Russians vs Brits

[infinity11]

not sure how well this will go over as i am sure the majority of us are from the uk

now that there is a HUGE influx of Russians
they may now have out numbered the Brits
(time was the Brits were the largest ex pat community in pattaya and thailand)

feel free to comment on how they are similar or different from each other
i personally find they are easier to get on with and mind their own business more
that is just me and i don't meant to put anyone down

i am sure others have a different take

how else are they different or the same?
please i beg of you keep it civil!
thanks

just another thing i wanted to get off my chest

[infinity11]

another thing i noticed, i believe they usually appear to make little or no effort to speak thai for some reason

[bartender100]

There might be fewer of them around soon if things escalate in Ukrain and the world starts sanctions against Russia

[OMGImInPattaya]

They seem to have fewer tattoos on average; and the younger women are certainly better looking that a similar English bird. I wish one of them would open a nice perrogi shop.

[transam]

Perhaps the Ruskies don't all brag about being ex Spetsnaz..................

[petercool]

The key similarities are how they both stick with their own countrymen, tend to use their own language exclusively and are here to see and experience a difference to what they left behind at "home". That they do all that differently to each other is a function of their separate cultural background.

[ThaiBob]

another thing i noticed, i believe they usually appear to make little or no effort to speak thai for some reason

Did you mean the Russians or the Brits?

[Rimmer]

I was in Thawatsadu this morning getting some Jotun paint mixed up for my outside walls, whilst I was sitting on a the bench by the mixing machine there was a young guy speaking Thai to the paint assistant, he turned to me and in in English asked what I thought about his choice of colours for his room, we spoke for several minutes about that and where he stayed also where he came from, he told me in perfect English he was from an area close to the Black Sea and came to Thailand around two years back.

This young man had taken the trouble to learn English and Thai in the short time he had spent here, I regret I do not have any English friends including myself who have taken the trouble to learn two languages whilst living here.

It was very pleasant indeed to talk to him and find out more about why he came to Thailand to live.

[transam]

I was in Thawatsadu this morning getting some Jotun paint mixed up for my outside walls, whilst I was sitting on a the bench by the mixing machine there was a young guy speaking Thai to the paint assistant, he turned to me and in in English asked what I thought about his choice of colours for his room, we spoke for several minutes about that and where he stayed also where he came from, he told me in perfect English he was from an area close to the Black Sea and came to Thailand around two years back.

This young man had taken the trouble to learn English and Thai in the short time he had spent here, I regret I do not have any English friends including myself who have taken the trouble to learn two languages whilst living here.

It was very pleasant indeed to talk to him and find out more about why he came to Thailand to live.

I have a Chinese friend who has a music business in LOS, he speaks/understands about 7 languages, never been to school.

He tells me that his "gray cells" just pick it up.........

[PattayaPhom]

Prefer doing business with the Russians anyday compared to any other nationality. The Russians say what they think and are honest, civil, courteous almost all of the time, compare that to the know it all bar fly, Thai visa readers from the West that think they know everything but know absolutly nothing, are rude, arrogant, damn right nasty people most of the time that do not appreciate any effort we go to help them. Every single Russian customer we have has said thankyou, giving small presents and taking out and paying for dinner/drinks at some of the most expensive places in Pattaya. Mr Brit/Oz/Yank whatever simply moans.....Lets hope more of them come each year, this being the best yet for us

[sam sen]

generalisationville

[transam]

Prefer doing business with the Russians anyday compared to any other nationality. The Russians say what they think and are honest, civil, courteous almost all of the time, compare that to the know it all bar fly, Thai visa readers from the West that think they know everything but know absolutly nothing, are rude, arrogant, dam_n right nasty people most of the time that do not appreciate any effort we go to help them. Every single Russian customer we have has said thankyou, giving small presents and taking out and paying for dinner/drinks at some of the most expensive places in Pattaya. Mr Brit/Oz/Yank whatever simply moans.....Lets hope more of them come each year, this being the best yet for us

You might be blind to that stuff, taken in even. Just saying.......... ...........BUT, if they pay up, cool.

