! 

 

 

 

What's preventing you from returning to Phuket and living that lifestyle again?

 

 

[marcusarelus]

11 minutes ago, simon43 said:

 

Ah, now I get it.  It's OK if I write good things about Thailand, but I'm not allowed to mention any bad things. My post about my hotel is just one of many examples of bad things that I've experienced in Thailand, mostly down to corruption. 

 

It is not Thai-bashing. There are many, many things that I love about this country. But It is being honest to speak the truth and sometimes the truth is not what people want to hear.

 

As I say again - there are always two sides to a story.  You only want posters to say good things about this country.  When something bad occurs, you don't want them to speak up.  Very democratic.....

 

Stop posting Marcus, because you're making a fool of yourself ????

Because something is true does not mean it is not Thai bashing.  You seem unable to understand this.  There are of course two sides to every story and this thread is about one of those sides not both.  You seem unable to understand this either.  

 

If the topic was "staying or leaving Thailand and your reasons" that would be the place to post your story.  

 

What kind of person calls another a fool because he disagrees with him?  Certainly not an educator.   

 

I live in Thailand because I conserved my cash from the day I got here.  I looked at renting or leasing a business but found the idea of key money silly and fraught with risk and there were no protections here for the small business man.  I'm used to crooked cops and government because I worked in Chicago but Thailand takes it to another level.  When the dollar dropped in value re the baht I took a job as the headmaster of a college not because I liked it but because it was less fraught with risk. 

 

I've been a general manager for major hospitality companies worldwide but even with significant hotel experience found offers in Thailand not to my liking even as a consultant.  

 

I have connections in Thailand because I've done work with people when I was in the Military here so perhaps I've some advantage.  Thailand has treated me well and I haves more money now than when I got here.  Partly luck and partly knowledge of how business works here.  

[totally thaied up]

5 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Then there is the fact that alot of Americans seem to me to be disenfranchised, bitter and angry. Not much fun to be around. I can walk around LA all day, cracking jokes and being as lighthearted as I can possibly be, and I would consider myself fortunate, if I could get one person to laugh or smile. There is alot of unhappiness back there.

This struck home to me. I have met several Americans over the years here and I have never been able to befriend any of them due to the fact they have seemed to be as you said disenfranchised, bitter and angry. I always thought it was just a Aussie not being able to fit in with the American so called culture and I was the odd man out but what you said here to me, now makes a lot more sense.

[Thainesss]

Just now, totally thaied up said:

This struck home to me. I have met several Americans over the years here and I have never been able to befriend any of them due to the fact they have seemed to be as you said disenfranchised, bitter and angry. I always thought it was just a Aussie not being able to fit in with the American so called culture and I was the odd man out but what you said here to me, now makes a lot more sense.

 

Weird, I feel that statement would better describe just about anyone from the UK. 

 

And I dont know any American thats bitter and disenfranchised over politics or whatever. Typically the fellow Americans I meet are happy tourists or gainfully employed professionals like myself. 

[Thainesss]

13 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The economy is not doing nearly as well as they state. Unemployment figures have been reconfigured a dozen times, to enable them to leave millions off the final numbers. And inflation is at a nearly runaway level. Despite what they tell us, prices are going up dramatically, and the cost of living in the US is at a level that is nearly unsustainable for many. Recent studies have shown that 70% of all Americans, are living paycheck to paycheck, and have no savings. This recent runup in the markets has been great for the top 5-10%. Others are losing their homes, and many are becoming homeless. 

 

Trump and whatever disaster media you consume seems to have really twisted your head up. Its literally exactly the same as it was a couple years ago except theres more jobs, home prices are climbing again (thats good not bad), and people are paying less taxes. 

 

Cost of living in the USA is so subjective that it makes your entire paragraph meaningless. 

[mike787]

4 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Er no.

My back garden is 25 acres here. Big playground for my off road bikes.

My house sits in a 1/3rd of an acre walled compound.

My workshop is 20 x 40'.

No neighbors.

No overheads.

Peace and tranquility.

The weather is nice. The air fresh & clean.

The locals are nice, friendly and helpful. They smile.

