Yearning For Thailand

[howtoescape]

I arrived back from LOS 6 weeks ago after a 3 month holiday, and have been back at my desk here in not so sunny England trying to make some money to get back out in the summer.

However there hasnt been 1 hour go by since my return, that i havent longed to be back in LOS, to the point where i cant get it out of my mind.

Im early 30s and cant realistically move to Asia for 2-3 years at which point i should have qualifications to get work in Singapore/HK or at a longer shot BKK, so will have to put up with my geographical circumstances for a while yet.

Many of you out there in Thaivisa land must suffer from the same condition of longing to be in LOS.

What i would love to know is how you people have cured this problem or is it a virus that can only cured by being in the magical yet frustrating Kingdom of Thailand.

Edited March 2, 2008 by howtoescape

[dominator]

I arrived back from LOS 6 weeks ago after a 3 month holiday, and have been back at my desk here in not so sunny England trying to make some money to get back out in the summer.

However there hasnt been 1 hour go by since my return, that i havent longed to be back in LOS, to the point where i cant get it out of my mind.

Im early 30s and cant realistically move to Asia for 2-3 years at which point i should have qualifications to get work in Singapore/HK or at a longer shot BKK, so will have to put up with my geographical circumstances for a while yet.

Many of you out there in Thaivisa land must suffer from the same condition of longing to be in LOS.

What i would love to know is how you people have cured this problem or is it a virus that can only cured by being in the magical yet frustrating Kingdom of Thailand.

If I were you, I'd choose Singapore anytime. If I had the money, that's where I would live anyday.

You have the tropics, the cleanliness, the mostly law biding Singaporeans, who are far more friendly than the Thais, and you are in easy reach of the 3rd world far east asian countries for weekends/holidays.

[GuestHouse]

What i would love to know is how you people have cured this problem or is it a virus that can only cured by being in the magical yet frustrating Kingdom of Thailand.

Yep, I've found the cure - Go somewhere else and enjoy that ... better still enjoy the life you have today and start seeing Thailand as one of the good things in your life, not the only good thing in your life.

There's a whole world out there... a whole life too.

[howtoescape]

What i would love to know is how you people have cured this problem or is it a virus that can only cured by being in the magical yet frustrating Kingdom of Thailand.

Yep, I've found the cure - Go somewhere else and enjoy that ... better still enjoy the life you have today and start seeing Thailand as one of the good things in your life, not the only good thing in your life.

There's a whole world out there... a whole life too.

Fair comment, sounds like the sort of thing id say to someone with the same minor problem as the one ive described.

Only problem is for 2-3 years i am stuck in a place id sooner not be.

[GuestHouse]

I've got a friend like this back home. He did an 18 month posting in Thailand 8 years ago and has ruined his life since winging on about how he's not in Thailand - He made a mess of his life in Thailand and that is why he doesn't get posted there again - Another cause of his winging.

I just don't understand it. There is a great life to be had anywhere.

Moreover, fixing Thailand at the top of your priorities / as your only priority removes a host of choices and options in life.

You are in your early thirties, the time of life when you can earn good money, save for the long future ahead and have the flexibility to move and fit in almost anywhere. Make the best of it.

Don't waste the best years of your life wishing life away.

If you are single there is no excuse for spending two or three years doing something you don't want to do - Get up and do something else - That might be Thailand - I'd advise you look elsewhere to broaden your outlook/options - but that's only my way of looking at it.

[BigSnake]

Yes, but not easy, this is a fun fun place. stop trying come back soon my friend.

[lazeeboy]

live in thailand for a year open a business ,see all the red tape ,jump thru the hoops,that will cure or kill you

[GuestHouse]

Yes, but not easy, this is a fun fun place.

Indeed a fun place it is, of that there is no denying, and a great place to spend money, but it’s a tough place to earn it.

There's a few hundred thousand farangs living in Thailand - how many make a decent living there I wonder?

(By “decent” I mean, one that keeps them now and allows them to save enough to keep them for the future)

[howtoescape]

Moreover, fixing Thailand at the top of your priorities / as your only priority removes a host of choices and options in life.

