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[bluezephyr]

Hi there.

Last year down the pub talking to a mate of mine he was talking about holidays,he mentioned going to Thailand,how his friends mother and father lived there,they could show us around, sounded great,but money was a bit tight, told i had until the morning by 11am to make my mind up as the tickets were being booked.

consulted the grim looking finances,had to put a few gadgets on hold but it was affordable but on a sort of budget,next day tickets booked to a country i knew absolutely nothing about.

Had to wait a few months for the big day to arrive,having never set foot in an airport before it was all new to me,my first ever holiday about to start.

We flew Thai airways,the staff were polite and friendly,hardly slept a wink on the plane,just too ###### excited and nervous for what was in store,trying to eat the quite edible food( was told beforehand aeroplane food was usually quite nasty) was a bit of a challenge rubbing elbows beside my two travelling partners,got there in the end though,washed down by a can of Chang beer, im an ale fan myself but this drink was really nice and got tasted on many occaisons throughout my 2 week stay.

Touchdown in Bangkok,passport controll,get bags ready to wait outside for a friend to meet us,doors opened,WHAM!! the heat,fumes,chaos of all the taxis,my first chance in 12 hours to have a smoke(or 3!).

we meet my friends friend,get a taxi to a nearby hotel they were staying at and relax for a bit,then set off for Hua Hin in a minibus,sure we were being targetted by robbers on the way down there, all the cases for all to see in the back,clearly new toursts,black pick up kept tailgateing us and bibbing the horn like something was the matter,driver of our minibus never stopped but this went on for quite some time,they gave up.

hotel in Hua Hin was nice,Regana Garden hotel,presentable from the outside,rooms very good for the money,air conditioning which i have never used in my life,lowest setting 18c just the right temperature

Showered and ready to go,didnt really get jet lag,but could have been the red bulls i was recomended to drink,drink it in england but when its about 10th the price i got a bit carried away.

First meal out, a place situated near the Hilton, had fans that blew out water jets,fantastic,rock lobster and these huge beer containers with dispenser taps,ice jackets keeping the Chang nice and cool.

We go and sample the night life,find a bar,full of girls,pool table,best night out i had for ages.

A new drink,Thai whiskey(but says rum on the bottle !) even though i sort of had a rough idea where my room was in the hotel,i managed to climb the wrong flight of stairs,san song is very nice but easily overdooable!

the beach in Hua Hin is nice,not too over crowded,have to ask why there are gun boats out in the sea, 'King is home' im told, respect to the big man.

with fair skin never seeing any overseas sun before, the factor 15 sun screen i had proved useless as the next day i start to peel.

bought some factor 60,total block, find a way in now mr sun .

the next few days in Hua hin were very nice,we hired bikes,visited the friends parents house just outside hua hin,what a wonderfull life they have now.

booked a trip to an island called Ko Samui(next time im flying there) a long bus trip, and a long ferry trip got us there safe and sound.

pretty sure it was the Chaweng part of Samui we went to, the beach was awesome,food,people,even the people selling items on the beach were pleasant,learned lack of eye contact and a few days worth of tan kept them at bay though!.

nightlife in samui was quite hectic,but some of the best nights out ive ever had,the kids selling the necklaces were relentless,and no thankyou i'd rather not have an iguana on my shoulder for a photo.

always been a bit of a gun fanatic, found the shooting range,m16 a bit out of my range price wise but got to fill a lifetime ambition of shooting proper guns.

caught the ferry to Ko pahgnan, an afternoon there,what are the small fish that bite your legs??

4 days in Samui wasnt nearly enough,a real shame to have to leave

Back to Hua Hin, spent the rest of our days chilling out,seeing the scenery. a day to kanchanaburi to see the bridge,a visit to the museum and memorial gardens,sad to see people from the Norfolk regiment there,sad to see anybody there, but being norfolk born and bred it was especially moveing.

then unfortunately back home to reality,work,rat race and overtaxing

if youve got this far,thanks for reading,youve probably heard stories like this a thousand times but for me was totally a life changer.

to live in this wonderfull country is only a dream for now, but one day i hope i can leave the materialistic shores of england and be happy with a simple life in Thailand.

i have known of this site for a while,reluctant to look about just so i dont burst the bubble of the 'ideal' of living in thailand,but feel i need to as i need to find more information about realising a dream.

tony norwich england

Edited January 26, 2006 by bluezephyr

[daleyboy]

Fair play that is quite a long post, but also a good one welcome blue to

[mogoso]

Good for you Tony, but now you've bitten by the creature that is Thailand. It's rarely fatal but produces a sense of longing, wanting, of needing to be there, of changing your life to make it happen, But beware there are many obstacles to overcome, the hardest being the financial one. Whats ya going to do when you get there? Very few decent paying jobs that you can obtain, but still possible, but not probable. Teaching pays not much, but it is a route well traveled by many. A business? gotta understand you limited legally to few fields

Its best to return on a few vacations and size up life, remembering vacation life ain't everyday real life, but a vacation in Thailand sometimes can be as close as most of us will get to heaven.

