I'm early 30's moved to the Philippines about 2 years ago and have spent a total of 3 months in Thailand. I need to return to PH for a bit but I must say that I really like Thailand, it's got the craziness of the Philippines but still Bangkok is a total modern city better than most cities back home in the USA. I think the only thing that can get truly annoying about the place is not speaking the language so I have been taking classes and I'm pretty happy with it.

One thing I noticed is that the girls are not at all as bad as they are made out to be on the forums. At least the ones I've been meeting. I've met multiple truly nice girls, educated with good jobs, careers even, and insistent on paying their way. They really seem to be looking for "love" but have of course been burned already in the past. If the friendliness is fake or about saving face I don't care. It's nice to live in a place where people are polite at least (fake or not). I like their girly mannerisms and they are always well dressed.All this is a refreshing change from PH. The people I meet in Bangkok really don't seem poor nor desperate. I think these girls are mostly looking for something different and yeah they do seem to have a thing for half farrang babies, but what's wrong with that? I'm here too because I like their Thai-ness. We all have preferences.

I don't wanna go "glap baan" yet.

I look forward to reading how naive I am about the "real" Thailand...Let a rip!

I have lived here for several decades and - as far as I am concerned - you have hit the nail right on the head. I like the people here and I like the women and there are plenty of modern comforts for us that enjoy them.

MOst of the "experts" who lecture about Thai women never left the barstool long enough to meet many. I am sure you have learned 90% of the comments on TV are trash made by people who know absolutely nothing, and have an opinion on everything. Your experiences are probably accurate.

I am constantly amazed at the unusual things I see in Pattaya. Waiting for a traffic light to change while driving down Pattaya Klang, I saw a farang walking down the street. He appeared to be mid-50s age wise and in good physical condition. He encountered two Thai women walking towards him, one about 50 the other maybe 20. As he met them, he threw an elbow into the younger one. She almost fell but immediately grabbed her shoulder in pain. The farang took a couple of steps past them and them launched into a tirade apparently asserting his right to occupy half the sidewalk. We are all aware that Thais love to obstruct sidewalks, doors, or any other place where traffic gets a bit restricted. This response is way the hell over the line. Is civility becoming a thing of the past?

I'd have stood aside and let the ladies pass, and given them a smile. That's called manners where I come from. Some forget to bring them here; if they ever had them in the first place.