If you weren't in Thailand, where would you be?

[1FinickyOne]

9 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

12. Easy and convenient? Traffic is easy? Nothing is convenient.

That is true only in the heavily touristy places... or some of Bkk like any major city... in the countryside - just not so. 

 

9 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

7. Friendly and polite? You must not read those 100's of stories of farangs getting bashed 10 to 1.

Again - tourist area activities w/lots of alcohol - 

 

9 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Why move all the way to Thailand if you can get the exact same thing in Florida?

Because you can't... I think your Thai. experience has been very limited and bitter... 

 

And if you are a bitter person, anyplace you go - there you are... 

 

But thanks for sharing your bile... 

[madmen]

11 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

I would be here where I am now, Western Australia, beautiful climate fantastic beaches (sorry not many temples) no immigration hassle no reports every months the best place to life 

No temples? What about go go and beer bars? ..yeah nope. There's always the local porn theater to see naked 20 year Olds but not my style. 

 

Ozzie ozzie Ozzie! 

 

[Enlil]

Colombia ???????? And you can go there now its open. 

Edited January 18, 2021 by Enlil

[Moonlover]

I would probably still be living in Egypt. I had a nice apartment close by the Red Sea with great diving of course. A huge choice of restaurants and a cheap cost of living. There was even a good choice of Thai masseuses to keep me entertained.

 

And if I hadn't married one of them I'll still be there!

[Enlil]

13 hours ago, 2009 said:

After all this time I still think Thailand is an excellent choice for an expat.

 

In no particular order, just shooting from the hip: 

 

1. highly socially developed people (except when driving)

2. sophisticated healthcare

3. affordable 

4. good standard of living

5. lots of fun

6. many things to see and do

7. friendly and polite (mostly) people

8. not too much racism

9. pretty good weather

10. great selection of food

11. safe

12  almost everything is easy and convenient

 

Probably the only thing I would change is the drivers.

 

I struggle to think of anywhere I have been that ticks so many boxes. Actually, I can't think of anywhere.

 

If I wasn't here I am really not sure where I would be. Definitely not China. I don't think Japan. Not Laos or Malaysia. I like Indonesia, but I don't think I would want to live there.

 

Couldn't see myself living in South America. Africa, hmmm...never been, can't say. I like India, but who knows if I could really live there. North America, no chance. 

 

Europe would be too boring, backward, and PC. 

 

Vietnam would be my next choice, I think. Maybe Cambodia.

 

What about you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Thais keep to themselves mostly as well they not highly social people 

2. Public health care is not so good and private is rip off. 

3. Thailand is more expensive then Germany or USA if you compare same things. 

[cormanr7]

I have looked at Portugal. I would not mind Singapore but there is no way I could afford that.

[Antonymous]

Was just having a conversation about this with my Thai wife this morning. Not that we want to move away from Thailand, but just as a 'what if...SHTF' possibility. Thailand has given me the most wonderful life and I certainly don't want to move away unless something pretty awful happens.

 

The definite first choice for us would be Malaysia. Many positives including:

 

Easy to get to from Thailand (and to visit Thailand from)

Can import your car and possessions free from Thailand

If retired, can still work and earn extra money

Regular income from abroad (such as pensions) can be brought in tax free

Cosmopolitan, friendly people

Very good hospitals

Good infrastructure

Beautiful countryside and beaches

'My Second Home' 10-year retirement visa option. We can meet the financial requirements for this but I appreciate that they are quite steep for some.

 

I can't think of anywhere else that ticks as many boxes.

[Tagged]

9 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

1. Thailand is not known as a socially developed nation. Unless you count coups and protests.

2. Sophisticated healthcare compared to where?

3. Affordable only if you have lower living standards.

4. Good standard of living? Visa hassles, air pollution, corruption, traffic, scams, coups

5. Lots of fun? There are much funner places elsewhere without dual pricing.

6. Many things to see and do the same as any country

7. Friendly and polite? You must not read those 100's of stories of farangs getting bashed 10 to 1.

8. If there is not too much racism, you don't understand Thailand very well.

9. Monsoon rains, super high humidity and temps is not good weather. 

10.  Great selection of food? Sorry, no, no and no. The food all over is poor quality.

11. Safe? See #7

12. Easy and convenient? Traffic is easy? Nothing is convenient.

 

All that being said, Thailand is where people end up that cannot afford to live on their income in their own country or other countries with much more to offer than Thailand.

