Returning to the western world

[Pattayabeerbacon]

It feels like doom and gloom when in thailand and thinking bout home.

 

But niw i simply cannot afford to splurge thailand i have

made my life in the western world livable, I live in china town and frequent  Thai restaurants and convenence stores, Goto language exchanges and  get thai massages regularly.

 

I am working a very easy job with the shire and every week i can have 700$ to spend after rent/Fuel is payed.

 

With globalisation here to stay its much more productive,safer,easier to stay at home in the western world, You drink less, gave better access to medical and have access to high salarys .

 

I choose the western world.

[madmen]

You live in the west but your here posting on TV.  Time to cut the cord and move on don't you think? 

[Puchaiyank]

 Healthcare in west is far superior in most cases...

 

After that, you have a tale of two cultures...one vibrant, exciting, variety, food, shopping, entertainment second to none...money goes farther...inexpensive housing and transportation...easy to immerse one's self in new experiences.

 

The other stoic institutions, crumbling and decaying infrastructure, processed foods abound, shopping mall closures and expensive housing and transportation...people form into cliques according to religion and often color...

 

So there you have it...the choice is yours...where do you feel most comfortable?

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

I choose the western world.

 

Where in the West have you chosen?

 

After nearly 30 years (crikey, that's half my life) in the Far East (not just Thailand) I don't think I could return to the UK and fit in, too much has changed (as have I).

 

[SpokaneAl]

 Healthcare in west is far superior in most cases...
 
After that, you have a tale of two cultures...one vibrant, exciting, variety, food, shopping, entertainment second to none...money goes farther...inexpensive housing and transportation...easy to immerse one's self in new experiences.
 
The other stoic institutions, crumbling and decaying infrastructure, processed foods abound, shopping mall closures and expensive housing and transportation...people form into cliques according to religion and often color...
 
So there you have it...the choice is yours...where do you feel most comfortable?

Nothing like some gigantic generalizations to solidify your position I guess.


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[Puchaiyank]

3 minutes ago, SpokaneAl said:

 

Nothing like some gigantic generalizations to solidify your position I guess.


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Have you any thoughts on the thread to share...or you just do the safe thing and take shots at other posters...????

[luckyluke]

1 hour ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

I choose the western world.

One must choose where one is happy, or at least most of the time. 

 

As you post on a Thailand focused forum, you can expect there will be posters with a different opinion.

 

[spidermike007]

31 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

 Healthcare in west is far superior in most cases...

 

After that, you have a tale of two cultures...one vibrant, exciting, variety, food, shopping, entertainment second to none...money goes farther...inexpensive housing and transportation...easy to immerse one's self in new experiences.

 

The other stoic institutions, crumbling and decaying infrastructure, processed foods abound, shopping mall closures and expensive housing and transportation...people form into cliques according to religion and often color...

 

So there you have it...the choice is yours...where do you feel most comfortable?

Valid points. I found life in the US to be stifling, predictable, joyless, and found that dealing with most of the locals was a bit like relating to cold fish. Especially the women. Unless you are young, and are a Brad Pitt type, you are more invisible than Casper. Not to mention the horribly lifeless malls, the horrific pop culture, the ridiculous expense of nearly everything, especially labor, where the average mechanic, plumber, or journeyman considers himself to deserve the earnings of a psychiatrist. Plus, the proliferation of dreadfully bad reality TV, and the hapless, thin skinned, incompetent president. 

 

I am thankful daily to be over here. 

[Pattayabeerbacon]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

 

Where in the West have you chosen?

 

After nearly 30 years (crikey, that's half my life) in the Far East (not just Thailand) I don't think I could return to the UK and fit in, too much has changed (as have I).

 

Perth, Australia.

 

So one rant is about how women ignore him in the west, I presume if he was to walk into a bar in pattaya with no money he would also proceed to be ignored and given the move along.

 

 

[Briggsy]

@Pattayabeerbacon How long did you spend living in Thailand excluding holidays? The longer you stay, the more difficult it is to leave.

