Anyone else decided that Thailand is no longer the place they fell in love with and will never return?

[473geo]

If a total of a few days providing information for immigration, is too much for you, if you were not prepared to make the sacrifice of quarantine to get back into Thailand, then you are making excuses, because you are not making the most of Thailand to enjoy a life here. You are raising minor issues to critical level because the life in Thailand you have created is not delivering.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, CartagenaWarlock said:

Thailand still offers plenty of opportunities to find brides/orgy partners for a 60-years old which no other country on earth will provide. And in Pattaya baht buses you can still use sexual innuendo to young girls that you will never dare to do in a london bus. 

Really?

I spent a lot of time on baht buses in Pattaya, and I never heard any farang using sexual innuendo to a young girl, and I dare say that if any farang were so ignorant to do so in front of an older Thai woman they might find themselves lucky to exit the baht bus without being thrown out while it was moving. IMO they would deserve to be thrown out of a moving baht bus if they were such ignorant pigs ( is that an insult to pigs? ) as to come on to young girls they didn't know.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, 473geo said:

If a total of a few days providing information for immigration, is too much for you, if you were not prepared to make the sacrifice of quarantine to get back into Thailand, then you are making excuses, because you are not making the most of Thailand to enjoy a life here. You are raising minor issues to critical level because the life in Thailand you have created is not delivering.

Seems we have another that didn't actually read the thread. I did write that if I went back it would be as a tourist, and not to live there.

Why on earth would I risk days of my valuable tourist time in quarantine, or spend days providing information to immigration for a month or 2 in LOS?

If jumping to conclusions were exercise, there would be a lot of fit people on AN.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Anyone leaving will be joining what appears to be tens of thousands of ex-pats who have gotten sick of the constant nonsense here, and already left. Immigration is like a moving target. It appears increasingly more obvious that the authorities do not want us here, and the level of toxicity on the part of immigration, and the government is annoying. Also, this administration is ridiculously incompetent and incapable of improving anything. They are the very definition of regressive. Thailand in my opinion is moving backwards at an alarming pace. 

 

If I could afford it, I would live part of the year in Turkey on the southern coast, part of the year in Spain, spend a month or so in the US, do some additional traveling (post apocalypse) and spend no more than two months a year here. Trying to figure out a way to make some version of that happen. 

 

Regardless of one's attitude, there is no doubt Thailand has changed, and there is not much about the change that is positive. But, that is just my perspective. Many will disagree, or choose to overlook the toxic atmosphere, growing poverty and homelessness, and the ever expanding unhappiness of the Thai people, which has only been exacerbated (not created) by Covid. 

For once I agree 100% with what you wrote in paragraph 1 and 3 ( para 2 is irrelevant to me ).

However, you do get to live there, which ceased to be an option for me after my divorce. Try to be happy with that, at least.

[thaibeachlovers]

8 hours ago, Used2LuvThailand said:

The same old pointless arguments about which is better, an apple or an orange.  It's always down to personal choice, at the end of the day.  I can't imagine how so many Western men are happy living in a small dump, scurrying around trying to meet an ever-changing list of demands from a corrupt and inefficient immigration service, and a constant barrage of new restrictions.  But, I understand that home is where the hat is and happy is happy.

 

That said, comparing Thailand to the UK is a race to the bottom though.  If that's your only two choices....I can see why Thailand looks so good.

For me the choice was between a sanuk dump and a sanuk devoid dump. I preferred the sanuk version.

[thaibeachlovers]

7 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I don't know anyone living in a small dump.

Imm has with one exception & resolved, been uncorrupt & efficient with me.

No new restrictions (imm), in over 20 yrs here.

 

Have a pleasant day

You don't know me then. A back street suburb of Lamphun was definitely a small dump, but it was home to me.

 

Having to get to immigration at 3 am just to get a place in the q, and then stressing if I'd be rejected because the photo had the wrong colour background was a big turn off to me. So much so that I paid an agency to avoid it.

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Demographically Thailand has changed massively since I first came here.  In the 90s and 00s Thailand was at its peak youth.  The bulge in the demographic pyramid, now in the 45-55 category, was then in the 20-30 category and you felt it.  Back then Thailand was a hopeful democracy encapsulated in the protests of the early 90s, then the fast paced hope mixed with heady corruption of the Thaksin era. Now its an older and somewhat tired country with a more autocratic government whose interest lies in conservatism and control rather than innovation.  The rise of China has also changed the landscape and driven tourism towards a cheap mass produced variety.  I think a lot of the Hope has left Thailand replaced with a tired resignation exacerbated by the Covid epidemic.  Having said that I still love Thailand, the warm weather, food and people, but yes, its undoubtable changed.    

