Sometimes it feels like it....There are days when I think how nice it would be to be working a trout stream in the Sierras or driving the Pacific Coast Highway - both of which was a short drive from home....

Now, surrounded by flat rice fields it's a world away.....

Fortunately we have an RV & car in storage for our extended trips back....

Family has a closer, more intimate relationship here, which is a plus.....

Having had all the toys in the west brings back some wistful memories.....

Growing up & living in California (before the current insanity) gives mixed thoughts.....

But, I am not unhappy here....So, I don't feel "stuck"....I have a happy family life & purpose here.....

My family in the US follows the "independent" mode & is much more fragmented than my Thai family here.....

Basically, I miss some areas & recreation opportunities from the US; but, I'm happy here....

At 77 there's not much out there left to conquer - and, I've  accomplished most of that....

No.

11 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

Why would we?

 

watch out for trolls trying to plant seeds of doubt in your mind about thailand. 

maybe some people had to leave ... and now they want to take everyone else down with them. 

OP is born under a bad star. like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

 

1 hour ago, Cornish Pasty said:

1 hour ago, Stocky said:

Yes

In Hat Yai as well…

 

got a thing for muslim women?

 

Mark

 

Hat yai isn't bad at all. Close to many good beaches and the border. Penang is close as well. Has an international airport. Hat yai chicken is delicious. People are different than many other areas of thailand.

 

Decent size city with a respectful restaurant variety now. All the things a foreigner could need. Central etc. Shopping. Lots of good riding and relaxing spots within a few hours.

 

Southern girls are pretty cute as well.

3 minutes ago, blaze master said:

 

Hat yai isn't bad at all. Close to many good beaches and the border. Penang is close as well. Has an international airport. Hat yai chicken is delicious. People are different than many other areas of thailand.

 

Decent size city with a respectful restaurant variety now. All the things a foreigner could need. Central etc. Shopping. Lots of good riding and relaxing spots within a few hours.

 

Southern girls are pretty cute as well.

No pork though??

 

Mark.

No & this is one of the WORST threads I've  ever seen. Do grow up old chap or consider Not Posting, please.

1 minute ago, Magictoad said:

No & this is one of the WORST threads I've  ever seen. Do grow up old chap or consider Not Posting, please.

Now you've said that I will ramp up my posting efforts from now on.

 

Mark.

4 minutes ago, Cornish Pasty said:

No pork though??

 

Mark.

 

Thats good though. Pork is nasty. Plus the penang and massaman curry are better with chicken. Easy to find in Hat yai. Not so easy in many other areas of Thailand. 

Just now, blaze master said:

 

Thats good though. Pork is nasty. Plus the penang and massaman curry are better with chicken. Easy to find in Hat yai. Not so easy in many other areas of Thailand. 

I don't like to be told whether I can have a bacon butty or not..

 

Sorry, but the deep south definitely ain't for me. And the morning chants?

 

Forget it.

 

Mark.

1 minute ago, Cornish Pasty said:

I don't like to be told whether I can have a bacon butty or not..

 

Sorry, but the deep south definitely ain't for me. And the morning chants?

 

Forget it.

 

Mark.

 

Who tells you that you cant eat pork ? Loads of places in hat yai where you can eat bacon. 

 

To each their own. 

1 minute ago, blaze master said:

 

Who tells you that you cant eat pork ? 

 

To each their own. 

Muslims do.

 

It's haram don't ya know!

 

Mark.

No. I could go back to Australia, but I would be bored sh!tless in a month or two.

 

When I am in Oz, I am spending more than i get by way of pension and investment income. In Thailand I am not.

 

During COVID, I was actually locked out of returning to my own country. I realized it did not matter, and Thailand was a better place to be in all the hysteria.

7 minutes ago, blaze master said:

 

Thats good though. Pork is nasty. Plus the penang and massaman curry are better with chicken. Easy to find in Hat yai. Not so easy in many other areas of Thailand. 

Thailand does pork really well though. Here i eat pork back home i eat beef

Just now, Lacessit said:

No. I could go back to Australia, but I would be bored sh!tless in a month or two.

 

When I am in Oz, I am spending more than i get by way of pension and investment income. In Thailand I am not.

