Leaving Thailand for good

[csabo]

Lasted seven years, came back last fall.

Cost of living is cheaper here,

Huh????

It is for me, to live a Western lifestyle. I don't want to live "like a Thai."

I don't either.

I live in a nice apartment with maid service and laundry pickup/deliver close in in Chiang Mai, eat at western restaurants daily, get several massages a week, drink coffee daily at Starbucks, all for less that 1500 USD/month. That also includes gasoline for the motorbike and car, and all utilities and 3g cell phone service. City living at it's best. Where in the US could you get that?

Interesting that a post from an ex-expat about how he wasted 7 years of his life in LOS resulted in 70 likes from TV members. Makes me wonder what all these guys/gals are doing here if they dislike it here so much. Are we sure it's not the finances keeping them here? I live well in Phuket on about $2300USD and that covers EVERYTHING. I don't feel like I cut many corners and I know for a fact I cannot find the bungalow I have here anywhere in the states 2 minutes from the beach for $700 a month. I just checked VRBO and a 1 BR condo near the Jersey shore costs $1400 PER WEEK. I would argue that someone who did his shopping in Villa Market every week was never really here to begin with. I left the US to experience new culture and have new life experiences, not try to find shops that were importing America to me at a premium. It took him 7 years to realize his mistake the first time. How many years will it take before he realizes he goofed again?

[1BADDAT]

Life is certainly cheaper here, unless you insist on trying to live a western lifestyle.

But if you want to live a western lifestyle, why the hell move here in the first place?

So I can have the best of both worlds. What is so hard to understand about that?

[Jungle Jim]

because you enjoy living in your little western bubble sounds like fun.

Life is certainly cheaper here, unless you insist on trying to live a western lifestyle.

But if you want to live a western lifestyle, why the hell move here in the first place?

So I can have the best of both worlds. What is so hard to understand about that?

[SoiBiker]

Life is certainly cheaper here, unless you insist on trying to live a western lifestyle.

But if you want to live a western lifestyle, why the hell move here in the first place?

So I can have the best of both worlds. What is so hard to understand about that?

If you're living a western lifestyle, what part of the non-western world are you enjoying?

[fey]

I'm amazed anyone could find that much stuff they actually want in 7-11.

bottled water goes for the bulk of the first 1000, then snacks, plastic tray meals, milk, icecream, toasted stuff, assorted drinks, etc soon add up

buy water from a cheaper place? couldn't be bothered carrying it when 7-11 is 50 meters away. some people prefer to spend more on rent, booze, petrol, taxis, etc. i prefer to spend more on water

I buy my water from a cheaper place, and I don't have to carry it home. Who wants to get all sweaty lugging heavy bottles of water around?

in fact i enjoy water trips. i also regularly walk when everyone else is taking a "moto" or "tuk-tuk".

its called exercise. gets you all sweaty.

[SoiBiker]

Running is exercise. Walking is just what you do to get from one place to another.

[Keesters]

Running is exercise. Walking is just what you do to get from one place to another.

Suggest you Google "walking as exercise". Mostly positive.

[longstebe]

Running is exercise. Walking is just what you do to get from one place to another.

Suggest you Google "walking as exercise". Mostly positive.

Like walking up a hill, pretty sure that would tire me out.

[Ghostnigel]

Lasted seven years, came back last fall.

Cost of living is cheaper here,

Huh????

.

Please don't edit my posts. Forum rules require you quote them in their entirety.

You know, this particular misperception is an ongoing argument on TV. And it is usually made by people with mediocre job histories, and/or a miserable existence in their homeland, making retiring to Asia and "enjoying" forty baht meals out, 150 baht massages, and 1000 baht "girlfriends," a good deal.

All the foods I like are available here at no up charge. In Thailand they carry a 300% up charge---even before Villa or Foodland grab their own take.

On Friday, I bought a very nice Chilean Malbec, on sale, for $4.19. That's 125 baht. IN LOS, the same wine was close to 700 baht. I bought an excellent cheese on special, thick smoked bacon for a dollar a pound, and a steelhead trout filet for $4 (fresh, not farmed). That's far less than what I paid at Villa.

