Anonymous participant 306 I agree with you on learning Thai. I am fluent in the language.

Variety of alcohol - hmm...same at 711 or most outlets in Thailand. Very limited product range and no Somersby ciders! Every country in the region sells them, except Thailand. Why? Well, it turns out that to import anything into Thailand you need to pay a lot of money and have lots of connections. It's more difficult to import things into Thailand than neighboring countries, so the product range is more limited, because only large importers / distributors receive the contracts to do so. Thailand is a country with a lot of monopolies and foreigners are finding it increasingly difficult to get their foot in the door here, as the laws are set up to make it difficult for foreigners to compete with locals.

I'm not much of a drinker, so I don't pay a lot of attention to alcohol, but I have noticed that the variety of what's sold in Thailand is very limited compared to say Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore.

Thais respect doctors and educated people like they're Gods. While I am skeptical of the medical profession these days, I know that doctors here are generally upstanding citizens even if their demeanor towards their patients can seem somewhat condescending, arrogant and authoritarian.

Unpopular opinion among sexpats and working class, bar stool farang without a degree, but I'd say avoid any Isarn woman that is of a lower social class than you, isn't well educated and carefully look at her family dynamics. They're the ones who scheme farang out of their savings, will steal their possessions when they die and so forth. Never marry a woman who comes from a farming or blue collar background, even if she's not a bar girl. They're likely to have a brother who's a drunk or high on yaba, and she is more likely to be loyal to her family and scheme to cheat or in extreme cases, even kill you for your belongings than be a loving, family-oriented woman who doesn't care how much you have.

Educated ethnic Chinese-Thais from reasonably well to do families, who have lived / studied abroad are much more trustworthy and just want love. They probably won't marry a retired bus driver from Blighty, but they are fine with someone who's simply got a stable income and can provide for her and your children, offering a comfortable life, of at least the same standard as she grew up with.

@Uwe ***

I like Malaysia, but there are drawbacks. In general, I prefer Thailand but I'm also far better acquainted with Thailand than Malaysia. I am fluent in Thai, but know only a few words of Malay.

My point was that you being worried Kuala Lumpur is dangerous because some local told you, while incorrectly concluding that there is no crime in Thailand (when in fact, tourist heavy areas experience daily incidents of problems, though mostly committed / caused by foreigners) means you appear to be wearing rose colored glasses. You didn't experience crime in KL, you simply took the advice you were given very seriously and got goosebumps. The same would have happened if a local in Bangkok told you not to visit Khlong Toei or something.

Malaysia is probably better when it comes to the law, if you hold property and such. In Thailand, you can go to jail for being the victim of a crime, as evidenced by the case of that elderly British couple who are being prosecuted for defending themselves from a Thai-British couple in Hua Hin who attacked them.

Overall, Thailand may very well be better for most foreigners, but it does depend on one's circumstances.

I don't think a visitor to KL like you has anything to fear from a short holiday in Kuala Lumpur though. It's most certainly not a hotbed of crime. Western countries are far worse.

Anonymous participant 905 They check your visa status to rent an apartment for longer periods in KL? Not so in Thailand. While leases are often for a full year, you can rent even with a 30 day (now typically 60 day) visa exempt stamp.

@Kenny ****

To be fair, I think I shouldn't have been so presumptuous.

You mentioned you're spending 500 Baht a day on meals, that's actually Baht a month, which in a sense, is quite a lot.

What I was meant to say was, 500 Baht a day just on eating out, can seem a little restrictive, in the sense that would equate to 167 Baht a meal, which presumably would include a drink as well. That means, let's say 100-120 for the food and 50-70 for the beverage.

That is very doable, but sadly, will mean mostly restricting yourself to street stalls, hole in the wall local restaurants serving Thai food and your occasional cheaper cafe, located in the suburbs of a city or the countryside. It will probably mean no impromptu visits to cafes, no chain restaurants and no better quality restaurants.

For me, I'm rarely eating out 3 times a day, unless traveling. The first meal of the day being breakfast, means it's usually included in the room rate, so I only have to buy 2 meals, lunch and dinner in such cases.

