Do You Forget How Good You Have It Here?

[GuestHouse]

The thing many forget is that Thai visa is one of the very few places where foreigners can express an opinion openly.

I'm sure there are many members who only get to use their own language on a regular basis here on TV.

If someone has something that is bothering them about Thailan, and they express it here, it does not follow that they hate Thailand.

It might just be this is the only place they can express that view.

Just in the same way people who express possitive views of Thailand (and they may be the same people, just on a different day/topic) are not by definition totally in love with Thailand.

I don't think I've ever met anyone living in Thailand who hates everything about Thailand - If I have he's a fool or a bigot.

Likewise, if someone tells me he loves everything about Thailand, he's either a fool or a liar.

Eitherway, you can't do anything about what other people think.

It therefore follows that if you feel the need to dictate to others what is allowable thought, then perhaps you need to address that - it is at least something you might, with the right help, be able to do something about.

[sting01]

The thing many forget is that Thai visa is one of the very few places where foreigners can express an opinion openly.

I'm sure there are many members who only get to use their own language on a regular basis here on TV.

If someone has something that is bothering them about Thailan, and they express it here, it does not follow that they hate Thailand.

It might just be this is the only place they can express that view.

Just in the same way people who express possitive views of Thailand (and they may be the same people, just on a different day/topic) are not by definition totally in love with Thailand.

I don't think I've ever met anyone living in Thailand who hates everything about Thailand - If I have he's a fool or a bigot.

Likewise, if someone tells me he loves everything about Thailand, he's either a fool or a liar.

Eitherway, you can't do anything about what other people think.

It therefore follows that if you feel the need to dictate to others what is allowable thought, then perhaps you need to address that - it is at least something you might, with the right help, be able to do something about.

Guesthouse, I am trully surprise by your postes (admirative would maybe be better). Or you have a huge intellectual background, or a huge experience of life (maybe both).

[GuestHouse]

^ Maybe it was all that French Literature and Philosphy I read in my youth.

My old man caught me reading Flaubert when I was 15, and commented, 'That child will come to no good".

I think he might have been right.

[Donz]

Venting is ok, but many posters go way overboard with it. Calling all Thai girls money grabbing whores is alittle more then venting, all thai people are racist is more then venting. There should be a limit on venting.

SOme posters only type negative things about Thailand, whatever the topic they twist it into how Thais are bad etc.

Havent happend that much in the last few weeks, but we definately get some weeks where every third topic is about how stupid Thai people are etc.

[GuestHouse]

^ I can't say as I've seen many threads claiming that all Thais are (insert extremely offensive term of your choice)

We get plenty of threads moaning about all 'western women', all 'western life' etc.

I usually put that down to the excess baggage the poster brought over with them from Farangland.

----

There are very clear rules about posting offensive and negative posts against Thailand - they are applied - But thankfully the moderators do so with care and consideration.

Perhaps they are a little less sensitive to negativity OR perhaps they understand the importance of allowing both sides of a debate to be expressed.

What is for sure, while there are members who are predominantly negative, there are far more who would be happy to deny others their point of view.

Thankfully non of those are among the moderators.

[sting01]

Venting is ok, but many posters go way overboard with it. Calling all Thai girls money grabbing whores is alittle more then venting, all thai people are racist is more then venting. There should be a limit on venting.

SOme posters only type negative things about Thailand, whatever the topic they twist it into how Thais are bad etc.

Havent happend that much in the last few weeks, but we definately get some weeks where every third topic is about how stupid Thai people are etc.

About girls, in 5 years and 3 gfs + the usual amount of gigs, I am still waiting to meet my first gold digger. I do not call myself whoremonger when I am horny and looking for fun, why should I call 'whore' the lady who will share my night. I do not pay for fun, but I do consider a young lady half of my age will not share my bed because she fall for my body ... So I help, and on the long run, there is a student I met 3 years ago for 1 night that I have help for her tuition fees during 2 years without any fun in exchange (I got only one night). Why? I supposed she was honest (and she was) and it's sometimes good to act as we are supposed to act.

