Would You Be Here Now - If You Had Known Before What Now Was Going To Be Like?

[ColPyat]

hey colpyat, ( whats that name mean by the way )

dont worry about these big bad boys, as there having a top laugh at your expense.

its all ok mate, as you have to cop a rasberry every now and then.

off you go mate and have a nice drink.

cheers

'ColPyat' is the most outrageous tragi-comic anti-hero in modern literature, and i just read the final sequel of the series by Michael Moorcock when i came across this forum here.

As to having a laugh at my expense - my mistake, i mostly post in the news folder and engage in more serious political debates, and not here in this place, where appearantly any even slight criticism at people's paradise here is seen and treated as a personal affront. Should have learned my lesson - don't attack people's illusions.

[Robski]

The thing I really love about ThaiVisa is, when a new topic is posted with the best of intent for heartfelt empathy with fellow members and it goes completely to shit! usually it's pretty much guaranteed, it's just a matter of how long will it take, guys you've excelled yourselves this time and you've made my day. I never lost faith in you.

Uh!... gotta go, someone is outside...

[terry57]

hey colpyat, ( whats that name mean by the way )

dont worry about these big bad boys, as there having a top laugh at your expense.

its all ok mate, as you have to cop a rasberry every now and then.

off you go mate and have a nice drink.

cheers

'ColPyat' is the most outrageous tragi-comic anti-hero in modern literature, and i just read the final sequel of the series by Michael Moorcock when i came across this forum here.

As to having a laugh at my expense - my mistake, i mostly post in the news folder and engage in more serious political debates, and not here in this place, where appearantly any even slight criticism at people's paradise here is seen and treated as a personal affront. Should have learned my lesson - don't attack people's illusions.

dont take it personally mate, as thats the nature of an open forum as every body is entitled to there own opinion.

cheers

[luckyluke]

This is another 'I-have-nothing-to-do-tonight-except-clean-the-dog-so-I-will-post-another-brainless-question-on-Thaivisa' post!

This question is aimed at those of us living in Thailand.

Considering all the recent problems/bad news re Thailand, (visa changes, coup, airport woes, company rules, proposed nuclear reactor etc etc):

If (before you came to LoS), you had known that Thailand would be experiencing these recent problems (and others), would that news have affected your decision to come to Thailand in the first place?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing Had I known before that all Thai women were very beautiful, but that all of them were also slighlty barmy (!), I might have chosen a different destination.

Had I known that Thailand would have a coup, have a new airport full of cracks, then my decision to come here would not have been swayed.

How about you?

Simon

I have what i wished here.

[meadish_sweetball]

Good question. For me, the answer is not clear cut at the moment.

[john1000]

Why be serious?? Here is an oppurtunity to live out your dreams and live in ANY fantasy you wish. I must admit having made three trips I wonder if its wise just to keep to that and not settle here in the light of recent feelings I have observed.

I have met someone ( where have you heard that before ) but being cautious I cannot open up to her mainly because of the beware posts by Farang I keep reading.

Which brings me to my main point. We are all our own enemies in such a way, that if you paint a black picture, the real one will fade!! You start to believe what you read and hear.

[jetjock]

I was really enjoying this topic until it was temporarily sidetracked (the sidetracking is at least good for a few laughs.) Keep the info coming guys as I am interested in hearing what long time ex-pats have to say about the advantages of living full time in Thailand.

Even though I live in two of the best weather and most expensive places in the US, the last time I was in the UK, the extremely high prices and cost of living really humbled me so in addition to the not so great weather, I can easily see why so many UK guys choose Thailand. I have spent a lot of time in Australia and find it much harder to understand why Aussie blokes would choose Thailand (other than for women) since the cost of living in Oz is reasonable and it is a beautiful country with relatively nice weather in most places.

Although I have spent a lot of time in LOS, I have been considering whether I should eventually buy a condo or house in Hua Hin (after the political dust settles) for my Thai wife and I so we can spend about four months each year living there. My thoughts are that we would be more likely to spend more time in Thailand if we had a home to go to rather than just renting. In the past, I have usually only spent about 2 months at a time in Thailand so am not sure if it might get a little boring for me if I spend more continuous time there. These topics on the forum are great for adding to my knowlege which might eventually help me in making a decision.

Aloha

[ColPyat]

Although I have spent a lot of time in LOS, I have been considering whether I should eventually buy a condo or house in Hua Hin (after the political dust settles) for my Thai wife and I so we can spend about four months each year living there.

If you can afford to buy a house without hurting in case you should lose the money, then do so. But long term - don't expect the political dust to settle. There is a lot more in store here, even if it will temporarily settle for a while at some point.

If you don't plan to live here full time and just on a temporay base to rest and relax then things will most likely not affect you much anyhow.

