Where did you meet your friends in Thailand and how did you become friends?

[OneMoreFarang]

In many forum entries many people write that they never made friends with people in bars.

Where did you meet your friends in Thailand?

 

Personally I think I met a lot of guys in bars. To be precise in a few small bars drinking a few beers after work. And with some of them I did (computer) business or I helped them with computers. And then maybe a friendship developed.

And some are friends of friends, all drinking (or used to be drinking) in the same bars.

 

I think the common denominator is that I saw these people over a long time again and again. 

I work and with that I meet regularly new people. I guess that helps.

 

How about you? Where did you meet the people who are now your friends in Thailand? And how did you become friends?

[petermik]

Anywhere and everywhere....Thai and Westerners...but I avoid ladyboys....

[ezzra]

3 minutes ago, petermik said:

but I avoid ladyboys

had a bad run with one eh?...

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

I love Lower Sukhumvit. Yes, Nana is overrated. I prefer all the other little sois, far more interesting to explore and less chaotic, providing more opportunities to find whatever little shops, bars, restaurants, and coffee shops one can. Things change more often than Google Maps can keep up with, so it's truly a treasure hunt. I've met and changed many stories with cooks, waitresses, bar girls, managers, cleaning ladies, tourists, backpackers, long term people here for work or retired, and other teachers, who either love it or hate it.

 

I forgot what soi it was, but I had been walking and walking as it narrowed down into a deserted looking place, full of run down apartments and smelly dumpsters. Better turn back. Wait a minute, is that music, and English I hear? One of those abandoned looking places actually had a functioning bar inside, where an elderly American couple were having a lively chat with the proprietress. Where you from? Kansas? What inspired you to make it way out here, then way down into this random alley? Who knows.

 

After my first few months in BKK, after I first got to Thailand, I instead found work out in Issan, where I ended up for many years. I appreciated the slower pace and more tight knit communities of the farang hangouts, where I encountered even more interesting stories from long timers, and long term travelers on some extreme pilgrimages, trying to either find something or themselves.

 

But as you've probably heard, the money out there is terrible, and the teaching little more than babysitting, so here I am back in BKK, seeing what's changed since I've been gone, and waiting for this consternable Corona extension to finally be converted to a Non-B.

[bkk6060]

Driving range and golf courses.

[Surelynot]

24 minutes ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

I love Lower Sukhumvit. Yes, Nana is overrated. I prefer all the other little sois, far more interesting to explore and less chaotic, providing more opportunities to find whatever little shops, bars, restaurants, and coffee shops one can. Things change more often than Google Maps can keep up with, so it's truly a treasure hunt. I've met and changed many stories with cooks, waitresses, bar girls, managers, cleaning ladies, tourists, backpackers, long term people here for work or retired, and other teachers, who either love it or hate it.

 

I forgot what soi it was, but I had been walking and walking as it narrowed down into a deserted looking place, full of run down apartments and smelly dumpsters. Better turn back. Wait a minute, is that music, and English I hear? One of those abandoned looking places actually had a functioning bar inside, where an elderly American couple were having a lively chat with the proprietress. Where you from? Kansas? What inspired you to make it way out here, then way down into this random alley? Who knows.

 

After my first few months in BKK, after I first got to Thailand, I instead found work out in Issan, where I ended up for many years. I appreciated the slower pace and more tight knit communities of the farang hangouts, where I encountered even more interesting stories from long timers, and long term travelers on some extreme pilgrimages, trying to either find something or themselves.

 

But as you've probably heard, the money out there is terrible, and the teaching little more than babysitting, so here I am back in BKK, seeing what's changed since I've been gone, and waiting for this consternable Corona extension to finally be converted to a Non-B.

I miss the good old days when anyone could set up a bar anywhere........under flyovers, 5th floor of a disused or partly built multi-story car park, wasteland, deserted buildings............it was magical.

 

As good as it still is...it is all a little contrived now.

Edited August 9, 2020 by Surelynot

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

had a bad run with one eh?...

Maybe he didn't run fast enough ???? 

[scammed]

consulate and pharmacy regarding thais, mostly a bar regarding falangs

[Puchaiyank]

I miss the good ole days when bars were little more than a cluster of shanties, the girls were all freelancers or married to some GI who was TDY, and most everyone was friendly and bought rounds of drinks...

[mstevens]

I made friends in Thailand with the people I worked with, and in a couple of cases, with people who lived in the same condo. I always enjoyed chatting with strangers in bars in Thailand because everyone has a story, but that would usually be the end of it and I don't remember friendships starting that way.

[spiekerjozef]

Tinder.

[BritManToo]

19 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

How about you? Where did you meet the people who are now your friends in Thailand? And how did you become friends?

Met nearly everyone of them in a bar.

Did meet a few in a petrol station coffee shop (Dave2).

 

Mostly dead now.

