Looking for an alternative
to Thailand
Some might have noticed that
ChristianPFC is less active on his blog and on the forums. Here is the reason.
Over the last 5 years I have
settled nicely in Thailand (many friends, a lot of traveling in Thailand or
visa runs, gay activities), and could continue for many years, but the day will
come when the Thai Embassy will not issue me another tourist visa, or
immigration refused me entry, or I lose my mind over gay dating bullshit.
Careful readers of my blog
might have noticed that I became disenchanted over the years and see more and
more negatives. Driving along Ngam Wong Wan Road in Bangkok: the boy who tried
to steal my camera lived there; passing through Pak Tho district in Ratchaburi
province: the time waster in Ladprao Soi 107 comes from here; and many more; of
which Ton SBP was particularly disappointing http://christianpfc.blogspot.tw/2017/05/dating-thai-boys-52-bfc4in2017-ton.html
Until 2016, I used to extend
my stay from 60 days to 90 days at immigration in Chaeng Wattana, now I stay only
60 days and am looking forward to my next trip to Myanmar or Taiwan.
Time for an in-depth analysis
of my situation!
Thai people
The Thai are fun-loving,
care-free, decision-procrastinating, non-commital,
not-considering-results-of-actions people, just the opposite of ChristianPFC!
That might be great for a holiday, but not so great to spend the rest of my
life here.
Others are less generous on
their judgment of Thai society:
“…let alone one from a
conformist, chauvinist, anti-intellectual culture like Thailand.”
I’m not happy in Thailand and
part of the problem is the people. With all my planning I cannot compensate for
their unreliability, with all my intellectual superiority (PhD in chemistry, four
foreign languages) I cannot compensate for their shortcomings. And all my
commitment cannot compensate for what I see as their deficiencies.
Friends recommended I look
for quality boys, but if I stop dating all those idiots, retards, money boys,
there is nobody left!
All superficial interactions (bus/train/taxi,
restaurant, hotel, hitchhiking, chatting to random strangers on the road) are
fine, if you avoid the scams in tourist areas. Thai people you meet only once
or deal with for business (restaurant, hotel, taxi) are nice, but when you
befriend someone they will soon ask to borrow money, often unreasonable
amounts, for unreasonable purposes, at unsuitable moments.
ChristianPFC
My Asperger Autism is worse
than I thought, and creates a problem in interaction with normal folk for
getting laid or with Human Resources for getting a job. Multitasking? Does
picking my nose while watching TV count? Work in a team? I’m fine with group
sex, but everything else I do better and faster alone. Working under pressure?
For ChristianPFC it’s not “fight or flight” it’s “freeze”.
For an Asperger Autist,
dating is a simple matter: “Shall we have intercourse? Yes/No? If yes, where
and when?” But others make it so very complicated!
Other foreigners in
Thailand
I’m not the only one who is
dissatisfied. A friend who participated many years in the trade got tired of
the attitude, bullshit, corruption, scams and now limits his stay in Thailand
to a few days each trip, on the way to elsewhere in SEAsia. Another friend also nowadays spends most of his holiday elsewhere. Yet another, would have preferred Indonesia, but a
long time stay there is difficult, so he settled in Thailand. Similar reports can
be found on https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/
which has gone quiet because the author has returned to his home country! And in
May 2017 I met a western guy in Taipei who spent many years in Thailand, but
then moved on to Taiwan (and is now doing visa runs from Taiwan to Thailand!).
But that’s only one side.
Many have settled down nicely in Thailand, be they single or married; in the
provinces or the cities, spending all their time in Thailand or splitting it
between Thailand and their home country, going native or creating their bubble.
Great for them, but unfortunately I haven’t found such a niche. Others might be more tolerant, alcohol probably helps. Or are they
simply stuck in Thailand because they don’t have the energy or money to go
elsewhere?
Time for a change
Personally and professionally
(my one year of employment in 2013), Thailand has been a dead end, or rather a
dead and being stuck in the mud.
