This will be my last post

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, Fore Man said:

The grass is always greener elsewhere as we have all heard.  But to be honest, I’ve felt the same way and as I was transferred from one military post to another over a 30-year career, that grass turned out to be not so green after all.  We humans have a need inside to grouse about our current lot in life, but never actually reach utopia...it’s always just around the next bend. There’s an old saying in the military that our best assignment will be the next one. So true. I have an old comrade who served a nomadic life like mine.  He moved to Chiang Mai ten years ago and absolutely raved about it.  Then he turned sour on Thailand and sold his beautiful home and they relocated back to the States. I regularly received emails on how wonderful their lives were there. It seemed they were at long last sorted and happy.  Alas, they sold that home, their cars and possessions and returned to Chiang Mai. Whereupon they once again grew to loathe life in Thailand.  They said it had changed for the worse and had decided to move back to the US, to a different state.  I can well imagine the massive costs that all this moving and buying/selling homes must have amounted to.   And in terms of aggravation and frustration too.  I hope they find peace and happiness at the end, but their saga drove home that old adage about greener grass.  

 

My suggestion is to find ways to be content and happy where you are and don’t dwell on the negatives...such as our apparently tightening and xenophobic immigration policies.  I too began to let my increasingly visceral dislike of Immigration to color my thinking and then found other ways to sour on life in Thailand.  But it’s your life and don’t allow outside agencies to ruin it. There’s plenty to enjoy here, and it’s up to each of us to root that out and let the rest fall off of us like water running off a duck.  In the end though, it’s your life at stake and if you simply can’t tolerate conditions here, then be positive and proactive, and leave. Don’t become a Thai-basher and taint our post topics on the forum.  

 

Good fortune and God bless you all.

Best post I have read all year, and very true and well said.

 

I am slowly finding out that it's all in the mind set and am doing my damn best to time adjust my mind set and time each event that irks me in a day and then try and break it down and try to accept it and file it away in my memory store of files, e.g. smoke from burning rice fields, military style school teachers, keystone cops, bad education system, etc etc etc, so that it doesn't irk me again.  

 

We all came here for a reason, quickly forgetting what peeed us off back home, whether it was the very unhappy change in my industry which created a busy working life for less $'s, too old to change careers, rising cost of living, property prices, higher taxes, traffic jams, watching people rip off the welfare system and get away with it, and the government being absolutely useless, compensating illegal boat people $70,000,000 AUD for keeping them off shore. I could go on, but these are things that made me move here to Thailand, so I must not forget that.

 

Here I have a relaxed life, a practically stressless life when compared to back home, I have money, I can spend it, I can enjoy life without having to think twice, although you can't teach an old dog new tricks, so I still think twice, nothing wrong with that ????

 

The Thai's are generally a quiet culture, so you have to adapt to their culture, respect it, I didn't say like it, because there are a hell of a lot of things I don't like, but bottom line is, it's not my country, it doesn't have the systems we have back home, so it ultimately comes down to a decision which is up to me, I can pi$$ and moan and groan here, or I can go back home and pi$$ and moan and groan back there, however there are two clear differences, i.e. it's cheaper to pi$$ and moan and groan here, and I will never have to return to the working rate race, the expensive property market, whether it be renting or buying property.

 

So as I am slowly learning after almost 4 years, you can't change the way things are run, especially here in Thailand where we are guests, so, grab the thought, analyse it and store it away in the dealt basket of cannot change things in Thailand and smile each time it rears its ugly head and move forward, looking at the greenery, smelling the fresh air now when it's not burning season also helps as it does looking at both the blue and grey clouds in the sky, the butterflies, etc, etc, etc, and if that's not enough to satisfy me, then all I have to do is look around me and I will quickly see, how unfortunate a lot of others aren't, e.g. I can book my ticket back home if I really have to, and start my life again, others are stuck here, but they don't pi$$, moan and groan about it, they don't have a choice, they don't know any better and accept the card that they have been dealt with.

