House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Booklady1017]

5 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Absolutely; her whole schtick about the kids and their comfort boiled down to HER getting what SHE wanted: a fancy large home in a gated community where she wouldn't have to mix with the locals and where she would have a huge modern kitchen and fancy bathroom.  At the end, when she behaved like having a kitchen that was not as well lit as she wanted was a huge sacrifice on her part; I did want to slap her.  Her husband, who I must give some credit since it seemed like he was learning the language, was equally annoying when he pondered whether he could live with a master bath without a separate shower and tub.  Oh, the humanity!

As for the kids, I have no words for why any parent would insist that their child must have a bedroom of a certain size and a private bath meeting the kid's specifications.  The wife kept complaining that a bedroom, with a double bed and room to walk around it, was much too small for their daughter.  Oh, come on!  Of course, most of her worries for her kids were more about her and, if indeed the kids were that anxious about moving to Bangkok, their nutty mom probably was a big reason for it.

If you're going to move to a big, busy city; the traffic and congestion can be a bit intimidating and exhausting at first.  The answer to that is to get out there and get used to it, not to lock yourself away behind locked gates.  Anyone wanna bet that Mama doesn't leave the compound for days or weeks at a time?  In the scenes where they were in the market trying new foods, did she ever take a bite of anything?  Or were the kids expected to taste new foods while she refused?

I have no problem with the fact they felt more comfortable in a gated community. But when the realtor gave them exactly what they wanted, they shouldn't have complained so much. I know it was more the wife than the husband. 

[doodlebug]

1 minute ago, Booklady1017 said:

I have no problem with the fact they felt more comfortable in a gated community. But when the realtor gave them exactly what they wanted, they shouldn't have complained so much. I know it was more the wife than the husband. 

I think I phrased it badly.  The wife kept going on and on about how they'd gotten too wrapped up in material things, the husband didn't want a big place because they'd just fill it up with stuff they didn't need like they'd done in Texas; they were claiming Bangkok was going to be an adventure for them, a chance to emphasize the culture and experiences and not things.  So, what do they do?  Find the most westernized, luxurious American style home in Bangkok, in a gated community to boot.  If they wanted to change their lifestyle, they had a wonderful opportunity to do so.  It was obvious to me that they didn't.

[buttersister]

Makes me wish they’d feature HH who walk the walk, not just talk the talk. But maybe those folks don’t want their lives on TV.

[kirklandia]

Bellingham is very outdoorsy, on a beautiful body of water near snow-covered mountains.  Just sayin'.

[Lemons]

On 3/8/2019 at 12:13 AM, twinks said:

I found the wife so annoying. She complained about nearly everything. Too small, too big, too dark...ugly tile, the kids, the kids! They were an odd bunch!

And the comments about the kid's bathrooms?  Who cares what they look like!  The kids don't.  She was using "the kids" to pick what she liked.  Kids are adaptable.  Middle aged white lady not so much.

[seacliffsal]

The House Hunters should stick to a consistent expectation.  On the Bangkok episode both the husband and wife completely contradicted themselves with each house.  Way too big, way too small... I think that the wife really didn't want to be there at all as she was talking about not wanting material things but in the next breath wanted things to be familiar.  They chose the best home for trying to not have too great of a lifestyle change in a next country/culture.  

[eel2178]

On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 5:39 PM, biakbiak said:

But most people in Bangkok in their class live like they do with western kitchens and bathrooms because of the massive amount of building and expansion that has occurred.

My opinion is still, if you want to live in a foreign country, then you should be there to embrace the opportunities to experience how the country's culture is different from your own, even if it would be considered slumming it for your present socio-economic class. It's the same concept of claiming you're going camping when you take an RV with all the amenities of home. If you really want to camp, then use a sleeping bag and light a campfire. If you want to sleep in a bed and cook on a stove, then rent a motel room. People should be camping to experience nature, not because they can't afford to spend their vacations indoors.

[CherryAmes]

2 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

My opinion is still, if you want to live in a foreign country, then you should be there to embrace the opportunities to experience how the country's culture is different from your own, even if it would be considered slumming it for your present socio-economic class.

