Are You Happy In Thailand

[Mobi]

Simple question, are you happy in Thailand ?

If not, why do you stay here ?

i can't say i am happy in Thailand. my reason for staying here is that i would be very unhappy making the taxman in my home country happy

But doesn't the knowledge that if you didn't live here you would be very unhappy making the taxman happy bring on a state of happiness by living here and making the taxman unhappy?

[ilyushin]

OP, I am happiest when I am in Thailand. I love everything, but Thailand bashers and Thai drivers.

I also hate hearing and seeing all these negative Thai this and that. Go to the promised land and don't stay in Thailand.

[MonkeyHouse]

OP, I am happiest when I am in Thailand. I love everything, but Thailand bashers and Thai drivers.

I also hate hearing and seeing all these negative Thai this and that. Go to the promised land and don't stay in Thailand.

But thailand is the promised land.

[Samuian]

As there can't be anything perfect while searching for the perfect - I'll stay because I think: "How much better it can get!"?

18 years, gone through a lot up AND downs and still going strong - happy all along!

:Stop the mind comparing all the time and asking too many questions!

[siamamerican]

You have those that complain about others, those that laugh at themselves and others, those that thing their sht doesn't stink ... The myriad of personalities is why this forum works and the OP posts so often. Maigo6, what would you do without the Thai bashers? Personally, I have little issue with the title “farang”, double pricing, visa rules, complaining farangs, bar girls, sex tourists, ...

I enjoy that we all can't get along. It is a semi-free forum where some can make idiotic posts and these posts seem to garner more interest from members. hel_l, I make some of the stupid posts – less so, I hope, the last 4 months of not drinking the hard stuff.

[autonomous_unit]

I've been here a while, and have decided it doesn't really suit me. For my wife, I moved here. If she didn't have to be here, I would not feel any desire to return at all. In fact, if I hadn't fallen in with her, I probably would have never considered traveling to SEA a first time!

I do feel like I've grown and changed a lot here, but I'll never be sure how much that was due to Thailand and how much it was just due to aging from 29 to 34 years or living (anywhere) abroad! I've also learned that I could handle being an expat, but I don't much like the tropics nor the developing-nation vibe for my home environment.

Unlike some of the folks here, I never felt any real hatred for the western life we left, even with plenty to criticize there as well...

Just recently, I've taken a new US job and am now drafting plans for the family extraction. Who knows where it will take us in the long term...

[Jingthing]

Prepare to groan: Happiness is not a destination, it is a journey, and when you feel it, it is temporal.

I don't recall being asked to suspend my critical thinking abilities at BKK.

[Maigo6]

I'm quite happy living out in the boonies, BUT once in a while some farang comes along and forces me to get TOO happy then I suffer the next day. (OP)

Yes Gary, it was a good time, I had a bit of a sore head the next day too!

[Maigo6]

My suspicions are right - There are more posts griping on about people complaining about Thailand than there are actual posts of people complaining about Thailand.

In no small part due to Maigo6's sterling efforts on this front - Surely the board's champion whinger about whingers...

Methinks a man who is truly happy with his own life won't be too bothered about other people's complaints.

So you're not too happy with your own life then, as you are whinging about me whinging about the whingers. Get back in the Sand GH.

Edited July 30, 2008 by Maigo6

[Mobi]

My suspicions are right - There are more posts griping on about people complaining about Thailand than there are actual posts of people complaining about Thailand.

In no small part due to Maigo6's sterling efforts on this front - Surely the board's champion whinger about whingers...

Methinks a man who is truly happy with his own life won't be too bothered about other people's complaints.

So you're not too happy with your own life then, as you are whinging about me whinging about the whingers. Get back in the Sand GH.

If I recall correctly, the estimable GH doesn't live in LOS.

So maybe he is indeed unhappy.

So maybe he has a right to whinge about you whinging about the whingers?

