stickman says ....
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Re: stickman says ....
Stick talked about the nightlife side of Thailand mainly, if that offends you sensitive types too bad. He does know what he is talking about and put out a great website for a long time. He eventually sold the website and moved back to NZ. He was later hired back to write the weekly column again. As far as Whitey retiring in Thailand there is and will be less of them. Thailand is more expensive, less fun, more corrupt, more regulations, more crowded with Chinese and still run by the wealthy and the military. No more democracy. Say what you want, Thailand and Thais were happier and it was a much nicer place in the Thaksin days. Even if you want to believe the BS propaganda directed at Thaksin and his followers you have to admit the country was way better off when he was running it. If Thailand was still the way it was in 2003 I would still be there.
- Raoul Duke
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Re: stickman says ....
And Beautiful.jai yen yen wrote: ↑May 13, 2019, 10:28 pmThailand is more expensive, less fun, more corrupt, more regulations, more crowded with Chinese and still run by the wealthy and the military.
Voiceover for hire.
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Re: stickman says ....
Gotta agree with the Thaksin comment , but is that because of Thaksin or just differant times in general . I think the latter .
With the advance of the internet these days , to me Thais are much more consumer orientated than they were . Especially the youngsters .
They see everyone else has something and they want it now . Credit to the eyeballs , does not make happy , smiley people .
With the advance of the internet these days , to me Thais are much more consumer orientated than they were . Especially the youngsters .
They see everyone else has something and they want it now . Credit to the eyeballs , does not make happy , smiley people .
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Re: stickman says ....
I have a funny story, when I met my now Thai wife back in 2008 she took my for a drive to her village in So Phisai and around the countryside to show me hoe beautiful it was. She was so proud of the dry countryside which looked quite bleak to me and the muddy ponds they call lakes up there. Out of respect I did not say what I thought. A few years later we were getting on quite well and I brought her to Vancouver Island in Canada for a visit. After a couple of days of salmon fishing in a beautiful ocean with snow topped mountains and blue sky surrounding us and riding through some of our parks and forests with crystal clear rivers and lakes with tall green trees everywhere she said something to me.Raoul Duke wrote: ↑May 16, 2019, 6:59 amAnd Beautiful.jai yen yen wrote: ↑May 13, 2019, 10:28 pmThailand is more expensive, less fun, more corrupt, more regulations, more crowded with Chinese and still run by the wealthy and the military.
She told me she was so embarrased when she had told me how beautiful Thailand was that day she took me for a drive a few years ago. She said she had no idea how beautiful a country could be. Her words not mine but I do agree.Thailand does have a few nice beachs and average parks but it is not close to many other places in the world for real beauty.
Re: stickman says ....
How many times does one have to feel pressured about the arbitrary 100 baht 'tip' before adopting the rather radical concept of always presenting the exact amount of money for the service being rendered?Old Grumpy wrote: ↑May 16, 2019, 9:52 amRather a selfish point of view that, I'm alright Jack aye? Whilst I admit the petty thievery of keeping your 100bht change has gone on for years this has taken extortion to a whole new level, whilst I wouldn't object paying 25k every year , if that was the visa fee, it would be worth it, to me anyway, what gets up my nose is the way this scam works I feel it imply's that I am stupid by falling for it. Well I am not, its obvious to any one with half a brain what's going on, the hunting for the slightest reason to reject your application thereby forcing you into the hands of the fixers, they hope, so they can line their filthy criminal pockets .Some further info on the fixer has come to light, she apparently operates from Bangkok and gets her customers from there, then flies up to Udon with the passports to do the rest of the dirty work. When asked to bring her price down to 20k she replied, that will leave me nothing, so you can gather from that how much she pays her mates to do the rest of the work .Maybe Bangkok Imm might be interested in her activities, if not for the illegal aspect possibly for taking bread from their mouth .maaka wrote: ↑May 16, 2019, 7:07 amI think it is nice to know ' other services ' are available..good on her to offer assistance..You dont have to accept / except.