I see your point but there are situations where you can still experience a new culture without putting yourself and your family at risk or making yourselves uncomfortable.

Edited March 10, 2019 by CherryAmes

[eel2178]

11 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

I see your point but there are situations where you can still experience a new culture without putting yourself and your family at risk or making yourselves uncomfortable.

I really don't think using a squat toilet and cooking on a wok is going to put anyone's life at risk.

[doodlebug]

19 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

I really don't think using a squat toilet and cooking on a wok is going to put anyone's life at risk.

No, but moving to another country is not like a camping trip, either.  Presumably, these people are going to be living there as a family for months and months, if not years.  While using a squat toilet and cooking with a wok might be traditional;if you're not used to using them, there is definitely a learning curve.  I've done volunteer work amongst the poor in several developing countries in South and Central America and in Africa.  I've been in situations where squat toilets (or no plumbing/facilities at all) is the norm.  I've been places where the locals live in 1 room thatched homes with dirt floors and cook on an open fire in the middle of their living space.  I was just visiting, but that stuff is stressful, and, I'd disagree that it can't put one's life at risk.  Parasitic illness due to lack of sanitary sewers is endemic in those places as are fires and burns and other injuries due to preparing food in primitive conditions.  And that stuff happens to natives who've been exposed to those conditions all their lives.  Putting people into those settings with no experience is probably even more likely to risk a life threatening problem.

I don't have any issue with people wanted modern amenities that are safer and cleaner than the traditional stuff. After all, it wasn't that long ago that the US had outhouses and coal stoves as the standard and I sure don't think we should go back to that. . I'm not too keen on people who move to a foreign land and consider themselves adventurous when they're living in a modern community for expats with the locals locked out of the compound, but I think there can be a realistic compromise between top-of-the line modern conveniences and living like the locals who, quite frankly, almost universally  wish they didn't have to live without decent plumbing and clean water and don't find collecting firewood to heat their homes and cook their food to be all that charming.

Edited March 10, 2019 by doodlebug

[CherryAmes]

11 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I think there can be a realistic compromise between top-of-the line modern conveniences and living like the locals who, quite frankly,a lmost universally  wish they didn't have to live without decent plumbing and clean water.

So much this!  My mother-in-law came to Canada as a war bride from Scotland and while her childhood home certainly couldn't be compared to life in a third world country it was small, smoky and inconvenient.  She would have laughed at anyone who went to live in Scotland (in the 40s needless to add) and decided that the only way to experience life in a different country was to live as the poorest citizens of said country lived.  Anyway lots of people deliberately choose to live uncomfortable lives for any number of reasons but the key word here is choice. 

Aside from which when I talked about putting one's life at risk I was actually thinking more of why expats might prefer a gated community.  We have close friends who lived in Kenya for a number of years (he was with the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi) and there was no way they were going to put themselves and their children at risk for the dubious benefit of being able to say they were living like the locals.

2 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

Edited March 10, 2019 by CherryAmes
Hit quote when I meant edit!

[CherryAmes]

2 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

Edited March 10, 2019 by CherryAmes

[doodlebug]

1 minute ago, CherryAmes said:

So much this!  My mother-in-law came to Canada as a war bride from Scotland and while her childhood home certainly couldn't be compared to life in a third world country it was small, smoky and inconvenient.  She would have laughed at anyone who went to live in Scotland (in the 40s needless to add) and decided that the only way to experience life in a different country was to live as the poorest citizens of said country lived.  Lots of people deliberately choose to live uncomfortable lives for any number of reasons but the key word here is choice.  

Aside from which when I talked about putting one's life at risk I was actually thinking more of why expats might prefer a gated community.  We have close friends who lived in Kenya for a number of years (he was with the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi and there was no way they were going to put themselves and their children at risk for the dubious benefit of being able to say they were living like the locals.

