Has ThaiVisa discouraged you from moving to Thailand?

[ThaiKneeTim]

Never been to Pattaya and I only spend a few days in Bangkok as I travel through on my way to the provinces. My limited experience of Thailand is mostly good, it was my early tourist visits that left me somewhat disillusioned, but even those provided me with valuable experience.

Out here in smallsville life is much less stressful.

[Denim]

I was living in Bangkok when the yellow shirts took over the airport forcing it to close down. This was hugely inconvenient for me as I had to cancel my travel arrangements and try to rebook my trip to the UK.

Again when the PDRC had their shut down Bangkok protest to bring on the end of democracy my wife's shop was put out of business for which she never received compensation.

Now all that is in the past and with democracy dead and buried we don't have to worry about protesters as even mere sandwich eaters are whisked away for attitude adjustment. Brilliant isn't it.

Fortunately sex tourism has not been affected by all the recent changes even though prostitutes here cost as much as in Europe...often more.

Really.....if you have a choice and do the research you will find that no matter where you look the world is getting ever smaller and perfect paradises just don't exist any more unless you are very easily pleased. Just too many human beings around.

[tutsiwarrior]

having been in relationships with women in asia previously I knew that when I married my thai wife that moving here for her to be near her family was inevitable...I didn't discover thaivisa until later...

moving here was a gamble that I was willing to take without knowing much about Thailand as I had hardly spent any time here back then...the deal with the wife was that we look after each other in the traditional manner...I was fortunate in that my wife is very capable and her and her family positioned themselves around me protectively in a way that I didn't expect...

afterwards I read thaivisa a bit, posted a bit and then...I became a star ...

Edited February 7, 2016 by tutsiwarrior

[HikeFromLA]

I find much of the information on here about where to shop ,where to get your car fixed quite good , as for the "hexperts" who know all about high finance etc etc , and the guys who are constantly telling you how your wife is going to run away with the young som tam seller(no milkmen here) well take it all with a pinch of salt , i myself am not married to a bar girl but i do know one who has been married to one for nearly 30 years and the one i dated when i first came here is now married with kids in the UK and the height of respectability ,only two people know her past ,me and her husband , so even marriages to bar girls can work out , even in the UK us guys can get ripped off by a woman . so don't be put off by anything you read on here ,just sift through it and discard the bull.

Thank you for telling it like it is. And thank you for coining the word "hexpert".

[JohnnyJazz]

The only thing ThaiVisa has discouraged me to do is to seek the company of other "farangs". When I see one the first thing that comes to my mind is he may be one the depressive whiner, thai basher that post here. Then I usually lower my head and quickly walk away.

Edited February 8, 2016 by JohnnyJazz

[KC 71]

No

[geriatrickid]

Guest House,

This was kind of my point. I don't want people to get discouraged from coming or moving to Thailand because of what some disgruntled Expat has to say on ThaiVisa. Because, most of the time there is some great information also.

Thailand's negatives are on full display to anyone with common sense, a mature psyche and a grip on reality.

I don't need Thailand. Thailand needs me.

[JohnnyJazz]

Thailand's negatives are on full display to anyone with common sense, a mature psyche and a grip on reality.

I don't need Thailand. Thailand needs me.

You have to admit, from time to time you can have a good laugh with ThaiVisa.

Edited February 8, 2016 by JohnnyJazz

[CharlieH]

Off topic posts removed.

This is not a discussion on the mental health of Expats residing in Thailand

[balo]

Thaivisa is just like any other source of information you will find on Internet , use Google or Thaivisa, same same , in the end you choose what you want to read. For any expat thinking about doing a move to Thailand , TV is a great source.

[kannot]

It seems to me a few people who are disgruntled post very frequently and repetitively negative... nobody is going to like 100% of everything anywhere... but hopefully people will be able to see past the "All Thai people..." comments and the "I don't want to bash, but..." people who go on to bash -

Thailand is a unique culture - it is not always easy to figure things out and not possible if you only have limited or surface knowledge... it takes time, language abilities and years of experience...

It seems near everyone I know personally amongst Expats are people who like it here - I assume that if someone did not like it here, they would be smart enough to leave. I live in the countryside and find most people to be kind and friendly - if you are considering retirement, probably the further you get from the haunts of tourism, the closer you will get to the "old" Thailand..

But every ones view is different I too live in the countryside and find the locals petty, childish ,bickering, thieving ,liars in general even the new head of the village told my Wife he wishes he hadnt taken the job now he sees how they are, ex army.

