Why do you stay in Thailand?

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747man
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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by 747man » February 13, 2020, 11:21 am

parrot wrote:
February 11, 2020, 6:41 pm
Sometimes it's the small things: Walk into Bangkok Hospital and ask to see a specialist....no appointment, no problem.

Lawn gear needs a tuneup or more major surgery......6km up to Nongwahsaw and fixed the same day, labor usually 50 baht.

Fueling up the truck without getting out.

Building a house, building a bungalow, building a storage shed......no architect, no permit, no problem.

I can go for days, often times weeks without talking about politics

No hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, snowstorms, or freezes.

Authentic Vietnamese noodle soup

Thus far, I've never been to a Thai restaurant or anywhere in Thailand and had to endure Fox News.

Pay all my traffic fines on the spot.

I wouldn't be able to have 34 different types of trees anywhere in the US

Taking our truck to the dealer for servicing and driving out without breaking the bank

What you see is what you get vehicle pricing......no add ons

Central, Tops, Villa, Swensons, Dose, Lazada pay on delivery, TOT, AIS, MK, roadside grilled chicken, dirt cheap veggies/herbs, Jingjai market, 25 flights a day, 20 minutes to the airport, dirt cheap internet, reliable electricity, generally good to very good roads, Royal Project Store, a gardener, no after sale taxes, drinkable well water and never a smell of chlorine when I turn on a tap, over the counter prescription meds, no daylight savings time, Christmas in small doses.....
I could go on
Sometimes it's the small things: Walk into Bangkok Hospital and ask to see a specialist....no appointment, no problem........Yeah Sure IF Yer Loaded with Money, It's ALL About The Money...& I'm Skint.... :lol: :lol:



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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by Udon Map » February 13, 2020, 5:03 pm

Gentlemen, the topic here is why we stay in Thailand. If someone wants to discuss why some of us leave Thailand, that would be a different topic in a different thread. Off-topic posts have been removed.

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Earnest
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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by Earnest » February 13, 2020, 9:21 pm

I think you've frightened them but don't worry I'll get the ball rolling again.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the cost of living and for some that may be related to the exchange rate. If people are on here saying it's good to stay in the Land of Smiles then the strength of the Baht can't be having much of an effect. Of course, there are others, like Bisto's master, that make a living through business over here.

On another tack, the pace of life is less hectic here too. I zipped up Highway 2 to KK this morning and the lane was clear as far as I could see. The roads aren't chocka like Blighty.
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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by GT93 » February 14, 2020, 1:05 am

Earnest wrote:
February 13, 2020, 9:21 pm
I think you've frightened them but don't worry I'll get the ball rolling again.
Yes, I missed the kerfuffle and don't know what's out of line. I think Udon's weather is a significant negative and that the weather in Auckland where I live is way better. As for the traffic, taking kids to school is a nightmare in Udon city. A farang is fortunate if that chore can be shared among family members.

For most chaps reading the Map I think it would be their family relationships holding them in Thailand. If they're strong, Udon is going to be pretty special. Moving back to farangland would not be an easy move for an older chap and spouse. There would need to be strong reasons to make such a move. The easier choice is to stay put.
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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by vlad » February 14, 2020, 3:28 am

GT93 and if you do not qualify for health insurance needs or your pension is minimal or no where near 800k what alternative do you have. ??

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by kopkei » February 14, 2020, 5:44 am

i followed my thais wife in 2000 as we were staying abroad and she got after only 4 years of stay tired of the mentality and obligations of my home country , i also got tired the same way and knew i would lose my wife other wise + the country got infiltrated by muslim whom not really add much to our society except degrading everything and not willing to adapt to our culture but rather forcing their way of life upon us ...i always say multi cultural society (the goal of europe) is possible but not with muslims,there are of course good ones too but they are a minority....,i did not see a future for us working like hell and paying way to much taxes,and the government using these to throw away to their idiotery ,who do you think is working for all this free support ? no thanks , to me thailand is the promised land , i knew it was a different culture , and after some learning frustrations i have adapted to this culture (not the other way around),and i am happy here and consider this my home country , i feel at home here and i still feel freedom , had to go back to my country of birth 3 years ago and i felt like a bird in a cage , luckily for me i only booked 5 days, 2 days would have been enough...so many forced rules and obligations ....i was happy to be back here and will not return anymore ...so to me i also can list a range of plus and minus reasons why i like it here ,i am not going to do this as the plus list is way bigger than the minus list ,my preferences of this list have also changed over the years here , as i adapted to another way of life , what is i think many people having a problem with , being stuck in their old way of life unable to adapt to a new way ...
ending up in a new culture only wanting to change this culture to their way , i love it as it is and will not try to change anything as i am a guest of this culture and it is not up to me to change anything...
but to me most important of all... i am still married for 23 years now to the woman i love ....enjoy your stay here... ;)

