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

[Bangkok Barry]

4 hours ago, brokenbone said:

most woman here cant even take care of them self,

they are not an asset, they are a burden

 

If you haven't found women who take care then you're mixing with the wrong people. My observation, after living in Thailand for 25+ years, is that it is the women who run the country while many of the men are lazy and believe the world owes them a living purely on the grounds that they are men and therefore automatically superior.

If women are at fault, it is in raising them that way, as little princes who can do no wrong. But to state that women are a burden says far more about you than it does about them.

[baansgr]

Three secret tunnels are currently under construction from Pattaya, Tom being dug to Cambodia, Dick to Laos and Harry to Vietnam. Progress is good but with constant headcounts{TM30s} not quite as quickly as expected

[grifbel]

48 minutes ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

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.

Am guessing this is a bit of racist troll baiting.   Most panhandlers in western countries are natives of those countries, not immigrants.

[chrissables]

13 hours 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.

Great town!

 

Food, well if restaurants can sell good food, they are buying good products. Find out from where. There are top class restaurants there, in fact 20 years ago there was. 

[Hanuman2547]

Left Thailand in 2001 after 12 years living in Bangkok.  The reason was so that my luk krung kids, 16 and 14, could finish their schooling in the USA.  I really like being back in the USA.  I have a good job and am doing well.  Kids are all grown up, finished their university education, and have good jobs in their chosen professions.  I always thought that I would have returned to Thailand after my youngest one finished university.  The longer I stay here the less inclined I am to do so.  Most likely after I retire I will spend about 4-5 months in Thailand and the rest in the USA.  If the visa gets to be too much of an issue I might just stay closer to 3 months.

[guru]

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 [emoji846]
 
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 [emoji846]

Good luck to you Simon. I remember meeting you in your soi 1 ale house many moons ago when you just arrived in Bangkok. I think you may have even bought me a beverage.

[Briggsy]

I am going back to the UK in a few days after 22 years. Thailand has changed. I am looking forward to the opportunities I will have in the UK that I don't have here. I could easily stay but I choose not to. I could easily come back in a few years, I might. But the time is right for me to leave at the moment. I will miss the forests and the weather. I won't miss the pointless time-wasting bureaucracy and low-quality goods and services.

[RoadWarrior371]

5 hours ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

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.

 

 

He so funny.

[Megascott]

16 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 lived in India recently for over three years on a work VISA. Still pretty much the same as the Movie "Outsourced" except much more filthy and the Garbage has accumulated a lot since the last flood. The constant Honking, the vast corruption on every level, the crappy daily living in the dirt and dust. The horrible air quality, the people living on the streets and the gutter, the lack of clean water and sewage system. The masses of people that are impossible to get away from. The ignorance most Indians is sad, but somewhat admirable. I was constantly told how India has the greatest this and that...When it is simply that they do not know anything else and everyone believes what they are told by the government run press.

When I retired, my Indian co-workers could not believe it, how could I move away from such a utopian place that is India? I told them stories of a life away from India which many did not believe. Freeways where there are no potholes and you can drive 120k for hundreds of kilometers and never see a cow, goat or buffalo, slow moving Auto Rickshaw (tuk tuk) or even other people on the road.

My wife and I built a retirement "villa" which has water harvesting and clean RO filtered water, never out of a bottle. Solar to offset some of the electric cost of running a pool pump all day. We have a nice pool and municipal electricity that stays on most of the time except an occasional storm brownout. We also have 100mbit internet and Garbage service weekly. All utilities at a reasonable cost. I could be describing many western countries outside of India, but we chose to live in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Yes I think the regulations related to the retirement VISA and the treatment of Foreigners here by the government is a little overboard, but I can put up with it for my style of living here.

Will we be leaving? I think going back to my yearly family reunion in Seattle every summer is going to be good enough for now.

[earlinclaifornia]

So I went thru all the posts and like one other the question was valuable. The results completely worthless. The idea of returning to the USA seemed as the one honest reply. I did visit the SF bay area for a few moths and realized after three weeks why I left was even more apmlified. I'm retired and will not insult anyone wanting thier childeren to enjoy opportunity the USA offers. The people thier I felf were not at all happy. Saraphi is fun and lively. Not to metion the absolutly beautiful ladies I see every day. No need to take a long look at a beauty because when your eyes move likely an ever better looking charm will greet you. USA for a retiree could not be a choice ever unless livining in the wildernes is your idea of the good life.

 

[Tongjaw]

5 hours ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

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.

So cheap fast food, a couple of free coffees and fat assed women is your recipe for the best county in the world. Wow your very easily pleased haha. 

I’ve been in Thailand many years now and still very happy here with the family. The immigration and visa issues that others complain about don’t bother me in the least.  However we are considering moving to either U.K. or Oz but that’s for schooling for our kids. That’s only reason I would leave Thailand. 

[Blue bruce]

Best thread of the year so far

[PatOngo]

You obviously haven't seen the t shirt..."Good guys go to heaven, bad guys go to Pattaya!"

