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I don't mean to discourage you but I searched Bangkok and Pattaya stores of all kinds for several years to no avail. The stuff they sell in pharmacies is not what you are looking for. If Home works or Home pro carries it, that is news to me, I looked and asked there several times. Thais seem never to have even heard of household ammonia. I truly believe it is not available in Thailand. Even the folks at Villa drew a blank when I inquired at several of their stores.
We use it as a general kitchen/bath cleaner in the U.S. mixing in a spray bottle around 30% household ammonia with 80% water. It works wonderfully well on practically everything except wooden surfaces.
And, yes, mixed with chlorine bleach it can produce an explosive and noxious gas.
Posts I've Made
In Topic: Why Did You Decide To Leave Thailand?
2012-04-25 01:05:50
chiang mai, on 2012-04-24 08:04:15, said:
GuestHouse, on 2012-04-24 05:31:25, said:
JAFO, on 2012-04-22 09:18:09, said:
I have found over my years here that no one comes here for the same reasons. Sure there are commonalities but all have different reasons. I have also that found that UK folks vehemently defend their move to Thailand far more then US folks. As I continue to read it appears(Based on posts I have absolutely no hands on experience living in the UK) living in the UK is pretty bad. I am a US citizen(California) and am moving back to the US in a few weeks. I have been here 5+ years and have seen enough to know that while there are many things I like here what you give up is far to great.
During my stay here I have come to find that it is hard to find quality people to build friendships with. IMHO there are far more "runaways" here due to a bad life back in their home countries and this behavior is carried with them. Its also interesting in the fact something had been gnawing at me and I was really unable to put my finger on it until I went to get my Visa to leave. The entire 90 day check in thing is actually somewhat humiliating as it feels like you are checking with your Thai parole officer and if you miss you are in violation and stand to be fined or deported. 5+ years back when I arrived this was not a big deal but as time has gone on its really an annoyance and one you cannot insulate yourself from. Again comparing my life in US to here, there are some hard negatives living in Thailand that as a friend stated "Just cannot be balanced out". I am not going to list them as most certainly someone will cut and paste and take out of context.
I will say In the beginning I enjoyed what I perceived as "More freedom" here and less bureaucracy but as time goes on that plays against you. I believe most people have basic expectations on how things should be and you quickly find that those perceived freedoms also allow bad behaviors where a great number of folks can act like morons(Thais included) and there is virtually no enforcement or path for one to take to stop it. There is a lot of interference from the government to order things you need or want to buy or working the type of jobs you may want to. There is a ton of discrimination here Thais to Thais in the work place. Just read an ad on the internet and in the paper. As an expat(who does not want to marry and have everything in his Thai wifes name)you cannot establish a loan for a home. Sure developers will float you a 5 year note but you will be done. But in general you are forced to pay everything in cash which all seems great until you find that you cannot leverage your equity or assets to get cash should something arise where that is required. Good luck trying to sell your place should something require you to exit Thailand. Some houses never sell. Loans for used homes are very hard to secure. You are also not free of cheaply made houses and the neighbor who decided to open up a noodle or karaoke restaurant next door to your house. You also cannot own the land you have your house built on. While the US has its faults for sure at least it has an infrastructure and some discipline and your neighborhoods are zoned to control inconsiderate people and you have a system to take action should that happen. Here its who ever gives the police more money prevails.
One thing very clear to me is it is cheap to live poor and expensive as hell to live a normal middle class like most grownups want to do. Moving here on a fixed income is something I would never recommend unless you left your money in your bank and a path back to your home country. Things are far to unstable here to call it "Home". There are far to many variables that can take you from comfortable to broke in no time and if you are past your employment years you have no means to supplement your income.
