LA -
At least you've given all of something to do and think about for a few days.
There isn't a simple answer for you, but since you seem to be tiring of the constant barrage of qualified and unqualified advice we've been giving you I'll try to be brief and straightforward. Good luck with the brief part.
To start, you will need to find a Visa situation that allows you to stay here "permanently"......and there is no one fits all solution. You're not of retirement age or married to a Thai so your two best prospects are out of the question for now. I'll leave it to you to do the research on other options. There are plenty of threads here to start with, and Google will happily provide additional research answers.
It's good you don't want to own a home because in Thailand they frown on non-Thai property ownership as you may have read in the Property threads. You can own a Condo of your own though if you ever tire of renting.
If you don't want a car you can easily buy a small motorcycle like thousands of others do and play two-wheel Russian roulette every day....sounds like fun but I don't think it really is. Or, you can buy a bicycle for running around town. Taxis and other rental transportation is readily available, as are buses and vans and trains to go further afield if desired. You can pick up a nice motorbike here for less than two grand.
We've already discussed food which shouldn't be a problem for you and health care is readily available, and in most cases better than you might expect.
Young, beautiful Thai women can't wait to find a falang to take care of them, and can be found most anywhere if you're interested. If you bat from the other side of the plate I understand that isn't a huge problem here either. Again, plenty of girlfriend advice etc. on this site elsewhere.
If you enjoy being alone and having the world to yourself, certainly living in a country where you can't communicate very well with anyone will be to your liking. As you have no relatives here you will pretty much be forced to learn some Thai to get along which will only improve your chances of a successful stay, and probably provide you with some friends along the way.
As to your original questions, most are not terribly relevant here, but I'll cover what I didn't originally now:
No-one really gives a hoot about recycling as you can dump your trash most anywhere and if you're picky about it there are those blue barrels all over the place. Thailand isn't as picky about garbage as California.
There isn't any water rationing, but some places around town and south of Hua Hin experience shortages.....you can have water trucked in and fill your storage tank. Some newer places here don't have city water yet, but you just need to know to ask before you rent.
Most people buy bottled water to drink, but it always astounds me that the same people will brush their teeth an wash their dishes in the same water they won't drink......duh. You'll get more problems from crushed ice probably anyway. Best thing to do is drink bottled stuff and brush your teeth with bottled water......or maybe beer.
Internet options are endless, no problems there.
TV sucks everywhere.......you'll be more than glad to have UBC Satellite here if you want it, although you'll soon tire of the same old complaints you have in LA.....crappy programming and too many commercials.
Which reminds me to tell you living here soon becomes synonymous with living anywhere.....eat, sleep, scratch, eat sleep yada yada.
Rock Radio?? You must be kidding. You're lucky to find a radio station in Hua Hin much less something American......remember there are only about twenty five Americans here.....maybe less.
Don't worry about taxes on foreign foods. After about five days you'll be happy to pay Anything for a good burger and fries. I don't know the exact rules on what's taxed here but there is a VAT tax on most everything of about 7%, and you won't even notice.
Too bad you don't want to own a house here though.....I am delighted that I've owned real property here for three years without paying a single red cent in property taxes..........YAHOOOOOOO !!!!! I'm paying 6 grand a year in California for a house I can no longer afford to F'ing live in !!!!!!!!!! (Thai wife....see property threads)
Gym, shwym.........who the F actually goes to those places anyway?
O.K. Dude, I think I've about covered everything you actually need to know. If you find you like it here you'll be very, very happy. If you don't......well, life sucks anyway.
Cheers, as the Brits say, and again, good luck.
questions from a potential expat
My advice would be to come live here for 6 months at least before making any decisions. I have a feeling a lot of your worries will just disolve once you are here but no doubt others will take their place.
If you have a computer you can listen to any type of music you like all day every day so that really is not an issue.
As for recycling that is taken care of by the locals as has been said before anything placed near a blue bin finds a new home within seconds. Litter however is a MAJOR problem here!
Making new friends here can be a problem as not everyone is who or what they say they are, it is easy to be taken in when you first arrive; you will soon learn to weed out the Walter Mittys though!
In our experience it is not the Thais who will let you down but fellow ex-pats!
