4 minutes ago, actonion said:

I pay UK  tax through my  Pensions, but i get  zero help  from the Embassy  or NHS

I heard that the UK embassy dont help.My embassy allways help if any issues.If u dont  pay taxes their actually not allowed to help.I was there in may last time.After 2 days my problem was solved.

I seen some drunk people come inside and their just told to leave,

4 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I also think it depends 'how' you want to live

 

Now I know guys who are fine with the isaan tin shack, eating from the roadside stalls. Not quite my style.

 

Me, and my friends didn't quite fit that mold, we all lived a Western life, and that's when the cost equation gets really fuzzy, and leat in recent years

 

A cost of living that's questionable verses home, plus the nonsense that is Thailand, then you get into questionable territory

My western life would be a bedsit in Bolton.

I prefer my 3 modern bedroom house in the burbs of Chiang Mai.

I can cook so western food is never a problem, no need for restaurants.

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

My western life would be a bedsit in Bolton.

I prefer my 3 bedroom house in the burbs of Chiang Mai.

I can cook so western food is never a problem, no need for restaurants.

Oh, I just googled Bolton!

 

OK stick it out in Chiang Mai

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I really don't understand why house prices are so high in essentially an empty country (NZ and OZ).

The world has gone mad with artificial housing shortages caused by governments that prevent their populations from building new homes.

 

Simple really. While trying to avoid the politics, it's because the government allows too many immigrants in while enough houses for everyone are not being built.

The reasons for not building houses are complex and not easily summarized in a short post, but there is no excuse for allowing thousands in while NZ citizens can't find reasonably priced accommodation, and many can't find anything at all.

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

My western life would be a bedsit in Bolton.

I prefer my 3 modern bedroom house in the burbs of Chiang Mai.

I can cook so western food is never a problem, no need for restaurants.

My life is so desolate that a bedsit anywhere would be an improvement. I can only dream of indoor plumbing.

What makes it worse, is that only a few years ago I was living in a very nice hotel room in Chiang Mai with everything except meals included, and it cost less than the waterless, toilet devoid place I have to live in now.

6 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

My life is so desolate that a bedsit anywhere would be an improvement. I can only dream of indoor plumbing.

What makes it worse, is that only a few years ago I was living in a very nice hotel room in Chiang Mai with everything except meals included, and it cost less than the waterless, toilet devoid place I have to live in now.

Sorry to hear that,

But sadly old folk all over the western world are having to live like that or worse.

I'm not quite sure where the western world went wrong in treating old people like this.

But it was certainly different before the 1980s, my grandmother used to live with us until she died.

It was completely normal for the old folk to live with their children and grandchildren back then.

That all changed in a span of 20 years, by the year 2000 the old folk lived alone or in a nursing home.

Appears that the majority still remain terribly disconnected and don't know why.

13 hours ago, zzaa09 said:

Appears that the majority still remain terribly disconnected and don't know why.

I don't get the point of that, but myself and many of my friends don't recognise the world as it has become. The world I grew up in has vanished to be replaced by some strange existence where only money counts and the poor are trampled underfoot. Not that the current well off are safe, as AI and robotics are coming for their job too. When houses can be printed, even builders are not safe.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/apr/30/dutch-couple-move-into-europe-first-fully-3d-printed-house-eindhoven

On 12/3/2021 at 5:56 PM, zzaa09 said:

Yet, as you'll find - the same miserable sods will be similarly miserable at the greener pastures as well. 

Has little, or nothing, to do with location and environment - but everything to do with the individuals character and disposition.

The problem for some is they can't go anywhere without taking themselves along.

I guess everyone left their home country for a reason, and they left back home for a reason. My experience is some people  never will be happy any place in the world! They just chasing something that doesn't exist!

 

I know people who left Thailand for Philippines after a few ladies screwed them over, and say they are more happy there. Not sure I believe it, just give it more time, and they will soon be in Cambodia is my best guess.

On 12/7/2021 at 5:02 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

My life is so desolate that a bedsit anywhere would be an improvement. I can only dream of indoor plumbing.

What makes it worse, is that only a few years ago I was living in a very nice hotel room in Chiang Mai with everything except meals included, and it cost less than the waterless, toilet devoid place I have to live in now.

I'm hoping that things aren't quite as bleak as it sounds.

 

The world has changed for sure, old certainties just don't exist anymore.

 

And maybe this sorta feeds into the OP.

 

When things do start to go sideways, it's always better to have them go sideways in a familiar setting.

 

I speak Thai, Lao and Mandarin, but I can tell you when I'm feeling a little down just being able to speak my native English & Spanish is just easier and comforting in some way.

 

And extends in to everything really, from buying groceries at the store to going to the Doctor.

 

I rather like getting up in the morning and knowing the power will be on, water will flow from the faucet, and I won't have to photocopy a single page of my passport for some trivial reason.

 

Maybe it is as we get older the repatriation bug sets in, just because we become tired of dealing with stuff.

 

And I do feel sorry for those 'stuck' with nowhere to go. I never burnt bridges, always kept a house back home, I always knew it would be the ultimate bolthole, which ended up proving a good decision.

13 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

And I do feel sorry for those 'stuck' with nowhere to go. I never burnt bridges, always kept a house back home, I always knew it would be the ultimate bolthole, which ended up proving a good decision.

Unfortunately some of us got involved with the wrong woman and lost our house to her. A sad truth, but more common than it should be.

 

 

36 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Unfortunately some of us got involved with the wrong woman and lost our house to her. A sad truth, but more common than it should be.

