thailand vs philippines

[drakoanders]

I don't live in manila never have never will been there of course stayed a few nights there. But its dirty polluted full of beggers and street kids and the traffic!!!!!

I live in the provinces I am one of very few foreigners here. I mix in with the locals I can sing so get invited to quite a few parties. I think they appreciate that I eat their food laugh and joke with them and I am not a snob. As for girls as a foreigner I get a massive amount of attention here, something I know will stop in thailand, haha

Think I might try japan .......... Joke

[arunsakda]

There are few "English" restos in the US either other than drinking pubs wonder why? Scottish and Irish cuisine same bland crap nobody can manage to make a good business from.

[drakoanders]

Bland crap? Boiled beef and carrots, bangers and mash crap? I love a roast dinner roast beef,chicken or pork mashed and roast potatoes fresh greens cabbage cauliflower sprouts all covered in gravy deeeeeeelicious followed by rice or macaroni pudding and custard, bread and butter pudding and custard, spotted dick and custard. Bland? Bloody beautiful.

[drakoanders]

How about jellied eels, Cornish pastime, cottage pie, shepherds pie.miss it all actualy

[JSixpack]

Does anyone find that Filipinas talk too much? The three I dated were such chatterboxes. At first I found the accent charming, now annoying--as I don't the Thai accent. Another thing is the know-it-all mentality as compared w/ Thai, who just know what they know.

Friend of mine finds Filipinas in general even more greedy and money-grubbing than Thai women. I dunno, all the Filipinas I dated had good jobs and were quite independent financially.

[anto]

OP one of your replies suggests you have a wife/partner and children.( who are not Thai ) .Not trying to put you off ,but you may face multiple visa and schooling problems in Thailand .

[AlexRich]

There are few "English" restos in the US either other than drinking pubs wonder why? Scottish and Irish cuisine same bland crap nobody can manage to make a good business from.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You really need to go upmarket to find high quality British restaurants, but they do exist. We don't really do fast food, apart from fish and chip shops, which I quite like every now and again. So it's very unlikely that you will find a restaurant group in the US. A sandwich shop called Pret a Manger has done quite well in New York, not cheap but they do use high quality ingredients.

But if your looking for bland crap, the US is the epicentre of unhealthy cuisine ... and that's why there are so many lard <deleted> walking the streets. Obesity is one of your major exports ... great for the slimming industry and diabetes drug makers, so not all bad.

[drakoanders]

Anti thanks for your comment about visas we have also looked into this as well its not as easy to live there as I first thought we might have a solution just waiting for our advisor to get back to us. Some ways it does look as tho thailand is not so keen on long term foreigners living there I would have thought the foreign retirees etc add quite a lot to the Thai economics. Japan is looking more tempting haha

[xylophone]

Saying Thai food in Chiang Mai is "rubbish" so you make Thai food on your own, and mostly make Farang food strains credibility.

Read my post again.........and nothing wrong with my credibility!

I read it again. You said the Thai food you had here in Chiang Mai was "absolute rubbish". Did you stay at Le Meridien Chiang Mai and pop over to the tourist oriented dumps on Changklan road?

I'd reckon you have no idea what you are talking about or have been to the few bad places, which do exist .

Or else you have been made familiar to the version of so-called Thai Food that is served in Los Angeles or London (or where ever) and now that has become your own personal standard of excellence? A giant pile of sliced chicken breast lightly coated in green curry and oils with a few basil sprigs and 3 thin slices of red chili pepper passed of as Gaeng Kiew Wan Gai?

Rubbish and nonsense.

Seems as if you can't read so I will make this quite clear to you before you jump in again and insult anybody.......... I DID NOT SAY that the food I had in Chiang Mai was rubbish. Look carefully and you will see what I'm talking about, but perhaps that's just beyond you.

So please think again before you actually wade in with your "rubbish and nonsense". Remember; first, seek to understand.

As has been stated on many threads and posts here, the great majority of Thai food is laden with salt, sugar, MSG and does not always contain the freshest ingredients, so I'm not alone in these thoughts.

And you seem to think that only Thai people can produce good Thai food, well I'm sorry to have to disappoint you but there are Thai chefs who can produce excellent French dishes, English chefs that can produce excellent Thai dishes, Thai chefs who can produce excellent Italian food (as in two of the restaurants I frequent here, which by the way is not Chiang Mai) and so on – – – now I'm sure you can get the picture from what I'm trying to say, or would you like me to explain further.

