Leaving Thailand for good

[HeijoshinCool]

What did I do yesterday? Made my own d-mn wasabi aioli and caprese salad.

.

I used to make my own when I lived in Thailand, but yesterday I was just too busy snowboarding and playing tennis.

Well that sure sounds like weekends at the ski areas because you weren't so worn out that you could play tennis afterwards. When I lived in Colorado I mostly went skiing on the weekdays where you could get more runs in one day than several weekends with the long lift lines.

.

Yup, long lines. Little snow this year and just the day before about a foot fell, so was busy. Weekdays, sadly, duty calls.

[NeverSure]

The only thing that I really miss in Florida (other than family and a few long-time friends) is the springs. Me NOV 2014 visit photo by a friend:

I miss the food. Those people can cook.

Chicken and dumplings.

Grits.

Pecan Pie.

Catfish and hush puppies.

Peanuts boiled in saltwater.

Southern cornbread. (They add a touch of sugar, and many brown a little of the cornmeal in a skillet first.)

Southern fried chicken with white chicken gravy.

Biscuits and gravy.

Biscuits and gravy, fried mashed potatoes and fried onions.

Corn Fritters

[JLCrab]

'Sadly' -- That's the first time that word has cropped up in your extollations of livin' back in the good ol' USA.

[SoiBiker]

Corn Fritters

tod man khao pod

[HeijoshinCool]

'Sadly' -- That's the first time that word has cropped up in your extollations of livin' back in the good ol' USA.

.

Here's some more:

Sadly, Utah drivers suck.

Sadly, the government-protected refineries pollute SLC's air worse than Chiang Mai's slash-and-burners.

Sadly, the city can't properly time two traffic lights a block away from each other, resulting in frustratingly slow transit times and a huge waste of fuel.

Sadly, the city adds 106 substances to their water supply (derived from mountain snowfall) to make it "fit" for drinking.

[JLCrab]

(Redux) Living in Thailand sucks. Living in the USA sucks. But -- at east for me -- living in Thailand sucks less so that's why I'm here.

[HeijoshinCool]

And for me, living in the states sucks less, at least for now. That could change.

I wish you nothing but happiness in LOS.

[slipperylobster]

Lasted seven years, came back last fall.

Cost of living is cheaper here, better quality of life, and:

People smile without hoping for anything other than a smile back;

Haven't heard a single dog bark in three months, let alone been attacked by a pack of them;

No burning of plastic;

No loud music, caterwauling as the moon sets, or unbridled exhaust;

Haven't seen one person pick their nose. Nope, not even the person preparing my food ...

Were there good things about my time in Thailand? Sure, but no where near enough to consider living there any longer, let alone dying there.

My wife is joining me in April. We have a bucket list in the first month that includes:

The Grand Canyon- camping and rafting;

Las Vegas- attending a Cirque de Sol show, and, in the casinos, losing money;

Driving north from San Diego through Malibu, sailing to and about Catalina, then taking Hwy 1 up the coast into Washington State and eventually Victoria, B.C. We'll stop at wineries and cheese farms along the way, detouring for camping in Sequoia National Park, and Redwood National Forest. Then Yosemite and back over to the coast ….

Absolutely no way I would consider wasting another precious day of life in LOS.

You are picking up where I left off. I owned a home in Lake Tahoe, and then mistakenly sold it and bought one in San Diego County. Lost on the last (with a divorce)...and stuck it out in Thailand for four years..and Philippines 16 years.

The divorce was a mistake...we could of worked it out... living apart. Lost beautiful opportunities on the west coast....forever. So good luck.

However..prepare yourself for some sticker shock on hotels and restaurants.... Expect a decent room to be 3 times higher.....and restaurants double or triple.

[ScarpoFongness4U]

Its a reasonable question that is frequently posted on many threads and that is

Why do people who have left Thailand still post on TV

My answers may not surprise many

1) I have friends there

2)/I have girlfriends there

Some pro, some not

3)/I play music when I'm there

4)/I'm certain I'll visit again because of 1,2,3

5)/ it's a great vacation place when you have things to do, with people whose company you enjoy

6) until something changes mind when I'm older And can live with women in their 30's as girlfriends and I'm in my 60's

That isn't so readily available elsewhere

And Keith Richards has proven that you can play the guitar as long as you can stand, and Johnny Winter proved you can still play, as long as you can sit with the guitar in your lap

This and other reasons like keeping up with the pulse of the expat gossip and street news, is the reason I still read this mostly bickering nonsense,

But within it are some interesting and notable characters, despite my first 4 posting accounts being banned, thus my extended name

May not always agree with you...but Scarplo/Stevefong, as the resident soapy king....good to see you back!

