Drinking and walking around shopping malls...

[jinners]

PP, it's like everywhere else, and I mean everywhere, it all gets run of the mill after you get used to it day after day.

What did you do in your home country to alleviate the boredom ?

In the Uk there just seems to be more going on, sport, parties, jump on a train and go somewhere easily, it's easier to get to places etc, proper pubs and beer gardens, plus you have more family etc, see your nephews, visit the old dear on a sunday etc...I think the heat here also detracts you from wanting to do things...

Well I go to a lot more parties here than I did in UK. I travel extensively here and the trains in UK are <deleted> and expensive too. Traffic is a nightmare, diesel/petrol really expensive and bloody speed cameras all over the place, so don't know about easier to get to. Doesn't sound to me like you want more things to do in Patts. more like you miss UK. When you mention beer gardens (have to smoke outside and it pisses down or freezing all the bloody time) sounds a little rose tinted to me. If it however is family and friends you miss, I can understand that. maybe you need to reevaluate your reason for actually being here rather than there?

[wotamess]

Honestly, I didn't think this was a real topic - hence my earlier sarcasm.

However, you came to this paradise for a reason; do you remember it? I know mine, and am sure many others do. This is a big country, and an old one - you could do worse than investigating its rich couture.

Again, if Pattaya (Phucket) doesn't do it for you, jump on a bus & move. Living in a tourist party-town wouldn't do it for me, and it sounds like it doesn't do it for you. Pick up your sticks bro

# Culture - f!ing spell-check...

[JSixpack]

Back home you can do simple nice things like go for a walk around the shops with your daughter, nice wide pavements, it's clean, it's safe, civilised folk of all ages walking around. but here you can't even do simple pleasures like that. The place stinks, it has no pavements, all and sundry are looking at you like you are from mars and you would be afraid some physcho driver is going to mount the pavement and wipe you out....joke place.

Well, stick a fork in this thread; it's done!

SOLUTION FOUND!

Pack your bags, man!!! This is IT, this is really IT, the bee's knees, the dog's bolox, paradise. YES!

The Villages

Be sure to peruse the Town Squares section.

Sorted!

[davejones76]

Follow Passion4Share on www.facebook.com/passion4share. They quite actively organise events that are different. If that doesnt work check out EZY-Go as they book events, travel and tours and in case you marry someone also weddings :-)

[wotamess]

BTW - how old are you? Don't mean to be impertinent, but if you're relatively young you'll get used to the climate.

[F4UCorsair]

PP, it's like everywhere else, and I mean everywhere, it all gets run of the mill after you get used to it day after day.

What did you do in your home country to alleviate the boredom ?

This is so true, is there anything you wished to do in the past but never had the time? Or something like I plan to get into like flying Drones?

Have you ever taught of learning a musical instrument, hours of fun and music is great for the soul?

That's one of the things I did, took up saxophone, love it and now have four.

I also build and fly model aircraft, great hobby and not too expensive if you're not flush with $$.

If you're interested in the world around you, satellite TV can bring buckets of knowledge, and the Crime channel, along with Discovery and Nat Geo are good for a couple of hours a day.

Stay out of the boozing all day scene or you'll die way before your time.

[Calach]

Bungee jumping from condominium balconies. Without a rope.

[F4UCorsair]

Honestly, I didn't think this was a real topic - hence my earlier sarcasm.

However, you came to this paradise for a reason; do you remember it? I know mine, and am sure many others do. This is a big country, and an old one - you could do worse than investigating its rich couture.

Again, if Pattaya (Phucket) doesn't do it for you, jump on a bus & move. Living in a tourist party-town wouldn't do it for me, and it sounds like it doesn't do it for you. Pick up your sticks bro

Try Nong Khai for a while, nice place, on the Mekong so a little cooler during the hot months, cheap to live, small expat community if you feel the need, and if you don't like it, move on.

Another place I really like is Sangklaburi, long way from anywhere, no flights, and about 4 hours to K'buri by bus. You could do worse than rent a place with a lake frontage there, and while looking, bunk down at P Guest House, B250 a night, great spot.

[F4UCorsair]

I forgot to mention....do some research on the rich history of Thailand, the architecture, historical sites, ancient capitals, and visit them all.

There's plenty to do if you take the time to look for things that will enrich your life, and I'm not your father, but I'll say it anyway, boozing isn't one of them.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Learn to sail, windsurf or kitesurf. Play golf. Fly full size or model aircraft. Take up a new hobby (photography worked for me). Volunteer. Learn a new skill. Get fit.

