[LivinLOS]

Ohh and why do I stay ??

Because the climate is good (though humid), cost of living is cheap, the food is appealing, simple pleasures like the beach or sailing are readily available to me, The infrastructure here on Phuket allows for (sometimes) fast internet, UBC with a lot of English channels, imported coffee beans, global supplies and services but with a total cost of living I can handle.

Add in that there is a fun nightlife, a pretty good fun bunch of expats (if you can keep your drinking under control), an yes a never ending stream of pretty women that want to be with you long or short term.

So you can have the good bits and minimize ther bad bits pretty simply, many guys I know live here cheaply on a diet of english breakfasts and pie and chips and whose interaction with Thais is ordering a new beer, complaining about thier young pretty girlfriend or haggling a *******. They stick to thier expat bars, with thier expat mates. So what if they are not 'respected' ?? They enjoy the life they are living. They dont need to 'integrate' much and many dont feel the desire to.