On the whole life here is good, we have lived here over two years and do not have one single regret but it is not for everyone which is why I say come and stay here for an extended period and then make your decision.
If you have a computer you can listen to any type of music you like all day every day so that really is not an issue.
As for recycling that is taken care of by the locals as has been said before anything placed near a blue bin finds a new home within seconds. Litter however is a MAJOR problem here!
Making new friends here can be a problem as not everyone is who or what they say they are, it is easy to be taken in when you first arrive; you will soon learn to weed out the Walter Mittys though!
In our experience it is not the Thais who will let you down but fellow ex-pats!
On the whole life here is good, we have lived here over two years and do not have one single regret but it is not for everyone which is why I say come and stay here for an extended period and then make your decision.
therapy in HH
Wanderlust
I wasn't particularly offended by comments on this blog. I was only trying to clear up a possible misconception about those in therapy which is an easy prejudice propogated by the media and T.V. Believe me, I have been called MUCH worse than "unstable" and I have BEEN much worse. Without the stress of a daily job life's frustrations will roll off my back more easily, I will have the TIME to deal with them. It is the combination of a hectic life schedule and frustrating impediments to getting things done in a short time span that tends to set me off. Most of the complaints I have read on this blog I already have quite a bit of experience with viz burglaries and fraud, traffic jams, lack of parking, abusive, corrupt authorities in gov't., flooded streets, murders and shootings, an ignorant populace. You must be vigilant here, you have to watch your back a lot. I suspect that will be the case there. And just like there I have no friends here or family that can help when needed. I've learned to get along just fine without the help of others except paid professionals. In general I find people more of a hinderance than a help and the cause of suffering as you say about Thai authorities.
Enough about me. I only wanted info on the town, not to get caught up in small town gossip and become the butt of jokes. I get enough of that here.
Cheers
LA native
I wasn't particularly offended by comments on this blog. I was only trying to clear up a possible misconception about those in therapy which is an easy prejudice propogated by the media and T.V. Believe me, I have been called MUCH worse than "unstable" and I have BEEN much worse. Without the stress of a daily job life's frustrations will roll off my back more easily, I will have the TIME to deal with them. It is the combination of a hectic life schedule and frustrating impediments to getting things done in a short time span that tends to set me off. Most of the complaints I have read on this blog I already have quite a bit of experience with viz burglaries and fraud, traffic jams, lack of parking, abusive, corrupt authorities in gov't., flooded streets, murders and shootings, an ignorant populace. You must be vigilant here, you have to watch your back a lot. I suspect that will be the case there. And just like there I have no friends here or family that can help when needed. I've learned to get along just fine without the help of others except paid professionals. In general I find people more of a hinderance than a help and the cause of suffering as you say about Thai authorities.
Enough about me. I only wanted info on the town, not to get caught up in small town gossip and become the butt of jokes. I get enough of that here.
Cheers
LA native
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margaretcarnes
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4172
- Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 8:28 am
- Location: The Rhubarb Triangle
questions from a potential expat
I'm so sorry you feel you have been the butt of jokes LA - but really don't see any evidence of it to be honest. Most folks on here fool around sometimes with no intention of hurting others.
You did ask earlier why Brits seem to be averse to therapy, and maybe that needs clearing up.
The answer I believe is partly that we see Therapy in the States as an integral part of life, due to all the TV publicity it gets over here. Even though it involves fictional characters. We get the impression that everyone has a Therapist who sits back and gets paid mega bucks for doing very little. Or so it seems.
Brits DO have therapy, but don't like to admit it. It goes against the 'stiff upper lip' attitude. And because it is usually provided via the National Health Service it is often a shorter term treatment. We expect to feel some improvement after a while, and expect therapy to enable us to eventually cope on our own.
Rather than entering into a very long term programme maybe we prefer a 'quick fix' - then back to self analysis with our mates in the Pub!
Which I think is what Sarge was getting at really. There are plenty of self appointed 'bar stool' therapists in HH - and in many other places!
I've had both private and NHS therapy in England. Both helped considerably. The first with a family relationship problem, and the second with PTSD. In both cases I was enabled to recognise, face up to, and deal with the issues, and moved on.
Hopefully you will find living in HH (if only for a trial period) might help with the 'moving on', and will find people there who will help you to do it.