I think that in countries like Kenya and El Salvador where there is very significant risk of civil unrest, violent crime, even terrorism; it is practically mandatory to live in places that are gated and, in many cases, even have armed security.  Foreigners, especially Americans, can be targeted in many places and I don't think anyone should ignore those risks.  I don't know that Bangkok is particularly dangerous, though.

BTW, I only singled out El Salvador and Kenya because I've personally been to those countries  And, yes, in both cases, I stayed in a locked facility.  In Kenya, there were guards with AK-47's patrolling the compound which was surrounded by fences topped with barbed wire.

[biakbiak]

36 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

I really don't think using a squat toilet and cooking on a wok is going to put anyone's life at risk.

Neither of those things is a defining characteristic of Thai culture and you can use a wok on the stove in the house that went with just as easily as you can on a two burner hot plate that can be all that’s available in an apartment of a lower price point. 

I am sure they will have plenty of opportunities to use a squat toilet when they are out and about but those are getting rarer in Bangkok as infrastructure improves. 

Edited March 10, 2019 by biakbiak

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

s.  I don't know that Bangkok is particularly dangerous, though.

There have been several high profile murders of westerners in Bangkok and violent crime and robberies are on the rise. Gated communities and high rises  with a lot of security are not just for foreigners many local people who have money live that way as well.

Edited March 10, 2019 by biakbiak

[eel2178]

41 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

.  While using a squat toilet and cooking with a wok might be traditional;if you're not used to using them, there is definitely a learning curve. 

 I was able to master the squat toilet on the moving bullet train.

42 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

 it wasn't that long ago that the US had outhouses and coal stoves as the standard and I sure don't think we should go back to that. .

This is still the norm today in some homes in Appalachia.

[TwirlyGirly]

14 hours ago, eel2178 said:

<snip> It's the same concept of claiming you're going camping when you take an RV with all the amenities of home. If you really want to camp, then use a sleeping bag and light a campfire. If you want to sleep in a bed and cook on a stove, then rent a motel room. People should be camping to experience nature, not because they can't afford to spend their vacations indoors.

Exactly! "Glamping" is not camping. Don't tell me how much you love nature and camping out if your idea of camping is to drag all the comforts of home along with you into the woods. Just sayin'.

13 hours ago, biakbiak said:

<snip>

I am sure they will have plenty of opportunities to use a squat toilet when they are out and about but those are getting rarer in Bangkok as infrastructure improves. 

As a person with a disability who uses a manual wheelchair for mobility, I've always wondered what people who cannot stand up nor squat do in countries where squat toilets are the norm? (I've also noticed, particularly in Asian countries, the attitude towards people with disabilities isn't very inclusive, generally). So is the prevailing thought "People with disabilities should be kept at home, cared for by their families, so making public spaces accessible isn't a priority"?

[abbyzenn]

Yes the Austin to Bangkok wife was awful.  To me it wasn't so much that she wanted a modern kitchen and bathroom but that she kept harping about the materialism in her Austin neighborhood and that she wanted her family to experience something different.   What did annoy was that then she compared everything unfavorably to her Austin house.  I'd bet that she doesn't make any Thai friends or for that matter comes into contact with any Thais that aren't waiting on her.  Also bugged that she made some comment about her kids having to go to a culturally different school - well I'm sure they're attending an international school where almost all the students are children of Americans and other foreigners working in Bangkok so it's not like they're being dumped into a school where they don't know the language.

[doodlebug]

20 minutes ago, abbyzenn said:

Yes the Austin to Bangkok wife was awful.  To me it wasn't so much that she wanted a modern kitchen and bathroom but that she kept harping about the materialism in her Austin neighborhood and that she wanted her family to experience something different.   What did annoy was that then she compared everything unfavorably to her Austin house.  I'd bet that she doesn't make any Thai friends or for that matter comes into contact with any Thais that aren't waiting on her.  Also bugged that she made some comment about her kids having to go to a culturally different school - well I'm sure they're attending an international school where almost all the students are children of Americans and other foreigners working in Bangkok so it's not like they're being dumped into a school where they don't know the language.