Most of us lost a house to a woman, I lost a $600,000 house to a Brit schoolteacher.

But probably worth the loss for not having to live with her for the rest of my life.

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Unfortunately some of us got involved with the wrong woman and lost our house to her. A sad truth, but more common than it should be.

 

 

More than once in some cases!

8 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Unfortunately some of us got involved with the wrong woman and lost our house to her. A sad truth, but more common than it should be.

 

 

That just sucks.

 

I count myself very lucky, when me and my American wife split up. 

Of course it's always hard, but we figured it out how to do it the fairest way we could, no lawyers involved, and the outcome was we both did OK.

We've ended up best friends talk almost every couple of weeks, if not several times a week in point of fact, and bizarrely for some, even spend holidays together; the kids, mine and ours, her bf my wife, yet it seems to work for everyone's benefit

 

It's so sad when it comes down to someone has to lose for the other to win

12 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

That just sucks.

 

I count myself very lucky, when me and my American wife split up. 

Of course it's always hard, but we figured it out how to do it the fairest way we could, no lawyers involved, and the outcome was we both did OK.

We've ended up best friends talk almost every couple of weeks, if not several times a week in point of fact, and bizarrely for some, even spend holidays together; the kids, mine and ours, her bf my wife, yet it seems to work for everyone's benefit

 

It's so sad when it comes down to someone has to lose for the other to win

It's a shame there are not more people with your kind of attitude.

 

It only makes everyone extremely stressed, upset and bitter when partners fight for assets after a separation.

 

6 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

It's a shame there are not more people with your kind of attitude.

 

It only makes everyone extremely stressed, upset and bitter when partners fight for assets after a separation.

 

This may be an oversimplification. But I think thats why some guys in Thailand get super bitter

 

In the West, yeah you may argue that the contentious divorce was unfair, but at least there were some rules, whether you agreed to them or not.

 

In the Thai case, essentially you own nothing and 'if' your wife wants your house it's hers and you get nothing.

 

I think we nearly all know a few in that situation!

On 12/1/2021 at 9:44 AM, 1FinickyOne said:

do you think they are happier back there

I can't see them being happier. 

 

Before covid I'd have to fly once a month for work.

Leaving Pattaya was the saddest day for me, leaving my family, on the way to the airport seeing the sexy chicks riding their scooters, walking the streets, bloody beautiful. 

It was much different when I came back to Pattaya, so happy

????

On 12/6/2021 at 2:35 AM, RichardColeman said:

Think this rather depends on where you live.

 

My UK house is in a lovely village in Bucks along the river Thames. A beautiful and scenic town. Do I think it better than Thailand ? 100% Do I miss it when living in Thailand 100%, would I rather live there with the thai family ? 100%.

 

However, due to renting my house out, I am now stuck in a Blackpool bed and breakfast for 22 months, pending a hopeful return in January. Is it better than Thailand ? No flipping way, will I miss it ? Nope, would I rather live here than Thailand ? Nope.

 

I really do not like living in Thailand and if I could bring the family to my home town tomorrow I would do it. In the future it will happen, but own personal family circumstances means just accepting I have to live there for a while longer

 

 

 

 

Are there any boat people in the same digs? The Metropole has gone down hill, they are considering putting them in there, mind you if Blackpool was the only choice I'd be back in my dingy.

So back to the original OP.

 

I've kept in touch with most of my ex-Thai buds scattered across the globe

 

Most if them miss Thailand on some level, the horndogs for obvious reasons!

 

The regular guys miss the culture, the exotic nature of the place.

 

But in general it tends to be (I include myself) a relief to be back home just for simplicity of living in a culture that you understand.

 

Now my wife is a bit of an oddball. She grew up in Chicago before moving back to asia.

 

So we all, and I mean all, speak a bunch of languages, but it's not that makes life easy.

 

My wife is Thai, yet her formative years were in the US. She will openly admit that she feels more comfortable in the US than in Thailand.

 

So, are we happier in the US than we were in Thailand I think the answer is Yes.

 

My wife rebooted her career, I was able to do a part time job, which sorta got us out of the dollums of living in Thailand.

 

Now not sayin we hate Thailand, since on this forum you either are supposed to love it or hate it.

 

But we prefer our primary home to be in the US snd our secondary in Thailand at least for now

Thai wife and I are living the the States. Good and bad about anywhere. We have a plan to move to Thailand in the coming years, much to appreciate there and much to miss about where we live now. Just be happy at home and a little travel sprinkled in and some friends.

 

My wife loves the snow, I dislike the cold and wet when it's not snowing. But we have the mountains, the ocean not far away, the desert over the Cascade mountain range. Plenty of places for solitude and camping. We live in the city, but its quiet. 

 

I miss going to a restaurant in Thailand and eating outside having breakfast. And the weather.

1 hour ago, Bohemianfish said:

Thai wife and I are living the the States. Good and bad about anywhere. We have a plan to move to Thailand in the coming years, much to appreciate there and much to miss about where we live now. Just be happy at home and a little travel sprinkled in and some friends.

 

My wife loves the snow, I dislike the cold and wet when it's not snowing. But we have the mountains, the ocean not far away, the desert over the Cascade mountain range. Plenty of places for solitude and camping. We live in the city, but its quiet. 

 

I miss going to a restaurant in Thailand and eating outside having breakfast. And the weather.

Funny you should mention snow.

 

My wife loves the snow a lot more than me.

 

I grew up in California central valley, so snow was going to the mountains to ski only.

 

My wife however grew up in Chicago and was used to cold heavy wet snow.

 

Where we live now in South Dakota it tends to be dry powder snow which she loves