MrJohnson
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Wow. This thread will go forever.
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As with most other things, the wife is right!
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Time for a holiday outside Thailand for the OP methinks. Or a change of meds perhaps
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On 6/20/2018 at 1:04 PM, Kwasaki said:
If it terrifies you why let them go ?
Well that is a good question. I don't want to deprive them of the experience. Touch wood all has been well so far and they don't go that often, once or twice a year. As I said in my post, all buses have seat belts and drivers regularly drug and alcohol tested, but that doesn't stop them having to be on the road with all the lunatics. What is your strategy? Are you worried?
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It's time to get out of Dodge. Do you really want to go through the hassle of some kind of police or judicial process. This leopard is not going to change its stripes. Get out while you still can.-
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Yes, and it terrifies me every time. Our kid's school uses Montri bus company. All vans and buses equipped with seat belts,drivers drug and alcohol tested (apparently) but it is all the other idiots on the road that terrify me.
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2 minutes ago, geronimo said:The only foreigners that end up having altercations with locals are either drunks or idiots. Been here 35 years and have never even come close to a physical issue. Of course, you could simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Same. Been here 20 years and have never once had a problem.
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Twenty years living here and another ten visiting prior to that. I've never encountered anything even remotely like this.
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5 hours ago, Airalee said:
Having lived in Bangkok for about 6 months now and taken numerous taxis (at least 5 rides per week), I have only once experienced a taxi driver who didn’t want to use the meter and this was returning to my condo near Phra Khanong from Pantip Plaza during rush hour.
Every other time, the taxi drivers have used the meter. What I wonder and the questions I have regarding all the people who claim to have so many bad experiences are...
1. Do you smile as the taxi approaches and pulls over for you and then open the front door and politely let the driver know, in Thai language, where it is that you desire to go? When I need to go to see a doctor at Vichaiyut, I always open the door and politely say “Kor bai Rong Payaban Vichaiyut krab”. They then nod their head, I get in the back seat and say thank you (also in Thai). One doesn’t need to be fluent in Thai to have this limited interaction.
or do you
2. Flag down the taxi with the usual expat scowl that is all too common and just blurt out in English the name of your intended destination as you pile into the back seat?
Well I must be living in a parallel universe and yes I speak Thai, and yes i am polite, and yes I dress appropriately and I rarely scowl until after the driver declines the fare (if you have the red light on then you should be prepared to accept the fare) or a ridiculous fare is demanded and meter is turned off - then I might scowl. Now I just use Grab. Have to plan ahead and sometimes there are hassles with this as well but I like the fact that there is a rating system and most of the cars are clean and have a seat belt. But if you are happy with your taxi experience then good luck to you.
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Just now, samsensam said:
having travelled to 50+ countries and worked in half a dozen i can say with certainty that by far the best tourist attractions are those you find in the natural world, they may take a bit more effort but they beat paid for destinations any time
Agreed. I think it is called The Road Less Traveled. Generally the people you meet are a little more 'real' as well.
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Go upcountry and get as far away from Pattaya as you can. Travel along the Mekong, it's beautiful and there are very few tourists. All my Thai friends ask me why would I bother to go there, there's nothing there. Well that is precisely it! No big mango, no fake floating market or obscenely overdone temple, no 'Tuscan' housing village etc. etc. Enjoy.
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2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:
... and you believe them? ...
As a matter of fact, yes I do. For most it is simply a descriptor. Nothing derogatory about it.
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I love this old Chestnut. It seems to be something that really gets people riled up. I've asked my (Thai) staff many times about it and Thai friends as well. They, all of them, assert that it inoffensive. By I do enjoy the banter back forwards. Just under 24 hours and more than 140 replies on TV!
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If Dan thinks that driving in Thailand is OK then I must be living in a parallel universe! Driving Bangkok to Hua Hin I need a sedative, cup of tea and lie down at the end of it!
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I'm not sure how long the OP has been here or who he is with or what range of Thai friends/aquaintances he has but.....
