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

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Try being as poor as the Thai around you, while being an "outsider", and see how much you "enjoy" that.

 

It's your MONEY that makes Thailand the great place that you and so many others say it is.

 

Without the income differential it is as bad as the expat Thais say it is.

Money is obviously helpful, everywhere in this world.

But in Thailand it's not only money.

I.e. lot of farang teachers make less money then middle class Thais. But as a farang they get away with a lot of behavior which older and/or more senior Thais wouldn't tolerate from younger Thais - even if those younger Thais have more or make more money (more money, not super rich).

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, fordguy61mi said:

My wife and I live in the US and have for 2 years now, she can’t wait for me to retire in 4 years and go back home. Not all Thais want to escape their country. She sees the shortfalls of the country as it is, but still longs to be home. I only want to snowbird to Thailand in the winters when I retire and I think she will be okay with that. 

Sure, many Thai are happy in Thailand.

In case of your wife I guess when she (and you) go back to Thailand she is already a little older and she will have likely more money than many others. That both will give her a relative high reputation. And people with higher reputation obviously have it a lot easier in Thailand then people with not such a high reputation. 

[OneMoreFarang]

57 minutes ago, atyclb said:

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

3 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Your last paragraph. When in Rome. Can you give me an example of an unwrtten rule.

If you want to live in Thailand, you should obey all their rules, unwritten or not.

I think that if any Farang wants to live in Thailand, they should always obey all the rules.

Your example:

A smart young Thai (not from a HiSo family)  works in a company and he sees something goes wrong. He knows the old boss is responsible for this. And he knows the old boss should have known about that problem since a long time and he should have fixed that problem since a long time.

Now what will our smart young Thai do?

he might get relay that info via a friend he can trust and if if gets to someone in a higher social status it can be formally addressed.

Yes, he might find a solution, but it's likely not easy and it's not straightforward.

 

Now let our smart guy work find out that lots of corruption is happening in the senior management. How will he handle that?

 

My point is that there are lots of expectation by Thai people what other Thai people have to do. And if they behave differently (maybe according to the official laws) then they will have problems. I.e. continue to work with your corrupt boss or do something. What something? And how will the future look then. Difficult decisions.

[Bangkok Barry]

23 hours ago, simon43 said:

 I'm very happy living on my own.

 

All sounds good. But when you get older, you might need someone to take care you. Something to bear in mind.

[simon43]

12 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

All sounds good. But when you get older, you might need someone to take care you. Something to bear in mind.

I fully agree.  I'm not looking for romance, but it seems prudent that I foster a close relationship with a Lao lady, (probably platonic, bearing in mind the strict foreigner-Lao relationship rules!).

[simon43]

1 hour ago, Oww said:

I visited luang prabang twice and loved it. Lovely atmosphere and people. Actually considering moving there. The thing I noticed which holds me back...the "best" supermarket/mall was like an old warehouse with mostly Chinese imported foods that looked like they had been sitting on the shelves for months. If your used to the imported goodies at Rimping supermarket I just don't know how you can survive there. Granted there are fine bakeries and coffee shops but for imported groceries I didn't see anything. I would have to eat out at restaurants most of the time.

When I lived in Luang Prabang in 2013, I recall the dusty supermarket.  But now with the increase in visitors/workers in the town there is a newish supermarket, just 300 metres from my house.  It stocks a range of fresh and packaged produce.  Granted, it doesn't compare to Rimping/Foodland, but I don't really eat imported food nowadays, so miss very little.

 

Healthy food can be very cheap here.  I bought 8 hen's eggs for the equivalent of 7 baht, plus 2 evening meals (noodles and fresh veggie spring rolls) for a total of 60 baht....

 

Before I made the decision to relocate back here, I made sure that my lifestyle could happily exist with what's on offer here.  Since I eat mostly fresh foods, the daily expense is minimal. I just bought a jar of local Lao coffee granules for 41 baht - the (Nescafe/Maxwell house jar was 138 baht).  I buy fresh water buffalo yoghurt from the supermarket.

