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Posted

the solution is to move away from neighbors, not leave the country.

get isolated in Thaiiland, the place turns into a paradise that could be anywhere. the only problems you bring with you are your own. if your still complaining then, at least there's nobody around to hear it.

Are you seriously telling me that anywhere else in Thailand is better? I don't fancy being shot by some yabba'd up pisshead who wants my TV so there is no way I would live in the sticks. Can't for work reasons anyway. Your solution seems to be "live in Thailand but away from Thai people". That is ludicrous. Why bother being an expat in the first place and why continue to live somewhere where integration is impossible? Also - what's so good about Thailand the place anyway? It's falling apart, does have a superiority complex (completely unfounded) is managed and populated by corrupt people who are doing their level best to destroy and rape the country. If you are going to live somewhere with on the basis the country is nice, and you don't have to bother with the people there are a hundred nicer countries, and about half of them are living with in the 2010'sand not the 1810's in terms of attitude.

Yes! Move to the beach where the neighbors dont bother you. Getting a moobaan place with gates all around and security patrolling is the worst you can do in my opinion. Some people are very social and like it, and enjoy HOA or whatever they call it here. I don't.

I'm not here to be an 'expat', but rather to live well relatively cheaply and with minimal hassle. For me this means getting a nice place in a location that is as secluded as possible where I don't have to deal with problems of the neighbors or the country for that matter (except the visa stuff of course). I'm not interested in being involved in poltical stuff here either. So, yes, it's cheap, the weather is nice, and the water is warm. You can get that with privacy more here then you could in many other countries where it would cost a fortune.

If you want to play with the neighbors, then go ahead, but is does not seem to be working for you to well.

  • Like 2
Posted

Back on topic - I've done something similar to this in the past....

Don't leave and watch the fall out......

Collect the dog poo and keep it fresh then on a quite night smear it under their car door handles with some sharp small tacks in it.

They grab the door handle, go to kiss or suck their sorely spiked fingers and get a mouthful of good stuff,lol.

Also go in the old bags restaurant and be very friendly, smiley faces sticking poo under the tables, chairs anywhere. (don't eat the food though)have a bottled beer. Play them at their own game and go with the flow.....enjoy!

Posted (edited)

Avoidance of confrontation - so on those occasions where I have blocked a junction by accident, cut someone up on the motorway or bumped into someone in the street - you don't tend to get as I have had in England - yelling, swearing and threats to kick me to death. Ok one in a million might just pull out a gun and shoot me, but that is rare. The vast, vast majority will think it perfectly normal behaviour.

Corruption. Murder is a bit more serious. I'm a keen driver and would rather give 100 Baht to a policeman who stops me than 60GBP to some anonymous bureaucracy whose cameras caught me.

I haven't spent enough time in Malaysia to find out, but I didn't think much of it when I was there. I've had some of the best meals of my life in Thailand. Yeah, some of it's a bit samey, but no less enjoyable for that.

Different places suit different people at certain times.

Whose talking about England? I'm not. if I have done something wrong I want a ticket and a receipt for my payment. Otherwise you are giving the cop carte blanche to stop anyone for any excuse and take money from them which is exactly what they do here in Thailand.

I agree with NBD.

Some corruption is great in my opinion. One of the reasons I love it here. Who gives a shit about a receipt? If you want to learn to survive this country you adapt and change, unlike Pseudonym. For example, if I do get a parking ticket I give it to some of my police connections. As foreigner here it's so easy, if you have the imagination and gall to get connections.

Leave your previous life behind - this is a totally different culture - accept it or be miserable and bitter. Don't care what Thais think of you as 90% of the time you'll be wrong and who cares anyway.Reminds me of a story:

The Master seemed quite impervious to what people thought of him. When the disciples asked how he had attained this stage of inner freedom, he laughed aloud and said, "Till I was twenty I did not care what people thought of me. After twenty I worried endlessly about what my neighbors thought. Then one day after 50 I suddenly saw that they hardly ever thought of me at all!!

Edited by Johnniey
Posted

I agree with NBD.

