Why Are There So Many Americans In Chiang Mai?

[Gladiator]

I have hesitated before joining this Posting but here goes…

I am a dual-national, American/British, a son of a US military soldier.

As a child I had cause to be raised in a number of countries – perhaps good and bad. But it did open my eyes to the world that existed outside the British Isles and Continental North America and this perhaps instigated wanderlust,

I first visited Chiang Mai in 1976 to meet with my blood and Thai family, and since then have made repeated visits until my migration in 2001.

Land of Honey and Roses – No. But today, in a vis-à-vis perspective, I would take Chiang Mai and Thailand, warts and all, over my previous life in both the U.S., Europe and England. Why? Many of the reasons have already been posted. But briefly –

Wife, Family, Weather, Easy Going, Easy access to may other locations within Thailand,

Food, Good Restaurants and Entertainment, A degree of freedom.

Anyway – That how I feel

Gladiator

You have no reason to hesitate, Gladiator.

Don't worry about the yank-bashers, it comes with the territory when you are a US citizen.

I am an American, and my maternal grandfather enlisted in the RFC (Royal Flying Corp) during the Great War (World War I). I have all his pilot logs and uniform insignia. He was English, from East Anglia. He spent most of his youth flying reconnaissance against the Germans in Belgium and France.

My father was in the US Navy in the South Pacific in WWII as a Pharmacist's Mate First Class. Fancy name for a hospital medic. He was on an aircraft carrier, and later on some islands in forward combat areas. He treated many British POW's who were rescued after being treated very harshly in Japanese labor camps towards the end of the war.

We don't expect the younger generation to know about, or even care about these long ago events.

The ties that bind the UK and the US are very strong, but fraught with a lot of resentment and rancor. The US fought the English, in a revolution, and won their independence. The English saw their Empire wither to nothing after 1945...and then these brash upstarts started talking big and loud, and pushing their weight around the world. Now it's our turn, Pax Americana is slowly shriveling away, and there is more than a little sense of schadenfreude attached to this on the part of our British brethren.

No worries. Let's just whistle a happy tune- and try to get along.

My apologies to other Posters for drifting off from Topic

Mcgriffith,

Many thaks for your reply.

In my own case my maternal English grandfather - (The Great War)

I think that your Grandfather was a lucky man .... by the looks of it he was in the 12th Battalion The London Regiment and was wounded in the foot on the 20th of June 1916 ... on the 1st of July the 12th London was in the Battle of Gommecourt ..... on that day they lost 447 of 803 men with 191 killed. Trench slaughter.

He returned to France to drive ambulances until the end of the war.

My American father was a Ranger, Not sure one hudred per cent of the details but on D-Day they were landed at the wrong beach but ultimately ended

up on Omaha. He was in the Signal Corps and had to lug one of those heavy two-way radios up and down the beach and into France. Funny thing was that he particpated in three world conflicts without a scratch. Smoked and drank like a fish and ultmately it was a sllly automobile accident that ended his life in his mid 70's.

I have wached a number of graphic wartime movies to try to understand what these brave men and woman actually went through on our behalf - sometimes futilely, if some historians have got their facts right.

Brave warriors

All good things and peace to you all

Gladiator

[JimGant]

I'm surprised the Vietnam war, with all the tens-of-thousands of Americans spending one-year tours in Thailand, hasn't been mentioned. Most are now of retirement age, have fond memories of Thailand, and many have Thai wives. And many have now retired in Thailand.

Why (maybe?) so many of them in CM? Well, I personally never got to CM during my tour -- but the stories we heard about CM, while sitting in a dusty bar in NKP, sure sounded good, particularly the part about the long-legged ladies.

Fast forward 30 years. Thai wife (long-time US citizen) suggests we retire in Thailand. Groan -- she's from Korat, so figured she wanted to go back to her roots. Nope. She too had heard great stories about CM -- and had personally verified them. Wow! I suddenly had the vision of no Bangkok traffic, cool nights -- and long legs riding side-saddle -- with a shoe dangling on nicely painted toes. (And being strictly eye candy, at my age and situation, is just fine.)

So, off to CM. Everything I thought it would be, including the ladies riding side-saddle (which brings a smile to my wife, as it has become something of a metaphor).

I still get back to the US, and I miss it. And it's too bad we had to tighten up things, to protect our citizenry against another 9-11. But, that doesn't bother, nor affect me, in any meaningful way. Just happy it ensnarles (so far!) the bad guys. America will do just fine, thank you. It's just too bad we can't get better people to run for office.

