What Was Your First 3-6 Months Like?

[motoyen]

The frustrating experiences thread got me thinking about my first 3-6 months here in Thailand. For me that was the most frustrating time as much of what I had thought about Thailand turned out to be wrong. Such as, everything is dirt cheap, don't worry there are no mosquitos in the city, and everyone speaks English.

So what was your first 3-6 months like adjusting to life in Thailand? What are some of the rookie mistakes you made that you look back on now and laugh? Did you find anything here completely different than what you were told or expected?

[nasajsc]

I used to fight with everything, complain alot, now I just accept things as they are.

The major change for me, to make me able to live here and be peaceful and relax, is

to stay away from all the tourist areas and activities which have the things that piss

me off - such as people ripping you off, too many touts, too many tuk-tuks, too many

massage girls, people always trying to sell you things, drunk foreigners, bar girls, etc.

I do my shopping in Big C/Tesco/Rimping, all the prices are fixed there, no chance of

ripoff. No bargaining, no talking too much.

Eat at places which display the price clearly, or on the menu, so there is not too

much talkng about how much stuf costs.

I bought a new car, so dont every have to deal or talk to taxis or tuk-tuks. Dont

have to use buses or trains, so dont get annoyed dealing with the locals, and being

overcharged grossly.

I dont drink beer, so I dont go to bars, so dont have to listen to sorry drunks telling

me their life story. I did this for the first few months, and realised, you cannot really

learn anything from a guy that spends his whole life drunk on a bar stool.

Stay away from all the sex industry, all the girly bars and massages, so I dont get treated

like an ATM, and dont get ripped off.

Once you get away from all the tourist stuf, and all the dirty stuf (sex industry), chiang mai

and thailand is an awesome and very nice, and quite a cheap place to live.

[eTiMaGo]

I used to fight with everything, complain alot, now I just accept things as they are.

The major change for me, to make me able to live here and be peaceful and relax, is

to stay away from all the tourist areas and activities which have the things that piss

me off - such as people ripping you off, too many touts, too many tuk-tuks, too many

massage girls, people always trying to sell you things, drunk foreigners, bar girls, etc.

I do my shopping in Big C/Tesco/Rimping, all the prices are fixed there, no chance of

ripoff. No bargaining, no talking too much.

Eat at places which display the price clearly, or on the menu, so there is not too

much talkng about how much stuf costs.

I bought a new car, so dont every have to deal or talk to taxis or tuk-tuks. Dont

have to use buses or trains, so dont get annoyed dealing with the locals, and being

overcharged grossly.

I dont drink beer, so I dont go to bars, so dont have to listen to sorry drunks telling

me their life story. I did this for the first few months, and realised, you cannot really

learn anything from a guy that spends his whole life drunk on a bar stool.

Stay away from all the sex industry, all the girly bars and massages, so I dont get treated

like an ATM, and dont get ripped off.

Once you get away from all the tourist stuf, and all the dirty stuf (sex industry), chiang mai

and thailand is an awesome and very nice, and quite a cheap place to live.

well said Though you seem pretty intent on insulating yourself from people, local and foreign?

Even the outskirts of Bangkok are relatively pleasant, away from the hustle and bustle, but still in reach.

Personally I was 9 years old when we moved here, so in a way I grew into it... Though I did not speak a word of English at the time, and went to an american international school, so that was my hardest adjustment!!!

Edited January 21, 2010 by eTiMaGo

[nasajsc]

well said Though you seem pretty intent on insulating yourself from people, local and foreign?

Even the outskirts of Bangkok are relatively pleasant, away from the hustle and bustle, but still in reach.

Personally I was 9 years old when we moved here, so in a way I grew into it... Though I did not speak a word of English at the time, and went to an american international school, so that was my hardest adjustment!!!

Isolating myself yes, but only from things that irritate me.

I actually enjoy mountain biking, really good in Chiang Mai, do that with a group of people.

Also am part of the photography club, so that has some activities.