Sailing is fantastic....but if you owned a small, day sailer, like mine, it gets mighty hot. I stopped two years ago...to much sun on the skin... sun lotion or not.... Spent most of my life in the sun windsurfing, surfing kayaks (waveski) and finally a sailboat. Had the best times of my life...but wow, the sun.!!!!

Would love a bigger sailboat with a small cabin and bimini. Out of my range. Now I am leaning towards some nice cool and calm lakewaters in a cooler climate. Not quite the adventurist anymore. So many close calls....

I am sooooo happy I never got trapped for the long run here. I am thinking Ecuador.... two or three years more. Goes fast.

Yep, I rest my case. It's even too hot and humid for most water sports. The reason I took up scuba when I moved to Thailand is it's the only outdoor activity I would even consider because you do it UNDER the water! As to the chappie who said Thailand provides a climate suited to an active and outdoor lifestyle, 70-80 degrees most days, with sometimes higher is fine...85-95 most days, accompanied by stifling humidity, is not!

[NoshowJones]

Depends where you live, I can quite easily walk to 7/11 mimi Tesco or Big C and the beach all in less than 5 minutes. If you are stuck out in the boonies on the Darkside with the cheap charlies then yes it would be different. Location Pat makes a large difference to quality of life.

How is the Darkside cheaper?? No idea what you are talking about, I'm far than a cheap charlie.

You may be able to physically walk there but it's not a pleasant stroll is it, let's be real here. You say mini tesco and Big C?? Ha ha. Come on man. You can't just walk around shops here for an hour or so can you, and I mean all of Thailand. if you really don't know what I mean then you are obviously not from the UK.

Go to the Big C Shopping Mall on Second Road, and you will spend half the day trying to get out of it, and that's after the time it takes trying to actually find the Big C Supermarket.

[PaulHamon]

bicycle riding... plenty of quiet roads out behind the city.

[whiteman]

Sleep all day

[Bernard Flint]

Depends where you live, I can quite easily walk to 7/11 mimi Tesco or Big C and the beach all in less than 5 minutes. If you are stuck out in the boonies on the Darkside with the cheap charlies then yes it would be different. Location Pat makes a large difference to quality of life.

Phom. I suspect this is a bit 'tongue in cheek' about the Cheap Charlie's. I live out by the lake and can easily fill my day without going anywhere near the big city!.

Sure I play golf maybe 2 times a week and also go for long walks to Horseshoe Point. Also...

Go to fitness centre now and then

Listen to UK radio on line with remote headphones so you can potter about the house at the same time.

Read plenty of good books, particularly during the hot part of the day.

Get yourself 1000 piece jigsaws - they will give you hours of pleasure and exercise the mind.

Now, these are the sort of things I suspect I would be doing in the UK, but there I can't of course have the warm weather every day. Don't miss pubs as I rarely used them. Love to do some voluntary work, but all this stuff about work permits etc. puts me off.

Where I do sympathise with the original poster is in respect to shops. On the rare occasions I go into town I find that I can't "mooch" around the shops as there's always some-one following you and insisting you should buy x not y. They have lost a lot of trade from me over the years by making me feel uncomfortable in shops and I've walked out. When I was in the UK with my wife I went to the opticians and my Thai wife went into Marks and Spencer's next door for an hour. Afterwards I asked her if she had been pestered and she said 'no it was great' and she finally bought a jacket. She had no intention of buying anything specific at the start.

Bit of a ramble really, but I think living here is all about 'being at peace with yourself" and accepting there is no Shangri-La and that Pattaya is right for some but not others..

Very good post, being at peace with yourself and the world is brilliant. When someone comes onto a forum and moans about thai society, bar girls, not like it used to be, complains about thais riding the opposite direction, then does the same, has a dig at the government about corruption, then complains when a copper doesnt allow him to stick a couple hundred baht in his pocket, he actualy has to go to the cop shop and pay there. Hilarious beyond words.

Flinty- totally agree with that.

I've been here for 18 years so totally know the score, but as I get older I want some civilisation in my life.

Do you watch Sky News? Out in the high streets you see folk just strolling around leisurely, winow shopping, whatever, and quite often on those very wide streets (often cobbled) where cars cannot enter...I would love something like that here, does that make me bad or a whinger? but instead it's a complete unciviilise dirty mess.

Good post Pat.I have just walked to the buckfast market and back, traffic on soi buckfast all the wy, need to be careful there,back third road,no probs there.I know what you mean but i do a lot of walking and places like beach rd are ok, third rd, north to south, shopping malls as you say, buddha hill etc. You want to have a walk witrh family like being in the uk, sorry mate,we arent in the uk. Wouldnt like to walk in parts of London, birmingham, Luton, very dangerous in many parts. have a good day mate, and cha cha lol, from an 11 years sex, oops expat

[Bernard Flint]

Depends where you live, I can quite easily walk to 7/11 mimi Tesco or Big C and the beach all in less than 5 minutes. If you are stuck out in the boonies on the Darkside with the cheap charlies then yes it would be different. Location Pat makes a large difference to quality of life.