Or maybe not

[TheDon]

My suspicions are right - There are more posts griping on about people complaining about Thailand than there are actual posts of people complaining about Thailand.

In no small part due to Maigo6's sterling efforts on this front - Surely the board's champion whinger about whingers...

Methinks a man who is truly happy with his own life won't be too bothered about other people's complaints.

So you're not too happy with your own life then, as you are whinging about me whinging about the whingers. Get back in the Sand GH.

If I recall correctly, the estimable GH doesn't live in LOS.

So maybe he is indeed unhappy.

So maybe he has a right to whinge about you whinging about the whingers?

Or maybe not

Doesnt he live in Iraq or something? I bet he must love it there

[Familyonthemove]

Isn't it just the nature of expat web sites? There will be more posts from people with problems than people posting to say how great everything is.

It's a bit like asking why there's so many drunks at an AA meeting.

We've just moved from Bombay - which has great people but hopeless infrastructure, shameful politics and a serious monsoon ..... so Bangkok looks good to me ..... so far.

Edited July 30, 2008 by Familyonthemove

[intumult]

Happy nights in Thailand but the days are unhappier.

Now, if you could turn day into night then I would be happy in the day and unhappy in the night and I would still stay here. Better than many other places

<--- is sober

[wolfmanjack]

I have to admit there are things that i miss about home like snow skiing, fishing and hunting. Camping in the mountains without worrying about getting eaten by the bugs.

There are many things about thailand that i like also so the best scenario for me would to be able to spend my time in both places but my finances do not allow that. Even if my finances did my children's schooling would not.

Since i am in thailand with no chance to get away i do complain about some things like the way the workers disappear during rice harvest season when I have orders that have to be done. The way thai drivers endanger my children's life by running red lights. There are many things that it is justifiable to gripe about. Here is my whine for the day. A side street that enters the main road to my kids school had a stop sign placed on it. The thais tore it down. It was replaced and tore down again. Then a mirror was put up so the traffic could see each other and it was broken. Today i was almost hit by some moron that did not slow down or look while entering the main road at a high rate of speed. These are legitimate things to whine about and what better place to do it than on a thread about anti whining? Where is WEHO ????

[Seneque]

I was so happy here ...

Then i met a girl ...

Then she met this bloke ...

Then i met another girl ...

I am so happy now ...!

[Doza]

Can you imagine a Thai forum for Thai expats or students in say, UK, USA, Aust. Where Thais get together to talk about the lack of decent som tum, the overbearing rules, the visa issues, the impoliteness if farangs, the language issue, the crime, the expense, etc etc.

How many Thais do you think get on that forum and chastise other Thais for complaining about the place and demand they shut up or go home (back to Thailand) if they don't like it???? How many do you think get on and whinge about their fellow Thais who whinge about farangland???? I am guessing about zero (if there ever was such a forum).

Why do some people hold this country so precious???

When you come up against stupid sh*t anywhere in the world, its natural to complain / vent / comment about it whether its your country of birth or not.........

[Newbee]

Lots of fruits - love it

Lots of pretty girls - hate it

Lots of seafood - love it

Bad air - hate it

Golf - love it

Traffic - hate it

etc etc

[BSJ]

Hi folks, it's really unfair to answer a question like this without all the variables accounted for.

Age - young, middle aged & old

Income - still working, retired

Status - single, married, divorced

Sex - yes, no, sometimes

Wants - friend, companion, partner, wife, lover, all

Wealth - have money, have income, have superannuation

Add more if you want!

[Poottrong]

Yes I am and no I wouldn't.

[Lancelot]

i can't say i am happy in Thailand. my reason for staying here is that i would be very unhappy making the taxman in my home country happy

An honest man

Edited July 30, 2008 by Lancelot

[garro]

I am happy here, but I'm sure that I could be equally happy in my home country - so long as my family was there. I have made a life in Thailand though and this seems to be where life wants me to be. No place is perfect, but I believe you can make them a whole lot worse if you focus on the bad stuff.

