19 hours ago, justin case said:

look at the ingredients of your 7/11 pre-packed meal... one time I counted 35 chemical additives ... msg included

Yes, and look at who owns 7-eleven and who stands to gain from this shift from the locals eating out at restaurants or food carts to picking up something to eat on the way home from work?

 

Have you noticed that the newer 7-elevens, the ones that have opened in maybe the past couple of years mostly have large, wholly-owned parking areas out front that are devoid of food carts and hawkers stalls? That's so that the 9-to-5 worker in their compact car or motorbike can easily stop and shop and eschew the market and restaurant.

 

PS. It is not the manufacturers of microwave ovens but they're doing quite nicely too.

14 hours ago, hugocnx said:

2day at Makro, pork butt 115 Baht/kg. About same price I payed 10 years ago. Meat, fish and veggies not particularly up.

2day at Makro, brownies 50 Baht/pack. Was 48 Baht about 2 months ago. Was 45 Baht last year.

16 hours ago, possum1931 said:

The local bus from my town/village is exactly 45 Bt, a one hour journey, same as when I came here almost 14 years ago.

The same distance for the same one hour journey back in Scotland costs around 12 GBP.

Yeah... but I've got a Scottish bus pass. Som namnah.

2 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

2day at Makro, brownies 50 Baht/pack. Was 48 Baht about 2 months ago. Was 45 Baht last year.

 

14 hours ago, hugocnx said:

2day at Makro, pork butt 115 Baht/kg. About same price I payed 10 years ago. Meat, fish and veggies not particularly up.

 

But the fact that pork butt was quoted as being the same price as 10 years ago was more than likely they purchased it 10 years ago and its been frozen ever since which perhaps explains why most Makro "fresh meat" counters stink.

7 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Well how come pools tables and dart boards are almost always placed in licensed premises, note I said almost. Nothing against social drinkers.

I wonder how many non drinkers and non smokers play pool and darts.

I played darts for many years and not one of our team drank any alcohol

whilst playing and we did not play in pubs but in social clubs

 

18 hours ago, villagefarang said:

Thailand has always been a transient place for foreigners, a mere pitstop in life.  People like me are as rare as dinosaurs and almost everyone I knew in the early years are long gone.  Over the decades the kind of people coming to Thailand have changed and so have their reasons for leaving.  But for all the complaining there are always more people arriving, everyday.  I see no reason to get all upset over people leaving.

Correct inasmuch as these noisome 'leavers' are neither valuable nor irreplaceable. However, I do feel that the the newer arrivals from say the past 5 to 8 years have a much shorter fuse WRT how long it takes for the societal and cultural differences here to get on their tits and they climb on the 'remoaners' greener-grass grazing bandwagon.

 

Maybe like in F1, the shorter the pit stop, the better?

On 8/8/2019 at 9:11 AM, transam said:

Booze and smokes still cost peanuts here, have a look in farangland at the cost of a pack of smokes, UK is around 10 quid whereas here 60bht...

Using your figures and minimum wage for each country obtained from Google

 

Over 25 in UK 8.21

thailand 334/8=41.75

10squid/8.21=1.2 hrs work for a pack in UK.

60/41.75=1.4 hrs work for a pack in Thailand.

So I would say that based on those calculations that it is more expensive in Thailand.  It only appears cheap when you have a foreign income.  For the locals Thailand is very expensive.  To be on Par the 60 baht cigarettes should be around 50.

6 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

I played darts for many years and not one of our team drank any alcohol

whilst playing and we did not play in pubs but in social clubs

 

Sorry but I just do not believe you, though I will accept that maybe they refrained from drinking alcohol while taking part in the game.

16 hours ago, flexomike said:

As BB King would have said,  the thrill is gone

Excellent!

 

And to be perfectly honest, is that the fault of Thailand, the Thai people or the simply the perception of the long-time foreign lodger who is no longer thrilled?

13 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Yeah... but I've got a Scottish bus pass. Som namnah.

So have I, free travel throughout Scotland.????

15 hours ago, BizMarkDee said:

I don't know anyone period. 

No, that's KittenKong.

13 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Thailand has effectively been a police state since 2014! Keep up.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

 

ef·fec·tive·ly

/əˈfektəvlē/

adverb

adverb: effectively

1. in such a manner as to achieve a desired result.

   "make sure that resources are used effectively"

   synonyms:

   successfully, effectually, efficaciously, productively, constructively, fruitfully; More valuably, helpfully, beneficially, advantageously, usefully, functionally; forcefully, forcibly, powerfully, strongly, potently, soundly, validly, tellingly; convincingly, compellingly, impressively, persuasively, irresistibly, credibly, influentially, conclusively, unanswerably, authoritatively "make sure that resources are used effectively"

   antonyms:

   ineffectively, weakly

   • actually but not officially or explicitly.

     "they were effectively controlled by the people they were supposed to be investigating"

     synonyms:

     practically, virtually, in effect, all but, more or less, almost, nearly, close to, approaching, not far from, nearing, verging on, bordering on, well nigh, nigh on, just about, as good as, tantamount to, essentially, in essence, in practical terms, for all practical purposes, to all intents and purposes, in all but name;

 

No, sorry, don't see it. I've lived and worked in one and Thailand don't come close, even on election days.

