Are you content living in the land of smiles ?

[thrilled]

I’ve been coming to Thailand since 1971. I could never live here. Way to many minuses to mention. The farangs that do live here I believe your easily satisfied.I mean if your a lover of Thai food I guess that’s a plus. International food here is much to be desired.The traffic is unreal. The big vehicle has the right of way. If your in a small vehicle or walking then get out of the way. The heat can be so unbearable.Like I said to many minuses.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, Number 6 said:

The air pollution and the smells and filth in the streets really getting to me. Both on my quiet Soi and main road. Inexcusable this is central BKK. Grease from vendors, spewage leaking from garbage bags and the trucks. Foul smells from fetid food waste dumped by vendors around MRT. Unhygienic.

 

The air pollution will never be taken care of and that alarms me. I mean it's REALLY here to stay. Like Delhi or China. Wealthy and VIP people live indoors, travel in fancy cars.

 

Stupid, selfish people on BTS MRT driving me insane.

 

The economy is obviously stagnating. Politics dicey.

 

Prices are higher and volume of goods lower. Imported products should be less expensive but not.

 

But I'm good, thanks for asking.

Seems Bkk is your problem. Solution easy, but if you choose to remain there.........…............…...........

[Antonymous]

12 hours ago, CharlieH said:

YES ! and my situation very much mirrors yours. I m not too concerned about the Health insurance aspect, wont really hit until the regs change officially or of course as age rises. However, if one decides to remain regardless, then there are always options available, may not be the best, may not be the most convenient, but there are always options (especially if married) its up to the individual to use them or walk away as a choice.

 

I have a lifestyle that I could not possibly achieve in the homeland, a quiet carefree existence, devoid of all those rules and regs and cameras in your face. I ike rural Thailand, its people, the whole way of life for me is just great. There are of course things that irritate,but thats true of life pretty much anywhere. Mostly thats down to personal attitude. (IMHO)

 

Ditto three times.

 

Especially "...a quiet carefree existence, devoid of the rules and regs and cameras in your face". Freedom relative to the UK brought me here 30 years ago and although things are changing, Thailand may be one of the last bastions of privacy on the planet, relatively speaking.

 

Immigration and health insurance requirements no bother whatever. I planned ahead.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, thrilled said:

I’ve been coming to Thailand since 1971. I could never live here. Way to many minuses to mention. The farangs that do live here I believe your easily satisfied.I mean if your a lover of Thai food I guess that’s a plus. International food here is much to be desired.The traffic is unreal. The big vehicle has the right of way. If your in a small vehicle or walking then get out of the way. The heat can be so unbearable.Like I said to many minuses.

Never had a problem with food I liked in LOS, LOVED the heat, always accepted that if I went on the roads I might die, but that can happen anywhere, traffic no worse than Auckland in NZ.

Can I suggest that it is not that we are easily satisfied, but that we prefer LOS to the over regulated PC hellhole we escaped from.

[sunnyboy2018]

Yeah. Easy going people, fresh air in Pratumnak, wide range of food, plenty to do, the warm weather is conducive to my keep fit regime, Thai bar girls and Go Go, late drinking venues, cheap transport  a myriad of brilliant cultural festival, safe streets and bar . My only downer is the shíťé music in bars and the constant flickering TV screens showing sports constantly, non stop..just drop dead boring.

[Laza 45]

Yes.. I am content living here.  I have a nice home a lovely wife & extended family.  I'm a dual citizen of Canada & Australia.. Canada is too cold.. Australia isn't the great country it used to be.. Of course there are challenges for me here.. especially dealing with terrible drivers.. they aren't all Thai either..  Smoke pollution in Feb & March is a growing problem.. the casual disposal of garbage irks me too.. I like the food.. the climate suits me.. my pension goes much further than it would in either Canada or Australia.. 

[Chazar]

10 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Must be nice to chose to stay in a country where it is so obvious that you do not like the people.

and what is wrong with that? I  follow  their insane rules..so what

[digibum]

45 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

My life improved markedly when my wife and I moved far away from the family, and went downhill when they moved near us.

 

I have to laugh a bit because that was one of the only preconditions I had on where we live; nowhere near her family.  Obviously, that needed to be put more delicately but I explained while I loved her family and enjoyed visiting, that Thais love drama (something she always says too) and that living near her family would be bringing the drama close enough that her family would feel like they should get her involved in the middle of it.

 

They are lovely people but three generations of her family and extended family live in a 2 square mile radius and you're going to get a boatload of drama. 