[Pattayabeerbacon]

2 hours ago, madmen said:

You live in the west but your here posting on TV.  Time to cut the cord and move on don't you think? 

I have been in and out of that country for ovlver a decade, Im now 32 years old and wilk nonlonger require its services, I now work for my self part time and work for the local shire part time, I live with Taiwanese, Eat at vietnamese resaurants, Buy groceries in chinese butchers, shop in thai convenience stores, Eat japanese sushi, Deliver malaysian take away, Chat with phililipinos and play pool with cambodians.

 

All from Perth ,Australia.

[Pattayabeerbacon]

1 minute ago, Briggsy said:

@Pattayabeerbacon How long did you spend living in Thailand excluding holidays? The longer you stay, the more difficult it is to leave.

Over a decade.

 

The visa changes, intoduction of red tape, horrible exchange rates and stagnant quality of goods and services made me decide to go home.

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, Puchaiyank said:

 Healthcare in west is far superior in most cases...

 

After that, you have a tale of two cultures...one vibrant, exciting, variety, food, shopping, entertainment second to none...money goes farther...inexpensive housing and transportation...easy to immerse one's self in new experiences.

 

The other stoic institutions, crumbling and decaying infrastructure, processed foods abound, shopping mall closures and expensive housing and transportation...people form into cliques according to religion and often color...

 

So there you have it...the choice is yours...where do you feel most comfortable?

Ask some folks who get VA health care in America.  VA pays for care in Thailand or America.  Which would they choose?

[Tayaout]

 

[Briggsy]

2 minutes ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

Over a decade.

 

The visa changes, intoduction of red tape, horrible exchange rates and stagnant quality of goods and services made me decide to go home.

Yes, I can see your point. And the "good" thing is that Thailand will always be here should things change.

 

p.s. Expect a lot of abuse from posters on this site. You have expressed a view which is somewhere between verboten and taboo. Be strong, my friend. ????

 

p.p.s. What did you do with all your "stuff"?

[Olmate]

8 minutes ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

I have been in and out of that country for ovlver a decade, Im now 32 years old and wilk nonlonger require its services, I now work for my self part time and work for the local shire part time, I live with Taiwanese, Eat at vietnamese resaurants, Buy groceries in chinese butchers, shop in thai convenience stores, Eat japanese sushi, Deliver malaysian take away, Chat with phililipinos and play pool with cambodians.

 

All from Perth ,Australia.

32 !yeah bout time to contribute! 

[Pattayabeerbacon]

1 minute ago, Briggsy said:

Yes, I can see your point. And the "good" thing is that Thailand will always be here should things change.

 

p.s. Expect a lot of abuse from posters on this site. You have expressed a view which is somewhere between verboten and taboo. Be strong, my friend. ????

 

p.p.s. What did you do with all your "stuff"?

I have a friend who stores my stuff for me in perth (a suitcase), I never had alot in thailand and lived minimalistic.

[CharlieH]

Justifying your choice to us or yourself.

 

You seem to me to be trying to convince and reassure yourself you made the right decision.

 

Best of luck, as long as your happy and content.

 

So you left SE Asia, went "home" and immediately made your life surrounded by and immersed in SE Asian people/community, a home and job there too.

Seems to me you never really left.????

[Pattayabeerbacon]

25 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Justifying your choice to us or yourself.

 

You seem to me to be trying to convince and reassure yourself you made the right decision.

 

Best of luck, as long as your happy and content.

 

So you left SE Asia, went "home" and immediately made your life surrounded by and immersed in SE Asian people/community, a home and job there too.

Seems to me you never really left.????

Hahaha, Just came from the vietnamese mom and pop store and had a malaysia white coffee and an indian curry puff for breakfast.....

[luckyluke]

2 hours ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

All from Perth ,Australia.

I like Thonglor (Sukhumvit 55) Bangkok :

 

An English Pub

Italian, Japanese, Korean,Lebanese, Spanish...restaurants

A Wine Connection

A couple of Jazz bars

And of course many Thai bars, restaurants, shops...