[NoshowJones]

19 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.

 

This was only tongue in cheek, just a wind up, for a certain posters benefit, regular posters will know about my attitude towards obeying peoples rules and the TM30 nonsense.

[JimmyJ]

On 8/14/2019 at 10:17 PM, simon43 said:

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. 
 

How much is the rent?

Is your rent typical?

[JimmyJ]

2 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

How much is the rent?

Is your rent typical?

Ignore. I hadn't read the entire thread when I posted the above - I've since come across your post about your rent.

[GinBoy2]

8 hours ago, Hanuman2547 said:

Left Thailand in 2001 after 12 years living in Bangkok.  The reason was so that my luk krung kids, 16 and 14, could finish their schooling in the USA.  I really like being back in the USA.  I have a good job and am doing well.  Kids are all grown up, finished their university education, and have good jobs in their chosen professions.  I always thought that I would have returned to Thailand after my youngest one finished university.  The longer I stay here the less inclined I am to do so.  Most likely after I retire I will spend about 4-5 months in Thailand and the rest in the USA.  If the visa gets to be too much of an issue I might just stay closer to 3 months.

We do the snowbird thing, but I'm just a tourist, and I like that just fine.

 

My only real regret about Thailand was not getting my son out soon enough.

 

He was born in Singapore, then we moved to Thailand as he was in middle school there.

Thai education private or not is a frikken disaster. Set the poor kid back and certainly made his freshman year in college in the US 'challenging' to say the least. 

 

He went to my wife's Alma Mater and she reached out to friends, plus my daughter was also living in Chicago at the time, and they got him through the transition, from a crap education, and I use that word lightly, to real education.

 

All worked out in the end, but it was a challenging few years, thankfully now all behind us 

[brokenbone]

11 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

If you haven't found women who take care then you're mixing with the wrong people. My observation, after living in Thailand for 25+ years, is that it is the women who run the country while many of the men are lazy and believe the world owes them a living purely on the grounds that they are men and therefore automatically superior.

If women are at fault, it is in raising them that way, as little princes who can do no wrong. But to state that women are a burden says far more about you than it does about them.

somehow you interpreted 'most woman' into 'havnt found'

i have tried all classes and the only one that wasnt a 'little princess' feeling entitled to be fed by me was a dollar millionaire. ergo 'most'

[atyclb]

21 hours ago, SteveK said:

are treated like criminals and have to constantly report their whereabouts. Not sure how many other countries in the world treat people like this

 

welcome to DPRK

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

7 hours ago, earlinclaifornia said:

So I went thru all the posts and like one other the question was valuable. The results completely worthless. The idea of returning to the USA seemed as the one honest reply. I did visit the SF bay area for a few moths and realized after three weeks why I left was even more apmlified. I'm retired and will not insult anyone wanting thier childeren to enjoy opportunity the USA offers. The people thier I felf were not at all happy. Saraphi is fun and lively. Not to metion the absolutly beautiful ladies I see every day. No need to take a long look at a beauty because when your eyes move likely an ever better looking charm will greet you. USA for a retiree could not be a choice ever unless livining in the wildernes is your idea of the good life.

 

There are thousands upon thousands of beautiful asian women in California.  I assume you are referring to the ease of renting them in Thailand?

[Cat ji]

On 8/15/2019 at 6:20 PM, SenorJorge said:

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.

Yes, but what about the visa?  Marriage not an option for me, nor the semi-falsified education visa way - which doesn't last forever / very long term ... With [assuming] USA passport, multi-entry long-term visa it is easier than for others, but in 2010 they changed the regulations (and that was a mess for a long time, immigration officials all having different confused understanding of it)...which limited the number of times in-and-out in a year (iirc.)

And... ???? investing money, thank goodness i didn't get to that, because after the "demonitisation" abut 2 years ago, I realised that I couldn't trust the govt re that.

The culture you refer to...(and English) sure it would be better for me in many ways than Thailand/SE.Asia,...but yes, ok, wrt cannabis, although it is not consistent over the country, but you have that specific situation where you have it sorted. That's more important, but there are some odd things like rape charge based on a servant claiming you had promised to marry her, probably/sometimes in collusion with police. Guy I know (who has lived in Thailand for about 15 years now, with wife and grandson, and wife's farm in NE, and visited India (Puri) for few weeks every year...it happened to him - false charge of rape, detained for about 12 months (most of the time in hospital, thanks to a connection), the legal costs really took all his money, which seemed to be the reason behind it all.

 

Anyway, I'd appreciate knowing what your plan is regarding visa.

[SenorJorge]

2 hours ago, Cat ji said:

Yes, but what about the visa?  Marriage not an option for me, nor the semi-falsified education visa way - which doesn't last forever / very long term ... With [assuming] USA passport, multi-entry long-term visa it is easier than for others, but in 2010 they changed the regulations (and that was a mess for a long time, immigration officials all having different confused understanding of it)...which limited the number of times in-and-out in a year (iirc.)

