5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I see a western lifestyle as putting money before all else and obsessing over health care.

Not much to do with what you eat .... in the UK I usually ate, Mexican, Chinese, Indian and a few Doner Kebabs for a change (so nearly always something with rice).

But you didnt eat something with rice/noodles three times a day , everyday , like Thais do in Thailand and what you would have to do , if you stuck to local food

4 hours ago, YogiRit said:

Ok, my question seem to have been bait for humour, nastiness, sarcasm and maybe a sincere post.
Not sure what to think of Chiang Mai. Still.

 

What sort of lifestyle do you want? 

6 hours ago, YogiRit said:

 ... am put off by the image created but drawn to visit and perhaps retire. I cancelled my August paid flight and visit for this concern.

1

The original poster has now left the thread, but we should take the opportunity to reflect upon how we respond to new members who appear to be mentally vulnerable.

Thailand is a terrific place for most of us but I often come across farangs for whom Thailand is really the last place they should have come. Life is pleasant and often fun here but you do, absolutely, need a certain resilience and consistency to be able to tap into that. If you do not have that mental strength and capacity to manage your life, you can very easily end up isolated, paranoid, bitter or, most dangerous of all, ensnared in someone else's plan.

When we come across a post like the one that started this thread, we should resist the temptation to laugh or troll the hilarious lack of self-awareness. Instead, we should find a way to sensitively suggest that retiring to Thailand is the last thing that user should do.

Given the red flags in his post, and subsequent overly-sensitive reactions to the responses, this guy is in for a world of hurt if he tries to live outside America. This is a real person on the verge of potentially making a huge mistake, and we should have empathy for him.

My own simple rule of thumb for major life decisions is that if my instant reaction is not a "Hell, yeah!" then the answer has to be a "Hell, no!". If you find yourself throwing away a paid flight because you feel disgusted at the Western lifestyle (as expressed on a forum!) of expats in a country you have never actually been to, if you are not the type of person who would just get on the plane and discover the country for yourself, you should absolutely stay where you are and find some way to make your budget work in America.

It only adds to the sum total of human misery to have yet another thin-skinned, self-righteous and easily-manipulated old man trapped in the wilds of Sakhon Nowhere, stubbornly living a lonely life surrounded by vultures and cutting himself from potential friends because he feels he is more virtuous than them, on the basis that he "lives like a Thai".

Chiang Mai, in particular, already has enough lost souls wandering around, driving everyone, especially Thais, to despair with their insistence on loudly broadcasting, at every conceivable opportunity, their collection of incorrectly-pronounced Thai phrases, mistaking the embarrassed reactions of Thai shop assistants for the approval they so desperately crave.

34 minutes ago, donnacha said:

When we come across a post like the one that started this thread, we should resist the temptation to laugh or troll the hilarious lack of self-awareness. Instead, we should find a way to sensitively suggest that retiring to Thailand is the last thing that user should do.

Given the red flags in his post, and subsequent overly-sensitive reactions to the responses, this guy is in for a world of hurt if he tries to live outside America. This is a real person on the verge of potentially making a huge mistake, and we should have empathy for him.

It sounded like he was in India.. 

I think there are really a variety of lifestyles here in not just Chiang Mai - but the CM vicinity and Thailand in general. You can customize by your choice of neighborhoods and hangouts, depending upon what you are looking for... there are areas that are totally tourist oriented and then less so as you go out further from the center. 

 

The only way for you to know with any certainty would be to come and look around for yourself... We each have personal needs/wants that differ. Glad to help if you want more specific info - you can message me... 

15 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

It sounded like he was in India.. 

Ah, right, well-spotted, in his 3rd post he says:

 

Quote

"Where I live now it is a balance. I can easily navigate my day with meditation, temples, Indian and Western culture and events.
I cannot get the same retirement Visa benefits that Thailand offers and that is why I am searching."

1

He could, theoretically, be living the yoga lifestyle in California or wherever, complete with temples and Indian cultural events, but, yes, I think you are probably right, he is probably in India.

I still think he should avoid Thailand. India, at least, has a proper infrastructure of shaman and swamis who, although hucksters, deliver a packaged lifestyle that is generally safe. Catering to the spiritual emptiness of baby boomers is a long-established industry there, and he at least has the company of other lost souls. In Thailand, he would end up getting rolled in a far more chaotic and isolated manner.

6 hours ago, YogiRit said:

Ok, my question seem to have been bait for humour, nastiness, sarcasm and maybe a sincere post.
Not sure what to think of Chiang Mai. Still.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
 

Just get out and do it. Live however you want to. Why are you making a federal case out of something as simple as this? Chiang Mai environs ( not the city) allows you the freedom to live anyway you want.