Plus study thai, so that keeps me busy, also have a few friends at the village, but all are

family people, most dont go out, but gather at the house at the moobahn. Life is simple & quiet.

For me the key is doing those activities you enjoy, and not spending time or in situations

that make you stressed, for me its people trying to rip me off, so I stay out of the touristy

places.

Edited January 21, 2010 by nasajsc

[MrHammer]

My first 6 months here were great. I studied in university, traveled, partied it up with young Thai chicks in RCA and didn't have to worry about money. Not having to deal with the riff raff and rip offs was cool and I was in a sort of semi delusional 'Thailand is paradise' state. As always, actually having to work for a living isn't as cool, particularly in this country which seem to do it's best not to employ anyone with actual skill besides being white and speaking English.

[needforspeed]

My first 6 months where the same as a child just try to walk, struggling, falling and crying(complaining).

At this time i can walk, run and climb mountains.

[Jaydillon]

I used to fight with everything, complain alot, now I just accept things as they are.

The major change for me, to make me able to live here and be peaceful and relax, is

to stay away from all the tourist areas and activities which have the things that piss

me off - such as people ripping you off, too many touts, too many tuk-tuks, too many

massage girls, people always trying to sell you things, drunk foreigners, bar girls, etc.

I do my shopping in Big C/Tesco/Rimping, all the prices are fixed there, no chance of

ripoff. No bargaining, no talking too much.

Eat at places which display the price clearly, or on the menu, so there is not too

much talkng about how much stuf costs.

I bought a new car, so dont every have to deal or talk to taxis or tuk-tuks. Dont

have to use buses or trains, so dont get annoyed dealing with the locals, and being

overcharged grossly.

I dont drink beer, so I dont go to bars, so dont have to listen to sorry drunks telling

me their life story. I did this for the first few months, and realised, you cannot really

learn anything from a guy that spends his whole life drunk on a bar stool.

Stay away from all the sex industry, all the girly bars and massages, so I dont get treated

like an ATM, and dont get ripped off.

Once you get away from all the tourist stuf, and all the dirty stuf (sex industry), chiang mai

and thailand is an awesome and very nice, and quite a cheap place to live.

^^

Very good reply my thinking is the same and so far so good.

[phetaroi]

I used to fight with everything, complain alot, now I just accept things as they are.

The major change for me, to make me able to live here and be peaceful and relax, is

to stay away from all the tourist areas and activities which have the things that piss

me off - such as people ripping you off, too many touts, too many tuk-tuks, too many

massage girls, people always trying to sell you things, drunk foreigners, bar girls, etc.

...

I bought a new car, so dont every have to deal or talk to taxis or tuk-tuks. Dont

have to use buses or trains, so dont get annoyed dealing with the locals, and being

overcharged grossly.

I dont drink beer, so I dont go to bars, so dont have to listen to sorry drunks telling

me their life story. I did this for the first few months, and realised, you cannot really

learn anything from a guy that spends his whole life drunk on a bar stool.

Stay away from all the sex industry, all the girly bars and massages, so I dont get treated

like an ATM, and dont get ripped off.

Once you get away from all the tourist stuf, and all the dirty stuf (sex industry), chiang mai

and thailand is an awesome and very nice, and quite a cheap place to live.

Interesting post. Myself...entering my 8th month here. I guess I was well enough prepared that nothing has really surprised me that much. Over 20 years my almost yearly visits were often for 7 weeks at a time and I often stayed at a flat, rather than a hotel. While that didn't make me an expert, it also eliminated a lot of the surprises one might find when one starts living here.

I don't stay away from the tourist area or hang out in it. If I want to spend a day doing that sort of thing, I do. The best thing I ever learned language-wise was "MAI OW!" 95% of the time, that stops the touts dead in their tracks. And when it doesn't, I stop, face them, look them right in the eye with my finger raised and repeat, "Mai Ow." Never failed yet.