[GreasyFingers]

If I was not happy here my only plan B would be to move back to Australia. When I retired I was traveling around the country in a caravan. Loved that life but at my age now am not sure I should/could be doing that. The alternative would be living in a small unit somewhere and putting up with all of the PC etc mentioned above.

We are in a semi rural area and it was only last night I was walking around the property (with a cold beer), admiring the sunset and the lights of the resorts on the hills nearby, feeling very happy with myself. I would not get that feeling living in a unit.

The house is not flash but after living in a caravan you do not need much over your head. The land though is just a delight to be able to call your own (as long as I stay married for the naysayers).

[Jaxxper]

Yes, enjoy living here. Daily chores and issues as you would have anywhere, but on the whole it’s a big YES.

[ICELANDMAN]

Everyone know for the best for him and also will change place for living, everyone have make this choice before and after now for many is easy change country, Thailand is not the top any more for expats, someone like living on the bad place and not go away is him choice and someone other make quickly go away if the situation for expat continues to deteriorate, this is my choice for the future.

But I am fine, thank you for ask

 

Best regards to the IO agent ask for this question

[Raymonddiaz]

I am happy living here in LOS, I only get unhappy when I visit the immigration office once a year for my visa renewal.. I often have the feeling that the immigration officers  don't really want us here...A part from that,I have a good job and I am saving enough for the rainy days and ready to buy an airline ticket to home if anything goes wrong...

[sletraveler]

5 years and can’t complain too much.  The smoke season gets longer and longer and even clean air season is marred by neighbors always finding something smoky to burn.  Immigration, cost of living and medical are all good.   When hitting 71 the insurance here will become a serious factor and may cause me to leave.  
I got run into twice this year in my car because of moron Thai drivers.   Glad I had #1 insurance policy as it cost me nothing for some serious damage.  

[JackThompson]

12 hours ago, Yinn said:

I really like it. Wonderful people, delicious food, funny friends....

Agree ... except for immigration, and their rackets.  This is my ONLY significant complaint about Thailand - hideously corrupt immigration, varying in intensity by office. 

 

Now with the insurance-racket added-in, everyone should be prepared for a shellacking going forward - because, no, it won't be "only for Non-OAs," for long, based on what I've seen here.  Greed will almost certainly drive the "must buy an overpriced Thai policy," to all longer-stay types - all retirement, then marriage/family-based. 

 

I would support a catastrophic-insurance requirement, but like all such rackets, this has NOTHING to do with what it is supposed to be about -  in this case, "making sure your hospital bills are paid," since the top-cover is too low, and the out-patient pointless. 

[TPI]

21 years in, 10 dogs, 3 buff, thousands of fish (neon's), 10 rai, a half kilometre of klong, a "folly", a half crazy wife...very content!

[Matzzon]

1 hour ago, Chazar said:

and what is wrong with that? I  follow  their insane rules..so what

Of course, no problem at all. Everyone to his/hers own. I just couldn´t put myself in such a terrible position in life, and live with all the suffering it must include.

[ballpoint]

Perfectly content living here. 

 

And, if the ones who have already moved are really content with their move, then why are they wasting their time in paradise by posting on a Thailand forum?  It all reeks of the 10cc song "Not in love".  I don't like Thailand, and am glad I moved, but I'm always thinking about it and making multiple posts on a Thai forum.  Yeah.  Right.

[Dr. Zorg]

Yes. Cheap and uncomplicated.

[GalaxyMan]

I can't imagine being able to have the great quality of life anywhere else. My wife is god's gift to my life, the Thai people (generally speaking), the food, the near-perfect weather (Samui), all make it heaven on earth for me. I'll leave when they drag me away, kicking and screaming. ????

[brewsterbudgen]

I'm relatively content.  Been here (Bangkok) nearly 15 years, married (but not to a Thai) and one kid, earning enough through teaching to live comfortably and have enough savings to send the nipper to international school.  Like the OP, it's the poor air quality that worries me.  I'm usually coughing and so is my boy.  The air quality here in central Bangkok is always bad, and sometimes very, very bad.  Purifiers and masks help a little, but not much if you live here.

[toenail]

After working in Thailand over ten years I thought it would be a decent place to retire. As a expat I know where the bargains are and do not need a Starbucks coffee or a meal from a Western restaurant.  I like the medical I receive ( at one of the private hospitals) and I like the friendliness of Thais. What I am getting tired of is the 90 day immigration reporting and the fear of the government not welcoming foreigners to retire here. Hopefully the value of the baht will go down. 

[roquefort]

8 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

Perfectly content living here. 

