Just a golf greens, all this is nice on photos, but in real life, it's so hot that I prefer cities malls !

 

 

43 minutes ago, myshem said:

Just a golf greens, all this is nice on photos, but in real life, it's so hot that I prefer cities malls !

 

It does get hot much of the year but for now it is still quite nice in the morning and evening.  I have nothing against malls and nice hotel lobbies, though.????

10 hours ago, JAFO said:

Moving from big city to country living definitely takes some time unless of course you had previously lived both.  However I think as we age we tend to fight change versus when younger we loved it so making that move later in life could prove to be a bit unnerving and stressful. I have watched my parents and their friends settle into a pretty rigid routine and pulling them out of that can be challenging. My dad reminds me all the time to NOT do as he did as he got older.  In fact he was and still is a huge proponent of me moving, working and living abroad.  

"My dad reminds me all the time to NOT do as he did as he got older."......

 

Similar experience....

 

Long ago my dad gave me some of the best advice I've ever received. He said... "if there is something you want to do in life then do it. You don't want to be sitting here 10, 15, 20 years from now asking yourself 'what if'".

 

I think he was thinking about something he passed on earlier in life. I took that advice and used it many times in my life. I feel I've led a far better life than many friends who married early in life, bought a house they still live in, have 2.5 kids and pretty much hate much of how their life ended up. 

 

I was raised in Nebraska and wanted to get away from the nasty winters so after college and a few years building a resume I accepted a job in Florida. All my friends were baffled asking "do you know anyone there"? They were all locked into what I described above about getting married, buying a house, etc. Basically what their family expected of them as that's what everyone does. I went back a few years ago and I heard time after time "I wish I had done what you did and got out of here". It wasn't about Nebraska necessarily but they were making a point that I followed my dream and didn't stick in the same city for the rest of my life just because it was expected or what everyone else did. 

 

I lived and worked in 14 states all over the country and as I told them about my adventures I could see the look in their eyes. Some of them had only been outside the state a handful of times in their entire life.

 

I think it's great that a number of folks on this thread have the life they do. A happy life and doing it "their way".

 

 

 

23 hours ago, villagefarang said:

First we were building a house which we had never done before so there was that challenge.  Just finding your way around and sourcing things twelve years ago took some effort.  We didn't have a car for the last eight years in Bangkok so I had to renew my license and buy a truck to help with the house build and shopping.  Initially my wife didn't drive so I had to do all the driving at first.  I didn’t even think about socializing or meeting farangs for the first two years because we seemed to be so busy.

 

I threw myself into blogging and joined ThaiVisa along with many other sites.  I didn’t have a gym and I could no longer play squash so I had to find other interest.  There was a lot of trial and error, with me trying something out for a while before moving on to something else.  Photography, blogging, mountain-biking , hiking, motorcycling, and a few other things were just things I did for a while but I didn’t label myself as any of those things.

 

When we finally got around to seeing who else was living in Chiang Rai, we were surprised how little we had in common with other expats.  People were from so many different countries and backgrounds, seemed so cliquey, old, unfit and very old-fashioned.  They generally drank too much for my taste, couldn’t  speak Thai and complained too much.  We still do most of our socializing midday to avoid the heavy drinking that seems to accompany nighttime activities.

 

I have always been very spontaneous and don’t really like making plans and that was fine in Bangkok but didn’t work so well living where we live.  I had so much history in Bangkok and all that went out the window when we moved.  Even though I was moving within Thailand it was still like starting over in many ways.

 

Some of the hurdles were age related with me no longer being at my peak or in as much demand.  We have dealt with that by reversing roles.  My wife is now the same age I was when we met and has access to more interesting people and activities than I do at my age.  Being her husband instead of her being my wife was a little different at first.

 

Learning how to slowdown and smell the roses, as it were, was a process.  We got pets and toys which I couldn’t have in Bangkok but in the end the most important aspect of living up here is that my wife is my best friend, we have similar interests and I still love her deeply and have so much respect for her.

There are fixes for your situation VF like monthly trips to BK and Chiang Mai to give you a taste of the "busy world".

