30 years in total- I think my time is up

[LaosLover]

9 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

I was in a 95 honda accord before the camry! boy was that tight--a little getting used to sleeping in a coffin..took out pass seat and back seat so had some room and laid flat.

 

So i always kept and eye out to upgrade as the tranny started going on my 220k honda

Found the 95 camry wagon!  very hard to find these....dark green..found it on craigslist on a sunday night and drove down to see it same night with $1000 cash in pocket....was a bit nervous as was night--shady area and its craigslist!  i got it and did some needed axle and rotor work but tracked the car from a junkyard salvage,,turns out a old lady died and only had 70k miles on it--super clean!   this model has the old jumpseat which comes in handy and offers storage underneath as spare if on side on car...carpeted..i can fit straight as the back seats fold down and i took lower cushions out to lay it flat.....so feels like a condo from the honda!!....keep my minimal things under the jumpseat storage area which is handy.

 

i have a little converter and jump box for power for fan--pc--cell etc,,,,stream cable on my phone....i tried a kettle for tea but blew fuse..lol..i just get hot water at a 7-11 if i ask them..

 

ice box --they have camping ones but dont really need one--i eat on the fly...i have a folding camping chair and can use my hood or hatch back for table...the bed is 2 sofa like cushions that stack so i have room to sit in the back under cover or with hatch open...

 

everything i need fits in the storage area hidden and clean...as i live here with just a carry on bag......everything is already avail   wifi  tv at gym--stream cable on my phone--toilets--24 hr gyms---food--etc,,,,,,all the comforts of home..just spread out a bit.....the pee bottle helps as i got prostate issues so helps...proper diet keeps your body "regular" for #2

 

can watch the movie nomadland for a peek inside the van life movement---good movie..

 

id love a tiny house---maybe a old trailer if can fix up to live in when i travel home to work.

 

I was hoping to hear from the KING of Isaan but seems i am now worthy of his contempt..

 

 

In the states, zoning kills most old trailer and tiny house idea's. Where I live, old trailers are grandfathered in, but no new ones (or new-old ones) can be sited. And Walmart etc is much less welcoming to letting you stay over night in their parking lot. Another good idea for people who want to live cheap getting squeezed. 

 

I took a vacation in Japan with the idea of writing an article on capsule hotels. But after night #5, I was eager not be sleeping in what was essentially a plastic refrigerator crate anymore.

 

I did it at the same time as a slightly mad trip that involved abusing the Japan Rail Pass to see 7 cities Japan in 7 days -which meant lots of late arrivals and early departures from capsule hotels near train stations.

 

They all had bars, swimming pools, massage chairs, and porn avail for $2 inside the little capsule. I was def glad to end up in Tokyo in a 3 by 4 meter room, which felt very plush.

 

But full marks for squeezing into a Honda. Are you a normal-sized person?

 

[NanLaew]

On 7/8/2022 at 6:34 PM, Reposed said:

I've been on 6 continents and around (lost count) 120 countries. I've lived in 8 countries for an extended period....meaning 2 years or more. South America, Central America, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Spain, and, uhm, here....

 

Suffice to say, Thailand is unique in their world view, and my days here are numbered. I'm with you, bud. Ignore the people on here who are Thaier than Thais.

 

Best on your new journey...

I had a long hard think on how Thailand being "unique in their world view" is impacting my life.

 

Still thinking. I'll need to get back with you later.

[giddyup]

7 hours ago, Ritchi said:

Find a new money exchange 200 dollars is not 20000 baht  

20,000 baht was the monthly amount,that works out at around A$200 a week. That clear enough for you?

[4MyEgo]

On 7/8/2022 at 7:57 PM, Scouse123 said:

Why is it all the  time we are subjected to attempts at price gouging, additional airport fees dual pricing,  and ridiculous  nationalistic and jingoistic government behavior.

It's just a part of life here, if you let it chew you up, then you will become another statistic that left.