 

So for now, I continue to stay here as I originally planned, when and if the smoke from the back burning get to me, then I can up it and go to Hua Hin, or Phuket or elsewhere for a couple of months, one must look at choices before final decisions which could be the wrong decisions ?

 

Cheers  

Edited July 31, 2019 by 4MyEgo

[Thainesss]

4 minutes ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

Oh, the irony!

Just substitute the word America with Thailand and your post is equally true.

 

I rarely post about Thailand unless its my direct and factual experience, and never post about anyones politics other than my own and my country. 

 

And id certainly never attack someones politics that have nothing to do with my own or my country. 

 

Yet this forum is FULL of know-it-alls and trolls who make it their past-time. 

[Orton Rd]

Pass time

[marcusarelus]

18 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I certainly came out of my military service flexible and adaptable, but perhaps that's because that's in my character. I don't recall anyone specifically teaching me to be flexible and adaptable, unless it was at avoiding the <deleted> that plagued the institution.

Unfortunately, I learned to "dislike" the military as it was full of <deleted> little hitlers that loved to mess people around.

 

I don't agree with you on much but I sure do in this.  I pay dues to the VFW every year but find it hard to go to meetings.  The little hitlers tried to kill me on numerous occasions.  And I can't bring myself to forget that. 

[thaibeachlovers]

8 minutes ago, robertson468 said:

 

We are all different and you clearly are very different.  But I don't remember too many people toting little mustaches and raising their extended arm in salutes!  You seem to have had a bad experince in your Country's Armed Forces, or perhaps just resent authority. 

You wuz lucky then, or perhaps I was unlucky. It's been a very long time, but the scars are still present.

It wasn't all bad. I got a trade and travelled the world, but in the end it just got to the point I had to resign. I loved the job, but too many people spoiled it for me. 

No, they didn't have little mustaches or extend arm salutes, but they and Hitler could have been clones- not all, obviously, but enough.

[daoyai]

15 hours ago, kokesaat said:

The difference being, in Thailand you can go to a garlic festival or a church or a music fest or a school and not worry about being gunned down by someone you don't know.

But beware the Temple festivals in the north east, there it is hand grenades.

[holy cow cm]

2 minutes ago, FredGallaher said:

Just as I thought, very verbose but lacking substance, but long on self importance. Good to see you have some HiSo friends, but others do as well. My friends are or every social level because I don't care. Frankly I've never been to a bar in CM or elsewhere in the past 40 years in Thailand. Usually we go to a nice Thai restaurant and have a drink or two. Mostly we socialize with our Thai, many are professionals and may or may not travel outside Thailand frequently.

 

Same to you Fred. Good you have a life as well and have spent a good amount of time here to know some people and hopefully something's. And yet you come back stating the same as I have in some respect, so we do indeed have a couple things in common, being common thai friends and HiSO's as you put it... Have a good life.

[kevin612]

Let’s make It easy: you can live anywhere if you are rich.

[jessebkk1]

Jeez, I see so many Europooreans who are stuck here mocking an American who dares to walk away from this entrapment called thailand and be free. It makes sense though, after losing almost 50% of your  currency's worth to the Thai Baht i understand the need to Shine Thai boots to survive.

 

Why should anyone accept to continue to go through what the Thai Immigration is putting long term stayers through without any positive sides to it forever? why? to stay in Thailand? What is so special about staying in Thailand? do they pay foreigners a monthly allowance? Is there something very special about this place that is unobtainable elsewhere? Oh but other countries have visa policies too you say? Yes, they do, but after a few years of staying, you get long term stay options. I rather know of so many negatives of being here that is obtainable nowhere else.

