Land of the smile..... my ass.

[BKKBILL]

Most of us would not be here if if wasn’t for a marriage which is in it’s self is fought with problems.

That rules me out then.

Fred I did think of you when typing "most of us"

[fredlk]

Fred I did think of you when typing "most of us"

I was just checking.

[Sparky]

Ive worked and lived in a good few countries , but wouldnt change any of them for Thailand . Ok visa's can be a problem for some people but with a little thought and understanding there is a way round most problems .

When I first came here I would get very frustrated by the Thai mentality whilst trying to get something done but in the end you learn a valuable lesson in life called patience . once youve learnt that what you want doing always gets done in the end .

I have a very lovely lady who I pay nothing every month , only I pay the bills and buy food cloths etc . I consider my self very fortunate would never have such a good life in the UK where I came from .

As they say " life is what you make it " sorry that your experiance of Thailand is so different from mine .

[robertkc]

Anyway, it aint all roses, there are better places to live and far worse, if you think there are none worse, then go live in India or iraq or Afghanistan or Siberia...maybe even Tasmania.

I like it here for now, maybe not later, thingschange and when they do, we may just move on. But with kids things change so much more.

[/quote]

Nawty I`m wondering if you would you change your own response to the OP three years on...? An interesting topic for those of us in the pre-move stages.

[Nawty]

Robertkc.....I just went and re read my post and it all stays exactly the same.....no difference of opinion 3 years on.....things do change, they go a little different, but basically the guts of it all stays the same for me right now...

[Max&Bee-in-CM]

Having just returned from Melb, I have the following observations:

1. a large and noticeable increase in automatic speed cameras (at intersections) from
my last visit 9 months ago - I got a "speeding fine" going 66 km/h in a 60 km/h zone,
my god, what a transgression! Sure worth the $160 fine.

2. increase in on-the-street parking meters to $4.20 per hour around the city. Probably be
up to $5-6 in 1 year or so. Pay pay pay.

3. cheapest meal at a Thai restaurant/take-away of $9 for fried rice, 2 people eating 2
rice plates and 1 meat plate for lunch costs > $25. Went to lunch in Lygon St, 3 people, rice,
tom-yam-goong, pad pak, chicken curry - $75 !!!

4. huge traffic jams into the city, driving made more annoying by traffic lights every few
hundred metres to 1-2 km. Constant start and stop due to a large number of traffic
lights, pedestrian crossings, and cars turning right into side streets stopping the flow
of traffic in the right hand lane (none of that here thankfully).

5. a focus on money and getting ahead of the friends/neighbors among people I
have met back home - focus on increasing salary, getting a better car, extending the
home, and the associated bank loans.

6. incredibly high property prices - a 3 rai block of land 50 km from the city now costs
> $800,000 - here we paid 1.3 million baht. Wow, what a difference. If you want to live
near the city, the blocks of land all look so small now after spending time on the land here,
with people squeezing houses into 11-13 m wide blocks, window to window.

7. cannot ride a pushbike or motorbike without a helmet or other protective gear, even
down the block to 7-11. Ridiculous. Cannot ride a pushbike on the footpath, have to
ride in traffic.

8. a general feeling of being controlled and monitored, CCTV cameras everywhere, on trams,
trains, buses, streets, intersections, bars, shops, etc.

9. cannot buy simple pills at a pharmacy without being grilled about your symptoms, have
you taken the pills before, are you allergic, yadda yadda yadda - come on I am 37 not 12.

9a. We had food poisoning from take-away pizza, vomit during the night - I went to see doctor
he would not give me anti-biotic pills, nothing, just drink water. I told him last time I
had food poison, I got anti-biotics in a CM hospital, cleared the symptoms. He said no, that
is Thailand, here in Melb we just rest, drink water, and wait for the symptoms to pass. I
walked out without paying, I did not get the service I came for, in fact I got nothing. They
wanted to charge $70 for "drink water".