Thai are bad is several things : they will never be able to cook correctly choucroute or they will never be able to named the ful chronology of the aztec kings. Well do I am, and I do suppose most people on earth. I can not prepare a decent som tum, so I am bad also.

But on the other hand, does it make someone good or great if he/she is able to prepare the local.

What is somewhate challenging me is this obligation to report only what is good. Life is made on the same time by good and bad things. We appreciate the good because we suffer the bad. Reporting what is not working or broken in a IT programme is a duty, it will help to make it better (such as the windows patch, and the various linux kernels). Linux 2.4.x was a great step forward because it was a lot of bad report during the life of the beta 2.3.x. It's an image, but I hope it can explain why people like me tend to show what is wrong (or seems to be wrong).

[kayo]

^ Maybe it was all that French Literature and Philosphy I read in my youth.

My old man caught me reading Flaubert when I was 15, and commented, 'That child will come to no good".

I think he might have been right.

Bless! I was well into all that as well. Camus mostly.

[davidjtayler]

^ Maybe it was all that French Literature and Philosphy I read in my youth.

My old man caught me reading Flaubert when I was 15, and commented, 'That child will come to no good".

I think he might have been right.

Bless! I was well into all that as well. Camus mostly.

I only smoked those ... didnt realise there was writing on them

[t.s]

eventually, in more to be pissed off, bitter and nut, I am also french. But it's not related, I do know some french people who positively love Thailand and who positively hate Voltaire, Racine .....

Allow me to re formulate : Thailand is the second best third worl country where I lived during the last 25 years. The number was Ivory coast. But , as Ivory Coast , it's still a developping country, assuming you weight a country not with only a city, or some Hi So citisen of this country, but in it's whole (64 millions of people in Thailand, with the average earming of ....)

WIKIPEDIA descrition of Third World: Third World is a term first coined in 1952 by French demographer Alfred Sauvy on the model of Sieyès's declaration concerning the Third Estate during the French Revolution:The Third World later became a synonym of these nations that aligned themselves with neither the West nor with the Soviet Bloc during the Cold War.

The use of the terms First, the Second, and the Third World is a rough, and it's safe to say, outdated model of the geopolitical world from the time of the cold war. --from nationsonline

also notice the list of LDCs according to the UN...yes based on many characteristics, including the Human Development Index you spoke of...

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/leas...d_countries.htm

Thailand does not appear on that list.

based on other criteria....

these include press freedom...and did you know that France has fallen on this index? sure it still ranks high...but mind you FALLING....... ” France (30th) also slipped, largely because of searches of media offices, interrogations of journalists and introduction of new press offences." and yes i do realise thailand is somewhere much further down the index.

in terms of your question about thailand's population and average earning....

Thailand South-East Asia US$ 8 542 GNI (thats Gross National Income per capita per year) ranked at 121 from total of 192 countries. Id say thats not doing toooooooo badly. sure there are still poor people. sure there are still lots to be done. but does that qualify as reason to be throwing thrashing comments about the country? hmmmm

but anyway.....whats my point? hmmm I guess Im trying to show I can do internet research???

the neighbours have just turned on the most annoying music! whats my choice..... move house...instal more soundproofing around, close all my windows...or go out for a walk and hope when Im back they have had enough of their music....or walk over to them and either politely ask them to turn it down....or tell them their music is too loud and encroaching on my private space!

choices choices.....or I could do nothing about it and just sit here and whinge too

how can you seriously quote wikipedia as the definitive source of information regarding anything? every entry on wiki is editable by anyone.

if nothing else it goes only to prove your blind acceptance of anything anybody is willing to put in writiing.

I toyed with the idea editting the entry for mig 17 nad turning it ito a mockery of your own TV screen name younger brother to the gull mig 17 etc..) , but decided that that would be counter productive and far too time consuming

As for you accusation of racisim against sting01, i beleive you may have some reading comprehension issues. I see no racist reamrks of any sort in his posts. Perhaps another look at wiki may help you decide what to think.