[Mighty Mouse]

You came for a good holiday and that's what you had. Congratulations.

Keep in mind you can't take your holiday home, only memories of it.

Those memories will draw you back to LOS again and again, like a pin to a magnet.

The next thing you'll know you will be forming of a relationship with one of the locals. From casual at first, to intense.

This is when your life starts to change, exciting times ahead. It's also a time when you may need to make some hard decisions about the direction of your life.

Welcome to the club, we have all been, or will be going through it. Enjoy the ride.

[daleyboy]

Welcome to the club, we have all been, or will be going through it. Enjoy the ride.

And it is a never ending ride of highs and lows. For those of us not lucky enough to live full time in los the high is the week before you go and the time your there the low is the last 2 days before you come back to shitty ole England and it lasts until the week before your next trip.

Get used to it, come on here often and talk Thailand with other people who are interested instead of your friends that have never been, and think Thailand is only good for one thing.

Have fun enjoy yourself and dont feel daft about asking questions

[Tippaporn]

Nice holiday story. Keep the memories in the frontal lobe.

If you've aquired an itch for Thailand then don't get a GF over here. The itch will turn into a rash that can only be cured by coming back here.

[bluezephyr]

Thanks for the welcomes.

My friend is talking of going back in april,checked flights (recomended places.... ears all open!) and theyre not too badly priced,alot less than i payed at local travel agents anyway!

He's just come back from a month over there,he missed the snow we had just after christmas so i took some photos and hotmailed them to him whys the @ button on the number 2 button,could i find it!grr

I know i only saw Thailand very briefly compared to living there,but i think i can seperate the two,ideal solution would be to set up a business,lady i met there in september has just passed a salon course,more money and less hours than selling food,Her brother has a large recycling company so may be another option

I understand from getting to know someone who lives there not to bring anymore into the country than youre prepared to lose.

I talk at work how good Thailand is,theyre coming round to my ways,got the old ting tong thing from them to start with,not so much now,ive given them all my photo's on CD and they seem impressed.

Got some red bulls back with my mate,one thing they didnt pull him for in customs.find them easier to drink,bit more of a kick too!

daft question time............. LOS??

[daleyboy]

Land Of Smiles aka Thailand

Well have fun and dont give money to Thai ladies who want to open salons, she will be telling you she has got a sick buffalo next

As for fligts try ba.com just booked with them £415 return non stop, make sure you join tere club before you buy though and then you will get extra discount.

[Soph]

No offence and a big Welcome to Thai Visa as lovely as your holiday story sounds, it really could have been a trip to Spain, Tenerife, Majorca anywhere.

It hardly sounds like you embraced the Thai culture, food, lifestyle etc etc.

Did you not visit any temples, eat any street food, hike through the jungle, that kind of thing.

Again, I dont mean to be rude, and im sure you may have done lots of other things, so why not share some of your feelings about the culture and Thai people (not the bar girls!)

[jbowman1993]

Thanks for the welcomes.

My friend is talking of going back in april,checked flights (recomended places.... ears all open!) and theyre not too badly priced,alot less than i payed at local travel agents anyway!

daft question time............. LOS??

LOS = Land of Smiles

The reason the prices are so cheap in April is that it is the hottest month in Thailand. Temperatures can push 40+ in Bangkok. But, sweating so much makes your skin look fantastic

Peace

No offence and a big Welcome to Thai Visa as lovely as your holiday story sounds, it really could have been a trip to Spain, Tenerife, Majorca anywhere.

It hardly sounds like you embraced the Thai culture, food, lifestyle etc etc.

Did you not visit any temples, eat any street food, hike through the jungle, that kind of thing.

Again, I dont mean to be rude, and im sure you may have done lots of other things, so why not share some of your feelings about the culture and Thai people (not the bar girls!)

Lighten Up. It was his vacation, not yours. Some people like to chill and relax when they are on a break from work.

I suppose I'm as guilty of this as the rest, but when a person is just sharing a fun experience, why do we at TV feel it is necessary to pee on his rainbow?

[Soph]

Wasnt, as you so nicely put it trying to " pee on his rainbow " (although i am a bit grumpy this morning!) I was simply probing and asking if he could maybe elaborate more on his actual "Thai" experience, as I remember my first trip here being blown away by the culture, the street sellers, monks in the morning, giant temples and buddhas - the bars and beer and red bull were just an extension of home in a paradise environment. Ok?

[bluezephyr]

'It hardly sounds like you embraced the Thai culture, food, lifestyle etc etc.'

'Did you not visit any temples, eat any street food, hike through the jungle, that kind of thing.'

-------------

Well,being a bit new to going abroad ie: furthest ive been before is yorkshire. i was more than happy enough to relax, and just enjoy my time there. when time is so short you have to compromise with ya mates what to do as we are all different with different likes dislikes.

i didnt know where we were going to stay,i didnt look at anything to do, we got there and sorted ourselves out more or less.

