I have the same opinion on a lot of your comments living elsewhere.

On 2/10/2026 at 4:04 PM, wil iam not said:

At what age do you categorise someone as elderly?

Varies from person to person. One of my friends said he forgets I'm 30 years older, because we both like the same things and I don't look or act like someone who's 58.

Some people just accept all the hassles and still say all is fine.

Others are a bit more picky, do not want to be taken for a ride, do not want to be considered as a foolish cash cow and no longer accept to be cheated all over or to be rudely spoken by some angry person behind a counter.

So one person's "dream" can be a annoying experience or even a nightmare for others. No golden rule of the thumb.

3 hours ago, MIke B Bad said:

I'm reminded of the lyrics from an Eagles track.....

"What can you do when your dreams come true
And it's not quite like you planned?"

Song: After the Thrill has gone......Album: "One of these Nights"

I recalled Hotel California was about becoming stuck in Paradise?

Need to check with AI

In general, the Hotel California is a metaphor for the trap of hedonism and excess. It represents a "gilded cage"—a place that appears as a glamorous paradise on the outside but reveals itself to be an inescapable prison once you enter

I have seen many different analysis throughout the years, and seems it can symbolize something someone could experience in Thailand.

7 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I have seen many different analysis throughout the years, and seems it can symbolize something someone could experience in Thailand.

Hotel Pattaya.

Why you feel lonely in Paradise.

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

54 minutes ago, Freddy42OZ said:

Varies from person to person. One of my friends said he forgets I'm 30 years older, because we both like the same things and I don't look or act like someone who's 58.

Forever young... I want to be ...forever young... Good on you my friend,enjoy life !!!!!

On 2/10/2026 at 9:17 AM, Harrisfan said:

West is only good for work and less pollution.

True, and also fresh seasonal food hard to get in Thailand.

On 2/10/2026 at 10:41 AM, Harrisfan said:

On Mars. I stayed with Musk.

Elons not going to Mars now only the moon!

I want to see him get through the van allen belt!🤔

On 2/10/2026 at 12:07 PM, Kyoto Kyle said:

I think that very much depends on the individual. I'm not sure how much the amount of excitement people have in life is tied to a number. Some people's lives might be more exciting after 60 if they were working an unfulfilling job up until that point and then suddenly now have more time and resources to do things they enjoy. Thus, I think it's very hard to generalize.

I think you've described me to a 'T'. I worked a job in the US that I enjoyed doing, with co-workers I very much liked working with. It had great benefits and good job security. But, I wasn't exactly doing my dream job.

I retired and moved to Thailand in 2010 when I was 59. Since then, I've been doing what I really enjoy--interior design and architecture. My spouse and I, together, have renovated 20-some condos, in Rayong, Bangkok, and--mostly--Pattaya.

It's been so, as you say, 'fulfilling' to try new things in these fields. With the project renovations, I've designed kitchens and baths, designed custom built-in and free-standing furniture, and planned complete renovations of a gutted space. I remember vividly the first condo shell we did. Spouse and I looked at each other and said, "Are we up for this?" Yes, we were. And, more.

When covid hit, we decided we no longer wanted to be in a condo. We moved to the Darkside, and tackled the full-renovation of a large pool villa in need of a total re-do, top to bottom. That was a real challenge and we learned a lot.

Since then, we did two more house renovations and then moved on to building a house from scratch, based on an architectural design that I did, and then gave to an expert to do the structural engineering and construction plans.

That was a success and now we are working on our biggest yet, a 5-bedroom/6 bath pool villa, also on the Darkside near Lake Mabprachan. If this turns out to be our last hurrah for big projects, that will be fine for us. It's been a great, fun, interesting, and challenging run.

Although I post about real estate a lot, I do have other interests, including travel, both in and out of Thailand. In November we were in Europe for the 4th time, and in December we were in China, also for a 4th visit. We've been other places, as well, including Japan, my favorite country to visit.

Someone posted on this thread, of the so-called 'elderly'--which someone else thought began at age 70--that, "Most of them are too sick to do anything except exist for another day." I would beg to differ. I'm 74 and still able to do quite a bit--and get a lot of enjoyment from how I am spending my life. Moving to Thailand was a good choice for me--and I ended up being a late, late bloomer. I totally agree with you when you say it's very hard to generalize. And, one really shouldn't when talking about what one can or cannot do when one's age reaches a certain number.