Qouting wikipedia as definitive just makes you look foolish people, find a better source if you want to appear that you have done your "research"

Edited October 23, 2006 by t.s

[N47HAN]

Fortunately for me I have a large group of freinds still living in the UK, . So just about every month someone or other comes over to say hi and have a bit of a holiday.. They costantly remind me whats going on back there.

I do complain sometimes but dont we all ? but by christ I DON NOT EVER regret leaving that **** hole.

Los is just that.

[meadish_sweetball]

Take your personal discussions to PMs please.

This thread was originally supposed to be about what its like to live in Thailand, the postings on the forum have been discussed ad nauseam and I am sure you can find another thread to continue that debate in if PMs arent enough for you.

[Beavis and Butthead]

The only thing I get sick of is the Pattaya bashing. That gets really old. The rest of the negative stuff can keep coming so we can try and sort thru it to make things better

[AlexLah]

Quote Kayo: Do you know, all the time we've sort of mutually known eachother, I was under the impression you were actually Thai, Alex...

Where you from mate?

Hi Kayo,

You thought I was Thai well that can mean a lot of things. Is it my poor English skills for example or must I give some other options....?

Kayo I come from planet earth but some people say I must be from the moon as many times I have very weird ideas/views on how to (change) live or life in all it's aspects when I try to have meaningfull discussions with some others. Also on this board I (might) have sometimes reacted a bit strange.

I think for those of us that did not choose to stay in Thailand have a different opinion then the OP.

I guess the OP is very happy with the life he has here. I have seen a response from someone that go back to US every six months and is happy to return to Thailand but hey there you name a country, US.... tsk tsk tsk...

I would say life in Thailand is not too bad but I know many other places where the life is most likely much better.

And please do not reply with : Why you not go there then, standard answer, used too many times, please come up with something new or at least try to find out why someone is saying that.

I just wonder how many countries people have actually worked and lived in, like the OP.

Alex

Actually this is not a Thailand bashing thread.

It is more like what you do not like about your homecountry and find better here in Thailand.

Do I see that right?

Alex

Edited October 23, 2006 by AlexLah

[Neeranam]

I guess the OP is very happy with the life he has here.

Very Happy although it wasn't always that way - there was a time when it was bloody torture when I was a druggie/alkie. I guess that would have been torture in any country - Thailand maybe made it less bad.

I was "re-born" in Thailand, which means that I have trouble comparing life here to 'home', as I never had a life(free from booze) back in my 'home'.

I just wonder how many countries people have actually worked and lived in, like the OP.

I've lived and worked in 3 different countries, but I can't remember much about them.

I think the answer is to go back to your homeland every now and then, more than once every 5 years.

Although Scotland is crap, it's better than a lot in farangland.

[Tarqin]

Yes I do forget. My life is so wonderful here and so stress free that if a little bit of nasty comes along, something that I wouldn't even have noticed in my previous existence, then I go all wobbly.

However I find that a quick trip to see my brother who lives in Peckham in London, now officially twinned with Darfur, straightens me right out.

[bkkandrew]

I have wondered whether to post on this thread since it started..

For well over 5 years I have actually commuted back and forth, once a month (half BKK, half UK). This is due to business, that being export, where I am required in both supplying and purchasing countries..

I must report a funny feeling about "Do You Forget How Good You Have It Here?" as the original poster opined.

I used to virtually "climb the walls" in the UK after a two-week stint. For the last year or so I practice this here as well. I can only put this down to mutually missing Thailand (when in the UK) and UK (when in Thailand). Perhaps a case of the grass is always greener on the other side??

The one thing (apart from loads of Air Miles) that my travelling provides is a balenced view of the benefits of both home and adopted countries..

[khall64au]

Having lived in Thailand for many years now, sometimes I forget how good it really is.

Do you find that after a few years you forget how good things are and start finding faults with everyday living in Thailand? Once the good becomes 'commonplace', it's not so good anymore.

I'm reflecting a bit on my life here after 5000 [negative(and some positive )] posts.

