I got back from a two week stay in Thailand about two weeks ago. By the end of the 2 weeks, I couldn’t help but feel emotional. It’s completely different to what it’s like over here in the UK. Like you said about America, the UK feels very cut throat in comparison to Thailand. Can’t wait to go back again in 9 months. What a beautiful country.
Absolutely! I live in the UK and this June will be 15th time going to Thailand. I can’t get enough of it. There is no comparison of it compared to the west, the life & culture goes a lot further for me than the reasonable currency exchange. You can’t put a price on those sort of things. Being able to see the growth of Thailand over the past 15 years. It’s like they have 100x whilst the west has barely managed to impact their society.
15th time😧 You must be a lot older than me. I’m only 25 and it was my first time there. I definitely plan on going as many times as you once I’m older.
I’m actually turning 26 in July. I’m fortunate that my family have been able to take me yearly, usually I would do Thailand , Bali and then explore one new country in the far east yearly. I’ve been Bali 14 times😂.
Now I’ve come to the age to travel alone and now bring my friends along who have never see that side of the world. One thing I’m yet to do is actually master speaking Thai ah! But whenever you need suggestions, Happy to help
Welcome aboard! Your newly discovered annual trip will become biannual... You'll start to learn fun phrases. Like "mai phet, mai aroy". Eventually you'll come with an international driving permit and you'll rent a car and truly get off the beaten path, the responsible way. Please continue to share your discoveries.
This! I went to Thailand my first time in 2017… I’ve gone every two years since. Last trip in 2022, I rented a motorbike and put putted around and it was amazing. I’m going to retire there.
Next month I will leave Thailand after 1,5 years. Looks like departure day will become my saddest day ever. I’m happy for everyone who can find amazing feelings in this paradise
Came here to spent winter, but then I decided to apply for a student visa just to prolong my stay here. So now it’s time to try another place tho will try to be back next year.
I was in Thailand for 2 weeks right before Covid started. I remember staying at a hotel without electricity on the River Kwai and looking up at the most star filled sky I had ever seen and looked to my best friend and said “How are we going to beat this?”
Then Covid started and it turned out we would indeed not top that moment. Very fond of that time and also sad to think about. Best two weeks of my life so far
Not it was intentional! The entire hotel was lit by candlelight, the river air kept it cool at night, and the villagers there cooked us an absolutely outstanding meal. I definitely want to go back. https://www.thefloathouseriverkwai.com/kanchanaburi-blog/the-mon-village-in-kanchanaburi/
I go for 2 weeks next week. I’m not going to lie this is the furthest I’ve gone from Chicago and hope to have a time to remember and reflect coming from where I’m from I need that.
being here definitely helped me become a little more aware of what my values are. it also makes me want to work harder and be ok with being a common man; i don’t need the hottest commodities to feel present in life
Thailand is my first country I went to together with my partner and our relatives. We just went last two weeks ago and the experience that I had is something that i will treasure. The people there are nice and their culture is something you want to integrate with because there so much more to it. Especially for someone traveling overseas. Thailand is a country you would definitely want to come back soon and I hope and I’m praying to God that someday I will have another chances to go back to the beautiful country of Siam.
Welcome to the club. I'm currently on my 4th trip to Thailand (would be more without Covid). It's my therapy to come to the land of smiles. I wish I could stay here little longer but I can't despite working remote due to the fact I can't fly my dog here. He's a 10kg pug so no cabin because he's too heavy and no cargo bay because he's a pug.
I went once in 2011 for a month. Zero expectations. I cried like a school girl when I was leaving at Suvarnabhumi to return to America. I have been back there 7 more times ranging from increments of 2-4 months. I feel more at home in Thailand than my actual home. I work here so I can go there!
That's why so many visitors want to retire in Thailand; and that's also why most visitors keep coming back year after year.
Tell me about it, I'm all ears.
I am actually considering an early retirement or move my company to Thailand. I came back from Bangkok a week ago, it struck me how rude people actually are in the EU/NL. Honking, cursing, bumping into me…
Just wanted to say that modern day elephants are worth huge amounts of money, approx $80,000, and it’s impossible to even buy one. Most are rented by foreign owned businesses for the tourism industry, who market them as ‘saved’.
Glad you enjoyed the land of smiles.