 

I don't have a car here (I had a car in Thailand).  I don't need a car because outside the town there are few roads, only the minor roads into the mountains which are much better on an off-road motorbike.

 

Modern studio apartments cost from $150/month (I checked).  2 bed modern apartments are about $250.  I pay a premium because I wanted a 'character' house in the old town - it costs me about 15,000 baht/month including all utilities.

 

LP definitely is not the preferred location for many expats - you really need to be happy with the simple life ????

 

I've been back just a few days and unpacked in my old house, (provided fully-furnished with a 4-poster bed).  My ham radio gear is all up and running (one of my hobbies) and my operating ham licence is waiting to be collected from Vientiane.  Tomorrow I'll cycle the 25 Km over to Kueng Sri waterfall for a dip in the waters ????

 

[Tropposurfer]

On 8/15/2019 at 11:54 AM, gunderhill said:

one  smart  kid ,  be  proud of  him.

Yeah 30 years in a good job in the US, $’s in the bank, then go back n live a great life in Thailand, and old age as well of Thai. Smart kid.

[atyclb]

22 hours ago, Genmai said:

I'm looking forward to re-embracing the enjoyment of life in a proper society among people one can actually reason with.

 

many expats have found a viable workaround for the above

 

got a dog

[SenorJorge]

3 hours ago, moe666 said:

Excuse me you thought Thailand was bad wait till you hit India, dogs, cattle, monkes, dirt and garbage stacked a mile high, horns blaring, and the runs every time you blink. Been there a few times and no reason to go back. You can get a ten year visa but you have to leave the country every 6 months.

 

I just don't like the Thai people.  As cold and harsh as that sounds, it's the truth.  They dont like me much either so it's very mutual.

 

The kinds of problems you cite don't bother me at all and EVERYWHERE in India is not like that either.

[SteveK]

Thailand is an easy place to live in as a foreigner, if you've got millions of Baht in the bank and don't mind spending a chunk on the Elite visa. For everyone else, other Asian countries are far more welcoming. Thailand certainly loves your money, but it just doesn't want you coming with it. The Thai immigration policies have now become quite outrageous - it's clear that the two-week holiday makers who come and drop $3000 are very welcome, long-stayers who live a frugal life with their Thai wife and family are treated like criminals and have to constantly report their whereabouts. Not sure how many other countries in the world treat people like this, particularly those who are bringing in money and potentially supporting a family.

Edited August 16, 2019 by SteveK

[HeyHeyHey]

35 minutes ago, SteveK said:

Thailand is an easy place to live in as a foreigner, if you've got millions of Baht in the bank and don't mind spending a chunk on the Elite visa. For everyone else, other Asian countries are far more welcoming. Thailand certainly loves your money, but it just doesn't want you coming with it. The Thai immigration policies have now become quite outrageous - it's clear that the two-week holiday makers who come and drop $3000 are very welcome, long-stayers who live a frugal life with their Thai wife and family are treated like criminals and have to constantly report their whereabouts. Not sure how many other countries in the world treat people like this, particularly those who are bringing in money and potentially supporting a family.

Is there any other country in the world that requires you to have an income equivalent of 400% of the median locals, but not being able to work, while married?

 

Apply for the visa every single year forever?

 

And recently I heard if your wife dies you have 7 days to sort out different visa - I'm not sure if that is true, but if yes that is barbaric. Imagine you lose the love of your life and all they care is to jump around with stacks of paperwork.

[SteveK]

19 minutes ago, HeyHeyHey said:

Is there any other country in the world that requires you to have an income equivalent of 400% of the median locals, but not being able to work, while married?

 

Apply for the visa every single year forever?

 

And recently I heard if your wife dies you have 7 days to sort out different visa - I'm not sure if that is true, but if yes that is barbaric. Imagine you lose the love of your life and all they care is to jump around with stacks of paperwork.

Yes, they don't want foreigners here!

[GarryP]

43 minutes ago, HeyHeyHey said:

Is there any other country in the world that requires you to have an income equivalent of 400% of the median locals, but not being able to work, while married?

