Anyone else tired of the nonsense, and contemplating leaving Thailand?

[meechai]

53 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

why are 97% of the new cases in the US from people who have not been vaccinated? Is that some sort of fluke?

CDC study shows 74% of people infected in Massachusetts Covid outbreak were fully vaccinated

 

Study: Vaccinated people can carry as much virus as others

 

Vaccinated people make up 75% of recent COVID-19 cases in Singapore, but few fall ill

 

I don't think so....Seems the Delta variant is jumping in the areas with some of the highest vac rates

Good news is less death so maybe the vac then again maybe folks survive better & those that were weakest already have been removed.

Hard to say but one thing I said from the beginning is even if the Vac was salt water it would look good because Initial Covid swept thru like a forest fire burning/killing all the old dry leaves first. Death rates were always likely to fall once folks realized what was happening & took precautions etc

 

Don't get me wrong I am not anti-vac but this Virus will go down in history as the first real Social Media hyped & driven viral virus ;)

[Caspersfriend]

1 hour ago, Whale said:

I am off, decided some time ago. It used to be lovely and quaint as well as nicely Wild West but as I am now older I just see it all has become a bit of a shhhiiittt hole. I would have gone sooner just trying to liquidate assets right now is not so easy. I will come back for 2/3 months a year over xmas but have decided being based elsewhere would be more interesting and suitable for my current wishes/needs from life. 

The government does not bother me, they are all cccrrraaappp all over. Kids are grown and gone their own path, wife divorced me a long time ago, time for an adventure with my Zimmer frame. 

Liquidating assets is one major reason why many hunker down, and hopefully ride out the storm. Wishing you good luck.,

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, siftasam said:

I love Spanish culture. So much traditionally beautiful with the pre-1500 mixture of races (Christian, Moors and Jews). Fabulous architecture e.g. Seville and Granada. Andalucia is the best region for that, I think.

 

I am a great music and art fan. I like some Thai pop even (although it's more and more 'Americanized' and dominated by Korea). Thai classical orchestras and ensembles are still way below European standards but improving. I'm a great jazz fan and remember  when, because of the late king's wonderful example, jazz was broadcast on TV with awards for promising young jazz players. Now? What do we have on Thai TV? Thais love their dramas etc. - good luck to them - but we know what we think. Added to that, good movie channels have disappeared. British and American <deleted> instead.

 

It's impossible to escapre <deleted> wherever you go, of course. BUT think Spanish classical guitar, Spanish gypsy jazz a la Django, excellent music and movie festivals, Velazquez, Goya, Don Quixote, Picasso, Miro...oh, so much more!

Spanish culture is exciting and vibrant and youthful. It has been for 100 years. Think Barcelona, the Gaudi architecture, the fabulous contrast between the Gothic cathedral and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

 

I hope I can get there on holiday again, while carrying on living here in Thailand.

 

I do worry about the economy here. I think British banks often acted disgracefully, or indeed criminally, under Blair and Brown. My dealings with SCB and BKK here have been generally much better. Online SCB works extremely well BUT I will not close my account with the Halifax and move the money to Thailand. I fear the worst and despite similar compensation 'promises' as defaulting British banks supposedly have, I wonder how secure Thai banks really are in these pandemic days. At least Neil Woodford doesn't live or 'operate' here!

 

A great way to stay up to date with Spain for Brits is to have a free subscription to eyeonspain.com  - weekly newsletter, illustrated, fun, legal and property advice.

Enjoy!

Great info. I share your passion for the culture, the music and the arts, which is sorely lacking here, from my point of view. And miss that. And I remember many of the positive and uplifting influences of the past here, which are sorely missed now. 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, JomtienRay said:

I'm staying..

lived and had my own business in Thailand for many years. 

Thai wife, 5 kids..

I'm retired and divorced now.. family all live in Aus.

I moved us all to Aus about 13 years ago for the kids education, which in hindsight, was the only positive in the move.. 

The 10 years there were for me, the most stressful time of my life.. my wife turned into a narcissistic psychopath, believing and following advice from all the new Thai ladies she formed a group with, who were mostly old jealous bar girls who all wanted to be the "P"..

I'm 74 and underwent 10 years of medical trauma in Aus.. chronic heart failure, 9 operations to remove malignant cancer tumours, Chem X 5 times, radiotherapy X 3 times, chronic kidney failure.. the list goes on..

During this time, my wife firmed an opinion, based on the expert advice of he Thai friends, that she should not assist me in anyway, and wait for my certain death.. inherit everything and have a good time.. I was hospitalised 6 times with serious illnesses, and she chose not to visit me once..

