2 hours ago, whiteman said:

57 the right time for me and I never looked back I am 73 now and still happy here

Very close , I arrived when I was  58 and am now 73.  Still happy here , the thought of an English winter chills me to me bones.

2 hours ago, CharlieH said:

48 when I came here, life looked a lot different then, the decisions and ideas/dreams 14 yrs later if I knew then what I know now, I wouldve got back on that plane and never returned.

The west isnt that good. Very pc and lots of unhappy people.

 

You are lucky to live in Thailand.

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Will we still be here in 5 years ? I don't know, might be down south where the air is best near the sea, e.g. Phuket or Krabi, might be back in a town 2-4 hours drive out of Sydney, might be dead, so will just keep enjoying the clearer air here for now with my morning coffees on the front porch chatting away with the Mrs until it gets to hot, then inside we go.

After many years in cities -  Bangkok and Khon Kaen, we're planning on moving to the sea. Probably Hua Hin. Came up here for business in 2004 but the air is getting bad. My wife is from outside Bangkok, so not quite sure why we're still here, apart from the kids being settled in school. 

4 hours ago, n00dle said:

i suspect there is a significant difference in the attitudes of folks who came here to work in their mid to late 20s and stayed on after making a life, to those who moved here much later in life to retire.
 

I agree. I think those who came in their 20s started a new life and realize they have to integrate into society to give themselves more opportunities.

Those who retire here generally don't feel the need to change and are set in their Western ways and quite content to rely on that healthy pension and be an outsider. 

 

I moved here when I was 3 1/2 ....  I can still clearly remember that IO asking me what am i doing in Thailand

2 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

Very close , I arrived when I was  58 and am now 73.  Still happy here , the thought of an English winter chills me to me bones.

you english are quite cute when it comes to what you consider *winter* 

 

came in 2004 at 27. stayed for like 6 years. went home for 11. back last year. things are so different now. some good some bad. 

34 minutes ago, steven100 said:

I moved here when I was 3 1/2 ....  I can still clearly remember that IO asking me what am i doing in Thailand

Sorry, I never made an option for under 18 ????

13 years ago, I was 32.

7 hours ago, simon43 said:

Moved here at 43 years old, used Thailand as my 'base' but spent happier times in Laos and Burma. Last year I finally moved my base out of Thailand (visa too expensive, no WP for online work, too much immigration reporting, too much xenophobia etc) to north Laos - very content now ????

 

Moved here in 1989. I was in the 18-30 bracket then. Planned on a year to get my Thai fluent. It's still not fluent and I'm still here, although it was a bit on and off in the 90s. Amongst other things spent two years in Vientiane back then: very happy times for me too. 

Moved here at 23 years of age, been using it as a 'base' for 13 years while I work. 

 

If I could go back and re-do it I would not have invested so much time here, and if it wasn't for the China Virus I would be moving back to the USA early 2021. 

 

Thailand is best taken in small doses or as a tourist. 

1 hour ago, Neeranam said:

After many years in cities -  Bangkok and Khon Kaen, we're planning on moving to the sea. Probably Hua Hin. Came up here for business in 2004 but the air is getting bad. My wife is from outside Bangkok, so not quite sure why we're still here, apart from the kids being settled in school. 

Yes, ah the kids, if we didn't have them, (4), we would be in Phuket.

 

I like Hua Hin as my wife does, but the air quality isn't that great according to AirVisual which I look at daily, currently Khon Kaen is 67 which is in the moderate range, Hua Hin 76 also in the moderate range, Phuket is 54 so its 4 off being in the good range and is therefore in the moderate, as for Krabi it's 29 in the good range.

 

I mostly find Phuket and Krabi in the good range daily, and I believe that would be because they are both on the same side as the of the Andaman Sea, with the sea breeze blowing inwards to land, whereas Hua Hin is on the Gulf of Thailand side with the wind blowing towards the sea.

 

Hua Hin is also close to the Cambodian border and we know Cambodia is notorious for lighting up fires, these are only my assumptions of course, outside of the Cambodia lightin up fires we know is a fact.

 

So I would research long and hard about Hua Hin as you might be going from the pan into the fire so to speak.

