Expats, If You Could Go Back In Time

[cardholder]

Hindsight is always 20/20

But I am where I am right now because of the things I did in the past.

Changing the past would also change the present - no ??

Irrefutable.

I think it is impossible to realistically look back and make a judgement with the benefit of 5, 10, 20 years hindsight.

I always said that I wanted "No regrets" on my headstone (a bit pointless as I will be cremated!).

This is pretty much the case,. Of course, there are times when I wish I was still earning todays equivalent of £100k+, annual bonus and 20% p.a. non-contributory pension scheme. That scenario looks attractive when funds are low and I can't 'just do' the frivolous things that I used to and when I have to wait to realise assets before I can build here. However, I would not swap the 5 years of experiences in Thailand etc for that life. In reality I could not go back to it, I am too ring rusty and the skills I had have been overtaken by the demands of new puppet masters.

I would not want to look back with the apparent regrets that Awoh,, seems to have. I hope he has found some happiness in those 20-odd years otherwise it will have just been a waste of time with his remaining life full of regrets.

[StreetCowboy]

Next time, I'd remember to put the notepaper with the winning numbers in my pocket before I went back in time.

SC

EDIT: This thread again?

[RakSamui]

started using eye 90 bar in Samui sooner and visited pattaya more often

[stiggy]

This one night I was drunk the ladyvstuck out as she was taller than the rest, I thought her voice was deep due to smoking and...

On a serious note tried harder to read and write thai, would by now saved me a fortune on lawyers translators and the like.

Also admitted to my self I was here for the long haul earlier, and stopped holding back on things such as visas.

[nocturn]

i wouldn't have hid that kilo of coke in my dreads.

[KeyserSoze01]

I would never have moved here......never have gotten involved with a Thai women (i.e. marriage).......never have invested in anything here. Instead, I would have moved to New Zealand or Panama or some other place. Thailand has been going downhill from the day I first moved here (over twenty years ago), and the decline has accelerated over the past ten years. The really good days (80s and 90s) have gone and will not return. I am looking forward to leaving (yes, I know, do not let the door hit you in the ass on the way out....blah, blah, blah).

Been to Panama or Costa Rica lately? They ain't getting better either. I was turned off by the bars on the windows, increase in crime and home invasions. But I heard they were great places in the 80's and 90's.

Bingo. Panama has gotten expensive and Costa Rica ain't what it use to be.

Bars on the windows is something you see in lots of places, not just latin america.

[elliss]

I would never have moved here......never have gotten involved with a Thai women

Thailand has been going downhill from the day I first moved here (over twenty years ago),

[mca]

Transferred more money than I did when it was over 70 baht to the quid.

[manarak]

let's go back in Time...

business school... no. computer school instead, the internet was just beginning to become a major break through. I'd be a multi-millionnaire now.

first job... would have been completely different.

at 22 or 23 years old I should have traveled the world instead and found Thailand.

marriage... no. or maybe later (but probably not).

[Ricardo]

1323947670[/url]' post='4914345']

I would build two smaller houses, next to each other, rather than one larger one, looking-ahead to the days when our kids leave-home & we don't need so much space for just the two of us.

Is that one for the wife and one for you,I'm confused

One for us, and one (linked) a few yards away for the kids, I'm now getting tired of their idea of 'music' ! Later-on the empty house can be for visitors, or renting-out, if there are any tourists still able to afford it !

We considered the Chinese-style house-layout (which I still like), with buildings round a small courtyard, but went for the larger single property instead, my failure to look far-enough into the future. Think main-house & decent granny-annexe.

Also it might have been cheaper, for the builder to do a couple of houses of the type he usually does, rather than the bigger farang-style one ?

One mistake we didn't make, was to build on two floors, the day will come when walking up/down stairs becomes difficult, and I wouldn't want to lose access to half the building. Build one floor only, and bung-a-low roof on it !

Edited December 16, 2011 by Ricardo

[Sharp]

To be honest not a lot I am doing just fine right now although I live in a tourist destination and if we line up up all jet ski , Tuk Tuk and touts against the wall it would make me very happy and the country would be a better place so my point is if i could go back in time never let it get to this stage

[Riely]

Nothing really, I came at 26yrs old in 01 and loved it ever since, despite the tough times, I doubt I would have changed much. But perhaps if I could, I would have panned things out so I could have came in 97' and took advantage of the "currency crisis" of the time.