Certain aspects of Thai culture and foreigners living here really get my blood boiling – but on reflection, it’s really a weakness in myself – self-righteous anger and lack of acceptance, which are subtle and perverse forms of self-satisfaction, which allows me to remain comfortably unaware of my own defects, of which there are many .

N N

Interesting topic Neeranam. I never forget how good I have it here but - it still drives me up the wall daily.

My Thai friends tell me that I am more Thai now than farang (even tho my Thai language skills suck) ... and, as most of my Thai friends are well-educated and used to western ways - daily life also drives them up the wall ... Go figure!

I guess - when it all boils down to it - we enjoy what we have and, here in LOS, it's a nice life considering...!!

[cobra]

..Perhaps a case of the grass is always greener on the other side?? ..

It may be just that simple,

The Grass is Greener syndrome rears it's head fairly quickly, at least for me.

Balance and a fresh perspective could be achieved by living in multiply locales if you have the means to do so. A three or four month rotation would be just about right,

It will become quickly apparent what you miss and what you do not,

I know when it's time to take a break when the stanch of Bkk's open sewers are caging me instead of the usual mild annoyance,

I know it's time to return when the banality, bulllsht, crappy weather and urban decay of (pick any western metropolis) wear thin on me.

Then those bright smiles, the smell of sandalwood and teak, food that agrees with me, all start calling me back.

Edited October 23, 2006 by cobra

[kayo]

Quote Kayo: Do you know, all the time we've sort of mutually known eachother, I was under the impression you were actually Thai, Alex...

Where you from mate?

Hi Kayo,

You thought I was Thai well that can mean a lot of things. Is it my poor English skills for example or must I give some other options....?

Kayo I come from planet earth but some people say I must be from the moon as many times I have very weird ideas/views on how to (change) live or life in all it's aspects when I try to have meaningfull discussions with some others. Also on this board I (might) have sometimes reacted a bit strange.

I think for those of us that did not choose to stay in Thailand have a different opinion then the OP.

I guess the OP is very happy with the life he has here. I have seen a response from someone that go back to US every six months and is happy to return to Thailand but hey there you name a country, US.... tsk tsk tsk...

I would say life in Thailand is not too bad but I know many other places where the life is most likely much better.

And please do not reply with : Why you not go there then, standard answer, used too many times, please come up with something new or at least try to find out why someone is saying that.

I just wonder how many countries people have actually worked and lived in, like the OP.

Alex

Actually this is not a Thailand bashing thread.

It is more like what you do not like about your homecountry and find better here in Thailand.

Do I see that right?

Alex

OK... I'm flying through right now, cos I got company... Supposedly I'm doing the dishes (just to be able to check on TV... how sad is that.. or not..

Anyway, I WILL WILL WILL reply more in detail, I just wanna say, I am sure that once upon a time, there was a thread where you backed up an argument by saying you were thai.....I don't have time, (and even if I did) nor inclination to go searching for it, but I am Sure you did use that once in an argument. You are thai, or thai related. Please tell me I'm not entirely incorrect on this.

Nee, In your post 74, you've made some comments that I'd like to (constructively) elaborate on.

but like I say, I'm rushing this right now/

[bendix]

I never forget how good I have it here. I had a pretty good life in NZ and Australia before, but this place feels like home for the first time in my life.

I have no rose-coloured glasses on. I'm aware of the difficulties and frustrations inherent in being here, but they are minor to deal with compared with the positives.

I count my blessings everyday.

[udon]

I never forget how good I have it here. I had a pretty good life in NZ and Australia before, but this place feels like home for the first time in my life.

I have no rose-coloured glasses on. I'm aware of the difficulties and frustrations inherent in being here, but they are minor to deal with compared with the positives.

I count my blessings everyday.

Bloody 'ell. not another K1 w1?