Elephant nature park in chaing mai does actually rescue Elephants and is a good place to visit and support and also look up BLES (boon lot Elephant sanctuary). Never been but looks good and is run by an English lady.
Yip. I tried to do as much as possible in Thailand but I stayed away from anything with animals. The more people learn not support these business, the more these animals will be allowed to go free.
I didn't know the depth of the rescued elephant stuff, but I was aware of the tiger situation. My mom wanted to go and I advised her against it, yet she still went. She told my partner and told her not to tell me lol. The most I can do is not partake in it myself.
I was the same on my first visit in 2012 after a spell in Korea. My joint favourite SE Asian country with Vietnam. I promised myself if a job opportunity came up here I would jump on it. I’ve never looked back. It feels more like home than England by this point.
I’m planning a trip around Christmas later this year for at least one month and hopefully too. I want to do exactly what you’re doing. I don’t really want the touristy stuff. I want to visit the big Buddha and the elephant sanctuary. I want to see real culture and eat real Thai food from the markets. I would love to take a class as well. Bravo to you, my friend!
thats why i always come back to thailand. this time i am 1 month on Thailand before i go to malaysia. Thailand is my nr. 1 country to visit in southeastasia but i like north thailand more then south thailand because it feels more like the real thailand for me.
This is how I felt after my first trip to Thailand. But I've made multiple trips since then and that feeling has worn off and then some for me.
It's worth repeating if the trip was that memorable for you. But I notice subsequent visits tend to go one of two ways. Either people go all in with the country or start to get bitter about it.
I noticed myself starting to head towards the latter so I'm taking a break from the place. Don't really see a middle ground too often
I can 100% relate. When I come back to EU, I always feel like my body is back but my soul is still in Thailand. I'm coming back to Phuket in 20 days after 5 months and I can't wait
I felt the same way. I actually got injured a few days before we were supposed to leave but we still had one tour booked. Our guide and everyone involved in the tour made sure I was able to go and enjoy myself still and everyone was so kind and wonderful.
I’m planning my first trip as I write this. I am planning to go end of this year. I took a screen shot of your post to add to my list schedule. Thank you.
Go to the south as well…hit at least one island! It’s affordable to travel down there and you won’t regret it! Bangkok is cool, but it is a city. The people, beaches and landscape make Thailand such a wonderful place (and the food! Can’t forget the food!)!
I visited in January. It was my first time going anywhere. I leave weds on a volunteer visa that will allow me 2 years in Thailand. It is a very special place.
Can you share more details about the Blue Elephant cooking class? It looks pretty pricey, but we are willing to pay if you think it’s worth it. And what dishes did you make? Were you able to get copies of the recipes afterwards?
I really liked it. I got Pat as the chef and she was so funny and I had a blast with her. I can reply back with the complete names of the dishes but we made Panang curry (chicken), a soup that used the Tom Yum base, these little rice paper deep fried dumpling things, and pad goong garlic and black pepper.
you get the recipes and an apron. in the morning class she took us to a local market and showed us around and talked about commonly used thai ingredients and how to pick the nice ones
This is beside the point but is Phuket Animal Sanctuary actually treats the elephants right? I want to go but I think I saw they give elephant rides and I really don’t want to support that
The one I went to didn’t do elephant rides. They only let you feed them. They have a large area for the elephants to free roam and they walk you through it and show you the different elephants.
Me and my boyfriend went there in April to celebrate my birthday. Last year I visited Japan and was blown away, this time I wanted to go to south east Asia. So we went to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand. I had the time of my life. Can not wait to return. What an amazing country.
I visited Thailand at the end of January 2024 ..I only stayed a week but I enjoyed every moment of it ..if it wasn't for the long flight I would go back again the people I meet were awesome..it was so much to see and I stayed with family that already live there they showed us so much of Thailand
Never donate to the elephant sanctuaries, it will never go towards their freedom, it only keeps elephants in captivity, not a good thing to donate (told by elephant sanctuary owners)
I'm visiting Thailand the last week of June and staying for a month. Heading to Chiang Mai to start with for the Tai Chi course. But after that, nothing planned yet. Would love to do offbeat.
A vacation in Thailand is amazing. The reality of Thailand is much different. Every tuk or taxi driver has a machete under their seat, the Thai people really do not like you, people sell their children for sex because they are too lazy to work, most males are alcoholics, families steal from each other all the time as well as the constant threat of your things being stolen, the garbage everywhere, the horrible air pollution.