[taff33]

Not to 'lend' the wifes two brothers any money

[Naam]

i would have settled in Thailand in 1989 instead of 2004.

[chops]

moved here earlier. 18 instead of 27.

[chops]

More money can never hurt. Staying home to earn it and miss out on the great life here is a touch choice.

I need nothing from my former country anymore. If I need money, I can make it here.

I took some credit cards with me and a bit of savings and never looked back. It's been many years since.

[JurgenG]

The problem is, if you're not stupid, you should learn more from your mistakes than from your success. So if you "erase" your mistakes, you lose a part of your knowledge that came with them.

There is a couple of things that, if I had known the trouble I would get into, I wouldn't probably have done, which would have been a shame as I'm quite happy with what I've done so far.

I really like this quote from Mark Twain (I believe) "They didn't know it was impossible so they did it"

[lovetotravel]

I would never have moved here......never have gotten involved with a Thai women (i.e. marriage).......never have invested in anything here. Instead, I would have moved to New Zealand or Panama or some other place. Thailand has been going downhill from the day I first moved here (over twenty years ago), and the decline has accelerated over the past ten years. The really good days (80s and 90s) have gone and will not return. I am looking forward to leaving (yes, I know, do not let the door hit you in the ass on the way out....blah, blah, blah).

Been to Panama or Costa Rica lately? They ain't getting better either. I was turned off by the bars on the windows, increase in crime and home invasions. But I heard they were great places in the 80's and 90's.

Bingo. Panama has gotten expensive and Costa Rica ain't what it use to be.

Bars on the windows is something you see in lots of places, not just latin america.

Agreed, but just seems the norm there. Rarely did I ever see a place without them down there. Even on apartments 6 floors up!

[PattayaParent]

I'd have bought the 10 rai of beachfront land in Nahklua I was offered for 10 million Baht.

And have bought gold

[TeeKay]

I'd have bought the 10 rai of beachfront land in Nahklua I was offered for 10 million Baht.

And have bought gold

Well said, though I have to agree with the other chap's comment regarding not lending the brother-in-law money. Thailand for me, has yet to play itself out. I have yet to make the necessary effort. I'm just about to semi retire and plan to do so very soon by learning the language and volunteering where I can and if the fit is right .

[DocN]

Should have come here with more money and a better defined plan...but than again...I was never good at planning.

I am ok, with the way things are now!

[JurgenG]

I was thinking, what did I really got wrong in the past 15 years that I've been with my gf and living in and out of Thailand. And I think the main thing is having to rely too much on her when negotiating with Thai people, as I'm far from fluent in the local language. I realized sometime I really put her in an awkward position. When it comes down to business, I like to believe I'm fair but I'm far from Mr Nice Guy. And this goes against her culture. I believe I could have avoid a lot of tension in our relation if I had been able to talk directly with our local contractors. If you want to live in a country, learning the language is really a key issue.

[welbymd]

1. Never would have gotten married the first time.

2. Move to Thailand in '87, instead of '97.

2. Invested $25000 in Apple when stock price was less than $10/share.

3. Retired 5 years ago.

[tailspin]

I would have hung out with Jim Thompson, but not go on any hiking adventures with him in Malaysia

[Awohalitsiktoli]

More money can never hurt. Staying home to earn it and miss out on the great life here is a touch choice.

Especially in some of the bars where touching is allowed.

I would never have moved here......never have gotten involved with a Thai women (i.e. marriage).......never have invested in anything here. Instead, I would have moved to New Zealand or Panama or some other place. Thailand has been going downhill from the day I first moved here (over twenty years ago), and the decline has accelerated over the past ten years. The really good days (80s and 90s) have gone and will not return. I am looking forward to leaving (yes, I know, do not let the door hit you in the ass on the way out....blah, blah, blah).

Its called progress. You may want to try Burma for that 3rd world feeling.