 

  Obviously some of sort of Stockholm syndrome going on here by those who have been bruised and bamboozled by the wicked policies of the Thai Immigration. I understand that for some of you from countries the size of a football it might be an honor to be allowed to stay here, but for someone from a continent like the USA, As an American, If I wanted to live in a territory with Asiatic Culture, I'd go to Hawaii, or American Samoa, or Guam etc and literally be like a local there, no visas, no TM30 no BS! And In American when we see the government maltreating even illegal immigrants we protest by the thousands in the streets, how many of you can get your thai neighbors to stand in the street and hold a placard in demonstration for you, even if you were to pay them?

 

  Goodluck to those remaining here, you're going to need it. Prayut reads thaivisa and he loves farangs, hence the need to pacify you all with nice new laws every few months. I'm glad I found the courage to get up and leave, and I'll be very comfy in my OWN LANDED house in the US of A, watching CNN when those scary grim stories start to pop up. Being a humanitarian, I'd be glad to support with a dollar, at the rate it's going it might be a few hundred pounds in the next couple of years, could get you some cookies!

[thaibeachlovers]

6 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

I don't agree with you on much but I sure do in this.  I pay dues to the VFW every year but find it hard to go to meetings.  The little hitlers tried to kill me on numerous occasions.  And I can't bring myself to forget that. 

Don't know what the VFW is, but assume it's an ex military association. I went to one once in my country, but was ignored, so never went back.

I was never in an actual war situation, so never in risk of life, but they did enjoy making me miserable. The problem with the military is that it allows the power crazed to actually use power over other people.

The pity of it is that it could have been such a great life, but for a few horribles with rank.

I once went to a recruiting stall, and wished I could have been in the military they portrayed, as it was so far from reality, and seemed fantastic- driving tanks and parachuting was all in everyone's everyday life- not so. I did drive tanks when I had to fix them, but I never got to parachute.

[thasoss]

17 hours ago, FaFaHead said:

555! I left because of Trump, believe me, I’m not looking forward to the noise in that regard again. I was referring to American order, structure, efficiency. I am a military person and those things are important to me and are sorely lacking here. 

efficiency,order?....i hope it's so for you on your return.All i seem to read about is homelessness,squalor in LA, san francisco not to mention baltimore,but you have responsibilities to ageing family,and good on you for taking care.Safe travels,hope DHS dont frisk you too hard,no strip searches etc.

[Jingthing]

I agree some of the hyper-charged attacks on people that have any criticisms of Thailand (or God forbid are considering leaving or have left) and it's visa policies do come off as a strange perverted twist on the Stockholm Syndrome. I've been saying that many many years. Even before we entered the ONEROUS zone more recently where the volume of people being shaken out has visibly increased. 

Edited July 31, 2019 by Jingthing

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, jessebkk1 said:

Goodluck to those remaining here, you're going to need it. Prayut reads thaivisa and he loves farangs, hence the need to pacify you all with nice new laws every few months. I'm glad I found the courage to get up and leave, and I'll be very comfy in my OWN LANDED house in the US of A, watching CNN when those scary grim stories start to pop up. Being a humanitarian, I'd be glad to support with a dollar, at the rate it's going it might be a few hundred pounds in the next couple of years, could get you some cookies!

Bitter much?

I guess you didn't find a Thailand to love, which makes me wonder why you lived there in the first place.

I'd love to stay till I die, but can't, while people like you that could won't. Life really sucks!

CNN  Bad as the BBC.

 

[4MyEgo]

30 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Said every annoying & off-putting person, ever. 

I accept this award humbly from you, someone who underestimates their complete obnoxiousness ????

 

[luckyluke]

2 minutes ago, jessebkk1 said:

Why should anyone accept to continue to go through what the Thai Immigration is putting long term stayers through without any positive sides to it forever?

The day I will have continuous problems with Thai Immigration I may consider to move somewhere else.

 

Fortunately for me it isn't the case for me for the last 19 years.

 

I really hope it will continue this way for me.

 

At 71 I really don't want to move.

 

 

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

The day I will have continuous problems with Thai Immigration I may consider to move somewhere else.

 

Fortunately for me it isn't the case for me for the last 19 years.

