Why you as a farrang live in Thailand

[RAZZELL]

19 hours ago, SteveK said:

I came here because I learned to love Thai culture after visiting many years ago. 

Yeah, of course 

 

RAZZ

[mike787]

Just now, marcusarelus said:

Hope you don't mind if I answer.  I'm living in Thailand because I don't care.  I've done everything I'm ever going to do and paid back everyone who was owed.  I don't have any grudges.  

It's good to hear everyones perspective, I find it very educational.  I realize that I am on a different path; some of your points I share with you, while others will come but much later in life.  If I was in the same place as you, likely I would feel very similar.  My concern is this: you're old, near the end of your journey, invested heavily in Thailand only to be destroyed financially and emotionally (possibly) through a divorce and immigration issues, and it's too late for a Plan B because there is little to no money/time left.  I am single now, divorced and have not one to bail me out.  I am IT!  That is why I ask.  What does the situation look like from other peoples perspectives?  Perhaps they don't care, or they have an option. 

[mike787]

11 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

I'm a glass full type of guy.

Happy go lucky.

I don't think of the negatives, and i doubt it will happen, even if a civil war kicked off.

I see.  It makes me wonder because Immigration here is not getting easier.  Some are lucky, while some who were lucky are no longer.  Tables turn to glass empty situation...now what? 

[wolf81]

I’m still kinda “young” (38 years old) and with that in mind:

 

- Paying practically no taxes and lower cost of living means I should be able to retire when I reach ~45 years of age.

 

- I prefer the weather here over The Netherlands - I specifically hate the winters over there.

 

- My GF and daughter are here as well of course.

 

There might be other countries I could consider moving to after saving enough money, though I’d probably prefer to move from the sticks to Pattaya or Hua Hin or some other coastal city by then. 

 

[Thainesss]

4 minutes ago, mike787 said:

My concern is this: you're old, near the end of your journey, invested heavily in Thailand only to be destroyed financially and emotionally (possibly) through a divorce and immigration issues, and it's too late for a Plan B because there is little to no money/time left.  I am single now, divorced and have not one to bail me out.  I am IT!  That is why I ask.  What does the situation look like from other peoples perspectives?  Perhaps they don't care, or they have an option. 

 

It looks BLEAK, and Ive met so many people that this has happened to its unbelievable.

 

Wouldn't be so bad if at the absolute very least someone could find a local job & make money.

 

As soon as you arrive here you're money and you are on borrowed time. 

[marcusarelus]

4 minutes ago, mike787 said:

It's good to hear everyones perspective, I find it very educational.  I realize that I am on a different path; some of your points I share with you, while others will come but much later in life.  If I was in the same place as you, likely I would feel very similar.  My concern is this: you're old, near the end of your journey, invested heavily in Thailand only to be destroyed financially and emotionally (possibly) through a divorce and immigration issues, and it's too late for a Plan B because there is little to no money/time left.  I am single now, divorced and have not one to bail me out.  I am IT!  That is why I ask.  What does the situation look like from other peoples perspectives?  Perhaps they don't care, or they have an option. 

I'm not invested heavily in Thailand.  I shared the wife's house and land payment which was about what I'd pay in rent.  That is paid off in 2 years and she has a nest egg when she gets old.  

 

My pension is in America as is my health care I can go back to a small room overlooking a water to watch the birds fly and fish jump and die.  

[ToS2014]

19 hours ago, Parsve said:

The only rights I am asking for is that my reports should be equal handled whatever IO I go to and whatever officer that I happen to come to, that the police and other officials treat me as anyone else, even treat me as if I was a thai, that is what democracy is about, no one is “better than another”.  Probably there are corruption also in Australia (I have never been there so I do not know) and in USA, but in no way as it is in Thailand.

I also would like to see Thailand as a country, like other democratic countries where you not have to pay more for getting street food or get into for example a museum or a national park just because you are a “farrang”, that is another part of the democrat policy. I would like to see Thailand treat their own people equal never the less if they are poor or rich. I would like to see the police make people following the rules and laws that are decided of the government.

If you can tell me that any of those statement I have  mention above is wrong, I will apologise.

I hear you but.....Thailand is not your home country.  I've heard countless debates how 'bad' Thailand is and how the farang wishes the country acted/ruled like their own.  No country is alike and all can be criticized to one degree or another.  IF a visitor here doesn't like it....well the solution is simple. In my humble opinion, us farangs have 'taught' the Thais exactly how to treat us.

[mike787]

3 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

It looks BLEAK, and Ive met so many people that this has happened to its unbelievable.

 

Wouldn't be so bad if at the absolute very least someone could find a local job & make money.

 

As soon as you arrive here you're money and you are on borrowed time. 

YES!! YES!!  That's exactly what I have seen and read.  Us guys get taken to the cleaners just because and all we wanted was to settle down and enjoy life.  The Thai (or some Asian) girls we are with decides to show their true colors and does a chapter 11 on us.  Now What?  We are old, out dated, little money left, showing our years, and now finding ourselves struggling to rehabilitate our lives against massive odds....It's a situation I would not wish on many.

