Rwanda here i come. Thanks for the heads up.

Have really been doing this simple live / simple pleasure bit for the last 2 1/2 years now. No major up's and down's. Living in the rural haze of "may pen rai".

One day is like the day before. So I came to the conclusion, that I am basically spending my life in some sort of event-less waiting room. Waiting for the final curtain to fall.

Therefore, I decided to re-join the world and keep my dwelling here as an occasional weekend-retreat.

To each his own, as always.

Cheers.

Have really been doing this simple live / simple pleasure bit for the last 2 1/2 years now. No major up's and down's. Living in the rural haze of "may pen rai".

One day is like the day before. So I came to the conclusion, that I am basically spending my life in some sort of event-less waiting room. Waiting for the final curtain to fall.

Therefore, I decided to re-join the world and keep my dwelling here as an occasional weekend-retreat.

To each his own, as always.

Cheers.

I do know the feeling. I decided to get out and do what some of the more active villagers do.

I go or attempt to go fishing with them at least twice a week. Its the traditional thai net job. I am mastering it but get a few laughs and a few fish.

I go to the village shop which is the hub of the community for a few beers with the locals. Payment is shared.

I spend time teaching both my and the local kids English. They teach me Thai in return.

Its all about being part of the community. Give it a go.

I was getting bored in the sticks myself so know how you feel especially if you struggle with basic Thai. Fortunately I can get by.

Good luck with your move.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I love the smell of TV bashing Thais in general in the morning together with my hot morning coffee......

I live on Samui. I was sitting in a small restaurant the other day with a couple of friends, a Texan and his Canadian girlfriend, who were visiting the island. They were asking me about what I did all day. Naturally, I mentioned the swimming and the lady said, with some envy in her voice: "Oh you get to swim in an ocean."

I am still relatively new here, and geography was never my strong point, but I remember thinking: "Is this an ocean?" I could sense her boyfriend's mind running along the same lines, but being a Texan, he was too much of a gentleman to nitpick over what she had said in front of me.

Anyway, here is the definitive answer:

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanorsea.html

So thank you to Somrisonphimai and JLCrab and others.

The simple pleasures for me:

being able to eat fresh coconut and to drink coconut water every day if I wish;

riding a motor scooter. When I was a teenager, my parents wouldn't let me ride one because it was too dangerous. My landlord had to teach me how to ride one. So it is a new skill that I would never have learned if I had stayed in my home country;

coming out of TescoLotus, with its very cool air conditioning, into the open air and suddenly remembering how warm it is here, all year round ... well apart from last January, that is. Blooming freezing, it was then.

the abundance of Life. During my day as I walk around Lamai, here in Samui, which is about the size of a large village, I can stop to play with puppies, young cats and big soppy dogs. I see hens with their chicks, snakes, and scorpions. There's a small river that runs through Lamai and often I see some sort of lizard type creature swimming along the banks. Plenty of bird life of course and also squirrels running around. I often hear them jumping on to my roof in the morning. And the geckos running around in my bungalow.

feeling the warm breeze on my body as I walk around or ride on my scooter and thinking how lucky I am to be here. Samui is very much a healing island.

^^ Great post ... thanks for sharing ...

Ms. Som -- I, at least, certainly did not intend to give you a hard time. The biggest non-technical difference between an ocean and a sea, gulf, or strait is the presence of waves that have traveled hundreds or thousands of miles before reaching the shore.

So what..its still water

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While there is a sea breeze, there is no ocean breeze in Thailand.

I've always found the sea breeze to be a surprising pleasure here in Phitsanulok...................

Well guys, living a lifetime in Perth WA it is called the Fremantle doctor or the sea breeze, who give a flying f*&^%K what it is called, it is beautiful and has a perfume all it's own.

I live in Isaan because where I am there are very few Farang, there are few people who can understand English and a lot less who can speak it.

The sounds of deep rural Thailand are so different from other places in the world. It is about slow pace of life and the simple pleasures and happy people. Sitting out front dining and interacting with the locals as they ride up and down the village street.

Oh, the joys of Thailand.

I love the smell of burning mozzies - it smells like..........victory

I visited a famous monk many years ago who refused to wear mosquito repellent and would never kill any living creature. I always remember him when I think about zapping a mosquito.

