Starting over in LOS

[NeverSure]

For me, Thailand is a place to vacation for as much as several months. Then I want to go home.

When I've had enough of smelling garbage in the air, being afraid to drink the water, seeing litter everywhere, seeing idiots on the road, and all else that's third world, I reluctantly leave the beautiful women and the things that are best about Thailand but I never fail to feel more like I belong when I step off that plane in the US.

There is something about belonging, and knowing I don't need anyone's permission to live or move about or own my home and land, and being a citizen with a right to just be that has value.

But that's just me.

Maybe I should take back what I said above for some people. It is only my perspective.

If I was living in one of the more expensive countries on limited income and had no close ties, Thailand would be an option. I do keep coming back so there must be more good than bad in my eyes. Some Western countries are extremely expensive, and expats from there consider Thailand to be cheap. Other countries have very cold weather making Thailand attractive. Maybe others just want a new start in life after - whatever.

I think that if I found myself in any of those positions, I would move to Thailand, and more power to those who do. One size doesn't fit all.

Cheers.

[rct99q]

Compared to the UK I think Bangladesh would be Shangri La.

[super22k]

You owe so much to the UK.The jet engine that flew you to Thailand.Uk invention.The Television you watch .UK invention.The language you speak.UK invention to name just a few,rct99q.

[JSixpack]

He asked me could he start over here, I said its the Land of Second Chances.

What do you say ?

I'd say no, not really.

Surprisingly, we've heard positive comments about Thailand here.

Yet most Brits living in Thailand, unless on a cushy expat package, spend most of their time whining about this and that, difficulty of finding proper pork scratchings, beetroot, decent f&c, etc. They're utterly miserable.

So I'd advise your friend either to take his second chance in the happiest place in the UK: Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland. http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/07/25/revealed-the-happiest-place-in-the-uk/#!slide=aol_1260995

Or, move to one of THE popular retirement destinations for Brits:

Australia is the most popular destination for UK migrants of pension age (245,000), followed by North America (190,000), Ireland (105,000) and Spain (75,000). In La Cala de Mijas, a town on the Costa del Sol in Spain, one third of the residents are British.

--http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Teaching+resources/Key+Stage+3+resources/Changing+faces+shaping+places/Leaving+for+lifestyle.htm

Yet your friend should first read You'd be daft to retire abroad

Edited December 5, 2013 by JSixpack

[donniereadit]

I would say, unless he is looking for cheap hookers, go somewhere else.

Warm, cheap places

Equator

Chile

Brazil

Argentina

Mexico

India

Florida

California

That's the places I would have gone.

Of course I was looking for cheap hookers, so I came here.

You forgot Vietnam a cheap and easy flight away. The women there are much more attractive and plentiful then in Thailand, but it's not a sexpat friendly country.

Yet, you don't find many expats there at all, even with the easy visa.

It takes some time for people to indeed admit why they are really in Thailand. I usually only hear genuine responses from people who have lived there awhile, and it's not the temples that keep them there long term.

[homeownership]

..........while watching Sky TV back in the UK

How do you manage that in Chiang Mai?

Firstly you need to find an engineer to point your dish to the Astra Satellites and you need a UK sky viewing card, with restrictions disabled. You can watch all UK channels as if you were in the UK.

[homeownership]

He asked me could he start over here, I said its the Land of Second Chances.

What do you say ?

I'd say no, not really.

Surprisingly, we've heard positive comments about Thailand here.

Yet most Brits living in Thailand, unless on a cushy expat package, spend most of their time whining about this and that, difficulty of finding proper pork scratchings, beetroot, decent f&c, etc. They're utterly miserable.

So I'd advise your friend either to take his second chance in the happiest place in the UK: Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland. http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/07/25/revealed-the-happiest-place-in-the-uk/#!slide=aol_1260995

Or, move to one of THE popular retirement destinations for Brits:

Australia is the most popular destination for UK migrants of pension age (245,000), followed by North America (190,000), Ireland (105,000) and Spain (75,000). In La Cala de Mijas, a town on the Costa del Sol in Spain, one third of the residents are British.