 

I guess I understand some of what you say about no longer being at your peak or not as much in demand but consider this. You may not be at your "peak" physically any longer but if I lined up 1,000 other 65 year olds how many do you think would be in the shape you current are? I'd say maybe one... maybe none. I know you want to be at your peak forever. Everyone does. But keep in mind your peak was probably far higher than most so even tho you aren't quite up there anymore doesn't mean at 65 you aren't in better shape than many/most half your age.

 

As far as not being in demand anymore I've come to this conclusion. A lot of companies are too hung up on age. Then there are the millennials who think they know everything probably feeling like tapping an experienced person like you for any expertise would be admitting they don't know it all. I think "not being in demand" is, in a way, telling you that you did a great job and it's time to slow down and enjoy a more relaxed life.

 

I think many would love be in your shoes VF. As I stated before, I never get jealous of anyone else but if I ever did it would be of you. 

 

 

A million thanks to the contributors for their very remarkable and outstanding photos of Thailand. TAT should thank you lads, seriously, as you all did a great job out there.

20 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

There are fixes for your situation VF like monthly trips to BK and Chiang Mai to give you a taste of the "busy world".

 

I guess I understand some of what you say about no longer being at your peak or not as much in demand but consider this. You may not be at your "peak" physically any longer but if I lined up 1,000 other 65 year olds how many do you think would be in the shape you current are? I'd say maybe one... maybe none. I know you want to be at your peak forever. Everyone does. But keep in mind your peak was probably far higher than most so even tho you aren't quite up there anymore doesn't mean at 65 you aren't in better shape than many/most half your age.

 

As far as not being in demand anymore I've come to this conclusion. A lot of companies are too hung up on age. Then there are the millennials who think they know everything probably feeling like tapping an experienced person like you for any expertise would be admitting they don't know it all. I think "not being in demand" is, in a way, telling you that you did a great job and it's time to slow down and enjoy a more relaxed life.

 

I think many would love be in your shoes VF. As I stated before, I never get jealous of anyone else but if I ever did it would be of you. 

 

 

You are right about getting out of town from time to time but we also have a couple of good Thai friends who come and stay with us, to slow down a bit.  This one girl in particular leads such an interesting life that I get tired just listening but enjoy every minute we spend with her.  It is more about quality than quantity when it comes to the time we spend together, plus it doesn’t hurt that she is as attractive as my wife and it feels good to be seen with the two of them.

 

I used to say that my worst days were better than most people’s best days, not as a competition, but as an example that I hold myself to my own standard and not that of anyone else.  If I don’t feel I am doing my best, I take no pleasure in knowing some else isn’t doing as well as I am.

 

My demand comment was not related to employment, more toward social relevance as one gets older.  I really appreciate your comments and interest.

20 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

You are right about getting out of town from time to time but we also have a couple of good Thai friends who come and stay with us, to slow down a bit.  This one girl in particular leads such an interesting life that I get tired just listening but enjoy every minute we spend with her.  It is more about quality than quantity when it comes to the time we spend together, plus it doesn’t hurt that she is as attractive as my wife and it feels good to be seen with the two of them. 

 

I used to say that my worst days were better than most people’s best days, not as a competition, but as an example that I hold myself to my own standard and not that of anyone else.  If I don’t feel I am doing my best, I take no pleasure in knowing some else isn’t doing as well as I am.

 

My demand comment was not related to employment, more toward social relevance as one gets older.  I really appreciate your comments and interest.

"plus it doesn’t hurt that she is as attractive as my wife and it feels good to be seen with the two of them." …...

 

At the sake of repeating myself... I never get jealous of anyone but if I did.....  ????       

 

I wasn't inferring one should take pleasure knowing someone else isn't doing as well as them but rather there are 999+ out of 1,000 that wish they were in your shoes so to speak. I was looking at the situation thru the eyes of others and what I believe they would see/think.

 

Sorry that I assumed you were talking about work in reference to being relevant. You are more relevant than you think VF. Just ask your wife.  I know you probably have your way of looking at it but I think you are making the world a better place thru your posts, photos and great "conversation" in this forum. I'm sure in many other ways as well.

