Have We All Just Settled For Second Best?

[Kwasaki]

 

Utopia is a fantasy! 

 

It does not exist, therefore all other places on earth are 2nd best.

 

Without compromises, there is no single place that meets each of our individual criteria.  If it meets yours, then it will not meet mine as our lists are not the same.

 

In retirement, I've enjoyed the last five years living here in Thailand with semi-annual 1-2 months trips to the USA - CA and Hawaii.  I also enjoyed my decades working in the USA, but was always in search of something better after my family matured.  During the next 5 years, I plan to continue splitting my time between the USA and Thailand, but possibly more equitably.   As I get into my more senior years, criterias change.

 

Enjoy your moments of happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

this is a good assessment, which would be more instructive to me, if I knew your age.

 

I am 54, and my kids are 27, 24 with the older 100% independent and the younger, almost

 

it is that "almost" that has me back here after exploring Thailand for 6 months last year, Oct 2013- March 2014

 

after that though, I can not see Thailand as top of the list

 

sure, I can get by there, and as a native New Yorker, BKK is easy for me to deal with, if I want to deal with a hot polluted city where very few speak english

 

yes it is true, the girls are fabulous in Thailand, but they are not free,

 

just because there is a multitude of them,

 

means the same as a man who loves the water, but cannot swim,

 

Thailand is too much hassle for me, as I have lived a pretty luxurious life the last 15 years, due to the tech stock bubble and then the real estate bubble, both which I was a fairly lucky surfer, and even with the crashes that followed, I am still in decent shape,

 

but what is the attraction to Thailand?

 

example,

 

Cocoa Beach, Florida,

 

a 2 bedroom apt on the ocean, $1,000 a month,

I ride a motorcycle so, no need for insurance that never pays,

 

I am healthy,

the food here is top notch,

 

there is music in the bars, music I like,

 

now,

 

the women,

 

non existent, some grotesque, some obese, many smoke cigarettes, in most cases, downright disgusting.

 

but,

 

there are Thai massage places, and other "massage" places, all around, so,

 

where is the benefit to the quantity theory?

 

and to the guy who prefers to fake smiles and the greetings, I say, really?

 

last on my list,

 

I love to play golf,

 

it is too damned hot in BKK to golf and the sun way too strong,

 

I dont care what people say,

 

Thailand, is not a healthy place

 

 

People that comment like you make me laugh, ever tried some other places in Thailand they do exist you know  

Edited August 13, 2014 by Kwasaki

[MJP]

Would i be better off in the UK , ,,i dont miss ,speed cameras ,parking wardens ,sky high parking charges , paying a mechanic 30 quid plus an hour to service my car , massive car insurance ,tax and petrol charges , also i dont miss getting my rubbish collected once every two weeks and having half a dozen different bins to put it in ,i dont miss my bin not being emptied because the lid is up or i put the "wrong rubbish" in it ,i dont miss having to spend 100 quid a week on food if i want decent fresh stuff and not crap in a box that i heat up.  i dont miss having to pay 9000 pounds a year for our son to go to uni ,and god knows how much for his living expenses . i dont miss the fact that when i moved to my old home town ,the Asians there dressed like us and were dead friendly ,but now they mainly dress like they are in another country and look at you like shit if you go into 'THEIR" area of town, i could go on ,but i will tell you what i miss ,the countryside , and f--ck all else. 

Take the bus.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[icare999]

With an enforced stay back in the UK since January this year

 

Water bills - £27 a month (1500Baht). On a water meter. Includes sewerage charges + can drink straight from the tap.

Gas and Elec combined £135 for 3 months (2430 Baht a month)

Internet and phone combined £10 a month (540 Baht) + annual cost of phone line rental of £110 (5940 Baht). 2MB sec d/l speed for torrents.

With Aldi and Lidl and other supermarkets the price of food has lowered a lot.

I bought a Ford Fiesta car with a 1 years MOT (roadworthy test) for £500 (27000 Baht). Not a flash car but it suits my purpose.

 

See, not everything is bad, BUT...

 

 

The price of a beer is extortionate at over £3 a pint.

Eating out? Forget that - too expensive.

Fish and chips? (As mentioned by another poster) over £4 a time.

 

The women? Forget that too. Old, XXL size and expensive in the main.

 

Food banks for many people who cannot afford supermarket prices.

 

Posting a letter depends on size of envelope. Prices start at 65 pence per letter.

 

Still plenty of money grabbing and dishonest politicians (and people in Thailand complain about Thai politicians).

 

Immigration a BIG issue. We seem to be becoming a Muslim state. Illegal immigrants now a BIG political issue. Immigrants still stealing aboard trucks from France. Boat people coming from Africa and elsewhere in their thousands.

 

CCTV watching your every move. THE UK has more CCTV cameras than anywhere else in the world.

 

There are so many tired, miserable and worn out people here. Few smiles. Little obvious happiness.

The E.U. ruling everything.

