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Wishmaster
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
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 Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 7:59 am Post subject: The BAD things about Thailand... |
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| Well, I'm wondering a bit about Thailand. I hear people constantly say how good the place is. Surely, there must be bad things about Thailand. So, simply, what are the bad things about the place? |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 8:47 am Post subject: |
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The heat...its hot...a cool day is 30 degrees.
It rains alot.
There is alot of pollution.
The traffic is horrible.
The poverty level of people, particularily children is tough to see.
Thats about the worst things I can say about it. These downs are more than made up for by the friendliness of the Thai people, the stunning scenery, beautiful beaches, low prices and a whole host of other benefits. Primarily I feel it is the Thai peoples spirit and joy they have. |
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Bee Positive
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 9:34 am Post subject: |
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deleted by dave
Last edited by Bee Positive on Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:57 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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If you were to say, for instance, "I think that Thailand should retire its monarchy and declare itself a republic," you could, at least in theory, be rounded up and thrown in the slammer.
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Not quite. If you were to say: "I think the kings an idiot who should be overthrown and we should establish a republic" that would be 'criticism'
Your statement is expressing a neutral opinion....I doesnt condemn or condone the king himself. |
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laconic2
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Wonderful World of ESL
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| Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2005 4:05 pm Post subject: Why? |
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| Grotto wrote: |
| Quote: |
If you were to say, for instance, "I think that Thailand should retire its monarchy and declare itself a republic," you could, at least in theory, be rounded up and thrown in the slammer.
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Not quite. If you were to say: "I think the kings an idiot who should be overthrown and we should establish a republic" that would be 'criticism'
Your statement is expressing a neutral opinion....I doesnt condemn or condone the king himself. |
With all of the other things you can discuss when you are in Thailand, why venture into this potentially problematic area?
Any Thai citizen hearing either of the two comments above would have the absolute right to file a police complaint alleging violations of the lese majeste laws. You will be arrested. No question about it.
As sensitive as the Thais are about their king, I would not be the least bit surprised were this to occur in a situation where farangs could be perceived as putting down the royal family.
At the very least, it will cause you a great deal of discomfort if you were charged with such an offense or even interrogated by the police for remarks you allegedly made.
Find something else to talk about is my advice.
It's their country. He's their King, beloved and respected.
Thai prisons are not the nicest places to spend your vacation. |
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itaewonguy
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 7:26 am Post subject: |
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well I would a king in their even tho his views are wrong..
still cant blame the guy! I mean if you were king would you give it up?
most kingdoms came to an end becuase they were overthrown!
maybe one day thailand will be overthrown! maybe china or USA wil take it! who knows..
as of now.. its great.. just wish they would do something about the poverty |
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BigBlackEquus
Joined: 05 Jul 2005
Location: Lotte controls Asia with bad chocolate!
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 7:51 am Post subject: |
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The taxi and tuk tuk drivers will try to screw you. That is one thing that makes me loathe Thailand.
And I don't think it is possible to play the tribute to the king before the movie at a volume level which does not split a person's eardrums.
The women? No thanks. Not interesting to the BBE. Even if that was interesting, there are too many missing teeth, black patches of gingivitis, and bad breath. Even among 20 to 25 year-olds. And it gets worse as they age. |
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brento1138
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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| BigBlackEquus wrote: |
The women? No thanks. Not interesting to the BBE. Even if that was interesting, there are too many missing teeth, black patches of gingivitis, and bad breath. Even among 20 to 25 year-olds. And it gets worse as they age. |
I have to agree here. I simply don't see the appeal of Thai women in general. I am getting a bit pissed off with Koreans asking me "so you go to Thailand huh? Going to meet some Thai women, huh huh??!" Sheesh, its not like all white guys going to Thailand alone want some missing tooth STD-laden "fun"...  |
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Patong Dong
Joined: 06 May 2003
Location: On Nut
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 3:40 am Post subject: |
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C'mon now Brento, you seem like a sensible guy, I just showed my Thai girlfriend read this after a weekend upin Itaewon. She saw the humour of the rookie traveller's blanket statement of Thai women fortunately.
I have to agree here. I simply don't see the appeal of Thai women in general. I am getting a bit pissed off with Koreans asking me "so you go to Thailand huh? Going to meet some Thai women, huh huh??!" Sheesh, its not like all white guys going to Thailand alone want some missing tooth STD-laden "fun"...