[Thainesss]

2 minutes ago, mike787 said:

YES!! YES!!  That's exactly what I have seen and read.  Us guys get taken to the cleaners just because and all we wanted was to settle down and enjoy life.  The Thai (or some Asian) girls we are with decides to show their true colors and does a chapter 11 on us.  Now What?  We are old, out dated, little money left, showing our years, and now finding ourselves struggling to rehabilitate our lives against massive odds....It's a situation I would not wish on many.

 

Something that I haven't seen posted in a while and a philosophy I vehemently live by is this:

 

Don't bring to Thailand what you cant walk away from. I have a house, car, motorbike - all on the cheaper side of a budget and in the wifes name - and if I ever wanted or needed to I could pack a few bags and walk away completely and easily recover with only a little bit of red-ass about it. 

[mike787]

7 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I'm not invested heavily in Thailand.  I shared the wife's house and land payment which was about what I'd pay in rent.  That is paid off in 2 years and she has a nest egg when she gets old.  

 

My pension is in America as is my health care I can go back to a small room overlooking a water to watch the birds fly and fish jump and die.  

Your response resonance much more in line with my situation now....at least the last part about US.  I''m also from the US, and like you, that would be my situation - to return.  Except I am returning to the US sooner since I am still shoring up the retirement portion of my Plan B.  At 51, still employed in the medical field, I can command a good salary that has helped me insure & ensure against any unforeseen circumstances that may arise.  Living in Thailand for some time, the rose colored glasses have been disposed of.  Initially, I thought I was going to buy, marry, and establish here.  Then I started to see the risks, for me, they out weighed the gains.  So I remained on the sidelines not invested in more than the street food and beer.  The risk of Immigration deciding to "lock me out" of Thailand because a particular officer "feels" like it was a financial suicide I did not want to find myself in. 

[mike787]

3 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Something that I haven't seen posted in a while and a philosophy I vehemently live by is this:

 

Don't bring to Thailand what you cant walk away from. I have a house, car, motorbike - all on the cheaper side of a budget and in the wifes name - and if I ever wanted or needed to I could pack a few bags and walk away completely and easily recover with only a little bit of red-ass about it. 

GREAT point!!!!  I have a friend that has his "Go bag" ready.  If things go south, he knows what to do.

[mfd101]

6 minutes ago, mike787 said:

I have a friend that has his "Go bag" ready.  If things go south, he knows what to do

I can understand the practical side of that, but it seems like a terrible way to live, and an awful psychology: No commitment, so no real love, and always waiting for the evil moment ... Like living in a permanent state of war (Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq ... ).

[newatthis]

19 hours ago, steven100 said:

you either need to get some ear muffs / headphones or move to the village where all I hear is crickets  !

Limited over or Twenty20?

[Kurtf]

Came, built a house to take care of father in law and now can’t sell the damn house. If I could, I would be gone in a New York minute.

[marcusarelus]

22 minutes ago, mike787 said:

YES!! YES!!  That's exactly what I have seen and read.  Us guys get taken to the cleaners just because and all we wanted was to settle down and enjoy life.  The Thai (or some Asian) girls we are with decides to show their true colors and does a chapter 11 on us.  Now What?  We are old, out dated, little money left, showing our years, and now finding ourselves struggling to rehabilitate our lives against massive odds....It's a situation I would not wish on many.

Why?  Most old guys in America die without every knowing the joys of a young maid from Issan for however many days, weeks and or months it lasts. 

[marcusarelus]

19 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Something that I haven't seen posted in a while and a philosophy I vehemently live by is this:

 

Don't bring to Thailand what you cant walk away from. I have a house, car, motorbike - all on the cheaper side of a budget and in the wifes name - and if I ever wanted or needed to I could pack a few bags and walk away completely and easily recover with only a little bit of red-ass about it. 

Oh but mine's (girl. business or whatever) different and then they expect us to feel sorry when the cops and whoever fleece them. 

Edited July 27, 2019 by marcusarelus

[Thainesss]

6 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

No commitment, so no real love, and always waiting for the evil moment ... Like living in a permanent state of war (Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq ... ).

 

Yet the entire structure here is built with zero protection for the male. In the west at least you can get a 50/50 split. Here? Nothing. 

 

Nothing wrong with protecting yourself. 

[mike787]

2 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Why?  Most old guys in America die without every knowing the joys of a young maid from Issan for however many days, weeks and or months it lasts. 

Your enlightening!!! Yes, VERY true.  I agree.  The asian fever has a grip on me that I like.  I realized early after my divorce as I left a life that "was" what you describe.  I love Thailand but do not enjoy the same challenges so many on TVF have identified.  However, when I look at those Issan girls, I forget at least for moment, the challenges of immigration. 

[marcusarelus]

2 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Yet the entire structure here is built with zero protection for the male. In the west at least you can get a 50/50 split. Here? Nothing. 

 

Nothing wrong with protecting yourself. 

I never got a 50/50 split.  Tried 3 times. 

[Thainesss]

1 minute ago, marcusarelus said:

I never got a 50/50 split.  Tried 3 times. 