How is the Darkside cheaper?? No idea what you are talking about, I'm far than a cheap charlie.

You may be able to physically walk there but it's not a pleasant stroll is it, let's be real here. You say mini tesco and Big C?? Ha ha. Come on man. You can't just walk around shops here for an hour or so can you, and I mean all of Thailand. if you really don't know what I mean then you are obviously not from the UK.

Go to the Big C Shopping Mall on Second Road, and you will spend half the day trying to get out of it, and that's after the time it takes trying to actually find the Big C Supermarket.

Why??????

[jimbeam1]

Dunno mate, thing is what did you move to Pattaya for, the bar scene fades after a while and it gets rather sad and depressing.

Yes I know. I don't think it matters where you live in Thailand, you have to live somewhere, I'm talking more generally what to do.

Surely the answer to your question is what do you want to do. Work that out and you've

cracked it.

Jb1

[Emster23]

Hit yourself in the head with a hammer for a while. It will feel so good when you stop.

Or

Be like me, marry a Thai woman. You will feel so good when you get divorced.

"Where ever you go, there you are": Buckaroo Banzai

[WitawatWatawit]

Bangle tigers and benji jumping ... TV can be such fun at times. Think I'll jump on my mutterbik and go check out the murkit griddens.

[henksteeghsth]

Join a Dart Team have some fun you come on many places all over the city wen you want a list of the darts bars just PM me or look at

www.Pattayadarts.com for the bars

[F4UCorsair]

BTW - how old are you? Don't mean to be impertinent, but if you're relatively young you'll get used to the climate.

I lived in the tropics in Australia for 20 years when I was much younger, and never felt comfortable, hated the constant perspiration. Now in the south, and I have been for 28 years, I love the cold, and wear only a T shirt down to about 10 degrees...that's Celsius!

I think you're either a warm climate or cool climate body, and in the opposite environment is always uncomfortable.

Impertinence is understood, or forgiven, or........

[NoshowJones]

You could join an internet forum, stay at home and complain about all things Thai every waking hour.

You don't need to stay at home to do this.

Since I bought my tablet, I can do this, drink beer and walk around shopping malls all at the same time...!

Cool, eh...?

Walking around a Shopping Mall drinking beer???? How unsociable can you be?

[NoshowJones]

What would you do at home?...pretty much everything and more here than in most other countries.

I suppose it depends on where you come from, i'm from London so many things to do.

Look I like Pattaya but it's woefully lacking. Back home you can do simple nice things like go for a walk around the shops with your daughter, nice wide pavements, it's clean, it's safe, civilised folk of all ages walking around. but here you can't even do simple pleasures like that. The place stinks, it has no pavements, all and sundry are looking at you like you are from mars and you would be afraid some physcho driver is going to mount the pavement and wipe you out....joke place.

Move to Bangkok. There you can do those things that you like in London and big cities

Yes, and a lot safer to walk about in too.

[Tony125]

What would you do at home?...pretty much everything and more here than in most other countries.

I suppose it depends on where you come from, i'm from London so many things to do.

Look I like Pattaya but it's woefully lacking. Back home you can do simple nice things like go for a walk around the shops with your daughter, nice wide pavements, it's clean, it's safe, civilised folk of all ages walking around. but here you can't even do simple pleasures like that. The place stinks, it has no pavements, all and sundry are looking at you like you are from mars and you would be afraid some physcho driver is going to mount the pavement and wipe you out....joke place.

You say you like Pattaya but look at all the complaining. We have told you travel around Thailand or nearby countries you say its not practicle. You say back home you could walk around the shops with your daughter well you can't walk around the many malls in Pattaya or go to Bangkok many huge malls larger than any in USA or England or Pratunam. You say can't stand the heat and nothing to do then really please answer this question I think we all would like to know--Why did you move over here? I would not live anywhere I did not feel commfortable in.

[thejcb]

Feed some soi animals, volunteer at either animal shelter or kids orphanage , go for a work out , join the police volunteers or rescue volunteers, learn some Thai , go for a coffee and list goes on

Go for a coffee???

LOL!!

Feed some soi animals ???? LOL

join the police volunteers ?? Hahahhahahhahahhaha LOL LOL LOL

[y2k]

This thread started interesting but I lost interest at page 4. Speed reading to the end I now want to ask what I can do for the 3 days I am there this coming weekend (I already know what I'll be doing for the nights)?