Well.. thru perseverance, excercise, diet and medical assistance, I survived, much to her chagrin..

Retired now in Thailand last 3 years..

Spend about 6 months in Esarn in the farm, and 6 months in my condo on Jomtien beach.

Thru my 30 odd years living in Thailand, I've seen many government's come and go.. many changes in immigration etc, 3 coups.. 

AND.. at the end of the day, nothing much has changed for me here, over that time.

Have a new gf who causes me no stress and takes care of me very well.. a few great expat friends, and many Thai friends and ex colleagues..

And a GREAT life style..

Thank you Thailand..

I believe this govt WILL change within the foreseeable future, and life will continue and improve, after covid..

No greener pastures for me mate.. ????????????????????????????????

 

Great post. And kudos to you for surviving both your illnesses, and the wicked ex-wife. She sounds like the Nightmare from Elm Street. Eating Taco Bell is like sleeping with your ex. I feel horrible afterwards, and I am always drunk when I do it. 

 

Perhaps we can invent some new terminology for someone in your position. Instead of divorced, maybe:

survivor of a terrorist ex

survivor of a heartless fool

survivor of a cruel beast, pretending to be a woman

or horrific spouse survivor?

 

We do hear the stories about Thai woman being indoctrinated by women overseas. Guess it just depends on what they were made of, to begin with. 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2021 by spidermike007

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO life has got steadily worse for the common man in this century, though it's been a gradual process so many may not have noticed.

You're kidding, yes?   You think life in 1920s and 30s was better than it is now?   Jesus....   

 

You are right, though, when you say that some may not have noticed the differences.  You're one who seems so (willfully) blind that you refuse to acknowledge that life in general is much better now, for everyone, than it was 100 years ago.     

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, meechai said:

CDC study shows 74% of people infected in Massachusetts Covid outbreak were fully vaccinated

 

Study: Vaccinated people can carry as much virus as others

 

Vaccinated people make up 75% of recent COVID-19 cases in Singapore, but few fall ill

 

I don't think so....Seems the Delta variant is jumping in the areas with some of the highest vac rates

Good news is less death so maybe the vac then again maybe folks survive better & those that were weakest already have been removed.

Hard to say but one thing I said from the beginning is even if the Vac was salt water it would look good because Initial Covid swept thru like a forest fire burning/killing all the old dry leaves first. Death rates were always likely to fall once folks realized what was happening & took precautions etc

 

Don't get me wrong I am not anti-vac but this Virus will go down in history as the first real Social Media hyped & driven viral virus ????

Thank you. It is being given far more attention that it deserves, and the levels of panic and fear are off the charts. Perhaps that is what some want. 

 

Everything points towards the top vaccines either helping to prevent transmission of the virus, or minimizing the symptoms if it is transmitted. That is all I need to hear. Getting my first dose of Pfizer here next week.  

[Inala]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

There is no evidence that Covid is more transmissible than the Spanish flu was. None. If anything it is to the contrary. And the Spanish Flu was infinitely more deadly. Of course, the medical facilities available then were not as good, but as we have seen, hospitals seem to have been only partially effective, when treating Covid, and respirators are of questionable value.

 

On September 29, the global COVID-19 death toll topped 1 million people, and as of November 17, the figure is 1,332,470 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. As of today, it is up to 4,249,322 deaths. We don't have an accurate death count for Spanish flu, but estimates range from 17 to 50 million people across the world, and there were possibly even more. The CDC says an estimated one-third of the world's population was infected with the virus, resulting in at least 50 million deaths.

 

And the world population was only 1.8 billion at the time. 

 

https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/how-are-spanish-flu-and-covid-19-alike

 

Another huge difference was the apparent ability of the Spanish flu to take out younger, healthier people. It appears to have been far more deadly.

 

While the 1918 influenza killed a disproportionate number of 25–40 year olds, COVID-19 mostly affects those over the age of 65, especially those also with comorbidities. Those aged 25–40 year olds accounted for 40% of deaths from the 1918 influenza, whereas those in the 18–44-year-old range account for only 3.9% of deaths from COVID-19.

 

https://pmj.bmj.com/content/97/1147/273

 

Yeah, yeah, studied and well aware of all that. A couple of points though, the first of most significance is that the 1918 pandemic was a flu, not a coronavirus. It was spread at a much greater rate than today since most of the world was at war.  

 

And yes, it killed more. The predominant & most obvious reason for this is that health facilities back then were not as advanced as what they are now. They were primitive.