 

Ok, my question seem to have been bait for humour, nastiness, sarcasm and maybe a sincere post.
Not sure what to think of Chiang Mai. Still.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
 

The fact is you can live here any way you want depending on how much money you have. Pretty obvious really.

 

Ok, my question seem to have been bait for humour, nastiness, sarcasm and maybe a sincere post.
Not sure what to think of Chiang Mai. Still.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
 

 

In a nutshell:

 

- CM has some western retirees, are they massive numbers? No. 

- Do they have similar behaviors and attitudes to the resident westerners in Pattaya and Phuket? No. Overall probably a bit older and more civilized.

- Do all or most of them live entirely western lifestyle / only mix with other westerners? No. A few probably yes.

- There are several quite well organized support groups with sincere knowledgeable happy members willing to help with advice & support if needed.

- Yes there are many nice gated villages and condos, 95% or more Thai families. As anywhere some villages / condos are well maintained, others not so good. All price ranges.

 

Hope that helps.  

 

Tell you what Yogi, its a bloody long time since I have seen the whole forum come out on a thread.

 

You should be proud.....

 

Now take the overall general advice and grow a pair of balls

I spent 3 years in India, I reckon yogi is better off staying there, they do seem to cater better there for his 'spiritual ' needs.

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The beauty of living in Thailand is that you can live any way you wish as long as you don't offend other people, and  as long as you have enough money to support your chosen life style.

The beauty of living in Thailand is that you can live any way you wish as long as you don't offend other people, and  as long as you have enough money to support your chosen life style.

 

There are hundreds of villages where you can live any lifestyle you desire.

2 bed houses rent for about 4000-5000bht/month and up.

No need to ever see another white face or speak English again.

Years ago, I rented a house in Lumpung/Lampang visiting a former US Peace Corps volunteer that retired ona Lumyai Farm there, I spent two months up there and only spoke english when I visited her in the Library where she studied.  Thats where I learned 75% of my Thai, not speaking English.  Had no choice back then.

 

I spent 3 years in India, I reckon yogi is better off staying there, they do seem to cater better there for his 'spiritual ' needs.

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If it is so good, why are there so many Indian overstayers and Illegals here, if I am to believe these pages, there are thousands........oh, wait a minute, that would be a miniscule of their population right, they have over a Billion people there.........never mind    ????

 

If it is so good, why are there so many Indian overstayers and Illegals here, if I am to believe these pages, there are thousands........oh, wait a minute, that would be a miniscule of their population right, they have over a Billion people there.........never mind    ????

One visit to India was enough to cure me for life.....

This should look like heaven to the op if he ever gets here.....

 

Ok, my question seem to have been bait for humour, nastiness, sarcasm and maybe a sincere post.
Not sure what to think of Chiang Mai. Still.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
 

It's hard to know what you expect; you frequent an English language forum, peopled largely by male Westerners, yet you seem surprised that, to varying degrees, they desire Western creature comforts. Some of us are prone to go native, but not all. If you really wish to get away from your peers, you are about twenty years too late in CM; try Isaan, there you still stand a chance of spending twenty-four hours without seeing a long nose.

 

 

Is there a way to communicate with someone with a different view? I have questions about how Western Chiang Mai is. All the information seems to be directed at expats who want to duplicate a Western way of life, food & drink, a/c, pools, servants.

 

I've been living without such things and am put off by the image created but drawn to visit and perhaps retire. I cancelled my August paid flight and visit for this concern.

If you want to go down the road less traveled  you ought to be able to do that on your own rather than depending on others to map it out for you.

You aren't obliged to consume western food and drink or to spend your time being waited on as you lounge by your pool. 

 

Settle here for three to six months and establish the life style you want. In so doing, you'll find some others with similar interests. If not, move on.

 

I doubt you going to find established communities of westerners whose sole shared interest is eschewing western life styles but who feel the need to be surrounded and supported by other westerners. 

 

 

 

 

It's hard to know what you expect; you frequent an English language forum, peopled largely by male Westerners, yet you seem surprised that, to varying degrees, they desire Western creature comforts. Some of us are prone to go native, but not all. If you really wish to get away from your peers, you are about twenty years too late in CM; try Isaan, there you still stand a chance of spending twenty-four hours without seeing a long nose.

I'm only an hour from Chiangmai and never see a long nose.   And i ain't telling you or Swami where that is.

 

 

One visit to India was enough to cure me for life.....

This should look like heaven to the op if he ever gets here.....

That's true enough nowadays, but it wasn't always so.

The India of the Hippie Trail on the road to Katmandu in the 1970s was a life-changing experience for many of my generation.

There were all kinds of dangers and petty hassles but we were young and out to see as much of the world as we could.

Thanks for the memories.