You are in your early thirties, the time of life when you can earn good money, save for the long future ahead and have the flexibility to move and fit in almost anywhere. Make the best of it.

Don't waste the best years of your life wishing life away.

If you are single there is no excuse for spending two or three years doing something you don't want to do - Get up and do something else - That might be Thailand - I'd advise you look elsewhere to broaden your outlook/options - but that's only my way of looking at it.

Thailand isnt the only goal i am realistic enough to think i would never get decent work there, though Singapore and HK are both places i like a lot and are realistic targets due to better employment prospects.

I currently run a business and make ok money (was better before) so I have to be here, though the job itself is mindnumbing (estate agent). I am studying to become a tax consultant which in 9 months means i will start a new career. However all the best jobs are in London so i will have to stay here for another 2-3 years, IMO London is one of the worst major cities in the world though i do see it as a sacrifice for my future prospects of moving to SE Asia.

I agree to pine for somewhere you are not isnt a good idea, but the lifestyle in LOS or SE Asia that i enjoy and aspire too is something that is hard not to crave for, and cant be replicated where i am.

Furthermore i maybe on the turn, in that i am now prefering Asian ladies over English girls, which is another thing i need to get out of my system.

Edited March 2, 2008 by howtoescape

[zorro1]

Why not open a Real estate agency In Thailand ?

[garro]

As John Lennon said; 'life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans'.

I would advise that you don't put all your hopes into moving to Thailand.

It's just another place with good and bad.

Good luck anyway.

[howtoescape]

Why not open a Real estate agency In Thailand ?

I want to get out of this business, as i need something that will test me and get the old brain ticking over again. The joke about the estate agent not looking out of the window in the morning as it gives him nowt to do in the afternoon is true.

Besides the developers i work with in England cant be trusted to pay, id presume its worse in Thailand.

Tax consultancy seems to be a challenge and big bucks can be reached in just a few years and tax havens are generally nice sunny places to live.

[enyaw]

You've got to knock these 3 month holidays to LOS on the head, concentrate on your 3 year plan.

[jingjoe]

Good advice above, 3 years will pass quickly. Your new obsession should be putting everything into place that needs attention over the next 3 years, so you're not delayed (including a fall back plan for if/when things don't work out).

Stop daydreaming about LOS, and get on with it or you'll be 40 and still not in a position to "have a crack".

[actiondell4]

Its sounds like you are bored with your life.

The "excitement" you had on your 3 month vacation in Thailand will not be the same as when you live there.

I too just had 3 months in Thailand and by the end of it i was bored,longing for something to do each day instead of the same thing.

Are you missing a Thai girl? The thing is you need to get yourself a "life" where you are,and i dont mean that with sarcasm but it seems you are bored,you do not feel excited,but you think living in Thailand will somehow give you that "buzz opf excitement" everyday and somehow change your life and make you happy.

You know theres probaly a lot of older retired expats 65yo plus on this forunmwho would love to be your age again and spend the time in London to make the money to live in Thailand.

Get yourself a life,go to the gym,start trying to meet Thai and asian girls in London,get yourself into fitness and make goals,stop being bored ,you have plenty of time to move to Thailand.The grass is not going to be grreener,maybe you are lonely,so go out and meet people,join a social group,do something instead of feeling sorry for yourself.

Remember theres british expats in Thailand now that dont want to be there,why dont you write them letters,they are sitting in Bang Kwang maximum security Jail in Bangkok.

Sorry to be cruel to be kind,but stop feeling sorry for yourself,stop feeling bored and depressed and pick yourself up .

The ironic thing is,once you move to Thailand i think you will get bored there too and want to go back to London.

[wasabi]

Howtoescape I was in the exact same position. I too am early thirties, and always pining for LOS. However I too came up with a 3 year plan, 3 years ago! I am now a mere 3 months from acting on my dream. Throughout this time I have steadfastly saved money, worked hard to get promotions to accelerate those savings and studied Thai. I have no illusions that Thailand is a tough place for guys our age to find a career but I have a plan A, B and C. Singapore is plan B, and coming back is plan C. I'm not exactly sure how it is all going to shake out. But I have enough saved and have made enough contacts in Thailand to give it a good run. If you feel this way I suggest you figure out what you need to do to get over there. Most likely you will have to sacrifice a decent salary but you may find that's not such a big sacrifice after all.