And why is this view any less than the "all locals are happy smiling wonderful kind caring people" This has been my experience of "village life" its was even worse oooop in Loei.

Its not ok for me to say "all Thai people are no good " but it is ok for you to say "Most people are kind and friendly"

Well I guess the General will agree with you on that.

[HikeFromLA]

Personal anyone who makes a decision solely from the Information gleaned from a public web site wants their swede feeling. This site for all its pros and cons is a good site , Not every body agrees with every body , not every body likes each other , but it makes people think, If a person is thinking about moving to Thailand i would have thought they know some thing about Thailand, and its culture to want to make the move to live in Thailand,. Some resurch would be advisable and not just listening to other people. But each to there own , as they say , You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

"Public websites" are how you actually DO research, until you actually go there yourself, or unless you are fortunate enough to know people who have gone there.

When evaluating intel gathered from human sources, one does need to calibrate and adjust for the bias of the source. I will give you that.

[impulse]

It gives me a 'good deed for the day done' type of feeling if i can pass this gen on to help someone out.

Once the information has been sifted and verified of course................................

Sifting and verifying before putting it out there... Are we allowed to do that?

[jacky54]

I have been discouraged by Sukhumvit today, soi 3 and alley ways around there have more arabic than Thai on shop signs. Went in Foodland on soi 5, workers behind the counter referring to customers as 'it' walked up Suk past the Nuch massage place, ugly ladyboys accosting passers by, one having a shouting match with a tourist who claimed he wasted her time by talking and no wanting business, as if she had anything else to do! Further up tuk tuk drivers sticking massage ads under my nose even though I was with my wife. Various working girls around along the road and taking up space in Mcdonalds, most looked like AIDS cases or who should be receiving mental health care.All this at 3 P.M. Horrible, but then life in the sticks where we live is horrible in a different way. Might check out check in 99 tonight not been in there for about 12 years. TV encouraged me to go.

Edited February 8, 2016 by jacky54

[chiang mai]

Lower Sukie was great fun ten years ago, today I wouldn't even drive through it let alone walk.

[SoiBiker]

I have been discouraged by Sukhumvit today, soi 3 and alley ways around there have more arabic than Thai on shop signs. Went in Foodland on soi 5, workers behind the counter referring to customers as 'it' walked up Suk past the Nuch massage place, ugly ladyboys accosting passers by, one having a shouting match with a tourist who claimed he wasted her time by talking and no wanting business, as if she had anything else to do! Further up tuk tuk drivers sticking massage ads under my nose even though I was with my wife. Various working girls around along the road and taking up space in Mcdonalds, most looked like AIDS cases or who should be receiving mental health care.All this at 3 P.M. Horrible, but then life in the sticks where we live is horrible in a different way. Might check out check in 99 tonight not been in there for about 12 years. TV encouraged me to go.

So you're judging a road that runs all the way to Cambodia by what happens on a stretch of a few hundred yards?

Maybe you should broaden your horizons a little.

[JAFO]

TVF (or any internet forum for that matter) should be taken lightly. Also one must consider the age of the posting community. People typically do not post in forums unless disgruntled about something. Of course which section you prefer to follow has a tremendous amount to do with it. There is some very good information in this and many other forums for anything you may be looking for. Your common sense filter needs to be on. If you lack common sense then you will likely be heavily tainted by the information posted.

In general the TVF General topics and Farang Pub make me laugh. Great source of entertainment in the morning before I go to work. I usually laugh when somebody comes on ranting how they got scammed, ripped off or taken advantage of by a gal. Why some may ask, Because it happens everywhere in the world all the time but I can't for the life of me find a US forum that has a section like this talking about it.

To your question OP, No ThaiVisa has not discouraged me in any way. I do my thing and have never had any issue living and working here.

[willyumiii]

I agree with the op.

It is important to keep in mind that the majority of posts on TV are from disgruntled, disappointed, and unhappy people.

It is pretty rare for people to start a post about how happy they are in Thailand.

The unhappy like to cry and scream, the happy just smile and keep quiet for the most part.

TV is a good representation of those who are having problems,

but not a good representation of all foreigners in Thailand.

Many are "just fine thank you", but never bother to complain about it!

[Jingthing]

What is the point of overselling the idea of moving here? Unless you're in a position to financially benefit from more people doing that.