As for why I am moving back, the major reason is I can buy a nicer house on some land(in my name), own a better car(for less money), Work in any field I want, buy better quality clothes for the same price and have a better living lifestyle then I do here for about the same overall cost and with less friction and I do not feel limited. It is simple as that. I am not saying Thailand is bad and a horrible place, it may work for some. I am moving for me and where I am at California is simply better. I mean its why we moved around right? I saw opportunities but after I landed and lived it and I dove into Thailand and as I peeled the onion back it gets a bit hard to manage basic daily life. I did not come here to live on a 100 baht a day like a peasant. While some find it fun, it wears thin very very fast. I moved here as I saw what appeared to be a better place and I wanted to come see. For me its not. No harm no foul. Thailand is a great vacation destination
During my stay here I have come to find that it is hard to find quality people to build friendships with. IMHO there are far more "runaways" here due to a bad life back in their home countries and this behavior is carried with them. Its also interesting in the fact something had been gnawing at me and I was really unable to put my finger on it until I went to get my Visa to leave. The entire 90 day check in thing is actually somewhat humiliating as it feels like you are checking with your Thai parole officer and if you miss you are in violation and stand to be fined or deported. 5+ years back when I arrived this was not a big deal but as time has gone on its really an annoyance and one you cannot insulate yourself from. Again comparing my life in US to here, there are some hard negatives living in Thailand that as a friend stated "Just cannot be balanced out". I am not going to list them as most certainly someone will cut and paste and take out of context.
I will say In the beginning I enjoyed what I perceived as "More freedom" here and less bureaucracy but as time goes on that plays against you. I believe most people have basic expectations on how things should be and you quickly find that those perceived freedoms also allow bad behaviors where a great number of folks can act like morons(Thais included) and there is virtually no enforcement or path for one to take to stop it. There is a lot of interference from the government to order things you need or want to buy or working the type of jobs you may want to. There is a ton of discrimination here Thais to Thais in the work place. Just read an ad on the internet and in the paper. As an expat(who does not want to marry and have everything in his Thai wifes name)you cannot establish a loan for a home. Sure developers will float you a 5 year note but you will be done. But in general you are forced to pay everything in cash which all seems great until you find that you cannot leverage your equity or assets to get cash should something arise where that is required. Good luck trying to sell your place should something require you to exit Thailand. Some houses never sell. Loans for used homes are very hard to secure. You are also not free of cheaply made houses and the neighbor who decided to open up a noodle or karaoke restaurant next door to your house. You also cannot own the land you have your house built on. While the US has its faults for sure at least it has an infrastructure and some discipline and your neighborhoods are zoned to control inconsiderate people and you have a system to take action should that happen. Here its who ever gives the police more money prevails.
One thing very clear to me is it is cheap to live poor and expensive as hell to live a normal middle class like most grownups want to do. Moving here on a fixed income is something I would never recommend unless you left your money in your bank and a path back to your home country. Things are far to unstable here to call it "Home". There are far to many variables that can take you from comfortable to broke in no time and if you are past your employment years you have no means to supplement your income.
As for why I am moving back, the major reason is I can buy a nicer house on some land(in my name), own a better car(for less money), Work in any field I want, buy better quality clothes for the same price and have a better living lifestyle then I do here for about the same overall cost and with less friction and I do not feel limited. It is simple as that. I am not saying Thailand is bad and a horrible place, it may work for some. I am moving for me and where I am at California is simply better. I mean its why we moved around right? I saw opportunities but after I landed and lived it and I dove into Thailand and as I peeled the onion back it gets a bit hard to manage basic daily life. I did not come here to live on a 100 baht a day like a peasant. While some find it fun, it wears thin very very fast. I moved here as I saw what appeared to be a better place and I wanted to come see. For me its not. No harm no foul. Thailand is a great vacation destination
One of the best posts I've seen on ThaiVisa.
We have grown ups amongst us.
Aboslutely agree, it's very very good all entirely true.
This is also my story in every particular with one addition. After 7 years living in three different provinces of Thailand, I, too have returned to California where for me the cost of living is about the same (I kept my house here) and the weather is infinitely better for me. But the additional factor causing me to return was my age and health. Approaching 70 years old, I found that arthritis and a lower energy level made life in LOS just too difficult especially living in a place where there are no taxis and where driving is far too stressful for me. Upon realizing these drawbacks, the other ones mentioned by the OP surfaced, for example the attitude at Immigration for 90-day reporting , being stopped while driving for the police shakedowns, etc,. and these simply tipped the scale. I've been back in California for almost a year now and I've never been happier in my daily living. My long-time Thai partner will be joining me this summer to begin his MBA program at a university here in California. I do believe that each one of us is responsible for our own happiness and in my long life have never allowed myself to become a victim. I truly enjoyed my life in LOS for about 5 years, but it was time for me to move on.
