Expats Guide To Living In The Jungle, The Ups & Down To Everyday Life

[JASON THAI]

PART 1 (MY BACKGROUND)

I have been coming to Thailand since Oct 2000, and have done over 35 trips in that time, now I have decided to live in Thailand (Korat) and have been since Nov 2015, this is my experience of life in a village to help any BM's who might follow in my path. It will have a breakdown cost on living and tips for you, this will show later on in different parts as I build up my story

A lot of us have already been up to our GF's/wife's villages for a few days and have mixed feelings of living up here. Is it really that bad ? No if you sort out the problems you hate about it, this helps a lot as you are the one going to live here and this makes it easier for you to enjoy life more here in the village.

So lets start my story, roll back the clock to Oct 2000 my first trip

​I used to watch a TV show called Bangkok Bound, I still don't understand why they called it this as it had to do with Pattaya, well after watching this I decided to book my holiday, 10 days at the Dusit hotel & direct flight with BA for only £568 you would not get this offer again lol, This would be my first time outside of Europe on my own so I was very nervous as in those days there were no Pattaya forums you could go to for advice so you were on your own, I still remember my first trip very well like we all do, the heat & smell once you get off the plane & the craziness of Pattaya, lot more then today, Soi 6 is nothing compared to what it used to be like, anyway back to my first trip, I spent most of my time in Nakula, it has changed a lot now, I prefer it in the old days, lot more bars and better looking girls, had a great time and on my return home I booked my next holiday as soon as I got home lol, this time for Xmas, this trip I would meet a girl and years later we would marry, have a family and live in here village, if someone had told me that then I would have laughed at them, now 16 years later I have seen Thailand & my life change

(PART 2) MY VIEW ON PATTAYA & MY FIRST VISIT TO THE VILLAGE

​Pattaya has changed a lot over the 16 years I have been coming here, for the better or the worse ? about 50/50 I would say, you did not have a restriction on bar closing times before but on the other hand WS has improved more with more clubs and GoGo's, I still avoid this place as I think its a tourist rip off section a bit like going to the West end in London, the bar seen is slowly reducing in Beach & Second Rd, more families are coming here which was unheard of years ago, too many scams and crime on the rise, but Pattaya is still the best place to party and have a good holiday, when I first came I was 30 years old and I was considered young by the girls, now if you are 30 you are not as its being taken over by the club 18-30 crew, Pattaya has got famous over the years with bad press and is slowly ending up like Magaluf, which is a shame as Pattaya was like a like gem which people did not know much about but know it seems everyone knows Pattaya and what it has to offer. I am a British Asian and I would say in the first 5 years I was treated like a king on my holidays now I am treated like I have a disease, due to some cheap Charlie Indians, this makes my holidays to Pattaya less enjoyable now as I have to try twice as hard to get anywhere which I should not have to do, I do come up to Pattaya to visit friends when they come on holiday but its not the same for me anymore that special feeling has gone but I still have fond memories of the place,

I went to visit my wife's village 15 years ago, only stayed for 3 days, like most of you it's not easy and can get boring, but then again was I comparing this to Pattaya ? as that was the only place I had been before in Thailand, I got to admit that I did find the village life quite interesting as I have never seem anything like this before so my first few visits were educational and being the first farang in the village I was treated with a great amount of respect, just like Pattaya the village has changed now and is not the same but not as fast as Pattaya, If someone had asked me to live there then I would have told them to go and take a jump, no way I would live there, who the hell wants to live in a wooden shack, no AC, flies all over you food, cannot understand what people are saying, So What changed ?

​TO BE CONTINUED (PART 3) THE BIG 3 MONTH HOLIDAY

Edited July 18, 2016 by JASON THAI

[AliasJohn]

I am sorry Jason, but how can you compare living in Pattaya to a village in Issan, Central, south or anywhere else for that matter. It sounds to me what you missed in the village is the bar scene and the girls of Pattaya. If you like to hang out with the western folk and eat Western food and not get into the real life of Thailand ...then why be here? I have lived in Thailand full time for a shade under 10 years. I have lived in Bkk, and other regions for that time and in recent times in a village in Ubon. Get over the treatment of being treated like a king.. you only stayed in the village for 3 days...What do you expect!! you were a novelty to some, then you got bored..after 3 days and go back to Pattaya. In my book Pattaya is an expensive and artificial place to live in Thailand. Try and get a real Issan or Thai dish in Pattaya...its watered down for the foreign palette.

Good luck to you where ever you decide to call home.

[Rc2702]

I am sorry Jason, but how can you compare living in Pattaya to a village in Issan, Central, south or anywhere else for that matter. It sounds to me what you missed in the village is the bar scene and the girls of Pattaya. If you like to hang out with the western folk and eat Western food and not get into the real life of Thailand ...then why be here? I have lived in Thailand full time for a shade under 10 years. I have lived in Bkk, and other regions for that time and in recent times in a village in Ubon. Get over the treatment of being treated like a king.. you only stayed in the village for 3 days...What do you expect!! you were a novelty to some, then you got bored..after 3 days and go back to Pattaya. In my book Pattaya is an expensive and artificial place to live in Thailand. Try and get a real Issan or Thai dish in Pattaya...its watered down for the foreign palette.

