On levs advice here is a new topic and can we all be honest.
I came to Hua Hin nearly 7 years ago with my wife, i saw the tuk-tuks running around and thought that if i could make them to European standard there must be a market there.
Over the following years i spent more time here than at home, this was due to the fact that if you take your eye off the ball for 1 day the workers would screw up what i was trying to achieve.
I will openly admit when i came here alone i was like a kid let loose in a sweetshop, i did dabble and got my fingers well and truly burnt.
Well if we're going to be totally and utterly honest about this then I have to admit, to my shame, that what first attracted me to Thailand was the way the palm trees gently sway in the sea breeze.
Not really .......... it was the girls ofcourse.[/b]
my first reason to travel to thailand was my brother lived in bkk
i was aware of the girls but was unsure if it was for me
as i had been to amsterdam twice and not gone down that road ( my brother wasnt in amsterdam)
anyway 2 hours after landing i was rushed from the airpot to the hotel and out to see the sights my tour guide ( brother ) first tour was to a soappy
after that there was no holding me back girls gilrls girls
traveled to hh on my very first visit i was 28 years young it was a little slow for my likeing but hey the sheer beauty of hh will never leave my mind
nor will the girls after traveling to los about 7 times and upto 8 months a time
hands up yes its them sweet little chilli munchers that brings me there more and more
yes there is other things but honey is number one in my book
chok dee
jambo
Having lived in Australia before I came here I'd rapidly got used to and enjoyed the climate so that was a big factor. I also liked the diving, crystal clear tropical waters, beach life etc. The cheap cost of living was another big bonus (after western countries). Apparent friendliness of both locals and foreigners here was something I'd never experienced in the country of my birth (England).
At first I was extremely naive with the "way it works" in Southeast Asia in general so totally avoided the scene and wasnt impressed at all by it (I was only 22). Since then, as admitted above, I have "dabbled" but the novelty soon wore off for me, I can understand why so many people come here for it though.
When we booked our honeymoon to Thailand it was the beauty and mysticism of the far east that was the draw, after that first visit it is the people, the sense of fun, the food and the beauty of the place and of course the weather that keeps us coming back. The people in Hua Hin, local and farang are some of the friendliest we have met in a long time.
My first visit to Thailand was not prompted by anything other than a desire to see somewhere I hadn't been before (I live up to my user name!); on a previous trip to India, Singapore and Bali, on the way to Australia, I had missed out on Thailand and the surrounding countries, and thought it would be an ideal place to start another 'world tour' because of it's good and cheap connections to other destinations, as well as being an interesting place in it's own right. I fell in love with the place for numerous reasons, and as we are being honest, one of them was the beautiful women everywhere I looked. If that was my only reason for deciding to stay in a country though I would have picked Vietnam from this region I think. buksida sums it up very nicely and the best way I can describe what attracted me once I was here is that I just felt so comfortable here, as if Thailand was my soul mate. I still feel that way too, despite bad experiences and the odd grumble about something. As a good friend used to say all the time - 'Life is short, make it wide!'
My first trip to Thailand was in April last year, a good friend of mine, an ex army mate, has been to Thailand probably about 20 times and he was telling me all about the place over a beer one night and he suggested that we went across to a place called Hua Hin for a weeks break.
After being in Hua Hin for just 24hrs, we fell in love with the place, after spending 24 years in the army, I have visited a fair few countries and I can say without doubt that Thailand, is the nicest place I have ever visited, so much so, that on the strength on that, we decided that Hua Hin would be a lovely place to retire to, so we have bought a house there.
We spent the month of October in Hua Hin, having a good look around and getting to know the place and we loved every minute of it, to tell you the truth we did'nt want to come home.
I am lucky in the respect, that I have a army pension, which is more than enough to live on out there, so we are moving out for good in September this year, along with my army buddy, our wives get on like an house on fire.
So it is early retirement for the both of us, playing golf, fishing and sight seeing, I have yet to come across the day to day problems that are often mentioned within this forum, but as someone has already said, "life is to short".
