InVinoVeritas

It would be good to know the areas to avoid, I presume Pattaya is one

I'm visiting Chiang Mai, Pai and Mae Hong Son in November, hopefully these places are OK expat-wise?

Stuurman

Chiang Mai expats are very much different than the ones you find in Pattaya and Phuket. There are much more couples and families here. There is also a big group of young online entrepreneurs (calling themselves digital nomads) who use Chiang Mai as a base. It's estimated about 40K Farang, that's how western expats are called by the Thai, are living in and around Chiang Mai.

November is a great time to visit, nice cool evenings and nights and clear blue skies during the day. The Mae Hong Son loop is a great trip but I advise you to do it with your own transport, either by car or motorbike. Some very brave ones even do it with their bicycle

If you need info or tips let me know.

nonthaburi

It all depends what you're in to really. I wouldn't say to avoid anywhere, it's just that in my opinion, the more foreigners who go to a place the worse the Thai people are. Tourist areas tend to attract people looking for the easy money with all that entails.

Personally I like the landscape of the South but not the people, and the people of the Northeast but not the landscape. Bit of a problem really as they're a good 1000km+ apart.

Thaiger

I think his wife could well be a victim of the lawyers to some degree here as well. She has ended up penniless and in jail. What they say about following the money to find the real criminals is usually true, and in this case the lawyers have ended up with all the money. It would have been quite easy for them to apply some means of pressure on his wife in order to essentially frame her, and that's what it looks like they've done to me.

Shame the BBC didn't try to speak to her for her side of the story, sadly the British media still regard South East Asian females as irrelevant third worlders whose views aren't important.

Nonetheless, it should serve as a warning against getting too involved in Thailand before you know the rules, and that applies to matters of the heart as well as the law. There is an abundance of really great people in Thailand, but if you're rocking a bar stool in the likes of Patong or Pattaya you aren't even going to see them, never mind get to know them.

Outside of the southern tourist ghettos it's a truly fantastic country which, after living there on and off for over 20 years, i still truly adore, but there are some crap areas and some terrible people there as well, just as there are in every country. Failing to understand the lay of the land before jumping in head first is almost always the starting point of stories where people have gotten into trouble in Thailand. It's definitely a place you need to visit, preferably for several months, before committing to anything.

bakedbean

Good first post..... Welcome to the forum !