 

 

They finally wrapped up the renovation work on the house this morning.  It went on longer than I expected but they did a very good job as far as I am concerned.  Of course it will have to pass my wife's inspection when she gets back from town this afternoon.????

 

We designed the house to be inconspicuous from the main road and over the years our trees have helped to that aim.  It is a simple one story house, only two rooms deep, with little east-west exposure, facing north to take advantage of the views, wind direction and the path of the sun.  I guess the roofline is a little different but the general floor plan is pretty basic.

 

 

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

They finally wrapped up the renovation work on the house this morning.  It went on longer than I expected but they did a very good job as far as I am concerned.  Of course it will have to pass my wife's inspection when she gets back from town this afternoon.????

 

We designed the house to be inconspicuous from the main road and over the years our trees have helped to that aim.  It is a simple one story house, only two rooms deep, with little east-west exposure, facing north to take advantage of the views, wind direction and the path of the sun.  I guess the roofline is a little different but the general floor plan is pretty basic.

 

 

Looks beautiful. Mine will be a small bungalow of approx 11 x 16m with no interesting view. The land is only 15 x 40m so tiny in comparison. 

On 1/25/2019 at 5:53 PM, JAS21 said:

Where is that ...we will be up that way later in the year ... golfing 

Sorry, Golfers are not Welcome.  

12 hours ago, villagefarang said:

They finally wrapped up the renovation work on the house this morning.  It went on longer than I expected but they did a very good job as far as I am concerned.  Of course it will have to pass my wife's inspection when she gets back from town this afternoon.????

 

We designed the house to be inconspicuous from the main road and over the years our trees have helped to that aim.  It is a simple one story house, only two rooms deep, with little east-west exposure, facing north to take advantage of the views, wind direction and the path of the sun.  I guess the roofline is a little different but the general floor plan is pretty basic.

 

 

 

 

 

You are an inspiration VF. You truly are.

They finally wrapped up the renovation work on the house this morning.  It went on longer than I expected but they did a very good job as far as I am concerned.  Of course it will have to pass my wife's inspection when she gets back from town this afternoon.[emoji6]
 
We designed the house to be inconspicuous from the main road and over the years our trees have helped to that aim.  It is a simple one story house, only two rooms deep, with little east-west exposure, facing north to take advantage of the views, wind direction and the path of the sun.  I guess the roofline is a little different but the general floor plan is pretty basic.
 

 

 

 
 

It looks like your roof lines would be great for solar panels. Is that something that makes sense in Thailand?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

11 minutes ago, SpokaneAl said:

 

It looks like your roof lines would be great for solar panels. Is that something that makes sense in Thailand?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

VERY good question Al. I'd also be interested in knowing. Seems like the perfect place for solar.

18 minutes ago, SpokaneAl said:

It looks like your roof lines would be great for solar panels. Is that something that makes sense in Thailand?
 

 

That is definitely something I looked at but at the time the cost just didn't make sense.  I don't know if the situation has change or not.  The panels would have gone on the back side of the roof so wouldn't have been visible from most angles.

 

Since it was the first and only time I have done a house, I went through a whole fantasy/wishlist thing but that all fell prey to more practical matters.

On 2/21/2019 at 4:41 AM, JAFO said:

Occasionally a friend from the states will send me a link to a Vlog or YouTube vid someone did about Thailand and I watch it. Most I can only handle about the first 30 seconds,

Perfectly understandable. You can read about 10 times faster than watching a video. If a video is not interesting because of its "pictures" I'm not watching it (mainly talking about teaching videos for software etc. here). People ask me why I don't make videos about my martial arts: sorry, I don't have time for that. Either I'm practicing, or I'm doing something else. Making films does not fit into either of them.

7 hours ago, HuskerDo said:

VERY good question Al. I'd also be interested in knowing. Seems like the perfect place for solar.

Quote

facing north to take advantage of the views

 

Yes, facing north to take advantage of the views and keep the living area cooler and away from the sun most of the year.  We are located at roughly 19 degrees north, so the sun stays on the south side of the house most of the year.  The back side faces south, is even longer than the front, would be ideal for solar panels and would not be an eyesore.  Who would want to put their solar panels out on the front of their house, if they had a better option.????

