Tired Of Thailand

[steelepulse]

OP, have you considered Singapore? Plenty of yachting industry there and the weather is warm, not too mention it's much more first world than Phuket. I lived there for 5 years and moved to Phuket years ago, but Singapore still makes for a pleasant change when you want to get in the first world but like Asia, warm weather, and English as the main language of communication.

[grumpyoldman]

So, when a Thai crashes into you on the road, and your vehicle will not work until it's been fixed, and the Thai rings the police and because "accident not happen if farang not in Thailand" you have to pay for the damage to his car, and your own car, at very inflated prices, and also for the police to attend, you "choose not to let this bother you?"

GET REAL.

You take Phuket / Thailand for it's good, and it's bad. Yes, sorry to burst your bubble, Phuket / Thailand is like anywhere else on the planet, it has some good, and some bad.

There is nothing wrong with stating the "good" we like, and the "bad" we don't like. If the bad outweighs the good, and individual should consider moving on. If the good outweighs the bad, an obvious decision might be to stay and continue to enjoy living here.

To constantly tell yourself "it's ok, I won't let it bother me" is practicing what psychologists say is, "denial." It's perfectly ok to say you are not happy about something, but accept that you do not have the abilty to change it, and move on with your life. To say EVERYTHING does not bother you is unrealistic.

Your post starts out with a car accident, then a situation which states that a foreigner is at fault because he is in Thailand and you ask me to get real? Has this happened before, probably, but then again I know of many where the Thai driver was at fault and corectly taken care of.

Did the OP even say he was in an accident?

Are you making up a situation thus putting words in my mouth that I never stated? Please point out in my post where I say nothing bothers me.

My point is in life we all have choices, he can decide he is not happy here and move on, or take up a different atitude toward it all.

[Lost in LOS]

I get tired of it every day, but then I remember the rest of the world and how much it sucks, so I am happy again... Big city in every county is the same, small villages in most countries the same . [lets not include the arab countries since that is a totally different mindset]

enjoy and accept or leave, what other choice is there?

[sarahsbloke]

Buy a motorcycle, no problem then, park wherever you like.

Police ignore you to chase the rich people driving cars.

[kevozman1]

OP, have you considered Singapore? Plenty of yachting industry there and the weather is warm, not too mention it's much more first world than Phuket. I lived there for 5 years and moved to Phuket years ago, but Singapore still makes for a pleasant change when you want to get in the first world but like Asia, warm weather, and English as the main language of communication.

Thing is you will need plenty of ££££££££££££3 to live in Singapore at a decent

standard. Your average dude getting £600 pension sent over is not going to cut

it in Singapore.

[Jingthing]

I don't see the big deal. Thailand is just another place on the planet. People can get tired of anyplace. It's a matter of your temperament and your personal experience in the place. Move somewhere else, well, there you are, the same person.

[NamKangMan]

Your post starts out with a car accident, then a situation which states that a foreigner is at fault because he is in Thailand and you ask me to get real? Has this happened before, probably, but then again I know of many where the Thai driver was at fault and corectly taken care of.

Did the OP even say he was in an accident?

Are you making up a situation thus putting words in my mouth that I never stated? Please point out in my post where I say nothing bothers me.

My point is in life we all have choices, he can decide he is not happy here and move on, or take up a different atitude toward it all.

"Someone gets you angry driving here. You have a choice............"

If a Thai crashes into me, and I have to pay for his damage, yes, I am angry, not because of an inability to pay, but on principle. Call it what you will, racism, extortion, corruption etc, I am not happy about it, and I believe most on this forum would not be as well. This is only one example of many incidents that can effect your overall feeling of hapiness. For some, it may be the final straw for them and they will leave, for others, it may be just their first negative experience and they will cope it. It's all very subjective, and up to the individual, but, these incidents can, and do, have an accumulative effect on people, over time.

I agree with you that we all have "a choice" and I am choosing not to believe that you would never, ever, let anything "bother you" in Phuket / Thailand. :)

[stevenl]

I agree with you that we all have "a choice" and I am choosing not to believe that you would never, ever, let anything "bother you" in Phuket / Thailand. :)

I agree with you that we all have a choice, and I am choosing to believe that everything will bother you in Phuket / Thailand.

[NamKangMan]

At the moment, I love the place, but, ask me in 10 years time, I may have a different opinion. You seem to know what will happen in the future Stevenl, maybe you can tell what lottery numbers are going to win next time.

