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Thinking to move to Phuket from Los Angeles :)


XtraFly

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2 hours ago, Espanol said:

IMO Pattaya has all that and also cheap and close to Bangkok 

While Pattaya and Patong may be mentioned in the same sentence, most of Phuket is very different than Patong.  
 

Unfortunately (or fortunately for the people that live outside of Patong) most tourists never see any other part of the island other than the airport and maybe the boat pier in Chalong.   
 

So that’s what they think Phuket is.  
 

Sort of like if someone came to Bangkok and spent their entire vacation on Soi Nana and thought they knew what Bangkok was all about.  

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Just now, digibum said:

While I’ve loved all of those books, I don’t know, like they used to seem more realistic 20 or more years ago than they do today.  
 

Like the whole pay to play scene, especially in Bangkok, seems more volume driven than it once was.  

Ot went from the girlfriend experience, to longtime, to short-time only.  

 

You can go to Soi Cowboy and you’ll often find tourists pushing baby strollers down the Soi as they gawk at the nightlife scene.
 

There’s a Hooters across from Nana Plaza now.  
 

It’s all become, and continues to be, a bit gentrified

I lived in Austin , TX ....when you could ride a horse down into the middle of town.

               San Francisco,  when rents were 200 dollars a month.

               Chiangmai,   when past Gat Suan Gaow  were strawberry fields,  and Ruam Choke area was

               a cow pasture.  

 

        Time waits for no one ,  and "girlfriend experiences"  are certainly not found in the same places as

        20 years ago.  I do believe, however,  there are still a few sweet Thai maidens waiting to be 

         discovered .    But for sure,  not as easily as the "good old days" .    And one tip :  be sure you find    

         one that will agree not to take the phone along on your date !

 

 

 

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46 minutes ago, digibum said:

It’s sort of like asking why someone that lives in Hua Hin would visit Bangkok.  

Thanks

 

That's the challenge for people like me who live in the center of Bangkok. It's difficult to imagine what a town nearby could offer additionally to what we have. ; ) 

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47 minutes ago, rumak said:

But for sure,  not as easily as the "good old days"

True.  
 

But my point was that all of those books are set in a Thailand that doesn’t really exist anymore.  
 

You’re right that you should be more concerned about a gal bringing her phone on a date today than of the type of girl from Private Dancer.  
 

Thailand used to have a razor sharp edge to it.  Now, you go on Facebook groups and people are complaining that they cannot find their favorite brand of potato chips at Villa Market and think that’s what living in a third-world country means.  

 

Part of what made Private Dancer and other books such good reads is that they felt real.  
 

I don’t think those stories have the same ring of authenticity today as they did then.
 

Maybe to those of us old enough to remember those times, but if you just got off the plane in Bangkok yesterday, the settings are as fictional as reading a cowboys and indians novel.  

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I think you'll find Koh Samui much nicer. 

 

I personally find Phuket nice for a visit but the traffic and constant ripoffs made me sour on living there permanently.  Wants COVID-19 is over it'll be packed with Chinese again.

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10 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

I think you'll find Koh Samui much nicer. 

 

I personally find Phuket nice for a visit but the traffic and constant ripoffs made me sour on living there permanently.  Wants COVID-19 is over it'll be packed with Chinese again.

 You make me laugh. Samui is also full of rip offs and traffic much same. Nothing like LA.  

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4 hours ago, rumak said:

I lived in Austin , TX ....when you could ride a horse down into the middle of town.

               San Francisco,  when rents were 200 dollars a month.

               Chiangmai,   when past Gat Suan Gaow  were strawberry fields,  and Ruam Choke area was

               a cow pasture.  

 

        Time waits for no one ,  and "girlfriend experiences"  are certainly not found in the same places as

        20 years ago.  I do believe, however,  there are still a few sweet Thai maidens waiting to be 

         discovered .    But for sure,  not as easily as the "good old days" .    And one tip :  be sure you find    

         one that will agree not to take the phone along on your date !

 

 

 

Hi Rumak,  I didn't find Austin until 1968, did you hitch your horse up outside of the Hole iN The Wall while listening to great r&r and blues?  I can imagine you did. 

What a great city back then, still is a little bit...thanks for stimulating my memories of that city..

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2 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 You make me laugh. Samui is also full of rip offs and traffic much same. Nothing like LA.  

Personally i prefer Samui.

I wouldn't complain living in Phuket either.

There both beautiful island paradises.

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2 hours ago, IraqRon said:

Hi Rumak,  I didn't find Austin until 1968, did you hitch your horse up of the Hole iN The Wall while listening to great r&r and blues?  I can imagine you did. 

What a great city back then, still is a little bit...thanks for stimulating my memories of that city..

