All the issues with Thailand

[Denim]

55 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

You need to keep up, no chance of that happening, as has been announced and confirmed several times.

Yes, I know. It has been ear marked for a museum. My meaning was that in such a prime location , without continued public interest in preserving it for posterity it might nonetheless get redeveloped.

Imagine another shopping mall going up there that only retained the front facade as an entrance. Awful.

[Liverpool Lou]

18 hours ago, Denim said:

Yes, I know. It has been ear marked for a museum. My meaning was that in such a prime location , without continued public interest in preserving it for posterity it might nonetheless get redeveloped.

"...without continued public interest in preserving it for posterity it might nonetheless get redeveloped".

There's been no evidence of that happening, at all.

[BritManToo]

On 9/21/2021 at 1:03 PM, Boarn said:

To all those who say 'go home then', well there is far worse!

 

3. Cheap only if you liked being bored, yes it's cheaper to be bored in Thailand than bored back in the West.

4. Entertainment is so expensive, a night out in 'Bangkok' runs 4x to 5x want it did in 2005.

5. Houses for sale in developments usually come with no land.

6. Land prices are absurd.

7. Fun cars are too expensive.

11. Inconsiderate neighbors, burning, cooking with wood, spraying trees with fertilizer etc.

12. Cheap only if you like pork or chicken, not cheap if you prefer beef and lamb.

14. Annoyance of immigration rules which used to be a worthwhile yearly hassle now seem to be over burdensome for benefits accrued.

15. The playing field has shifted away from Western expats.

 

Well, I'm fairly happy here and I'll answer some of your points that I feel are relevant to me.

How happy can a 65 year old man be anywhere in the world?

Living here with a slim 40yo wife definitely trumps living in the UK with a fat 65yo wife.

 

3. I still find it really cheap, took my family out to a local lake yesterday and we sat in a hut over the lake with a table filled with food and drink. The setting was beautiful, the food was great, the beer came in buckets (Shhhhhh), and it only cost 1,000bht for the four of us. Hardly expensive by anyone's standards. Free entry for me as over 60.

4. Can't say as everywhere is still closed due to COVID.

5. Small plot is great, it means I don't have to do gardening.

6. I can't own land so I don't care what it costs (my woman already has plenty).

7. Fun m/cs are really cheap, I bought a sh Honda Cb300R last year for 50Kbht.

11. My neighbours are all very nice, all middle class professionals, friendly, helpful and polite, choose a better neighbourhood.

12. I have no problems eating pork and chicken.

14. Immigration has never been easier now COVID has removed all the foreigners.

15. I came here to get away from western people, good riddance, don't come back.

 

So there you go, IMHO Thailand has got better over the 12 years I've been living here.

Edited September 27, 2021 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

On 9/22/2021 at 9:33 AM, 1FinickyOne said:

What I see on that subject is this: farang can tend to get angry and "go off" in very impolite ways and make large public displays of their often unjustified anger in ways that a Thai never would. This is witnessed as a great embarrassment and for some Thai, having to deal w/a farang, they are afraid that the farang is going to get angry... for whatever reason, reasonable or not.. 

 

i.e. - An old farang in the mall screaming wildly at a bank manager [who should be respected] about an ATM card - which has not been replaced for a year - - and I think it might have been at a bank from his home country... and had nothing to do w/the bank manager he was berating loudly in public.. 

Would like to point out Thai can get very angry and shoot or hack at you with a machete over similar foolish disputes, but will agree there's less shouting involved.

 

Would also point out dementia among the elderly often displays itself as 'screaming wildly', I always remove myself from such scenes before one of the Thais pulls their gun and starts shooting randomly. Back in his home country he wouldn't get this opportunity as nearly all the banks closed (at least in the UK they have). 

[JeffersLos]

On 9/21/2021 at 1:03 PM, Boarn said:

a night out in 'Bangkok' runs 4x to 5x want it did in 2005.

 

On 9/21/2021 at 1:03 PM, Boarn said:

lower Sukhumvit, a Western meal, looked at the menu and saw fish and chips for 69 baht. I assumed this must be a tiny portion and ended up ordering 3 meals and about 4 beers, the bill was 520 baht,

So, 2000-2500 now, for 3 big Western meals with 4 beers, on lower Suk.

 

Outrageous! ????

[thaitom]

48 minutes ago, rumak said:

And after 27 years (actually a few more than that)  many of us guys , looking at the world.... and looking at our selves.......  might just be singing that old favorite  " should I stay or should i go ".

 

sitting at home,  looking at thaivisa................ jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez 

yes,  time machines ,  now that i could invest in

OH GOD !   The Clash.  I forgot that song until just now.

[Boarn]

34 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

 

So, 2000-2500 now, for 3 big Western meals with 4 beers, on lower Suk.

 

Outrageous! ????

