Bored Outside Thailand? What' S Wrong With Me?

[Cheapcharly]

not even 1 month in Europe since my return from Thailand... and i m kind of bored. quiet here but very boring.

I can not belive I could have lived 40 years in Europe and in USA without knowing anything of Asia...

now i see my old age in asia only.

i m sick of cost of living here, sick of farangs, sick of farang ladies, sick of Europe in general.

you see, in Thailand, i come with nothing, one bag and can crash anywhere I want, do whatever I want... nobody tell me what to do... and life is so cheap... no worry at all.

here it s always worry about the future, tax, government to screw us...

am I ok? or should I see a psy?

[KhunHehe]

you're love struck. reality hasn't set in yet.

[aTomsLife]

No need for a shrink just yet, I think. What you're experiencing is a normal part of moving on and starting a new chapter in life. I was home last month, did the rounds and by and large, the people I once considered close friends kind of bored me. It's nearly the same experience I had after finishing my time in the military. It's just a matter of having experienced so many new things, while everyone you once knew kept up with the same routine.

You should feel fortunate in a way, what you're experiencing is a symptom of living an interesting life. Cheers.

[saakura]

LOL...hope it remains that way and not too much in the distant future, you do not become disenchanted like some of our esteemed TV members who live here, married to Thais but still despise every aspect of their lives here.

[NeverSure]

If you have lived in the US apart from the most expensive cities, and think taxes are low in Thailand, you just don't see the hidden taxes. Why would it be that a POS new car costs so much more in Thailand than a good one does in the US? (Or someone recently posted that it's also cheaper in GB but I don't know.)

Why do you think that anything imported costs so much?

I can live a Western lifestyle cheaper in the US than I can in Thailand. That is unless I hunker down in Thailand and live as the natives do. But then you could also do that in rural Appalachia or may other places in the US. If you want an unpainted shack, no car but maybe a scooter, and eat the crappy meat and other street type food like you see in Thailand, you can get by really cheap. ALL imported consumer goods will cost you less.

I just spent a month with a rented car traveling around Isaan. The only thing I saw that was cheaper were hotels. Everything else from car rental to decent food was more. If I was much of a drinker it would be a lot more. Car rental was outrageous. I could have rented a new car in the US for a month, unlimited mileage for $520 net net. In Thailand, from Avis, it cost me $900. Much of that was Thai taxes, clearly spelled out.

Edited May 4, 2013 by NeverSure

[Cheapcharly]

I travel a lot... and when I talk with friends ... they seem boring ... i know their life, their life sucks. been nowhere, did nothing really interesting...

i lived in usa, Europe and Asia most of my life. asia is still the best place... not to work. but to live... i mean if i miss a bus, i go hotel. pay 400 baths, take a 2 hours bus for 120baths...go eat 60 bats...

in europe,. it s oh my god all the time... 2000 bats for 2 hours bus, 5000baths for a shit hotel.

with 2 nights hotel in europe,. I live 1 month in thailand with my lady...

u land in thailand... plenty of hotel where to crash. u need food in the middle of the night, go 7/11 where I can eat something for 100baths.

here impossible to eat. shops are closed at night.

here taxi cost 50$ for 15 minutes.... in thailand I jump in any taxi and pay 2 or 3$...

at the end.. it s all about money.

if thailand was expensive like europe.... it would not be so nice to live here... end of year I will come back to thailand for 6 months...

phuket this time...

[Cheapcharly]

... I don't come to Thailand to get the same crapy life like we have in western countries.... buy gadget like ipad and drive a ford runner and be stuck in traffic for hours . not for me... sick of that. more I think about it... more I want get older and be in my 50 to get my retirement visa in Thailand and send everything to hell....

you see in the USA, u always need a car... in Thailand you take the bus.

when you don't take the bus you pay nothing, no insurance, no car payment, no tax... u have saved 500$ to 1500$ a month and lot of headache saved as you get no car' maintenance...

rent? , you save a lot. a one bed room apart in USA costs 500$ at least. here you can have a small house for 300$ or a one bed room apart for 200$.

call? : dtac, u call, you pay 2 bats/min, u don't call you don't pay. in USA u pay even if you don't call.

internet? : 700 bats/month on your cell. in USA 60 bucks.

food: yes crappy Thai food for 2 bucks. crappy us food in USA 7$.