[jacky54]

I have been discouraged by Sukhumvit today, soi 3 and alley ways around there have more arabic than Thai on shop signs. Went in Foodland on soi 5, workers behind the counter referring to customers as 'it' walked up Suk past the Nuch massage place, ugly ladyboys accosting passers by, one having a shouting match with a tourist who claimed he wasted her time by talking and no wanting business, as if she had anything else to do! Further up tuk tuk drivers sticking massage ads under my nose even though I was with my wife. Various working girls around along the road and taking up space in Mcdonalds, most looked like AIDS cases or who should be receiving mental health care.All this at 3 P.M. Horrible, but then life in the sticks where we live is horrible in a different way. Might check out check in 99 tonight not been in there for about 12 years. TV encouraged me to go.

So you're judging a road that runs all the way to Cambodia by what happens on a stretch of a few hundred yards?

Maybe you should broaden your horizons a little.

For the pedantic I should have said 'lower' sukhumvit maybe Check in was very good indeed like a nice oasis in a sea of filth, good foursome girl singers even if not my type of music, probably go in there tomorrow. Broadened my horizons to soi 4, bit different to 1994 when I first went, Hooters is particularly awful, terrible music and sound system. They don't look like they are doing too well compared to morning night, stumble inn etc across the road. Thank god did not have to stay long, ghastly racket of competing music from bars, maybe a thrill if you are 19 and here on holiday. The usual sad looking westerners towing glum looking prostitutes back to the hotel for an unfulfilled fumble. I'd certainly recommend check inn 99, at least they make an effort to entertain and treat the customers with respect.

Edited February 8, 2016 by jacky54

[cliffspab]

... even though prostitutes here cost as much as in Europe...often more.

They still cost less than in where I'm from! (England)

[SoiBiker]

I have been discouraged by Sukhumvit today, soi 3 and alley ways around there have more arabic than Thai on shop signs. Went in Foodland on soi 5, workers behind the counter referring to customers as 'it' walked up Suk past the Nuch massage place, ugly ladyboys accosting passers by, one having a shouting match with a tourist who claimed he wasted her time by talking and no wanting business, as if she had anything else to do! Further up tuk tuk drivers sticking massage ads under my nose even though I was with my wife. Various working girls around along the road and taking up space in Mcdonalds, most looked like AIDS cases or who should be receiving mental health care.All this at 3 P.M. Horrible, but then life in the sticks where we live is horrible in a different way. Might check out check in 99 tonight not been in there for about 12 years. TV encouraged me to go.

So you're judging a road that runs all the way to Cambodia by what happens on a stretch of a few hundred yards?

Maybe you should broaden your horizons a little.

For the pedantic I should have said 'lower' sukhumvit maybe Check in was very good indeed like a nice oasis in a sea of filth, good foursome girl singers even if not my type of music, probably go in there tomorrow. Broadened my horizons to soi 4, bit different to 1994 when I first went, Hooters is particularly awful, terrible music and sound system. They don't look like they are doing too well compared to morning night, stumble inn etc across the road. Thank god did not have to stay long, ghastly racket of competing music from bars, maybe a thrill if you are 19 and here on holiday. The usual sad looking westerners towing glum looking prostitutes back to the hotel for an unfulfilled fumble. I'd certainly recommend check inn 99, at least they make an effort to entertain and treat the customers with respect.

I've been to Check inn 99. Not really my scene, I'm afraid.

[tutsiwarrior]

yeah...Hooters on soi nana is a disgrace (if the entire place presently isn't a disgrace already)...and the worst is that it displaced the Nana Hotel cafe where you could get a good western breakfast and a decent burger...

folks come to Thailand and land in that place and then think that they've found paradise and then their expectations go crazy...some folks' vision of paradise is weird, one must admit...

but I speak from a position of a westerner that has found happiness in rural Thailand, however mundane that happiness may be...

these days I associate soi nana with routine but unpleasant embassy business and seein' the dentist...for these purposes I stop at my usual hotel on soi 6 around the corner...comes from a 15 year habit and the convenience, I suppose...

Edited February 8, 2016 by tutsiwarrior

[cyberfarang]

The questions I would like to ask TV members, is when they decided to settle in Thailand what kind of lifestyles were they expecting? What do they consider has been the positives and the negatives? The bonuses and the disappointments?

[IMA_FARANG]

I first came to Thailand in 1977.

Thai visa has given me a lot of information about Thailand, some good, some bad over the years

I don't remember exactly when I joined Thai visa forum.

I finally retired here in 2010.

Thai visa is where I got the information on what I would need to retire.

[tutsiwarrior]

I followed my wife here (see my previous post) and there was no reason to doubt her sincerity as she always came through on her end regarding our agreement (a traditional marriage)...and things have worked out pretty well except for the occasional 'slings and arrows' that were my fault mostly...gettin' drunk and <deleted!> up in the usual manner while away at work and etc...