--http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Teaching+resources/Key+Stage+3+resources/Changing+faces+shaping+places/Leaving+for+lifestyle.htm

Yet your friend should first read You'd be daft to retire abroad

Is that really your honest view of Brits in Thailand. You do surprise me, certainly not my experience.

[Hardened Spanker]

I would say, unless he is looking for cheap hookers, go somewhere else.

Warm, cheap places

Equator

Chile

Brazil

Argentina

Mexico

India

Florida

California

That's the places I would have gone.

Of course I was looking for cheap hookers, so I came here.

You forgot Vietnam a cheap and easy flight away. The women there are much more attractive and plentiful then in Thailand, but it's not a sexpat friendly country.

Yet, you don't find many expats there at all, even with the easy visa.

It takes some time for people to indeed admit why they are really in Thailand. I usually only hear genuine responses from people who have lived there awhile, and it's not the temples that keep them there long term.

Personally I find the women just about anywhere in South-East Asia prettier,friendlier,shapelier,more genuine and far less manipulative and downright sneaky than a large percentage of Thai women!

In this statement I include Indonesia,Cambodia,The Philippines,Vietnam,Laos etc.I like Thailand as it's like Europe in Asia for all the imports you can get but I can certainly take or leave Thai girlfriends no problem!

[Hardened Spanker]

He asked me could he start over here, I said its the Land of Second Chances.

What do you say ?

I'd say no, not really.

Surprisingly, we've heard positive comments about Thailand here.

Yet most Brits living in Thailand, unless on a cushy expat package, spend most of their time whining about this and that, difficulty of finding proper pork scratchings, beetroot, decent f&c, etc. They're utterly miserable.

So I'd advise your friend either to take his second chance in the happiest place in the UK: Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland. http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/07/25/revealed-the-happiest-place-in-the-uk/#!slide=aol_1260995

Or, move to one of THE popular retirement destinations for Brits:

Australia is the most popular destination for UK migrants of pension age (245,000), followed by North America (190,000), Ireland (105,000) and Spain (75,000). In La Cala de Mijas, a town on the Costa del Sol in Spain, one third of the residents are British.

--http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Teaching+resources/Key+Stage+3+resources/Changing+faces+shaping+places/Leaving+for+lifestyle.htm

Yet your friend should first read You'd be daft to retire abroad

Is that really your honest view of Brits in Thailand. You do surprise me, certainly not my experience.

Something,like 80% plus Americans don't even hold a current passport,what more can you expect from them?

[pigeonjake]

He asked me could he start over here, I said its the Land of Second Chances.

What do you say ?

I'd say no, not really.

Surprisingly, we've heard positive comments about Thailand here.

Yet most Brits living in Thailand, unless on a cushy expat package, spend most of their time whining about this and that, difficulty of finding proper pork scratchings, beetroot, decent f&c, etc. They're utterly miserable.

So I'd advise your friend either to take his second chance in the happiest place in the UK: Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland. http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/07/25/revealed-the-happiest-place-in-the-uk/#!slide=aol_1260995

Or, move to one of THE popular retirement destinations for Brits:

Australia is the most popular destination for UK migrants of pension age (245,000), followed by North America (190,000), Ireland (105,000) and Spain (75,000). In La Cala de Mijas, a town on the Costa del Sol in Spain, one third of the residents are British.

--http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Teaching+resources/Key+Stage+3+resources/Changing+faces+shaping+places/Leaving+for+lifestyle.htm

Yet your friend should first read You'd be daft to retire abroad

ill take it you dont like brits,

jake,,brit,,

happy in thailand,

but still work

[NeverSure]

He asked me could he start over here, I said its the Land of Second Chances.

What do you say ?

I'd say no, not really.

Surprisingly, we've heard positive comments about Thailand here.

Yet most Brits living in Thailand, unless on a cushy expat package, spend most of their time whining about this and that, difficulty of finding proper pork scratchings, beetroot, decent f&c, etc. They're utterly miserable.

