What kind of hobbies can you have in Thailand?

[howard ashoul]

Settled in Thailand. But lately I come to realization, that I'm missing hobbies. Just going about daily business, without any passion or interests.

 

I looked into my past in my home country.  From that I ruled out cycling, as it could be quiet suicidal on these roads. So I was thinking about fishing. A lot of rivers and lakes around. And it seems unregulated. As anybody can be fishing here as he likes and what he likes.

 

But I couldn't find anything else.

 

Do you any hobbies while living here? That would fit Thailand, not requiring be in Bangkok or other big city? Thanks for experiences.

[allane]

Swimming, if you have a pool nearby. It is the only aerobic exercise I want to do in this climate.

[Crossy]

Pretty well anything you like.

 

I'm getting back in to model engineering that I last did as a teenager. Machinery available at a price, materials (brass etc in small sizes) uncommon but possible.

 

Name your poison.

[tifino]

 

keep away from model hot ballooning - big fine if you're near an airport!!   

[GarryP]

I go cycling. Crossing the road is an adventure here, so don't rule out cycling.  Used to go fishing. Luckily I am still working so only have weekends free. But when I retire I will definitely need to take up additional hobbies otherwise I will go insane.  Not looking forward to it actually. 

 

Learn to sing, take up a musical instrument, join a club, try writing the next best seller (even if it does not sell, you will be proud when you have finished the project or at least you should be). Bite off more than you can chew and have fun proving the world wrong that it wasn't impossible after all. Whatever you do, have fun doing it.   

[impulse]

I'm more into concurrent and sequential projects than repetitive hobbies.   My biggest problem in Thailand (and China) has always been that last component or tool to put a project over the finish line. I can find about 90-95% of what I need (instilling the cruel illusion that it should be do-able, right?), then the project sits in that state for months and months while I'm searching for that last little bit.  Which is where the concurrent projects come in.  I usually have half a dozen working at once.

 

Oh.  And more often than not, once a project is finished, I find out that there's some silly laws that render the resulting wonder of improvised design and craftsmanship pretty much useless.  Examples are drones (no longer legal within 20 km of my BKK place), car top kayaks (not allowed on the expressways) air rifles (hard to find a good one, easy to buy, way illegal to own), a boat trailer (the toughest part was the receiver hitch for the truck, then I couldn't get the trailer registered), and a few other fiascoes that mercifully slip my mind.

 

Best of luck.

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by impulse

[sinbin]

4 hours ago, howard ashoul said:

From that I ruled out cycling, as it could be quiet suicidal on these roads.

Depending on your location you should stick with off-road initially. I started that way a number of years back until I felt competent to go on roads. In fact getting off road opened my eyes up to parts of my local area that a car cannot go. Go early in the morning before sun up if you can.

41 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I go cycling.

Good for you. Best exercise regime one can get. I do 20km four times a week. In between cycling my time is taken up with gardening and DIY. Never a dull day.

[GarryP]

34 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'm more into concurrent and sequential projects than repetitive hobbies.   My biggest problem in Thailand (and China) has always been that last component or tool to put a project over the finish line. I can find about 90-95% of what I need (instilling the cruel illusion that it should be do-able, right?), then the project sits in that state for months and months while I'm searching for that last little bit.  Which is where the concurrent projects come in.  I usually have half a dozen working at once.

 

Oh.  And more often than not, once a project is finished, I find out that there's some silly laws that render the resulting wonder of improvised design and craftsmanship pretty much useless.  Examples are drones (no longer legal within 20 km of my BKK place), car top kayaks (not allowed on the expressways) air rifles (hard to find a good one, easy to buy, way illegal to own), a boat trailer (the toughest part was the receiver hitch for the truck, then I couldn't get the trailer registered), and a few other fiascoes that mercifully slip my mind.

 

Best of luck.

 

Have you made your own marine ply kayak. I bought a couple of books and was all gungho at the time but could not source a decent supplier of marine ply.

[impulse]

19 minutes ago, GarryP said:

Have you made your own marine ply kayak. I bought a couple of books and was all gungho at the time but could not source a decent supplier of marine ply.

 

I bought a couple of Cu M of BS1088 marine ply in China, but my problem there was finding a decent epoxy (and the time- had plenty of space).  So the plywood ended up somewhere in the USA at a buddy's shop, though I doubt I'll ever see it again.

 

If you've got the space and the time, I'd suggest a strip plank construction. Then you're not at the mercy of the quality of the plywood.  The biggest Asian hiccup is finding a router table and bits to rout the bead and cove on the planks.  I found one table on Lazada for around 8,000 baht, but my 5th floor balcony just isn't big enough.  The epoxy and glass cloth is available in Thailand at boat dealers (and in bulk- but harder to find).  I still have the strips cut, waiting for me in China when my BKK contract ends...

