Negative Vibes...is it just me?

[Grumpy John]

I don't see any big changes up here in the sticks (Lower North).   Well, I did only get one calendar this year (Bangkok Bank) INSTEAD OF SEVERAL, which had a picture of he who cannot be discussed on it.  I hang the calendar under the house where we normally do but next day it was gone!  I am sure if it was a calendar with Thaksin featured on it it would still be there!   I would imagine Thaksin would be mounted on a white charger with sword in hand.  ????

[nobodysfriend]

6 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

The adoption of materialism and the inevitable provision of credit to  sustain it is in accordance with the infection of unfettered capitalist ideology.

Well said !

[baansgr]

Another thread, different title same subject....yes, I used to go out anytime of day or night, get drunk have sex with a lovely girl or two or three that would actually pay attention to me and ride home drunk on my moped, cost me 20 quid or so....now, I would need to spend 150 quid for a fat farm girl that looks at her phone all night and be home by 2am in a taxi.....yep, the fun has gone and ain't coming back

[Gweiloman]

2 hours ago, roo860 said:

Never will and never have in 22yrs.

And some farangs think that Thais are rude.....

Dont expect people to respect you if you don’t respect them. Applies all over the world. 

[Thingamabob]

I'm afraid that these days most people world wide are angry at the way they are governed, not just Thais.

[roo860]

31 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

And some farangs think that Thais are rude.....

Dont expect people to respect you if you don’t respect them. Applies all over the world. 

A polite nod of the head suffices, foreigners wai- ing look like nobs.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, baansgr said:

Another thread, different title same subject....yes, I used to go out anytime of day or night, get drunk have sex with a lovely girl or two or three that would actually pay attention to me and ride home drunk on my moped, cost me 20 quid or so....now, I would need to spend 150 quid for a fat farm girl that looks at her phone all night and be home by 2am in a taxi.....yep, the fun has gone and ain't coming back

This is so true!

[Letseng]

21 hours ago, Hans007 said:

As we speak imin china on a stopover to get back to good old Germany.

 

I probably will not travel again to Thailand....just not worth it.

 

Never been hapier!!!

 

Hans

Germany no longer offers plastic bags. What's the difference to Thailand?

[atyclb]

16 hours ago, White Christmas13 said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V009SUGaa8Y

 

 

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Mostly what I see is the kind of impatience, annoyance, and outright anger which is common to us whiteys. Its lack used to be one of the pleasures of living here.

 

Yes, I, too, found one of those calendars (just the photo part) in the neighbour’s bin.

 

Our society is invisible to those 40 million tourists. Which means a Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions movement by foreigners is most unlikely.

[Denim]

5 hours ago, Mavideol said:

guess not only in CM, this week end drove to  Krabi areas (Ao Nang, Klong Muang beaches) and didn't see the crowds as the previous years, thought I was in Moscow, also 5-6 beach front restaurants closed and the Tuk Tuk driver complaining about his (lack) business and some of his friends moving back home up north.... Prayut's name not welcome during the conversation

 

And yet, just after the coup there were many posters here praising Prayuth and the army for overthrowing the government which they thought was corrupt and self serving.

 

To those posters I would say be careful what you wish for. 

 

Before the coup things were still not so bad .  Now , apart from the wacky die hard yellowshirts , almost everyone is of the opinion that a country under the military is way worse than it ever was under Phua Thai.

[ratcatcher]

1 hour ago, Grumpy John said:

I don't see any big changes up here in the sticks (Lower North).   Well, I did only get one calendar this year (Bangkok Bank) INSTEAD OF SEVERAL, which had a picture of he who cannot be discussed on it.  I hang the calendar under the house where we normally do but next day it was gone!  I am sure if it was a calendar with Thaksin featured on it it would still be there!   I would imagine Thaksin would be mounted on a white charger with sword in hand.  ????

You have a good imagination, except his name is not quite the same. King Taksin.

 

I agree with your other comments too, I also live in the lower north and although my wife was a bit of a yellow fan in 2014, she's lost her interest in old "Uncle T". In our area. 

Edited January 14, 2020 by ratcatcher

[brianthainess]

On 1/13/2020 at 7:42 PM, Formaleins said:

Never ever has anything like that ever happened here where I am. If I had suggested something like that in previous years (which I must admit, I often thought about) I would have been spat on like a dog. Is it a Northern Thai thing or is the discontent nationwide?

You are not alone. I think it is nationwide, and has been for yonks. The old picture gets put over the new by my wifey, and me well simply removed i don't need to be LURCHED over.                     

[moontang]

agreed, many are in a bad mood.  All smiles at the new MRT, but they seem desperate for riders.  If it is good, enjoy it and visit regularly...because the good things seem to end more suddenly than they used to,  Being in debt is a bad feeling, and mentally unhealthy..guess who are in tons of debt?  James Madison was only five feet four, too...it actually worked..for him.  