When I eat out, I generally spend 250-500+ per person, per meal, including drinks of course, but then the rest of the time I'm buying food to prepare and eat at home.

Obviously, that's an important difference and apologies for being overly presumptive or saying 500 Baht isn't enough, when on the one hand, if you only eat out, that's actually a generous budget, but at the same time, if you want to dine at cafes and restaurants without watching your budget too closely, you'll easily spend double that.

@Jonathan ********

True. Still, you can find cheaper bagels than the ones I had yesterday, which were great, but unfortunately, these prices are starting to become the norm.

Of course the great thing about Thailand is the variety of food and prices as well, but sometimes I feel like why am I faced with having to choose between very cheap but unhealthy Street food with no decent place to sit, but if I want to eat in a decent restaurant or Cafe with AC, suddenly the price spikes 5 fold. Seems a bit excessive.

Still, you're right, US restaurant pricing is ridiculous and almost unaffordable these days.

I can afford the places I visit in Thailand and I normally wouldn't complain about the prices so much, but I guess when I put things into perspective in terms of local wages, it does strike me as "how did prices get to this level"?

I think if prices were about of what they currently are at some of these places, it would be quite reasonable.

@Kenny ****

Yeah I know Mark Wiens and watch his content.

I've also noticed that when he went on his burger challenge, he visited Thai burger joints where each burger was like averaging 250 Baht. All these places are local start ups.

Again, 250 Baht for a quality burger is a price I'm willing to pay and well, one doesn't really have a choice because the cheapest burger you're likely to find that isn't McDonald's or some other highly processed garbage will probably cost 120-150 Baht.

Street food can be incredibly cheap but it's not how a family man living in a house far away from downtown dines. I usually eat out with my children/family twice a week after school. Otherwise, we eat at home, but I realize everyone is different.

@Kenny ****

You are restricting yourself because while I agree that food can be cheap and I on occasion do purchase cheap food myself, your average Cafe, your average restaurant, including those at malls will cost far more than what you pay.

In Chiang Mai, a quality coffee costs 65 Baht. That's a decent price, but it's not 20 Baht.

That's my point.

Alcohol easy to find in supermarkets and convenience stores. Surprisingly, Carlsberg brews Somersby ciders in Malaysia, which are also exported to Cambodia but bizarrely are not sold at all in Thailand. Beer also easily found at restaurants in Chinatown. Food in Malaysia is decent; depends what you like. Seems a bit more challenging to find what you want if you're a first time visitor unless you hang around KLCC.

The rest I agree with - although Chinese-Thais who live in Bangkok also aren't necessarily into money anymore either. They're a world away from your uneducated Isarn bar girls / farmers that many farang fall for and get screwed over by.

@Tom ****

Yes, just yesterday evening when I went on my walk with my son, this old Thai lady who uses a cane and still wears a mask made another incomprehensible remark towards me when I saw her. I gave her a smirk and then briskly walked away. She creeps me out. I did get a smile out of another older Thai lady but only because I said hi first. It does depend though; about 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 residents do say hi or smile, but the rest are indifferent. Fortunately, we played with some fellow residents who have children (they're Thai) who we got to know during Covid. They live in another part of the same gated community.

@Kenny ****

That's bottom end stuff, not the average price. Nothing wrong with paying 50-80 Baht for a coffee; just saying that is the normal price, not 40 or less; I once found a 25 Baht hot coffee place in Bangkok (they exist) but it certainly wasn't good.

In other words, while Thailand doesn't have to be expensive and you can certainly find cheap food, if that's all you're paying, you're restricting yourself. Also, I think it's worth pointing out what the "average" cost is - for coffee in Thailand, I'd say it's 50-75 Baht. Obviously, an iced coffee at a street stall or market will cost less than this but those settings won't offer a convenient place to sit and work or to enjoy your coffee.

Every time I go to a particular Bread Talk store, I always see the same Russian couple there (they almost certainly come in daily) whereas I've decided to mix it up and only go there occasionally...it's boring to always go to the same places and frankly, their coffee, which is 69 Baht is fairly mediocre.

I know those Russians go there because they can't afford anything better.