Reasons I Am Leaving Pattaya

[jori]

FarangBuddha

• 
• Senior Member

I got nuttin against anyone retiring in Cypress, Pattaya, or anywhere else they choose. If you've got it all sorted out and it's a secure retirement fine. Anybody who has bought real estate in Thailand over the past decade has made a bundle...even if they sell for the same nominal amount in baht, they've made 20-30% when converting back to their Western currency. So you may want to re-consider that not buying in Thailand being a "no-brainer" statement. For those of us who call Thailand home, it doesn't really matter what real estate prices are currently...only what they originally paid and if that was affordable to them.

I don't know anything about all your UK allowances...just hope they continue to pay them as they cut all government department budgets 20-30% over the next few years. As to that "free" medical care in Cypress...don't forget, you get what you pay for...and the last I heard, Cypress was not very high on the list of quality medical-tourism destinations. Just bone up on your Greek or whatever language they speak over there so you can tell the doc what part of your body to operate on...wouldn't want any confusion there now

I'm sure you can speak Thai when it comes to renewing that bolt that goes through your neck,no thought not LOL. As for selling here,well that is a sore point,think you will ever manage it?

Already got my place ,deeds included No -brainer comes into play here in more that a few quotes

Edited November 16, 2010 by jori

[SoiGirlHunter]

i didnt mind pattaya, i do miss soi 6, but it wasnt a healthy lifesyle, i have already lost 16 lbs here

another thing i learned up here is the girls here are very shy and you need to be aggressive in your hunt. most here never even seen a farang but my general observation is they'd want a farang over a thai guy.

i met the burmese girl in a shop buying food. i tried talking to her with no luck but the shop keeper spoke some english and she kinda hooked us up/exchanged phone numbers. the first few dates were awkward, she took her brother along. third date she drove me on her motocy up to some waterfalls. her hair blowing in my face as i held her close. so sweet

i left pattaya 5 weeks ago and now live in na bot in tak province, very boondocks, mostly farming. my wife asked me to move up.

at first i was bored but i am making alot of friends and feeling much better. its very beatiful up here, better than cm. the people are

AWESOME, i cant believe how nice compared tp patts or bkk. when i go out people buy me beers like crazy and seem to like farangs. i havent been overcharged/ripped off once.

when i get bored i just jump on my motocy and go exploring. the roads are very safe, hardly any traffic.

girl wise its not like pattaya but in a week i acquired a hot lil burmese girl, i just buy her food and she seems happy enough. i met a few other thais too that seem nice.

its super cheap to live up here, i'd say 1/2 the cost of patts. i spend about 700 baht a day, beers, girl, bills etc

oh the police are awesome here, i made friends w 3 so far, last sat night one took me out drinking in his police truck lol

i got 2 business card to show at checkpoints but i always get waved thru, no helmet, unreg bike etc lol

Most of the people who rag on Thailand have either never left one of the big cities to enjoy the "quiet" side of Thailand, or are just grumpy and are unhappy no matter where they live. I know this will offend some, but I could not imagine myself living in Central Pattaya. It's just not for me...single or married.

I've enjoyed my visits to the countryside in Thailand. The people have treated me fantastically! I've taken my scooter to remote villages, stopped off to get a cold one, and end up sitting and talking with the locals. I don't speak any Thai...but there always seems to be someone walking around who speaks a bit of English.

Congrats for finding your "Shangri La"!

[FarangBuddha]

i left pattaya 5 weeks ago and now live in na bot in tak province, very boondocks, mostly farming. my wife asked me to move up.

at first i was bored but i am making alot of friends and feeling much better. its very beatiful up here, better than cm. the people are

AWESOME, i cant believe how nice compared tp patts or bkk. when i go out people buy me beers like crazy and seem to like farangs. i havent been overcharged/ripped off once.

when i get bored i just jump on my motocy and go exploring. the roads are very safe, hardly any traffic.

girl wise its not like pattaya but in a week i acquired a hot lil burmese girl, i just buy her food and she seems happy enough. i met a few other thais too that seem nice.

its super cheap to live up here, i'd say 1/2 the cost of patts. i spend about 700 baht a day, beers, girl, bills etc

oh the police are awesome here, i made friends w 3 so far, last sat night one took me out drinking in his police truck lol

i got 2 business card to show at checkpoints but i always get waved thru, no helmet, unreg bike etc lol

Totally Agree Dude. Once you get outside of Pattaya you see a totally different side to Thailand and its mostly for the better. Sure there's not the same number of bars, gogos or western restaurants but I find the sheer friendliness of the local population more than make up for that. In Ubon I didnt know how much the baht bus was so I just handed in 20 baht and walked off. Furious honking and calling me back ensued. I went back thinking, 'they must want more than 20 baht' but it was to give me back my change. Small things like this do not happen in Pattaya.