 

On 7/8/2022 at 7:57 PM, Scouse123 said:

I am not skint, I can live any Asian country and I really am sick of soundbites from authority figures that make me feel I am a burden.

Don't allow yourself to feel that way, just smile and keep on enjoying life.

 

On 7/8/2022 at 7:57 PM, Scouse123 said:

I won't let the door slap me on the ass on my way out.

I don't believe the grass is any greener on the other side, 30 years sounds like you've made it home to me, so why let them win, suck it in and get back out there, your tougher than that, and am sure you can handle the truth, or are you getting softer in your old age.

 

[Reposed]

36 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

I had a long hard think on how Thailand being "unique in their world view" is impacting my life.

 

Still thinking. I'll need to get back with you later.

Well, unlike westerners, Europeans even more so than Americans, the typical Thai has no concept of any culture outside of their own, fortified by school officials telling children for over a decade that they are the superior culture.

 

If one has to spend more than three minutes considering how that might impact ones life living here, well.......

 

If we do not know other cultures, we can neither fully understand nor appreciate our own, nor make needed changes to it to make it better.

 

 

 

 

[Sticky Rice Balls]

16 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

And yet with all of that your a great Grab driver, your ratings are all 5 star......home is wear the heart is.

LOL I did instacart and I did have 5 star ratings!

[Sticky Rice Balls]

16 hours ago, LaosLover said:

In the states, zoning kills most old trailer and tiny house idea's. Where I live, old trailers are grandfathered in, but no new ones (or new-old ones) can be sited. And Walmart etc is much less welcoming to letting you stay over night in their parking lot. Another good idea for people who want to live cheap getting squeezed. 

 

I took a vacation in Japan with the idea of writing an article on capsule hotels. But after night #5, I was eager not be sleeping in what was essentially a plastic refrigerator crate anymore.

 

I did it at the same time as a slightly mad trip that involved abusing the Japan Rail Pass to see 7 cities Japan in 7 days -which meant lots of late arrivals and early departures from capsule hotels near train stations.

 

They all had bars, swimming pools, massage chairs, and porn avail for $2 inside the little capsule. I was def glad to end up in Tokyo in a 3 by 4 meter room, which felt very plush.

 

But full marks for squeezing into a Honda. Are you a normal-sized person?

 

Im 6"1 and 200 lbs  wish i could afford japan

[Sticky Rice Balls]

16 hours ago, LaosLover said:

In the states, zoning kills most old trailer and tiny house idea's. Where I live, old trailers are grandfathered in, but no new ones (or new-old ones) can be sited. And Walmart etc is much less welcoming to letting you stay over night in their parking lot. Another good idea for people who want to live cheap getting squeezed. 

 

I took a vacation in Japan with the idea of writing an article on capsule hotels. But after night #5, I was eager not be sleeping in what was essentially a plastic refrigerator crate anymore.

 

I did it at the same time as a slightly mad trip that involved abusing the Japan Rail Pass to see 7 cities Japan in 7 days -which meant lots of late arrivals and early departures from capsule hotels near train stations.

 

They all had bars, swimming pools, massage chairs, and porn avail for $2 inside the little capsule. I was def glad to end up in Tokyo in a 3 by 4 meter room, which felt very plush.

 

But full marks for squeezing into a Honda. Are you a normal-sized person?

 

walmarts to bright n noisy for me....and yep the zoning sucks...for tiny homes

 

id look for a woodsy shady quiet spot or far end of a huge lot --urban camping

[Scouse123]

19 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

It's just a part of life here, if you let it chew you up, then you will become another statistic that left.

 

Don't allow yourself to feel that way, just smile and keep on enjoying life.

 

I don't believe the grass is any greener on the other side, 30 years sounds like you've made it home to me, so why let them win, suck it in and get back out there, your tougher than that, and am sure you can handle the truth, or are you getting softer in your old age.

 

They really bug me at times

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

They really bug me at times

I know, but remember as the saying goes

you got to suck it up, at times.

