Do you consider Chiang Mai as your permanent home?

[cyberfarang]

Coming from England and having lived in Chiang Mai for some years, I now consider Chiang Mai as my permanent residence and have solidly laid my foundations here. Over the years have made many farlang friends and acquaintances in Chiang Mai, but very few of them seemed to have made Chiang Mai as their permanent home city, sooner or later they move on, either to other parts of Thailand or gone abroad to live in other countries, not necessarily their own countries.  Even the elderly expats and married couples haven’t seemed to have stood the test of time and have eventually left the city. Some I know move around to all different countries and although do return to Chiang Mai, they don’t consider it as a home a home, in fact these people seem to be nomads and rarely settle anywhere for very long.

 

Even Nancy who I thought was a permanent fixture in Chiang Mai is moving on to Malaysia, which surprise me.

 

So I wonder, am I as an expat living in Chiang Mai with no desires to move on anywhere else and probably be here for the rest of my days (by choice) an exception to the rule?

[ukrules]

Over the years have made many farlang friends and acquaintances in Chiang Mai

 

'Farlang' ? Really ? Have you forgotten how to say the word foreigner ?

[finy]

I hate Chiang Mai after a few months and need to leave.

 

I'm desperate to go back a short while later.

 

Most expats in CM are expats because they have itchy feet, I wouldn't expect the majority of people to consider one little city their home. The world is a big place.

[ThaiPauly]

Well I consider it "home". I have invested 13 years of my life here. Have quite a number of friends who have also been here for a long time who also feel the same way.

 

It is not perfect by a long way but I really feel at home here. The litmus test is really how I feel after being away, I go back to the UK at least once a year to visit my parents and children, grandchildren, and as much as I enjoy that it always feels good to be "home".

 

I can't see me moving on, although I have always kept a couple of properties in the UK, they are more of an investment to help fund my retirement rather than an escape route.

 

Yes I hate the burning season, the traffic jams, the thai driving style. But there are plenty more issues back in the UK that are not perfect either. I can hop on a plane and be in a tropical paradise within 2 hours, rather than the 14  it would take me to get to one from Europe, not to mention the cost.

 

I can visit my son and grandson  in BK by hopping on a plane for an hours journey.

 

I play bowls at least once a week, meet friends there and make new ones, life is satisfying for me in Chiang Mai

[jonwilly]

I also found got to know many Frang friends when I settled down here back in 2001..

None have left Thailand though one is now BKK based.

A few have passed on, most are now 'Infirmed' or stay in for whatever reason.

Got too know quite a few Thai residents and now have more active Thai friends then frang.

Only know maybe three frangs younger then myself.

Never seriously thought of leaving CM although I am now planning a UK trip in next few months to see the rapidly diminishing  survivors back there.

Been 4-5 years since I was last  in the land of my youth, don't like a lot of what I read or hear from my sibling back in UK.

 

john

[LivinLOS]

30 minutes ago, jonwilly said:

Never seriously thought of leaving CM although I am now planning a UK trip in next few months to see the rapidly diminishing  survivors back there.

 

I was really surprised at home much I enjoyed my summer back in the west last year.. So much to do, festivals, music, car shows clubs and the like, motorsports.. The giveaway price of nice motors etc etc. The fact that making proper money, few 100k a year, is really easy back there is kind of appealing again, its fun to hustle again. 

 

Thailand has been home for 15 or 16 years now, with Chiang Mai for 6 of them, I feel CNX is currently about the only place in Thailand which gives me a lifestyle balance I can live with but I am keen to divide my time much more. My issues are a wife who I doubt would be truly happy outside Thailand forever, she likes her holidays and europe but is thai and thats that, and a dog who I dont feel fair to try to ferry him on planes back and forth every 6 months. I might rent a villa in southern portugal next winter and see how that goes. I will probably keep a home here but unsure if thats going to be used for more than a few months a year for me. More for the wife and dog(s). 

 

[stament]

I consider CM my permanent home as thats where our family house is and my wife and boys live there permanently, although I don't for now due to work reasons and don't have a visa.

 

I work in Dubai and go home to CM about 7 times a year. England iswhere I was born and brought up, and where my own family still live. I visit England twice a year to catch-up with family and friends. 

 

Bit of a weird one for me this topic as I spend more time in Dubai but consider CM my home if that makes sense. Once I stop working I will live permanently in Thailand splitting our time between CM and my wife's village.

