Is Living Here Difficult for You?

[Gregjam]

Am in the UK at the moment having done a few things for work that could not be done in Thailand. Will be returning later this week and cannot wait. It has been nice to enjoy some of the things I cannot get in Thailand but cannot wait to return. It is cold, has been raining the last few days and is windy. Traffic in Southampton has been appalling with various roadworks so apart from the temperature and the cost of things not so different from Hua Hin in regard to those aspects. Give me the Thai temperament, food and prices anyday. Armed with my new genuine Saints shirt I will be very happy when I get on my flight in a couple of days. Living in Hua Hin can be difficult but is far preferable for me than being in the UK.

[Name Taken]

Yeah, Samut Sakhon is a big factory town with lots of Burmese factory workers. I think they do a lot of seafood processing there.

[buksida]

Agree with the above, a bad day in Thailand still beats any day in the UK!

Where you live also plays a big role, I made a move a few years ago away from a pricey tourist town with sprawling development and snarled traffic to somewhere a lot more natural (beaches, palms, empty winding roads etc) with a more laid back pace and quality of life improved. So if you're unhappy with Thailand maybe just look at your choice of location - there are plenty of beautiful undiscovered places in this country and if you're not tied to the place for work ... move on!

[hhfarang]

I'm heading to the U.S. next month to look at houses. With any luck I'll be out of here by next year and this will once again become a vacation destination. Then maybe I'll be able to enjoy it.

[Korkenzieher]

I've lived in quite a few places over the years. One of the things that always 'gets' me, is how quickly a comfortable living space becomes impersonal once you pack a few things in boxes; and likewise, how any old 'new box' feels like home once the contents of those boxes are emptied out.

Bottom line is, that whichever place I am in, as long as I have the things that can make my life functional and, to a degree pleasant, then whichever version of 'Disneyland' presents itself when I open the door is pretty much irrelevant. I would merrily swap Thailand for Florida at the drop of a hat but I quite like it here and have no real compulsion to make that particular move. However, the 'powers that be' are in some danger of forcing my hand, has to be said. Dealing with the peculiarities of being here has its frustrations - but it is what makes life here a little less ordinary.

[Big Boy]

However, the 'powers that be' are in some danger of forcing my hand, has to be said. Dealing with the peculiarities of being here has its frustrations - but it is what makes life here a little less ordinary.

We've had a lot of these peculiar announcements this year, but when I sit back and think about it, I can't think of one that has really affected me. They all sounded dire at the time, but were soon forgotten. I don't think it's any different today 16 October 2014 than it was a year ago 16 October 2013, or a year before that on 16 October 2012.

[Korkenzieher]

BB - I had some issues getting a new visa in the UK. It seems that immi bureaux, Cheang Wattana, Embassies and Consulates are all singing from different songsheets . It is frustrating, and it is a moving target and it is (usually) possible to find a solution . If I had lost interest in finding said solution, I would have booked for Orlando, not Bangkok last week.

[Big Boy]

OK, I agree that there are some visa issues at the moment. However, for me personally, despite dozens of earth shattering announcements, all of the ones that were going to affect me in a big way just faded away.

We all have different circumstances.

[Dannie Boy]

OK, I agree that there are some visa issues at the moment. However, for me personally, despite dozens of earth shattering announcements, all of the ones that were going to affect me in a big way just faded away.

We all have different circumstances.

other than the bit of huffing and puffing about carrying passports, I can't think of anything that has made me need to change any of my routines.

[zeitgeist]

I'm heading to the U.S. next month to look at houses. With any luck I'll be out of here by next year and this will once again become a vacation destination. Then maybe I'll be able to enjoy it.

Good luck to you, I have enjoyed your honest posts regarding your situation.
Quick question: I thought health care cost was a major factor in your not returning to the US, how have you overcome this?

[hhfarang]

^ The missus has to work. I've done some research and contacted some people, and of course nothing is garanteed, but there is a good chance that she can get work where we are going that will at least double our income, which is now only my two pensions.

We'll see, we still have a nice home in another part of Thailand so an emergency fall back position. BTW, speaking of homes, we've been in contact with a real estate agent that has sent us some listings of very nice 3 and 4 bedroom homes (some with a pool) in the city we are going to that are all in the range of 3.8m to 4.8m baht.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but for those thinking of moving back to the U.S., here is an example of a home we are considering within the above price range... (could you get that for around 4.5m in Hua Hin?)

Housewpool.jpg (91.99 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

LivingDining.jpg (63.04 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

Kitchen.jpg (69.38 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

Sunroom.jpg (76.96 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

Pool.jpg (85.01 KiB) Viewed 1217 times

[richard]

Very nice HH but not for me. Too westernised and a lack of cultural mix IMO. I'd stagnate without the variety of life's experiences that I get living here in SE Asia

Each to his own I guess

[PeteC]

There's an entire separate discussion to be had about preference to end your days in familiar surroundings with memories of your younger years etc. I can recall some posters on here, but not by name, who have posted from back in the UK after having decided to do what I reference above. Some of the decision could have been financial as well and not just wanting to end where you began.

To each his own I guess. I personally haven't decided yet although after decades with no roots back there I still get homesick at times.

Good luck if you do it HHF and please don't leave the forum if you move. We want reports and photos of the new life! Pete

[Korkenzieher]

Well the 'granddaddy' of that world view has to be Ronnie Biggs - OK, Brazil not Thailand, but the old lag high-tailed it for home when the going got tough at the end just to spend the rest of his days in a prison hospital for the dubious benefit of being buried in England. Healthcare cost? or Quality? Or just an emotional knee-jerk reaction and need to die 'at home'? You tell me.

[Expat657]

Home isn't home anymore! Home didn't feel particularly welcoming anymore, if home is raping you for every last penny you've got, then..... Go back to Blighty!