Am I suddenly old? Everyone is smiling and helping me!

[Thingamabob]

17 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

It's exactly opposite when I was in Thailand 

Even though I'm very fit for my age (in the gym most days of the week ) I still got people push in front of me etc 

Some people even walk into you in the street ,phone in hand not paying attention or the the gang of 4 walking side by side as you have to stop ! and go to the side to let THEM pass !

 

In Thailand and I don't know MYANMAR but in Thailand they have LESS respect that the West I believe to older farang guys 

 

I have NEVER had anyone hold a door open for me in Thailand like in the Western countries 

They just push in 

 

I remember in Thailand people barging into the lift BEFORE I got out !

 

I remember walking towards a glass door in the Condo I was staying in (Pattaya Arcadia Beach Resort) and I went to walk with my bags when Asian girls just barged in front of me letting the door slam in my face this is in Thailand !

 

Yesterday I'm in Brisbane Australia and several times young people held the door open for me in the Airbnb Condo I was staying in 

I was surprised,this is Australia yet they were more polite young people than Thailand!

 

Last night Im walking in Brisbane a young tattooed guy moved to the side to let me pass ,you wouldn't find that in Thailand 

 

Now MYANMAR I don't know ,I want to go ,and if I do I expect to stay with YOU Simon 

 

Anyone here saying people especially YOUNGER people in Thailand have more RESPECT and MANNERS towards older farang than in the WESTERN Countries is bull<deleted> ....maybe they did in the PAST but not now !

 

 

 

 

I don't agree. The older I get, now 83, the better I am treated on the street in Thailand.

[Expat68]

You know you are old when they start calling you Papa. Which they have😂😂

[newbee2022]

12 hours ago, JimTripper said:

You so horny, you do bukkake, you love it loong time...

....said a man named TRIPPER....

😂

[grain]

1 hour ago, Expat68 said:

You know you are old when they start calling you Papa. Which they have😂😂

I'll never forget the first time that happened to me. I used to walk past bars and gals would call out "velly nie" or "hello sexy man" then one day about 25 years ago I walked past a bar at Ao Nang, Krabi and some bitch called out "hello poppa" and that was the start, a line had been crossed that day, it was like every bargal in Thailand had got together and decided that from that moment on I was now officially "poppa" 😄

[Dexxter]

16 hours ago, CallumWK said:

 

 

 

The full version is better. Me so hawwwneee. Best movie ever.

 

[soalbundy]

22 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

It's exactly opposite when I was in Thailand 

Even though I'm very fit for my age (in the gym most days of the week ) I still got people push in front of me etc 

Some people even walk into you in the street ,phone in hand not paying attention or the the gang of 4 walking side by side as you have to stop ! and go to the side to let THEM pass !

 

In Thailand and I don't know MYANMAR but in Thailand they have LESS respect that the West I believe to older farang guys 

 

I have NEVER had anyone hold a door open for me in Thailand like in the Western countries 

They just push in 

 

I remember in Thailand people barging into the lift BEFORE I got out !

 

I remember walking towards a glass door in the Condo I was staying in (Pattaya Arcadia Beach Resort) and I went to walk with my bags when Asian girls just barged in front of me letting the door slam in my face this is in Thailand !

 

Yesterday I'm in Brisbane Australia and several times young people held the door open for me in the Airbnb Condo I was staying in 

I was surprised,this is Australia yet they were more polite young people than Thailand!

 

Last night Im walking in Brisbane a young tattooed guy moved to the side to let me pass ,you wouldn't find that in Thailand 

 

Now MYANMAR I don't know ,I want to go ,and if I do I expect to stay with YOU Simon 

 

Anyone here saying people especially YOUNGER people in Thailand have more RESPECT and MANNERS towards older farang than in the WESTERN Countries is bull<deleted> ....maybe they did in the PAST but not now !

 

 

 

 

I can't say Thais are rude, often the opposite but they can be careless. Whenever I enter the bank I always hold the door open for people behind me, man or woman, and they seem pleasantly surprised as if that's unusual, in fact it has resulted in friendly conversations while waiting for my number to be called out by the cashier. The older I get the more respect is shown to me by my stepdaughters friends and boyfriends, the latest one shot out of his seat when I appeared to give me a wai, I thought at first he was going to salute me. what I find strange is the lack of formal introduction such as "Papa, this Somchai, Somchai this is Papa", when I mentioned it to my wife she said, "Why should that be necessary, it's obvious who you are",  "Do you know his name" I asked, "No, he's a colleague from her work place, he's not dating me why should I know his name, it will crop up sooner or later", I find that most strange.