Now it feels as if i have to prove myself,took me a while to write the first post,got a bit sketchy near the end but would have taken ages to elaborate on the sights i saw and what i felt seeing them.

we visited a temple,saw a funeral,i ate street food,buffalo meat balls small eggs and crab meat,on handy skewers,had never eaten squid before but when convinced i would enjoy a squid on a stick i wasnt disapointed.

walking through the market,caught my eyes on a funny looking creature up for sale, now know it as a horseshoe crab,probably taste bettr than they look!

i noticed that many farangs dont mix with the thai people,how there are many shops aimed purely at the westerners,way to expensive for the thai's.

we hired mopeds to get about

Thai people think the english are rich,a conversation to a thai chap on how screwed we are in england put him in a better picture.

we still do well,but life aint as rich as theyre led to believe.

havent the time right now to write more,but this may have been like any other holiday destination in the world to some,i didnt go there for brownie points in at work holiday conversations.

[dantilley]

Good posts BlueZephyr, I find them interesting reading.

[rio666uk]

Welcome to the forum Blue - as said by others - everyone here has experienced their first taste of thailand - and it never gets boring hearing about someone elses either... glad you had such a great holiday.

Horseshoe Crabs - youre right - theyre unsettling to look at.. Ill try em one day

If you've got some photos on digi camera - create yourself a gallery and upload em.

666

[Soph]

'It hardly sounds like you embraced the Thai culture, food, lifestyle etc etc.'

'Did you not visit any temples, eat any street food, hike through the jungle, that kind of thing.'

-------------

Well,being a bit new to going abroad ie: furthest ive been before is yorkshire. i was more than happy enough to relax, and just enjoy my time there. when time is so short you have to compromise with ya mates what to do as we are all different with different likes dislikes.

i didnt know where we were going to stay,i didnt look at anything to do, we got there and sorted ourselves out more or less.

Now it feels as if i have to prove myself,took me a while to write the first post,got a bit sketchy near the end but would have taken ages to elaborate on the sights i saw and what i felt seeing them.

we visited a temple,saw a funeral,i ate street food,buffalo meat balls small eggs and crab meat,on handy skewers,had never eaten squid before but when convinced i would enjoy a squid on a stick i wasnt disapointed.

walking through the market,caught my eyes on a funny looking creature up for sale, now know it as a horseshoe crab,probably taste bettr than they look!

i noticed that many farangs dont mix with the thai people,how there are many shops aimed purely at the westerners,way to expensive for the thai's.

we hired mopeds to get about

Thai people think the english are rich,a conversation to a thai chap on how screwed we are in england put him in a better picture.

we still do well,but life aint as rich as theyre led to believe.

havent the time right now to write more,but this may have been like any other holiday destination in the world to some,i didnt go there for brownie points in at work holiday conversations.

Great post bluezephyr - a lot different to Yorkshire isnt it this wonderful country called Thailand!

Glad to hear about your trip (even the beer and red bull stories) keep us posted on your next one!

[britmaveric]

Nice post - no worries once you've tasted a bit of thailand there is no hope for you. You are buggered like the rest of us.

[bluezephyr]

i have created a gallery,not sure how you delete single photo's,ive uploaded one 2 times.

these arent all the pics i took,between myself and friends we took loads and i put them all on to one cd rom.

Im up for any ideas of where to visit when i go next, main stay will be HUa Hin again,but i plan on seeing someone in nahkon sawan and Nontha Buri.

i had the normal jabs in about august time last year,if i plan on going again will these have to be updated?

cheers

tony

[meom]

i had the normal jabs in about august time last year,if i plan on going again will these have to be updated?

cheers

tony

Don't worrie mate, just dip it in a glass of Mekong after you're done and you'll be allright.

[redrus]

if youve got this far,thanks for reading,youve probably heard stories like this a thousand times but for me was totally a life changer.

i have known of this site for a while,reluctant to look about just so i dont burst the bubble of the 'ideal' of living in thailand,but feel i need to as i need to find more information about realising a dream.

tony norwich england

Most of the people on here have big time senti(mental) reasons for loving LOS. Almost everything about it we've all fallen in love with. So for most of us hearing an account like that reminds us of what we've all been through and, the amount of fun you're going to have discovering the rest.

Just don't rush into anything, do as you would in the heat of Bangkok. Don't forget to breath and take your time.

redrus

Ps; Once you go into your gallery and open the drop down subsection, (the one with view in it) there should be a delete selection.

[gburns57au]

Good to hear you had a great time...

Thailand is indeed an unscratchable itch....and by your own admission it was your first major holiday...take your time...there is a lot you need to learn before you start thinking of settling down there...do the time and do the homework.

You are in the rose coloured glasses stage right now...Take a few more trips, see more of the country and the culture.

In the meantime have a few more great holidays