I don't know about that.  I was just at my favorite Farm to Table reasonably priced restaurant in Chiang Rai and there was a whole mini bus load of young Italian tourists.

 

Escaping the heat back in Yurp. ????

Edited August 14, 20232 yr by SiSePuede419

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

People too ready to jump on the bash Thailand wagon.

If something's running well, we tend not to comment. It's actually boring if you do. Bashing somewhere or something gets far more response. Being that most of us live here, it's obvious that Thailand is going to take a lot of bashing. Doesn't mean that we wouldn't rather live here than anywhere else. I tend to bash my own country of the UK far more, because I genuinely think it's going down the nick and I've no desire to live there ever again.

2 minutes ago, jesimps said:

If something's running well, we tend not to comment. It's actually boring if you do. Bashing somewhere or something gets far more response. Being that most of us live here, it's obvious that Thailand is going to take a lot of bashing. Doesn't mean that we wouldn't rather live here than anywhere else. I tend to bash my own country of the UK far more, because I genuinely think it's going down the nick and I've no desire to live there ever again.

Well, one thing I do miss is proper fish and chips, and every pub I go into having several beers that I've never seen before instead of the 'standard' five or six in 95% of Thai pubs. But prices there have got ridiculous. I am old enough to remember walking out of a pub as they were charging 3/3d for a pint of brown.

 

Not that I rate where I live based on what beer is available. Two things that really depress me about living in Thailand though are that nearly everything electrical you buy is made in China and it's often crap, and the reality of something a Korean I worked with briefly summing up Thailand in just six words - the standards here are so low. Suffering - and I use that word deliberately - from being a perfectionist, that is often difficult to accept and very frustrating.

1 hour ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Many Thais will probably keep wearing masks forever...

Sadly very true.  It's like a switch has been flipped in many of their brains and they now feel naked without a mask.

 

I'm still getting the odd "Oh <deleted> a foreigner, better put the mask up" and "I'm not getting on the elevator with a foreigner" reactions, even this long after the pandemic has basically ended.

They'll have to brace for a low high season also.

 

I think last year was an anomaly with so much pent-up frustration after being cooped up for 3 years during Covid.

 

Also added Russians coming and spending there Rubles before there currency slides into oblivian. 

It's very expensive and stressful to fly these days.  

6 hours ago, malibukid said:

part of this can be blamed directly on the airlines who continue to downgrade their customer service and increase their fares.  

Agreed, with airfares up like 60-80% a holiday here is so much more expensive on long haul

Brace yourself, this is actually the low season. ????

14 hours ago, GobSmacked said:

Thai Airways aren't sharing the load in the 'heavy lifting' to fly tourists into and out of the kingdom. For example, they have yet to restart non-stop flights to Perth, Western Australia since the pandemic. Stopping en route in either Singapore or Kuala Lumpur with Singapore or Malaysian Airlines to change terminals and aircraft is aggravating and time-wasting so would-be tourists won't do it. It's easier to fly to Bali, Singapore, or Malaysia non-stop. Thai needs a boot up the backside.

I agree, Thai haven't restarted their service to Brisbane either, I was using Singapore Air every month since the China Virus ended ...now they want a King's Ransom, Scoot have just pulled out of Gold Coast & Air Asia have started via KL ... Please can we have a direct flight to Thailand from Queensland Australia.

Anyone who has lived here for a long time realizes that Thailand doesn't offer very much for tourists anymore - except maybe beaches and pussy.

On 8/14/2023 at 5:15 PM, BangkokReady said:

Sadly very true.  It's like a switch has been flipped in many of their brains and they now feel naked without a mask.

 

I'm still getting the odd "Oh <deleted> a foreigner, better put the mask up" and "I'm not getting on the elevator with a foreigner" reactions, even this long after the pandemic has basically ended.

I was watching some Thai channel last night and there was some large indoor meeting going on. Mask wearing was going on, but not 100%, perhaps 40-50% wore masks. Intrigued by what made some wear masks, but it is their choice and I don't let it bother me. 

Edited August 17, 20232 yr by jacko45k