We saw the kids going into the school.  It was called 'The Berkeley School' and all of the kids were wearing uniforms and all the signs were in English.  They've got a website; it is an American-style school for K-12.  All instruction is in English, though kids can take classes to learn Thai.  According to the website about half of the students are from the US or western Europe.  Virtually all of the kids pictured on the website are Caucasian. You'll also be relieved to know that the school lunch room offers both traditional Thai cuisine a 'international' fare so the poor kids can probably get a burger and fries for lunch if they want.

[CherryAmes]

9 hours ago, TwirlyGirly said:

Exactly! "Glamping" is not camping. Don't tell me how much you love nature and camping out if your idea of camping is to drag all the comforts of home along with you into the woods. Just sayin'.

I don't think camping in a trailer is necessarily glamping. I sure didn't feel glamourous back in the day when we camped in our boler with two little kids and a dog.  On the other hand the trailer friends of ours have now has a nicer kitchen than mine 🙂 !  And we love it when we get invited along - my tenting days are well behind me now!

Edited March 11, 2019 by CherryAmes

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, TwirlyGirly said:

Exactly! "Glamping" is not camping. Don't tell me how much you love nature and camping out if your idea of camping is to drag all the comforts of home along with you into the woods. Just sayin'.

Well, I do love nature.  But, no, I do not enjoy sleeping on the ground, or just about anything else associated with tent camping.  They are two different things.  Thus, an RV is the perfect means of camping for me -- I can spend the day exploring nature all I want, have drinks around the campfire in the evening, and then for dinner I have a stove and an oven (not to mention a refrigerator) at my disposal in addition to the grill.  And a nice comfy mattress to sleep on.  A flush toilet and a shower.  A heater or air conditioner if desired.  Etc.  I'm very glad to have grown up with a motorhome, as there are a bunch of places I'd have never gone otherwise - places where there is only a campground, no lodge - because I had no interest in tent camping.  (I did it once, with a friend's family [the friend came with us several times, and her parents insisted they needed to return the favor], and confirmed it was not for me.)  This way there was no choice between either missing out something I liked or enduring an experience I did not find enjoyable in order to get it.

[pep4]

Brits to Perth:  I liked that they immediately eliminated the first condo, nice change of pace.  Disappointed that they didn't embrace more of Australian uniqueness, like losing a child to a blue ring octopus.

Edited March 12, 2019 by pep4

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, pep4 said:

Brits to Perth:  I liked that they immediately eliminated the first condo, nice change of pace. 

Agree, it was refreshing.   I thought they were a nice couple and there were good-natured "insults" which is a change as well.  Cute kids, like the place that they got even without the pool.  I have a soft spot for military families so I am glad that they are happy to settle for a while.

Edited March 12, 2019 by Kohola3
grammar

[seacliffsal]

i never heard if the husband in Perth found a job or not-does anyone know?  I thought it was high rent for a family without a job.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The retired principal and his wife moving to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is so sad.   They never said what happened to his mother and brother, just that it was tragic.         From what I've read, the gas for the stove is bottled, and I don't like that.   

There apparently is a tax on purchases over $150k too, plus condo fees.   

[LittleIggy]

8 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

i never heard if the husband in Perth found a job or not-does anyone know?  I thought it was high rent for a family without a job.

He said that, after a couple of months, that he had found a job. The wife looked and sounded as if she had come out of an old British sit-com. 😏

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The retired principal and his wife moving to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is so sad.   They never said what happened to his mother and brother, just that it was tragic.         From what I've read, the gas for the stove is bottled, and I don't like that.   

There apparently is a tax on purchases over $150k too, plus condo fees.   

That seemed like a nice couple. Loved their rooftop patio.

[biakbiak]

Australia to Frankfurt I cracked up when the realtor was touring an apartment that was obviously set up as an AirBNB “the people who used to live here had a large family”.

[bythelake]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

Australia to Frankfurt I cracked up when the realtor was touring an apartment that was obviously set up as an AirBNB “the people who used to live here had a large family”.