[stevenl]

At the moment, I love the place, but, ask me in 10 years time, I may have a different opinion. You seem to know what will happen in the future Stevenl, maybe you can tell what lottery numbers are going to win next time.

Didn't we talk about self reflection earlier? A pity that is still missing.

[NamKangMan]

At the moment, I love the place, but, ask me in 10 years time, I may have a different opinion. You seem to know what will happen in the future Stevenl, maybe you can tell what lottery numbers are going to win next time.

Didn't we talk about self reflection earlier? A pity that is still missing.

All I am saying is, sometimes, things bother us, and that it is ok to feel bothered by them.

I do not know one person on the planet who has had a perfect life. Things upset us. Eg. relationship breakdown, death of a friend or relative etc. It's a fact of life. We are human, we are not machines without feelings and emotions.

Now, if the things that bother us, and continue to do so, are because of the environment we choses to live in Eg. Phuket, then, it maybe time to change your environment. This would be the same even back in your home country. Also, what doesn't bother us today, may be a problem for us in the future, and vice versa.

Now, how about those lottery numbers?

[DreamRider]

pmgthailand; from where does your "other half" originate (province that is)?

I lived in Phuket for 8 years before moving to Isaan 3 years ago ... never looked back. I love coming to Phuket to hook up with mates etc as does my wife, but home is now the north-east.

I' like you, am in the yachting industry, I fly out, do 2 to 3 months, then fly home .. bliss. Phuket is not the global centre of yachting.

Don't despair; don't give up on Thailand.

As my very good friend Albert Einstein once said " A man should look for what is, not what he thinks should be"

Good Luck

[grumpyoldman]

"Someone gets you angry driving here. You have a choice............"

If a Thai crashes into me,

I agree with you that we all have "a choice" and I am choosing not to believe that you would never, ever, let anything "bother you" in Phuket / Thailand. :)

"If" starts out a hypothetical, and those can go on forever. "If this", "well if that" on and on and on.....

Your mistake Namkangman is saying that I stated nothing ever bothers me here. Please point out in my post where I said that.

What I did state is that I have a choice to have what bothers me effect my attitude. Bounces right off baby, maybe I should change my handle to grumpyoldteflonman.

Cheers, GOM

[teslawasrobbed]

Dude better you just leave instead of hanging around getting riled up about a lifestyle you obviously dont want anymore. I have been here 7 years and still love it even if it can drive you crazy from time to time, the best is not to compare it to the west as this is not the west and there are certain things you just have to accept, if you cant accept them better to leave.

[NamKangMan]

"If" starts out a hypothetical, and those can go on forever. "If this", "well if that" on and on and on.....

Your mistake Namkangman is saying that I stated nothing ever bothers me here. Please point out in my post where I said that.

What I did state is that I have a choice to have what bothers me effect my attitude. Bounces right off baby, maybe I should change my handle to grumpyoldteflonman.

Cheers, GOM

Firstly, the "if this" and "if that" has actually happened to many farang, and could happen to me, you and any other farangs on this forum. Many farang have had negative experiences on Phuket, and in Thailand, in general. Many still chose to live here, and that's fine, however, for some, they have had enough and have chosen to leave, nothing wrong with that either. Who's to say how we will feel in some years to come, except for Stevenl, he can predict the future.

So, now that you have admitted that some things bother you, the next question is, "To what degree?" You have stated that it, "Bounces right off baby" and that's a great attitude to have. I dwell in the positive, and not the negative, BUT, to state the negative simply does not exist, is not living in reality, because that would be "living in a perfect world" and we all know that doesn't exist. Just because one can deal in a health way with the negatives life throws up, doesn't mean negatives don't exist. I think Phuket has many negatives, but, currently, none that would cause me to sell up and leave.

Many farang had a positive attitude, when they first decided to live in Thailand, and now they have quite a negative view on the place, especially business owners, in my own opinion. I don't know how I will feel about Phuket years from now, and neither do you. What bothers you may bounce off today, but 5 years from now, might not bounce off at all. If we find ourselves working hard to make things bouce off us, then maybe it's time for something to change, either ourselves, or the environment around us.

[eltelboy]

"Someone gets you angry driving here. You have a choice............"

