Now give the "real" reason why you are leaving.

[CharlieH]

Heres a chance to give others the "real" reason why you are moving out or contemplating moving on.

 

Many members claim this and that and paint a picture that its all Thailands fault. When in reality its their own issues that force the decision to make a move.

 

It may be that Thailand and how you felt and viewed the future at 50 suddenly isnt the same nor so bright at 60 or 70 ? Money dwindling, exchange rate crap, been there done that with most of Thailands "attractions" . The quaint "thai ways" and broken English of that girl suddenly starts to grate on your nerves when you realise you cant have a decent conversation and your "needs" in a partner have changed with age.

 

The prospect of possible health issues and you still cant speak the language  is stsrting to irritate you. What you glossed over before isnt so easy to dismiss and is starting to play on your mind now.

In short, you are feeling vulnerable and a little scared at the future as an OAP and whilst you are still able are packing up your troubles and heading back to "familiarity" and a degree of comfort that you know wont be available to you in Thailand as you age. It been said many times that Thailand is no plsce to be without money and you are probably to old to get a job now. 

 

Atleast back there (wherever) they will understand you if you need help. They will respond and support in times of need and you wont need the A/c to be able to sleep or have to do "visa runs" anymore.

 

Thailand has many things positive but increasingly we see posts from members of "negative" and "leaving", so is it Thailand has changed that much or is it that YOU have now grown older, a little uneasy, and its your outlook, needs and priorities have changed with age and maybe financially you can no longer sustain that which you once could, its actually you that are no longer the same and a realisation "wake-up" call has arrived.

 

C'mon whats the "real" reason ? Whats really bothering you about the future ? You might be surprised by how many others actually agree and feel the same.

 

 

 

[JAFO]

I suspect you will never really know why. I have said this before, it would be really quite interesting to see demographically where people live (appx) that are leaving. I still say that location is the biggest hitter as many moved where the gal they met lived never really thinking about it at all. At some point, 1, 3, 5 years later reality sets in and all the negative bashing blaming Thais and Thailand commences. Some are fortunate they can recover from their mistake others are stuck and that adds to the element of angst and frustration.

 

 

 

 

[StreetCowboy]

I was unable to fulfill my ambitions due to my own short-comings, and moved to a job more suited to my abilities.

Educational aspirations led me to repatriate the clan to the Old Country, and I was nervous about political instability, personal safety in a foreign land, and growing up in a culture I did not understand.

 

SC

[swissie]

Actually, the OP comment includes basically all the reasons as to why Expats pull up stakes. Not much to add, me thinks.

Cheers.

[StreetCowboy]

58 minutes ago, swissie said:

Actually, the OP comment includes basically all the reasons as to why Expats pull up stakes. Not much to add, me thinks.

Cheers.

The OP seems pretty focussed on early retirees.   Some people are different, and a small minority are individuals whose motivation for staying or leaving may differ from the herd

[Rc2702]

So much I wanna say bit I'm afraid of giving the game away. I'm happy and content and I'm far from spent.

 

 

[tukkytuktuk]

Sorry couldn't help myself, 5555.

[anotheruser]

12 hours ago, StreetCowboy said:

The OP seems pretty focussed on early retirees.   Some people are different, and a small minority are individuals whose motivation for staying or leaving may differ from the herd

 

The OP is pretty well worded to put most farang into one group. I get what he is saying about how some of it is ourselves that causes us to leave. That is a fair enough point but it doesn't completely absolve Thailand of some things that are driving people out.

 

Maybe I am just getting older but I am not a fan of garbage everywhere, the traffic was always bad but is now at insane levels and it qualifies as a legitimate public health crisis. Not a fan of having my freedom of speech limited or being afraid of what I say. 

 

Maybe it is just me but there is no doubt there has been negative changes. I have enough money and will be leaving before the second year of my TE visa even occurs. So I am not struggling on a pension but feel that Thailand no longer offers a good value for money. The Thailand brand is pretty tarnished at this point.