Good luck to you where ever you decide to call home.

Now now John I hope your not as premature with your better half. Give the man a chance he simply has 2 experiences at this point to compare so the conclusion is yet to be written.

Jason, please continue it's a page turner we are waiting.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Rc2702

[JASON THAI]

I am sorry Jason, but how can you compare living in Pattaya to a village in Issan, Central, south or anywhere else for that matter. It sounds to me what you missed in the village is the bar scene and the girls of Pattaya. If you like to hang out with the western folk and eat Western food and not get into the real life of Thailand ...then why be here? I have lived in Thailand full time for a shade under 10 years. I have lived in Bkk, and other regions for that time and in recent times in a village in Ubon. Get over the treatment of being treated like a king.. you only stayed in the village for 3 days...What do you expect!! you were a novelty to some, then you got bored..after 3 days and go back to Pattaya. In my book Pattaya is an expensive and artificial place to live in Thailand. Try and get a real Issan or Thai dish in Pattaya...its watered down for the foreign palette.

Good luck to you where ever you decide to call home.

Now now John I hope your not as premature with your better half. Give the man a chance he simply has 2 experiences at this point to compare so the conclusion is yet to be written.

Jason, please continue it's a page turner we are waiting.

Thank you, I have only started off and there is a long way to go, I am comparing this to Pattaya as at the moment in time I can only compare the 2 as you have correctly said, there is a lot more to come we are only up to 2002, but I used what I have seen in Pattaya from 2000 to present day for my remarks on how I think Pattaya is for me today

[JASON THAI]

Fycks sake.. "not once you sort out everything you hate about it". Grouse sounds magic and please spare us another how much I spend in Thailand thread they've been done to death mate.

Sorry but you will need to read this again when I have finished and then judge me, a lot of people come up here and tell me its boring nothing to do and a waste of time, if they were not with there GF they would not even bothered, which I can understand I have started off negative as this is what I was feeling at the time in 2002 but this will change later on as you will see, still 14 years to go so please do not judge me until you know the facts

Thank you

[JASON THAI]

I am sorry Jason, but how can you compare living in Pattaya to a village in Issan, Central, south or anywhere else for that matter. It sounds to me what you missed in the village is the bar scene and the girls of Pattaya. If you like to hang out with the western folk and eat Western food and not get into the real life of Thailand ...then why be here? I have lived in Thailand full time for a shade under 10 years. I have lived in Bkk, and other regions for that time and in recent times in a village in Ubon. Get over the treatment of being treated like a king.. you only stayed in the village for 3 days...What do you expect!! you were a novelty to some, then you got bored..after 3 days and go back to Pattaya. In my book Pattaya is an expensive and artificial place to live in Thailand. Try and get a real Issan or Thai dish in Pattaya...its watered down for the foreign palette.

Good luck to you where ever you decide to call home.

Now now John I hope your not as premature with your better half. Give the man a chance he simply has 2 experiences at this point to compare so the conclusion is yet to be written.

Jason, please continue it's a page turner we are waiting.

Thank you, I have only started off and there is a long way to go, I am comparing this to Pattaya as at the moment in time I can only compare the 2 as you have correctly said, there is a lot more to come we are only up to 2002, but I used what I have seen in Pattaya from 2000 to present day for my remarks on how I think Pattaya is for me today

Maybe you could submit this thesis to Chula or even better someone who actually gives a shit. Stickman perhaps.

I see TV is still the same that's why I don't post on here much, too much crap remarks from people who know it all, if you don't like my tread then go and look at another, but keep silly childish remarks to yourself.

[Rc2702]

Please continue just think of these witty one line artists as a crappy advert in between your 16 year made for tv story mate and crack on.

[schweizer]

Give the guy a chance, if its boring move on, maybe he has something interesting to say and maybe not, but its no worse than the crap we see on the forum every day

could worse he could be a vegan cyclist or chasing red traffic light abusers in Chiang Mai

[SoiBiker]

Shit the bed. 15 years of holidays in pattaya, about six months living in the middle of nowhere, and he's writing a book telling us how to live here.

Good luck, but I'm out.

[Berty100]

Shit the bed.

Having read a few of your posts, I assume that is a frequent occurrence for you.

[lostinisaan]

After a few holidays in 15 years in Thailand and living here for a few months, you're calling yourself an expat?

But that was not my point. Please stop the use of "we" and "us" in a way that it looks like we're all in the same boat.

I'm definitely not in yours. So please respect my polite request.

Edited July 18, 2016 by lostinisaan

[lostinisaan]

Shit the bed.

Having read a few of your posts, I assume that is a frequent occurrence for you.

He's damn right about his statement.

[DILLIGAD]

After a few holidays in 15 years in Thailand and living here for a few months, you're calling yourself an expat?

But that was not my point. Please stop the use of "we" and "us" in a way that it looks like we're all in the same boat.

I'm definitely not in yours. So please respect my polite request.

And trust me, he (Lostinisaan) knows about boats!!!

[soihok]

Please continue Jason, although it seems that you may have opened a can of worms......

[tlcwaterfall]

Jason. I enjoyed your opening post and hope you continue.

Ignore the fools mate as they only post negative comments due to their own rampant insecurities.

[Jai Dee]

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