Is Thailands Poverty Good For Us, The Farang?

[lukamar]

People here are far more generous than I am and sometimes I am ashamed of myself for sometimes being frugal.

You are right Gary there is something magical about the rural poor and the way they pull together, and your comment about generosity is so very true. I never totally realized it until we moved back to Canada.

To get back on topic. I have a hot wife, half my age who is incredibly intelligent. When in Thailand she made about the same money as me and now that we are in Canada she makes more and doesn't work much 4 hours a week, she makes very good money in the medical field. She owned a house when we met, although it wasn't totally paid for, she was paying off over 100,000Bt a year. She refuses to send money to the family unless it's an emergency and she doesn't class running out of beer one.

There are very decent women from good families that marry farang and there are very decent women from poor families that marry us as well. I was lucky I met my wife in a situation that put us both at ease and things just progressed from there.

[monochaser]

The hot lady’s angle is pretty pathetic,

Living in Thailand is also a trade off, yes things are cheaper but there is also a total lack of Museums, Librarys,Theaters and services that I take for granted back home.

So is it really worth it, you will never receive equel treatment here.At the end of the day you get what you payed for.

agree with that, Jack, but so many posters on this forum want to believe that they got a piece of paradise for 20k/mo

[monochaser]

People here are far more generous than I am and sometimes I am ashamed of myself for sometimes being frugal.

You are right Gary there is something magical about the rural poor and the way they pull together, and your comment about generosity is so very true. I never totally realized it until we moved back to Canada.

To get back on topic. I have a hot wife, half my age who is incredibly intelligent. When in Thailand she made about the same money as me and now that we are in Canada she makes more and doesn't work much 4 hours a week, she makes very good money in the medical field. She owned a house when we met, although it wasn't totally paid for, she was paying off over 100,000Bt a year. She refuses to send money to the family unless it's an emergency and she doesn't class running out of beer one.

There are very decent women from good families that marry farang and there are very decent women from poor families that marry us as well. I was lucky I met my wife in a situation that put us both at ease and things just progressed from there.

Real Thais always send money to their families

[monochaser]

I have never seen such drivel before on this forum. Hot woman???????? Poverty stricken Thailand???????? What utter garbage. I hope someone closes this post. Or else I might be tempted to let some female anger out.

You are clearly outnumbered on this 1. I'm sure every guy in this forum considers their wife/gf(s) to be super hot, I know I do too. Hopefully your partner things you're hot as well.

[Gary A]

It really comes down to different strokes for different folks. I get along just fine without museums, theaters and libraries.

What do you mean about equal treatment? As far as I know I haven't paid for anything other than healthy economical living.

Do you visit the library a lot?

The hot lady’s angle is pretty pathetic,

Living in Thailand is also a trade off, yes things are cheaper but there is also a total lack of Museums, Librarys,Theaters and services that I take for granted back home.

So is it really worth it, you will never receive equel treatment here.At the end of the day you get what you payed for.

[Krub]

I am just going to sit and wait until some other intelligent posters see your post KKF123. I am gob smacked. And just for the record, Thailand is not really a poverty stricken country. No one here goes hungry. No one.

I cannot believe you are in Thailand....or you never g outside of your golden temples....

There is poverty in Thailand and yes kids and adults do go hungry and go to bed cold at night.

[The Dude]

The Dude can dig that Thailand is a poor country. He can also dig that daughters are out their busting their rear ends to make cash to send to their families. The Dude is more than happy to help out his hot gf's family. In farang countries, hot young chicks won't even look at a 40 y/o dude 95% of the time which is a drag cause hot chicks are awesome. So, enter Thailand, a dude can capture the hottest chicks imagineable which is greatness. I can see why some farang girls here would be bummed out about that, like totally understandable.

[Cassandra]

The move to cheaper areas is found everywhere in the world, doesnt just apply to 3rd world countries.

Why do most people not live in central london? (too bloody expensive, so you move to where you can live reasonably well)

Last time I looked, Central London appeared to be very full up, ie Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill,Fulham,Pimlico,Covent Garden etc etc.I expect most of those owning houses or flats have done well in life as property values are of course sky high.What this has to do with low rent sex tourists and visa runners moving to Thailand, I don't know.No doubt these types rationalise their own shortcomings but this is the first time I have heard them suggest the centre of a major Western city has been depopulated

[britmaveric]

The move to cheaper areas is found everywhere in the world, doesnt just apply to 3rd world countries.

