Are You Addicted To Thailand

[Begs]

Thailand since 1990,..................... now am working in Japan, ..........2 months on, 1 month off, i miss Thailand from the time i get on the plane, till the time i get back.

And i am in Tokyo, a vibrant city, available women that dont expect money,.......or........ Japanese High School Girls that do expect money, ........But apart from my 100Mbps ADSL internet connection, oh, and the fact that i earn a wage,................ i would rather be in Thailand everytime, there is no comparison

[Tongdee]

Addicted-no. In Love with definiatly. Been coming to the magical Kingdom for twenty years. The first time and every time after I have felt not like a visitor in a strange land with strange people habits & culture but like a weary traveller who has come home to normalacy where I dont have to play some role to fit in. Where I am accepted as I am. No guilt trips. No tough guy posturing. Just be & thats allright. I have lived my life since the first trip either in the magical Kingdom or working on getting into a position to go back. When I return to Canada it is like going to a strange barbarian society that I have to suffer to karmicly allow my return to Siam. In the few years when I havent returned I suffer extreme depression along with other unpleasent fates. My health both mental & physical are now dependent on the "charging up of my Batterys" that takes place in the magical kingdom. Now I am in the "what I have to do" so I can do what I want to do phase of life.50% here- 50% there seems to be a good balance. Or even 8 months in Canada & 4 months in The Magical Kingdom. Unless of course I urgently need the help of Wat Po to correct bodily imbalance.

If theres a better place I dont deserve it. If now My Karma has shown me the path home for a reason.

[sonthaya]

Yes, I'm addicted to Thailand, and Thai women

[JSPS]

I arrived at Don Muang in June 1968. At the time, I barely knew where Thailand was. When we landed I had the oddest feeling. I didn't feel a sense that I was in a foreign country, I felt like I was home.

It is addicting. I stayed until 1972 when I was sent back to the states as part of the Vietnam drawdown. I have been married to my Thai wife since Sept 1971. I have been back twice, once in 1986 when we took out children and again in Sept 2002.

I hope to go back again sometime. We have lived all over the world, both the Far East and Europe, but have never felt as "at home" as we do in Thailand.

[Goat Roper]

First time here in the Kingdom was 1974, loved it then and still feel that way, Love my Thai wife of ten years and adore her family, love the Thai people, their culture, His Majesty the King and I can't seem to get enough of all that wonderful Thai food.

Hope they continue to allow me to be a humble guest in this wonderful country.

[thaimee]

Thailand and Thaivisa is addictive but if you get too much of a good thing it can be a headache. withdrawal symptoms very upsetting. time for me to unwind...

Thaimee.

[thedude]

according to my parents, i was conceived somewhere in thailand, sometime in mid 1968. my father lived and worked at various times in thailand over the past several decades, and i spent many summer holidays here in the 70s and 80s, cloistered in an unreal, priviledged expat existence. i am a second generation thai expat. i only arrived here on my present posting from singapore about 12 months ago, after deciding to drop an earlier offer for a similar role in vietnam. this is where i feel the most comfortable of all the places i have ever lived. its messy, chaotic, and even surreal at times, but i am always overcome by the peacefulness, the friendliness and acceptance of the thai people. i guess i derive a spiritual link through my history with the kingdom too. and often i wish it were the same thailand as i remember it in childhood. nice as they are, there is a rougher edge to thai people now.

[utapaortnab]

Along with many others, I felt something very spiritual from my first day in Thailand, like I had been there B4. I was a 35 yr. old SFC in the U.S. Army assigned to the US Army Satellite Communications Station at U-Tapao Ropyal Thai Navy Airbase 1971-1972, and later as Station Chief of the US Army Microwave Communications Station at Sriracha durin that tour of duty.

I lived in a very large teak house in Pattaya off S. Pattaya Road the whole tour. The house was owned by an elderly Thai couple who had rented out two rooms to two female college students, and the other room to my tealok and I. We all shared the common large living room, the kitchen and the huge front porch. A special "outdoor" shower, and bombsight toilet was quickly built for my tealok and I at the request of the two female college girls who didn't want to share the indoor facilities with a man. After we were there for a few months, and the two students were comfortable that I was NOT some kind of pervert and very loyal to my tealok, they asked that we be able to use the indoor facilities, which we did only in the rainy season.