Interesting and very predictable set of responses (not just your response, but many others that came after it). You do not like the message (probably a reality you do not want to acknowledge because you are stuck here), so you attack the messenger, and you do so based on erroneous assumptions about the messenger. I have seen this happen over and over and over again on ThaiVisa. The fact is clear: a very large number of expats feel precisely like I do, especially those who are not Russian and have been here (at least off and on) for several decades. The 80s and 90s really were not that bad. The real decline began around 2004 and shows no sign of reversing itself. If you want to call it "progress" do so, but to me progress is associated with something that is positive and not negative. As far as "Third World feeling" I experience it each day in Thailand, which is very much a developing country. Why go to Burma? Some of you need to get a grip on reality. Panama and crime and bars on windows? Give me a break, it is not more dangerous than Thailand and not all places have bars on the windows (e.g., very nice high rise condos there that do not have bars on the windows). I could go on addressing each point, but that would be pointless when the readers are wearing very big rose-colored glasses.

[expatdreamer]

Thanks to everyone for their posts. Some very candid responses including Awoh's which I believe are helpful for people like myself considering the move to Thailand in the future.

[vpi78]

Thanks to everyone for their posts. Some very candid responses including Awoh's which I believe are helpful for people like myself considering the move to Thailand in the future.

If that is what you really think then you are missing the message of many of the posts.

AWOL is bitter, For what, who knows? But Thailamd remains a great place to live, with or without all of the expatriate soap operas.

[meatboy]

only just seen this topic,would i go back in time only wish i could have met the mrs 2years earlier,28years and dont regret one minute

[Awohalitsiktoli]

Thanks to everyone for their posts. Some very candid responses including Awoh's which I believe are helpful for people like myself considering the move to Thailand in the future.

If that is what you really think then you are missing the message of many of the posts.

AWOL is bitter, For what, who knows? But Thailamd remains a great place to live, with or without all of the expatriate soap operas.

Once gain you distort what I said. Bitter? Soap opera? Not really......you have no idea what my current status is or what good times I had or am having. You have no idea how many years I have spent here (in fact, my job requires me to frequently leave Thailand for long periods of time). I was pointing out what is obvious to virtually all of the Western expats I know who have been here a long time: the place has gone downhill. Some call it "progress." But that progress has come with an increase in crime, an increase in the cost of living, an increase in pollution, an increase in crowding, an increase in traffic (and traffic jams), an increase in xenophobia, and increase in attempts to use the visa system to kick us out, etc. Most people I know (except the Russians) are wanting to leave. They do not necessarily want to leave Thailand, but they definitely want to leave Pattaya-Jomtien. I also pointed out relationship reality and was trying to warn readers about "getting married here." I also was, in my own way, trying to warn readers about doing business here, especially with Thais. Those who are in touch with reality know how challenging marriage to a Thai women can be and how dangerous it can be to go into business with a Thai. That is reality and surely you can't deny it or brush it away. For many of us the single life is better. Finally, I would like to note, again, that some of us do know better places to retire and "want to leave," not so much because we hate this place but because we have found a better alternative. I do not hate Thailand or Pattaya-Jomtien. But I would not go so far as to say "it is a great place to be." It is what it is. What is totally amazing is the unwillingness of many posters here to point out any negatives. You must have your head deep in the sand. I can point out positives: new malls, many Western food choices, some new condos.......but that is it as far as I am concerned. You have to weigh the negatives vs the positives and to many of us the negatives have grown far too heavy. Not all people, obviously, agree with my view. Part of me suspects that they have an agenda based on real estate interests. So, they do not want any negative information put out on the internet about this place. If I could go back I would definitely not do things the same way. In particular, Thailand would only be a place to visit; it would not be a second home for me.

[pomchop]

1. Spend more time in bars being told how handsome I was.

2. Believe every story told by drunk farangs in bars about how rich, powerful, smart, they were.

3. Always go with tuk tuk drivers when they are willing to share a special jewelry sale with me.

4. Try to help out more bar girls whose family water buffalo has died.

5. Spend more time watching shower shows in girlie bars...and buy them some nice soaps.

6. Try and ride more motorcy taxis especially driven by guys on ya ba.

7. Never ever pick the "star of the bar".

8. Always sample every selection of strange looking bugs you see.

9. Never look when crossing streets as you know that motorbikes are not allowed on sidewalks

10.Always loan huge amounts of money to Thai people with no income and lots of dependents.