[drakoanders]

Jsixpack, generally filipina girls are shy at first but maybe if they are chatterboxes they are educated and looking for stimulating conversation with their partner. Greedy money grabbers yes there are plenty here as in all poor countries but there are so many nice girls here 25 30 year old virgins still to be found not many of them in the west. There are some real bad people here but so so many good kind generous lovely people as well.

Shouldn't generalize too much. I had a Thai gf in UK she was a chatterbox that's for sure lovely sexy girl unfortunately drowned in 1998 only 4 people at her funeral very very sad.

[xylophone]

IMO one has to balance one's views with personal preferences and one example I will give is that of Thai food versus Filipino food. I rarely eat Thai food and if I do, I cook it myself because the stuff I've tasted in restaurants here is absolute rubbish, so if I moved elsewhere, I wouldn't really miss Thai food.

I don't eat the local food in Thailand, so why should I eat the local food in the Philippines? If I wanted to I might have a crack at cooking some myself but in the main I cook farang style food and eat out in farang restaurants, so for me the comparison of food between these two countries is pretty meaningless.

Hmmm, the "stuff you've tasted in restaurants" is Thai food, the concoction you make at home is something else....pretty much sums it up? So it's a matter of taste and it seems you prefer whatever it is that you cook yourself (no idea what that may be). Personally, I find the Thai food in many of the restaurants in Chiang Mai excellent. There are literally hundreds. If you don't like Thai food, just say so. But to suggest that you can make better Thai food than the Thais....beggars belief.

Well then go and "beggar"!

I do like the occasional Thai meal and I cook it myself because I can cook it as well if not better than any Thai food I've tasted in the restaurants HERE. Indeed I often cook enough for two or three people and give it to my Thai friends here who are always asking when I'm about to produce the next dish, and often asking if I can produce one dish or another for them. And to show their appreciation they often give me a little present to say thank you......... and "when you cook more?"

It would seem as if some people think that there is a certain "mystique" to Thai cooking (or perhaps to cooking in general) however if one uses the freshest ingredients and follows the recipe and one's nose and tastebuds then the result is often very good, and I will just repeat something for you that I have posted for another rude and arrogant poster...........

"As has been stated on many threads and posts here, the great majority of Thai food is laden with salt, sugar, MSG and does not always contain the freshest ingredients, so I'm not alone in these thoughts.

And you seem to think that only Thai people can produce good Thai food, well I'm sorry to have to disappoint you but there are Thai chefs who can produce excellent French dishes, English chefs that can produce excellent Thai dishes, Thai chefs who can produce excellent Italian food (as in two of the restaurants I frequent here, which by the way is not Chiang Mai) and so on – – – now I'm sure you can get the picture from what I'm trying to say, or would you like me to explain further".

And to sign off, I have been cooking meals from various countries for about 40 years, had some tuition from a Masterchef, have held many hundreds of dinner parties to match fine food and wine and have yet to have too many complaints. Sure the occasional one will out whereby someone says, "well it was good, but not up to your usual standard", but then that's only normal isn't it.

So I know my food, I know how to cook it, I know how to adapt it and I know some of the shortcuts and tricks used by top chefs, and indeed one of the sauces I produce for a French dish takes over eight hours to make.

Quite why people should jump in and criticise and condemn is beyond me, and what "sums it up" for me is the small-mindedness of some folk who think that national dishes can only be produced by chefs of that nationality............think again, the world is a big place with some excellent chefs from all countries, producing all sorts of dishes from other countries.

Lesson over.

[Rimmer]

Multiple flames and replies have been removed

[MyFrenU]