Now B4 I was ever posted in Thailand, I spent two years in Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan, 2 1/2 years in Okinawa, 6 months in the Philippines, and temperary duty assignments in Korea, Taiwan, Guam, and vacations in Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore and Malaysia. I did NOT feel that spiritual feeling towards ANY of those places, why Thailand? It remains a mystery to me, and now I have made a total of 35 trips to Thailand and still do not have an answer. I do have a great Thai wife, (since 1995) and we still enjoy our month trips back to visit her family and attend reunion events with groups I belong too.

Go figure,

Ken Bower

San Antonio Texas

Visiting Thailand since 1971

http://homepage.mac.com/mgnewman/KenLat/

[Goat Roper]

Nothing spiritual for me but I sure do enjoy and love my Thai wife, her family and living here among the Thai people, Great folks they are.

[sonthaya]

Yes, very much, it's paradise on earth

[englishoak]

Paradise it's not but on an earthly scale it's a great place to be. I'm 100% comfortable here and although there are some things I don't like it's pretty minor stuff. As Thailand grows the only concern I have is it will begin to resemble the west more and more. That will be a shame, but I guess thats progress

[Koh_Falang]

Well i suppose you could call me a newbie to Thailand. Ive always dreamed of being a backpacker anywhere in the world however procrastination took its toll on me. I first found out about Thailand from my good friend on the internet. I knew Thailand to be the place where they ate hot food and made most of the shirts in my closet. I knew nothing about the people or the language and had no clue as to how friendly they were. My good MSN chat friend convinced me that this should be the first place to start my "backpacker" journey and so i decided to book a ticket and pack my bags. Funnily enough.. backpacking would be the last thing on my mind in Thailand.

The first thing that happened when i reached there.. I will never forget. I had arranged to meet my friend at the airport and she said she had taken care of all my transport needs (i didnt know she planned my accommodation aswell). As soon as i came out of customs i was surrounded by about 7 cute little girls all giving me hugs and flowers with huge smiles on their face. Now this doesnt happen to me at the best of times in AUS so im sure you can imagine my happiness to experience so much attention by numerous cuties.

Anyways with all the hellos, nice to meet yous and ... "what?? your names Eaw?? and your name is Ae?" done they picked up my bags and took me to where i was gonna stay. My net friend had actually arranged for me to stay at her place where she lived with all her friends. "What about my hotel bookings"?.... Dont worry she said... its cheaper for you to stay with me. You can spend more money on other things. Well.. shes twisted my arm i thought.. backpacking?? i think not!! far more comforts then backpacking. We got home and they had a drink ready for me and sat me down in the lounge to interrogate me about how my flight was etc.

From that time on... i knew i was in good hands, and my net friend.. yep you guessed it... she quickly became my girlfriend. I later realised how careless i had been and how easily i could of wound up being stuck with a whole heap of bargirls or not even a girl haha. But lucky me.. i could not of ended up with a better girl and its been that way for almost 3 years now. But dont get me wrong.. it hasnt all been heaven.. There were some times where i wished to be back in Sydney... but as soon as i was back in Sydney... the magic memories of Thailand floated back into my head and before i knew it i was flying back to the arms of my girlfriend. 3 years on and 3 trips to Thailand and 1 trip to AUS for my GF i still dream about eating green curry and banana roti on the street and the pure white beaches and $40 AUD a night rooms of Koh Samet. I laugh about the time some guy pretended to be an off duty cop and direct me to what he called "lucky buddah" where his friend would try and sell me worthless jewlery. I wondered why the tuktuk only cost 30 baht for about 2 hours of driving around the city.

