Living in Thailand is easy for some and difficult for others. No matter where one lives in the world, one is beset by situations and circumstances that please or disgust. There is no perfect place devoid of unpleasant elements. It depends a lot on one's attitude and personal constitution. For some people, as the saying goes, the glass seems half-full, while to others, it is half-empty. What bothers me only a little, might greatly irritate someone else. Likewise, what annoys me a lot is of no consequence to others. Here are some of the good and bad points about living in Thailand as I see it. The good points must outweigh the bad for me, otherwise I would never have lived here nearly four years.
STARS
** The low cost of living
** The wonderful food (cheap, delicious, plentiful, varied)
** The beautiful women (if you are a normal healthy male)
** The beaches and natural beauty
** Thai smiles and friendly service
** The inexpensive and reasonably efficient transportation systems around the country
** The plentiful and decent accomodations for travellers
** The widespread use of English in Bangkok and other tourist spots
** Widely available Western stuff (from McDonalds to Blockbuster Video to Boots Drugstore
** The weather (sure it can be hot, but 35 degrees celcius certainly beats minus 10 degrees)
** Splendid culture (Thai dance;Buddhism;rituals and customs)
** The great location (central to travel everywhere in Asia)
DOGS
XX Double pricing for white faced foreigners
XX The pollution in Bangkok
XX The traffic jams in Bangkok
XX The sorry state of technology (from telephones to computers)
XX The stray mongrel dogs (everywhere!!)
XX The rich-poor gap within Thai society
XX The silly infatuation with white skin
XX The underlying violence and drug addiction
XX The rampant greed and consumerism
XX Thai politics
XX The corruption (from politicians to policemen to businessmen)
XX The filth and poor aesthetics from a lower standard of living
XX The sex industry (an immoral blight on the nation)
XX Thai education
XX The high value of 'face', surface and show