Used to be a resident of Pattaya. These days, I go on occasional weekend-visits. Did so last week-end and lo and behold, ran into a Farang buddy that I used to hang out with, while living in Pattaya.

Long time no see, we had a very long talk. As it turned out, his live-style has changed dramatically, compared to his "early-days" in Pattaya, years ago.

All the distractions that Pattaya offers, ranging from paragliding to snorkeling are no more within his financial reach. So his day looks like this:

From 10 AM to 2 PM, sitting at the bar. Go home and sleep until 5 PM and then back to the bar until 8 PM. Then go back home. Has a lady that he calls "my housekeeper". Next day the same.

As I could tell, he was not really happy with his lifestyle, but he mentioned something like this: "Done it all, seen it all in Pattaya and the best way to avoid boredom is to get drunk. While drunk, the feeling of boredom goes away and half of the expats in Pattaya drink for that reason only."

I left a bit disturbed, because such words would have never come out of his mouth some 7 years ago. But then, life circumstances can change and if you live in a playground and don't have the small change to hop on the merry go round, combined with "done it all, seen it all", boredom must be the last visitor knocking on any Farangs door.

Cheers.

did your last word cheer him up?

His problem is lack of money, sounds like another Johnny come lately 2 week farang millionaire who took early retirement at 45 baht to the $.

Heads off to some dive bar for bia chang at 30 baht per bottle, knocks back 6 bottles, goes home sleeps it off, comes back in the evening for another 6 and a half bottle of Sang Som from the local 7 to dull the pain.

Nowhwere left to run to and nowhere to go.

Soi BK is full of them, Issan has even more, couldnt believe it when I witnessed with my own eyes a farang bar owner pouring lao kao for his farang customers, living the drean some call it.

Keep up the good work Swissie, straight from the coal face, facts of how it really is, many may knock you, others are too ashamed to admit,, thats the way it is.

trolls are out to play today.

only time to worry is when oneself gets a feeling of de-javu

trolls are out to play today.

Says a poster with such a username

What would he do back home? He choosed to find his friends drinking in the Bar, but he also could choose to find friends doing different stuff. Activity outside of drinking in a Bar does not have to cost much. Sounds more like he has given up on life and ist just waiting for the end.

What would he do back home? He choosed to find his friends drinking in the Bar, but he also could choose to find friends doing different stuff. Activity outside of drinking in a Bar does not have to cost much. Sounds more like he has given up on life and ist just waiting for the end.

Hello CH long time no see was it SS that was the main topic.

Where to start? sure it gets boring ,need a life a computer for sure,but that gives you options,sure like shagging too,buy even that gets boring then its twos up ,stuff like that

Been to US, SA, Au, India Malaysia PH last 12 months but even that gets me pissed off.

Tell your friend I have Nembutal if he needs it.

Too late now for a session off to bed

You don't have to come all the way to south east Asia and Pattaya to find them. Bored people who drink are everywhere.

boredom after 15-20so years here can come quite easy, does not mean he has run out of money because he sits in a bar all day. Easy to fall into the trap but its not all down and outs that do it, if you been there done it and got the T shirt a few dozen times boredom can be the enemy. Beats sitting alone in the UK

What would he do back home? He choosed to find his friends drinking in the Bar, but he also could choose to find friends doing different stuff. Activity outside of drinking in a Bar does not have to cost much. Sounds more like he has given up on life and ist just waiting for the end.

Yes, what would he do when 'back home' for long periods?

It can be expensive to go for days out with the price of petrol + parking. Go to the same places every day, same tv everyday. He could not afford to go out for a beer so often. At least he can sit out in the sun and have a beer - little chance of that in the UK. Cinema? Expensive too.

Use the internet? Play a few games?

Maybe sit at home and wither away on some piddly pension (presuming he is a pensioner). Freeze his b*llocks off in the winter because he cannot afford the heating and food at the same time.

Without work to occupy many, life can turn to drudgery, misery and often to an early death. Not everyone can enjoy a millionaire lifestyle.

Maybe people like him are better off in Thailand while they can be?

What would he do back home? He choosed to find his friends drinking in the Bar, but he also could choose to find friends doing different stuff. Activity outside of drinking in a Bar does not have to cost much. Sounds more like he has given up on life and ist just waiting for the end.

Yes, what would he do when 'back home' for long periods?

It can be expensive to go for days out with the price of petrol + parking. Go to the same places every day, same tv everyday. He could not afford to go out for a beer so often. At least he can sit out in the sun and have a beer - little chance of that in the UK. Cinema? Expensive too.

Use the internet? Play a few games?

Maybe sit at home and wither away on some piddly pension (presuming he is a pensioner). Freeze his b*llocks off in the winter because he cannot afford the heating and food at the same time.

Without work to occupy many, life can turn to drudgery, misery and often to an early death. Not everyone can enjoy a millionaire lifestyle.

Maybe people like him are better off in Thailand while they can be?

I agree with that to an extent but being in your own country can give you a sense of security and belonging somewhere and knowing all the rules and regulations, where you stand if you have problems, etc etc, and the peace of mind that come with that. What if this guy has trouble come to his door i Thailand, what would he do, where would he turn, what would become of him??

Personally, I don't want to grow old here sweating my balls off every day in complete misery. That's not for me.

