Your Biggest Mistake(s) In Thailand.

[Wanraya]

I've been here over five years now, love Thailand I don't regret the move at all. However looking back there are a few things I would have done differently with the benefit of hindsight:-

1. Deciding to chill out in Pattaya for a "couple of weeks" before starting to look for a job. Those "couple of weeks" turned into five months and took a whacking great chunk out of the capital I brought over which hasn't been so easy to replace.

2. Not making more of an effort to learn the language. I'm am studying everyday now but I should have started much sooner.

3. There have been a couple of women whose smile masked a cunning deceitfulness and I wished I had never been taken in.

4.Not buying a condo at the beginning. After 5 years I must have paid over 400,000 baht in rent and have nothing to show for it.

What things with the benefit of hindsight would you have done differently?

[Neeranam]

Causing the daughter of a previous Minister of Defense to lose face was not a good career move. It was her that made the first move though.

[WhiteShiva]

Causing the daughter of a previous Minister of Defense to lose face was not a good career move. It was her that made the first move though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Come on, Neeranam - stop teasing us - what happened?

[SiamOne]

Causing the daughter of a previous Minister of Defense to lose face was not a good career move. It was her that made the first move though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Come on, Neeranam - stop teasing us - what happened?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, and names, places, what exactly happened....not that I am a gossip, you understand

[uncle paul]

biggest mistake was daring to disagree with the wife

[Neeranam]

Over 10 years ago when I was a young teacher, the ex-Minister of Defense's daughter was studying with me. She had never been on a bus or a boat or any public transport for that matter. She was picked up and dropped off by a chauffeur/minder.

She was 19 and very good looking.

Let's say that we got involved, she got forced to stop studying and I couldn't contact her again.

[chownah]

I got on the wrong bus once and boy was that a big mistake...it went someplace but not where I wanted to go!!! Once I was calling my girlfriend on a pay phone and got the WRONG NUMBER. Someone answered but I don't know who. What a waste of 2 baht!! I reallly should have known better............oh....wait....one more thing....I built a house in the north and the north really sucks but I'm stuck here in the suck infested north.....I hope none of you ever make the mistake of heading north...definitely not north....

[mrbojangles]

oh....wait....one more thing....I built a house in the north and the north really sucks but I'm stuck here in the suck infested north.....I hope none of you ever make the mistake of heading north...definitely not north....

Something tells me, i dunno, just a hunch, maybe. That, your not keen on the North chownah

Edit/spelling

Edited August 23, 2005 by mrbojangles

[Thetyim]

I got on the wrong bus once and boy was that a big mistake...it went someplace but not where I wanted to go!!!  Once I was calling my girlfriend on a pay phone and got the WRONG NUMBER.  Someone answered but I don't know who.  What a waste of 2 baht!! I reallly should have known better............oh....wait....one more thing....I built a house in the north and the north really sucks but I'm stuck here in the suck infested north.....I hope none of you ever make the mistake of heading north...definitely not north....

OMG that is terrible. I hope you have recovered now.

It must be something to do with living up north because I put my shoes on the wrong feet yesterday.

I'm sure people down south don't make the same mistakes.

[Gazza]

I got on the wrong bus once and boy was that a big mistake...it went someplace but not where I wanted to go!!!  Once I was calling my girlfriend on a pay phone and got the WRONG NUMBER.  Someone answered but I don't know who.  What a waste of 2 baht!! I reallly should have known better............oh....wait....one more thing....I built a house in the north and the north really sucks but I'm stuck here in the suck infested north.....I hope none of you ever make the mistake of heading north...definitely not north....

OMG that is terrible. I hope you have recovered now.

It must be something to do with living up north because I put my shoes on the wrong feet yesterday.

I'm sure people down south don't make the same mistakes.

The other day I put my shoes on the wrong feet too. My 10 year old looked stupid going to school in size 9 cowboy boots. I'm in north Bangkok so it must a northern thing.

My only real mistake ref Thailand was not coming here alot sooner.

[Khutan]

My biggest mistake;

Thinking I know more than old people in an Issan Village, particularly the Village Fortune Teller

[britmaveric]

Getting back on the plane at Don Muang to leave!!!

[DJ Pat]

Biggest mistake?

Not getting enough out of the fleet of uni gals and cuties that regularly pass thru my bedroom

[TRIPxCORE]

............oh....wait....one more thing....I built a house in the north and the north really sucks but I'm stuck here in the suck infested north.....I hope none of you ever make the mistake of heading north...definitely not north....

Why do I get the feeling that you're just saying this to keep more people out of the North because you like it that way?

[loong]

Why do I get the feeling that you're just saying this to keep more people out of the North because you like it that way?

I can vouch for Chownah here.

Everything is the absolute truth.

No farang could possibly like to live in the North.

Terrible place, really cold, they speak a strange language. The clean air plays havoc with your lungs.

Keep away, you have been warned

[gop ba]

Would have to be starting a company with certain expectations. Bad idea

[khall64au]

Biggest mistake?

Not getting enough out of the fleet of uni gals and cuties that regularly pass thru my bedroom

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

THEY pay YOU?

[BambinA]

Biggest mistake?

Not getting enough out of the fleet of uni gals and cuties that regularly pass thru my bedroom

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

THEY pay YOU?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

sound like a pimp

[utapaortnab]

I feel I've made 35 "mistakes" in all in Thailand. To date, I've made 35 trips (since 1971) to Thailand and I've LEFT 35 times. Now, in truth, I was NOT able for one reason or another to "retire" in Thailand until 1995 but for sure should have stayed then instead of continuing to make trips back and forth to the U.S.