When you said its 'better than cm' - did you mean Chiang Mai? How is it better than there? I only ask because I'm going to leave Pattaya and move up there to CM next week. Hope I'm doing the right thing.

SGH's account of life in the sticks rings true and it may be the ticket for some folks but most of us don't want to give up the convience and variety of life the the major farang-oriented retirement areas of Thailand. And besides, you can have more or less the same life as you and SGH describe in Pattaya as well...as long as you get out of the farang-ghettos and away from the people who inhabit said haunts.

It is not necessary to get out of Pattaya as you say to see a "different" and "better" side of Thailand. There are many nice farang and Thai people living and working and leading perfectly normal lives in Pattaya. This is always hard for visitors and some residents to believe. We choose to live here for the proximity to Bangkok, the variety and quality of grocery and restos, the social activities [not bar related], and the sports and recreation opportunities that would likely not be readily accessible in more remote locations.

The best part is all the store sales and resto specials are subsidized by the free-spending visitors, who support the plethora of shopping and eating destinations we residents enjoy.

Edited November 16, 2010 by FarangBuddha

[jori]

I researched this Cyprus thing a bit. It ain't all that great. Here's some headlines:

"In Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus there is almost universal agreement that corruption is a national problem" says damning EU Commission report.

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The property market in Cyprus appears to be stabilising but economists are still expecting values to fall another 4% in 2010 on top of the 8% decline in 2009

Although values and transactions and permits for building are slowly increasing there is still very much subdued interest from buyers on both a domestic and foreign level.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cyprus Title Deeds Problem Makes it Onto the UK Prime Minister's E-petition Website

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Others were about cowboy estate agents, land being developed illegally, thousands of vacationing Brits during the summer packing beaches, serious looming border problems, Israeli's by the boat load visiting the casinos, etc, etc, etc.

Lori: Seems you are just trading one area you hate for another you eventually will...

I did my homework,if values keep declining I'll buy more,just glad I did not get suckerpunched into buying anything in Thailand,that would have been a disaster. The more subdued it is there makes it more of a bargain. Corruption is not in the same league as Thailand,here it's widespread,but no problem,just do everything by the book. I never looked for a cheap place to live,but Thailand is cheap but I consider it nasty as well. The thing about the EEC wherever you are can get a business,no work permits if you want to go along that route,everything and anything is possible.There could be millions on the beaches there,got my place in small village few miles out of town

From all the beer guzzling , Harley hard ridin',Russian girl admiin',ancient fathering syndromes I think I've earned a break from Thailand. Did write a piece about a month ago ,a few contributors would have fitted quite well into that frame.

Yes lived in Chiag Mai,TGF farm out in the sticks ,no thanks,far too quiet,too far away from anything ,just get bored romping around the same roads day in ,day out

[craigt3365]

I researched this Cyprus thing a bit. It ain't all that great. Here's some headlines:

"In Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus there is almost universal agreement that corruption is a national problem" says damning EU Commission report.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The property market in Cyprus appears to be stabilising but economists are still expecting values to fall another 4% in 2010 on top of the 8% decline in 2009

Although values and transactions and permits for building are slowly increasing there is still very much subdued interest from buyers on both a domestic and foreign level.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cyprus Title Deeds Problem Makes it Onto the UK Prime Minister's E-petition Website

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Others were about cowboy estate agents, land being developed illegally, thousands of vacationing Brits during the summer packing beaches, serious looming border problems, Israeli's by the boat load visiting the casinos, etc, etc, etc.

Lori: Seems you are just trading one area you hate for another you eventually will...

I did my homework,if values keep declining I'll buy more,just glad I did not get suckerpunched into buying anything in Thailand,that would have been a disaster. The more subdued it is there makes it more of a bargain. Corruption is not in the same league as Thailand,here it's widespread,but no problem,just do everything by the book. I never looked for a cheap place to live,but Thailand is cheap but I consider it nasty as well. The thing about the EEC wherever you are can get a business,no work permits if you want to go along that route,everything and anything is possible.There could be millions on the beaches there,got my place in small village few miles out of town

From all the beer guzzling , Harley hard ridin',Russian girl admiin',ancient fathering syndromes I think I've earned a break from Thailand. Did write a piece about a month ago ,a few contributors would have fitted quite well into that frame.

