Questioning why i live here....

[jackr]

The op is right. As nice as it can be, it can be extremely fickle and is somewhat of a shallow and morbid society... And Phuket is more morbid than most. Agree with the above, get out for a bit and see how you go. All the best ;-)

[longballlarry]

Every morning I get up and walk down the road in front of my house and never question why I live here!

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Did you not have dirt tracks where you're from ? Whatever floats your boat. Thats one reason why I'm moving shortly. We clutch at straws and consider an old dirt track in the jungle, or a decrepit old temple visit a reason to stay here. Totally boring, but good luck if that keeps you going.

[JaiLai]

Have only been to phuket once,but from what i have heard your experience there is not unique.There are laws here but they are not enforced and the police are generally lazy unless "tea money" is forthcoming.This is the reality of living here,and its all ok until something like what happened to the OP happens to us.I have no idea if such an incident would affect me as it has the OP.

To live here successfully,happily,its important understand the culture here.

Plus in my opinion its not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket,anywhere in the world.

To live here happily / successfully it's best to have as little interaction with the locals as possible.

Why would you want to learn the cultures? You'll never be fully accepted or understand them.

That's drivel; many of the locals are good people. yeah, in the tourist area there will always be the usual scum, but don't tar all with the same brush.

I went to my local village last night, for some food. I ended up staying for about 3 hours, as plate after plate of food was delivered to my table. At the end when I went to pay, no one would take the money. So, maybe I am getting a different experience from your jaded views, but there are plenty of good, honest decent people around.

It's not drivel, the only thing that you fail to understand is its more blatant in tourist areas.

My views are jaded yes but I have a very broad overview on which to base them.

Don't think coz you got a few plates of road kill for free everyone's your friend. You are right there are SOME decent locals about but not many of them are honest.

Farangs are mocked more in rural Thailand than in the tourist areas imo

Well, I am certainly not one of the saffron tinted brigade, but I have lived in a couple of places over the last 9 years in Thailand, and I certainly getting a different experience. The most dishonest and deceitful people that I have come across are generally foreigners here.

I don't think for one moment that a plate of food means I'm everyone's friend that is just one example of many different things with the people I know in the village. Actually, it is also in a tourist area.but thankfully not one of the more notorious places such as Phuket, Samui or Pattaya.

I don't understand why anyone would move to another country and not want to interact with the locals at some point.

I interacted with locals when I first moved here. As I learnt the language ( somewhat ) and realise what the " majority " of them are like I choose not to.

[JaiLai]

To live here happily / successfully it's best to have as little interaction with the locals as possible.

Why would you want to learn the cultures? You'll never be fully accepted or understand them.

Moronic statement.

Lots of people living here successfully and happily while interacting with the locals every, single day.

I am one of those people living here successfully and happily and have almost no daily contact with other farang.

I swore off visiting Phuket in the early 90's shortly after AOT widened the Phuket airport's runway and started allowing wide bodied charter flights full of tourists coming from everywhere. The problem with Phuket is the farangs. There are too many of them.

JaiLai above apparently dislikes Thai people.

Thai people in heavily touristed areas like Phuket and Samui tend to hate farangs who dislike Thai people.

I dislike Phuket, and sympathise with th OP. A robbery at gunpoint and the anger over it can eat away at a person psychologically for years.

At the very least the OP should check out Langkawi and take a breather before making any major decisions.

Confirmed - I dislike "most" Thai people.

[chris2004]

It's just one of the things you have to accept about thailand. But really it could happen anywhere, people get mugged in the UK all the time. Also the Police in the UK wouldn't care about a stolen mobile phone, or burglary for that matter. You have to look after yourself.

[NoshowJones]

It's just one of the things you have to accept about thailand. But really it could happen anywhere, people get mugged in the UK all the time. Also the Police in the UK wouldn't care about a stolen mobile phone, or burglary for that matter. You have to look after yourself.

