Why Did You Come To Live Here?

[expatdreamer]

Tommo - thanks for sharing your heart warming story.

[farang000999]

There are opportunities for aging Western men. They exist because these men were lucky enough to have won the birth lottery and were born in the West and not in Thailand. That is funny about these topics, imho.

[Gweiloman]

Tommo, great story. Every cloud has a silver lining as they say. You sound like a really decent down to earth kind of guy and I'm wishing the best for you.

[thenervoussurgeon]

So OP came here for the freedom to drink and drive and to be free from peaceful Muslim protesting. He must be looking forward to Songkran. Plenty of drinking and driving and the police mostly spend time cleaning up the mess as opposed to arresting violaters. As for Muslims, he, despite undoubtably being fluent in Thai, most have missed the Southern Insurgency, nearly endless string of violent terrorist attacks, including teachers beheaded infront of their students, an example just a few days ago being the huge car bomb that murdered 13 and injuried scores.

I wonder what will happen though when OP has a problem with his spouse, or a neighbor, or a contractor or a hospital or a police officer or anyone for matter and his needs aren't rightfully served? Will he then be bemoaning the Thai legal system and "racism against farangs"? Will Thailand than go from Lawless Paradise to Banana Republic?

I said nothing about drinking and driving ,(but hey ,twist the post if you like) i said that you were afraid to drive if you had sniffed a beer. also i have always been able to sort all problems out here ,both with the police and contractors , also as to the Muslims ,yes they are a problem down south ,but they are not constantly in the papers or on tv demanding Sharia law ect.and while i decry their behaviour their beef is with Thailand and not wanting to be part of it ,if Muslims in Britain wanted their own state ,well they are welcome to leave.

if you have had all these problems ,then perhaps ,just perhaps its your attitude to Thais.?

Edited April 6, 2012 by thenervoussurgeon

[cooked]

Nice story, Tommo,

similar to mine although mine is a bit more complicated. My Thai wife also has a farm, rice. We hear all the time about guys being scammed for all they have, being banned from the house they paid for and the rest. I don't care, there are plenty of untold, boring stories, mine for example:

I worked FORTY years as a landscape gardener, finished up with very little in the bank and a wife that took the house that I had paid for (well alright, I was the one that left). Now I discovered Thailand and my lovely little sexy (not so young) bit of baggage- I feel like a privileged being from another planet. I couldn't believe it when I found myself walking along a beautiful beach at Christmas in my shorts, my lovely wife asking me why I was crying didn't help.

The Christmas before I had been asking myself whether I should pay the electricity bill or get some booze in to dispel the boredom and loneliness of three days' public holidays, the airfare to Bangkok was the best investment I ever made.

I don't feel particularly naive about the realities of life in Thailand or about human nature anywhere for that matter. When I read mails from people that need 150 000 Baht a month to live in Thailand I get a bit crotchety, I'll tell you now that I have 47 000 a month and we are generally saving half of that. .. my only reservation is that I have to be sure of us being able to leave the country at short notice, whether for medical or political reasons and I have looked after this. Medical insurance yes or no is something I have to sort out before my 65th birthday..

I think you can divide, in a certain fashion, people up into two groups as far as their motivation for coming to Thailand is concerned.

1. They will never be happy with life, so whatever they do, they are always going to criticise what's going on around them. So wherever they are, everything is wrong.

2. They are looking for something better, and hopefully make a good (probably last) decision about what to do with their life.

Both me and Tommo are retirees at the end of a hard working life and this is obviously influencing what I write here.

[transam]

The answer to the last two posters are ,firstly in 50 years time ,who amongst us will care ,we will all be long gone and to be honest ,God alone knows what state the world will be in. as for the Thai govt realizing that there are large numbers of old foreign guys here needing looking after ,well i dont kid myself ,there may be lots of us in the tourist centres but as a whole we are a small minority ,and as for having my arse wiped ,i am certain that my wife will ,and my money is safe in Britain in a joint account.

Best of luck.

You are going to need it.

Why am i going to need it,? i presume thst you think my wife will not look after me ,if thats the case i know many silly guys marry here in haste and repent at leisure but just as many of us have loving marriages with children and good thai families.