7 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Too expensive??

 

I remember when you were earning 1 million baht a month! 

Good heavens! You have a long  memory!  Yes, when I first moved to live in BKK, I was still earning very decent money from operating text messaging ... er ... erotic chat services ????

 

As mobile phones developed, SMS took a back seat, profits dropped and I diversified into building small hotels in Phuket.  Profits continued to fall as my various Thai wives spent money like water....  Finally, I ditched them and settled for a lower monthly income ( 120,000 baht), but with minimal outgoings and zero stress.  Now I'm saving more each month in the bank than I ever did when earning 1 million+ baht each month and supporting a Thai woman or 2...

5 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Simon43: 
"Last year I finally moved my base out of Thailand (visa too expensive, no WP for online work, too much immigration reporting, too much xenophobia etc) to north Laos - very content now "

 

Yet you've posted in the Thailand forum 10,843 times. You must love to hate the place. ...

Hmm, Thailand was my base since 2002, and I only moved away last year.  10,843 posts in (2019-2002) years = 638 posts a year, or less than 2 a day.  Sorry that you think those who no longer live in Thailand should not post in this forum......

19. Arrived in October 1981, and except for a 6 month stay in the UK, have been here ever since. So this coming October it will be 39 years. Any regrets? Sure. Would I have done things differently? Certainly. But hindsight is 20:20. I am happy and healthy and doing okay for myself. I'll retire when I hit 60 in a couple more years and move upcountry. 

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

Hua Hin is also close to the Cambodian border and we know Cambodia is notorious for lighting up fires, these are only my assumptions of course, outside of the Cambodia lightin up fires we know is a fact.

 

Think you got your borders "crossed" 4MyEgo. ????

12 minutes ago, GarryP said:

19. Arrived in October 1981, and except for a 6 month stay in the UK, have been here ever since. So this coming October it will be 39 years. Any regrets? Sure. Would I have done things differently? Certainly. But hindsight is 20:20. I am happy and healthy and doing okay for myself. I'll retire when I hit 60 in a couple more years and move upcountry. 

And as a citizen, you can buy land upcountry! As a relatively young arrival, do you think your attitude toward Thailand is different than someone arriving later in life?

Came first in 1988 and then permanently aged 23 in 1990. Ups and downs of course but I'm still very happy with my lot. I can't say that I'll end my days here for sure but there's a fair chance! 

39 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

Think you got your borders "crossed" 4MyEgo. ????

The Prevailing Hua Hin winds are West then South, so unless Cambodia has been........????

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

Hmm, Thailand was my base since 2002, and I only moved away last year.  10,843 posts in (2019-2002) years = 638 posts a year, or less than 2 a day.  Sorry that you think those who no longer live in Thailand should not post in this forum......

I have less than 3 posts per day, which is quite high considering the number of holidays I've had  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29. Now 43. Only been back to UK once for 6 days for a funeral.

 

 

16 hours ago, Pravda said:

I moved here at 39, but should have done it at 12

I was 40 when I moved here on a permanent basis but have still managed to maintain my 12 yo mentality.

First visit 1976, started coming regularly (2-3 trips a year) in the late 90s. 

I retired at 53 and would have moved shortly afterwards but for a needy relative who required me to be available for her for many years. My life was on hold for 7-8 years. Finally arrived to live in 2010 at age 62. No plans to leave.

Good, interesting thread. 

Thank you.

18 hours ago, Pravda said:

I moved here at 39, but should have done it at 12

here, here, but i didnt have the ongoing income until i was 34

36 years and 14 days

Took early retirement with two UK pensions at 56 to live in the North of Thailand. After almost 20 years, and a third pension (State OAP), I now live in Cambodia due to draconian and bureaucratic Thailand, and the direction the LOS was heading - "military wise"! 

Amalgamated & invested all my private pensions at 55, sold the house and we flew out on Xmas day

moved here 35, now 57. happy here in thailand.

Pitched the first tent at 23 and stuck it out for about 12 years, Came back again at 51 until present... about another 12 years or so.

 

I totally missed the wonderful years of democracy under Thaksin.

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