 

And, if the ones who have already moved are really content with their move, then why are they wasting their time in paradise by posting on a Thailand forum?  It all reeks of the 10cc song "Not in love".  I don't like Thailand, and am glad I moved, but I'm always thinking about it and making multiple posts on a Thai forum.  Yeah.  Right.

We moved a few years back but still come to Thailand several times a year because my wife needs to see her family, so yes, I do keep in touch with what's going on in Thailand by reading and posting on this forum.

 

As someone else has said, it's a question of balance. If the pros outweigh the cons (or vice versa) you make the move. Personally I missed too many things from my home country.......changing seasons, proper conversations, quality food, absence of corruption, laws that are actually enforced........ so I put up with all the PC <deleted> over there and arranged my life so it doesn't really affect me that much. My wife works and earns good money which she couldn't do in Thailand. Most of us have choices, it's up to each of us to make the right ones for our personal situation.

[kingdong]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Seems Bkk is your problem. Solution easy, but if you choose to remain there.........…............…...........

Is pattay a any better?

[Yinn]

16 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Agree ... except for immigration, and their rackets.  This is my ONLY significant complaint about Thailand - hideously corrupt immigration, varying in intensity by office. 

 

Now with the insurance-racket added-in, everyone should be prepared for a shellacking going forward - because, no, it won't be "only for Non-OAs," for long, based on what I've seen here.  Greed will almost certainly drive the "must buy an overpriced Thai policy," to all longer-stay types - all retirement, then marriage/family-based. 

Hmmmm. Maybe.

But immigration not the owner of insurance company. Immigration will not win from that. The insurance company be rich, not immigration that rule.

(i believe you say is corrupt, same land office, school, police, army, agriculture department, orbortor etc etc etc)

 

and

is is better you to have insurance in Thailand. IF have a good company/fair.

 

Better for the foreigner if problem and better for the hospital because SOME people not want to pay. This people make the problem.

If everyone pay, will be no problem.

 

 

16 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

 

I would support a catastrophic-insurance requirement, but like all such rackets, this has NOTHING to do with what it is supposed to be about -  in this case, "making sure your hospital bills are paid," since the top-cover is too low, and the out-patient pointless. 

Maybe Yinn start a fair Insurance Company for foreigner. 

 

Most foreigner will like private hospital. Cleaner with better service. Government hospital must wait, and wait, and wait. So slowly.

The sick foreigner will be angry sure. Will be problem, must wait the queue.

 

But it expansive. Last week my friend can go Wichara government hospital in Phuket. Will be only 130 baht.

At private hospital, same thing will be 6,000 baht. 

 

Private is expansive. But good. 

 

My idea= If foreigner not pay, escape then YOUR government should pay the hospital. YOUR government chase the money.

Good idea?

[EvetsKram]

I love it here and life is good,  my wife wants to stay here forever (Thai wife)  I just hope that I can stay long enough to die here,  the insurance thing is big to me,  I just can't afford to shell out on a policy that will cover virtually nothing. Just a wait and see game for now but I want to stay! 

[Suradit69]

15 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

I might be opening a can of worms

It's a can of worms that, in one form or another, is opened at least once or twice a week on Thai Visa. The amazing thing is the number of people who never tire of responding. 

[4MyEgo]

5 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

The amazing thing is the number of people who never tire of responding. 

The whole point was for them to respond and I am surprised at how many "positive" expats out there responded, suffice to say it looks as if there was no can of worms in this post which was the aim, the hope of not opening a can of worms, perhaps the can with he worms all left ?

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Seems Bkk is your problem. Solution easy, but if you choose to remain there.........…............…...........

For me, the answer to this is really simple, the plusses are still much more than the minuses compared to the UK despite a dreadful government here.

 

 

[Drax]

Can’t complain either. Living at center of sukhumvit is fun when you can afford anything you want. Lots of fun things to do plus I get to travel around Asia often as flights so cheap here. Bangkok may have gotten 25% more expensive than when I came here but.. It’s still epic value compared to cities like Paris, hongkong and so on. Plus it’s summer every day, feels like holidays and there’s so many islands and mountains nearby and party all the time. You only get bored if you choose to.

 

I’ve lived In south Thailand in a small city for a few months a few years ago but it’s a bit boring after awhile. Not many restaurant options. But it was fun to explore the provinces around it. 

[mokwit]

When I compare Thailand today to the nutty flavoursome Thailand of yore it falls short. When I compare it to the alternatives it seems to be the best deal. I have been to the touted alternatives and don't want to live there, not even Arequipa and Cuzco.