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by pf-flyer » February 14, 2020, 8:03 am

[quote=kopkei post_id=564899 time=1581633890 user_id=20972]
my preferences of this list have also changed over the years here , as i adapted to another way of life , what is i think many people having a problem with , being stuck in their old way of life unable to adapt to a new way ...
ending up in a new culture only wanting to change this culture to their way , i love it as it is and will not try to change anything as i am a guest of this culture and it is not up to me to change anything...
but to me most important of all... i am still married for 23 years now to the woman i love ....enjoy your stay here... ;)
[/quote]

Agreed: My preferences have changed also. I agree with you 100%. I like the way you stated what the problem is with many people that come here with their expectations. I fell in love with Thailand the Thai People's personality and Its Culture back in 1973.
I have had my share of ranting but It is up to me to acclimate also.
As Dorothy said to TOTO her dog in the classic movie The Wizzard of Oz. "TOTO we are not in Kansas anymore".
My Thai wife and I will have our 47 Wedding anniversary in October. She is just as beautiful inside and outside as the day we got married. I love her very much.
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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by saint » February 14, 2020, 9:45 am

kopkei wrote:
February 14, 2020, 5:44 am
i followed my thais wife in 2000 as we were staying abroad and she got after only 4 years of stay tired of the mentality and obligations of my home country , i also got tired the same way and knew i would lose my wife other wise + the country got infiltrated by muslim whom not really add much to our society except degrading everything and not willing to adapt to our culture but rather forcing their way of life upon us ...i always say multi cultural society (the goal of europe) is possible but not with muslims,there are of course good ones too but they are a minority....,i did not see a future for us working like hell and paying way to much taxes,and the government using these to throw away to their idiotery ,who do you think is working for all this free support ? no thanks , to me thailand is the promised land , i knew it was a different culture , and after some learning frustrations i have adapted to this culture (not the other way around),and i am happy here and consider this my home country , i feel at home here and i still feel freedom , had to go back to my country of birth 3 years ago and i felt like a bird in a cage , luckily for me i only booked 5 days, 2 days would have been enough...so many forced rules and obligations ....i was happy to be back here and will not return anymore ...so to me i also can list a range of plus and minus reasons why i like it here ,i am not going to do this as the plus list is way bigger than the minus list ,my preferences of this list have also changed over the years here , as i adapted to another way of life , what is i think many people having a problem with , being stuck in their old way of life unable to adapt to a new way ...
ending up in a new culture only wanting to change this culture to their way , i love it as it is and will not try to change anything as i am a guest of this culture and it is not up to me to change anything...
but to me most important of all... i am still married for 23 years now to the woman i love ....enjoy your stay here... ;)
Exactly . Come here with an open mind , and be prepared to adapt to a new culture .
May not be as we would do things , but theres plenty of things in our home countries we dont all agree with .
Its called life .
Its not Kansas , its not London ,Its not New York , and im grateful for that .
If you come here thinking you can make your part of paradise differant from all things Thai . Why come ?

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by dunroaming » February 14, 2020, 3:52 pm

Simple really the wife dogs and house are here why move

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by joepai » February 14, 2020, 3:59 pm

I'm here cause nowhere else will have me \:D/
I was born with nothing and still have most of it left

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by Shado » February 17, 2020, 8:56 am

I've been giving this some thought and reading through the posts many valid points have been made regarding the reasons for continuing to stay in the Kingdom. I've been here full time for 13 years now and I've come to the conclusion that the primary factor keeping me here is air conditioning. Without AC I would have been gone 12½ years ago.