Where are these people going that this is what they find? Hit Pattaya nightlife and get what you pay for. |
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bosintang
Joined: 01 Dec 2003
Location: In the pot with the rest of the mutts
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| Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 4:27 am Post subject: |
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| Patong Dong wrote: |
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I have to agree here. I simply don't see the appeal of Thai women in general. I am getting a bit pissed off with Koreans asking me "so you go to Thailand huh? Going to meet some Thai women, huh huh??!" Sheesh, its not like all white guys going to Thailand alone want some missing tooth STD-laden "fun"...
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Where are these people going that this is what they find? Hit Pattaya nightlife and get what you pay for. |
I thought the same thing here. Hang out with poor bargirls from poor backgrounds, and it's no surprise that they may not have reached adulthood in perfect shape. On the other hand, most middle-class or wealthy Thai women are beautiful, and don't have worse teeth than people from anywhere else. Actually, one thing that amazed me in Thailand is the amount of women I saw that had braces. It's sort of cute. They're in their 20s, 30s, 40s, but look like shy awkward teenagers. I see it as sign of nouveau-wealth more than anything else.
| Quote: |
The taxi and tuk tuk drivers will try to screw you.
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At least in Bangkok taxis are metered now, so there's no reason in the world to take a tuk tuk anymore.
Anyways, back to the topic: I'll stick to to bad things about Thailand as a traveler, ignoring political, social, or other issues.
Thailand as a whole:
- The tourism industry is over-developed and no doubt much of Thailand has lost its charm because of it.
- Too many sex tourists hanging off women half their age
- Too many burnt out expats that lost the plot years ago and are now just pathetically boring
- Bars close by 2am
- Can be brutally hot and sweaty at peak times
Bangkok:
- Bad lead-fumed air and noise pollution
- foul smells everywhere you go from foodstall areas, drains, canals,etc.
- city is sprawled, and difficult to get around from one place to another
- difficult city to walk anywhere, sidestreets (soi's) are often like mazes
- loose-dangling overhead wires and general unsafe building practices (e.g. a short wall covered on top with a cheap barbed-wire alternative, shredded glass, to keep people from sitting on it.
- horrendous traffic
I see the point of the thread, but the goods far outweigh the bads by a long shot for me. Overall, I love the place. |
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Chow
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Location: Cheongju
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| Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:29 am Post subject: |
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My first time in Bangkok was pure bliss. Even the bad things were "interesting" and worth seeing, if only for the experience.
The second time was spent on a fantastic beach.
The third time was in Chiang Mai (loads of jungle trekking, mountain temples, elephant parks, etc).
I can't get enough of Thailand. I love the hot weather, cheap and delicious food, good beer, and wonderful people. There are a LOT of burnt-out expats, though. Every time I go some hippy hits me up for cash . . . .
Even the tuk-tuk rip-offs aren't so bad. When you put it into perspective it's only a couple of bucks. The principle of getting ripped off sucks, but since it doesn't really hurt the pocket book, it's easy to get over.
I agree with an earlier poster who commented on the state of the impoverished children. It's really hard not to buy every rose, stick of gum, or cheap sunglasses they push on you. I probably handed out more to the kids than I spent on beer. I take that back; I spent a lot on beer!
Good times. Worth the experience. |
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Bee Positive
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 10:33 am Post subject: |
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deleted by dave
Last edited by Bee Positive on Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:58 am; edited 1 time in total |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:26 pm Post subject: |
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| The worst thing I found is that there are very few good ESL jobs there. Usually the pay is crap and usually the work is not worth it. That's if one wants to go teach there. I have heard the education system is very poor. Other than that I could little to really moan about. It is a nice place usually, though I only spent 4-5 months there. |
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brento1138
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2005 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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If you "don't see the appeal of Thai women," as you claim, are you sure that you're heterosexual? Or are you female?--in which case, OK, never mind.
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Sorry, I should have said I don't see the appeal of Thai prostitutes (or any prostitutes for that matter, no matter how good looking)... I am sure there are many fine Thai women. Ugggh, its a bad idea to generalise a race. And I've never been to Thailand. Shutting up now... |
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rapier
Joined: 16 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2005 4:51 am Post subject: |
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| HIV. |
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