Trapped in Thailand, and Loving It? Glad You Disregarded Government Warnings to Return Home Immediately? Do you now feel stranded like Robinson Crusoe?

[moontang]

8 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

For me, not trapped in Thailand, thank God! I could see the changes slowly appearing in LOS during the last six years since the coup. For nine years I was a volunteer with the Thai Tourist Police and I could see changes in policy etc. during the last 2 years, with all the bureaucratic rules and regulations being introduced, Chinese students from the local  "Issan" University were being enrolled in "job experience" positions. Us "farangs" were being asked to attend only VIP salutes ( a load of BS). For me, enough was enough and I left Thailand for a neighboring country just before the Thai lock down commenced. All you foreigners in Thailand have my sympathy because the Chinese will be dominant in time. 

Yes, unfortunately it appears that the stage has been set for a massive return of flag men and tour busses.  I was walking around chit lom Thursday afternoon and was thinking it was nothing at all special, even without the Chinese, and certainly won't get better with their return.  Still some good areas that are very Thai, which makes it manageable, but agreed been on the way down since the Coup, if not since the last financial crisis.  

[Canuck1966]

 

Thousands dead in Thailand from Chinese flu, yet most people are more than happy to gobble up the Thai lies and deception 

In the UK for example most deaths are from nursing homes which choose profit over ppe

30 thousand covid RELATED deaths in the UK, not necessarily killed by the virus

17,000 excess deaths compared with a 5 year average which seems to be the best barometer

Why doesn't Thailand produce it's death figures for 2020?

Too busy fudging the figures to appease their Chinese overlords

[connda]

16 hours ago, JohnBarleycorn said:

And so, I wonder what it might feel like for those who did not intentionally choose to remain in this land, and now might be getting a bit homesick.

Yeah, I pity those who came here and got stuck.  Suddenly faced with actually having to learn the culture and enough of the language to function in a country where, now that the mask has slipped off, officials as well as some citizens harbor racist dislike and distrust for all stranded foreigners.  A good foreigner is one who arrives, dumps their money, and quickly leaves.  But when you are suddenly stuck, you find out that the authorities consider you to be sorta like 3 day old unrefrigerated fish. Looks great until it starts to smell and then it needs to be quickly tossed out - but they can't toss you out.  Now you're forced to just subsist until you own country opens up, flights resume, and your can leave.  Until then - Well farang! Don't even think of having fun.  The governors of all the popular tourist locations have dictated that Fun is a prosecutable offence now.  Best to just shelter in your room sight unseen.  Otherwise you scare all the locals because top level health authorities have insinuated that you, "da*m farangs". are probably dirty Covid-19 carriers as well as wearing dirty clothes and never taking showers.  And when the planes start flying again, get on one asap and don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out. 
So yeah, if you don't have a support network in the Thai community or even the expat community - this has got to suck big time.  You've just found out first hand what actually lies behind the "Thai Smile" and "Amazing Thailand" and it isn't compassion for non-Thais.  You are an outsider.  You don't belong.  And now you know!  
So I'm curious.  Now that you've seen just how much love Thai authorities have for you when the chips are down - after you find out that 'foreigner' is synonymous with 'security risk' and both are "bad" in the Thai officialdom - when are you planning your next trip back in order to reward Thailand with your patronage and tourist dollars???  Surely you'll want to come back for another dose of Thai-love when your bank account is full again - mai?

[DJ54]

I’m retired up in NE as far as leaving because of virus why? To some place that’s so so.. leave it at that.. I like it hear so no real complaints 

[Cryingdick]

18 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Your name suits you well. Former Gov. Mario Cuomo died  January 1, 2015.

You make a blanket claim, and I can assure you that the deceased former governor is still held in high regard. His  son, Governor Andrew Governor is one of the most respected  state governors now and is seen as a future president of the USA. He is an honest, decent, caring and responsible man. I try to watch his press conferences. Where Trump is all about himself and  politicizes things, Cuomo has been  apolitical, and  self sacrificing  ensuring that others receive the credit.  Cuomo is a great leader and restores one's faith in the morally bankrupt USA.

 

 

Okay two can play at this. When you are going to be pedantic at least do yourself the favor of actually being correct yourself. "His  son, Governor Andrew Governor" His name is not Andrew Governor, it is Andrew Cuomo.

[Cryingdick]

10 hours ago, khunjeff said:

 

So, are foreigners mostly glad to be here rather than in their own countries during this pandemic? Yes, I think most are. But are they marooned here? Mostly no.