Visas,Thailand’s biggest bugbear and it doesn’t matter who you are from a 20-year old backpacker who the Thais will call “Farang Kii Nok”,in the Phils they will call you a 20-year old backpacker,to someone who’s lived in Thailand for 30 years with 10 half-Thai,half-Western kids.If you have mixed race,half-Thai kids the Thais will call them “Luk Kreung”or halfbreed,actually the literal translation in Thai is shockingly half-child,suggesting that the Western half is worthless and not to be mentioned.In the Phils they will be called Mestizo/a or mixed race as they should be!
Either way you will be made to jump through hoops and made to feel somewhere between a criminal and a third-class citizen as you make your 90-day report or visa run,when Thai immigration barks jump at you,you will smile,Wai and ask how high?
In the Philippines you will on arrival apply for an ACR card,being a former American colony the Filipinos love their acronyms and it stands for Alien Certificate of Registration.Once you get this you will go to the travel agent every two months,pay them and they will go to immigration on your behalf and return your passport the next day with a fresh two-month tourist visa.You can do this for 16 months then you must leave for a day and return to start again for another 16 months THAT’S IT!
Filipinas (girls) the main reason most Western men go to South-East Asia is in search of a good woman,as they are in such short supply in the West and most can’t be bothered to sort through the massive amount of chaff,that is entitled,selfish,narcissistic,unfeminine Westerners to find the wheat!The Philippines is the land of the beauty queens,just recently they were banned by either Miss World or Miss Universe competition for WINNING TOO MUCH!!!The organisers actually turned around and said”Look,we know that Filipinas are beautiful so let’s give someone else a chance”.
Filipinas all speak English well,all exams in every single school in all 7000+ islands are in English and you can converse readily and easily in the World’s business language with just about any Filipina.You can even text them in English as you would a Western female back home and they will respond eagerly in English.
No more baby talk “lub you teeeeeelllaaakkk jub jub” nonsense or telling you “Ket thung na ja” (I miss you so much) while you’re paying the Kep thang (the bill) for your latest bargirls gambling and drugs habit.Plus her “cousin”(real boyfriend) is moving into the room that you’re paying for.Let’s face it,no hard-working,normal Thai girl wants to date an ageing,wheezing Farang anyway do they?
Any working,successful and motivated Thai girl is brought up to dislike foreigners from a very young age so your pool is a rotten,stagnant puddle that the normal Thai males wouldn’t take a dump in!
Makati is streets ahead of any shopping mall or centre in Bangkok and feels more like you’re in Singapore than the Philippines,with real designer stores like Paul Smith and sizes that will actually fit foreigners.Also when you go into a shop they’ll be a pretty, enthusiastic sales girl who will be helpful and will actually want to sell you something
Bangkok or anywhere in Thailand you’ll be met with a blank-looking local that can barely string two words of English together and will stare at you vacantly while preparing the requisite “Mai Mii” and “A-ray” statements,for the minute you open your mouth to ask for something even if it’s in their own Thai language!
The restaurants in Makati are far better and a much,much wider range of international cuisine than Bangkok,Phuket,Pattaya etc. where again you will be waited upon and served by an enthusiastic young thing that will interact with you and strike up a conversation hoping for a good tip.Not just expect it and then insult you underneath their breath if you don’t hand over a crisp,clean 1,000 Baht note for dismal,below-par service from an unsmiling,dour,sulking waiter who doesn’t really like you anyway.
But hey,what do I know as I’ve just lived in both for a number of years?Thailand has unfortunately well and truly jumped the shark/had its day/become jaded use whatever phrase you like but to have to pay more for a small,local crappy beer like Singha or Chang in tourist hotspots like Bangla,Soi Cownboy,Nana,Walking Street Pattaya than you would in London is an absolute joke and who’s the joke on ask yourself?
For me it is pretty much now my least favourite place anywhere in South-East Asia with Cambodia,Indonesia,Vietnam and Laos all coming out as better for me for value,English-speaking (Vietnam excepted maybe) and just general friendliness to foreigners and tourists.The more I see of random acts of violence and murders of foreign tourists on a daily basis makes all claims of the apparent unsafe-ness of the Philippines just laughable propaganda,that only a complete fool would believe!

[TheSiemReaper]

I like the fact that the list of "tourist hotspots" above are all, in essence, red light districts. Being outraged by the cost of a pint and prostitution = move to the Philippines? We can only pity the poor Filipinos on the receiving end of the bargain basement brothel crawler. The only time I pay "the price of a pint in London" here is in a 5 star hotel or a very upmarket bar and I'm drinking a pint... from London. I particularly like the idea that we should move to Makati to buy designer clothes (at insane prices) in order to refuse to pay more than $2 for a Singha. Congratulations you're a credit to humanity.

[amexpat]

MyFrenU, MyFrenU you win the prize for the most inane, delusional, post so far.

From the bit about the detested "half-child" (ever notice who the Thai tv stars are?) to the laughable phonetic interpretations of Thai language,

to "a crisp,clean 1,000 Baht note" , I hope no newbies take this bar stool b.s. seriously.