That's very true, I had a crime committed against me, but it is not the police so much who don't care, it is the courts, the person who done me wrong got admonished ( he stole money and items from my house) The DS on the case said to me, "off the record, sort him out yourself" That's what I did, and I got everything returned to me.

[Barney R]

Every morning I get up and walk down the road in front of my house and never question why I live here!

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Great answer !!! I too live in a quiet place wake up to birds singing in the morning .

[chrisinth]

OP, you had (actually still have) my sympathy over the robbery of your phone.

But the sympathy waned slightly as I read further. Please correct me if my interpretation of this is incorrect"

"ive come to the conclusion as driving through chalong with a people carrier on my arse. and so indicated left a couple of times so the driver would get off it and go down the left lane above the speed limit as i was not prepared to move as i was travelling the optimum speed"

My reading of this is that you may have a little bit too much self-importance in your own mind, where you are prepared to let someone break the law because you couldn't be bothered to move from the outside lane to clear it for a person travelling faster than you.

That to me doesn't show you as on level power with those you are co-existing with and with that attitude, will lead to confrontations eventually. Perhaps you need to mellow out a bit? IMHO only off course.

The theft of the phone, and has been mentioned by many, could have happened anywhere, but needs to be addressed. But with the extract from the OP above, it makes me think about how you went about reporting it.

[Berkshire]

Confirmed - I dislike "most" Thai people.

Then you should just leave already. The Thais aren't going anywhere. You'll be doing yourself a big favor.

[Berkshire]

Give the OP a break! He is obviously still suffering from shock and he already stated the issue ain't his phone being stolen it's more that he is realising now that the LOS ain't the paradise he thought it was and now it's been confirmed by his awful experience when facing down the barrel of a gun with a complete lunatic at the other end of it! And his understandable frustration of trying to motivate the lazy greedy scamming local BIB to help and get this lunatic off the streets before he does pull that trigger on some unfortunate soul!

I must concur with the argument that like every other country in the world has exactly the same problems with its fair amount of lunatics .... And because of a few nutters it's wrong to say everyone's the same!

I've got lots of genuine caring gentle thai close friends and I'm sure as the OP stated he has too but to call him high and mighty and to call him a racist is so unfair! There are lots of Thais that see a walking ATM every time they spot a farang and I've noticed myself how much they are getting more and more dishonest and will try anything to scam every last baht from you!

So to say he wasted his time going to the police or saying to him to get over it and move on is wrong! I admire him for standing his ground and insisting on a written report and it was his duty to report this lunatic before someone loses their life!

My advice to the OP is to take some time out... Go back to your home country and spend some time with your family and friends and when your mind is more clearer and you are recovered from what must have been a terrifying and depressing episode then you and only you will be able to make the right decision on where your future goes....

Hope you can get over this quickly good luck to you in whatever you decide you must do.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Calling him a racist is unfair? Which part of "a very barbaric race of human beings" is not racist exactly?

The OP is absolutely a scumbag racist. Condemning an entire society because of one or two individuals? Thailand would be better without him.

[mrtoad]

Confirmed - I dislike "most" Thai people.

Then you should just leave already. The Thais aren't going anywhere. You'll be doing yourself a big favor.

I'm not normally a "if you don't like it, go home" crew, but I can't see why JaiLai wants to saty in a country when he dislikes most of the people.

[JaiLai]

Confirmed - I dislike "most" Thai people.

Then you should just leave already. The Thais aren't going anywhere. You'll be doing yourself a big favor.

I'm not normally a "if you don't like it, go home" crew, but I can't see why JaiLai wants to saty in a country when he dislikes most of the people.

I stay because I like the climate ( in some regions ), the food, tax free living and the occasional lady boy.

I deal with not liking most of the people by having little to do with them, simple really.

[JaiLai]

Confirmed - I dislike "most" Thai people.