No, unlike many expats, I'm still ok with the USA, warts and all. But I'm in CM due to some pretty enticing stories years ago -- that made the wife's suggestion to move here very intriguing. So, I guess my back-up plan to move to Maui will remain on the shelf. At least until they outlaw riding side-saddle.

[CMX]

There are presently 7 billion of us here on planet Earth, and the projections for our future numbers astounding.

By and large, 'nanny laws' are calculated to give us safety from each other, 'we' being far closer to each other as years fly by. Such laws, such as enforced speed limits and so on and so on, will come to Thailand.

Still, I hold that - whatever the degree that citizens of the U.S. are here, as compared to other European derived folk - most of us have landed here because of $$$, rather than the wish to deny universal medical care within our country or drive on motorcycles with excessive speed on public highways. 'I want what's mine and forget everything else' is not our universal mantra.

And let us recall that the context of Fox News is dictated by a billionaire from Oz.

Edited February 28, 2012 by CMX

[happysanook]

There are presently 7 billion of us here on planet Earth, and the projections for our future numbers astounding.

By and large, 'nanny laws' are calculated to give us safety from each other, 'we' being far closer to each other as years fly by. Such laws, such as enforced speed limits and so on and so on, will come to Thailand.

Still, I hold that - whatever the degree that citizens of the U.S. are here, as compared to other European derived folk - most of us have landed here because of $$$, rather than the wish to deny universal medical care within our country or drive on motorcycles with excessive speed on public highways. 'I want what's mine and forget everything else' is not our universal mantra.

And let us recall that the context of Fox News is dictated by a billionaire from Oz.

there are far less americans (s. n. c ) than uk / europeans...

but agree the nannie laws will only increase... no drinking in public on songkran in cm is a new one that comes to mind.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[uptheos]

I too think the USA has everything and if one has enough money I would definitely choose it over Thailand.

I maintain my position that most people move here because it's cheap, but I do also know some people that hate the US government with a passion. I've heard various reasons for this, but never really had it defined exactly how they spoil a person's life so much that they have to leave? I have some friends in the USA, who are happy and content, not right wing and to be honest I've never heard them complain about the government (apart from the usual which every country does) to the point of wanting to leave.

Its no one thing. Its more like death by 1000 paper cuts kind of thing. Like the walls are very slowly closing in around you. The US is slowly, but surely drifting away from the founding ideas and principles which made it so great. We are transforming from a freedom loving, small government, libertarian society to an overprotective, controlling, semi-socialist, nanny state, where nobody takes responsibility for themselves or their actions.

When I was a kid, we rode our bikes with no helmets. We could set up lemonade stands and sell to our neighbors. We could sit in the front seat of the car. Now all those sorts of things are highly regulated and policed. Perfect examples of this can be seen in this video here (assuming you are open minded enough to look past the Fox New icon):

And its not limited to one political party or president. Think of Clinton preaching that "its only fair" that everyone should be able to own a home and forcing lending institutions make risky loans they normally wouldn't. And Bush's Patriot Act was a huge affront on personal freedom. And now Obama's retarded health care mandates. Just a general decline into a overprotective, controlling, semi-socialist, nanny state over the span of my lifetime.

Unfortunately, I don't see things improving. Electing Ron Paul in the upcoming elections would go a very long way towards righting America's sinking ship. Unfortunately, the average American voting habits now are more influenced by pop media and comedians like Jon Stewart, than by what the candidates have to say in debates, campaign speeches, and policy outlines. The election of media darling, Obama, was a prime example of that.

So, to get this back on topic, one of the attractive things about Thailand is despite alot of its political short comings, the personal freedoms and liberties are still there (lese majesty rules aside, of course). If I want to walk down the road drinking a beer, I can. If my Thai children want to open a lemonade stand, they can. I can eat cheap/ affordable and semi-healthy food from a road side stand. For the most part, due to legal regulations there are no road side stands in America. If you want cheap food, then you have to go some place like McDonalds, Burger King, etc.

Anyway, I hope that sheds at least a tiny light on how the US govt is ruining the American way of life (slanted from my own vantage point, of course).