You did ask earlier why Brits seem to be averse to therapy, and maybe that needs clearing up.
The answer I believe is partly that we see Therapy in the States as an integral part of life, due to all the TV publicity it gets over here. Even though it involves fictional characters. We get the impression that everyone has a Therapist who sits back and gets paid mega bucks for doing very little. Or so it seems.
Brits DO have therapy, but don't like to admit it. It goes against the 'stiff upper lip' attitude. And because it is usually provided via the National Health Service it is often a shorter term treatment. We expect to feel some improvement after a while, and expect therapy to enable us to eventually cope on our own.
Rather than entering into a very long term programme maybe we prefer a 'quick fix' - then back to self analysis with our mates in the Pub!
Which I think is what Sarge was getting at really. There are plenty of self appointed 'bar stool' therapists in HH - and in many other places!
I've had both private and NHS therapy in England. Both helped considerably. The first with a family relationship problem, and the second with PTSD. In both cases I was enabled to recognise, face up to, and deal with the issues, and moved on.
Hopefully you will find living in HH (if only for a trial period) might help with the 'moving on', and will find people there who will help you to do it.
A sprout is for life - not just for Christmas.
I haven't seen this myself, just genuine interest in 'fresh meat'.LAnative wrote:I only wanted info on the town, not to get caught up in small town gossip and become the butt of jokes.
I'm with you when it comes to being comfortable with your own company and not wishing to be burdened with material things. With that attitude the world is your oyster!
Why settle for life in Hua Hin? Why not take a year out and explore some of the world before you finally decide? There are databases on the internet that provide free accommodation to travellers. It's a fantastic way to spread your wings and shake off years of accumulated stress. If you are particularly stressed then you may need to stay in one place for a while. There are a number of retreats that will help you restore your health and peace of mind. Here in Thailand and particularly in India.
If you can find some purpose to your life, then life can be good. Add to that the beach, massages, golf, sunshine, good food, fresh tasty fruit, fantastic smiles, little overt crime and foreigners who, since we are all strangers in a foreign land, tend to be more friendly than they might be at home.
Failing that, there's the bars, empty couplings and Tesco Lotus
"Let no one who has the slightest desire to live in peace and quietness be tempted, under any circumstances, to enter upon the chivalrous task of trying to correct a popular error."---William Thoms
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HansMartin
- Professional
- Posts: 270
- Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2005 7:50 am
- Location: Back Home in CA
Fascinating question and thread LANative.
It mirrors some questions that me and some friends have. But first some background. We all live in the SF area which is vastly superior to El Lay even though we are in the same state. We all have Thai wives and have been married to them for 10-25 years and most of our wives are US citizens. Some are Viet Nam era and others aren't. Most of us have bought property in Thailand, but we don't live there permanently although that is in the future plan. We are scattered over Thailand, mostly BKK and various places in Issan. My wife and I seriously looked at HH, but ended up NW of BKK next to my wife's sister. Family bonds are stronger tha sand, sun, and saltwater especially for a woman from Issan; but I do get down to HH regularly when we end up in BKK.
Interestingly among our group it is the women who are more reluctant to move back then the men even though they have extended family back there. Even though we could retire at this time and retire there permanently we haven't and instead we go back and forth a couple of times a year for 1+ month each time. We have been doing that for the last 2-3 years.
So what do I miss being over there:
1. A good hamburger and fries
2. A fresh salad with lettuce from the Salinas Valley and tomatoes from the Cental Valley
3. Good high quality microbrews
4. Fall football on the TV and I don't mean football with that funny white ball and men in shorts
5. American TV news and I don't mean Fox News
6. Americans -- there is nothing wrong with Brits and Europeans, but running into Americans and BSing is pretty rare -- I was told by an American in HH that ony about 5% of the expats were North American and that includes Canadians (eh?)
7. A good paycheck and a job I like -- yes they still exist in this economy
8. My kids
9. All other little and big things we take for granted.
So as others have said visit Thailand, travel around, see what you like and don't like, figure out the visa thing; but don't make committments or put down roots. Be open.