 

And also, a common side effect of flu is bacterial infection and since antibiotics were not available back then, many people died of such bacterial infection that would not die from the same today.

 

Other than that, what was the point of your post?

 

I'm not really arguing either way the characteristics of flus/coronaviruses, I simply responded to the previous poster to state that this pandemic, like all others, will come to an end as demonstrated by history. 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Inala
typo

[jerrymahoney]

BTW Django Reinhardt was born in Belgium and spent most of his life in France.

[sletraveler]

A timely post as I sit at Tokyo airport on my way to the states.    Not pulling the plug. Yet but gonna spend a couple months in US and then Mexico.   Next year I’ll either come back to pull the plug or stay on.   If it’s still the same mess I hope to have found greener pastures by then.  

[Jeffr2]

1 hour ago, meechai said:

CDC study shows 74% of people infected in Massachusetts Covid outbreak were fully vaccinated

 

Study: Vaccinated people can carry as much virus as others

 

Vaccinated people make up 75% of recent COVID-19 cases in Singapore, but few fall ill

 

I don't think so....Seems the Delta variant is jumping in the areas with some of the highest vac rates

Good news is less death so maybe the vac then again maybe folks survive better & those that were weakest already have been removed.

Hard to say but one thing I said from the beginning is even if the Vac was salt water it would look good because Initial Covid swept thru like a forest fire burning/killing all the old dry leaves first. Death rates were always likely to fall once folks realized what was happening & took precautions etc

 

Don't get me wrong I am not anti-vac but this Virus will go down in history as the first real Social Media hyped & driven viral virus ????

If social media and it's associated plague of misinformation was around when we were trying to eradicate polio, it'd still be around today.

[BritManToo]

Just now, Jeffr2 said:

If social media and it's associated plague of misinformation was around when we were trying to eradicate polio, it'd still be around today.

Only if you were still drinking water contaminated by human feces!

[BritManToo]

14 minutes ago, Inala said:

Yeah, yeah, studied and well aware of all that. A couple of points though, the first of most significance is that the 1918 pandemic was a flu, not a coronavirus. It was spread at a much greater rate than today since most of the world was at war.  

Because it was during a war, people were hungry, water was dirty.

Making the population weak and easy to kill.

Same in every war. 

[jerrymahoney]

On 8/1/2021 at 11:48 AM, spidermike007 said:

Sorry to inform you, but the nature of a discerning mind, is to have issues.

And I have learned that while it is great to have a discerning mind, some times it is necessary to be able to put one's discerning mind in neutral gear ... and just go with the flow.

[KhaoNiaw]

39 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You're kidding, yes?   You think life in 1920s and 30s was better than it is now?   Jesus....   

 

You are right, though, when you say that some may not have noticed the differences.  You're one who seems so (willfully) blind that you refuse to acknowledge that life in general is much better now, for everyone, than it was 100 years ago.     

He said in this century. Definitely a good case to be made for this 21st century, especially if you're looking at western countries. When I left the UK, pretty much every working person was covered by ( and paying) national insurance. There was no such thing as zero-hours contracts or companies trying to say people working for them are not employees. Buying a home or even renting was much more affordable for more people. Fewer people needed to rely on foodbanks and I doubt anyone with a job did. And he's right, many people living there and with changes gradually going on around them, haven't really noticed. 

Edited August 3, 2021 by KhaoNiaw

[FunkyDunky58]

Take a look at Vietnam. Cheaper on most fronts, and they are making a lot more effort to welcome retirees than here.

 

[Liverpool Lou]

2 minutes ago, KhaoNiaw said:

42 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You're kidding, yes?   You think life in 1920s and 30s was better than it is now?   Jesus....   

 

You are right, though, when you say that some may not have noticed the differences.  You're one who seems so (willfully) blind that you refuse to acknowledge that life in general is much better now, for everyone, than it was 100 years ago.     

Expand  

He said in this century.

Indeed, he did but "this century" does go back a hundred years, by definition, just as every century does, just depends when it's measured from, I suppose.   Even if your interpretation of his comment is the correct one, my response to him would still be the same...Jesus...

[BobinBKK]

Interesting topic indeed... For the past several months my Thai GF (she's from Buri Ram Province) has been reading and learning about how foreigners are treated here during this pandemic. She looked at me one day and out of the clear blue she said "now I understand why people from your country (America) hate Asian people". She also gets a lot of dirty looks from other Thai people (men and women) when we are out together.

[Tanomazu]

2 hours ago, siftasam said:

I love Spanish culture. So much traditionally beautiful with the pre-1500 mixture of races (Christian, Moors and Jews). Fabulous architecture e.g. Seville and Granada. Andalucia is the best region for that, I think.