 

 

Is Thailand 2nd best? I think not, especially for that relaxed atmosphere, attitudes and general livability

 

This is just my opinion though

 

on other hand school fees for decent international school 400,000 a year without extras x 2 if 2 kids free in UK Good quality food beef etc if you can get it about same if your older and have a number of issues like me medical 10-20,000 a month again free in UK cars more expensive here most western goods much more here decent clothes more expensive here wine much much more 

 

iMO if living a western lifestyle and not into whoring or going out all time apart from housing i and my family would I've in UK for about same as here but wed not have a maid and be subject to vagary of NHS and lottery of schooling in UK

 

if your young or on holiday it seems cheap but once you've been here some time and live a western lifestyle then IMO its not much cheaper than UK. WE spend 8000-1000 on elec mainly aircon and at moment over 1 million a year on education for our 2 kids which ends soon thank goodness.

 

but best thing I've ever done is come here to live over 30 years ago and i could not go back to live in UK or USA with all regulations rules miserable people and stress most people have.

[SoiBiker]

Why would you move to Asia to lead a western lifestyle?

[beachproperty]

 

Utopia is a fantasy! 

 

It does not exist, therefore all other places on earth are 2nd best.

 

Without compromises, there is no single place that meets each of our individual criteria.  If it meets yours, then it will not meet mine as our lists are not the same.

 

In retirement, I've enjoyed the last five years living here in Thailand with semi-annual 1-2 months trips to the USA - CA and Hawaii.  I also enjoyed my decades working in the USA, but was always in search of something better after my family matured.  During the next 5 years, I plan to continue splitting my time between the USA and Thailand, but possibly more equitably.   As I get into my more senior years, criterias change.

 

Enjoy your moments of happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

this is a good assessment, which would be more instructive to me, if I knew your age.

 

I am 54, and my kids are 27, 24 with the older 100% independent and the younger, almost

 

it is that "almost" that has me back here after exploring Thailand for 6 months last year, Oct 2013- March 2014

 

after that though, I can not see Thailand as top of the list

 

sure, I can get by there, and as a native New Yorker, BKK is easy for me to deal with, if I want to deal with a hot polluted city where very few speak english

 

yes it is true, the girls are fabulous in Thailand, but they are not free,

 

just because there is a multitude of them,

 

means the same as a man who loves the water, but cannot swim,

 

Thailand is too much hassle for me, as I have lived a pretty luxurious life the last 15 years, due to the tech stock bubble and then the real estate bubble, both which I was a fairly lucky surfer, and even with the crashes that followed, I am still in decent shape,

 

but what is the attraction to Thailand?

 

example,

 

Cocoa Beach, Florida,

 

a 2 bedroom apt on the ocean, $1,000 a month,

I ride a motorcycle so, no need for insurance that never pays,

 

I am healthy,

the food here is top notch,

 

there is music in the bars, music I like,

 

now,

 

the women,

 

non existent, some grotesque, some obese, many smoke cigarettes, in most cases, downright disgusting.

 

but,

 

there are Thai massage places, and other "massage" places, all around, so,

 

where is the benefit to the quantity theory?

 

and to the guy who prefers to fake smiles and the greetings, I say, really?

 

last on my list,

 

I love to play golf,

 

it is too damned hot in BKK to golf and the sun way too strong,

 

I dont care what people say,

 

Thailand, is not a healthy place

 

 

Scarpolo??????????????......Your Thai expertise (for someone with such a short stay) and negativity has been sorely missed.

 

Edited August 13, 2014 by beachproperty

[pomchop]

I split my time between Thailand and USA.

 

Back in the usa the thing that strikes me most is how very simple some things can be...like getting in the car and driving to a store.  Everyone pretty much stays in their lane, there are a zillion traffic laws and cops around ready to give you a ticket if you stray from your lane....you get to a store and can read all the signs or ask someone if you need help.  You pay in dollars and don't calculate exchange rates in your head.  Prices for a LOT of the items you want are actually cheaper than in thailand and the selection is massive.  There are dozens of huge stores offering just about anything the mind can imagine.

 

It all seems oh so simple.

 

BUT....

 

The problem is that the simplicity also quicky becomes boring.  When I get in my car to go to the store in Thailand it is always an "adventure"...just driving is not stop "entertainment" as you see the constant parade of weird vehicles, people, etc and lack of concern for any traffic laws results in mostly chaos on the roads.  Then you get to the store where most farangs can't read the signs and can't speak enough thai to figure out much of anything...if you need help you get to play "charades" usually with some cute thai girls who are often quite amused by the funny farang's antics.  You are often the center of attention/amusement. The product selection is often not familiar and the prices on familiar/imported items are enough to give you a heart attack.  But in the end you do figure it all out and get back home with yet another often funny memory  rather than just another boring trip to the store.

 

Which is better?  I actually enjoy parts of both.

[Aceman80]

Answer is NO.

 

I moved back to North Europe in April ´cause i thought i was bored in Thailand,almost everyone who has lived more than couple of months(some cases years) knows what i´m talking about and some issues in my work,mainly salaries did not come when promised.

Changed my work and kicked out tenant from my condo,rented my studio in Patts for fellow countryman.Sold some small stuff that i did not need.

Now i´m regretting it already.

I almost forgot how expensive living is in here,when you come for 1-2 months and bunk with your family&friends you dont pay nothing for living etc.

Fees:

Mortgage:400€/mo.

Condo maintenance fee:240€/mo.

Electricity:140€/3mo.

Water:20€/mo.

Internet:39€/mo.

Football channels:65€/mo.

Phone with internet package:30€/mo.