[CygnusX1]

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

If we had married or reproduced with a Viet, we would have a 5 year VISA for $50 with no financials

$50 for 5 years? I’m off to Vietnam next month for 4 days, and the visa’s costing me more than that.

[BritManToo]

7 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

$50 for 5 years? I’m off to Vietnam next month for 4 days, and the visa’s costing me more than that.

That's because you don't have any Viet family.

As a Brit I get 2 weeks free entry every time I go.

[Max69xl]

23 hours ago, Lacessit said:

There is a fair amount of unrest in Chiang Mai.

 

Item: A Thai tour guide I know says his business has dropped 50% since the junta took over.

 

Item: Another tour guide who had 80% of his business in Thailand, and 20% in Vietnam, now has 90%

         of his business in Vietnam.

 

Item: Prayut is openly mocked by village Thais when he does one of his monologues on TV. I'm not 

        sure if they are using the Thai equivalent of d**khead, but it sounds close.

 

Item: Many restaurants in CM no longer open for lunch, too few customers to be worthwhile.

 

Item: My landlord owns three apartments in my condo. I am his only tenant, the other two units have

         been vacant for 2 years.

 

Item: The smaller shopkeepers and street stalls are not complying with the plastic bag ban.

 

Item: Many condos and houses for sale at less than building cost.

 

Straws in the wind.

"The smaller shopkeepers and street stalls are not complying with the plastic bag ban."

There are no plastic bag ban,yet.  Just 75 companies stopped offering plastic bags January 1. 

[bannork]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Never wai anyone, makes you look weak and submissive, so of course they'll treat you badly.

Utter nonsense. I wai or get waiied fifty times a morning at school by other teachers. If I ignored their wai or didn't wai them, it would be akin to refusing to say hello to people I see every morning.

 

Edited January 14, 2020 by bannork

[xtrnuno41]

On 1/13/2020 at 3:48 PM, SteveK said:

Why did people ever come to Thailand in the first place?

 

1. It was cheap. Now it is not.

2. It was friendly. Now it is not.

3. It was a care-free and easy life. Now it is not.

4. It had great weather. Well that hasn't changed at least.

5. It had sensational food. Well the worldwide health fascination has put stead to the fried, salty, greasy Thai rubbish.

6. Some single men loved Pattaya. Look at the place now.

7. It was an exotic and exciting destination. Now even the locals in Merthyr Tydfil have been here.

8. It had world-class beaches. Now covered in garbage.

 

Now it's overpriced, xenophobic, with awkward immigration and even opening a bank account has become an outrageous rigmarole with more paperwork requirements than getting a mortgage in your home country for an ultra-basic savings account that you'd normally open for a child.

 

Neighbouring countries should learn a thing or two about how to treat tourists who have money to spend. It seems Vietnam is on the up and up.

Vietnam up? Huh?

 

Hello,

Here are a few recent news I would want to share with you :

Those last months, new restrictions were voted to regulate immigration, you should keep an eyes on it :

Prevent foreigners from leaving the country if they do not pay their taxes (check the article here). With this new law, many foreigners (young workers, self-employed, retired) considered as residents (if they spend more than 183 days per year in Vietnam) are eligible to taxes on their worldwide income. It was common for expats not to pay any taxes but now they may get a fine.

Long term visa allowing most expats to stay from 6 months up to 1 year in Vietnam has been stopped few months ago. Now, as a foreigner, you must stay up to 3 months with tourist or business visas. Owning a residence card (through a working contract, opening a business or if you have are parents, spouse or children of Vietnamese living permanently in Vietnam) can be a good alternative to the visa-run trick.

I am currently exploring all the possible choices to live in Vietnam and what is does imply : business creation, taxation and investment. If you are interested in these topics, let me know and I will be able to digest some of those informations with you.

Regards,

Guillaume - MoveToAsia.com

[emptypockets]

8 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

Same thing happened to me yesterday at Udon Thani Immigration. I am on my 8th extension of stay for reason of retirement which originated off of an O-A Visa, and I had several questions about my upcoming renewal in May. I expected to be able to sit down and have an informative conversation with a friendly officer, but was instead ushered over to the new young gay director who had me stand up to present my questions in a crowded queue area. I broke protocol and did my wai to him first out of respect, but he didn't reciprocate. He grabbed my passport out of my hand and immediately gave it back to me with the rude comment that I was inquiring waaaaaaaay too early and any information he shared with me today probably wouldn't be good come May, and he didn't want me coming back to say "you told me this or that in January" and insist on his keeping his word. I understand his point, but he could have answered some very general questions but blew me off just the same. I gave him the usual "thank your sir" followed by a departing wai with no response from him. I have never been treated with such hostility and distain in my entire life. I get the same sort of treatment in my village and in town when I go in for shopping and meals, etc. The magic has disappeared and I abhor living in this place! 

