Problems living in Thailand

[lomuamart]

Well, I suppose I should have left the last line of my first post out of it. So apologies to the OP - it a more heavy Songkran then I had intended.
But, I still stand by the fact that I think the question is too general. If I look back at the last decade here, I've encountered numerous problems. So for instance:
First off leaving home can be a problem. For me not emotionally, but I thought I had everything tied up otherwise, but they weren't.
Have I had problems with visas - yes, and continue to have.
Have I had problems with relationships - too right I have (but luckily not now with my wife).
Have I had problems with money - yes.
Have I had problems with understanding Thai culture - yes.
Have I had problems with the weather - yes, sometimes.
Have I had health problems - yes.
And so on. They're all surmountable, however. You've just got to keep at it. For me (and I would reckon plenty of others) to then describe each of the troubles in detail would fill a book.
The OP has some experience of Thailand and his wife is Thai, so he may well have a reasonable idea of what he's likely to encounter over here. If so, he'll get more detailed help and advice by asking specific questions in the appropriate forum.
That was really all I was getting at, but appreciate that it didn't come out right. So, fire away OP.

[Super Joe]

edwinadanish wrote:

You will love living here if you do not expect too much from life, you like the simple pleasures, you are happy sitting around not doing too much and you can grin and laugh at any trivial thing.

You will hate living here if you like culture, deep thinking, intelligent coversation, good TV, morals, honesty, being treated as an equal.

edwina,

these are obviously your experiences but you cant tell anyone they will also experience these negativities

why do you sit around and not do too much ?
why do you grin and laugh at trivial things ?
why are you unable to have an intelligent conversation ?
why have you never experienced thai/asian culture ?

we don't all experience this edwina.

i would take a long hard look at myself rather than blaming every other thing in town
.

[Wanderlust]

edwinadanish,
If you are still here to read this response (which I hope you are), it would assist you greatly on this forum if you treated others as you wish to be treated; so far you have come across as arrogant, snobbish and conceited in many of your posts (and this is not just my opinion this time but several people on here), which is very likely not how you are in real life, but people can only respond to what you put before them. I have said this before, and I hope it will help you on this or any other forums (where you will get a much rougher ride than here believe me), but you should try and think of a forum like a bar, where you will get a whole range of people; when you say something in a bar for everyone to hear you should bear in mind who else is hearing it and be prepared for the consequent reaction. It seems to me that you seem to expect everyone to go along with whatever you say, both in the forum and in life, but it just doesn't work that way, and particularly when you voice your views in such a dogmatic way. It is your choice, of course, what opinions you have and how you express them, but don't blame the forum for the reaction you have been getting - you either take it on the chin and accept that others have different views or you go away, which it seems from your last post you have decided to do. I can tell you now though that any worthwhile forum will give you the same response - the only one that wouldn't would be http://www.edwinadanish.com/forums and there would be only 1 member of it.

[lindosfan1]

Thailand is a wonderful place to live you state you have a Thai wife, I do to and although I have only been here 4 months, I leave her (with my backing) to deal with all the problems that arise.
What she does to sometimes is say "stay out of sight I can get it cheaper or quicker or better if they not know you are a farang".
As to the people the are lovely thats why it is called the land of smiles and you have to put up with the different things metioned in previous posts about traffic etc.
The climate does take some getting used to but there are only three types of temperature hot, very hot and to hot.
I do not need or want to work so I will pass no comment others will have experience of that.
It is possible to have intelligent conversation about a great range of subjects life is not all beer girls and football as per edwinadanish.
The last, and probably the best advise you will get is learn to speak thai before you come out here, that will solve a lot of problems.
Now for the rant
Edwinadanish I agree with nothing you say you are obviously living in the wrong country. You asked advise in another post then you became rude and arrogant. You have said you will probably move to another country so any advise you give will obviously have a negative slant. My advise if you read anything posted by edwinadanish is to treat carefully as they are very biased.

[lindosfan1]

Wanderlust that link to Edwinadanish forum in your post does not work I wanted to go and chat about football

[nevets]

yes Edwina ,that is why i take no further active part in this forum.

[KelpieKiss]

A final thought. This forum is, as I have found out and you can see for yourself by reading the other threads, a place where you will only find answers to some things because of the type of people who write here. The best place to eat Sunday roast, where to buy a high powered water gun, can you get a massage for any cheaper and especially who's going to win the next football match are the burning issues....

My advice is ask yourself whether they are your burning issues! For me I'm a little more concerned with the fact that the Prime Minister of this country is actively supporting China and looking foreard to attending the Olympic ceremony whilst others are taking a moral stance to at least soem degree. But then going back to my earlier point about morals, there are very few here, whereas thoughts of personal financial gain pervade every moment of life...

I'm not sure whether I'm off to another country - time will tell - but I'm certainly off to anoher forum!

Wow, you must be such a fun person to hang out with

[g.tott]

Dear Edwina,

I would have thought you loved this forum, it has enabled you, in just 1 short month, to improve your English language skills no end.

