From the little I read of this thread, I don't think it is at all fair or even sensible to just lump Thailand and PI together as being comparable when it comes to crime and overall amount of nuisance.
Another Day in Manila
- Thread starter jay helfert
- Start date
?? Hmm.. You seem to be stereotyping the "lady boys". They are people just like any one else. I was told by a lady female expat from Britain that a lot of the lady boys come about because their parents had no daughters, and so would treat their youngest son as the "girl" of the family, with all the family roles that includes.
The few that hung out in the snooker hall I played in and with the Thai band we hung out with were nice enough.. Had no problems at all, but I think that might be because I have a generally positive attitude toward the citizens of the foreign countries I visit.
I'd be interested in what your actual experiences have been that you stereotype them as "foul creatures". Did you get drunk one night and get picked up by one?
I'm not sure that I've ever really characterized ANY whole subset of a culture with such a judgemental term as "foul creatures". Not sure how you come to that feeling when the Thais seem to accept the katoyahs just fine.
Please explain your view on them, since you seem to feel quite strongly on the matter.
Short Bus Russ
I got a good suggestion today from a friend. So next time I will take more pics of the pool rooms I visit and show the tables, the lighting, the cues, the works! You will get an idea of what these little hole-in-the-wall places are like. For me it's a throwback to being a young gun again, out looking for action every day. And in Manila and the environs you can definitely find it. EVERYONE gambles here!
The only real difference for me now (besides being much older) is that now the money means little and once upon a time it was my livelihood. I can clearly remember how good it felt to make $50 in a day playing pool back in the 60's. My rent was only $25 a week!Funny, but the economy in the Philippines today is a lot like the economy in the U.S. back in the 60's. You can rent a decent small apartment for $25 a week or $100 a month in parts of Manila right now. $500 a month is considered a very good income and many people work full time (50 hours +) for a lot less.
P.S. Why does this thread feel like it's really two separate threads at once? :scratchhead:
No worries Jay, if i have time, i will shoot some pictures of the small pool hall in the side streets so everyone can see it
TheThaiger
Banned
You'll find very, very few expats or long termers in Thailand that will have anything to do with them at all. There are very good reasons for this. You are more than welcome to go over and see what they are like for yourself, but if you want my advice, steer well clear.
TheThaiger
Banned
Quite right. Thailand is virtually crime free, whereas I hear PI is quite hairy. I'll get clarification on the differences from JB, our resident expert on all things Thai and Filipino.
Isn't public canning the main form of punishment in Thailand.
I'll be right there baby, oooh owwww, give me another one please sir.
I'll be right there baby, oooh owwww, give me another one please sir.
Public canning, Terry? I know that the mafia in NY is known to make people disappear into 55-gallon cans (drums), but they do that silently -- <poof!> that person disappears and you never see them again. But public canning?
-Sean
You got it http://www.nationmaster.com/compare/Philippines/Thailand/Crime
Thank you google. Looks like you are wrong again.
because it is!
It really is two threads. Thanks for hanging in there and adding to it, Jay.
As far as the other topic goes, keep in mind that you should never try to teach a pig to dance; it annoys the pig and wastes your time. I know there are many variations, but you get the point. Or ... never wrestle with a pig; you both get dirty, but only the pig enjoys it.
Pass the popcorn.
Karl
It really is two threads. Thanks for hanging in there and adding to it, Jay.
As far as the other topic goes, keep in mind that you should never try to teach a pig to dance; it annoys the pig and wastes your time. I know there are many variations, but you get the point. Or ... never wrestle with a pig; you both get dirty, but only the pig enjoys it.
Pass the popcorn.
Karl
TheThaiger
Banned
Again?
That site is annoying and the crime stats meaningless... Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence. Clearly, as the more developed country, Thailand will have a more robust law enforcement structure, hence more overall reported crimes, but the biggies, such as murder, are far more common in PI (45% higher). I know where I'd feel safer. And let's not even go down the muggings and pick pocketing route...
In terms of crime perpetrated against foreigners, which is relevant to this discussion, I'd say you are far more likely to be a victim of crime in PI then Thailand. It was my experience that Thailand was exceptionally safe for foreigners. Tell me, John, during your extensive stays in these countries - 2 whole days in PI only, I believe - didn't you find this to be the case?
Maybe you could invite yourself to lunch and have a proper chat about it with all your imaginary friends? Failing that, why don't you spend a little time in each country and find out for sure?
There are some foul creatures on AZ these days, that's for sure. Good to see you posting, Russ!
