What are the positive aspects to living in Thailand?

[bob smith]

some people have been complaining that I am too negative and never focus on the positives about living here.

 

So I would like to ring off what I think is good about living here, one by one:

 

1. Good food.

2. Relatively affordable.

3. Good weather for 6 months of the year.

4. Beautiful beaches.

5. Hot girls.

6. Drunk driving is tolerated/easy to do.

7. Fast internet.

 

that's pretty much all I can think of for now.

 

So to all the naysayers who say I'm a miserable b@stard, well, there you have it!

it's not all doom n gloom.

 

bob.

[RSD1]

2 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Drunk driving is tolerated/easy to do.

Well in that case let's not forget how lucky we are that there is no shortage of road deaths. Thailand is number one in the world in fact. 60+ per day on average. Hub of road carnage. Be good or be good at it, right? 
 

You also forgot to mention that it is one of the only countries where you can be so lucky as to go home with a woman and wake up with a man, right? 

[transam]

8 minutes ago, bob smith said:

some people have been complaining that I am too negative and never focus on the positives about living here.

 

So I would like to ring off what I think is good about living here, one by one:

 

1. Good food.

2. Relatively affordable.

3. Good weather for 6 months of the year.

4. Beautiful beaches.

5. Hot girls.

6. Drunk driving is tolerated/easy to do.

7. Fast internet.

 

that's pretty much all I can think of for now.

 

So to all the naysayers who say I'm a miserable b@stard, well, there you have it!

it's not all doom n gloom.

 

bob.

8. Farangy fruitcakes to deal with.......😕

[Hummin]

Build outback in Isaan for low cost, with no bureaucracy except you have to show you have a toilet to the village nurse, for getting a house number. 

 

 

[susanlea]

29 minutes ago, bob smith said:

some people have been complaining that I am too negative and never focus on the positives about living here.

 

So I would like to ring off what I think is good about living here, one by one:

 

1. Good food.

2. Relatively affordable.

3. Good weather for 6 months of the year.

4. Beautiful beaches.

5. Hot girls.

6. Drunk driving is tolerated/easy to do.

7. Fast internet.

 

that's pretty much all I can think of for now.

 

So to all the naysayers who say I'm a miserable b@stard, well, there you have it!

it's not all doom n gloom.

 

bob.

I hate Thailand. You're too positive.

[richard_smith237]

31 minutes ago, bob smith said:

6. Drunk driving is tolerated/easy to do.

 

You're a pathetic troll bob... 

[bob smith]

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

You're a pathetic troll bob... 

literally all my farang/thai friends drive drunk.

 

bob.

[novacova]

42 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Good food

Good Food…

 

42 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Relatively affordable.

Yes, but I live anywhere in the world 

 

42 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Good weather for 6 months of the year.

Yep, good weather 

 

42 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Beautiful beaches

I’m not much of a beach goer anymore

42 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Hot girls

Hot wife, young guys envy 

42 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Drunk driving is tolerated/easy to do.

Not a boozer, content as is.

 

42 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Fast internet

Good enough 

[jvs]

12 minutes ago, bob smith said:

literally all my farang/thai friends drive drunk.

 

bob.

There lies your problem.

[RSD1]

10 minutes ago, bob smith said:

literally all my farang/thai friends drive drunk.

 

bob.

when your only friends are ones that you meet up with when you go to ladyboy bars, that's hardly a shocker. 

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, bob smith said:

literally all my farang/thai friends drive drunk.

 

bob.

 

 

A sad state of affairs...   

 

This is something I'd call a massive negative... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KhunLA]

to the title ... easier to list the negatives:

1. air pollution

2. water pollution

3.  no more ...  that's all, just 2

[proton]

There is only one good thing about living here and thats the MUSIC WORLD, the rest is rubbish, second rate or annoying. 

 

Saw her on Tuesday at Tawang Deang, getting hard to get in to see her these days!

 

 

[richard_smith237]

There are many positives here...   

 

They obviously vary by location....    there are also plenty of negative aspects to being here. 

 

I think anyone with healthily balanced attitudes can identify both positive and negative aspects of being in any country and any location within that country.

 

For most people - there is a 'net positive' which is why we are here. 

 

 

 

[bob smith]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

 

A sad state of affairs...   

 

This is something I'd call a massive negative... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it is what it is, richard.

 

this is thailand, their country their rules!

 

I know thai people across the entire social strata, from dirt poor to mega rich. They all drive home after a drink.

 

bob.