We are getting ready to buy a car, but it's not a case of steering clear of the locals, in fact, I find mingling with "the locals" to be much of the fun here. But, as with home, it's for convenience and trips out of the city...not the everyday little stuff.

Not that I was a good boy in my younger years, but I too stay away from the bars and Soi Cowboy and Patpong. Nothing their that I find that interesting or endearing, and it seems like many of the things guys complain about in these forums happen in just those places. There's lots more to life than bars...as my father never quite realized, despite loosing his whole family. I guess I learned from his mistakes.

Are there things that frustrate me? Sure. But so far they are little things that are best put aside. That Thais aren't as aware as westerners about not walking in front of others or not staying in line...that sort of thing. But I'm getting over that. On the other hand, I can afford a maid two days a week! :-) Is everything cheap...absolutely not...but I am saving far more almost every month than I ever did at home in the States.

Bottom line. Am I glad I retired here? After 8 months yes. Never a boring day unless I choose for it to be boring, and that certainly wasn't true back home. Here, if I want to travel upcountry for a few days, I can afford the better hotels...back home it was a stretch. At age 60...time for the last chapter (?) to be something different...and Thailand provides that.

[mca]

I've become quite blase about things that would have me shitting myself back home. A few years ago a drunk guy speeding the other way on a motorcycle fell off right in front of my car and I rode straight over him. Both axles. I really couldn't have cared less if he was dead or alive. Genuinely my only thought was that I was going to be late for dinner.

[needforspeed]

My first 6 months where the same as a child just try to walk, struggling, falling and crying(complaining).

At this time i can walk, run and climb mountains.

Forgot something:

And after 20 years sometimes still struggling and complaining (little bit).

[PattayaParent]

Complete opposite to you.

When I came here I didn't like Thailand from my previous visits when I was passing through.

I arrived with no intention to stay, I was just passing through again to say hello to a mate I'd worked with in Saudi.

2 days later I was working for the same company as my mate and living in Minburi and I fell in love with the place and decided to stay, that was 1994.

[Nio]

Being able to accept Thailand and that things are the way they are

You cannot change Thailand, once you accept that things are the way they are, you will fit in just fine

Thailand is quite a different place away from the tourist traps and a wonderful place to live

Living in a place where the locals actually like farangs is quite different that dealing with getting ripped off every day

There are always nicer beaches, nicer places to get away to that are not tourist traps

That is the magic of Thailand

Once you have a vehicle and can drive here, there is a whole world to be discovered outside of touristville

[thaimate]

Although we live in Pattaya(the outskirts) i find that when my wife and i walk around its like the touts know your not a tourist and very rarely do we get bothered ,i rarely go to bars at night ,but again the girls can smell out a tourist and dont have a lot of interest in expats(we know to much),ive only been ripped off twice and one time was by another expat,so all in all not a lot of problems and of course when driving your not always worried about speed cameras ,plod or traffic wardens.

[Loz]

I've become quite blase about things that would have me shitting myself back home. A few years ago a drunk guy speeding the other way on a motorcycle fell off right in front of my car and I rode straight over him. Both axles. I really couldn't have cared less if he was dead or alive. Genuinely my only thought was that I was going to be late for dinner.

Hand on heart, I have mixed feelings about this one...

I'm not saying I admire it..... but, I understand

[mca]

I've become quite blase about things that would have me shitting myself back home. A few years ago a drunk guy speeding the other way on a motorcycle fell off right in front of my car and I rode straight over him. Both axles. I really couldn't have cared less if he was dead or alive. Genuinely my only thought was that I was going to be late for dinner.

Hand on heart, I have mixed feelings about this one...

I'm not saying I admire it..... but, I understand

I'm certainly not proud of my feelings loz and if the accident had been my fault at all I'd have felt awful. This guy was coming full pelt through a market area mashed to the tits with people everywhere.

My thoughts are a lot of the folks here drive without giving a flying fuc_k about anybody else. They simply couldn't care less. I certainly aren't going to waste my time giving a flying fuc_k about them. I feel that strongly about it.