Some corruption is great in my opinion. One of the reasons I love it here. Who gives a shit about a receipt? If you want to learn to survive this country you adapt and change, unlike Pseudonym. For example, if I do get a parking ticket I give it to some of my police connections. As foreigner here it's so easy, if you have the imagination and gall to get connections.

Leave your previous life behind - this is a totally different culture - accept it or be miserable and bitter. Don't care what Thais think of you as 90% of the time you'll be wrong and who cares anyway.Reminds me of a story:

The Master seemed quite impervious to what people thought of him. When the disciples asked how he had attained this stage of inner freedom, he laughed aloud and said, "Till I was twenty I did not care what people thought of me. After twenty I worried endlessly about what my neighbors thought. Then one day after 50 I suddenly saw that they hardly ever thought of me at all!!

So many things with what you have written. Corruption is not like a tap that you can decide it will go on and off when you like it to, or you can set it to a trickle for your convenience. Corruption is like a plague of locusts in a crop field. If you don't stamp it out straight away it will eat away at all things that are good. Having a little corruption when it is useful to you is saying "corruption is good". Funnily enough, 80% of the Thais think corruption is good without realising that it is the prime reason why most of the country is a cesspit and a minority look down upon it in their chauffeur driven cars, needing but not seeing those that serve them, and the populace not understanding why their life never gets better no matter how hard they work and then believe that the only way for them to succeed is to embrace corruption as well without realising that they are in a pyramid scheme of corruption, and being right at the bottom, it has no impact upon their lives and just puts one of a billion drops into the buckets of those right at the top.

  • Like 2
Posted (edited)

I agree with NBD.

Some corruption is great in my opinion. One of the reasons I love it here. Who gives a shit about a receipt? If you want to learn to survive this country you adapt and change, unlike Pseudonym. For example, if I do get a parking ticket I give it to some of my police connections. As foreigner here it's so easy, if you have the imagination and gall to get connections.

Leave your previous life behind - this is a totally different culture - accept it or be miserable and bitter. Don't care what Thais think of you as 90% of the time you'll be wrong and who cares anyway.Reminds me of a story:

The Master seemed quite impervious to what people thought of him. When the disciples asked how he had attained this stage of inner freedom, he laughed aloud and said, "Till I was twenty I did not care what people thought of me. After twenty I worried endlessly about what my neighbors thought. Then one day after 50 I suddenly saw that they hardly ever thought of me at all!!

So many things with what you have written. Corruption is not like a tap that you can decide it will go on and off when you like it to, or you can set it to a trickle for your convenience. Corruption is like a plague of locusts in a crop field. If you don't stamp it out straight away it will eat away at all things that are good. Having a little corruption when it is useful to you is saying "corruption is good". Funnily enough, 80% of the Thais think corruption is good without realising that it is the prime reason why most of the country is a cesspit and a minority look down upon it in their chauffeur driven cars, needing but not seeing those that serve them, and the populace not understanding why their life never gets better no matter how hard they work and then believe that the only way for them to succeed is to embrace corruption as well without realising that they are in a pyramid scheme of corruption, and being right at the bottom, it has no impact upon their lives and just puts one of a billion drops into the buckets of those right at the top.

I agree with you - maybe I'm just selfish but corruption has helped me and especially my children so much. I love Sid James btw, even though he was English.\

Food clothes and Saeng Som are all the poor are asking for as a great band once said. Up to them - but the Chinese Thai and adaptable farang are taking over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbRSS8M97aU

Edited by Johnniey
Posted (edited)

I agree with you - maybe I'm just selfish but corruption has helped me and especially my children so much. I love Sid James btw, even though he was English.\

Food clothes and Saeng Som are all the poor are asking for as a great band once said. Up to them - but the Chinese Thai and adaptable farang are taking over.

