Is Living Here Difficult for You?

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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Are you enjoying your stay here less than before?

Yes, living somewhere else is appealing to me right now
13
19%
There are good days and bad days...
14
20%
No, I still very much enjoy most things here
43
61%
 
Total votes: 70

goreme
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by goreme »

lindosfan1 wrote: I moved to a Greek island for 3 years before moving back to the UK.
Which Greek island and how would you compare living there to Thailand? I used to have romantic notions of settling on a Greek island but much of Greece outside of Athens seems even less developed than Thailand and more than 2x the cost.
goreme
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by goreme »

hhfarang wrote:
What town/city in NC will you be near? Pete
We're in the southeast corner of Charlotte, actually closer to the downtown area of a beautiful small town called Matthews.

Since people have asked, the move had a few hitches, mostly with the shipment from Thailand and that on the coldest day in February the furnace went belly up and I had to spring for a new one. Other than that and the cost of health insurance, I can honestly say it is great here. Almost everything else is cheaper or the same cost as Hua Hin and the convenience, quiet, and general organization of everything still has me in shock (in a good way). I'm getting out a lot more, eating better (already lost 15 pounds since December), making new friends in the neighborhood, and thoroughly enjoying the weather which has emulated all four seasons in the last four months, sometimes within one week, so never boring. Got my eye on a couple of golf courses nearby, a bicycle in a shop around the corner, and have joined the local gun club/range. Already have three road trips planned next week, in the summer, and fall. Life is good and yes, much less difficult than living in Thailand so far.
Sounds like an idyllic place to settle down. Just out of curiosity, where did you live before you moved to Thailand and how would it compare to where you are now?
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by goreme »

caller wrote:
goreme wrote:Also find driving much less stressful in Thailand than US and many other western countries. There is very little honking, tail gating and almost no road rage.
Come again, very little tail gating or honking - seriously? My gf can't drive far before the horn get's going. Drives me nuts! I'll more or less concede about road rage but wouldn't want to be there when it does happen.
Where in Thailand are you experiencing all this tail gating and honking?
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by Frank La Rue »

[In ten years I almost forgot how convenient life could be. If you love Thailand stay there and be happy, but if you're one of those, like me, who was unhappy after the initial excitement of living in another culture wore off, (took me about 4 years) by all means don't just sit and be miserable... move back home. I sat and watched good friends move back to the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Sweden over the last 6 years telling myself I couldn't do it, but I have and wish I had done it in 2008 before Thailand became a place of mostly bad feelings.[/quote]


The above is interesting reading and begs reflection. I think it goes to show that our feelings may change. I have thought recently that I should make sure I arrange myself such that we can move back to my country if these feelings set in. Renting in Thailand and renting out in country of origin seems to be one way. IT should also yeld a net surplus to be saved or spent on top of whatever pension there is.

I am greatful to HHfarrang for sharing his story, sentiments and new life with us. It seems those who leave Thailand also leave the social boards so we do not get their stories.
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caller
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by caller »

goreme wrote:Where in Thailand are you experiencing all this tail gating and honking?
Everywhere I have driven where there is traffic, including the journey between Korat and Bangkok which I do 2-3 times a month. A tuk-tuk nearly made me jump out of my seat this morning when he pulled alongside me and
started honking away at a bike in front that was waiting to turn right, when there was only meant to be a left turn, thus causing an obstruction. I've given up worrying about that sort of thing, but it made the bike go left and then do a U-turn about a 100 yards up the road.
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by lindosfan1 »

Goreme I lived in Rhodes, beautiful island but 3 years is enough, been there done that, seen it.
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by Frank La Rue »

hhfarang wrote:
What town/city in NC will you be near? Pete
We're in the southeast corner of Charlotte, actually closer to the downtown area of a beautiful small town called Matthews.

Since people have asked, the move had a few hitches, mostly with the shipment from Thailand and that on the coldest day in February the furnace went belly up and I had to spring for a new one. Other than that and the cost of health insurance, I can honestly say it is great here. Almost everything else is cheaper or the same cost as Hua Hin and the convenience, quiet, and general organization of everything still has me in shock (in a good way). I'm getting out a lot more, eating better (already lost 15 pounds since December), making new friends in the neighborhood, and thoroughly enjoying the weather which has emulated all four seasons in the last four months, sometimes within one week, so never boring. Got my eye on a couple of golf courses nearby, a bicycle in a shop around the corner, and have joined the local gun club/range. Already have three road trips planned next week, in the summer, and fall. Life is good and yes, much less difficult than living in Thailand so far.

Out of interest - when the mental process leading to the decision to move back to US found its ultimate conclusion, what drove your choice of location? One could think of several like, existing family and friends from the past, job opportunities for wife, climate, local offering og hobbies one may have, cost of housing may vary greatly within one county or district, etc,
I kind of feel that tropical climate 24/7 after 10 years may become a element for me although I cope well with the heat, it may be monotoneous.
However I can see that Nordic winters become a burden as well for anyone in advanced years, but then I cannot see myself moving to a 3rd country in old age after Thailand. I think one solution is to rent out for a few years and not be dependent on renting out in advanced age but be able to spend summers i Scandiavia (Norway) and winter in Thailand. All in the hopeful and maybe naive spirit that health holds up for oneself and wife

On a side Note to this side Note:

There are reportedly 24 locksmiths in the township of Matthews with 29 thousand inhabbitants.
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hhfarang
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by hhfarang »

Frank La Rue wrote:
hhfarang wrote:
What town/city in NC will you be near? Pete
We're in the southeast corner of Charlotte, actually closer to the downtown area of a beautiful small town called Matthews.