[212Roger]

PI has San MIguel beer! The best beer in South East Asia. I love Chiang Mai, but Thai beer is pretty bad. This is important only if your a beer drinker, I understand. However, Beer Lao is actually pretty good if you do not mind the high price.

[drakoanders]

There are thousands of girly bars in the Philippines everywhere. Sometimes driving down a deserted road no houses no nothing all of a sudden there is a small building with fairy lights on girls sitting outside and kareoke blaring from inside. Angeles in panpanga is a town with loads of bars some really big. So brothel crawlers would be well catered for haha. You can now stay in the Philippines for 36 months then leave for one day come back start all over again very very easy. My brother has been to thailand many times for the girls admitted, even he said there is an anti foreigner thing developing there. He obviously went to pattaya phuket and bkk he has stopped going now for the past 3 years or so because he didn't feel welcome any more. I don't use girly bars I don't drink anyway been to one small bar was some very naughty things being done at the table opposite they didn't seem to care tho.

[moe666]

e thlish ey are g of Manila e allysa Philippino

It makes me laugh that the only bad thing that people can come up with about the Philippines is how terrible the food is,I've lived in Phuket and all the seafood restaurants there in Patong BBQ their Tiger Prawns and Lobster well guess what,they can throw the same seafood on a BBQ for you in the Philippines also!And do you eat out for every single meal you have in Thailand,or do you cook at home for most of your main meals well guess what?You can also cook at home in the Phils and even buy some Thai red or green curry sauce,coconut milk and make your own Thai food.

There is a chain of Thai restaurants called Krua Thai in Cebu there are branches at SM Mall near the port and I used to visit the one in Crossroads Mall,Banilad and it's excellent.My friend's Thai wife used to write down in Thai what she wanted the chef to cook for her and her did it no problem,the Tom Yam Koong was as good and authentic as any Thai restaurant in Thailand and the owner,cook and half of the waiting staff were genuine Thais.I used to pay 70 Philippine Pesos for a small bottle of ice-cold Singha beer,which is around 50 Thai Baht so it was actually cheaper than buying beer anywhere I know of in Thailand for Thai beer!

If you're in Manila then the People's Palace in Makati is one of the best Thai restaurants you will ever visit,it's absolute nonsense to say the food in the Philippines is no good as it's just as good as food anywhere else in South-East Asia,it's just a one-size-fits-all excuse wheeled out by idiots and know-it-alls that have never been there but who cares,it's their loss not mine?

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298450-d804094-Reviews-People_s_Palace-Makati_Metro_Manila_Luzon.html

A chain of Thai restaurants in the PI, how many Philippino restaurant are there any where else but the Philippines about 0 and the ones that open usually close in 6 months. The food is a issue. I have family who live south of Manila and they are great people but out of 20 or so only about 5 spoke english, so the myth that they all speak great english is just that. I have been to Philippines many times but would not want to live there

[2fishin2]

After watching an ATM eat a customers card I decided to get my money by presenting my Debit card and Passport in a bank in PI.

I place them on a young ladies desk and requested $200.

She scream got up and ran away.

I was more concerned by the two security guards Cocking their Pump Action Shot guns and turning them in my direction.

Never felt threatened in my 15 years living in CM.

john

Dont believe your BS for a second.

[2fishin2]

e thlish ey are g of Manila e allysa Philippino

It makes me laugh that the only bad thing that people can come up with about the Philippines is how terrible the food is,I've lived in Phuket and all the seafood restaurants there in Patong BBQ their Tiger Prawns and Lobster well guess what,they can throw the same seafood on a BBQ for you in the Philippines also!And do you eat out for every single meal you have in Thailand,or do you cook at home for most of your main meals well guess what?You can also cook at home in the Phils and even buy some Thai red or green curry sauce,coconut milk and make your own Thai food.

There is a chain of Thai restaurants called Krua Thai in Cebu there are branches at SM Mall near the port and I used to visit the one in Crossroads Mall,Banilad and it's excellent.My friend's Thai wife used to write down in Thai what she wanted the chef to cook for her and her did it no problem,the Tom Yam Koong was as good and authentic as any Thai restaurant in Thailand and the owner,cook and half of the waiting staff were genuine Thais.I used to pay 70 Philippine Pesos for a small bottle of ice-cold Singha beer,which is around 50 Thai Baht so it was actually cheaper than buying beer anywhere I know of in Thailand for Thai beer!