[I Like Thai]

Prefer doing business with the Russians anyday compared to any other nationality. The Russians say what they think and are honest, civil, courteous almost all of the time, compare that to the know it all bar fly, Thai visa readers from the West that think they know everything but know absolutly nothing, are rude, arrogant, dam_n right nasty people most of the time that do not appreciate any effort we go to help them. Every single Russian customer we have has said thankyou, giving small presents and taking out and paying for dinner/drinks at some of the most expensive places in Pattaya. Mr Brit/Oz/Yank whatever simply moans.....Lets hope more of them come each year, this being the best yet for us

If you really owned a business, there is no way that you would just alienate a sizeable customer base in this manner.

[infinity11]

another thing i noticed, i believe they usually appear to make little or no effort to speak thai for some reason

Did you mean the Russians or the Brits?

the rukies (can i say that?)

[PattayaPhom]

Prefer doing business with the Russians anyday compared to any other nationality. The Russians say what they think and are honest, civil, courteous almost all of the time, compare that to the know it all bar fly, Thai visa readers from the West that think they know everything but know absolutly nothing, are rude, arrogant, dam_n right nasty people most of the time that do not appreciate any effort we go to help them. Every single Russian customer we have has said thankyou, giving small presents and taking out and paying for dinner/drinks at some of the most expensive places in Pattaya. Mr Brit/Oz/Yank whatever simply moans.....Lets hope more of them come each year, this being the best yet for us

If you really owned a business, there is no way that you would just alienate a sizeable customer base in this manner.

Wrong way round..they have alienated me!...already started refusing to list properties solely based on the attitude of the owner, and vetting clients at the same time to weed out the timewasting idiots with attitude

[luudee]

In this short "Russian invasion" I have definitely met many more pleasant

Russian people than Brits in the decades before. They either keep to them

selves, or engage in pleasant conversation.

The only thing I don't like about some of them is the bumping in to people

and no "Excuse me !"

I guess we all have our faults, but I rather have the Russians around than

the Brits ...

luudee

[bmanly]

If there's one notable difference between the 2 groups it is that Brits go to beer bars and Go Go bars in droves and enjoy a drink and a laugh talking with the girls. With the Russians you almost never see them in beer bars or Go Go bars, why would that be?

[balo]

The difference is that they do not mix with other nationalities. I am a Scandinavian and have no problems to mix with Brits, Germans or even Irish people.

The Russians just stay in their own world, not so easy to like them because of that.

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[OMGImInPattaya]

If there's one notable difference between the 2 groups it is that Brits go to beer bars and Go Go bars in droves and enjoy a drink and a laugh talking with the girls. With the Russians you almost never see them in beer bars or Go Go bars, why would that be?

Because Russian girls are hot.

[Pattaya Pat]

If there's one notable difference between the 2 groups it is that Brits go to beer bars and Go Go bars in droves and enjoy a drink and a laugh talking with the girls. With the Russians you almost never see them in beer bars or Go Go bars, why would that be?

The answer is very simple. They do want to spend any money. They buy their booze from 7-11 and drink it in their tiny condos.

HTH.

[Pattaya Pat]

Are people here seriously defending the Russians? Along with Israel they are the rudest people on earth. Period.

Never seen such ignorance and rudeness in all my time. Their problem is that they all think that they are 'mafia'

[infinity11]

Maybe, maybe not, i see a big sifference in the russians here now than the ones i met 10 or 20 years ago in the states.

[gamini]

I prefer Russians any day. I have worked with a lot of them. The huge influx of low fife Brits into Thailand alienated a lot of Thais against foreigners. i

[ThaiBob]

another thing i noticed, i believe they usually appear to make little or no effort to speak thai for some reason

Did you mean the Russians or the Brits?

the rukies (can i say that?)