[Captain Chaos]

1. If you have a solid business plan to work for yourself - make Thailand your plan A

2. If you plan to work for someone else, then 9 times out of 10 I would advise making Singapore (or HK etc) your plan A - the work opportunities and level of remuneration are far higher than in Thailand these days and you're close enough for regular weekend jaunts to the kingdom

3. If you want to seriously stash some dosh and you don't need to be within a couple of hours flying time of Thailand for family/wife/GF reasons, then listen to Guest House's advice and look at working somewhere like the Arabian Gulf where full expat packages, tax free, are still readily available - do that for 5 years and you could probably have enough $$$ to retire to Thailand?

I chose option 2 as it met my need for western levels of remuneration and satisfied MrsCC's need to be close(ish) to her family - but I may say that we gave serious consideration to option 3.

CC

Edited March 2, 2008 by Captain Chaos

[howtoescape]

Howtoescape I was in the exact same position. I too am early thirties, and always pining for LOS. However I too came up with a 3 year plan, 3 years ago! I am now a mere 3 months from acting on my dream. Throughout this time I have steadfastly saved money, worked hard to get promotions to accelerate those savings and studied Thai. I have no illusions that Thailand is a tough place for guys our age to find a career but I have a plan A, B and C. Singapore is plan B, and coming back is plan C. I'm not exactly sure how it is all going to shake out. But I have enough saved and have made enough contacts in Thailand to give it a good run. If you feel this way I suggest you figure out what you need to do to get over there. Most likely you will have to sacrifice a decent salary but you may find that's not such a big sacrifice after all.

Thats good to hear and i hope it works and that plan C is only resorted to through choice not necessity.

I will be 35 by the time my 3 year plan is up and as im fairly entrepreneurial i could get work almost anywhere with the right skills behind me, or create my own business which will happen eventually.

There is a ok bank balance behind me but id be gambling it if i moved to LOS now, 3 years isnt that long to day dream is it.

[tartempion]

Just don't think you can make money in this country.

Like I always say: buying is easy, selling is very very hard.

Thus move over here when you have money, not one day before.

And don't be that stupid to fall in love with a Thai woman day one, buy her a car day two and a house day three.

A friend of mine just lost all of it day five (including the woman that is).

He is ready to start all over though (He just left for Sweden, sell everything there -see how fast he will able to sell - and return here july -2008 the thinks...)

[howtoescape]

Its sounds like you are bored with your life.

The "excitement" you had on your 3 month vacation in Thailand will not be the same as when you live there.

I too just had 3 months in Thailand and by the end of it i was bored,longing for something to do each day instead of the same thing.

Ive had a few 3 monthers and never want to leave, though these long holidays have got to end.

Are you missing a Thai girl? .

Nope no young slim slender Thai girl waiting at western union for me at the moment.

The thing is you need to get yourself a "life" where you are,and i dont mean that with sarcasm but it seems you are bored,you do not feel excited,but you think living in Thailand will somehow give you that "buzz opf excitement" everyday and somehow change your life and make you happyYou know theres probaly a lot of older retired expats 65yo plus on this forunmwho would love to be your age again and spend the time in London to make the money to live in ThailandGet yourself a life,go to the gym,start trying to meet Thai and asian girls in London,get yourself into fitness and make goals,stop being bored ,you have plenty of time to move to Thailand..

Very true but in England these days it seems the only way people socialise is to get morbidly drunk, though i do go to the gym most nights, as it is the only thing that give me a real buzz. As for SE Asian women they are scarce here and i wouldnt want to be one of those men who hunts them down, i prefer meeting people by accident be they male or female.

The ironic thing is,once you move to Thailand i think you will get bored there too and want to go back to London.

Not sure about that there is something about Thailand that just makes you smile inside, even when youre bored in LOS all you need to do is open your eyes watch the mayhem and it soon passes.