The adaptable Farang as you call it, and if you are referring to those that have embraced corruption, basically make me sick. Not being a violent man (never hit anyone, never been hit off of a rugby park) there is only one guy I have met here that almost made me break this habit of mine. An American who has been here 15+ years, fluent in Thai, very successful (literally if he earns less than 10m USD a year I would be amazed) standing in front of me telling me that I needed to pay him 200k Baht cash money to get a small contract from him. I knew of his reputation and never courted his business. He came to me. I ignored him initially knowing what a slime he is. Came again almost begging for us to help him with all his usual consultants being gash and not doing the job properly. So we invested some time putting a proposal together and presented it to him and he was begging to sign up to it saying it was exactly what was needed only then, prior to signing off, over a coffee in his office, he said "So lets do this thing. Of course you'll have to pay me 200k to get this contract so can you get the cash today? If so let's sign and start work". After clarifying exactly what he meant, I poured my coffee on the contract and walked out. i was very close to hitting him as well on the basis that he thought I was a corrupt slime like he was. What he was asking for was that we would do all the work, and he would take half the profit from us doing the work. I left him to his corrupt consultants who could only win business by paying bribes. Shame for him though is that those businesses can never deliver.

Edited by Pseudolus
Posted
Some corruption is great in my opinion. One of the reasons I love it here. Who gives a shit about a receipt?

corruption some expenses in Thailand (and elsewhere!) are a necessity as lubricant is in an engine. personally i prefer to pay 10,000 Baht without a receipt than 10,000 Dollars, €URos or Pounds in taxes for which i get a receipt.

whistling.gif

Posted

I agree with you - maybe I'm just selfish but corruption has helped me and especially my children so much. I love Sid James btw, even though he was English.\

Food clothes and Saeng Som are all the poor are asking for as a great band once said. Up to them - but the Chinese Thai and adaptable farang are taking over.

The adaptable Farang as you call it, and if you are referring to those that have embraced corruption, basically make me sick. Not being a violent man (never hit anyone, never been hit off of a rugby park) there is only one guy I have met here that almost made me break this habit of mine. An American who has been here 15+ years, fluent in Thai, very successful (literally if he earns less than 10m USD a year I would be amazed) standing in front of me telling me that I needed to pay him 200k Baht cash money to get a small contract from him. I knew of his reputation and never courted his business. He came to me. I ignored him initially knowing what a slime he is. Came again almost begging for us to help him with all his usual consultants being gash and not doing the job properly. So we invested some time putting a proposal together and presented it to him and he was begging to sign up to it saying it was exactly what was needed only then, prior to signing off, over a coffee in his office, he said "So lets do this thing. Of course you'll have to pay me 200k to get this contract so can you get the cash today? If so let's sign and start work". After clarifying exactly what he meant, I poured my coffee on the contract and walked out. i was very close to hitting him as well on the basis that he thought I was a corrupt slime like he was. What he was asking for was that we would do all the work, and he would take half the profit from us doing the work. I left him to his corrupt consultants who could only win business by paying bribes. Shame for him though is that those businesses can never deliver.

Not saying I don't believe you, but in 4 years of working here, including running my own business more recently, I have never come across anything approaching that level of corruption. We work with a mix of local Thai corporates and MNCs here, and some smaller Thai companies too occasionally. We work with people from manager level up to CEO. I have never been asked to furnish any sort of a bribe in exchange for winning business.

We've attempted to grease the wheels with odd little gits at new year - a bottle of whiskey, some shopping vouchers etc - we were actually asked not to do this by several companies, lest it was seen as a bribe. Have also had offers to buy lunch/drink etc turned down for the same reason.

I know this varies from one industry to another, but surely that sort of blatant corruption just ruins a business that is trying to procure anything?!

Posted

I agree with you - maybe I'm just selfish but corruption has helped me and especially my children so much. I love Sid James btw, even though he was English.\

Food clothes and Saeng Som are all the poor are asking for as a great band once said. Up to them - but the Chinese Thai and adaptable farang are taking over.