I could go on for ages about the wonderful experiences i have had but im sure that most of you reading this post can come up with some better ones. So ill just end by saying... Ive only been there 3 times.. but every time is worth it. Im planning to spend a year there soon working and being with my girlfriend and her family... who have taken to me like a long lost son. Her little cousins touch my face like they have never seen a white man before and her older brother loves to take me fishing whenever i come over. The parents are always cooking for me and cook me beef cause they know i like steak even though they dont eat it. Wow... friendly people?? damm right they are!!! And without going so far as to kiss some serious ass to any Thai reading this ... I will never have anything other then pure respect and admiration for the family of my GF and the Thailand in general. I know that you can get into trouble if your not careful but ive found it to be better then the reputation its got. Good luck to anyone that sees this and plans a trip to Thailand. I recommend it any day. Just dont do anything illegal or stupid and u will find it the best trip of your life. May the rest of my pay be spent of bus trips and roti... but not too much.. you might loose it on your ferry ride to Koh Tao.

[Lourens]

I went to Thailand to loose my virginity. And that spoilt any other relation with any other nationality for ever. And I tried. Yes, I am addicted to Thailand. The slogan for Thailand should be "Live and let live". That is the answer from me when I am asked why I never go to any other destination. I came from a society where race was a big deal and to live in Thailand where what or who you are doesn't matter, is like paradise. Thailand is my paradise and I am hooked for life.

[Georgie-Porgie]

I went to Thailand to loose my virginity. And that spoilt any other relation with any other nationality for ever. And I tried. Yes, I am addicted to Thailand. The slogan for Thailand should be "Live and let live". That is the answer from me when I am asked why I never go to any other destination. I came from a society where race was a big deal and to live in Thailand where what or who you are doesn't matter, is like paradise. Thailand is my paradise and I am hooked for life.

That is some recommendation!

[Basher]

I went to Thailand to loose my virginity. And that spoilt any other relation with any other nationality for ever. And I tried. Yes, I am addicted to Thailand. The slogan for Thailand should be "Live and let live". That is the answer from me when I am asked why I never go to any other destination. I came from a society where race was a big deal and to live in Thailand where what or who you are doesn't matter, is like paradise. Thailand is my paradise and I am hooked for life.

If you are thinking that Thais are not racist and that race doesn't matter over here then you are in for a very rude awakening.

But on the other hand you are happy, and thats what counts.

I too am hooked, and I even have a wee gloat too when I see my workmates pictures of their wives and lives, and thank the lord Bhudda I ain't married to a fat white bird too.

Bash

[Padkapow Guy]

I too am hooked, and I even have a wee gloat too when I see my workmates pictures of their wives and lives, and thank the lord Bhudda I ain't married to a fat white bird too.

Bash

rotflmao

[phazey]

I agree with the above post.

[bouzin2]

Newbie

I am in love with Thailand, I don't want to use that word you guys are using. I went over there last May '03 for the first time with a side trip to Ankor Wat. Since, I have been there three times in less than 9 months with a Vietnam side trip, now all i think about it it's how I can go back permanently. All I do now is looking at my 401k balance and think, do I really have to wait till I'm 65 to get that money and die two months later. No siree Bob, I'm hoping one day I'll have eenough courage to just say Phuket, in this instance pronounce f.. it, and move there. Even if I have to give the goverment half of it and maybe I'll have enough left to open a small business.

I hate flying for more than four hours but when going to the LOS I really don't care how long it takes, the fly back home always seems longer for some reason. My vacation are base now on what other city that are less than two hours from Bangkok, my last trip to LOS also included a side trip to Hanoi. The french have better to discribe that feeling which I think is way better than addictive, coup de foudre, meaning being strick by lightning. That is what I felt my first time there now I want to repeat that sensation over and over again and that is with only being in three cities in the LOS, the north is still waiting.

[the gentleman]

I too am hooked, and I even have a wee gloat too when I see my workmates pictures of their wives and lives, and thank the lord Bhudda I ain't married to a fat white bird too.

Bash

With you on that mate! The fat white flesh loving friends say "she has a good heart though" No she hasnt, she is a heart attack wating to happen!

Advice to white women - STOP EATING!

[bodypaul]

Hear hear!!