SFguy
It mirrors some questions that me and some friends have. But first some background. We all live in the SF area which is vastly superior to El Lay even though we are in the same state. We all have Thai wives and have been married to them for 10-25 years and most of our wives are US citizens. Some are Viet Nam era and others aren't. Most of us have bought property in Thailand, but we don't live there permanently although that is in the future plan. We are scattered over Thailand, mostly BKK and various places in Issan. My wife and I seriously looked at HH, but ended up NW of BKK next to my wife's sister. Family bonds are stronger tha sand, sun, and saltwater especially for a woman from Issan; but I do get down to HH regularly when we end up in BKK.
Interestingly among our group it is the women who are more reluctant to move back then the men even though they have extended family back there. Even though we could retire at this time and retire there permanently we haven't and instead we go back and forth a couple of times a year for 1+ month each time. We have been doing that for the last 2-3 years.
So what do I miss being over there:
1. A good hamburger and fries
2. A fresh salad with lettuce from the Salinas Valley and tomatoes from the Cental Valley
3. Good high quality microbrews
4. Fall football on the TV and I don't mean football with that funny white ball and men in shorts
5. American TV news and I don't mean Fox News
6. Americans -- there is nothing wrong with Brits and Europeans, but running into Americans and BSing is pretty rare -- I was told by an American in HH that ony about 5% of the expats were North American and that includes Canadians (eh?)
7. A good paycheck and a job I like -- yes they still exist in this economy
8. My kids
9. All other little and big things we take for granted.
So as others have said visit Thailand, travel around, see what you like and don't like, figure out the visa thing; but don't make committments or put down roots. Be open.
SFguy
thanx to all for your responses
Special thanx to TIGR for his relevant answers and Hans for unasked questions about what he missed most. To both, I won't pay ANYTHING for a burger and fries as I don't eat either one and haven't in 25 years.
I was thinking more about costs to import vitamins and supplements which I take a large quantity of.
Others mention internet T.V. (HULU here) and radio from the entire world I was aware of. Thanx.
I qualify for a retirement "O" visa from a very reliable gov't pension with cost of living increases so I should be O.K. if I don't buy a house or incur the expense of a car.
To Mr Plum I HAVE travelled a lot of the world, quite extensively in So. Asia and the Caribbean. I have been to BKK, Phuket and Chiang Mai there, had an all expenses paid one year vist to Viet Nam INSISTED upon by my "uncle", been to Japan, China, India, Maldives, No. Sulawesi/Irian Jaya/ Bali Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia 3 times, Vanuatu, Solomon islands, Fiji, Tahiti, Palau, Borneo, Guam, Hawaii, Bahamas, US Virgin islands, Cozumel/Cancun Mexico, Belize, Guatamala, Canada, and every state west of the Rocky mountains in the US and some in the east (Ct. NY, DC, Fl, Oh. etc) Never got to Europe or Africa. Maybe later. I LOVE San Francisco (except for the parking). I have seen enough to know there are only 2 places I would WANT to live (Thailand and Oz) but I don't "qualify " for Oz as I'm not rich enough.
I love a lot about Thailand, the food, the teal ocean, good scuba diving, tropical climate, scenic beauty, pretty girls, amazing art and temples (I'm Buddhist at heart), nice people and of course the cost of living.
Like Hans I will miss the Microbrews, my son and driving, but not much else. I care nothing for spectator sports.
So why do the others on this blog chooseThailand over all the retirement havens of the world like Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Ecuador, Belize, Spain or Turkey? I don't care for Latin culture being surrounded by it already. I even read and speak some Spanish. I have been studying Thai for 2 years on my own.
If there is anything I MUST bring with me what would it be? Someone said cotton sheets.
Thanx again to all who responded.
Cheers
LA Native
I was thinking more about costs to import vitamins and supplements which I take a large quantity of.
Others mention internet T.V. (HULU here) and radio from the entire world I was aware of. Thanx.
I qualify for a retirement "O" visa from a very reliable gov't pension with cost of living increases so I should be O.K. if I don't buy a house or incur the expense of a car.