 

The original poster has now left the thread, but we should take the opportunity to reflect upon how we respond to new members who appear to be mentally vulnerable.

Thailand is a terrific place for most of us but I often come across farangs for whom Thailand is really the last place they should have come. Life is pleasant and often fun here but you do, absolutely, need a certain resilience and consistency to be able to tap into that. If you do not have that mental strength and capacity to manage your life, you can very easily end up isolated, paranoid, bitter or, most dangerous of all, ensnared in someone else's plan.

When we come across a post like the one that started this thread, we should resist the temptation to laugh or troll the hilarious lack of self-awareness. Instead, we should find a way to sensitively suggest that retiring to Thailand is the last thing that user should do.

Given the red flags in his post, and subsequent overly-sensitive reactions to the responses, this guy is in for a world of hurt if he tries to live outside America. This is a real person on the verge of potentially making a huge mistake, and we should have empathy for him.

My own simple rule of thumb for major life decisions is that if my instant reaction is not a "Hell, yeah!" then the answer has to be a "Hell, no!". If you find yourself throwing away a paid flight because you feel disgusted at the Western lifestyle (as expressed on a forum!) of expats in a country you have never actually been to, if you are not the type of person who would just get on the plane and discover the country for yourself, you should absolutely stay where you are and find some way to make your budget work in America.

It only adds to the sum total of human misery to have yet another thin-skinned, self-righteous and easily-manipulated old man trapped in the wilds of Sakhon Nowhere, stubbornly living a lonely life surrounded by vultures and cutting himself from potential friends because he feels he is more virtuous than them, on the basis that he "lives like a Thai".

Chiang Mai, in particular, already has enough lost souls wandering around, driving everyone, especially Thais, to despair with their insistence on loudly broadcasting, at every conceivable opportunity, their collection of incorrectly-pronounced Thai phrases, mistaking the embarrassed reactions of Thai shop assistants for the approval they so desperately crave.

ahhh,  what's one more ???  BTW:  you did manage to trash

quite a few "types" of farangs living here.  Almost sounds like you yourself think you are more virtuous than all the other lost souls wandering around.  I did not come out to "sakhorn nowhere" to "live like a thai".  But i certainly admit i came here to get away from westerners like you.

 

The beauty of living in Thailand is that you can live any way you choose as long as you don't offend other people, and  as long as you

...have enough money to take care of yourself. Simple really.

Chiang mai is the most western place in the whole of thailand. Being so cheap it attracts masses of pensioners both male and female, tens of thousands of back packers
In fact if it wasn't for the thai markets you could mistake it for any place in Europe.

I actually preferred it that way when I was there for a month as I don't pretend to be a thai. However farang haters are gonna hate big time

 

Upgraded membership for lifetime fee of $14.95 to change my name.
A small price to pay to keep the Trolls away.

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Thailand is all about you, you can make it what ever you want. live out in a village, live in the city. You can stay at a monastary if you like. Wat Tam Wua is a great place to get lost

What can be done in India can be done in Thailand. Are you up to learning the language. If not, your just like those you wish to avoid.

Flying to CM is not the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Come and see. Do not others direct your life. 

No idea how to delete this accidental post. Hello everyone ????

 

 

I did not come out to "sakhorn nowhere" to "live like a thai".  But i certainly admit i came here to get away from westerners like you.

Ah, terrific, this Rumak guy is a perfect example of what happens when socially fragile individuals make the mistake of moving to Thailand and find themselves without friends or a support network.

As you can see from his projectile posting in this thread, he considers himself somehow more virtuous because he lives in an area with no "long noses", but the isolation has left him embittered and he now spends all day writing toxic posts, ironically spending all his time with us "long noses" anyway.

Over one thousand posts! ????

 

From my quick recce, they all appear to revolve around him, and his situation, and his nobility relative to the rest of us. It is a sort of slow motion car crash of desperate attempts to justify his life decisions despite knowing, deep down, that it has all gone horribly wrong.

Again, we should deploy empathy and try to guide mentally weak individuals away from ending up like this.

Man house rent is very OK but I wouldn't live far from the sea, maybe after I get older.  Who knows! When people get older the ask ask and want less slowing and enjoying the very best of their journey. 

 

Ok, my question seem to have been bait for humour, nastiness, sarcasm and maybe a sincere post.
Not sure what to think of Chiang Mai. Still.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
 

In Thailand you can have the way of life you want

I live in a moo-ban, reasonable comfort, nothing more than normal, no white people here, I speak Thai because nobody speaks English 

you are not forced to stay with foreigners, drink beer etc ; many foreigners here live like me, only Thai food etc … every thing possible

people answered with sarcasm because your question shows that you don't know Thailand; you can have an expensive foreigner life or a modest Thai life, choice is yours