[DFCarlson]

Considering all the recent problems/bad news re Thailand, (visa changes, coup, airport woes, company rules, proposed nuclear reactor etc etc):

If (before you came to LoS), you had known that Thailand would be experiencing these recent problems (and others), would that news have affected your decision to come to Thailand in the first place?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing Had I known before that all Thai women were very beautiful, but that all of them were also slighlty barmy (!), I might have chosen a different destination.

Hindsight IS a wonderful thing, but it's useless for anything but regret. Those of use who choose to move from our home countries to settle somewhere else always make the move based on limited and sometimes incorrect information. And we can never predict what may happen to change the environment once we arrive.

My other options back in May 2006 when I moved here were to stay in the US or to move to the Phillipines. The baht was at 39 to the dollar, and the opening of Suvarnaswampi was only a smirk on the faces of the contractors. No one had any idea that Bangkok would be bombed or that major changes in the visa system would be implemeted.

Not everything has worked out as I expected or as I might have preferred. Some unexpectedly good things have happened. I expect the same kind of things in the future even though I can't predict what they might be.

I really don't know what I'll do later on but for now I'm here and I'll stay and see how it plays out and try to make the best of it. If I had chosen to stay in the US or move to the Phillipines there would have been other, different issues to confront. And I would probably feel the same way. You have to get on with your life, be flexible and do what you need to do to be happy.

Edited February 11, 2007 by DFCarlson

[meadish_sweetball]

Interesting debate, but please respect that we can not discuss it here.

[Maizefarmer]

To a large extent I have always beleived the stability this country has, has revolved around the consistancy the Thai monarchy has given it.

Remember, it was only in the early 90's Thai's were killing each over politic's on the streets of Bangkok - and who stepped in to sort it out? There was only one person who could.

.... and when he is gone?

Touchy subject ..... I'm going to leave it at that.

Maizefarmer

(Long Live His Majesty)

[DFCarlson]

Interesting debate, but please respect that we can not discuss it here.

Did I miss some posts?

[bannork]

If I had a time machine I would go back to 1973 and instead of studying a useless degee such as Humanities, I would have learnt Agricultural Engineering majoring in Thai Language, followed by a Masters In Education.

That way I could be an expert on my wife's farm and get a good salary teaching.

My only regret is moving here so late, the late 80s. I can honestly say I have never been bored or depressed in Thailand, there's just so much happening in the streets, fields, villages and cities.

It makes England look like a toy town, neat and ordered but so dull.

[Maizefarmer]

If I had a time machine I would go back to 1973 and instead of studying a useless degee such as Humanities, I would have learnt Agricultural Engineering majoring in Thai Language, followed by a Masters In Education.

That way I could be an expert on my wife's farm and get a good salary teaching.

My only regret is moving here so late, the late 80s. I can honestly say I have never been bored or depressed in Thailand, there's just so much happening in the streets, fields, villages and cities.

It makes England look like a toy town, neat and ordered but so dull.

I like that - what a decent perspective you have on Thailand Bannork.

The thing I like about Thailand is the comparitive lack of "regulation". Western society is so regulated: you need a piece of paper for this and a piece of paper for that. You must have a license for this and a license for that. If the neighbour smells your cows in England, they instinctively complain, same goes for your tractor if it makes to much noise - its 2nd nature in the West now adays to have everything regulated, and equally 2nd nature for people to complain about this that or the other.

Everything has to be formalised in some way or another, there are committees for this and committees for that - and know that the moment a committee is appointed for whatever it is, it becomes an excuse to take the simplest of matters and turn it into a major issue. ...

The thing we must not forget is this: wherever we go we take ourselves with (no escaping ourselves i.e. its ultimately what one makes of any given situation).

Tim

[jamman]

It was the right place for me at the time. After a while it was time to move on.

I have no interest in going back, and I don't see why some people want to see Thailand as black and white good or bad, as if it is their new adopted homeland they should have any allegience to. There are some people who feel slighted when they feel Thailand is slighted. It is what it is, which is to say full of life and so never perfect.

The major benefit for me at the time was exploring non-monogamy, or more accurately polyamory, with two or three serious girlfriends at a time, and living a fun lifestyle. I'm sure others have found other persuits that Thailand is good for exploring. There was a time and a place for Thailand in my life, and I don't see that it offers what I need now, because of cultural issues around the notion of face that make deep intimacy too difficult, if not impossible.

Edited February 11, 2007 by jamman

[dumspero]

Jamman- I agree--I don't see why people feel the need to see Thailand as all good or all bad. Of course it's both.

I think one of the reasons people get so bitter after a time in Thailand is they come with rose colored lenses on, only aware in the beginning of the good and not the bad. Every place has both and it's all a matter of what mix of things is right for any particular person.