Car insurance with travel:55€/mo.

Food from supermarket:1 bag with basic stuff like milk,bred etc:40€ for one,usually have two bags of food for week plus weekends so its atleast 400€/mo.

Gasoline 1,7€/L

 

Pint in local pub 6€

GT in same pub 8€

Basic sausage&chips in pub 11€

Pizza/kebab when you finished your evening 10e.

Taxi,1km 3e plus starting fee of 6€.

 

Steak in nice restaurant,300g 33€

Movies 10€

Clothes €€€

Shorttime atleast 100€ for 30min

So it does add up.

On top off everything my tax percentage is 29% and 5,75% for retirement/healthcare.

And last week i was working by myself,all week i spoke face to face with one person,cashier in supermarket when she greeted me.

 

Yeah,i´m moving back thailand,soon.

 

 

Edited August 14, 2014 by Aceman80

[Albertosez]

Would i be better off in the UK , ,,i dont miss ,speed cameras ,parking wardens ,sky high parking charges , paying a mechanic 30 quid plus an hour to service my car , massive car insurance ,tax and petrol charges , also i dont miss getting my rubbish collected once every two weeks and having half a dozen different bins to put it in ,i dont miss my bin not being emptied because the lid is up or i put the "wrong rubbish" in it ,i dont miss having to spend 100 quid a week on food if i want decent fresh stuff and not crap in a box that i heat up.  i dont miss having to pay 9000 pounds a year for our son to go to uni ,and god knows how much for his living expenses . i dont miss the fact that when i moved to my old home town ,the Asians there dressed like us and were dead friendly ,but now they mainly dress like they are in another country and look at you like shit if you go into 'THEIR" area of town, i could go on ,but i will tell you what i miss ,the countryside , and f--ck all else. 

Take the bus.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Last time I took the bus in Yorkshire - all the other passengers thought I was a ghost and they all got off !!

[SteveFong]

 

 

Utopia is a fantasy! 

 

It does not exist, therefore all other places on earth are 2nd best.

 

Without compromises, there is no single place that meets each of our individual criteria.  If it meets yours, then it will not meet mine as our lists are not the same.

 

In retirement, I've enjoyed the last five years living here in Thailand with semi-annual 1-2 months trips to the USA - CA and Hawaii.  I also enjoyed my decades working in the USA, but was always in search of something better after my family matured.  During the next 5 years, I plan to continue splitting my time between the USA and Thailand, but possibly more equitably.   As I get into my more senior years, criterias change.

 

Enjoy your moments of happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

this is a good assessment, which would be more instructive to me, if I knew your age.

 

I am 54, and my kids are 27, 24 with the older 100% independent and the younger, almost

 

it is that "almost" that has me back here after exploring Thailand for 6 months last year, Oct 2013- March 2014

 

after that though, I can not see Thailand as top of the list

 

sure, I can get by there, and as a native New Yorker, BKK is easy for me to deal with, if I want to deal with a hot polluted city where very few speak english

 

yes it is true, the girls are fabulous in Thailand, but they are not free,

 

just because there is a multitude of them,

 

means the same as a man who loves the water, but cannot swim,

 

Thailand is too much hassle for me, as I have lived a pretty luxurious life the last 15 years, due to the tech stock bubble and then the real estate bubble, both which I was a fairly lucky surfer, and even with the crashes that followed, I am still in decent shape,

 

but what is the attraction to Thailand?

 

example,

 

Cocoa Beach, Florida,

 

a 2 bedroom apt on the ocean, $1,000 a month,

I ride a motorcycle so, no need for insurance that never pays,

 

I am healthy,

the food here is top notch,

 

there is music in the bars, music I like,

 

now,

 

the women,

 

non existent, some grotesque, some obese, many smoke cigarettes, in most cases, downright disgusting.

 

but,

 

there are Thai massage places, and other "massage" places, all around, so,

 

where is the benefit to the quantity theory?

 

and to the guy who prefers to fake smiles and the greetings, I say, really?

 

last on my list,

 

I love to play golf,

 

it is too damned hot in BKK to golf and the sun way too strong,

 

I dont care what people say,

 

Thailand, is not a healthy place

 

 

Scarpolo??????????????......Your Thai expertise (for someone with such a short stay) and negativity has been sorely missed.

 

 

 

did I leave out, the soapy pimps over charge the white man by 20%?

[beachproperty]

 

 

 

this is a good assessment, which would be more instructive to me, if I knew your age.

 

I am 54, and my kids are 27, 24 with the older 100% independent and the younger, almost

 

it is that "almost" that has me back here after exploring Thailand for 6 months last year, Oct 2013- March 2014

 

after that though, I can not see Thailand as top of the list

 

sure, I can get by there, and as a native New Yorker, BKK is easy for me to deal with, if I want to deal with a hot polluted city where very few speak english

 

yes it is true, the girls are fabulous in Thailand, but they are not free,

 

just because there is a multitude of them,

 

means the same as a man who loves the water, but cannot swim,

 

Thailand is too much hassle for me, as I have lived a pretty luxurious life the last 15 years, due to the tech stock bubble and then the real estate bubble, both which I was a fairly lucky surfer, and even with the crashes that followed, I am still in decent shape,

 

but what is the attraction to Thailand?