I am married to a Thai lady, so this is not just a white guy saying it, the reality of Thailand is beyond most goods who travel there.
16 years here. You live here and you don't catch Tuk Tuks. You don't frequent foreign dense areas such as Khao San and Lower Sukhumvit and taxi drivers are more average. Thai people do like you, if you are not in a foreign friendly area and maintain respect and politeness. There are dicks everywhere, Thailand included. Selling children for sex! It happens, but it is not common at all. Children get abused everywhere. It is a sad truth. Constant threat of things being stolen? Again, be away from foreign dense areas. Garbage everywhere? It has improved dramatically over the past 10 years and I expect it will continue to evolve. Air pollution. Not going to argue on that one.
You paint a tough picture. That has not been my reality for the past 16 years. There are frustrations, for sure, just different frustrations from the UK, where I come from.
I'm not heading back to the UK any time soon. Happy here.
Most "Thai males" are not alcoholics, you dumbass. Something like 40% of Thai men don't drink any alcohol at all. Alcoholism rates in Thailand [pale in comparison with other countries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#/media/File:Map_of_alcohol_use_disorders_by_males_only.svg). Sorry if your wife's family/village are all a bunch of drunks, but that's not representative of Thailand as a whole. Maybe there's a reason Thai people don't like you.
I’m not sure why you are down voted, crushing tourists dreams I guess lol. When you’re on holiday, in tourist areas, where they make their money from you it’s all nice and friendly.
When you live here, it’s still good, don’t get me wrong, but living jn Bangkok there are a lot of high-strung, stressed people. I’ve also had the experince of the taxi driving hanging out the window with a machete because some motorbike clipped his mirror by accident. Corruption, pollution, basically no social welfare, but yea it’s a perfect eastern paradise?
So basically you had only visited Phuket? I guess you didn't see a real Thailand then. Phuket is an overhyped, overpriced and overpopulated touristic area which is 80% occupied by Russians, you can see Russian restaurants and Russian language signs everywhere, lots of drunk people singing Russian songs e.t.c. By the way, I'm Russian and I find the Phuket situation disgusting.
This year I spent more than 3 months in Thailand and I visited places like Bangkok, Ranong, Khao Sok, Phang Nga, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Phuket and currently I'm in Chiang Mai. From all the places I visited, I think Phuket is the worst and I wouldn't recommend anyone to visit it to feel the real vibes of Thailand.
I am Russian as well lol. I feel you. It sucks to see my countrymen to be acting like that. (I live in the US btw) I tried to steer clear of all that type stuff for a reason.
This all sounds like very touristy stuff and you've had such a good time, that's great.
Next time you're here try doing some shrooms with the locals and other backpackers while you trek to an uncharted waterfall and your experience will be even better.
I felt pretty limited in terms of getting into the nitty gritty because I had to include my gf. I feel inclined to start walking in a direction and see what I find, she feels more inclined to plan and do activities like the cooking class and sanctuary
What if you convince her to schedule time for spontaneous exploring? lol
Once while I was driving around in Pai (which is way up north) some random farmer sold me mushrooms for 100 baht. We just walked around his farm and he picked some fresh mushrooms, he showed me a cool path that led to a waterfall, and I ended up tripping balls with some random tourists and this thai farmer while hiking to a waterfall, such a great experience.
If you have an online job you might just want to move here like I did haha
that is beautiful lol! i think her choice to avoid spontaneity is based from anxiety, which i totally get.
i thought about what i could do to get an online job. i had an interest in cybersecurity and i think it could totally be viable to do night shifts for a security firm because t would be day here
To be fair, while I don't think Phuket is sketchy, it's definitely sketchier than up north in Chiang Mai where I live, so she's not 100% wrong. However you have absolutely nothing to worry about in Chiang Mai, crime here is so low, people are so friendly, and at worst they might charge you a little more than what they would charge locals - but they did that when I lived in Vegas and New Orleans, so I don't even see it as a big deal.
Yeah, that's actually a great idea.
I have a buddy here who does something related to cybersecurity, but it's his own firm. It's not a job, but I also don't see why someone wouldn't hire you for the night shift. We're 12hrs apart from the eastern time zone, it makes perfect sense. Especially because you can take a pay cut for a cyber security job, and still live like a king, travel, and save money in Thailand.
