How would Thailand be any different than your home country?

[trainman34014]

How is Thailand different from my home country ?

Well; it's different to Britain in many ways but the best part is I don't have to work my <deleted> off to work for the Government (by way of taxation ) until July before i get anything for myself. True to say that i still have to pay taxes on my pensions but i now get around 10 months pay to myself. I don't have to put up with Snow, Ice, Colds, Flu, Aches and Pains and miserable people walking around with faces like slapped arse's....that is until i run in to the odd Farang in a Supermarket. Strange how they are old, fat and ugly with a pretty girl in tow, yet they still are miserable old gits !

[Curt1591]

Rule of law

Although the system can be manipulated or beaten at times, the US still has processes that are followed.

[lostmebike]

As much as I love Thailand and its people (most of them anyway), after nearly 10 years here, the staring still sometimes surprises me. I know I'm different to the locals but c'mon, there have been westerners here for decades!

[wym]

Rule of law

Although the system can be manipulated or beaten at times, the US still has processes that are followed.

Where the corruption of the public interest is incorporated directly into the laws themselves, accruing to the benefit of the wealthy.

A different and much more subtle form to be sure, but not any less insidious or harmful.

[eldragon]

Among things that would be noticable to anyone regardless of their nationality, for me the biggest and most significant difference is people are more straightfoward in USA. You don't get nearly as many whishy-washy half-answers like you do here. It's not often you encounter situations where people lie or give an inaccurate version of the truth for seemingly no reason like they do here. Not bashing TH. That's just the way it is. You must understand this about Thai culture to survive here. People seem afraid to be direct and often times appear to provide the answer with what they think you want to hear. Almost every time I deal with someone on an important (or even casual) matter, I have to wonder if what they're telling me is accurate. In these situations, I usually think in the back of my head, "What's it gonna be this time? What about what this person is saying will turn out to be exaggerated, fabricated, or just total bulls#it?"

Another thing worth noting is many of the westerners you meet in TH are in some way not who they say they are. There is a bit of reinventing going on amongst foriegners here. Many of them seem a little shady, at the very least. If you travel to a western nation, you'll find people are more legit.

Finally, there's a bit more freedom in the states. I can say whatever I want to whoever I want and usually get the reaction I'm expecting. Not sure if that makes sense. It probably sounds a bit harsh. And it's something a Thai person or other visitor to the US likely wouldn't experience. I guess it means I know what I can and can't say to different kinds of people. The big example I give Thai friends is in USA if your boss does something stupid that inconveniences you a bit, you can somehow politely and discreetly let them know without receiving too much blowback. Authority figures are fairly humble in that regard. Meanwhile, in TH, I sense people are constantly biting their lips around those that are older or "above them" in some way. It also seems very uncool to show anger here, something that's perfectly acceptable in the west, if you're properly justified.

[eldragon]

I think a lot of Thai people don't get why farangs ( I try not use the word farang but it seemed fit better in a sentence) would want to be in Thailand than their country.

Better than what? The proper term would be "foreigner", "white foreigner", "caucasian", or "westerner". "Foreigner" would be my pick.

[Bigfarang1948]

Which thai people you refer 2 ?

Many people, but no one forced you to response, so...

I guess it is ok for people to ask about Thailand, but it is not ok for Thai people to ask about other country. But, then they like to say Thai people are uneducated and uninformed about things.

So many similarities and differences between Thai's and Americans in my case. Many sincere warm aand friendly Thais almost everty place I go

I have never been treated badly by taxi drivers or anyone else except a few Baht gouging tuk tuk drivers and of course paying three times what my Thai wife pays when shoppping, in many instances. Many Thai's assume all Americans are rich, and by some standards of living I guess that is true. I have been called a rich Farang many times, mostly in a joking manner, but I strugggle to balance my monthly pension whie supporting my Thai wife and helping the extended famiy of 12 every month also. Between the family and our farm, the expenses are enough to leave me almost with empty pockets at month's end or earlier most months.