 

example,

 

Cocoa Beach, Florida,

 

a 2 bedroom apt on the ocean, $1,000 a month,

I ride a motorcycle so, no need for insurance that never pays,

 

I am healthy,

the food here is top notch,

 

there is music in the bars, music I like,

 

now,

 

the women,

 

non existent, some grotesque, some obese, many smoke cigarettes, in most cases, downright disgusting.

 

but,

 

there are Thai massage places, and other "massage" places, all around, so,

 

where is the benefit to the quantity theory?

 

and to the guy who prefers to fake smiles and the greetings, I say, really?

 

last on my list,

 

I love to play golf,

 

it is too damned hot in BKK to golf and the sun way too strong,

 

I dont care what people say,

 

Thailand, is not a healthy place

 

 

Scarpolo??????????????......Your Thai expertise (for someone with such a short stay) and negativity has been sorely missed.

 

 

 

did I leave out, the soapy pimps over charge the white man by 20%?

 

 

Scarpolo "the Soapy King!" and self styled expert on Thailand is BACK!....why the absence? And why the new name? Banned?
 

[khunpa]

When I look at the Facebook profiles of my friends back home, I see a bunch of sad wankers who waisted their life on doing what was mainstream and "secure". They have done what others and society has expected from them.

 

If they are happy, so be it, since it is their life. I am just happy, that I did not follow that path in life. At least I did what I wanted to do and no what was expected of me or considered "normal".

 

I thank God, that they are only my Facebook friends and the only think we have in common is a couple of years in school together ;-)

 

 

[SteveFong]

 

 

 

 

this is a good assessment, which would be more instructive to me, if I knew your age.

 

I am 54, and my kids are 27, 24 with the older 100% independent and the younger, almost

 

it is that "almost" that has me back here after exploring Thailand for 6 months last year, Oct 2013- March 2014

 

after that though, I can not see Thailand as top of the list

 

sure, I can get by there, and as a native New Yorker, BKK is easy for me to deal with, if I want to deal with a hot polluted city where very few speak english

 

yes it is true, the girls are fabulous in Thailand, but they are not free,

 

just because there is a multitude of them,

 

means the same as a man who loves the water, but cannot swim,

 

Thailand is too much hassle for me, as I have lived a pretty luxurious life the last 15 years, due to the tech stock bubble and then the real estate bubble, both which I was a fairly lucky surfer, and even with the crashes that followed, I am still in decent shape,

 

but what is the attraction to Thailand?

 

example,

 

Cocoa Beach, Florida,

 

a 2 bedroom apt on the ocean, $1,000 a month,

I ride a motorcycle so, no need for insurance that never pays,

 

I am healthy,

the food here is top notch,

 

there is music in the bars, music I like,

 

now,

 

the women,

 

non existent, some grotesque, some obese, many smoke cigarettes, in most cases, downright disgusting.

 

but,

 

there are Thai massage places, and other "massage" places, all around, so,

 

where is the benefit to the quantity theory?

 

and to the guy who prefers to fake smiles and the greetings, I say, really?

 

last on my list,

 

I love to play golf,

 

it is too damned hot in BKK to golf and the sun way too strong,

 

I dont care what people say,

 

Thailand, is not a healthy place

 

 

Scarpolo??????????????......Your Thai expertise (for someone with such a short stay) and negativity has been sorely missed.

 

 

 

did I leave out, the soapy pimps over charge the white man by 20%?

 

 

Scarpolo "the Soapy King!" and self styled expert on Thailand is BACK!....why the absence? And why the new name? Banned?
 

 

 

Beach~puberty?
 

ah yes, the memories I have of the Castaways in the 1970's where many a lass lost her ass,

 

I too have heard the legend of this lone traveler to Thailand,

 

his eminence, The great one, known fondly to his followers as  "S.c.a.r.p.o.l.o"

 

I was told on another thread that he was banned during the Coup as he was calling for the public hanging of the loan sharks, mafia's, drug dealers, pimps, the pimps pimps, and the pimp mafia's,

 

and apparently, calling for the removal of the vermin that continues to destroy the lives of young people of Thailand

 

is not permitted during the "junta"

 

R.I.P. Scarpolo,

 

may you once again find the moist end of the legs of the 22 year old you left Chaing Mai for the Soapy Queen of Bangkok

[SteveFong]

 

 

I like people wanting me and being happy to see me even if it is an act.

 
Well at least you finally acknowledge that any "popularity" you may enjoy is just as likely to be a charade as it is to be genuine.

If a man wants to live in a fantasy, that's his choice and his RIGHT. Nothing wrong with it at all . . . until he tries to convince others that his mirage is anything but a construct of his conscious/sub-conscious.

 

Tis you living in the fantasy.  I have never said any woman loved me; in any place, at any time. 

 

I've never said any man in Thailand or anyplace was a real friend.  I've always said if you wanted a friend get a dog.  I have a dog.  She is my loyal friend. 

 

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. 

 

This thread is an attack against people who live in Thailand, "Have We All Just Settled For Second Best?"  I am just defending reality from folks who for some reason want to bash Thailand. 

 

Walt Disney world fantasy in Florida ticket is about 6500 baht for a day.  Do you know what kind of fantasy I can have in Thailand for 6500 baht a day?  Yes it includes hotel and swimming pool. 