I already said I don't know anything about Thailand. So I have to rely on Google to help me check your comments. You said farang means sub-human scum, that has been proven wrong. You said Thailland has no crime. That is clearly wrong even without checking but after checking it's definitely wrong.
The point of all this is that Pangit, and now YOU, are trying hard to RUIN Jay's great trip reporting. So continue to be a/an ____________ if you like. Apparently you are very very good at being one. Must have made your time in Thailand (if you were even there) really special for you.
P.S. I think you are confused. My friends are real. The conversation I didn't have with them is the one where I ask them to comment on your idiotic notions. The conversation I did have with them was about the tournament, the venue and the chicken hearts and flamed sushi we were eating.
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I've been home for two days so this trip report is officially canceled! :wink:
As for me, my personal experience after extensive time in both countries is that I feel safer on the streets of Manila at night than I do on the streets of Los Angeles! You can substitute any major U.S. city for Los Angeles and I would say the same thing.
P.S. In my second book there will be a story about my trip to Thailand (in 1978) when a taxi driver and his friend "attempted" to rob me. Let's just say they made a bad choice. :angry:
As for me, my personal experience after extensive time in both countries is that I feel safer on the streets of Manila at night than I do on the streets of Los Angeles! You can substitute any major U.S. city for Los Angeles and I would say the same thing.
P.S. In my second book there will be a story about my trip to Thailand (in 1978) when a taxi driver and his friend "attempted" to rob me. Let's just say they made a bad choice. :angry:
Thanx for the thread, Jay.
I wasn't contributing but I read every word.
You 'travel well'.
Many people are 'club med' types who don't seem to enjoy different cultures.
I tell them to have a look around...if you don't like it, go home.
..and there were two threads but I kinda liked it.
It was like watching live streaming and following the chat part also.
JB and The Thaiger are good opponents.
I wasn't contributing but I read every word.
You 'travel well'.
Many people are 'club med' types who don't seem to enjoy different cultures.
I tell them to have a look around...if you don't like it, go home.
..and there were two threads but I kinda liked it.
It was like watching live streaming and following the chat part also.
JB and The Thaiger are good opponents.
You could stumble drunk out of a cab in Thailand onto the hariest, most "gang infested" street in Bangkok with 5000 US on you at 3 in the morning, and not a thing would happen to you other than a few drunk "mafia" motorbike guys laughing at you. It's an amazing country that way. Anyway, i'm not sure how useful those stats are -- I mean yeah, if you're a Thai woman and you go hit on another Thai woman's man... some shite will go down, haha -- but that doesn't pertain to most.
+1
And I do agree that JB and The Thaiger are good opponents. My previous post wasn't aimed at either. It was an attempt to be clever and to say that they won't agree on anything. Is the sky blue, guys?
Karl
So what? That could be anywhere. The very fact that you used the terms "gang infested" and "mafia" to describe the environment and the people indicates that there IS crime. Maybe Thaiger meant that he thinks Thailand is safer for foreigners than the Philippines are.
It's hilarious that he wants to say his "boots on the ground" experience should be taken as gospel but Jay's is somehow not valid????
Could be. Seems from the stats that Thailand certainly locks more people up.
Like Jay I have been around and have grown up in some pretty tough neighborhoods in my life. I have never been afraid to walk down any street. Not because I am some gung-ho tough guy ready and able to fight my way out of any situation. No, it's because I have a basic trust that if you treat people as people then you get respected back. So far that has worked for me in Taiwan, the Philippines, China, Turkey, all around Europe, and all over the USA.
I gamble with "mafia types" and never worry about it. The only time I have EVER been genuinely afraid is in North Carolina when some drunks in a bar that was out in the woods in a mobile home started getting real threatening after some barking about making a game. Not wanting to get taken out in the woods and shot I just backed off and let them calm down.
Crime is everywhere. For every story you tell about rolling out of a taxi at 3am in the midst of a mafia gang without being accosted there are stories of tourists who got scammed, pickpocketed, roofied, etc....to deny that it happens in Thailand is naive. It happens every where that targets gather.
https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=robbed+in+thailand
So there is crime in Thailand. It's like everywhere else, protect yourself. Maybe you, the white western tourist, is beneath the contempt of the "mafia" types so they don't violently rob you when they can but I assure you that, even without going there, I know that there are a lot of people looking to rob tourists when they can.
That's just human nature and prevalent in societies where some have a lot and some have very little.
TheThaiger
Banned
It's the gift that keeps on giving!