We are counting the days.
Russell
The sweetest girl that I ever kissed was another man's wife.....My Mother
We got married in Jamaica. Decided to try another part of the world for our first anniversary and went to Phuket with no idea of what we would find. Fell ballistically in love with the place for all the reasons everyone else is mentioning. We've since been looking for a place to live with all the good points, but without the farangcentricity of Patong or Pattaya. So step forward Hua Hin. We hope to move into the house in March, initially holday only, and to move permanently as soon as we can.
The starting point on the decision is cost of living; we know we wont be able to afford to retire and have any quality of life in England. Then we add in the world's best food, the weather, the people, the sea, the golf, the beer, the nightlife, the expat community, the beautiful country, girls, girls, girls and it's not a tough call.
Well, having seen every square millimetre of Mallorca, my brother and I wanted to go somewhere different to get some Spanish practice in. I left things up to my brother. Buenos Aires was first choice but he called me from the travel agency - too expensive. He gradually worked his way up South America and through Central America before finally calling me to say he'd reserved a booking to Bangkok! "They don't speak Spanish there," I said. "Take it or leave it - its all we can afford" came the reply.
That was the start of a whole new chapter in my life which has culminated in me posting hundreds of messages on Hua Hin after Dark!
The first time to Thailand was a stopover, I had no idea where I was staying or how I ended up near Patpong - didn't even know of it - I've always been called naive - but an absolute eye opener, needless to say! Spent a week exploring in and around Bangkok, the usual places. But just as in Hong Kong, it was the buzz of just walking around, taking in the sights and sounds as much as anything else. Oh okay, the night life was different!
With HH, again it was a stopover, just wanted to find somewhere where I could chill out before going back to reality. Didn't want to stay in Bkk and most other places I knew about required a flight onto somewhere else, I didn't want to do that. The Thai tourist people in the UK sent me details on Pattaya, Cha-am and HH. I knew I didn't want to go to Pattaya and I've no idea why I chose HH over Cha-am. Once here, I was smitten and have been coming ever since, twice last year and will be there again in April.
Now met a lovely Thai lady and will hopefully be making a permanent move at some stage in the not too distant future, but she will come to the UK first.
I can't say that I was initially "attracted" here, I was hauled here on a Flying Tiger stretch DC-8 courtesy of Uncle Sam and the Vietnam war. That was in May 1970. First assignment was at Takhli RTAFB up near Chinat/Nakon Sawan and it took me all of 2 weeks to fall in love with every aspect of the country and the people. The VN war was winding down and they readily accepted extension requests rather than shipping new GI's over here, I stayed until Nov. 1972. When Takhli deactivated I was reassigned to U-Tapao, thus my long relationship with Pattaya and this area. The water from Chonburi to Rayong and all offshore islands was pristine in those days. I don't think there is water anywhere in Thailand now that could match what was here then. So many tropical fish and coral formations everywhere, it was simply amazing to see and snorkel in. That was the beginning and with exception of some years of career building, I have been here ever since. Everything about Thailand was more enchanting in those days, but I guess you could say that about anywhere in the world when comparing "now and then". I still love it here though. Pete
I've thought about the initial question a bit before answering.
I'd travelled India a couple of times. Been to Thailand twice on holiday and fell for a girl. My heart has always been in the East, not least because I have family from India.
So, after a fairly sucessful career in the UK, I got disillusioned with my lot there and having a g/f in thailand, did the big bungee jump and moved over here.
That relationship turned very sour after 5 years, but I survived and am now married to a great Thai woman.
There have been ups and downs, but overall the experience so far has been good.
When I was back in the the Uk, prior to moving over here, it was easy to walk into a telephone box anywhere in London and arrange the services of a lady of any nationality I wanted.
Don't see there's much difference here in Thailand, except I have no need or desire to play away anymore.
That's it.
Anyone who tells you they can't get Thai/Oriental satisfaction anywhere around the world is lying.
Maybe it's just cheaper here? And your partner is less likely to find out?