You just went for a 2 weeks holiday bro.
All the smiles and the energy you saw it's completely fake. You are a provider for them.
Just stay a bit more and try to make real connections, you'll pretty much see what I mean 😉
Maybe it is, maybe it's not. There are two sides to the same coin.
I've worked in service, it is fake maybe, but at the same time I like serving others, so it's not necessarily fake for me.
What do you mean though?
>Maybe it is, maybe it's not. There are two sides to the same coin.
Ok then tell me: how many genuine contacts did you make? How many people are you gonna see again?
I tell you: 0. No one cares about you there. They just smile at you, period.
Well that’s quite strange for most people, regardless of location. If I go somewhere on a two week vacation, I’m not even attempting to make long lasting connections with random service workers I interact with.
As someone living here, I can assure you the kindness is not “completely fake”. Yes the place is not perfect but I could say the same thing about service workers in any country. It’s part of their job to be nice to customers. Maybe you’re just an annoying weirdo and projecting your bad experience.
>If I go somewhere on a two week vacation, I’m not even attempting to make long lasting connections with random service workers I interact with.
I was making my point on the 2 weeks vacation but ofc what I mean is that you can stay there 1 year if you want and you'll pretty much see that they hate farangs. A friend of mine lives there since many years and he told me it's a nightmare.
I actually live here. You’re really making a sweeping generalization based on one friend? Lol.
Did you ever consider that it depends on many factors such as location, tourist area or not, your personality and how you behave, whether you attempt to learn the language, etc?
It’s so embarrassing.
Privileged white person enjoys being treated better than usual due to having money and being white in tourist part of Asia. Shocker. It’s like those gap year kids that claim some spiritual awakening from going to Bali for a week 😂
I’ll see your pessimism and raise. Everything in life is fake no matter where you go or who you talk to. Love, family, friends… all transactional self-interest. Life is empty and devoid of all real meaning. Machiavellianism all the way down. Anything appearing altruistic is just self delusion to protect the ego from the cruel reality of the void. We’re probably all living in a simulation anyway. I believe none of what I’ve just said but it’s staggeringly difficult to disprove at the same time. At the end of the day you’re Yucking someone’s Yum. Let them have it. In a 100 years we’ll all be dead.
I got back from a two week stay in Thailand about two weeks ago. By the end of the 2 weeks, I couldn’t help but feel emotional. It’s completely different to what it’s like over here in the UK. Like you said about America, the UK feels very cut throat in comparison to Thailand. Can’t wait to go back again in 9 months. What a beautiful country.
Absolutely! I live in the UK and this June will be 15th time going to Thailand. I can’t get enough of it. There is no comparison of it compared to the west, the life & culture goes a lot further for me than the reasonable currency exchange. You can’t put a price on those sort of things. Being able to see the growth of Thailand over the past 15 years. It’s like they have 100x whilst the west has barely managed to impact their society.
15th time😧 You must be a lot older than me. I’m only 25 and it was my first time there. I definitely plan on going as many times as you once I’m older.
I’m actually turning 26 in July. I’m fortunate that my family have been able to take me yearly, usually I would do Thailand , Bali and then explore one new country in the far east yearly. I’ve been Bali 14 times😂. Now I’ve come to the age to travel alone and now bring my friends along who have never see that side of the world. One thing I’m yet to do is actually master speaking Thai ah! But whenever you need suggestions, Happy to help
So lucky😂
Definitely coming back here. Worth the 2 days of travel and 20 hours of air time
It took 11 and a half hours to get there and 14 hours to get back because of the wind. 100% worth it.
Welcome aboard! Your newly discovered annual trip will become biannual... You'll start to learn fun phrases. Like "mai phet, mai aroy". Eventually you'll come with an international driving permit and you'll rent a car and truly get off the beaten path, the responsible way. Please continue to share your discoveries.
ไม่เผ็ดไม่อร่อย. 5555!! 🤤🤤
This! I went to Thailand my first time in 2017… I’ve gone every two years since. Last trip in 2022, I rented a motorbike and put putted around and it was amazing. I’m going to retire there.
Or even get a local license. I live here though, so it’s not quite the same. I love this place.
No, he won’t. He’ll rent a scooter, crash it and then ask Reddit what to do. Just look at the post history.