On 2/10/2026 at 12:07 PM, Kyoto Kyle said:

I think that very much depends on the individual. I'm not sure how much the amount of excitement people have in life is tied to a number. Some people's lives might be more exciting after 60 if they were working an unfulfilling job up until that point and then suddenly now have more time and resources to do things they enjoy. Thus, I think it's very hard to generalize.

On 2/10/2026 at 12:09 PM, BritManToo said:

Easy to generalize with the elderly.

Most of them are too sick to do anything except exist for another day.

Them? What age is your reference?

Even after reading most of the responses to this initial query, I will try to respond to the question asked, honestly, openly, and forthrightly.  At 78-years-old, I am old school, and so I would not use AI, even if I eventually learn how to access it.  I much prefer to develop my responses in Microsoft Word, edit them for errors, punctuation, spelling, omissions, content, etc., and then post the final result – so this may take a while…

My story is definitely different from that of most expats now living here in Thailand, mostly because it began with my being transferred to Korat Royal Thai Air Base during the Vietnam War, after serving nearly two years in Vietnam at both Da Nang and Phan Rang.  I was a fighter jet mechanic, maintaining mostly F-4Es at the time.  I was assigned to Korat for eight years, mostly because I kept extending for another year at a time when my unit was desperate for more maintenance personnel and extensions were almost always approved.  That provides a short background – now let me delve into my personal experience…

I was a fairly young kid of 19 when I arrived at Korat, and I did what nearly all of my colleagues did after working 12-hour shifts and on our one-day off on “weekends” – I took a “baht bus” into Korat, which was a fairly small town in 1968, and “hit” the small bars along a strip close to the Sripatana (SP) Hotel.  Those who preferred Jack Daniels or other whiskey over local beer brought a bottle with us in a cloth carrier.  That was not much of a lifestyle, I know – but it is what teenagers and 20-something-year-olds did back then.

There was a local orphanage in town that my unit sponsored as part of our Civic Action outreach.  It was run by a Thai foundation, and most of the children were Amer-Asian, abandoned by their mothers after their American “tee-locks” had returned to the U.S. 

We held a carnival on base shortly after I arrived at Korat, with a goal of raising enough money to build a new home for the orphanage, since the building they had was in sad shape.  The carnival lasted for three days, and we raised just over $7,500 U.S. (about $71,700 in 2026 dollars), or about 156,000 baht in 1968 at 20.8 baht to $1 USD – but $71,700 would have been about 2,222,700 baht today at 31 Thai baht to $1 USD.  Needless to say, that was a LOT of money back then, and we bought enough materials to build the orphanage a completely new facility, which volunteer workers from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army stationed at Korat, combined with volunteers from the local community built over the next ten months or so.

It was at that carnival that I first saw my future Bride caring for a large group of children.  I was mesmerized by the love she showed the children, and I was smitten by her beauty, too.  I began courting her a few weeks later, and after a few more months, we traveled to her ancestral home in Isaan where I asked her father for her hand and I met her extended family.

On our second day there, the family held a Bai Sri Su Kwan (special blessing) ceremony for us, which was actually a wedding ceremony, at the end of which, My Bride and I were married according to Isaan custom and tradition!!  That was about 58 years ago!

I have often said that God in the U.S. and Buddha in Thailand brought My Bride and me together to be of one heart and one mind to live our lives together.  How I knew that at age 19, I don’t know – except that it must have been the hands of God and Buddha that guided me and My Bride somehow. 

We have had the pleasure of living in several places in the U.S., and also in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila, Philippines – but we have always returned to My Bride’s ancestral home in Isaan, to the life we have always loved.  Over the course of moving around the world, raising our two daughters, and traveling quite extensively, we decided that her ancestral home was where we wanted to eventually retire, and we did just that almost eight years ago.

After living and working in the Washington DC area for about 30 years, with its frantic pace, frenzied driving, icy winters, etc., we decided that the only way we could enjoy retirement to its fullest was by moving here to Isaan to the life we have always loved – with its calm, slow-paced, relaxing life style.

