Why do you live in Thailand?

[CharlieH]

Troll remark and responses removed.

[ravip]

36 minutes ago, EricTh said:

 

I'm talking about foreigners marrying Thai girls.

 

If you want to test whether she really loves you, don't give her any money to buy anything i.e no house for her, no monthly donations to her parents, no monthly allowance for her etc. 

 

The moment you are penniless, just see her reaction.

To be very honest, I know personally many foreigners married to Thai ladies who are NOT dependant on their husbands, but are doing quite well and with stable jobs and are living a very happy and contented family life. I my self don't give any 'regular handouts' to my significant other, as she is quite well to do (not super rich), has a good career and her own assets - but of course we do share the house expenses as they come.

 

Yes, I know what you mean by "The moment you are penniless, just see her reaction" - that's a different kettle of fish.

 

In my opinion, Thai people are as normal as any other type of human being on this planet, with similar traits. ALL societies have their bad eggs.

 

I sincerely pity the people who suffer in the hands of unscrupulous beings - in Thailand or any other country.

[Kadilo]

52 minutes ago, sidjameson said:

Thanks.

Who needs more than a kitchen, comfortable chair and a TV anyway?

Depends if you want to sleep or not. 

[Leaver]

The climate and the nightlife.  I also like how cosmopolitan Thailand is.  It's great to be able to eat a different cuisine for anywhere in the world here.  

[Kanada]

9 hours ago, ravip said:

To be very honest, I know personally many foreigners married to Thai ladies who are NOT dependant on their husbands, but are doing quite well and with stable jobs and are living a very happy and contented family life. I my self don't give any 'regular handouts' to my significant other, as she is quite well to do (not super rich), has a good career and her own assets - but of course we do share the house expenses as they come.

 

Yes, I know what you mean by "The moment you are penniless, just see her reaction" - that's a different kettle of fish.

 

In my opinion, Thai people are as normal as any other type of human being on this planet, with similar traits. ALL societies have their bad eggs.

 

I sincerely pity the people who suffer in the hands of unscrupulous beings - in Thailand or any other country.

Well said....these guys that meet a 20 year old in a bar and are convinced she loves their wrinkly 60 year old butt deserve exactly what they get....and they would get exactly the same thing in any country in the world....embarrassed!!

D’uh

 

 

[CharlieH]

7 minutes ago, Kanada said:

Well said....these guys that meet a 20 year old in a bar and are convinced she loves their wrinkly 60 year old butt deserve exactly what they get....and they would get exactly the same thing in any country in the world....embarrassed!!

D’uh

 

 

Uh no, I would say those (in that situation) that view it as anything more than "business" are likely to be disappointed.

 

 

[1FinickyOne]

I was first here in 1974.. I have lived many years in my wife's village - it is a very relaxed and comfortable culture for me... and the more i learned about the language and customs and the people. the more comfortable it became... 

 

I find it nice to live amongst mostly happy and content people... 

 

There seems a lot of anger in the Western World lately. As you, I am glad I am here. 

[1FinickyOne]

11 hours ago, sidjameson said:

Thanks.

Who needs more than a kitchen, comfortable chair and a TV anyway?

A whole kitchen?

[oobar]

20 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

Oxytocin, which is linked to relationships and helps us to build bonds with other human beings. 

. . . and causes girls to arch their backs during orgasm, a beautiful thing.

[BritManToo]

12 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

but for me, I have a great, caring wife and I want the best health care for both me and her in old age

Let's just hope she doesn't make an asset grab and run when she's in the UK and has a lot more entitlement, and a lot more options.

[BritManToo]

26 minutes ago, Kanada said:

Well said....these guys that meet a 20 year old in a bar and are convinced she loves their wrinkly 60 year old butt deserve exactly what they get....and they would get exactly the same thing in any country in the world....embarrassed!!

D’uh

My 65 year old butt is still smooth and white.

Those 20 year old girls often express a wish to have one just as white!

[1FinickyOne]

11 hours ago, sidjameson said:

What would you say a farangs lot is in Thailand today?