If you're in Manila then the People's Palace in Makati is one of the best Thai restaurants you will ever visit,it's absolute nonsense to say the food in the Philippines is no good as it's just as good as food anywhere else in South-East Asia,it's just a one-size-fits-all excuse wheeled out by idiots and know-it-alls that have never been there but who cares,it's their loss not mine?

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298450-d804094-Reviews-People_s_Palace-Makati_Metro_Manila_Luzon.html

A chain of Thai restaurants in the PI, how many Philippino restaurant are there any where else but the Philippines about 0 and the ones that open usually close in 6 months. The food is a issue. I have family who live south of Manila and they are great people but out of 20 or so only about 5 spoke english, so the myth that they all speak great english is just that. I have been to Philippines many times but would not want to live there

Food is just fine. Just because you dont like it, doesnt make it fact. Kinda like you saying that the Phillipines doesnt speak English. They speak english and food is very tasty to people.

[gerryBScot]

I would recommend Cebu and Iloilo in Panay as two cities worth exploring in the RPI; the latter now has international flights though not from Thailand yet. Flights from Singapore I believe. It would be wrong to compare such cities to Chiang Mai or anywhere else in Thailand. All I would say is they are much more manageable than Manila which is one of the most insane places on this planet. Don't get me wrong, I love Manila, but it is a real walk on the wild side. Both Cebu and Iloilo make good entry points to the RPI. I really like Iloilo because the universities located there mean lots of young people and generally a bit of culture, some decent food and things are affordable. I think the presence of armed security guards, (many of them look like kids) at shopping malls and outside banks etc is very disconcerting; this is something I really dislike. I am not great on the food either but with a bit of local knowledge there usually are some good places to be found which knock out decent fare. I don't take kindly to being beckoned by strangers with "Hey Joe" and referred to as a ' 'cano' ( short for Americano) but these are purely personal considerations! At one level it is a real rough house but I do think it has enormous potential and I do see progressive changes from frequent visits, thanks to Mrs gerryBScot being a native of those parts, though resident here in LOS.

[anto]

MyFrenU, MyFrenU you win the prize for the most inane, delusional, post so far.

From the bit about the detested "half-child" (ever notice who the Thai tv stars are?) to the laughable phonetic interpretations of Thai language,

to "a crisp,clean 1,000 Baht note" , I hope no newbies take this bar stool b.s. seriously.

Agreed ,the lad has treble tinted rose tinted glasses on about the Philli .I could easily live in both Countries myself but an now willingly tied to Thailand ,with a Thai wife and child .The worst thing about Thailand though for me (even being married to a Thai ) is the visa situation .

[JSixpack]

I would recommend Cebu and Iloilo in Panay as two cities worth exploring in the RPI; the latter now has international flights though not from Thailand yet. Flights from Singapore I believe. It would be wrong to compare such cities to Chiang Mai or anywhere else in Thailand. All I would say is they are much more manageable than Manila which is one of the most insane places on this planet. Don't get me wrong, I love Manila, but it is a real walk on the wild side. Both Cebu and Iloilo make good entry points to the RPI. I really like Iloilo because the universities located there mean lots of young people and generally a bit of culture, some decent food and things are affordable. I think the presence of armed security guards, (many of them look like kids) at shopping malls and outside banks etc is very disconcerting; this is something I really dislike. I am not great on the food either but with a bit of local knowledge there usually are some good places to be found which knock out decent fare. I don't take kindly to being beckoned by strangers with "Hey Joe" and referred to as a ' 'cano' ( short for Americano) but these are purely personal considerations! At one level it is a real rough house but I do think it has enormous potential and I do see progressive changes from frequent visits, thanks to Mrs gerryBScot being a native of those parts, though resident here in LOS.

Good post. Enjoyed my visits to Cebu years ago and am considering another visit. I'd never care to visit Manila again, though I did meet some great people there. Know anything about the healthcare there? Decent hsps, good docs? No ripoffs?

[Altalake]

Thai food is much better. No typhoons. Thai people are very nice - but so are the Filipinos. Give it a try here - see how you feel. You never know till you go...