Wouldn't that also mean that those that remain were already happier and those that aren't have left? For example I left albeit well before this and am glad I did. So I don't think you can conclusively say that one is more than the other. I assume most will be happier with the decision they made whether to stay or go and that led to that decision. 

 

I wanted. to leave and happy I did

 

I wanted to stay and am happy I did.  

 

6 of one half a dozen of the other.

[elgenon]

On 5/8/2020 at 4:33 PM, Retarded said:

Being far from Mario Cuomo itself would make anyone feel exuberated. 

I like that word. Is it a cross between exuberant and elated?

[Caldera]

I'm still happy with my decision to stay in Thailand. I am not stranded here, however: I was offered a repatriation flight in early April and there are still commercial flights back home to this day. I simply preferred to stay in Thailand.

 

[Max69xl]

On 5/9/2020 at 5:52 AM, JohnBarleycorn said:

Speaking of the wizard of OZ....

Yes, wherever you go, there you are.

 

What do you mean by stranded tourists? If someone came to Thailand on a 60 days tourist visa or a 30 days visa exempt and were supposed to go straight back home after the vacation, they are most certainly stranded, especially if they work back home or study. How many of those have money to stay in a hotel maybe 2 months longer than they were supposed to. Those with a work back home,might not have a work when they eventually get back home. Answering your question about them being happy to get stranded in a foreign country with no money, I would say NO. The rest of the people are most likely visa runners/border hoppers and they will probably continue doing that after July 31. 

[nightbird]

15 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

When a person spends their life believing what they read on the internet, they don't have much of a life. Seriously.

 

 It's hard to imagine being back in the US? How do you know? Because you read it? 330,000,000 people live in the USA.

 

READ THIS: In 2019, there will be an estimated 1,762,450 new cancer cases diagnosed and 606,880 cancer deaths in the United States

 

How come you never panicked with all those deaths? How come the USA never fails each year? Those are facts, not you trying to predict the future.

 

Don't think the US is coming back from this? Really? Based on what facts? Something you read on the internet? Your life abroad revolves reading on the internet. You are not in the US therefore you have at best second hand information that cannot be validated. Yet you panic?

 

Here is a fact. In Florida where I live, this whole pandemic has not bothered me one bit. Went to the store 30+ times as usual, drove around town, the beaches, you name it. Now the restaurants are all re-opened for sit-down service, all services to re-open on Monday.

 

Never wore a mask at all. Never had difficulty finding groceries. Gas prices the lowest in years. Get to work from home which is a total luxury.

 

Did I read something on the internet and panic? Did I panic when 606,880 people died from cancer? Of course not.

 

People die in huge numbers from all sorts of things year in and year in.

 

If you buy into the panic due to everything you read on the "For Profit News", well, not the life I want to have for sure

 

The US is not going to collapse economically. 

 

You might however, like to read up on the Thailand Financial Crisis of 1997.

Do you mean that I should have no opinion or observation whatsoever about life in the U.S.? It sounds like that. I lived most of my life in the U.S. and have a great deal of actual experience to form some views. You may not agree with them,  but that's fine, too. 

 

I wonder if you have ever lived here? or anywhere outside of the U.S.? I left the U.S. when the pandemic wasn't even a thought, many years ago. The U.S. has suffered greatly in the eyes of the rest of the world. This is based on conversations with friends and acquaintances from all over the world. It is not an original assumption on my part. I have never panicked personally, but here from many who live in the U.S. who are in a kind of panic. If you are part of the 1%, you probably have little to worry about. If you don't think there is a financial crisis in the U.S., you are very short sighted. 

[unblocktheplanet]

This has been home for 30 years. At age 70, why would I run away from home?

 

Thai medical care, should one be unfortunae enough to need it, is just as knowledgeable (good docs & bad) as the West. Nursing is far more caring here and more respectful of elders.

 

Glad I stayed. My only worry is never being able to see children & grandkids again and have them forget me.

[BritManToo]

15 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Did I read something on the internet and panic? Did I panic when 606,880 people died from cancer? Of course not.

Agreed,

I know loads of people who've died from cancer, slipping in the shower and RTA.

Don't know anyone who died from COVID, or know anyone that knows anyone who died from COVID.

ZERO deaths from any of the people in the forums I frequent either.

 

You'd think there would be one?