Willie Nelson,  Jerry Jeff Walker,  Asleep at the Wheel ................... and skinny dipping at Lake Travis 

 

sometimes my past seems like a movie ........     I was there beginning 1971

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6 hours ago, digibum said:

Thailand used to have a razor sharp edge to it.  Now, you go on Facebook groups and people are complaining that they cannot find their favorite brand of potato chips at Villa Market

hahahahah     good one !    Vat's dis woild coming to ??

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14 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

Went there in 2008 for first trip--planned on a month stay--was done in a week------never went back....settled up north in CNX...too many jaded thais down south

And how is the air pollution in CNX? I think that a clean air almost all year around in Phuket is better than dying 5 years earlier when living in CNX (which means Chiang Mai by the way but sounds less interesting).

 

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7 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thanks

 

That's the challenge for people like me who live in the center of Bangkok. It's difficult to imagine what a town nearby could offer additionally to what we have. ; ) 

Clean air?

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I really thought I was going to move south,  and made a few extended trips there .   For me,  it is too hot and humid, and i was surprised that i still had some allergies even close to the sea.  

Now that the economy has been decimated,  driving around CM  ain't so bad .... and even the pollution levels are well within acceptable range.

Cool mornings and evenings , and the surrounding hills and non touristy feeling to the whole area (especially nowadays)  have kept me here .   A month or two down to the beach in feb and march solve the pollution story for me,  and a good excuse to get out for a change.

 

I do worry that the influx of BKK people as well as from other areas will continue to turn this once small town into another major metropolis.    well, when i'm 80  i'll either be confined to my little yard......... or move to a beachside condo    lol

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55 minutes ago, rumak said:

Good 38US AQI

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Thursday, Jul 15

Good 20US AQI

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Friday, Jul 16

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Today

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Sunday, Jul 18

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I really thought I was going to move south,  and made a few extended trips there .   For me,  it is too hot and humid, and i was surprised that i still had some allergies even close to the sea.  

Now that the economy has been decimated,  driving around CM  ain't so bad .... and even the pollution levels are well within acceptable range.

Cool mornings and evenings , and the surrounding hills and non touristy feeling to the whole area (especially nowadays)  have kept me here .   A month or two down to the beach in feb and march solve the pollution story for me,  and a good excuse to get out for a change.

 

I do worry that the influx of BKK people as well as from other areas will continue to turn this once small town into another major metropolis.    well, when i'm 80  i'll either be confined to my little yard......... or move to a beachside condo    lol

Not look about the air pollution now! Now it is OK everywhere is SE asia. You must look between December to April. When the farmers are burning the crop in Thailand and surroundings.... I would not like to live 4 month of the year with staying indoor with air cleaners and face masks (if they would help for PM 2.5..). It would shorten my life with several years. Google is your best friend... don´t rely on what I am saying. Easy to find information about how many people dying every year from air pollution.

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11 hours ago, simon43 said:

Phuket?  Hmm, let's see what happened to me and my guesthouse business over the 10 years or so that I lived in Phuket:

 

- 2 of my staff shot dead - police didn't bother to investigate.

- My personal car stolen and crashed by a druggie - police not interested

- My $100,000 investment guesthouse 'invaded' by druggies and I physically ejected - police supported the druggies because they (the police) were the druggies' main customer

- Me threatened at gunpoint by druggies and warned never to return to the island - I didn't

 

Yep - I had a lovely time there NOT ????

1- What business did you have ?

2- Which part of town where they shot dead, and which part of town your guesthouse get invaded ?

I live in Los Angeles, so this is the norm here LOL

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6 hours ago, khunPer said:

Even by November, or January next year, the nightlife might still be a fraction of what you expect, if it's reopened, as number of business is linear equal to number of tourists, and other visitors, with interest in the nightlife.

 

1) Kamela Beach is Okay, and so is neighboring Karon Beach, but clean shall be considered after Thai standard.

 

2) Considering nightlife you might find only local bars in Kamela, and Karon, the "real" nightlife is in Patong, and to get there you shall consider some kind of transportation, for example motorbike or car.

 

3) The closer to the beach, the less mosquito; living beachfront (like me) there are almost none.

 

4) Fairly Okay, depending of expectations. Most places now have fiber with speed from 100 Mbit and up, but often with shared wi-fi and speed depending on routers and repeaters, but 100 Mbit can be expected many places. However, depending of where in the World the other end of your connection is, Internet can be little slow in periods, "little" relative to what speed you need.

 

5) Expats and long-stayers are spread in villa neighborhoods all over.

 

6) Normally, i.e. before the pandemic, a great variety of food and restaurants are available, but what happens after the pandemic is unknown at present. Predicting the future has always been a difficult art, so it can be anything from November 2021 till November 2024 before it could to be any kind of "normal" again, I'm leaning more against 23.