 

My solution in China is a gorgeous fiberglass sit-in kayak, factory made.  In Thailand, all I could find was roto-molded.  Works fine but not as joyful to paddle as the  one I have in China.  But getting it to a beach without getting on an expressway is tough.

 

On an aside, there was a guy selling his strip built kayak shop near Kanchanaburi a few years back, but my contract precludes me from doing anything on the side (WP issues), so had to give it a pass.  That would have been a great hobby shop.

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by impulse

[MINIMIGLIA]

Plenty of good cheap golf courses here.

[balo]

6 hours ago, howard ashoul said:

Do you any hobbies while living here?

I live near the beach so one of my hobbies is to go metal detecting .  Just to get some exercise really . You will find a few coins and sometimes jewelry. 

 

Also I pick up trash , also to get exercise. Try to do something meaningful when I can.  

Other days I'm out with my bicycle . 

 

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by balo

[Jonathan Fairfield]

In January I tried Muay Thai and boxing for the first time, having never done anything like that before in my life. Six months later i'm still really enjoying my new hobby! 

[impulse]

11 hours ago, balo said:

I live near the beach so one of my hobbies is to go metal detecting .  Just to get some exercise really . You will find a few coins and sometimes jewelry. 

 

Also I pick up trash , also to get exercise. Try to do something meaningful when I can.  

Other days I'm out with my bicycle . 

 

I rent canoes at Q Sirikit Park and Lumpini for my upper body workout, bringing my own double kayak paddle.  There's quite a few of us that seem to have the same idea since the rental paddles aren't as good a workout.

 

At Lumpini, I carry a trash basket and pick up floating trash, just to make it a challenge to maneuver the canoe (I'd prefer fishing, but- oh well).  First time I did it, one of the local recyclers got rather perturbed, thinking I was horning in on her territory.  But I gave her the basket when I docked and now I get friendly waves and thumbs up from half a dozen vendors every time I show up.

 

And a good, no impact workout.

[dotpoom]

Watching Fox News (we don' t have it at home) and shouting like crazy at the Television.

    Great fun and pastime...and really leaves you knacketed after a few hours. 

[williamgeorgeallen]

try kiteboarding or stand up paddle. drone flying is a good laugh.

[weegee]

13 hours ago, impulse said:

 

I bought a couple of Cu M of BS1088 marine ply in China, but my problem there was finding a decent epoxy (and the time- had plenty of space).  So the plywood ended up somewhere in the USA at a buddy's shop, though I doubt I'll ever see it again.

 

If you've got the space and the time, I'd suggest a strip plank construction. Then you're not at the mercy of the quality of the plywood.  The biggest Asian hiccup is finding a router table and bits to rout the bead and cove on the planks.  I found one table on Lazada for around 8,000 baht, but my 5th floor balcony just isn't big enough.  The epoxy and glass cloth is available in Thailand at boat dealers (and in bulk- but harder to find).  I still have the strips cut, waiting for me in China when my BKK contract ends...

 

My solution in China is a gorgeous fiberglass sit-in kayak, factory made.  In Thailand, all I could find was roto-molded.  Works fine but not as joyful to paddle as the  one I have in China.  But getting it to a beach without getting on an expressway is tough.

 

On an aside, there was a guy selling his strip built kayak shop near Kanchanaburi a few years back, but my contract precludes me from doing anything on the side (WP issues), so had to give it a pass.  That would have been a great hobby shop.

 

You should just make a cheap Masonite, one off mold, for your Kayak....piece of cake and still the cheapest way to go.

[impulse]

11 minutes ago, weegee said:

You should just make a cheap Masonite, one off mold, for your Kayak....piece of cake and still the cheapest way to go.

 

If I stayed in Thailand after my contract ends, I'd move to bigger digs away from town (and my office), with a garage or a small workshop.  I can hardly walk around my apartment already, but it's convenient to the office.  

 

But I'm still not seeing retiring to Thailand...  I'd go crazy not doing something (preferably something I enjoy) to make some dosh.  I'm just not wired for lazing about more than a day or two in a row.

 

[howard ashoul]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

I rent canoes at Q Sirikit Park and Lumpini for my upper body workout, bringing my own double kayak paddle.  There's quite a few of us that seem to have the same idea since the rental paddles aren't as good a workout.

 

At Lumpini, I carry a trash basket and pick up floating trash, just to make it a challenge to maneuver the canoe (I'd prefer fishing, but- oh well).  First time I did it, one of the local recyclers got rather perturbed, thinking I was horning in on her territory.  But I gave her the basket when I docked and now I get friendly waves and thumbs up from half a dozen vendors every time I show up.