I don't think Thai people are necessarily any messier than anyone else. I've been to many a Thai house that has been immaculately clean and tidy. And this has been in Bangkok, Isaan, Chiang Mai. Both rich and poor.
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Stupidkran
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If it is hygiene you are worried about I'd be way more worried about what happens prior to the food reaching the table. (BTW 0 I'm not talking about Thailand here, just food handling in general). From the paddock to the plate, there is the issue of contamination through handling and correct refrigeration. There are many please along the way that food can be contaminated and result in sickness. I'm not sure how long the OP has been here but how often you get ill when eating out is probably a reasonably good barometer of food contamination in general. Some time ago a doctor friend informed me that Thailand is very fortunate to have, largely, uncontaminated water sources, compared to the neighboring countries of Cambodia, Laos and also Vietnam. Many gastro-intestinal pathogens, including facal coliforms, ameobic dysentry and giardia are endemic in most water ways in the countries listed above.
I also agree with comments made previously, that it may be more a function of class or education/information than something that you can generalize about across the whole population.
I've lived here >20 years and must say that I rarely have any tummy problems and I eat all sorts f weird and wonderful things!
If it is the general etiquette of people 'double-dipping' that bothers the OP then perhaps he's better off having a snack before going out with the relatives. I can just imagine their (the relatives) reaction if he starts 'educating' them about proper hygiene. It would be quite difficult not to come across as condescending foreigner, regardless of how tactful one attempted to be.
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I've used AirBnB in the UK, France, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand and The Netherlands. Never had any problems although it is obvious in some cases that large letting agencies are using the platform to rent out properties - especially condos. I think it is much more difficult with apartments/flats and houses for this to happen. I think you need to 'read between the lines' in terms of property descriptions and reviews. We've mostly rented the whole property as well. I'm too old to do the sharing thing but can imagine for single traveler it might work and indeed might have some advantages.
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Get some legal advice. You may options through the courts.
Sorry, no actual experience with this. The TV lawyers might shed some light but an actual lawyer might be more useful.
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Given the very low capital gain on property in Thailand, combined with very poor or almost non-existent planning controls. I really believe it is best to rent. Even in a Moo Baan it is possible for residents to open bars and restaurants in the community itself and there are plenty of examples of that. Inevitably they decline as more and more residents refuse to pay common area fees. It is very common. Rent and if/when things start to decline simply pack up and move on.
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On 5/30/2017 at 11:22 AM, wildewillie89 said:
Sorry, I misquoted. Shitty keyboard.
I fully agree with you...that is why my kids are only attending school purely for social development. They will not be attending kindergarten, as I see no use of formal learning before the age of 7 (inability to concentrate). They will just be playing at the nursery or being looked after at home until that age and naturally developing with the help of us. I am not quite sure which school I will be sending them to yet (government was not going to be likely as i work in government schools). There is one private and one international school within a few kms from our house that will be more likely. I will obviously have to go and check both schools out. However, i will still see the school as more social development more than creating a genius. And to make sure if the fundamentals are being taught, I will make sure our kids are getting outside testing. My father and mother in law are both teachers at a top school in Melbourne, my sister has her masters in education and TEFL, my other sister before moving to Sweden was also a teacher. So we have a lot of opportunity for Skype sessions, holiday work etc. Just to add a bit of variety from just school and us.
My Thai sister in law is a Science teacher at a university school in Korat. My Mrs is not a teacher, however scored the second highest score in Thai language in all of Thailand. She lectures on a regular basis and the government use her if have projects in Malaysia or any TV informational programs when she used to work down South.
I fully understand what you're saying though, I have worked in the big government school here, and now work in a small one (same pay for half the hours). I also used to tutor in Korat, Schools such as Sarasart, Maree, Surawiwat (students at Surawiwat are easily at the same level back home is). So I do understand the difference in quality. My school is quite sad really, one of the classes only has 6 kids in it. Realistically, they should be the best school in the country with the teacher to student ratio, but yes, incredibly lazy.All the best with it. You have obviously thought long and hard about it so good luck!
