LEAVING THAILAND

Post by **bumper** » June 8, 2011, 9:55 am

Yes at times the forum is negative, is it possible that maybe more so then the real world ?

I still like NKP the village area the other side of Khan Kean. But, any of that would be a huge change that I don't care to do.

I just don't see anything better then Thailand for me. Does that mean I'm happy all the time hell no, b never had that experience. Life is full little problems that have to be overcome everywhere

Post by **Galee** » June 8, 2011, 10:36 am

Unless political/financial changes mean it's no longer viable to live here I plan to "pop my clogs" here.

Post by **electricman911** » June 21, 2011, 7:26 pm

Well don't even think about coming to the UK ! I could go on and on , the price of fuel to start with soon you won't be able to afford to go to work ,that is if you have a job and if you do after taxes your better off staying home .

Post by **fredythehound** » June 21, 2011, 7:39 pm

saying that thailands got expensive now,can cost more to live here

Post by **747man** » June 21, 2011, 8:39 pm

electricman911 wrote:Well don't even think about coming to the UK ! I could go on and on , the price of fuel to start with soon you won't be able to afford to go to work ,that is if you have a job and if you do after taxes your better off staying home .

Agreed 911, I was back there recently and I drive a London type Cab, For an AVERAGE Days work, Say 100 Miles it was costing me 27.00 Quid to fill the tank back up with Diesel at 143p A LITRE......Ridculous as 80% of it is TAXES......

Post by **fdimike** » June 22, 2011, 8:08 am

I spent nearly a month cycling through Cambodia from southern Laos and found it was more like Thailand about 30 years ago. The only exception was the capital PP and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat). I didn't make it to the southern coast so I don't know what its like down that way. Overall, electricity is scarce even in the cities (excluding PP & Siem Reap) with nearly every hotel having its own electrical generator. There is no electricity available outside the cities mentioned above unless there happens to be a cell phone tower nearby. There is no electrical grid to speak of so cell phone towers have to have their own electrical generator. The company then may choose to sell excess power to the local community. The same applies to piped water. Inside the cities it's available but outside it's strictly wells. Paved roads are scarce as well, once off the main highways. Cell phones service was not a problem at all. I had service everywhere I went. Internet was available in all the cities I passed through. The cable tv system was outstanding with many programs in English. The only supermarkets I encountered was in PP and a small one in Siem Reap. Modern convenience stores are available in PP & Siem Reap with Mom & Pop stores everywhere else. Nearly all the villages and small towns I traveled through relied on ice to keep things cool. I found the people to be very friendly and happy to see & converse with a foreigner, especially one riding a bicycle. I spoke with a number of hotel & restaurant owners in the cities and all told me that nearly everything has to be sourced out of PP. Driving and traffic is definitely a problem throughout the areas I rode through. This is especially true in PP where it's a chaotic "free for all". Outside the cities dirt roads, high speeds and for all practical purposes no rules made for an "exciting" journey. Eating at local restaurants (in the larger towns) along the way was affordable and the food seemed to be well prepared as best I could tell. There wasn't much food for sale in the villages I passed through. Charcoal is the fuel of choice for cooking nearly everywhere I went. Drinking water & soft drinks were available in nearly every village I passed through. The only hospital I saw was in PP. PP had hundreds (maybe thousands) of hotels in nearly every price range you could imagine. The same could be said about Siem Reap. The other cities I visited all had at least 1 hotel with most having several. I did not see any hotels/resorts (motels) big or small outside the cities.

Post by **fdimike** » June 22, 2011, 9:13 am

My comment regarding Cambodia being like Thailand 30 years ago obviously did not apply to cell phones, cable tv & the internet. I'm sure we all know that these things were not available 30 years ago in most countries.

Post by **Jed** » June 22, 2011, 10:00 am

A friend of mine lived in Kep-Kamphot area of southern Cambodia along the coast, not far from Vietnam, for the past year.

He moved to Vietnam recently however with his Vietnamese wife -- left Nong Khai because of visa hassles. Couldn't stand the uncertainty and threats from Immigration as well, despite he and his wife being highly educated and qualified teachers.

He had a nice house by the river near Kep, with decent Internet in town, in his second place there, an apartment above a bookstore. He watches his money, so that shows you how cheap it is. He bicycled back and forth between his town flat and his river house. Sabai sabai.

He loved the visa situation in Cambodia as it was so easy, and he could get cash from ATMs. He did mention the occassional trip to PP to re-supply along a bumpy road, since so little is available elsewhere in the country; much worse than NK even!

Quite a few Westerners there, I gather, and he found it a comfortable place to live. Worth checking out if you're looking at Cambodia.

He's now in Nha Trang, Vietnam, which is booming, and is very happy there as well.

I spent some time in Kunming, Yunnan Province of China, a few years ago, and really enjoyed that. I figured if I was a single young man that's where I would head.

There's certainly no shortage of places to live outside Thailand. Most people fly into Bangkok coming here, get used to the ease of Thailand, and never venture much further afield, though there is no lack of pleasant and exciting alternatives in the region, that's for sure.

Good luck!

Post by **Zidane** » June 22, 2011, 10:32 am

Some excellent posts on here and well worth bearing in mind with the current political uncertainty in Thailand if it all goes pear shaped after the elections.
Certainly I'd only consider going back to the UK as a last resort and countries like Cambodia,Laos,Malaysia and the Phillipines seem viable alternatives worth trying out.