 

 I don't consider England as my home anymore and have no property there nor indeed do my parents have a home there that I was brought up in. I like going to England a couple of times per year to visit family and friends but much prefer CM and being with my wife and boys. Dubai is good from a financial aspect for us and is convenient as its hslf way between England and Thailand. Probably given you a bit too much info, but hey there you have it. 

 

On a separate note, I wonder how many others are in a similar situation to me, i.e. working in Dubai with their family in CM?

[stament]

15 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

 

I was really surprised at home much I enjoyed my summer back in the west last year.. So much to do, festivals, music, car shows clubs and the like, motorsports.. The giveaway price of nice motors etc etc. The fact that making proper money, few 100k a year, is really easy back there is kind of appealing again, its fun to hustle again. 

 

Thailand has been home for 15 or 16 years now, with Chiang Mai for 6 of them, I feel CNX is currently about the only place in Thailand which gives me a lifestyle balance I can live with but I am keen to divide my time much more. My issues are a wife who I doubt would be truly happy outside Thailand forever, she likes her holidays and europe but is thai and thats that, and a dog who I dont feel fair to try to ferry him on planes back and forth every 6 months. I might rent a villa in southern portugal next winter and see how that goes. I will probably keep a home here but unsure if thats going to be used for more than a few months a year for me. More for the wife and dog(s). 

 

when you say making a few hundred k per year, do you mean GBP a few hundred thousand??

Edited February 11, 2017 by stament

[stament]

Nancy is leaving CM for KL? ?

 

How will CMEC ever survive? When's her last supper?(breakfast) ??

Edited February 11, 2017 by stament

[FolkGuitar]

Chiang Mai is home. It's been my home for 15 years, and I have no desire to change. In fact, I have no desire what so ever to even visit my old stomping grounds back in the States. I discovered the last time I was there that 2-3 days was more than enough to make me realize that Asia, and specifically Chiang Mai, is now my 'home' and will always be so. It's a warm, fuzzy feeling to know just where 'home' really is.

[LivinLOS]

40 minutes ago, stament said:

when you say making a few hundred k per year, do you mean GBP a few hundred thousand??

 

GBP or euros yeah.. I find making money back there just easy.. I started a biz back there last year and its running on autopilot now while I am here, all projections are its going to be bigger than the last time I did the same thing, that one made mega in 5 years (I retired here at 28 with enough dough for this lifetime if I dont rage too hard).

 

I think thats also a big part of it, what age you are.. I think its a lot easier as someone who has had a full routine working life and want to take it easy, possibly with a cute younger wife etc and retire and wind down. Me I came here late 20s, been through a decade of every night nightlife in Patong, with the clifftop villa and party pad for full of gogo girls, and 5 or so years relaxing up here, playing with my motorbikes, dirtbiking Laos and Cambodia, things like that up here (even bought a bar there with the mia noi).. But at low 40s I am feeling like theres lots of 'action' I am missing out on by being here, being back there for more than just a visit made me realize I could be spending raceweek at Le Man, theres a sailplane / glider club just down the road from one of my bases, theres just so much more activity around europe which I could be doing. I guess I am saying if I am going to have a mid life crisis and buy a 911 my mid life crisis has more bang for its buck back there :) 

 

That doesnt mean I am quitting here.. I have a nice 5 rai plot and I still intend to build a secure base there which I will regularly return to over the years. But right now I feel like its too slow here for year round living. 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by LivinLOS

[dotpoom]

Not me.....I live in Bang Saray...... and realuzed a long time ago that nothing in this life is permanent.

[alant]

I do regard CM as home, the expansion in housing and traffic is not so good but that is progress I suppose. Leave CM? I doubt it and it wouldn't be because it is CM it would be if it became too much hassle to live here with the rules and suchlike. 

[THAIJAMES]

Yes. Almost 30 years here.  Hoping for another 30!

[Elfin]

Me too-have my house and wife's family here in Chiang Mai and surrounding areas, but I need to work o/s in order to have a comfortable life. We commute back and forth for holidays, but my aim is to retire one day in CM.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Elfin

[mamborobert]

Without getting all philosophical.....emotionally CM is my home and I intend to stay here till stumps.  Been in CM for 8 years and Thailand itself for a tad longer.

 

Having said that ....I own a residence in Australia, have all my share portfolio investments in Australia, term deposits in Australia, superannuation payments from Australia, parents and children in Australia etc etc.

