Homeward Bound?

[theprice01]

I think on our 'bad days', we need to think of England, and how many people we know (& don't know) that would give an arm & a leg to live in Thailand.
I don't see myself moving back to England anytime soon, however i have kept a property should i need/want to return.
Lastly, never say never

[migrant]

I've moved a lot in my 57 years, albeit all in the states, and tend, after 5+ years to get bored with my surroundings. I think it natural, you've visited all the new places, tried a lot of the restaurants, etc.

Moving to Thailand, in sept 2015, will open a whole new area with reasonable priced visits to local Asian countries, etc. If I live long enough, I am sure there will be some boredom here. Even so, I have had no desire to move back to any of the many disparate areas I've lived

[Big Boy]

Of course there will be boring days, but they will happen everywhere. I have them, but the next adventure is usually waiting just around the corner.

I always felt that being married to a Thai in the UK made me lucky. I never knew what would be waiting for me when I came home from work. There was rarely a dull moment. Likewise, the cultural and political differences when living here are usually 'interesting'.

If I do ever move on, I sincerely hope it is not a return to the UK.

[Bamboo Grove]

I wouldn't mind trying a year in Blimey. Just to be able to watch football and drink good, inexpensive cask ales. Now, before you say, ales aren't cheap over there, think, I'm paying 7,5-8 € per pint for imported ales, cask conditioned or not. But let's not start talking about prices here. This was just a thought, when I saw so many saying, they would in no way want to go back.

[Big Boy]

I won't say that. The thought of a decent pint (even though I rarely drink nowadays) was one of the sweeteners I mentioned earlier if I'd had to go back today.

[NOKYAI]

I have just been back to the UK and at nearly £4 a pint it doesn't taste as good as 3 bottles for B99!

£20+ for lunchtime and my last night was £42 ..... Ok I was in a round and my friends lady's wine was nearly £5 a glass!. This was social drinking, not a real session.

[HHTel]

Food, petrol, eating out and housing are all a fraction of the cost here than in the UK.

Not so true anymore. As HHFarang pointed out, a house in the US costs less and considerably better (though this refers to Hua Hin)

5 or 6 years ago I went back to the UK with the thought that my kids would get a better education. We spent 6 months there. The kids were at school, I did nothing except wait for the end of the day to pick up the kids from school. In the evening, watched TV or visited my local with friends. I was out of my mind with boredom. Fortunately (for me), the kids hated it also and wanted to return to Thailand. Now I could (and have done, and probably will in the future) moan about the everyday situation here. But weighing everything together in a package, I would still choose to live here. Been her in Hua Hin for over 12 years so I remember what HH was like then. As long-termers know, it's changed a lot for the worse. But worse than going back to the UK...... certainly not.

By the time I was 30. I'd been around the world twice and visited over 65 countries. I've lived in around 10 of them for more than 6 months. Way back 40 years ago, I said that one day I'd live in
Thailand. Back then, the general public had never heard of Thailand. My first visit here was during the Vietnam war when a baht was called a 'Tikel'. How many Thais even know that?

The UK --- 'A nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there!!'

[theprice01]

Intresting post HHtel. My first time in Hua-Hin (and Thailand) was only 2 years ago and i actually like the way Hua-Hin is now. The beach, closeness to Bangkok, the 'right' side of Bangkok for southwards travel etc. I would of loved to of been here 20 years ago though.
I too was suprised by how cheap property is in US.

[Gregjam]

Grab a few comments from those already posted and they probably apply to many of us. Having lived here from 1990 to 2000 I moved back to the UK in a bout of frustration at property laws (since changed) and to get my kids an education where they were taught to problem solve. I could not wait until they were old enough to leave alone and so returned a couple of years ago. The UK property will be kept as a bolt hole and hopefully a source of beer money. My infrequent visits back to the UK only reinforce my decision to stay here as long as possible. Boredom in this climate is far preferable to being stuck inside with the likes of Jeremy Kyle on the telly. Price wise there is no competition and to get interesting food like here is not only difficult in the UK but needs advance financial planning. I joke with the wife about Gaeng Kiaow Wahn Makhua sai Moo here as we both know that the pork in the UK is a fraction of the price of imported Thai veg.
What the future here has in store is anyone's guess but in the meantime I am happy to live here, work abroad and know that if needs must we can jump on a plane back to Blighty.