[NanLaew]

On 7/12/2022 at 10:00 AM, Reposed said:

On 7/12/2022 at 9:18 AM, NanLaew said:

I had a long hard think on how Thailand being "unique in their world view" is impacting my life.

 

Still thinking. I'll need to get back with you later.

Well, unlike westerners, Europeans even more so than Americans, the typical Thai has no concept of any culture outside of their own, fortified by school officials telling children for over a decade that they are the superior culture.

 

If one has to spend more than three minutes considering how that might impact ones life living here, well.......

 

If we do not know other cultures, we can neither fully understand nor appreciate our own, nor make needed changes to it to make it better.

There's that broad brush of western knowitallery again. It's not about knowing other cultures. It's more about trying to understand them.

 

Looking at my Times Concise Atlas of the World, Serbia, Sudan and Turkmenistan are 'western' compared to Thailand. I wonder how enlightened and worldly their general populations are?

 

You're evasive "If one has to spend more than three minutes considering how that might impact ones life living here, well......." doesn't answer my original question of how you think Thailand being "unique in their world view" is impacting my life. After a collective +20 years here, working and living here and starting a family, it still hasn't. Should I feel cheated?

 

So maybe easier for you to specify how their being "unique in their world view" is impacting yours? You don't have to of course but for some reason, I'm big on enlightenment today.

Edited July 14, 2022 by NanLaew

[473geo]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

There's that broad brush of western knowitallery again. It's not about knowing other cultures. It's more about trying to understand them.

 

Looking at my Times Concise Atlas of the World, Serbia, Sudan and Turkmenistan are 'western' compared to Thailand. I wonder how enlightened and worldly their general populations are?

 

You're evasive "If one has to spend more than three minutes considering how that might impact ones life living here, well......." doesn't answer my original question of how you think Thailand being "unique in their world view" is impacting my life. After a collective +20 years here, working and living here and starting a family, it still hasn't. Should I feel cheated?

 

So maybe easier for you to specify how their being "unique in their world view" is impacting yours? You don't have to of course but for some reason, I'm big on enlightenment today.

An amusing 'impact' we had a first calver, in the throws of giving birth, my wife and I went to check, front feet nose showing. 

My wife immediately jumped on the motorcycle and headed off to find the local calving expert 

I myself have calved hundreds of cows, by the time they returned the calf was out, in good shape being licked by its attentive mother ???? although my wife knows I have been involved in farming it never occurred to even ask my opinion let alone if I could calve the cow, maybe it threw her because I took calving ropes just in case, or maybe its just my wife has a distrust of anything not Thai oriented although this is an  example of, if you like, rebounding impact, it does demonstrate a reluctance to readily accept any process not administered or suggested by Khon Thai - or as I say maybe just my wife finds it difficult when my methods differ, if they work it appears to come as a surprise, I am very experienced in the process of providing workable solutions, along with good knowledge of when to have an expert do the work.

So does the fact I don't always accept/understand things are better done the Thai way impact my life? Well as Charlie said in another thread, it would if I let it ????

 

 

 

 

 

[NanLaew]

On 7/14/2022 at 12:26 PM, 473geo said:

An amusing 'impact' we had a first calver, in the throws of giving birth, my wife and I went to check, front feet nose showing. 

My wife immediately jumped on the motorcycle and headed off to find the local calving expert 

I myself have calved hundreds of cows, by the time they returned the calf was out, in good shape being licked by its attentive mother ???? although my wife knows I have been involved in farming it never occurred to even ask my opinion let alone if I could calve the cow, maybe it threw her because I took calving ropes just in case, or maybe its just my wife has a distrust of anything not Thai oriented although this is an  example of, if you like, rebounding impact, it does demonstrate a reluctance to readily accept any process not administered or suggested by Khon Thai - or as I say maybe just my wife finds it difficult when my methods differ, if they work it appears to come as a surprise, I am very experienced in the process of providing workable solutions, along with good knowledge of when to have an expert do the work.