Now, on Sept 29th my Thai wife Rattana and I will be departing San Antonio for good and after living stateside for the past 10 years, we'll be making this trip ONE WAY. We'll be retiring for good in Chiayaphum Village II but will only be spending two weeks/month there (although using her home there as our "permanent address") and plan to travel throughout Thailand the other two weeks to wherever we decide at the spur of that moment.

I'd like to "suggest" that all who read this avoid all the "mistakes" I've made and do whatever it takes to move to Thailand permanently (except for constant whiners, who are not happy anywhere of course).....lol

Ken

[x-pat]

Biggest mistake?

First one: Starting a company with the wrong Thai partners. Sank a couple of Mio BBB into the Thai entrepreneurial ocean.

Second one: In my 12 years in BKK I spent more than 5 Mio in rent. Could have bought a nice property for that.

Then again, it's just money. I would not want to have missed the many great experiences Thailand.

Cheers, X-Pat

[Simbo]

Hands on hearts anyone who hasn't made mistakes here. It's all part and parcel of settling in a new culture.

The thing is to come out unscathed. well at least a little poorer but otherwise intact.

You wish you had bought a property sooner, saving 400k in rent.

I wish I had waited longer before buying. all the time I see places I would prefer to be. I wish I had not married so quick, living to regret it. Divorced now, and contemplating it again. Do we ever learn? The alternative is to stay alone. Who wants that?

[cloudtiger]

Expecting decent service in LOS.

Expecting that the idiot in the DMax won't try to pass a lorry uphill around a blind corner.

Expecting that when a doctor, a mechanic, a cook, or a builder say, "Yes, no problem. I understand. I can do," they actually mean it.

But, then again, when I think of things in my home country, I stop expecting so much in LOS....

It's a nice place, ain't it?

[TizMe]

I wish I had not married so quick, living to regret it. Divorced now, and contemplating it again. Do we ever learn?

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.

- Oscar Wilde

[ThaiPauly]

My biggest mistake was thinking I could make a sucessful business here run the same way as I ran my business in the UK.

BIG EXPENSIVE MISTAKE

Just can't be done

After that I moved North-say no more.

[Slim Chance]

I went on a visa run, it was exactly one week ago, on the same day as John Charlesworth, self-proclaimed real man and proud subject of the English queen.

I had purposely chosen a company that didn’t advertise free beer or casino buffets, thinking the group would be sedate and problem free. I was almost right. Company was fast and professional, we made good time, no line, no waiting.

Ah, but then there was that Mr. Charlesworth…

Having already finished the bag full of warm cans of beer that he had spilled boarding the mini-van in the morning, Mr. Charlesworth replenished his supply and, additionally, bought a bottle of ‘Johnny Walker Red’ (the quality stuff made out back of the duty-free shop, comes in plastic bottles), which he was quite proud of. This provided fuel for the long trip back.

Within the first hour of the return trip Mr. Charlesworth had commandeered the stereo system and made sure we all didn’t fall off to sleep and could share in a great time together listening to that lovely Gangsta Rap music of the late 90’s -at full volume. Same stuff my son used to listen to at 14.

Then he turned his attention to a young lady who he very aggressively insisted should drink ‘Johnny Walker Red’ with him. Generous chap. When, for the third time, she politely refused his kind offer, Mr. Charlesworth did what any real man would do and abused her by telling her how ugly she was and how people of her nationality were all a bunch of very dirty words, too numerous to mention. This warmed him up and he was soon attempting to terrorize the man sitting closest to him who had made the mistake of not agreeing with him, was firm in that he had no interest in talking to him or being ’friends’, and refused to shake his hand.

Then Mr. Charlesworth became agitated and things got a little crazy in the mini-van. While making patriotic speeches regarding the general greatness of Great Britain and it’s great citizenry while cursing, first and foremost the Americans, who think that they’re better than everyone else, drop bombs, and are not friendly, but he eventually got around to hating pretty much everyone in general.

He was quite large, far taller than anyone else in the van, and was up swinging his fists around wanting to; ‘go man-to-man’. He managed to lose his already consumed ‘JWR’ (on his own shoes) and his pants within a minute of each other.

To make an already too-long story -possibly the longest 4 hours of my life- less long, let me say that we finally left Mr. Charlesworth on the side of the highway after he threatened to put a knife in the neck of a lady, not the ugly unfriendly American but a Thai lady, and was saying that he was going to ‘put the drivers head through the window, crash the bus, and take out everybody‘. As the van pulled away he was running alongside it trying to smash out it’s windows with his fists.

I knew that gangsta rap was bad for you, but….

Incidentally! I’ve followed the story on the charming Mr. Charlesworth I’ve learned that he has been in Thailand for 16 years. He claims to teach English, is fluent in the Thai language, and says he ’can’t return to England‘. After living at the ’Crown’ on Sukhumwit Soi 23 for 9 months, he checked out at 6 a.m. the morning after the visa run shenanigan; just before the detectives arrived to speak to him. He left no forwarding address.

Sure wish I knew how to find him. We could have a drink for old times sake.

[Tyree D.]

boooooooooooooo! I wrote a post twice and it got lost!

so I'll just say I lost too much money with the taxi driver that picked me up from the airport and I had hygenic flaws when I first started teaching. Students covered their noses as they walked by. But now I am one of two teachers at the new school and I am the clean one! Now I'm the stingy one since I don't waste my money.