Thanks for your post good to get anothers perspective.

Edited March 2, 2008 by howtoescape

[wasabi]

I'm not moving because of a girl either though of course girls are part of the equation, just only a part. Thailand is my number 1 dream. I will give it a year there, if I can't find a way to make a decent living I will move on to plan B and try Singapore out. If that too fails I will come back to the USA. I don't think I'll get bored in Thailand either. I know it won't be the same as on holiday which is part of the illusion and appeal for many. Once it comes time to pay the bills you've got to appreciate something more than Singha and Walking street to keep you going. Personally I love the language, food and Buddhism most. For me moving now is most definitely a gamble, but true adventure always involves a gamble. By the time it's not a gamble I'll be an old man, what fun is that?

[Jingthing]

It is the sickness. It is usually not cureable. I think you already know that.

[submaniac]

Yes, my friend, it is addictive, isn't it? What worries me is that the guys that end up jumping off the balconies...I kind of think this is how they started their plans to Thailand. You got to have a plan, and 100% have MONEY to be here. It is a cheap place to spend it, but to come by it is a little more difficult. Either work and save money to bring back, or find a way to make money while you are in Thailand.

THe way I do it is that I have law offices in the United States, doing simple stuff that I can do either in Thailand or in the states. Then I go back and live in thailand for good periods--months at a time. So I am basically bi-continental. I of course, am both a Thai and U.S. national so I don't worry about visas, and I have a house in the states and in BKK. So that's how I handle 'the urge'.

[naka]

It's about the sex ... It's always about the sex

Naka.

[TheDon]

I love Thailand, everything about it too.

I have the same thing that just makes me addicted to it, I go to other places for a holiday and think dam_n maybe we should of went to Thailand instead.

People love Thailand for different reasons, I still havent discovered why im so drawn to it yet

[kankaroo]

I think for many people like howtoescape and myself the problem is living in a country where we don't want to be. I am the opposite of a patriot and hate life in the UK. It is not my fault that I find it hard to like anything about my home country, whether it be the horrible weather, girls, insane cost of living etc etc.

However I know that after living in LOS for years it is far from perfect, but I would move there in a heartbeat if I could. And one day I will.

[garro]

I think that when you reach the stage where you have no real choice but to stay in Thailand the reality of the place hits you. I have too many commitments here now to leave easily. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but I'm not addicted to the place like I once was. A few years in Thailand tends to give you a more 'down to earth' relationship with the place, or at least it did in my case. Still there is a lot worse places in the world.

My advice to anyone coming to live here would be to not burn any bridges back home.

[GuestHouse]

I think that when you reach the stage where you have no real choice but to stay in Thailand the reality of the place hits you. I have too many commitments here now to leave easily. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, but I'm not addicted to the place like I once was. A few years in Thailand tends to give you a more 'down to earth' relationship with the place, or at least it did in my case. Still there is a lot worse places in the world.

My advice to anyone coming to live here would be to not burn any bridges back home.

I wonder though Garro, would you have believed this sage advice when you first arrived, or indeed that you yourself would one day be giving it.

I agree with your advice, I've many times given the same myself but I don't think I would have listened either those first few years.

And I think it is in the acceptance of that truth that the advice becomes even more important to a new arrival.

[pampal]

Write a book titled "Addicted to Thailand"

after you sell millions of copies, then you will have the money to move to Thailand and never work again.

[Thaiboxer]

Naka....not all of us are here for sex.

I'm in my early 30's and have lived here since 2002. My wife is Thai and we have a son. Yes, Thailand can be addictive; I've always enjoyed being here since my first visit in 1999 to see my wife before we got married. However, if you live here you'll find things a lot different than when you're on holiday. Job opportunities are very limited as most jobs are closed to foreigners. If you can't stomach Thai food, the grocery bills can be pretty high. Many frustrations surface only when you're living here. Having said that, I'm happier here than back in my home country. Somebody once said that if you're really interested in living here, take a leave of absence for a few months and try living/working here. Find yourself an apartment and see what it's like. Try teaching high school kids...if you can survive that, you can survive anything!