Why Do You Stay?

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

9 hours ago, bolt said:

The glass is always half full, we need to enjoy our journey of life, we will get to the destination today or tomorrow so let’s enjoy today 1^st

THIS! And this is what motivates my wife and I to move forward. It's about living in the moment and that moment is now. Couldn't have said this any better.

[Elkski]

I only read the first page I'm not going to read the rest. The first step in problem solving is to identify the problems, so complaining is really the beginning of correcting things and making things better. Not that foreigners can have any effect at all on Thailand. however One example is Bill Gates condemnation of all the wires I think it has had an effect.  

complaining and being happy, or not, are separate things. these past 20 months have resulted in many people taking a  deeper look at ones situation internally and externally. 

People all around the world have realized having a small condo with most of your life being lived outside interacting closely with people isn't such a good idea if there are heebie-jeebies running out loose in the world. For many people who have a nice house, money,  a garden, endless projects, lots of public lands to recreate on, biking fishing, hiking, Rock climbing, endless projects, a nice workshop, etc life has been close to the same and very fulfilling. 

It's very frustrating to talk to a Thai about politics, corruption, nepotism, super rich verses

Poor,  because many  just say this is how it is and accept it.  Luckily some people are starting to  see the light.

Edited October 11, 2021 by Elkski

[Rampant Rabbit]

19 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Do you even care that your story changes faster than the weather. Gotta love anonymous forums.

But does it really  matter, really

[BritManToo]

22 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Get ya self down to govt hospital and get em to sort you out,  65 is young these days.

I would have to disagree with you as almost everyone I've known  has died before age 65.

Mostly in their late 40s and 50s.

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

You  know at 18 my  first  bike wa s so so good, I had a few  after that  and then when here got a 650..........it sits unused in the garage but I will  not  sell  it, maybe it reminds me of that 18 yr  old  kid..............sh%^ its  a  sad  day today☹️

listening to this dont help either 

 

Sounds a bit sadomasochistic not in the whole of meaning, get on ya bike and go for ride it's a great thing for me to do.

 Feel a whole lot better when I get back home.

[Neeranam]

11 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Old people are generally unhappy because they're old and their bodies are failing.

Doesn't matter where they are.

It does matter. If you are on a low pension and have to live in a country that you don't like, you are doomed. 

If you are on a high pension and can live in Thailand or Mozambique or Malives, you are blessed. 

[robert888d]

I am in love with someone here so put up with horrible air pollution, the noise,the horrendous driving, the boring old farts, corruption,being llooked upon as an a.t.m

 Etc etc etc.

[Neeranam]

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I would have to disagree with you as almost everyone I've known  has died before age 65.

Mostly in their late 40s and 50s.

People I know in Bangkok die in their 50s. Higher upcountry. 

 

55, I feel old, especially doing sports like golf, running, tennis, things start to hurt everyday. 

[Almer]

11 hours ago, HappyGoLuckyLife said:

That's one thing I don't get. Life is too short. And since when don't know when our timecard is punched, it could be shorter than what we think. I wish we all can leave each moment as if it were our last. Because one day, it just might be our last.

I wish I had retired here on my 50 th birthday and not my 60th , financially I could have done it and my kids would be gone and not keep annoying me.

[BritManToo]

6 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

People I know in Bangkok die in their 50s. Higher upcountry. 

55, I feel old, especially doing sports like golf, running, tennis, things start to hurt everyday. 

Yep, I'd totally agree with you,

I'm thinking most of the guys over 60 on this forum don't want to run 10Km in the mountains or cycle 25Km every day.

My Thai BiL (policeman) age 56 was walking along the road in BK early this year, fell over completely paralysed down one side from a stroke, may never walk again, can hardly talk. From my experiences, this is the norm for men.

 

Lots of people here have completely unrealistic dreams of their sunset years.

Of course if they never do anything active to start with, they probably won't notice the change.

Edited October 11, 2021 by BritManToo

[Almer]

6 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

People I know in Bangkok die in their 50s. Higher upcountry. 