 

I have a Thai licence, Bangkok Bank and Makro and Homepro "cards" etc but beyond goods and chattels (TV, Vehicles, Washing machine, Fridge etc) have never held more than 4000 Baht in a Thai bank account (just to make online payments easier).

 

In the end, as another poster touched on, no matter what level of desire I may have to stay in Thailand...Thailand cannot, will not, or does not make the same level of commitment.  The country is (for me) far too politically and econimcally unstable.  I knew that when I came here, believe it still, and cannot see any positive changes on either fornt on the horizon.

 

As a young lad in Europe there was an elderly neighbour that had a beautiful old car in his garage, always mainatined and never drove more than a few yards, spotlessly cleaned, engine turned over a few days...and in the back was a few suitcases.  My grandfather explained to me that the owner (Kurt) was fearful that one day the authorities would come or his neighbours would turn on him and he would have to leave quickly and lose all.  Thsi seemed insane to me at first..  BUt Kurt, had decades before fled Germany losing his family, home, wealth, culture and religion.  I am by no means suggesting that Thailand is going the same way, but this left a profound impresssion on me.  

 

Sir Roger Casement in his speech from the dock declared "Loyalty is a sentiment, not a law.  It rests on Love, not restraint.  The government of Ireland by England rests on restraint and not law, and since it demands no love, it can evoke no loyalty" .  I feel pretty much the the same about Thailand....while there may be individual accpetance by some Thais, ignorance or fear by or ambivalence, by others, ......but as a nation and government there is no social contract  between myself and the state.

 

As much as I ike CM and Thailand, I love Australia.  Australia has provided me with, and continues to, the best that life can give, including the ability to live in CM.   I am eternally grateful for my parents for migrating there at their age, and starting life all over again.  I could never repay them, My admiration for them knows no boundary.  They, and Australia, will always be home for me. Nothing drum beating nationalistic in it for me...it is a pure love, thankfullness and devotion.  

 

I recall the lines from Robert Frost's "Death of the HIred Man", "....‘Home is the place where, when you have to go there,  They have to take you in'.

 

and we end with the words of the late great Peter Allen....."I still call Australia home".

 

 

[LannaGuy]

good and bad it's my home too... and perfect launching pad for my many visits to Phil, Bali, Vietnam etc.  the grass is not always greener

[sheriff221]

I stay here in Chiang Mai for 30 years, not go out from the country for 29 years this year, and I enjoy my life here with my thai wife, my son and his sister.

[NancyL]

I wasn't going to respond.  As a rule, I find it distasteful when foreigners refer to themselves as "farangs" or even worse (farlang?) and forget that non-white foreigners make their home in Chiang Mai, too.  In fact, Chiang Mai Immigration reports that the second largest nationality for retirement extensions are Japanese people.  

 

I'd like to clear up a false report that I will be moving to Kuala Lumpur later this year.  Argh.  No, Hubby and I are planning to continue our retirement in Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah state, Borneo.  Use Google to learn more.

 

We've been here in Chiang Mai since 2008 and have certainly considered it our "home" during that time.  Our "only home".  We don't own property anywhere else.  Haven't returned to the U.S. and have traveled outside Thailand just for short periods since then.  We've been very involved in the community -- Rotary, Ladies Lunch, CEC, Lanna Care Net, etc.  If these aren't the actions of people who consider Chiang Mai to be a "permanent home", I don't know what is.  This has been our pattern wherever we have lived and we've lived in Chiang Mai longer than we have in many other places. 

 

It's not a matter of whether you plan to stay in one location forever, but rather what you contribute while you're there.  If you make a place better than when you arrived, then it's home.

[TheFishman1]

I consider it my home the best part of this is Nancy is moving TIT

[Deepinthailand]

Home as I discovered very early in life is where you happen to be laying your head at a given point of time. Excluding holidays which don't count. I have lost track of the places I called home over the years 12 months in one place maybe 18months in another. Longest residence 5 years in Malta. Before here in Thailand chiang mai is ok to visit would never live there full time. Am there now visiting. I have laid my head for some 12 years now in Thailand. Many diffrent places in thailand I may add. I hope now that my latest home will be my last move but who knows.

You don't have to contribute anything but hard work a spot of paint and to make a place better horses for courses. Certainly don't have to leave a supposed legacy to say it's better now!