Yes lived in Chiag Mai,TGF farm out in the sticks ,no thanks,far too quiet,too far away from anything ,just get bored romping around the same roads day in ,day out

With all due respects, and I do mean that, you contradict yourself quite a bit in this post. Seems RE values are declining there...same as here...but you trash here due to declining RE values. Same, same but different? You say you are going to live in a small village there, away from the crowds, but you now live in Pattaya? Why not more to, say, Bang Saray? Mai Khao Jai...with all due respect...

[jori]

I researched this Cyprus thing a bit. It ain't all that great. Here's some headlines:

"In Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus there is almost universal agreement that corruption is a national problem" says damning EU Commission report.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The property market in Cyprus appears to be stabilising but economists are still expecting values to fall another 4% in 2010 on top of the 8% decline in 2009

Although values and transactions and permits for building are slowly increasing there is still very much subdued interest from buyers on both a domestic and foreign level.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cyprus Title Deeds Problem Makes it Onto the UK Prime Minister's E-petition Website

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Others were about cowboy estate agents, land being developed illegally, thousands of vacationing Brits during the summer packing beaches, serious looming border problems, Israeli's by the boat load visiting the casinos, etc, etc, etc.

Lori: Seems you are just trading one area you hate for another you eventually will...

I did my homework,if values keep declining I'll buy more,just glad I did not get suckerpunched into buying anything in Thailand,that would have been a disaster. The more subdued it is there makes it more of a bargain. Corruption is not in the same league as Thailand,here it's widespread,but no problem,just do everything by the book. I never looked for a cheap place to live,but Thailand is cheap but I consider it nasty as well. The thing about the EEC wherever you are can get a business,no work permits if you want to go along that route,everything and anything is possible.There could be millions on the beaches there,got my place in small village few miles out of town

From all the beer guzzling , Harley hard ridin',Russian girl admiin',ancient fathering syndromes I think I've earned a break from Thailand. Did write a piece about a month ago ,a few contributors would have fitted quite well into that frame.

Yes lived in Chiag Mai,TGF farm out in the sticks ,no thanks,far too quiet,too far away from anything ,just get bored romping around the same roads day in ,day out

With all due respects, and I do mean that, you contradict yourself quite a bit in this post. Seems RE values are declining there...same as here...but you trash here due to declining RE values. Same, same but different? You say you are going to live in a small village there, away from the crowds, but you now live in Pattaya? Why not more to, say, Bang Saray? Mai Khao Jai...with all due respect...

Real estate prices are declining here and there,the big difference is there you can legally own property,now in my book that is one hel_l of a difference and if ,and that is a bif IF,if values ever start to rise they will rise far quicker there because of proximity,Thailand is too far on a limb.

I do not trash here just because of falling values. In the 10 or so years I have been in and out of Thailand I have seen one hel_l of a difference,and I consider Pattaya and Thailand in general has had its day

Now then,why would I live in Bang Saray or the other places you mention,or even the darkside,it's that damned Suk highway. I've seen more accidents ,had more near misses on that highway than I care to mention,OK can become a hermit. There location is important ,close enough to all that is good (or bad) ,far enough away to escape from it.

There are a host more advantages but I do not want to go into detail ,but this is the reason I'm leaving Thailand,never planned to stay here this long on my exit from another SE asia country ,just circumstances kept me here longer than planned

[Rimmer]

Everyone has different ideas about why they would like to leave Pattaya or stay in there, lets discuss in a gentlemanly fashion please without resorting to trolling and name calling.

[Nawtier]

girl wise its not like pattaya but in a week i acquired a hot lil burmese girl, i just buy her food and she seems happy enough.

All heart ain't ya ?

[Nuff Said]

Reply to Rumcabi.

I relocated from Pattaya (Jomtien) to Chiang Mai in 2008 and would never go back. Its far more relaxed, but with nightlife, albeit on a much smaller scale that Pattaya. For instance, there are only two A-Go-Go bars to my knowledge.

Good luck with your relocation, and don't forget to sign up for TV's Christmas Party on December 11th if you haven't already done so; can't see your name on the list. By the looks of things it getting quite full. The thread is on the Chiang Mai Forum page.

Edited November 17, 2010 by Nuff Said

[Rumcabal]

Reply to Rumcabi.

I relocated from Pattaya (Jomtien) to Chiang Mai in 2008 and would never go back. Its far more relaxed, but with nightlife, albeit on a much smaller scale that Pattaya. For instance, there are only two A-Go-Go bars to my knowledge.

Good luck with your relocation, and don't forget to sign up for TV's Christmas Party on December 11th if you haven't already done so; can't see your name on the list. By the looks of things it getting quite full. The thread is on the Chiang Mai Forum page.

