3 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

I wouldnt trust a bus driver.

When I came to Thailand, 25 years ago, I and many people in my office would handle their Credit Card to a motorcycle driver who went to pay all my bills and do the shopping for me.
Never been scammed by the motorcycle driver.
I wouldn't try to do that nowadays.

Every month or two, another post like this one gets added to the pile talking about "the good old days" in Thailand. But, yes, the late 80s through the late 90s were a great time and Thailand still had a level of fun spontaneity that has since faded over the last 25 years. Back then, Bangkok was filled with amazing, affordable street food, temples everywhere were peaceful and uncrowded, historical sites upcountry were still fun to visit, and the islands retained a natural, untouched feel. The country was less commercialized and Westernized in general. Accommodations were incredibly affordable, and there was far less bureaucracy and formality in getting things done. Visa rules were much more flexible, and overall, there were fewer restrictions. The locals were more tolerant of foreigners, happier, and less transactional. There was also a stronger presence of local culture, vibrant nightlife, and an easy-going atmosphere. With no social media and no Chinese and Indian mass tourism, the place didn't feel oversold or commercialized the way it does now.

As recently as the 2000 decade when taking the minibus to cross from Malaysia via Sadao the driver would collect the pps while we all waited in the van.  There was also some baksheesh involved, I think it was 100b tucked in the pp.

 

3 hours ago, Confuscious said:

And you had to pay in US Dollars with new bills.
No bending allowed.

This was a big thing in India in the 1970s.  There was a whole theatrical performance involving the inspection and rejection of bad notes, mimicked wherever travelers were meeting up.  The real purpose was to get more money from you:  e.g. you would be offered 9 rupees for your 10  rupee note.  This became a running scam on the Ranong visa run, the touts would tell you that your less-than-pristine US notes will be unacceptable by the Burmese.

 

Here is another one, very popular in Bkk 1975:  a young couple would be walking down the street, and when you cross paths the guy points to gf and says "you want woman?"  while she stands there smiling.  Never acted on it, I figured it was an attempted rip-off -- where I come from that kind of setup was called a "murphy."  I was staying near Hualumpong, where on the street it was a regular occurrence.  But the advantage of staying in that area was the fortune teller lady who sold weed, and the Chinese hotel/restaurant/bordello didn't mind smoking it in the rooms.

 

8 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

   You would have to go to your Embassy to get a new one 

 

And even doing that was quick and convenient.

 

I had my UK passport lifted in Rome, would have been in the early naughties.

 

Off to the cop-shop with an Italian friend, 15 minutes to get a police report.

 

Visit the British Embassy as soon as they opened with police report and my details (UK driving licence).

 

Paid some $$$.

 

Collected new 10-year passport that afternoon! 

 

The only minor bump in the road was that said passport didn't have the machine-readable text block on the photo page which did cause some consternation with Malaysian immigration, but they let me in anyway 🙂 

@swissie so, what do you think about immigration control at home, wherever you come from.

Do you think everybody should be let into the country, no regulations, etc.?

Or do you want strict control for those foreigners?

 

I think we should be consistent with our ideas. The idea that Thailand should let all foreigners do what they want but back home foreigners should not be allowed is a little inconsistent, don't you think? 

8 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

Scooter rentals dont want licence, they want passport or copy. Never been asked for license.

What is a Harrisfqn?

8 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Spain was where all the UK villans went to back then . 

Not all villains are from the UK!

1 minute ago, PomPolo said:

Not all villains are from the UK!

 

 

 

They might be soon, the way things are going.

10 hours ago, swissie said:

Boy, those were the days, when the only worrie a Farang had, was to miss the monthly mini-bus to the Cambodian border. Days gone by.

 

 

Been here for near on 20yrs and I have never had to do a border run.... Living legally is the shizzle !

7 hours ago, brfsa2 said:

Thailand before Thaksin. 

 

Hear hear

8 hours ago, brfsa2 said:

oh man, how awesome was Bangkok and most of Thailand before Thaksin. 

I don't know exactly what really changed in Thailand but I can tell 30 years ago was amazing, then things changed a lot in early 2000's ,

After his the war on drugs, it seems the crimes increased and there is just so much artificial cheap drugs just everywhere, it's insane how bad it is now.

Pubs are no where are as nice and relaxed as in the 90s here. I remember telephone pub, quite famous, then route66 opened. damn, good old days!

and at least Silom was not the trash it is today!

 

'The beach' was released in 2000, that put Thailand on the map for many that hadnt heard of it before.

I went to Thailand first time in November 1988.

Immigration Office were very friendly

I had a Visa for two month and i asked them for 1 month more at Immigration Bangkok.

They gave me instead 2 month more with a smile. 

42 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

'The beach' was released in 2000, that put Thailand on the map for many that hadnt heard of it before.

Well aware of TH, prior to 2000 and 'The Beach', as having a bud stationed here during Nam war, that I use to correspond with weekly.   Never thought about it afterwards.