Wow, Beach front I am truly honored.....

I've tried to take a "kindler, gentler" approach to it all ;-)

[JLCrab]

And for me, living in the states sucks less, at least for now. That could change.

I wish you nothing but happiness in LOS.

I enjoy living in Thailand in part because I have plenty to do just about every day because of my involvement with a 501c3 NGO based in the USA. I could now, I guess, do the same in the USA but, if I hadn't spent lots of time in Thailand, I would have never gotten to that point in the first place so, for that, I just stay here.

[NeverSure]

Corn Fritters

tod man khao pod

Those look good. Corn fritters are flavored mostly with salt, pepper, and onion. I just looked and those have the same corn, flour and egg, and are flavored with basil, chile sauce and curry. I never knew what is in them, but they are really good.

[ttthailand]

Living in US can suck, living in Thailand can suck .... I think it really depends where in both countries you live and who your friends are.

If you surround yourself with good people and live in a clean safe environment I think most people would be happy in both countries. If you have terrible friends and live in a crime ridden garbage dump I am sure you won't be happy.

If not happy try cleaning up your life, change friends, change addresses, change attitude before you change countries.

[JLCrab]

Living in US can suck, living in Thailand can suck .... I think it really depends where in both countries you live and who your friends are.

If you surround yourself with good people and live in a clean safe environment I think most people would be happy in both countries. If you have terrible friends and live in a crime ridden garbage dump I am sure you won't be happy.

If not happy try cleaning up your life, change friends, change addresses, change attitude before you change countries.

... or in some cases, surround yourself with as few people as possible.

[MrWorldwide]

I've called the fire department - JLCrab is absolutely on fire in this thread.

[thaibeachlovers]

Wait - good food, decent vibe, friendly locals, low cost of living and Old Glory hung proudly from the front of people's homes, and you STILL prefer Thailand ? neversure will be foaming at the mouth ..... even I could use some of that overnight shipping, usually free if you buy enough goodies from Amazon. What the hell am I doing here ?

It's obviously as boring as. No amount of flags can make up for mind numbing boredom.

While there is a lot to complain about in LOS, it's rarely boring.

[thaibeachlovers]

Corn Fritters

tod man khao pod

Those look good. Corn fritters are flavored mostly with salt, pepper, and onion. I just looked and those have the same corn, flour and egg, and are flavored with basil, chile sauce and curry. I never knew what is in them, but they are really good.

Damn. Now I have a craving for corn fritters.

[Mr Somtam]

Wait - good food, decent vibe, friendly locals, low cost of living and Old Glory hung proudly from the front of people's homes, and you STILL prefer Thailand ? neversure will be foaming at the mouth ..... even I could use some of that overnight shipping, usually free if you buy enough goodies from Amazon. What the hell am I doing here ?

It's obviously as boring as. No amount of flags can make up for mind numbing boredom.

While there is a lot to complain about in LOS, it's rarely boring.

I think it is boring here. Only places to go are temples and malls, and markets... Naa beua

[simon43]

I think it is boring here. Only places to go are temples and malls, and markets... Naa beua

You forgot the Thai karaokee bars. Can't beat belting out 'Mi Mia Dek' off-key, whilst Thai staff and customers cheer like crazy and the policeman owner keeps topping up your beer glass for free

[fey]

I think it is boring here. Only places to go are temples and malls, and markets... Naa beua

You forgot the Thai karaokee bars. Can't beat belting out 'Mi Mia Dek' off-key, whilst Thai staff and customers cheer like crazy and the policeman owner keeps topping up your beer glass for free

i think hes referring to activities that dont involve getting @hitfaced.

[Banzai99]

Old Age and bad planning....................

Simple as that, never met young guy's that are sick of Thailand, unless of course they're broke, (usually the case ).

Never met older Farangs that's are sick of Thailand, unless they're broke. ( which by the time they're moaning, they usually are )

It's not Thailand you hate, it's the mess you made of your life, that's what you hate, and you have to blame something, and of course, you won't blame yourself, so you blame Thailand and Thai people !!

Look in the mirror guys.

[Berkshire]

Old Age and bad planning....................

Simple as that, never met young guy's that are sick of Thailand, unless of course they're broke, (usually the case ).

Never met older Farangs that's are sick of Thailand, unless they're broke. ( which by the time they're moaning, they usually are )

It's not Thailand you hate, it's the mess you made of your life, that's what you hate, and you have to blame something, and of course, you won't blame yourself, so you blame Thailand and Thai people !!

Look in the mirror guys.

You nailed it. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Those that have their finances in order will not have a problem. And even if Thailand doesn't tickle their fancy, they'll leave quietly. Why is it that the deadbeats have to make so much noise???

