Thailand escapees: Where did you go, why, and how do you like it

[SenorJorge]

As the topic suggests, I am trying to get some feedback from those of you who have left thailand.  Whether it's the new visa regulations for retirees or whatever.

 

Why did you leave thailand?

 

Where did you go?

 

Why did you choose the new expat location?

 

How do you like your new country?  What are your thoughts?  Is there anything you would do differently?

Edited August 14, 2019 by SenorJorge

[GinBoy2]

I suspect a lot just go home.

 

But I would also suggest that within that group there are a bunch that do the mix n match.

 

Me and Mrs G have been very happy after moving back to the US.

 

It was our Thai/US son deciding after college in Chicago that  he was never going back to Thailand, was our breaking point.

 

I would say both of us prefer our life in the US, Thailand required a lot of aggressively pulling wool over eyes to make it manageable.

 

Life here is easy, no visa crap, my wife is a permanent resident, we both can work etc

 

But then again, we now spend a few months a year as snowbirds at our house in Khon Kaen, and in the time we now spend in Thailand, I can enjoy it as I did as a first time tourist, without getting to the 'wool over eyes' stage.

 

And to all of the apologists, my wife along with a bunch of Thai tend to be a lot more objective on the state of their homeland than many a TVF keyboard warrior. 

 

Read some Thai expat message boards if you can read Thai 

Edited August 15, 2019 by GinBoy2

[gunderhill]

2 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

It was our Thai/US son deciding after college in Chicago that  he was never going back to Thailand, was our breaking point.

one  smart  kid ,  be  proud of  him.

[gunderhill]

3 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Read some Thai expat message boards if you can read Thai 

????

[GinBoy2]

2 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

one  smart  kid ,  be  proud of  him.

We are both very proud of him.

 

Chicago opened his eyes to a whole different world, and he's never looked back

[OneMoreFarang]

14 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

And to all of the apologists, my wife along with a bunch of Thai tend to be a lot more objective on the state of their homeland than many a TVF keyboard warrior. 

Did it cross your mind that most Thai people's life in Thailand is radically different to the life of farangs in Thailand, even if they live in the same place?

We are the outsiders and nobody really expects from us to be part of Thai hierarchy. Thais can't run away from Thai hierarchy inside Thailand.

If I would have grown up as a Thai in Thailand, especially in some small village, I am pretty sure I would want to live somewhere outside of Thailand to get away from what is expected from me.

But I enjoy living in Thailand as the "outsider" who does not have to follow all those (unwritten) rules.

[theoldgit]

This isn't specifically about the visa application process, so I'm going to move it to "Pub".

[simon43]

I just completed (yesterday) my relocation to Luang Prabang, north Laos.

 

I had been living in Thailand since 2002, with working breaks in Luang Prabang and in Burma.

 

I had an Elite 5-year visa which was soon to expire.  At 60 years old, I didn't want to tie up 800,000 baht on a retirement 'visa', nor put down another 500,000 baht for the Elite visa.  IMHO, Thailand has changed significantly from when I first moved here, and I do not appreciate the xenophobia from the current government and from their officers.

 

I teach online, which is really not allowed on an Elite visa.  I also teach for free in the local community, and again that's not strictly legal on that visa.

 

I want to feel welcomed in the country where I reside, and there's no welcome for me in Thailand nowadays ????

 

I moved back to Luang Prabang because it suits my lifestyle.  I rent a 200 year old, 130 square metre hardwood house in the UNESCO protected old town, just seconds from a wide range of cafes, restaurants and bars.  I was out jogging at 4.30 am this morning along the safe roads in the old town - no vicious dogs, no fast cars, no trucks.

 

I went shopping to compare prices.  Imported goods are slightly more expensive than Thailand, but fresh fruit and vegetables are cheaper.  I ate in the night market last night ==> all you can eat veggie food for the equivalent of 50 baht.

 

My one year visa with work permit costs me about 14,000 baht, no money needed in the bank, no 90 day report, no TM30 etc.  I will start community teaching this weekend while my paid online teaching is during the week.

