Any familiar with my posts will know that I have had a decades long love affair with LOS.

However, with all the very negative info coming out on this forum, and not confined to that from the government, I find it hard to reconcile Thailand now with the LOS that I fell in love with.

Seems to me that the sanuk has departed, and I doubt it will return in my lifetime.

Time to cash in the baht I was saving for a return trip.

 

Goodbye, LOS, but everything ends, and it seems the fat lady has sung for Thailand as a place I want to visit.

I guess in all your decades here you never managed to build any relationships to cause you to want to stay. That's quite sad. Building a life somewhere, anywhere, is not just about having fun. You'll find the same problem chasing "sanuk" wherever you end up.

Thailand has changed, obviously, since my first trip in 1991, and in the 17 years since I moved over here to live.

However, so has the city and country I was raised and brought up in.

When I weigh up the pros and cons, the climate and cost of living makes Thailand a far better option for me, and I have no intention of ever returning to the UK. Now in my 60's, I have no intention to look for pastures new either.

What i see in Europe and America is about the same. Its not what it was anymore. The same goes for Thailand. The world is changing and people are changing with it. Its a matter of adapt and switch. If you manage to do so the good things, in another shape, will come back again. But all the luck with the traveling and i do hope you find a place were you feel happy again.

Cheers mate

 

So you "fell" in love.....remember, even falling feels like flying ... for a little while..

 

Happiness is in yourself, not the reports  you site.

20 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Any familiar with my posts will know that I have had a decades long love affair with LOS.

However, with all the very negative info coming out on this forum,

Everywhere changes,

Thailand is a bit different from when I arrived in 2009, but not significantly different, and many of the differences are for the good.

 

What's changed for the good?

1. Immigration is empty, I can get my 1 year extensions with ease and no queuing.

2. Internet is way better, I now have fibre at little cost and amazing speed.

3. Foreign food is now easily available at much less cost.

(I have a cupboard full of Typhoo tea, HP Sauce, Atora Suet, Paxo stuffing, Spaghetti, cheese)

4. Home loan interest rates have dropped, my repayments are down from 11k to 9k/month.

 

What hasn't changed?

1. Accommodation rental costs, the same or less than when I arrived.

2. Utility costs, never went up at all.

3. The weather, still as warm and sunny as ever.

 

What has changed for the worse?

1. The government, but that really doesn't affect foreigners.

2. Bars closed, not so bad the ladies are all on ThaiFriendly.

3. No alcohol with your meals, I just cook and drink at home.

 

It's still a great (and inexpensive) place to live.

The biggest change is me getting too old ...... that really sucks!

Not a place to visit as a tourist though due to COVID restrictions.

 

"However, with all the very negative info coming out on this forum"

 

you read too much "Asia now " ! as some ( not all ) people say, life is still very nice in Thailand, especially upcountry ; of course, Thailand has changed, like every country, but it's not the worst country to live 

Another day, another "I'm taking my ball and going home" post.  People claiming they are thinking about leaving Thailand (but never do) sure like to talk a lot about it.  Just do it. One less farang in Thailand.  You won't be missed.

Thought you left because you couldn't afford to live here any more?

It's definitely not what it was. But where is?

 

Australia was always my plan B but that appears to be a complete police state now with nutters like Daniel Andrews interfering with everyone's lives. It's also not what it was when I lived there in the mid 90's.

 

If I returned to the UK I'd enjoy it for a few months but I couldn't stay there long term.

 

So I'll probably stick it out here and hope that somehow the Junta that is destroying the country will leave or be removed.

Thailand is of course evolving, maybe even developing, but the feeling of lost love is much more down to us getting older.

Our view on life change, what Thailand have to offer we no longer need.

The Land of Smiles has unfortunately become The Land of Noise.

Such a shame as the village I live in used to be so quiet and friendly now it is just non stop noise.

3 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Thailand is of course evolving, maybe even developing, but the feeling of lost love is much more down to us getting older.

Our view on life change, what Thailand have to offer we no longer need.

Around Victory Monument there are several large shops selling walkers and canes.

Where ever u go there'll always be the 70/30 ..60/40 whatever number that is good and bad .. personally I'd put it at 80/20. 80% good ..

Covid has significantly impact everywhere and the massive loss is the freedom to fly anywhere .. for my occasionally Thai 'detox' ...

28 minutes ago, IraqRon said:

Happiness is in yourself

Agree. You can be happy anywhere, sad anywhere.

Why carry around all that negative garbage - Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda ...

Leave it behind. Quit the P'ing and Moaning

 

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.. ????????????????

I want to stay, but I just can't see how can I survive here as an old person. I really do think they will make it more difficult. Even now if I was very sick I would have to stress with Thai hospitals, insurance if they will pay or not, immigration trips, 90 day reporting....money in the bank which I am 100% sure they will quadruple by the time I'm 60. 

 

I honestly do wish to stay, but I'm in the process of making a permanent residency for me and my wife. I'm thinking about becoming a trucker back home. I was a digital nomad here and I did better than ok, but I'll never look at the computer screen again. I hate it.

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Worldplus said:

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.. ????????????????

There's always one, who can think of nothing constructive to say. 