One huge difference is the way illegals are treated here vs in America. I this case i speak only of how I have seen Lao friends and family who are here without work permits. When caught, Lao's are quickly sent back across the river, maybe after two or three days in the local lock up as just happened in my Lao sister in law.. She spent two nights in jail sleeping on a bare concrete floor with a month old infant. The jailer tok the baaby's blankets and the mom's jacket and the temps were in the low 50's where they live.She was fed a small portion of rice and salad once a day and had to fight to keep it. If word reached the Ameerican media of any mom and infant being treated this way in America, there would be six lawyers lined up ready to sue the jail over this sort of treatment.

Illegals in America, mostly poor Mexicans. looking for better money, just as the Lao's are, walk Across the Rio Grande river, or go through tunnels that reach for miles across the border into border cities in Texas and Arizona mostly, but the open border runs from southern Texas, west to California, a distance of roughly 3,000 km so illegals can easily pick thir point of entry. The list of entiotlements for illegal mexicans would shock ,ost people. In many cases free housing or fifteen people sharing a two bedroom flat while working usuallly as famr labor, construction labor or in restaurants.Terer are probably 40 million illlegal mexicans in the US that cost US taxpayers more than 350 billlion dollars a year to support; free medicaal, free schools through grade 12, free social services, foood stamps, welfare money bi lingual speakers to help the Mexicans do all their paperwork, which does not include bank accounts because they send millions in cash back to Mexico each month. They ay no taxes either because they have no Tax ID number like all Americans of age with a social security number. Thoussands of mexican pregnant women cross the border to give birth in the USA. This automatically gives the child US citizenship because of being born in America. That automatically qualifies the infant, not the mom in many cases, with all the benefits mentiioned above, but since the infant is not of age, the mom and father reap the benefits...

That is enough..I was first here during the war in the late 60's and always wanted to retire here. I still love Thailand and their people after being here almost 7 years. I just wish there was healthcare insurance for expats. For that reason alone, meaning my poor health, I may be forced soon to go back to America just for medical treatment and sadly, my Thai fmily will not be going with me.

[transam]

In LOS near everyone gives me a smile for no other reason than being ''warm'', wish I could say that for my own country....

[aussimike]

I don't want to try to list what's better about my country because it's everything. Even the weather where I live is better with clean air but without the suffocating heat and humidity. We have very mild winters and summers. I can trust the food I eat and the water I drink and even most other drivers.

The only thing that's better for me in Thailand is the availability of younger, pretty girls. That's it.

I was not surprised with your last sentence, 555.

Prior to moving to thai to work for the TAT my only knowledge of phet Thai was what someone just mention, thai, sex and booze, and i was gobsmacked when i first came here to be confronted by youngish girls coming up and asking me if i want sex - never paid for it in my life and was not going to pay for it here, but understood that this industry has grown from the need to feed one of two families, so home grown industry as is rice farming, as humans we need to have both, but there are many differences here to overseas, like Australia,, we have social security, pensions, overtime, good wages for hours worked, laws covering workers rights and backed by the courts, regulations on just about everything from labour, to working hours workers safety,food quality, drugs enforcement, strict road laws on driving under booze and drugs, the fines for some offences would be worth the average workers wages for a week... no questions asked, caught over .05 loose car, and demerit points, i could never undersand the methods of the police here about road laws., - school kids who have no desire to learn, they learn english from an early age but have no idea how to use the language as the teachers of english here have no idea how to teach - yes thai kids are grammar experts but have never spoken one work - they are taught to accept that what ever Ajarn says is 100% correct so you dont question or ask or challenge, just accept it - WRONG - accept the herd mentality, follow the masses, like these street protests, as most protesters have no idea what they are protesting about but hey- its fun sanook and that is what thai is all about - sanook, time to catch up with friends, free food, as nothing much else to do back in Isan at this time, and if your listening to some crazed dictator who has aspirations of being the next PM and can rave and rant like his previous wanna be dictators they are happy to go alone with the show, just like being in a soapy maybe more sanook jing jing.... feel sad for the smart kids of the future the ones who really want to learn, but this must start in the home, but with mum and dad working 2 jobs 7 days a week to make ends meet and feed the 8 kids the kid who is self motivated will be the only one to secceed. well good luck the LAND OF SMILES, I HOPE THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHTER FOR YOU - BUT KEEP IT SANOOK - not MAI BEN RAI - if you dont it will be a case of som nam na -

[bifftastic]

A very broad question, one which I could spend years answering, but here are a few thoughts.