 

I know a lot of old guys.  None of them believe the con.  They are all happy.  Pattaya was a Disneyland designed by drunk sailors; that's not news to anyone! 

 

You are making up these dumb old folks who believe the lie.  There aren't any.  Young guys sure, a million of em.  Talk to the young men.  They can't get visas anyway and tell them to stay home and Thailand is only going to lead to heartbreak.   But give us old geezers a break.  We know......We don't care.  We having fun,

 

 

 

can not argue with that,

 

my friend here is 68,

 

he has a Thai wife 44,

 

he has sex 4 times a week, all with different women, not with his wife,

 

but, he has money,

 

he lives like a shlepper Thai in an old TH, with no grass, and howling dogs all over the place,

 

he is willing to take a motorbike for 20 baht and risk his life going to the subway, I am not

 

he is willing to be in a house without air conditioning, I am not

 

he is willing to screw anything 20 years younger than him, and he is an old fat bald guy, I am not

 

so, when i got to be as useless as he is to the planet, I will look into Thailand again,

 

where there is a 50-50 chance I will die with my head buried in a Thai girl 30 years younger than me, and the other 50, is that I will get run down by a motorbike, on the sidewalk

[thailiketoo]

can not argue with that,

 

my friend here is 68,

 

he has a Thai wife 44,

 

he has sex 4 times a week, all with different women, not with his wife,

 

but, he has money,

 

he lives like a shlepper Thai in an old TH, with no grass, and howling dogs all over the place,

 

he is willing to take a motorbike for 20 baht and risk his life going to the subway, I am not

 

he is willing to be in a house without air conditioning, I am not

 

he is willing to screw anything 20 years younger than him, and he is an old fat bald guy, I am not

 

so, when i got to be as useless as he is to the planet, I will look into Thailand again,

 

where there is a 50-50 chance I will die with my head buried in a Thai girl 30 years younger than me, and the other 50, is that I will get run down by a motorbike, on the sidewalk

 

Don't feel bad.  It could be a lot worse.  I knew a younger guy came to Thailand and shacked up with a massage/****** and ran out of money and had to go back to the West.  He is still so strung out on Thailand that he posts on Thai centric forums about how bad things are in Thailand and how great things are in the US/UK or Australia.  A first year psychology student could tell him; if he wasn't so jealous of every swinging dick that had brains to figure out a way to stay in Thailand he would have stopped posting on Thai oriented websites. 

Edited August 14, 2014 by thailiketoo

[spidermike007]

I certainly think that SOME people have settled for less.

In my view, many have been drawn here by the women. Not necessarily to run around availing themselves of everything that's up for it but for the fact they can get a very attractive woman here without having the kind of personality and/or income they would need to land a woman on the same scale back home.

While their friends back home might "confess" to being "envious", in reality, what they feel is more akin to PITY

1. Is it envy or pity they feel when they meet the wife/GF he's thrown his lot in with who can barely string a sentence together in English?
2. Is it envy or pity they feel when they realise that he can barely string a sentence together in Thai?
3. Is it envy or pity they feel when they hear about the immigration hoops he has to jump through to stay in Thailand?
 
4. Is it envy or pity they feel when they hear that the business, the house, the car and the motorbike he claims to own is actually held in his wife/GF's name?
 
5.Is it envy or pity they feel when his health acts up and he's got no insurance to pay for major treatment and he has to beg steal or borrow
 

<DELETED>
 
There's no doubt that there are guys who've carved out truly enviable lives here but they're the ones who've dodged the marry-a-local bullet and used the lower cost of living to save/invest more of what they earn.

 

 

 

Definitely envy. Certainly in the case of several of my friends who wish like hell they could figure out a way to live here. And if you are fortunate enough to live with a very intelligent women, who speaks great english, like mine does, than the envy is even greater. You can try lumping all of us into one tiny category, if that is all your imagination permits. But, there are men of all shapes and sizes, and all walks of life on this forum, and living here in Thailand. I have met many who are successful, smart, intellectual, and live wonderful lives here. I am often pleasantly surprised at how intelligent and thoughtful some of the replies and quotes I get on this forum are. It is a testament to the caliber of ex-pates who use it. Some have great Thai women, and some do not. Some are single, some are family men. Most are considerably more content than they were when they lived their quiet lives of desperation in the west. Simply put, life back there does not suit all of us. I hope and pray on a daily basis I never have to live back in the US again. Never. Please no. Of course there were things I liked about life back there. But, even with the lack of conveniences, and culture here, I would take this life, over life back there by a wide, wide margin.

 

In terms of women, maybe I am just very fortunate. I have a woman a couple of decades younger than me (I always preferred younger women, even the entire time I lived in the west, as women my age simply cannot keep up with me in terms of energy and lifestyle, and were way too lethargic for my tastes), very intelligent, very pretty, fit, and funny. She cracks me up daily. Always good humor, always in a pleasant mood, always cheerful and always has my back. She wakes up with a smile on her face! Never, in the decades I lived back there, did I experience that. Oh yes, I experienced the opposite of that frequently. All of this is not exactly something to pity. Not compared to the vast majority of relationships or marriages my friends have in the west, most of which leave ALOT to be desired. And did I mention the 200 LB. gals? Or the sourpuss attitudes? The height of the hurdles? I could go on, and on, but I won't. 