Edited February 11, 2017 by Deepinthailand

[sawadee1947]

as we are our whole life foreigners in this country I definitely would not call this part of the world my home country, not even think of it as my home. It's just cheap to live here and if you are cautious enough you will get healthy food even. The weather is much better than in Liverpool (or in other parts of England). If foreigners would be honest they would admit that they can't afford this life in their home countries. People here can be violent and hot tempered, more than in England, even more than in Ireland (smile). But you can avoid any troubles. So life is easy going here but you will have to miss any signs of culture. That's the price you have to pay. Sometimes or more often lost in translation you have to rely on your "sweetheart" if you didn't learn this terrible language. Good luck.

[4MyEgo]

59 minutes ago, mamborobert said:

Without getting all philosophical.....emotionally CM is my home and I intend to stay here till stumps.  Been in CM for 8 years and Thailand itself for a tad longer.

 

Having said that ....I own a residence in Australia, have all my share portfolio investments in Australia, term deposits in Australia, superannuation payments from Australia, parents and children in Australia etc etc.

 

I have a Thai licence, Bangkok Bank and Makro and Homepro "cards" etc but beyond goods and chattels (TV, Vehicles, Washing machine, Fridge etc) have never held more than 4000 Baht in a Thai bank account (just to make online payments easier).

 

In the end, as another poster touched on, no matter what level of desire I may have to stay in Thailand...Thailand cannot, will not, or does not make the same level of commitment.  The country is (for me) far too politically and econimcally unstable.  I knew that when I came here, believe it still, and cannot see any positive changes on either fornt on the horizon.

 

As a young lad in Europe there was an elderly neighbour that had a beautiful old car in his garage, always mainatined and never drove more than a few yards, spotlessly cleaned, engine turned over a few days...and in the back was a few suitcases.  My grandfather explained to me that the owner (Kurt) was fearful that one day the authorities would come or his neighbours would turn on him and he would have to leave quickly and lose all.  Thsi seemed insane to me at first..  BUt Kurt, had decades before fled Germany losing his family, home, wealth, culture and religion.  I am by no means suggesting that Thailand is going the same way, but this left a profound impresssion on me.  

 

Sir Roger Casement in his speech from the dock declared "Loyalty is a sentiment, not a law.  It rests on Love, not restraint.  The government of Ireland by England rests on restraint and not law, and since it demands no love, it can evoke no loyalty" .  I feel pretty much the the same about Thailand....while there may be individual accpetance by some Thais, ignorance or fear by or ambivalence, by others, ......but as a nation and government there is no social contract  between myself and the state.

 

As much as I ike CM and Thailand, I love Australia.  Australia has provided me with, and continues to, the best that life can give, including the ability to live in CM.   I am eternally grateful for my parents for migrating there at their age, and starting life all over again.  I could never repay them, My admiration for them knows no boundary.  They, and Australia, will always be home for me. Nothing drum beating nationalistic in it for me...it is a pure love, thankfullness and devotion.  

 

I recall the lines from Robert Frost's "Death of the HIred Man", "....‘Home is the place where, when you have to go there,  They have to take you in'.

 

and we end with the words of the late great Peter Allen....."I still call Australia home".

 

 

I can't say that "I still call Australia home"

 

How could one, as soon as you leave, in my case 40 years as a tax payer, they impose the most stupid rules on you, i.e. if you own a property you are taxed @ at a flat rate of 32.5c in the $ for every $ you earn from rent, on top of that you have your usual rates, insurances and agents fees to pay, making it unfeasible, and you are not entitled to the normal $18,200 threshold that you would have usually received, they also charge you full capital gains tax on your property from the day you leave the country, that's right, no 50% discount, meaning any increase in value on your property goes to the government.

 

They also take away your voting rights from you so you have no say as an Australian citizen, work that out ?

 

They cancel your Medicare card so you are not entitled to any health care, they also make no provision for you to contribute to the Medicare Levy Tax surcharge.

 

If you want your pension, you have to return and stay in the country for 2 years, however on the other hand, if you are a refugee you receive benefits straight away, if you are of a certain religion whereby you can have 4 wives with 30,000 kids, you receive benefits for everyone, providing 3 of your wives live in separate accommodation, supplemented no doubt, and of course CentreLink will provide you with family A & B payments for each kids which adds up to a hell of a lot per child, $11,000 last time I checked, if your sitting there smoking on your Hookah and not working.

 

I have no property in Australia as I refused to pay the ridiculous taxes and full capital gains tax, that is their plan anyway.

