On 6/14/2021 at 2:03 PM, rioD said:

Elevated prices and exchange rates have pushed away visitors and investors who realize Thailand is no longer a good deal. 

I agree, but I wish someone had convinced the investors that built all the white elephant shopping malls in Pattaya of that.

On 6/11/2021 at 7:15 AM, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Like many kids in the 80's, I discovered Japanese animation and fell in love with all things Japan. The food, culture, TV, comic books. I had my heart set on Tokyo one day. But then upon growing up, I eventually heard of Thailand's nightlife, and being a young man who hadn't the best luck with women, was drawn here instead. I ended up buying the ticket to BKK, then exploring both it and Patts.

 

I then found myself staying here long term, and wondered what happened to those childhood dreams. I took stock of my situation. Well, here I've got an Asian metropolis, beautiful Asian women, there's still Japanese food if I want it. There's still shopping, and technological wizardry. But of course it's no Tokyo. I wound up with the dirty, nitty, gritty, low rent version. Haha. The traffic's a nightmare, public transport is a mess, nastiness festers in the gutters, wild animals roam freely, and the govt is, you know.

 

On the plus side, it's a better deal compared to most places in Asia, certainly Tokyo, with a nicely equipped condo for $200 USD, hotels for like $20, cheap street food, cheap beers. And of course, you could walk into a bar and wind up with company for the evening in a manner of minutes. That's possible in Tokyo, but it'll cost a bit more. Indeed, that's what Thailand is for the most part, the cheaper alternative, and indeed cheaper for a reason, given its many issues. The pricing is the main reason for making such a compromise.

 

But the partying days are now behind me, and I've since married a wonderful Thai lady.

Good post.

On 6/14/2021 at 9:03 AM, rioD said:

Elevated prices and exchange rates have pushed away visitors and investors who realize Thailand is no longer a good deal. 

 

That was the cases before covid, and that will still be the case after covid.