Originally Posted by frogblogger

My experience is that *some* don't particularly like the attitude of a certain sort of farang. Not the same thing at all. And quite understandable too, from what I've witnessed of the behaviour of a sizeable proportion of Western visitors.

Hold on there... I'm one of these expats, don't forget!

Well as you say - you certainly don't know me! Unlike many I live virtually entirely in the company of a broad cross section of Thais, mostly pretty poor. I am married to a Thai, have a Thai child. I live in a relatively poor area of Chiang Mai, with precisely the kind of neighbours one might think would resent the average farang, going from previous descriptions. So "Farang", how do you think it can be that I've avoided any difficulties?

Anyone can produce anecdotal accounts that prove nothing, for any country in the world. Bribery, corruption, cronyism, are big problems in this country, I certainly wouldn't suggest otherwise. But I can come up with horror stories for any nation - and they are of course meaningless, proving nothing on a national/cultural scale. Less of the patronising attitude too - I "pick up as many newspapers" as the next man.

Shame you haven't come to appreciate all that is beautiful about the country and its people. Your loss!

One thing you should have cottoned on to by now. I'm no mug. The main reason I've not had a problem in Thailand or anywhere else come to that is that generally speaking, I can see it coming. Those that have problems are usually the naive sort who are unable to adapt to different ways, and blunder around making mistake after mistake.

If you haven't understood that the only way someone like me can avoid the problems you refer to, is by being more aware of them than most, more adept at dealing with them, and in most cases pre-empting their becoming a problem in the first place, then I am beginning to understand why you are having such a hard time in Thailand!