Then you should just leave already. The Thais aren't going anywhere. You'll be doing yourself a big favor.

Up to me whether I leave or not, not you!

[sms747]

Could happen anywhere .

But far more likely in Phuket

[sms747]

The OP is absolutely a scumbag racist. Condemning an entire society because of one or two individuals? Thailand would be better without him.

Where is he condemning a whole race? he just reported what happened and how he feels about it.

[Jameskrabi]

Give the OP a break! He is obviously still suffering from shock and he already stated the issue ain't his phone being stolen it's more that he is realising now that the LOS ain't the paradise he thought it was and now it's been confirmed by his awful experience when facing down the barrel of a gun with a complete lunatic at the other end of it! And his understandable frustration of trying to motivate the lazy greedy scamming local BIB to help and get this lunatic off the streets before he does pull that trigger on some unfortunate soul!

I must concur with the argument that like every other country in the world has exactly the same problems with its fair amount of lunatics .... And because of a few nutters it's wrong to say everyone's the same!

I've got lots of genuine caring gentle thai close friends and I'm sure as the OP stated he has too but to call him high and mighty and to call him a racist is so unfair! There are lots of Thais that see a walking ATM every time they spot a farang and I've noticed myself how much they are getting more and more dishonest and will try anything to scam every last baht from you!

So to say he wasted his time going to the police or saying to him to get over it and move on is wrong! I admire him for standing his ground and insisting on a written report and it was his duty to report this lunatic before someone loses their life!

My advice to the OP is to take some time out... Go back to your home country and spend some time with your family and friends and when your mind is more clearer and you are recovered from what must have been a terrifying and depressing episode then you and only you will be able to make the right decision on where your future goes....

Hope you can get over this quickly good luck to you in whatever you decide you must do.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Calling him a racist is unfair? Which part of "a very barbaric race of human beings" is not racist exactly?

The OP is absolutely a scumbag racist. Condemning an entire society because of one or two individuals? Thailand would be better without him.

I most certainly am not, i am married to a thai admittedly half thai, i have not only european white, but also middle eastern, Caribbean extended family so how you can call me racist ill never understand... but have also probably travelled more than you and made many friends, the statement had you read it properly did not single out all thais but the few that think they can do such with no consequence, had some one pulled a gun on you ... WHAT WOULD YOU DO I WONDER???

Further more i interact with over 200 thais daily who work with me, and many thai friends, but i mean this minority/majority that think they can do this with no repercussions so please do go back to your rock...

HOWEVER i must agree, there are some racist remarks and i am sure these people dont even live here.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Jameskrabi

[Berkshire]

The OP is absolutely a scumbag racist. Condemning an entire society because of one or two individuals? Thailand would be better without him.

Where is he condemning a whole race? he just reported what happened and how he feels about it.

Ok, sms, explain to me what he means by "a very barbaric race of human beings." Who is he talking about? And don't say the guy who robbed him. One guy is not a whole race of human beings.

[Jameskrabi]

Perhaps Berkshire, if you read it correctly, it would read to you that it does not mean everyone, just a minority/majority depending on what way you look at it. the country is barking for sure, but to have a gun pulled on you for a iphone 5 worth a mere 18k is completly barking mad, anywhere else in the world he would have been hunted down and arrested, instead in thailand youtube is far better and more productive to the thai police....

Like i mentioned i have many thai friends, working with 200 directly but seeing this happen to me i look at things differently i now feel uncomfortable. i expect a gun to be pulled on me in Africa, the Middle East but not a thai holiday island....

The OP is absolutely a scumbag racist. Condemning an entire society because of one or two individuals? Thailand would be better without him.

Where is he condemning a whole race? he just reported what happened and how he feels about it.

Ok, sms, explain to me what he means by "a very barbaric race of human beings." Who is he talking about? And don't say the guy who robbed him. One guy is not a whole race of human beings.