 

7) Occasional black outs happens all over Thailand, but are "relative" rare. Very short power cuts are normal, and also fluctuation of voltage. Most of us use a UPS for power stability, and protecting our electronics, and enough time for a safe close down in case of a black out. You can buy UPS locally for around 2,000 baht ($65). Make sure to store local copies during work, in case your connection is disrupted

 

8.) Depending of how little you wish to pay for accommodation, a typical cheap 2,000 baht to 3,000 baht per month "Thai-room" might not have hot water. Normally the water heater is a 3.5kW instant electric heater, that last as long as you have the water open (you might even have a choise of two taps, warm water and hot water). If you find a "green" place to live, it might be solar heater with warm water in the morning, and hot water from noon till late evening on sunny days (I have solar water heater, but an electric instant heater as supplement for shady times of the year).

 

9) I moved from bitterly cold in the winter time Northern Europe, so among other reasons were "all year sommer and barefoot Xmas"; in general half to one third of living costs; little, but all legal, tax benefits; smiling happy people around me; and not to forget the importace an alien in close encounter with locals (in my case preferably younger ladies)...????

 

10) After 15+ years residency it's still perfect, only regret is that I didn't do it 15 years before; however there were neither www nor wi-fi by that time.

 

11) If you are considering staying longer than 60 days (tourist visa) plus 30 days (extension), what visa type do you have in mind?

 

I'm not living on Phuket, but been the several times, so before you decide to settle for one specific area - you seem to not being familiar with amazing Thailand, based on the questions you ask - take a look around; i.e. try other destinations also, as there might be places of Thailand you haven't yet found.

 

Many digital nomads stay on the island Koh Phangan on the other side of the Malacca Peninsula, i.e. an island in the Gulf of Thailand. Phangan has more nature and has more relaxed atmosphere than Phuket, and a younger party life where you also meet many younger foreigners, but very few typical beer bars with ladies.

 

Also the larger sister island, Koh Samui, which is the second largest Thai island, holds a number of digital nomads and much more nightlife than Koh Phangan - it takes about 15-30 minutes to commute between the islands - but different from Phuket, as it's more clubs, beach parties and trendy cafés than typical beer bars with ladies.

 

If you don't need beach and sea, many likes to stay up in Chiang Mai. So do get a bit around, before you decide to settle...????

 

PS: I've been around numerous places in Land of Smiles, and I decided to live on Samui...????

Hi There,

 

I read every single post, negative, useless and helpful, to me you are one of the few that really understand what I'm asking and looking for, I wanted to thank you for the detailed answers you provided and I'm very appreciative of the advices. I'm also considering Samui and Koh Pha Ngan.

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1 hour ago, sallecc said:

The only way to make correct decision (and not to regret later) is to visit Phuket and to stay for a month or two in few different areas, and decide what is best for yourself (nice condo short-term deals are available and cheap). I visited all parts of Thailand and I like Phuket most, simply because I love tropical island and beaches, and Samui seemed too small and had less infrastructure, it was just my personal experience & opinion and I would choose the same now. You said you like the beaches, if I'm you I'd stay and check out 3 areas: South (Rawai, NaiHarn), SouthWest (Karon, Kata, KataNoi), West (Kamala, Surin, Patong), and visit Samui island too, done ????

 

 

One guy even posted that "closest thing to Italian he had in Phuket was Pizza Hut", that's just ridiculous... Even now during Covid when most of the places are closed, you definitely can find good authentic Italian food in Phuket, and Indian too... We had both this weekend ????

Good advice here.  Rent a place for a month at a time in different locations to get a real feel for the area you are in.  Then you will know if that area is right for you.  There are lots of places that rent rooms by the day/week/month.  Obviously a one month rent will be a lot cheaper.  

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5 hours ago, XtraFly said:

1- What business did you have ?

2- Which part of town where they shot dead, and which part of town your guesthouse get invaded ?

I live in Los Angeles, so this is the norm here LOL

AS I mentioned, a guesthouse.  This small business was by the airport, in a semi-rural location.

 

LiK, none of the negative events that I mentioned were down to my (now for many years), mad ex.  She just added more drama to a humdrum day ????

 

I can do without drama, threats and murders.  I subsequently found both Myanmar and Laos much nicer places to live ????

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6 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

pass on both....not my scene...

What beach city or island you like then ? Why you still like living in Thailand when compared to your home country ?

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10 hours ago, Captor said:

And how is the air pollution in CNX? I think that a clean air almost all year around in Phuket is better than dying 5 years earlier when living in CNX (which means Chiang Mai by the way but sounds less interesting).

 

Horrible during smoky season..but that when I head home to work...save the money that I need for LOS, then come back n spend it once the air clears ????

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