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

[Lipoman]

On 8/17/2019 at 5:05 PM, GinBoy2 said:

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 

I totally disagree with you 100% on your perception of Thai education.  

 

My Thai stepsisters legally emigrated to the USA, California, both were 19 and 18 years old, had received primary education and graduated high school in Bangkok, and had limited English skills. 

 

They each enrolled in Community College.  Their math courses, I'm not certain which level (i.e., Math 101, 105 or 107), were not up to par with the level of math they had recently learned in school.

 

Community College math was so easy for them, they each had to take the most advanced math offered by the college just to ensure their education went forward. 

 

The each completed their C.C. studies and graduated from C.C.; beyond C.C. I don't know their academic resumes. 

 

My sisters now work as a Q.A. Inspector for Thermal Fisher, and

as a logistics manager in the electronics industry, respectively.  

 

I guess their Thai education had prepared them well for their continued education in the USA, which led to good career jobs. 

 

I fail to see how their Thai education failed them, per your perception.  

 

[SenorJorge]

2 hours ago, RoadWarrior371 said:

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.

 

This is my second go around with marriage with SE asian women, too.  At this point I've just had it with marriage.  I was doing just fine until I had to go and get married again.  Loneliness gets easier with the passing of time.

 

I think I've said before, but I met a girl on the street, who said that she worked at a factory.  She did work at a factory.  However, getting to know a Thai woman is like peeling an onion.  I found out about a lot of other nasty stuff when I had already invested a lot and actually committed to helping her.  You can never help these kinds of girls. 

 

i have no desire whatsoever to marry again, especially anyone from SE Asia.  i am just fine getting on by myself, thank you.

[thaibeachlovers]

33 minutes ago, SenorJorge said:

At this point I've just had it with marriage.  I was doing just fine until I had to go and get married again.  Loneliness gets easier with the passing of time.

Isn't it a bitch when you realise that getting married was a mistake? I had a good life in LOS that could have continued till my end, and blew it for one good year with a Thai woman ( and that year was before we actually signed the document ).

Bad marriage with a western woman, bad marriage with a Thai- never again.

 

I don't think loneliness gets easier- we just develop strategies not to think about it.

Loneliness makes me sad, and when it gets too much...…………….

[davidst01]

On 8/15/2019 at 12:17 PM, 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 ????

and they know how to bake bread. another drawback of living in thailand

[LomSak27]

On 8/19/2019 at 9:19 AM, Lipoman said:

They each enrolled in Community College.  Their math courses, I'm not certain which level (i.e., Math 101, 105 or 107), were not up to par with the level of math they had recently learned in school.

 

Community colleges are usually structured, to get up to the level that is expected in college or uni. Basically junior high level math, for students that either did not have algebra 1&2, failed or  or never attended. 

 

BTW I know a number of thai students who did a year in Canadian and US high schools and were far ahead of the curve for the average local student. But that only in math and one of the sciences. As they were doing a year overseas you can assume, they were from well off Thai families, went to better schools, had weekend or weeknight tutor classes since they were five years old.
 

Regular Thai schools are tough, no matter if you have a good teacher or two and many do. At 40 or more students to a class, uh ... good luck.

[SenorJorge]

On 8/18/2019 at 11:45 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

Isn't it a bitch when you realise that getting married was a mistake? I had a good life in LOS that could have continued till my end, and blew it for one good year with a Thai woman ( and that year was before we actually signed the document ).

Bad marriage with a western woman, bad marriage with a Thai- never again.

 

I don't think loneliness gets easier- we just develop strategies not to think about it.

Loneliness makes me sad, and when it gets too much...…………….

 

So you cannot go back due to your previous marriage?  Sometimes a relationship can be so bad that you won't return to a place.  Memories are too strong.

[sunnyboy2018]

On 8/15/2019 at 5:20 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.

What is golis?

[sunnyboy2018]

22 hours ago, davidst01 said:

and they know how to bake bread. another drawback of living in thailand

Is there any night life where you are? Are there any Thai style beer bars, go gos, soapies,  massage parlours etc. I heard Laos women were off limits and barred from sharing hotel rooms with a foreigner.  

[SenorJorge]

1 hour ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

What is golis?