I had lived and worked in SE Asia before and knew that there was an inherent problem in the 'barge in and take over' approach as I had already seen westerners fail catastrophically in this regard...one always has to be aware of one's limitations...

[willyumiii]

I agree with the op.

It is important to keep in mind that the majority of posts on TV are from disgruntled, disappointed, and unhappy people.

It is pretty rare for people to start a post about how happy they are in Thailand.

The unhappy like to cry and scream, the happy just smile and keep quiet for the most part.

TV is a good representation of those who are having problems,

but not a good representation of all foreigners in Thailand.

Many are "just fine thank you", but never bother to complain about it!

Total rubbish........Gawd.........the most crap I read is from folk who don't even live here.........

If you are refering to me and my post Transam maybe you should know....

I Have lived here fo ra while now and I married a good Thai woman about 14 years ago..

She is university educated in computer science and worked for a large Thai bank until she retired a few years ago.

Now she is employed as a teacher..

When the US economy tanked eight years ago and I lost my income and most of what I owned, her job, investments and savings here in Thailand supported our entire family until I was able to get on top again ( so, she obviously didn't marry me for money ).

She has never worked in the social service industry.

In fact she has never drank alcohol , stepped inside of a bar, or even been married before our current marriage.

She has many Thai friends who are very much like her in background and life style.

So, there are many good Thai women available.

Now, please tell me what part of my previous post is "rubbish".

I have been following your posts for years Transam, and I find your response to my post a little surprising.

Edited February 8, 2016 by willyumiii

[1FinickyOne]

It seems to me a few people who are disgruntled post very frequently and repetitively negative... nobody is going to like 100% of everything anywhere... but hopefully people will be able to see past the "All Thai people..." comments and the "I don't want to bash, but..." people who go on to bash -

Thailand is a unique culture - it is not always easy to figure things out and not possible if you only have limited or surface knowledge... it takes time, language abilities and years of experience...

It seems near everyone I know personally amongst Expats are people who like it here - I assume that if someone did not like it here, they would be smart enough to leave. I live in the countryside and find most people to be kind and friendly - if you are considering retirement, probably the further you get from the haunts of tourism, the closer you will get to the "old" Thailand..

But every ones view is different I too live in the countryside and find the locals petty, childish ,bickering, thieving ,liars in general even the new head of the village told my Wife he wishes he hadnt taken the job now he sees how they are, ex army.

And why is this view any less than the "all locals are happy smiling wonderful kind caring people" This has been my experience of "village life" its was even worse oooop in Loei.

Its not ok for me to say "all Thai people are no good " but it is ok for you to say "Most people are kind and friendly"

Well I guess the General will agree with you on that.

Sorry for your bad experiences - it does not negate my good ones - and you Kannot see the difference between the words "all" and "most" ??

[geronimo]

ThaiVisa has discouraged me from opening my browser!

[jacky54]

I have been discouraged by Sukhumvit today, soi 3 and alley ways around there have more arabic than Thai on shop signs. Went in Foodland on soi 5, workers behind the counter referring to customers as 'it' walked up Suk past the Nuch massage place, ugly ladyboys accosting passers by, one having a shouting match with a tourist who claimed he wasted her time by talking and no wanting business, as if she had anything else to do! Further up tuk tuk drivers sticking massage ads under my nose even though I was with my wife. Various working girls around along the road and taking up space in Mcdonalds, most looked like AIDS cases or who should be receiving mental health care.All this at 3 P.M. Horrible, but then life in the sticks where we live is horrible in a different way. Might check out check in 99 tonight not been in there for about 12 years. TV encouraged me to go.

So you're judging a road that runs all the way to Cambodia by what happens on a stretch of a few hundred yards?

Maybe you should broaden your horizons a little.

For the pedantic I should have said 'lower' sukhumvit maybe Check in was very good indeed like a nice oasis in a sea of filth, good foursome girl singers even if not my type of music, probably go in there tomorrow. Broadened my horizons to soi 4, bit different to 1994 when I first went, Hooters is particularly awful, terrible music and sound system. They don't look like they are doing too well compared to morning night, stumble inn etc across the road. Thank god did not have to stay long, ghastly racket of competing music from bars, maybe a thrill if you are 19 and here on holiday. The usual sad looking westerners towing glum looking prostitutes back to the hotel for an unfulfilled fumble. I'd certainly recommend check inn 99, at least they make an effort to entertain and treat the customers with respect.

I've been to Check inn 99. Not really my scene, I'm afraid.

No prostitutes or ladyboys it's true