And by comparison what was a black man's lot in your home country

Yeah Sid... I think much of this subject is personal attitude. if you are friendly and understanding of the people and culture here, you will have very few incidents of feeling discriminated agst... it can happen to me that someone might try to take advantage of me as far as pricing - not that often, but it happened w/abt the same frequency in my home country... workers thinking I was rich and didn't care abt money and trying to overcharge me... 

 

I knew 2 black guys considering relocation here... one never had a racial problem or encounter here over the course of years... the other after a month here told me that all Thai people think blacks are dirty...??????? The first guy never heard this the 2nd guy said he heard this 100x a day... 

I realized the reason that they guy heard it 100x a day is that he repeatedly asked Thai people that question... and since "no" is impolite, near everyone said "yes." - - which is the answer he was looking for if they even understood the question in the first place.. 

 

Attitude and perceptions... 

[Ralf001]

21 hours ago, The Cipher said:

 

Pretty much exactly this. The incredible value as well.

 

Roll racing out on the 7 during the wee hours of the morning is great fun !!

[CharlieH]

9 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Yeah Sid... I think much of this subject is personal attitude. if you are friendly and understanding of the people and culture here, you will have very few incidents of feeling discriminated agst... it can happen to me that someone might try to take advantage of me as far as pricing - not that often, but it happened w/abt the same frequency in my home country... workers thinking I was rich and didn't care abt money and trying to overcharge me... 

 

I knew 2 black guys considering relocation here... one never had a racial problem or encounter here over the course of years... the other after a month here told me that all Thai people think blacks are dirty...??????? The first guy never heard this the 2nd guy said he heard this 100x a day... 

I realized the reason that they guy heard it 100x a day is that he repeatedly asked Thai people that question... and since "no" is impolite, near everyone said "yes." - - which is the answer he was looking for if they even understood the question in the first place.. 

 

Attitude and perceptions... 

What I have found interesting over the years is that those with "problems" invariably live in well trodden tourist type areas. Whereas, those that live in more rural areas seldom do.

So is the atttitude of Thais therefore actually a refection of the people they have encountered in those well trodden areas ?

That is to say the "farang" are actually victims of their own behaviour and attitudes ?...possibly.

[Kanada]

2 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Yeah Sid... I think much of this subject is personal attitude. if you are friendly and understanding of the people and culture here, you will have very few incidents of feeling discriminated agst... it can happen to me that someone might try to take advantage of me as far as pricing - not that often, but it happened w/abt the same frequency in my home country... workers thinking I was rich and didn't care abt money and trying to overcharge me... 

 

I knew 2 black guys considering relocation here... one never had a racial problem or encounter here over the course of years... the other after a month here told me that all Thai people think blacks are dirty...??????? The first guy never heard this the 2nd guy said he heard this 100x a day... 

I realized the reason that they guy heard it 100x a day is that he repeatedly asked Thai people that question... and since "no" is impolite, near everyone said "yes." - - which is the answer he was looking for if they even understood the question in the first place.. 

 

Attitude and perceptions... 

Thai people think white people are dirty too based on the many unwashed and smelly and unshaven I’ve come across they’re right!

We are driving to ChiangMai right now and I asked my wife “do a lot of Thai people think falang are dirty” and her answer was Yes because falang smell bad...dont shave and wear dirty not ironed clothes! 
We have all seen them on the street

She doesn’t understand why falang don’t like to shower??

 

If I want to eat I have to come to table clean...not much to ask as a matter of fact it was my Mother’s rule too

[itsari]

You are in good company and the right location when you say you are not a expert in running a country.

[gamb00ler]

15 hours ago, The Cipher said:

Not sure where your home is, but in my experience pretty much everything is cheaper here with the notable exception of luxury goods and cars. And the very materially cheaper cost of the real estate here (both buying and renting) more than makes up for the difference in prices for consumption.

If you are looking to live in surroundings that are comparable in quality and ambience to a mid-level home in a mid-sized US city, I don't think the RE is cheaper here.  To have reliable utilities here you need to bear considerable expense and headaches to provide those.  If you prefer to live in a peaceful and quiet neighborhood your land costs will not be cheaper than in US or they will be a greater distance from any city and it's amenities.