Why do most people not live in central london? (too bloody expensive, so you move to where you can live reasonably well)

Last time I looked, Central London appeared to be very full up, ie Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill,Fulham,Pimlico,Covent Garden etc etc.I expect most of those owning houses or flats have done well in life as property values are of course sky high.What this has to do with low rent sex tourists and visa runners moving to Thailand, I don't know.No doubt these types rationalise their own shortcomings but this is the first time I have heard them suggest the centre of a major Western city has been depopulated

My point is most people can afford to live in a big city due to the expense, they move out to where they can live reasonably well. Prices for real estate in the UK are astronomical - getting like that everywhere and salaries aren't following this trend, cost of living is silly. I can guaranteed if living in Thailand was the same as the UK, 90% wouldn't be there, simply put people are here because of the relative inexpense of doing so.

[kerryk]

People here are far more generous than I am and sometimes I am ashamed of myself for sometimes being frugal.

You are right Gary there is something magical about the rural poor and the way they pull together, and your comment about generosity is so very true. I never totally realized it until we moved back to Canada.

To get back on topic. I have a hot wife, half my age who is incredibly intelligent. When in Thailand she made about the same money as me and now that we are in Canada she makes more and doesn't work much 4 hours a week, she makes very good money in the medical field. She owned a house when we met, although it wasn't totally paid for, she was paying off over 100,000Bt a year. She refuses to send money to the family unless it's an emergency and she doesn't class running out of beer one.

There are very decent women from good families that marry farang and there are very decent women from poor families that marry us as well. I was lucky I met my wife in a situation that put us both at ease and things just progressed from there.

Real Thais always send money to their families

My significant other does not send money to her family. Her child is grown and working and a year ago I built the family a fish pond and stocked it. The cost was very reasonable and they restock the fish from the profits of the sale of mature fish. I think I have done enough and I told her that.

She also has two grown employed brothers and a sister. I don’t visit the family and have no desire to visit. I send her for holidays with 5000 Bht spending money 3 times a year. The arrangement seems to work out for us. Plus as much as I like her I enjoy my time off when she is away.

[cdnvic]

Real Thais always send money to their families

The family all have their own businesses, why send them money?

"Real Thais" are not all skimming money off farangs to enrich their families. Of course if there was an emergency we'd help out her family. We'd help out mine too if needed, thats what families do. Nothing to do with nationality.

cv

[Ulysses G.]

In farang countries, hot young chicks won't even look at a 40 y/o dude 95% of the time which is a drag cause hot chicks are awesome. So, enter Thailand, a dude can capture the hottest chicks imagineable which is greatness. I can see why some farang girls here would be bummed out about that, like totally understandable.

Dig it!

[naka]

I came to Thailand so that I could join the middle class

Naka.

[billd766]

I came to Thailand 13 years ago because my company sent me.

I live here because I met my Thai wife 3 days after I got here but we did not marry for 7 years until I got a divorce from a failing marriage in the UK.

I live out in the sticks about 6 km from a national park in the Central region.

Yes there are many poor people outside of the villages and there are also a lot of children who don't go to school as their parents have very little in the way of "spare" money to send them.

My wife and I do a bit to help. We have 2 permanent workers to help on our farm and their families stay as well plus we give seasonable employment when we need labour to help on the farm.

The one thing I miss more than anything else is a good library, so whenever I go to BKK I always buy books.

[lukamar]

Real Thais always send money to their families

Boy has your woman got you conned.

Wife's dad is retired from the military and has a decent pension. They are living in our house when we are in Canada, they look after it and we don't rent it to anyone, a good trade-off. All her brothers and sisters are grown and her youngest brother just finished University of which we paid the last term as he was short of money. Her sister had emergency surgery that was only partly covered by her medical, her mother ended up in a private hospital ICU for a couple of days and that was not covered either. We paid the medical bills. That's how you help the family not by sending money.

Real Thai help their families they don't always just send money.

Edited March 22, 2006 by lukamar

[BKK90210]

Real Thais always send money to their families

Boy has your woman got you conned.

