With so many horror stories, heartbreak and heart ache stories we read here on a daily basis, I think we need some positive news. It can't always be about doom and gloom, after all it's meant to be amazing ain't it?

So feel free to tell us some of the good stuff!

What made you laugh in the last week?, something positive for a change....

Life is good here in the Rai and I have no complaints or horror stories to tell. Thais and Thailand have been good to me over the years. I am often taken aback by the mess people make of their lives but I don’t care to follow suit. In my world it is all good but that doesn’t make for an exciting story.

There's a street lady who sits under the expressway at the traffic light junction near Central Rama 9. Yesterday I was at the lights waiting to got down towards Asoke and she's puffing merrily away on a cigarette, drinking from a Foremost chocolate milk bottle and scoffing down some moo ping. I had to smile as I thought "Bloody hell she lives better than me!"

Thing is only the bad news makes the headlines.

I only visit Thailand. We visit a fair bit I suppose, but I never can recall anything bad except when we have to go home. It's all good, a great place!

Life is good... If we all posted the good things (that we often ignore, sadly) then TV would be overflowing with positive love and happiness. What would happen to the General forum we all know and love, where everyone fights like rats in a sack? Michty me...what to do, what to do?

I think the OP is being deliberately seditious.

As for my good stories? Ah, well....they are in my blog, if you know where to find it!

Interesting to note how thin this thread is ...

Cause everyones out having a good time.

Interesting to note how thin this thread is ...

I guess you didn't quite understand the OP, and the irony of your post.

And in light of current events here in Thailand, it's not too surprising that a lot of posters might be following events in the news forum.

I only have good stories to tell, Life in Thailand has been very good for me, 13 years and I still find Thailand amazing, great people, good food.a quiet life.

Never have seen that other Thailand that posters love to complain about!

Cheers

Its funny, but now I actually think about it. Daily life is pretty damn good, weather is beautiful, surroundings out here in the countryside are outstanding, the mountains shimmering in the distance, the local people always smiling and friendly.

The only negative aspect I encountere or hassle to be found is HERE ! on Thai Visa each and everyday.

I have come to the conclusion thats why they come, because everything is actually bliss and they miss the moaning and fighting so come here to TVisa to get it and wind people up !

Just the other day I had to say a temporary good-bye to my home up in "the sticks", and to begin my journey, I first had to take a car 2 hours to get to the bus for a 12 hour trip to Bangkok :-(

When I got into the brother-in-law's car at midnight, 6 other family members and friends were sitting in the back, all wrapped up for the cold. No shops open that they could go to, or anything they could do. They just came along to be with me on the nearly 2 hour trip to get to the bus.

Of course then the poor buggers had to turn around and go back home! Not sure how many farangs at home would have done that trip with me, but I sure would have a difficult time thinking up 6 names.

Such good natured and generous people.

I love this country.

It's kind of funny and sad at the same time, but before subscribing to Thai Visa, I had a pretty good outlook about Thailand. I would say 95% of my experiences in Thailand in the last 20 years have been positive. It's only when I start reading this blog a lot that I really started hearing all these awful things. I began to wonder if I was just being naïve or simply blind to the bad things occurring in Thailand. I never knew Thailand was as bad as it is portrayed here. I guess it's simply a matter of "shock sells." TV focuses on the bad, not the good. Seems no one wants to hear the goody goody or uplifting stories.

Some of my expat friends are negative and bitter too. Some are extremely positive. I had one American friend (who died of old age in Thailand recently) once tell me that his 18 years in Thailand were the happiest and best of his entire life. As I reflect on all the friends I have had who have lived in Thailand, I found that the ones with the most positive attitude towards Thailand and its people were the ones who put the most effort into their lives in Thailand. In other words, they CONTRIBUTE to society.

I read horror stories here and wonder why these situations haven't (yet) happened to me. Then it dawned on me. I sincerely love many of the Thai people who have crossed my path (even those living in America). I try to help when I can. I show sincere appreciation, respect, enthusiasm, a big smile and love towards those people I meet in Thailand. In my life I have found that as a "general rule," people give back what they get. If you treat a Thai with discourtesy or disrespect, or treat them as if they are there to serve you, well, you are not going to have that pleasant of an experience in Thailand. However, if you can show honor, love and respect towards those you meet in Thailand (or anywhere else, for that matter), you are bound to have much more pleasant, meaningful, and reciprocal experiences in life and in Thailand.

Have to agree, bigbearjohn. You reap what you sow and I find the most honesty here in LOS.

I left my man-bag in the foot well of a cab years ago, full of cash, my phone and passport and the taxi driver shouting after me as I walked away. He was tipped well, bless him. This is just one of many dozens of examples.

My wife is the best and we've been there through thick and thin. If I was a pauper tomorrow she would remain my wife. I don't deserve her rather than other way round.

It's all good and I learn more about life in this land than I've ever done in the West. I could go on, but, to the disbelievers, if your life in LOS isn't the same, then you're doing something wrong.

Life is good here in the Rai and I have no complaints or horror stories to tell. Thais and Thailand have been good to me over the years. I am often taken aback by the mess people make of their lives but I don’t care to follow suit. In my world it is all good but that doesn’t make for an exciting story.

VF...same-same for me in Ranong.

Many many many good thai stories...

Until Thailand reality strikes....again and again...

36 years and I am still waiting for reality to strike, I guess.

36 years and I am still waiting for reality to strike, I guess.

Take your time....

Can I add just one more thing to the excellent post that you made above @bigbearjohn? It's something that I feel could assist anyone in having a much better time here in Thailand.