 

RE is definitely cheaper here if you're OK with substantial downsizing and downgrading.  Renting is definitely cheaper here, but TBH I haven't checked out the rents on properties equivalent to our US home.

Edited May 17, 2021 by gamb00ler

[1FinickyOne]

17 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

What I have found interesting over the years is that those with "problems" invariably live in well trodden tourist type areas. Whereas, those that live in more rural areas seldom do.

So is the atttitude of Thais therefore actually a refection of the people they have encountered in those well trodden areas ?

That is to say the "farang" are actually victims of their own behaviour and attitudes ?...possibly.

And I would add to that - - the very small % of Thai who might want to move to a tourist area, go in hopes of wealth and might be a more predatory type, or become so... 

 

But yes, I think people tend to get back what they put out near anyplace in this world... 

[koolkarl]

I live in Thailand for fresh air all year and I am bursting with anticipation to visit

immigration again.

[gamb00ler]

9 hours ago, Leaver said:

The climate and the nightlife.  I also like how cosmopolitan Thailand is.  It's great to be able to eat a different cuisine for anywhere in the world here.  

OK..... name me one good restaurant serving Canadian food here! ????

[BritManToo]

Just now, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Im a Yank--dont require a woman--not gay, last I checked.....curious as to where in the USA you would pick........overpriced in all depts, as I can get the same in CNX for a 1/3 of the cost..but Ive always been a east coast guy....lived in the top-middle-and mile 0... admittedly have yet to venture out west..

I'd be living in my prepper bunker hidden in the forests of North Dakota surrounded by guns and ammo.

[rupert the bear]

if your happy thats great,different strokes for different folks,thailand has become more anti foreign and relatively more expensive.there are more welcoming environments but if your settled here thats great.it has positives still but.....make your own mind up......big world out there and in many places welcoming...i just dont get that feeling here anymore.rarely anyway.the surrounding countries viet,camb phils etc have upped their game and theres always southern europe or latam.many things out there.....when the airports open helps though

[1FinickyOne]

20 minutes ago, Kanada said:

Thai people think white people are dirty too based on the many unwashed and smelly and unshaven I’ve come across they’re right!

We are driving to ChiangMai right now and I asked my wife “do a lot of Thai people think falang are dirty” and her answer was Yes because falang smell bad...dont shave and wear dirty not ironed clothes! 
We have all seen them on the street

She doesn’t understand why falang don’t like to shower??

 

If I want to eat I have to come to table clean...not much to ask as a matter of fact it was my Mother’s rule too

yes, there is an element in recent years of what I call financial refugees... after living in the village for many years, I was a bit stunned in recent years of seeing such down and out farang walking the streets of CM... hygiene and cleanliness are of little interest to many... I was quite surprised how many there are... 

 

I had a mall business for some years in USA and it is noteworthy how even obviously poor people here have the pride to put on decent clean clothes when they go out... as opposed to some of the people I used to see in USA who looked like they just crawled out from under a rock.. 

 

I was in Mad Dog a few months ago and sitting at the bar eating my lunch.. a farang walked in behind me, put his hat down nearby and went to the bathroom... i did not even see him but the waitress came over and asked if I wanted to relocate to a table... i said no and had no idea why, until he came back and sat a chair away from me and was disgusting [totally filthy] and obnoxious and rude too... yes, then I agreed to move my seat, but they knew first... 

 

 

[ravip]

7 minutes ago, rupert the bear said:

if your happy thats great,different strokes for different folks,thailand has become more anti foreign and relatively more expensive.there are more welcoming environments but if your settled here thats great.it has positives still but.....make your own mind up......big world out there and in many places welcoming...i just dont get that feeling here anymore.rarely anyway.the surrounding countries viet,camb phils etc have upped their game and theres always southern europe or latam.many things out there.....when the airports open helps though

"big world out there and in many places welcoming"

 

Sometimes it's all in ones mind. Where some persons feel welcomed others feel they are not. Most times it is each persons attitude that creates problems.