[MiG16]

I guess I need to clarify a few things

I definitely believe in criticisms --both for constructive purpose and also as an outlet to vent out frustrations.

hey, I whinge about thailand too, and also any other country I visit...but my point was more to do with....generalised remarks that call all thais such and such

and yes I guess I know this forum is more for expat that live/work here/ but I guess I assumed that other opinions were also welcome

quoting wikipedia or any other website for me serves one good purpose --perhaps part of the 'thai way' -- that the argument is not confrontational (thais are not good at disagreeing with others), hence it is easier to simply quote someone else/some other source that gives a contradicting view

anyway, if Im getting off topic...then apologies

do I forget how good things are here? I guess I can claim no, and that I am very much aware of that and reminded of some small aspects of how good life in thailand can be...atleast comparing with some of the neighbours.

mind you I enjoy a lot of good things in those countries I have visited...but considering say all the criticism thai media have made about media censorship in thailand (esp by thaksin). In our neighbouring country malaysia for instance...the censorship is far more prevalent...you need to have your licence renewed on a yearly basis...leaving one quite vulnerable to the decision/discretion of the govt agency in charge.

wouldnt mind longer party hours here though

[LoveDaBlues]

Who say I do not understand thai culture? Are you more expert than I am, or are you more thai than I am (my grand grand father was thai!).

ok ok yes I did say I had moved on...but couldnt help myself.....

sting....i guess i can say i am MORE thai than you. cos guess what...I AM Thai havent u been reading anything Ive typed here????

Well it's supposed to be a forum for farangs, where farangs can speak safely about their problems.

So if you are genuily thai (born in thailand from thai parents, and raise in thailand) I do not see the point of you to be here ... look like censorship to me at least ... Like I am able to tell my mind only if it's good things ... Do not worry, I can also give a full bag of bad thing about my own country (you named one). To be objective is a duty, because we are objective we will be able to make a difference. You love your country, so be objective, be like a chessplayer and develop your own intellectual honesty, and you will make a difference for your country (I already did for mine 25 years ago). But if we are not objective, we will simply miss the capacity to make our country better, we will simply fall in a dream related to our supposed greatness, the (in)famous good old time (who was in fact not that good, but it's a dream).

Anyway you missed the real point : people have reasons to be here. Mines are quite simple : my main competitors are indians or chinese(cost reasons); also in my familly you have to proove yourself abroad before to be able to claim anything at home. So to be myself competitive (economically speaking) I had to relocate in a place where I can have the infra structure allowing me to work, where I will not be bothered by civil war or military junta, where I will be able to build my own legacy (read create a firm).

Choices were quite limitate : EU or North America (US or Canada) were obviously not an option, Africa was untill a recent date, so stay only SEA. Cambodia is not a valid option (too much problems), Malaysia could be, but having spend long years in muslim countries (algeria, lebanon,arabia,iraq) I did not wished to to go in another one. Burma is out of my taste, as a former officer I do consider as a disgrace this military junta (I speak about Burma). So my choice was btw Sillypoor, Laos and Thailand. Having the love of my life living in thailand, the final choice was quite easy.

But during the last 18 month :

1) My gf passed away, and I discovered at this time there is still people who can not accept interracial relationship. I was almost banned from the funerals. I precise those people are Hi So thai chinese people (really Hi So).

2) The economical situation was not going in the right way, for me at least. 1$ = 41 bht was great for me, 1$ = 37 bht is hel_l for me.

3) The way to be able to invest, and then keep your investment for yourself is almost impossible WITHOUT cheating the law. Sorry, but in my culture laws have to be respected , maybe venerated when you are a foreigner.

4) It became more and more difficult to handle the visa problem AND the right to stay problem (the fact to have to go every month, or every 3 month is a huge pain in term of time and money).

5) the fact people here prefer the appearances than(to???) the reality, with an increase amongst the years I spend here also made my relation with this country sharper.

That is personal, personal situation, personal feelings, personal life, and personal thought.

What I do believe is simple : Thailand and thai people deserve better. They deserve better and more accurate educational system, something where moral, rigor and love of well made work is teach(taught???). They deserve KRU and not AJARN (as thai I suppose you will get the difference). They deserve well thinking policies made to improve the country on the long run. They deserve to have an economy that will help people to get a real better life (owning or not a cellphone is not what made your life better or not, having a real job who make oyu proud and make you feel you are participating to the wealth of your country make you life better). They deserve to leave this nice dream where the farang will always come to support. They simply deserve to BE and not to SEEMS. They deserve to understand migrants are not guest, but people willing to invest NOT only their money (I did) but also their will/gutts in this country.I never felt I was a guest coming to share a Shinga with Somchai (name of my first boss), but I always acted as a migrant, being here to make foreign currencies coming to this country on a regular basis and in an amount enought to not only be usefull for me, but for the collaborators I had.