To Mr Plum I HAVE travelled a lot of the world, quite extensively in So. Asia and the Caribbean. I have been to BKK, Phuket and Chiang Mai there, had an all expenses paid one year vist to Viet Nam INSISTED upon by my "uncle", been to Japan, China, India, Maldives, No. Sulawesi/Irian Jaya/ Bali Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia 3 times, Vanuatu, Solomon islands, Fiji, Tahiti, Palau, Borneo, Guam, Hawaii, Bahamas, US Virgin islands, Cozumel/Cancun Mexico, Belize, Guatamala, Canada, and every state west of the Rocky mountains in the US and some in the east (Ct. NY, DC, Fl, Oh. etc) Never got to Europe or Africa. Maybe later. I LOVE San Francisco (except for the parking). I have seen enough to know there are only 2 places I would WANT to live (Thailand and Oz) but I don't "qualify " for Oz as I'm not rich enough.
I love a lot about Thailand, the food, the teal ocean, good scuba diving, tropical climate, scenic beauty, pretty girls, amazing art and temples (I'm Buddhist at heart), nice people and of course the cost of living.
Like Hans I will miss the Microbrews, my son and driving, but not much else. I care nothing for spectator sports.
So why do the others on this blog chooseThailand over all the retirement havens of the world like Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Ecuador, Belize, Spain or Turkey? I don't care for Latin culture being surrounded by it already. I even read and speak some Spanish. I have been studying Thai for 2 years on my own.
If there is anything I MUST bring with me what would it be? Someone said cotton sheets.
Thanx again to all who responded.
Cheers
LA Native
Wow.........the things we didn't know!!!
We chose Thailand because:
1) Wife speaks English and Thai and didn't want to learn another language
2) re: above, would have been silly to go anywhere else.
3) cheaper and safer than any alternative I could think of.
Reasons I've been disappointed in our decision:
1) Because of the economic and real estate meltdown I've been paying for two places to live when I really can only afford one. Pretty pissed off about that but what can you do.
2) Stupid me thought I was moving in with Thais, not the British, Australians, Germans etc. Typical American Myopia I guess.
3) The unbelievably inconsiderate, stupid and careless drivers here......c'mon, get a brain for God's sake. You'll be happy you're not driving!
4) It's taken us nearly three years to get settled in after two aborted attempts at having a home built....finally lucked into a great condo so all in all we ended up better off. Still having to listen to ongoing construction nearly every day......you would think life on the beach would be quiet wouldn't you?
Reasons I'm happy with our decision:
1) Still love the Thai culture and it's people (except when they're driving).
2) Huge condo right on the beach in Cha Am, not Hua Hin which turned out to be a lot more crowded than we liked.....Cha Am is perfect for us homebodies.
3) Great golf and enchanting caddies......a wonderful combination. Both the wife and I have made great friends with our "personal caddies" which adds tons of fun to an already enjoyable avocation.
4) Absolutely love our occasional overnights into Bangkok.....what a fantastic city!
5) The best weather in the world IMHO.
O.K., back to you.
It's difficult to tell you what you MUST bring, although cotton sheets can be purchased at Home Pro or Bangkok.....?? It used to be western foodstuffs for me but with Villa market there isn't much here I don't have available that I can think of offhand.
I think for you any health store items would be important, like supplements, certain medical products or some foodstuffs. I've found with a lot of perseverance I can get almost anything. Recently I wanted some Epsom Salts and spent a lot of time bugging drug stores and others until I found all Epsom Salts are is purified sea salt......duh.....sea salt is readily available here, it's just called sea salt!
Oh....one thing for sure. If you use electric razor or toothbrush stock up on supplies. I use Sonicare toothbrush and have to order online....and reship through a friend at home.....that's one thing to try to prepare for: hopefully you can find a friend to do that for you and to take care of your mail for a year or two.....you know, taxes etc.
Good luck again.
We chose Thailand because:
1) Wife speaks English and Thai and didn't want to learn another language
2) re: above, would have been silly to go anywhere else.
3) cheaper and safer than any alternative I could think of.
Reasons I've been disappointed in our decision:
1) Because of the economic and real estate meltdown I've been paying for two places to live when I really can only afford one. Pretty pissed off about that but what can you do.
2) Stupid me thought I was moving in with Thais, not the British, Australians, Germans etc. Typical American Myopia I guess.
3) The unbelievably inconsiderate, stupid and careless drivers here......c'mon, get a brain for God's sake. You'll be happy you're not driving!
4) It's taken us nearly three years to get settled in after two aborted attempts at having a home built....finally lucked into a great condo so all in all we ended up better off. Still having to listen to ongoing construction nearly every day......you would think life on the beach would be quiet wouldn't you?