[steven100]

19 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

here did you meet the people who are now your friends in Thailand? And how did you become friends?

in the bar ....  I said hello 

[Henryford]

Thai Friendly

[maxisrael]

Not interested in friends especially the ones who want to borrow money.. 

[mr mr]

i don't have any friends. 

[thaibeachlovers]

Never had friends in LOS, and didn't want any.

I don't consider bargirls a friend.

 

Actually I'd have liked my wife to be my friend, but she went straight from lover to exploiter.

[bert bloggs]

in a bar ,the sort where married expats go of an afternoon for a drink and a chat , but to be honest ,my best mate is my wife ,we love each others company .

[thaibeachlovers]

14 minutes ago, maxisrael said:

Not interested in friends especially the ones who want to borrow money.. 

Of the "friends" I made in my life, most were aquaintances, though it took a long time for me to work that out.

Some friends were enemies in disguise, eg my ex partner.

 

Of all the dozens I called friend, I still have about three I consider friendly.

 

[Peter Denis]

14 minutes ago, mr mr said:

i don't have any friends. 

Look in the mirror.  Would you like to be friend with the person looking at you?

Note: Having no friends doesn't necessarily mean you are not friend-worthy.

[JeffersLos]

Gym

Thai Language school

Golfing

Friends of friends

From living near each other and bumping into each other regularly. 

[Pilotman]

Local gym and adjoining coffee shop. Not one in a bar, not one on a golf course, in a supermarket,  or in a restaurant. Met one in old BKK ( now DMK of course) many years ago when we lost his luggage and he was having a difficult conversation with airline staff. Helped him out a bit and we have been friends ever since. 

[mr mr]

8 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Would you like to be friend with the person looking at you?

no. 

[rkidlad]

I made my friends from them just living in the same area and just starting up a conversation, to my friends I've made through work or friends of friends.

 

I've got friends here who are established expats and friends here who are teachers. To be honest, I prefer going for a beer with the teachers. My expat friends are great, but they do talk about work a lot. If it's just a few of us, it's great. When there's a larger group with wives and gf's, etc, it becomes very status orientated. Nothing annoys me more than having to listen to their wives bragging about where they went shopping or had lunch on their husbands' dime. Sometimes I feel like doing a Larry David on them. 

 

 

[Airalee]

Thai Friends:  Thai Language school and the juristic manager for my first condo.
 

Foreign:  my landlord and other people in my condo

[Guderian]

I should imagine you make friends in much the same ways and places here as you did when you lived back home. People you get talking to in bars, neighbours you find that you get along with, people who share your leisure or sporting interests, people that you meet at or via your work (though I'd  guess most expats are retried so that doesn't really apply), and then people you meet via these friends that also become your friends. 

[thaibeachlovers]

39 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

Look in the mirror.  Would you like to be friend with the person looking at you?

Note: Having no friends doesn't necessarily mean you are not friend-worthy.

I've been great friends to other people, sometimes for over 30 years, during which time I always helped them when I could. Unfortunately it was, in the end, one way, and not in my direction.

 

I just lost a friend of 35 years. Since she lost her husband a few years ago I've helped her untold times, but it didn't stop her dumping me the moment she found a new boyfriend.

I'm not really into looking for new friends as the regret when I lose a friend is too severe.

 

However, I'm sure that being a man is not helpful. If I had a vagina I know I'd be a lot more popular.

[2 is 1]

Most of my friends in Thailand is my wife's some kind family member . Have friends also from my wife's work. I have join work trip whit wife and have meet people . All going to eat together and all want speak english whit me. Now we have few times in month some kind late dinner together . All bring food and drinks and we share. Had also vacation trip whit wife's work friend's. We book hole small hotel and spend weekend there, really nice weekend! Think not possible whitout covid situation even hotel owner was one of us relative!

Edited August 10, 2020 by 2 is 1

[statman78]

Met a number of friends when I came to Thailand for work.  I then was assigned to our office in Bangkok I met more friends in the office and a few bars where I could strike up a conversation while watching sports on tv.  Now that I am retired and live in Chiang Rai I’ve met a number of people both Thai and foreign in our neighborhood.  I still head to Bangkok 8-10 times a year to meet up with the people I know there.

[thaibeachlovers]

5 minutes ago, Guderian said:

I should imagine you make friends in much the same ways and places here as you did when you lived back home. People you get talking to in bars, neighbours you find that you get along with, people who share your leisure or sporting interests, people that you meet at or via your work (though I'd  guess most expats are retried so that doesn't really apply), and then people you meet via these friends that also become your friends. 

I made most of my friends about 40 years ago when I fell in with a group of about 20 people in their 20s and 30s by sheer chance. I rarely if ever made real friends at work, and never went into bars back home as I found the drinking culture unfriendly. I did make female friends at dances, but dances don't really exist any more, and I'd never go in a club, as can't stand music too loud to talk over.