One more important thing – I became fluent in Thai and Isaan while I was courting My Bride, and once we were reassigned to the U.S., My Bride studied English and has become fluent in that as well.  We raised our daughters speaking both Thai and English at home, and we also were members of Buddhist Temples and Christian churches near where we lived so our daughters would be thoroughly exposed to both and chose which, or both, they wanted to pursue once they grew up.

Now, back to your more specific questions as to whether living in Isaan ever gets dull, or I am relegated to indifference or some form of “neutrality”…  I can say that has definitely never happened to me anywhere, let alone in Isaan.  We have really good friends here, and we often meet new people who also become our friends.  We have a pretty active life here, in spite of our “elder” status.  We often travel around the region to visit other cities, towns, and provinces, and also to visit Khmer-period temple ruins in our area.  Besides, we always dreamed of coming back to My Bride’s ancestral home in Isaan ever since we first visited while I was stationed at Korat – and we PLANNED for this move for well over 35 years!!

We live in the same “compound” with My Bride’s two younger brothers and their families, so we are looked after VERY WELL!!  Although they are REALLY busy with their farm work, at the end of each day we sit with them to find out how their sugar cane or other harvesting is progressing, and to catch up on any family news.  We built our retirement home here so we could be close to them after living halfway around the world for most of our lives.

Early each morning My Bride and I go out to our front gate to wait for the monks who pass by on their alms walk.  As we wait, several of our village neighbors walk or ride past, and we always greet them with a warm “Good morning!”, after which many of them stop by for a chat.  We also greet the other neighbors who are waiting for the monks, and we talk with them about their lives, about their farming, about the weather – or whatever – just to stay engaged.  When the monks arrive, we speak to each one, asking how they are doing, when their next event will be held, or whether they have any needs we can help with.

Frankly, we are DELIGHTED that our lives here demand less of us than we experienced in the U.S. over the past 30 years where I was working full time and then some.  My job took me to countries all over Africa and to Germany for meetings about the programs I was managing in 44 countries.  That pretty much had me working ten-hour days, even on weekends.  In spite of those long work hours and travel, I also served on the Board of Directors for our local Thai Buddhist Temple as their Vice President.  I also served as the emcee for all of the main Buddhist holy days through the year, I was the emcee for Thai funerals, and I was the emcee at Royal Thai Embassy events.

My Bride volunteered at our local Buddhist Temple where she coordinated bringing food to the monks, since the typical “alms walk” was not possible.  My Bride cooked three or four kinds of food to provide for the monks in enough quantities to feed an average of 25 people one day a week, and she coordinated with her friends to do the same for the rest of the week.  She also went to the Wat every day to provide the food and to clean everything up afterwards.

My Bride and I attended Christian services at the main Chapel on Andrews Air Force Base every Sunday, where I was also on the vestry and President of the Christian Men of the Chapel.

The bottom line is that our lives for the past 30 years living in the Washington DC area had been VERY frantic, VERY busy, and VERY FULL, with very little time to ourselves.  Moving to Isaan has blessed us with changing all of that and our being able to relax for the first time in decades!

But in that relaxed lifestyle, we also find great fulfillment here in Isaan, and if we had it to do all over again, we would still choose the same path!  My Bride and I are involved in ALL of our village events, from funerals, to weddings, to home blessings, to school fund-raising and sports events, to local Buddhist Temple events in and around our village – in summary, we are fully engaged in our local community and its activities – so much so that we don’t miss our former Washington DC life at all.  Of course, we miss our daughters and their families, and we miss our friends, but our daughters mitigate that by visiting us here once a year.

As a retired expat being granted the distinct privilege of living in Isaan long-term by having my visa extension for the purposes of retirement approved by the Thai Government annually, I MUST realize that as a foreigner, I do NOT have any right to involve myself in politics, border disputes, or other matters involving the local, provincial, or Thai Governments or their officials.  Along with that restriction, I must keep my opinions to myself, particularly when it comes to the Thai Government or any member of the Royal family.  That is called FOLLOWING THE THAI LAW, and I am happy to do so.

