Why I Love Living Here!

[Jockey]

Theres probably already a previous thread on this subject, but given the recent post "problems living here" thought I'd balance things out. Also, I'd be interested to hear others views of why they love living here. Heres 20 things I love about living over here off the top of my head. There are many many more. I've not even going to mention my wonderful girlfriend and lovable dog!

1. The weather, no more freezing sleet and miserable drizzle.
2. Safety and security, I feel much safer and secure here than I did in Scotland.
3. Friendly people - if you smile at someone in Scotland on the street you are more likely to get a response "who the F do you think your smiling at"

4. Its a lot cheaper here. I can actually live off my pension here in comfort. In the UK I'd be struggling to get change after paying rent or a mortgage.
5. Smiles, smiles and more smiles.
6. The Thai culture has taught me a "mai pen rai" attitude which will probably add years to my life instead of getting stressed out and dying.
7. Interesting places to visit that don't cost a fortune.
8. No politics, bubble gum tv, coronation street, eastenders and big brother!
9. Thai food, its never far away, cheap & tasty.
10. Most foreigners who come here to live are friendly and interesting, the type who are willing to take risks in life. Sure there are a-holes but "mai pen rai"
11. Property - excellent choices to buy or rent and so cheap! Of course you need to buy within the laws of the land!
12. Happiness everywhere. Tourists on holiday are happy, most expats are happy, Thai people are naturally happy which made a welcome change from miserable people back home.
13. No rat race! No 9 till 5 mentality. No commuting to work as if your life depended on it.
14. Opportunities! Yes I know there red tape and huge bureaucracy problems, but I know many expats who have set up successful business's that they wouldn't have been able to do in their home country.
15. Pool leagues, tournaments, darts, fantasy leagues, prediction leagues, plenty of community organisation and HHAD! Easy to start up a club (chess / bridge / balroom dancing etc.)
16. Football - I see more live football over here on satellite than I could back home!
17. Ageism - there is none. Back home you are made to feel you've done something wrong by growing old. Here age is respected and all ages integrate.
18. Beautiful girls available at all levels of commitment. Older men back home could look forward to a very lonely life in their own countries. Opportunities for relationships over here are plentiful.
19. Easy to make friends. I've more friends (ok aquaintencies) over here than back home.
20. Going on a night out including a meal and a few drinks doesn't cost a weeks wages!

OK - theres plenty more reasons, but I'll leave other posters to add them.

[lindosfan1]

Jockey an excellent post. But where is the ballroom dancing club?
I would like to add.
1. No big brother trying to tell you how to live your life.
2. Exemplary manners very polite here
3 No politically correct brigade everyday telling me what I cannot do or say (well nearly)
You seem to have covered most of the others

[Francois]

[quote="given the recent post "problems living here" thought I'd balance things out.[/quote]

Thank you for having done it

[Super Joe]

excellent points jockey, nice one

1. no alarm calls in the morning
2. no post
3. no driving / parking restrictions in most part of town
4. smile at a group of thai lads at 3am and they smile back
5. every night is friday or saturday night
6. buy your way out of trouble if you have too
7. you can go in a bar and ask them to turn the music or tv over if its not busy
8. idiots in life find it hard here in hua hin (small town) and get found out quicker than back home
9. you can get almost every kind of food delivered (apart from good oli....)
10. you can walk round with a dog turd on your head and still get a bird
.

[Farang]

You very nearly mentioned the o!

Rawang-rawang!

[PJG]

Jockey good post.

Also like to mention Great Golf at reasonable prices and you don't have to carry your own bag.

[KelpieKiss]

1. You can get a massage everyday
2. You can walk on the beach
3. You can go to the Islands and swim with sharks
4. Fishball soup for 20 baht
5. Free pool everywhere
6. No Big Issue sellers
7. No going to work on the Tube
8. You can wear shorts without feeling like a twat
9. Pirate DVD's
10. MK

[kendo]

Thankyou Jockey,and everyone else,reading these posts has reminded me, about all the reasons that i love Thailand and know i am smiling. The Quote"you can wear your shorts without feeling like a twat" has made me laugh respect to you all.

[crazy88]

Great diving & snorkelling
Great fishing
utility bills you dont dread
Walking past a group of people you,ve never met and being invited to eat and drink with them .
Not having to call the AA when you run out of fuel in the middle of nowhere (been helped out by locals several times
)
Being part of a motocycle club and not being perceived as a member of a criminal gang .
No ice on your windscreen
You can see the stars
eggs taste like they are supposed to
so does pork

If I drink 12 beers today it will cost me less than a fiver .



Crazy 88

[sandman67]

All of the above

plus

1) I dont have that special blueish white sheen to my skin anymore....
2) I can buy a lary loud shirt for 99bht and wear it without anyone laughing
3) This is one of the few places Ive been to that accepts gay people as a normal part of society
4) Its blue and green here and grey and concrete back there
5) Im happy to be a stranger here....I hate the fact im a stranger back there
6) here I wake up warm, there I wake up cold
7) here its a pleasure to have a cold shower
here I know mates from all over the world, there I dont
9) elephants tigers and bears
10) the sun on my face and sea breeze in my hair (whats left of it anyway )

but most of all

every day I get woken up with a cafe yin, a big smile and a pair of deep brown smiling eyes....

[dtaai-maai]

2) I can buy a lary loud shirt for 99bht and wear it without anyone laughing

Yes, but now you know why people here smile a lot...

[HuaHinR]

THANKS!! Best post theme of the whole forum!

I might add:

1. Noi
2. Nok
3. Won
4. Numwan
5. Kai
etc etc etc

[johnnyk]

Most of the people I know in Thailand have decided life is about living and not about more, bigger stuff.
I especially like petty authority doesn' get on my back about nothing.

[norm]

Great thread Jockey and I liked your list. Get tired of hearing all the negative things about LOS & HH. It is nice to hear the positive side!

[niggle]

As above and also ........
I know from threads there was a couple of fights between local yobs at Songkran. OK I'm not condoning it and its no good but ........ thousands of (mainly youngsters ) on the street many drinking beer they were not used to - full of testosterone etc etc etc
How many police would have been needed to keep order in the UK - 200 - 300 ?
Apparantly according to the thread a sole police man came up blew his whistle and they ran off.
Standard practice in UK - always go round in pairs - constant contact wih station, protective helmets , stab proof versts (are worn all the time ) and this is only on patro;l duty.
Like I said, not meaning to play things down but bit of a difference here maybe