Thailand, a second rate country run by assholes

kjun12 · August 3, 2018

This will run against the feelings of our erstwhile leader who appears to be a super fan of Thailand but, so be it.

I live here and have been doing so for 12 yeas now. I would not be here today if it were not for the man I live with and love. He is a super great guy. Unfortunately, this place is run by stupid people who live on corruption and a assbackward culture that prevents telling someone when they are doing something wrong. For this and several other reasons Thailand will never be better than a second-rate country. Check this out:

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1051048-less-western-expats-arriving-than-ever-before-and-a-significant-fall-in-working-western-expats-now-in-thailand/?utm_source=newsletter-20180803-0632&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

The article actually glosses over the problems with living here. Except for the price and availability of dick, Mexico is a much better choice and so are many other Central American countries. They are just as cheap. The Thai government thrown many roadblocks that make life more difficult. The ninety day report and the ridiculous Visa requirements are only a couple of the stupid things I am talking about. There are many other things that must be done by expats and Thais that make no sense whatsoever

If you are thinking about retiring to Thailand then think it through thoroughly. Don't make the mistake of buying a place. Rent for at least a year. During this time you will be able to see the bad side of living here and whether you really are prepared to live your life here. If you just come here to visit for a short time then you don't encounter most of the problems of an expat and these things do not matter to you. But, to live here is a different story.

Lucky · August 3, 2018

Today I learned that the NY Times had to stop printing an Asian edition in Thailand due to frequent censorship problems.

TotallyOz · August 3, 2018

People that retire to Thailand should know the requirements and weigh them. I think the 90-day reporting is nuts. But, it one day out of 90 so not too bad for most of my friends that live in Thailand. Things are by far often difficult to deal with but the life is also so much better than most places to retire. Great medical care is easily abundant and you can find most Western things in Thailand very easily. Plus, there are plentiful boys and I have never once felt unsafe in Thailand no matter what city I go to. I have been with my BF for 14 years. I have always been fully welcomed by everyone and that spans the gambit of social circles.

I think there are pros and cons to living here. The government has not really affected daily life for many. They could make it easier and I did hear that the 90-day reporting may be able to be done online in the future. I am not sure how accurate that is.

Foreigners can't own land but they can own a condo. However, I would never purchase one as you just never know if the laws are going to change. And, yes, the laws can change in the blink of an eye so I would just avoid purchasing anything. However, I have friends that have condos for over 20 years and never an issue. I have many friends who buy land in the name of their Thai partner and they put things in their name. I have done that in the past and it is something I am fine with as I would want it to go to my partner anyway should things change in my life.

All that said, like Kjun, if it were not for my Thai partner, I am not sure I'd be in Thailand so much. I love the place. But, I have grown to desire the peace and quiet and I can do that anywhere. I purchased a retirement home in Utah many years back and I see myself there one day. It was between there and Palm Springs and I found a great deal on a place and purchased it. I have rented it for years and it is now almost paid off so it would be easy to just move in and read books and have fun with the cute local Mormon boys. However, it would be so much more work there than in Thailand.