cinema? : Thailand 3 bucks, USA 8 bucks or more....

health insurance? can cost 2000 bahts/month in Thailand.... in USA I have no clue but in Europe it can be 400$/month.

at the end, not only hotel are cheaper... pretty much everything is cheaper in Thailand... and ladies?... are much nicer and less demanding than our farang women as long you don't get too much financially involved with Thai ladies.

com on, money is power. if you are Mr everybody and have some bonds and stocks at boa, you are much better in Thailand than in western countries... even guys of 30yo now come to Los and do little jobs... why? because stress.... Thailand is a less stress country when USA and Europe are stressful places.

in USA, over 10000$/year, you start to pay tax.

here you pay tax if you make more than 50'000 bats/month.

like a guy told me one day, in Europe you survive, in Thailand you live...

Edited May 4, 2013 by Cheapcharly

[krisb]

Sounds like you have the travel blues. Don't worry,Australias boring also.

[stiggy]

If its all about cost comparison and money, I hate to say it but that's not living.

[impulse]

Life does get kind of boring when you:

don't have to dodge cars running red lights when you cross the street,

don't have to wonder if that exposed copper on that wire is going to electrocute you,

don't have to run to the border every few weeks,

don't have to wonder if that tout is really telling you the truth,

don't have to crack software you just bought

don't have to worry that your employer is going to pay you according to your contract

don't worry that you'll have to evacuate your home if you get canned, and in short order at that

don't have to negotiate for so much stuff you buy or use

don't get pulled over regularly to make a "donation" to the po-po

And when:

you can find what you want to buy without being told again and again "no have in this country" only to find it in the next kiosk,

prices on everything are clearly marked and everyone pays the same price

you can order something from the internet and be pretty sure that customs won't take a fancy to it.

you make a decision whether to buy or to rent without considering whether the laws or enforcement will change

you know that you can't afford any of the attractive women in the bar that night so you don't even try

you're pretty sure the women you do end up with don't want to get pregnant any more than you want them to.

Still it's a trade-off and I choose to live here. But 5 minutes after the paychecks quit coming, I'll be looking toward the boring life.

Edited May 5, 2013 by impulse

[Scully]

If you have lived in the US apart from the most expensive cities, and think taxes are low in Thailand, you just don't see the hidden taxes. Why would it be that a POS new car costs so much more in Thailand than a good one does in the US? (Or someone recently posted that it's also cheaper in GB but I don't know.)

Why do you think that anything imported costs so much?

I can live a Western lifestyle cheaper in the US than I can in Thailand. That is unless I hunker down in Thailand and live as the natives do. But then you could also do that in rural Appalachia or may other places in the US. If you want an unpainted shack, no car but maybe a scooter, and eat the crappy meat and other street type food like you see in Thailand, you can get by really cheap. ALL imported consumer goods will cost you less.

I just spent a month with a rented car traveling around Isaan. The only thing I saw that was cheaper were hotels. Everything else from car rental to decent food was more. If I was much of a drinker it would be a lot more. Car rental was outrageous. I could have rented a new car in the US for a month, unlimited mileage for $520 net net. In Thailand, from Avis, it cost me $900. Much of that was Thai taxes, clearly spelled out.

You travelled around Issan in a car from a multi national company where prices hardly vary. The beer is half the price of Bangkok the only place the beer is more expensive is lady bars, the locals know where to eat and after doing some asking about you get to know the best places, cheap excellent quality food at very low prices.

Hotel suite in Udon 850 baht or room 500 baht, swimming pool gym,massage, restaurant (built two years ago)etc etc.

I know a place you could rent a new pickup for less than $520 dollars, everyone is different but I didn't come to Thailand to eat Macdonalds or eat steak and chips.

When I see television chefs going to Thailand and trying the local delicacies off the street and explaining the flavours about how delicious they are, I will remember your comments about street type food and it's crappy meat.

[GreenSnapper]

I do most of my shopping in Europe. So much cheaper.

Example: one pair of Ecco shoes, in Bangkok: 7000 Baht. These are made in Thailand. Almost a month's salary for a Thai.

Same shoes in Europe: 4000 Baht. Including shipping, VAT and import taxes.

And yes: Thailand gets boring after a short while. I spend half of the year in neighbouring asian countries. Much more interesting there, and people are brighter.

