Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

General chat about life in the Land Of Smiles. Discuss expat life, relationship issues and all things generally Thailand and Asia related.
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Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Leave Thailand completely
10
53%
Leave Hua Hin for another location within Thailand
9
47%
 
Total votes: 19

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Super Joe
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by Super Joe »

TakeitToTheMax wrote:Thailand has many many things going for it but also so many things against it. Where am I know, the home of chewing gum, Belize Central America such a wonderful place.

I hate the corruption, getting stopped by traffic police and having to hand over money.
There is way too much crime in Belize. I lived there and was "jacked" everywhere, including my home several times. Everyone has their hand out--especially the law enforcement, which is completely and utterly criminal.
I echo the sentiments of Palidan, with brutal cops who target every "White Person" for robbery, extortion. If you don't give to the criminal National police of this country they will take.
source link

When purchased my home we had to bung the person in the land office money just to get the land papers
Some property purchasers in Belize complain that it can take many months or even years for the Lands Department to provide them with their Certificate of Title. source link

Hate the double pricing regime which even my own lady condoned as farangs have more money.
In Belize, especially outside resort areas, there are sometimes two prices: one price for locals and another price for foreigners. From the Belizean point of view this is perfectly kosher and reflects the reality that Americans (or Canadians or Europeans) make far more money and can well afford to pay more. As mentioned many times to people planning on coming and living in Belize as an expat, you are a target as being a rich gringo whether you have little or lots. source link
Getting ripped here off is the #1 challenge for new people in Belize. Like many others, we moved here with a pie in the sky, very naïve outlook. By my calculations we have lost about $20,000US to employees, trades-people, contractors and outright theft, it could be more. On the bright side that's only $278 a month for an education on living in Belize! I promise you every single person living in Belize knows this is true. Being "teefed" (thieved) is such a common place occurrence I almost don't resent it anymore. source link

Things are not really so cheap, cars are damned expensive and houses are overpriced for what one gets, especially with the quality one gets.
"Things cost more than we thought they would in Belize: Little is manufactured locally and shipping costs to Belize are expensive, so the prices you pay may reflect an import tax of 60 or 80%. If you come to Belize thinking everything across the board will be cheaper than back home, you'll be sorely disappointed. Every car and truck, nearly every piece of plumbing and electrical equipment, wine, cement, cornflakes, books, shoes, every pair of scissors, every bottle of aspirin is imported, and often transshipped thousands of miles from one port to another and then it's carried on a bus or under a Cessna seat somewhere else. source link

Hate the fact I cannot sell my property as the market is flooded with new development.
The pool of financially capable real estate buyers in Belize is small, leaving many sellers dependent on foreign buyers. Also, the time to sell a property may be measured in years rather than months. source link

Hate that farangs cannot get finance for property or for business.
It is difficult for a non-resident to get a mortgage loan from a bank in Belize for buying or building, so you should be prepared to pay cash. Loan interest rates are high, Belize banks were getting 10% to 18% or more on business loans and even higher on some personal loans. And the hidden fees and charges can add several percentage points to the loan. Modern consumer protection laws haven’t all made it to Belize yet. source link
TiTTM, Sure Thailand has it's problems, but we knew all that when we decided to make the place home. Or we should have known given the age of the internet. But... Belize 'wonderful' by comparison... is hardly the reality now, is it. Everyone goes on about Thailand's gun control problems because of it's high 4 per 100,000 population gun death rate.... that's 1/10th of Belize's 41 per 100,000. Belize is a 3rd world country that is becoming an ever-increasingly popular cartel drug transhipment route into Mexico. With such a corrupt government and police force we all know this can mean only one thing for the population. Sure you can hide away from the mainland on the islands but apart from going stir crazy you have issues like being two hours away from the nearest hospital should you have an emergency.

There's a ton of stories on the web from disgruntled American's returning from life in Belize... a 3rd world country with a corrupt government/policeforce is a 3rd world country with a corrupt government/policeforce is a 3rd world country with a corrupt government/policeforce, IMO.

:cheers:
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TakeitToTheMax
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by TakeitToTheMax »

Very interesting comments SJ, but I must say it sounds with some bitterness. I made my original post against what the topic is rather than yours which is just trying to prove someone else wrong, why not stick to topic?