[ivor bigun]

Once a year i go back to my old home town in the UK ( or is it another land) because its not the same town or people we originally lived with.
Apart from that,it costs a fortune to even park ,speed cameras and traffic wardens everywhere , no real food just packet stuff on the shelves( mind you seeing more of that here these days) schools are dumbed down so education standards falling ,everything has to be PC .
After my 2 weeks(it used to be 4 or 5) i cant wait to get back here to my home,
Would i go back there to live? ,would i poke my eyes out with hot needles?no.

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[CharlieH]

13 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

Once a year i go back to my old home town in the UK ( or is it another land) because its not the same town or people we originally lived with.
Apart from that,it costs a fortune to even park ,speed cameras and traffic wardens everywhere , no real food just packet stuff on the shelves( mind you seeing more of that here these days) schools are dumbed down so education standards falling ,everything has to be PC .
After my 2 weeks(it used to be 4 or 5) i cant wait to get back here to my home,
Would i go back there to live? ,would i poke my eyes out with hot needles?no.

Sent from my SM-A720F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

I can entirely relate to your post !

I too used to visit the UK regularly, often for months at a time, I had another home there it was easy, BUT as the years went by it became unrecognisable to me, the place I grew up in and called "home" had gone, a sad and uncomfortable realisation. As you say, so many rules/cameras/enforcement etc its suffocating. The local stores actually had Polish sign writing. other areas had become ethnic enclaves.To say nothing of damned expensive !

I walked the length of the High St and didnt hear 1 English conversation.

I felt totally out of place. 

Not long after that realisation I sold up and quit the UK for good. 

The strange thing is, it actually made me happier and more content in Thailand as a result.

The subconscious mental comparing had stopped and I became more accepting and tolerant of how things are here and that this was truly my home now. I feel so much more relaxed and contented here in my quiet rural village than I ever would back there.

[daveAustin]

12 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Valid points. I found life in the US to be stifling, predictable, joyless, and found that dealing with most of the locals was a bit like relating to cold fish. Especially the women. Unless you are young, and are a Brad Pitt type, you are more invisible than Casper. Not to mention the horribly lifeless malls, the horrific pop culture, the ridiculous expense of nearly everything, especially labor, where the average mechanic, plumber, or journeyman considers himself to deserve the earnings of a psychiatrist. Plus, the proliferation of dreadfully bad reality TV, and the hapless, thin skinned, incompetent president. 

 

I am thankful daily to be over here. 

I enjoy your posts, Mike, and although from the UK, this one really resonates with me. For all of Muang Thai's ills, there ain't no vibrancy and magic in the West, just a persistent stifling cloud and the realisation that if I end up stuck in it permanently, it will be a desperate existence.

[Thaifriends]

What nonsense is being talked by the writer on the comments of other members. If you have moved to West (Australia is actually in East) then have fun and start writing in some forum in Aussie.

 

If cant find much to do then go to some coast and catch crocodiles. Can make extra bucks????

[daveAustin]

7 hours ago, CharlieH said:

I can entirely relate to your post !

I too used to visit the UK regularly, often for months at a time, I had another home there it was easy, BUT as the years went by it became unrecognisable to me, the place I grew up in and called "home" had gone, a sad and uncomfortable realisation. As you say, so many rules/cameras/enforcement etc its suffocating. The local stores actually had Polish sign writing. other areas had become ethnic enclaves.To say nothing of damned expensive !

I walked the length of the High St and didnt hear 1 English conversation.

I felt totally out of place. 

Not long after that realisation I sold up and quit the UK for good. 

The strange thing is, it actually made me happier and more content in Thailand as a result.

The subconscious mental comparing had stopped and I became more accepting and tolerant of how things are here and that this was truly my home now. I feel so much more relaxed and contented here in my quiet rural village than I ever would back there.

Yes, I can see how that would do as you've made the final decision and moved on. 

