What changed most in the last 10 years in Thailand?

[vaca azul]

Next year I am coming from Europe to Thailand for a long stay visit.

Many friends who know Thailand from business or holidays tell me how beautiful Thailand still is,

others tell me it changed a lot in the past 10 years into negative???

What says a European resident in Thailand how living changed in the last 10 years? What became better, what worse?

[BritManToo]

The government.

[WhamBam]

In the places with plenty of foreigners, I'd say the attitude of the natives has changed for the worse in many cases. Not so much in the villages or smaller towns.

[CharlieH]

The place I live has exploded in the last 10 years, more development, huge increase in population, increase in foreigners, large department stores etc and of course traffic.

To say nothing of how the prices have risen.

No resemblance to the quiet town with only one department store I came to 10 years ago.

[Jim walker]

Violence against farangs never heard about such things 10 years ago now its a daily news item if they cant fleece you the normal way they will get your money another way, possible just better reporting and internet not much can be hidden I used to feel very safe here regardless where I was staying but now so many no go areas and dont expect some friendly Thai to help you back to your hotel now those days are gone.

[villagefarang]

People like me will tell you life is great here in Thailand while others will tell you it is a living hell. My guess is, your opinion of Thailand will depend more on you than on Thailand itself. Some will say things were better at sometime in the past but for me the best time is always now.

[Denim]

The place I live has exploded in the last 10 years, more development, huge increase in population, increase in foreigners, large department stores etc and of course traffic.

To say nothing of how the prices have risen.

No resemblance to the quiet town with only one department store I came to 10 years ago.

That could be a description of just about anywhere in Thailand ...............unfortunately. Certainly applies to where we live on the west of Nonthaburi.

A long long time ago Thailand picked up the acronym Land of Smiles .....LOS. 30 years ago that was true. It was third world country with a few rich people in Bangkok and a lot of poor people everywhere else. Life was simple and uncluttered and with less to worry about people smiled a lot.

Now materialism has swallowed up Thailand the same as everywhere else. Things that are indispensable now like smart phones and computers etc did not exist back then. No traffic jams , milk and cheese rare luxuries etc. Foreigners so thin on the ground that outside of Bangkok and one or two small tourist areas they attracted stares from everybody.

But ' progress ' has come at a heavy price and although the smiles are still there they are mostly just skin deep. Thais nowadays have to fret a lot more about keeping up with the Somchais etc and where to find the money to buy the next gadget.

If I were arriving in Thailand for the first time right now I would probably have a nice enough holiday, but I wouldn't find it attractive enough to want to live here full time. As it is , after 30 years i now actually find myself sometimes wishing I could leave but with my family here the problems are just too many to contemplate leaving. Instead, we are selling our home in Bangkok and going to live in the deepest boonies where the waves of progress are reduced to ripples.