 

I have no regrets, other than I wish I had left Thailand years ago ????

[rhodie]

Good luck @simon43. Hope it works for you. Any thoughts on getting back into the hotel business over there?

[simon43]

1 hour ago, rhodie said:

Good luck @simon43. Hope it works for you. Any thoughts on getting back into the hotel business over there?

No chance!! ????

[seasia]

Hi

 

This has the makings of a good thread, hopefully.

 

I have not actually left permanently  but chose to reduce my Thailand time, after 10 years of living there full time.

Half way through a 4 month stay in Italy,going back to Thailand in October, will likely stay there through the winter although flexible on that.

Depending on how I feel, probably extend to 6 months in Italy next year.

It would not be everyone s first choice, do have some family background here though.

 

My thoughts on Italy, well I like it, weather in summer months is fine, food is good, roads are better.

Pavements are better, pedestrian crossing rules are obeyed.

Police are not corrupt ( could be rare exceptions )

No reporting of address.

 

Laws that are enforced. No late night noise, have to show consideration for others.

 

Probably end up splitting my time between here and either Thailand or another country.

[snowballthecat]

 

5 hours ago, simon43 said:

I just completed (yesterday) my relocation to Luang Prabang, north Laos.

 

I had been living in Thailand since 2002, with working breaks in Luang Prabang and in Burma.

 

I had an Elite 5-year visa which was soon to expire.  At 60 years old, I didn't want to tie up 800,000 baht on a retirement 'visa', nor put down another 500,000 baht for the Elite visa.  IMHO, Thailand has changed significantly from when I first moved here, and I do not appreciate the xenophobia from the current government and from their officers.

 

I teach online, which is really not allowed on an Elite visa.  I also teach for free in the local community, and again that's not strictly legal on that visa.

 

I want to feel welcomed in the country where I reside, and there's no welcome for me in Thailand nowadays ????

 

I moved back to Luang Prabang because it suits my lifestyle.  I rent a 200 year old, 130 square metre hardwood house in the UNESCO protected old town, just seconds from a wide range of cafes, restaurants and bars.  I was out jogging at 4.30 am this morning along the safe roads in the old town - no vicious dogs, no fast cars, no trucks.

 

I went shopping to compare prices.  Imported goods are slightly more expensive than Thailand, but fresh fruit and vegetables are cheaper.  I ate in the night market last night ==> all you can eat veggie food for the equivalent of 50 baht.

 

My one year visa with work permit costs me about 14,000 baht, no money needed in the bank, no 90 day report, no TM30 etc.  I will start community teaching this weekend while my paid online teaching is during the week.

 

I have no regrets, other than I wish I had left Thailand years ago ????

It all sounds very good, I hope it works for you. The storytelling is very inspiring, I appreciate the bit of "no vicious dogs, no fast cars, no trucks." Wishing you all the best, and please keep posting your experiences here!

[georgegeorgia]

7 hours ago, simon43 said:

I just completed (yesterday) my relocation to Luang Prabang, north Laos.

 

I had been living in Thailand since 2002, with working breaks in Luang Prabang and in Burma.

 

I had an Elite 5-year visa which was soon to expire.  At 60 years old, I didn't want to tie up 800,000 baht on a retirement 'visa', nor put down another 500,000 baht for the Elite visa.  IMHO, Thailand has changed significantly from when I first moved here, and I do not appreciate the xenophobia from the current government and from their officers.

 

I teach online, which is really not allowed on an Elite visa.  I also teach for free in the local community, and again that's not strictly legal on that visa.

 

I want to feel welcomed in the country where I reside, and there's no welcome for me in Thailand nowadays ????

 

I moved back to Luang Prabang because it suits my lifestyle.  I rent a 200 year old, 130 square metre hardwood house in the UNESCO protected old town, just seconds from a wide range of cafes, restaurants and bars.  I was out jogging at 4.30 am this morning along the safe roads in the old town - no vicious dogs, no fast cars, no trucks.

 

I went shopping to compare prices.  Imported goods are slightly more expensive than Thailand, but fresh fruit and vegetables are cheaper.  I ate in the night market last night ==> all you can eat veggie food for the equivalent of 50 baht.