[Burma Bill]

On 11/17/2024 at 1:42 PM, simon43 said:

today I am shopping in the city of Mandalay, in Myanmar,

 

Congratulations and I envy you. During the short period of democracy I visited Mandalay twice, Bagan once and Rangoon three times. I found Burma a very friendly and fascinating country. Plans to visit thesedays  were scuppered by the latest Junta. All my visits were by Air Asia's "Fly-thru" from Khon Kaen.  I do not think I would be allowed in now, being a retired member of the UK Police Service.

[geisha]

On 11/17/2024 at 7:42 AM, simon43 said:

I jump into a taxi to go to the nearby shopping centre.  I pay the driver at our destination and he hands back the small tip that I gave him. I press the tip money into his hand and he is all genuine smiles.

 

I go to the supermarket, getting the items on my list.  As I push my trolley slowly down the aisles, women (young and old smile at me).  I check that my trouser zip is not undone!!

 

At the cashier payout, I pay the cashier and start to put my items into my backpack.  Several young women crowd round to help me, fetching extra bags from the cashier and packing my items.  All smile genuine smiles as they help me.

 

I go to the pharmacy and buy some cough syrup.  Again, as I put the purchase into my bags, 3 young staff help me to put my backpack on my back.

 

Throughout my shopping trip this morning, total strangers smile at me and say hello.

 

So...... what's happened?  Do I suddenly look decrepit?  Do I have $100 notes glued to my jacket?

 

No!  The only difference between my shopping trip last week and today, is that last week I went shopping in Thailand and today I am shopping in the city of Mandalay, in Myanmar, where civil war is rife and a white-skinned foreigner is rarer than a virgin in Soi Cowboy...

 

Perhaps they are smiling and helping out of pity for the foreigner who missed the last plane out of dodge 🙂  (An exaggeration actually, there are flights every day).

 

As to how I have ended up (AGAIN!) in Myanmar, let's just say that my sense of direction at airports isn't very good in my old age 🙂

 

 

So why were you there ?i know you lived there . I have friends there as I visited often over 20 + years. Love the people. They are kind hearted. So what is it like now? I hear the Thai immigration office still works?

[geisha]

On 11/17/2024 at 9:08 AM, Hummin said:

 

My two days last week in Bangkok, they opened the doors for me a few places. At our hotel and the restaurants we visited.

I’ve always found Bangkokians very polite and friendly. I love visiting there.

[nauseus]

22 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

Then why conceal this important detail from the original post?  Sounds like you wanted to leave that out to encourage replies.  🙄

 

Good point. What was this doo about sense of direction and airports?

[simon43]

17 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

 

Congratulations and I envy you. During the short period of democracy I visited Mandalay twice, Bagan once and Rangoon three times. I found Burma a very friendly and fascinating country. Plans to visit thesedays  were scuppered by the latest Junta. All my visits were by Air Asia's "Fly-thru" from Khon Kaen.  I do not think I would be allowed in now, being a retired member of the UK Police Service.

I was denied entry into Myanmar about 2 years ago because the junta threw their toys out of their pram after the UK government froze their overseas bank accounts in London!  So they took their revenge on all Brits in the country, including jailing the previous UK ambassador who was still in country.  Anyway, things have calmed down on the visa front now.

 

The reasons why I returned are (in no particular order):

1 - I love the country and the peole

2 - At going on 66 years old, the idea of retiring to a beach in the Philippines doesn't really excite me

3 - By being in country, I can do more of my educational charity work outside of my teaching hours.  Yesterday, I printed up 50 laminated information flyers (in Burmese) about my free Android learning app.  I'll post these outside government schools etc so the local teachers (who will have Android phones) can install the app and use it to learn correct English pronunciation, vocabulary etc - the app features many videos, audio files etc 🙂

 

Here's is a photo looking down the eastern side of the moat towards Mandalay hill.

 

Edited Tuesday at 12:40 AM by simon43

[simon43]

10 hours ago, nauseus said:

 

Good point. What was this doo about sense of direction and airports?