[Ralf001]

1.      Tidy flange.

2.      Cheap flange.

3.      Cheap beer.

4.      Cheap ciggies.

5.      Great weather.

6.      Cheap rent.

7.      No enforcement of speeding fines.

8.      Cheap car annual car tax.

9.      Annual bonus.

10.    Redundancy payouts.

[Ralf001]

47 minutes ago, RSD1 said:

 Thailand is number one in the world in fact. 60+ per day on average.
 

 

 

got a link ?

 

I just googled it and Thailand not in top ten from the results given.

[bob smith]

3 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

2.      Cheap flange.

...not as cheap as it used to be though!

 

i've heard the going rate for LT now is 4,000+++

 

that's what tom said anyway.

 

bob.

[RSD1]

8 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

got a link ?

 

I just googled it and Thailand not in top ten from the results given.

Technically Thailand is second only to South Africa or Libya, depending on the year. Average is 20,000+ per year or around 65 per day. 

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/road-deaths/thailand-second-most-dangerous-place-in-the-world-to-drive

 

https://thethaiger.com/news/world-road-toll-will-thailand-move-first-place
 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/thailands-roads-second-deadliest-world-world-health-organization/

[Ralf001]

12 minutes ago, bob smith said:

...not as cheap as it used to be though!

 

i've heard the going rate for LT now is 4,000+++

 

that's what tom said anyway.

 

bob.

1000b short time in the 20 to 25 (sub 50kg) age range is readily available.

[richard_smith237]

19 minutes ago, bob smith said:

it is what it is, richard.

 

this is thailand, their country their rules!

 

I know thai people across the entire social strata, from dirt poor to mega rich. They all drive home after a drink.

 

bob.

 

Same here....    most Thai's I know drink drive - this is one of the sweeping criticism I have of being here.

 

I do disagree with your comment 'their country, their rules'... they have rules, they just don't abide by them and the DUI is enabled by the ineffectiveness of the policing. 

 

Its incredible that what you see as a positive, I see as a negative, yet you see negative aspects most everywhere else...   An interesting world we live in !!!... 

 

 

Positives, as per thread title...   plenty to go with, and not limited to the list below... 

 

- Food - Thailand has a wealth, quality and range of excellent cuisines and an accessible price point that makes it unbeatable (to took at home, deliver, or go out)

- Restaurants - So many of them to choose from.

- Cheap Delivery of pretty much any food you want.

- Transport (in Bkk) - cheap transport is so readily available.

- Beer - much much better than it used to be, a huge improvement - plenty of quality beer available here now (although its still better in the west).

- Supermarkets (in Bangkok) i.e. Gourmet Market - we can get anything (though for a price).

- Beaches  (already mentioned)

- Hotels / Resorts - an excellent range, far better priced than many other locations (i.e. Europe)

- Airports - getting through an Airport here is so much less hassle then Europe (uk particularly - IMO, especially departure in the summer months).

- Golf (if you're a golfer).

- General non-confrontationalism of Thai's - people are generally more happy-go-lucky than in the West, makes for more chilled living (even on the roads surprisingly).

- Cost of internet / mobile internet - extremely cheap compared to many areas.

- Service - in the vast majority of examples I can think of, service is a very positive aspect here (unless going off-piste and a problem arises, in which case experiences vary).

- Accommodation - much cheaper than the west (even in Bangkok when comparing capitial to capital)

- Social life (been here a long time, so social life is excellent, but also was in the West and when I visit).

- Crime / Safety - a lack of confrontational crime (compared to the west) makes Thailand a much safer place to be IMO (when not shooting your mouth off) - this is also somewhat area specific (risk of getting kicked in, in areas like Pattaya is higher).

 

 

 

 

[Ralf001]

Just now, RSD1 said:

Technically Thailand is second only to South Africa or Libya, depending on the year. Average is 20,000+ per year or around 65 per day. 

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/road-deaths/thailand-second-most-dangerous-place-in-the-world-to-drive

 

https://thethaiger.com/news/world-road-toll-will-thailand-move-first-place
 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/thailands-roads-second-deadliest-world-world-health-organization/

555.

 

Thaiger and coconuts links.

 

Any links to something factual ?

[RSD1]

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

555.

 

Thaiger and coconuts links.

 

Any links to something factual ?

They are factual. Have you ever renewed a driving license in Thailand and had to watch the mandatory driver education videos? They quote similar figures. 
 

Also, do a search for "Thailand's roads second-deadliest in world, UN agency finds" from 2015. I can't link the article. 