My hope is reading a forum like this for a while will help ease my move to Thailand in a few years. But if I find the negtive outweighs the positive for me, then as you've noted there's plenty of other places to try.

And yes, this has little to do with the OP...

[Ricohoc]

Jamman- I agree--I don't see why people feel the need to see Thailand as all good or all bad. Of course it's both.

I think one of the reasons people get so bitter after a time in Thailand is they come with rose colored lenses on, only aware in the beginning of the good and not the bad. Every place has both and it's all a matter of what mix of things is right for any particular person.

My hope is reading a forum like this for a while will help ease my move to Thailand in a few years. But if I find the negtive outweighs the positive for me, then as you've noted there's plenty of other places to try.

And yes, this has little to do with the OP...

DITTO!

I'm in an "investigative mode" for a future move three years down the road. I'm wise enough to know that no place is perfect. There is both good and bad.

Like many of you, I am grateful for a forum like this to learn some things before I get there.

[Gravelrash]

A previous post mentioned about why Australians would come here. Obviously not for the weather, the traffic, the beaches, the corruption, the pollution, the lies and rip offs, the racism, double pricing etc. I am here as my girlfiend is Thai and she is here. I am about to get a divorce and thus need to wait a signiicant amount of time before I can sort out visas for her.

If we could swap the women in Thailand for those in Oz, then no, you wouldn't bother coming here (as often).

Of course I do like Thailand most of the time, but I also like my own country, later I would like to do maybe a 50/50 between the two, that would be my ideal.

I do like the lack of regulation, easy going attitudes and the general low cost of living. But there again run a company and it is not as cheap as you might imagine. What I really like is the sight of uni girls riding side saddle on the back of a motor bike with a big smile on their face.

My kids are in primary school, and when it is time for high school I will have to upgrade the school (not cheap) or go home. Maybe will depend how things are going financially later.

For a holiday Thailand is one thing, living here all the warts get exposed, and there are many. Still I expect to be here for a few more years and perhaps stay yet, time will tell. Making money here is OK in theory, but there always seem to be obstacles getting put in your way. Get through all that though and opportunities abound.

[sonthaya]

Yes I would.

[garro]

I have no regrets about coming to live in Thailand; no place is perfect but it is good enough for me. I have lived here 5 years, recently got married and have a kid on the way. I have had some bad days in Thailand but the good ones have more than made up for it. I now live in a beautiful village but will need to move closer to city when I go back to full time teaching. I don't mind this because Thai cities can be fun too and I still have a house here in the village for the weekends.

Financially I am in a far worse position than I would be back home and I have no pension to look foward to. Still, I have never been any good with money and the more I have the more I spend.

The recent developments in Thai politics have not affected my life because I haven't let it. This area was a big support base for Thai Rak Thai but the world hasn't ended with the coup. I lived in Saudi Arabia which was far worse in regards to potential political unrest. When I was twenty I lived on a street in London where three bombs went off in one week planted by the IRA. The fact that I am Irish made me feel very insecure as people would look at me as if I was the one doing it! I still managed to continue my life as normal in both places.

I feel sorry for the people who need to stay here but want to leave. If I felt I was stuck somewhere I wouldn't enjoy it either. I think at the end of the day it has a lot to do with my frame of mind. If I am happy with myself then I will be happy with where I live (usually). If I have too many worries (e.g. my child's future or my finances) then where I live will begin to look less attractive.

I also like my home country, Ireland, but have no desire to live there.

[baboon]

It was the right place for me at the time. After a while it was time to move on.

I have no interest in going back, and I don't see why some people want to see Thailand as black and white good or bad, as if it is their new adopted homeland they should have any allegience to. There are some people who feel slighted when they feel Thailand is slighted. It is what it is, which is to say full of life and so never perfect.

The major benefit for me at the time was exploring non-monogamy, or more accurately polyamory, with two or three serious girlfriends at a time, and living a fun lifestyle. I'm sure others have found other persuits that Thailand is good for exploring. There was a time and a place for Thailand in my life, and I don't see that it offers what I need now, because of cultural issues around the notion of face that make deep intimacy too difficult, if not impossible.

Superb post if I may say so. "It was the right place for me at the time" sums it up wonderfully for me.

[OlRedEyes]

It was the right place for me at the time. After a while it was time to move on.

I have no interest in going back, and I don't see why some people want to see Thailand as black and white good or bad, as if it is their new adopted homeland they should have any allegience to. There are some people who feel slighted when they feel Thailand is slighted. It is what it is, which is to say full of life and so never perfect.