 

To suggest that many people gave reasons other than the "real" reason implies those of us who are leaving are deceiving ourselves or liars. I came to Thailand back when it was still a relatively nice place. If you tell me for example that Phuket hasn't changed that much in twenty years and it is just me getting older that makes it seem like it has become a stinking, hunk of rubble and feces that is laughable.

 

Tell me when the bay turns green that is my imagination and not a biohazard.

 

Sometimes when something is criticized by many for being a big pile of dung it is in fact because that is what it now is. 

 

All that aside, a better question could be for those that bitch and whine incessantly, what is the "real" reason you stay? Most people that are unhappy with Thailand and have two nickels to rub together have or will actually leave. The penniless droves the OP describes are the ones that have to stay and no longer have the option.

 

 

 

 

 

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, anotheruser said:

Maybe I am just getting older but I am not a fan of garbage everywhere, the traffic was always bad but is now at insane levels and it qualifies as a legitimate public health crisis. Not a fan of having my freedom of speech limited or being afraid of what I say. 

All this being said and true at my advanced age where is the next Utopia?? I am tired of chasing Utopia's. For all its warts Thailand is about as good as it gets when looking at the world today. All an old geezer like me can do today is to try and reign in my cantakerousness  have a cold beer feel sorry for my offspring and carry on for the few years I have left. I always thank whoever is in charge for dropping me where and when he did. They were the best of times that I was inserted into by the lovemaking process. 

[anotheruser]

8 minutes ago, elgordo38 said:

All this being said and true at my advanced age where is the next Utopia?? I am tired of chasing Utopia's. For all its warts Thailand is about as good as it gets when looking at the world today. All an old geezer like me can do today is to try and reign in my cantakerousness  have a cold beer feel sorry for my offspring and carry on for the few years I have left. I always thank whoever is in charge for dropping me where and when he did. They were the best of times that I was inserted into by the lovemaking process. 

 

That question really depends on what you consider paradise and as always that what can not be escaped... how much money you have.

 

As we all know Thailand is the ultimate destination for the economic refugee.

[dotpoom]

I'm not intending to move back home (yet) but if I was to,  it would be for all the reasons the OP states.....except for two.... No.1...the climate back home (cold and wet most of the time) would kill me off more quickly than the Thai climate would.... No.2...It is no joy living any place when you don' t have enough money, even back home (no mon. no fun applies equally as much there as it does here). I have an old age pension, on this I manage to support myself and my wife, I have a car and a motorbike and my own home here in Thailand (I don't drink or smoke which is a great help). Back home I wouldn' t be able to afford a dog box to live in. One weeks rent fot a small room would be more than.my weekly pension.

[Emster23]

Some brain research indicates we have an emotional response to something, some situation,  and then the brain looks for reasons to justify that initial reaction, for what that is worth

[anotheruser]

22 hours ago, JAFO said:

I suspect you will never really know why. I have said this before, it would be really quite interesting to see demographically where people live (appx) that are leaving. I still say that location is the biggest hitter as many moved where the gal they met lived never really thinking about it at all. At some point, 1, 3, 5 years later reality sets in and all the negative bashing blaming Thais and Thailand commences. Some are fortunate they can recover from their mistake others are stuck and that adds to the element of angst and frustration.

 

 

 

 

 

From what I have seen the Brits are the least likely to leave unless they absolutely have to. It seems for whatever reason they have nothing but contempt for their home country. Not all of course but the way so many of them talk that is the impression I get. 

[n210mp]

Its not contempt for the "Old country" its contempt for what it has become and what we would have to face if we went back there.

[anotheruser]

5 minutes ago, n210mp said:

Its not contempt for the "Old country" its contempt for what it has become and what we would have to face if we went back there.

 

Whatever it may be it seems it applies mostly to Brits and Australians. 