-Mestizo

Thank you very much for your post and interesting video.......(Portugal seems to be the place to go )

However, all I can say is that I know a lot of American's and apart from the usual grouching that all people have about their own country, I can't recall anyone telling me that the reason they moved to Chiang Mai was because of some incidents involving lemonade, planning permission, food laws, drug laws or prostitution laws. Of course we do know that one of the attractions for many foreigners is the ease of obtaining sex cheaply, but that's not unique to American's. Thailand is the other side of the world to many American's, surely a person doesn't have to go that far to escape these US laws if that's what is driving them out. There are lots of nice places nearer to home, but i understand they are not as cheap, which brings me back to my original opinion that foreigners move here because basically it's cheaper than anywhere else. It's just an opinion.

[Mestizo]

Thank you very much for your post and interesting video.......(Portugal seems to be the place to go )

However, all I can say is that I know a lot of American's and apart from the usual grouching that all people have about their own country, I can't recall anyone telling me that the reason they moved to Chiang Mai was because of some incidents involving lemonade, planning permission, food laws, drug laws or prostitution laws. Of course we do know that one of the attractions for many foreigners is the ease of obtaining sex cheaply, but that's not unique to American's. Thailand is the other side of the world to many American's, surely a person doesn't have to go that far to escape these US laws if that's what is driving them out. There are lots of nice places nearer to home, but i understand they are not as cheap, which brings me back to my original opinion that foreigners move here because basically it's cheaper than anywhere else. It's just an opinion.

I seriously doubt that many people moved for a single reason alone. The decline of the US government was definitely a contributing factor towards my decision to leave, but absolutely not the only reason.

Another thing is, there are really 3 distinct groups of Americans here, I think. The under 40 crowd, the 40-Retiree age, and of course the retirees. While I think the opinions of the older groups are well represented on TV, I feel like the under 40 crowd is not. This is a group of people , in the prime years of their life, who still need to hold down a paying job and make a living.

So, as part of that under 40 crowd, please allow me to mention some of the other contributing factors were (in no particular order), in addition to the issues with government, that influenced my decision to move here:

- Huge desire to get away from the "rat race". Being part of the upper echelon of the IT industry in the DC metro area, is high pressure, stressful, never ending job. The pay was good, but the cost of living continued to out pace financial gains. In DC, it was always go, go, go, and never a chance to stop and smell the proverbial roses.

- Quality of life. Even taking a more than 6 figure (USD/yr) paycut to move to Chiang Mai, my quality of life still increased tremendously. No more hellish DC beltway commutes, spending an hour plus commuting each way. No more living in a tiny apartment. No more daily living off of fast food, as no time for anything else. Etc, etc, etc

- Taxes. If you look at the US tax code (and listen to anything the Democrats say), the "rich" get taxed heavily. As my career progressed, due to ever increasing tax burden, I quickly discovered that at the end of the day, there really was not much difference in take home pay between a $90K/yr salary and a $130K/yr salary.

-Credit agencies. Have way too much control in the US. Early on in my life, I made some bad decisions with student loans, etc. Those still haunt me to this day. Despite a good salary, I was never going to be able to buy a house, or even a new car. For example, due to my poor credit rating, the best used car loan I could get, was at 18% interest.

- Friendliness. Being a West Texas boy, I am used to friendly, smiling people all the time. But, the longer I spent in DC, the more I noticed how much angrier people were becoming on a daily basis. Nobody ever seemed happy. People always wanted to argue and fight. The frequency of road rage incidents grew every year. Coming to visit Thailand, the friendliness of the Thai people really reminded me of "home" and the resonated with me.

- Crime. The crime really felt like it was getting out of hand. Not so much in Virginia, but in DC proper. DC bans all guns, so the only people with guns are criminals. I know crime exists in Thailand, but in DC it was alot of senseless, unproved violence. I know in Thailand, if I really piss somebody off, then I can be killed. But in DC, you can be killed for nothing other than walking down the street. Right before I left DC, my younger brother had a gun stuck in his face in front of a busy night club. They took his wallet and the keys to his car. The guy dropped the gun when he turned around to run. My brother gave chase, but unfortunately the police caught the guy before my brother had a chance to deliver the much deserved beat down. Tons of stories just like this.

- Excitement/ Adventure. There is huge amount of excitement in making such an adventurous life change, as giving up everything you know to come to Thailand. A big thrill in escaping your mundane boring life and coming here. Sure, I could have went to Mexico or South America. But having spent some amount of time in Mexico and being of Mexican decent, it just doesn't represent the same thrill.