Perhaps the man with the 29yrs here, and no visa, wanting to exit homeside without getting caught, could have done with the lady's assistance..Look These things have been going on since Buddha was a boy. things slipped under the counter, midnight boat rides, etc etc...I have used such services in the past. I paid for heads to be turned, and I got what I wanted..everyone was happy nei..
Getting upset over what one feels is being 'implied' suggests to me that one is placing far too much truck in the Asian concept of 'face'. IMHO, non-asians don't do 'face'... or rather they don't do it at all well. Unless they've been here too long of course.
Despite the recent income letter kerfuffle and the brand new mandatory insurance 'law', the provenance required to extend both sorts of long-term permission to stay are pretty much cut and dried with each Immigration Offfice's unique peccadilloes and quirks already well discussed, regularly reviewed and pretty much defined. Visiting the office a week or 10 days ahead to check on any changes hasn't reportedly failed anyone yet. That's my half-a-brain opinion after personally enduring a dozen-and-a-half successful, serial extensions at two different offices.
As for trying to get this obviously 'illegal' operation shut down, what if one of the benefactors of her 'scam' is an old gent, nice bloke, quiet, lived here for years, frozen pension, no other sustainable income, no home to go back to, bereft of any sort of financial safety net and barely self-insured. Nonetheless happily married, slipping into his dotage while his progeny finish up at Rajabhat.
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Re: stickman says ....
So now your suggesting that this"nice old bloke" should break the law of the country he has chosen to die in .What about an equally nice old bloke with a different set of morals , who chooses not to engage in illegal activities, being sent home because the IO in an attempt to bolster his already substantial "earnings" turned down his application on a minor technicality.There is no sentiment on either side, its entirely up to the individual to comply with the demands placed upon us to qualify, just that some of us, obviously raised differently, maintain the standards of a lifetime rather than lower them to the depths others are prepared to go to.It should be obvious that if everyone had this same moral attitude the crooked scammers wouldn't be able to exist .tamada wrote: ↑May 17, 2019, 12:49 amAs for trying to get this obviously 'illegal' operation shut down, what if one of the benefactors of her 'scam' is an old gent, nice bloke, quiet, lived here for years, frozen pension, no other sustainable income, no home to go back to, bereft of any sort of financial safety net and barely self-insured. Nonetheless happily married, slipping into his dotage while his progeny finish up at Rajabhat.
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Age is a matter of mind.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Mark Twain,
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Mark Twain,
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Re: stickman says ....
Cant argue with that Grumpy . spot on .
- Old Grumpy
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Re: stickman says ....
If maintaining the standards of my generation puts me on a high horse, so be it, that makes me proud, not ashamed. My only regret is that the tradition hasn't been passed on to the younger generation.
Age is a matter of mind.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Mark Twain,
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Mark Twain,
Re: stickman says ....
^ That's your perception entirely sir, to which you are entirely entitled sir.
My perception is just as there really isn't a whole generation of suddenly shiftless and dishonest youth, neither is there a huge groundswell of willfully law-breaking retirees suddenly plaguing civilization.
There's undeniably a den of corruption within immigration here but when it comes to my turn, I won't be waving my walking stick or scowling at them and I will always have the correct change.
My perception is just as there really isn't a whole generation of suddenly shiftless and dishonest youth, neither is there a huge groundswell of willfully law-breaking retirees suddenly plaguing civilization.
There's undeniably a den of corruption within immigration here but when it comes to my turn, I won't be waving my walking stick or scowling at them and I will always have the correct change.
Re: stickman says ....
Was there yesterday, current cost is 18K if you don't comply with the rules.
Re: stickman says ....
^ You mean 18k agents fee for a successful extension if one "can't" comply with the rules?
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Re: stickman says ....