The adaptable Farang as you call it, and if you are referring to those that have embraced corruption, basically make me sick. Not being a violent man (never hit anyone, never been hit off of a rugby park) there is only one guy I have met here that almost made me break this habit of mine. An American who has been here 15+ years, fluent in Thai, very successful (literally if he earns less than 10m USD a year I would be amazed) standing in front of me telling me that I needed to pay him 200k Baht cash money to get a small contract from him. I knew of his reputation and never courted his business. He came to me. I ignored him initially knowing what a slime he is. Came again almost begging for us to help him with all his usual consultants being gash and not doing the job properly. So we invested some time putting a proposal together and presented it to him and he was begging to sign up to it saying it was exactly what was needed only then, prior to signing off, over a coffee in his office, he said "So lets do this thing. Of course you'll have to pay me 200k to get this contract so can you get the cash today? If so let's sign and start work". After clarifying exactly what he meant, I poured my coffee on the contract and walked out. i was very close to hitting him as well on the basis that he thought I was a corrupt slime like he was. What he was asking for was that we would do all the work, and he would take half the profit from us doing the work. I left him to his corrupt consultants who could only win business by paying bribes. Shame for him though is that those businesses can never deliver.

So he earns $10 Million/year and you earned what did you say 200,000 baht.

I really don't understand why people who adapt to the way of the country's culture make you sick.

Incidentally, I never hit anyone on the rugby pitch, maybe because I was I woosy winger, but many people off the pitch.

Some foreigners come here, learn the language THEN learn about the cultural naunces and DO WELL.

Others say, NO WAY am I learning the language, it's too hard, DON'T understand the culture and join web forums and moan with other like-minded people about the sad state of the country they choose to live in.

  • Like 1
Posted

I agree with you - maybe I'm just selfish but corruption has helped me and especially my children so much. I love Sid James btw, even though he was English.\

Food clothes and Saeng Som are all the poor are asking for as a great band once said. Up to them - but the Chinese Thai and adaptable farang are taking over.

The adaptable Farang as you call it, and if you are referring to those that have embraced corruption, basically make me sick. Not being a violent man (never hit anyone, never been hit off of a rugby park) there is only one guy I have met here that almost made me break this habit of mine. An American who has been here 15+ years, fluent in Thai, very successful (literally if he earns less than 10m USD a year I would be amazed) standing in front of me telling me that I needed to pay him 200k Baht cash money to get a small contract from him. I knew of his reputation and never courted his business. He came to me. I ignored him initially knowing what a slime he is. Came again almost begging for us to help him with all his usual consultants being gash and not doing the job properly. So we invested some time putting a proposal together and presented it to him and he was begging to sign up to it saying it was exactly what was needed only then, prior to signing off, over a coffee in his office, he said "So lets do this thing. Of course you'll have to pay me 200k to get this contract so can you get the cash today? If so let's sign and start work". After clarifying exactly what he meant, I poured my coffee on the contract and walked out. i was very close to hitting him as well on the basis that he thought I was a corrupt slime like he was. What he was asking for was that we would do all the work, and he would take half the profit from us doing the work. I left him to his corrupt consultants who could only win business by paying bribes. Shame for him though is that those businesses can never deliver.

Not saying I don't believe you, but in 4 years of working here, including running my own business more recently, I have never come across anything approaching that level of corruption. We work with a mix of local Thai corporates and MNCs here, and some smaller Thai companies too occasionally. We work with people from manager level up to CEO. I have never been asked to furnish any sort of a bribe in exchange for winning business.

We've attempted to grease the wheels with odd little gits at new year - a bottle of whiskey, some shopping vouchers etc - we were actually asked not to do this by several companies, lest it was seen as a bribe. Have also had offers to buy lunch/drink etc turned down for the same reason.

I know this varies from one industry to another, but surely that sort of blatant corruption just ruins a business that is trying to procure anything?!

Depends upon the type of business. I won't be direct in name their business type, but they pretty much are in a situation where they have guaranteed revenue for 15+ yrs. They don't sell anything in the standard way either. I have seen corruption from Thai's many times (more so than in China funnily enough). This was the most overt instance I have known in the last 18 months or so.

Giving gifts is a little different as long as it is not expected and certainly not prior or during the service. For example a Japanese client of mine, 6 months after end of contract, I took him a bottle of Johnnie Walker at Xmas which he was in no way expecting and he was delighted, taking the rest of the afternoon off and cracking it open. We would not be working together in the future anyway and this was purely a xmas gift from me to him because he is a good guy. Rubbish golfer, but a good guy.

Posted

I agree with you - maybe I'm just selfish but corruption has helped me and especially my children so much. I love Sid James btw, even though he was English.\

Food clothes and Saeng Som are all the poor are asking for as a great band once said. Up to them - but the Chinese Thai and adaptable farang are taking over.