 

I invest in the stock market like yourself and pay zero tax to the government and zero capital gains tax because, and its all legal, now just think how much they are losing in taxes, their choice.

 

I have money in term deposits and they get 10% withholding tax, that's far less than they would get if I was taxed under the normal process, again their choice.

 

Me personally I wouldn't call Australia home because of its unjust ways as to how Australia treats its xpats, suffice to say I am enjoying Thailand where I live, but I can only call Thailand home as long as Thailand allows me to stay, and when the time comes, if it comes, and I have to leave, I will say thanks, and look for my next abode.

[lordblackader]

I do consider CM home, my 5th year here and while it's not perfect, no where is. I'm a little different to most here as I'm not over 50 and on a retirement visa or married so staying here can be a bit of a pain visa wise be it's not nearly as bad as many make it out to be. 

 

I went back to Australia for 2 weeks in January, first time in a year and a half, and it was refreshing to do the trip because it reminded me why I love Chiang Mai and why I left in the first place.

 

As for people coming and going it's a part of expat life. I have a good English friend who has been in CM for 15 years speaks fluent Thai and will likely never leave, but other friends who I've gotten to know in the time I've been here have moved on to other places, or as is the case with one friend now leaving to give the Philippines a shot. 

 

As much as I wish wine and cheese were cheaper (the only good things about Australia I might add and a downside to Thailand) as I sit here in my 12,000 baht a month condo in Chang Klan looking over the city I'm reminded that I'm living in paradise because putting aside the negatives it really is and honestly I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. 

[cyberfarang]

Some very interesting posts on this thread.

 

When I lived in England I had long term friends, some I`d known since my childhood. Used to belong to a working man`s club and there were regular members that rarely missed the weekly meetings at the club, some of the old timers had been going for over 30 years and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the chats once a week or once a fortnight. Also our friends used to visit our house and we would visit their houses, go for dinner that was a normal way of life for us.

 

But Chiang Mai, probably in the whole of Thailand, is so totally different. I have in the past met some wonderful Farlangs (sorry Nancy) I mean westerners and just as I began to get to know them, they moved away. The same with social clubs I used to attend here, they had a massive turnover of members throughout a year and very few, if any, long stay regulars. I love Chiang Mai and could never return to England knowing it`s changed beyond all recognition over the years and would probably hate it there now. But I do miss my old mates, having a few pints in a pub with friends, entertaining guests in our house and vice versa. But the westerners here seem to be a different breed and in that respect it doesn`t feel like a home from home, meaning not possible to have the same types of relationships with people as I did in England and being an alien took a lot of adapting to. It`s like swings and roundabouts, gain something and lose something but overall I feel I`ve gained more then I`ve lost.

[NancyL]

CF. just because someone doesn't live in one place for decades (or plan to) doesn't mean that the place where they live isn't "home".  

 

In fact, in today's modern world, it's very unusual for people to live in one place for decades.  Hubby and I worked for a large corporation for a couple decades and they moved people around geographically.  In fact, it was kind of a joke that about the time you got where you knew what you were doing with your job, it was time for a transfer (and hopefully a promotion).  Others here were in the military and they move around often, too.  Others have careers in the creative arts where they work on projects.  Etc, etc.   

 

To call us nomads is an insult, I think.  That implies we don't put down roots while we live in a community, don't learn the language or the customs, don't contribute, don't add anything of value.  That we're just "takers".  Nothing could be further from the truth for some of the people who chose to stay here for less than a lifetime.

[mcfish]

I can't say that "I still call Australia home"
 
How could one, as soon as you leave, in my case 40 years as a tax payer, they impose the most stupid rules on you, i.e. if you own a property you are taxed @ at a flat rate of 32.5c in the $ for every $ you earn from rent, on top of that you have your usual rates, insurances and agents fees to pay, making it unfeasible, and you are not entitled to the normal $18,200 threshold that you would have usually received, they also charge you full capital gains tax on your property from the day you leave the country, that's right, no 50% discount, meaning any increase in value on your property goes to the government.
 
They also take away your voting rights from you so you have no say as an Australian citizen, work that out ?
 
They cancel your Medicare card so you are not entitled to any health care, they also make no provision for you to contribute to the Medicare Levy Tax surcharge.
 