GH is doom and gloom merchant, not a single ounce of adventure or looking at other folks priorities in his bones. Dismiss it.

[brit1984]

I don't know how wise it is to tell me story, but here we go ..........

Was a farmer in Oxfordshire, working the family farm all my life, hard work and not much reward. Wife decided the life was too hard, so she divorced me, was awarded the family farm by the divorce judge (300 years down the drain), then promptly sold it. I was left living in a farm workers caravan on a pals farm aged 50+, no future for me. Depression set in and my pal decided to lift my spirits with a holiday in Pattaya.

Off we went, he was out doing the Pattaya thing every night, I sat in a bar and just chatted to the girls (some of them spoke really good English). Anyway, after a while I was getting quite friendly with a girl (not as a customer, too traumatized by the divorce and loss of my farm for sex with anyone). This girl finds out I was a farmer in the UK (arable mostly corn and wheat) and says her older sister has a farm up north and was recently widowed. Farm going to rack and ruin, other guys in the village asking for 'favours' in return for helping her on the farm, etc.

So entirely on impulse, we both get on a coach to visit the sister, 25 rai farm the previously husband grew corn, husband (previous farm owner) was earning extra cash building a bridge, fell off the scaffolding and died. The older sister (late 20s) needed a new husband to run the farm, a bit of cash to repay a debt on the farm and someone for company. She spoke no English, I spoke no Thai, everything arranged/interpreted by the bar girl sister. A week later we were sharing a bed, a few weeks later we were married, now we share a life and family.

I now have new children, a new wife (half the age and one third the weight of my former UK wife), and a new family farm (well it can never be my farm, but it can be my childrens family farm)

Working a farm in Thailand is so much less hard work than working a farm in the UK, no regulations or forms to fill out, the weather is so much nicer, and the workload is so much less. Of course almost all the work is done by hand, but I sort of like that.

Four years on

I speak bad Thai, she speaks good English.

Farm is producing great corn again (harvest in the next 2-3 weeks)

Last year the headman assigned us 50 rai of forest to develop, after the monsoon I will have to make a start

Thailand is a great country, with great opportunities for an aging western man.

Thanks for sharing your amazing story Tommo... would make an excellent plot for a book or movie... anyway, good on you and good luck to you...

[IanForbes]

I don't know how wise it is to tell me story, but here we go ..........

Was a farmer in Oxfordshire, working the family farm all my life, hard work and not much reward. Wife decided the life was too hard, so she divorced me, was awarded the family farm by the divorce judge (300 years down the drain), then promptly sold it. I was left living in a farm workers caravan on a pals farm aged 50+, no future for me. Depression set in and my pal decided to lift my spirits with a holiday in Pattaya.

Off we went, he was out doing the Pattaya thing every night, I sat in a bar and just chatted to the girls (some of them spoke really good English). Anyway, after a while I was getting quite friendly with a girl (not as a customer, too traumatized by the divorce and loss of my farm for sex with anyone). This girl finds out I was a farmer in the UK (arable mostly corn and wheat) and says her older sister has a farm up north and was recently widowed. Farm going to rack and ruin, other guys in the village asking for 'favours' in return for helping her on the farm, etc.

So entirely on impulse, we both get on a coach to visit the sister, 25 rai farm the previously husband grew corn, husband (previous farm owner) was earning extra cash building a bridge, fell off the scaffolding and died. The older sister (late 20s) needed a new husband to run the farm, a bit of cash to repay a debt on the farm and someone for company. She spoke no English, I spoke no Thai, everything arranged/interpreted by the bar girl sister. A week later we were sharing a bed, a few weeks later we were married, now we share a life and family.

I now have new children, a new wife (half the age and one third the weight of my former UK wife), and a new family farm (well it can never be my farm, but it can be my childrens family farm)

Working a farm in Thailand is so much less hard work than working a farm in the UK, no regulations or forms to fill out, the weather is so much nicer, and the workload is so much less. Of course almost all the work is done by hand, but I sort of like that.

Four years on

I speak bad Thai, she speaks good English.