 

Back in my home country i lived in a 2 up 2 down English terraced house.

Houses either side. Small pleasant city.

Shed too small to fit a motorcycle in.

Back garden  about 8 x 16'. Neighbors peering over the fence.

Never talked to my neighbors. Nobody smiled.

Could never afford the land for that old tumbled down farm house i always wanted.

Everything was done in a hurry. Time = money.

Worked my arse off.

Tons of bills & overheads.

The weather was generally crap.

 

Bit of a difference.

Still, living in a tourist enclave city, you would'nt see that or get it.

Each to their own.

I hate traffic and cities.

What happens if your Thai visa is declined one day to ALL your assets?

[simon43]

What kind of person calls another a fool because he disagrees with him?  Certainly not an educator.  

 

Not so.  As an educator, I relish mentoring students, helping them to find out the truth, good or bad.  I respect students who disagree with me, and are able to provide a logical argument to support their point of view.  But I will not suffer fools who inwardly know that there are problems, but blindly refuse to admit them.

 

I'll say no more directly to you.  I respect your right to make comments on this forum about the positives in Thailand.  I also respect those posters who want to comment on what they see to be the negatives, because in this specific thread it is relevant to understand why people moved to live here and if they still stay here based on the same reasons or not.

[totally thaied up]

6 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

And I dont know any American thats bitter and disenfranchised over politics or whatever. Typically the fellow Americans I meet are happy tourists or gainfully employed professionals like myself. 

I do not have a wide subset or experience with Americans as most just seem to shrug me off. I just thought it was how they were. I mean, my family are now in America in NYC and having a great, great time. Maybe Thailand had just worn down the people I have met. It is hard to say.

 

I only hang around Australians or one or two English guys. Even us Australians now seem to be getting pretty picky and for the truth be known, I don't know why. Maybe it is just because most my friends are not happy with the current exchange rates or what. Hard to say.

[Andycoops]

Because it beats the <deleted> out of where I came from.

[Thainesss]

4 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

I do not have a wide subset or experience with Americans as most just seem to shrug me off. I just thought it was how they were. I mean, my family are now in America in NYC and having a great, great time. Maybe Thailand had just worn down the people I have met. It is hard to say.

 

I only hang around Australians or one or two English guys. Even us Australians now seem to be getting pretty picky and for the truth be known, I don't know why. Maybe it is just because most my friends are not happy with the current exchange rates or what. Hard to say.

 

Id say most people regardless of where they're from shrug most people off in Thailand and its been a weird phenomenon for as long as I've been here. I get on with most people but find myself guarded around the brits because they get mouthy and sometimes their "piss takes" are thinly veiled insults and its off-putting for a-lot of Americans. 

 

And the exchange rates for Americans really hasn't changed all that much few baht here and there. 

 

And I said it before earlier in this thread, expat communities are toxic here unless you're in a kind of professional area. 

[totally thaied up]

1 minute ago, Thainesss said:

 

Id say most people regardless of where they're from shrug most people off in Thailand and its been a weird phenomenon for as long as I've been here. I get on with most people but find myself guarded around the brits because they get mouthy and sometimes their "piss takes" are thinly veiled insults and its off-putting for a-lot of Americans. 

 

And the exchange rates for Americans really hasn't changed all that much few baht here and there. 

 

And I said it before earlier in this thread, expat communities are toxic here unless you're in a kind of professional area. 

I get on with most people and try to never clutter anyone into a box. Your insight has been helpful to me. Thank you. Yes, it is a weird phenomenon and one I cannot fully understand.

[thaiguzzi]

17 minutes ago, mike787 said:

What happens if your Thai visa is declined one day to ALL your assets?

I'm a glass full type of guy.

Happy go lucky.

I don't think of the negatives, and i doubt it will happen, even if a civil war kicked off.

[marcusarelus]

6 minutes ago, mike787 said:

What happens if your Thai visa is declined one day to ALL your assets?

Hope you don't mind if I answer.  I'm living in Thailand because I don't care.  I've done everything I'm ever going to do and paid back everyone who was owed.  I don't have any grudges.