jackspratt wrote:

Yossarian wrote:Perhaps it is a discussion for another forum but I think we can all agree that America is still the country which offers the most freedom, liberty, and opportunity in the world.

Err....no we can't

What I think we CAN probably agree on is that only an American (but of course, not every American) could make such a statement.

The word hubris springs to mind.

Yossarian wrote:If you can build a stick-built home in Thailand for 28USD for square foot that would be impressive. The only stick-built homes I've seen here look like the tree houses we used to build in the back yard when we were kids. .

Yossarian wrote:I hate to break it to you but I think your friend just bought a lease on a nice 2 bedroom home on one rai of land. I don't care how good your lawyer is, he/she can't change the law. The most he/she can do is promise you a lawsuit against your Thai nominee.

If you can build a stick-built home in Thailand for 28USD for square foot that would be impressive. The only stick-built homes I've seen here look like the tree houses we used to build in the back yard when we were kids. The rest are concrete bunkers which remind me of the last days of the Third Reich. Not very pleasant memories.

Because Thailand is a developing country, labor is cheap so things that require a lot of labor (mostly services) are also cheap. Some things are more expensive in Thailand: cars are at least 30% more expensive; gas is probably a little more expensive here; baby strollers and coffee are twice as expensive; diapers are a little bit more expensive; foreign food.

Life isn't just about saving money though. Life is about pursuing your dreams and living a fulfilling life. Like the other guy was saying, if your dream is to live in a concrete bunker, drive around a Honda scooter everywhere, and eat som tom, barbecue chicken, and sticky rice every meal, than Thailand is a great place.

So maybe the shack in South Carolina is not as good as the concrete bunker in Udon Thani. How about value? In South Carolina, I can coach my son's soccer team without being arrested and deported for working without a work permit. In South Carolina, I can vote for the people who will represent my interests in government. In South Carolina, I can take a stroll with my wife in the evening without choking on diesel exhaust. Most importantly, in America, I can go almost anywhere and not be called a racial slur.

And it's just not about the greatness of America but of western civilization. I would include most of Europe, especially the Netherlands, a very civilized country, in that as well. It is related to the subject because these are the things that make life worth living as opposed to just merely existing at the basest level possible to save a couple of bucks.

The Netherlands, for example, reminds me of Vincent van Gogh or the beautiful canals. Thailand reminds me of a bowl of plastic fruit.

Yossarian wrote:I hate to break it to you but I think your friend just bought a lease on a nice 2 bedroom home on one rai of land. I don't care how good your lawyer is, he/she can't change the law. The most he/she can do is promise you a lawsuit against your Thai nominee.

Thai nominee????? My friend is 63 and has a 30 year lease (registered) and has possession of the owner's chanote (his wife). You think he'll make it past 93 lol. He's protected quite well. Besides, he's worth a minimum of 10 million USD so it's a drop in the bucket for him. Not everyone who choses to live in Thailand is broke as you seem to think.

You are right of course, a lawyer can't change the law. Why would anyone want to change a law that favors them? My friend has a perfectly legal lease.

If you can build a stick-built home in Thailand for 28USD for square foot that would be impressive. The only stick-built homes I've seen here look like the tree houses we used to build in the back yard when we were kids. The rest are concrete bunkers which remind me of the last days of the Third Reich. Not very pleasant memories.

Very few people in Thailand build wooded-framed homes for obvious reasons. I'd never build one...... preferring to go with Smartblock. It's becoming more and more obvious you're just trolling.......most people here (farangs & Thai) build with brick....not concrete blocks. Have you every actually been to Thailand?

Because Thailand is a developing country, labor is cheap so things that require a lot of labor (mostly services) are also cheap. Some things are more expensive in Thailand: cars are at least 30% more expensive; gas is probably a little more expensive here; baby strollers and coffee are twice as expensive; diapers are a little bit more expensive; foreign food.

lol......a simple 20K baht conversion and a car can run on CNG....last time I looked 9 baht a liter. Much less expensive than the states. Yea that one-time purchase of a baby stroller is gonna bust my budget lol.

Life isn't just about saving money though. Life is about pursuing your dreams and living a fulfilling life. Like the other guy was saying, if your dream is to live in a concrete bunker, drive around a Honda scooter everywhere, and eat som tom, barbecue chicken, and sticky rice every meal, than Thailand is a great place.

My dream is to continue living as I am. A mix of Thai and Western food.....tacos today......maybe gapow guy tomorrow....yum yum......the next day a fine imported steak for less than $10 USD. I love driving my Honda Air Blade......when it's raining I'll take the Toyota Fortuner. Sticky rice? Yea I've 2 tons sacked up from our harvest this year on land I control (but somehow you think it can't be done lol). We had a good crop, (50 sacks X 80pds. per sack). I happen to like sticky rice, but I don't eat it at every meal......just like the other foods I like.

You're right, a fulfilling life is a wonderful thing; I'm so thankful mine is.