I could go on, but I think you see the point I am trying to make. Attempting to pinpoint that X, Y, or Z is the reason an American moved to Chiang Mai is just not realistic in most cases. Usually its going to be whole combination of contributing factors. And yes, in some cases the decline of the US government may play a small part in peoples decisions to leave.

And towards your other point, at least for me, the "cheapness" didn't really play a major part in it. Sure I enjoy the cheap food, cheap booze, cheap massages, etc. But the savings are really insignificant when factoring in the relative decrease in pay. I could easily afford to live and work in more expensive places.

-Mestizo

[Gonzo the Face]

I would answer that question by saying that %age wise there are as many Americans here as most other nationalities , generally.'

I would say its like being in a futuristic time warp . Where you can go back in history and make it what you want or say it to be.

Things can change retroactively with just saying thats the way it is..... and that makes life pretty nice for some.

Saa Laaa V,

Mister Gee

Edited February 28, 2012 by Gonzo the Face

[onthedarkside]

Let's not wander off into US politics. Stay of the topic about 'Americans in Chiang Mai'. A number of US political posts removed.

[transam]

Thank you very much for your post and interesting video.......(Portugal seems to be the place to go )

However, all I can say is that I know a lot of American's and apart from the usual grouching that all people have about their own country, I can't recall anyone telling me that the reason they moved to Chiang Mai was because of some incidents involving lemonade, planning permission, food laws, drug laws or prostitution laws. Of course we do know that one of the attractions for many foreigners is the ease of obtaining sex cheaply, but that's not unique to American's. Thailand is the other side of the world to many American's, surely a person doesn't have to go that far to escape these US laws if that's what is driving them out. There are lots of nice places nearer to home, but i understand they are not as cheap, which brings me back to my original opinion that foreigners move here because basically it's cheaper than anywhere else. It's just an opinion.

+1

[lannarebirth]

I have hesitated before joining this Posting but here goes…

I am a dual-national, American/British, a son of a US military soldier.

As a child I had cause to be raised in a number of countries – perhaps good and bad. But it did open my eyes to the world that existed outside the British Isles and Continental North America and this perhaps instigated wanderlust,

I first visited Chiang Mai in 1976 to meet with my blood and Thai family, and since then have made repeated visits until my migration in 2001.

Land of Honey and Roses – No. But today, in a vis-à-vis perspective, I would take Chiang Mai and Thailand, warts and all, over my previous life in both the U.S., Europe and England. Why? Many of the reasons have already been posted. But briefly –

Wife, Family, Weather, Easy Going, Easy access to may other locations within Thailand,

Food, Good Restaurants and Entertainment, A degree of freedom.

Anyway – That how I feel

Gladiator

You have no reason to hesitate, Gladiator.

Don't worry about the yank-bashers, it comes with the territory when you are a US citizen.

I am an American, and my maternal grandfather enlisted in the RFC (Royal Flying Corp) during the Great War (World War I). I have all his pilot logs and uniform insignia. He was English, from East Anglia. He spent most of his youth flying reconnaissance against the Germans in Belgium and France.

My father was in the US Navy in the South Pacific in WWII as a Pharmacist's Mate First Class. Fancy name for a hospital medic. He was on an aircraft carrier, and later on some islands in forward combat areas. He treated many British POW's who were rescued after being treated very harshly in Japanese labor camps towards the end of the war.

We don't expect the younger generation to know about, or even care about these long ago events.

The ties that bind the UK and the US are very strong, but fraught with a lot of resentment and rancor. The US fought the English, in a revolution, and won their independence. The English saw their Empire wither to nothing after 1945...and then these brash upstarts started talking big and loud, and pushing their weight around the world. Now it's our turn, Pax Americana is slowly shriveling away, and there is more than a little sense of schadenfreude attached to this on the part of our British brethren.

No worries. Let's just whistle a happy tune- and try to get along.

My dad got drafted on the day the Japanese surrendered. He lived in the Mission District in San Francisco. He was assigned to The Presidio for the next 13 months and his chief job was to help discharge soldiers. Lot's of'em.

As far as WW II billets go, I think he got a pretty good one.

Edited February 29, 2012 by lannarebirth

[CMNightRider]

When I first visited Chiang Mai, I had my wife with me. It was like taking a Mac Truck to land of Ferraris. I soon realized this was a trade-in-center for overweight wives. When you add good weather, good food, inexpensive living costs, and a legion of attractive young women to date, then all the arrows pointed to Chiang Mai. :-)

[chops]

Let's see, population of U.S. approximately 300 million, population of United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand about 100 million, add in about 34 million Canadians (if you can tell the difference in accents) and you get the the number of U.S. English speakers out-numbering the other first world English speakers by over two to one.