Reasons I'm happy with our decision:
1) Still love the Thai culture and it's people (except when they're driving).
2) Huge condo right on the beach in Cha Am, not Hua Hin which turned out to be a lot more crowded than we liked.....Cha Am is perfect for us homebodies.
3) Great golf and enchanting caddies......a wonderful combination. Both the wife and I have made great friends with our "personal caddies" which adds tons of fun to an already enjoyable avocation.
4) Absolutely love our occasional overnights into Bangkok.....what a fantastic city!
5) The best weather in the world IMHO.
O.K., back to you.
It's difficult to tell you what you MUST bring, although cotton sheets can be purchased at Home Pro or Bangkok.....?? It used to be western foodstuffs for me but with Villa market there isn't much here I don't have available that I can think of offhand.
I think for you any health store items would be important, like supplements, certain medical products or some foodstuffs. I've found with a lot of perseverance I can get almost anything. Recently I wanted some Epsom Salts and spent a lot of time bugging drug stores and others until I found all Epsom Salts are is purified sea salt......duh.....sea salt is readily available here, it's just called sea salt!
Oh....one thing for sure. If you use electric razor or toothbrush stock up on supplies. I use Sonicare toothbrush and have to order online....and reship through a friend at home.....that's one thing to try to prepare for: hopefully you can find a friend to do that for you and to take care of your mail for a year or two.....you know, taxes etc.
Good luck again.
Well travelled indeed. 
The question about supplements has been asked previously. Please read here... http://www.huahinafterdark.com/forum/me ... 17bf916818
There are some posts in the health forum where members have discussed using substitutes that don't hit them so hard in their pocket. The 'search' feature can help you track them down.
The question about supplements has been asked previously. Please read here... http://www.huahinafterdark.com/forum/me ... 17bf916818
There are some posts in the health forum where members have discussed using substitutes that don't hit them so hard in their pocket. The 'search' feature can help you track them down.
I had the same experience until I asked for Magnesium Sulfate instead of 'Epsom Salts'. I use it for liver and gall bladder flushes. ES is a component of Sea Salt, which has more minerals. If Sea salt does the same job, you just saved me a trip to my supplier in Bangkok.T.I.G.R. wrote:Recently I wanted some Epsom Salts and spent a lot of time bugging drug stores and others until I found all Epsom Salts are is purified sea salt......duh.....sea salt is readily available here, it's just called sea salt!
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lindosfan1
- Deceased
- Posts: 4069
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 1:26 pm
- Location: uk
thailand
T.I.G.R Thanks I have just stopped laughing a classic. 
Woke up this morning breathing that's a good start to the day.
What a wit 
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margaretcarnes
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4172
- Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 8:28 am
- Location: The Rhubarb Triangle
questions from a potential expat
Well travelled indeed LA! An impressive list there, and some beautiful places by the sound of it.
But you ask why people choose Thailand over Spain and Turkey for example, and the answer to that (at least for me) is easy. -
Spain has too many Brits, and too cool winters. Turkey is, well, Turkey. OK for a short beach holiday. Can be oppressively hot, with unstable geology (and economy at one time.) And I don't think either have the year round attraction of Thailand. Nor the friendly people.
Many Brit expats in Spain are now struggling with the exchange rate, and struggling to sell properties there. Other european countries like Cyprus and Malta, both popular with Brits, have become very expensive.
550 euro for a beer in Malta now some places - no way!
I guess we could ask you the same question though - why Thailand over Hawai for example?
But you ask why people choose Thailand over Spain and Turkey for example, and the answer to that (at least for me) is easy. -
Spain has too many Brits, and too cool winters. Turkey is, well, Turkey. OK for a short beach holiday. Can be oppressively hot, with unstable geology (and economy at one time.) And I don't think either have the year round attraction of Thailand. Nor the friendly people.
Many Brit expats in Spain are now struggling with the exchange rate, and struggling to sell properties there. Other european countries like Cyprus and Malta, both popular with Brits, have become very expensive.
550 euro for a beer in Malta now some places - no way!
I guess we could ask you the same question though - why Thailand over Hawai for example?
A sprout is for life - not just for Christmas.