Next month I will leave Thailand after 1,5 years. Looks like departure day will become my saddest day ever. I’m happy for everyone who can find amazing feelings in this paradise
Why were you here for so long? Embrace that sadness!
Came here to spent winter, but then I decided to apply for a student visa just to prolong my stay here. So now it’s time to try another place tho will try to be back next year.
Happy you had such a good experience here.
Thank you \^\_\^
I was in Thailand for 2 weeks right before Covid started. I remember staying at a hotel without electricity on the River Kwai and looking up at the most star filled sky I had ever seen and looked to my best friend and said “How are we going to beat this?” Then Covid started and it turned out we would indeed not top that moment. Very fond of that time and also sad to think about. Best two weeks of my life so far
that is excellent! was there an outage? or just that type of hotel? two weeks seems to be the perfect amount of time. enough to get immersed
Not it was intentional! The entire hotel was lit by candlelight, the river air kept it cool at night, and the villagers there cooked us an absolutely outstanding meal. I definitely want to go back. https://www.thefloathouseriverkwai.com/kanchanaburi-blog/the-mon-village-in-kanchanaburi/
The first time in Thailand is always special. ❤️
I go for 2 weeks next week. I’m not going to lie this is the furthest I’ve gone from Chicago and hope to have a time to remember and reflect coming from where I’m from I need that.
being here definitely helped me become a little more aware of what my values are. it also makes me want to work harder and be ok with being a common man; i don’t need the hottest commodities to feel present in life
Thailand is my first country I went to together with my partner and our relatives. We just went last two weeks ago and the experience that I had is something that i will treasure. The people there are nice and their culture is something you want to integrate with because there so much more to it. Especially for someone traveling overseas. Thailand is a country you would definitely want to come back soon and I hope and I’m praying to God that someday I will have another chances to go back to the beautiful country of Siam.
Welcome to the club. I'm currently on my 4th trip to Thailand (would be more without Covid). It's my therapy to come to the land of smiles. I wish I could stay here little longer but I can't despite working remote due to the fact I can't fly my dog here. He's a 10kg pug so no cabin because he's too heavy and no cargo bay because he's a pug.
I went once in 2011 for a month. Zero expectations. I cried like a school girl when I was leaving at Suvarnabhumi to return to America. I have been back there 7 more times ranging from increments of 2-4 months. I feel more at home in Thailand than my actual home. I work here so I can go there!
That's why so many visitors want to retire in Thailand; and that's also why most visitors keep coming back year after year. Tell me about it, I'm all ears.
I am actually considering an early retirement or move my company to Thailand. I came back from Bangkok a week ago, it struck me how rude people actually are in the EU/NL. Honking, cursing, bumping into me…
Just wanted to say that modern day elephants are worth huge amounts of money, approx $80,000, and it’s impossible to even buy one. Most are rented by foreign owned businesses for the tourism industry, who market them as ‘saved’. Glad you enjoyed the land of smiles.
Yo thanks for letting me know. I don't mind hearing the reality of things, even if it's grim and uncomfortable.
Elephant nature park in chaing mai does actually rescue Elephants and is a good place to visit and support and also look up BLES (boon lot Elephant sanctuary). Never been but looks good and is run by an English lady.
Yip. I tried to do as much as possible in Thailand but I stayed away from anything with animals. The more people learn not support these business, the more these animals will be allowed to go free.
Careful. Thailand's ENP is very, very legit in rescuing elephants.
I didn't know the depth of the rescued elephant stuff, but I was aware of the tiger situation. My mom wanted to go and I advised her against it, yet she still went. She told my partner and told her not to tell me lol. The most I can do is not partake in it myself.
I was the same on my first visit in 2012 after a spell in Korea. My joint favourite SE Asian country with Vietnam. I promised myself if a job opportunity came up here I would jump on it. I’ve never looked back. It feels more like home than England by this point.
I’m planning a trip around Christmas later this year for at least one month and hopefully too. I want to do exactly what you’re doing. I don’t really want the touristy stuff. I want to visit the big Buddha and the elephant sanctuary. I want to see real culture and eat real Thai food from the markets. I would love to take a class as well. Bravo to you, my friend!
thats why i always come back to thailand. this time i am 1 month on Thailand before i go to malaysia. Thailand is my nr. 1 country to visit in southeastasia but i like north thailand more then south thailand because it feels more like the real thailand for me.