[Berkshire]

The OP is absolutely a scumbag racist. Condemning an entire society because of one or two individuals? Thailand would be better without him.

the statement had you read it properly did not single out all thais but the few that think they can do such with no consequence, had some one pulled a gun on you ... WHAT WOULD YOU DO I WONDER???

Nice try. But to answer your question, if someone had pulled a gun on me, I'd probably sh*t my pants. And then I'd really freak out. So basically, that's never happened to me. It's never happened to me in Thailand, nor has it happened to me in the gun capitol of the world (aka USA). But if it did happen to me, I certainly wouldn't call that entire society "a very barbaric race of human beings."

Ok, so you're saying that you're only referring to the few bad people. Well, why even open this thread and ask everyone why you're still living here in Thailand? Isn't there bad people everywhere? Are you saying there are more bad Thai people? Aaah, so you are referring to the Thais.

[Jameskrabi]

The OP is absolutely a scumbag racist. Condemning an entire society because of one or two individuals? Thailand would be better without him.

the statement had you read it properly did not single out all thais but the few that think they can do such with no consequence, had some one pulled a gun on you ... WHAT WOULD YOU DO I WONDER???

Nice try. But to answer your question, if someone had pulled a gun on me, I'd probably sh*t my pants. And then I'd really freak out. So basically, that's never happened to me. It's never happened to me in Thailand, nor has it happened to me in the gun capitol of the world (aka USA). But if it did happen to me, I certainly wouldn't call that entire society "a very barbaric race of human beings."

Ok, so you're saying that you're only referring to the few bad people. Well, why even open this thread and ask everyone why you're still living here in Thailand? Isn't there bad people everywhere? Are you saying there are more bad Thai people? Aaah, so you are referring to the Thais.

Berkshire, twist and turn it as you please, your the only one to say this, it doesn't even warrant a further reply ... go back under your rock.

For anyone else, this is new, not expected in Phuket, to be unsafe that you can not even go outside your house or car... this brings into the question on whether it is even safe to live here as this is the first time it has happened to me, is it going to get worse? and worse? the police are hopeless as i experienced on the evening, which makes the entire situation worse...

[Berkshire]

For anyone else, this is new, not expected in Phuket, to be unsafe that you can not even go outside your house or car... this brings into the question on whether it is even safe to live here as this is the first time it has happened to me, is it going to get worse? and worse? the police are hopeless as i experienced on the evening, which makes the entire situation worse...

Ok, James, have it your way. You're right, Phuket is not a safe place to live. You should pack-up and leave immediately, for the sake of your family.

[Berkshire]

Confirmed - I dislike "most" Thai people.

Then you should just leave already. The Thais aren't going anywhere. You'll be doing yourself a big favor.

Up to me whether I leave or not, not you!

Of course it's up to you...duh! But it's sort of asinine to want to live in a place where you can't stand the people that live there. Only an idiot would do that. But I see in your other post that you like the ladyboys. Well that certainly explains things.

[JaiLai]

Confirmed - I dislike "most" Thai people.

Then you should just leave already. The Thais aren't going anywhere. You'll be doing yourself a big favor.

Up to me whether I leave or not, not you!

Of course it's up to you...duh! But it's sort of asinine to want to live in a place where you can't stand the people that live there. Only an idiot would do that. But I see in your other post that you like the ladyboys. Well that certainly explains things.

You'd be suprised the amount of "idiots" that dislike the locals.

You'd also be suprised his many of the Thais hate the " Thai way / attitude".

You really should go out and immerse yourself in the real Thai community to see what it's like.

[JaiLai]

Confirmed - I dislike "most" Thai people.

Then you should just leave already. The Thais aren't going anywhere. You'll be doing yourself a big favor.

Up to me whether I leave or not, not you!

Of course it's up to you...duh! But it's sort of asinine to want to live in a place where you can't stand the people that live there. Only an idiot would do that. But I see in your other post that you like the ladyboys. Well that certainly explains things.