I do (did) not issue deregatory statements, I simply give(d) facts. Or what seems to me to be facts.

Bottom line, thanks to have remind us Alfred Sauvy (who was once my professor), by so you demostrate another of my point, the one related to culture. Anyway wiki is an encyclopedia, so EVEN if you read ALL related to that subject (obviously you did not do), the info given will be only incomplete. The definition of third world is quite different, based simply at the time of A.Sauvy on the repartition of the natural ressources (RICH as USA, SU, Central Africa Republic .... and POOR as FRANCE, GERMANY, SWISS ....) and industrial transformation capacity (RICH as USA, SU, GERMANY,FRANCE, UK.... POOR as Central Africa Republic, Thailand). By so Third world design a country with huge natural ressources (exportation) but with little (compared with USA or UK) transformation industry. Not deregatory at all. Right now, it seems the definition as changed and is based on the PNB (or Gross interior revenue ...) because industries moved to other countries and were replaced by Services industries (that is the industries actually that yield the most benefits). 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4 th world are economical classifcations, not at all political.It was an abuse made in the 60'and 70' by the political people, but it was not intended to be politic at all (it's an abuse similar to the promise made by the actual US president to Turkey they will be allowed to enter in the EU ).

Anyway I repeat I am ready to continue this intereting conversation IN PRIVATE. But as I am french, and as I am from a province well know to produce stubborn people, I will stand by my idea in the main forum if you prefer to continnue the discussion here

If that small drop in the exchange rate hurts so much you're probably here on short money to start with.

IMO - if I had to work here or was on short money I'd probably have an extreme dislike for the place. But with plenty of spending money each month Thailand has no major negatives for me. Can't imagine living back in the US after being here 1 year.

[GuestHouse]

IMO - if I had to work here or was on short money I'd probably have an extreme dislike for the place. But with plenty of spending money each month Thailand has no major negatives for me. Can't imagine living back in the US after being here 1 year.

With enough money anywere is good, the US in particular.

You get what you pay for!

[TokyoT]

If that small drop in the exchange rate hurts so much you're probably here on short money to start with.

IMO - if I had to work here or was on short money I'd probably have an extreme dislike for the place. But with plenty of spending money each month Thailand has no major negatives for me. Can't imagine living back in the US after being here 1 year.

If you consider 10% a small drop/ change in the exchange rate - I suspect you have not been responsible for maintaining margins for products sold in several countries.

10% change in cost can have rather significant effect.

[LoveDaBlues]

If that small drop in the exchange rate hurts so much you're probably here on short money to start with.

IMO - if I had to work here or was on short money I'd probably have an extreme dislike for the place. But with plenty of spending money each month Thailand has no major negatives for me. Can't imagine living back in the US after being here 1 year.

If you consider 10% a small drop/ change in the exchange rate - I suspect you have not been responsible for maintaining margins for products sold in several countries.

10% change in cost can have rather significant effect.

My post refers to the cost to live in Thailand. 10% is chump change. So my $150 USD a month rent is now $165 thanks to the exchange rate. Big whoop.

[Richard Hall]

Nope, can not not forget after just being only one single day off Thai soil in the past 6 years and 8 months and the memory still being alive how it was living in a "perfect highly sophisticated welfare state".

Used to be always like looking forward to hitting the road in Germany before and well, now it's like poor chap with a suitcase whenever I come accross one. Thanks heaven it's not me. No, not just adjusted, better call it firmly stuck and appreciated. Maybe it's me and I'm not just perfect enough for the first world world. Pondering.

[sting01]

If that small drop in the exchange rate hurts so much you're probably here on short money to start with.