Farm is producing great corn again (harvest in the next 2-3 weeks)

Last year the headman assigned us 50 rai of forest to develop, after the monsoon I will have to make a start

Thailand is a great country, with great opportunities for an aging western man.

Touching story, Tommo. Thank you for that.

It was a fishing buddy who talked me into coming to Thailand 15 years ago. I thank him for that every single day. My two exwives did me a favour by leaving. I've never been happier, but I haven't cut ties to Canada, and I can go back and forth as I choose.

[flying]

I don't know how wise it is to tell me story, but here we go ..........

Thanks Tommo I am glad you did tell your story.

I think it may be the best story I have ever read here.

Congrats

[chrisinth]

One last point, my wife is Thai and hates that strangers in Thailand think they have the right to touch our child with their dirty bacteria ridden hands. It really is quite unnessecary. Americans acknowledge that my daughter is adorable verbally and frankly that is more than enough for us.

I wonder how much western influence has gone into that attitude about strangers touching the kid?

[phomsanuk]

The nicest life style place I can afford

[PattayaParent]

The reason my money was diminishing was that as i earned rather a lot,if i retired that would go down ,it did not mean i was poor,happily if i should succumb to an illness i am well able to pay my bills here. but thanks for the concern.

Ok. So you did not retire in the UK. Does this mean that you are employed in Thailand? If so what is your occupation? I too am financially secure, but I have limited confidence in the Thai medical system. There is no accountability and a foreign patient hasn't clue if the hospital he is checking into has a c.difficile infection crisis or if the ventilation ducts in a surgery are contaminated with mold.

There's no accountability in UK hospitals either and just as many problems with patients catching killer infections when admitted.

[PattayaParent]

You said, "and the importance of trust law as they are stripped of their assets in this land" What do you mean? You lost me.

What I mean is, that Trust Law is the primary means by which the assets of people who cannot take care their own affairs are protected under UK law. And indeed the means by which assets can be protected on behalf of children and dependents.

It is common practice to place the assets, wealth, home of people suffering the diseases of old age which affect the ability to remember/think clearly, into trust. Thereby protecting them against those who might wish to strip the helpless old person of those assets, wealth, home.

Likewise it is common practice to place willed estates into trust to protect the assets on behalf of young children or dependents who might not themselves be able to reliably protect themselves against the theft of the estate.

Thailand has no trust law.

But I have very few assets in Thailand, just a condo and a car, and I bet most Farangs are the same.

[vpi78]

There are worse places than Britain. USA comes to mind.

I'm just very happy I don't have to live there any longer.

Agreed! As an American, the main reasons I left are

- 40% of my paycheck gone before I receive it

- Ridiculous property taxes on family houses ($12,000/year in my county)

- No health Insurance? Then please die quietly; away from the marble entrance of our private hospital

- University tuition ($50,000/ year over 4 years $200,000 for a Bachelor degree)

- Crazy Rednecks! (Tea Party)

- New Gingrich

- Barack Obama let us down!

Another addition by subtraction; maybe the US is back on the way to the sunny side of the street after all.

[TommoPhysicist]

One last point, my wife is Thai and hates that strangers in Thailand think they have the right to touch our child with their dirty bacteria ridden hands. It really is quite unnessecary. Americans acknowledge that my daughter is adorable verbally and frankly that is more than enough for us.

I wonder how much western influence has gone into that attitude about strangers touching the kid?

Went for an outing today on m/c with youngest baby in body harness, wife on the back.

First stop, expensive coffee bar (35bht), lady running the place took the baby from me, while I chatted, wife was at the temple praying.

Second stop, restaurant for lunch (25bht), lady and gentleman running the place took the baby from me, while I chatted, wife still at temple.

Third stop, Thai bar (115bht), bar owner took baby from me, he was passed around the staff while I drank beer and wife had lunch.

When I go out, total strangers insist on passing the baby around and cuddling him, I hardly get a look-in.

Why would I worry, baby enjoys meeting everyone, everybody seems to love the baby.

Your ideas about 'dirty strangers' is a product of a sick society IMHO.

Thailand is a great place, and the Thai peoples love of children is part of their charm.