 

I really hope it will continue this way for me.

 

At 71 I really don't want to move.

 

 

I wish you the best with that.

I agree when you get to a certain age, moving house is really hard and moving to another country even back home can be a very serious trauma.

That's one reason I suggest that younger people consider that before retiring to Thailand or any other country that doesn't offer any residence security as they age.

[Thainesss]

3 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I accept this award humbly from you, someone who underestimates their complete obnoxiousness ????

 

Weird, I dont even remember ever having an interaction with you. Would you be viewing my posts on the politics of my own country and finding them obnoxious? Thats all I really post about, so you are kind of proving my original point.

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, manchega said:

if you was a gi out here you and your ilk are responsible for many of the problems the region faces now.

 

As with the thousands of others like you do you never think about the ones you betrayed as you pulled out let alone treating people like dogs when you were here in the 70s.

 

you are scum bags and you continue to teach children your propaganda of being the good guys.

 

good bye good riddance

Well, I was one of those hippy dippy anti-war protesters back then, but your rhetoric goes way too far.

[allen303]

3 hours ago, Dcheech said:

 

"Military mindset" BTW there are many that have this mindset and cannot live in large sections of the United States. They have to move to places like Tennessee Or Tallahassee, because they don't fit in other places. OP is lucky he can still live in Boston. Best of luck on your move.

 

 

Really, you need to work on your pouch line, that joke fell a little short. Buts here is one for you.

What’s one thing you will never hear someone say?

I am going to retire and move up north!

 

Have you ever been to Tallahassee or Tennessee? Tennessee is a great state to visit or live. As for Tallahassee, that is one great city/collage town. Been to numerous FSU games there.

 

As for the military, you will find prior service members as a whole do far better then most when it comes to adjusting to their surroundings. If one thing you learn in the military is stay flexible because things will change. Most military move several times if they stay in long term. I averaged moving every two to three years all over the world.

 Obviously with that state of mind you were never in the military.

[thasoss]

11 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Bitter much?

I guess you didn't find a Thailand to love, which makes me wonder why you lived there in the first place.

I'd love to stay till I die, but can't, while people like you that could won't. Life really sucks!

CNN  Bad as the BBC.

 

CNN,BBC,MSNBC,WP,NYT,Guardian et all..just govt. mouthpieces...best avoided,reading them will soon be designated as a sickness,and private health insurance will be mandatory to fix this illness.

[JAFO]

I just finished up reading the comments and like many others, there is no need to disrespect the OP. He came on the site and posted his position and sentiment. Sure it gets the masses fired up and for the ones like me that have adapted and live here I may not agree with his opinion but as its been said, moving abroad anywhere is not for everyone and why stay where you are not happy. We are all different.

 

I still stand, and have said this numerous times, Location is everything. Most people that I have seen post that pack up and leave it was all about their living location, arrangements and support (or lack there of) and cannot handle it. They quickly become negative and spend copious amounts of time finding all the bad here versus spending time to look at it with different eyes. I have had numerous expats over my years query me about moving here and I tell them quite simply, "You need to be honest with yourself about your needs and expectations and move to an area that can meet and support them". If they cannot, do not do it. I also tell them, that if you are moving over here because of women, keep in mind that after the rush is over, then what? 

 

Again, I wish the OP best of luck. He is moving back for various reasons. No harm, no foul.

[moe666]

18 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I think the bigger part is what people define as a bad situation.

I.e. I don't care about the TM forms which have to be filled out from time to time. For me it's a little work and no problem. But some people here make a huge problem out of it. And then they complain about that huge problem. 

90% is in our own mind how many problems we want to have.

I agree with you 100 percent on people making it a problem, for christ sake it is only some paper work with a bit of crazy thrown in every now and then. At least he found out Thailand wasn't for him and the wife.

[4MyEgo]

17 minutes ago, Thainesss said:

 

Weird, I dont even remember ever having an interaction with you. Would you be viewing my posts on the politics of my own country and finding them obnoxious? Thats all I really post about, so you are kind of proving my original point.