I did not say there was nothing wrong with Belize, where in the world is there somewhere perfect. However must say that I have come across few of the issues you raise. Maybe they are still to come my way and if so I thank you for making me aware of the issues, experience is always something to respect. :bow:

if looked at in another perspective one could say that most of the points you raise apply equally if not to a higher level in Thailand.
heartofmidlothian
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by heartofmidlothian »

Have lived here for 19 years and really haven't encountered too many problems. Have never had trouble with the traffic police. No problems buying land and building houses. Only trouble I have had was buying a house off a farang and renting my house to a farang. No problems dealing with Thai people - just be polite and I can talk a bit of Thai. Think that really helps with living here.
Cost of living is really cheap but I refuse to buy expense imported foods. Love the fresh fruit and veg. I think it is very important that you have a good attitude towards the Thai people but I see a lot of farangs coming here with bad attitudes.
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StevePIraq
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by StevePIraq »

heartofmidlothian wrote:Have lived here for 19 years and really haven't encountered too many problems. Have never had trouble with the traffic police. No problems buying land and building houses. Only trouble I have had was buying a house off a farang and renting my house to a farang. No problems dealing with Thai people - just be polite and I can talk a bit of Thai. Think that really helps with living here.
Cost of living is really cheap but I refuse to buy expense imported foods. Love the fresh fruit and veg. I think it is very important that you have a good attitude towards the Thai people but I see a lot of farangs coming here with bad attitudes.

So you as a foreigner have bought land in your name, please tell me how you do so, and I don't mean via the usual fake company. It is easy to buy anything in the wifes name.
I also have never had any issues with police however I was forced to drive half way to Isaan to collect my wife and daughter, the wife had paid money twice on her trip east and upon refusing the third time her car was impounded.
Of course one can build a house as long as you pay cash, banks will not give finance no matter how much cash is in the bank.
I agree many things are cheap but cars are not, Thailand practices protectionism to the highest level.
One can get fresh fruit and veg anywhere.
Thailand is good for many but it is not paradise.
And finally you are 100% correct some foreigners have a real bad attitude, especially the guys who frequent Binthabhat, treat people good and it comes back to you. Kahma as the Thais say.
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ste860
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by ste860 »

steve are you saying if you go for a drink on binta baht that you have a bad attitude ,or have i miss read that ,i know a good few lads that go for a drink there maybe i should avoid them

getting back on topic , i've been coming here for 24 years and have lived here for 7 years and it sure beats living in england , i've seen many come here to live and see many leave its to be expected some people think that life will be the same here as it is when they are here on a 2 week holiday all fun and parties , but living in a country where you don't speak the language is not for everyone and theres other things besides that to take into account ,

all i can say is i don't regret moving here but it does have its ups and downs the same as living anywhere
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charlesh
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by charlesh »

Unremitting boredom, inability to communicate in Thai (speech/reading/writing) except at a very basic level, the need to go 100's of Km's for "special" medical care, below standard medical clinic attention, unavailability of certain prescription drugs, chilli laced cuisine, unavailability of supermarket items, ghastly TV and music, lack of library facilities, 2 priced system for foreigners, dread of having to use the legal system (ie lack of protection), inability to alter things (eg . direct deposit), service disruption (water/electricity) etc etc.
As ste says it sure has its' upsides and downsides and while most are not life threatening (exc the medical) they sure make for an interesting retirement and for me now frequent visits back!
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Bristolian
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by Bristolian »

StevePIraq wrote:Of course one can build a house as long as you pay cash, banks will not give finance no matter how much cash is in the bank.
When you can not legally own a house, as a foreigner, it is not too surprising that the banks will not provide the finance. If the loan was defaulted they would have no recourse.

It is, or at least was, a different situation with buying a condominium. Some 8 years ago I bought a condominium in BKK and obtained a 10 year mortgage from one of the major banks, covering 80% of the purchase price. As I still work here, I am able to claim tax relief on the interest paid on the loan.

The condominium is in my name and so is the mortgage agreement.

The process was a little strange as I needed to transfer into the country the full purchase amount, to prove to the BOT that the condominium was purchased using overseas funds. As soon as the electronic transfer was complete, the deposit was paid to the developer and the bank provided me with a mortgage for the 80% balance. After deducting their fees they returned the balance that I had transferred to my local bank account.

Because the mortgage is, in my case, tax efficient, I recently considered remortgaging the property to release some of the cash but was told by the bank that their policy had changed and that they no longer provided mortgages to foreigners . They were extremely apologetic and said that they were prepared to provide a personal loan but of course this would not provide the tax relief that I was looking for. :offtopic:
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Pleng
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by Pleng »

charlesh wrote:Unremitting boredom
inability to communicate in Thai (speech/reading/writing) except at a very basic level

Well... you could kill those two birds (or at least maim them somewhat) with one stone, couldn't you?
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Ratsima
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by Ratsima »

inability to communicate in Thai (speech/reading/writing) except at a very basic level
Same here. In fact, this is by far my greatest disappointment. I've studied Thai, on and off, for years. Been through Becker, Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, a gazillion YouTube videos, etc., etc. And still it remains a huge blank. Almost nothing I hear makes any sense and no one seems to understand anything I say.