But that does NOT mean that we are not fully engaged in our local community, because we definitely are!  I have NEVER felt considered as an “outsider”, even though I am a foreign expat.  My opinions on things are often sought by villagers and townspeople.  It may be that a lot of that comes from my being a foreign expat who has lived all over the world and has returned here.  My perspective on things is different from other locals, but because I am an “elder”, my opinions matter – I just don’t engage in political, governmental, or Royal family discussions, and those topics rarely come up, thankfully.  I may be a foreigner, but I am definitely NOT considered an “outsider”.

I know this has become a VERY long post, but I hope it adds perspective from one very happy, if elderly, expat loving life in Isaan!!

9 minutes ago, Uncle John said:

Even after reading most of the responses to this initial query, I will try to respond to the question asked, honestly, openly, and forthrightly.  At 78-years-old, I am old school, and so I would not use AI, even if I eventually learn how to access it.  I much prefer to develop my responses in Microsoft Word, edit them for errors, punctuation, spelling, omissions, content, etc., and then post the final result – so this may take a while…

My story is definitely different from that of most expats now living here in Thailand, mostly because it began with my being transferred to Korat Royal Thai Air Base during the Vietnam War, after serving nearly two years in Vietnam at both Da Nang and Phan Rang.  I was a fighter jet mechanic, maintaining mostly F-4Es at the time.  I was assigned to Korat for eight years, mostly because I kept extending for another year at a time when my unit was desperate for more maintenance personnel and extensions were almost always approved.  That provides a short background – now let me delve into my personal experience…

I was a fairly young kid of 19 when I arrived at Korat, and I did what nearly all of my colleagues did after working 12-hour shifts and on our one-day off on “weekends” – I took a “baht bus” into Korat, which was a fairly small town in 1968, and “hit” the small bars along a strip close to the Sripatana (SP) Hotel.  Those who preferred Jack Daniels or other whiskey over local beer brought a bottle with us in a cloth carrier.  That was not much of a lifestyle, I know – but it is what teenagers and 20-something-year-olds did back then.

There was a local orphanage in town that my unit sponsored as part of our Civic Action outreach.  It was run by a Thai foundation, and most of the children were Amer-Asian, abandoned by their mothers after their American “tee-locks” had returned to the U.S. 

We held a carnival on base shortly after I arrived at Korat, with a goal of raising enough money to build a new home for the orphanage, since the building they had was in sad shape.  The carnival lasted for three days, and we raised just over $7,500 U.S. (about $71,700 in 2026 dollars), or about 156,000 baht in 1968 at 20.8 baht to $1 USD – but $71,700 would have been about 2,222,700 baht today at 31 Thai baht to $1 USD.  Needless to say, that was a LOT of money back then, and we bought enough materials to build the orphanage a completely new facility, which volunteer workers from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army stationed at Korat, combined with volunteers from the local community built over the next ten months or so.

It was at that carnival that I first saw my future Bride caring for a large group of children.  I was mesmerized by the love she showed the children, and I was smitten by her beauty, too.  I began courting her a few weeks later, and after a few more months, we traveled to her ancestral home in Isaan where I asked her father for her hand and I met her extended family.

On our second day there, the family held a Bai Sri Su Kwan (special blessing) ceremony for us, which was actually a wedding ceremony, at the end of which, My Bride and I were married according to Isaan custom and tradition!!  That was about 58 years ago!

I have often said that God in the U.S. and Buddha in Thailand brought My Bride and me together to be of one heart and one mind to live our lives together.  How I knew that at age 19, I don’t know – except that it must have been the hands of God and Buddha that guided me and My Bride somehow. 

We have had the pleasure of living in several places in the U.S., and also in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila, Philippines – but we have always returned to My Bride’s ancestral home in Isaan, to the life we have always loved.  Over the course of moving around the world, raising our two daughters, and traveling quite extensively, we decided that her ancestral home was where we wanted to eventually retire, and we did just that almost eight years ago.

After living and working in the Washington DC area for about 30 years, with its frantic pace, frenzied driving, icy winters, etc., we decided that the only way we could enjoy retirement to its fullest was by moving here to Isaan to the life we have always loved – with its calm, slow-paced, relaxing life style.

One more important thing – I became fluent in Thai and Isaan while I was courting My Bride, and once we were reassigned to the U.S., My Bride studied English and has become fluent in that as well.  We raised our daughters speaking both Thai and English at home, and we also were members of Buddhist Temples and Christian churches near where we lived so our daughters would be thoroughly exposed to both and chose which, or both, they wanted to pursue once they grew up.