Edited April 7, 2012 by TommoPhysicist

[Ijustwannateach]

What *I* wonder is why the variation of this thread just HAVE to be posted again and again and again and again and again... I mean, I don't really *care* why most other foreigner strangers have come here....

[David006]

Nice story, Tommo,

similar to mine although mine is a bit more complicated. My Thai wife also has a farm, rice. We hear all the time about guys being scammed for all they have, being banned from the house they paid for and the rest. I don't care, there are plenty of untold, boring stories, mine for example:

I worked FORTY years as a landscape gardener, finished up with very little in the bank and a wife that took the house that I had paid for (well alright, I was the one that left). Now I discovered Thailand and my lovely little sexy (not so young) bit of baggage- I feel like a privileged being from another planet. I couldn't believe it when I found myself walking along a beautiful beach at Christmas in my shorts, my lovely wife asking me why I was crying didn't help.

The Christmas before I had been asking myself whether I should pay the electricity bill or get some booze in to dispel the boredom and loneliness of three days' public holidays, the airfare to Bangkok was the best investment I ever made.

I don't feel particularly naive about the realities of life in Thailand or about human nature anywhere for that matter. When I read mails from people that need 150 000 Baht a month to live in Thailand I get a bit crotchety, I'll tell you now that I have 47 000 a month and we are generally saving half of that. .. my only reservation is that I have to be sure of us being able to leave the country at short notice, whether for medical or political reasons and I have looked after this. Medical insurance yes or no is something I have to sort out before my 65th birthday..

I think you can divide, in a certain fashion, people up into two groups as far as their motivation for coming to Thailand is concerned.

1. They will never be happy with life, so whatever they do, they are always going to criticise what's going on around them. So wherever they are, everything is wrong.

2. They are looking for something better, and hopefully make a good (probably last) decision about what to do with their life.

Both me and Tommo are retirees at the end of a hard working life and this is obviously influencing what I write here.

goodonya guys..... saved me a lot of typing....spot on ! Does sound like the rural settled guys are generally a happier laid back bunch.

Why did I come to Thailand? Hmmm still don't know..but frickin glad I did...stayed because of one dear, sweet ,big heart'd lady.

there is a great line in a movie "The Clearing?" "...If you love me I have everything I need"..bit slushy yes but true for this old bugger..

[clintonrichard]

The OP, like all British Citizens enjoys the freedom to live overseas, but go back home if and when the <deleted> hits the fan.

Of course we can have a debate about how illness is not going to happen, or if it does, how an individual can or cannot pay for treatment and care. But those discussions are always loaded with personal views which may or may not be supported by facts.

The facts come out in the statistics.

I don't know how many retired foreigners there are in Thailand, I doubt anyone really does. But I do know that there are very reliable statistics for the progression of the diseases of old age.

The OP, you, me or any of us might not want old age to come with its diseases, we might wish, hope or believe these things will not happen to us, or that we are prepared should they do so.

But the fact of the matter is they will happen to a predictable number of us.

Now here's an observation, I've been living in Thailand on and off for 20 years, when I first came here there were very very few foreigners living here full time - That has changed dramatically. Look around now and there are large numbers of old guys retired here, some places very large numbers.

This is a step change in a demographic group of foreigners who are facing the certainty of old age disease and welfare issues.

This is going to have a number of impacts - The first of course is a direct impact on the individuals and their families (if they have established relationships and families here - well the kind that are going to stick around when <deleted> need wiping). The second impact is going to be on the Thai medical and welfare services.

It is going to eventually dawn on the Thai government that the large numbers of old foreigners that Thailand has imported is in fact an imported welfare disaster in the making.

Sometime in the not too distant future Thailand is going to wake up to this fact and it is at that time the OP, and others like him are going to realise the real freedom that the UK has given them in the right to come and go without let or hindrance.

That putting aside a sizeable number who are going to realise exactly what the impact of Thailand's property laws are, and the importance of trust law as they are stripped of their assets in this land of the free untethered, un regulated, uncontrolled smiles.

.......................

Very interesting post. I agree with you.

[Sing_Sling]

There are worse places than Britain. USA comes to mind.

I'm just very happy I don't have to live there any longer.