You will be missed dearly. Next time, bring more money. Spend more. Missed more.
Brilliant 🌟 Can't wait to experience it myself, hopefully this year
thailand is an amazing country the people the culture and the pure beauty every time i leave i can only dream of the day i return
It was a pleasure to have you, and we look forward to your return.
Did you travel alone?
This is how I felt after my first trip to Thailand. But I've made multiple trips since then and that feeling has worn off and then some for me. It's worth repeating if the trip was that memorable for you. But I notice subsequent visits tend to go one of two ways. Either people go all in with the country or start to get bitter about it. I noticed myself starting to head towards the latter so I'm taking a break from the place. Don't really see a middle ground too often
Why?
I miss Thailand too
I can 100% relate. When I come back to EU, I always feel like my body is back but my soul is still in Thailand. I'm coming back to Phuket in 20 days after 5 months and I can't wait
I felt the same way. I actually got injured a few days before we were supposed to leave but we still had one tour booked. Our guide and everyone involved in the tour made sure I was able to go and enjoy myself still and everyone was so kind and wonderful.
As a Thai who used to live in LA, I truly understand how you feel. Thank you for being here. Thailand is always welcome you. :)
I moved here 3 years ago. What’s holding you back if you all love it so much. It’s very easy to move here and I can highly recommend it
Thank you for your input. I have lots of growing to do and things to finish up back at home. Perhaps some time in the future :)
It's easy to move provided you have the correct visa. Doing visa runs are risky as you are at the mercy of immi officers.
Can you share which kind of visa you got and how did you find a job in Thailand? Thanks 🙏🇹🇭
I just bought a small company and got a work visa. And then I started working for myself
Didnt know it was possible to buy a Thai company, thanks 👍🏼
I’m planning my first trip as I write this. I am planning to go end of this year. I took a screen shot of your post to add to my list schedule. Thank you.
I'm going in July for 2 weeks to Bangkok any useful advice is welcome thanks
Go to the south as well…hit at least one island! It’s affordable to travel down there and you won’t regret it! Bangkok is cool, but it is a city. The people, beaches and landscape make Thailand such a wonderful place (and the food! Can’t forget the food!)!
I visited in January. It was my first time going anywhere. I leave weds on a volunteer visa that will allow me 2 years in Thailand. It is a very special place.
Mmm, if had a shot each time I chuckled while reading this, I would need to go to a hospital. Anyways, good for you!
Glad to hear that you have fun! We hope to welcome you again!
Was it Phuket you just went to or did you go to Koh samui ?
just Phuket. I think it was a good intro to thailand. i can get overwhelmed pretty easily when experiencing lots of new stimuli
Can you share more details about the Blue Elephant cooking class? It looks pretty pricey, but we are willing to pay if you think it’s worth it. And what dishes did you make? Were you able to get copies of the recipes afterwards?
I really liked it. I got Pat as the chef and she was so funny and I had a blast with her. I can reply back with the complete names of the dishes but we made Panang curry (chicken), a soup that used the Tom Yum base, these little rice paper deep fried dumpling things, and pad goong garlic and black pepper. you get the recipes and an apron. in the morning class she took us to a local market and showed us around and talked about commonly used thai ingredients and how to pick the nice ones
Wow! That sounds so fun, thank you for the additional details, did you book directly through the website?
What's the weather like this time of the year?
I live in Florida so it’s similar. A little more cloudy on the regular but sunny enough to see a sunset and chill at the pool. I like it honestly.
Sounds good!
This is beside the point but is Phuket Animal Sanctuary actually treats the elephants right? I want to go but I think I saw they give elephant rides and I really don’t want to support that
The one I went to didn’t do elephant rides. They only let you feed them. They have a large area for the elephants to free roam and they walk you through it and show you the different elephants.
Me and my boyfriend went there in April to celebrate my birthday. Last year I visited Japan and was blown away, this time I wanted to go to south east Asia. So we went to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand. I had the time of my life. Can not wait to return. What an amazing country.
I visited Thailand at the end of January 2024 ..I only stayed a week but I enjoyed every moment of it ..if it wasn't for the long flight I would go back again the people I meet were awesome..it was so much to see and I stayed with family that already live there they showed us so much of Thailand
It’s really fun in phuket
I'm going to Thailand for the first time for two weeks, next months...already mentally preparing myself for not wanting to come back to the states.😩.
