SURVEY: What Is the Main Deterrent to Living in Thailand?

[IMA_FARANG]

Having been living here as an American retiree for 5years now, I can say with confidence that the real problem many foreigners have is adapting to the fact that where they are now is not Britain, California, Australia, or whatever country they came here from.

The excuses they use are such things as the bad drivers to such things as I can't find proper British Ale here.

But that's only the excuse they use..... their real problem is that it's not Britain,California, Australia, or whatever here.... and they just can't adapt to that fact.

[Tonawatchee]

A general lack of government accountability. Wrong doers are ignored or if caught, paid to sit around at inactive posts. Too many village government palms to be greased before any public benefit is realized. This, of course, is not a deterrent. It's just a couple of my gripes.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Tonawatchee

[AlexProBkk]

I'm suprised to not find corruption that links police, mafia and local administrations. Corruption is also when actions are demostrated and celebrated in media but in fact nothing gets done. The corruption that stops Thailand from becoming a better place.

[TheFishman1]

I love it here

[micmichd]

I love it here

So do I.

[Gecko123]

I love it here

So do I.

Me too.

[JLCrab]

none of the drawback . the only thing i find is that living on the out skirts of a small city, dosent allow me to meet expats that often ; sometimes just sometimes its nice to speak english with a fellow farang, locals are mostly very excepting got to say though if i felt about this country the way some expats do , i would go else where why would you stay some where when all you do is dislike it all day ? buggered if i know me i love it here and would like to stay for good ------ heres hoping

,

I like living on the outskirts of a small city because that way I don't meet many expats often -- if I want to speak English I usually just get on SKYPE and cal back to the USA.

[northernjohn]

Is this survey really necessary?

And does it have any purpose?

I agree.

I have no deterrent to living here. I can give you a list of what I would like to see different. I can also give you a list of things I would like to see different every place I have lived. I liked them all right now and for the past 8 years I have preferred Thailand and can not really see that changing.

to be honest if some of the nay Sayers are honest in what they say I wonder if they have tried mental health services. There is absolutely no way I would live here if those conditions existed for me.

Truth is it would be nice if all the ex pats and Thai's learned to drive on the right side of the road.

[Alwyn]

I've worked and lived in more than a few countries and they all have good and bad. What I have observed is that countries with a heavy reliance on tourism tend to be the places where the locals dislike expats the most (with the exception of Brasil). As an expat the thing that concerns me with Thailand is instability. We had a great business going which was started in 2004 and last year's protests and subsequent coup slaughtered us. We had to lay locals off and mothball the company. My partner is on about restarting again but I'm just thinking, why? Reinvest, restart and a couple of years on and another coup or the demise of HRH The King and it all goes west again. Challenging to say the least.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Alwyn

[joshstiles]

foreigners!!!!!

never have i lived in a foreign country where there are so many negative...anti social...grumpy..stick in the ass...worthless foreigners.

THIS ALONE is the biggest deterrent.

Doesnt matter what country they are from....their own countries are better off without them.

too bad they had to come to thailand

[Cypress Hill]

All of the above.

Agree. But I opted for the last one, they do not really want us here.

Sorry but what does that mean, exactly?

Honestly, the foreigners here are WAY too needy. It's as if they need some kind of acknowledgement, validation or to be defined as special in some way to just get on with life.

I don't think the majority of Thais even THINK about it except perhaps in the tourist areas where it matters to their livelihoods

They're indifferent . . . and that's just the way I love it.

[soalbundy]

All of the above.

Agree. But I opted for the last one, they do not really want us here.

Sorry but what does that mean, exactly?

Honestly, the foreigners here are WAY too needy. It's as if they need some kind of acknowledgement, validation or to be defined as special in some way to just get on with life.

I don't think the majority of Thais even THINK about it except perhaps in the tourist areas where it matters to their livelihoods

They're indifferent . . . and that's just the way I love it.

Yes you are right of course but he wants a medal and he wants to be loved.

[BuaBS]

Coming to live in thailand , is leaving behind most problems you have in your own country and exchanging them for a whole set of new ones.
Listing those problems here , is a thai bashers' dream , but will not deterre people that
want to come and live here, because they still have a rosy view and you have to live here and experience it. The poll of this post is much to limited to give a good picture.
There are so many drawbacks to living in thailand depending on your personal views , finances... But the country you left is much worse , otherwise you would not have moved here.
I'm just here surviving on internet & aircon , serving my prison time for making bad descisions and burning bridges.
As soon as the greeks blow up the euro , or some other scenario , I 'm on the next plane out.

[Makemesick]

Where is the survey I can not see it to answer?

[micmichd]

Coming to live in thailand , is leaving behind most problems you have in your own country and exchanging them for a whole set of new ones.