[gamini]

11 minutes ago, n210mp said:

Its not contempt for the "Old country" its contempt for what it has become and what we would have to face if we went back there.

you are quite right, dreadful weather, lousy food, lousy service, expensive. Nowadays, people don't even smile at you and are not even friendly any more.

[GarryP]

You live here for a long while and then the grass seems to get greener in the place you came from. Not sure that everyone who chooses to go back will ultimately think they made the right decision. I went back to the UK for the first time in 25 years and liked what I saw, but don't think I could make a go of it long term, even if I had the money to do so.

[gandalf12]

Lets be honest for some people Paradise found soon becomes Paradise lost. I have been in Thailand for over 30 years and for me it is ideal. I love the country, the food and the people. Having said that I dont spend my time in bars or the like. I have traveled the world for work and never yet found a place that is perfect in all respects, they just do not exist.

At the end of the day it all comes down to personnel preferences. To those who have left I say good luck and I hope you find your comfort zone. For me mine is here in Thailand

[timendres]

1 hour ago, elgordo38 said:

All this being said and true at my advanced age where is the next Utopia??

In your mind and your heart. Look anywhere else, and you face perpetual disappointment.

[elgordo38]

3 minutes ago, timendres said:

In your mind and your heart. Look anywhere else, and you face perpetual disappointment.

What can I say your right. 

[catman20]

16 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

So much I wanna say bit I'm afraid of giving the game away. I'm happy and content and I'm far from spent.

 

 

me too

[phycokiller]

I left, not because of Thais or Thailand, its just I didnt come to Thailand for starbucks and hooters and all the other western stuff, the place was reminding me of the west too much. also its becoming more of a police state which doesnt really thrill me.

Edited March 30, 2017 by phycokiller

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, dotpoom said:

I'm not intending to move back home (yet) but if I was to,  it would be for all the reasons the OP states.....except for two.... No.1...the climate back home (cold and wet most of the time) would kill me off more quickly than the Thai climate would.... No.2...It is no joy living any place when you don' t have enough money, even back home (no mon. no fun applies equally as much there as it does here). I have an old age pension, on this I manage to support myself and my wife, I have a car and a motorbike and my own home here in Thailand (I don't drink or smoke which is a great help). Back home I wouldn' t be able to afford a dog box to live in. One weeks rent fot a small room would be more than.my weekly pension.

Your last sentence resonates. 

[JAFO]

58 minutes ago, anotheruser said:

 

From what I have seen the Brits are the least likely to leave unless they absolutely have to. It seems for whatever reason they have nothing but contempt for their home country. Not all of course but the way so many of them talk that is the impression I get. 

I concur, And that has to be a brutal position to be in for many. Some posters hate it here and their homeland and are trapped. 

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, anotheruser said:

 

That question really depends on what you consider paradise and as always that what can not be escaped... how much money you have.

 

As we all know Thailand is the ultimate destination for the economic refugee.

Why did you have to bring that crass thing called money into the conversation?? Oh forgot we need it to survive. 

[Jingthing]

I am strongly considering leaving but I'm not there yet and I may never get there. Why? Not sure there's a viable "there there" to go home to anymore. 

 

The main reason is that I had a health crisis last year which I recovered from where I realized health stuff could happen here where I could no longer even board a plane back to the U.S. That feeling was very scary. It's one thing being in Thailand as a free will choice. It's another feeling or actually being STUCK here. Yes, get real, many many long term expats are indeed virtually stuck here with no way out alive, except perhaps Cambodia, but that doesn't count. Usually it's related to finances and often the finances are linked to health especially in older people. 

 

Thailand doesn't really feel like "home" to me and I'm sure it never will. Many expats will get that and others will say, I'm a bad expat. So be it ... perhaps so, I don't care.

 

So that event scared me to the point where I started to explore options of going home.

 

Short answer -- health. 

 

Is this post "real" enough for y'all? 

Edited March 30, 2017 by Jingthing

[smotherb]

1 hour ago, anotheruser said:

 

That question really depends on what you consider paradise and as always that what can not be escaped... how much money you have.