The major benefit for me at the time was exploring non-monogamy, or more accurately polyamory, with two or three serious girlfriends at a time, and living a fun lifestyle. I'm sure others have found other persuits that Thailand is good for exploring. There was a time and a place for Thailand in my life, and I don't see that it offers what I need now, because of cultural issues around the notion of face that make deep intimacy too difficult, if not impossible.

Superb post if I may say so.

###### right.

And best poster I have ever seen on TV.

RIP

[qwertz]

Sorry, just woke up and forgot what I was going to write.

Anyway, how did the dogs like the shampoo?

On topic, every time I visit LOS my heart lifts from the mire of drudgery I temporarily leave behind me.

This after 28 years of visits.

Is their anywhere better nowadays for a tired old bugger with limited funds?

I keep looking but LOS always seems to come out on top.

Any suggestions welcome.

[tracer5050]

I spend 1/3 my time in LOsS 2/3 in US hope one day to change that around . Love Thailand and the people . But have to work as well . been coming to LOS regular 4 years 1st time R&R from VN as a young man loved it them love it now

[Suszzy]

It was the right place for me at the time. After a while it was time to move on.

I have no interest in going back, and I don't see why some people want to see Thailand as black and white good or bad, as if it is their new adopted homeland they should have any allegience to. There are some people who feel slighted when they feel Thailand is slighted. It is what it is, which is to say full of life and so never perfect.

The major benefit for me at the time was exploring non-monogamy, or more accurately polyamory, with two or three serious girlfriends at a time, and living a fun lifestyle. I'm sure others have found other persuits that Thailand is good for exploring. There was a time and a place for Thailand in my life, and I don't see that it offers what I need now, because of cultural issues around the notion of face that make deep intimacy too difficult, if not impossible.

i like your post. it's so straight to the point and yes,i agree with you!

[Andrew Hicks]

This is another 'I-have-nothing-to-do-tonight-except-clean-the-dog-so-I-will-post-another-brainless-question-on-Thaivisa' post!

This question is aimed at those of us living in Thailand.

Considering all the recent problems/bad news re Thailand, (visa changes, coup, airport woes, company rules, proposed nuclear reactor etc etc):

If (before you came to LoS), you had known that Thailand would be experiencing these recent problems (and others), would that news have affected your decision to come to Thailand in the first place?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing Had I known before that all Thai women were very beautiful, but that all of them were also slighlty barmy (!), I might have chosen a different destination.

Had I known that Thailand would have a coup, have a new airport full of cracks, then my decision to come here would not have been swayed.

How about you?

Simon

Whatever's wrong with slightly barmy women? Don't you just love them?

And are you really that troubled by cracks in a runway? All quite entertaining really.

Surely the big lessons are too be well informed before you come here (first check out the barmy women and the cracks) and don't burn your boats.

If you don't like the insects then you can always pack your bags.

[Jingthing]

I would do it again. But I would have rented rather than bought housing. I now think it is crazy to buy housing you aren't sure you will be allowed to live in, long term.

[Nibor1945]

Yes, with the benifit of hindsight it was the right move at the right time. No, life is not perfect but when has it ever been.

This is where my family is and where (I'm not ready yet) a long time in the future I hope to die. There are some "bumps in the road" for our host nation on the horizon but they are "growing pains" which will pass.

On a lighter note, if I need intellectual stimulation I ponder on the origins of my wifes latest cryptic remark or indeed some of the TV posts.

Any foreigner who makes political noises in any country will of course attract the attention of those responsible for the security of that country, that's their job. The sons of Carnivore do not only reside in the good old US of A. We have to abide by the rules if we wish to live "in peace and harmony". OK waffling over with, I like it here!

[Captain Chaos]

This is another 'I-have-nothing-to-do-tonight-except-clean-the-dog-so-I-will-post-another-brainless-question-on-Thaivisa' post!

This question is aimed at those of us living in Thailand.

Considering all the recent problems/bad news re Thailand, (visa changes, coup, airport woes, company rules, proposed nuclear reactor etc etc):

If (before you came to LoS), you had known that Thailand would be experiencing these recent problems (and others), would that news have affected your decision to come to Thailand in the first place?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing Had I known before that all Thai women were very beautiful, but that all of them were also slighlty barmy (!), I might have chosen a different destination.

Had I known that Thailand would have a coup, have a new airport full of cracks, then my decision to come here would not have been swayed.

How about you?

Simon

It wouldn't have changed my decision, which was based 100% on being offered a great job in BKK and a full expat package to go with it by my employers back in 2002 ... hel_l, I'd never even been to Thailand before I took the job!

[Bruce1]

Yes, definitely. Wish I'd come sooner. Its never dull and it makes Oz look boring and overregulated.

And the women certainly are scenic (there goes one now...MMMMMMM!).

Edited August 23, 2007 by Bruce1