Back in the UK after 14 years

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HHTel
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by HHTel »

I'll just re-iterate the experience of my daughter (half Thai) and my son. Both have been in the UK for a year now. My son was here for 12 years (came when he was 21) and my daughter born in the UK and came to Thailand when she was five (19 now).
Now these two are of the younger generation and both have settled in the UK with no regrets. My daughter misses me and her mum but not much else. She's in London managing a small Thai restaurant in Putney. Not huge money but enough to have nights out with her mates and even puts some away.
My son is the manager of a warehouse in Harogate and is loving it. I'm getting a bit bored with all the pics he puts on facebook of fields, churches, graveyards old buildings etc and always comments them 'A green and pleasant land'.
My son can't believe he didn't do it earlier but both of them are enjoying life.
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by buksida »

Having just spent half a year in the UK I'll post my very brief pros and cons ...

Pro UK life

Driving - it is a breeze, people are not trying to kill you every time you get on the road. Everyone follows the rules, no stress.
Cars – amazingly cheap, can get really good deals but the tax and insurance will hurt you.
Eating - groceries are actually cheaper in the UK than Thailand and there is so much variety, but dining out will sting you.
Beer - the beer was wonderful, cheaper than Thailand and no chemical induced hangovers from shit Thai lager. Drinking in pubs is about the same price.
Efficiency - most things can be done online, you don't have to drive to an office 2 hours away with a fist full of paperwork to achieve the simplest of things.
Internet - it is reliable, stable and fast. Coming back to Thailand and getting online was like stepping back into the age of dial-up.
Service - shop assistants actually assist, everyone has a little pride in their jobs. Unlike the braindead zombies in Thailand that would rather play with their phones than serve you.
Noise – Thailand is an excessively noisy country, life in the UK is much quieter.

Pro TH life

Missed my motorcycle and the freedom of riding on mostly empty roads - only because I don't have a UK license!
Space - everyone is living on top of each other in the UK and fighting over parking spaces, here we have a lot more space.
Taxes - you can’t even take a piss in the UK without paying some form of fee, charge or tax.
Weather - the outdoors lifestyle in Thailand suits me so much better, in the UK you're inside most of the time. Though I did actually acclimatize to UK temperatures after a few months.
Bathroom – I seriously missed the bum gun, paper just doesn’t do the job.
Lifestyle – in the UK you need to be part of the ‘system’ to get anything done, a cog in the machine, the efforts to assimilate you are overwhelming. In Thailand you have a lot more freedom.
Diet – I missed Thai food, eating in the UK is heavy, weight piles on. I have already lost a couple of kilos in a week of being back, most of that has been sweat out though! You tend to eat less in hotter climes.


The TV is shite in both countries. The politics is a world of bullshit in both countries.

In an ideal world I’d like to spend the time split between the two countries, and possibly add in a third!
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by johnjar »

buksida wrote: Sun Sep 24, 2017 12:11 pm Having just spent half a year in the UK I'll post my very brief pros and cons ...

Pro UK life

Driving - it is a breeze, people are not trying to kill you every time you get on the road. Everyone follows the rules, no stress.
Cars – amazingly cheap, can get really good deals but the tax and insurance will hurt you.
Eating - groceries are actually cheaper in the UK than Thailand and there is so much variety, but dining out will sting you.
Beer - the beer was wonderful, cheaper than Thailand and no chemical induced hangovers from shit Thai lager. Drinking in pubs is about the same price.
Efficiency - most things can be done online, you don't have to drive to an office 2 hours away with a fist full of paperwork to achieve the simplest of things.
Internet - it is reliable, stable and fast. Coming back to Thailand and getting online was like stepping back into the age of dial-up.
Service - shop assistants actually assist, everyone has a little pride in their jobs. Unlike the braindead zombies in Thailand that would rather play with their phones than serve you.
Noise – Thailand is an excessively noisy country, life in the UK is much quieter.

Pro TH life

Missed my motorcycle and the freedom of riding on mostly empty roads - only because I don't have a UK license!
Space - everyone is living on top of each other in the UK and fighting over parking spaces, here we have a lot more space.
Taxes - you can’t even take a piss in the UK without paying some form of fee, charge or tax.
Weather - the outdoors lifestyle in Thailand suits me so much better, in the UK you're inside most of the time. Though I did actually acclimatize to UK temperatures after a few months.
Bathroom – I seriously missed the bum gun, paper just doesn’t do the job.
Lifestyle – in the UK you need to be part of the ‘system’ to get anything done, a cog in the machine, the efforts to assimilate you are overwhelming. In Thailand you have a lot more freedom.
Diet – I missed Thai food, eating in the UK is heavy, weight piles on. I have already lost a couple of kilos in a week of being back, most of that has been sweat out though! You tend to eat less in hotter climes.


The TV is shite in both countries. The politics is a world of bullshit in both countries.