So maybe the shack in South Carolina is not as good as the concrete bunker in Udon Thani. How about value? In South Carolina, I can coach my son's soccer team without being arrested and deported for working without a work permit. In South Carolina, I can vote for the people who will represent my interests in government. In South Carolina, I can take a stroll with my wife in the evening without choking on diesel exhaust. Most importantly, in America, I can go almost anywhere and not be called a racial slur.

LOL......It's becoming obvious your knowledge of Thailand is based on the internet. I work here from time to time; never a problem. Heck this year I even worked the rice crop as we didn't have enough bodies lol. No, I don't have a WP. Politicans in America who give a sh_it about anything but staying on the public trough....maybe 10% my friend.......... don't be fooled anymore. I've never been called names in Thailand.....what are you talking about?

And it's just not about the greatness of America but of western civilization. I would include most of Europe, especially the Netherlands, a very civilized country, in that as well. It is related to the subject because these are the things that make life worth living as opposed to just merely existing at the basest level possible to save a couple of bucks.

You're painting everyone in Thailand with a broad brush. Sure I know some farangs here who pince baht (just like they pinced pennies in the states; it's their right to live the way they want)........but most of my friends here have active social lives and spend freely(golf, eating out, card games, traveling, etc.)

Greatness of America? In some areas yes.....such as the waistline.....biggest health problem in America is obesity......The Fattest Nation on Earth.

The Netherlands, for example, reminds me of Vincent van Gogh or the beautiful canals. Thailand reminds me of a bowl of plastic fruit.

Well, it's pretty obvious you've made up your mind about Thailand. Best you don't come here and stay in your South Carolina tract home in The Fattest Nation on Earth. I'll just keep my 51 year old arse in Thailand; being miserable in my air-con townhouse and having to find the will-power to stay away from the young Thai cuties..... (the wife would kill me lol)

Yossarian wrote:I can see that I've touched a raw nerve or two here and I certainly hope the South Carolina Department of Tourism is not logging on here (they'd never let me back.) I was just expressing my opinions about the subject of home values in Udon Thani. For me, the subject includes a discussion about the relative value of living in Thailand. I am not "trolling"; I sincerely hold the views I've expressed here. This is the internet so I suppose anyone can login and say anything they want without having to look you in the eye or prove it.

Including you mate.

I've lived in Udon on and off over the years. I like Udon very much, it is really one of my favorite places in Thailand. Now, I am a student at a Thai university in Bangkok, which is not as nice.

What's wrong, can't hack the US schools.....or can't afford them? Has to be a reason you're still here as you've made it quite clear you prefer the US over Thailand. It's sad you live such an unfufilling life in a country you despise so.

There was a housing bubble in America and Europe from 2002 until about 2007. Just like in the stock market bubble of the 1990s, buyers bid-up home prices beyond their intrinsic value. The market is in the process of readjusting home prices to their more rational valuations as happened to most internet and technology stocks after 2000. This process takes longer in housing as it is a more illiquid asset. I think many of you perhaps bought or sold your homes during the bubble which is not a true reflection of your homes value. I think that we have to wait another 6 months to a year to see where prices settle back in the US and Europe. I think if you are basing your opinion on what the US housing market was during the bubble years, it is not a valid comparison.

I hear a lot of anti-American rhetoric on these boards, which has become quite fashionable. People have short memories. While they were in power, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were deeply hated, especially in Western Europe. Yet, because of their sacrifices and policies, millions of people in Eastern Europe experience freedom and democracy and have even become members of the EU.

It is obvious from my posts that I think poorly of Thailand, its culture, and its people. When I first came to live here, the opposite was true. My opinion about Thailand is a result of having lived here for years and learned as much as I could about the country, culture, language, and people. The more I learned about it, the more I disliked it. Regardless of how long we live here, how many wives or children we have, or how much we assimilate into the culture, we will always be a "farang" to them, an outsider, a permanent tourist. Most of us are probably too drunk on women or beer to know or care one way or the other.

Guess you're just a masochist; otherwise you'd leave and never come back......a very simple solution.



Is it real? Maybe. Or maybe it just proves the adage, familiarity breeds contempt. I think white foreigners who somehow feel "integrated" into Thai culture or "at home" here are just deluding themselves. It's OK to enjoy the women and beer, but don't confuse it with what's real. I don't necessarily look down on Thailand, etc. It's more that I see our cultures as being so different, opposite really, in so many fundamental ways as to make it inevitable that we would not get along.

Okay, thanks I will. Funny, the women and beer here seem real enough.....guess I'm just not a 'deep thinker' like some folks.

At any rate, if you feel comfortable buying a house here and feel as though it is "home," then that is your experience and you really can't argue with someone's experience. I'm quite envious of white foreigners who can feel at home here but for me, I just can't knowing what I know.

Ahhhhhh.........the truth comes out........I thought that was it.

That's okay mate, a little geen-eyed envy never hurt anyone; good luck in SC.