part time or full time.? ~ LB-69

Ladyboy Hunter Joined: 04 Feb 2008 Posts: 184 Points: 1

Yeah, the company I'm working for is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Except for my boss (who isn't here too much) I'm the only farang here and the Thai you can meet here speak ahm, well, pretty much no English at all.

Guess I'm the only farang within a range of 20km...

So work has pretty much become my only activity during the week (can't even download any tv series cause the internet is too slow).

Got a girl staying with me for about two month now. She's really nice and we're having a lot of fun but e.g. all I can ask her after we saw a movie is "You like it?"

some excellent responses there.
intersting that most members who cannot live there are happy to keep it part time, and the ones that do live there wouldnt have it any other way.
my worry is, we all know the buzz of booking a ticket, and counting the days till the flight.
landing in bangers knowing what you are in for.
down to nana, blown away by the amount of lb,s.
but what happens, if you no longer are excited about arriving, its all just "normal".?
then what.?
benidorm.?

As usual I'm late:

'I think if i lived in thailand full time I am sure I would become an alcoholic, divorced fat git.'; 'I think you would get easily bored'.
I FEAR THIS.

'For me I would need to have a full time job and a separate "normal" life away from the bars, and only visit nana or Pattaya at the weekends. ' WHILST I EMPATHIZE. I CAN'Y SEE MYSELY GETTING A JOB.

I dont think I would be interested if I waited till I am 65 anyway . BUT - I FEAR THAT BY THEN LIFE WOULD HAVE PASSED ME BY.

More and more I love London, England. Unusually, I suspect (?), art-stuff floats my boat. BUT numerous times for me 3+ weeks in Thailand have just been too short....

I'm now tentatively planning to take a year's career break in 2010. I'd spend it in several SE asian countries; also Japan.

And if I met the ladyboy of my dreams? I'm currently thinking:
She could come back to most times reside with me in the UK - probably Brighton. BUT....why would she want to?

As it happens....I'm beginning to feel that I'm on a mission: To make the being with/loving a ladyboy a viable thing until 'death do us part'.

As it happens....I'm beginning to feel that I'm on a mission: To make the being with/loving a ladyboy a viable thing until 'death do us part'.[/quote]

I salute you Sublimefolly !

Not common words at this place, i wish you good luck on your mission.

For me, the "idea" of living in Thailand is far more attractive than the actual prospect of living there full time.

I often thought that an early retirement to LOS would be the greatest thing in the world. In reality, perhaps two to three months a year would be a better time spent for me.

I certainly couldn't see myself living anywhere in Thailand other than BKK or perhaps Chang Mai (as a residence) as the lack of "cultural" resources anywhere else in Thailand is sorely missing. When was the last time anyone saw a great art exhibition, opera, chamber music performance or cultural performance anywhere in Thailand OUTSIDE of BKK? I'm a bit of a culture vulture, and none of the other communities possess what sustains me at home on a daily basis.

There's not a great deal of intellectual capital or its accompanying discourse in Pattaya (no disrespect meant to any of its resident genius pool, however you are few and far between), so that would never be an option for me.

Please don't missunderstand me, I LOVE Thailand, its local flavor and culture, food, people and everything surrounding it. I just don't know if I can give up my way of life home (which even by USA standards would be considered living well) in exchange for the BEST that Thailand has to offer.

The other big issue for me is my work. I don't care to retire, EVER until my mandatory retirement from the university at age 70 (when I become "emeritus") but still don't know if I could live another life.

I cannot go to Thailand, and continue to do my work, certainly at the same level that I do in the US, or Europe or Japan (as no Thai university is doing cutting edge research in my particular field), and I love my work. I'd sooner retire from the more mundane aspects of my life than my work.

That being said, I'm working on taking a sabbatical year and spending it in Thailand (likely BKK or Chang Mai) and take frequent trips to my favorite spots during that year.

Beyond that, I see myself taking one or two short trips during my work year, and spending 1-2 months each summer in LOS, and I think that will make me happy for the time being.

Your mileage may vary.

Auto

Hey Auto what about Tiffany's? LOL Laughing

surely ranks up there with modern theatre. I know it supplied us with ample discourse fooder.

Ladyboy Guru Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 1811 Points: 1117

My opinion has completely changed in the last three weeks or so that this thread has been up . I'm now seriously thinking about a 5 to 7 year plan of early retirement in Thailand before I reach 55 . I dont think I could do it any earlier Sad

but dont want to leave it till I get to 65 .
Unless I win the lottery of course which means I would have to remember to start buying it Very Happy

A number of good observations and comments re living in Thailand.

I live here so can only give you my opinion/experience.

Retiring here is different. I had my career, did my travelling, did the family thing and then thought about how I would retire.
I hate the European winters
Social disorder in Europe is getting worse
Materialism has become Number 1
Taxation is obscene
Routine was boring.

I guess if I was wealthy enough I would have the summers in Europe and the winters in Thailand. A personal jet would be good too! The thought of maintaining two homes and the associated cost is just too much.