10. A critical lack of simple, cheap and delicious food - driving around showing the family the
sights of Victoria, there is nothing to eat apart from greasy Fish&Chips, pizza, McDonalds,
KFC, Red Rooster, or hamburgers. The Thai wife had problems with food, and so did I, how
we wished for a simple noodle cart and a bowl of yellow look-chin noodles for 25 baht. The burgers
are mostly saturated with mayonnaise and soggy-crusted chicken breasts (at food stops at petrol
stations, which is the only place for food on the highways).

11. High internet costs with downloads - here I have TOT for 600 baht per month with unlimited
downloads, and have downloaded close to 2 Tb of movies/TV shows & music over the last year,
back in Melb its $80 for 20 Gb / month.

12. Here I can recharge my 12Call mobile for 100 baht, there the minimum recharge was $20. Here
I can talk for a few hours, there its 20-30 minutes.

13. Both parents have to work to support the house + car mortgage, so have to send the baby to
childcare from 6 months, here the cost of living is so low can stay home for many years. Here I dont
feel the need to have more "Stuff", but have a simple life.

I can go on and on and on - sure Thai has issues, but its so much easier and cheaper and relaxing to
live here - back home everyone is working their butts off to pay off the house, and buy more "stuff",
suffocating in traffic and being stressed out, controlled more and more by the government, being over
charged for low quality food, fined and taxed to death; here in CM I can drive as fast as I want to,
not pay taxes, not get fined, not get video taped, not get brainwashed into accumulating more
possessions (the wife was amazed by the number of shops for virtually anything!) and enjoy time at
home with the baby. And take the scooter for a leisurely ride with the wife and baby, without putting
on as much protective gear as a F1 racer. Try taking a baby on a bike in Melb, the cops will have a
raging fit when they pull you over, shout at you till a vein pops in their head, and slap you a $1000+
fine, a suspended license and a court date. Western society has lost the ability to chill out.

For me, the secret to living peacefully and stress free in CM, is to stay away from tourist areas, tourist
restaurants, all bars and pubs, and all tourist related activities. That way you don't get ripped off. Also
close off the property, so you have privacy. Don't be "too" friendly with the moo-bahn people, polite but
not friends, I want privacy, not a mothers club meeting every time we go out. Remember, there are
no secrets in a moo-bahn, they like to gossip and chat, so keep your privacy. The wife has been instructed
on this.

For building the house, first go look at Global House, Home Pro, etc, and get the price. Then search the
local specialist shops, until you find the cheapest. Ex, The roof tiles we got are 15 baht at Home Sukkapan,
10 baht or so at the local shop.

For contractors, the same thing - get 3 guys in to do a quote - act like you know something, tell them what
you want, show them your plans, tell them you build houses back in wherever, that way you don't get ripped
off.

The main benefit I see of Melb, is the education is much better than here. I am completely unimpressed
by the lack of general education of Thai kids. If I was going back home, it is for the reason of wanting
a good western education for the baby.

For me, I stay here for now, and enjoy completing the house project. In a few years, maybe 5, will see,
maybe I want a change.

[fredlk]

I have the following observations:

Reminds me of (my ex-)home.
And also of a link sent to me by bkkbill about "stuff": http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8896213084482448693#

[MGV12]

A trip back can often fully validate the reason you are here.

Thanks for the detailed post Max, the couple who are renting Sao's place in Sansai came for a year to see if they wanted to move here permanently ... they have decided to go back [Melbourne area] as he is homesick; she wants to stay. I will send him your post to let him know what he's in for

[Max&Bee-in-CM]

A trip back can often fully validate the reason you are here.

Thanks for the detailed post Max, the couple who are renting Sao's place in Sansai came for a year to see if they wanted to move here permanently ... they have decided to go back [Melbourne area] as he is homesick; she wants to stay. I will send him your post to let him know what he's in for

Thanks, I am glad to be in LOS-CM district. One other thing we noticed, here a "common" currency is the 10 baht coin or the
20 baht note, in Melb, the minimum currency used is the $5 note and very often the $10 note. You go through a few by the afternoon
without noticing, equating to a typical day spend of maybe $60 - $100. Here, the typical day spend is maybe 200 baht. So much less
stress here worrying about the next paycheck and how to pay for stuff.