 

My one year visa with work permit costs me about 14,000 baht, no money needed in the bank, no 90 day report, no TM30 etc.  I will start community teaching this weekend while my paid online teaching is during the week.

 

I have no regrets, other than I wish I had left Thailand years ago ????

I dont want to get off topic,but did you go by yourself?

You sound very independent,do u look after yourself?

 

[simon43]

50 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I dont want to get off topic,but did you go by yourself?

You sound very independent,do u look after yourself?

 

LoL, yes I went by myself and I look after myself.

 

I have been married 3 times (1 English, 2 from Issan).  In all 3 cases, the prime reason for marrying me (my post-divorce analysis) was to live off my meager income (occasionally very high income).  When the money stream hiccuped, the wives wanted out, every time.

 

Since my last divorce about 5 years ago, I have been happy as a pig in sh*t!  My fitness and health have improved, my stress levels are non-existent and I spend my surplus money on those who appreciate how it can change their lives (ie - I donate school-books and equipment to poor kids in Burma and teach English for free in my local community).

 

Although Lao women are definitely my kind of lady, my previous experiences with my wives means that I trust no-one if they say they love me.  I doubt it's true at my age and I don't have any interest to find out either ????  I'm very happy living on my own.

[from the home of CC]

imo 95% reason of 'escapees' don't have enough money, basically as simple as that -  the rest of the stories being justification. That being said it's a tough break and depending on circumstances could happen to anyone..

[SenorJorge]

I guess its no secret that I went home.

 

I was married and could have stayed on Non-Os or I could have even borrowed a little money and got the extension of stay.

 

Like our friend here I had a little Esan gold digger wife who married me just for my meager income.

 

The main reason I left Thailand is actually because of her.  I realised I married a nightmare relatively quickly and did not want to hang out where I could potentially be in physical danger (you never know with Udon people) and I just left.  I left everything except my passport.  I went to the airport and bye bye.  I don't see myself going back to Thailand ever again.

 

Right now I live in Cleveland in the USA.  About Cleveland?  Well, its a weird town.  Three blocks are nice, BMWs, lawn care services.  Another three blocks and its a like Sarajevo in 1992.   I am laid up in the hospital here at least through Christmas time.  I'm willing to stay in Cleveland as long as it takes to get better though.  I couldn't find the care I get there anywhere else. 

 

After this is up I am going to be heading to India.  I keep thinking of other options for me but keep coming back to India as the one for me.

[Genmai]

Haven't moved permanently yet but have been gradually spending less and less time here and am preparing for a full exit later this year. Still deciding between Taiwan and Korea - both two of my most favorite places and cultures in Asia. Every trip I take out of this place I feel alive and on top of the world again, and on every return flight I get shivers and sink into depression. Other than the bum gun I can't list a single thing I miss when away from TH. Will still have work related stuff to maintain here every now and then, other than that I'm looking forward to re-embracing the enjoyment of life in a proper society among people one can actually reason with.

[RoadWarrior371]

47 minutes ago, SenorJorge said:

 

 

After this is up I am going to be heading to India.  I keep thinking of other options for me but keep coming back to India as the one for me.

Why India?  That would be way down on my list of choices, and I have spent a lot of time there.  The strong USD has made Malaysia much more attractive, so do give a glance to Penang or similar.  Much preferred to India.

[SenorJorge]

28 minutes ago, RoadWarrior371 said:

Why India?  That would be way down on my list of choices, and I have spent a lot of time there.  The strong USD has made Malaysia much more attractive, so do give a glance to Penang or similar.  Much preferred to India.

I can buy Bhang and golis at my friend's government shop legally in Kolkata and have a pretty decent flat in a safe district for $140-200/month.  In Malaysia if I am caught with anything I'm looking at ten years.  There's that, plus I just prefer the Indo-Aryan/West Bengal culture to the heart of SE Asia/Indochina.  I lived in an around Thailand and Hong Kong for over ten years and I'm just completely over it.