So Thailand. I would NOT recommend:
Retiring here before 55
Do not live in 'downtown' - you will become a wreck.
Do not live in a rural location - you will go insane
Have some external interests - Golf, Sailing, Diving, Wildlife, Tourism
Mix with broad minded residents - avoid the whining ex-pat
Set a budget that affords a good lifestyle but is personally affordable

When people think of living here they often go for downtown areas. Would you retire to
Las Vegas
King's Cross in Sydney
Soho in London
Same same in Thailand - do not retire to Nana/Walking St.

I do miss the theatre etc but there are events here which are often not well publicized. Pattaya had an Opera and a Jazz concert last year.

Again it is an age thing - I have done much of the theatre etc before I retired so no real loss to me now. The thought of a trip up to London to see a show is no longer attractive - nor is the seat price!

Thailand is central to Asia so you can visit Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Macau, HongKong more easily/economically from here than from the West.

Thailand is NOT for everyone. I first came here 20 years ago and was attracted to it. It took a long time to decide to retire here. I added up the Pros and the Cons and decided it was for me - but not everyone is the same.

So, for me, a profile of a person retiring successfully here would be:
55+
No strings back in the home country
Enjoys a warm to hot climate
Likes Thai cuisine
Financially independent - subject to your own individual lifestyle
External interests - Golf, Sailing whatever
Reasonable good health
Tolerant - Thais can be frustrating but mostly it is the language barrier

I know guys here who are happy on 1000 USD per month. Others 2000 USD and up. It depends what you like to do.

Avoid city centers and farming communities, find something residential within strike distance of some social interaction.

Whatever you do PLAN carefully and commit yourself - returning back may not be easy!

Ladyboy Guru Joined: 10 Mar 2007 Posts: 1811 Points: 1117

Hi Rossco , I was just looking at apartments in Jomtien when I decided to check the forum Smile

I think I will start a new thread and see if I get some questions answered . Cool

Rossco:

Always the voice of reason and prudence. It should be well heeded, as you have already gone through the vetting process and made a decision that obviously works very well for you.

Thanks for that "insiders" look and it should be serious food for though for anyone contemplating such a move.

Cheers.

Auto

Rossco: I completly agree with Auto's sentiments. Thanks for your words of wisdom.

But, I'm now curious: To what extent have you sought to learn Thai; and what would you recommend?

Personally I've always struggled with languages. To date I so cannot speak Thai. But I'm thinking - if I were to take a career break in, say. 2010, pending a decision to permantly move, I really should commit then to a programme of tuition/learning the language.

I wish I had heeded my teachers at school and paid more attention to languages!

When I started work I never imagined travelling so much and quickly realised I needed to learn at least some phrases in many languages. Later in life I resided in a non- English speaking country and had to learn quickly.

Moving to Thailand. Thai is different in that the character set is also different. So whereas I could read a sign in most European/South American countries in Thailand it was "Greek" to me.

I have not really learnt Thai - the odd phrase but that is it.

Talking to many Farangs, who do speak correct Thai, the census of opinion is you must be able to read/write the language. One BM kindly left me a child's book where you learn to trace the outline of the letters - he was write as now I am attempting to learn all the letters of the alphabet.

Speaking Thai will not help you with sign recognition hence the need to learn the written word.

There are 44 consonants and numerous vowels. As the language is tonal there are tone marks as well.

The up side is that there is not the conjugation nor tenses of many European languages. French has a multitude of tenses.

Having said all that it is not impossible to learn - it just needs time and dedication. Learning street Thai is one alternative but then you will always sound like a street person!

Having a Thai partner is a great help but you need to encourage them to help you. You also need to check if they are teaching you slang or correct Thai. I have already been caught out using an improper word as it was slang and impolite.

There are many language schools and audio CD's to learn from but, as with any language, you need to study.

All the countries I have ever visited have always been responsive when you try to speak their language so their responsiveness is encouragement.

A couple of experiences.

I did not know the registration of my car because I could not read the alpha characters.

The Thai word Maa can mean Dog as well as Horse - confusion for the betting man. The distinction between the two is the tone.

Ladies from Issan admit that if they know a customer speaks Thai they switch to Lao!

The Thai language contains many English sounding words. Pen - bpaak-gaa - it actually sounds like Parker - I wonder why!

wow, looks like this thread is an old one, but cant help but put my 2-cents in:

1. youre right, learning thai was/is not easy. You deffinately have to learn the alphabet and have to pay close attention to the tones. And it SUX BIG TIME when people speak fast and it all becomes a blur. Crying or Very sad

But dont you think the reward of atleast being able to read signs and speak more than the occational tourist 'falang' totally makes up for all your hours spent studying? Twisted Evil

when you ask for something in thai, or speak in thai even if its not spot dead on, ive noticed you get so much more respect from ordinary people.

and 2., no you wont make as much as you do in Western Countries, so i guess you do have to be realistic. Sad

I wish i could tho...