[Homer]

Not so true anymore. As HHFarang pointed out, a house in the US costs less and considerably better (though this refers to Hua Hin)

Do you have a link for HHFarang's post?

Are you familiar with the phrase 'That's apples and oranges'?

[STEVE G]

Not so true anymore. As HHFarang pointed out, a house in the US costs less and considerably better (though this refers to Hua Hin)

Do you have a link for HHFarang's post?

Are you familiar with the phrase 'That's apples and oranges'?

Yes, I remember we've discussed US property prices before and so I did a bit of a search on the net and anywhere near a decent beach resort was about a million odd dollars. Someone has just put up a small plot of building land overlooking Poole harbour in the UK for £6.25 million!
One of the main reasons I'm based in Thailand is because due to failed relationships, I found myself in middle age with no property in the West and no realistic way of buying anything decent. Here where I work in Luxembourg, a very small studio apartment in a seedy area near the railway station costs over 10 million baht.

[migrant]

Not so true anymore. As HHFarang pointed out, a house in the US costs less and considerably better (though this refers to Hua Hin)

Do you have a link for HHFarang's post?

Are you familiar with the phrase 'That's apples and oranges'?

Yes, I remember we've discussed US property prices before and so I did a bit of a search on the net and anywhere near a decent beach resort was about a million odd dollars. Someone has just put up a small plot of building land overlooking Poole harbour in the UK for £6.25 million!
One of the main reasons I'm based in Thailand is because due to failed relationships, I found myself in middle age with no property in the West and no realistic way of buying anything decent. Here where I work in Luxembourg, a very small studio apartment in a seedy area near the railway station costs over 10 million baht.

Prices across the USA vary greatly as mentioned. I live in Southern California and you can't find a decent home under $500,000 even 20 miles from the beach. Condos slightly less and rentals of a 2 bedroom apartment will be $2,000 unless you want to live under armed guard.

Even when I lived in Maine, where housing is much cheaper, anything on the water, or within walking distance, is very expensive

[GLCQuantum]

Just to add my satang...

This point hasn't been mentioned yet as it is not a frequent occurrence in Thailand. For younger people who come here to live, I would venture a guess that 1 person out of ten make it, and I think I'm being very generous there. By younger, I mean in their twenties, early thirties (like I was when I came here). Unless you are walking in to an international company (I'll emphasize the international) with a contract that's worth more than the paper... Don't come buddy! You will struggle, you will waste opportunities 'living the dream' and you WILL suffer because of that. Thailand is no place to just kinda turn up and hope for the best on the back of a government school teaching job.

Personally, I would love to get back to England. Not to stay, but to weigh up what my options are for a long term move elsewhere. Unfortunately, with no place to crash in the uk until I find my feet, it will prove quite difficult for me. I can't see my future being in Thailand. I think I'll go crazy before I kick the bucket, thinking about how I wasted my 'younger' years living and working in a country that doesn't really want me here.

I've had offers from an international school in Laos which is tickling my taste buds, if not just to experience a different culture for a bit. I like Laos but as we all know, it is very different living somewhere full time.... to taking a trip there.

Unless they are backed up with money I would advise anyone in the younger years not to move here. It will usually end up bad for you, pal.

Mags... Where do I stand if I turn up (a young, respectable, literate lad like me) in the uk with no home. I know they are busy housing the immigrants for free but... Do you think they'd have a slot for one of their own.

Doubt it.



Edit : just to add Mags, I wouldn't be coming penniless, of course. I also wouldn't be coming with money that could afford a year's rent anywhere. Would the government help me? Or do I need to 'obtain' twelve Romanian/polish/Indian etc. children from somewhere before I get given a big old pad?

[margaretcarnes]

Agreed

Glad you two have made up!

Seriously BigBoy my question wasn't based on any minority moans - or even general moans. Just on the fact that life isn't being made any easier for expats with all that's going on.
I agree with Buksi - there are plenty of other places in Thailand to live - but the visa issues will apply anywhere. And from casual observation of property sales - all over Thailand - there seem to be some pretty big price reductions going on.
Maybe expat home owners simply tend to overprice their properties?

[Stargeezer]

I wish I was Thailand bound. I am hoping to spend more time over there
likely in Hua Hin area mostly after 2016. For now I have a picture above my
computer, and it reminds me that I would rather be there than here from November to April
Here is the picture, and a picture of up the street from my house right now.
Where would you rather be.
Stargeezer