Self deleted

Edited January 14, 2020 by emptypockets

[emptypockets]

8 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

have never been treated with such hostility and distain in my entire life. I get the same sort of treatment in my village and in town when I go in for shopping and meals, etc. The m

Make your mind up.

[farangkinok]

[Thongkorn]

On 1/13/2020 at 3:09 PM, BritManToo said:

I always enjoyed the "No Knickers' part(s) of Thailand.

Yes agree they chap your legs dont they.

[rumak]

On 1/13/2020 at 10:39 PM, samsensam said:

while there is some anti-government discontent isn't that the case in almost every country? overall i find people pretty happy and getting on with their lives

It always seems to me that in CM and the tourist areas many locals can seem to be a bit stressed.   Could just be the faster pace (same in western cities),  or maybe dealing with tourists that in some cases are a PITA.   I know I get annoyed at the way many farangs act when I go to CM.    Out here in the country, just 70 km from the city,  the driving is slower, and the people are friendly.   Seem pretty happy to me .  Of course everyone will tell you they wish they had more

money.....   Root of all evil  ,   most discontent , everywhere .  

[Tounge Thaied]

15 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

After what is now approaching two decades in Thailand I can not deny the general atmosphere has changed. Yet I would challenge anyone to deny that wherever in the world the mood of that population  has not also changed. The  general Western perspective of "negative vibes" ignores the reality of the scale and scope of "development" that has occurred in Thailand compared to the established West. 40 years ago in Thailand areas outside of large cities were populated by people living in villages where water supplies were from a communal well somewhere up the road, transport  was a bicycle ridden on roads that were dirt tracks. A motorcycle was a luxury, a television was an asset of the local "wealthy", education was primitive, and the majority were content without any great expectations.

Rapidly many aspects of life changed with urban drift and the realization of so much that urban life offered with industrialization employment. The later advent of mobile phones and now social media has drastically modified self perceptions and the falseness it can provide as much as any meaningful exchanges of opinion or information. The adoption of materialism and the inevitable provision of credit to  sustain it is in accordance with the infection of unfettered capitalist ideology. In a very short time this has also created the stresses social impacts equivalent in Western societies and cultures .  It should not be any surprise  that Thailand is not as it was even a couple of  decades before when it's appeal to many Westerners was still basically because it was not Western. Gone is the intrigue to the Thais of the presence of foreigners in "remote" places. Outside of tourist areas or venues catering to tourists with little regulated business principles foreigners are irrelevant to a large degree.

IMO those who retreat from Thailand back to home country are just as likely to discover social attitudes there have also changed but find comfort and security in being fully entitled citizens. Those that seek a location to rediscover a Past Thailand may or may not but good luck to them in a world that is not standing still.

One of, if not the best, post I have read on this entire TV forum platform. 

[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, Tounge Thaied said:

One of, if not the best, post I have read on this entire TV forum platform. 

Yes it is a good post isn't it?

 

Thoughtful,rational and free from intemperance.

[acenase]

The no bag thing is just an inconvenience because we are so used to getting free bags. 

 

So change is going to be a hassle until people start getting used to not getting a bag for when you buy something like we just expect them to give us something to put what we buy in. 

 

We should now start the process of change and be the ones who prepare to put the things we buy in our own bags. 

[Roy Baht]

7 hours ago, xtrnuno41 said:

Vietnam up? Huh?

 

Hello,

Here are a few recent news I would want to share with you :

Those last months, new restrictions were voted to regulate immigration, you should keep an eyes on it :

Prevent foreigners from leaving the country if they do not pay their taxes (check the article here). With this new law, many foreigners (young workers, self-employed, retired) considered as residents (if they spend more than 183 days per year in Vietnam) are eligible to taxes on their worldwide income. It was common for expats not to pay any taxes but now they may get a fine.

Long term visa allowing most expats to stay from 6 months up to 1 year in Vietnam has been stopped few months ago. Now, as a foreigner, you must stay up to 3 months with tourist or business visas. Owning a residence card (through a working contract, opening a business or if you have are parents, spouse or children of Vietnamese living permanently in Vietnam) can be a good alternative to the visa-run trick.

I am currently exploring all the possible choices to live in Vietnam and what is does imply : business creation, taxation and investment. If you are interested in these topics, let me know and I will be able to digest some of those informations with you.

Regards,

Guillaume - MoveToAsia.com

 

[Roy Baht]

https://vietnamnet.vn/en/society/police-profile-foreign-criminals-entering-vietnam-601182.html

[RocketDog]

My Thai GF and her family grumble quietly about the current regime and I wisely keep my mouth shut up tight and just plaster on the inscrutable grin I learned here. They are from Phetchabun.