Before And Now.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, possum1931 said:

I do expect fairness in life, the biggest majority of ordinary people in both the UK and here in Thailand have treated me fairly, the majority of bosses in any job I have worked at have been very fair to me, although there has been the odd exception, and they have always came off worse. I just treat people as they treat me.

The main unfairness towards me, though not personally, has come from authorities of some sort, I have always rebelled in some way at unfairness.

I have broke many unfair rules or law, though mainly in the UK, and I do not have a criminal record of any sort, my life would sure have been terrible if I obeyed every law or rule that was thrown at me.

It is not the hassle of the 90 day report that bothers me, there is not much, it is the fact that I have to report to anyone at all, why should I, I am not a criminal.

You wuz lucky then. The times I was treated fairly by my masters and bosses were notable by their rarity. Most of the time I just tried to keep my head down and not be noticed. Also treated very badly by people I knew and didn't expect to screw me over.

 

As for 90 day report- it's their country and they can do whatever they like. I was happy 90 day report ( and extensions ) were as bad as it got ie not very bad at all, compared to what might have been.

[freedomnow]

On 10/4/2021 at 4:31 AM, Hanuman2547 said:

A lot of changes over the years.  When I first arrived here the baht was pegged to the USD at 23/1.  It moved like a glacier to 25/1 where it remained for a very long time.  In 1997 we had the Asian financial crisis.  The dollar became very strong as the baht was floated.  It somewhat settled in the 40-42/1 range.  Began slipping a bit in the early 2000's and has now dropped to the lower 30's/1.  If you were paid in dollars or pounds you were doing very well during this time.  

To me, the 90's and early 2000's were the best time to be an expat in Thailand.  The jobs were good, pay was good, inflation in Thailand wasn't nearly as bad.  Thai people seemed a lot happier then. The opening of the second stage expressway in 1993 was great!  The BTS and later MRT were completed in the late 90's and early 2000's which made getting around a lot easier.  

Cost of living has just outstripped the salaries for grads by a margin in places like Bangkok..but its the same all over...house prices double over a 20-year period or less in some places, but do salaries..nope because people have the fear of getting fired...add in social media with all the b/s influencers (influenza) tugging at their wallets and purses to share the fantasy life with the people they follow and its mounting compound interest in the background...not even scratched the surface yet on changes in backdrop of lives in Thailand.

 

Can someone please give me the crying face icon below (love that one haha)..played the violin today..."today's sad story of strife"

[gk10012001]

13 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Assuming you are a foreigner, and not a Thai, I don't get why you would be "elated" by whoever runs the country. You don't get to vote.

 

there seems to be lots of things you don't get.  I was elated because I thought the Thai people had finally broken the chain of military coups and dictatorships dating back through modern history. 

[thaibeachlovers]

8 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

there seems to be lots of things you don't get.  I was elated because I thought the Thai people had finally broken the chain of military coups and dictatorships dating back through modern history. 

Who runs Thailand is nothing to do with any of us, and never made any difference to me ( except for purachai ), so I find it puzzling that a foreigner would be "elated" by Thai politics.

[FruitPudding]

infrastructure is way better

the place has been cleaned up a fair bit, especially around Asok and Sukhumvit

things aren't that much more expense; beer is generally cheaper in pubs these days. I don't recall 99 baht pints back in 2000s

Bangkok is more cosmopolitan and civilized

air has gotten worse

much better English proficiency in general

freer thinking citizens now

Thailand is very high-tech, way more than my European country; people here very tech-literate

Women are curvier

It has become a bit more boring

crime is down, disease is down, corruption is down

 

 

[StayinThailand2much]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:43 AM, possum1931 said:

Those of you who have lived here 15 years or more, how do you compare it then and now?

For Thais (95% majority): same old, same old... Corrupt governments (military, or Thaksin clique), economy, education, infrastructure, and living conditions continue to decline.

 

For expats and tourists: see above, plus more and more blamed (expats) for Thailand's growing problems. The nightlife is gone (having declined since early 2000s), and the attitude of girls has changed to the worse. Pollution as bad as ever. Costs of a night out now on par with Western countries.

Edited October 10, 2021 by StayinThailand2much