Post by **Prenders88** » June 22, 2011, 11:32 am

I've heard this a lot from others, that it could go tits up for Johnny Foreigner after the election.

What would be the scenarios?

Post by **Zidane** » June 22, 2011, 11:57 am

If it gets dangerous for farangs,I'd say for us in Udon,leg it over the Friendship Bridge into Laos asap......or swim across to Vientiane from Si Chiang Mai !

If we are advised to leave,and its not thought too dangerous,then fly from Udon to Bangkok then fly out of Thailand but likely to be chaotic at Suvarnabhumi.
Or could fly Udon to Phuket then onwards to Singapore.....

For visas for Brits consider......

Hong Kong 180 days
Malaysia 90 days

plus in Cambodia and the Phillipines its easy to get yearly visas......gives you breathing space whilst you assess the situation in Thailand.

Post by **747man** » June 22, 2011, 12:31 pm

Andy, Do you reckon it's rewally going to get that SERIOUS ??????

Post by **jackspratt** » June 22, 2011, 12:45 pm

Prenders88 wrote:I've heard this a lot from others, that it could go tits up for Johnny Foreigner after the election.

What would be the scenarios?

Given that there is no evidence to support what "others" (even lots of them) are saying, for me the best scenario is to ignore the scuttlebutt - in the very unlikely event something does happen, there will be plenty of time to make appropriate moves.

Post by **Zidane** » June 22, 2011, 1:57 pm

747man wrote:Andy, Do you reckon it's rewally going to get that SERIOUS ??????

There there Alan,dont you go worrying unneccessarily !

Hopefully there will be no impact on farangs but its always useful to have a Plan B for whatever the scenario for your life in Thailand.

Post by **hangsaboot** » June 22, 2011, 3:12 pm

Zidane wrote:If it gets dangerous for farangs,I'd say for us in Udon,leg it over the Friendship Bridge into Laos asap......or swim across to Vientiane from Si Chiang Mai !
.

as the queues build up on the nong kai road,
pick ups laden , rear axles at breaking point .

the thai brain tank ,

blow up friendship bridge ,
and charge farangs for overstay ,

my plan B ,
when the kong is low ,
cycle acrooss , on my penny farthing ,
laden with my worldly possesesions , in two tesco bags .
LOL

Post by **fatbas***d** » June 22, 2011, 4:17 pm

I will be leaving after 18 yrs at the end of this yr, only reason is education for my children, even the best schools are barely adequate and rate poorly with the state system schools in Aust or NZ.
In addition, what do they do when they finish their education ? limited and very poorly paid options for them here and I don't see it improving in the future.

Post by **Saboo** » June 22, 2011, 4:30 pm

fatbas***d wrote:I will be leaving after 18 yrs at the end of this yr, only reason is education for my children, even the best schools are barely adequate and rate poorly with the state system schools in Aust or NZ.
In addition, what do they do when they finish their education ? limited and very poorly paid options for them here and I don't see it improving in the future.

Best of luck… I too am thinking along the very same lines… that will come as good news to some...

Family comes first and always will

Mr Saboo

Post by **old-timer** » June 22, 2011, 5:00 pm

Saboo wrote:
fatbas***d wrote:I will be leaving after 18 yrs at the end of this yr, only reason is education for my children, even the best schools are barely adequate and rate poorly with the state system schools in Aust or NZ.
In addition, what do they do when they finish their education ? limited and very poorly paid options for them here and I don't see it improving in the future.
Best of luck… I too am thinking along the very same lines… that will come as good news to some... Family comes first and always will

Mr Saboo

OT's thinking of putting his youngest son in boarding school. Maybe an international in Bangkok. He's 10 now so his future career will depend on the next ten years or so education he gets. There is no education in UT. I doubt if our family will ever leave Thailand, not that we want to. OT's hardly there these days but I still call it my main home. I've been staying in the UK for a couple of weeks or so and It is nowhere near as appealing as Thailand. I'm looking out of my office window now and it's wet, cold and miserable and on top of that, when I pop down the pub for a pint and sandwich at lunchtime I know there won't be a WFB in sight.

OT................ $\:D/$

Post by **nkstan** » June 22, 2011, 5:26 pm

I can't think of a scenario that would be negative for falangs from the election..Unless they did some idiotic moves regarding Thai politics.Not to say that things might not go tits up for Thailand as more and more political polarization will probably brink them to the edge of civil war,if not actual civil war.
Our responsibility is to keep up with events,to avoid confrontational situations and stay dumb dumb dumb regarding political choices.

That said,I am considering returning to the USA and test the waters.I would not consider leaving my dog without someone that would treat it as a friend and companion as I do.

The airlines will not allow Shih Tzus for transport and I thought I might enjoy a Transpacific ship cruise,but they also don't accept dogs for passengers.So,even though I am once again a single guy,I still feel that I have responsibilities and obligations here to those I love,which will keep me here!

I am 100% supportive of those that leave for educational purposes,your right the immediate family comes first and economic opportunity is sorely lacking here for the children,IMO!

One of the reasons for my considering the move back to the USA is that I believe that I can increase my wealth with my trading skills with the tools available there,that don't exist here.Which would put me in a position to educate my daughter in University there!

Post by **bumper** » June 22, 2011, 5:32 pm

They burned City Hall and most of didn't even notice till it was on the News. Even during the violent Coup farrangs were not targets per the guys who lived here in those days. Anyone living in any foreign country should have a plan B, it will really take a lot for me to exercise that.

The effect I think I will notice the most is a drop in the market and I will begin buying again.