 

55, I feel old, especially doing sports like golf, running, tennis, things start to hurt everyday. 

72 I feel young and do 18 holes twice a week but yes I suffer is bit after , but if you give in thats a bad idea.

[EVENKEEL]

11 minutes ago, Almer said:

72 I feel young and do 18 holes twice a week but yes I suffer is bit after , but if you give in thats a bad idea.

You're the man, I'm lucky to get 2 holes in a week.

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

10 hours ago, Nickelbeer said:

The hilarious emphasis on attracting millionaires is a real ribtickler.  The wealthy go to countries where the red carpet is rolled out, not to countries where Immigration treats them as suspects.

I find that funny, especially the exceedingly wealthy stay that way because they don't spend money.

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

10 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Unfortunately there is a lot of criticise in Thailand and those of us who recognise this can voice these opinions comfortably to both foreigners and Thai with a degree of balance which remains respectful while identifying these issues - we love Thailand its a great country, we’d love to see Thailand ‘doing better’... 

I like what you said here about bringing a sense of balance to the table when critiquing what can be done better. And I agree with you on how a disagreement can bring out the extreme on either side of the argument. Thanks for sharing.

[Aussiepeter]

Life in LOS is what you make of it - whatever government is in power. As a foreigner you have no input anyway, so as many on here have already said, why sweat it ? In my case, after nearly thirty years in Thailand I got old, re-married & had a baby but worst of all, I got cancer twice (two different kinds). LOS is no place for an old farang with major medical problems, unless you have very deep pockets, otherwise I may well have stayed. On top of all that, my father was then 91 & running a thoroughbred agistment farm on his own in Australia and, the current administration in LOS gave me dysentery. So, we left LOS eight years ago and have no regrets whatsoever. I do miss some aspects of life in LOS, such as the cheap 'talaat nut' (moving markets) in C Mai, or shopping trips to the Burmese border. Nonetheless, my wife has happily settled down permanently in Australia and gives me no grief. Our daughter goes to high school here next year which is good, as she can't speak a word of Thai. My cancer is in remission, all of my medical care is either very cheap or free & at 70 years of age, I finally have several good racehorses in my stable and my 99 y.o. father and I are mates again, as I am about to inherit his farm. It's all good - as another person said "you never know when your time is up" so geography is not all that relevant, if you are happy. Interestingly, even though we are here to stay, the 'boss' allows me to go back on my own to visit LOS for a week or two at any time and I have done so several times. Spent almost half my life in LOS, so I've never really left ....

[bbko]

12 hours ago, HappyGoLuckyLife said:

That's one thing I don't get. Life is too short. And since when don't know when our timecard is punched, it could be shorter than what we think. I wish we all can leave each moment as if it were our last. Because one day, it just might be our last.

Hey, Hey, Hey, no need bring common sense into the discussion, 555.  All joking aside, for me when the internet complaints, ignorance, rants, 24/7 biased news, etc get too much I step away from the computer/TV and just live my daily life.  Much easier to see who's a negative person and who's a positive person in real life.

[Lemsta69]

10 hours ago, Jingthing said:

It won't.

why should it change? foreigners aren't the be all and end all.

[XJPSX]

12 hours ago, CharlieH said:

The decisions made as a 50 yr old dont always sit with a 65 yr old, but the bed has been mde so they lie in it.

Some have gone "all in " and basically would be going back to nothing and no one, the country they knew is long gone.

Better the devil you know for many. Like or not it is there home now.

I move house every 2 years or less and country every 5- 6years because I need a change.

Thailand is generally a good place. One thing I have learnt is stay away from politics if you aren’t entitled to vote. You will usually be whinging and it’s nothing you can fix. 
Stay fit and healthy in mind and body and every day will be good.

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

9 hours ago, sirineou said:

today nothing bad happened to me, From time to  time you will get thread such as the guy who is celebrating his 43rd marriage anniversary (great thread)

I read that thread, that is so freaking cool and is what I aspire to reach an then some.