If a Thai crashes into me, and I have to pay for his damage, yes, I am angry, not because of an inability to pay, but on principle. Call it what you will, racism, extortion, corruption etc, I am not happy about it, and I believe most on this forum would not be as well. This is only one example of many incidents that can effect your overall feeling of hapiness. For some, it may be the final straw for them and they will leave, for others, it may be just their first negative experience and they will cope it. It's all very subjective, and up to the individual, but, these incidents can, and do, have an accumulative effect on people, over time.

I agree with you that we all have "a choice" and I am choosing not to believe that you would never, ever, let anything "bother you" in Phuket / Thailand. :)

Exactly right. A young Thai idiot crashed into the side of my car a few weeks back and I was immediately surrounded by hostile motorbike taxi drivers calling me names to which my wife told them to keep their mouths shut. I basically had to pay the moron who hit my car to get out of this situation as to sit parked in the middle of an intersection for hours waiting for the police to turn up is stupid. There are bad things that happen in this country so face it and people (foreigners) have a right to complain...that pathetic saying by some Farangs 'this is Thailand' onlys serves to allow more corruption, abuse, and scams as if its acceptable practice.

[pmgthailand]

I totally agree with the OP. If you can't comment on what you feel is wrong with where you live then how can you expect anything to possibly change for the better. I have a business here, employ Thai nationals and pay my taxes. I feel that this gives me right to my say as much as anyone else has. I think that this is where my problem may lie, if you cannot be optimistic that things will get better or change about the place where you live how can you possibly be happy there?

Exactly right. A young Thai idiot crashed into the side of my car a few weeks back and I was immediately surrounded by hostile motorbike taxi drivers calling me names to which my wife told them to keep their mouths shut. I basically had to pay the moron who hit my car to get out of this situation as to sit parked in the middle of an intersection for hours waiting for the police to turn up is stupid. There are bad things that happen in this country so face it and people (foreigners) have a right to complain...that pathetic saying by some Farangs 'this is Thailand' onlys serves to allow more corruption, abuse, and scams as if its acceptable practice.

[bifftastic]

I think that maybe you have hit the nail on the head! I did think that I would be happy here in Thailand. This requires some thought on my part. Thanks for the advise.

No problem, take a holiday somewhere, take time to relax and enjoy something, you'll be fine

[LivinLOS]

Phuket has many great attributes, its climate, its ocean, great dining options, international DJ's visiting, good enough hospitals, even the much complained about internet infrastructure is a blessing compared to 10 years ago or many other parts of Thailand.

But in the negative side of the column is a population of 'locals' who are often not local at all, and have come to Phuket to earn (prey) on the tourist population that visits. Without being patronizing many of these Thais, forced to travel for their work obviously also come from the poorer, less educated, more xenophobic and nationalistic, segments of thai society. As a farang, even one with some command of Thai and knowledge of local cultural systems, we will always immediately fall into the 'mark' side of the equation. Doesnt matter if you have lived there 10 years and the Thai you may come into conflict with arrived on the island last month, thats just how it works. Thailand is not a country where 'all men are created equal' and that applies to poor Thais as well as it does 'wealthy' farangs.

Of course one solution is to start walling yourself into an ivory tower, to interact as little as possible, to use the amenities, be highly insured, and try not to have interactions that can lead to conflicts. I know a few people (mostly surin villa types) who manage this quite well, but I would far rather become part of the community than encourage that kind of us and them divide. It seems to me, that people who really learn to simplify, who go more thai style, have less things to steal or get crashed into, may also manage ok (until the hammer fals ??). I know many (often older guys) who own little more than a suitcase of stuff in Thailand who enjoy that freedom.

Its about finding the balance that suits you, taking the good and minimizing the bad. Being careful to avoid those elements for whom you are a source of income to be preyed on. If your finding yourself falling into that mindset of constant anger or frustration, and your not fixed by a job or kids, travel around the region. I spend less travelling than I do living at home and travelling both reminds me of the services I like about phuket and re-affirms my faith in more normal, less tourist zone Thai attitudes.

[amyb]

instead of bitching & moaning & asking others what you should do on a forum, why not do something more conducive to your current situation? LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE

[David006]

I think you are correct in your conjecture about it being Phuket..I used to be a Yachtie there and we still return to see friends etc..by the time I have driven across the bridge I am turned into a raving expat...the only cure being copious quantities of alcohol...lol. Since we live on a farm and 7k from any village I don't see the frustrations you enumerate...most of the Thais are friendly and courteous although some probably house the usual resentments of "that rich Farang"....wish it was true lol. In spite of everything you WILL miss Thailand good or bad...good luck mate

[seaeagle]

The one sure thing is that the Thai people won't change anytime soon to adjust to you. Nor should they be expected to I suppose.