In my country (UK) we are taught to be independent, even of our families. We are taught that confrontation, and adversarial debate results in either compromise or victory/defeat.

When I first came to Thailand, I struggled with the almost abstract forms of discussion. People talk around an issue without dealing with it head on, as I am used to. Now I find it to be a more delicate and sophisticated thing than I first thought. I am still struggling with some of the nuances of how to have an abstract conversation, but the little I have picked up has definitely improved my life. Definitely when dealing with potentially problematic subjects with my wife, and other Thai people, but also with other English people.

I can now appreciate that it is sometimes better to suggest things indirectly and allow my idea to 'simmer' for a while in the other person's thoughts. Especially if my idea is directly opposite to theirs.

There really is no need at all to 'win' a conversation and defeat the other person. If my idea really has merit, then the person will either come to realise that themselves, or they will never realise it, no matter how many times I defeat them in an argument.

I have learned this from my exposure to Thai people and how they speak with each other. Learning the Thai language is much more than translating my English word into Thai words.

When my wife (who is Thai) came to London for the first time, our neighbours said 'hello' as we were leaving the house. We had a little chat, asked how each other was doing and then went on our way.

My wife then asked me lots of questions about them, what are their names, how old are their children, what work do they do, where are their parents etc etc

I didn't know any of the answers.

In my country, our history of conflict (among ourselves and our European neighbours) has given us many good things. We are no longer subjected to horrendous poverty and disease, our children are reasonably well educated and we have excellent health care which is available to everyone.

We have laws protecting our equality, our health and safety at work and ,for the most part, our law enforcement officers are reasonably fair. I won't go so far as to say they are not corrupt, but if they are caught, they will be punished.

We have these things, not because our country is better than any other, but because we have fought for them. We have suffered great injustice in the past, and we have struggled against each other, and anyone who dared to set foot on our islands, in order to make our lives better.

Our history is one of almost constant war (it's only in the last 70 years that we have had relative peace and not faced military invasion from one or another of our neighbours) and I think that it is because of that history, that we have the kind of mentality that we have today. We will fight for what we think is right, it might not be right, but if we think it is, we will fight for it

We once had a war with France that lasted 100 years. Now we are in the same European Union with them.

In my street, you can still see the evidence of the bombs dropped by the German airforce. We are now in the same European Union with them as well.

My country had an empire that spread over the whole world (the sun never set on it) and my wife has asked me 'how come your country is so small but had so much all over the world?'

I don't know the answer really, but I do know that you will find English people in every country in the world.

We love to set out from our small island and see what we can find. Maybe that's because of our Viking neighbours who came and conquered us, maybe it's because we have suffered so much at home and we want something better, maybe it's just because we can, but we will definitely turn up and say hello Some of us will go back, some of us will like it, and stay.

We will bring our culture with us, it's inside everyone. Some of us will learn from your culture too, others will just stand and shout in the 7-11 wearing socks and sandals

[jocko]

Which thai people you refer 2 ?

Many people, but no one forced you to response, so...

I guess it is ok for people to ask about Thailand, but it is not ok for Thai people to ask about other country. But, then they like to say Thai people are uneducated and uninformed about things.

So many similarities and differences between Thai's and Americans in my case. Many sincere warm aand friendly Thais almost everty place I go

I have never been treated badly by taxi drivers or anyone else except a few Baht gouging tuk tuk drivers and of course paying three times what my Thai wife pays when shoppping, in many instances. Many Thai's assume all Americans are rich, and by some standards of living I guess that is true. I have been called a rich Farang many times, mostly in a joking manner, but I strugggle to balance my monthly pension whie supporting my Thai wife and helping the extended famiy of 12 every month also. Between the family and our farm, the expenses are enough to leave me almost with empty pockets at month's end or earlier most months.