We visited an agricultural show at the Surin University of Technology today.

Lot's of nice flowers:

 

Some straw elephants:

 

Entrants in the "Now, that's what I call a bull!" contest:

 

Along with the "Damn, that's a big buffalo!" show:

 

@ballpoint  Thanks for the pictures.

 

Friday evening we were invited to join friends at local hotel where they had a guest chef preparing a special menu for one night.  After the meal I left our table to work the room a bit and spent a fair amount of time talking with an older Thai lady we have known since we moved to Chiang Rai and two other women at her table.  Not sure what the husbands thought of our Thai conversation but they seemed busy talking amongst themselves and didn’t complain.

 

Today we attended the 100th gathering of the Chiang Rai Potluck at a little riverside park.  We attended in the early years but took a six year break and only recently gave it second look at the urging of some women my wife knows.  There was an interesting mix of old faces and new.  It was a pleasant enough day but I will likely wait until the next cool season before attending again.  I can take only so much of these farang focussed gatherings.????

16 hours ago, ballpoint said:

We visited an agricultural show at the Surin University of Technology today.

Lot's of nice flowers:

 

Some straw elephants:

 

Entrants in the "Now, that's what I call a bull!" contest:

 

Along with the "Damn, that's a big buffalo!" show:

 

Those elephants are made out of HAY? It looks like it. Whomever created that is incredibly talented. As for the other photos Ballpoint.... THAT's a LOT of BULL!! I know there would be a lot of farmers in the US Midwest that would LOVE to have a bull like that. My grandfather was a farmer and I know he sure would. 

6 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

Those elephants are made out of HAY? It looks like it. Whomever created that is incredibly talented. As for the other photos Ballpoint.... THAT's a LOT of BULL!! I know there would be a lot of farmers in the US Midwest that would LOVE to have a bull like that. My grandfather was a farmer and I know he sure would. 

Yep, the elephants are made of rice straw/hay, presumably over a wire frame, and are quite an impressive size and feat. 

 

I occasionally see large Brahman bulls here, but have rarely seen such big "regular" ones.  The one on the right in the first photo weighs around 1,200 kg, and is worth 250,000 baht, but will earn a lot more than that in stud fees.  There was an even bigger one in a pen further along.  I might go back and get another photo later this week.

 

The fair is on till March 4th.  I recommend anyone in the Surin area who has an interest in farming, or just likes seeing big bulls, buffalo, goats, pigs, chickens, sheep, rabbits, elephants, flowers, silk, leather work, tractors, and other farm machinery, go along for a look.  Entry is free.

In my experience forum topics like this have a limited shelf life and this one seems to be winding down.  If I want to continue to offer up a positive counterbalance to all the negativity I need to come up with a new topic.  Anyone have any ideas?  Here is a list of some topics I have already covered.  Many have been archived so are not active but I guess I could start a new updated version.  Anything you would be interested in or think others would be interested in?

 

43 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

In my experience forum topics like this have a limited shelf life and this one seems to be winding down.  If I want to continue to offer up a positive counterbalance to all the negativity I need to come up with a new topic.  Anyone have any ideas?  Here is a list of some topics I have already covered.  Many have been archived so are not active but I guess I could start a new updated version.  Anything you would be interested in or think others would be interested in?

 

A few things I'd love to hear your comments on. :-) 

 

- How to live an easier life in Thailand

- Respect is a two way street in relationships (targeted at farangs)

- How to maintain a happy marriage (targeted at farangs)

- Ways to make your retired life in Thailand even better

- Make exercise a way of life to improve your health

- Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative in life

 

2 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

A few things I'd love to hear your comments on. ????

 

- How to live an easier life in Thailand

- Respect is a two way street in relationships (targeted at farangs)

- How to maintain a happy marriage (targeted at farangs)

- Ways to make your retired life in Thailand even better

- Make exercise a way of life to improve your health

- Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative in life

 

Thank you and I will ponder your suggestions while I am at the gym today.