A goli is basically bhang that is eaten.  Its a small confectionery with spices and a large amount of cannabis.  Many Indians literally eaten dozens a day.  They're so cheap and readily available that its maddening.  In India, government bhang shops = TAXED = OKAY.   Guy on the corner =/= NOT TAXED = HUGE TROUBLE.  Also basically police have the tendency to make up their own rules as they go along.  If you do partake in bhang as a foreigner in India probably the best practice is to consume it in the shop and not travel around with anything on you.  Police are always on the prowl for bribes in India and best avoided.

[sunnyboy2018]

3 minutes ago, SenorJorge said:

A goli is basically bhang that is eaten.  Its a small confectionery with spices and a large amount of cannabis.  Many Indians literally eaten dozens a day.  They're so cheap and readily available that its maddening.  In India, government bhang shops = TAXED = OKAY.   Guy on the corner =/= NOT TAXED = HUGE TROUBLE.  Also basically police have the tendency to make up their own rules as they go along.  If you do partake in bhang as a foreigner in India probably the best practice is to consume it in the shop and not travel around with anything on you.  Police are always on the prowl for bribes in India and best avoided.

Yes. I had Bhang Lassi in Old Dehli in 74. Too strong. I did not like India. Stink, Chaos,  sickness,  aggressive hostile people, constant staring, mobs of people, ignorance.

Edited August 21, 2019 by sunnyboy2018

[simon43]

2 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Is there any night life where you are? Are there any Thai style beer bars, go gos, soapies,  massage parlours etc. I heard Laos women were off limits and barred from sharing hotel rooms with a foreigner.  

Good heavens no!  There are no beer bars, no go-gos, no soapies and no happy ending massage parlours (in plain view).  Stay in Thailand if that's your thing ????  There are some karaokees on the edge of town which cater for the Chinese railway workers and are staffed by Vietnamese women.

 

The law is that Lao women cannot have a sexual relationship with a foreigner before marriage.  You can bet that you (not the Lao woman) will be the one to suffer fines/jail-time if you're caught.  Remember, this is still a communist country with a night-time curfew.

 

But if like me, you prefer nature, healthy food, friendly company etc, then LP is an attractive and easy place to live ????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

44 minutes ago, simon43 said:

The law is that Lao women cannot have a sexual relationship with a foreigner before marriage. 

 

I would imagine the Lao authorities/police do NOT follow the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky definition of "sexual relations," and probably enforce it a bit more broadly.... 

[HeyHeyHey]

7 hours ago, simon43 said:

Remember, this is still a communist country with a night-time curfew.

So Thailand is what with night-time and afternoon curfew?

[Puwa]

16 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Stink, Chaos,  sickness,  aggressive hostile people, constant staring, mobs of people, ignorance.

Just like ThaiVisa!

[Damrongsak]

About 7 years ago, I got a couple of my wife's siblings & family into the USA.  Took 10 years through legal channels, as they were married w/family.  6 people in all.  They are loving it.  One has a restaurant, another recently bought a nice house. Only one got citizenship after 5 years. They work hard ...

 

My wife was at our house in Thailand for 2 1/2 years but recently came back.  35+ years in the USA spoiled her.  It's not such a bad place all in all, if you can afford it.  But maybe not so fun or whacky.

[Ron jeremy]

20 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

 

Community colleges are usually structured, to get up to the level that is expected in college or uni. Basically junior high level math, for students that either did not have algebra 1&2, failed or  or never attended. 

 

BTW I know a number of thai students who did a year in Canadian and US high schools and were far ahead of the curve for the average local student. But that only in math and one of the sciences. As they were doing a year overseas you can assume, they were from well off Thai families, went to better schools, had weekend or weeknight tutor classes since they were five years old.
 

Regular Thai schools are tough, no matter if you have a good teacher or two and many do. At 40 or more students to a class, uh ... good luck.

My neice from Australia, got a 1 year scholarship at a top Bangkok university, she said it was like going back several years, it was simply a joke. She did have a good time travelling Asia though.

a degree in Thailand is worthless.unless you're in Thailand or further your education somewhere else..

[davidst01]

On 8/17/2019 at 6:30 AM, 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.

 

 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 ?

1 bad coffee experience should not lead to huge gernalizations

[Langkawee]

On 8/15/2019 at 12:17 PM, 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 ????

Excellent post Simon, do you mind telling me how much a month you pay for your house in Luang Prabang.