If you want your pension, you have to return and stay in the country for 2 years, however on the other hand, if you are a refugee you receive benefits straight away, if you are of a certain religion whereby you can have 4 wives with 30,000 kids, you receive benefits for everyone, providing 3 of your wives live in separate accommodation, supplemented no doubt, and of course CentreLink will provide you with family A & B payments for each kids which adds up to a hell of a lot per child, $11,000 last time I checked, if your sitting there smoking on your Hookah and not working.
 
I have no property in Australia as I refused to pay the ridiculous taxes and full capital gains tax, that is their plan anyway.
 
I invest in the stock market like yourself and pay zero tax to the government and zero capital gains tax because, and its all legal, now just think how much they are losing in taxes, their choice.
 
I have money in term deposits and they get 10% withholding tax, that's far less than they would get if I was taxed under the normal process, again their choice.
 
Me personally I wouldn't call Australia home because of its unjust ways as to how Australia treats its xpats, suffice to say I am enjoying Thailand where I live, but I can only call Thailand home as long as Thailand allows me to stay, and when the time comes, if it comes, and I have to leave, I will say thanks, and look for my next abode.

I do consider CM home, my 5th year here and while it's not perfect, no where is. I'm a little different to most here as I'm not over 50 and on a retirement visa or married so staying here can be a bit of a pain visa wise be it's not nearly as bad as many make it out to be. 
 
I went back to Australia for 2 weeks in January, first time in a year and a half, and it was refreshing to do the trip because it reminded me why I love Chiang Mai and why I left in the first place.
 
As for people coming and going it's a part of expat life. I have a good English friend who has been in CM for 15 years speaks fluent Thai and will likely never leave, but other friends who I've gotten to know in the time I've been here have moved on to other places, or as is the case with one friend now leaving to give the Philippines a shot. 
 
As much as I wish wine and cheese were cheaper (the only good things about Australia I might add and a downside to Thailand) as I sit here in my 12,000 baht a month condo in Chang Klan looking over the city I'm reminded that I'm living in paradise because putting aside the negatives it really is and honestly I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. 

And to top it off people on a disability pension are allowed only 4 weeks outside of Oz before its cut off. Discrimination of the highest order!
Live in BKK but travel around 3 months off the year and just spent a month in Chiang mai to get a feel for the place, loved the food at the markets but was put off by the backpackers and how slow the place was. In Pattaya now and realize I need some organized chaos in my life and BKK and Pattaya feed it nicely.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

[elgordo38]

11 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

Even Nancy who I thought was a permanent fixture in Chiang Mai is moving on to Malaysia, which surprise me.

I am very saddened to hear this. Great Gal and great couple. Our loss their gain. 

[mamborobert]

4MyEgo...I guess we are an example of  "one man's fish is another's poisson".

 

After years in Thailand I still vote in Australian Federal and State elections, claim tax free threshold, pay on investments and superannuation and shares, pay Medicare Levy, will never qualify for OAP as exceed financial and asset limits (Inever planned to rely on OAP or remain in Australia till 65), hold a valid passport, pay my council rates etc etc.  As said my social contract is very much with Australia.  I fully particpate in Australian democracy, social and financial obligations and entitlements......basically all the things that come with me being a citizen (something I am not and unlikely ever to be, in Thailand not matter what I wish).

 

Make no mistake...I really enjoy living here, there are few things I miss as other Oz have pointed out, I have a very good quality of life here...sit on my balcony looking out and even on the hazy, rainy, or hot days would not want to be dead for quids.

 

But home it aint (as far as having an ongoing and  social contract with the nation state) ...and by extension permanent home it cannot be regardless of any desire on my part.  In the end living here is very much the junta giveth and the junta taketh away, nothing permanent or asured or certain in Thailand as far as expats are concerned or even Thai citizens. 

Edited February 11, 2017 by mamborobert

[elgordo38]

9 hours ago, finy said:

I hate Chiang Mai after a few months and need to leave.

 

I'm desperate to go back a short while later.

 

Most expats in CM are expats because they have itchy feet, I wouldn't expect the majority of people to consider one little city their home. The world is a big place.

I ain't getting any younger Sonny. When looking at the offerings around the globe and throwing in my age for good measure this is "Custards Last Stand" for me as well as you. My Seven League boots are permanently parked. I am saddened to hear that Nancy L. is moving but she is young enough to still overturn more of life's rocks to see what is beneath. She is a swello (my word) person and I will miss her and hubby. She definitely is a standout person. 

Edited February 11, 2017 by elgordo38