3 minutes ago, villagefarang said:

Thank you and I will ponder your suggestions while I am at the gym today.

I think maybe all of those ideas could be rolled into one big positive message VF. You have the life many can only dream of. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on any of those subjects.

 

Have a great time at the gym.

 

On 1/25/2019 at 6:04 PM, CharlieH said:

And the way you see your world is very very good !!

A great positive Topic and one I am sure many will feel as a refreshing view of "the other side of the coin" a beautiful and honest personal view, seldom seen, a stark contrast to the negativity that is unfortunately so prevalent among many.

 

Your positive attitude and outlook is a credit to you.

 

Thank you !

Yes, my thoughts too. I'm a cynical so and so but even I have had my head turned by these pics, as you say the other side of the coin.

 

The OP 'put his time in' doing a 30 in BKK..so he has my utmost respect and has the credentials to a voice that IO would listen to.

 

It really is a shame that we don't get cooler weather here.

This probably won’t satisfy anyone but it’s what I came up with while pondering the questions above.

 

I have a really hard time when it comes to making suggestions about how someone else should live their lives.  Each individual and each relationship is different, with its own unique dynamics.  I don’t feel it is my place to make a list of dos and don’ts because what works for me, may not work for anyone else.  

 

I don’t mind asking probing questions to help someone find their own answers.  Even when it comes to sharing glimpses of my life or feel good images, its done in the hope that someone might be inspired to get out there and forge their own path through the wilderness, not try to follow mine.

 

Some people don’t agree, but I take the stance that everyone is entitled to screwup their lives anyway they wish.  My wife is a bit more proactive and has been certified as a life coach but she gets that you can’t fix people and can only help guide them to a better understanding of themselves in the hope of finding their own answers.

 

You have to remember, all my Thai explorations and learning came pre-internet and at a younger age than most.  I have been working on a different clock with a unique set of skills and potential.  Maybe being positive is easier for me because so many positive things have come my way.

 

The only real observation I can make is that people have an inherent ability to adapt.  For example, if it is cold we don’t need to grow fur like a bear or blubber like a walrus, all we need to do is put on a jacket or start a fire.  We can’t stop the weather from being cold but we can adapt and make ourselves quite comfortable.  The same principle holds true in Thailand.  If we study and learn about our new environment, we can learn how to adapt and even use the environment to our advantage.  You can stand there in your shorts and a teeshirt screaming at the snow and freeze to death or you can adapt.

We all have stories to tell about our own unique Thailand journey.  Let me share just one of my many stories.

 

In my early teens we moved to Hawaii and among the first people we got to know where two gentlemen who became lifelong friends.  One was the general manager at the Hilton and the other the dean at the TIM school at the university.

 

Fast forward about three decades and the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok changes hands to become The Regent.  This is where it gets interesting.  Regent International was founded by that very same hotel manager from Hawaii.  I also noticed that the new GM at the Regent had graduated from the TIM school in Hawaii.  I was flying back to Hawaii soon to visit my parents and knew that our old friend closely followed the success of his past students.  Figuring he would ask me about this new GM, I decided to say hello before I left so I could give him an update.

 

After a slightly awkward introduction in the lobby we sat down for a nice talk.  By the end of our conversation he was asking me to come see him upon my return as he wanted to offer me a job.  I ended up taking the job and working for him until he returned to Hawaii a couple of years later.

 

That is kind of the way things have always gone for me from the very first trip to Thailand as a twenty year old university student working part-time for Air Siam.

Thought I would add a few pics of a trip my wife and I took to the area of Mon Chaem in Chaing Mai about 2 months ago.

 

 

Our bungalow for the night. Elevation is 4356ft

 

 

View from our room. We had a nice dinner on the deck and watched the sun set. 

 

 

View looking Northeast

 

 

Aerial pic from my drone of the resort at the mountain top

 

 

Sunset

 

 

Morning with Fog in various valleys

 

It was a great place to stay for a get away night. The drive up is quite nice. Rooms were small but cozy with a big window to watch the sunset

 

That arial shot is impressive.