Now, back to your more specific questions as to whether living in Isaan ever gets dull, or I am relegated to indifference or some form of “neutrality”…  I can say that has definitely never happened to me anywhere, let alone in Isaan.  We have really good friends here, and we often meet new people who also become our friends.  We have a pretty active life here, in spite of our “elder” status.  We often travel around the region to visit other cities, towns, and provinces, and also to visit Khmer-period temple ruins in our area.  Besides, we always dreamed of coming back to My Bride’s ancestral home in Isaan ever since we first visited while I was stationed at Korat – and we PLANNED for this move for well over 35 years!!

We live in the same “compound” with My Bride’s two younger brothers and their families, so we are looked after VERY WELL!!  Although they are REALLY busy with their farm work, at the end of each day we sit with them to find out how their sugar cane or other harvesting is progressing, and to catch up on any family news.  We built our retirement home here so we could be close to them after living halfway around the world for most of our lives.

Early each morning My Bride and I go out to our front gate to wait for the monks who pass by on their alms walk.  As we wait, several of our village neighbors walk or ride past, and we always greet them with a warm “Good morning!”, after which many of them stop by for a chat.  We also greet the other neighbors who are waiting for the monks, and we talk with them about their lives, about their farming, about the weather – or whatever – just to stay engaged.  When the monks arrive, we speak to each one, asking how they are doing, when their next event will be held, or whether they have any needs we can help with.

Frankly, we are DELIGHTED that our lives here demand less of us than we experienced in the U.S. over the past 30 years where I was working full time and then some.  My job took me to countries all over Africa and to Germany for meetings about the programs I was managing in 44 countries.  That pretty much had me working ten-hour days, even on weekends.  In spite of those long work hours and travel, I also served on the Board of Directors for our local Thai Buddhist Temple as their Vice President.  I also served as the emcee for all of the main Buddhist holy days through the year, I was the emcee for Thai funerals, and I was the emcee at Royal Thai Embassy events.

My Bride volunteered at our local Buddhist Temple where she coordinated bringing food to the monks, since the typical “alms walk” was not possible.  My Bride cooked three or four kinds of food to provide for the monks in enough quantities to feed an average of 25 people one day a week, and she coordinated with her friends to do the same for the rest of the week.  She also went to the Wat every day to provide the food and to clean everything up afterwards.

My Bride and I attended Christian services at the main Chapel on Andrews Air Force Base every Sunday, where I was also on the vestry and President of the Christian Men of the Chapel.

The bottom line is that our lives for the past 30 years living in the Washington DC area had been VERY frantic, VERY busy, and VERY FULL, with very little time to ourselves.  Moving to Isaan has blessed us with changing all of that and our being able to relax for the first time in decades!

But in that relaxed lifestyle, we also find great fulfillment here in Isaan, and if we had it to do all over again, we would still choose the same path!  My Bride and I are involved in ALL of our village events, from funerals, to weddings, to home blessings, to school fund-raising and sports events, to local Buddhist Temple events in and around our village – in summary, we are fully engaged in our local community and its activities – so much so that we don’t miss our former Washington DC life at all.  Of course, we miss our daughters and their families, and we miss our friends, but our daughters mitigate that by visiting us here once a year.

As a retired expat being granted the distinct privilege of living in Isaan long-term by having my visa extension for the purposes of retirement approved by the Thai Government annually, I MUST realize that as a foreigner, I do NOT have any right to involve myself in politics, border disputes, or other matters involving the local, provincial, or Thai Governments or their officials.  Along with that restriction, I must keep my opinions to myself, particularly when it comes to the Thai Government or any member of the Royal family.  That is called FOLLOWING THE THAI LAW, and I am happy to do so.

But that does NOT mean that we are not fully engaged in our local community, because we definitely are!  I have NEVER felt considered as an “outsider”, even though I am a foreign expat.  My opinions on things are often sought by villagers and townspeople.  It may be that a lot of that comes from my being a foreign expat who has lived all over the world and has returned here.  My perspective on things is different from other locals, but because I am an “elder”, my opinions matter – I just don’t engage in political, governmental, or Royal family discussions, and those topics rarely come up, thankfully.  I may be a foreigner, but I am definitely NOT considered an “outsider”.