**********

And this is one of the many things that winds me up about living here. They're always moaning, looking for ways to make more baht, complaining about lack of tourists then in the same breath complaining about too many farang around ------ yet they won't change their attitude and behaviour and practices to manage these issues.

I spend time in the north, not north east, as well. Their behaviour is much the same up there - thieves and vagabonds, without any sense of community or common good. Self, self, self.

You often hear that "Thailand is for Thais". So, my answer to the original question is, "Well, they can keep it - I'm off, too"

[ExpatJ]

Seaeagle-

" And this is one of the many things that winds me up about living here. They're always moaning, looking for ways to make more baht,"

" yet they won't change their attitude and behaviour and practices"

" - thieves and vagabonds, without any sense of community or common good. Self, self, self."

You realize you have just described half the expat population living in Thailand?

Edited August 3, 2010 by ExpatJ

[Peterocket]

Seaeagle-

" And this is one of the many things that winds me up about living here. They're always moaning, looking for ways to make more baht,"

" yet they won't change their attitude and behaviour and practices"

" - thieves and vagabonds, without any sense of community or common good. Self, self, self."

You realize you have just described half the expat population living in Thailand?

LOL...probably more than half!

[moe666]

I think that you are correct, I have been to these neighboring countries and they are not as nice as Thailand, I even spent some time in Hong Kong. I'm pretty sure that it is Asia that I don't like and not just Thailand i particular! Sorry Thailand I did not mean to bash you only!!

I just can't adjust to life here in Asia and I have tried (almost 5 years) I have my own business, employ Thais and pay my taxes! It is just not for me anymore.

Please remind me of the good things here in Thailand!!

Why are you asking us, ask yourself why you thought it would be the cats meow 5 years ago and what pissed you off about the place you lived before Thailand.

[pmgthailand]

I'm waiting until February until my visa and work permit expire, then I think I will be off too. Many of my friends have already left.

The one sure thing is that the Thai people won't change anytime soon to adjust to you. Nor should they be expected to I suppose.

**********

And this is one of the many things that winds me up about living here. They're always moaning, looking for ways to make more baht, complaining about lack of tourists then in the same breath complaining about too many farang around ------ yet they won't change their attitude and behaviour and practices to manage these issues.

I spend time in the north, not north east, as well. Their behaviour is much the same up there - thieves and vagabonds, without any sense of community or common good. Self, self, self.

You often hear that "Thailand is for Thais". So, my answer to the original question is, "Well, they can keep it - I'm off, too"

[somtampet]

TO THE OP,

7years and nope.

byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Hope you find the scots ok lol

[petercallen]

Seaeagle-

" And this is one of the many things that winds me up about living here. They're always moaning, looking for ways to make more baht,"

" yet they won't change their attitude and behaviour and practices"

" - thieves and vagabonds, without any sense of community or common good. Self, self, self."

You realize you have just described half the expat population living in Thailand?

LOL...probably more than half!

Yes you are right, i cannot understand people who rubbish Thailand and Thai people on this forum.

No one is keeping them here, if they don't like living here just leave and stop whinging.

[LivinginKata]

One insulting post and the response have been removed. Any more and this topic will be closed.

[THAILIBAN]

I think that you are correct, I have been to these neighboring countries and they are not as nice as Thailand, I even spent some time in Hong Kong. I'm pretty sure that it is Asia that I don't like and not just Thailand i particular! Sorry Thailand I did not mean to bash you only!!

I just can't adjust to life here in Asia and I have tried (almost 5 years) I have my own business, employ Thais and pay my taxes! It is just not for me anymore.

Please remind me of the good things here in Thailand!!

well yes, your original post could have been indeed written by someone who lives in Malaysia too. in fact, I have read a similar post on another forum from someone who lives in Malaysia.

Some people can adjust to life in a complete different environment, some can not or do not want to, or rather want to (desperately and not successfully) change the place to be similar as their native country.

as you obviously still like your native country a lot, it might be the best solution to go back.... but then again, after a while you would probably find out that it is not that perfect there as well.....

usually people always want what they do NOT have, e.g: those single want a relationship, and those married or in a relationship want back their freedom..... such is human nature.....

but whatever your decision, CHOKDEE