The wife was cute and practical, the husband had a really strange accent for an Australian. He kept saying he wanted a car,which was ridiculous when they were worried about budget and there was lots of public transportation. .All she wanted was a washer/ dryer. Glad she won that argument.

[mojito]

Denver to Auckland

Nice couple. One thing that was odd was when the wife commented that she was met by stairs immediately to get to the second story of the second-story apartment. I wondered what she might've expected: entrance into the bottom floor apartment and a sweeping staircase to the second level? How else would they get to the second floor?

Husband was hung up on views, wife was practical. He griped about views of one place being of the neighbors. She declared that they could go outside to see New Zealand. She saw wallpaper that wasn't her cup of tea and added that hey, it's a rental. Amen, sister. 

They had some decent choices for their budget.

[Vivigirl10]

Auckland wife bugged me.  If Tate is going to fling himself over the balcony railing, maybe don't let him go onto the balcony alone?  Tate this, Tate that.  Ughhhhhh.  

Husband seemed totally smitten with the wife and it sounded like he really credited her for expanding his horizons.  I fear he's been relegated to the sperm donor territory now that she has her precious Tate.  

[doodlebug]

33 minutes ago, Kiki620 said:

Auckland wife bugged me.  If Tate is going to fling himself over the balcony railing, maybe don't let him go onto the balcony alone?  Tate this, Tate that.  Ughhhhhh.  

Husband seemed totally smitten with the wife and it sounded like he really credited her for expanding his horizons.  I fear he's been relegated to the sperm donor territory now that she has her precious Tate.  

I thought the same thing.  It's just like the people who freak out over homes with stairs.  There are ways to prevent toddlers from playing on the stairs or falling off the balcony.  Pay attention to what they are doing and don't let them play unsupervised near potentially dangerous fixtures.  I am sure there are a lot of people with young kids who've lived in those apartments and the kids managed to not fall off the balcony.   Buying a piece of Plexiglas and securing it against the railing would go a long way towards keeping the kid from climbing on it.

BTW, IMO, Tate is a dumb name.  Poor kid.

Edited March 15, 2019 by doodlebug

[eel2178]

On ‎3‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 11:03 AM, doodlebug said:

We saw the kids going into the school.  It was called 'The Berkeley School' and all of the kids were wearing uniforms and all the signs were in English.  They've got a website; it is an American-style school for K-12.  All instruction is in English, though kids can take classes to learn Thai.  According to the website about half of the students are from the US or western Europe.  Virtually all of the kids pictured on the website are Caucasian. You'll also be relieved to know that the school lunch room offers both traditional Thai cuisine a 'international' fare so the poor kids can probably get a burger and fries for lunch if they want.

When I was in Japan the "American style" BREAKFAST buffet always included French fries. Asians seem to think that is all Americans will eat.

[buttersister]

Crawley England. The highlight for me, besides Richard, was the moment the husband reacted to the wife’s comment about a dark room: Turn on the lights. Finally! Anyway, I didn’t get a charm feeling from the Dish over the front door, but the place looked nice—and charming—at the end.

Crawleys in England!

[LittleIggy]

Crawley: I was surprised there was no joke re: the dueling beards! Richard met his match. 😆

Everytime “Crawley” was mentioned, I thought of Downton Abbey.

Edited March 19, 2019 by LittleIggy

[Koalagirl]

On 3/12/2019 at 10:53 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

The retired principal and his wife moving to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is so sad.   They never said what happened to his mother and brother, just that it was tragic.         From what I've read, the gas for the stove is bottled, and I don't like that.   

There apparently is a tax on purchases over $150k too, plus condo fees.   

About 12 years ago they were shot and killed during a robbery. It may have been mentioned at the very end but I googled his name and found something about it online.  I forgot his name now otherwise I would have attacked the link. 

[sempervivum]

Crawley UK- I LOL'd when Richard dryly said he feared the quiet husband wouldn't be heard due to the wife's 'enthusiasm and exuberance'. Ugh, that woman's whiny, nasal voice! Hubby had amazing eyelashes.

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 5:55 PM, eel2178 said:

I really don't think using a squat toilet and cooking on a wok is going to put anyone's life at risk.