[The Dude]

Neversure is 100% correct, the usa is wayyy cheaper on EVERYTHING. I pay DOUBLE for a fleabag BKK hotel more than similar in USA. 1500 baht to be exact for a 50 year old bkk special vs $29 for similar in western USA. I can rent an SS Camaro convertible with a 6.2 liter engine for $1200/month in USA. Food and ALL goods and services are CHEAPER with wide selections of anything and everything you need. I love Thailand for so many things but cost and goods and services in general are NOT what the Dude loves about his adopted country. Yes to Brits and Euros sure wow dirt cheap and so much variety of cheap goods available, lol.

Edited May 5, 2013 by The Dude

[Scully]

Neversure is 100% correct, the usa is wayyy cheaper on EVERYTHING. I pay DOUBLE for a fleabag BKK hotel more than similar in USA. 1500 baht to be exact for a 50 year old bkk special vs $29 for similar in western USA. I can rent an SS Camaro convertible with a 6.2 liter engine for $1200/month in USA. Food and ALL goods and services are CHEAPER with wide selections of anything and everything you need. I love Thailand for so many things but cost and goods and services in general are NOT what the Dude loves about his adopted country. Yes to Brits and Euros sure wow dirt cheap and so much variety of cheap goods available, lol.

How much is rent, mortgage, taxes, utility bills in the US, just wondered?.

[GreenSnapper]

Thailand is cheap only if your living standard is as low as that of low-income Thais.

If you want a moderate living standard as it is common in the West, you pay much more here.

[chris2004]

Neversure is 100% correct, the usa is wayyy cheaper on EVERYTHING. I pay DOUBLE for a fleabag BKK hotel more than similar in USA. 1500 baht to be exact for a 50 year old bkk special vs $29 for similar in western USA. I can rent an SS Camaro convertible with a 6.2 liter engine for $1200/month in USA. Food and ALL goods and services are CHEAPER with wide selections of anything and everything you need. I love Thailand for so many things but cost and goods and services in general are NOT what the Dude loves about his adopted country. Yes to Brits and Euros sure wow dirt cheap and so much variety of cheap goods available, lol.

Americans are so lucky. They do not realise how cheap it is in the States compared to Europe (and most places in the world). Whenever i go to the USA it feels like a bargain basement sale, things are sooo cheap. It must be hard for Americans as going abroad (even to Thailand) is going to cost them more to live.

[Scully]

I got off the plane in the UK and went to the train station with my internet printed ticket, it clearly stated go to the counter before boarding. Off I went qued up and produced my ticket, the reply "what do you want me to do with that", no hello sir how can I help etc etc. I had sat on a plane for hours and was greated by UK customer services finest, I went mad told him his customer sevice attitude was crap, it clearly states on the ticket and said no wonder I moved away from this kee hole.

Soon settled in to the crap food, work all week to get legless at the weekend, looking at 20 year old single mothers with waistlines sumo wrestlers would be proud of, people making a living off government handouts, I could go on but three pages of ranting may get boring.

[i claudius]

I am back in the UK soon for a month ,visiting family and friends ,it's the same every year after the first few days the novelty wears off and i can't wait to get home ,i just can't take the rules and regulations ,i was born at a time when Britain was British and you didn't have to do a "health and safety " check before wiping your bottom.

Edited May 5, 2013 by i claudius

[robblok]

Neversure is 100% correct, the usa is wayyy cheaper on EVERYTHING. I pay DOUBLE for a fleabag BKK hotel more than similar in USA. 1500 baht to be exact for a 50 year old bkk special vs $29 for similar in western USA. I can rent an SS Camaro convertible with a 6.2 liter engine for $1200/month in USA. Food and ALL goods and services are CHEAPER with wide selections of anything and everything you need. I love Thailand for so many things but cost and goods and services in general are NOT what the Dude loves about his adopted country. Yes to Brits and Euros sure wow dirt cheap and so much variety of cheap goods available, lol.

Dude how much would you pay for a fleabag hotel in one of the mayor cities ? Cant compare the capital of the country with some out of the way place. Plus there are pretty decent hotels in BKK for 1500 bt.

Of course the food that you used to eat is cheaper but try eating Thai food in the USA and compare it with food here. You cant compare foreign food here with normal food home.