@BritManToo Well said! There will always be serial moaners on here, some of whom I doubt actually live here. But for retirees especially, including many I know, they have a good circle of friends here. The alternative for many retirees is to return home and be possibly just another old man in their town or village? 

42 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Everywhere changes,

Thailand is a bit different from when I arrived in 2009, but not significantly different, and many of the differences are for the good.

 

What's changed for the good?

1. Immigration is empty, I can get my 1 year extensions with ease and no queuing.

2. Internet is way better, I now have fibre at little cost and amazing speed.

 

What hasn't changed?

1. Accommodation rental costs, the same or less than when I arrived.

2. Utility costs, never went up at all.

3. The weather, still as warm and sunny as ever.

 

What has changed for the worse?

1. The government, but that really doesn't affect foreigners.

2. Bars closed, not so bad the ladies are all on ThaiFriendly.

3. No alcohol with your meals, I just cook and drink at home.

 

Not a place to visit as a tourist though due to COVID restrictions.???????? 

 

Yea ... what he said ????

 

Thailand is a bit different from when I arrived in 2000, but not significantly different, and many of the differences are for the good.

 

Best change: Not a place to visit as a tourist though due to COVID restrictions.

???????? 

 

The changes back home, from what I'm told, especially cost of living, makes things here even better.

22 minutes ago, Lite Beer said:

The Land of Smiles has unfortunately become The Land of Noise.

Such a shame as the village I live in used to be so quiet and friendly now it is just non stop noise.

Let me guess traffic, dogs, cars, motorbikes, kids, construction?

Glad I rented a condo on a high floor with ocean front view.  Beautiful and quiet as a mouse.

9 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Let me guess traffic, dogs, cars, motorbikes, kids, construction?

Glad I rented a condo on a high floor with ocean front view.  Beautiful and quiet as a mouse.

Yes but some rural areas are abysmal when it comes to noise...loudspeakers, locals feeding and keeping 50 unkempt dogs around their property, etc....not everyone lives in an ocean front condo. I live in a quiet moobaan but one a-hole neighbor has to ruin it for all with 3 dogs that snarl and bark all day. Nobody does anything or can do anything. 

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Any familiar with my posts will know that I have had a decades long love affair with LOS.

However, with all the very negative info coming out on this forum, and not confined to that from the government, I find it hard to reconcile Thailand now with the LOS that I fell in love with.

Seems to me that the sanuk has departed, and I doubt it will return in my lifetime.

Time to cash in the baht I was saving for a return trip.

Yes, Thailand has changed.  But I'm pretty sure the place you're returning to has changed as well.  No place ever stays the same.

OK, as with anywhere after a period of time the realities of life,  it's experiences and changes become known. Some can continue, others not.

 

In any event....bye and bon voyage.

I think it is amazing that some people think a place will never change. Like: I liked it how it was 20 years ago and I don't want that anything changes.

But there is one little problem. 20 years ago we were 20 years younger. We also changed, like the people and the country around us.

Obviously it's good to stay open minded and from time to time to evaluate if what we do is really what we want to do. And if there are better opportunities somewhere else then maybe lets move somewhere else.

But everything changes constantly. It's up to us to adopt.

And going back to a place which maybe we left 20 years ago hoping it will be like the place which we left 20 years ago is unrealistic.

 

Grass is always greener on the other side syndrome. One cure for that is to have several countries you enjoy visiting and living in, and alternate the schedule to your liking. Of course, with COVID restriction its a bit more hassle but still feasible. Peace!

36 minutes ago, tonray said:

Yes but some rural areas are abysmal when it comes to noise...loudspeakers, locals feeding and keeping 50 unkempt dogs around their property, etc....not everyone lives in an ocean front condo. I live in a quiet moobaan but one a-hole neighbor has to ruin it for all with 3 dogs that snarl and bark all day. Nobody does anything or can do anything. 

That's why you drive around and research an area before signing on the dotted line.  Be there at 6-8 AM, look for speakers, traffic, and repeat at 4-7 pm, and night time 10pm - 2 am to find out where the partiers do their thing.  Weekdays & weekends.

 

It's not rocket science.

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

That's why you drive around and research an area before signing on the dotted line.  Be there at 6-8 AM, look for speakers, traffic, and repeat at 4-7 pm, and night time 10pm - 2 am to find out where the partiers do their thing.  Weekdays & weekends.

 

It's not rocket science.

Yeah...things never change....give us a break

9 minutes ago, wannascuba said:

Grass is always greener on the other side syndrome. One cure for that is to have several countries you enjoy visiting and living in, and alternate the schedule to your liking. Of course, with COVID restriction its a bit more hassle but still feasible. Peace!

My plans for the next coming years :

Spring / Summer around Europe

Autumn / Winter around SE-Asia (or just Thailand if travels are still restricted)

What changed in my rural upcountry home in 10 years: the last of the traditional houses disappeared. The roads generally have become drivable. Rice farmers are gradually selling off their land.

I can't think of anything else really. 

It does look like all of us eventually will have to have health insurance, I wouldn't have come to Thailand if I had had to budget for that but I was (and would be) doing OK back home, at least financially. 

My wife would be like a fish out of water if we moved back, and granddaughter + great grandson would be devastated.

I remember an ancient great aunt telling me how things were much better 90 years ago (this was ca. 1980), of course they were, she was 90 years younger, beautiful and an opera singer.