Ah - that is an 'in-joke' about how I seem to move from location to location at the drop of a hat 🙂  I had planned to shortly retire to the PI.  The plan to retire to the PI is still on - the UK pension is index-linked there.

[DaRoadrunner]

You know you are past it when young girls you would have chased after, merely take pity on Poppa and stand up to give me their seat on the train. Sigh.....

[wombat]

You've got that in one...enjoy it.

[harryviking]

I am 72, but does not look like 72. Never been assisted in any way as I do NOT need to be. I am often helping younger people with opening doors if they carry things or assist in other ways when needed! I always receive big smiles as I guess they are not used to be assisted by older people, and definitely not a Farang often dressed in MC gear! I will say I am more polite than any Thai!

[Yagoda]

2 hours ago, harryviking said:

I am 72, but does not look like 72. Never been assisted in any way as I do NOT need to be. I am often helping younger people with opening doors if they carry things or assist in other ways when needed! I always receive big smiles as I guess they are not used to be assisted by older people, and definitely not a Farang often dressed in MC gear! I will say I am more polite than any Thai!

Thais are at least more sophisticated. Try being 70 with long hair down  and a long beard in rural Cambodia. Although I do hear it in Thermae.

 

Santa! Santa!

Edited Thursday at 01:25 AM by Yagoda

[sikishrory]

It depends. Have you noticed a decline in being called "hansum man"?

Does it now require a mild effort to find a women?

[georgegeorgia]

2 hours ago, sikishrory said:

It depends. Have you noticed a decline in being called "hansum man"?

Does it now require a mild effort to find a women?

Should we mention a gender ?

Look I'm not trying to be woke but there may be those on here who are confused by your word 

[sikishrory]

Apoligies to "Simon" for referring to you as an unequivocal male. My deepest condolences if I have offended you with my irresponsible reference to you as a possible "hansum man" or otherwise.

Furthermore, I would like to express my regret and oversight in the assumption that the unnamed, hypothetical "women" in my post are infact and choose to identify as "women".

[simon43]

I'm not sure how many 'men' in Myanmar identify as women.  Based on the apparent lack of wokeness, I suspect the number is rather small (about 0.00000001%).  One fact that is very clear is that the vast majority of young Myanmar women are slim and pretty, whilst those in Thailand are fast becoming lard-buckets.  Nothing wrong with lard-buckets lending me a hand, so long as it only involves my shopping bags...

[swissie]

On 11/19/2024 at 1:35 AM, simon43 said:

I was denied entry into Myanmar about 2 years ago because the junta threw their toys out of their pram after the UK government froze their overseas bank accounts in London!  So they took their revenge on all Brits in the country, including jailing the previous UK ambassador who was still in country.  Anyway, things have calmed down on the visa front now.

 

The reasons why I returned are (in no particular order):

1 - I love the country and the peole

2 - At going on 66 years old, the idea of retiring to a beach in the Philippines doesn't really excite me

3 - By being in country, I can do more of my educational charity work outside of my teaching hours.  Yesterday, I printed up 50 laminated information flyers (in Burmese) about my free Android learning app.  I'll post these outside government schools etc so the local teachers (who will have Android phones) can install the app and use it to learn correct English pronunciation, vocabulary etc - the app features many videos, audio files etc 🙂

 

Here's is a photo looking down the eastern side of the moat towards Mandalay hill.

 

 

[swissie]

Personal interest: How do you live/navigate in a country that officially is in the middle of a civil war?

 

[simon43]

7 hours ago, swissie said:

Personal interest: How do you live/navigate in a country that officially is in the middle of a civil war?

 

Well, the violence is not directed at me 🙂  I would only suffer if I happened to get in the way between military/police and aggrieved locals.  So I take wide berths around police and military checkpoints and boxes, ie cross the road and walk on the other side when I pass their buildings.

 

In any case, although Mandalay is apparently only 13km from the 'front line', it is still mostly peaceful.  But I can't travel outside the city to help with education in the villages.  That's too dangerous for sure.

[thesetat2013]

On 11/21/2024 at 9:23 AM, sikishrory said:

It depends. Have you noticed a decline in being called "hansum man"?

Does it now require a mild effort to find a women?

not at all.. I have not seen any changes in this.. only in the amount the women are asking for if you want to be with them.