You love making strange comparisons, just like its normal to pay more here for imported goods then back home as that is where they are made.

The only thing you are right about is cars.

[robblok]

If you have lived in the US apart from the most expensive cities, and think taxes are low in Thailand, you just don't see the hidden taxes. Why would it be that a POS new car costs so much more in Thailand than a good one does in the US? (Or someone recently posted that it's also cheaper in GB but I don't know.)

Why do you think that anything imported costs so much?

I can live a Western lifestyle cheaper in the US than I can in Thailand. That is unless I hunker down in Thailand and live as the natives do. But then you could also do that in rural Appalachia or may other places in the US. If you want an unpainted shack, no car but maybe a scooter, and eat the crappy meat and other street type food like you see in Thailand, you can get by really cheap. ALL imported consumer goods will cost you less.

I just spent a month with a rented car traveling around Isaan. The only thing I saw that was cheaper were hotels. Everything else from car rental to decent food was more. If I was much of a drinker it would be a lot more. Car rental was outrageous. I could have rented a new car in the US for a month, unlimited mileage for $520 net net. In Thailand, from Avis, it cost me $900. Much of that was Thai taxes, clearly spelled out.

You are making unfair comparisons here of course Western food is going to be more expensive here as it is imported. Just compare western food here with Thai food back home. If you want to live like you lived in the West you better stay home its called adaptation.

You can live here cheap and many times you just need a scooter.. I would not try that back int he US. And comparing it with back-lands of the USA just so funny as then you should make the comparison those back-lands to Isarn not BKK or an other tourist spot.

Your just not suited to live somewhere else, i made adjustments to my life as if i wanted everything like back home id stayed back home.

[akspace]

Neversure is 100% correct, the usa is wayyy cheaper on EVERYTHING. I pay DOUBLE for a fleabag BKK hotel more than similar in USA. 1500 baht to be exact for a 50 year old bkk special vs $29 for similar in western USA. I can rent an SS Camaro convertible with a 6.2 liter engine for $1200/month in USA. Food and ALL goods and services are CHEAPER with wide selections of anything and everything you need. I love Thailand for so many things but cost and goods and services in general are NOT what the Dude loves about his adopted country. Yes to Brits and Euros sure wow dirt cheap and so much variety of cheap goods available, lol.

Last hotel I stayed at in the US ran me $230/night (Las Vegas, off the strip), that is a little under 7000 baht. The last cheap fleabag I stayed at in the US ran me $110/night (Klamath Falls, OR). You really can't compare the cost of accommodations between the US and Thailand, for the same money I will get something 2-3x nicer in Bangkok over just about anywhere in the US. Same goes for rent and food.

You might have an argument that durable goods are cheaper in the US, but are they such a large part of your budget that they matter? My monthly expenses for durable goods averages out to less then $50/mo, even if I'm paying double in Thailand the cheaper rent and food more then make up for it.

[impulse]

Neversure is 100% correct, the usa is wayyy cheaper on EVERYTHING. I pay DOUBLE for a fleabag BKK hotel more than similar in USA. 1500 baht to be exact for a 50 year old bkk special vs $29 for similar in western USA. I can rent an SS Camaro convertible with a 6.2 liter engine for $1200/month in USA. Food and ALL goods and services are CHEAPER with wide selections of anything and everything you need. I love Thailand for so many things but cost and goods and services in general are NOT what the Dude loves about his adopted country. Yes to Brits and Euros sure wow dirt cheap and so much variety of cheap goods available, lol.

Americans are so lucky. They do not realise how cheap it is in the States compared to Europe (and most places in the world). Whenever i go to the USA it feels like a bargain basement sale, things are sooo cheap. It must be hard for Americans as going abroad (even to Thailand) is going to cost them more to live.

I agree, right up until we show up at the hospital. That factor alone can tip the scales on any family at any time.. Fortunately, it doesn't get us all, but it has bankrupted way too many.

[livinthailandos]

Seems like similiar threads on this issue. Thailand has its own pros and cons like anywhere in the world.

On friends back home agree with other posters though nothing really new changes

Sent from my using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[jaffacakes1]

I wondered when I moved to Phuket if the 90 days I was allowed to remain in the UK was going to be enough. I soon realised it was about 80 days too long.