My gym does not require a membership, and so has no pesky salesman. It has a flat rate of $15 per month. I, like all members, have a key, making it available 24/7.

When I use UPS or FedEx here, they are reliable and reasonable. Nothing gets stolen, or nailed for extra fees.

When I pay a serviceman here to do work on my vehicle, or my lawnmower, or my plumbing or electric, it is almost always done expeditiously, safely and right, the first time. This, as opposed to going through a series of workers who not only don't get it right, but often make a problem worse.

In LOS, I never had my '65 Honda motorbike running correctly, because the mechanics were incompetent or dishonest. Or both. This increases a tradesman's "bargain" rates considerably, making them no longer a bargain.

One time when I went to pick up my bike after some work, I noticed the original Honda seat was replaced by junk, and my seat was on the bike of the mechanic's buddy. When I pointed this out, they did this: . When I insisted they put it back on my bike, they became confrontational. I had to pay a cop to get my seat back. I don't think I have never had that experience at a Honda bike shop in the USA.

I bought a new gas BBQ last week at Home Depot. Regular cost was $99. On sale for $69. What's a gas BBQ in Thailand? I know the answer: about 10,000 baht for junk. The price goes up from there. The dumbbells I bought in LOS? One there cost as much as six here.

If I buy something at most stores here, there is a no-questions-asked return policy. I have returned to the local Smith's Supermarket, a number of items I found unsatisfactory. Always a smile when handing back my money. As such, I am a loyal customer. In November after returning to the States, I was checking out some groceries, and the bill was fifty-some dollars. I jokingly asked the checker if he had any coupons. He reached in his apron pocket, and swiped one across the scanner, and my bill dropped to $32. This is now a regular occurrence.

Gas where I live is almost half the price it is in Thailand. It is lower in other states.

In Thailand used vehicles carry a ridiculous price. Last week, I bought a '66 Chevy Bel Air. It had sat in an old lady's garage for years, and has 38,000 original miles. I paid $3700 for it. Now I have my eye on a '65, fully restored Chev pickup. $7000. Far less than a used pickup in average condition in Thailand. Both are investments that will never lose me money.

The Asian market I shop in Salt Lake City, actually has lower prices than back at Rhek Thum's "fresh market." And they are the same brands.

Here the tennis courts are free, and in good condition.

Here, cops don't stop me when I'm driving legally, unlike Thailand where they attempt to extort money. And here, Avis doesn't even think of extorting me for a pre-existing scratch, when I return a rental to the airport, just because I speak English.

My dentist here does not try to drill out non-existent cavities, nor pull a cracked tooth that can be repaired (if you have good training), nor spends a mere 15 minutes "cleaning" my teeth. Here it takes a solid hour,and is done right, so I only have to go twice a year rather than every couple of months.

This summer I'm out to buy a piece of land and build a vacation home. It's mine when I'm done, though my wife's name will also be on it. And where we are building, land is cheaper per acre than the rubber tree land where I lived in Rhek Thum. Don't believe me? Do your due diligence and research it, and you'll find my claim holds water.

Most of the nutritional products I take that keep me free of those expensive American doctor bills, are not available in Thailand. The few that are, are substantially lower in price here than in LOS. After feeling like crap the past few years, I am once again healthy and have my vitality back. That has great economic value.

The firearms I buy to go hunting and target shooting are at the very least, 1/3 the price they are in Thailand. The books I read are cheaper when new at the store, and a once-read paperback bought at a garage sale is 10 baht.

The tools I will use to build my house, Makita, Ryobi, and Milwaukee, are much less expensive here in the States. And if they break, the warranty work is done locally and in days. Usually they just hand over a new tool. The building material selection is far more diverse here, enabling both short-term and long-term savings.

Are there exceptions? Are there things cheaper in LOS?

Sure. Instant water heaters, air conditioners, unhygienic meals out, short-time"girlfriends," and massages. There are others, such as contact lenses, but as a whole do not measure up to a genuine savings.