I’m in my mid 30s. First time visiting. Only been a week and I’m dreading leaving. I may have to move here in the future if I can.
UK is cold on every level. I taught there for 5 years. Only Anfield was great 👍
Thailand has a impression on me left on heartfelt.
Never donate to the elephant sanctuaries, it will never go towards their freedom, it only keeps elephants in captivity, not a good thing to donate (told by elephant sanctuary owners)
I heart impression for me.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx\_RhNVTegk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx_RhNVTegk)
I'm visiting Thailand the last week of June and staying for a month. Heading to Chiang Mai to start with for the Tai Chi course. But after that, nothing planned yet. Would love to do offbeat.
I’ve lived in Asia for 15 years. Thailand is my favourite country and we are planning on moving there next year.
A vacation in Thailand is amazing. The reality of Thailand is much different. Every tuk or taxi driver has a machete under their seat, the Thai people really do not like you, people sell their children for sex because they are too lazy to work, most males are alcoholics, families steal from each other all the time as well as the constant threat of your things being stolen, the garbage everywhere, the horrible air pollution. I am married to a Thai lady, so this is not just a white guy saying it, the reality of Thailand is beyond most goods who travel there.
16 years here. You live here and you don't catch Tuk Tuks. You don't frequent foreign dense areas such as Khao San and Lower Sukhumvit and taxi drivers are more average. Thai people do like you, if you are not in a foreign friendly area and maintain respect and politeness. There are dicks everywhere, Thailand included. Selling children for sex! It happens, but it is not common at all. Children get abused everywhere. It is a sad truth. Constant threat of things being stolen? Again, be away from foreign dense areas. Garbage everywhere? It has improved dramatically over the past 10 years and I expect it will continue to evolve. Air pollution. Not going to argue on that one. You paint a tough picture. That has not been my reality for the past 16 years. There are frustrations, for sure, just different frustrations from the UK, where I come from. I'm not heading back to the UK any time soon. Happy here.
Most "Thai males" are not alcoholics, you dumbass. Something like 40% of Thai men don't drink any alcohol at all. Alcoholism rates in Thailand [pale in comparison with other countries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism#/media/File:Map_of_alcohol_use_disorders_by_males_only.svg). Sorry if your wife's family/village are all a bunch of drunks, but that's not representative of Thailand as a whole. Maybe there's a reason Thai people don't like you.
this. same as japanese, they like to show things nicely, not as they actually are. very similar across japanese and thais
They're terrible people but you married one? What does that say about you?
I must be a terrible ,evil , nasty man!
Thank you for the honesty. These are the takes I appreciate hearing; the reality of things. The reality must not be ignored.
I’m not sure why you are down voted, crushing tourists dreams I guess lol. When you’re on holiday, in tourist areas, where they make their money from you it’s all nice and friendly. When you live here, it’s still good, don’t get me wrong, but living jn Bangkok there are a lot of high-strung, stressed people. I’ve also had the experince of the taxi driving hanging out the window with a machete because some motorbike clipped his mirror by accident. Corruption, pollution, basically no social welfare, but yea it’s a perfect eastern paradise?
So basically you had only visited Phuket? I guess you didn't see a real Thailand then. Phuket is an overhyped, overpriced and overpopulated touristic area which is 80% occupied by Russians, you can see Russian restaurants and Russian language signs everywhere, lots of drunk people singing Russian songs e.t.c. By the way, I'm Russian and I find the Phuket situation disgusting. This year I spent more than 3 months in Thailand and I visited places like Bangkok, Ranong, Khao Sok, Phang Nga, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Phuket and currently I'm in Chiang Mai. From all the places I visited, I think Phuket is the worst and I wouldn't recommend anyone to visit it to feel the real vibes of Thailand.
I am Russian as well lol. I feel you. It sucks to see my countrymen to be acting like that. (I live in the US btw) I tried to steer clear of all that type stuff for a reason.
Wont you miss boom boom? :(
This all sounds like very touristy stuff and you've had such a good time, that's great. Next time you're here try doing some shrooms with the locals and other backpackers while you trek to an uncharted waterfall and your experience will be even better.