This is not to criticise the UK as I had the most fantastic time in London but all good things must come to an end. Since moving to Thailand I actually look forward to returning from every holiday, no system is perfect but there is so much more to like than dislike, the same cannot be said, unfortunately for my former home. Hope you make it back to LOS soon!

[longballlarry]

Quite the opposite for me. 10 years in LOS and bored out of my tits. Although I can live here comfortably, imo its now expensive and overrated so am returning to the UK next year. Get my kids a decent education and not have them rolling around in the dirt like toothless simpletons struggling with their 2 times table at the age of 12. Get a decent 2nd hand car for 10k , and not some beat up old gypo truck. Get a decent house in my name that will still be standing in 50yrs because the walls are thicker than 3".

Dont do the whores, bored of that a long time ago. Dont sit in bars all day, talking to SAS flip flop wearing veterans. After that there really isnt much left, unless you play golf, (but lets face it, eventually you'll fall out with your new playing partners, who'll wind up being bullsh1tters or katoey bangers ). Suppose you could spend your time looking at the same boring temples, perhaps even getting down on your knees with your Singha vest, 'Waiing at Buddha', get a grip son. Or you could trounce around the same markets selling the same old <deleted>, bartering with your calculator buying Silk Scarves and chickens feet on a stick.

There are, Nice people (but lets face it, in general, a bit stupid) , nice food ( But after 10yrs the same old p1ss), nice weather ( Sometimes too hot to go out and do anything. I suppose I could go out for a drive and watch a p1ssed up bus driver flip over his double decker doing 100mph up the hard shoulder ) . So thats it for me. Romance over.

Looking forward to going home. Friends and family missed. Everything I need on my doorstep in London. A thousand things but cant be @rsed listing them.

Maybe I'll get bored of UK after a while and come back. But only for a holiday. I would try another country after that. Nothing left to offer me in Lieland.

[Scully]

Quite the opposite for me. 10 years in LOS and bored out of my tits. Although I can live here comfortably, imo its now expensive and overrated so am returning to the UK next year. Get my kids a decent education and not have them rolling around in the dirt like toothless simpletons struggling with their 2 times table at the age of 12. Get a decent 2nd hand car for 10k , and not some beat up old gypo truck. Get a decent house in my name that will still be standing in 50yrs because the walls are thicker than 3".

Dont do the whores, bored of that a long time ago. Dont sit in bars all day, talking to SAS flip flop wearing veterans. After that there really isnt much left, unless you play golf, (but lets face it, eventually you'll fall out with your new playing partners, who'll wind up being bullsh1tters or katoey bangers ). Suppose you could spend your time looking at the same boring temples, perhaps even getting down on your knees with your Singha vest, 'Waiing at Buddha', get a grip son. Or you could trounce around the same markets selling the same old <deleted>, bartering with your calculator buying Silk Scarves and chickens feet on a stick.

There are, Nice people (but lets face it, in general, a bit stupid) , nice food ( But after 10yrs the same old p1ss), nice weather ( Sometimes too hot to go out and do anything. I suppose I could go out for a drive and watch a p1ssed up bus driver flip over his double decker doing 100mph up the hard shoulder ) . So thats it for me. Romance over.

Looking forward to going home. Friends and family missed. Everything I need on my doorstep in London. A thousand things but cant be @rsed listing them.

Maybe I'll get bored of UK after a while and come back. But only for a holiday. I would try another country after that. Nothing left to offer me in Lieland.

I agree with 99% of what you are saying but soon as you see London the way it is "now" you may change your mind.

[i claudius]

Quite the opposite for me. 10 years in LOS and bored out of my tits. Although I can live here comfortably, imo its now expensive and overrated so am returning to the UK next year. Get my kids a decent education and not have them rolling around in the dirt like toothless simpletons struggling with their 2 times table at the age of 12. Get a decent 2nd hand car for 10k , and not some beat up old gypo truck. Get a decent house in my name that will still be standing in 50yrs because the walls are thicker than 3".

Dont do the whores, bored of that a long time ago. Dont sit in bars all day, talking to SAS flip flop wearing veterans. After that there really isnt much left, unless you play golf, (but lets face it, eventually you'll fall out with your new playing partners, who'll wind up being bullsh1tters or katoey bangers ). Suppose you could spend your time looking at the same boring temples, perhaps even getting down on your knees with your Singha vest, 'Waiing at Buddha', get a grip son. Or you could trounce around the same markets selling the same old <deleted>, bartering with your calculator buying Silk Scarves and chickens feet on a stick.