I'm sure some folks don't mind the heat and humidity and actually, I prefer hot weather over cold but during the hottest part of the year the phat lohm just doesn't cut it, especially when trying to sleep.

Yep, that's it. Airconditioning. Unless you are born and raised here I can't imagine living in the Kingdom without it. There may be a few areas in the mountains and along the coast that can manage without AC but I live in Isaan and I didn't retire here to be uncomfortable.

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by FrazeeDK » February 17, 2020, 12:13 pm

first arrived in Thailand at the young age of 19 1/2. Lived in a corrugated metal roofed bungalow with a ceiling fan and an oscillating fan. Our neighborhood was rife with criminal activity so you never ever left the shutters open at night.. So, living in an oven at that age was.. tolerable. Like the previous poster I doubt that I could deal with the hot season over here without A/C at my current age of 65.
Dave

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by AlexO » February 17, 2020, 2:54 pm

dunroaming wrote:
February 14, 2020, 3:52 pm
Simple really the wife dogs and house are here why move
All of your reasons and that the Thai caddies don't laugh at your golf shots the way a Scots caddie would do. Getting acclimatised now as well, 21oC on the 1st tee this morning at 8am and feeling chilly. Probably moaning my head of come April.

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by pipoz4444 » February 18, 2020, 1:00 pm

saint wrote:
February 14, 2020, 9:45 am
Exactly . Come here with an open mind , and be prepared to adapt to a new culture .
May not be as we would do things , but theres plenty of things in our home countries we dont all agree with .
Its called life .
Its not Kansas , its not London ,Its not New York , and im grateful for that .
If you come here thinking you can make your part of paradise differant from all things Thai . Why come ?
True and also be prepared to accept that Thais have a different outlook on life, a more relaxed one. They don’t rush around doing things like we do in the West. They take time out, to lay around and relax whenever they can and drink in the evenings. They are probably more sociable than us and need to interact with their relatives and friends, more often than we do in the West.

As for “Work” it is more of a Leisure activity to them, than it is a Job, so their pace of work is about 1/3 of ours. Plus a days work to a Thai is about 6 ½ hours on average and not the 8 or 9 hours of hard “Yakka” that we are used to. When I have them working at my place,

They Arrive at 8.00am then sit down and eat.
They start at 9.00am and work to 12.30pm, then eat again & sleep.
They restart at 1.30pm and work to 5.00pm, then drink and eat

Also accept that what they do will be close, but never to your standards and certainly not perfect :-k :-k

As for "Time" (I should say getting things done by Thai’s in a timely manner or even having things delivered on time) time has no real importance in the Thai society and so do not let it frustrate you. Take a view that what you don't get done today you can simply do tomorrow (particularly if you are retired) and a lot of your frustrations/stress, when living in Thailand, will disappear. \:D/ \:D/

Also accept that you will never be No 1 in the eyes of any Thai. If you are lucky you might squeeze into the Top 7 in last place :-k

Still it will be a good life in Thailand and you won't end up in one of those old western nursing homes, watching "Days of our Life, or some other Soap Opera or even worst still, the Oprah Winfrey show" [-o<

Just my 2 cents worth

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by pipoz4444 » April 12, 2021, 5:21 pm

Despite the criticism of Thailand by some and the suggestions put forward by others on how good it would be to move to the Philippines, after seeing this video, I will gladly opt to retire to Thailand.

For one Thailand Health system appears to be far superior than that of the Philippines, although granted this video may not show one of the Philippine’s up-market Hospitals. :yikes: The ability to travel internally (in Thailand) with relative ease, particularly domestic flights, is another and the third would be the selection of food in Thailand.

As someone alluded to “Warts and All”, Thailand still has to be one of the top three places to retire to, in Asia. The Plus's, far outweigh the Warts.