Many items may be cheaper, but are built so cheaply they have a crap service life. Water pumps, clothing, and electrical items are a good example. Speaking of clothing, I bought new Levis last month. On sale, plus a coupon, $22 a pair. Good luck with that in LOS.

Want to retire to a warm climate that has reasonable prices? Try Port Charlotte, Florida. Check out the land and housing prices, and all the free services and discounts for seniors. Thailand does not even come close.

Most people that travel to the other side of the world to live will embrace their new surroundings and culture, by doing this Thailand is by far cheaper than the US, however in your case wishing to eat the same foods and have the same lifestyle has you now have again begs the question why on Earth did you even bother living here.

Agree, plus the fact we are NOT all Americans here. My best mate is American, and by what he tells me, it's not all that great in the US. been there for many holidays, but prefer living in Thailand by far.

Not all, but a lot of americans seem to find it harder to adapt when moving here, but this not the US.

I bet when they relocate back to the States, after a year, when bored of doing the National Parks, then what? "Hey love, can we go live in Thailand again, bored here in the US, nothin' to do"

[1BADDAT]

because you enjoy living in your little western bubble sounds like fun.

Life is certainly cheaper here, unless you insist on trying to live a western lifestyle.

But if you want to live a western lifestyle, why the hell move here in the first place?

So I can have the best of both worlds. What is so hard to understand about that?

Western bubble? What exactly do you think I do here that I live in a bubble?

I work for a company that has 100+ Thai employees and one foreigner...me. I spent last weekend in Phnom Penh. Two weeks before that I was in Indonesia for a week. I have travelled many places in thailand and enjoy the scenery and the people very much. I don't have any friends here that are foreigners. In the US, most of my friends are either Mexican or Asian.

So because I don't eat street food every meal, drive a car on a daily basis to work, stay in nice hotels, and have a nice condo I live in a bubble?

[1BADDAT]

Life is certainly cheaper here, unless you insist on trying to live a western lifestyle.

But if you want to live a western lifestyle, why the hell move here in the first place?

So I can have the best of both worlds. What is so hard to understand about that?

If you're living a western lifestyle, what part of the non-western world are you enjoying?

I have no idea to answer your question because I don't understand it. Clearly I don't live a 100 percent western lifestyle.

[JLCrab]

An ode to Thailand from those who are Leaving-Thailand-For-Good with apologies to Tom T. Hall:

I hate little baby ducks, old pickup trucks

Slow-movin' trains and rain

I hate little country streams, sleep without dreams

Sunday school in May and hay

And I-I-I hate you-oo, too

[3NUMBAS]

it will be great when you are too old to jump thru hoops at the immigration centre where the queue will be even longer and you have age related ailments when you cant wipe your butt and cant get to the ATM machine and have to pay 500 baht to process a withdrawal as by then it will have risen again .

its all downhill in the long term .no wonder stickman is leaving ,i sympathise with him as the jams and polluiton will be even worse in the coming years

you lie awake in bed at night wondering how to get your pension money from the ATM machine as costs keep rising every year and its now mounting up annualy

[Ghostnigel]

Life is certainly cheaper here, unless you insist on trying to live a western lifestyle.

But if you want to live a western lifestyle, why the hell move here in the first place?

where in the "west" aren't you forced to pay income tax? there's a gentleman in a wheel chair (picture below) who would take nearly 50% of my income if i lived in my home country. and what's left and spent is taxed with another 19% VAT on goods and services. not to talk about other goodies such as paying double, triple or more for utilities to finance government subsidies.

summary: my lifestyle in Thailand is in every respect "light years" above the living i could afford in Germany and it does not cost me a single Satang as i finance it with the money i'm not paying to the above-mentioned gentleman who would love to spend a part of my hard earned money on bailing out Ukraine and some "ClubMed" countries, e.g. Greece.

At last, someone with some sense, well done....feel the same as you, but the British version....sick of our government handing out benefits too Romanians and Bulgarians, who would rather steal your wallet than do a day's work, not all though, and claiming child support for children not even living in Britain, what is that all about?

[VIPinthailand]

problem in the USA it s very hard to make any friend. here it s much easier. European and Thai are much more friendly than the USA guys. In USA you get a "hi" and nothing else.

the guys who set the Boston bomb said they have no US friends.