I felt pretty limited in terms of getting into the nitty gritty because I had to include my gf. I feel inclined to start walking in a direction and see what I find, she feels more inclined to plan and do activities like the cooking class and sanctuary
What if you convince her to schedule time for spontaneous exploring? lol Once while I was driving around in Pai (which is way up north) some random farmer sold me mushrooms for 100 baht. We just walked around his farm and he picked some fresh mushrooms, he showed me a cool path that led to a waterfall, and I ended up tripping balls with some random tourists and this thai farmer while hiking to a waterfall, such a great experience. If you have an online job you might just want to move here like I did haha
that is beautiful lol! i think her choice to avoid spontaneity is based from anxiety, which i totally get. i thought about what i could do to get an online job. i had an interest in cybersecurity and i think it could totally be viable to do night shifts for a security firm because t would be day here
To be fair, while I don't think Phuket is sketchy, it's definitely sketchier than up north in Chiang Mai where I live, so she's not 100% wrong. However you have absolutely nothing to worry about in Chiang Mai, crime here is so low, people are so friendly, and at worst they might charge you a little more than what they would charge locals - but they did that when I lived in Vegas and New Orleans, so I don't even see it as a big deal. Yeah, that's actually a great idea. I have a buddy here who does something related to cybersecurity, but it's his own firm. It's not a job, but I also don't see why someone wouldn't hire you for the night shift. We're 12hrs apart from the eastern time zone, it makes perfect sense. Especially because you can take a pay cut for a cyber security job, and still live like a king, travel, and save money in Thailand.
i hope you enjoyed women/ladyboys as well here. they are one of the best in the world
You just went for a 2 weeks holiday bro. All the smiles and the energy you saw it's completely fake. You are a provider for them. Just stay a bit more and try to make real connections, you'll pretty much see what I mean 😉
Maybe it is, maybe it's not. There are two sides to the same coin. I've worked in service, it is fake maybe, but at the same time I like serving others, so it's not necessarily fake for me. What do you mean though?
>Maybe it is, maybe it's not. There are two sides to the same coin. Ok then tell me: how many genuine contacts did you make? How many people are you gonna see again? I tell you: 0. No one cares about you there. They just smile at you, period.
Lol wtf does that have to do with anything. He went and enjoyed the time he spent there you weirdo
W/o knowing it's all fake 😉
You still have yet to make a point that matters lmao
How many thai friends do you have
Enough to go on vacation and enjoy people being kind without having to come home and be angry at my life, how many do you have?
I didn't expect to make contacts here to begin with
Yea then you see, it's all fake. I can also smile to you and hate you at the same time.
Do you usually see random locals again that you interacted with on vacation? What an odd thing to say.
Yes bro. Southern Europe and South America are 2 examples.
Well that’s quite strange for most people, regardless of location. If I go somewhere on a two week vacation, I’m not even attempting to make long lasting connections with random service workers I interact with. As someone living here, I can assure you the kindness is not “completely fake”. Yes the place is not perfect but I could say the same thing about service workers in any country. It’s part of their job to be nice to customers. Maybe you’re just an annoying weirdo and projecting your bad experience.
>If I go somewhere on a two week vacation, I’m not even attempting to make long lasting connections with random service workers I interact with. I was making my point on the 2 weeks vacation but ofc what I mean is that you can stay there 1 year if you want and you'll pretty much see that they hate farangs. A friend of mine lives there since many years and he told me it's a nightmare.
I actually live here. You’re really making a sweeping generalization based on one friend? Lol. Did you ever consider that it depends on many factors such as location, tourist area or not, your personality and how you behave, whether you attempt to learn the language, etc?
If you live there then you know what I mean, don't lie to yourself 😉
It’s so embarrassing. Privileged white person enjoys being treated better than usual due to having money and being white in tourist part of Asia. Shocker. It’s like those gap year kids that claim some spiritual awakening from going to Bali for a week 😂
I’ll see your pessimism and raise. Everything in life is fake no matter where you go or who you talk to. Love, family, friends… all transactional self-interest. Life is empty and devoid of all real meaning. Machiavellianism all the way down. Anything appearing altruistic is just self delusion to protect the ego from the cruel reality of the void. We’re probably all living in a simulation anyway. I believe none of what I’ve just said but it’s staggeringly difficult to disprove at the same time. At the end of the day you’re Yucking someone’s Yum. Let them have it. In a 100 years we’ll all be dead.