Starting all over again in Thailand - what would you do different?

[petertucker48]

Build a house for less than ฿1,000,000 Including land.

Any problems just walk away.

[callaway]

Stayed single and possibly chosen Vietnam instead. As for the member who played with work colleague, they never forget nor forgive. Even after 4 years it will still come back to bite you the moment they get angry.

[hellstens]

Nothing! I did it right from the beginning, :-)

I meet the right lady, 8 months after I moved here in 2005, (need to have some fun first) she still with me, and always will be.

I think I'm damn lucky, I don't have any problem, the past 10 years I live here.

I live outside the crazy tourist place and rent my house and live a good life in Piece with every one, including her family, (Just Love my mother in law!)

Only sad I did not meet her, and mover here much earlier in my life!

[elgordo38]

Yes I made some costly mistakes but then life is a roadway. I now have the ideal g/f but had I not traveled the troubled pathway that I did I would not have met her. Life is funny that way. You have to make the wrong turn to meet the right person.

[ggt]

What would I do differently?...I would not start all over again in Thailand...knowing what I know now...no way...

[impulse]

What would I do differently?...I would not start all over again in Thailand...knowing what I know now...no way...

Living here long term has gotten so much more convoluted in the 5 years I've been working here, and I suspect it's going to be even more so (in spades) over the rest of my life. That's why I don't plan to stay beyond the paycheck. I like working here fine, but it wouldn't make my top 10 list of places to retire.

Of course living conditions in places on the top 10 list won't stand still, either.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Excellent question. I would have moved much younger than now. I researched this place a lot before moving in, found a great independent gal.... But I wish I came younger.

[Shiver]

Not lend farangs money to help them out where the amounts were beyond my comfort level, thinking they were more trustworthy.

[55Jay]

Oh dear.

Edited November 1, 2015 by 55Jay

[micmichd]

Not lend farangs money to help them out where the amounts were beyond my comfort level, thinking they were more trustworthy.

Farangs are not trustworthy at all.

Lend money to one, he will change to the other side of the road if he sees you coming. Insist on paying back, he might call the police for threatening him.

[TSF]

There's been a few long-term relationships with Thai women that I wish I'd never gotten into, apart from that it's all been OK.

[micmichd]

To be frank, taking about killing people on a light-hearted thread like this hardly makes you seem sane.

I must admit that sometimes I'm a bit drastic - in times when I have Syrian friends that now face racism.

Replace "killing" with "beating up", then you have it.

But beating up a doctor could easily make you end up in mental asylum forever. They are not only judges, they're also executioners. Even if you find a judge, they can force you to take psycho-drugs so you can't make yourself understandale any more.

[Thunderbirds20]

I would not marry a Thai woman

I would not build a house on her family land

I should have bought a condo in my own name, and lived happily ever after

[slipperylobster]

Made so many mistakes in the philippines, that I have managed to do pretty well.

Bought property there...did not buy here

Married there.................did not marry here

Had kids there...............did not make kids here

Spent all my money in a bar there........saved tons here

will not and can not live in a "condo" and would never do that again anyways...good.

save tons renting a home (all that extra money goes in the bank gaining interest)...can't buy here anyways.

rent is 5000 a month....no down payments on houses or condos....great thinking...gives me freedom to relocate....good. That half million down payment I would have to sign over to a thai (wife or whatnot) is still in the bank ...for an emergency or home purchase where the law allows me to own.

shoebox apartments are droll....love my one rai/5 bedroom home.

patting myself on the back...good.

Edited November 1, 2015 by slipperylobster

[bobthomas]

Go to school to learn the language/ reading, writing,speaking

Keep one house/condo in the west and travel to it once a year.

Allocate money for traveling outside of Asia t least twice a year.

Buy a condo in Thailand within the first six months of living there.

b

[ttthailand]

I wouldn't change a thing. I am not perfect nor has my life been but I like the way I have turned out so far. Without my past experiences, good and bad, I would not be the man I am today.

Although a few less beers could have decreased the number of sit-ups I have to do now .... Hahaha

[smotherb]

Somehow make myself less handsome and break fewer hearts.

[KhunG]

I would have put a couple hard to find small appliances and more western clothes in my container. Also, I'd have filled a suitcase with American style hamburger dill pickle slices. Other than that, It's been good.

Edit: I would have also picked a different shipping company. This one broke or lost more things than any previous international move I've done.

Edited November 1, 2015 by KhunG

[CharlieH]

Soi B / micmichd, just leave it please, clearly a misunderstanding, so lets not try to fix it as I suspect it will just get worse.

[JLCrab]

I wouldn't bring so much money with me to Thailand so that the young non-English speaking Thai girls would only be interested in my looks, scintillating personality, and general joie de vivre and not be with me for any of their underhanded mercenary interests.

[Toscano]

I am reasonably happily married , have a beautiful wife of compatible age , if much younger both are grandparents . I have renovated my wife's home to a comfortable gentleman's residence and helped to build another house for her son and grandchildren . My wife's family are kind and friendly and not a financial drag on me . I love my wife even though she doesn't see much need for intimacy . We live in rural Thailand , where I find that local culture has little relation to western European culture . After nearly ten years I am bored to tears ; my wife complains that I spend all day at the computer , but it is the only way to keep my sanity . I think if I had my time again , I might not have settled in Thailand

[RBOP]

Dump my first and second girl friend earlier.

[off road pat]

Been travelling around SE Asia for the last +/- 30 years never really settled down, had a fair share of female companions, short and long time. , I used Chiang Mai and Koh Samui as a basis for further travelling...met my wife (the woman of my life, my best friend) on the way,....

Wouldn't change a thing....the good and the bad, everything is part of the lesson.

As the French song goes,..."Non rien de rien, non je ne regrette rien". "No Nothin nothing, no I regret nothing"......!! (Edith Piaf)

Best regards, Off Road pat.

Edited November 1, 2015 by off road pat

[NoshowJones]

Somehow make myself less handsome and break fewer hearts.

Somehow make myself less handsome. You can make yourself right ugly by visiting a tattoo parlour, then grow some facial hair for starters.

Then you can think about a bigger belly.

Edited November 1, 2015 by possum1931

[CharlieH]

Off topic posts removed, and responses to it.

[bazza40]

Been less trusting of both Thais and falangs. Unfortunately, some falangs in business here specialise in ripping off other falangs.

[bazza40]

I wouldn't bring so much money with me to Thailand so that the young non-English speaking Thai girls would only be interested in my looks, scintillating personality, and general joie de vivre and not be with me for any of their underhanded mercenary interests.

[HannahD]

Learned to speak Thai. Almost 5 years in Thailand and to my shame, cant say much more than hello and thank you.

Not messed around with one of my former Thai female work colleagues because it has taken wifey about 4 years to properly forgive me!!

And looking back the work colleague wasn't worth it anyway - the grass is hardly ever greener.

I also wished I had traveled more.

Now very settled with job, wife, kid we don't get much chance to travel around Thailand.

And finally, fresh off the plane, wish I hadn't let the farang real estate agent rip me off on a house rental, but I was a newbie and didn't know any better!

Generally speaking though there aint too much I would change.

[HannahD]

Advanced member and you really think you have been forgiven??!!

[allanos]

Sometimes the grass looks an awful lot greener on the other side of the hill - but it can be a lot tougher to chew!