I'm tempted to try the train to get "owt 'n abowt" and a lot of walking but what else?

Edit Reason: corrected poor grammar not befitting of a grammar school education

Edited June 10, 2014 by y2k

[Justanotherpassword]

The premise of the question is: "What do I do to stop being bored?" Look, most of us have been leading regimented lives and the pleasures we cherished when we were working have become old hat. Some of us never should have stopped working.

Therefore WE MUST STOP BEING BORING and discover new pleasures. If you are hanging around a bunch of fellows who organize themselves around beer only consider having a nice cocktail in an air conditioned restaurant. I have an 85 year old friend who does not walk well and would love to have your problems, but for him it is a great occasional pleasure to lunch at Bruno's restaurant in splendor on a 400 baht fixed menu plus 10% tip & 7% tax. I am the designated driver.

If you are not capable of finding something new and wonderful each day you have possibly not ever lived happily at all. Many do not.

[Barefoot]

https://www.google.com/search?q=only+boring+people+get+bored&num=100&lr=&safe=images&hl=en&as_qdr=all&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ZKCWU5eBL9K5uATrqoHIBg&ved=0CCwQ7Ak&biw=1429&bih=1433

[Tony125]

The premise of the question is: "What do I do to stop being bored?" Look, most of us have been leading regimented lives and the pleasures we cherished when we were working have become old hat. Some of us never should have stopped working.

Therefore WE MUST STOP BEING BORING and discover new pleasures. If you are hanging around a bunch of fellows who organize themselves around beer only consider having a nice cocktail in an air conditioned restaurant. I have an 85 year old friend who does not walk well and would love to have your problems, but for him it is a great occasional pleasure to lunch at Bruno's restaurant in splendor on a 400 baht fixed menu plus 10% tip & 7% tax. I am the designated driver.

If you are not capable of finding something new and wonderful each day you have possibly not ever lived happily at all. Many do not.

Hit the nail on the head, sooo many guys back at my job in USA have no clue what to do if they retire. Some are like those we called "lifers" when I was in the Army--they would stay in for life because they needed structure, needed someone telling them when to get up, eat , got to work , sleep and if on there own , confused. The guys at my former job in late 60's , 70's 80's and still working because only life they know. Have a place to go everyday, meet co-workers, talk, eat and if they not have that they not really have anything to do if were not working. 1 guy we called Mr.Potter 90 years old already collecting full pension from Boston Fire Dept could not walk entire length of building going or coming to work without stopping for a rest, finnally retired after it became to much for him and he started getting sick.

Working or not you need to do something to keep busy , workout at gym, ride bike, jog, swim, take walks not only in city but go to Chiang Mai try forest trek, raft down river my God so many things to do here. Not always expensive ,I bought 21 speed bikes and if you don't like the heat ride after sundown or early morning or even take water aerobics class where you work out in pool. You need to keep in shape to enjoy productive older life. Can start slow and work up to better fitness. I don't drink but no harm going to the bars some time but can go to concerts, movies and many expats clubs in Thailand ( BKK, PatttYa, ect) thats offer wine tasting parties, dances and other get togethers.

" Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one " Bruce Lee

[slipperylobster]

I thought work was boring. It was mostly office work with a handful of the same people day in and day out. Paper clips and staplers.

This is fun. Whenever I start thinking I am bored, I picture myself at my desk with a picture of some Asian girls and a bamboo hut on the beach in The Philippines under the glass covering my desk.

Spent 18 years in the Philippines (My kids are grown now)... So I have Thailand for another 2 or 3 years ....and then another country....and hopefully...another. I spend alot of time on a spreadsheet, finding ways to make traveling to new places cheaper... that is not the fun part. The fun part is actually getting there and doing what you planned.

Have a goal in Mine...put in some financial planning....work it all out...get info..and implement the plan.

or.....find one alley with a bar you like and listen to the same old music for the rest of your life.

I prefer the former.

[AlphMichaels]

I'm going to "opt out" on more read replies & speak to the OP. You report you're bored (In LoS.., seriously?). You dislike the heat (wrong country). Travel seems to be out (budget issues?). Short of walks about (bai teow) in search of "soi's less traveled", how about an endorphin-enabling fitness regimen?

There are 2-3 Thai cooking schools I've heard about in the area. They're almost always fun, if you like Thai food (please say you do or...,). Same for Thai language schools. I think the key is to get out, make some friends and see where that leads you in terms of social activity. Always better to do something with a companion.

If none of this works, could it be the time has come to go back home where you report so many (more) things to do?

I truly wish you the best...,