 

And in terms of health care, I am self insured. I put money away, instead of allowing the CEO of an insurance company to buy his 4th villa. If and when the time comes, I have the cash set aside. And unless it is something very serious, I will probably come out ahead. I despise insurance companies, and use them only for my car, and a minimal personal accident policy, with includes 5 million baht in life insurance for my gal. I pay a total of about $100 a month for insurance. I feel like I have my foot halfway up the ass of the insurance executives I used to deal with. That is it, I am proud to say. Life without insurance is a beautiful thing. It is my life, and I do not belong to an insurance company. Some of the friends I have in the states spend a third of their annual income on insurance for their house, cars, life, health, etc, etc. I for one, was not comfortable paying $1000 to $2000 per month for all of that nonsense, and am thrilled on a daily basis to not have to be doing it here. 

 

And in regard to immigration, many of us have multiple entry retirement visas. It could hardly be an easier way to stay here. Stay all year if you like, or come and go as you please. Reporting in every 90 days, to the tune of 15 minutes, is hardly jumping over hoops.

 

 

So, make your own judgment, but please try using a little bit of imagination. All of us are not the same. Some of us have truly fulfilling lives here, that we would not want to trade for anything. 

[beachproperty]

Beach~puberty?
 

ah yes, the memories I have of the Castaways in the 1970's where many a lass lost her ass,

 

I too have heard the legend of this lone traveler to Thailand,

 

his eminence, The great one, known fondly to his followers as  "S.c.a.r.p.o.l.o"

 

I was told on another thread that he was banned during the Coup as he was calling for the public hanging of the loan sharks, mafia's, drug dealers, pimps, the pimps pimps, and the pimp mafia's,

 

and apparently, calling for the removal of the vermin that continues to destroy the lives of young people of Thailand

 

is not permitted during the "junta"

 

R.I.P. Scarpolo,

 

may you once again find the moist end of the legs of the 22 year old you left Chaing Mai for the Soapy Queen of Bangkok

 

 

As seen by your post ....Scarpolo is not "dead" ...he has be re-incarnated into "SteveFong"! You can change your name but the same negativity and jealously will always be there...Sad. I'll bet you miss your "soapy Princess" and wish you were still in Thailand as opposed to Florida where all the Old New York J###s retire to.

 

[SteveFong]

 

Beach~puberty?
 

ah yes, the memories I have of the Castaways in the 1970's where many a lass lost her ass,

 

I too have heard the legend of this lone traveler to Thailand,

 

his eminence, The great one, known fondly to his followers as  "S.c.a.r.p.o.l.o"

 

I was told on another thread that he was banned during the Coup as he was calling for the public hanging of the loan sharks, mafia's, drug dealers, pimps, the pimps pimps, and the pimp mafia's,

 

and apparently, calling for the removal of the vermin that continues to destroy the lives of young people of Thailand

 

is not permitted during the "junta"

 

R.I.P. Scarpolo,

 

may you once again find the moist end of the legs of the 22 year old you left Chaing Mai for the Soapy Queen of Bangkok

 

 

As seen by your post ....Scarpolo is not "dead" ...he has be re-incarnated into "SteveFong"! You can change your name but the same negativity and jealously will always be there...Sad. I'll bet you miss your "soapy Princess" and wish you were still in Thailand as opposed to Florida where all the Old New York J###s retire to.

 

 

 

 

I will return to Thailand, if and when I forget how horrible it is to live there,

 

I will see the soapy again, if that happens

 

I do miss the $6.00 massages

 

I dont miss the pollution and traffic

 

My friend who lives there, who I charmingly refer to as Satan, will be visiting here in a few weeks

 

I will be doing my best to duck him, as I love it here this time of year, the weather is great, the music is everywhere, everyone speaks english, and I dont have to deal with other people, unless I choose too,

 

I have here, what you have there, without the to decades younger girl,

which, doesnt bother me, at the moment,

 

Soapy is there, she will always be there,

and if it isnt her, there is 20,000 more right behind her

 

no rush,

 

btw, Jimmy Buffet is building a resort on Hollywood beach, called Margaritaville,

 

the band shell there has been dormant for 30 years, and now has rock musicians playing in it again

 

I am a lot younger than you, so i dont need thailand yet,

 

 

but there will come a day,

 

I am sure you have a room for rent

[Cypress Hill]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

 

 

I certainly think that SOME people have settled for less.

In my view, many have been drawn here by the women. Not necessarily to run around availing themselves of everything that's up for it but for the fact they can get a very attractive woman here without having the kind of personality and/or income they would need to land a woman on the same scale back home.

While their friends back home might "confess" to being "envious", in reality, what they feel is more akin to PITY

1. Is it envy or pity they feel when they meet the wife/GF he's thrown his lot in with who can barely string a sentence together in English?
2. Is it envy or pity they feel when they realise that he can barely string a sentence together in Thai?
3. Is it envy or pity they feel when they hear about the immigration hoops he has to jump through to stay in Thailand?
 
4. Is it envy or pity they feel when they hear that the business, the house, the car and the motorbike he claims to own is actually held in his wife/GF's name?
 