[nightbird]

14 hours ago, connda said:

Yeah, I pity those who came here and got stuck.  Suddenly faced with actually having to learn the culture and enough of the language to function in a country where, now that the mask has slipped off, officials as well as some citizens harbor racist dislike and distrust for all stranded foreigners.  A good foreigner is one who arrives, dumps their money, and quickly leaves.  But when you are suddenly stuck, you find out that the authorities consider you to be sorta like 3 day old unrefrigerated fish. Looks great until it starts to smell and then it needs to be quickly tossed out - but they can't toss you out.  Now you're forced to just subsist until you own country opens up, flights resume, and your can leave.  Until then - Well farang! Don't even think of having fun.  The governors of all the popular tourist locations have dictated that Fun is a prosecutable offence now.  Best to just shelter in your room sight unseen.  Otherwise you scare all the locals because top level health authorities have insinuated that you, "da*m farangs". are probably dirty Covid-19 carriers as well as wearing dirty clothes and never taking showers.  And when the planes start flying again, get on one asap and don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out. 
So yeah, if you don't have a support network in the Thai community or even the expat community - this has got to suck big time.  You've just found out first hand what actually lies behind the "Thai Smile" and "Amazing Thailand" and it isn't compassion for non-Thais.  You are an outsider.  You don't belong.  And now you know!  
So I'm curious.  Now that you've seen just how much love Thai authorities have for you when the chips are down - after you find out that 'foreigner' is synonymous with 'security risk' and both are "bad" in the Thai officialdom - when are you planning your next trip back in order to reward Thailand with your patronage and tourist dollars???  Surely you'll want to come back for another dose of Thai-love when your bank account is full again - mai?

Very bitter. Why do you still live here if that is the way you feel? No country is perfect. Problems everywhere. This is the human condition, but some places are definitely easier to be in. I think Thailand is one of them. I don't walk around thinking of myself as a white man, a foreigner. I don't read most of the stupid articles and comments that appear in Thaivisa or believe what jaded expats say about anything. I also don't like the emphasis on tourism that Thailand has, but what am I supposed to do about? I just don't bother with it or any of the political rhetoric that so many people want to indulge in. It's a form of pollution. Why twist every circumstance into a negative rant?

[pookondee]

I notice most replies here are from posters who are actually stuck, so it makes sense to remain positive about your surroundings and the decision to stay, since you can hardly do anything about it now.

 

I am of the camp that bailed out when i could.

I just didnt trust the current Thai government to competently handle the crisis.

And you are never sure how you will get treated as a farang in a crisis.

(We are 2nd class citizens and just walking ATMs at the best of times)

 

So on one hand, i commend those who stayed.

It took big nads to stay put there and take that risk.

 If things had of turned REAL bad, it could have became a completely different, dire situations for foreigners there.

 

So, on the other hand, if it had all turned to sหit, your country would now be saying:

 

"well, dont come a cryin now, we told you to come back when you could...."

 

And you could have been stuck in a terrible situation where you were at the mercy of uncle Tu..

(who pretty much has no mercy for dirty devil farangs).

 

How secure do you feel in a country where a health minister blames "dirty unwashed farangs" for spreading the virus..

and even normal Thais reccomend others to go out and fire sling shots at farangs with no masks, f.f.s. lol

 

Anyway, I sincerely hope things pan out ok, but y'all are not at home base yet if a 2nd wave hits.

It looks like pure dumb luck has been good to Thailand so far.

 

Im sure the folks who went home are not regretting it. Some nationalities are getting ongoing welfare/stimulus/ free money to watch it all on the sidelines in a country where we get free health care and actually treated like actual citizens.

 

 

 

 

[khunjeff]

11 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

Wouldn't that also mean that those that remain were already happier and those that aren't have left? For example I left albeit well before this and am glad I did. So I don't think you can conclusively say that one is more than the other. I assume most will be happier with the decision they made whether to stay or go and that led to that decision. 

 

I wanted. to leave and happy I did

 

I wanted to stay and am happy I did.  

 

6 of one half a dozen of the other.

Quite right. I was trying to say that people who chose to remain here are mostly glad that they did so, but you phrased it better than I did.

[JohnBarleycorn]

5 hours ago, pookondee said:

I notice most replies here are from posters who are actually stuck, so it makes sense to remain positive about your surroundings and the decision to stay, since you can hardly do anything about it now.

 

I am of the camp that bailed out when i could.

I just didnt trust the current Thai government to competently handle the crisis.

And you are never sure how you will get treated as a farang in a crisis.

(We are 2nd class citizens and just walking ATMs at the best of times)

 

So on one hand, i commend those who stayed.

It took big nads to stay put there and take that risk.

 If things had of turned REAL bad, it could have became a completely different, dire situations for foreigners there.

 

So, on the other hand, if it had all turned to sหit, your country would now be saying:

 

"well, dont come a cryin now, we told you to come back when you could...."