[Rhys]

Congratulations to the OP you appear to have brought out an incredible level of daftness in the comparison of two nations; let racism rule eh? The Philippines is not the crime capital of the world nor is Thailand the promised land. While there are parts of the Philippines which are crime ridden danger zones; there are parts which are no more worrisome than a trip to Tesco back home too. Conversely while Thailand may be generally safer when it comes to street crime - when Thais go mad, it leads to a higher murder and crime rate (partly due to Thailand's endless appealing [as opposed to appeal] to foreign visitors).

The best comparisons of places to live aren't based on others' histrionics but rather on what you need from a place. There are good reasons to prefer to Manila to Chiang Mai and vice-versa. And many reasons to prefer one part of a country over another in a different country. Yes, Thailand attracts more retirees. That is people with nothing but time (and rarely money) on their hands. They are whining, complaining gits in the main and make Thailand seem snowed under with misery but the truth is that it's quite pleasant here and you don't have to mix with expats unless you want to. There are many hi-so Thais (and indeed middle and lower class) who speak great English but the whiners will never give them a chance to demonstrate that (they've judged and found wanting everyone they have never spoken to based on a conversation with a taxi driver on their first day in country). And so on...

Don't choose based on forum recommendations. Spend a couple of months here and then decide if you like it more or less than where you are now. It is the only rational thing to do.

Oh look jethrome .. WM ...bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb the leader is down there too. Da man be doin his thang. Word bro, he be gettin jetty wid it too. Do WM can be taking a Punk, das do we Joke him. Word.. Free James Brown.

[inventorinthailand]

Living in Thailand for 13 years. I went to Subic and Cebu for 2 weeks last year. I had no problems liking the local food. Thai food is better but PI food was not bad. But I though it was expensive compare to Thailand though, especially everything that is "Hi-So" inspired as food, cloth, electronics etc. A small burger with french fries at 500p at hole in the wall - Thailand 150-250baht. Levi's 501 jeans 6000p - Thailand 2700 baht. My TV costed like 25% more in PI. As someone earlier said, If you have money you will live a better life here in Thailand, if you are on a tight budget you will live better in PI. I might move to PI anyway in a few years as I need English speaking staffs.

[sage1255]

I weighed many options before coming to Thailand. I have a close friend that retired in PI,married a wonderful Phils lady. But then Typhoon Yolanda struck and his home in Tacloban City was destroyed. In the aftermath, the PI government was selling the aid to the locals that was sent freely from around the world. The corruption was beyond rampant. In many ways true sure in Thailand. I saw the pictures and talked with him many times about the virtues of PI vs Thai.

I had visited Thai many times before i retired here. I visited PI also. No better beaches in the world than Thai . Of course i meet a wonderful Thai lady so i sold out nidnoi (little bit) but i didnt marry her.

I live in Phatthalung province which many expats dont even know about. But i like the quiet sabai sabai life (easy,easy). The beaches in Trang province, 1 hr away are almost untouched and beautiful.

Thailand wants foreigners here also. The Thai government doesn't let foreigners take jobs a thai could do or want criminal foriegners in the country.

I saw the video the previous poster alluded to. PI doesnt have the infrastructure to have a video like that. It happens late at night and drunk kids same all the world. Yes, it was hedious.

I take Thailand and the people and the food and the beaches. Downsides anywhere you go.

For safety, its very good. For English? Forget it. They teach English in Thai schools here to the local kids. They have no interest to learn. "why do I need english if i am going to be a rubber tree farmer?" I cannot agrue with that.

I read the posts before mine

[MyFrenU]

Deleted.

[MyFrenU]

"No better beaches in the world than Thai"

You have obviously NEVER seen a beach in the Philippines in your life,just the depressing third-party story about your "friend" who's house was made out of straw obviously as I have many,many friends in both Cebu and Manila and guess what?NONE of their houses were blown down like the three little piggies during Yolanda!
You married a Thai girl you met in a bar,put all your property and vehicles in her name and must now desperately convince yourself that Thailand is wonderful as you have zero options,heard it all a million times before!

[drakoanders]

Two things are putting me off about thailand and cm,1. this bloody visa thing why do they make it so difficult with stupid visa runs why not drop that take on the Philippines way so very much easier

2 bitching and arguing expats reading all the posts on here so much bitching at each other is it just online bravado or do the expats in cm really bitch and argue with each other? Three things that put me off a bit haha the smoke in cm especially with 2 young kids one of which is not so healthy.