 

As we all know Thailand is the ultimate destination for the economic refugee.

Not so sure about that. Thailand has some economic benefits, but if you want a cheaper existence, there are many other places. Have you looked at Ecuador? Pleasant weather, absolutely no visa, property or business  hassles--for a simple annual fee you get all the benefits of Ecuadorian citizens, except the vote. The senoritas are sweet, the beer cheap, and the accommodation affordable.  

[whoareyou]

 

The OP is pretty well worded to put most farang into one group. I get what he is saying about how some of it is ourselves that causes us to leave. That is a fair enough point but it doesn't completely absolve Thailand of some things that are driving people out.

 

Maybe I am just getting older but I am not a fan of garbage everywhere, the traffic was always bad but is now at insane levels and it qualifies as a legitimate public health crisis. Not a fan of having my freedom of speech limited or being afraid of what I say. 

 

Maybe it is just me but there is no doubt there has been negative changes. I have enough money and will be leaving before the second year of my TE visa even occurs. So I am not struggling on a pension but feel that Thailand no longer offers a good value for money. The Thailand brand is pretty tarnished at this point.

 

To suggest that many people gave reasons other than the "real" reason implies those of us who are leaving are deceiving ourselves or liars. I came to Thailand back when it was still a relatively nice place. If you tell me for example that Phuket hasn't changed that much in twenty years and it is just me getting older that makes it seem like it has become a stinking, hunk of rubble and feces that is laughable.

 

Tell me when the bay turns green that is my imagination and not a biohazard.

 

Sometimes when something is criticized by many for being a big pile of dung it is in fact because that is what it now is. 

 

All that aside, a better question could be for those that bitch and whine incessantly, what is the "real" reason you stay? Most people that are unhappy with Thailand and have two nickels to rub together have or will actually leave. The penniless droves the OP describes are the ones that have to stay and no longer have the option.

 

 

 

 

 

"Not a fan of having my freedom of speech limited or being afraid of what I say. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This cracks me up a bit.

 

You do realize your in open forum owned by one of the biggest newspapers in thailand and for the whole world to read.

 

Yet you claim you don't have freedom of speech.

 

Getting tired of the throw away lines That get repeated non stop until they become "fact"

 

[anotheruser]

Just now, whoareyou said:

"Not a fan of having my freedom of speech limited or being afraid of what I say. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This cracks me up a bit.

 

You do realize your in open forum owned by one of the biggest newspapers in thailand and for the whole world to read.

 

Yet you claim you don't have freedom of speech.

 

Getting tired of the throw away lines That get repeated non stop until they become "fact"

 

haha What world do you live in? There is one very big topic that is an easy example of not being able to speak freely. But I guess i can't mention that now can i? In fatc it is forbidden by the terms of this site.

 

To see other examples all you have to do is read about BBC journalists being threatened and dozens of other examples of the bizarre defamation laws. You can not even name and shame a restaurant without the fear of being sued.

 

I  certainly have to watch what I say on this forum more so than any other I frequent. 

[CharlieH]

The ones that made a decision and choice to go "all -in" are the ones I feel for more than any. To be advancing in years and finances perhaps not what they hoped, health or minor /major accident has taken its toll and have no alternative because they went "all-in".

Now they are "stuck" with that decision and literally have nowhere to go.

They have the house/Car/motorbike the younger wife that all seemed so great back then, but as time has marched on suddenly the shine has gone and irritations start to be more pronounced. The feeling of being trapped starts to imerge.

 

Perhaps pride is also playing its part. There but for the grace of God go many others. It can happen so quickly if the right safe-guards etc are not in place like Insurance etc. 

I dont profess to be a smartar** and know it all, I am just stating what I have witnessed and perhaps a liitle warning to those who think they have found the land of milk and honey to be careful as it can all go sour pretty quickly if not adequately prepared.