29 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

Perhaps these "strange" (based on your idea of strange) people went to live in rural areas far away from other foreigners because they don't want to be disturbed. They could just be loners. Surely if being in areas where lots of other foreigners lived was important, that's where they would be.

Not true, they followed the little lady to her village. Wasn't their choice. And now for many it's too late.

 

On the original topic:  I always talk to foreigners when in bars and socializing; that's what I'm there for.  Thais too. (m/f/other).    Especially these days there are not that many people in the bars most of the time (some exceptions..) so then I say hi.   I do steer clear of tedious topics and conversations.. like .. I'm not going out to discuss US politics, crypto currency or Covid with someone who didn't spent a day in med school.   But all other topics are cool.

 

A random person in the street or the supermarket though.. probably not when in a place like Chiang Mai that has tons of foreigners. But if it's seriously off the beaten track then I might say hello.

I never talk to farangs I don't know.

Not through fear or condescension, but to spare them the horrible experience of meeting me. I do it out of kindness.........

42 minutes ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

On the original topic:  I always talk to foreigners when in bars and socializing; that's what I'm there for.  Thais too. (m/f/other).    Especially these days there are not that many people in the bars most of the time (some exceptions..) so then I say hi.   I do steer clear of tedious topics and conversations.. like .. I'm not going out to discuss US politics, crypto currency or Covid with someone who didn't spent a day in med school.   But all other topics are cool.

 

A random person in the street or the supermarket though.. probably not when in a place like Chiang Mai that has tons of foreigners. But if it's seriously off the beaten track then I might say hello.

Best post so far . A very normal approach . The way I see it , as I’m considered a younger guy (40) when traveling around Thailand I may be the only foreign guy some of these older guys see for a period of time . So yes I say hello and want nothing in return other then a hello back . I do the same here when I knock on my elderly Neighbours door to see how they are. I think we should all make a point of looking out for each other as I know for sure the Thais do for their elderly . 

43 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Not true, they followed the little lady to her village. Wasn't their choice. And now for many it's too late.

 

Fair enough, in which case they are depressed, so their unwillingness to converse with strangers is not strange at all... 

40+ years ago at MIL's house, the kids spotted a young farang couple walking down in the nearly dry Loei riverbed.  I hailed them and they came up to the house.  Irish couple touring off the beaten path.  We had a nice chat and MIL even fed them dinner.  There was only a handful of foreigners living in Mueang Loei at that time and we all knew each other. 

On 10/1/2021 at 4:25 AM, ColeBOzbourne said:

My mother always told me, "Don't talk to strangers."

Stranger danger!

13 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

one could say you are boring ?????

OMG!  Really?

I promise from this day forward to alter my way of living in anticipation of what one could say.

 

 

15 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Can't answer as I've always avoided malls, they didn't really have them in England.

And Thailand is essentially 100 shops selling exactly the same products, so no reason to go.

I went to Central Airport mall in Chiang Mai as had DDG burds walking around, a very cute waitress in Swensons, a great food court and cinemas. Never bought much in the shops, but I did buy salapows in the Thai food court in the basement as cheap there, and any thing on special in the supermarket if i wanted to eat it. They had a pharmacy there with good deals on meds I wanted.

7 hours ago, Damrongsak said:

40+ years ago at MIL's house, the kids spotted a young farang couple walking down in the nearly dry Loei riverbed.  I hailed them and they came up to the house.  Irish couple touring off the beaten path.  We had a nice chat and MIL even fed them dinner.  There was only a handful of foreigners living in Mueang Loei at that time and we all knew each other. 

Loei backwater is nice. 

Still, one of a handful of provinces that has a very very small Farang presence - and better for it.

16 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Some folks are just afraid of their own shadow. 

'Afraid' is the wrong word. It's more of an annoyance. I'm not afraid of mosquitos, but they are annoying when buzzing in my ear. Similar to the annoyance of some boring stranger droning on about himself. So I prefer to avoid them.

On 10/1/2021 at 1:10 AM, georgegeorgia said:

I recall once walking with a newly arrived friend in Pattaya and we are walking in East Pattaya and I'm buying a coconut he is standing on the street a taxi pulls up and the farang passenger is seen talking to him my stupid friend is ignoring him before it drives off...I asked him what was going on..."oh he was pretending to ask for directions to a hotel...but probably wanted money ...I read it on the internet .. don't talk to stranger farangs !!

I wouldn't talk to farangs in Pattaya, they all want sex. 

4 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I wouldn't talk to farangs in Pattaya, they all want sex. 

......with you?

8 hours ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

'Afraid' is the wrong word. It's more of an annoyance. I'm not afraid of mosquitos, but they are annoying when buzzing in my ear. Similar to the annoyance of some boring stranger droning on about himself. So I prefer to avoid them.

The avoidance of their company is preferable as you know what they're about - nothing special. 