  

Excellent post, and it goes a long way to explaining the change in LOS.

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, Lite Beer said:

Yep and the very next day the bloke opposite turns his front yard into a workshop banging, grinding and cutting steel all day. 

Then next door opens a motor bike repair business.

They can do what ever they want to ruin your little bit of paradise.

Indeed. No amount of research can foretell if an all night karaoke will open next door a week after one moves in. Which is why I'll always say "rent, never buy".

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Worked for me, and I only have my experiences to go by.  But that's what I would advise.  So far so good.

 

Easier for my choices, as I always lived rural here, sort of.  Not in the downtown area.  Last house, made sure the wat across the street was rarely used, bought the 4 lots in front of the 2 rai we built on.  Found out who owned the farmlands around the other 3 sides, and they weren't going to be sold in my lifetime. 

 

Did the same again for present build, though one after issue did pop up, and being dealt with.  Soon to be resolved.

 

Deciding where to live / build not different here than anywhere in the world, abet, less zoning enforcement.  Not really a problem, just time consuming.

and then..................... a rock grinding plant opens a kilometer away up wind of your little slice of paradise.

Welcome to LOS.

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, moe666 said:

If someone no longer likes Thailand why can they not just leave. O no they have to write long threads about why I have lost the love and how Thailand has let me down, it is always Thailands fault. 

Just leave pack your stuff and go no looking back bye.

Seems some posters just can't not continue to read a thread they don't like, and move on. O no they have to write posts saying silly things like "Just leave pack your stuff and go no looking back bye".

 

Does it make them feel better about themselves to be so supercilious?

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, Grecian said:

So what did you spend this money on that is bringing a better return than Thailand would have?

I've read some strange posts on AN, but that has to be a classic. Perhaps I spent it on a car, because unlike Thailand, I have to have one now- no public transport worth spit.

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Death.

Mine too.

[Gecko123]

17 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Demographically Thailand has changed massively since I first came here.  In the 90s and 00s Thailand was at its peak youth.  The bulge in the demographic pyramid, now in the 45-55 category, was then in the 20-30 category and you felt it.  Back then Thailand was a hopeful democracy encapsulated in the protests of the early 90s, then the fast paced hope mixed with heady corruption of the Thaksin era. Now its an older and somewhat tired country with a more autocratic government whose interest lies in conservatism and control rather than innovation.  The rise of China has also changed the landscape and driven tourism towards a cheap mass produced variety.  I think a lot of the Hope has left Thailand replaced with a tired resignation exacerbated by the Covid epidemic.  Having said that I still love Thailand, the warm weather, food and people, but yes, its undoubtable changed.    

  

This chart also goes a long way in showing why older posters who claim that there is a never-ending supply of nubile young women vying for the privilege of becoming their bed partners are for the most part talking out of their hats, drawing on faded memories from their bar-hopping glory days on vacations to Pattaya.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, n00dle said:

Has the op not considered that they too have changed after decades?

 

 

 

Only thing that has changed about me in the past 30 years is that my body got old and decrepit. Mentally unchanged, except for the short term memory loss.

[EVENKEEL]

I'm spending time in the US as I write. Been here a few weeks, and already looking forward to returning to Thailand. I'll take the BS we encounter in Thailand from time to time over living in the US. Everywhere you go here in US there are so many choices of everything. It's tiresome. Driving here is hectic, way more fast moving than I remember just a few years ago. Yeah, I'm ready go back.

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, Gecko123 said:

This demographic chart also goes a long way in explaining why older posters claiming that there is a never-ending supply of nubile young women vying for the privilege  of becoming their bed partners are for the most part talking out of their hats, mostly drawing on anecdotes from their bar-hopping glory days during long-past vacations to Pattaya.

Perhaps so, but when it was good it was fantastic.

Happy days and I miss them.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, EVENKEEL said:

I'm spending time in the US as I write. Been here a few weeks, and already looking forward to returning to Thailand. I'll take the BS we encounter in Thailand from time to time over living in the US. Everywhere you go here in US there are so many choices of everything. It's tiresome. Driving here is hectic, way more fast moving than I remember just a few years ago. Yeah, I'm ready go back.