 

And you could have been stuck in a terrible situation where you were at the mercy of uncle Tu..

(who pretty much has no mercy for dirty devil farangs).

 

How secure do you feel in a country where a health minister blames "dirty unwashed farangs" for spreading the virus..

and even normal Thais reccomend others to go out and fire sling shots at farangs with no masks, f.f.s. lol

 

Anyway, I sincerely hope things pan out ok, but y'all are not at home base yet if a 2nd wave hits.

It looks like pure dumb luck has been good to Thailand so far.

 

Im sure the folks who went home are not regretting it. Some nationalities are getting ongoing welfare/stimulus/ free money to watch it all on the sidelines in a country where we get free health care and actually treated like actual citizens.

 

 

 

 

Big Nads?

Yes, I AGREE! That's me, and sometimes I find my nads get in the way while walking.

BUT, I am NOT a walking ATM.

After several years in Thailand, more than 7, not once has anyone asked me for money.

Quite the opposite, actually: Sometimes I make small gifts to my students if they don't have headphones or important learning items (expensive dictionary apps), things like that. They are invariably hesitant to accept, and they often refuse, and do without instead.

 

And so, this stereotype you mention in your comment is completely contrary to my experience of the culture in Thailand.

I think you got this wrong....so solly to say...

[bwpage3]

6 hours ago, nightbird said:

Do you mean that I should have no opinion or observation whatsoever about life in the U.S.? It sounds like that. I lived most of my life in the U.S. and have a great deal of actual experience to form some views. You may not agree with them,  but that's fine, too. 

 

I wonder if you have ever lived here? or anywhere outside of the U.S.? I left the U.S. when the pandemic wasn't even a thought, many years ago. The U.S. has suffered greatly in the eyes of the rest of the world. This is based on conversations with friends and acquaintances from all over the world. It is not an original assumption on my part. I have never panicked personally, but here from many who live in the U.S. who are in a kind of panic. If you are part of the 1%, you probably have little to worry about. If you don't think there is a financial crisis in the U.S., you are very short sighted. 

Lived in Thailand 10+ years, Japan 2 years, China 2 years and South Korea for a year.

 

The US is not suffering, people die and as YOU fail to address, 10 times more die from cancer.

 

If you hear from people who are in kind of panic? What exactly does kind of a panic mean exactly? Are these your friends who are career Walmart or fast food workers?

 

The company I work for just reported a US $6 billion dollar Q1 profit even with the pandemic. Does that sound like a financial crisis?

 

Any run on the banks? Nope

 

Any shortage on cash? Nope

 

Any shortage or food or services? Nope

 

Let me tell you how the US is suffering today?

 

Businesses are all open.

Alcohol is freely available

Food is plenty

Gas prices the lowest in years

Working from home which is a total luxury

 

Here is a view from a restaurant my wife and I just just had lunch at.

No suffering what so ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[joecoolfrog]

On 5/9/2020 at 8:31 AM, Pilotman said:

Goodness no, OP.  I feel much more liberated here in Thailand than I would be in the UK, which sounds like a nightmare.  the UK Police have gone all Gestapo and make the BiB look measured and sensible, which as we all know,  takes a bit of doing. No way do I want to go back; ever.  

Ignorant hyperbole !

[Pilotman]

3 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

Ignorant hyperbole !

I'm sure that you know what you mean by that. but I have no idea.  Please don't bother to explain. 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

many confused foreigners who live in thailand fail to understand that without the U.S.

without the west - than there is no thailand. at least not in the good confortable way

you like it.

thailand's economy, same as china's and other asian countries, are export based, mainly

to the U.S. and other western countries.

no export = no money = no thai smile = no more anything you like in thailand.

 

[lee b]

I am happy to be here but my visa date has already gone, and the head immigration office has told me no problem I am ok until july 31 . But I am still worrying like s$#@ I cant just see me getting stamped oût of Thailand when I go with no questions asked or fine etc, maybe ive been here to long, and I dont trust the system.

 

I will feel like this and will not be relaxed until I am in the air. If I was still in Vietnam where I have lived for a few years, I would never feel this way. 

[Sujo]

Malaysia extended to 9 june. That will be 11 weeks of only allowed out of the house to buy groceries. I think they gave us 1 day notice before cancelling all flights out at the start.

 

Still, I would rather be ‘marooned’ here in kl than in oz even though its a lot more open there.

 

Given the choice of hindsight, im still staying where i am.

[teatime101]

On 5/9/2020 at 3:10 PM, BritManToo said:

Yes, the ability of hot wild spinner alcoholic bar girls to 'transform' into frumpy overweight born again tea-total Buddhist virgins is quite amazing.