I, too, couldn't be bothered. Less of a trend, but an intuitive character trait. 

I was a long haul truck driver for 30 years, been in many truck stops from LA to Baton Rouge, Toronto to Vancouver. I think I have heard every imaginable sob story. Some people I tried to help, some lost my attention at the beginning of their unbelievable, fairy tales of woe. I never refused to speak to anyone, occasionally I wished I had, but not seriously. On the other hand, I have had to ask for help myself on occasion. One example, I was in Compton California, turbo was on the way out and high range not working in my transmission. This was back in the days when few drivers carried credit cards. I found a shop that agreed to repair the truck. Then I had to ask a big favor from a man that didn't know me. I had to pick up a load in Hollywood the next morning and there was no way the money could arrive before I had to make the pickup. I said that he could send a mechanic with me, or hold my tools, whatever he wanted. That good mans name was Bob King, he told me to go make my pickup, get my money because if I was worried about it, he didn't have to. Of course I paid him, and I don't ignore people just because they may have a sad story to tell.

7 hours ago, Will B Good said:

......with you?

Desperate times, desperate measures…

7 hours ago, Neeranam said:

I wouldn't talk to farangs in Pattaya, they all want sex. 

I don't talk to Thai men unless they're wearing high heels and a frock!

8 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

Desperate times, desperate measures…

Kinda disgusting. 

And on a public venue, as well.

This fear only exists on this forum. It's promulgated by people that are damaged, have never been to Thailand or just timid, sheltered people. Some inadequates fear strangers, eye contact, proximity etc and need psychiatric help. Living in a foreign country like Thailand they can avoid dealing with their problems as they are never 'sociably accountable'

14 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Loei backwater is nice. 

Still, one of a handful of provinces that has a very very small Farang presence - and better for it.

If you are an anti social hermit with no social skills.

Just now, The Hammer2021 said:

If you are an anti social hermit with no social skills.

There are the locals to interact with.

They don't bite. 

And much much more engaging than Farang. 

 

Anti social hermit with no social skills defined as not wishing to have anything to do with Farang. 

Indeed.

Whimsical.

31 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

This fear only exists on this forum. It's promulgated by people that are damaged, have never been to Thailand or just timid, sheltered people. Some inadequates fear strangers, eye contact, proximity etc and need psychiatric help. Living in a foreign country like Thailand they can avoid dealing with their problems as they are never 'sociably accountable'

Or just prefer not to talk to strangers , if they are lonely and want someone to talk to , they would just have to go and find some other lonely people to talk to . 

A post with an unintelligible link and a reply has been removed:

 

15) Any links posted must lead to the website the link indicates. Links that are misleading or direct to a site different than the one indicated are not allowed.

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

If you are an anti social hermit with no social skills.

True, many come here as they can't get a <deleted> in their own country. 

1 hour ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Or just prefer not to talk to strangers , if they are lonely and want someone to talk to , they would just have to go and find some other lonely people to talk to . 

A way to meet interesting farang is to go an AA meeting and pretend you are an alcoholic, never a dull moment. I've known many in Isarn to do this. 

Most people that have asked me for quick cash, handouts loans, walking around money, beer money are other bar mangers. The worst was Kevin from The Easy17 in the now removed Siren complex. 

On 10/3/2021 at 4:51 PM, EVENKEEL said:

Some folks are just afraid of their own shadow. 

I'm afraid of my mirror image and photos of me. I feel better and younger if I don't look.

3 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

This fear only exists on this forum. It's promulgated by people that are damaged, have never been to Thailand or just timid, sheltered people. Some inadequates fear strangers, eye contact, proximity etc and need psychiatric help. Living in a foreign country like Thailand they can avoid dealing with their problems as they are never 'sociably accountable'

About 90 % of felangs who have come and spoken to me, want something .

   Drink in their bar, eat in their GF's restaurant , follow them on Youtube , invest in a quick money making scheme  , buy something , or trying to find our how I earn an income so they can do likewise , or they need a few hundred Baht until they cheque arrives in four days time , "I'll be getting $2000 next week  and I will be spending it all on buying my friends beer ".

   Very rarely do strangers just want a social chat , they just want to earn 

Invariably, or almost invariably, when a farang talks to another farang, the conversation will quickly drift to several non-interesting topics, such as...

 

"Thai people can't drive cars as well as we can."

 

And, after this starter, one will hear a litany of similar complaints.

 

Who needs it?

 

And, they wonder why farang have such a difficult time assimilating.

 

But, it is not just the farang. Some Chinese, too, complain about many things, here in Thailand.

 

Pick and choose your farang friends, wisely, in order to avoid listening to neverending talk about so-called bad Thai drivers, I guess.

 

(In fact, Thai drivers are quite good. Not joking, here.)

On 10/1/2021 at 9:56 PM, champers said:

Do you look destitute?

Now that you mention it.....  By the way could you by any chance lend me 10,000 THB?