Hey all,

I'm back in Thailand for a holiday after nearly 2 years of leaving. I was working here as a teacher for 3 years and loved every minute of my life here but started to miss my family and friends, as well as my Country. I originally came here for a wedding, and the groom had lived here for 8 years, and I pretty much took over his job as he moved home (on his recommendation). My life here was simple, laid back and pretty calm, really. I had regular weekends away, went out every night for dinner, and enjoyed the simple life that suited me perfectly. I was always criticised on this by the groom who insisted I should be going crazy in the big bad city, getting drunk and having wild nights out, but that's never been me, and Thailand has always suited me fine for the laid back side of life.

But really I wanted to get a feel for what everyone's lives are like here? Have you managed to forge a 'normal' routine, or are you enjoying the more wild side of a Country with a lot of freedom?

Coming back for a holiday I can't help but think back to my happy life here!

Everyone i guess has seen it done it got the t shirt etc, now it's back to the routine of not worrying about setting the alarm or ironing my shirt for the day ahead, come and go as i please except for i trust you not (the little lady) who i might add knew i was nearly out of cigs this am was thoughtful enough to ask a lady to fetch some and bring to my room including the fresh laundry, sigh oh well another day i cannot be trusted to fetch my own cigs and grab a few beers.

But life is wonderful for me.

I'm happy in the land of smiles.

Two spoiled little dogs and a partner as free as them (I trust him 100%, after more then 8 years)are the only ones who brings some dayregulation. For the rest I do what I want, no time shedule ... Learn a lot from the Thai people he.

If you want to live here on Western type ... feel PITY for you (maybe you can in the big city).

I have a terrible life here, my friend.

Women are after my body and my money, never leave me alone.

Can't even go for a walk, as ladyboys are grabbing my arse.

Can't find the Singha big bottles any more.

People greet me with a hideous smile on their faces and put their hands together near their face.........don't know why.

Can't even wear my shoes in my own house.

Not able to find a medium rare steak to enjoy.

My ring burns when I go to the toilet after I scofe all that somtam.

I can't wipe myself with proper toilet paper but have to use this horrible bum gun.

Generally, I've got a miserable life here, but being a kind of masochist, I enjoy every moment of it.

When the earth was created, the creators have destined Thailand as a retirement paradise for long-noses, as long as the funds come rolling in from overseas in form of hard currency.

Long-noses (employed by an European/US company, on a long term contract, fine).

All others should stay home, unless they have an uncontrollable urge to work for "peanuts". A live in Paradise can not be financed by "Peanuts". Unfortunately.

Cheers..

You can use my current life as a template for Paradise.

My life?what is it like? Well I have to back to the UK soon for a few week's and am not looking forward to it one bit, because it's so f______KING GOOD HERE,

When the earth was created, the creators have destined Thailand as a retirement paradise for long-noses, as long as the funds come rolling in from overseas in form of hard currency.

Long-noses (employed by an European/US company, on a long term contract, fine).

All others should stay home, unless they have an uncontrollable urge to work for "peanuts". A live in Paradise can not be financed by "Peanuts". Unfortunately.

Cheers..

All others should stay home? Why? People

can live here perfectly comfortably on 30K

a month. OK so I admit I couldn't in a million

years but everyone's different and if someone

can, they ought to give it a shot.

Nothing more ridiculous than people who've

moved to Thailand to make their incomes

stretch further looking down on others as if

they've suddenly become wealthy.

When the earth was created, the creators have destined Thailand as a retirement paradise for long-noses, as long as the funds come rolling in from overseas in form of hard currency.

Long-noses (employed by an European/US company, on a long term contract, fine).

All others should stay home, unless they have an uncontrollable urge to work for "peanuts". A live in Paradise can not be financed by "Peanuts". Unfortunately.

Cheers..

Were you born that way, or did you just work hard at it ?

You were a teacher in Thailand?

You will understand my answer, when I say,

"I am fine, thank you. and you?"

Seriously,

It's a s good or as bad as you make it here.

Up to you!