Since people have asked, the move had a few hitches, mostly with the shipment from Thailand and that on the coldest day in February the furnace went belly up and I had to spring for a new one. Other than that and the cost of health insurance, I can honestly say it is great here. Almost everything else is cheaper or the same cost as Hua Hin and the convenience, quiet, and general organization of everything still has me in shock (in a good way). I'm getting out a lot more, eating better (already lost 15 pounds since December), making new friends in the neighborhood, and thoroughly enjoying the weather which has emulated all four seasons in the last four months, sometimes within one week, so never boring. Got my eye on a couple of golf courses nearby, a bicycle in a shop around the corner, and have joined the local gun club/range. Already have three road trips planned next week, in the summer, and fall. Life is good and yes, much less difficult than living in Thailand so far.

Out of interest - when the mental process leading to the decision to move back to US found its ultimate conclusion, what drove your choice of location? One could think of several like, existing family and friends from the past, job opportunities for wife, climate, local offering og hobbies one may have, cost of housing may vary greatly within one county or district, etc,
I kind of feel that tropical climate 24/7 after 10 years may become a element for me although I cope well with the heat, it may be monotoneous.
However I can see that Nordic winters become a burden as well for anyone in advanced years, but then I cannot see myself moving to a 3rd country in old age after Thailand. I think one solution is to rent out for a few years and not be dependent on renting out in advanced age but be able to spend summers i Scandiavia (Norway) and winter in Thailand. All in the hopeful and maybe naive spirit that health holds up for oneself and wife

On a side Note to this side Note:

There are reportedly 24 locksmiths in the township of Matthews with 29 thousand inhabbitants.
We did extensive research and picked this area of North Carolina for a relatively low cost of living, a climate with four mild seasons (a little snow a couple of times in winter, beautiful springs and falls, summers like Thailand weather), plus lack of natural disasters, i.e., out of tornado alley, no earthquakes, only one hurricane reached this far inland in recorded weather history, and little flooding unless you buy in a low lying area. On top of that, Charlotte has building codes that require builders to leave or plant a given number of trees on each building lot so that the city is a forest. It's very beautiful and clean here. I had no prior friends or relatives here nor had I ever even been in Charlotte before my exploratory trip last November.
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by GLCQuantum »

I do know exactly how HHFarang feels about leaving Thailand to return home. I would give my left testicle (it's a bit bigger than t'other one) to be able to live where I came from and spent me early years...



I can't see a place in Thailand coming close to the little town of Fleet. Why don't I live there? I had no bridges to burn like others - I got tossed here, for my own good, and am mooching along...

Soon as I hit the ol' jackpot... I shall be returning home. There are only three types of people who live here: those who married a Thai, those who can't afford to spend more than a tenner a day and those who are barking mad.

:cheers:

Edit: *Sigh* The only site I use that doesn't accept copy/paste youtube videos....don't worry lads - I'm sure it'll pick up next year, then you can afford the new software.

:?
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dtaai-maai
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by dtaai-maai »

One copy/pasted video of a pleasant enough but boring little town in Hampshire.


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JamesWest
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by JamesWest »

GLCQuantum wrote:There are only three types of people who live here: those who married a Thai, those who can't afford to spend more than a tenner a day and those who are barking mad.
i am number three. i blend in here.
I really like this forum because there are no personal attacks. All the members contribute in a positive way to my posts.
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by jumusman »

hhfarang wrote:I'm heading to the U.S. next month to look at houses. With any luck I'll be out of here by next year and this will once again become a vacation destination. Then maybe I'll be able to enjoy it.
That's what I did 3 months ago. Had enough of calling Thailand home 100% of the time and now will split my time between Arizona and Hua Hin probably 60/40%. That way I enjoy the best of both worlds, it works better for me this way.
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by GLCQuantum »

dtaai-maai wrote:One copy/pasted video of a pleasant enough but boring little town in Hampshire.
Thank you dtaai-maai... don't know how I'm messing up the videos so, naturally, I'll blame the software.
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buksida
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by buksida »

GLCQuantum wrote:naturally, I'll blame the software.
Whereby you'll be wrong, naturally. The links must be clean Youtube links, it wont work with any of the following:

It wont work with '&feature=related'
It wont work with https
It wont work with youtu.be

More info on posting vids: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=15216
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Re: Is Living Here Difficult for You?

Post by zevon »

JamesWest wrote:
GLCQuantum wrote:There are only three types of people who live here: those who married a Thai, those who can't afford to spend more than a tenner a day and those who are barking mad.
i am number three. i blend in here.
Those 3 types are not mutually exclusive. I am all three. I blend in here.


Like everywhere i have lived I have had both good and bad days. So far I have not found paradise but on the whole life is fine here but I see it as home and always will unless I upsticks and move on which i very much doubt.
Others might see me as a 'guest' in this country but i do not look at it this way. I am committed to my life here.

For me too many mention somewhere else as home, uncommitted to life here and thus become frustrated at every little thing.
If you are here for 2 weeks or months every year then it is a vacation and if living here fulltime surely here is home
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