42 minutes ago, Naamblar2014 said:

Using your figures and minimum wage for each country obtained from Google

 

Over 25 in UK 8.21

thailand 334/8=41.75

10squid/8.21=1.2 hrs work for a pack in UK.

60/41.75=1.4 hrs work for a pack in Thailand.

So I would say that based on those calculations that it is more expensive in Thailand.  It only appears cheap when you have a foreign income.  For the locals Thailand is very expensive.  To be on Par the 60 baht cigarettes should be around 50.

Think we all know that but we are talking about us being here..Imagine a Thai smoker moving to the UK, heart attack stuff...

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

No Trans, pool and darts are mostly played where alcohol is served, and a lot of the players are getting drunk, archery etc, is not, you won't normally see people who take part in target shooting with a glass of beer nearby.

Mon ami, my UK snooker hall sold beer and to assume a sport is just for drunkards is a little bizaar...

May I point out that darts world champion John Lowe (74) was awarded the MBE for his services to the sport... 

On 8/8/2019 at 9:05 AM, KittenKong said:

Anything involving alcohol or tobacco.

Most restaurant prices.

Almost all imported individual items, with the exception of commodities which have an internationally fixed price.

6lt Tesco water was B35 now B40. 

Soup veg pack B29 now B35. 

10 minutes ago, transam said:

Mon ami, my UK snooker hall sold beer and to assume a sport is just for drunkards is a little bizaar...

May I point out that darts world champion John Lowe (74) was awarded the MBE for his services to the sport... 

So expats are returning to the UK from Thailand ( the subject matter ) because John Lowe has an MBE ? interesting stuff that ????????????  

So by association when Lewis Hamilton is awarded his knighthood, which he surely should be,  the few remaining Thai expats will be driving back to blighty rapidly ? ????????    (assuming no jealous bugger throws a dart in his tyre that is )  ????

16 hours ago, amykat said:

Well, I left over a year ago, I did not have a problem getting a visa, and never would have ....I still would have enough money until I died I suspect so I don’t have a money problem per se either..

You are just one person, not "many"!

40 minutes ago, transam said:

Think we all know that but we are talking about us being here..Imagine a Thai smoker moving to the UK, heart attack stuff...

Very clever ????

21 hours ago, JASON THAI said:

Does this come with MSG 555 ?

Do you know what vegetables are?

2 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Do you know what vegetables are?

Brexiteers?

21 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

People who read Thai Visa I've not heard of anyone else.  

And that's only one person so far, maybe two, so statistically that's practically no one! 

 

Those who claim that they "know of some", who they can't specify don't count!

21 hours ago, transam said:

Yes, they assemble them for others...LOS do not make a car or pickup..

Thai Rung.

Just now, Just Weird said:

Thai Rung.

They make nothing themselves other than automobile junk based on Japanese  manufacturers pick-up chassis and engines.

20 hours ago, crazykopite said:

I know of 6 in the last month.

"I know of..."   Hahahahaha….

 

So many Thiavisa posters claim to "know of" things that cannot be confirmed!  You'll need something to come up with something more empirical than that for credibility!  How about getting those six to post here about it?  Even if they do, and I'll pretty much guarantee that they won't, your six plus the one other is a drop in the bucket and a million miles away from "so many".

20 hours ago, seasia said:

I personally know of a few that have left, not just recently. None for financial reasons.Just tired of Thailand.

Some of those took back a small part of Thailand when they left, their Thai wives.

None post on here.

I personally know of a few that have left...None post on here.

How convenient!

There are a lot of risks confronting those considering repatriation which weren't present 20 years ago. Interest rates are a lot lower, real estate is grossly overpriced in many countries in the West, sovereign debt is sky high (casting a cloud over the future viability of entitlement programs), currencies have become less stable, income inequality has increased, and political and social tensions are on the rise.

 

If interest rates were higher (rewarding savers), if housing price increases in the past 10 years had adhered more to historic averages, if there was greater confidence that the next economic downturn could be managed through fiscal and monetary policy and entitlement programs could be fully relied upon, if the US dollar and other currencies weren't at risk of being sharply devalued, and if America hadn't been driven into such polarized and racially divided camps by the incumbent president, I suspect that many more people would have returned home than have done so already.

 

I consider myself to be very fortunate to be in the financial condition I am in, but nevertheless, due to the above economic uncertainties, distortions in housing prices, and the toxic social environment in the US, I feel it would be prudent to remain in Thailand for several more years in the hopes that greater socio-economic visibility emerges. This isn't mumble mouthed excuse making, but based on a very careful and well-thought-out assessment.

 

The people who scoff that those who claim they are leaving are "all talk and no action" need to understand that the socio-economic times we are living in are truly exceptional.

 

 

3 hours ago, looplaw said:

All covered in pesticides '

That wash off.

22 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

They make nothing themselves other than automobile junk based on Japanese  manufacturers pick-up chassis and engines.

"They make nothing themselves..."

Garbage.

Overall then, based on evidence, not hearsay, it seems that after 24 pages not so many are leaving Thailand, after all.

5 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

"They make nothing themselves..."

Garbage.

I agree, nothing but garbage which suggests anybody buying them is a chisel short of a full tool box.