 

At least you had the opportunity to try. 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, Thainesss said:

 

Trump and whatever disaster media you consume seems to have really twisted your head up. Its literally exactly the same as it was a couple years ago except theres more jobs, home prices are climbing again (thats good not bad), and people are paying less taxes. 

 

Cost of living in the USA is so subjective that it makes your entire paragraph meaningless. 

Yes. $3800 a month for a two bedroom house is good for a family that does not own a house, which is the majority of the nation. In your universe. 

 

Nobody I know is paying less taxes. They had a one time drop. The corporations are paying far less. That is not bring shared by their employees on any level. 

[Bangkok Barry]

20 hours ago, SteveK said:

I must say the same thing. I came here because I learned to love Thai culture after visiting many years ago. Now the situation has become so toxic, that I would run a mile, if it weren't for the fact that I am married to a lovely Thai lady. If I was single I would get my shit together and leave the country ASAP. If my wife and I have a serious argument, or if anything happens to her, I am going to be on a plane to either Vietnam or the Philippines the same day.

 

90 day reports, TM30, spurious visa requirements - all foreigners in Thailand are treated as criminals. It's a very bad thing to say but sometimes I wish that I had not married a Thai.

I agree with every word, as I'm sure many would/will. I'd head to Spain though, a higher standard of living than the countries you named and far cheaper than Thailand in many things and so many things of a far higher standard.

[mpyre]

17 hours ago, Jingthing said:

That has nothing to do with what I said. I'm referring to he BULLYING posts we always get, saying just go home if you're not totally thrilled with everything here. OBVIOUSLY if your feeling or experience is as EXTREMELY and TOTALLY negative as you describe you would have already left. I find that a cheap deflection from my overall defense against the BULLYING. Again, it has no value. It's stupid, obnoxious, and mean. Probably many of the people posting such garbage don't even LIVE here and don't like their unrealistic FANTSIES of what living here would be disturbed. 

BULLY? Check the mirror bud.

[Thainesss]

2 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Yes. $3800 a month for a two bedroom house is good for a family that does not own a house, which is the majority of the nation. In your universe. 

 

Yes, I too could move to one of the most expensive areas of the USA and then complain that its unsustainable. I could do the same if I went to London or Singapore too. I could do the same if I went the rich areas of Bangkok. Doesn't mean its true or makes any sense. The median monthly mortgage payment in the USA right now is about $1030. If you use that as the benchmark - Thats 31,000 baht a month. Thats not alot of money, and when you start approaching that per month here in Thailand it makes zero sense to stay here. 

 

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Nobody I know is paying less taxes.

 

Every single tax bracket is lower than it was before. Every one of them. Most people are in fact paying less in taxes, and someone who says they aren't, is either lying or has a strange tax situation. 

[wilailuk]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

So that's what happened to me some years ago in Phuket.  My little guesthouse that I built near the airport was physically invaded by some Thai drug dealers and I was locked out.  My appeal to the local police was denied because they were customers of those dealers.  My appeal to Phuket police HQ was ignored, even though I had worked for more than 12 years as an unpaid police volunteer and translator at Phuket Airport.  I was 'run off' the island in fear of my life and loss about $100,000 invested in my guesthouse.

 

Corruption in Thailand?  Don't get me started about it.....

 

 

Yep, I believe you, this can happen here.. 

 

I remember a Swiss guy down at Kata Noi - small bar/restaurant at the end of the beach, he was a nervous wreck because some local guys/kamoy/puu yai.. whatever, made threats to him because they wanted him to close shop and move, so they could take over that prime location.

 

I learned a lot down there, and have used it later: Never mess with a thai´s ricebowl, never get involved in their weird business arrangements, just play dumb stupid farang, and nothing bad will happen..

 

 

[Matzzon]

Yeah, the only thing I can say, is that I really hope your wife says yes quick. Don´t need people that constantly complain here.

[marcusarelus]

4 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I agree with every word, as I'm sure many would/will. I'd head to Spain though, a higher standard of living than the countries you named and far cheaper than Thailand in many things and so many things of a far higher standard.

And that's why you live in Thailand.  Cool. 

[Knocker33]

I don't really know because it certainty isn't the fun place I moved to 16 years ago

[marcusarelus]

1 minute ago, wilailuk said:

Yep, I believe you, this can happen here.. 

 

I remember a Swiss guy down at Kata Noi - small bar/restaurant at the end of the beach, he was a nervous wreck because some local guys/kamoy/puu yai.. whatever, made threats to him because they wanted him to close shop and move, so they could take over that prime location.

 

I learned a lot down there, and have used it later: Never mess with a thai´s ricebowl, never get involved in their weird business arrangements, just play dumb stupid farang, and nothing bad will happen..

Kind of an odd reason for living in Thailand but I believe you. 

[wilailuk]

5 minutes ago, mpyre said:

BULLY? Check the mirror bud.

????

 

It´s called "projection" - but he don´t want to learn about it, prefer Freud..

 

 

Edited July 27, 2019 by wilailuk