Would you do it again?

[OneMoreFarang]

Often we read about unhappy farangs. Some think their wife planned already 10 years ago to get all their money. Other are just not happy anymore. How about you?

 

Personally I am living since > 20 years in the middle of Bangkok and I still like it a lot. In all that time I never thought about moving to somewhere else.

[richard_smith237]

Arrived (with work) at 22 yrs old - spent most of my Adult live in Thailand. 

Now I have a child there seems more to do in the UK - there is a temptation to move back. 

 

I like Bangkok, but the heat, the traffic, the air-quality is an issue. 

 

But the lifestyle, the sports, the restaurants the number of friends and acquaintances, Wife is extremely happy in BKK, Wifes family are in BKK, Son’s school in BKK is excellent - a lot of reasons to stay there also. 

 

What would I have done differently: Perhaps spent less money on silly stuff. Purchased property earlier. 

 

Met my Wife at a perfect time for both her and me. Had we met earlier, I was probably too much of a d!<k and not serious enough about life, she was probably too much of a B!t<ch to tolerate me... we’d both properly matured by the time we met in our early 30’s.

 

 

 

 

[CharlieH]

The positives far out way the negatives, learnt a lot along my 16 yr journey and yes I would have done some things differently, but hindsight has 20/20 vision.

 

I have a much better lifestyle here than I could possibly even dream of in the home country.

Living out in rural Thailand suits me and for the most part is peaceful and hassle free. The freedoms generally offered here are far better than the home country.

 

Mostly, in my opinion, its all about an individuals attitude and how you adapt and choose to react to things will determine your happiness or not as the case may be.

[rumak]

Is there some way I can do it all again ?   ????????????

 

I  certainly would like to .... with Nit ,  and a few others

[OneMoreFarang]

9 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Met my Wife at a perfect time for both her and me. Had we met earlier, I was probably too much of a d!<k and not serious enough about life, she was probably too much of a B!t<ch to tolerate me... we’d both properly matured by the time we met in our early 30’s.

That's interesting. I met my gf when I was 30 and she in her teens. Perfect. We both never grew up. ???? 

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's interesting. I met my gf when I was 30 and she in her teens. Perfect. We both never grew up. ???? 

 

I went from having 3 phones to 1 when I met my Wife... had I not grown up I may never had had the opportunity to grow up !!!  (if you know what I mean !) 

[pgrahmm]

I would have done some things differently back home, prior to the move....

Can't claim to be unhappy at all with life here....

My daughter there that would have benefited from my move and helped oversee & manage things was killed in an automobile accident at 26 a few months before the planned move....

That left me in limbo with what to do with vehicles, family heirlooms, & such....

[scubascuba3]

I don't think about moving away in Thailand but I know in the UK I used to think about it a lot

[nikmar]

lots i would do differntly if given the chance, but, all in all, I can't complain. 

[Nout]

Currently being anywhere else would be hideous. I can't understand why people talk about leaving...I believe they would only take their misery with them

[4MyEgo]

Planned the move for about 8 years, been living here for just over 5 now.

 

Best decision I made outside of marrying my bestie 14 years ago.

 

Live in rural Thailand, nothing really bothers me much apart from the smoke in the early hours of the morning, but as CharlieH said in an above post reply: 

 

Its all about an individuals attitude and how you adapt and choose to react to things will determine your happiness or not as the case may be.

 

Took me a while, but I finally listened to what my best man used to say to me back home, he used to say; it is what it is, now I understand why he never got upset over things, my late brother used to say; can't control what you can't control, let it go.

 

Now I hear the wife spitting chips and she asks, doesn't that bother you, and I turn to her, smile and say, it is what it is Tiruk, if you can't control it, let it go.

 

Life's too short, let's just all enjoy it, well........at least till someone pi$$es me off ????

[Kwasaki]

Would you do it again ?

When I was young I wouldn't consider going to Thailand other than for a holiday. 

I decided to retire here and with hindsight may of done things differently but how the Ell would I know that at the time. 

I just look to the future whatevers left of it and l'm happy enough. 

[OneMoreFarang]

55 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Would you do it again ?

When I was young I wouldn't consider going to Thailand other than for a holiday. 

I decided to retire here and with hindsight may of done things differently but how the Ell would I know that at the time. 

I just look to the future whatevers left of it and l'm happy enough. 

That's what comes to my mind when I see these old guys in Nana with half open mouth staring at the girls for the first time (ok, a year or two ago). Imagine if your 60 and you think how life would have been in the same company with 30. ???? 

