News Forum - European tourists decline by 50% in Koh Kut amid global tensions

[garyknrd]

I am from the US, I own my home 100%, car 100% no debts. I enjoy Thailand when I go, but it is much cheaper for me to live in the US than Thailand. Only problem I have with Thailand is, it is a pain in the A$$ if you want to stay 6 months. So, I usually go to South America now. Used to go to Mexico but the Peso is so strong now it is not a good option. But, 6 months hassle free there and 6 months of a royal pain in Thailand. For me to come and stay any length of time they would have to increase the visa to 90 days with the option of another 90 days.  The same as I enjoy in South America. In Mexico I get 6 months at the border. 

I have read many places in Europe are in or heading into recession. So, it may be a while before the numbers pick back up. Europe and China are the main tourists in Thailand I think, and both are financially strapped now. Hopefully it will pick back up soon.

Edited November 25, 2023 by garyknrd

[PhuketBloke]

Same for me in Thailand, I own the house and car, and in England, a house or two are rented out providing a pension income,  but it is still a lot cheaper to live in Thailand than it is in the UK.

It took me two hours to get a year-long visa in Thailand,  I arrived on a 90-day vida, you then just put 800k baht in a bank or show an income of a certain amount, fill in a few pieces of paper once a year and that is that.

Plus I can imagine it is a lot safer here than it is in South America, even North American countries such as Mexico are not safe as was my feeling on my short trip there. 

[garyknrd]

On 11/15/2023 at 3:32 AM, Khunmark said:

I personally miss timber walls in the house. If you’ve ever done any renovations you would choose timber over masonry. I figure timber is not used in construction because there is a lack of appropriate milling and treatment facilities in Thailand. But if construction Timbers were readily available I’d be choosing that option in a heartbeat.

Same here, I have a home in the US over 40 years old on a slab and timber construction. I can do renovations fairly easily. And also I replace drywall and other things easily. Home after 40 years old is in very good condition. I lived in Thailand for years and always was wanting to insulate and make the places energy efficient. The construction there is so cheap and inefficient I always just shook my head in disbelief.  Even the upscale homes there were not insulated. What is up with that? They look nice but single pane windows, no insulation what so ever except in the ceiling some time. 

You need to remember Thailand stripped their natural resources such as timber many many years ago. They do not have it to build with.

Edited November 25, 2023 by garyknrd

[garyknrd]

24 minutes ago, PhuketBloke said:

 

Plus I can imagine it is a lot safer here than it is in South America, even North American countries such as Mexico are not safe as was my feeling on my short trip there. 

Yes, that is very true. 

[PhuketBloke]

On 11/25/2023 at 9:28 PM, garyknrd said:

Same here, I have a home in the US over 40 years old on a slab and timber construction. I can do renovations fairly easily. And also I replace drywall and other things easily. Home after 40 years old is in very good condition. I lived in Thailand for years and always was wanting to insulate and make the places energy efficient. The construction there is so cheap and inefficient I always just shook my head in disbelief.  Even the upscale homes there were not insulated. What is up with that? They look nice but single pane windows, no insulation what so ever except in the ceiling some time. 

You need to remember Thailand stripped their natural resources such as timber many many years ago. They do not have it to build with.

Well, that is the problem, if you had a house made of brick and steel-reinforced concrete frames you would not have to keep on fixing those flimsy drywall walls.

A house in the UK that is 40 years old is regarded as almost new, some houses are hundreds of years old, plus we have brick/concrete buildings a couple of thousand years old, none of those are made of wood and chipboard like the houses I have seen in the USA while working there.

I lived in one and you could hear every footstep around the house, the walls were flimsy and I could see how the walls could be punched in as some Americans seem to do when they are angry, try doing that here.

I remember the ones in New Jersey and Texas, they looked like extended garden sheds.

You only need to have the roof insulated here as I have done with 12-inch thick insulation in a foil jacket.

Double-glazed windows are not much use here as most of the heat is from radiated heat so would go through double-glazed windows.

The method here to keep the sun out is to have the windows tinted and to have large overhangs so the walls and the windows are shaded from direct sunlight as much as possible.

There are some wooden houses in Thailand and even the Thai name for them is "Knock-Downs" due to the low quality of wooden houses compared to the now standard way of building in Thailand.

I am not talking of some of the poor quality village houses but the ones built by professional quality builders.

 

[garyknrd]

8 hours ago, PhuketBloke said:

Well, that is the problem, if you had a house made of brick and steel-reinforced concrete frames you would not have to keep on fixing those flimsy drywall walls.

A house in the UK that is 40 years old is regarded as almost new, some houses are hundreds of years old, plus we have brick/concrete buildings a couple of thousand years old, none of those are made of wood and chipboard like the houses I have seen in the USA while working there.

I lived in one and you could hear every footstep around the house, the walls were flimsy and I could see how the walls could be punched in as some Americans seem to do when they are angry, try doing that here.

I remember the ones in New Jersey and Texas, they looked like extended garden sheds.

You only need to have the roof insulated here as I have done with 12-inch thick insulation in a foil jacket.

Double-glazed windows are not much use here as most of the heat is from radiated heat so would go through double-glazed windows.

The method here to keep the sun out is to have the windows tinted and to have large overhangs so the walls and the windows are shaded from direct sunlight as much as possible.

There are some wooden houses in Thailand and even the Thai name for them is "Knock-Downs" due to the low quality of wooden houses compared to the now standard way of building in Thailand.

I am not talking of some of the poor quality village houses but the ones built by professional quality builders.

Well, those single pane windows are like the street and neighbors are living in your living room. I must disagree. I have seen so many run down homes in Thailand , doors falling off, windows in shambles. On and on. No up keep what so ever. Even if you have a concrete house it needs maintenance. Personally with my insulated walls, ceiling, window.. Central A/C, I hear no outside noise. So, I disagree with you. 

[PhuketBloke]

On 11/27/2023 at 9:29 PM, garyknrd said:

Well, those single pane windows are like the street and neighbors are living in your living room. I must disagree. I have seen so many run down homes in Thailand , doors falling off, windows in shambles. On and on. No up keep what so ever. Even if you have a concrete house it needs maintenance. Personally with my insulated walls, ceiling, window.. Central A/C, I hear no outside noise. So, I disagree with you. 

I suppose in the USA there are no run-down houses, no unkempt houses, the trailer parks are a great place to live and the numerous tent cities are of great quality and the must be a queue for accommodation there.

You need to compare like for like if you are comparing a solid concrete frame house with a steel framed roof, covered in thick concrete tiles with a  timber-framed, chipboard house with a thin felt foof or whatever it is called then obviously Thai houses are of better quality.

If the houses are left to run down in poor areas, those poor areas are still much better than the poor trailer park and tent city areas in the USA. 

Yes, Thai houses need to be maintained but much less often than a wooden house, the quality of a house is not defined by how the owner maintains it.