'done' With Thailand And Locals But Not Wanna Leave Or Even 'stucked Here' ?

[ManilaLover]

dear mona, now that i've got you on the line...

so, living here for 10 years permanently and still not able to realize the original 70/30 plan of living here just not fulltime.

life here can have a pretty s*cking level but home (the county my passport shows) would be even worse with it's overdose of rules, regulations, laws, limitations, depressing gray skies and killing taxbills.

it's far from a qualitylife here anymore (take just that heavy smokers cough true serious airpollution even in-house) and feeling more and more like a <deleted>-am-i-doing-here stranger here in stead of fully enjoying as used to in the beginning, but 'back home' is also not an option that makes you smile of joy...

this sluggish but seriously troubled self-pre-occupied 'mai-pen-rai-everything-sabai-sabai' country just made me mentally tired, why ? did the great free spirit i once came for really left the country or did it leave me or somewhere inbetween ?

ok time for another mind resetting kick-own-ass-by-making-a-trip-abroad but all i want is just a better life, better communication, mutual understanding, cleaner air, and many many more that this country ever can offer anymore i guess...

[MJP]

Move.

Somewhere secluded.

With a big wall round it.

And big steal plated gates.

Insulate the building for sound.

Put CCTV up.

Razor wire.

Make sure it's not on a map.

Get Google to black it out on Google Earth.

Or build a Bat Cave. Like Batman's got.

You'll love here then!

Edited January 24, 2010 by MJP

[jdinasia]

Have you considered Manila?

[MJP]

Have you considered Manila?

Everywhere has it's issues. Especially right now.

Probably best to sit tight and keep costs low.

[jdinasia]

Nonsense --- (not that every place has issues ,, the other part)

If you are unhappy ... change something and don't just piss and moan about it! This isn't the same as the old saw ... "If you don't like it then go home". I mean if you are honestly unhappy, then find something that makes you happy. If it is where you live that makes you unhappy, then move. If it is your wife, then dump her. If it is your job, then change jobs!

Life is too short (and cheap) to choose unhappiness when it is something you can change.

[ManilaLover]

Have you considered Manila?

Everywhere has it's issues. Especially right now.

Probably best to sit tight and keep costs low.

agree yes, the stupid thing is inside the house surrounded by a container load of stuff from home and internet being 90% of the social and productive life it's allright... just wanna move the whole thing to another place off this insane island anyway.

[jdinasia]

island?

[barrella]

I can only explain from MPOV but I hope this brings a spring to your step after you have thought long a hard.

1 I am from the UK and when I first left the UK to go live in the US, then China now Thailand I hated every place I moved to and in some ways I do not like Thailand even now after living her for near to 10 years. What made me stay here was work and foremost my future wife. As I met her I was on my way back to the UK, Thailand had just got under my skin too much. What I learned in the forthcoming years was, where you live and your lifestyle is the people around you, friends family, work mates etc.

2 Western work ethics are so important to keep.

The day I left the west for the east, and this was worse in some parts of southern China and Thailand, the work ethic is just.... well there is not one. All sabai sabai, I am not trying to post that this is bad, it is just the way it is, but it is not my work ethic. I still work 10 hours a day but now errr in doors is next to me and we share the burden and have fun doing it. I have seen many a good man fall here and to stop this it is paramount you keep your original work ethic. Thailand is a wonderful country with equally wonderful people, you just need to see through some of the less natural things for us, that most Thai's seem to do as we are 2 different people and very different countries.

3 I would have no problem moving back to the UK tomorrow, asking me to move back to the US or China would have to involve a really big pay packet but I still would. As for the UK I would move back with the same money as I make here in Thailand no problems and I would be just as happy. Due to my work I have to talk to many expats and huge numbers of them sound like prisoners in Thailand as they feel that where they come from is so bad and they just can not go back but they hate so much about Thailand. It seems sad to me. I love my country and I left for work only.

I only hear people pointing out the bad things of there home country and the good of here and as time moves on the bad of here. Let's try it the other way around.

Thailand: Incredible heat mixed withing near to underwater levels of humidity.

UK: Cool Autumn mornings with lavish reds and browns on the trees clean crisp air that when you take a deep breath you can feel it move through your lungs.

Thailand: Rancid sweet cheap bread.

UK: Wonderful cottage loves with a bitter slightly burnt area at the bottom, with a yeasty malty flavor.

Thailand: Worst bottle beer in the world next to the US

UK: Massive selections of cask condition ales with 1000's of flavors and smells.

Thailand: Strawberries that are more expensive than liquid gold and are like sour bon's bon's from a local sweet shop.

UK: Big soft sweet bags of fruitiness that when you walk up a country path you can pick of the tree's for free.