One huge difference is the way illegals are treated here vs in America. I this case i speak only of how I have seen Lao friends and family who are here without work permits. When caught, Lao's are quickly sent back across the river, maybe after two or three days in the local lock up as just happened in my Lao sister in law.. She spent two nights in jail sleeping on a bare concrete floor with a month old infant. The jailer tok the baaby's blankets and the mom's jacket and the temps were in the low 50's where they live.She was fed a small portion of rice and salad once a day and had to fight to keep it. If word reached the Ameerican media of any mom and infant being treated this way in America, there would be six lawyers lined up ready to sue the jail over this sort of treatment.

Illegals in America, mostly poor Mexicans. looking for better money, just as the Lao's are, walk Across the Rio Grande river, or go through tunnels that reach for miles across the border into border cities in Texas and Arizona mostly, but the open border runs from southern Texas, west to California, a distance of roughly 3,000 km so illegals can easily pick thir point of entry. The list of entiotlements for illegal mexicans would shock ,ost people. In many cases free housing or fifteen people sharing a two bedroom flat while working usuallly as famr labor, construction labor or in restaurants.Terer are probably 40 million illlegal mexicans in the US that cost US taxpayers more than 350 billlion dollars a year to support; free medicaal, free schools through grade 12, free social services, foood stamps, welfare money bi lingual speakers to help the Mexicans do all their paperwork, which does not include bank accounts because they send millions in cash back to Mexico each month. They ay no taxes either because they have no Tax ID number like all Americans of age with a social security number. Thoussands of mexican pregnant women cross the border to give birth in the USA. This automatically gives the child US citizenship because of being born in America. That automatically qualifies the infant, not the mom in many cases, with all the benefits mentiioned above, but since the infant is not of age, the mom and father reap the benefits...

That is enough..I was first here during the war in the late 60's and always wanted to retire here. I still love Thailand and their people after being here almost 7 years. I just wish there was healthcare insurance for expats. For that reason alone, meaning my poor health, I may be forced soon to go back to America just for medical treatment and sadly, my Thai fmily will not be going with me.

The OP is a good one and good to see a Thai asking the question I wish more would do it.

Your points about the welfare burden in the States also apply in Europe as well and eats a big slice of the cake and helps to make the place expensive to survive. Thailand doesn't have that problem and probably never will it would be the end of cheap labour for multinational companies and they would soon ship out without a backward glance.

It would be a dream if Thailand could have some of the good practices the we have blended with there overall friendly attitude but of course that would be the latest governments job whoever it may be so I don't see much hope there but it would improve everybody's life here.

And the saving face is a problem, hard for me to get my head round keeps Thailand back and is often used as a excuse and let's people of the hook.

[Daniel Boon]

Without reading the other (numerous) posts ... there is no difference really, if you are talking about human traits; love, hate betrayal, looking to exploit tourists ... visit any country that has no welfare system and the ingenuity (desperation) cranks up a few notches …

Having fallen for a Thai woman, I look more for the things we have in common than the things that differentiate … disparaging remarks (arising from disappointments as a result of expectations not understood or agreed to by the other) place a bias on opinion …

From my limited understanding/s, long-term relationships are as scarce everywhere that there is more affluence … so one that is built solely on money is doomed; however, (women) finding a provider is universal …

So IMO (having travelled a bit – Africa, America (South – including Cuba - and North), Australia (great place), Fiji, Germany, Hong Honk, New Zealand (another great place), Philippines and my new favourite Thailand …

[Rockhopper]

After my wife died 5 years ago and retirement four yeas ago I was looking for adventure. Having been to Thailand and Chiang Mai a couple of times I thought, "It's time for a change. Just do it!" So here I am; living in Chiang Mai, studying Thai language, married to a wonderful Thai lady and learning Thai culture. Not always easy and sometimes quite frustrating but always exciting.