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I'm thinking most of the guys over 60 on this forum don't want to run 10Km in the mountains

We're happy to walk it though. Just we get to the beer a bit later.

Edited October 11, 2021 by VocalNeal

[georgegeorgia]

1 hour ago, Aussiepeter said:

Life in LOS is what you make of it - whatever government is in power. As a foreigner you have no input anyway, so as many on here have already said, why sweat it ? In my case, after nearly thirty years in Thailand I got old, re-married & had a baby but worst of all, I got cancer twice (two different kinds). LOS is no place for an old farang with major medical problems, unless you have very deep pockets, otherwise I may well have stayed. On top of all that, my father was then 91 & running a thoroughbred agistment farm on his own in Australia and, the current administration in LOS gave me dysentery. So, we left LOS eight years ago and have no regrets whatsoever. I do miss some aspects of life in LOS, such as the cheap 'talaat nut' (moving markets) in C Mai, or shopping trips to the Burmese border. Nonetheless, my wife has happily settled down permanently in Australia and gives me no grief. Our daughter goes to high school here next year which is good, as she can't speak a word of Thai. My cancer is in remission, all of my medical care is either very cheap or free & at 70 years of age, I finally have several good racehorses in my stable and my 99 y.o. father and I are mates again, as I am about to inherit his farm. It's all good - as another person said "you never know when your time is up" so geography is not all that relevant, if you are happy. Interestingly, even though we are here to stay, the 'boss' allows me to go back on my own to visit LOS for a week or two at any time and I have done so several times. Spent almost half my life in LOS, so I've never really left ....

The only thing is... and dont take this the wrong way but you probaly have 10 years left or so to enjoy things 

[rott]

11 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

I disagree - for me, it is surely time for lunch... but each to his own, I guess. 

11.59 am is a bit early for me, but as you say each to our own

 

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

12 hours ago, Screaming said:

"I'm sick of Thai food and I'm sick of Thai people" said just before the old German man jumped in anticipation of his death in Bangkok.

Wow, very sorry to hear that. Sounds like there may have been more going on there than simply just being miserable. There may have been some deep issues going on there.

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

12 hours ago, Nabby said:

One hell of an old question/topic. New to the Internet?

New to the forum. Well at least I didn't ask what is the meaning of life. That's an older question.

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

11 hours ago, crazykopite said:

At 70 I have still got my bucket list to complete and that means visiting other countries and experiencing that countries way of life I havnt left Thailand in 16 years it’s time for new challenges 

That would make for an excellent discussion sometime!

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

10 hours ago, Donga said:

Saw this topic, and thought I'd vent a little.

Thanks for stopping through. I find your insight equally valuable in looking at the big picture. So far this has been an eye-opening discussion and it's been a huge help as I continue forward in my journey.

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

10 hours ago, wtfracing said:

but we will leave in a few years for a set period each year when world gets back to normal

Do you think if people are able to venture out more and sort of reset themselves to remember what they love about living in Thailand, that it would help them feel less misery about being here. (For lack of a better word and assuming they are indeed miserable versus just needing an outlet to vent frustrations.)

[inThailand]

Most TV members have nothing better to do than complain? Most don't even live here anymore. 

[bangkokbonecollector]

18 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

In defence of the older posters (of which I am one). They experienced a different Thailand, a more 3rd world, on the edge, ruralistic, culturally dependent, cheaper, base, developing Thailand than exists today. They simply miss those days and times. The times when Thailand was a thrilling foreign and cultural experience to the young foreigner, not the standard internationalised concrete culturally devoid capitalistic template it offers today like most other places.

It will never be how it was when I moved here in 2003...that was a really great 4 or 5 years.

[HappyGoLuckyLife]

11 hours ago, Dickp said:

Then I had to retire 13 years ago now a lot more time on my hands with nothing to do.

That is a huge issue with retirement, not having things to do to fill the vacuum created by not having the traditional work grind anymore. I'm hoping to continue to make what are now hobbies into something more (writing, working out, learning a few programming languages, and traveling).