 

Only on the radar from coworkers, (airline employees), who regularly visited.   If not employed there myself, with more than a few weeks of timeshare to burn, then I would have never visited myself, in 1999.  Visited PP long before seeing the movie.  As I think the first movie of DiCaprio's that I saw was 'The Departed' and not because he was in it.

 

As an alternative to TH, probably retiring in the Americas somewhere, or staying nomadic tourist of the Americas.

10 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

30 days visa free

60 days visa free

 

Actually better now. Twice as good.

No.

In the good old days I got 90 days visa exempt and unlimited entries.

 

The beaches were not destroyed by concrete. Hut for 300 baht a night. Bliss

Bar girls tended to customers and not their phones.

Bar fine was 200 baht ( Bkk ) and 1000 long time.

Took 4 hours to Pattaya on the bus and really was fun ( and sin ) city. Baht bus from the North Rd bus station was 20 baht to the door. Baht buses on the city run 10 baht. Still had shady trees and seating on the Beach Rd walkway. Hotel 500 a night with breakfast.

20 baht on the round the island songtheaw on Samui.

 

The BEST things about the old days in Thailand

No PCs

No internet

No mobile phones ( nobody calling mummy every day )

Beaches before they were ruined by flashpackers

Phi Phi was actually a decent place to visit

Pattaya was fun

Thaksin wasn't a politician.

 

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

No.

In the good old days I got 90 days visa exempt and unlimited entries.

 

The beaches were not destroyed by concrete. Hut for 300 baht a night. Bliss

Bar girls tended to customers and not their phones.

Bar fine was 200 baht ( Bkk ) and 1000 long time.

Took 4 hours to Pattaya on the bus and really was fun ( and sin ) city. Baht bus from the North Rd bus station was 20 baht to the door. Baht buses on the city run 10 baht. Still had shady trees and seating on the Beach Rd walkway. Hotel 500 a night with breakfast.

20 baht on the round the island songtheaw on Samui.

 

The BEST things about the old days in Thailand

No PCs

No internet

No mobile phones ( nobody calling mummy every day )

Beaches before they were ruined by flashpackers

Phi Phi was actually a decent place to visit

Pattaya was fun

Thaksin wasn't a politician.

 

When was it 90 days? 450 baht rooms still exist.

57 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

'The beach' was released in 2000, that put Thailand on the map for many that hadnt heard of it before.

and it was the worst thing that happened to Maya Bay. Before that trash movie ( De Caprio ruined it by changing the story. Apparently Danny regretted that he let De Caprio do that ) Maya Bay wasn't even on the tourist circuit.

 

BTW, did you know that the book wasn't even set there- it was near Koh Samui in the National Park.

For a long time after, the big Buddha from the opening sequence of the movie was located in Krabi town. It was made of polystyrene. The bus routes on the bus shelter didn't exist.

The palm trees in the movie were transplanted as there were none before. After the movie they were removed.

 

Somewhat ironically, Richard ( the character De Caprio played ) despised tourists that didn't respect nature, which means every tourist that visited Maya Bay because the movie was set there.

10 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

When was it 90 days? 450 baht rooms still exist.

NZ got 90 days visa exempt. Thailand stopped it after NZ did because too many Thai abusing it to work in NZ.

 

I'm talking about a decent hut on a Thai beach, not some broom closet in back road Pattaya.

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

NZ got 90 days visa exempt. Thailand stopped it after NZ did because too many Thai abusing it to work in NZ.

 

I'm talking about a decent hut on a Thai beach, not some broom closet in back road Pattaya.

I'm in Isaan. 380 for 1 bedroom cabin last week, 450 this week large room with balcony. Hua Hin has 450 baht rooms. 500 in bangkok. 

 

60 days is still good.

 

Bolt is 63 to 68 for most rides.

 

Lunch was 190 yesterday for 2 p with 3 drinks

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

and it was the worst thing that happened to Maya Bay. Before that trash movie ( De Caprio ruined it by changing the story. Apparently Danny regretted that he let De Caprio do that ) Maya Bay wasn't even on the tourist circuit.

 

BTW, did you know that the book wasn't even set there- it was near Koh Samui in the National Park.

For a long time after, the big Buddha from the opening sequence of the movie was located in Krabi town. It was made of polystyrene. The bus routes on the bus shelter didn't exist.

The palm trees in the movie were transplanted as there were none before. After the movie they were removed.

 

Somewhat ironically, Richard ( the character De Caprio played ) despised tourists that didn't respect nature, which means every tourist that visited Maya Bay because the movie was set there.

It was filmed at maya bay, but it was supposed to be elsewhere in Thailand. However it put maya bay on the map unfortunately, thankfully I was there in 2000, before the film, went back in 09, but thought was awful. 

2 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

I'm in Isaan. 380 for 1 bedroom cabin last week, 450 this week large room with balcony. Hua Hin has 450 baht rooms. 500 in bangkok. 

 

60 days is still good.

 

Bolt is 63 to 68 for most rides.

 

Lunch was 190 yesterday for 2 p with 3 drinks

 

 

 

 

 

 

You missed the part about ON THE BEACH. Not interested in being in Issan- never was.

I didn't say 60 days wasn't good. That wasn't what I replied to.