[Naam]

I don't want to try to list what's better about my country because it's everything. Even the weather where I live is better with clean air but without the suffocating heat and humidity. We have very mild winters and summers. I can trust the food I eat and the water I drink and even most other drivers.

The only thing that's better for me in Thailand is the availability of younger, pretty girls. That's it.

not to forget that homeland security and taxes are much better and efficient than in Thailand. the efficiency also applies to the traffic police, e.g. no deplorable corruption such as handing over 200 Baht to a police officer after being stopped for exceeding the speed limit. law and order applies. when you are stopped put both your hands on the steering wheel. don't move if not asked for license and registration or unless you want to savour a 9mm bullet.

Thailand also lacks blizzards with 2 feet of snow and hundreds of thousand homes out of power, never faces temperatures of 45-47ºC (115-117ºF) as in Nevada, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico or -51ºC (-60ºF) as in Duluth, Minnesota. Thailand shortchanges its residents as far as mild winters and summers are concerned. since weeks i am wearing a thick bathrobe when i go with my dogs for a pee in the garden. the arctic cold of barely 20ºC at 0500 hrs in Pattaya's outskirts is nearly unbearable.

when in Miami or Los Angeles and towns in the vicinity one can get by speaking Spanish as opposed to Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Nakhon Nowhere where Spanish is virtually unknown.

[Naam]

After my wife died 5 years ago and retirement four yeas ago I was looking for adventure. Having been to Thailand and Chiang Mai a couple of times I thought, "It's time for a change. Just do it!" So here I am; living in Chiang Mai, studying Thai language, married to a wonderful Thai lady and learning Thai culture. Not always easy and sometimes quite frustrating but always exciting.

agree! there's nothing more exciting than Thai culture.

[zyphodb]

Firstly it great to see you Somsrisophimai asking a question like this & I think you have had quite a lot of good answers as well as the usual TV rubbish...
I think you will find a lot of answers to your questions in a book called Thailand Fever by Chris Pirazzi & Vitida Vasant, here's a link http://www.thailandfever.com it's mainly about Thai/Farang relationships & is written in Thai & English but it also contains a lot of information about Thai & "Western" culture & their differences, a very interesting read & I'd say pretty much essential reading for any European/American/Australian etc. wanting to live here & also for any Thai wanting to be in a relationship with one...

Hope this helps....

[mancub]

Ok , giving you the benefit that you are genuine and not, as I'm tempted to think, a creation of the TV Apologetic Society ........here are 3 things that I believe are different :

The soap operas are much worse ...

Treatment of animals is much worse .

Bar opening times are much better .

[marko kok prong]

i am originally from the uk,but spent ,fifteen years in Australia,until i moved here about,2 years ago,the things i miss about australia is the space and lack of people,you can go to national parks even close to the coast and not see anyone else,also the untouched beauty of the place,and lack of rubbish,however in Thailand i enjoy the lack of rules about everything,cannot do this,cannot do that in aus,but here it,s pretty relaxed,can smoke in bars,etc,parking generally no problem,people are friendly,and prices are reasonable,compared to the uk,well,were do i start,weather prices,miserable people,crowded,my main gripe with Thailand though is the driving standards,i have travelled to many countries and i have to say it is the worst level of driving competance i have seen anywhere.

[NeverSure]

I don't want to try to list what's better about my country because it's everything. Even the weather where I live is better with clean air but without the suffocating heat and humidity. We have very mild winters and summers. I can trust the food I eat and the water I drink and even most other drivers.

The only thing that's better for me in Thailand is the availability of younger, pretty girls. That's it.

not to forget that homeland security and taxes are much better and efficient than in Thailand. the efficiency also applies to the traffic police, e.g. no deplorable corruption such as handing over 200 Baht to a police officer after being stopped for exceeding the speed limit. law and order applies. when you are stopped put both your hands on the steering wheel. don't move if not asked for license and registration or unless you want to savour a 9mm bullet.