I used to write in udon map on a regular basis 10 years ago,i go to thai every year staying 2 months at a time,for last 20 years, and was going to retire over here,whats putting me off that idea now is Thailand only 40 baht to the £1,used to be 75baht to £1,visas getting more difilcult,and more thai people not so friendly,and there seem to be more rip offs and corruption,and more scams ,put it bluntly Thailand is not as farang friendly as it used to be,maybe this is some of the reasons farangs do not want to visit Thailand anymore,saying that thailands good points still outway the bad points,just like to add I like stickman,he puts out a lot of usefull information.
Re: stickman says ....
Well Stickman evidently is married to a Thai.. While he may not entertain "retiring" in Thailand as a viable option for now, what will he think when he is say 60 something and that Thai wife wants to come back in her older years? My observation in Udon is that there are more former American servicemen coming back with the Thai wives they married over 45 years ago.. So while retirement in Thailand may not be as "easy" as it was a few years ago, it is still something people are doing..
Dave
Re: stickman says ....
It's not difficult to retire in Thailand. The requirement is having enough money to live a comfortable life. Thailand is not a good place to retire if you have a meager income and have to live on a tight budget.
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Re: stickman says ....
Yes.FrazeeDK wrote: ↑June 20, 2019, 7:43 amWell Stickman evidently is married to a Thai.. While he may not entertain "retiring" in Thailand as a viable option for now, what will he think when he is say 60 something and that Thai wife wants to come back in her older years? My observation in Udon is that there are more former American servicemen coming back with the Thai wives they married over 45 years ago.. So while retirement in Thailand may not be as "easy" as it was a few years ago, it is still something people are doing..
Many.
Not sure why the sad sacks are saying that "all the farang are leaving".
Voiceover for hire.
Re: stickman says ....
Raoul Duke... I'd say you'd have to consider the sources.. For someone who may have a favorite watering hole it is easy to see when their buddies depart so making it a more personal perception.. Only Immigration statistics would tell though and only for those foreigners who are doing their annual extensions to stay in accordance with the rules..
Dave
Re: stickman says ....
Probably not to New Zealanders such as Stickman. We're entitled to a universal pension at 65 but to be eligible we must be resident in NZ 6 months a year. Secondly under our health system most people as they age abandon private health insurance and depend on the public health system which is pretty good for emergencies such as coronaries and cancer etc. We'd be deterred by high health insurance premiums if living in Thailand.FrazeeDK wrote: ↑June 20, 2019, 7:43 amWell Stickman evidently is married to a Thai.. While he may not entertain "retiring" in Thailand as a viable option for now, what will he think when he is say 60 something and that Thai wife wants to come back in her older years? My observation in Udon is that there are more former American servicemen coming back with the Thai wives they married over 45 years ago.. So while retirement in Thailand may not be as "easy" as it was a few years ago, it is still something people are doing..
Thirdly I think older people are increasingly active and the NZ climate is way superior to Thailand's. Retiring to a way too hot climate isn't that attractive for a person who is active outdoors.
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Re: stickman says ....
stick may not have the funds to retire to los when hes 60 as he didnt buy a property when they were in reach and laments missing the boat on housing so i guess he rents unless he found a rich relation .so no capital appreciation during periods of high growth ..but the chinese did ok though.. when he returned house prices were out of reach to a blogger such as he
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Re: stickman says ....
yep the good old thaksin days were special ..pre 2000 for me was goodjai yen yen wrote: ↑May 13, 2019, 10:28 pmStick talked about the nightlife side of Thailand mainly, if that offends you sensitive types too bad. He does know what he is talking about and put out a great website for a long time. He eventually sold the website and moved back to NZ. He was later hired back to write the weekly column again. As far as Whitey retiring in Thailand there is and will be less of them. Thailand is more expensive, less fun, more corrupt, more regulations, more crowded with Chinese and still run by the wealthy and the military. No more democracy. Say what you want, Thailand and Thais were happier and it was a much nicer place in the Thaksin days. Even if you want to believe the BS propaganda directed at Thaksin and his followers you have to admit the country was way better off when he was running it. If Thailand was still the way it was in 2003 I would still be there.
the only good Tory is a lavatory