And... ???? investing money, thank goodness i didn't get to that, because after the "demonitisation" abut 2 years ago, I realised that I couldn't trust the govt re that.

The culture you refer to...(and English) sure it would be better for me in many ways than Thailand/SE.Asia,...but yes, ok, wrt cannabis, although it is not consistent over the country, but you have that specific situation where you have it sorted. That's more important, but there are some odd things like rape charge based on a servant claiming you had promised to marry her, probably/sometimes in collusion with police. Guy I know (who has lived in Thailand for about 15 years now, with wife and grandson, and wife's farm in NE, and visited India (Puri) for few weeks every year...it happened to him - false charge of rape, detained for about 12 months (most of the time in hospital, thanks to a connection), the legal costs really took all his money, which seemed to be the reason behind it all.

 

Anyway, I'd appreciate knowing what your plan is regarding visa.

 

Money is always the reason behind it all.  I live out of a suitcase.  So for me, going to the USA or to Cambodia at the end of every six month period is fine.  I live in hotels anyway.  Since I split up with my second wife and all my friends died, I don't really need the stable house with a car and everything anymore.  Right now in cleveland I'm just renting a bedroom.  So specially what visa?  The ten year tourist visa.  Period of each stay may not exceed six months.  I always hear weird stories involving servants.  Maybe best avoided.

[SenorJorge]

15 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

If you haven't found women who take care then you're mixing with the wrong people. My observation, after living in Thailand for 25+ years, is that it is the women who run the country while many of the men are lazy and believe the world owes them a living purely on the grounds that they are men and therefore automatically superior.

If women are at fault, it is in raising them that way, as little princes who can do no wrong. But to state that women are a burden says far more about you than it does about them.

 

The women I've been with in thailand were all a burden.

 

I'll never forget when I just got back from the hospital in bangkok and I was running a fever and my second wife, who was an athlete, was pacing back and forward across the hotel room, and told me, word for word, 'I just want you to TAKE CARE OF ME A LITTLE. I'm HUNGRY'.  Just like a child.

 

I looked at her and just about came completely unglued when I just deflated myself and turned over in bed away from her.  She's too far gone for help.  Entitled little pattaya miscreant.

[Tongjaw]

12 hours ago, SenorJorge said:

 

The women I've been with in thailand were all a burden.

 

I'll never forget when I just got back from the hospital in bangkok and I was running a fever and my second wife, who was an athlete, was pacing back and forward across the hotel room, and told me, word for word, 'I just want you to TAKE CARE OF ME A LITTLE. I'm HUNGRY'.  Just like a child.

 

I looked at her and just about came completely unglued when I just deflated myself and turned over in bed away from her.  She's too far gone for help.  Entitled little pattaya miscreant.

Your last sentence explains everything. I fully agree what Bangkok Barry said in his earlier post. If you haven’t found woman to take care then your mixing with the wrong people. 

[mpyre]

On 8/14/2019 at 9:57 PM, GinBoy2 said:

We are both very proud of him.

 

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

The corruption in Cook County has opened...and closed...alot of people's eyes. And people lament the situation in Thailand! 

[thaibeachlovers]

I didn't escape, I was forced to leave because I couldn't afford medical insurance anymore. I could have stayed without, but not ready to die, just yet.

I went "home", but I'd rather be in LOS. There's nothing for me here and it's cold.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎8‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 12:01 AM, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

There are thousands upon thousands of beautiful asian women in California.  I assume you are referring to the ease of renting them in Thailand?

LOL. I'm sure they are beautiful, but if they live in a western country they are probably as PC as their Caucasian sisters and as unwanted by anyone like me. I tried a western woman early on- biggest mistake of my life, and never met any that would have been better.

I could be specific, but that would just get post deleted.

 

The benefit of Thai women for me was that they were NOT PC.

[RoadWarrior371]

On 8/17/2019 at 10:41 AM, SenorJorge said:

 

The women I've been with in thailand were all a burden.

I'll never forget when I just got back from the hospital in bangkok and I was running a fever and my second wife, who was an athlete, was pacing back and forward across the hotel room, and told me, word for word, 'I just want you to TAKE CARE OF ME A LITTLE. I'm HUNGRY'.  Just like a child.

I looked at her and just about came completely unglued when I just deflated myself and turned over in bed away from her.  She's too far gone for help.  Entitled little pattaya miscreant.

Seems like you are easily fooled, or a poor judge of women.  A lot of folks do not have the same experience as yours, but it is a shame that some do.

[mpyre]

On 8/16/2019 at 7:50 AM, 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.

How can you survive there? Man up.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 8/15/2019 at 10:30 PM, Genmai said:

Still deciding between Taiwan and Korea - both two of my most favorite places and cultures in Asia.

 

AFAIK, there's no long-term/ongoing visas for either of those countries, other than formal local employment or perhaps marriage to a local. Yes/no?