Thailand also lacks blizzards with 2 feet of snow and hundreds of thousand homes out of power, never faces temperatures of 45-47ºC (115-117ºF) as in Nevada, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico or -51ºC (-60ºF) as in Duluth, Minnesota. Thailand shortchanges its residents as far as mild winters and summers are concerned. since weeks i am wearing a thick bathrobe when i go with my dogs for a pee in the garden. the arctic cold of barely 20ºC at 0500 hrs in Pattaya's outskirts is nearly unbearable.

when in Miami or Los Angeles and towns in the vicinity one can get by speaking Spanish as opposed to Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Nakhon Nowhere where Spanish is virtually unknown.

Knock it off, Naam.

You are exaggerating the very worst things, in very small areas of the US and giving no credit to the best parts.

Police officer shoot a motorist at a traffic stop for not putting his hands on the wheel? Link please?

And US police officers don't carry 9mm. That's Europe. Almost without exception they carry .40 S&W and they don't just randomly shoot people.

The US is huge. You can find any kind of weather and any kind of terrain and any kind of scenery you want and most of it isn't as you described. The people who live in those places always amaze me.

Taxes? You know that US taxes are low with lots of loopholes. You also know that I have to pay those taxes even if I live in LOS so there is no tax benefit for me to move.

I live in a beautiful, mild clean part of the US and to me Thailand is a hot, sweaty, stinking shit hole with bad roads and crazy drivers. It always smells like raw sewage to me and the air is often filthy.

It does have younger, pretty girls available, of course.

[simple1]

OP: I'll reply from with my wife's views after living with me in Australia and now back in Thailand.

She loved the fact that any of her dealing with Australian immigration were transparent and a very clear path to citizenship, that she did acquire after the qualifying period. Even whilst going though the transitional period, other than voting rights, she had exactly the same rights as an Australian citizen and no need to ever report to Immigration other than renewing PR visa every five years or applying for Citizenshp. In employment, full time employement whilst in Australia, she received the same treatment and rights as an employee as Australian citizens. No need to play the law enforcement/beaucratic corruption game that is so prevalent in Thailand, she hates the corruption in Thailand. Enjoyed the good quality of food, she says Thai food in Australia is better than in Thailand! - you can get all the Thai ingredients and vegetables that are available in Thailand. Enjoyed the clean environment & now fails to understand the general Thai attitude to disregarding the environment. Downside was the occassional experience of racism that she initially she found very upsetting, but after some coaching learnt how to handle/push back. Of course missed her family & other than financial reasons the primary motivation to relocate back to Thailand. There are other cultural matters, but from a general day to day living view the above is hopefully sufficient as a reply.

In Thailand she truly enjoys living close to & helping with caring for the young children & elderly in her extended family and is shocked at the rather common lack of family support for the elderly in Western culture.

In essence she found Australia a more positive experience for the 'average person' than in Thailand; in her opinion the Thai government and agencies are disrespectful to their own people. If we had sufficient funds to live in Australia and commute to Thailand, say every six months for a month or so she would happily return to Australia.

Edited January 20, 2014 by simple1

[thhMan]

As Thais watch soapies day in and day out, they have no comprehension of the real world.

If they spend a few minutes on an educational channel, I am sure many of their questions would be answered.

Like always.. Thais are too lazy to do anything so other people, like those on Thaivisa, need to give them answers, so they dont have to get up off the recliner, chair, hammock....

[NoshowJones]

Which thai people you refer 2 ?

Many people, but no one forced you to response, so...

I guess it is ok for people to ask about Thailand, but it is not ok for Thai people to ask about other country. But, then they like to say Thai people are uneducated and uninformed about things.

Very sorry for the unhelpful posts.

So your question is about what is different in other countries?

The question is so overwhelming, I don't know where to begin.

There are many differences: mentality, social structures, beliefs, organisation.

I am from Europe, and I feel the most important differences with Thailand are the high cost of labor / high living costs in Europe (both are related), the high tax and social burdens in Europe and consumerism. In Europe we also have a lot of welfare, the people benefiting from it have mostly to thank Europe's colonial history for it.