Thanks for the invite 'Nuff'. I'd like to go but I wont be in CM on that particular weekend. Next time you guys are meeting up I'll come along for sure.

[Rumcabal]

It is not necessary to get out of Pattaya as you say to see a "different" and "better" side of Thailand. There are many nice farang and Thai people living and working and leading perfectly normal lives in Pattaya. This is always hard for visitors and some residents to believe. We choose to live here for the proximity to Bangkok, the variety and quality of grocery and restos, the social activities [not bar related], and the sports and recreation opportunities that would likely not be readily accessible in more remote locations.

I know and I agree with you to some extent. There are 'some' nice Farangs and 'some' nice Thai poeple living and working in Pattaya. The problem I have is with the high percentage of folks in the other bracket - the 'not nice' bracket. There is just so many of them here in Pattaya. And I'm not talking about meeting them in the bar areas or touristy places. Its just the lack of manners or common courtesy that I witness nearly every day. Mostly from foreigners here. From the guy I witnessed last week shouting at the woman behind the pharamacy counter because she didnt understand what he was saying (English is not her first language - you dipstick), to the guy in front of me at the checkout in Lotus trying to pick up the checkout girl who was at least 30 years younger and clearly uncomfortable with his advances. I know several women working in a retail shop 3km away from any gogo bar or massage parlor. Yet they are hit on every day. When explaining that they are not for sale they commonly get the 'well then why are you in Pattaya' response. And thats even way before I get started on the type of folks and disgraceful scenes I've witnessed in the bar scene.

None of these things are terribly offensive but its more the daily grind of witnessing this crap every other day. Yes nowhere is perfect and bad manners/rudeness can be found everywhere but its just seems to me that Pattaya has too many of these kinds of folks even in the 'good' areas.

I kinda still like Pattaya and all that it has to offer but after 3 years I just felt it was time to move on. I will miss the beach and the convenience of life here, thats for sure. Who knows maybe ina year or two I'll be back.....

[FarangBuddha]

It is not necessary to get out of Pattaya as you say to see a "different" and "better" side of Thailand. There are many nice farang and Thai people living and working and leading perfectly normal lives in Pattaya. This is always hard for visitors and some residents to believe. We choose to live here for the proximity to Bangkok, the variety and quality of grocery and restos, the social activities [not bar related], and the sports and recreation opportunities that would likely not be readily accessible in more remote locations.

I know and I agree with you to some extent. There are 'some' nice Farangs and 'some' nice Thai poeple living and working in Pattaya. The problem I have is with the high percentage of folks in the other bracket - the 'not nice' bracket. There is just so many of them here in Pattaya. And I'm not talking about meeting them in the bar areas or touristy places. Its just the lack of manners or common courtesy that I witness nearly every day. Mostly from foreigners here. From the guy I witnessed last week shouting at the woman behind the pharamacy counter because she didnt understand what he was saying (English is not her first language - you dipstick), to the guy in front of me at the checkout in Lotus trying to pick up the checkout girl who was at least 30 years younger and clearly uncomfortable with his advances. I know several women working in a retail shop 3km away from any gogo bar or massage parlor. Yet they are hit on every day. When explaining that they are not for sale they commonly get the 'well then why are you in Pattaya' response. And thats even way before I get started on the type of folks and disgraceful scenes I've witnessed in the bar scene.

None of these things are terribly offensive but its more the daily grind of witnessing this crap every other day. Yes nowhere is perfect and bad manners/rudeness can be found everywhere but its just seems to me that Pattaya has too many of these kinds of folks even in the 'good' areas.

I kinda still like Pattaya and all that it has to offer but after 3 years I just felt it was time to move on. I will miss the beach and the convenience of life here, thats for sure. Who knows maybe ina year or two I'll be back.....

You points about the lack of manners and class among many of the foreign visitors [and sadly to say residents] of Pattaya are very true. They are very embarrassing indeed and I cringe too when I see these things and what our Thai hosts must think about us foreign residents. However, they do not bother me personally to the extent that I would up and move away from Pattaya.

As mama used to say...words can't hurt you and I'm sure the Thai girls have heard the same from their moms as well. Now, a touch is a different thing and I love to see those reports where some fareng and his errant hand are hauled on down to the cop-shop for a little income redistribution for molesting one of the respectable young ladies of Pattaya

[morphious]

[chops]

might like to add another point. the place is overrun with ruskies. I can't even go 1 minute without hearing somebody blabber in russian.

problem solved though. I'm leaving next week for a new life up north, to a town so remote I know russians and iranians won't venture.

Edited November 22, 2010 by chops