Edited February 19, 2015 by VIPinthailand

[car720]

I pay 2200 THB a month for a 3 bedroom brick and tile, fully furnished home in Thailand.

That is 7.5% of my salary.

Where in the west will I do that. Tell me and I will go there.

.

I've been in a number of 2200 baht a month places in Thailand, which makes you Stevie Wonder.

How about posting some photos?

But here we go with the "rent is cheaper here, so everything must be."

Ok, here's one.

[angiolo]

My home is in the South of England. I rent out property there at an amazing high price.So home is ok,well not so it is far too cold and the girls are old and frumpy. The weather here in North Thailand is far more comfortable and pleasant for me. So I spend 11 months of the year here. and can afford to run loads of mosquito traps. Well the mossies are a disadvantage . The locals in the North are fairly friendly even though I do not speak Thai

[Gecko123]

Poem to the Departed

You blow

with pursed lips

at the pounded sand

first finding gold dust,

and then diamond dust,

and in the end,

only common dust

drink, drank, drunk

sink, sank, sunk

I thought I was better than this

I won't admit to thinking wrong

I step

from dock to riverboat

I slip from

dress to undress

and in the morning light

she's never heard of Iggy Pop?

Blink, blank, blunk

think, thank, thunk

These are my only memories?

You owe me!

I wanted more!

Quid pro quo

I shan't eat crow

what's done is done

Welcome home,

prodigal son!

terra, terror, tell ter

Oh, I forgot to say,

really, you only got in my way

the end

[SoiBiker]

My home is in the South of England. I rent out property there at an amazing high price.So home is ok,well not so it is far too cold and the girls are old and frumpy. The weather here in North Thailand is far more comfortable and pleasant for me. So I spend 11 months of the year here. and can afford to run loads of mosquito traps. Well the mossies are a disadvantage . The locals in the North are fairly friendly even though I do not speak Thai

The girls are old?

That doesn't even make sense.

[Jungle Jim]

Euros are more friendly ? How is that possible when the majority i have seen after all these years have a constant scowl like they have a huge broom stick rammed up their butts. My Thais friends always mention one country right off that they consider rude and unfriendly and i have to agree they are also at the top of my list to avoid. Agree the Thais if you really get to know them are very kind . But if you spend the majority of your life in foreign bars bitching and moaning what scam artists the Thais are my hunch is what Thai you learned if any came out of a bottle. It is no wonder you never did well here. Guess what ? The Thais don,t think highly of you either. This is Thailand not Germland.

problem in the USA it s very hard to make any friend. here it s much easier. European and Thai are much more friendly than the USA guys. In USA you get a "hi" and nothing else.
the guys who set the Boston bomb said they have no US friends.

[Jungle Jim]

Everything is cheaper here as long as you don,t spend your life in bars, KFC, Burger King and buying foreign food in Lotus like the majority of the moaners that hate it here do. I have had some beautiful homes here for less than 3000 baht a month. Where ? I am not stupid enough to give up that information. Why? Once the foreigners flood in kiss paradise goodbye. I repeat i did not move half way around the world to hang with a bunch of foreigners. I came here to live with the Thais. If your too stupid not to be able to live here cheaply and very well start your learning process by putting the bottle down.

I pay 2200 THB a month for a 3 bedroom brick and tile, fully furnished home in Thailand.

That is 7.5% of my salary.

Where in the west will I do that. Tell me and I will go there.

.

I've been in a number of 2200 baht a month places in Thailand, which makes you Stevie Wonder.

How about posting some photos?

But here we go with the "rent is cheaper here, so everything must be."

Ok, here's one.

IMG_00000152.jpg

[SpokaneAl]

.

Because my American wife, who was a fine woman, was killed by a drunk driver.

A month later I put in for my vested pension, sold everything, and began traveling.

was the drunk driver you, or another feminazi?

not good enough. you still have a thai wife now that you know the difference.

.

You truly are a sad, bitter, unpleasant person.

