Comparing Living In Thailand And The Philippines

[afathertobe]

From my limited experience in the Phils and a lot of experience in Thailand (living, working, travelling) I don't think you will find quite the same cosmopolitan lifestyle that Bangkok offers if you have the cash for it.

 

The Thai construction sector and subsequently the offer of quality and competitively priced condos also seems better. It's just a more mature economy that has stagnated somewhat in the last decades. Even provincial towns in Thailand like Chiang Mai, Korat or Surat Thani easily compare to Cebu in terms of nightlife, shopping and quality of life from what I've seen.

 

But as others have stated, the two places are quite different culturally. I find the ease with which to have a decent conversation with people here refreshing, the openness to foreigners and the readiness to accept international influences is a great plus compared to Thailand. As you will know it's easy to make drinking buddies in Thailand if you are young and good looking, but few middle class city girls would consider seriously dating you let alone present you to their parents. Thailand is a lot more ethnocentric in this regard, only the poorest and the richest mingle with foreigners. Decent girls avoid foreigners like the plague, they don't want to be seen as a prostitute by their peers, face is important.

 

Seems to be completely different here, you can't walk around a shopping mall in the Phils without being the center of attention with all eyes on you. In fact you have to fend off the girls with a stick if you don't want to date it's that bad.

Edited September 2, 2014 by afathertobe

[MikeB]

I moved your post over to here and started a new thread. Please feel free to share your experiences in Thailand.

[afathertobe]

That was actually supposed to be a reply to a thread where people not only discussed costs, but also the relative merits of living in Bangkok and the Philippines.

[Methersgate]

I would just add that politically, Thailand is a bit "interesting" at the moment.

 

The Philippines is politically inert; nothing will ever change, 

 

Socially, the similarities between the middle classes are quite striking. 

[Methersgate]

Read carefully... 

 

Which country is being described here?

A good sign of oligarchy is the absence of a coherent, well-managed opposition; another is the easy and rapid movement of sor-sor [MPs] between so-called parties as shifting governing coalitions get formed. Ne Win was one day the right hand man of Thaksin, and the next the builder of the anti-Thaksin present Aphisit government.

Crucial to a successful oligarchy is astute control of the electoral system. After Indonesia undertook its first ‘free elections’ following the fall of Suharto -- elections which were hailed as democratization in the Western press -- I ran into a senior American colleague who specializes in electoral systems, and, in fact, advised the Indonesian government. When I asked him his opinion, he shook his head and said “They have the worst electoral system I have ever experienced. This is not an accident, nor a sign of stupidity. The political leaders knew exactly what they were doing in framing the laws on elections.”

You can spot oligarchies also by the hierarchical language they use to generate legitimacy. The key word to look out for is “give.” The kind-grandfather regime will “give’ the national grandchildren almost free education, subsidies for farmers, tsunami warning apparatuses, cheap loans, computers for elementary schools, blankets and seeds for ‘backward’ ethnic groups and so on. 

I am not a great admirer of either the US or the UK political system, but people in those two countries would find it odd and even insulting if the President or the Prime Minister talked about, say, ‘giving’ one million new jobs. I’m afraid that even the best Thai scholars do not yet pay enough detailed attention to the Thai oligarchy’s language. In Indonesia today, you will often find oligarchs complaining that the rakyat masih bodoh, which means the masses are still stupid/naïve. The phrase was coined in the period just after independence was achieved 60 years ago, when people thought this stupidity, created by the colonialists, would now soon disappear. Today the oligarchs without shame use the same language clearly meaning that the masses will always be stupid, and that is why the good-hearted fatherly oligarchy is necessary.

It is not a matter of great surprise that this fascination with pseudofeudal hierarchy is quite visible among the aspiring middle classes, but at this level without the word ‘give.’ 

In 1910, close to one third of the adult population of New York was working as maids, nannies, chauffeurs, guards and so on. Twenty years later, with the mass production of mechanical tools for cleaning and upkeeping houses, this population vanished.

Not so with the middle classes of oligarchic SE Asia, who also own these tools. Maids have become a sort of status symbol, and have frequently been abused physically, mentally, and financially, by the mother or grandmother of the bourgeois family – which tells you something about the mentality of quite a few middle class, maid-employing feminists. 

In the old days, feudal aristocrats regarded their servants as their entourage, and often kept up long-term relations with them. 

Middle class parents do not see the maids as ‘entourage,’ pay them stingily, and regularly fire them. The maids are usually regarded as unreliable, lying, thieving, and lazy girls – not people to be trusted.

This was written by an American professor in Bangkok, describing Thailand, in 2011, and republished in the Philippines, by a Filipino, as a description of the Philippines, earlier this year.

 

The whole thing is here:    

http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/2694

Edited September 2, 2014 by Methersgate

[afathertobe]

Well aware of the political situation, but don't think it impacts the daily life of expats all that much (yet). May change with someone's death, that's for sure, but currently it's surprisingly calm in BKK. 

[Methersgate]

Well aware of the political situation, but don't think it impacts the daily life of expats all that much (yet). May change with someone's death, that's for sure, but currently it's surprisingly calm in BKK. 

 

Agreed, but there seems to be the possibility of a real upheaval, since, as I understand it, the issue is essentially "country vs town" and the numbers on both sides are not dissimilar. It could become a real mess. 

The Filipinos are too cowed and browbeaten to try something similar, 

[Guy F.]