Life is good and the rest of the world is only 12 hours away

Umm, Lets just think...ummm, shitty britain or Thailand with babes...umm, shitty Britain, or Thailand with beautiful girls and food, and babes....britain working, or doing what the fck i want in Thailand. Oh i don't know, so hard....ok, Thailand, there i said it.

Yep, life's pretty good here, got everything i need here, even PG tips tea bags now, don't take much to make me happy!!

My life here was simple, laid back and pretty calm, really. I had regular weekends away, went out every night for dinner, and enjoyed the simple life that suited me perfectly.

Pretty much like that, really. Except sometimes I cook dinner.

My day

homemade bread from last night - fried egg, hash brown and bacon - HP of course

then a young lady from the internet came to visit me this afternoon

and then I went out for dinner and had this veg thali which was 150b

think i'll go for a swim now and also the gym before going out for a few beers... this is a typical day

I have a terrible life here, my friend.

Women are after my body and my money, never leave me alone.

Can't even go for a walk, as ladyboys are grabbing my arse.

Can't find the Singha big bottles any more.

People greet me with a hideous smile on their faces and put their hands together near their face.........don't know why.

Can't even wear my shoes in my own house.

Not able to find a medium rare steak to enjoy.

My ring burns when I go to the toilet after I scofe all that somtam.

I can't wipe myself with proper toilet paper but have to use this horrible bum gun.

Generally, I've got a miserable life here, but being a kind of masochist, I enjoy every moment of it.

Chill and relax man, but don't chillax, that would be too much.

Yes, I do have the "Been there, done that" t-shirt. During the first 3 years I experienced the "wild" side of Bangkok: Clubbing, dating, scams, drugs, prostitutes, crime etc. But big cities come with big problems and Bangkok is no exception. Once you learn how to keep to yourself and stay out of trouble, Thailand can be a wonderful place to settle down.

It would be interesting to know what the posters opinion is now, after having a few years away. whats the prices like , has the attitude change to foreign people

It's hot, boring, dirty, too many insects and corrupt. Where did that bloke get the Indian for 150 baht?

My day

homemade bread from last night - fried egg, hash brown and bacon - HP of course

then a young lady from the internet came to visit me this afternoon

and then I went out for dinner and had this veg thali which was 150b

think i'll go for a swim now and also the gym before going out for a few beers... this is a typical day

With all that crap you eat, I don't

think it'll be your typical day for long.

Wonder if the internet chicks will visit

you in intensive care

It's hot, boring, dirty, too many insects and corrupt. Where did that bloke get the Indian for 150 baht?

Punjabi Tadka - 2nd Road close to Sun City Hotel - Central Pattaya

More than happy with my life and life style here, the only down side, is the ''DRIVING'' it grinds on me, and puts me off driving or sometimes going out...

But apart from that EXCELLENT...

Some people sell everything to come here...and then buy everything here.

After a few years, they start thinking about selling everything here and going back.

Then, when they realize what they have come back to, they start missing things in Thailand.

Reality is, for me, my income is pretty good for living a great life here..although a bit lonely.

My income is not enough, however, to live at the same level back home. (I have no back home..really)

I would have to pick a location out of one of the fifty states in the USA and show up with a backpack,

leaving a middle class life here. My wife would not be impressed.

However, in two years, I receive my social securtiy and then I can do either place, or both

(6 months on and 6 months off).

I am not overly attached to Thailand, but there is nothing remotely similar in the USA...

No credit there for two years....(have to rebuild credit from scratch). Wife would earn more there.

It's hot, boring, dirty, too many insects and corrupt. Where did that bloke get the Indian for 150 baht?

Punjabi Tadka - 2nd Road close to Sun City Hotel - Central Pattaya

Oh pity, I'd rather crap myself then go there

My life is exactly the same as there...work- eat-sleep

The only difference here is I call it home

Have a beautiful wife

A nice house

A big car

Two lovely dogs(which are banned in my country of origin)

Don't need winter clothes

People are not miserable

And feel free...

