Where Do Most Of You Live?

[swain]

I live in Chiang Mai and really have no complaints .... bar one... the burning has got to stop ...you cant live where you cant breath.

[meemiathai]

I think I am having illusions!

[jingjoe]

i own a barbie and an Esky. But i dont drive a Ute.

What sort of sheila doesn't drive a ute?

[farang prince]

I'm living in one of those cities where it's always overcast, overrated, and overpriced!

Sounds like a lovely place. Glad I'm not there.

[JacknDanny]

I'm living in one of those cities where it's always overcast, overrated, and overpriced!

Manchester??

No on second thoughts its probably Leeds

[Naam]

I live in...

in my home which is built on land located in Thailand. to be on the safe side i just checked all closets as well as the dog and pump house but could not find any trace of a junta.

what's a "junta" anyway?

[Ping]

Seems that for some, the further you are in the boonies, the happier you are. I don't actually 'live' anywhere - I spend 6 months in Melbourne (Oz) when it's warm and the other six months in Phuket during Melbourne's cold season. I always stay at the same rental house in Patong but would buy a house if I could own the land (no LT leasing/shonky company arrangements/apartment living for me). Been coming here for well over twenty years and have witnessed significant changes. It is certainly not as friendly as the boonies seem to be, but that is understandable, since I am in the heart of one of the major tourist spots. Nonetheless, it remains a wonderful place which I continue to love. So many posters (in other threads) claim that anyone who loves Phuket either has rose-coloured glasses or doesn't really know the place. They seem to not realise that not all people have the same tastes in lifestyle. For example, I could never live in a small village, yet so many other people love that type of lifestyle. Each to their own.

I always wonder why those who claim the place has so many faults continue to live here - although I suspect that in many cases, they don't. And the reason they remain contributors to this forum is beyond me.

[nidge]

I have the right to walk round the village, or go into town or go to the market. Go to sleep when I want , wake up when I want. I even have the right to leave Thailand if I do not like living here.

I'm free to ride my bike anywhere i chose, to play with my baby or other peoples children without being labelled ..."add any of a multitude of nasty words here", to say hello to a perfect stranger without them looking at me like a weirdo. If there is anything i cannot do that i want to do, i haven't found it yet. Many things annoy me, especially the BIB. But are these things important? Not to me.

no one hiding in my closets, they are all full of bedding and pillows incase anyone comes to visit!

[bonviveur]

I'm living in one of those cities where it's always overcast, overrated, and overpriced!

I know the feeling, it's minus 3 Celsius with a wind chill factor of minus 10.

Can't wait to join you guys one day.

[solent01]

Agree with the OP 100%, Shame CC is a wolly though!

Thailand is tops for me, love the place mak mak, love UK also but with little regard to going back.

[legag]

Bangkok?

But seriously, excuse me if I don't get too excited about Thailand, I was lucky to have come from one of the World's most beautiful, historical, cultural and important cities, so I suppose anywhere else is going to have a hard job matching it.

And where is it you're from again?

[ThaiPauly]

And this is what gives me my sense of peace every single night, the view out my front door

WOW

Never been to your beautiful island SBK, but I have a freind that spent a long time there, says its beautiful.

One day........

[Scott]

Somedays I see only good. Somedays I see only bad. It depends on what side of the bed I get up on. It was the same in my own country by the way.

I've worked and lived in many countries and I haven't found anywhere that people are really good or really bad. We're all pretty much the same. Some places are easier to live in than others, but people are pretty much the same all over.

Thanks OP, nice post for a change. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and Christmasie!

[Gary A]

I realize that it's not constructive to tell the whingers to go home. Unfortunately they make it VERY easy to be in the "If you don't like it, go home camp". Thailand is where I choose to live and I'm quite happy with the country warts and all. Liberals and politically correct people in my own country make me sick.

[chanchao]

Liberals and politically correct people in my own country make me sick.

Politically correct people in THAILAND make me sick. In my home country they can do whatever they please as I'm not there to see them do it.

[LaoPo]

Reading some of the threads that have been appearing lately has left me dishearted and slightly depressed. Are things really as bad as people make them out to be?

Is the junta really hiding in our closet, ready to take away our rights at a moments notice?

Are there really groups of Hi-so filling out "Farangs not welcome" party invitations?

Are the Thai-Chinese secretly having meetings where they discuss ways to keep "thai Thai" people from getting their fair share of the economic pie?

I live in Thailand, in a little village called Salaya. Its on the outskirts of Bangkok. I have neighbors that have some habits I don't particularly like, but we all get along ok. I work at a university where I am surrounded by Thai and international men and women, who are dedicated, friendly, outgoing, and fun. They have never treated me poorly. In fact I get "wai'ed" so much my arms feel tired at the end of the day. I have students who are kind, disciplined, hard working and a lot of fun to teach. They get in trouble from time to time, as students that age will, but we work through their problems, and learn from them.

I am married to a lovely lady, who is my best friend and a wonderful mother to our son. People on this post would describe her as "thai chinese" and yet, she is the most generous person I know with her time, energies and money. The same can be said for her family. My in-laws are decent, honorable people. They spent their whole life selling orange juice at a tiny cart in chinatown, and were able to raise 6 kids, putting 4 of them through college. These are decent, good people. These are the people that I live with and around, in Thailand. I've encountered none of the "horror stories" that many TV posts are filled with.

I have never encountered the greed, deception, or blind animosity that seems to commonplace to the rest of you. My memories and days are filled with kind friendship and camraderie.

Does this post mean anything to most of you? Perhaps not. But I felt compelled to share it anyway. I am not an optimist, as I am not a pessimist either. The bad news that seems to fill so many of you with so much anger and rage really doesn't affect me in that way, because I have so many good things in my life, that seem much more important. It seems so strange, then, to think that I am living in the same place as so many unhappy people, that fill these TV pages.