So... one size will never fit all.

[bwpage3]

21 hours ago, Kanada said:

Haha....you can’t take the girl out of Thailand and you can’t take the Thai out of the girl....

My wife has been to England, Australia and Canada and prefers where she has grown up...pretty normal I think!

Thais love their country

Contrare.  You can take the girl out of Thailand and she may on her own want to take the Thai out of herself by getting a western education, much more than any retired farangs have ever had. The ones than settle for a much older husband and small pension, being uneducated and can only aspire to Thailand are the ones I would worry about.

 

 

[CharlieH]

7 minutes ago, ravip said:

"big world out there and in many places welcoming"

 

Sometimes it's all in ones mind. Where some persons feel welcomed others feel they are not. Most times it is each persons attitude that creates problems.

So... one size will never fit all.

In short, a problem is only a problem if you allow it to be.????

[EVENKEEL]

If you don't own a home in your home country that's paid for I'd say your chances of returning home are slim if you're on a fixed pension. And to make matters worse are the ones who built homes and spent all their money thinking they will have a blissful life in TL only to find themselves busted and broke. 

 

It's only 0800 and my balls are already sweaty, yeah love the weather.

[wwest5829]

Did my reading about the traditional culture before retiring to Thailand. 1. age is respected more than US culture. 2. If you have steady income ... taken care of in order to live a comfortable working middle class life (not possible for me on the same budget in US). 3. World class medical care available at reasonable cost. 4. Status partly based on previous occupation. Been here a decade. Only real issue has been immigration issues threatening long stay status (and thus threatening Thai family stability)

[AlfHuy]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

My 65 year old butt is still smooth and white.

Those 20 year old girls often express a wish to have one just as white!

I bet they do.

[4MyEgo]

23 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

Last in a long list of mistakes in life, I don't like the government, the corruption, the heat, the insects, the food or the driving. If not for the mrs I would be off home. UK has nice seasons, better shops, free healthcare, driving not insane and the food does not stink the house out ????

 

I will agree with you on the government, the corruption, the heat, the insects, and the food that stinks the house out,

 

But what are you doing to combat those negatives.

 

Don't get involved with the government and the corruption is you can avoid it, most times it's chicken feed, but annoying, yes.

 

If you haven't insulated your house well enough and have air conditioners, then you will suffer unfortunately.

 

Screen on all doors and windows will sort your insect problems, apart from the occasional ones slipping in when someone outside the family walks in and leaves it open ????

 

The driving can be managed if you grow an extra pair of eyes and when about to take off onto the roads, take a deep breath and then exhale and not allow anyone to get under your skin, I used to be like that, not now, it's the wife in the passenger seat....lol

 

I built the wife a second kitchen so that there would be no cooking smells in the house and anything smelly gets eaten outside, like smelly fish or papaya, that was the fine print in the contract.

 

I think about returning, but then I have to say to myself, where would I find a house as big as this and in what area, then I would have pay a ridiculous amount of money to buy it which would probably leave me with little reserves to survive, or rent, again, ridiculous amounts of money and not having secure tenure. Then you would add higher electricity and water bills, high council rates, high insurances, higher registration and maintenance cost for the car and house (labour), then you would have higher food costs, and would probably live an area that has worse traffic ?

 

The answer is simpler when you look at the other side, just try to create a better environment here where you are and if you can afford it, spoil yourself on the things that make your environment here better so that things don't bother you, as for the weather, well, as I said before when you insulate the house, e.g. good quality sisolation, insulation, whirly birds, etc your half way there.

 

Going back could be your answer if you have a property back there, but if not, it might be worse than you think, I know because I keep an eye on the property market back there every now and again and I am not going to fork out 36,000,000 baht for a 3 bedroom 100 year old single level property on a 450 square metre block with properties to my side, behind and opposite to me, when I can live in a 6 bedroom 3 bathroom comfortable home for 2,000,000 baht and live off my savings/investments.  

 

Once Covid is under control, take that trip to the foreshore and take in a little Thailand which is what brought you here in the first place, or was it the power of the p...y, yep that is a tough one.