As someone who has lived in Spain for 7 years, yes Spain has beautiful culture, but unfortunately it is being eroded by the same problems that face most of Europe now: Mass immigration has led to an influx of Romanian and other East European, as well as Black Africa and North Africa immigrants. Seville is swamped with Senegalese. Add to that the economic malaise that has afflicted that part of the world, 20% unemployment, water supply issues, and serious crime, I would have to say Spain would be rather low on my list of potential places to settle down.

 

As nice as Spaniards are, they are simply not as friendly as Thai people. And the living costs, rent, cost of massage, food, would of course be a little higher than Thailand. The winters are not pleasant either. Cold and Damp.

 

I can well believe Mrs Spider is keen on living Thailand. That is a common theme with SE Asian girls, they all want to leave. It's the grass is always greener syndrome. Like we want to leave our countries.

 

I would still hope that Covid is eventually placed in the background and life goes on, and Thailand can go back to being the beautiful place it can be.

[MayBeNow]

On 8/1/2021 at 6:06 AM, spidermike007 said:

One of my persistent disappointments with Thailand, has been the lack of local Thai male friends. I speak a bit, but am nowhere near fluent, so that is an issue. But, even the Thai guys who speak English seem to have very little interest, curiosity, or motivation to get to know foreigners. Image means less than zero to me, on any level. . 

 

 

I think there are very few foreigners that have a Thai male friend, a buddy, a mate. The only time i came close to having male buddies i had in Myanmar. People seem more open minded there in my opinion, can be the legacy of colonialism.

 

In my own country we are inundated with foreigners, i dont care at all about them, the males i mostly loath, i just dont want to interact with 98%. I know i aint political correct but it is what it is. 

It might be Thai guys feel the same about us... i guess so... 

Basically we come here and bang their sisters, not so nice for them now is it?

Edited August 3, 2021 by MayBeNow

[Inala]

2 hours ago, JomtienRay said:

I'm staying..

lived and had my own business in Thailand for many years. 

Thai wife, 5 kids..

I'm retired and divorced now.. family all live in Aus.

I moved us all to Aus about 13 years ago for the kids education, which in hindsight, was the only positive in the move.. 

The 10 years there were for me, the most stressful time of my life.. my wife turned into a narcissistic psychopath, believing and following advice from all the new Thai ladies she formed a group with, who were mostly old jealous bar girls who all wanted to be the "P"..

I'm 74 and underwent 10 years of medical trauma in Aus.. chronic heart failure, 9 operations to remove malignant cancer tumours, Chem X 5 times, radiotherapy X 3 times, chronic kidney failure.. the list goes on..

During this time, my wife firmed an opinion, based on the expert advice of he Thai friends, that she should not assist me in anyway, and wait for my certain death.. inherit everything and have a good time.. I was hospitalised 6 times with serious illnesses, and she chose not to visit me once..

Well.. thru perseverance, excercise, diet and medical assistance, I survived, much to her chagrin..

Retired now in Thailand last 3 years..

Spend about 6 months in Esarn in the farm, and 6 months in my condo on Jomtien beach.

Thru my 30 odd years living in Thailand, I've seen many government's come and go.. many changes in immigration etc, 3 coups.. 

AND.. at the end of the day, nothing much has changed for me here, over that time.

Have a new gf who causes me no stress and takes care of me very well.. a few great expat friends, and many Thai friends and ex colleagues..

And a GREAT life style..

Thank you Thailand..

I believe this govt WILL change within the foreseeable future, and life will continue and improve, after covid..

No greener pastures for me mate.. ????????????????????????????????

 

Wow, what a story that is!! I bet it would be great to sit down and have a chin wag over a beer about all you've been through.

 

You're a survivor if ever there was one, my hat goes off to you mate!

 

BTW, how long after you arrived in Aus did the narcissistic psychopath tendencies start to show?  ????????

[spidermike007]

12 minutes ago, BobinBKK said:

Interesting topic indeed... For the past several months my Thai GF (she's from Buri Ram Province) has been reading and learning about how foreigners are treated here during this pandemic. She looked at me one day and out of the clear blue she said "now I understand why people from your country (America) hate Asian people". She also gets a lot of dirty looks from other Thai people (men and women) when we are out together.

Interesting. My Thai wife is very attractive and considerably younger than I am. She has never once mentioned those "dirty looks from Thais", that you refer to. If anything, indifference or ambivalence, which is perfectly fine by me. 