[nasajsc]

I'm certainly not proud of my feelings loz and if the accident had been my fault at all I'd have felt awful. This guy was coming full pelt through a market area mashed to the tits with people everywhere.

My thoughts are a lot of the folks here drive without giving a flying fuc_k about anybody else. They simply couldn't care less. I certainly aren't going to waste my time giving a flying fuc_k about them. I feel that strongly about it.

good one, i agree, having a car, i just plough through any stupid bike drivers, they generally move aside - when i ride a bike,

i stay to the left slow lane, and keep out the way of cars.

[hawthorne]

After reading reply after reply on TV I am not sure why anyone has stayed over three months!!!!

Ok yes a percentage do like it and have fond comments but overall it is negative to a new member such as myself.

Hey I love Thailand but I have never been robbed, shot, ripped off to bad, or all these other bad experiences but they happen in every country if you venture to the wrong neighborhood. Most of the people I see posting have a limited income and that puts you in the lesser desired places with more crime. Same for any country.

[Ulysses G.]

After reading reply after reply on TV I am not sure why anyone has stayed over three months!!!!

They don't like Thai sexworkers. They don't like bars. They don't like food carts. They don't like 7/11s. They don't like modernization. They don't like Thai people.

They come here because it is "cheap" and then they whinge and moan all day, every day because they don't like anything and it is not cheap enough.

I don't understand why people who do like it here keep telling them to... I'm not supposed to say that, am I?

[IanForbes]

I've got the best of both worlds. I spend 5 months in Thailand and 7 months in Canada. I DO go to Thai bars, but I never go to bars at home. Many of the bar girls are my personal friends. I always have a good time and they don't rip me off. I can stay in a nice Thai hotel in Chiang Mai for less than my electricity bill back home in Canada. I can eat Thai food prepared in Thai cafes for less than it costs me to buy food at home... or at least the same amount. I ride a motorcycle in Thai traffic and kind of enjoy it. It's dangerous I know, but it's like a real live video game. I travel around the country hiking, fishing and taking photos. I only contribute to thaivisa because I enjoy a few of the crowd here. I am an outdoor writer and a book illustrator, so that keeps my creative side operating. I'll keep doing it until I can no longer get around. Then I'll sit in my rocking chair with a big smile on my face from all the great memories.

[kurtdhis]

Thailand was the first country, in all of the countries that I have lived in around the world, that I ever experienced culture shock.

[kikoman]

I did not come here with many expectations, and my female traveling companion, told me She thought I would never leave Thailand.

I found an old mans paradise, beautiful women, cheap booze, cheap prices and my companion, despite her young age had been to Thailand many times, and showed me what to avoid, what to eat, where to shop, massage parlor that actually gave massages. She stay in Pattaya with me for 12 days, when she left to attend Dive School in Vietnam I was well schooled on Pattaya, I had a lot of fun with beautiful young women, drinking and fighting (after New years)

I was drunk and became involved, in a fight with four Thais, I at 65 years of age held my own, until I was stabbed in the arm by one of the Thais, then my being drunk went away, as I am on heart medication, one being Warfarin that dose not let my blood clot, I did not know how bad the cut was, and realized the fact that I could bleed to death, I fought my way down Soi 8 towards Beach rd., when a couple of farangs came out of a bar and the Thais ran. The stab wound was not bad (14 stitches) at the local hospital.

That made me realize that the life I was living had run its course, it was no longer fun, I went to mini Siam where my future wife worked and met her there, when we started going together, I had her quit her two jobs, day job cleaning lady at a hospital and in the evening working at Mini Siam as a cashier.We moved to Sattahip. Then to the village life in central Thailand.

Now I live a very quite life in the village. I do not regret running wild for the 1st year I was here, I needed to get that out of my life and I did.

I Never blamed the Thais for the fight, I was responsible for at less half of the incident that started it.

Cheers: