Phuket Long-Term Buddies. Community. Friends.

[skhull]

Ok. So I have to preface this with an explanation of my last 'community' that I surrounded myself with in China.

Before I moved to Thailand I lived on a small island in China that had a vibrant expat community mixed with local Chinese interested in broadening their horizons. It was quite an eclectic mix of people that were more than 'expats' and more than simple tourists (or so I'd like to believe nostalgically, maybe I'm wrong). We had a pretty tight-knit community  of people who would have craft-fairs, home-made rock shows, cultural nights, rafting trips, group surfing trips, beach parties (not like the full-moon parties, think more like family-friendly bbq), karaoke nights, Chinese cultural trips etc and the group of people ranged from about 200 to 2000 over the years but mostly the core group was around a few hundred and we all knew each-other and had varying circles of friends but if something bad happened (for example, one person drowned) the community would come together and help him out. It was like an extended family of people that would slowly shift as some groups moved in and out of the city, but there was usually a core leadership that would run events. I always made little rock shows with my band, we would shift the theme and do a Czech rock party, then a Chinese, then a Spanish, etc and try to learn the appropriate songs.

Now, I've been in Phuket for about a year and have mostly focused on moving in, getting set up with my job, and figured that meeting new friends would come of its own accord, but haven't really found anything yet. I go to central shopping on the weekends, do trips to the beach  if the weather is nice, and go biking by myself and exploring. Is there a similar community of people in Phuket or a few groups? I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for, but I was hoping that it would be remotely similar to where I spent the last 5 years of my life in China. I have a job, I have a nice comfortable place to live in a quiet part of the city, I have a steady and happy relationship with my wife, but we both noticed the other day that all of our friends are mostly work buddies that keep their distance. I was hoping on meeting some people (read: non-tourist, long-term, non-party-fiend, expats) who are like-minded balanced people that I could become friends with. I do cool things! (Paddleboard, cycling, weight-lifting, painting, play guitar, sing in several languages, video-editing, computer gaming in the rainy season, hiking, etc)  and would like to find a group of people who are around NOT just for the high-season that are like-minded. I'm trying to stay away from the bar-girl, party-tourist, clubbing scene, but I wouldn't mind finding a place conducive to this rosey-tinted mindset that I am missing.

 

Anyways, thanks for reading this TLDR, and if you know of anything like this, please reply or help me out.

 

 

[Psimbo]

Try the Phuket Hash House Harriers- a big mix of people - many with similar interests to yourself.

[KarenBravo]

Easiest way to meet people is go to one of the various Hash House Harrier clubs.

The main club meets every Saturday for a run. There is also a mountain bike Hash House Harrier club.

 

Here's a link:-

http://www.phuket-hhh.com/

[skhull]

Thanks, I will check it out.

[Old Croc]

I was also going to mention the HHH.

I should point out that you're never going to find  the same type of community spirit, you've previously enjoyed, in Phuket. You say you previously had a core group of around 100 in China!  Impossible here.

This forum used to semi-sponsor get togethers for members. They were rarely well attended and seemed only to incite endless arguments about venues, times and whether kids should attend. Thaivisa stopped promoting them a number of years back.

Expats here are very diverse, but often don't mix with different cultures nor with different family makeups.

The bar scene seems to be the focal point for many, with people meeting to drink, play pool, darts or just to talk about soccer. An outsider can feel very unwelcome if wandering into the wrong venue.

Treasure your memories of that other place, but remember everything changes. and the best times can rarely be recreated, 

  

 

[steelepulse]

Might get more mileage from the various Phuket expat groups on fb. I see a lot of similar type posts of newbies here looking to socialize and there is also some sort of Phuket expat women's club.

 

BTW, I too do some SUP from time to time.  Maybe also look for various groups relating to Phuket for things that interest you on fb.

[skhull]

Thanks for the replies and the information.

 

@Old Croc : I understand that 'change is the essence of life' and I should be creative and imaginative with establishing a social life here. I lived in Washington DC for quite some time and had a pretty nice group of international friends, but it had a more political, and less nomad-ish feeling. I'm sure there's something like that here but it may not be 100 people, I just am trying to find a more stable group of people. Maybe around late 20s-30s that are just starting to have kids and get together to do something other than get blasted all the time.

 

Also, this island is MUCH bigger than my old one in China so that makes quite a difference. You could bicycle across it in less than an hour.

 

I'll check out FB a bit. Also, I understand how usually content/satisfied social groups typically don't advertise on forums for 'new people' as was the case for other places I've been. In fact, when I tried meetup back in the States it was pretty much a disappointment.

Actually, the last time I 'built a group of friends' was just by starting up a rock band. I'm highly considering doing that again just to meet like-minded people. Any recommendations for places to find a drummer? haha... it's always the drummer that's tough to find......

 

@steelepulse : Any good spots for boarding? I've done Naiharn to Bangtao so far, and now that the rainy season is over (finally) I'm hoping to check out the NW of the island more. I have an inflatable board that is pretty solid and can be used for halfday trips. I've seen some REALLY cool stuff just paddlin' round the Western shoreline so far!

[Tapster]

@skhull

 

I couldn't have painted a better picture of an idyllic (almost mythically idyllic!) ex-pat life than you did, if I tried.

I think you were very lucky in China.

 

As Old Croc says, there's nothing like that in Phuket, or if there is it's on a very small scale.

 

I'm guessing that you're "around late 20s-30s" yourself and that puts you way lower than the average age of expats in Phuket, by my assessment over three years.

 

However, there are many very sociable people in the age range you're looking for. I see them most when I'm visiting The Green Man, a lovely British pub in Rawai/Chalong area which has very popular salsa nights and other things for 'young people'! 

 

I'm not sure if I'm contravening any ThaiVisa regulations, so if you want a map and directions, please pm me. The Green Man is on Facebook and they have their own website.

 

If you're interested in rock climbing, there's an active scene in your age group. See http://www.phuketclimbing.com/ and on Facebook. You'll definitely meet a fitter class of expat there.

 

Similarly, free diving: https://wefreedive.com/ and also on Facebook. Young and fit, ready to do active, fun shit!

 

And, finally, I play guitar (98% electric: Les Paul, Strat, etc.) so we could have a jam and discuss the local music scene. I don't know everything about it but it might get you started.