 

Comparing Thailand to Florida. 99% of the Thai's in Florida speak English. Ton's of Thai restaurants. Thai grocery stores, Thai temples. Why move all the way to Thailand if you can get the exact same thing in Florida? Very good question? 

 

To answer your question, without a doubt I would live in Aruba. It's not cheap, however, it's natural beauty and the attitude of the people. 

 

I also like Belize. 

 

Costa del Spain or Portugal.

 

Nothing in Asia. Tried Thailand for 10 years. It was enough to convince me to get back to work and save up so I can retire somewhere decent.

 

 

 

 

For an europeen it is more convinient to live in Thailand,  and everything is better than Florida except the skudiving, Florida mexican food and the fishing!

 

Never been so cold as I have been in Florida in january and I am from Norway. Bonecold! 
 

And the politics, people and so on I prefer still Thailand. But nothing can beat a local biker bar or just a local bar where the locals got their car parked outside with the winchester racked in the back window and they think american wrestling is proper entertainment instead of music. 
 

I spent enought time in florida the be sure I still prefer Thailand for its good and bad

 

Edit note: And I forgot, Florida is the only place in the world where the police hold me at gun point for speeding on motorbike! In thailand you makes selfies with the police

Edited January 18, 2021 by Tagged

[crobe]

My work is global so I would probably keep a place in Thailand, but I have projects in other places so could choose to live in different countries at various times - I have already lived in 8 different countries so mostly do not want to go back there - here is where I spend most of my time up until Covid struck

 - UK - London Docklands - although my work is mainly in Oxford, Sheffield and Glasgow, London is still ideal for living and I like to be close enough to the centre without the noise and the new crossrail makes this attractive to get to/from Heathrow

 - Tallinn, Estonia - post-Brexit it was necessary to have a base in the EU - and Luxembourg was too far away from my work in Sweden - more lively than Stockholm with still a small city feeling

 - Singapore - While I do most of my work in the APAC region from Thailand, there are advantages of more business contact in Singapore, and using the company there could get PR

 - Halifax - Nova Scotia - Canada - a short commute to NY and much better environment and friendlier people - would not want to be in US permanently

 - Montiveideo, Uruguay - the Singapore of South America, much better than Brazil or Argentina for business, and good nightlife

[norfolkandchance]

Italy.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Probably the U.K. for me.

I lived in Brazil for 20 years and left there to retire back in the U.K. and spend some quality time with my old dad in early 2016. A short trip to Thailand 6 months before this happened changed my plans!!

Recently divorced and retired back in the U.K. , the novelty would have worn off quickly and when my ageing dad had to go into care 2 years ago I might have considered living overseas again.

Portugal and Mexico would have been on my short list I’m sure.

 

But I have to admit I haven’t given other options much thought, moving to Thailand happened quickly and up to now have no regrets, ticks all my boxes ????

[Natai Beach]

12 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

I would be here where I am now, Western Australia, beautiful climate fantastic beaches (sorry not many temples) no immigration hassle no reports every months the best place to life 

 

And big meat pie scoffing beefy shielas sitting in parks drinking out of goon bags. 
Paradise mate. 
 

Surprised you spend so much time on a thai forum.

[Natai Beach]

10 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

1. Thailand is not known as a socially developed nation. Unless you count coups and protests.

2. Sophisticated healthcare compared to where?

3. Affordable only if you have lower living standards.

4. Good standard of living? Visa hassles, air pollution, corruption, traffic, scams, coups

5. Lots of fun? There are much funner places elsewhere without dual pricing.

6. Many things to see and do the same as any country

7. Friendly and polite? You must not read those 100's of stories of farangs getting bashed 10 to 1.

8. If there is not too much racism, you don't understand Thailand very well.

9. Monsoon rains, super high humidity and temps is not good weather. 

10.  Great selection of food? Sorry, no, no and no. The food all over is poor quality.

11. Safe? See #7

12. Easy and convenient? Traffic is easy? Nothing is convenient.

 

All that being said, Thailand is where people end up that cannot afford to live on their income in their own country or other countries with much more to offer than Thailand.

 

Comparing Thailand to Florida. 99% of the Thai's in Florida speak English. Ton's of Thai restaurants. Thai grocery stores, Thai temples. Why move all the way to Thailand if you can get the exact same thing in Florida? Very good question? 