Well then, I would say they are taking baby steps in learning both Thai and English. Just starting to see Thai-Russian dictionaries and travel guides in stores. Saw two Russians at the beach reading their dictionaries today and the last two high seasons I have had Russians say Hello and goodbye in the condo lift. Some improvement, granted small but remember it wasn't that long ago they didn't have the right to travel. Compare that to my many Brit friends who have been living here for years and basically speak zero Thai and have little interest to learn the language. Several told me they were just too old and retired, and the signs were in English anyway and they had no problem communicating. (Just for the record, the signs are not in English)

[lormakmak]

http://www.damkool.com/en/video/MUhBk2-Rj-w/The-Sopranos-Episode-18-Tony-Grabs-Russian-Dude-By-the-Balls

Yes the ruskie women are hot...well some of them anyway

[PattayaPhom]

Are people here seriously defending the Russians? Along with Israel they are the rudest people on earth. Period.

Never seen such ignorance and rudeness in all my time. Their problem is that they all think that they are 'mafia'

Yep definatly defending them.....just for the record, a customer that has become a reasonably good friend has just returned after 3 months offshore in Africa and Saturday night out will be down to him..................he is Russian.....yes I have returned the jesture, maybe I am lucky in never meeting any Russians as some describe on here.

[silver sea]

I prefer Russians any day. I have worked with a lot of them. The huge influx of low fife Brits into Thailand alienated a lot of Thais against foreigners. i

I am sorry that you seem to have had some bad experiences with the British. We can be a bit rough it is true. Indeed a Frenchman once wrote (just to show that the French have a sense of humour after all):

"The reason the sun never sets on the British Empire is that God would never trust an Englishman in the dark." ... which I am sure is what the Aussies say as the light begins to fade at the end of a long day's cricket.

I live on Koh Samui, arriving in January 2012. I am not aware of any problem with the Thais about being British here; quite the opposite in fact.

One of the biggest surprises was seeing the number of Thai women, who are happy to wear T shirts with the Union Jack on; loads of Thai men wear English Premier League club shirts. A few Thais wear 'Beatles' T shirts.

I am always being asked where I come from. When I say that I am English they seem genuinely pleased. So much so that initially I found it all a bit disconcerting. I had only just arrived on the island and didn't feel that I had done anything to deserve such warm smiles. I think that I was also worried that I might do or say something wrong and so "let the side down"!

I have met lots of Russians here. Generally they all seem to speak at least some English and seem to be mainly computer programmers. They are polite and well behaved. I like them. They can be very noisy when there's a lot of them, but then none of us is perfect.

[Baerboxer]

If there's one notable difference between the 2 groups it is that Brits go to beer bars and Go Go bars in droves and enjoy a drink and a laugh talking with the girls. With the Russians you almost never see them in beer bars or Go Go bars, why would that be?

Because Russian girls are hot.

Each to their own ................ but you have serious problems IMHO.

[nickmanchester2]

I have a really nice Russian friend who lives in Pattaya (i'm English), I met her at the border in nong khai and offered her a lift back in my car - she is lovely, very friendly girl and also she introduced me to her sister as well after we met up again a couple of weeks later - both really nice girls from Siberia.

we went to meet another russian bloke one night that she didn't know and he gave her some russian medicine for her sister that he brought alone with him after she asked if anyone could help on the internet - nice guy as well as he went out of his way to find her and didn't want any money for the medicine - so from my experience nice people.

[balo]

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I have a really nice Russian friend who lives in Pattaya (i'm English), I met her at the border in nong khai and offered her a lift back in my car - she is lovely, very friendly girl and also she introduced me to her sister as well after we met up again a couple of weeks later - both really nice girls from Siberia.

we went to meet another russian bloke one night that she didn't know and he gave her some russian medicine for her sister that he brought alone with him after she asked if anyone could help on the internet - nice guy as well as he went out of his way to find her and didn't want any money for the medicine - so from my experience nice people.

And did you speak English with them ? I am surprised they could speak English , most tourists from Siberia do not know a word of English .