So I'd advise your friend either to take his second chance in the happiest place in the UK: Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland. http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/07/25/revealed-the-happiest-place-in-the-uk/#!slide=aol_1260995

Or, move to one of THE popular retirement destinations for Brits:

Australia is the most popular destination for UK migrants of pension age (245,000), followed by North America (190,000), Ireland (105,000) and Spain (75,000). In La Cala de Mijas, a town on the Costa del Sol in Spain, one third of the residents are British.

--http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/Teaching+resources/Key+Stage+3+resources/Changing+faces+shaping+places/Leaving+for+lifestyle.htm

Yet your friend should first read You'd be daft to retire abroad

Is that really your honest view of Brits in Thailand. You do surprise me, certainly not my experience.

Something,like 80% plus Americans don't even hold a current passport,what more can you expect from them?

How did Americans come in here? If 20% of Americans hold passports, that's 10 million more than the entire population of England.

Americans as a percentage don't seem to have the desire to become expats. America is a huge, diverse, and cheap place to live. Americans have a complete choice of climate, terrain, scenery, and 88,000 miles of saltwater shoreline to choose from.

Americans have more freedoms than some other countries ie a constitutional right to free speech, right to assemble, and for those of us (the majority) who care, an absolute right to keep and bear arms. (In Thailand, fat people with tattoos have a right to bare arms.)

Although the US has the world's 3rd largest population which is about 6+ X larger than England, just don't expect to see as large a percentage interested in becoming expats. Also, Americans like to travel in America. There are too many wonders to see in a lifetime.

[simon43]

you need to find an engineer to point your dish to the Astra Satellites...

I assume you mean your dish back in the UK/Europe and using a Slingbox? Thailand is way outside the coverage footprint for the Astra satellites (curvature of the earth, transmission signal strength etc)

Simon

[simon43]

I'd sum up Thailand by saying that it's a nice place to live for sensible people.

By that, I mean that it's no nanny state. If you want to drink yoursaelf to death or blow your life savings in the bars or drive your motorbike llike a dick with no crash helmet,, no-one will stop you. It's your personal choice.

Simon

[kikoman]

For me, Thailand is a place to vacation for as much as several months. Then I want to go home.

When I've had enough of smelling garbage in the air, being afraid to drink the water, seeing litter everywhere, seeing idiots on the road, and all else that's third world, I reluctantly leave the beautiful women and the things that are best about Thailand but I never fail to feel more like I belong when I step off that plane in the US.

There is something about belonging, and knowing I don't need anyone's permission to live or move about or own my home and land, and being a citizen with a right to just be that has value.

But that's just me.

Maybe I should take back what I said above for some people. It is only my perspective.

If I was living in one of the more expensive countries on limited income and had no close ties, Thailand would be an option. I do keep coming back so there must be more good than bad in my eyes. Some Western countries are extremely expensive, and expats from there consider Thailand to be cheap. Other countries have very cold weather making Thailand attractive. Maybe others just want a new start in life after - whatever.

I think that if I found myself in any of those positions, I would move to Thailand, and more power to those who do. One size doesn't fit all.

Cheers.

I feel that same way about the states, One size does not fit all- Thailand has freedom one has been losing day by day in the states, many complain about the boys in brown (tea money) in the decade I have been here I have had no Problem with them ( I also chose not to drive a car here) , Much different them the home country where the police have become more abusive, and one keeps losings the freedoms they enjoy just a few years ago..

Thailand is home and as some posters have stated this country will change you, I see issue differently, I enjoy life more, I love people more and I have the feeling of belonging, a feeling I never had about the home country.

Thailand is my home!

Cheers

Edited December 12, 2013 by kikoman

[jackr]

It's not all about being here, but also not about being there!

How can you call cheddar cheese? Okay, your username might explain it. -

Cheddar Gorge-ous, must be ripe.

jb1

Yep, Cheddar Gorge cheese is pretty amazing.