 

Apply for the visa every single year forever?

 

And recently I heard if your wife dies you have 7 days to sort out different visa - I'm not sure if that is true, but if yes that is barbaric. Imthe agine you lose the love of your life and all they care is to jump around with stacks of paperwork.

That is not true for the visa although not all officers seem to know that. Talking from experience. 

[GinBoy2]

7 hours ago, Skallywag said:

If I went back to USA, would never have the fun and luxury I have here...ginboy and another poster must be very wealthy as living in Chicago isn't cheap. Livin in USA would cost me 3 times or more what I spend here.

Never quite as simple as that.

 

I'd always had a house in South Dakota as my bolt hole.

 

After graduation our son moved to Denver where my eldest daughter got him a job in her company.

 

Now we're within driving distance of them both.

 

We live in Rapid City, tucked up against the Black Hills National Forest. Beautiful part of the country, and certainly not 3x what it cost for us to live in Khon Kaen.

 

The real upside of our move was my wife's ability to restart her career. 

 

When we moved from Singapore she'd really struggled to get a job in Thailand that came close to what she was capable of.

 

In a weird twist of fate, I'd brought our the original B1B bombers to Ellsworth AFB as a Rockwell employee, now she works on airframe extension programs for DoD to stretch out their life until the B-21's show up here.

 

It's funny how the universe works sometimes

[Guest]

4 hours ago, SteveK said:

Thailand is an easy place to live in as a foreigner, if you've got millions of Baht in the bank and don't mind spending a chunk on the Elite visa. For everyone else, other Asian countries are far more welcoming. Thailand certainly loves your money, but it just doesn't want you coming with it. The Thai immigration policies have now become quite outrageous - it's clear that the two-week holiday makers who come and drop $3000 are very welcome, long-stayers who live a frugal life with their Thai wife and family are treated like criminals and have to constantly report their whereabouts. Not sure how many other countries in the world treat people like this, particularly those who are bringing in money and potentially supporting a family.

You nailed it. Best post of the day.

[brokenbone]

6 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

All sounds good. But when you get older, you might need someone to take care you. Something to bear in mind.

most woman here cant even take care of them self,

they are not an asset, they are a burden

[SenorJorge]

26 minutes ago, brokenbone said:

most woman here cant even take care of them self,

they are not an asset, they are a burden

Exactly.  Most thai wives are full time exotic pets ;(

[emptypockets]

5 hours ago, HeyHeyHey said:

Is there any other country in the world that requires you to have an income equivalent of 400% of the median locals, but not being able to work, while married?

 

Apply for the visa every single year forever?

 

And recently I heard if your wife dies you have 7 days to sort out different visa - I'm not sure if that is true, but if yes that is barbaric. Imagine you lose the love of your life and all they care is to jump around with stacks of paperwork.

You can work while married. I think a bit of bar stool nonsense has been shared with you. 

[gamesgplayemail]

On 8/15/2019 at 8:41 PM, simon43 said:

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.

 

And you really never wondered if you were not the cause of your failures ? Maybe you really stayed in Thailand too long to even be able to see clearly about your life ????

 

 

[PixelPaul]

On 8/15/2019 at 10:55 AM, SenorJorge said:

Right now I live in Cleveland in the USA.  About Cleveland?   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.

From a fellow Clevelander, best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[georgegeorgia]

9 hours ago, simon43 said:

When I lived in Luang Prabang in 2013, I recall the dusty supermarket.  But now with the increase in visitors/workers in the town there is a newish supermarket, just 300 metres from my house.  It stocks a range of fresh and packaged produce.  Granted, it doesn't compare to Rimping/Foodland, but I don't really eat imported food nowadays, so miss very little.

 

Healthy food can be very cheap here.  I bought 8 hen's eggs for the equivalent of 7 baht, plus 2 evening meals (noodles and fresh veggie spring rolls) for a total of 60 baht....