 

190 baht for lunch . I used to get a box of fried rice chicken that would last 4 days for 50 baht. Meal in a restaurant was 50 baht or less. First meal I ever bought in Thailand cost 20 baht. Water used to be free.

Just now, thaibeachlovers said:

You missed the part about ON THE BEACH. Not interested in being in Issan- never was.

I didn't say 60 days wasn't good. That wasn't what I replied to.

 

190 baht for lunch . I used to get a box of fried rice chicken that would last 4 days for 50 baht. Meal in a restaurant was 50 baht or less. First meal I ever bought in Thailand cost 20 baht. Water used to be free.

450 baht rooms near beach exist. Food inflation is world wide. Silly to whinge about that. I paid 20 for fried chicken last night. Next.

7 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

It was filmed at maya bay, but it was supposed to be elsewhere in Thailand. However it put maya bay on the map unfortunately, thankfully I was there in 2000, before the film, went back in 09, but thought was awful. 

I blame De Caprio. It was supposed to be a British actor, as the Richard in the book was British, but De Caprio called Boyle to say he wanted to play Richard, and Boyle bent over. Boyle also changed the story to suit De Caprio who wanted to get the girl. In the book it's unrequited love. Then they had to change the female leader from American to British.

Had it been just a Boyle film it would never have been as popular and Maya Bay would have been spared.

6 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

450 baht rooms near beach exist. Food inflation is world wide. Silly to whinge about that. I paid 20 for fried chicken last night. Next.

You can't just make a claim like that without saying on which beach and how close to the sand. You'll never get a place at anywhere near that price on any beach I visited, now.

300 was a pretty standard price most beaches next to the sand.

 

Who's winging? I was saying what was good about the old days. It is yourself that has tried to make it some sort of competition.

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You can't just make a claim like that without saying on which beach and how close to the sand. You'll never get a place at that price on any beach I visited now.

They are not allowed by law to build on sand. You must be lazy or stupid if you can't walk a few hundred metres. Garden bungalows near beach are cheaper than bungalows with ocean view.

 

A beach is just sand and water anyway. 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

They are not allowed by law to build on sand. You must be lazy or stupid if you can't walk a few hundred metres. Garden bungalows near beach are cheaper than bungalows with ocean view.

 

A beach is just sand and water anyway. 

 

 

I guess you haven't been to any beaches on pahagan, Tao, samui then.

Sorry but quoting 'by law' is a bit ridiculous, especially when going back 20-30yrs. 

3 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

I guess you haven't been to any beaches on pahagan, Tao, samui then.

Sorry but quoting 'by law' is a bit ridiculous, especially when going back 20-30yrs. 

https://www.windowonphuket.com/useful-info/1513/the-legalities-of-using-beach-land

12 hours ago, swissie said:

Recent Visitors/long term Expats may not know this. There was a time in Thailand where a "long-term" visa consisted of a monthly "border-run" to Cambodia. To be repeated endlessly, having fun on the monthly run, a change of pace. That was the "long-term-visa" for everybody.

 

The only persons that asked you "where you come from and how long you stay" where the bar-ladies. Immigration was not interested in such trivial things. One could have rented a car with a drivers licence of eastern Timbuktu. The word "feminism" was known, but interpreted as "a female must look as female as possible". Hotel clerks mostly unfamiliar with the western ABC.  Everyone welcome with some kind of stamp on some strange paper. That was a long time ago.

And today? A strict visa concept. Farangs having to pay taxes. Tel-Phone SIM Cards readable by "authorities". Hurdles to even open a bank account? While at the same time "property -rights" for Farangs have not been "liberalised". For example.

Boy, those were the days, when the only worrie a Farang had, was to miss the monthly mini-bus to the Cambodian border. Days gone by.

 

My memories:

 

No BTS or MRT

No meters in Taxis

Rickshaws and Tuk tuks

No roof on Nana

Beer bars down by the tracks\

The Boss in Thermae had black hair and more of it, and you could use the back door.

No Terminal 21, no Icon Siam, no Emporium or Emquartier, among others

Electronics mall in Pratunam.

No Swampy, you came in at DMK

Good looking girls at BJ bars

1 minute ago, Harrisfan said:

https://www.windowonphuket.com/useful-info/1513/the-legalities-of-using-beach-land

Don't make the thread boring by posting links to legal land crap just to try and prove a point. Everyone knows what the laws are and how they can be twisted

 

I never once questioned the legailty of the beach hut I stayed in, funnily enough it didn't bother me, but I can assuse you it existed, like I said if you'd have been to any of the Gulf islands you'd have seen for yourself.

Off-topic, but many years ago I entered communist Roumania on the border train by showing a 'British Gas' bill that I claimed was my entry visa.  The border guard had no idea of English, studied the gas bill for a few minutes, stamped it and let me into the country... 🙂

12 hours ago, swissie said:

Just curious: When did you open this Bank Account? Recently or years ago? This is of importance, considering recent requirements for Farangs.

Think the recent requirements are all about foreigners, not just white folk.

But then I'm not a racist.