 

To answer your question, without a doubt I would live in Aruba. It's not cheap, however, it's natural beauty and the attitude of the people. 

 

I also like Belize. 

 

Costa del Spain or Portugal.

 

Nothing in Asia. Tried Thailand for 10 years. It was enough to convince me to get back to work and save up so I can retire somewhere decent.

 

 

 

 

13 The weather is too warm in Thailand for snowflakes. They melt. 

[2009]

31 minutes ago, Natai Beach said:

 

And big meat pie scoffing beefy shielas sitting in parks drinking out of goon bags. 
Paradise mate. 
 

Surprised you spend so much time on a thai forum.

 

True.

 

Can scarcely think of a nation with better women than Thailand. They really are world class in their own way.

 

"Better" is hard to define of course. And you have to navigate those waters carefully no matter where the woman is from.

 

That said, I am single for life now with plenty of fish in the Gulf of Thailand.

[Odysseus123]

2 hours ago, 2009 said:

 

1. They do a very good job of handling their protests, problems n all that in a grown up manner, unlike some other countries I can think of. In general, they are very amicable and respectful. In general, peaceful and fairy sensible nation.

 

2. The US. Are you aware of the healthcare system they have? Even the UK. I personally know 3 people whose cancer went undiagnosed cos the GP felt that an x-ray and basic blood testing was too much for their budget. My dad's cancer was diagnosed in an Isaan government hospital. Turns out he had it 5 years. The professor doing his case study in the UK shook his head in shame when he heard the symptoms my dad's GP ignored.

 

3. Well, I live a great standard if living for less than "back home"

 

4. I like the immigration system; better than Thailand turning into Somalia. Can't remember the last time I was scammed or the victim of corruption. Air quality, ok. I will give you that. Phuket however has the same air quality the western world, if you believe the app data. Always green.

 

5. Can't remember the last time I was the victim of dual pricing.

 

6. Nah, some places are really boring.

 

7. Been here since 2009, never seen a fight, or violence. Now, in the UK it is a different story. You get bashed for fun by teenagers. The police call it "recreational violence" there. Bizarre term for a developed nation to have. How many dangerous ghettos are there here? I reckon half the housing estates around major UK cities would be dangerous to just go wandering in. You can walk around Bangkok, or any city without concern, day or night. They don't have "rough areas" here. Khlong Toei Port maybe only.

 

8. Well, I could live in the West and be hated for being a straight white male, or I could live in Japan where nobody will sit beside me on the train cos am white, or be not allowed in entertainment venues due to not being Japanese. I will take the "farang farang" thing. Thanks. Seems the lesser of evils. And often, it works in my favour. Lol. So it balances out.

 

9. I love the rainy season. I love the cool season. Right now, beautiful weather. March and April are too hot, yes.

 

10. What's your idea of high quality food? Okay, you don't have good beef or salmon, but the local offerings are delicious. And there is SO much choice, everywhere.

 

11. Yeah, safest place I have lived. No concern of getting bashed by a Thai for no reason just cos it is 3am and he has had too much to drink.

 

12. You have the SkyTrain, underground, riverboats, taxis, motorcycle taxis, tuk tuks, buses. What more do you want? Outside of Bangkok traffic ain't heavy. You can do everything at 7eleven (e.g. book a bus ticket, train, flight, pay any bill, pay a bank loan) etc etc. Street food right outside your home, unless you live in a rice field. How could it be any more convenient.

 

 

 

 

..and this advertisement was provided for you courtesy of the TAT out of specie (glorious,wonderful, doubloons) pre-allocated from the new,mandatory, Thai Tourism Promotions fund.????

 

On the whole Thailand is quite a nice place to live..but there's no place like home at the moment.

 

We shall see in 2022.

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by Odysseus123

[Natai Beach]

29 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

..and this advertisement was provided for you courtesy of the TAT out of specie (glorious,wonderful, doubloons) pre-allocated from the new,mandatory, Thai Tourism Promotions fund.????

Nah, just someone same as me that actually lives here, unlike yourself, who is very happy with his lot.

 

if we were not very happy, and there was somewhere better, we would move there. 

 

 

 

[bermondburi]

I would be in Saudi. And will be back there next month. 

[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, Natai Beach said:

Nah, just someone same as me that actually lives here, unlike yourself, who is very happy with his lot.

 

if we were not very happy, and there was somewhere better, we would move there. 