Huge failure. Huge disappointment.
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Super Joe
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by Super Joe »

TakeitToTheMax wrote:Very interesting comments SJ, but I must say it sounds with some bitterness. I made my original post against what the topic is rather than yours which is just trying to prove someone else wrong, why not stick to topic?
There was no bitterness in my post at all. Nor trying to prove you wrong, I do not know you or debated with you on here previously. Just (trying) to prove the case that the issues that annoy us in Hua Hin/Thailand, do also exist in other 3rd world countries with corrupt governments/police, drugs, poverty etc.

And I think it's a key point in this whole debate, are there other cheap places around the world to live that offer the climate, freedoms and other lifestyle opportunities that attract us in the first place? If there are I'm sure people would like to know about them. When folk up and leave saying they can't stand this or that any longer and they're returning to a 1st world country you can't really argue with their logic if that's what they seek. But whenever people give the impression that the problems here are unique to Thailand, or that they somehow don't apply, to a.n.other cheaper 3rd world country with the climate and lifestyle... it just never stands up to scrutiny. That's all really.

SJ
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StevePIraq
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by StevePIraq »

Could it be that there are other issues which make some people disgruntled with Thailand, and other countries for that matter.

A relative visited me recently and he loved HH and just about every where we took him however he did have some gripes, obviously he is relating to things at home, and no where is ever the same.
No libraries, he is an avid reader but does not use internet
No garden clubs
No OAP clubs especially with sing alongs, sometimes he was quite the entertainer, the young ladies loved him.
No expat clubs, even Pattaya has a very big weekly expat club meeting.

For me I think we are never truly accepted into Thai culture and community, even for those that can speak Thai and I would say only a very few speak good Thai.
We have no influence and there are no groups to join that can lobby for change. We live nicely but on the fringe of the greater society.
I have lived in other English speaking countries and with most you are far more inclusive of the greater society than here. You are allowed permanent residence, voting rights, can join in political and social groups that just do not exist here. I am sure some things like these influence certain people to move I personally wish things could be somewhat different here but I doubt there will be any change for years to come
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by johnnyk »

Bottom line?
Take it or leave it.
Thais are happy if you take it but they won't be shattered if you leave it.
Happiness can't buy money
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margaretcarnes
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by margaretcarnes »

johnnyk wrote:Bottom line?
Take it or leave it.
Thais are happy if you take it but they won't be shattered if you leave it.
Well said that man!
All this stuff about land/property ownership - bank loans - dual pricing etc etc just goes on and on. However a topic starts as often as not the same old moans surface sooner or later. Of course this particular topic was bound to bring it all out even more, but I would love to have a government in the UK which had the guts to impose the same restrictions on foreigners who move here. And a NHS with the guts to charge them double for treatment.
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MrPlum
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by MrPlum »

Having lived in a few countries, I've found the reasons expats return home to be pretty standard. Missing the family, homesickness, running out of money, divorce, alcoholism, medical needs, no sense of purpose, being screwed by cowboy builders, a road traffic accident or being mugged by a local. One bad incident can alter perceptions.

There are also those who move from country to country, partner to partner, constantly seeking happiness outside of themselves. After the honeymoon period is over, the depression returns. These people can't settle anywhere.

If you allow creeping negativity to take root and infect you, disillusion can soon set in. One reason I avoid the grumps and never bash Thailand. As for the rest of the world, well... :oops:
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Re: Have you decided to leave Thailand and/or Hua Hin?

Post by Takiap »

StevePIraq wrote:
For me I think we are never truly accepted into Thai culture and community, even for those that can speak Thai and I would say only a very few speak good Thai.
We have no influence and there are no groups to join that can lobby for change. We live nicely but on the fringe of the greater society.
I have lived in other English speaking countries and with most you are far more inclusive of the greater society than here.

I agree 100%, and I'm sure this is one of the main reasons why people eventually get sick of Thailand. On the other hand, some people actually prefer it this way. At least I hope so because I'd hate to think that I'm the only happy to be living on the fringe of society. My view is, with greater acceptance comes a greater amount of crap. :shock: :laugh:


I can quite honestly say that there is nothing I miss, living here in Thailand. I guess I'm fortunate in the regard. :thumb:


:cheers:
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