Refer to #139

 

I was agreeing with you, until you went on the attack.

 

Guess some are thicker than others as the saying goes, i.e. not seeing it for what it was.

 

All good I am done and dusted, have to have thick skin to be on the forum.

 

 

[Surasak]

18 hours ago, FaFaHead said:

555! I left because of Trump, believe me, I’m not looking forward to the noise in that regard again. I was referring to American order, structure, efficiency. I am a military person and those things are important to me and are sorely lacking here. 

You make that sound as if you require your life ordered for you, rather than ordering it your self?

A very narrow outlook, if I may say so?

[luckyluke]

8 minutes ago, JAFO said:

Location is everything.

I spend my time now between Thonglor ( Bangkok ) and Pattaya.

 

2 totally different places from all points of view.

 

Small changes can have big results in one's life.

[yogi100]

14 hours ago, simon43 said:

It's important to understand that some (many?) posters who are leaving Thailand - me included, are not leaving because we hate the country.  Thailand has been my base since 2002, and I have a couple of ex-wives and a son here, as well as several successful small businesses and a few failed businesses!  But I'm not leaving Thailand because I hate the country.  I have mostly enjoyed my time here, but now it's time to move on.

 

Some posters are leaving for family and medical reasons.  Some are leaving for financial reasons.  Circumstances change for everyone and posters may realise that their own circumstances dictate a move out of Thailand.

 

Stop with this "Don't let the door hit you blah blah blah".  It's childish and pathetic and mocking the poster, as well as being an extremely well-worn cliche.

 

  "It's childish and pathetic and mocking the poster"

 

Well said.

 

It also discourages other people from posting their true feelings about life and time spent living or holidaying in the LOS. What's the point in making the effort if you're only going to get snide and often rude remarks in reward for your efforts.

[JAFO]

3 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

I spend my time now between Thonglor ( Bangkok ) and Pattaya.

 

2 totally different places from all points of view.

 

Small changes can have big results in one's life.

Yep and moving to an area that covers and meet a great portion of ones expectations leads to the individual being in a better state of mind thus figuring out the rest. I have been living here both retired and working. I have lived and currently live where the great majority of my expectations are met. But then again I had a long list of what I wanted and needed before I settled in here. Of course having a wonderful wife makes that even that much easier to adapt. 

[Surasak]

16 hours ago, amexpat said:

Well, there's a sample of one.

 

I met a British jerk once so I know all about the UK. 

I've met a few American jerks, so I know all about the US.

[Drax]

Seeing I just met a Korean tomboy last night who was interested on me and day before met the waitress who served me lunch yesterday next to my condo at a club 2 days ago and took me home for free ???? I can totally agree Thailand can be such a weird place.

Edited July 31, 2019 by Drax

[yogi100]

14 hours ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

Based on my personal situation vs. yours, most likely. For example:

Went to the dermatologist for a checkup.  She noticed an odd spot on my face and did a biopsy.  Two days later diagnosed as melanoma.  

Out of pocket cost: $40 USD

I had the option to have surgery 4 days later.  The dermatologist suggested getting a second opinion from an unaffiliated pathologist regarding how much tissue to be removed.

Out of pocket cost: 0 USD

Surgery was done a week later over 2 days to remove both the melanoma and some additional non-malignant lesions.

Out of pocket: $40 USD

Out of pocket medicine: ~$15 USD

Every aspect of the treatment was flawless.  The scars on my leg and head are visible but he took extra care on the face and the ~7cm incision is basically inperceptible.

Lets forget cost.  Approximately how long would that diagnosis, second opinion and surgery have taken under your system?

That's very reasonable. Where in the US did you did not get that sort of treatment for that sort of money.

 

We always hear about the exorbitant cost of healthcare in the US but obviously your healthcare system is not as bad as it is sometimes reported to be nor solely available to only the wealthy.