You're forgetting one thing - Americans don't travel! Did you know almost as many Swedes(pop. 8 mil) visit Thailand as Americans(pop 300 mil) do?

I think it's just lots of newspapers are advertising CM to travel-challenged Yanks.

[chops]

I have never been to the States but it does seem to be a vast country with a great variety of scenery, wildlife, climates and people. If I came from there I can't imagine why I would want to live here. America seems to have everything; mountains, beaches, deserts, wildernesses and big cosmopolitan cities. Yet there does seem to be a lot of Americans living here. I can't understand why they would want to leave all that and come and live in a condo or mooban in Chiangmai.

Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?

[jackjones]

Go on then. Enlighten me.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Freedom, Booze, Chicks.

The essentials in life. And more bang for your buck.

Edited March 1, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[mic6ard]

Sure there's a lot of American, but I also meet plenty of Aussies, Newzealanders, Brits, and occassionally french. I don't think that there are more US here than from other nations, but perhaps they make the loudest noise?

[mic6ard]

I have never been to the States but it does seem to be a vast country with a great variety of scenery, wildlife, climates and people. If I came from there I can't imagine why I would want to live here. America seems to have everything; mountains, beaches, deserts, wildernesses and big cosmopolitan cities. Yet there does seem to be a lot of Americans living here. I can't understand why they would want to leave all that and come and live in a condo or mooban in Chiangmai.

The difference is:

1. it's cheaper here, in a way.

2. the laws (what law!) is pretty lax here. there're ways to get around most of them.

3. People has a lot nicer attitude.

4. No Hurricanes, Blizzards, tornedos. Was going to mention earthquake but...

5. NO RELIGIOUS extremism (well except for the Southern part).

6. Constant climate, you know it's going to be warm-hot. No Freezing spells

7. No shoveling the sidewalk or raking leaves.

8. Big cosmopolitan cities - Bangkok!!!; Beaches - need I say anything?; Wilderness - heads into the mountain up country

Granted, personally I missed the seasonal changes (not the shoveling), and all the food over there. Just couldn't live there

Edited March 1, 2012 by mic6ard

[PlanetX]

I would venture to guess the high profile missionaries play a role in making it seem like there are a bunch of Americans.

There is also the pretty active consulate, VFW, some popular restaurants, and a few major International Schools that also have a high percentage of American families.

Chiang Mai is obviously a great place to live and its an OK place to work. Even those working as non-qualified teachers can sustain a pretty decent life style. I am sure the highly qualified teachers that work at the international schools (especially PTIS) have a very high quality of life.

Edited March 1, 2012 by PlanetX

[LarryBird]

When I first visited Chiang Mai, I had my wife with me. It was like taking a Mac Truck to land of Ferraris. I soon realized this was a trade-in-center for overweight wives. When you add good weather, good food, inexpensive living costs, and a legion of attractive young women to date, then all the arrows pointed to Chiang Mai. :-)

how is this not getting more love?

[czGLoRy]

because America is a super restrictive nanny state + expensive

[zippydedodah]

there are many sites that will do the math for you (http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Thailand&city1=San+Francisco%2C+CA&city2=Chiang+Mai) and i actually did use this site before i moved here.

and, while cost was a factor, it was not the only factor for me. Getting out of the fear based society that exists in USA was a big factor for me. Lawyers, insurance companies, the droning of PA systems at the airport, the cops who keep screaming at you while you try to pick up a passenger, the crack heads that made me afraid in the drugstore parking lot or the ill mannered, pitiful people out fighting in the streets... that was for starters.

Then, trying to bring up my kid in a place based on fear, where the first things she was learning in school was how to lie... that was disturbing.

Then for me personally, getting caught up in the "I have to have it" syndrome... the latest and the greatest... i know, my own personal defect... but i do not suffer from that syndrome here in thailand.

Just being able to get off the wheel, going around and around like a rat in a cage... has put years back into my life. My health has improved, my needs have simplified and for me... it is what i need at this point in my (retired) life.

[chops]

there are many sites that will do the math for you (http://www.numbeo.co...ity2=Chiang+Mai) and i actually did use this site before i moved here.

and, while cost was a factor, it was not the only factor for me. Getting out of the fear based society that exists in USA was a big factor for me. Lawyers, insurance companies, the droning of PA systems at the airport, the cops who keep screaming at you while you try to pick up a passenger, the crack heads that made me afraid in the drugstore parking lot or the ill mannered, pitiful people out fighting in the streets... that was for starters.