Agreed! As an American, the main reasons I left are

- 40% of my paycheck gone before I receive it

- Ridiculous property taxes on family houses ($12,000/year in my county)

- No health Insurance? Then please die quietly; away from the marble entrance of our private hospital

- University tuition ($50,000/ year over 4 years $200,000 for a Bachelor degree)

- Crazy Rednecks! (Tea Party)

- New Gingrich

- Barack Obama let us down!

Similar situation in Australia, except for the medical issue, though you do need to op up with a private insurance if you want preferential care . . . and we long ago stopped being disappointed in our politicians.

All in all, though, Oz is a very good place, and Sydney is wonderful . . . but I'd neither retire there nor Thailand . . . and I'd definitely not want or expect my wife to clean my arse when I'm too sick to do so myself.

Reason I came (back) to Thailand is because I was born in Bangkok six months after my parents arrived on a four-year posting, and I thought it would be a 'romantic' thing to do, having spent many vacations mainly on the islands.

After starting a business, employing many people and being cheated and relied on to support the local cops, some immi officers, local council etc . . . we decided to leave . . . and that was the best decision we ever made.

I'm not bitter about my home country at all - it is a pretty good place - but the thought of retiring is still far away . . .though it definitely won't be Thailand.

[Sing_Sling]

What *I* wonder is why the variation of this thread just HAVE to be posted again and again and again and again and again... I mean, I don't really *care* why most other foreigner strangers have come here....

If you don't care then why bother reading a thread with a title like this . . . and even more to the point, why 'waste your time' adding to it?

(Foreigner Strangers???)

[thenervoussurgeon]

What *I* wonder is why the variation of this thread just HAVE to be posted again and again and again and again and again... I mean, I don't really *care* why most other foreigner strangers have come here....

If you don't care then why bother reading a thread with a title like this . . . and even more to the point, why 'waste your time' adding to it?

(Foreigner Strangers???)

well said.

[Ijustwannateach]

People I don't know are strangers, and most of the posters here are foreign expats. Therefore foreign strangers.....

Let's see... a quick search shows me several dozen instances of this type of topic... I think a bit of curiosity about why this is such a pressing topic is justified. Of course, you don't have to answer- but if you do, better to answer than to complain about the complaining about the complaining about the complaining... and so on.... and so on....

[maxme]

Isn´t that what you are doing now?

[Ijustwannateach]

No, now I am being ironic. However, to keep this topical, I will state that my sole reason for coming here was kanom, especially the dry rice cakes with the sugar trails.

[flying]

No, now I am being ironic. However, to keep this topical, I will state that my sole reason for coming here was kanom, especially the dry rice cakes with the sugar trails.

You have a picture? I am curios

[geronimo]

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

[23962323]

^{I often wonder why topics such as this appear too, personally I think it is a problem shared is a problem solved}

^{Mine was amongst} thousands of others ex pats having houses taken over by the state govt (but I did manage to sell at last moment) and visas being changed to 6 months in ,two months out policy, this policy appears to being generally applied to more than a few countries too Originally property was confiscated through shell companies being set up by ex pats ,and other ex pats being drawn into the net through no other fault of that just being a foreigner. I can see,...no can I guarantee the same events being staged in Thailand too in the not too distant future,already ominous happenings point to the same situation arriving here

Anyway Spain is my objective,not at the present time though,it will get better when the Euro is dumped,and it cannot be far off as events unfold.

Always kept one hand on my suitcase handle whilst my prolonged stay in Thailand continues,the yearly leashed chain as to permanently residing in LOS will undoubtedly get shorter as events unfold

[BWPattaya]

At those times when we might be p!ssed off with Thailand, this a good post to remind us why we left our home countries.

Couldnt agree more! A great post.

God there are some rather humourless bitter old farts out there judging by some of the posts

I totally agree with you. Some people will never be happy.

[drdoom6996]

I live rurally and don't have city problems. I have been here for 25 years. I speak the language which makes life much easier here. I have more Thai friends than falang because the falangs are all after a cheap place to live and all you have to do is be nice. All they do is complain.

[Kananga]

No, now I am being ironic. However, to keep this topical, I will state that my sole reason for coming here was kanom, especially the dry rice cakes with the sugar trails.

Thats not irony.