I found this out quite by accident when I first came here, more than 10 years ago. In my eagerness to be polite and to make up for the inevitable series of faux pas that I was bound to make, I started smiling much more than I would at home, in order to try and put them at ease and have them understand that even if I did dumb things, that I had good intentions. Not a timid smile, but a wide toothy smile like I've seen many of the Thais give.

After a very short time I found that I had a lot of new acquaintances, and that every time I saw one of them (or even someone new) they would smile broadly back at me again and again. They took time to chat with me (though my Thai was very limited at the time), or just sit with me, share cigarettes or their fire-water. They seldom smiled first, I'd often see that "odd Thai stare" that we have perhaps all experienced, but they always genuinely returned my smiles when I gave them, and things just built from there.

As time progressed and I kept up the smiling, I found that it just became more and more automatic from me. Now I don't even notice that I'm doing it. I smile and even waive sometimes at total strangers in and around our village. Everyone knows me, at least to smile and waive to, always faces are friendly.

That simple act of smiling, and making a point of doing so and being friendly, has made my life here so filled with value. I can't help but wonder how really friendly to the Thai people a lot of the more "miserable" Thaivisa posters are. It's easy to get the impression from their posts that they some feel somehow superior to the Thais, and I'm sure that attitude would impact on their lives here, and on how welcomed they would feel.

Just my $0.02c but I'd recommend trying "the smile" if you want to be more accepted into your local community. Be genuine about your intentions and I think it will come back to you.

TL

I must admit reading the relationship and family issues on here like " My wife won't talk to me for 3 days because I wouldn't bail her meth dealing brother out of jail", "What do you do when your FIL borrows your car, smashes it up blind drunk and expects you to pay for it and his hospital bill?" or " My Thai family call me the farang when I go to their house" as far as I'm concerned they might as well be talking about Martians.

they will be in the forum archives around 20 years ago

I have been in Thailand for nearly 14 years. I met and married a lovely lady with a great family who have taken me in as one of their own. Never once have I been asked for money to help or been made to feel like an outsider.

My 2 brother in laws will do anything that they can to help me, no matter what I am doing, gardening, painting the house, cooking on the bar-b-que, running me to the pub and coming to get me when I'm ready to come home. You name it and if they can they will help me.

My wife had 2 sons from before, I insisted that they do extra English at school so that we can all talk together, her 2 sisters insisted that their 3 daughters do the same, so we can all chat away when we are all together. The family did not ask me to pay for the extra tuition.

When the family come to visit (they live in Bangkok) everybody helps with cooking and cleaning and they never stay too long.

In our village (18km outside of Pattaya) if any of the Thai people see me struggling with something I am doing they come and help, for example I needed to change the wheels on a heavy front gate. I started on the job, within 10 to 20 minutes 3 of my neighbours were there helping me, in fact they took over and sidelined me, after they were done we all went to the little shophouse and had a few beers, great day!

I have been ripped off twice during my time here, once by a fellow Englishman and once by a bloke from New Zealand.

In short, I have a great life here surrounded by a fantastic and loving family........ Pom la Thailand!

I cannot remember the travel writer's name who wrote the following line,

whether it was Mark Twain, John Steinbeck or Robert Byron (The Road To

Oxiana) or....whoever but...

One goes further on a smile than a frown...truly says a lot.

Sip satang from SS51 FWIW...

In response to post number 18 from "thaimlord", I must say I could not agree more. I started to do exactly the same thing as you, smiling all the time, the benefits have been endless, all the Thais in our village smile and wave to me. It makes the place seem so friendly.

It is important to note that it must be you that makes the first move, be the first to smile, you won't be disappointed!!

36 years and I am still waiting for reality to strike, I guess.

Ditto...pushing 40 m'self...and I don't guess...

I was in Korat at a nightclub and it happened to be my Birthday. I went outside to have a cigarette and started talking to some local guys. They were drinking Whiskey in one glass and water from another which I did not understand. They offered me the glass with the Whiskey and being Irish I downed it. I was though quick enough to see the looks and went to ask my friends inside if I had done something wrong. They explained that I should have taken a little of the whiskey and passed the glass on to the next guy. So I bought a bottle of JW red label took it out to them an apologized. About 40 minutes later they came to my table with a Birthday cake which was a real surprise. One of many nice things that have happened to me in Thailand.

A few months ago, sitting out front in my lovely garden, I saw an old Thai guy with his tricycle, fishing in the trash bins and I made a mental note next time to get some stuff out of my abode and into his hands, which would be good for him. Next time he came by, I stopped him and gave him loads of stuff. I mean stuff that was actually usable and therefore worth more. I saw the delight in his face and it spurred me to find some more stuff which I duly gave him a few days later. Yesterday he stopped by with a load of potted plants on his trike and I thought someone had given them to him but no, he'd got them from his sister because he saw I kept a nice garden and wanted to return my kindness.

I graciously accepted his gift and every time I look at them I am reminded how strange life can be.

I'm surrounded by people I truly love, and they truly love me in return. As far as I'm concerned, that's enough.

Suddenly the thread's not looking so thin after all.

TL

I have a physical disability and the number of times I have been offered a seat and help by Thai people is fantastic.

I have always said; Smile and the world will smile with you" I feel that is true here in Thailand.

The g/f's sister is insisting she goes to the salon to make herself beautiful for my arrival in December, so I am informed this morning on the phone. Now I am worried in case I am like the Op in another topic and destined to have 2 sisters on the go.

Relief though, the sister is married!!

2nd laugh of the day has to be the idea of someone using the 'pull out method' so as not to get some bird pregnant.

I smiled at the thought of 7 more Baht to the £.

A box of Quality Street (for the MiL) at only £5 in Tesco this afternoon.

Things are getting better and better. Fun all the way