Yes...very much so !

Respect and thank you !

LaoPo

[Furbie]

Reading some of the threads that have been appearing lately has left me dishearted and slightly depressed. Are things really as bad as people make them out to be?

Is the junta really hiding in our closet, ready to take away our rights at a moments notice?

Are there really groups of Hi-so filling out "Farangs not welcome" party invitations?

Are the Thai-Chinese secretly having meetings where they discuss ways to keep "thai Thai" people from getting their fair share of the economic pie?

I live in Thailand, in a little village called Salaya. Its on the outskirts of Bangkok. I have neighbors that have some habits I don't particularly like, but we all get along ok. I work at a university where I am surrounded by Thai and international men and women, who are dedicated, friendly, outgoing, and fun. They have never treated me poorly. In fact I get "wai'ed" so much my arms feel tired at the end of the day. I have students who are kind, disciplined, hard working and a lot of fun to teach. They get in trouble from time to time, as students that age will, but we work through their problems, and learn from them.

I am married to a lovely lady, who is my best friend and a wonderful mother to our son. People on this post would describe her as "thai chinese" and yet, she is the most generous person I know with her time, energies and money. The same can be said for her family. My in-laws are decent, honorable people. They spent their whole life selling orange juice at a tiny cart in chinatown, and were able to raise 6 kids, putting 4 of them through college. These are decent, good people. These are the people that I live with and around, in Thailand. I've encountered none of the "horror stories" that many TV posts are filled with.

I have never encountered the greed, deception, or blind animosity that seems to commonplace to the rest of you. My memories and days are filled with kind friendship and camraderie.

Does this post mean anything to most of you? Perhaps not. But I felt compelled to share it anyway. I am not an optimist, as I am not a pessimist either. The bad news that seems to fill so many of you with so much anger and rage really doesn't affect me in that way, because I have so many good things in my life, that seem much more important. It seems so strange, then, to think that I am living in the same place as so many unhappy people, that fill these TV pages.

It is good that you are having such a pleasant experience in Thailand – though I find it hard to believe you have never encountered greed here; greed exists everywhere, it is a part of the human condition. May I ask how long have you lived here? I notice you are married, so I am assuming more than a year, but is it more than 5, more than 10? I have noticed that there are cycles with ex-pats, and a lot of your feelings toward life in Thailand tend to relate pretty directly to your length of time here, followed closely by some other issues such as your employment (or lack there of), your economic circumstances, your associates, and your location.

For myself, I enjoy life in Bangkok – it is relatively cheap, I have a good job with good compensation (something I can't really do in the sticks), I live close to work, I have a good circle of friends (including a limited number of close Thai friends), have a great relationship with my GF, can travel easily around Thailand and the region (a huge plus in BKK's favor, as opposed to the sticks), and enjoy much BKK has to offer (occasional shows, good restaurants, decent public transportation, good shopping). That being said, there are incredible frustrations living and working here – managing Thais is very difficult, the society is not convenient (mai pen rai is great for a vacation, but not for everyday life when you need to get things accomplished), people do try to rip me off on an astoundingly regular basis, it is crowded, noisy, and polluted, and has way too much corruption.

However, no place is perfect; so I'll stay where I am for now and occasionally whine and complain about some of the ridiculous things I see here in BKK and Thailand in general.

[sbk]

And this is what gives me my sense of peace every single night, the view out my front door

WOW

Never been to your beautiful island SBK, but I have a freind that spent a long time there, says its beautiful.

One day........

Please do visit one day ThaiPauly

Just out of curiosity, where did your friend live? There are only a few (well two or three including myself) foreigners who have lived here a really long time. Many moved home when their kids reached an age where school can be important, many got tired of the island lifestyle (it can get claustrophobic).

Anyway, back to the topic:

My life is what I make of it, and if I choose to make it miserable and negative then I guess that is what it will be. And if I choose to make it happy then usually that is what it is as well. Of course, there are outside influences (the neighbor who likes to burn just when the wind is blowing towards my house for instance) but how I choose to react to these influences is the key. The only power they have over me is the power I give them. Besides, one of our staff is waiting for the wind to change to set her own pile on fire

Sure there are cycles of living in Thailand but after 19 years I am pretty sure I've been through all the cycles

So, no rose-colored glasses here, I know what this country's warts are. I just choose to not focus solely on the negative. Helps my sanity that way

[Manchester]

I'm living in one of those cities where it's always overcast, overrated, and overpriced!

Manchester??

No on second thoughts its probably Leeds

Definately Leeds.

[ChangMaiSausage]

Nice thread

I'm sure I will eventually end up in Thailand just not sure of exactly location, fav at the moment just outside Chiang Mai though the wife is pushing for Rayong.

[chanchao]

If she's from there then that makes a lot of sense. In general it makes sense to live where your family has roots, and it could be a lot worse than Rayong, where you're within an hour's drive from the bright lights of Pattaya City.

[Thaiboxer]

Depends what part of Rayong: This province is the location of many chemical factories, so it may not be the best choice. If they want to settle out in the boonies away from all that, Rayong may not be so bad.

[chanchao]

Right, or near a beach, or near the highway to Patters.

[ChangMaiSausage]

Her parents are old and she has fallen out with her brothers and sisters so I dont think it's a family thing.

Patters is okay now and again but it would not influence my final destination.

We will be in Rayong (Klang) March next year for a few days maybe I will check the place out properly.

Every time we go to CM she likes the place more and more so I dont think she will take too much persuading .

[chanchao]

Encourage her to learn some local Chiang Mai language. Just as speaking Thai for me and for you makes a difference, Chiang Mai people love others to make the effort.