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14 hours ago, wildewillie89 said:
Why? I will be. The nursery is free, and the teacher is one of the family (so well looked after). School here is more for social development. I can teach the kids English. The Mrs got the second highest Thai score in the country, so can very effectively teach the kids the level of Thai they need to pass government/uni exams (the number one component failed in government exams is the Thai component). The kids aunt is a Science teacher with a Physics major. The kids grandfather is the Mayor so has implemented programs to benefit families (for example, starting nursery 6 months before the rest of the country to free up the parents if they work). My kids get free schooling (until finish their bachelor), half price private education and free medical due to their mother being a government official.
If we wanted to, we could go back to Melbourne, however, we would be living in a shitty house and paying a ridiculous amount of rent or loan, or in a really nice house that is miles away from anything. Here we can have a very nice house on a big patch of land that is surrounded by farm land but only 3 km from the city (with your Tesco, Big C, HomePro, Global) etc. We save something like 15-20 million baht on a house. We save crap loads on nursery costs. The kid (kids in future) already has insurance policies so when she turns 18 she will have quite a bit of money to begin her life. And when we die she will inherent not only the money we leave behind (when wife dies the government pay the family a large sum), but around 15 rai of land 3kms from the city. The idea for me in a family is making the kids as comfortable as possible (no matter what career path they choose to go down), so if we can bring her and any future kids up to have a relatively financial stress free life, then I am happy to take a bit of the stress by moving here.Wildwillie89 you sound like someone with the very best of intentions. It sounds like you are an Aussie and no doubt concerned about the costs of living in Australia, especially Melbourne. If I may I'd like to share some experience of the Thai school system with you, both public and private. Both of my daughters attended a private Thai school from Kindergarten through to late primary school. By Thai standards it was a good school. Well qualified teachers, good facilities and resources. Unfortunately that was where the good ended. It was all form and no substance. The emphasis is on how it looks and not how well it works. The class sizes were ridiculously large, sometimes as many as 45 kids in a class. That's not teaching, that is crowd control. The pedagogy (teaching system) is heavily embedded in what is known in the 'reproductive mode of learning, otherwise known as rote-learning. The kids are treated like parrots or performing seals. The content is also very poor. In terms of history, geography, social studies etcc. , it is all taught as if Thailand is the centre of the universe. You child will be able to recite the names of all the Thai monarchs and their great victories over the Burmese and the Khmers (very dubious history there) but will know nothing about the great civilizations of Greece or Rome, the industrial revolution, the Ottoman empire, the two world wars etc. The timetable will be disrupted by mindless marching up and down the playground and kowtowing to visiting officials. And on it goes. At the end you will have a child who cannot think for themselves and has a very myopic view of the world. Of course there will be exceptions. And I'm talking about the Thai private schools. My experience with the Thai public school system comes from a medium term project with eight Thai government schools in a large provincial town. The project revolved around teacher training and capacity building. If I thought things were bad in the private system they were tenfold worse in the public. All of the above amplified and then exacerbated by poorly trained, poorly paid and poorly treated teachers. This combination resulted in teachers being very poorly motivated. And then there are poor facilities and resources. The other big difference is that at least in the private schools the parents tend to be assertive and put pressure on the school management to at least try and do some things well. I worked with school administrators and teachers over a three-year period and feel I have a reasonable knowledge of what was going on and where the priorities lay. The thing about Thai schools is that they are designed to keep the populations docile, compliant and to not rock the boat, not to think for themselves. If I had my time over again I would have probably have put my kids straight into an international school (which is where they are now) or have home-schooled them up until age nine or ten and then put them in an international school. They are both teenagers now and look back on their time at the Thai school with bemusement. The whole family breathed a sigh of relief when they changed schools. I neglected to mention the three hours of mindless homework assigned every night - to a five year old! Good luck to you and I hope it goes well but I would be re-thinking my options if I were you. That pastoral utopia you speak of may not look the same after a couple more years there.
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Why on earth would you send your child to a Thai school?
Where fix rucksack / bag strap and zip central bangkok?
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Mr BagFix. Central World, Emporium. Have used many times.Very reliable. Yes, you can get it fixed on the street. Hit and miss though.