The thing is for Thailand it actually is, more than outrageous in fact, defeats the whole purpose of the country, for me anyway. The ability to live for pocket change made do for all the nonsense.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Boarn

[zzaa09]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Well, I'm fairly happy here and I'll answer some of your points that I feel are relevant to me.

How happy can a 65 year old man be anywhere in the world?

Living here with a slim 40yo wife definitely trumps living in the UK with a fat 65yo wife.

 

3. I still find it really cheap, took my family out to a local lake yesterday and we sat in a hut over the lake with a table filled with food and drink. The setting was beautiful, the food was great, the beer came in buckets (Shhhhhh), and it only cost 1,000bht for the four of us. Hardly expensive by anyone's standards. Free entry for me as over 60.

4. Can't say as everywhere is still closed due to COVID.

5. Small plot is great, it means I don't have to do gardening.

6. I can't own land so I don't care what it costs (my woman already has plenty).

7. Fun m/cs are really cheap, I bought a sh Honda Cb300R last year for 50Kbht.

11. My neighbours are all very nice, all middle class professionals, friendly, helpful and polite, choose a better neighbourhood.

12. I have no problems eating pork and chicken.

14. Immigration has never been easier now COVID has removed all the foreigners.

15. I came here to get away from western people, good riddance, don't come back.

 

So there you go, IMHO Thailand has got better over the 12 years I've been living here.

Indeed. 

Appears that most need to make up or exaggerate their phantom issues.

[thaibeachlovers]

18 hours ago, BritManToo said:

3. I still find it really cheap, took my family out to a local lake yesterday and we sat in a hut over the lake with a table filled with food and drink. The setting was beautiful, the food was great, the beer came in buckets (Shhhhhh), and it only cost 1,000bht for the four of us. Hardly expensive by anyone's standards.

If it's the one I'm thinking of ( it was actually a reservoir ) north of the city, I went there many times with my wife and her ( female ) friend. Very nice for a day out. We didn't usually sit in the huts, as wife made a picnic, and we'd sit on the grass somewhere. After eating she'd gossip with her friend and I'd go to sleep till time to go home.

Think it cost 20 baht to enter the park or something like that, but I could be wrong.

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If it's the one I'm thinking of ( it was actually a reservoir ) north of the city, I went there many times with my wife and her ( female ) friend. Very nice for a day out. We didn't usually sit in the huts, as wife made a picnic, and we'd sit on the grass somewhere. After eating she'd gossip with her friend and I'd go to sleep till time to go home.

Think it cost 20 baht to enter the park or something like that, but I could be wrong.

Huay Tung Tao lake, entry is 20bht Thai, 50bht foreigner, free over 60yo.

My entire family love it, after lunch we go and walk around the straw animals.

There's also a big waterfall 2Km up a hiking trail.

 

Best place in the world to eat, no need to ever go to another restaurant.

[thaibeachlovers]

19 hours ago, rumak said:

And after 27 years (actually a few more than that)  many of us guys , looking at the world.... and looking at our selves.......  might just be singing that old favorite  " should I stay or should i go ".

 

sitting at home,  looking at thaivisa................ jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez 

yes,  time machines ,  now that i could invest in

IMO the past is only good for us oldies because we didn't know how bad the world really was. They used to tell us to eat all your food because they are starving in China or wherever, but that was about the extent of it.

Can't imagine what it must be like to grow up now assailed by "social" ( more like antisocial ) media, and harassed by the current fad of the woke eg climate change, gender fluidity ( whatever the <deleted> that is ),  etc.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Huay Tung Tao lake, entry is 20bht Thai, 50bht foreigner, free over 60yo.

My entire family love it, after lunch we go and walk around the straw animals.

There's also a big waterfall 2Km up a hiking trail.

 

Best place in the world to eat, no need to ever go to another restaurant.

Just checked on a map and it does appear that it is the lake I went to. Had some happy times there while my marriage was still good.

????

[MRToMRT]

On 9/22/2021 at 2:03 PM, possum1931 said:

to put a tent up in a camp site a common charge now is 12 pounds per person.

I took a trip to Khao Yai National Park with my son last year, 9 pounds each to get in. I also had to pay for the car just over a quid and then 4 quid each to pitch the tent.

Rained all night, just like the UK.

[newnative]

46 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If it's the one I'm thinking of ( it was actually a reservoir ) north of the city, I went there many times with my wife and her ( female ) friend. Very nice for a day out. We didn't usually sit in the huts, as wife made a picnic, and we'd sit on the grass somewhere. After eating she'd gossip with her friend and I'd go to sleep till time to go home.

Think it cost 20 baht to enter the park or something like that, but I could be wrong.

   Lake Mabprachan (also a reservoir) in the northern part of the Darkside has added a very nice paved walking and biking trail that runs along the lake.  In addition to the park already there, they are currently improving another area near Flowerland that highlights a large pond.  Lots more parking is being added with new lighting and the road is also being improved.  Very popular on weekends and in the evenings with both Thais and expats.