In an ideal world I’d like to spend the time split between the two countries, and possibly add in a third!
Buksida a little off topic ...Regarding uk driving license mine expires in 2018 and was planning to visit sometime next year and was going to hire a car on arrival , which would be a problem with expired license ,therefore last week I went on line uk gov to fill in the form ,one of the questions was your address and have you been residing in uk for at least 3 years , which implies that unless you have been residing uk for at least 3 years your license is not valid... :?
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Big Boy
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by Big Boy »

Assuming you have a Thai licence, why not get an International Driving Permit. That's what my son-in-law did when he visited.
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by robcar »

Hired a car from Europcar when I was there last year (2016) on my Thai license. My Uk license had just run out. Renewed it on-line without a problem using my Granddaughters address. Just checked it now and noticed it's due for renewal again next year 2018. That's only 2 years validity..........perhaps it's because I'm over 65.
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by johnjar »

Big Boy wrote: Sun Sep 24, 2017 2:48 pm Assuming you have a Thai licence, why not get an International Driving Permit. That's what my son-in-law did when he visited.
Big Boy ...Yes have a full (car) Thai license , does the Pranbury driving license place issue them ...thanks :)
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

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robcar wrote: Sun Sep 24, 2017 3:08 pm Hired a car from Europcar when I was there last year (2016) on my Thai license. My Uk license had just run out. Renewed it on-line without a problem using my Granddaughters address. Just checked it now and noticed it's due for renewal again next year 2018. That's only 2 years validity..........perhaps it's because I'm over 65.
Robcar I understand I can use a relatives postal address , but it is that "3 year minimum resident question on the form " that implies to me they won't issue a renewal as I been a non resident for many years :)
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by robcar »

Have you looked at the on-line application form https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence It states that you can use your passport details to renew. This is what I did last year. My current license is only 2 years because I am 70 next year and need to renew again.
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

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robcar wrote: Sun Sep 24, 2017 3:34 pm Have you looked at the on-line application form https://www.gov.uk/renew-driving-licence It states that you can use your passport details to renew. This is what I did last year. My current license is only 2 years because I am 70 next year and need to renew again.
Robcar I checked that link below and the resident part was the requirement which would invalidate my application as I,me a non resident anyway thanks for above link :)

What you need
To renew online, you need:
.a valid UK passport
.to be a resident of Great Britain - there’s a different service in Northern Ireland
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by buksida »

I hadn't lived there for 17 years but just filled in the form and used my parent's address. Got my UK license renewed no problem.
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

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buksida wrote: Sun Sep 24, 2017 4:54 pm I hadn't lived there for 17 years but just filled in the form and used my parent's address. Got my UK license renewed no problem.
Buksida..Okay thanks :D
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by Vital Spark »

Thanks for the hugely insightful replies DM, HHTel and Buksida.

You've given me some good food for thought, and I feel more confident that we'll be able to slot back into UK/European culture. It's difficult to imagine what we'll miss until it's not there.

Mags: If you're still reading this forum, I'd love to know how you got on when you moved back to the UK. I'm guessing you were about the same age as I am now when you made the move.

We'll probably want to rent a house, as we don't want to spend all our hard-earned dosh on bricks and mortar (especially as we have no kids to leave it to). As some of you know, we love travelling so want to keep as much money as possible in the pot to finance a crazy holiday at least once a year. I'm having great fun at the moment looking at rental sites and finding out which area of the UK offers the best value for money. Suffolk - my home county is astronomically expensive, as most rentals are holiday lets. Scotland is considerably cheaper, but I could I put up with the Scottish weather? I've decided that I definitely need a house with a conservatory, so even when the weather's shitty I can feel like I'm outside.

We have the luxury of not having a time scale, so we'll make our move when the time is right. We'll be doing our annual 'duty trip' next June, so can spend some of that time exploring possible relocation areas.

Thanks, again, guys. If you have any more thoughts, keep them coming. :cheers:

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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by dtaai-maai »

buksida wrote: Sun Sep 24, 2017 12:11 pm Bathroom – I seriously missed the bum gun, paper just doesn’t do the job.
:agree: Yes, I forgot that one! I miss my Thai-style wet room. My flat is quite small, but it has an ensuite shower room as well as a standard bathroom. The shower is so small, I can barely get in and out! If I owned the flat, I'd convert it to a wet room and have an open shower. Might do it anyway if I get to the stage where I'm sure I'll be here for the duration.
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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by Vital Spark »

Wet rooms are certainly the best. Even I, with a slightly smaller body size than DM, find it constricting having a shower in a cubicle. Never really got into the bum gun - so I'm OK with loo roll.

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Re: Back in the UK after 14 years

Post by dtaai-maai »

Vital Spark wrote: Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:24 am Even I, with a slightly smaller body size than DM, find it constricting having a shower in a cubicle.
If I were of a more sensitive disposition, I might find something offensive there! However, you're welcome to share my cubicle any time, VS...
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