Wife's dad is retired from the military and has a decent pension. They are living in our house when we are in Canada, they look after it and we don't rent it to anyone, a good trade-off. All her brothers and sisters are grown and her youngest brother just finished University of which we paid the last term as he was short of money. Her sister had emergency surgery that was only partly covered by her medical, her mother ended up in a private hospital ICU for a couple of days and that was not covered either. We paid the medical bills. That's how you help the family not by sending money.

Real Thai help their families they don't always just send money.

"Lukamar" good way to go!

Don't worry too much....some just can't accept that others live outside the norm and still happily married. No wonder the thai labeled farang as a walking "ATM".

[Soju]

I can guaranteed if living in Thailand was the same as the UK, 90% wouldn't be there, simply put people are here because of the relative inexpense of doing so.

I agree that many wouldn't be there if it were to cost the same as in the west, though don't know if it would be as high as 90%. But I have to disagree with the next part of your statement, that "people are here because of the relative inexpense of doing so". Some people may be in that situation and are only in Thailand because it is inexpensive. But many (I dare say most) are in Thailand because they fell in love with the place and the inexpensive cost to live there allows them to live in the place they love. For them, the cheap cost of living is important, but it's not the primary reason they chose Thailand.

[lukamar]

"Lukamar" good way to go!

Don't worry too much....some just can't accept that others live outside the norm and still happily married. No wonder the thai labeled farang as a walking "ATM".

Today is our wedding anniversary BTW

ROTFLMAO - My wife's sister named us "the ATM family" because of our ability to go to an ATM and withdraw large sums of money (for Thailand) in an emergency.

Lots of Farang want to look like they are rich when in reality they are only rich in Thailand.

There is a real stereotype of the "Thai Woman" out there, that's more fiction than reality or maybe it's just the women in our circle of friends that are different. My wife grew up in a small northern town where one of her friends in elementary school was sold into prostitution. We've talked about it a lot and I understand why she does not look down on prostitutes but rather looks at them as working women. If one of these working women can get on the gravy train and out of the trade with a Farang to support her more power to her.

[phibunmike]

The move to cheaper areas is found everywhere in the world, doesnt just apply to 3rd world countries.

Why do most people not live in central london? (too bloody expensive, so you move to where you can live reasonably well)

Last time I looked, Central London appeared to be very full up, ie Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill,Fulham,Pimlico,Covent Garden etc etc.I expect most of those owning houses or flats have done well in life as property values are of course sky high.What this has to do with low rent sex tourists and visa runners moving to Thailand, I don't know.No doubt these types rationalise their own shortcomings but this is the first time I have heard them suggest the centre of a major Western city has been depopulated

Britmaveric>> I am not sure which Cassandra was calling you, a "low rent sex tourist" or a "visa runner" (or maybe it was a "low rent visa runner" ?) - but I don't understand why we have to put up with his/her repeated insults like that.

[sting01]

I have never seen such drivel before on this forum. Hot woman???????? Poverty stricken Thailand???????? What utter garbage. I hope someone closes this post. Or else I might be tempted to let some female anger out.

Open eyes mate, drive with your mercedes up to LopBuri, and visit the villages there. People have a living with about 3 000 bht a month. It's powerty.

The girls are hot, everywhere in the world when they are young .... Human behavior, shared by each and every ethny, so if yo uget lucky enought to have a yound girlfriend .... As mostly thai gf try to please you as much as they can, if you want her hot she will be (even if she is not naturally), that is one meaning of love for thai. It that make you happy, and as it does not hurt ...

But yes, mostly thailand is poor, and thia people upcountry (mean 90 % of the population) is poor or low middle class (even by bangkok standart).

[lukamar]

Open eyes mate, drive with your mercedes up to LopBuri, and visit the villages there. People have a living with about 3 000 bht a month. It's powerty.

But yes, mostly thailand is poor, and thia people upcountry (mean 90 % of the population) is poor or low middle class (even by bangkok standart).

Might add that the poor in the north are some of the nicest and most generous people on earth... If they invite you into their home, even one made of bamboo and grass, they feed you, make you feel like family and do not ask for anything in return but your friendship.

I didn't have a Mercedes, maybe they just don't expect as much from a Farang in an old Toyota.

[britmaveric]

Britmaveric>> I am not sure which Cassandra was calling you, a "low rent sex tourist" or a "visa runner" (or maybe it was a "low rent visa runner" ?) - but I don't understand why we have to put up with his/her repeated insults like that.

None applies at any rate!!!