The adaptable Farang as you call it, and if you are referring to those that have embraced corruption, basically make me sick. Not being a violent man (never hit anyone, never been hit off of a rugby park) there is only one guy I have met here that almost made me break this habit of mine. An American who has been here 15+ years, fluent in Thai, very successful (literally if he earns less than 10m USD a year I would be amazed) standing in front of me telling me that I needed to pay him 200k Baht cash money to get a small contract from him. I knew of his reputation and never courted his business. He came to me. I ignored him initially knowing what a slime he is. Came again almost begging for us to help him with all his usual consultants being gash and not doing the job properly. So we invested some time putting a proposal together and presented it to him and he was begging to sign up to it saying it was exactly what was needed only then, prior to signing off, over a coffee in his office, he said "So lets do this thing. Of course you'll have to pay me 200k to get this contract so can you get the cash today? If so let's sign and start work". After clarifying exactly what he meant, I poured my coffee on the contract and walked out. i was very close to hitting him as well on the basis that he thought I was a corrupt slime like he was. What he was asking for was that we would do all the work, and he would take half the profit from us doing the work. I left him to his corrupt consultants who could only win business by paying bribes. Shame for him though is that those businesses can never deliver.

So he earns $10 Million/year and you earned what did you say 200,000 baht.

I really don't understand why people who adapt to the way of the country's culture make you sick.

Incidentally, I never hit anyone on the rugby pitch, maybe because I was I woosy winger, but many people off the pitch.

Some foreigners come here, learn the language THEN learn about the cultural naunces and DO WELL.

Others say, NO WAY am I learning the language, it's too hard, DON'T understand the culture and join web forums and moan with other like-minded people about the sad state of the country they choose to live in.

Up to you - if you want to be a sell out then go for it.

He earns big big dime. The contract with my company would have delivered about 400k profit to us for a weeks work. He wanted half of it. I told him to stuff it....as if he needed it anyway.

Posted

I've known people move house 'cos of bad neighbours. Fortunately, I've always been pretty lucky with neighbours so not had the problem experienced by the OP.

Posted

I can relate to where you're coming from (though my experiences didn't involve the dirty brown). It'd be great if you could stay a little longer - part of the reason I enjoy being here is the patience I have acquired and am constantly acquiring. But to each his own.

Sad to see ya go, but good luck in HK. I hope the move and the transporting of everything goes well :-)

  • Like 2
Posted
Well, is it really necessary to have "3" big dogs around??

Do shih tzus shit less? rolleyes.gif

By number or by weight? They shit a lot I think but each time is little pebbles.

Posted (edited)

After a week of living in this moobahn, a security lady rushed over to me as I was walking them saying "no no no dogs. Too much poo" and I held up the bag with a big poo in it saying "I pick up - you want it?" but of course she kept shouting at me. they are inane blinkered tools.

In the moobahn where you live, is there a rule that the owners are not allowed to have dogs?

Do you rent or own?

Why do you think the security lady acted in the way she did?

I am leaving the irritating country. It's not the odd one or two. They are all halfwits. Going back to a decent land again where the word integrity means something.

Where do you call a decent land?

Oh, what is your partners thoughts about moving to a new country for your reasons stated?

Edited by Schmackos
Posted

So your argument is essentially that it's OK to break the rules because other people are doing it too. I can see why you are a fan of integrity.

the way of the world mate.....

General Electric once put "Integrity" on our T shirts at a "ra ra" sales boondoggle.....unfortunate that the T shirts were probably manufactured using child labor in sweat shops..

Anyways that is somewhat off the far more "interesting" topic of dog excrement rules...lol

Posted (edited)

Have you ever heard the saying, "when in Rome...."

Picking up dog poo - what an insane thing to do.

There must be more to this story than you say. Is your wife Thai? often farang married to low class Thais get a hard time or even asked to leave certain areas.

You can't fit in to this culture so leave - no need to try to bring down the country most of us here love just because of your own inadequacies.

wow you really are up your own arse

Edited by MaprangHolmes
  • Like 1

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