Thailand: Wine that is more expensive than UK gasoline and that tastes near the same.

UK: Wine from around the world and good prices and amazing flavors.

I could write a book like this.

Every country has something amazing to offer you, it is just that you have to know what you like and take advantage of it.

Edited January 24, 2010 by barrella

[MJP]

Nonsense --- (not that every place has issues ,, the other part)

If you are unhappy ... change something and don't just piss and moan about it! This isn't the same as the old saw ... "If you don't like it then go home". I mean if you are honestly unhappy, then find something that makes you happy. If it is where you live that makes you unhappy, then move. If it is your wife, then dump her. If it is your job, then change jobs!

Life is too short (and cheap) to choose unhappiness when it is something you can change.

Lovely quote and very true. Just in this economy for those of us that aren't retired, it's not easy right now.

Myself, I'm making some changes right now to improve the situation.

Procrastination and stagnation are the real enemies.

[MJP]

Have you considered Manila?

Everywhere has it's issues. Especially right now.

Probably best to sit tight and keep costs low.

agree yes, the stupid thing is inside the house surrounded by a container load of stuff from home and internet being 90% of the social and productive life it's allright... just wanna move the whole thing to another place off this insane island anyway.

Which Island are you on?

[Jingthing]

Thailand: Worst bottle beer in the world next to the US

UK: Massive selections of cask condition ales with 1000's of flavors and smells.

Many very good US beers have been available for decades now. Pleeze. Agreed about Thai beers.

http://www.mensjournal.com/americas-best-beers

[barrella]

Thailand: Worst bottle beer in the world next to the US

UK: Massive selections of cask condition ales with 1000's of flavors and smells.

Many very good US beers have been available for decades now. Pleeze. Agreed about Thai beers.

http://www.mensjournal.com/americas-best-beers

Maybe I should have posted "main stream bottled beers" Edited January 24, 2010 by barrella

[Jingthing]

Thailand: Worst bottle beer in the world next to the US

UK: Massive selections of cask condition ales with 1000's of flavors and smells.

Many very good US beers have been available for decades now. Pleeze. Agreed about Thai beers.

http://www.mensjournal.com/americas-best-beers

Maybe I should have posted "main stream bottled beers"

Sam Adams beer is now mainstream, and you can get bottles. Next ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Beer_Company

[barrella]

Thailand: Worst bottle beer in the world next to the US

UK: Massive selections of cask condition ales with 1000's of flavors and smells.

Many very good US beers have been available for decades now. Pleeze. Agreed about Thai beers.

http://www.mensjournal.com/americas-best-beers

Maybe I should have posted "main stream bottled beers"

Sam Adams beer is now mainstream, and you can get bottles. Next ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Beer_Company

"Sam Adams" not a big fan as it has a metal taste like Killkenny, I do not like either.

Anyway I think we need to stop posting about this as the over zealous mod's will delete the thread as it has nothing do to with Thailand at the moment. Or we can start a new thread, "The negative impacts to Thailand due to Micro brewer bottle beer prduction in the US" then it will be ok.

[fiddlehead]

I sometimes feel the same way as the OP but then I remember a few things about back where i come from.

1st, the weather. I am an outdoors person and the weather sucks back there.

2/ the food. Last time i was there it was mostly fattening deep fried everything and I had a hard time digesting it.

3/ no smiles back there. People do smile here even if sometimes they are faked.

4/ Thailand is a much better place to raise kids. (my kid loves playing outside with the neighborhood gang) although private school is expensive and the public option is really not an option is it?

5/ Being an outdoor person, here I can go pretty much wherever I want and don't have to worry about "trespassers will be shot" signs and such.

6/ Did i mention the weather?

On the other hand, if i move back:

I can work just about any job back there and don't have to deal with work permits.

I don't have to report to immigration every 90 days and a lot more once a year.

Free school for my kid.

[samuibeachcomber]

From actively reading peoples posts about dissatisfaction with thailand it seems to me that most of the problems occur if either working here or have a business to run, or of course you've been short changed by g/f or wife.

Thailand is the perfect place,however,for retirement for the over 50's.its relatively visa friendly.And my advice(although not asked for)is to either rent or buy a condo,keep your money off shore except what you need for visa requirements/annual living expense.Buy decent health insurance.Find a good lady to live with but be careful how you dish out the money.

[ruskiehat]

Have you considered Manila?

That's what I found so funny, someone on as manilalover complaining about thailand

[Patsycat]

Strawberries don't grow on trees.

[DP25]

At least you found this forum to constantly moan on. If you have a wife I'm sure she's extremely grateful for that.