[harry+ratchanee]

UK vs Chiang Mai ??

Hi Guys

Dont get me started !! LOL

Get nearly £700 taken from me in tax/national insurance each month before I even get my salary !!
Over £150 a month council tax
£200 a year road tax on each car
£145 a year TV licence
60% tax oppox on petrol £1.20 a Litre!!
About £20 a month internet plus telephone line rental £12
VAT tax 17.5% going up to 20% in January on everything
Could go on but too depressing LOl
Ok free health service-schools -but WE do pay alot for it !!
Like you say Max just work and work to stay afloat. Thats not living !!

Harry

[Max&Bee-in-CM]

£145 a year TV licence

TV license? Seriously?
The way things are going with water restrictions back home, I would not be
surprised if they ration toilet flushes per house per month.

[BKKBILL]

Here is a news article that reinforces my love for amazing Thailand.

Domestic flights to Chiang Mai must make landings by 6.30pm between Nov20 and Nov22 due to Loy Krathong floating lanterns.

Tell me where else would this occur.

[Max&Bee-in-CM]

Here is a news article that reinforces my love for amazing Thailand.

Domestic flights to Chiang Mai must make landings by 6.30pm between Nov20 and Nov22 due to Loy Krathong floating lanterns.

Tell me where else would this occur.

those laterns are scary - we go to Big C Hang Dong quite often, and the approach path is right over Big C, I can just imagine if a
few of those lanterns get into the engines 1 mile from the runway.

[geordie]

not being an areonutical engineer my own opinion only
unlkely that a burning piece of tissue paper would bring down an aircraft they survive bird strikes on enough ocasions and seem to manage a safe landing afterwards does the ban extend to bkk or have they got the military on stand by to shoot down the baloons that stray into the flight path still its amusing a bit like some of the health and safety rule in UK which seem designed to stop you from working
my all time favorite is when working above three treads on a ladder or steps it must have another person to steady it ???? 27"
when working on a ladder you must at all times maintain three points of contact

think about a simple thing like changing a light bulb one handed

crazy is,nt it why sell ladders??? jus bring in a complete ban

[BKKBILL]

Thank goodness the innocent Thai women will finally be protected.

Law prohibiting marriage to foreigners over the age of 50 proposed to Thai Cabinet

BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Interior are bringing a new proposal before the Cabinet prohibiting foreigners over the age of 50 from marrying Thai nationals.

According to a Ministry spokesperson, statistics show that many older foreigners are marrying much younger Thai women, which is not appropriate and often leads to many problems.

"Many older foreigners seem to marry Thai women so they can stay in Thailand under less strict requirements. Instead of needing to meet the requirements of 800,000 baht in the bank they only have to show 400,000 baht a year when married to a Thai. Additionally, many of these people seem to come to Thailand simply to marry much younger girls. In many cases they are old enough to be their father. I am concerned that these people are attempting to circumvent the rules by marrying innocent Thai women. If these people don't have enough money to retire then they shouldn't be here and become a burden to Thailand," Tawatchai Suksoom of the Ministry of Interior stated.

He added that the measure is not discriminatory as it will apply to both men and women, but admitted that the proposal would mainly affect Thai women and foreign men.

Thai nationals cannot be prohibited from marrying older foreigners abroad, however Thai embassies will warn them of the possibility that Thailand will not recognize the marriage if they return to Thailand, he noted.

It is expected that the new law will be brought before the Cabinet for approval at the beginning of next month where it will then be proposed to Parliament. The law will not apply retroactively but only to marriages that take place after the new law comes into effect. Tawatchai advised Thais living overseas to provide proof to their Embassies that they were married before the law came into effect so as to avoid any potential problems.

The new law is in line with similar laws in Cambodia and Laos as part of the upcoming ASEAN integration in 2015 and is expected to pass Parliament with ease and should take effect on May 1st, 2011.