 

However, when we were living on Samui, and when we travel back to the US, or when we were traveling together in Vietnam, we got looks. The Vietnamese were hostile towards an Asian woman being with a Western man. The foreign women highly disapprove of me being with a lovely, younger woman, and I love every minute of that. It is as if not jumping over crazy hoops, or being a centi-millionaire is felonious behavior.

 

Many foreign men look at me with nothing but envy. 

 

It is all quite amusing. 

[Inala]

2 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Interesting. My Thai wife is very attractive and considerably younger than I am. She has never once mentioned those "dirty looks from Thais", that you refer to. If anything, indifference or ambivalence, which is perfectly fine by me. 

 

However, when we were living on Samui, and when we travel back to the US, or when we were traveling together in Vietnam, we got looks. The Vietnamese were hostile towards an Asian woman being with a Western man. The foreign women highly disapprove of me being with a lovely, younger woman, and I love every minute of that. It is as if not jumping over crazy hoops, or being a centi-millionaire is felonious behavior.

 

Many foreign men look at me with nothing but envy. 

 

It is all quite amusing. 

What's the age difference? That will be the main factor in how many dirty looks you get

[Fairynuff]

On 7/31/2021 at 7:01 PM, spidermike007 said:

And what feels like a diminishing quality of life. I am just very, very tired of the goon leaders here, the continued xenophobia from them, and their constant nonsense and lack of leadership. 

You definitely won’t be considering a move to the UK then.

[BritManToo]

11 minutes ago, MayBeNow said:

Basically we come here and bang their sisters, not so nice for them now is it?

My Thai wife's brothers never seemed to mind me banging their sister.

They always tried to take me out whoring with them.

I always used to say "I can't go, I'm married to your sister"

They would always reply "You don't tell our wives and we won't tell our sister"

[Rick Bechard]

On 7/31/2021 at 9:08 PM, EricTh said:

Oz is a good place, why is it hard for him?

 

 

Oz has some pluses. Affordability isn't one of them. A friend in Melbourne told me the median house price is now 1 million. One of the biggest pluses is health care. I had a number of hospital visits, surgeries, including cancer and never got a bill. But as I understand it, the government is looking at bringing in co-payments and increased Medicare levies. Might be able to access the pension in a year, but it would be offset to some extent by my US social security. I am a dual citizen.

[BritManToo]

39 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Indeed, he did but "this century" does go back a hundred years, by definition, just as every century does, just depends when it's measured from, I suppose.   Even if your interpretation of his comment is the correct one, my response to him would still be the same...Jesus...

Even if you went back just 20 years, everything is better now.

Back then there were no smartphones with GPS, no data plans, no fibre optic internet, no large Tvs, I couldn't download any movie, game, book, music, Tv series I wanted in a couple of minutes.

 

How quickly people forget how fast technology moves forward.

Edited August 3, 2021 by BritManToo

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, Caspersfriend said:

Are you seriously suggesting that the current gestation of covid-19 is the 'end game' ?

 

I would suggest it's merely the start. The protagonists, and those responsible, have only just started.

Wait till the next variant, immune to current vaccines, emerges!

I've been saying for a long time on TVF that Gaia may have decided that there are too many humans wreaking destruction on the planet and will take action to redress that. We'll have to wait and see if this is just a more widespread avian type flu that will peter out like those before, or the real deal.

[sawadee1947]

WE feel the same like you. 

And we too explored Spain and Portugal with a Motorhome, what we bought. And we didn't like temps rising to more than 40 centigrades. Many foreigners try to sell their properties already. 

However, considering climate change we opt for Denmark. House price are very decent.  The next few years you'll have nice weather all year round with spring, summer, and mild winter.

What do you think? ????

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, JomtienRay said:

During this time, my wife firmed an opinion, based on the expert advice of he Thai friends, that she should not assist me in anyway, and wait for my certain death.. inherit everything and have a good time..

I hope you changed your will, or at least took steps to put your money beyond her reach.

I got divorced, but at least my ex went for the no contest 20 baht version at the amphur. I never took her to my country, as I came to the conclusion that doing so would contaminate her with western feminist BS.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Great info. I share your passion for the culture, the music and the arts, which is sorely lacking here, from my point of view. And miss that. And I remember many of the positive and uplifting influences of the past here, which are sorely missed now. 

Not trying to be nasty or anything, but I think you expressed anti government opinions before corona happened, so I'm puzzled as to why you remained in LOS if wine, proper music, Euro culture, and the arts are important to you. Not much of that in evidence in all my years in LOS.

Even the museums are pathetic compared to those in London.