Good luck, and I hope it works out for you. Take a memory snapshot of how you feel now, and when things get a bit iffy in LOS just remember why you prefer to be in Thailand.

[KhunLA]

23 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

and then..................... a rock grinding plant opens a kilometer away up wind of your little slice of paradise.

Welcome to LOS.

with those concerns, simply rent

[BritManToo]

9 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

This demographic chart also goes a long way in showing why older posters who claim that there is a never-ending supply of nubile young women vying for the privilege of becoming their bed partners are for the most part talking out of their hats, mostly drawing, I suspect, on memories from their bar-hopping glory days from long past vacations to Pattaya.

 

Have you ever tried ThaiFriendly?

Easy enough to look for yourself what's available.

[KhunLA]

35 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You don't know me then. A back street suburb of Lamphun was definitely a small dump, but it was home to me.

 

Having to get to immigration at 3 am just to get a place in the q, and then stressing if I'd be rejected because the photo had the wrong colour background was a big turn off to me. So much so that I paid an agency to avoid it.

Think I'd find another province to live in.  Especially since the air in the north isn't the most healthiest 4-6 months a year.

[BritManToo]

43 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Having to get to immigration at 3 am just to get a place in the q, and then stressing if I'd be rejected because the photo had the wrong colour background was a big turn off to me. So much so that I paid an agency to avoid it.

I used to fly to Saigon to get my VISA .......

But now with COVID there are no customers and you can just walk into CM immigration and get served instantly. As for the photos, I always take an envelope full, and let them pick the ones they want.

[thaibeachlovers]

5 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Think I'd find another province to live in.  Especially since the air in the north isn't the most healthiest 4-6 months a year.

You think I wouldn't have if it had been an option? Not all of us are as wealthy as yourself.

If I were rich I'd have lived at Than Sadet. The most perfect of Thai beaches I was ever on.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I used to fly to Saigon to get my VISA .......

But now with COVID there are no customers and you can just walk into CM immigration and get served instantly. As for the photos, I always take an envelope full, and let them pick the ones they want.

Another I have to remind that not all of us are as wealthy as yourself.

If I was that rich I could have stayed in LOS even when divorced.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

with those concerns, simply rent

I did.

[Gecko123]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Have you ever tried ThaiFriendly?

Easy enough to look for yourself what's available.

If these women are so ubiquitous, why would you need to go on ThaiFriendly to find them? You should be able to find them while out shopping, walking in the park, strolling on the beach, shouldn't you? And by the way, I wasn't talking about women whose primary incentive for being with you is financial.

[KhunLA]

15 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You think I wouldn't have if it had been an option? Not all of us are as wealthy as yourself.

If I were rich I'd have lived at Than Sadet. The most perfect of Thai beaches I was ever on.

So you weren't on a long term visa, as you can live in any province on 40k a month, even 20k is easy.  

Not rich, just comfy, a well planned retirement.

[thaibeachlovers]

18 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

So you weren't on a long term visa, as you can live in any province on 40k a month, even 20k is easy.  

Not rich, just comfy, a well planned retirement.

I have no idea what you are on about. I could have lived in the village for nothing, except food money, but I had no wish to do so. If I had moved to where I'd preferred it'd be well over 40,000.

In my experience any Thai grot town is the same as any other grot Thai town.

 

Do you often assume that you know more about Thailand than everyone else?

[KhunLA]

10 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Do you often assume that you know more about Thailand than everyone else?

No, but apparently a bit more than some and after living here for 20 years, I know how much it costs just to live here vs living comfy.  20k a month is more than enough to live here, and if costing 40k, then you should be comfy somewhere.

 

When and where is 40k a month a lot of money.  And no, every Thai town, Imm office is not the same.  

 

If you couldn't afford to live in Thailand, where you at now ?

[BritManToo]

35 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Another I have to remind that not all of us are as wealthy as yourself.

If I was that rich I could have stayed in LOS even when divorced.

Flight CM to Saigon was about 1,000bht each way.

Cheaper than an agent ......... and more fun.

 

You say you're not rich, but you were rich enough to buy a Thai lady a house outright.

I only paid 10% and the rest is paid at 9kbht/month for 20+ years.

[BritManToo]

31 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

So you weren't on a long term visa, as you can live in any province on 40k a month, even 20k is easy.  

Not rich, just comfy, a well planned retirement.

My well planned retirement was living in the UK in a half million pound home by a river, with a pension of 40,000 pounds/year. My Brit wife divorcing me ruined that plan.