 

The not hearing English conversation (even rural towns) and the feeling of not belonging anymore is very disconcerting. Immigration is ok, but the EU's tenet of free movement sees no drive to integrate with host countries. Not to belabour that point, but as well as being ridiculously busy now, after Thailand's massive roads, the UK's poxy two-lane 'main' roads (with no bit for bikes) are a joke. 

 

Each to their own, op, and Perth is a cool town, but the West is not for everyone. Don't know your status, but if you have wife and kids/commitments and HAVE to stay, how you'd feel few years down the road.

[AlexRich]

11 hours ago, Pattayabeerbacon said:

I have been in and out of that country for ovlver a decade, Im now 32 years old and wilk nonlonger require its services, I now work for my self part time and work for the local shire part time, I live with Taiwanese, Eat at vietnamese resaurants, Buy groceries in chinese butchers, shop in thai convenience stores, Eat japanese sushi, Deliver malaysian take away, Chat with phililipinos and play pool with cambodians.

 

All from Perth ,Australia.

At 32, a very wise choice to stay in Perth. You have easy access to Bali if you want an exotic vacation. 

[AlexRich]

8 hours ago, CharlieH said:

I can entirely relate to your post !

I too used to visit the UK regularly, often for months at a time, I had another home there it was easy, BUT as the years went by it became unrecognisable to me, the place I grew up in and called "home" had gone, a sad and uncomfortable realisation. As you say, so many rules/cameras/enforcement etc its suffocating. The local stores actually had Polish sign writing. other areas had become ethnic enclaves.To say nothing of damned expensive !

I walked the length of the High St and didnt hear 1 English conversation.

I felt totally out of place. 

Not long after that realisation I sold up and quit the UK for good. 

The strange thing is, it actually made me happier and more content in Thailand as a result.

The subconscious mental comparing had stopped and I became more accepting and tolerant of how things are here and that this was truly my home now. I feel so much more relaxed and contented here in my quiet rural village than I ever would back there.

So you get away from immigrants by becoming ... an immigrant? You’ll hear even less English voices in the village.

[bannork]

i went back for 2 weeks for my mother's funeral at the beginning of May. She lived in a lovely house overlooking the sea near Penzance in Cornwall. It's literally 5 mins walk to the beach. Cornwall is wonderful, lots of things to see and scenic coastal path walks. Even found a beach with seals basking!

I realized I was hopelessly out of touch with modern trends when I saw a small trailer selling food at the top of the beach. ' Pies and chips', I told my friend, 'forget it'.  Totally wrong, there were 3 tasty dishes of humus, a curry and something else. The vendor was from eastern Europe and we soon got chatting to a Pole with a large dog at our table. Yes, I'm a Remainer, though I understand problems of unchecked immigration. The Thais have got it right imo in that I can't buy land in Thailand.

But the weather was brutal. A cold wind meant folks were wrapped up and hurried from one place to the next. Once you've lived in Thailand for a while and you're used to street life day and night with vendors here, there and everywhere, people talking, chatting and laughing, just sitting outside, then the lonely, deserted streets of the UK just seem like a graveyard.

And then there's the regulations: the bus driver ordered a Japanese student with a hot drink to immediately discard it or get off the bus. The same driver stopped the bus and warned us to do up our seat belts or face a 60 pound fine if the police did a spot check.

A trainee bus driver was severely reprimanded by the official overseeing him for stopping the bus for me to get on 10 yards beyond the bus stop. 

Vibrancy, as someone said, and that's it! Thailand has it and the UK doesn't.

To paraphrase: if it ain't got that swing, it don't mean a thing

 

[StreetCowboy]

I repatriated the clan back to near Perth a few years ago and never regretted it.

[Pattayabeerbacon]

18 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

I repatriated the clan back to near Perth a few years ago and never regretted it.

Im now working a third job and will be clearing close to the 10K a month mark by the end of this FY.

 

Nowhere else in the world is that possible without a degree or some training.

 

Best thing is its easy money, Im barely lifting a finger .

 

For this reason i love australia