 

And a good, no impact workout.

What is "horning"?

 

Don't know what's going on today, but you are third guy on ThaiVisa today, who used some word, that I can't make sense of even using dictionary or Google.

[impulse]

5 minutes ago, howard ashoul said:

What is "horning"?

 

"Horning in" is like butting in.  

 

"Horning" on its own has little meaning.

[skatewash]

9 minutes ago, howard ashoul said:

What is "horning"?

 

Don't know what's going on today, but you are third guy on ThaiVisa today, who used some word, that I can't make sense of even using dictionary or Google.

 

Quote

 

horn in, Informal. to thrust oneself forward obtrusively; intrude or interrupt:

Every time we try to have a private conversation, the boss horns in.

 

Definition #36 under Idiom:  http://www.dictionary.com/browse/horning

 

I have specifically heard "horning" refer to taking business from someone as the poster used the term: "... horning in on her territory."  Another example, one could say that uber is horning in on the taxi mafia.

I had a Thai girlfriend in the US who used "horning" in the same way we would normally use "honking," when she wanted to talk about someone using their car horn.  One day she came home and told me that someone had horned her and it made her mad.  Took me a few moments to figure out what she was talking about.

Another time out of the blue she started talking about a sa-fa-ri, each syllable pronounced with equal stress.  I was completely puzzled and kept repeating sa-fa-ri as I tried to imagine what she was talking about.   Eventually it clicked that she was talking about a sa-FA-ri ;-)

Edited July 1, 2017 by skatewash

[Ace of Pop]

Sitting by the Sea,going for a Beer,and avoiding Ferang Teachers is enough for me now.!!.?[emoji481]?


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[InMyShadow]

Fly a Boeing 777 study simulation (fsx pmdg 777) one flight can take 3 to 12 hours. Lot of airline pilots have it at home as we.

[skatewash]

28 minutes ago, howard ashoul said:

Don't know what's going on today, but you are third guy on ThaiVisa today, who used some word, that I can't make sense of even using dictionary or Google.

Out of curiosity, what were the other two words?  Sort of a hobby of mine.  

Edited July 1, 2017 by skatewash

[Grusa]

Build and learn to fly your own aeroplane. Yes it can be done, if you really want to.....

[impulse]

8 minutes ago, Grusa said:

Build and learn to fly your own aeroplane. Yes it can be done, if you really want to.....

 

You been watching "Second Hand Lions"?

 

One of my favorite movies...

[Laza 45]

15 hours ago, sinbin said:

Depending on your location you should stick with off-road initially. I started that way a number of years back until I felt competent to go on roads. In fact getting off road opened my eyes up to parts of my local area that a car cannot go. Go early in the morning before sun up if you can.

Good for you. Best exercise regime one can get. I do 20km four times a week. In between cycling my time is taken up with gardening and DIY. Never a dull day.

I'm very lucky the Tessoban made a very nice paved 4 k bike track around the lake across the road from my house.. I use it every morning.. nice community of others using it too..  I do a bit of woodwork and odd jobs around the house.. read books.. do a bit of cooking... my wife is a very good cook but I like to take care of myself too.. gardening... 'playing the internet'..as my wife says... and a good circle of fiends who like to entertain at home or go out for meals together at nice restaurants.. always seems to be something to keep me occupied.. 

[Grusa]

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

You been watching "Second Hand Lions"?

 

One of my favorite movies...

No, I'm serious. I don't know that film.

[Andrew Dwyer]

I feel the same way Howard , I am retired, ( do the odd job out of Thailand for my old company ), live in a studio apartment for a year and a half and am going stir crazy !

The gf and I have bought a house so am looking forward to the move, am keen on DIY and like a bit of gardening so have got some plans !

Plus, I think a couple of bicycles will be handy for a little ride to the local market etc and occasionally ride further afield.

 

[1FinickyOne]

If you have an active hobby such as cycling, you might want something more passive like reading... or writing. Since you are living in Thailand, maybe work on your language skills... 

 

 

[NoshowJones]

When I first came to Thailand I bought all the fishing gear, this was because we are surrounded by rivers, then I wondered why I never saw anyone fishing on these rivers, that was because local people always have nets up. 

A friend was going to take me to a pond where you had to pay to fish, which is fair enough, then pay again for every fish you caught, which is not. I said OK, I will just tell him I never caught any, he says your bag gets searched when you leave. I hate this capitalist attitude when they charge you twice for the same thing, I refuse to queue twice for the same thing, so I am not going to pay twice for the same thing, and if I can't find anyway around it, then too bad.