[Photoguy21]

It always seems as if everyone is comparing Thailand to their home country and because things are different here they often complain. The solution is simple. If you dont like the country leave and find somewhere you do like. Not good for anyone to stay in a country that they do not feel is up to what they want.

[bob smith]

7 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Same here....    most Thai's I know drink drive - this is one of the sweeping criticism I have of being here.

 

I do disagree with your comment 'their country, their rules'... they have rules, they just don't abide by them and the DUI is enabled by the ineffectiveness of the policing. 

 

Its incredible that what you see as a positive, I see as a negative, yet you see negative aspects most everywhere else...   An interesting world we live in !!!... 

 

 

Positives, as per thread title...   plenty to go with, and not limited to the list below... 

 

- Food - Thailand has a wealth, quality and range of excellent cuisines and an accessible price point that makes it unbeatable (to took at home, deliver, or go out)

- Restaurants - So many of them to choose from.

- Cheap Delivery of pretty much any food you want.

- Transport (in Bkk) - cheap transport is so readily available.

- Beer - much much better than it used to be, a huge improvement - plenty of quality beer available here now (although its still better in the west).

- Supermarkets (in Bangkok) i.e. Gourmet Market - we can get anything (though for a price).

- Beaches  (already mentioned)

- Hotels / Resorts - an excellent range, far better priced than many other locations (i.e. Europe)

- Airports - getting through an Airport here is so much less hassle then Europe (uk particularly - IMO, especially departure in the summer months).

- Golf (if you're a golfer).

- General non-confrontationalism of Thai's - people are generally more happy-go-lucky than in the West, makes for more chilled living (even on the roads surprisingly).

- Cost of internet / mobile internet - extremely cheap compared to many areas.

- Service - in the vast majority of examples I can think of, service is a very positive aspect here (unless going off-piste and a problem arises, in which case experiences vary).

- Accommodation - much cheaper than the west (even in Bangkok when comparing capitial to capital)

- Social life (been here a long time, so social life is excellent, but also was in the West and when I visit).

- Crime / Safety - a lack of confrontational crime (compared to the west) makes Thailand a much safer place to be IMO (when not shooting your mouth off) - this is also somewhat area specific (risk of getting kicked in, in areas like Pattaya is higher).

 

 

 

 

A decent, albeit flawed reply.

 

The airports are atrocious here. 4hr immi queues are the norm, particularly in high season.

 

Violence against farangs happens daily.

 

I can't stand golf.

 

bob.

[daveAustin]

What are the positive aspects to living in Thailand?

 

Thai people and not being in the booooring, staid West.

[bob smith]

1 minute ago, daveAustin said:

What are the positive aspects to living in Thailand?

 

Thai people and not being in the booooring, staid West.

Thailand is boring too.

 

bob.

[richard_smith237]

20 minutes ago, bob smith said:

A decent, albeit flawed reply.

 

The airports are atrocious here. 4hr immi queues are the norm, particularly in high season.

 

I completely disagree (hence my comment) I pass through the Airports in Thailand approximately 16x per year - its a positive experience compared to the Airports in the UK.

 

4 hour immigration queues are not the norm at all - I challenge anyone to honestly comment that they have been stuck in an Airport Immigration Queue in Thailand for 4 hours...   

 

 

20 minutes ago, bob smith said:

Violence against farangs happens daily.

 

Agreed - but I'd argue to a lesser degree than our home countries. 

 

The risk of being involved in a violent confrontation here (i.e. getting mugged or into a fight) is less than that in many of our home countries.

 

Additionally, the foreigners who do get into conflict here, usually bring it upon themselves. 

 

 

20 minutes ago, bob smith said:

I can't stand golf.

 

Irrelevant what 'you' like (I don't play anymore either)...  The golf courses here are still a huge positive for many.... 

 

[Ralf001]

27 minutes ago, bob smith said:

 

 

Violence against farangs happens daily.

 

 

 

any evidence to back that ?

[connda]

If you set down roots and have a house and land (in my wife's name but goes to me for life under a Usufruct if she should expire before me, plus the land deed in that case will be held by my Thai son with whom I get along well):

 

• Very low property taxes.
• No inspectors and regulators or special permits to build on your own land.
• The government for the most part stays out of your personal affairs as long as you don't break laws.
• Fewer laws to break compared to your average Western country.
• If you break a law - money talks.
• Hot women!  (oh you already noted that) <laughs>  (I'm old, and married, but I'm not dead yet)