Life offers many options at any age. I had my options and took one. So can anyone. But if we all did the same thing the same way that would make any city boring in my honest opinion. I feel Pattaya has such a wide variety of types and lifestyles that to generalize about its resident expats is fairly pointless.

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It's easy to get bored if you don't have something to occupy your time. It's the bane of all retirees. I am lazy but try to keep up an exercise routine and read interesting books.

flame post removed.

Maybe he needs to go home for a while. It will remind him why he moved here in the first place.

Maybe he needs to go home for a while. It will remind him why he moved here in the first place.

Too true. Just top up the memory bank or whatever

I recommend your friend explore the limits of his tolerance for alcohol with a progressive regime of more regular and prolonged imbibulation of strong liquor. This may take time but will certainly be effective for a while in brushing away the cobwebs of boredom, as well as its companion, memory.

Similarly, the further reaches of his sexuality might be investigated, for instance with an escalating ménage of live-in but revolving roster of ladyboys, over a long period.

In these ways he will alleviate his ennui and ultimately, if he doesn't expire in the process, rediscover meaning in his pitiful life.

I am available for further advice should he so require - at a price.

When you get bored you don't try to change your surroundings.....you change yourself, your thinking, your attitude and your lifestyle. The definition of insanity is to continually do the same thing and expect a different result every time.

I have found drinking in Pattaya bars to be quite an expensive pastime.

did your last word cheer him up?

Getting older, no more chasing girls and nothing to look forward to. Retirement is a big problem for many people.

What would he do back home? He choosed to find his friends drinking in the Bar, but he also could choose to find friends doing different stuff. Activity outside of drinking in a Bar does not have to cost much. Sounds more like he has given up on life and ist just waiting for the end.

It is difficult any place to find friends, but here in the European trash bin of people on mental disabilities etc. Next to impossible

Tell your mate, to read Shakespeare. The bar girls will be mightily impressed, I'm sure. Here is an excerpt from Henry IV, part 1, and the only part I remember from covering it in my school days (OK, only the first 2 lines and I still get it wrong). However, having lived in Bangkok for 10 years of idle bliss (I don't frequent bars so much), I can't say it has applied to me in all senses. Booze also leads to depression - cut right down and the gloom will lift (although it didn't seem to apply to Falstaff. Mmmm maybe Shakespeare wasn't right after all):

If all the year were playing holidays,

To sport would be as tedious as to work,

But when they seldom come, they wished for come,

And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents.

So when this loose behavior I throw off

And pay the debt I never promisèd,

By how much better than my word I am,

By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes;

And, like bright metal on a sullen ground,

My reformation, glitt'ring o'er my fault,

Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes

Than that which hath no foil to set it off.

I’ll so offend to make offense a skill,

Redeeming time when men think least I will.

"Boredom is the legacy of fear" as prof of mine once said, and that stuck with me. must spend 2-300 a day on beer (I don't know. I live here in Jomtien and don't drink). Get a hobby? Start going to some AA meetings? Read a book? Take long walks? He seems lazy, a drunk, and lacks imagination. First stop drinking. Does someone change his nappies too?

Tell your mate, to read Shakespeare. The bar girls will be mightily impressed, I'm sure. Here is an excerpt from Henry IV, part 1, and the only part I remember from covering it in my school days (OK, only the first 2 lines and I still get it wrong). However, having lived in Bangkok for 10 years of idle bliss (I don't frequent bars so much), I can't say it has applied to me in all senses. Booze also leads to depression - cut right down and the gloom will lift (although it didn't seem to apply to Falstaff. Mmmm maybe Shakespeare wasn't right after all):

If all the year were playing holidays,

To sport would be as tedious as to work,

But when they seldom come, they wished for come,

And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents.

So when this loose behavior I throw off

And pay the debt I never promisèd,

By how much better than my word I am,

By so much shall I falsify men’s hopes;

And, like bright metal on a sullen ground,

My reformation, glitt'ring o'er my fault,

Shall show more goodly and attract more eyes

Than that which hath no foil to set it off.

I’ll so offend to make offense a skill,

Redeeming time when men think least I will.

Maybe does the trick?

I like to think of going back home and the cost of such,even taking a pee now costs.

I make my take from that great Lutheran, Rasputin

Here I sit all broken hearted.

Spent a penny and only farted.

Write Limericks.....

Here's an example -- as if you needed it

On an evening in November I now struggle to remember,
I was walking down the street in drunken pride.
But my knees went all a-flutter, so I rested in a gutter,
And a pig came by and laid down at my side.

As I laid there in the gutter thinking thoughts I could not utter
A young colleen passing by did softly say:
"You can tell a man that boozes by the company he chooses"
At that the pig got up and walked away!

I can't understand anyone who says they get bored. Having free time is great, that's why we retire, especially in a country with good weather.

Thousands of books to read, thousands of films to see, languages to learn, science to try and understand, hobbies, walking, swimming. None of that costs one satang. There are not enough hours in the day.

Sad story but quite a common scenario in Pattaya as I have read over the years. After the run of hooker bars is over and they probably know them all by name what else do they do? Hard life with little to do and now no money living in a dump apartment. This is why foreigner suicide rate is so high in Pattaya.

He needs to get a life and get out of the rut he's fell in to?