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Bangkokian or Pattayan – how to tell the difference


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6 hours ago, smotherb said:

Why?

Tell me more about the relaxed atmosphere, especially about shorts and flip-flops (thongs?).  I thought this is one of the reasons why someone would want to move to Thailand after a lifetime of work and toil.  I thought the intent was to be able to unwind and relax in a tropical paradise where the "living is easy and the cooking is greasy".  Is it really all about "keeping up with the Songkhla's, " in Thailand?  I know nothing about Thailand so it is interesting to read that Thai's may be uptight about things like family and social status.  I am starting to think twice about visiting for vacation there if everywhere I go I must conform to a strict code of dress.  Like, who would want to go to Tehran for a "fun in the sun" kind of vacation?

Edited by billmichael
Fix punctuation: "?" sted "."
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5 hours ago, Havrum said:

- Bangkokians eat bland overpriced Thai food at Mega Malls and think they are eating real Thai food. Pattayans are like fck Thai food, bring me fish and chips.

 

- Bangkokians think their dirty, ugly and polluted city is the coolest place on earth because they got laid last night. Pattayans know their city is one of the coolest places on earth (in a way that hipsters would never understand, it is like the cool below the radar bar that the real people hang out who known each other for years while the douche bags and posers are in the other hipster bar down the street) and they got laid last night too.

 

 My question is, if I planned on moving to Thailand to live until I died, leaving my estate to an orphanage, would Pattaya be the best choice for someone who wants to live a relaxed and casual life (fishing, shorts and thongs, dinner and drinks in the evening at a local bar)?

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5 minutes ago, billmichael said:

Tell me more about the relaxed atmosphere, especially about shorts and flip-flops (thongs?).  I thought this is one of the reasons why someone would want to move to Thailand after a lifetime of work and toil.  I thought the intent was to be able to unwind and relax in a tropical paradise where the "living is easy and the cooking is greasy".  Is it really all about "keeping up with the Songkhla's, " in Thailand?  I know nothing about Thailand so it is interesting to read that Thai's may be uptight about things like family and social status.  I am starting to think twice about visiting for vacation there if everywhere I go I must conform to a strict code of dress.  Like, who would want to go to Tehran for a "fun in the sun" kind of vacation?

I was asking why StefanBBK would not venture out in shorts in Bangkok.  He said, " . . . We live in Bangkok and are definately (sic) not Hi So's (sic). but I would still not venture out in shorts..... "

 

 

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Why?

Look around in a public building. You see lots of thais, none in shorts. I feel comfortable fitting in.
I do wear shorts when vacationing, or pondering around the garden etc.
On the occasion that we go to Pattaya, or Hua Hin etc. I do switch to tourist mode, including the shorts.

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I have avoided this problem by living in Chiang Mai where we have better classes of expats and Thais altogether. If I ever need to travel to Bangkok it is a one hour plane ride and new trains have also just been introduced. I was never that keen on beaches, but if I need one, again a short flight to Krabi fits the bill. 

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51 minutes ago, StefanBBK said:


Look around in a public building. You see lots of thais, none in shorts. I feel comfortable fitting in.
I do wear shorts when vacationing, or pondering around the garden etc.
On the occasion that we go to Pattaya, or Hua Hin etc. I do switch to tourist mode, including the shorts.
 

By public buildings, do you mean government or business offices? If so, I agree, you rarely see shorts; unless on farangs. I do not hang out in offices by choice, but when I must, I am one of those farangs in shorts.

 

I do wear long pants when I ride and I wore them when my son got married. The rest of the time it's shorts, clogs, and usually collar-less shirts. After all, I am retired and living in a tropical country--I gave away my suits, slacks, shirts, ties and dress shoes when I retired ten years ago.

 

Bob Dyan said it; "The times they are a changin'".  Fashion changes with time; Thai fashion too.  I see Thai business people at Rotary meetings and university seminars who wear shorts. I see well-to-do Thai couples at the mall, out for dinner, going to movies wearing shorts.    

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On 11/13/2016 at 1:22 PM, upside said:

How can a bus be faster than a taxi ever? 

oops got me on faster... but cheaper for sure 120 baht vs what? a thou? Don't know current price as have not taken since bus started running. I'd say safer too.... maybe that what I meant with my muddled mind.

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1 hour ago, Emster23 said:

oops got me on faster... but cheaper for sure 120 baht vs what? a thou? Don't know current price as have not taken since bus started running. I'd say safer too.... maybe that what I meant with my muddled mind.

 

Bus may be bigger,  but I'd rather take my chances with a seat belt on in a taxi. 

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19 hours ago, upside said:

 

Bus may be bigger,  but I'd rather take my chances with a seat belt on in a taxi. 

The buses have seatbelts, which I always use. Size matters here (somewhat) at least in crashes. Used Jomtien bus many many times and drivers have never been a cause for concern, which I can't say when it comes to taxis

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On 13/11/2016 at 5:21 AM, akentryan said:

Arrived and lived in Pattaya for 6 years doing nothing except spending money. Got a job at a university in Bangkok and later at a stock broker. Bought a house in Bang Sue in 1992 which I still own two-thirds of. Road traffic made life miserable even after the new transport systems arrived. Returned to Pattaya and got a job teaching at a university. Bangkok had good night life at Soi Cowboy and Washington Square in the old days but no more. Walking street was a lot more fun when the bars were owned by characters. Moved to the USA and worked there for 9 years returning in 2008. Bought a house in Pattaya and here I will live out my days. The dark side has plenty of small bars and I only visit Walking Street when friends or family visits. The population has changed from the old days when there were a lot of Americans hanging over from the Nam. They are all passed on now and most of my friends in Pattaya are Brits or German. If you like big city life then you might prefer Bangkok. I would never live in Chicago or New York or any big city. Simply not the life for me. 

You are under the mistaken impression that you own two thirds of a house in Thailand as a foreigner?

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