 

Before I made the decision to relocate back here, I made sure that my lifestyle could happily exist with what's on offer here.  Since I eat mostly fresh foods, the daily expense is minimal. I just bought a jar of local Lao coffee granules for 41 baht - the (Nescafe/Maxwell house jar was 138 baht).  I buy fresh water buffalo yoghurt from the supermarket.

 

I don't have a car here (I had a car in Thailand).  I don't need a car because outside the town there are few roads, only the minor roads into the mountains which are much better on an off-road motorbike.

 

Modern studio apartments cost from $150/month (I checked).  2 bed modern apartments are about $250.  I pay a premium because I wanted a 'character' house in the old town - it costs me about 15,000 baht/month including all utilities.

 

LP definitely is not the preferred location for many expats - you really need to be happy with the simple life ????

 

I've been back just a few days and unpacked in my old house, (provided fully-furnished with a 4-poster bed).  My ham radio gear is all up and running (one of my hobbies) and my operating ham licence is waiting to be collected from Vientiane.  Tomorrow I'll cycle the 25 Km over to Kueng Sri waterfall for a dip in the waters ????

 

Dontyou get lonely yourself ?

 

[Pattayabeerbacon]

Just got home to OZ , Way cheaper for fast food and 7/11 coffee is free for the next 2 weeks if you bring your own cup .

 

We have no fake cloths either everything is original, The beer is high quality an there us beautiful curvy women everywhere.

 

Australia ia the best country on earth, Thailand has lost its appeal, Most left a long time ago, In saying that, When the baht weakens to 25 i will return.

[grifbel]

Another one of the dozens of similar topics started by the same "let's all go to Latin america" people......Deja vu all over again! Yawn....................

[grifbel]

2 minutes ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

free for the next 2 weeks if you bring your own cup

What if someone goes in 3 weeks time based on the free coffee.  Your time limit advice is pretty much useless!

[grifbel]

38 minutes ago, PixelPaul said:

Right now I live in Cleveland in the USA.  About Cleveland?   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.

If you can survive Cleveland, you can survive just about anywhere.  Just ask Snake Plisken.

[Scott]

Inflammatory post reported and removed.

 

[Sydebolle]

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.

Point taken - we aliens chose to be (presently) in Thailand. Yet my experience with Thais (living here for more than 30 years) is, that you can take a Thai out of Thailand but you cannot take Thailand out of a Thai. Unless educated outside the Kingdom they miss "home", Somtam, the soap operas and the little daily dramas going on in literally each and every household in Thailand on the subject of money, kids born out of wedlock or adultery ....... me thinks! 

[Pattayabeerbacon]

36 minutes ago, grifbel said:

What if someone goes in 3 weeks time based on the free coffee.  Your time limit advice is pretty much useless!

too bad

[Pattayabeerbacon]

One thing that bothers me is immigrants here in australia.

 

One indian who i met in the city came and befriended me for a couple days and on the third day asked me if i had a dollar for coffee as he didnt want to break a 50$ I sayed to him that i dont carry cash.

 

 He proceeded to ignore me from then on, like i some how offended him.

 

The west is good but we got all the entitled selfish scummy immigrants that go with it.

 

i would send em all home in 1 second if i could, What's wrong with there own country that they don't stay there ?

Edited August 16, 2019 by Pattayabeerbacon

[GinBoy2]

28 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Point taken - we aliens chose to be (presently) in Thailand. Yet my experience with Thais (living here for more than 30 years) is, that you can take a Thai out of Thailand but you cannot take Thailand out of a Thai. Unless educated outside the Kingdom they miss "home", Somtam, the soap operas and the little daily dramas going on in literally each and every household in Thailand on the subject of money, kids born out of wedlock or adultery ....... me thinks! 

There is something to be said for that.

 

My wife went to live with her uncle in Chicago as a teenager after her parents died, and lived there through college, after which she ultimately moved to Singapore.

 

Se has also commented on the fact that a lot of Thai's who move to 'farangland' in later life tend to be like spawning salmon 

Edited August 16, 2019 by GinBoy2