Thailand The First Time.

[lional6]

How events out of your control can change your life.

I was almost ready to have a adventure in the U.S.S.R had the plane tickets, had a visa, had a bag of give-aways i.e. chocolate, music tapes, levis in slim women size, lots of US$1 notes, perfume and cosmetics. I had a phrase book and had some great pick up lines, I think you can see the plan; I was better organised than the Nazis back in 1941 and with a simular plan.

On December 24, 1979 three Soviet divisions seized control of the airfields around Kabul, as troops massed on the border ahead of a full-scale invasion. Three days later, Russian troops stormed the presidential palace, killing President Hafizullah Amin and installing former Deputy Prime Minister Babrak Karmal..

Thank you so very much you Marxist Bastards! They closed the boarders cancelled all visas. I was not happy.

My friends said forget that place, come with us on a 6 week grand tour of Asia, with the longest stay in a place called Thailand… “That’s the place with the bridge over some river” I said. No there is more than that, to see and do, you’ll have a fun time.

By the time I get to Bangkok I still have US$6,000 in my pocket back in 1980 that was a lot of money. Never saw a bridge, never saw a temple and never saw the sun for the next 3 weeks. Disneyland for Men I was to tell others. So why was this the biggest shift in the time line for me? I met my first wife, not a bargirl, not that there is any thing wrong with BG’s some of my closest and best friends have been BGs. She was a lawyer and why I met her is another story.

So that’s how I came to discover Thailand and get hooked on the big rush that it is and has to offer, the place is an addiction. Anybody else care to share their first time.

Edited February 5, 2005 by lional6

[Kananga]

10 years ago I was enroute to Australia with some friends and our flight stopped in Bangkok. We decided before we left to have a 3 week stopover in Thailand. Left after 3 weeks as planned, went to Australia and could only think about being back in Asia, then went back with increased frequency over the years until I ended up moving here. If it wasnt for that stop over I may never have come here.

[otherstuff1957]

Three years ago I was working as a salesman with a Yacht Brokerage in California. A customer walked in the door and said to me, "If you can sell my" (godawful pile of s--- ) "boat, I'll give you a round trip tick to Thailand as a sales bonus."

Six months later I was wandering around Bangkok thinking, "This is an interesting place, I wonder if I can find my way back to my hotel?" That evening I visited Soi Cowboy & Patpong for the first time - WOW! .

[joe beets]

In 1992, I had finally worked up the guts to set aside all my planning planning planning and do something bold. And probably stupid. India was my then current obsession, and after just a little more planning managed to extricate myself from two months worth of commitments to others and made one to myself - INDIA OR BUST. My doctor - a wonderful lady from Jodhpur, simply asked me, "Why do you want to go there? I puked out some nonsense about the land of the Mahabharata and about how we spent our time in school learning all about American and European history - he11, even African history was coming into vogue - but I knew virtually nothing about the home to 2/3 of the world's people that didn't come out of a fortune cookie and I wanted to start filling that vaccuum. She wasn't really trying to stop me, and could sense my determination. So with her blessing, and my folks' ambivalence, I was on my way!

Then came the storming of the mosque at Ayudhya, the random violence, the airports shutting down, a general panic setting in, and pretty soon ambivalence turned to strong disapproval, and my plans were officially BUSTO. But I did still have that two month window, a healthy stash of cash, and a hunger to get Asian, so a hastily cobbled detour to SEA was arranged, and after a short orientation in Hong Kong found myself sitting on a plane that had just landed at Don Muang and they are opening the door and I'm taking in that first steamy spooky sensuous breath of jungle air without a clue as to what was going to happen next...

I would give my left nut to have that feeling again right now.

Fast forward 10 years - and I have finally stopped planning every stupid detail and followed my bliss to my new life in Thailand, but that is for another post. Cheers all -

jb

[gburns57au]

A mate went there in mid 93 came back and showed me his pics....Now I have always had a yen for asian women but could never work out how to stay out of the bar here pissing my dough up the wall.....Saw those pics and told him I would go on the next trip, 3 months away....no passport, savings or nothing....in that 3 months I stopped going to the pub every night, got citizenship after 30+ years of being here, got my passport, saved the money for airfare, got my first credit card and got on the plane on Xmas day 93.

4 of us went there....one regular, a second tripper and 2 newbies.....after the first night, I woke early and went down on to Walking Street as it is now known....I hated it....really.

Turns out the other newbie was a druggie and he bought some dope, got ripped off by some people and got paranoid....He left after 4 days and went home, the other 2 guys were going country and I didnt fancy being left on my own so I went country too.....that changed my whole perception of things and I have been a regular ever since.

[IMA_FARANG]

A mate went there in mid 93 came back and showed me his pics....Now I have always had a yen for asian women but could never work out how to stay out of the bar here pissing my dough up the wall.....Saw those pics and told him I would go on the next trip, 3 months away....no passport, savings or nothing....in that 3 months I stopped going to the pub every night, got citizenship after 30+ years of being here, got my passport, saved the money for airfare, got my first credit card and got on the plane on Xmas day 93.