It seemed people go all the trouble to be in Thailand, leaving their friend, family, and ways of life. Just about everyday I see question about visa extension, they have to leaveThailand get their visa stamp of some sort to stay in Thailand.

Actually, I am flattered that people like to come to Thailand and stay in Thailand. I think a lot of Thai people don't get why farangs ( I try not use the word farang but it seemed fit better in a sentence) would want to be in Thailand than their country. In Thais mind, western countries have more to offer than Thai country.

Can't say about other Western countries, but compared to the UK, Thailand has a lot more freedom, a good thing in most cases, but Thais have the freedom to break all the traffic laws very easily, which is not a good thing considering most Thais lack of common sense.

[NoshowJones]

I don't want to try to list what's better about my country because it's everything. Even the weather where I live is better with clean air but without the suffocating heat and humidity. We have very mild winters and summers. I can trust the food I eat and the water I drink and even most other drivers.

The only thing that's better for me in Thailand is the availability of younger, pretty girls. That's it.

I think it is important to state that Thailand is a very safe place to walk about in if you are sober and mind your own business, unlike in the UK. Yes, I also mean Pattaya and Bangkok. I am never out in the early hours of the morning though.

[Hugh Geen]

I think it is all covered in the book https://www.google.co.th/#q=thailand+fever.

[Hugh Geen]

I think it is all covered in the book https://www.google.co.th/#q=thailand+fever.

[thailiketoo]

I don't want to try to list what's better about my country because it's everything. Even the weather where I live is better with clean air but without the suffocating heat and humidity. We have very mild winters and summers. I can trust the food I eat and the water I drink and even most other drivers.

The only thing that's better for me in Thailand is the availability of younger, pretty girls. That's it.

not to forget that homeland security and taxes are much better and efficient than in Thailand. the efficiency also applies to the traffic police, e.g. no deplorable corruption such as handing over 200 Baht to a police officer after being stopped for exceeding the speed limit. law and order applies. when you are stopped put both your hands on the steering wheel. don't move if not asked for license and registration or unless you want to savour a 9mm bullet.

Thailand also lacks blizzards with 2 feet of snow and hundreds of thousand homes out of power, never faces temperatures of 45-47ºC (115-117ºF) as in Nevada, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico or -51ºC (-60ºF) as in Duluth, Minnesota. Thailand shortchanges its residents as far as mild winters and summers are concerned. since weeks i am wearing a thick bathrobe when i go with my dogs for a pee in the garden. the arctic cold of barely 20ºC at 0500 hrs in Pattaya's outskirts is nearly unbearable.

when in Miami or Los Angeles and towns in the vicinity one can get by speaking Spanish as opposed to Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Nakhon Nowhere where Spanish is virtually unknown.

Knock it off, Naam.

You are exaggerating the very worst things, in very small areas of the US and giving no credit to the best parts.

Police officer shoot a motorist at a traffic stop for not putting his hands on the wheel? Link please?

And US police officers don't carry 9mm. That's Europe. Almost without exception they carry .40 S&W and they don't just randomly shoot people.

The US is huge. You can find any kind of weather and any kind of terrain and any kind of scenery you want and most of it isn't as you described. The people who live in those places always amaze me.

Taxes? You know that US taxes are low with lots of loopholes. You also know that I have to pay those taxes even if I live in LOS so there is no tax benefit for me to move.

I live in a beautiful, mild clean part of the US and to me Thailand is a hot, sweaty, stinking shit hole with bad roads and crazy drivers. It always smells like raw sewage to me and the air is often filthy.

It does have younger, pretty girls available, of course.

The popular perception that the U.S. has the highest quality of medical care in the world has been proven entirely false by several public heath studies and reports over the past few years.

• 13th (last) for low-birth-weight percentages
• 13th for neonatal mortality and infant mortality overall
• 11th for postneonatal mortality
• 13th for years of potential life lost (excluding external causes)
• 12th for life expectancy at 1 year for males, 11th for females
• 12th for life expectancy at 15 years for males, 10th for females

The most shocking revelation of her report is that iatrogentic damage (defined as a state of ill health or adverse effect resulting from medical treatment) is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer.

http://chriskresser.com/medical-care-is-the-3rd-leading-cause-of-death-in-the-us

So I would say if one has just a little bit of cash the health care in Thailand is better.