Edited January 24, 2010 by DP25

[Heng]

The walled home concept IMO gets rid of a lot of issues. That takes care of any neighbor type problems you could ever have. Then all you have to do is only go to or patronize places where you're happy with the service/environment/etc, or delegate any type of activity you don't enjoy to someone else.

The main 'stuck here/hate here' thing for foreigners (and surely plenty of locals as well) though is the 'inlaws and significant others' type problems. And well, not much you can do about that once you're neck deep, and you can take 50% of the blame for those issues right off that bat as you 'chose your own adventure.'

[wintermute]

The main 'stuck here/hate here' thing for foreigners (and surely plenty of locals as well) though is the 'inlaws and significant others' type problems. And well, not much you can do about that once you're neck deep, and you can take 50% of the blame for those issues right off that bat as you 'chose your own adventure.'

There's always the "midnight express" route where someone can quietly liquidate their important assets, sock away money into a third bank account, and then peacefully abscond to a different destination (sans wife) and start anew. Instead most expats think persisting at an unworkable social scenario will somehow come out alright in the end when it usually doesn't.

[thunder30101]

work ethic ? work is a four letter word to me. Life is not meant to be a never ending series of chasing money, relax, look around yourself and start enjoying life.

[Jeii3000]

Happiness is a state of mind. Find your passion and you'll be happy. Grey skies, rain or a sunny beach....

Just find that thing for which you wake up in the morning.

[dumball]

I did not wait as long as you to feel 'That bad ' , do as I did when I became disenfranchised with Thai , go across the border and check it out with an open mind for a month , it is for sure different . Should you not like it , at least you tried , if you think it would suit you better as I did , move your 'stuff '/sell your 'Stuff '/or just walk away from it , 'Stuff ' does not bring happiness , only a sense of contentment that you have 'Stuff ' .

You can "Pretend your happy when your blue , it isn't very hard to do "

Or "Take your hat and take your coat , leave your worries on the doorstep "

You are only on this earth for a short space of time , nothing is worth "Just putting up with " you need to get up off of your ass and do something constructive for yourself , happiness will not come looking for you . Time goes by so quickly and if you let it you will have achieved little for yourself and your own desires , make a move soon before you become too depressed to do anything worth while .

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

learn to meditate. your in the land of Buddha where everything that surrounds you is an illusion. Break free from the matrix(illusion)

If the illusion(life) was too good then nobody would want to journey inward to find infinite conscious and transcend the ego and mind.

Please no flames from Christian missonary types etc.

[barrella]

Strawberries don't grow on trees.

The strawberries here are also not more expensive than liquid gold but let's not be a pedant about it.

[DP25]

Have you considered Manila?

That's what I found so funny, someone on as manilalover complaining about thailand

Seriously, maybe he'd be more happy in Liberia

[IanForbes]

Having sex only 4 times a week with different beautiful women could make any man unhappy. Unfortunately, most men's pocketbook can't afford any more. At least it's better than once a month like when you are married.

Oh, and I agree about Thai strawberries. They are like those tasteless things from California. I know, I have a nice patch outside my kitchen door back in Canada. I pick them when they are ripe on the bush.

Yah mean there is a difference in the taste of beer? Chang at 40 baht a bottle is okay with me.

[hawthorne]

Well big guy I think you need to change something in your life. Moving is not the answer. I think you rely on outside forces to make yourself happy. You need to find joy in yourself and things you do. Create a hobby. I am sure there are things you enjoy to do or would like to do. Get off your arse and start doing.

Make a list of ten things you want to do this year you have never done. Does not have to invlove money or keep your list within a budget. Then look back on the year and see what you can do next.

Only you can make a difference..

And by the way Killkenny is my favorite beer. Not sold in the US and I could not find it in London on my last trip (did not go to all pubs either). The only one close in the US is Killians Red.

[Heng]

The main 'stuck here/hate here' thing for foreigners (and surely plenty of locals as well) though is the 'inlaws and significant others' type problems. And well, not much you can do about that once you're neck deep, and you can take 50% of the blame for those issues right off that bat as you 'chose your own adventure.'

There's always the "midnight express" route where someone can quietly liquidate their important assets, sock away money into a third bank account, and then peacefully abscond to a different destination (sans wife) and start anew. Instead most expats think persisting at an unworkable social scenario will somehow come out alright in the end when it usually doesn't.

I'd say a good % are stuck here with kids, which no matter how bitter a lot of these guys are they are still decent enough to hang around in their bucket of excrement lives to take responsibility for their offspring.

The rest IMO/IME fall into the 'have already depleted their important assets' category and are stuck here regardless. Not easy to scrape up the courage to start fresh in a new country (much less their home country) at age 40/50/60+ with just a few thousand (if that) US$/Euro etc. and no transport or real estate to their name.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Heng