[Naam]

Old Age and bad planning....................

Simple as that, never met young guy's that are sick of Thailand, unless of course they're broke, (usually the case ).

Never met older Farangs that's are sick of Thailand, unless they're broke. ( which by the time they're moaning, they usually are )

It's not Thailand you hate, it's the mess you made of your life, that's what you hate, and you have to blame something, and of course, you won't blame yourself, so you blame Thailand and Thai people !!

Look in the mirror guys.

You nailed it. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Those that have their finances in order will not have a problem. And even if Thailand doesn't tickle their fancy, they'll leave quietly. Why is it that the deadbeats have to make so much noise???

envy?

[Banzai99]

My step father, hey man,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i don't wanna talk about it , n

how you broke my heart

[Mr Somtam]

I think it is boring here. Only places to go are temples and malls, and markets... Naa beua

You forgot the Thai karaokee bars. Can't beat belting out 'Mi Mia Dek' off-key, whilst Thai staff and customers cheer like crazy and the policeman owner keeps topping up your beer glass for free

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt... Boring...

[Gecko123]

Old Age and bad planning....................

Simple as that, never met young guy's that are sick of Thailand, unless of course they're broke, (usually the case ).

Never met older Farangs that's are sick of Thailand, unless they're broke. ( which by the time they're moaning, they usually are )

It's not Thailand you hate, it's the mess you made of your life, that's what you hate, and you have to blame something, and of course, you won't blame yourself, so you blame Thailand and Thai people !!

Look in the mirror guys.

Banzai99:

I think there's a lot of truth in what you wrote; I'm just not prepared to say that it's exclusively about money.

I believe it is very easy for a foreigner to fall into a trap of self-deception in Thailand. For a wide range of cultural and socio-economic reasons, it can sometimes take years on end before a person realizes this self-deception. This is especially true if a person arrives with poor cultural awareness and language skills.

When these self-delusions are discovered late in life, especially after one's resources of money and youth have been frittered away and it is too late to start anew, it can be a bitter pill to swallow. I'm definitely not saying everyone who becomes disillusioned with Thailand falls into this category, but I do agree with you that people sometimes cope with life disappointments by blaming others because it is too difficult or painful to admit our own responsibility in how things turned out.

[NeverSure]

Old Age and bad planning....................

Simple as that, never met young guy's that are sick of Thailand, unless of course they're broke, (usually the case ).

Never met older Farangs that's are sick of Thailand, unless they're broke. ( which by the time they're moaning, they usually are )

It's not Thailand you hate, it's the mess you made of your life, that's what you hate, and you have to blame something, and of course, you won't blame yourself, so you blame Thailand and Thai people !!

Look in the mirror guys.

Wow such generalizations. You never met a guy who'd rather live in a first world country who wasn't broke? I'd say there's a lot of the opposite. I've read plenty on here who say they can't afford to live in their home country. You said:

"Never met older Farangs that's are sick of Thailand, unless they're broke. ( which by the time they're moaning, they usually are )"

Let me introduce you to one. I get sick of the filth, unsafe food and water, odors, litter, horrible traffic and all that's Thailand after not more than about 3 months and want to get "home." Fortunately I can afford to do what I want to do so I have choices.

After just so long in a third world country I'm more than ready to go home where there's civic pride, no litter, safe food and water, sane drivers and so on. One can have both, you know.

There's nothing fancy in these pictures, but the culture of order and cleanliness and civic pride should be apparent. Notice bottom left of the bottom picture there's a black trash can and others on down the street. There's no litter because people won't tolerate it.

[Banzai99]

Yea, yea yea, but you're one of the guys I was talking about.

You ain't got the money to stay in Thailand, so you don't stay here do you, am I right ?

Do you stay in Thailand ?

I do, how about you .

[Banzai99]

Hey man, it looks great, and I'd love to go to your hometown for a vacation.

With my British accent and my natural charm, I'd be a big hit with the old ladies.

I'd love to go, my best friend is from Miami, but Iv'e never had any inclination to go there cos he said he hates it, and he lives there, I know US is huge, but my friend hates the US with a passion, but he lives in Miami ....so maybe it's understandable.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Banzai99

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Mmmmmm.... Smooth sidewalks, curb cuts for the disabled, no abandoned telephone booths or souvenir hawker tables blocking the sidewalks.

No smells of sewage wafting up from open drains. No motorcycle taxi drivers pissing along the street because they don't have anywhere else to go.

No one driving their cars or motorcycles the wrong way down streets. No one driving motorcycles the right or wrong direction up and down sidewalks where people are walking.

Ahhh... the good ole days!!!!

[SoiBiker]

Why do people keep posting pictures of really boring towns?