Your grammar is now beautiful:

Having a holiday here or having a holiday home here are dramatically different to living here full time and then you cross another dimension again when you try to work here - that must be the toughest thing I have done
so much hypocrisy, intolerance and simple arrogance in this society
TV, mobile phones and alcohol seem to be the panacea to all evil
The same old unimaginative superior (I've been here longer than you and probably drank more than you) negative response.
No offence to anyone in particular here but I just find it more constructive on other forums where the moderation sets an example of tolerance and shows more respect to the posters

Last month it wasn't quite the same story though:

i read the news here for hus hin and i like the place here but i am worried if the property market is so bad about buy property now. maybe the other places in thailand are better safe?
I think te ferry woudl be very good as I like t go to the Koh Samed and Koh Chnang islands.
drive in the middle of the oad,canot run the corners, never look! I worry I will have an accident one daty and it will be my fault so I hear as I an the foreigner...
his is why the writer has to react to the thing that happened not just walk away I think...
I ma new to Hua HIn so can someone tell me where ther All in Hu Hin is so I can fidn the dentist?

Do Not Feed The Trolls

G Tott

[buksida]

Agree with the above, I have a feeling this one is a windup merchant.

So back to the topic, I find the biggest problem with living here is the red tape and bureaucracy regarding working and visas. This never gets easier no matter how many years you have lived here, how much Thai you speak, how much you have assimilated to the culture, how much tax you pay, how many kids you have ...

In most other countries life generally gets easier the longer you stay, this one is definitely no more welcoming after ten years of permanent residency than it is after ten days.

[Predator]

I lived in HH for about a year having visited many, many times and had thought it to be eutopia.

Boredom set in very quickly - still have property there but am unlikely to return for a while at least (semi retirement did not suit).

Be very careful and have an exact game plan and time table - not to mention sufficient funds.

If you have an interest such as golf, diving, exploring - get into the association as quickly as possible as they are the font of all knowledge and a great deal of help and support in general.

Bon chance!

[Cowtown Comedy]

great comments btw...I have met far too many expats/retirees, that cant afford to retire and they have some serious money problems. I think tourists think its so cheap to live here...its not!! If your going to retire here, make sure you have enough money to enjoy it ..IMO..

[Spitfire]

A couple of thoughts,
Thailand is a very rewarding place to live, but almost everything is different to living back home. Things you imagined wouldn't be a problem are, and some things you thought would be difficult aren't. When you get here, don't spend to much money, only what you need to sort yourself out until you are confident about the place (if it sounds like bull...t, then it probably is bull...t). Your wife can probably help you a lot but don't be rash. When you go somewhere new you always have to show caution for a while, otherwise no good will come of it.

[kendo]

There is some wise words of advise starting to prevail here especialy from the later posts, thankyou.Another thread ( it's all in the name) wot a gem of a story it's the very unique storys like this that i am intrested in,it does not all have to be the negatives were two cultures meet it will allways become intresting,frustrating,challenging.
Edwena if you are still reading this one tip i can give you,if you go up to Khao Takiab mountain to the temple,you will find a female monk that dresses in a white robe she can speak very very good English she might be able to help you with your buddist enlightenment and help you with the whole Thai buddist culture thing.I do think for a buddist that you are far to highly strung you need to find your karma,you are obviously very unhappy with your enviroment and that is reflecting on your everyday life.Hua hin is really quite a safe place go and read the Pattaya city news online, i read it everyday, you will read some real shocking storys there and then realize where you are is not so bad at all.I hope that this can be of some help to you.

[sandman67]

sorry to go slightly off topic here but has anyone else noticed this:

Edwin's post here:

You will hate living here if you like culture, deep thinking, intelligent coversation, good TV, morals, honesty, being treated as an equal, feeling safe at home or on the roads. You might also struggle with the corruption, cheapness of life and the total hypocrisy in nearly every aspect of life.

For me I'm a little more concerned with the fact that the Prime Minister of this country is actively supporting China and looking foreard to attending the Olympic ceremony whilst others are taking a moral stance

Farang's post in "A totally new, highly exclusive section." thread

elevant issues such as culture, deep thinking, intelligent conversation, good TV, morals,
honesty, being treated as an equal, feeling safe at home or on the roads, struggling with the corruption,
cheapness of life and the total hypocrisy in nearly every aspect of life, not to mention Prime Minister of
this country actively supporting China and looking forward to attending the Olympic ceremony,
whilst others are taking a moral stance to at least some degree.

One and the same?

Back on topic....

There are problems here just like anywhere....visas money and red tape seem the biggest in my life at the moment. It is relevant that this is a relatively expensive bit of LOS to live in, and the property market here is a bit of a balloon...paper thin and full of hot air. Also the local govt dont give a toss and this is the same for the MIBs and Immigration.

That said, Id rather be here than anywhere else.....its not all bad news.....

[Jaime]

You will hate living here if you like culture, deep thinking, intelligent coversation, good TV, morals, honesty, being treated as an equal, feeling safe at home or on the roads. You might also struggle with the corruption, cheapness of life and the total hypocrisy in nearly every aspect of life.

I don't understand why the above quote has been so controversial or why it is considered as trolling as it seems like a perfectly reasonable and honest assessment.

It is exactly how I read the situation in Thailand and why I choose not to live there unless some of the above changes but I'm not holding my breath. Jockey's post, listing his gripes also strikes a chord with me.