I know this has become a VERY long post, but I hope it adds perspective from one very happy, if elderly, expat loving life in Isaan!!

Great to read someone have found meaning with life and in life.

Wish more people had the same attitude and also ability to adopt to a village life like you do, and many more would had found their paradise.

Im solving it differently, but I respect your way, and salute you for your discipline and also understanding of whats needed to successfully create a good life for yourself.

36 minutes ago, Hummin said:

True, and also fresh seasonal food hard to get in Thailand.

That's not true.

Plenty of food available.

1 hour ago, SingAPorn said:

and no longer accept to be cheated all over or to be rudely spoken by some angry person behind a counter.

Speaking of ... the kid at the local 7-11 I go to every morning is beginning to get hostile. I don't think I did anything to offend him, but he woke up one morning and decided to direct some shade and hate my way.

So I will need to go to another 7-11 to avoid conflict with this guy.

Most people in Thailand leave you alone, but this kid has it in for me for some reason.

21 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

That's not true.

Plenty of food available.

Seasonal food from my country, fish, berries, mushrooms, fruit, vegetables who have different contexts and taste because of the colder climates, as well wild meat, lamb, sausages, cheese, etc etc

Just now, Hummin said:

Seasonal food from my country, fish, berries, mushrooms, fruit, vegetables who have different contexts and taste because of the colder climates, as well wild meat, lamb, sausages, cheese, etc etc

Contexts ... LOL

You are nitpicking reasons to criticize thailand.

Meat and cheese is not "seasonal" anyway.

10 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Contexts ... LOL

You are nitpicking reasons to criticize thailand.

Meat and cheese is not "seasonal" anyway.

Omg, how is that criticism against Thailand, you just looking for reasons to find things to criticism me 😉

Those who know what I mean, know what I'm talking about. When it comes to cheese, you couldn't be more wrong, since some local types and production of cheese are released to the marked seasonally, same as fermented food, salted, and smoked.

17 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Contexts ... LOL

I ment texture, so excuse my lack of language.

10 hours ago, BilllyGOAT said:

If you read some of his posts, you'll notice he often likes to call people "champ", but that's only when he's not calling people worse things. So I was just being polite and returning his gratitude.

I understand what u mean.I see that he have more then 15.000 postings here.What a miserable life if using ur time to sit on the website 24/7 just finding a reason to insulting other people who not agree.Grumpy people!!!

I had a few more thoughts as I reviewed this post and the many responses to it along with my own.  At least part of the reason My Bride and I chose her ancestral home for our retired life was that living here in Isaan takes us back to basics.  As we cleaned out our home in the U.S. in preparation for this move, we soon realized that over the decades of our working lives, we had accumulated so much “stuff” that does not really matter – trophies and plaques from various milestones reached in either our working careers or our volunteering, that at the time we received those accolades seemed important and nice, but the reality is that they matter very little as we approached what is perhaps the last chapter of our lives.  For many of those things as I looked at them after months or even years, my response was, “Why did I think this was so important at the time I received this?” 

In the process of cleaning out our home in the U.S., we put over NINE TONS of “stuff” into a large roll-off dumpster destined for the local landfill – old furniture, old broken items that I always intended to fix – someday – dozens of boxes of files, papers, records, etc., that we long since no longer needed to keep, a garage full of various spare parts for items we no longer had, etc., etc.  We even had a huge collection of nearly 2,000 VHS video tapes of movies, along with three VHS players that no longer worked…  And that is just SOME of the items we sold or trashed.

I also had a burgundy1973 MGB convertible that I had completely restored in 1981 and then drove to and from work for the next nearly 40 years.  Realizing I could not bring that car with us to Thailand due to the prohibition at the time of our move against importing used vehicles, I sold it to a sports car enthusiast and never looked back.  I think that one act was representative of our leaving our old life behind and moving on to our new lives here in Isaan – it was cathartic.  I will try to attach a picture of that 1973 MGB to this post.

We have come to realize that as we eventually approach perhaps the final chapter of our lives, we cannot take anything with us – no treasures, no keepsakes, no fancy clothes – nothing…  And the sooner we faced that inescapable fact, the better for our mental health.  The result of this realization was that we only brought with us those items of furniture, clothing, appliances, personal items, pots and pans, dishes and utensils, etc., that we would need to use in our retirement home here in Isaan.