Then, trying to bring up my kid in a place based on fear, where the first things she was learning in school was how to lie... that was disturbing.

Then for me personally, getting caught up in the "I have to have it" syndrome... the latest and the greatest... i know, my own personal defect... but i do not suffer from that syndrome here in thailand.

Just being able to get off the wheel, going around and around like a rat in a cage... has put years back into my life. My health has improved, my needs have simplified and for me... it is what i need at this point in my (retired) life.

Last time I visited the US was 3 years ago. I remember having some dumb TSA jerk yell at me. I never want to return again in my lifetime. That's not the country I grew up in. Until there is some real change(not the phony Obama kind) there I won't be returning.

[BlackArtemis]

Funny enough, I miss some of the "nanny state" ideals.

Imagine if the cops gave a dam_n and motorists actually had to follow the law. Things like hit and runs, vehicle maintenance etc

The cops here are a joke, just look at the resort towns.

There are a few other things, but again I take the bad with the good and I am happy in Chiang Mai.

I just think that complaining if you complain about oppressive laws etc, I hope you never really need the police in this country.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Wait..

Are you saying I can't both complain about the US becoming a nanny state AND about Thailand not enforcing any laws when it comes to traffic, burning leaves, safety regulations or anything else?

I hope that's not what you implied, or it would kill this forum.

Edited March 1, 2012 by WinnieTheKhwai

[BlackArtemis]

Wait..

Are you saying I can't both complain about the US becoming a nanny state AND about Thailand not enforcing any laws when it comes to traffic, burning leaves, safety regulations or anything else?

I hope that's not what you implied, or it would kill this forum.

I might have, but I did such a piss poor job editing my post (didn't fully delete the first thought) that it makes little sense. I would love to say I shouldn't post until my brain has turned on fully, but then I would never post. Maybe just limit it to not posting after a long night.

I meant to say that I hope no one here complaining about the invasive US laws ever has to deal with the police here, it will leave you missing home...

But to state that no one should complain, well that's just insane, as you said, this forum would be dead! Myself included.

[zippydedodah]

forgot to mention one of the most annoying things about US of A that further encouraged my move: the single, most pervasive FREE thing in USA is ATTITUDE. It is dished out to young minds, in great big, free helpings, on the radio (just gotta love some of those rap lyrics!), TV, news, at school, billboards, advertisements... all for free... and young people (many, not all) take it to heart. It often creates a (false) sense of entitlement, violence as an accepted form of social interaction..etc.... i could go on for days...

[amexpat]

So true and well said, zippy.

[CMX]

zippydedodah,

It seems to me that you're suggesting that were we to do a survey as to which nation was the best in the world, citizens of the U.S. would say the U.S., without question - 90% or more?

Whereas at least those of us who've shown up here to reside (or who are expats elsewhere and therefore have seen a bit of the world) might not be so chauvinistic and myopic?

Thus we might be speaking of a wiser class of 'American' - even if we are by and large Cheap Charlies?

(Or maybe not.)

Edited March 2, 2012 by CMX

[BlackArtemis]

I've always hated that "best in the world" mentality. I think the US is ONE of the best, but it also helps that I can afford healthcare etc etc.

I don't believe there is a best place, just the best place for you.

[heybruce]

Let's see, population of U.S. approximately 300 million, population of United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand about 100 million, add in about 34 million Canadians (if you can tell the difference in accents) and you get the the number of U.S. English speakers out-numbering the other first world English speakers by over two to one.

You're forgetting one thing - Americans don't travel! Did you know almost as many Swedes(pop. 8 mil) visit Thailand as Americans(pop 300 mil) do?

I think it's just lots of newspapers are advertising CM to travel-challenged Yanks.

Let's see, "Americans don't travel!" but "there are so many Americans in Chiang Mai." Is it just me, or is there a rational inconsistency here?

As for the Swedes, the fact that they want to go some place warm during the winter just shows that they're not fools. Many Canadians exhibit the same good judgement, during the winter there are some parts of Costa Rica that seem like south Canada.

You can stay in the U.S. and experience almost any kind of climate and geography without having to change money or deal with a new language. For some U.S. citizens this is enough, for others it isn't. So a lower percentage of U.S. citizens travel, but some clearly want to see the world.