You'd be suprised the amount of "idiots" that dislike the locals.

You'd also be suprised his many of the Thais hate the " Thai way / attitude".

You really should go out and immerse yourself in the real Thai community to see what it's like.

[brucegoniners]

Thailand is unlike anyplace else I've ever been. Bangkok isn't especially happy either, especially with the war going on between the two groups, but unfortunately you live in the armpit of Thailand, Phuket.

Maybe you ought to get out of this crime riddled area and you might be happier.

[newbiecuk]

seen two robberies in two weeks myself ..

[rayongchelsea]

Thai people are generally as nice as any other race.

Thai people can be nastier, less empathic than most other races..

But overall over the years I have developed a rather poor opinion of Thai society..in part because of the way Thais treat other Thais, especially at work (we as farangs are not that important),

Thailand has deteriorated over the years, this is recognized by Thais..

I don't interact with as many Thais as I use too..no big deal..my life is as it was.I prefer farang company primarily because of the humour.

If someone doesn't particular like the general characteristics of a society that is their right. It is also there right to stay here..most farangs seem to live in a bubble here anyway..on their little moo baan in issarn.

There is a lot wrong with a society where lying is seen as a better alternative than loosing face, where Mai pen rai means that nothing gets done and it's not my fault.Where sabai sabaii is construed by many to justify laziness.Where Thais recognize that Thais cheat each other more readily than in the west. Where the smile is not really a smile. It is impossible in my opinion to be a Thai apologists like some on here because of so many obvious limitation, but people in general within this system are decent folk.

JL has a valid view point and one I have sympathy for.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[BlueSkyCowboy]

Have only been to phuket once,but from what i have heard your experience there is not unique.There are laws here but they are not enforced and the police are generally lazy unless "tea money" is forthcoming.This is the reality of living here,and its all ok until something like what happened to the OP happens to us.I have no idea if such an incident would affect me as it has the OP.

To live here successfully,happily,its important understand the culture here.

Plus in my opinion its not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket,anywhere in the world.

To live here happily / successfully it's best to have as little interaction with the locals as possible.

Why would you want to learn the cultures? You'll never be fully accepted or understand them.

The foreign turds I see in Thailand are not the pride and joy of their country either. Lesson learned, don't park at midnight in some place you don't know and don't carry an I phone

[kinmaew]

May I quote Robert De Niro from the Movie "Heat" - "If there is any heat, you gotta be able to leave that situation in 30 seconds" and my mate Mick from the UK summed up the same thing (In relation to Farangs going to countries like Thailand/Philippines where there are no rules and your money is at high risk), "If things turn bad just play possum and then take off"

Don't break chains with your home country, unless you are fluent in Thai and hold a Thai passport, keep your home at home in farangland rented out and just treat Thailand like they treat us, rent, short term, a bit of a joke, serious money at home, ready to leave at short notice and without reason. You need to "Flee the scene" when the heat is on.

I would not buy property, invest money or waste my time trying to curry favour over there, you wont be appreciated. Just enjoy the cheap lifestyle and be ready to leave quickly to reality when needed.

[sms747]

May I quote Robert De Niro from the Movie "Heat" - "If there is any heat, you gotta be able to leave that situation in 30 seconds" and my mate Mick from the UK summed up the same thing (In relation to Farangs going to countries like Thailand/Philippines where there are no rules and your money is at high risk), "If things turn bad just play possum and then take off"

Don't break chains with your home country, unless you are fluent in Thai and hold a Thai passport, keep your home at home in farangland rented out and just treat Thailand like they treat us, rent, short term, a bit of a joke, serious money at home, ready to leave at short notice and without reason. You need to "Flee the scene" when the heat is on.

I would not buy property, invest money or waste my time trying to curry favour over there, you wont be appreciated. Just enjoy the cheap lifestyle and be ready to leave quickly to reality when needed.

very good advice IMO