I was looking for regular
free sex or even to finding a boyfriend, but after exploring all options the
only reasonable way to get sex is with moneyboys (online in Bangkok and in the
bars in Pattaya).
There is only so much
bullshit I can take. That level was exceeded long ago, but I’m a
procrastinator. But now it's time to move on!
Albert
Einstein said: "Life is
like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
I’m not a tree, if I don’t
like where I am, I can go elsewhere!
Where to go?
Which country will host me?
Which country shall I grace with my presence? The choice of countries and their
merits are the following:
Lao: almost the same as Thailand (language, culture) but not
much to do.
Malaysia and Indonesia: Muslim and homophobic, I don’t even have to check other
factors.
Singapore: too expensive and too small.
Cambodia: cuter boys than Thailand, long-time stay easy, but no
sightseeing to keep me occupied and language not useful elsewhere.
Vietnam: cute boys (but too pale for my taste), long-time stay
difficult, everything else fine (language could be useful for obtaining a job,
sightseeing opportunities for years).
Update: friend says visa situation has changed, not it is easier to long-stay in Vietnam than in Cambodia.
Update: friend says visa situation has changed, not it is easier to long-stay in Vietnam than in Cambodia.
Myanmar: cuter boys than Thailand, long-time stay difficult,
everything else fine (language could be useful for obtaining a job, sightseeing
opportunities for years). Myanmar would be my first choice if they had a long
time visa for tourists.
Taiwan: cute boys (but again, too pale for my taste), 90 days
visa free entry for Germans (awesome!), language could be useful for obtaining a
job, sightseeing opportunities for years.
Philippines: I haven’t been yet.
A friend pointed out that not
just Malaysia and Indonesia have homophobic laws, but Myanmar and Singapore as
well. But the difference is that in Myanmar and Singapore, these laws are a
remnants of British colonial rule and homophobia is not a cultural thing in
these countries. Whereas in Malaysia and Indonesia, homophobia comes with Islam
and is deeply rooted. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/05/indonesia-caning-of-gay-men-an-outrageous-act-of-cruelty/
Taiwan comes out on top!
And once there is an easy way
to stay in Myanmar longtime as a tourist, that will be another country I will definitely
afflict!
At this point, let me thank
everyone who paved my way to Taiwan. Without recommendations by fountainhall, confirmed
by another friend, I would never have strayed that far away from Thailand for a
visa run. And ultimately, above mentioned western guy said he was in my situation before.
The idea of spending more
time or even living in Taiwan can be traced back to an Email that I sent
stickman and that appeared in his column (in italics below) https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/weekly-column/2017/05/bargirl-relationships-today/,
but it took me a year to get it into my Thailand/Germany/visa runs/season of
the year rut.
26may2017
Having lived in Bangkok for 4 years (I can read and write Thai and
travel extensively), and been to Taipei twice for visa run, I have to say that
Taipei is better value for money. People are civilized, climate is temperate.
If I had known about Taiwan 6 years ago, I would probably have skipped Thailand
after a few holidays and settled in Taiwan.
Taipei, Taiwan, is where I am
now and taking full advantage of 90 days (awesome!) visa free stay for Germans.
As I wouldn’t want to stay longtime without speaking the language, and have
nothing else to do anyway (without speaking the language, being somewhere
for a longer time is not fun) I’m spending my time studying Chinese
language, which turns out to be a full-time occupation, much harder than Thai
was.
In my naïveté, I thought I
could study Chinese and in parallel continue blogging (and finish some old drafts
of time-consuming posts) and reading forums, but that was a misconception.
I’m busy studying, with very little time left, which I use for visits to gay
venues and hiking.
Whoever is missing my posts
can go here for entertainment: https://www.facebook.com/
Wish me luck, so I can be the
next westerner who switches from spending most of his time in Thailand to using
Thailand simply as a stopover and living elsewhere in South East Asia. And,
hopefully, finding a country where I shall feel more comfortable with the
population.
Details about living in
Taiwan compared to Thailand will follow.
Copyright 2018 ChristianPFC except pictures