But I'm man enough to deal with such an immature and socially maladroit post, it allows all the other members to see what kind of "man" you really are.

While I enjoy a good discussion as much as the next person I find HC's response stunningly offensive and obscene and am a bit surprised that it has not been removed by the mods. Edited February 19, 2015 by SpokaneAl

[VIPinthailand]

I have found a very nice house, in rayong (South Pattaya), very big, and only 5000 bahts a month and not too far from the beach (5km). only disadvantage there is no shops at a walking distance, 7/11 is a few km away.

where can you get this in the USA? , houses for less 200$ and I m not talking about a crap mobile home.

Edited February 19, 2015 by VIPinthailand

[AnotherOneAmerican]

it will be great when you are too old to jump thru hoops at the immigration centre where the queue will be even longer and you have age related ailments when you cant wipe your butt and cant get to the ATM machine and have to pay 500 baht to process a withdrawal as by then it will have risen again .

its all downhill in the long term .no wonder stickman is leaving ,i sympathise with him as the jams and polluiton will be even worse in the coming years

you lie awake in bed at night wondering how to get your pension money from the ATM machine as costs keep rising every year and its now mounting up annualy

Most of us that live here have local banks accounts, so no ATM charges.

If you have a foreign sourced pension, one transfer a year is enough.

[Dumbastheycome]

Poem to the Departed

You blow

with pursed lips

at the pounded sand

first finding gold dust,

and then diamond dust,

and in the end,

only common dust

drink, drank, drunk

sink, sank, sunk

I thought I was better than this

I won't admit to thinking wrong

I step

from dock to riverboat

I slip from

dress to undress

and in the morning light

she's never heard of Iggy Pop?

Blink, blank, blunk

think, thank, thunk

These are my only memories?

You owe me!

I wanted more!

Quid pro quo

I shan't eat crow

what's done is done

Welcome home,

prodigal son!

terra, terror, tell ter

Oh, I forgot to say,

really, you only got in my way

the end

And what of me and similar

who choose a way more familiar

than that of stinking hops and such

Why not see before the sedative

of drink, drank ,drunk

and avoid the sink , sank sunk

For those come to take that path are the losers and the uncompetative

And when there was never and here is lost

skip "home" to be repetative

Gripe on about what could have been

Gripe about what should have been

And those that go this way have never seen

and maybe never will

That what was not and not can be

is life long social redundancy

[fey]

Running is exercise. Walking is just what you do to get from one place to another.

run with your water bottles then. certainly beats biking with them.

[AZBill]

My wife advised me this week that we have made our last trip to Thailand. Several of her Thai friends here in the US have said the same. She said from what she was hearing back home she had no desire to go back and didn't feel I was safe there anymore! The family will need to come here if they want to see her. Better build an addition!

[NeverSure]

problem in the USA it s very hard to make any friend. here it s much easier. European and Thai are much more friendly than the USA guys. In USA you get a "hi" and nothing else.

the guys who set the Boston bomb said they have no US friends.

This is don't understand. Most of my best friends in the USA I have since about 1970 or before. My best friend has been a friend since before we attended school. His dad was our family doctor and he is a retired heart surgeon.

I won't make friends hanging in bars or shopping malls. To make new friends I'd have to join some civic clubs etc. and be around people I have something in common with.

I don't judge any Western nationality by what I see in Thailand. I don't believe that expats are necessarily representative of the country they came from as a whole.

[benalibina]

.

Because my American wife, who was a fine woman, was killed by a drunk driver.

A month later I put in for my vested pension, sold everything, and began traveling.

was the drunk driver you, or another feminazi?

not good enough. you still have a thai wife now that you know the difference.

.

You truly are a sad, bitter, unpleasant person.

But I'm man enough to deal with such an immature and socially maladroit post, it allows all the other members to see what kind of "man" you really are.

While I enjoy a good discussion as much as the next person I find HC's response stunningly offensive and obscene and am a bit surprised that it has not been removed by the mods.

[SoiBiker]

Running is exercise. Walking is just what you do to get from one place to another.

run with your water bottles then. certainly beats biking with them.

I'll just carry on getting them delivered, I think.