[ade100]

As George from Seinfeld once said: “If you haven’t got anything bad to say about a relationship, you shouldn’t say anything at all”

:-)

[ThaiPauly]

I have just returned from a trip to the UK.

Frankly I would not bother to go back if it was not for visiting my family.

As Garro said....no place is perfect, but IMHO this place is more perfect than that one

[toptuan]

I like to think that I educate the locals by griping.

Have you ever wondered why the locals stick carrots in their ears?

[aehn]

Simple question, are you happy in Thailand ?

Yes, very much so.

[faranglandoz]

Simple question, are you happy in Thailand ?

If not, why do you stay here ?

I only ask this because so many posters are so negative about Thailand, I wonder what the fawk they are doing here, or even if they are here at all.

Surely if one was so unhappy in Thailand and had a Ticket out, then one would not stay in Thailand, did not many Farangs leave their own countries for Thailand cos they thought it was better ?

I cannot understand the constant complaining and whinghing about Thailand from people who have a choice where they live, and they choose to live in Thailand !

Yet they want it to be like the country they left.

I think Thailand is great place. I have been living here about a year now, after numerous short stays.

The only complaint I have is the instability of any government. Thailand could be a far more prosperous country if the population did'nt try to remove a government because they don't some policies. I don't think any other country in the world would tolerate all the inconviences that minority groups impose on the people, ie shutting off roads for months at a time.

Anybody who was thinking of if investing in Thailand will now have other thoughts. These people, who like to think they are patriots, and try to cause as much chaos as they can, only have personal agenders, and don't give a hoot about Thailand.

faranglandoz

[samskywalker]

If not, why do you stay here ?

I only ask this because so many posters are so negative about Thailand, I wonder what the fawk they are doing here, or even if they are here at all.

Surely if one was so unhappy in Thailand and had a Ticket out, then one would not stay in Thailand, did not many Farangs leave their own countries for Thailand cos they thought it was better ?

I cannot understand the constant complaining and whinghing about Thailand from people who have a choice where they live, and they choose to live in Thailand !

Yet they want it to be like the country they left. [/qI think Thailand is great place. I have been living here about a year now, after numerous short stays.

The only complaint I have is the instability of any government. Thailand could be a far more prosperous country if the population did'nt try to remove a government because they don't some policies. I don't think any other country in the world would tolerate all the inconviences that minority groups impose on the people, ie shutting off roads for months at a time.

Anybody who was thinking of if investing in Thailand will now have other thoughts. These people, who like to think they are patriots, and try to cause as much chaos as they can, only have personal agenders, and don't give a hoot about Thailand.

faranglandoz

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I'm not a philosopher, just a retired academic. I came to Thailand 19 years ago for a visit to help start an orphanage with a group of US military retirees. I was only here 2 weeks and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can back later on a vacation and through a friend met my Thai wife. That was also nineteen years ago. We visited here several times a year for the first 9 years and then we came out here to stay 10 and a half years ago. I secured work as a teacher in the local university and taught there for 8 years. Now I am retired so I do whatever I want when I want within limits, budget allowing etc. I do remember reading about Baron LeRouchefecauld who once said, "You will never find happiness anywhere until you first find it in yourself." There are lots of things to complain about but it does not avail much and it will only put you in a bad mood. Learn to shine in on as my dear friend Roy now deceased once said. There are far more things to be thankful for and I am thankful for being here, in spite of the traffic, corruption, the way we have to go in circles to accomplish many things. It's not heaven but it is a far better place than hel_l. Keep that in mind. Be thankful for your blessings, good health, and time for leisure. If you have too much time on your hands get involved in helping poor children by buying them a uniform for school or some school books. Emerson said that success cannot be measured in the material things you possess. I have never seen a hearse pulling a u-haul trailer. Success can be measured by improving just one person's social situation, plant a garden, serve others and in so doing you will in your time be served. Learn to be kind and kindness will follow you.