I thought about the monks who walked across part of America from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington DC – an unbelievable 2,300 mile (3,700  kilometer) journey in a “Walk for Peace” to present to the world another option other than conflict to live life to its fullest.  The monks walked barefoot for much of their journey, except when the snow and ice forced them to don winter boots, socks, and other winter-protective gear.  In the following, I am paraphrasing the words of Raj Rak<deleted>, another writer who shared this incredible story, “FROM MOTOROLA TO THE MONASTERY…”.

The most important part of this amazing story begins with the lead monk, “the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, who was born in Vietnam, raised in the U.S., and did everything a driven young man is supposed to do.  He navigated the challenges of a new culture with grace.  He was sharp, ambitious, and focused.  He studied very hard, earned an engineering degree, and landed a prestigious engineering job with Motorola.  He had the badge, the office, the respectable salary, and the admiration of his peers.  He lived among people chasing the American Dream of happiness through better cars, larger homes, and the latest technology.  By every modern standard, his was a success story…”

“Yet sitting in the climate-controlled comfort of corporate America, a quiet realization began to grow…  He was engineering solutions for machines…  But his own heart was searching for a signal it couldn’t find in the material world.  It is one thing to fail and seek religion for comfort.  It is entirely another to succeed, look at the prize in your hand, and realize it is empty.

“Venerable Pannakara saw that the happiness promised by the “American Dream” was fragile, and depended on the stock market, employment, good health, and ‘things’.  He realized something radical: TRUE PEACE – the kind that doesn’t shatter when life gets hard – cannot be bought.  It must be built from within… So… he walked away…”

“He resigned from Motorola, he left the comfort of the suburbs, and he traded his suit for saffron robes.  Then he traveled to Myanmar (Burma) to immerse himself in the strict, ancient discipline of Theravada Buddhism, specifically the philosophy of ‘Dhutanga’ (Asceticism).  Venerable Pannakara didn’t just become a monk.  He chose the forest tradition.  He practices dhutanga – ascetic practices meant to strip away attachment to the body and comfort.”

That is why you may have seen him, “…walking barefoot on freezing American highways, eating only one meal a day before noon, sleeping in tents, often on hard ground, exposing himself to biting cold and scorching heat.  To the outside world, this looks like suffering.  To Venerable Pannakara, it is FREEDOM!  He lives by a powerful truth: pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.  By refusing to be a slave to comfort, he has built a mind that is calm, resilient, and nearly unbreakable.”

This reminded me of what we might all work towards achieving in our lives here in Isaan – “…a mind that is calm, resilient, and nearly unbreakable…” – not by shedding our civilian clothing and donning the saffron robes of a monk, but by striving to find inner peace through daily meditation, perhaps through using either Scripture from the Holy Bible or by following parts of the tenets of Buddhism as a guide…  Just a few thoughts for your contemplation…  Enjoy!!

3 hours ago, Uncle John said:

perhaps through using either Scripture from the Holy Bible

One reason to be in Thailand is you never have to see another Bible as long as you live.

Just to cheer up the guys who haven't been home for awhile

Roughly 2000,- baht

Edit note 2 250,- with today's rate

On 2/10/2026 at 1:55 PM, Nemises said:

It’s written by AI. Boring AF.

AI Overview

Based on the tone, structure, and content, this text appears to be written by a human, specifically an experienced, long-term expatriate reflecting on the psychological, emotional, and social realities of living in Thailand

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Key Indicators of Human Origin:

• Deep Personal Nuance: The text analyzes a specific, complex emotional state ("neutrality or indifference" after 10–20 years) that requires lived experience rather than just generalized data.

• Specific Contextual References: It mentions specific scenarios like dealing with visa/finances, the transition from "chasing the dream" to "adapting," and the debate over "managing decline" through travel.

• Reflective Tone: The narrative is introspective and philosophical, questioning the nature of comfort, intentionality, and the definition of an "integrated resident" vs. a "permanent tourist."

While AI can mimic human writing, the nuanced, existential, and highly personal nature of this commentary suggests it is a genuine, human-authored reflection on long-term expat life.