So does the fact I don't always accept/understand things are better done the Thai way impact my life? Well as Charlie said in another thread, it would if I let it ????

 

 

 

 

 

Good post.

 

I was going to paraphrase @CharlieH as well but you beat me to it.

[Danderman123]

On 7/13/2022 at 5:07 AM, Scouse123 said:

They really bug me at times

You’re still here? I thought you were leaving.

[Iamfalang]

It took me about three trips, and almost a year in total to understand the basics.

 

I have money, I have fun.   I have money, Thai like money.  No money, die.

 

It's hot.  Really hot.  

 

Air quality is garbage.  

 

Traffic is filled with complete morons (pretty much par for the world).

 

Everything might be a scam.

 

Overall, people are nice.

 

Overall, as a guy you have an edge.

 

Ladyboys exist everywhere.

 

No, you cannot buy everyone

 

Thais are smarter than you think, in some things.

 

Thai guys are very nice until they drink.  Might be the same with me.  

 

Your life is worth zero.

 

Nobody cares.

 

It is an escape, and that's fine.

Edited July 17, 2022 by Iamfalang

[Scouse123]

5 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

You’re still here? I thought you were leaving.

Oh very droll, Wish I had such a fabulous sense of humor.

 

You got any idea about how long it takes to pack up after 30 years?

[Sparktrader]

5 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

Oh very droll, Wish I had such a fabulous sense of humor.

 

You got any idea about how long it takes to pack up after 30 years?

3 years?

[DrPhibes]

Ya, buddy of mine just got back from Albania and could not shut him up about it.  Cheaper than Chiang Mai (and about S safe) in all but the capital city (about the same as CM), a great beach scene, and only a few hrs drive to awesome mountain environments.  

 

As a US citizen, easy to be there and is a cheap 2hr flight to Germany and the rest of Europe.

[ThailandRyan]

21 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

Oh very droll, Wish I had such a fabulous sense of humor.

 

You got any idea about how long it takes to pack up after 30 years?

Damn, tell me about it.  We have been packing the condo here in Bangkok for the past 2 weeks as we are moving the majority to our new house in the Hua Hin/Pranburi Area. We have only lived in this 3 bedroom Condo for 3 years........can't imagine how much accumulation one has after 30 years of living in one location here.  When I sold the primary residence in the US it took me 2 months to pack it all and put it into a 30' x 10' storage container which I have in a storage warehouse in the states for when we decide to possibly move back ourselves.

[Sparktrader]

7 minutes ago, DrPhibes said:

Ya, buddy of mine just got back from Albania and could not shut him up about it.  Cheaper than Chiang Mai (and about S safe) in all but the capital city (about the same as CM), a great beach scene, and only a few hrs drive to awesome mountain environments.  

 

As a US citizen, easy to be there and is a cheap 2hr flight to Germany and the rest of Europe.

I heard the same thing

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Scouse123 said:

Oh very droll, Wish I had such a fabulous sense of humor.

 

You got any idea about how long it takes to pack up after 30 years?

Took me about 30 minutes when I moved from the UK to Thailand.

What I could carry in a carry-on wheely case.

Edited July 17, 2022 by BritManToo

[ThailandRyan]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Took m about 30 minutes when I moved from the UK to Thailand.

What I could carry in a carry-on wheely case.

I could only wish that I was able to do the same, but if I remember you did not have much left after the court bent you over.

[Sparktrader]

2 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

I could only wish that I was able to do the same, but if I remember you did not have much left after the court bent you over.

He had his shoe laces tied up at least.

[Sparktrader]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Took me about 30 minutes when I moved from the UK to Thailand.

What I could carry in a carry-on wheely case.

What you do with stuff?

[Sparktrader]

I want to pack up and go. I need to grow some balls n do it perhaps.

[Scouse123]

Well, after all the encouraging and sage advice I have received from forum members, I think I might just stay..????