5.Is it envy or pity they feel when his health acts up and he's got no insurance to pay for major treatment and he has to beg steal or borrow
 

<DELETED>
 
There's no doubt that there are guys who've carved out truly enviable lives here but they're the ones who've dodged the marry-a-local bullet and used the lower cost of living to save/invest more of what they earn.

 

 

 

Definitely envy. Certainly in the case of several of my friends who wish like hell they could figure out a way to live here. And if you are fortunate enough to live with a very intelligent women, who speaks great english, like mine does, than the envy is even greater. You can try lumping all of us into one tiny category, if that is all your imagination permits. But, there are men of all shapes and sizes, and all walks of life on this forum, and living here in Thailand. I have met many who are successful, smart, intellectual, and live wonderful lives here. I am often pleasantly surprised at how intelligent and thoughtful some of the replies and quotes I get on this forum are. It is a testament to the caliber of ex-pates who use it. Some have great Thai women, and some do not. Some are single, some are family men. Most are considerably more content than they were when they lived their quiet lives of desperation in the west. Simply put, life back there does not suit all of us. I hope and pray on a daily basis I never have to live back in the US again. Never. Please no. Of course there were things I liked about life back there. But, even with the lack of conveniences, and culture here, I would take this life, over life back there by a wide, wide margin.

 

In terms of women, maybe I am just very fortunate. I have a woman a couple of decades younger than me (I always preferred younger women, even the entire time I lived in the west, as women my age simply cannot keep up with me in terms of energy and lifestyle, and were way too lethargic for my tastes), very intelligent, very pretty, fit, and funny. She cracks me up daily. Always good humor, always in a pleasant mood, always cheerful and always has my back. She wakes up with a smile on her face! Never, in the decades I lived back there, did I experience that. Oh yes, I experienced the opposite of that frequently. All of this is not exactly something to pity. Not compared to the vast majority of relationships or marriages my friends have in the west, most of which leave ALOT to be desired. And did I mention the 200 LB. gals? Or the sourpuss attitudes? The height of the hurdles? I could go on, and on, but I won't. 

 

And in terms of health care, I am self insured. I put money away, instead of allowing the CEO of an insurance company to buy his 4th villa. If and when the time comes, I have the cash set aside. And unless it is something very serious, I will probably come out ahead. I despise insurance companies, and use them only for my car, and a minimal personal accident policy, with includes 5 million baht in life insurance for my gal. I pay a total of about $100 a month for insurance. I feel like I have my foot halfway up the ass of the insurance executives I used to deal with. That is it, I am proud to say. Life without insurance is a beautiful thing. It is my life, and I do not belong to an insurance company. Some of the friends I have in the states spend a third of their annual income on insurance for their house, cars, life, health, etc, etc. I for one, was not comfortable paying $1000 to $2000 per month for all of that nonsense, and am thrilled on a daily basis to not have to be doing it here. 

 

And in regard to immigration, many of us have multiple entry retirement visas. It could hardly be an easier way to stay here. Stay all year if you like, or come and go as you please. Reporting in every 90 days, to the tune of 15 minutes, is hardly jumping over hoops.

 

 

So, make your own judgment, but please try using a little bit of imagination. All of us are not the same. Some of us have truly fulfilling lives here, that we would not want to trade for anything. 

 

 

You know, the clue is in the first sentence.

 

Allow me to reproduce it here for your convenience, Mr. Defensive

 

"I certainly think that SOME people have settled for less."

 

 

I even emphasized the "SOME" but you felt the need to write War & Peace in rebuttal.

 

Still, I'm beginning to understand why those women you had back in the US - in your own words - "never woke up with a smile on their faces"

[theguyfromanotherforum]

 

I certainly think that SOME people have settled for less.

In my view, many have been drawn here by the women. Not necessarily to run around availing themselves of everything that's up for it but for the fact they can get a very attractive woman here without having the kind of personality and/or income they would need to land a woman on the same scale back home.

While their friends back home might "confess" to being "envious", in reality, what they feel is more akin to PITY

1. Is it envy or pity they feel when they meet the wife/GF he's thrown his lot in with who can barely string a sentence together in English?
2. Is it envy or pity they feel when they realise that he can barely string a sentence together in Thai?
3. Is it envy or pity they feel when they hear about the immigration hoops he has to jump through to stay in Thailand?
 
4. Is it envy or pity they feel when they hear that the business, the house, the car and the motorbike he claims to own is actually held in his wife/GF's name?
 
5.Is it envy or pity they feel when his health acts up and he's got no insurance to pay for major treatment and he has to beg steal or borrow
 


 
There's no doubt that there are guys who've carved out truly enviable lives here but they're the ones who've dodged the marry-a-local bullet and used the lower cost of living to save/invest more of what they earn.

 
Definitely envy. 

 
No, it's not envy. 
 

It could be envy because many people don't have the guts to make the move..... or they are stuck in a bad marriage with kids who own them. That's envy.

[Cypress Hill]

Definitely envy.

 
No, it's not envy.

It could be envy because many people don't have the guts to make the move..... or they are stuck in a bad marriage with kids who own them. That's envy.

Yes but someone in that situation would be envious of you even if you were just talking to a snaggle-toothed barmaid at a sticky-floored pub in Hull on a Saturday night, wouldn't he?

[spidermike007]

 

 

 

Definitely envy.