[beautifulthailand99]

9 hours ago, simon43 said:

No chance!! ????

I remember reading with fascinated horror of your troubles in Phuket - it would have made a good book. Great to see you have settled somewhere nice and enjoying your life. ????????

[daveAustin]

All the best, Simon. Always intended to go, and will have a good look at Laos in the future when I escape the ratrace (again!). Seems a more discerning place and churns out a PROPER beer (dark).

[SenorJorge]

Are the stories about getting harassed by locals and the police for messing about with local women in Laos really true?  Or is that mostly a thing of the past?  I guess they didn't want their girls to end up like their Isan cousins.

[daveAustin]

^^ I also heard that out of wedlock. Anyway, let's keep the thread low profile... don't want silly stories like 'live like a king in Luang Prabang for 1000 bucks' which all by itself got Chiang Mai silly busy.

[daveAustin]

4 hours ago, Genmai said:

Other than the bum gun I can't list a single thing I miss when away from TH. 

I can, but the bumgun is a truly marvellous invention and much missed in the 'civilised' west. That wiping rigmarole is just wrong. ????????

[RoadWarrior371]

1 hour ago, SenorJorge said:

Are the stories about getting harassed by locals and the police for messing about with local women in Laos really true?  Or is that mostly a thing of the past?  I guess they didn't want their girls to end up like their Isan cousins.

 

If the Pubs there are a Sausage Fest like I suspect, I will pass.  ????

[Thaiwrath]

6 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

imo 95% reason of 'escapees' don't have enough money, basically as simple as that -  the rest of the stories being justification. That being said it's a tough break and depending on circumstances could happen to anyone..

100% correct.

I can't realistically see any person who left Thailand coming on this thread and admitting they made the wrong move. It's all about convincing themselves that it was the best move they made.

I know quite a few who have left, over the years, who, whilst here, said they were really enjoying life, and it was the best move (coming to live in Thailand) they had ever made.

Most of these have no further contact with their friends who remained, and who are still enjoyng life here, but you do get feedback about how bad some people who left are living back home, like working on a zero hours contract in a care home, and living in an HMO (house of multiple occupants) in some impoverished city over there.

[GinBoy2]

15 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

I can, but the bumgun is a truly marvellous invention and much missed in the 'civilised' west. That wiping rigmarole is just wrong. ????????

One of the first things I bought on return to the civilized West...a Bum Gun.

 

God Bless Amazon

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014V7VPBU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[seasia]

27 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

imo 95% reason of 'escapees' don't have enough money, basically as simple as that -  the rest of the stories being justification. That being said it's a tough break and depending on circumstances could happen to anyone..

Best you say that to the many wealthy friends I know who just decided they wanted better.

Money was no object.

[wisperone]

28 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

6 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

imo 95% reason of 'escapees' don't have enough money, basically as simple as that -  the rest of the stories being justification. That being said it's a tough break and depending on circumstances could happen to anyone..

100% correct.

I can't realistically see any person who left Thailand coming on this thread and admitting they made the wrong move. It's all about convincing themselves that it was the best move they made.

I know quite a few who have left, over the years, who, whilst here, said they were really enjoying life, and it was the best move (coming to live in Thailand) they had ever made.

That's funny. So what makes you think that the ones who said moving to Thailand was the best move ever weren't just justifying there unhappy move to Thailand.  After all, they did apparently end up leaving. What you are saying, is exactly what you are accusing others of in justification.

[hansnl]

On 8/15/2019 at 9:10 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Did it cross your mind that most Thai people's life in Thailand is radically different to the life of farangs in Thailand, even if they live in the same place?

We are the outsiders and nobody really expects from us to be part of Thai hierarchy. Thais can't run away from Thai hierarchy inside Thailand.

If I would have grown up as a Thai in Thailand, especially in some small village, I am pretty sure I would want to live somewhere outside of Thailand to get away from what is expected from me.

But I enjoy living in Thailand as the "outsider" who does not have to follow all those (unwritten) rules.

No, we just have to follow all the printed and made-up-on-the-spot rules, which can be changed any time.