 

 

 

Of course you would .

 

As I said-perfectly happy to live in Thailand....perfectly happy to live in my home country as I don't need to be constricted by some sort of primitive dualistic binary vision.

 

However,I suspect that no decision will be made by me or my Thai wife as to our future domestic arrangements until 2022 at least.

 

Hopefully travel restrictions will have eased by then.

[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, Natai Beach said:

unlike yourself, who is very happy with his lot.

 

You would not have a clue about my personal happiness Sunny Jim.

[Natai Beach]

1 hour ago, Natai Beach said:

Nah, just someone same as me that actually lives here, unlike yourself,

 

3 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

You would not have a clue about my personal happiness Sunny Jim.

I was referring to where you live. Not your happiness. 
 

Kind regards 

 

 

 

[Odysseus123]

Just now, Natai Beach said:

 

I was referring to where you live. Not your happiness. 
 

Kind regards 

 

 

 

"Unlike you" is not implying where anyone lives.

Stop with the personal remarks as you do not have a clue as to the state of my "happiness".

Do it next time and I will report you.

 

[mr_lob]

16 hours ago, teacherclaire said:

Portugal seems to be nice. And the Senoritas are great, too. 

 

Portugal, with its welcoming locals and pleasant climate, offers expats a very good quality of life. ... Portugal attracts an above-average percentage of retirees. It also ranks in the top 10 for family life. Expats enjoy the climate and weather.

 

Blue Skies and Warm Smiles

Portugal ranks an impressive 6th out of 68 countries in the overall results for 2018. In three indices, the country ranks in the top 10, including fifth for ease of settling in and second for quality of life.

 

Expat Insider 2018: The Pros & Cons of Expat Life in Portugal | InterNations

We moved to the Algarve after 16 years in Thailand.

It ticks all the boxes and more.

[wasabi]

If money were no object than the US as my home with vacations to Thailand periodically. Since money IS a concern Thailand is my home. 

[Tagged]

1 minute ago, mr_lob said:

We moved to the Algarve after 16 years in Thailand.

It ticks all the boxes and more.

Love Madeira and just a 9 hours flight to Brasil

[DaLa]

 

 

Costa del Crime?.  Thai government probably learned all they know about corruption from the Spanish government. Second highest unemployment rate in  the EU and the new build architecture is so bad they give up half way through building anything.  Seville is ok though.

 

 

[khunano]

15 hours ago, Sujo said:

I had 3 choices.

Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia.

 

It was a toss up between malaysia and vietnam. I chose malaysia and have been here 8 years but i would have been just as happy in vietnam.

 

If i move again it will probably be vietnam or philippines. I have traveled a lot to thailand but as a place to live i prefer the others.

May I ask where in Malaysia do you live? I am considering the country (Penang) to spend winters there sometime in future. I am back in my native country in Europe, lived in Thailand for 23 years, liked it most of the time, not sure whether I want to go back there though for an extended period of time, too many things have changed....

[Odysseus123]

13 minutes ago, mr_lob said:

We moved to the Algarve after 16 years in Thailand.

It ticks all the boxes and more.

In my younger days I spent almost a year teaching in Tomar (Thomar) and then spent the last few months in Ponte de Lima/Ponte de Barca and Amarante "the beautiful"-as I dubbed it.

Wonderful country-lovely people.

At the long ridge near Coimbra is the battlefield of Busaco  (27th September 1810) and inscribed on the museum's doors is the Duke of Wellington's glowing tribute to the Portuguese infantry that fought so bravely there.It brings tears to ones eyes.

Edited January 18, 2021 by Odysseus123

[JimmyJ]

If I wasn't in Vietnam, I would be in Thailand.

 

My original plan - Thailand for 6 months, Vietnam for 6.

 

Due to Covid, I'm long overdue to be back in Thailand.

 

But glad it worked out this way - Vietnam is 1 of the safest countries in the world during the pandemic.

 

And Vietnam ticks all of the OP's boxes .

 

At this time, if it ever gets back to "normal", I'm now thinking 8 months Vietnam, 2 - 2 month Thailand stays per year.

Edited January 18, 2021 by JimmyJ

[TSF]

I'd be sitting on out on the balcony of my 5th floor apartment in Perth, looking at the sunset over the city skyline as I enjoy a nice chilled glass of Margaret River red. 

[AgMech Cowboy]

Texas!