 
No, it's not envy.

 

It could be envy because many people don't have the guts to make the move..... or they are stuck in a bad marriage with kids who own them. That's envy.

 

Yes but someone in that situation would be envious of you even if you were just talking to a snaggle-toothed barmaid at a sticky-floored pub in Hull on a Saturday night, wouldn't he?

 

 

 

Correct. It is all relative. The situations I find my friends in, back in the states, is quite something. I certainly do not envy many of them. Most come here, see my life, and say what on earth can I do to get me some of this. 

[SoiBiker]

When I look at the Facebook profiles of my friends back home, I see a bunch of sad <deleted> who waisted their life on doing what was mainstream and "secure". They have done what others and society has expected from them.

 

If they are happy, so be it, since it is their life. I am just happy, that I did not follow that path in life. At least I did what I wanted to do and no what was expected of me or considered "normal".

 

I thank God, that they are only my Facebook friends and the only think we have in common is a couple of years in school together ;-)

 

 

 

What remarkable snobbery.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

No, it's not envy. 

 

Envy might kick in if you owned a condo in Monte Carlo or an 18th century farmhouse in Provence or a vineyard in Tuscanny.

 

Envy would definitely kick in if you enjoyed blissful retirement in a Caribbean villa.

 

But Thailand is not the same. Anyone can live here. Any man can find a girl a decade or two his junior.    

 

 

 

 

I've lived in Provence and visited Tuscany.

Provence, great in summer, cold and windy for the other 8 months, no internet in the villages (which is where everyone wants to live).

Tuscany, wet in winter, very rural, I wouldn't go there out of season.

 

Caribbean, that's nice, but for it to be really nice you need enough to live away from the natives, the drugs, the gang, and the huge crime rate.

Another place good for a two week visit.

 

All 3 places you need a wife with you, not much fun on your own.

MInd you, at 55+, not much fun with a wife your own age either.

[Berkshire]

 

Envy might kick in if you owned a condo in Monte Carlo or an 18th century farmhouse in Provence or a vineyard in Tuscanny.

 

Envy would definitely kick in if you enjoyed blissful retirement in a Caribbean villa.

 

So you envy people who live in these places and have these things?  I certainly don't.
 

[yoslim]

[sharedmedia=core:attachments:279097]

 

 

3 year residency permit, no taxes on money earned offshore, no 90 day reports, no re-entry permits, no map to my house, no free roaming gangs of teenagers, no farang this, farang that and a language I can easily speak and understand 

 

 

Alas no gogo-bars and 1000 baht freelancers   

 

 

 

 

 

[DaveWalsh]

 

 

Envy might kick in if you owned a condo in Monte Carlo or an 18th century farmhouse in Provence or a vineyard in Tuscanny.

 

Envy would definitely kick in if you enjoyed blissful retirement in a Caribbean villa.

 

So you envy people who live in these places and have these things?  I certainly don't.

 

I wish I had a condo in Monaco or a villa in the Caribbean, but I don't envy those who do. 

 

My point is that very few people envy those of us who live here in Thailand.

[Kudel]

 

 

Envy might kick in if you owned a condo in Monte Carlo or an 18th century farmhouse in Provence or a vineyard in Tuscanny.

 

Envy would definitely kick in if you enjoyed blissful retirement in a Caribbean villa.

 

So you envy people who live in these places and have these things?  I certainly don't.
 

 

Yes but property in said places is yours when you buy it and a good investement i have seen hundred year old farm houses in France that look better then some ten year old houses /villa's in Thailand .

And there is a nice thing called zone planning in said places,a fellow countryman of mine plonked six million baht in to a house somewhere outside Korat and two years later a fertilizer factory was build down the road from his place i can tell you the smell was very nasty day in day out wich means his place is now worthless.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Kudel

[CharlieH]

Off topic posts removed

[Berkshire]

 

 

 

Envy might kick in if you owned a condo in Monte Carlo or an 18th century farmhouse in Provence or a vineyard in Tuscanny.

 

Envy would definitely kick in if you enjoyed blissful retirement in a Caribbean villa.

 

So you envy people who live in these places and have these things?  I certainly don't.

 

I wish I had a condo in Monaco or a villa in the Caribbean, but I don't envy those who do. 

 

My point is that very few people envy those of us who live here in Thailand.

 

 

I see.  I may envy someone who's truly happy, and it wouldn't matter where they lived.  You seem to have a rather negative view of Thailand, which is certainly your right.  But you (and many like you) seem to feel a need to stomp on anyone else who may actually be happy in Thailand.  By stomping, I mean find a negative for every positive.  Or just attack the positive by insisting that it's not a positive.  Why you guys do that, I'm not sure. 

[Cypress Hill]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>
 

Correct. It is all relative. The situations I find my friends in, back in the states, is quite something. I certainly do not envy many of them. Most come here, see my life, and say what on earth can I do to get me some of this.

 
 
It really does depend on the situations one's friends are in.
 
If my mates were all grumbling working stiffs married to nagging old hippos, OF COURSE they'd be envious . . .
 
But they're not
 
My mates from London have been here, seen my spacious condo, marvelled at my living costs, the food and the birds and then headed home to their attractive wives/partners, their houses, their jobs/businesses and flash cars.