I will be the first to admit that I have not seen all parts of Thailand and yes some regions are less well-off, compared to others, but I am yet to see anything that comes close to that in this video below. And no, I am not being derogatory towards the Philippines, just stating a fact as far as what I have seen. =;

I many respects we should be grateful for the daily lives that we have in Thailand. :-k :guitar: :guitar:

https://www.aljazeera.com/program/episo ... ey?gb=true

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by stattointhailand » April 12, 2021, 5:53 pm

AlexO wrote:
February 17, 2020, 2:54 pm
dunroaming wrote:
February 14, 2020, 3:52 pm
Simple really the wife dogs and house are here why move
All of your reasons and that the Thai caddies don't laugh at your golf shots the way a Scots caddie would do. Getting acclimatised now as well, 21oC on the 1st tee this morning at 8am and feeling chilly. Probably moaning my head of come April.
Not being a politician or a millionaire I would never have been able to afford a caddie in Scotland

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by Giggle » April 12, 2021, 6:44 pm

I moved to Thailand after retiring from the Air Force. My friends and family all thought I was crazy and said I'd be back in the states after two years. I persevered despite their warnings.

I've since dedicated my life to extolling the wonderful virtues of the kingdom for the past 25 years in a desperate attempt to prove I was right and they were wrong. If a Thai were to crap in my noodles, I'd eat it all and thank him for the unique Thai experience.

Also, being a close-minded ideologue, I'm happy I don't have to listen to any opinion on cable news that differs from mine.

Oh, sorry. That's not me. I must have mixed up the dossiers.
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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by Whistler » April 12, 2021, 8:27 pm

I have been here 2 years next month.

I had strong thoughts about retiring to Thailand about 4 years ago. A Western income in a low cost of living country made sense, but I had never been in the country and decided to visit as I had a business trip to BKK planned.

I met my wife through mutual acquaintances, like Vince I found a gem, beautiful both inside and out. My number one reason is my wife and my lovely step daughter. Since then

- Cost of living is number two. I can live a better life here on less income than would be possible in Australia
- Corruption is not enjoyable, but restrictions and rules in Oz, are pretty annoying.
- Interestingly enough, setting a clean slate has been good. Not that I had a mountain of problems, that was not the case, but starting over with no baggage is surprisingly very nice.
- Traffic in Udon compared to traffic in Sydney, a no brainer. Bangkok would drive me over the edge.
- These days with the Internet, I can still be close to family and friends so I have not had to start a new life from scratch
- I enjoy finding out about a new culture, I find new and interesting things almost every day.

I have adapted, I accept that things are different, I prepare more when dealing with bureaucracy. I grin when I see illogical things, but TIT. This forum has been helpful getting tips and tricks to get a license, yellow book etc. Thank you all that have helped.

Now learning the Thai language....arghhhhh
I had a bumper sticker in Texas that read 'Beam me up Scotty'. I often wish I could find one in Udon Thani

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by Udon Map » April 12, 2021, 8:58 pm

Giggle wrote:
April 12, 2021, 6:44 pm
Also, being a close-minded ideologue, I'm happy I don't have to listen to any opinion on cable news that differs from mine.

Oh, sorry. That's not me. I must have mixed up the dossiers.
I think that most people here, including me, would disagree with you on that.

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Re: Why do you stay in Thailand?

Post by sometimewoodworker » April 12, 2021, 9:01 pm

pipoz4444 wrote:
April 12, 2021, 5:21 pm

Despite the criticism of Thailand by some and the suggestions put forward by others on how good it would be to move to the Philippines, after seeing this video
Having visited the Philippines a few times there are a few good points but far too many negative ones for me.

The good points are the underwater variety of species, it’s the maximum worldwide, and the ability of a large number of people to speak English

Regrettably the environmental awareness is appallingly low (as shown in the documentary). Due to religion the levels of poverty are high. It’s not a safe country or it feels really dangerous. The streets are badly maintained, even by Thai standards. The local food is the most boring I’ve ever found. Despite the cost of living being low prices for even poor quality hotel rooms are very high, again using Thailand as a reference.

On a local bus a Philippino got on then took a normal looking watch from his pocket and put it on, suggesting he felt safer without wearing it on the streets. Going into a shopping mall where there was a security guard station for people to leave their guns, there were quite a lot of bags that obviously contained weapons.

If you are wealthy you can probably find or create an isolated place that’s comfortable, if you’re poor-ish and just want to survive you may be OK
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