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's what comes to my mind when I see these old guys in Nana with half open mouth staring at the girls for the first time (ok, a year or two ago). Imagine if your 60 and you think how life would have been in the same company with 30. ???? 

Nah you have me sooooo wrong, I never stayed in Bkk and other places other than Ko Samui for more than 2 days many years ago looking at attractions,  I would never understand someone wanting to live in Bkk and other types of popular places.

That said having been all over Thailand I do realize people coming to Thailand have there favorite places to live because of one thing or the other.

[Tagged]

Right now Im thinking of everything Im missing out in Brasil. Could have travelled in and out as I wanted to, but If I was in Brasil, I would have been thinking about everything I was missing out in Thailand! 

 

Still got more than a foot back in Norway, so I will never ever completely gamble on Thailand or any other country. 

[OneMoreFarang]

17 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Nah you have me sooooo wrong, I never stayed in Bkk and other places other than Ko Samui for more than 2 days many years ago looking at attractions,  I would never understand someone wanting to live in Bkk and other types of popular places.

That said having been all over Thailand I do realize people coming to Thailand have there favorite places to live because of one thing or the other.

My comment was not about you and I thought I made that clear. Your comment just made me think about those guys who see what they missed most of their lives.

 

One of the nice things in Thailand is that people can chose between mega city, tourist place, small or large island, and a village somewhere near Nakhon Nowhere. It's up to our individual tastes and if someone likes place A or B that's perfectly fine.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

I just had a look at the statistic, currently with 34 "answers". I am surprised that almost all are positive to very positive. I thought some people think this forum is full of people who only complain about Thailand.

But then, it's still early, let's look how this will look at 2am or after all those grumpy guys in the good old UK wake up. ???? 

[1FinickyOne]

cannot imagine living elsewhere.

[georgegeorgia]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Often we read about unhappy farangs. Some think their wife planned already 10 years ago to get all their money. Other are just not happy anymore. How about you?

 

Personally I am living since > 20 years in the middle of Bangkok and I still like it a lot. In all that time I never thought about moving to somewhere else.

How did U support yourself?

[connda]

Pretty much nowhere else in the world are you treated like a tourist and specifically referred to as a forever "temporary visitor" only visiting your wife and family when (as a male foreigner) you are married to a Thai woman. Virtually all other countries extend the husband permanent residency after a period of marriage be it a 1 to 10 years of marriage.  Thailand?  Never.  So I liken trying to live out life here with a wife who explicitly does not want to expatriate to the US but who wants to live out her live in her house with me as having the Thai Immigration version of The Sword of Damocles forever hanging over your head.  There is no long term security living here.  Immigration can remove you on a whim and break-up and destroy your family.  Well, unless you are a foreign woman married to a Thai man.  In that case the foreign woman is pretty much assured that she'll never be kicked out and administratively separated from her wife and kids forever.  No annual threat of expulsion.  For a foreigner man, the threat of expulsion and being administratively separated from your wife, children, and extended family is an annual event. 

So, in retrospect.  I would have never gotten involved with my wife and I would have kept moving.  If I knew what I knew today I would not be here right now.  It is the worst country in the world to attempt to establish and provide for a family of the country's citizens, well, if you are a foreign man that is.

[KannikaP]

11 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

How did U support yourself?

Zimmer frame !

[Kwasaki]

25 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

My comment was not about you and I thought I made that clear. Your comment just made me think about those guys who see what they missed most of their lives.

 

One of the nice things in Thailand is that people can chose between mega city, tourist place, small or large island, and a village somewhere near Nakhon Nowhere. It's up to our individual tastes and if someone likes place A or B that's perfectly fine.

 

Yeah I know that and you make a good call. ????

[BritManToo]

"I should have done a few things differently, but not much"

I should have moved here 10 years earlier.

[connda]

5 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

I would have done some things differently back home, prior to the move....

Can't claim to be unhappy at all with life here....

My daughter there that would have benefited from my move and helped oversee & manage things was killed in an automobile accident at 26 a few months before the planned move....

That left me in limbo with what to do with vehicles, family heirlooms, & such....

I am truly sorry to hear about your daughter.  My daughter too was killed in a car accident at 18.   It changes you forever.  I doubt anyone can understand the devastation if they have not experienced it.  Empathize?  Yeah.  Understand?  No.  You understand. 