Home is home.....I think most people settle into the lifestyles they have always lived (for the guys that come looking for girls, that takes longer, lol). If you took morning runs before, you'll probably do the same here. We all have a life routine, and so according to our economics, I think we don't live that much differently. However, there are the exceptions, the farangs that hang around the bars all day, drinking, complaining, getting a cheap hooker and trying to make themselves manly. They don't have much of a life here, but they didn't have much of a life at home, either. The one Op says he has his house, car, etc., which is great for him, but my monthly budget will never extend that far. Like the other Op, I can afford to live comfortably here (i.e. studio apartment, scooter, occasional nice night out), but a little research shows I can live back in the US for close to the same, if I live with similar conditions. In other words, if I go back to the US, I'd be riding a scooter, not a 4x4.

What I usually notice in Thailand is that many guys come over here just after retiring, and then expound on how wonderful life is, because they have this new "freedom". But they lived only a brief time as a retiree in their own country, so of course it is a different lifestyle. When you don't have to wake up to be at work every day, you don't have a house to maintain, and you no long have that "keep up with the neighbors" mentality, those years of stress melt away. Beyond that, I personally would say about 80% of the guys I know that either have just come here, vacation here, or are thinking of coming here and one main goal....get laid as often as they can. That eventually wears off, and then they settle into their lifestyle, and that will often mimic what they did at home.

One thing on this forum I have noticed are guys saying you must stay in a village, live the simple life, get a wife, that's the only way to experience the "real" Thailand. That's a crock of BS...that's like saying in the UK you have to live in the slums to know the "real" life, so everyone living in cities must be living under "false" pretentions of the country. That's just a personal preference....you want to live in the village, that's ok with me. I don't, wouldn't want that lifestyle back home either. I don't think I understand more or less of Thailand regardless of where I live. Same as my home country. East coast is different than west coast, the cold states are different than the warm ones, the beach areas are different than desert. If you think living in one area makes you understand the country better, then I think you are rather shallow in your viewpoint. Life is what you make of it, wherever you are.

It's hot, boring, dirty, too many insects and corrupt. Where did that bloke get the Indian for 150 baht?

Punjabi Tadka - 2nd Road close to Sun City Hotel - Central Pattaya

Oh pity, I'd rather crap myself then go there

I would have thought something like "thanks for that" would have been a bit better than such an inane response.

I love my life in Thailand.

1) Housing is cheap...love it

2) Food is cheap and very good...love it.

3) I have more of a social life here than I ever had in the States. Always something to do or not to do if you don't want to.

4) I have a charming girlfriend who actually saves me money when we are out and about ! And she has her own career !

5) I hate the whole Visa process...but part of the deal.

6) I have also lived in Malaysia which I liked but once I came back here I decided Malaysia could not compare in food, opportunities to meet members of the opposite sex, cultural atmosphere, ect.

In short, not a perfect place by any means, but a great place to settle into

Some people seem to find things to be happy about wherever they are and others can find a laundry list of things to whine/whinge about wherever they are.

In the O/P's case he found different things to love about Thailand and his home country.

I occasionally feel twinges of "home"sickness for several places I have lived in the past, but I'm pretty sure if I left Thailand I'd spend all of my time wanting to return here... which is one reason I'd never want to leave Thailand.

I wanted to add one more note: I have noticed many westerners (notably Brits and fellow Americans) who come here and then spend a couple of years trying to re-create their life back home but at a lower cost structure.

For example I know a guy who spends all his time socializing with other farangs, joins every western based 'Wine and cheese' tasting Meetup group, goes to Western bars and jams with the other Americans on open mike night, yes he has a token Thai GF but he is not really interested in learning anything about Thai culture, food or the country. He now tells me he is really dissatisfied and is thinking about heading back to California where he is from.

He is the classic example of someone who is only here for the cheap rent. If you think like that you will likely become disenchanted with Thailand in about 1 to 2 years and leave or stay and be miserable. Just some thoughts and personal opinion. But those who embrace Thailand as their new home and start to live and think like they belong here are the ones who will ultimately enjoy life here the most.

It is your life - you can make it whatever you want - there are probably more interesting choices in Thailand, but you can live a quiet life or go wild as you choose - mix and match if you like… you sound ready to be back.