ONE OF OUR OWN WAS MURDERED IN BANGKOK

[broadway]

Wow! He was so aware of the cultural differences and was still a victim. I won't be visiting Thailand anytime soon so maybe he has saved someone else's life like mine... Thanks for the advice Troy!
Dom

[Bucktail]

there was something that chip had written a while back.  i pulled up some old e-mails and came across this. 

\

My recommendation is have a level-headed, but savvy Thai negotiate for you. You will need to decide your limit if you go ahead and pay the bribe. I'm sorry to say it's one of the many "realities" we face when we choose to live abroad. Being realistic about this country is the first step in accepting and subsequently being at peace with your new home. Many can't take it and become very negative towards Thais and this government and they eventually leave. I guess after 4 years I'm somewhere in the middle. I still want to be here but I struggle every day with the arrogance and aggression towards foreigners, as well as the blatant corruption. We can talk about safety in the future, but understand that foreigners are killed here on a regular basis. That said, most of those situations could have been avoided. A common example is a taxi driver will not start the meter and then throws a ridiculously high fare at the customer...the customer complains, then refuses and the taxi driver stabs or shoots him. Happens all the time. Life is incredibly cheap here - don't engage in a potentially fatal conflict over a few hundred baht. Unfortunately, some Thais will surely kill over such a small sum.

Don't mean to sound so negative, but as I said, accepting the reality is the first step in long-term happiness (and healthiness) here. It can be a wonderful place to live - it's by far my first choice in the region.

Take care

Chip

Wow!

[Dr. Jekyll - AKA MeL B]

Wow!
[/quote]

my initial reaction too, unbelievable!

[Alto Mare]

That is a shame. I would suggest that they remove that video clip, can't be good for the family

[conchydong]

Wow is right. After reading that e-mail, it was almost prophetic that he lost his life in that fashion. RIP

[Joel.B]

That email, the video clip.....makes me reconsider my attitude while in Mexico

I might have suffered a similar fate myself a few times, just luck got me through.   I used to get crazy angry over extortion, thievery etc....

I have a family now, less money than I ever had but so much more to lose ..... 

I wonder if Chip was just fed up at it all and snapped a little?   

In Mexico they try to extort you at the border, at the gas stations, certain policia in certain towns try to supplement their meager earnings with my money.......  I never gave in, I always stood my ground - heck I even slapped the mustache off a TJ cop who tried to take my wallet.... it can wear you down for sure.  I hate feeling helpless, powerless....for me it is the worst feeling in the world.

This thread is a game-changer for me.  Gives me a weird feeling in my gut. I did not know the man but his death has shaken me.

[TomT]

That email, the video clip.....makes me reconsider my attitude while in Mexico

I might have suffered a similar fate myself a few times, just luck got me through.   I used to get crazy angry over extortion, thievery etc....

I have a family now, less money than I ever had but so much more to lose .....

I wonder if Chip was just fed up at it all and snapped a little?   

In Mexico they try to extort you at the border, at the gas stations, certain policia in certain towns try to supplement their meager earnings with my money.......  I never gave in, I always stood my ground - heck I even slapped the mustache off a TJ cop who tried to take my wallet.... it can wear you down for sure.  I hate feeling helpless, powerless....for me it is the worst feeling in the world.

This thread is a game-changer for me.  Gives me a weird feeling in my gut. I did not know the man but his death has shaken me. Joel.B


X2 
I have a place in small town in Baja.  I have been going to Baja every year for many years and I just don't like being in the big cities.  If they need a taxi cab, it is probably too big a town for me.  That being said some of the best fishing in Baja is out of the 2 Los Cabos, just too much chaos for me on a daily basis.
    I remember the forum interaction between Chip & Gone Fishin, when GF was first moving.  For him to write what he did and then end up with the same fate as he predicted as possible is amazing!!  Wow again!!
TomT

[franky]

Gosh.  It is chilling just to read that and know it was exactly how he died.  It gave me chicken skin just thinking that its like he could see in the future and wrote down exactly how things would end.  Scary.

[Dynamo]

That's just plain terrible. Living in the good ol' USA one can forget the trials and tribulations people elsewhere go through in everyday life. Just plain sad....