So you and others should understand why I find it to be literally sickening to be under the constant threat of expulsion and being administratively separated from my new family (wife and son) on the whim of Thai Immigration.  I was broken by my daughter's death.  I don't want to go through similar forced separation with my current family.  But?  Every year?  There is always a chance that you'll be booted for some absolutely asinine reason.
Thai Immigration is a bureaucratic car-wreak laying in wait to administratively kill your family and destroy your life.

 

[Ventenio]

depends when you ask me.  now it's hot and i'm hoping the pollution won't drive me crazy again.  yes, it will.  

 

and the winters are colder.  

 

getting more expensive, immigration problems never end...

 

it's an experience....i'll only be here between 5 and 10 years, so that's not my life.

 

people, very good.  climate, usually good.  food is cheap.  rooms are cheap.  life is cheap.  roads are dangerous.  you can find alone time and immediately find tons of people.

 

overall.....I'll rate Thailand 82/100.  100 is probably impossible to find for the long-term.  95 is likely impossible.

 

 

[Ralf001]

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I went from having 3 phones to 1 when I met my Wife... had I not grown up I may never had had the opportunity to grow up !!!  (if you know what I mean !) 

 

3 phones is hectic, Ive manage to control my appetite to one dual sim phone.

[rumak]

3 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's what comes to my mind when I see these old guys in Nana with half open mouth staring at the girls for the first time (ok, a year or two ago). Imagine if your 60 and you think how life would have been in the same company with 30. ???? 

 

Very very rarely do i think about how much more money i could have made if I had stayed put .

But if i had stayed put i would now be thinking what a dumb a$$ i was .   Fortunately i chose to come here fairly young and make life an adventure .  Doing all the exciting things that were new back then;

touring the country,  chasing the ladies,  making mistakes,  and learning how to survive.

Not many free spirits left in the world ...... and gonna be much harder to be one as the iron rules of the "new world order"  clamp down on freedom. 

I certainly have no regrets for living more than half my life in Thailand .  The people and lifestyle

i still enjoy (even more so when comparing to the Western world), and am definitely happy to have chosen.

[Donekys]

4 minutes ago, rumak said:

 

Very very rarely do i think about how much more money i could have made if I had stayed put .

But if i had stayed put i would now be thinking what a dumb a$$ i was .   Fortunately i chose to come here fairly young and make life an adventure .  Doing all the exciting things that were new back then;

touring the country,  chasing the ladies,  making mistakes,  and learning how to survive.

Not many free spirits left in the world ...... and gonna be much harder to be one as the iron rules of the "new world order"  clamp down on freedom. 

I certainly have no regrets for living more than half my life in Thailand .  The people and lifestyle

i still enjoy (even more so when comparing to the Western world), and am definitely happy to have chosen.

Couldn't have said it better! 

[bert bloggs]

I love it back in the UK ,but its a holiday after 2 weeks i am chomping at the bit to come home.

One thing i am glad about is that my wife lived in the Uk for many years and we had a nice home there,but like me ,she loves it here where she was born,mind you as long as we are together she is happy as i am .

[bermondburi]

Came to Thailand in my early twenties left at 35. That was 9 years ago. Have zero regrets and actually wish I'd left sooner. The main reason being I was never earning enough money in Thailand to provide a decent future for my family or when I get old.

 

IMO Thailand is for:

 

The very young - no need to worry about much, just live day to day. 

 

The very rich - no need to worry about anything, can do anything they want. Wealth has a habit of insulating people from misfortune. 

 

The very old - and by this I mean retired with a fixed income so no need to worry. 

 

For those in the middle somewhere who aren't loaded, say between 30 and 50 I think Thailand is such a waste of valuable time, your best earning years. How many guys wake up at 45 or 50 and realise that they're done. It's too late to start over back in the home country and they're essentially stuck. I didn't want to be like that. 

 

Since I left, and the family moved with me, we've bought a nice house in Thailand for cash. 15 minutes from the beach. Wife and children moved back there 2 years ago. Children go to a good mid level school. I could never have done any of this if I'd stayed in Thailand. 

 

Planning to move them to the UK in a couple of years, showing the 62k GBP for the visa and buying another house for cash. No chance to do that if I was still in Thailand either. 

 

For me it's about providing a good future for my kids and I firmly believe they'll be better off in the long run outside of Thailand. 

 

Prepandemic I was visiting Thailand around every 8 weeks, and it was nice coming as a short term visitor with money to burn. I'll probably retire there but even then I'd like to spend half the year in the UK I think. Summer in the uk and winter in Thailand. 

 

So to answer the question, no. I'd have left earlier.