4 of us went there....one regular, a second tripper and 2 newbies.....after the first night, I woke early and went down on to Walking Street as it is now known....I hated it....really.

Turns out the other newbie was a druggie and he bought some dope, got ripped off by some people and got paranoid....He left after 4 days and went home, the other 2 guys were going country and I didnt fancy being left on my own so I went country too.....that changed my whole perception of things and I have been a regular ever since.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First came to Thailand in May 1977. I had been working for a U.S. company in Asmara, Ethiopia. Socialist government kicked americans out of Ethiopia. We were evacuated to Athens, Greece. We got all our back pay and compensation and I found myself with about 3000 dollars, no job, and time to kill. Friend of mine said."Lets go to Thailand". I had been to Vietnam before, but never to Thailand. Original plan was to spend about a month in Thailand, go on to Phillipines, then back to U.S. Stayed in bangkok for about three months, never made it to Manilla.

Finally got call from old company, had job for me in Alaska if I wanted it. By that time I needed the money. Been coming back to Thailand at least twice a year since that time. Expect to retire in Thailand (in four years at age 62).

[sua yai]

Came over to Thailand for a holiday in 1995. Alone. Stayed between Hua Hin and Cha Am. On the first night, I asked hotel reception to order me a taxi and take me into Cha Am, to restaurants and shops - I'd forgotten to bring sun tan lotion.

The taxi driver spoke no English and dropped me off in about the only, small red light area and left. I had everything with me - passport, travellers checks etc so singled out a bar where two farangs were drinking. Everyone else was Thai. Had a great night there with the Kiwis and met the cashier of the guest house/ restaurant/bar. We ended up being together for 9 years - first 3 I was back in the UK.

Although we've split up now, we always used to joke that it was the taxi driver's fault that we'd met. After all, he dropped me at the wrong place. That driver is also responsible for my living here for 7 years.

[sonthaya]

First visit early 93, on my way from Muscat in Oman to New Zealand to pick up one of my company's aircrafts from a major overhaul.

We had decided to spend two weeks in Bangkok on the way to Christchurch, checked in at the Tawana Ramada hotel just across from Patpong, coming from a Muslim country I'm sure you all can imagine the effect of all the lovely girls in Patpong, and I fell for the Thai food as well.

After getting back to Oman, I found an advertisement in a local paper, condominiums for sale in Phuket, and it didn't take many days before I was on my way to Phuket, I bought a condo and found a lovely girl, we got married before the end of the year, and we are still together here in Denmark, but soon we plan on moving to Thailand for retirement.

[theviking]

coming from a Muslim country I'm sure you all can imagine the effect of all the lovely girls in Patpong

and we are still together here in Denmark

I never knew that the denish had converted?

[Kerryd]

I was on a peacekeeping task in Croatia in '92/93. I had 10 days of holidays coming in Feb 03 and wanted to go look up old friends in Germany. I was going to rent a car at the airport in Zagreb, but realized I had forgotten my International Drivers Permit.

What to do ? Couldn't go back to the camp (bus had already left), then I saw the Lufthansa office. Went up and asked how much for a round-trip to Morocco (wanted to see "Casablanca"). Guy told me it would be 1,300 Deutsche Marks. I thought that was expensive, then I asked how much to go to Thailand. Only 1,700 !

3 hours later I was on a flight to Frankfurt, 3 hours after that I was on my way to the LOS.

Spent 3 days in Bangkok, doing the tourist thang, then a nice lady told me about Pattaya. Spent the next 6 days there before going back.

Been coming/going to Pattaya ever since, though I try and see other parts of the country each trip, time permitting.

It's kind of spoilt me though. There are other places in the world I should be visiting, but I always end up coming back here for some reason(s)

[sonthaya]

coming from a Muslim country I'm sure you all can imagine the effect of all the lovely girls in Patpong

and we are still together here in Denmark

I never knew that the denish had converted?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We haven't I was working in a Muslim country, that doesn't make me a Muslim.

[kayo]

I'd been working hard for six years while all my friends finished school and went to Uni... THen I was 21 and all these bloody students had buggered off to the four corners while I was still working stupid hours, so I said &lt;deleted&gt; it.... Took out a loan, savings and went to take a world trip.. I figured I'd start in thailand, then carry on from there....

Cut a long story short. Was absolutely horrified by the whole Kho San scene, what people my age and older were getting up to in foreign countries... etc... (I don't mean the Bar scene or any of that, just the dread, pyjama's etc... that we all know and have no respect for)

Quit travelling after just six weeks *still in LOS* , got a job, and lived in LOS for three years. Now doing the same in my second country since 2001.

[Ijustwannateach]

Was getting tired of a Filipino drama queen after a few years of taking my vacations there from Japan, and was encouraged by friends to try my luck here instead. Never looked back.

"Steven"

[Pink Mist]

what an interesting thread so far, my story is boring, came to LOS, fell in love, married and still am