You should hear what they say about you.

[teatime101]

2 hours ago, JohnBarleycorn said:

And so, this stereotype you mention in your comment is completely contrary to my experience of the culture in Thailand.

Hear, hear. 

[teatime101]

37 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

many confused foreigners who live in thailand fail to understand that without the U.S.

without the west - than there is no thailand. at least not in the good confortable way

you like it.

You're the one that's 'confused'.

 

The latest available country-specific data shows that 68.6% of products exported from Thailand were bought by importers in: United States (12.8% of the global total), China (11.8%), Japan (10%), Vietnam (4.9%), Hong Kong (4.8%), Malaysia (4.2%), Australia (4.1%), Indonesia (3.7%), Singapore (3.6%), India (3%), Cambodia (2.9%) and Philippines (2.8%).

From a continental perspective, approaching two-thirds (63.2%) of Thai exports by value in 2019 were delivered to fellow Asian countries while 14.6% were sold to importers in North America. Thailand shipped another 12.4% worth to Europe and 5% to Oceania led by Australia and New Zealand. Smaller percentages arrived in Africa (2.8%) and Latin America (1.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

 

http://www.worldstopexports.com/thailands-top-10-exports/

[NanLaew]

On 5/9/2020 at 5:26 AM, JohnBarleycorn said:

... It has now been over 30 days that I have been self-isolated in my room.  As a result, I am presently able to discriminate one myna bird from the next, and I recall that Darwin exercised these same powers of observation when he disembarked the Beagle, and began communing with finches on Galapagos. ...

Note to those readers wondering what cabin fever looks like.

 

This.

[NanLaew]

34 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Malaysia extended to 9 june. That will be 11 weeks of only allowed out of the house to buy groceries. I think they gave us 1 day notice before cancelling all flights out at the start.

 

Still, I would rather be ‘marooned’ here in kl than in oz even though its a lot more open there.

 

Given the choice of hindsight, im still staying where i am.

Mate of mine has a very impressive 4-bedroom family duplex condo in KL with a couple of balconies. Just him, his wife and a dog for the past 11 weeks.

 

I started talking to him about my DIY plans to rework our Isaan back yard and make myself a nice, new, air conditioned man cave above a workshop and car port overlooking the pool. Then he unfriended me.

[moontang]

8 minutes ago, teatime101 said:

You're the one that's 'confused'.

 

The latest available country-specific data shows that 68.6% of products exported from Thailand were bought by importers in: United States (12.8% of the global total), China (11.8%), Japan (10%), Vietnam (4.9%), Hong Kong (4.8%), Malaysia (4.2%), Australia (4.1%), Indonesia (3.7%), Singapore (3.6%), India (3%), Cambodia (2.9%) and Philippines (2.8%).

From a continental perspective, approaching two-thirds (63.2%) of Thai exports by value in 2019 were delivered to fellow Asian countries while 14.6% were sold to importers in North America. Thailand shipped another 12.4% worth to Europe and 5% to Oceania led by Australia and New Zealand. Smaller percentages arrived in Africa (2.8%) and Latin America (1.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

 

http://www.worldstopexports.com/thailands-top-10-exports/

Fair points, but I would look at imports and balance, too.  If the US economy gets crushed, the emerging markets will not escape the carnage, but during the 97-98 crisis in SEA, the large economies didn't sneeze.  There are positives and negatives in the Thai economy..low national debt, but sky high household debt.

[teatime101]

6 minutes ago, moontang said:

If the US economy gets crushed, the emerging markets will not escape the carnage,

The post was a cheap (and obviously ignorant) sneer at Thailand (and 'confused foreigners'). That's why I replied.

Edited May 10, 2020 by teatime101

[nightbird]

3 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Lived in Thailand 10+ years, Japan 2 years, China 2 years and South Korea for a year.

 

The US is not suffering, people die and as YOU fail to address, 10 times more die from cancer.

 

If you hear from people who are in kind of panic? What exactly does kind of a panic mean exactly? Are these your friends who are career Walmart or fast food workers?

 

The company I work for just reported a US $6 billion dollar Q1 profit even with the pandemic. Does that sound like a financial crisis?

 

Any run on the banks? Nope

 

Any shortage on cash? Nope

 

Any shortage or food or services? Nope

 

Let me tell you how the US is suffering today?

 

Businesses are all open.

Alcohol is freely available

Food is plenty

Gas prices the lowest in years

Working from home which is a total luxury

 

Here is a view from a restaurant my wife and I just just had lunch at.

No suffering what so ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOL