What brought you to Thailand in the first place?

[iciodaverona]

I started from Italy in summer 2004 to Thailand after a very bad three years story with an italian girl, and i was invited by a friend who had a house and a girlfriend in a village outside Udon Thani.

We all know the stories about "bad" Thai girls, and told my friend i go to Thailand only if we were going in a no-touristic area (very far from Phuket and this kind of places), because i wanted to see the real Thailand and in that time i was very sad and i wanted only a breaking period from my frustrating and empty life.

In few words, my first trip to Thailand (and Issan) was some kind of therapeutical moment for heart and soul ... then i loved this place and i was back in 2005 (and 2006 i hope) ... but it's another story

Bye bye by Icio.

[lee]

I first visited Thailand in 1998 on my way to work in Australia. I was originally going to stop off in South Africa but decided on Thailand because my uncle was living there, it's always nice to have someone show you around in a new country. I was in Thailand for only 10 days before making my way to Oz, but the memory lingered on, and a year later I was back again.
I met a girl on my second visit, traveled backwards and forwards to Australia for work until a couple of years back, and then I decided what the hell, if I like living here so much why don't I move here permanently. 8 years later here I am, enjoying every minute albeit a single man now.

Lee

[BangkokButcher]

For me it was a total pot luck, I was 24 at the time and due to go to Tenerife with the lads on the usual 2 weeker, then my Mum died some 3 weeks beforehand, so the plans that were there quickly disappeared.

Time moved on and I booked another break, but with no idea of where to go, so my Thai friend from work/lodger (now wife) was due to get back home to Thailand to see her family and duely invited me along to try and cheer me up.

What can I say, it worked, never looked back since and the best thing about the trip, was that it gave our friendship a chance to develop into a romance a little while after returning to the UK, and here we are 10 years later, happily married with 3 little'uns.

I suppose the most surprising thing about our relationship is the fact that I done things backwards to most guys and met the wife over here, she moved to the UK back in 1989 with her mum and step dad.

Hey Beer Monkey, now there's a coincidence, 2 Sean's on the board (with the same spelling surprisingly) and they're both Essex boys, well I was before I moved out of Southend (Shoeburyness) for work purposes.

[Roadman]

For me it was a tragedy in my family, and a break from what had been same same every day for many years.
I had raised two children while also holding down a management position. The youngest I lost at 19 years of age. Absolutely shattered me at the time. Wanted to get away from my environment of the previous 20 odd years.
I had been sponsoring a little girl in BuriRam province through CCF for about 4 years at the time so decided Thailand would make a welcome change from the usual holidays to Aussie and the USA. Arranged with CCF to spend weekend at my sponsored childs village and project.
Arrived at Bangkok airport not speaking a word of Thai, grabbed a Budget rental car and farang/Thai roadmap and set off bound for Issan. Spent all my time (apart from 1 week in Khorat) out in the small towns and rural areas of BuriRam and surrounds. At times it was trying, but loved every minute of it. Could not recommend better therapy for a shattered life than spending time with people who have so much less than us westerns, but who go about life with so much joy. Found my peace and put my tradgedy to rest in the old temple at Phi Mai. Had been sitting there with shades on, tears streaming down my face for a long time, when a quiet Sawatdee Ka interupted my solitiude and grieve. An older lady was standing there and gave me some beautiful flowers. We could not speak but a handful of words of each others language but there was no need. Thoughts and actions were enough to understand.
In following trips I always came back to Issan, and eventually found the beautiful lady who is now my better half. Issan may not have the beautiful beaches of the only other area of Thailand that I regurally go to spend time with Kiwi and Thai friends(ChaAm), but the people are the best in Thailand.

[banpaeng]

Very good stories and enjoyed reading them. Mine a bit different and always thought a bit soppy but here goes. I know you said no Military but:

Came to Thailand with the military and was scheduled to be here a year. Could not stand it and only wanted to leave. (Please remember I came from a south Texas redneck community). I served my year, ran the bars, drank way to much, and finally left.

I came back to the states and within a month started haveing these missing something feelings. To young and dumb to relize what was happening but it got to bothering me. Tried to drink it away to no avail. Then did a bit of soul searching and decided I wanted to go back to Thailand. (by the way still had not met my wife or any other pouying that I cared about for that matter). Also I was working with an E-6 that knew the signs as he wanted to go to Taiwan. After talking with him, I just wanted to go back to Thailand. He gave me some advice on how to go about it in the military. I had to drive to San Antonio, Texas to the base where assignments came out. I did and found the E-4 that was over assignments for my career field. Cost me a case of Scotch, and he told me he would see what he could do. Well about two weeks later I had orders to go to NKP. (first tour was in Udon). I was suppose to leave in two weeks and got the change to return to Udon.

Upon arrival, I walked off base before processing in and went to an old frieds house called Al. He was married to a Thai. A young lady was visiting them. I met her and did not know at the time, but she was to become my wife.

Married this lady in 1973, went to work and had first son in 1974. Still with this lady.

Went back later to process in and went about life in Thailand. Was forced to rotate out in 1975. Did not return untill 1977. Been going back every year except 2005. As stated in another thread, every time I leave always feel like something is missing.

Sorry for bringing in the military but it was the sole reason for getting this redneck out of the woods. That and the feeling of be misplaced.

Told you this was soppy.

[Alagrl]

Stephen and I have two stories that merged, 40 years after we met in 1965 -- he was literally my "boy next door," and we were enamored, naive adolescents.

His low draft number and my entrance to university (along with a need NOT to be tied down) resulted in our first opportunity with each other to end unhappily in 1970. He went on to Russian language school and eventually received an Army intelligence assignment in Thailand.

Stephen met his Thai wife in Udon, married her and returned to the US in 1974. They had two children and also adopted one of her nieces. I eventually married (several times, thank you very much), lived in the UK for a time, and had a son. We knew vaguely what the other was doing since our parents had been friends and kept in touch.

When I contacted him in March 2005, I found that his marriage had been over for 14 years, although he had continued over time to visit Thailand with him ex and children. Within a few weeks, we had made the decision to marry, and it was a foregone conclusion that I would attend his son's wedding in Thailand in November.

I discovered Thailand through the eyes of a lover, who had himself grown to love the country, and through his Thai family, who had never let him go and who welcomed me so warmly, and through our new daughter-in-law's family, who had been family friends for so long. The combined perspectives of spending time in Thai villages with family and enjoying the city, all with Stephen's falang perspective on the cultural differences (and what's really going on behind the smiles) was an incredible introduction, and I simply fell in love with Thailand as quickly as I fell in love with Paris.

So why do we want to spend at least 3-4 months a year in Thailand as quickly as we can semi-retire? Where to begin...the food, our family connections, but most of all -- there's a peacefulness and gentleness and pace to daily life that is reminiscent of the small town life with which we grew up in the rural South. On the Gulf Coast especially, the similarities to Thailand of climate and spicy food are jarring at all but really rather comfortable. And to be perfectly frank, I'm at a place (age? frustration?) that the distance from US politics and fundamentalist religious influence on same is quite the refreshing break!

SHARA

[arjay]

Banpaeng and Gulfcoast, I am impressed!

Banpaeng, that's coming up to 33 years of marriage, if I understood you correctly. May I congratulate you a long tour of togetherness.

Tell you about me, another day. Bedtime now!!

[Thai_1_On]

Many here know the "bouncer and the pouying" story on how A and I meet. The hook really got set in 1999 when I went with her to meet my new in-laws for the frist time. From the moment I set foot in Udon I was welcomed with open arms not only by my new family but everyone up and down the local soi's. Another thing that impressed me was the amount of people that would just come by the house just to visit reminded me of time when I was young staying deep in the hills of Kentucky. I think that is why I am so attracted to the Isaan area because it's the SE Asian version Appalachia

[banpaeng]

And to be perfectly frank, I'm at a place (age? frustration?) that the distance from US politics and fundamentalist religious influence on same is quite the refreshing break!

SHARA

I know I am not suppose to say Amen, but I will.

Thai_1_on said "Isaan area because it's the SE Asian version Appalachia". Maybe it is south Texas to me but I do love it.

My first real impression of my wifes home was at 3AM. Got there the evening before and went to bed. Scared Sh#tless about where I was Or what I got into. Went to sleep and a lot of noise woke me up and it was 3AM. Went outside where her Father was building a fire. Sat out there and next thing I know, I hear big cats growl. Wife said Tigers. (remember I really did not know where I was) It was an awsome sound. She told me it was comeing from Laos. When it got light I finally went to the Nam Kong river. Found out I was about 200 yards from the river. The site across the river will always stick in my mind. Beautiful limestone karst, green forst rolling river. Made this young man shake in his boots(yep I wore the pointed toe boots back then.) the sad thing about this is now no tigers but it is still awsome out there.

Said all that to followup on Thai_1_on comment as I was brought up in the sticks. Have always kept the KISS(keep it simple stupid) method that I grew up with. Does this mean it is easier to understand Thai logic. I think so. It is so close to cowboy logic it scares me.

Maybe that is what I am looking for. I don't know. I do just know until I am back I have a restless spirit. When in country it settles down. But will also be honest and say I have a wandering soul. My motto:

"Go look over the mountian" and by doing that I have really met some fine folks.

[Alagrl]

So we seem to be developing one theme..."close to nature" and "growing up in the country." I know I felt quite at home in my new daughter-in-law's village and on her father's farm -- my childhood memories from the Gulf Coast consisted of catching crawfish in the creek, riding horseback, gathering eggs from underneath the chickens, and my family's cash crops were strawberries and sugar cane, with rice and indigo grown near the swampier levels. So reptiles of various sorts, bugs large enough to carry one away by land or by air, and weird animal sounds weren't a surprise.

However, Stephen's ex-wife lost an uncle to a cobra, and of course he has the requisite water buffalo story. Different animals -- we had cattle and horses, coral snakes, moccasins, and copperheads.

I wonder if the other theme, then, is love? How many of us are tied up in Thailand (how's that for alliteration?) because we associate it with being in love? Far from being concerned that Stephen was taking me to the place where he fell passionately in love with his Thai wife 33 years before, I was honored that he wanted to share it with me, and make it our special place for the future. And what is it about Thailand that awakens such sensuality? Wow!

[Buom Pouy]

Originally I am from a farm in NZ but moved with the family to OZ at age 11 (now 29 years) as I was new to Australia I got put into a class for new Aussies, my new classmates were all Lao refugees from the war. I completed high school with them and in the process became apart of an extended family (the food at their place was awesome so I practically lived at their place).
I guess I had already fallen in love with the culture before I even arrived in Lao/Thailand and could speak a few words, my first trip in 1997 I went with my best mate and his brother to the area where some of their family live on the Thai side of the boarder, near Nan. We snuck across the boarder to Lao for a few hours and I was hooked on the place and have been coming back once or twice a year ever since. I am now married and living with my LW and our amazing little baby boy and look forward to returning once LW has her Aussie passport/citizenship.
Of course the first few trips also included the party part of Thailand but I have a low tolerance for alcohol and life in the fast lane freaked me out, so I quickly gave up on Pattaya bars with all the extras, and began heading straight for the family

[Bump]

Military is OK, what I was looking for was what happened that made you come here when you were not ordered to come here.

Ah Keelung Taiwan, that was where I sowed my wild oats a time of life that I will never forget and got me hooked on Asian women. By the time I could retire it was much different then I had known it. I had never been to Thailand in the military.

It was the prospect of raising cane that got me here. But I saw enough to know there was another side to it and I pursued that.

Now to be fair to farrang women there was nothing wrong with the two surfer blonds I married to be honest spoiled me much more then my Thai wife does. But a drive is a drive and eventually it will win out.

[laphanphon]

for myself, it was a last minute time share trade/diving trip where everything came together at the last minute, if not working for airlines at the time i would not have had the opportunity in 1999 to visit and fall in love with the place. then the following year, redid a diving vacation, met wife, love, and the following 4 years of dream/nightmare life are common knowledge by now. now the last year has been mixed blessings, the good, raising the kid, Gem, that open book life again, most know of the circumstance, so i relish every moment. the bad, been thru 3 relationships, working on 4th, with much better expectations, as the meeting and choice were different from past 3 this year, and both our thoughts and expectations are a little more mutual. nothing negative is coming to the surface or suspected, a refreshing trait, as doubts were in the other relationships from the get go.

before coming to thailand, all i heard about was the nightlife and tailors, and different culture of non feminist women living in a chavanistic society. which being an anti woman libber for different reasons, don't read anything negative into it, i respect womans issues and agree with most. at the time of visiting i was prepping for retirement and considering places to live within the next 2 years, with no luck on destinations as all seemed to be very nice, but all had one or two drawbacks. then i arrived here, and have not looked back or had second thoughts on the decision of being here. only negative for me is don't have the option to sell my house, but have 30 year lease, both merit their own good/bad thought, but not a problem.

so came here for vacation on fluke, then returned, fell in love, lol, now staying for the joy of raising the little one, the economy makes retirement easy and comfortable. the young lasses are a plus, but motives are sometimes suspect, think i got a keeper this time, time will tell, if not, next.