OP, is it Thailand that makes you smile or is it retirement? I have worked most my life here and dream of retiring near the banks of a Scottish loch, although here would be fine too.

I grew up in L.A., and the Pacific is definitely an ocean! I've lived near the Gulf of Mexico, and I'd say it's definitely not one. It's an energy thing, that's the difference, I do believe.

But here in Thailand, I love watching the people, esp the kids and the women, ummm, yeah, ESP the women. So delicate and graceful, so simple yet sooooo complex, like my wife. I love the food, too, and the sunrises and sunsets and cloud shows, and all the lush greenery and delicious smells, and the birds and lizards and ants. And the old women who walk around permanently stooped over, helped by their grandchildren, and I realize the stooping is a result of working for years in the rice fields... I love them, too. If I were one of them, I'd be proud.

I get on ThaiVisa...and read about simple things and people...

I love the smell of burning mozzies - it smells like..........victory

I visited a famous monk many years ago who refused to wear mosquito repellent and would never kill any living creature. I always remember him when I think about zapping a mosquito.

OP, is it Thailand that makes you smile or is it retirement? I have worked most my life here and dream of retiring near the banks of a Scottish loch, although here would be fine too.

I'm fairly close in age to my Member name ... so still a few more years before I'm pensioned off ...

OMG, the food!!

The tropical climate

The mai pen rai attitude

The friendly people

The "handsome man" calls

The adventure aspect

Also it's just so fun and interesting being somewhere so different but also quite similar to home

OMG, the food!!

The tropical climate

The mai pen rai attitude

The friendly people

The "handsome man" calls

The adventure aspect

Also it's just so fun and interesting being somewhere so different but also quite similar to home

As I said before: To each his own!

The food: Standart 5-6 menues, must like rice.

The tropical climate: 9 months out of the year resembling a 24-hour finnish-sauna.

The mai pen rai attitude: Must like people with little sense of responsibility, reliability and things like "my word is my bond" are unknown.

The friendly people: Thai's approaching each other on a personal level = to smile is a "cultural-must". Otherwise Thai's don't smile much. At least not more than Europeans without a concrete reason.

The "handsome man calls": Clearly indicates that you are not living in Rural-Thailand. By doing this, the lady would be qualified as a "woman of ill-repute" with all the consequences.

The adventure aspect: Adventure is in the eye of the beholder.

Cheers.

THANK YOU THANK OU

At last someone who understands the pleasure of living here the simple things that put a smile on your faces....good on you

The sound of a pestle and mortar and the smell when the chilli, garlic and basil hot the wok.

I have four dogs and my immediate neighbours 8 more in total. When they see me getting ready for the afternoon stroll and feed the fish in the pond, I usually get what I call (in my head) a patrol in strength maybe 7 or 8 come with me running ahead tails a wagging, I love it, chasing anything in sight. Putting around on my motorbike seeing all the locals doing their thing, continually amazed at how many pretty girls there are even in the ville

BTW I never really got the whole ocean/sea thing where does one start and where does it finish seems like a grey area to me

I hope you clear up all the dog poop that you trail around!

But betting you don't.

I have four dogs and my immediate neighbours 8 more in total. When they see me getting ready for the afternoon stroll and feed the fish in the pond, I usually get what I call (in my head) a patrol in strength maybe 7 or 8 come with me running ahead tails a wagging, I love it, chasing anything in sight. Putting around on my motorbike seeing all the locals doing their thing, continually amazed at how many pretty girls there are even in the ville

BTW I never really got the whole ocean/sea thing where does one start and where does it finish seems like a grey area to me

I hope you clear up all the dog poop that you trail around!

But betting you don't.

He lives on a Farm ...

Clearly indicates that you are not living in Rural-Thailand.

I do not live in Thailand, hence my username, but it seems our experiences in Thailand differ immensely.

The sunset last night. A glass of wine and a technicolour sunset. I thought life doesn't get much better. Then my team won the quiz last night so it did get better

I don't know where you are ... we are on a Farm just outside of Bangkok.

WOW ... the sunset was impressive yesterday.

Sadly, my camera stayed in the drawer because the village water pump broke maybe 7 or 8 days ago and all the water pressure we get is a steady drip to fill an Urn and it's my job to bucket it around the various water points (loo, shower).

Here's an earlier Sunset at the Farm

04/03/2014

BTW, congrats on the trivia win.