 

During COVID, I was actually locked out of returning to my own country. I realized it did not matter, and Thailand was a better place to be in all the hysteria.

Thailand was dreadful during covid.

 

Nothing to do, mandatory shots, military government, protests,  and streets full of masked locals.

 

Mark.

Just another of Bob's aliases and yet another useless thread. Who will you be next time?

Just now, hotsun said:

Thailand does pork really well though. Here i eat pork back home i eat beef

Try getting a sausage barm in Hat Yai and let us know how you get on.

 

 

Mark.

2 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

No. I could go back to Australia, but I would be bored sh!tless in a month or two.

 

When I am in Oz, I am spending more than i get by way of pension and investment income. In Thailand I am not.

 

During COVID, I was actually locked out of returning to my own country. I realized it did not matter, and Thailand was a better place to be in all the hysteria.

Yeah if i were aussie id be living in thailand too

Just now, dinsdale said:

Just another of Bob's aliases and yet another useless thread. Who will you be next time?

I might be Bob spelt backwards..

 

Mark.

Just now, Cornish Pasty said:

Thailand was dreadful during covid.

 

Nothing to do, mandatory shots, military government, protests,  and streets full of masked locals.

 

Mark.

Disagree. I had to insert myself into the vaccination system. Foreigners were not getting vaccinated otherwise.

 

Masks were mandatory only in places like shopping malls. Otherwise, nobody cared. Swimming pool was closed for two months, I played golf throughout.

 

Contrast that with Victoria, Australia.

 

Not allowed to move more than a 5 km radius from the home. On and off closures of golf courses for two years. No gatherings of more than 10 people. Masks mandatory anywhere outside the home. Total "circuit breaker" lockdowns every so often.

 

The profiteering on RAT kits was so bad I was posting bulk quantities of them back to friends in Australia. What cost $2 here was being flogged for $20 -$50 on Gumtree and eBay.

 

You simply don't realise we got off very lightly here.

 

 

15 minutes ago, Cornish Pasty said:

I might be Bob spelt backwards..

 

Mark.

Or you might just be backward.

29 minutes ago, Cornish Pasty said:

Muslims do.

 

It's haram don't ya know!

 

Mark.

 

I've never had a Muslim tell me that I cant eat pork. Thats a new one. 

Thing is the expat population does fall into two camps.

 

Those who could if they wanted to, leave, and those where boats have been burnt and they're stuck.

 

You tend to find the ones with the ability to leave are usually pretty honest about the pluses and minuses of Thailand, the good the bad and the ugly

 

But then you get to the next category.

 

Because for whatever reason they ended up stuck, and it's usually money, they will make excuses (reasons) for almost anything that happens in Thailand to justify them staying in Thailand

 

You could probably tell them their daughter was being sexually abused by the local monk and there would be an excuse for it

 

A zealot who protests too hard always has something to hide

 

 

Oh and for the geeks, Yes the last sentence of my post was a paraphrase of George Smiley, who I love!

2 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

I moved to Thailand with my wife 25 years ago for retirement. We've never even considered leaving. Why would we?

 

2 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

cos there are better places?

 

Mark.

Not for us.  We looked around carefully before deciding to move to Thailand. We had plenty of options but decided Chiang Mai would be best for us.  It has been.

1 hour ago, Cornish Pasty said:

No pork though??

 

Mark.

Plenty of pork available in Hat Yai and alcohol too, though don't expect to find in a halal restaurant. Hat Yai has a significant Muslim population but it's not the majority, we have mosques, but not everywhere. It's a multicultural city that gets along together just fine.

 

You really should educate yourself rather than simply demonstrate your ignorance.

 

 

Me very big hungry.

Please feed me.

 

1 hour ago, Cornish Pasty said:

 

Sorry, but the deep south definitely ain't for me. And the morning chants?

The south is happy for ignorant bigots to stay away.

10 hours ago, TimBKK said:

Another one for the ignore list

Certainly working towards that goal.

10 hours ago, Cornish Pasty said:

fair play.

 

thanks for being honest.

 

the snatch aint bad, I must admit, though it isn’t the best in the world.

 

Mark.

Better in Swanage eh, Bob?

Respectfully, maybe don't start any topics for awhile.