Listing those problems here , is a thai bashers' dream , but will not deterre people that

want to come and live here, because they still have a rosy view and you have to live here and experience it. The poll of this post is much to limited to give a good picture.

There are so many drawbacks to living in thailand depending on your personal views , finances... But the country you left is much worse , otherwise you would not have moved here.

I'm just here surviving on internet & aircon , serving my prison time for making bad descisions and burning bridges.

As soon as the greeks blow up the euro , or some other scenario , I 'm on the next plane out.

Better start burning bridges right now, and don't rely on any kind of promises they make to you. Don't give a damn what folks back home think and talk, you're an unpatriotic sexpat for them anyway.

Me, I've still got furniture, stereo equipment and other stuff near Heidelberg, Germany. And people who want to buy it. There's a guy in Germany who promised me to put it all in a chamber and save it up for me. When I came back, he refused to hand me over the key to that chamber. And now he wants even money for his "services"

Feel free to PM me if you want to do something about this, I've got lots of good friends in Thailand.

Edited May 11, 2015 by micmichd

[Si Thea01]

Traffic is my biggest gripe, the way peple drive is like they have just stolen the car they are driving!!

I would never drive a motorbike here, I know of 2 people, one I knew well that have died while riding a bike.

I have friends that ride and I am always on at them to drive their cars, but they like the wind in their hair and the ease of parking, and getting through heavy traffic. That's up to them, but definately not for me

100% with you. My last bike back home was a 1300cc Yamaha Sports Tourer. Had ridden for 50 years with only two minor incidents. When I retired here I obtained my Thai driver and cycle license and then tried out on a scooter around the village and no thank you. That was enough for me, absolute maniacs. Now I've grown four sets of eyes so I know which direction they are coming from. Only two months ago my wife had a cyclist T Bone her car and unfortunately, he did not survive. So it can happen anywhere, anytime, 7.30am, he was drunk as a skunk, no license, nil registration and no helmet. She got the Superfecta plus one, no insurance.

[Naam]

On a day like today it is defintly the heat.

what heat? throughout my home the temperature is 26ºC

[fvw53]

Bernard Flint, on 11 May 2015 - 07:54, said:

private medical care is the only problem here, when one is old.However one needs to put money to one side just in case

At an age above 70 I am mainly concerned about the cost of medical care and coincidently another topic to-day on this forum is attracting many comments :

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/824165-government-concerned-with-foreigners-being-ripped-off-by-thai-hospitals/?utm_source=newsletter-20150511-0739&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

[Naam]

for a retiree the biggest deterrent is the lack of income tax levied on his worldwide income. the joy and intellectual stimulation of three weeks preparing a tax return is missing

Monaco is also tax free, so is Andorra.

although both "countries" have the same deterrent as Thailand, i.e. lack of joy and intellectual stimulation because of no tax return there are other drawbacks. in Andorra it's <deleted> cold (not to mention the recent banking scandal) and my home if located in Monaco would be in a price range i couldn't afford... something like €UR 25-30 million.

[Naam]

I have nothing to gripe about.However,I would like the phone number of the gentleman who managed to build a large house for one million bht.I would surely like to talk to the builder.As you may have guessed I am having problems finding a reasonable building contractor.

that gentleman's definition of large might slightly differ from your definition of large

[micmichd]

I feel extremely intellectually stimulated coming from a country that has more tax laws than the rest of the world together.

BTW, thanks for reminding the category for getting a better tax category is the one that sounds worse ("unbeschränkt steuerpflichtig")

[slipperylobster]

The pollution brought about by their space program...and damage to bamboo tree (built with bamboo)

http://www.hugy.me.uk/2014/06/thailand-home-made-rocket-championships.html?m=1

Edited May 11, 2015 by slipperylobster

[ChrisB87]

My girlfriend leaving the sponge in the Somtum.

[lee b]

Simple, don't like it leave.

[lostoday]

Simple, don't like it leave.

They all have. The problem is they are so bored where they went that they come back on Thai Visa and keep slamming Thailand - and - when you ask why, they squeal like a stuck pig and call you a troll for questioning why someone would have the audacity to question anyone who has left Thailand and still finds it necessary to bash the country even though they have gone home.

[micmichd]

Don't worry about Farangs that left Thailand and are now in psychological need to justify their decision. It's just cognitive dissonance that they want to get rid off.

[Ghostnigel]

The girls, they are all too pretty...i prefer the fat, ugly,moaning old bags in my country....nah, only kidding, there fat and ugly ones here too!

[SoiBiker]

They mostly seem to be scrawny and ugly here. But clearly that does it for a lot of guys.

[Stan42]

First of all, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. That said, the closest thing would be 1.Safety factors. It's a developing country, go figure.

[wooloomooloo]

That said, the closest thing would be 1.Safety factors.

What safety factors?