I've only been in Bangkok for a few days, so I don't know that much about Thailand. There is no doubt that all of the signage and other written material being in a language I can read gives the PI a huge advantage over Thailand.

[sjp52]

From my limited experience in the Phils and a lot of experience in Thailand (living, working, travelling) I don't think you will find quite the same cosmopolitan lifestyle that Bangkok offers if you have the cash for it.

 

The Thai construction sector and subsequently the offer of quality and competitively priced condos also seems better. It's just a more mature economy that has stagnated somewhat in the last decades. Even provincial towns in Thailand like Chiang Mai, Korat or Surat Thani easily compare to Cebu in terms of nightlife, shopping and quality of life from what I've seen.

 

But as others have stated, the two places are quite different culturally. I find the ease with which to have a decent conversation with people here refreshing, the openness to foreigners and the readiness to accept international influences is a great plus compared to Thailand. As you will know it's easy to make drinking buddies in Thailand if you are young and good looking, but few middle class city girls would consider seriously dating you let alone present you to their parents. Thailand is a lot more ethnocentric in this regard, only the poorest and the richest mingle with foreigners. Decent girls avoid foreigners like the plague, they don't want to be seen as a prostitute by their peers, face is important.

 

Seems to be completely different here, you can't walk around a shopping mall in the Phils without being the center of attention with all eyes on you. In fact you have to fend off the girls with a stick if you don't want to date it's that bad.

 

 

If this is true than why do a lot more foreigners go to Thailand then the Philippines. I always wondered why it is more popular in Thailand when a lot don,t have very good English skills. I thought most men come to Asia for the women, number one and every thing else is secondary. As much as I would like to try living in Thailand ( better food, cheaper accommodations, better infra structure ) I could never tear my wife away from her family.

[afathertobe]

 

From my limited experience in the Phils and a lot of experience in Thailand (living, working, travelling) I don't think you will find quite the same cosmopolitan lifestyle that Bangkok offers if you have the cash for it.

 

The Thai construction sector and subsequently the offer of quality and competitively priced condos also seems better. It's just a more mature economy that has stagnated somewhat in the last decades. Even provincial towns in Thailand like Chiang Mai, Korat or Surat Thani easily compare to Cebu in terms of nightlife, shopping and quality of life from what I've seen.

 

But as others have stated, the two places are quite different culturally. I find the ease with which to have a decent conversation with people here refreshing, the openness to foreigners and the readiness to accept international influences is a great plus compared to Thailand. As you will know it's easy to make drinking buddies in Thailand if you are young and good looking, but few middle class city girls would consider seriously dating you let alone present you to their parents. Thailand is a lot more ethnocentric in this regard, only the poorest and the richest mingle with foreigners. Decent girls avoid foreigners like the plague, they don't want to be seen as a prostitute by their peers, face is important.

 

Seems to be completely different here, you can't walk around a shopping mall in the Phils without being the center of attention with all eyes on you. In fact you have to fend off the girls with a stick if you don't want to date it's that bad.

 

 

If this is true than why do a lot more foreigners go to Thailand then the Philippines. I always wondered why it is more popular in Thailand when a lot don,t have very good English skills. I thought most men come to Asia for the women, number one and every thing else is secondary. As much as I would like to try living in Thailand ( better food, cheaper accommodations, better infra structure ) I could never tear my wife away from her family.

 

 

I think these are the relative pros of Thailand vs the Philippines:

 

- Safety: Though not in actuality a safe place, it feels a lot safer. No homeless kids, much fewer dodgy types hanging around, safe transportation and well-lit, lively streets at night make both residents and tourists feel very safe, even though plenty of violence and crime still happens.

 

- Nightlife/girls: If paying for sex is your thing nothing compares to Thailand. Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket are huge in that regard and extremely accessible even for really fresh off the plane foreigners. Major draw still for single and not so single men all around the world.

 

- Comfort: Thailand in many ways is a lot more developed, comfortable and convenient than PH. From the moment you arrive at the modern, huge airport, take the airport express train to the city and arrive in the hotel lobby, greeted by beautifully dressed, smiling staff, Thailand really caters to its tourists, especially the ones who are willing and able to pay good money for their stay. Transportation is easy, visiting places is easy, going out is easy, Thailand for most foreigners is Asia light, and very few adjustments have to be made.

 

- Food: well, that one is self-explanatory no?

 

- Service culture: I love the Sirs and Mams and the friendliness in PH, but service in general is just incredibly slow and annoying. I never have to wait half an hour to get a beer in a half empty restaurant in Thailand, or wait 5-10 minutes in a line in 7 Eleven, the whole service culture is a LOT more developed and efficient.

 

These in my opinion are the objective advantages of Thailand over the Philippines. You are right of course that it seems strange that foreigners marry Thai girls* they can hardly have a simple conversation with, but that's the reality. I really enjoy the fact that pepople here are so much more interesting to talk to, and a lot more open to foreign cultures than in Thailand. I wonder how many TH fans could be converted if they met some of the charming ladies here, but currently Thailand still has an edge over PH for many.

 

* bear in mind that the vast majority of men marry bar-girls from the North-Eastern region of Isaan, formerly a part of Laos. Very few marry decent, middle-class women which is a reason why Thais in general couldn't care less about foreigners marrying girls that are in their eyes both ugly and low class.

Edited September 3, 2014 by afathertobe