IMO - if I had to work here or was on short money I'd probably have an extreme dislike for the place. But with plenty of spending money each month Thailand has no major negatives for me. Can't imagine living back in the US after being here 1 year.

Well, I am so, but really very much so, glad to learn you are the heir of the Rockfeller bounty (treasure?).

Sorry not my case, I am a migrant worker (to make things simple), doing outsourcing work for US based companies. So any drop (or any gain) have a direct effect on my earnings. So yes, as any repsonsible CEO (lol, because it's a micro company) I have huge concern on the financial safety of my company.

Ido not have extreme dislike for Thailand, if oyu read what I wrote I did not say something negative about Thailand, I simply give exemple on how things are somewhere else, in a small country like thailand, with a language that is not anglo saxons (well, I could argue the queen english is only a poor form of old french but it would be OP), and who passed throught several historycal cathastrope comparable to Ayuthaya destruction.

What give me the most extrem dislike is foreigner like you who consider this country as best as a huge disneyland, as worst as a huge brothel. My opinions are what they are, but IF really thailand want to be a hight spots for middle class familly I consider it's good advice to tell toclean the beaches rather than saying : sabai sabai here, I just gived 2000 to a crook policeman to have right to drive back home while being drunk and receiving a BJ from a girl obviously underaged.

When I was teasing about culture, I was thinking about one of characteristic of the thai culture : puppets. Thai puppets are traditional, but why the museum is located so remotly without any indications on any flyers you can get from TiT? Why shoud you have to hang out near Joe Louis Bar in Lumpini (by so have to enter in the Sam luan) to find it? Why not big direction bilboard to promote what is a true part of thai culture (and that is well know in the world), rather than promote Soi cowboy, pattaya by night ... Another exemple : I do suppose you have hear about Moulin Rouge. It's also culture, not the same but still culture. Freeman here was given in the past a pretty good show near midnight. It's was a show, not some kathoey showing flesh. but artisticcreation, not vulgar, very funny and the person leadign the show was trully smart, fluent in english, every time I have laught out of loud. Same apply, that kind ofspectacle correctly advertised would attact people looking for some excitement without vulgarity, without risk.

But the real pain is people who are pretendign to be rich, because they can spend 100 000 bht per month here (a fortune for many thai), but btw us, what kkind of like will you have with 2 500$ in LA, NYC, or Chicago? Middle class, with a BBW, lot of debts .... You are here because you love to pretend to your self (not to other I do agree) about your wealth. IF you were really wealthy you would not come here.

Anyway, I trully believe (and as the Pr Sauvy did before me) the only to help a country that you like is not to say : All will be good because I give money. In fact that attitude KILL the country. But you will help by searching and finiding what is not working to the best (road? transportation? traffic? und so weiter), and by offering solutions that are acceptable by the local economy because those solutions will not dry the economy (Ever hear about autosufficient economy?

To Mig 16, I will give an exemple about my country : my village was electrified in 1984! In france, until 1984, it was places where people had to rely on candle, petrol lamp, generator, small dam too (as in my village) to have electricity.Nothing is perfect, sometimes solution have to be adapted to the problems, the fact is there is the need to clearly define the problems (that we know how to do in france) and then search what solution have to used (I simply adopted this method in my first post, by showing how thailand could be, by opposing on how some people pretend Thaialnd is). My ex gf, thai, Hi So, educated, was proud to be thai, more than I am proud to be french. Saddly even before to met me she have always say the very same.

[Ulysses G.]

I just gived 2000 to a crook policeman to have right to drive back home while being drunk and receiving a BJ from a girl obviously underaged.

Am I reading this correctly?

[Beavis and Butthead]

I never forget how good I have it here. I had a pretty good life in NZ and Australia before, but this place feels like home for the first time in my life.

I have no rose-coloured glasses on. I'm aware of the difficulties and frustrations inherent in being here, but they are minor to deal with compared with the positives.

I count my blessings everyday.

I'm not counting my blessing by any means but I do enjoy living here in Sukhumvit. I agree with the poster who said he wouldn't be here if he had to work or was short on cash.