There are, Nice people (but lets face it, in general, a bit stupid) , nice food ( But after 10yrs the same old p1ss), nice weather ( Sometimes too hot to go out and do anything. I suppose I could go out for a drive and watch a p1ssed up bus driver flip over his double decker doing 100mph up the hard shoulder ) . So thats it for me. Romance over.

Looking forward to going home. Friends and family missed. Everything I need on my doorstep in London. A thousand things but cant be @rsed listing them.

Maybe I'll get bored of UK after a while and come back. But only for a holiday. I would try another country after that. Nothing left to offer me in Lieland.

Judging by your post ,i do not think you could make it anywhere ,not trying to be rude, but my lad has and is having a good education here ,i live a family life and am never bored ,the one day a week i go to a bar there are interesting people there ,in 24 years i have never ever met one of these "ex sas " types i keep hearing about on Thai Visa ,i think they only exist in fantasy land , i don't go to boring temples ,but then i never went to churches in the west , and markets around my old home town in the UK sold the same boring shit week after week ,so no change between there and here .

sorry but you just make yourself sound a bit of a loser,

[MaiChai]

Hate to burst anyone's bubble, but Thailand is getting more expensive all the time. Alot of things more expensive than in the west, and in time it will be as expensive as the west. alot of things that are still cheap are priced like that because your average Thai earns a fifth of what we earn in the west. Don't forget that; that's why it's cheap for you. Want to work in Thailand earning Thai salary and working in Thai conditions ? Remember you are the spoilt foreigner and you will run back to where you came from when the money is finished?

[guzzi850m2]

I guess much depends of your age/status. Still working, retired, single, married and so on, many factors to add to get to the final conclusion.

As a pensioner (I am still working myself) and you live in as an example Pattaya you can always find a place with "life", always people on the streets,

cheap restaurants, bars and many shopping centers to choose from. The climate allows you to go out every day without freezing your balls off.

I see some pensioners here that don't want to sit in bars and get wasted but rather meet up with friends in a coffee shop for a chat or maybe have a game of chees.

That must be better than sitting in Northern EU alone in a flat and you can't really be outside from much part of the year.

In my home country Denmark you only go to a restaurant once or twice a month (middle class) and you do all your cooking at home but here you can easily eat well in a res. for app 150-200 bath pr person.

Thailand life is very much outdoor based whereas my country is much more indoor based. I remember last time home and I saw snot nosed people hurry home after work on their bi-cycles so they could get indoor asap,

I thought to myself, fxxk that man. Here we are grilling out in the garden every week, doors/windows wide open year round and I like that.

I am sure I would find Denmark very boring if we moved there and we are having no plans of doing so despite a 3.5 year old son.

[megaworldasia]

I think the boredom in the west that the OP is talking about has a lot to do with the way in which the western way of life is so regulated. There are rules, regulations, fines, penalties and taxes wherever one turns. Thailand, in comparison, seems less restrictive and I think, by extension, gives the feeling of greater freedom. I think that might be one of the major reasons why many of us choose to live here even though, at times, the place has the look of complete chaos about it.<br /><br />Many, and I include myself in this, have simply opted out of the western lifestyle/system of being over governed and being suffocated by PC nonsense. I guess it's really all about ones expectations in life and where you fit in. I realized a long time ago that a mortgage in the burbs, 9 - 5, consumerism and keeping up with the joneses wasn't going to cut it for me. The lifestyle I lived in my twenties probably had a lot to do with it; traveling in asia, surfing and scuba diving. Perhaps I was a bit of a restless soul anyway? I'm sure there are many likeminded types that have decided to call this place their home as well. For better or worse we do the best we can; I'm just fortunate that I've got myself into an industry that pays well and I can have a decent standard of life here in the LOS.<br /><br />One of the things I love about this part of the world is that there are so many great places to go and have a look at in the region. Bangkok is a good base for short trips to the rest of South East Asia. In the last few months I've had some great trips to Mae Hong Son, Central Laos and Vietnam: www.megaworldasia.com<br /><br />In comparison, life back in the western world would seem boring.