[10Yen]

Which thai people you refer 2 ?

Many people, but no one forced you to response, so...

I guess it is ok for people to ask about Thailand, but it is not ok for Thai people to ask about other country. But, then they like to say Thai people are uneducated and uninformed about things.

Very sorry for the unhelpful posts.

So your question is about what is different in other countries?

The question is so overwhelming, I don't know where to begin.

There are many differences: mentality, social structures, beliefs, organisation.

I am from Europe, and I feel the most important differences with Thailand are the high cost of labor / high living costs in Europe (both are related), the high tax and social burdens in Europe and consumerism. In Europe we also have a lot of welfare, the people benefiting from it have mostly to thank Europe's colonial history for it.

It seemed people go all the trouble to be in Thailand, leaving their friend, family, and ways of life. Just about everyday I see question about visa extension, they have to leaveThailand get their visa stamp of some sort to stay in Thailand.

Actually, I am flattered that people like to come to Thailand and stay in Thailand. I think a lot of Thai people don't get why farangs ( I try not use the word farang but it seemed fit better in a sentence) would want to be in Thailand than their country. In Thais mind, western countries have more to offer than Thai country.

And then spend every waking hour in front of a PC, they could have done that back home.

[mancub]

I don't want to try to list what's better about my country because it's everything. Even the weather where I live is better with clean air but without the suffocating heat and humidity. We have very mild winters and summers. I can trust the food I eat and the water I drink and even most other drivers.

The only thing that's better for me in Thailand is the availability of younger, pretty girls. That's it.

I think it is important to state that Thailand is a very safe place to walk about in if you are sober and mind your own business, unlike in the UK. Yes, I also mean Pattaya and Bangkok. I am never out in the early hours of the morning though.

Unlike the UK ??? Such a dangerous place to be walking around sober and especially if minding one's own business . Might get assaulted by a Lollipop lady ...........

[thhMan]

After a while, you realize that Thais dont care one iota about westerners.

They dont care about right and wrong and are always looking for short cuts...

As a society, they are horrible people.... They lost their culture many years ago and now just 2 faced scabs... A police will continually accept bribes day in, day out... then go to the Temple and pretend he is a good soul... <deleted>?

As individuals, they are nice, but there is always that feeling that at any moment, you can be conned... And it will happen....

[sadhukar]

And then there are of course also the ladies. In Christian countries, regardless of what people can say, there is a heavy cultural prejudice that "sex for fun" is a sin. As is "sex for money"... result... the average male has a hard time to get laid.

Good sir, which European country do you live in?!? From my experience, Europeans are MUCH more open than Thais regarding sex. All you need to do is go to a student bar during early October to get laid.

I don't want to try to list what's better about my country because it's everything. Even the weather where I live is better with clean air but without the suffocating heat and humidity. We have very mild winters and summers. I can trust the food I eat and the water I drink and even most other drivers.

The only thing that's better for me in Thailand is the availability of younger, pretty girls. That's it.

If I may ask, why are you in Thailand then?

As much as I love Thailand and its people (most of them anyway), after nearly 10 years here, the staring still sometimes surprises me. I know I'm different to the locals but c'mon, there have been westerners here for decades! alt=biggrin.png pagespeed_url_hash=14303579 width=20 height=20>

Whenever I walk in Emporium or Siam I always feel that I am walking in farangland...

As Thais watch soapies day in and day out, they have no comprehension of the real world.

If they spend a few minutes on an educational channel, I am sure many of their questions would be answered.

Like always.. Thais are too lazy to do anything so other people, like those on Thaivisa, need to give them answers, so they dont have to get up off the recliner, chair, hammock....

And there is a better way to ask the opinions of foreigners regarding this country other than to ask foreigners directly on a message board? This person is getting out of his "recliner chair" to find out information and you're calling him lazy? My, you're a special one aren't you!