Using a squat toilet is horrible.  No matter where you are.

[Ohwell]

Crawley UK:  OMG that wife's whiny, spaced-out sounding voice was annoying!  The way she droned on and on, I don't see how the husband can stand listening to her.

I know folks love Richard, but I cannot stand his beard/mustache combo because it makes his lips look weird.  I cannot stand to look at his mouth.  The Crawley husband had the same thing going on but his lips didn't look as bad.

I was so distracted by these things, I forgot which place they chose.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

so distracted by these things, I forgot which place they chose.

They went with the third place.

I didn’t mind either of them.

[Ohwell]

2 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I didn’t mind either of them.

Good for you!

[eel2178]

10 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

About 12 years ago they were shot and killed during a robbery. It may have been mentioned at the very end but I googled his name and found something about it online.  I forgot his name now otherwise I would have attacked the link. 

Terrill Snead

[javajeanelaine]

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

They went with the third place.

I didn’t mind either of them.

Yeah, I thought they were fine.  Plus, not disrespectful of each other which is always a plus.

[Kohola3]

13 minutes ago, javajeanelaine said:

Yeah, I thought they were fine.  Plus, not disrespectful of each other which is always a plus.

I didn't mind them either.  Not an obsessive emphasis on the dog and there were no snotty put downs.  They seemed a bit tentative with each other but apparently haven't spent much time together.  Long distance romances are tough.

[Koalagirl]

17 hours ago, eel2178 said:

Terrill Snead

http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-118877.html

https://cosmofunnel.com/poems/mom-31944

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 3:54 PM, Ohwell said:

I know folks love Richard, but I cannot stand his beard/mustache combo because it makes his lips look weird.  I cannot stand to look at his mouth.  The Crawley husband had the same thing going on but his lips didn't look as bad.

I enjoy Richard, but I hate the beard.  I wish he would shave it off.

[mojito]

CT to Budapest

Kind of strange places, what with things like the closet and refrigerator being located down the hall/in the hall. Another refrigerator was set into a brick wall while the bed in the second bedroom of the same place was surrounded by three walls with maybe two inches to spare on the side. Surprised at the asking prices for these places. Not impressed.

This home buyer identified every room correctly. "So this is the living room....so this is the kitchen...." I'm sure her friend was happy for the help.

Edited March 21, 2019 by mojito

[biakbiak]

The larger closet room being located in a dodfeeent part of the apartment isn’t that uncommon in these type of buildings and the idea is that is additonal storage closet and you do wardrobes and dressers in your room which that room was more than big enough to handle.

She was completely ridiculous about the fact that she couldn’t take a shower at the same time as someone used the toilet was particularly ridiculous even if it had been a one bathroom because all of the places she looked at would have had that same issue.

[LittleIggy]

Cartagena: Mr. Not Ricky Gervais annoyed the crap out of me. Obviously he thinks he is more amusing than he actually was. I did like his attitude about visitors staying at a hotel though. I liked the first place best. The place they picked with the awesome views was cool too. Hated that the spare bedroom was already junked up.

[doodlebug]

5 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Cartagena: Mr. Not Ricky Gervais annoyed the crap out of me. Obviously he thinks he is more amusing than he actually was. I did like his attitude about visitors staying at a hotel though. I liked the first place best. The place they picked with the awesome views was cool too. Hated that the spare bedroom was already junked up.

His picture is in the dictionary under 'horse's a**' I think.  I do agree that having space for guests is not a priority.  For that matter, if I was friends and family to this guy, spending my visit cooped up in an apartment with King Douche would not be my idea of a vacation..  I liked the wife and felt a little sorry for her, then again, she married him.  I noticed at the end that she pointed out that she was supporting both of them, too.  Not surprised.

[Pickles]

What did the Cartagena couple do for a living? I heard her say she worked remotely. Did he do anything? What had they done in Vietnam for the previous two years? I should have paid more attention, but just had it on in the background and I was trying to recover from the derpy Chicago mama's boy on the regular House Hunters.