LANative
If you are relocating here because of money problems, chances are you are not going to have a happy life here. Can't imagine living here without a car. Basically I agree with what T.I.G.R. wrote.
On the other hand if you have adequate funds it can be a grate place to live.
You might consider Central America as it is closer to home and a language that is not as mind boggling as Thai. Cost similar to LOS.
questions from a potential expat
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margaretcarnes
- Rock Star
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quesions from a potential expat
All very good points there from TIGR, dtaai-maai and Wanderlust and, as Norm rightly says, LOS is not the best place to be on account of money problems.
Remember that on a fixed income (as you said you would be) you are subject to the vagueries of the exchange rate for a start. On the other hand it is possible to live very cheaply, if you are prepared to forego things like a flash air-con apartment with broadband, maid and pool, and can handle the local food.
I personally don't go along with the need for a car though. Especially in HH. It's so easy and cheap to get around on motorbike taxis and somteaws. Unless you work or have family there and live in the sticks you don't need a car IMO. I know most Americans are dependant on their wheels. No disrespect LA. I was as well in the UK for 35 years until I moved to LOS, but didn't miss the motor there at all.
What I do think you need to consider really is why you are seeing a therapist and, most importantly, do you expect that need to continue in HH. Because if you do, you won't find a counsellor/therapist. Full stop.
You will however find lovely smiley people. A good expat community. Great climate and food, and plenty to do if you are up for it.
Remember that on a fixed income (as you said you would be) you are subject to the vagueries of the exchange rate for a start. On the other hand it is possible to live very cheaply, if you are prepared to forego things like a flash air-con apartment with broadband, maid and pool, and can handle the local food.
I personally don't go along with the need for a car though. Especially in HH. It's so easy and cheap to get around on motorbike taxis and somteaws. Unless you work or have family there and live in the sticks you don't need a car IMO. I know most Americans are dependant on their wheels. No disrespect LA. I was as well in the UK for 35 years until I moved to LOS, but didn't miss the motor there at all.
What I do think you need to consider really is why you are seeing a therapist and, most importantly, do you expect that need to continue in HH. Because if you do, you won't find a counsellor/therapist. Full stop.
You will however find lovely smiley people. A good expat community. Great climate and food, and plenty to do if you are up for it.
A sprout is for life - not just for Christmas.
Mags my darling it is so rare that i take issue with you but
Quote..."you won't find a counsellor/therapist. Full stop."
In my experience there are a vast array of verypists available the bars are full of them slurring advice
Whilst my advice would be come and see for yourself i would say that your therapist should come immediately going by the posts on this forum from people living here already he/she would be on a very nice little earner
Quote..."you won't find a counsellor/therapist. Full stop."
In my experience there are a vast array of verypists available the bars are full of them slurring advice
Whilst my advice would be come and see for yourself i would say that your therapist should come immediately going by the posts on this forum from people living here already he/she would be on a very nice little earner
A Greatfull Guest of Thailand
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lindosfan1
- Deceased
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- Location: uk
That's bullseye WL!Wanderlust wrote:......if you need/use a therapist in LA, then you may not be best suited to living in Thailand............
For what it's worth, without trying to sound like a smart-arse, but if you are seeing a therapist in the west about the sort of stuff mentioned then Thailand is going to be a "challenge". Really you need to be 'rock steady' on a lot of fronts to achieve longevity here.
However, as said by others, best thing to do is come for a holiday, see what you think and take it from there. You never know, you may love it.
Good luck and read the forum, lots of good advice everywhere.
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
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komfortablynumb
- Specialist
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- Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:06 pm
- Location: norfolk/ Praknampran
Stable.
Are you having a larff?
From what i have read, most of the expats are extremely unstable.
Obviously too much Singha & Sun.
It can't be easy and as a future expat i have my own worries.
Cocooned with in the frame work of The UK NHS system for the past 30 years. They paid me & looked after me if i was sick.
Fortunately i have not used the latter part much.
Anyone that retires to LOS has to think long and hard.
But ask yourself.
When you are old dribbling and incontinent.
Do you think you may regret not taking that chance?
Each has to make there own decision.
OMG. The trick cyclist was right.
I'm Mad.
Very tongue in cheek.
But i hope it helps.
Are you having a larff?
From what i have read, most of the expats are extremely unstable.
Obviously too much Singha & Sun.
It can't be easy and as a future expat i have my own worries.
Cocooned with in the frame work of The UK NHS system for the past 30 years. They paid me & looked after me if i was sick.
Fortunately i have not used the latter part much.
Anyone that retires to LOS has to think long and hard.
But ask yourself.
When you are old dribbling and incontinent.
Do you think you may regret not taking that chance?
Each has to make there own decision.
OMG. The trick cyclist was right.
I'm Mad.
Very tongue in cheek.
But i hope it helps.
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komfortablynumb
- Specialist
- Posts: 247
- Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:06 pm
- Location: norfolk/ Praknampran
Are you sure, spitfire? I find there are few people in this world who are 'rock steady' and Thailand is full of people who definitely don't fit that description. They are often very interesting people.spitfire wrote: Really you need to be 'rock steady' on a lot of fronts to achieve longevity here.
I think his therapist comment was a touch of humour.
There are many reasons to leave one's country and seek a fresh start. A common one is after divorce. Another, disillusion with life at home. Anxiety or depression are common conditions that can blight people's lives. Many seek distraction by falling for a lady (very easy to do). This is terrific for a year or two but then the rosy glow fades and they wake up from their dream state, having bought a house, car, got married, etc... and are then unable to extricate themselves. Lapsing back into depression is to be expected.
We all have a tendency to seek happiness outside ourselves. The answer does not lie there but inside.
I don't think this is the OP's situation but I mention it just to make the point. It doesn't matter where you travel in the world. You still have to take yourself!
"Let no one who has the slightest desire to live in peace and quietness be tempted, under any circumstances, to enter upon the chivalrous task of trying to correct a popular error."---William Thoms
Lanative having lived here in Hua Hin for 11 years 365 a year I am posting this to show what happens to ones thought processes the longer you stay here. 
When I saw your name Lanative and read your post I immediately thought TYPO the n should be an X
It took me 4 days of analysis to work out it was La-native and thought a native of Los Angeles.
I then read your post and using clues Therapist,water phobia, and loud rock music I worked it out that the small “a” denotes Los alamos
If I lived in Los alamos next to all those nukes I would need a therapist and have the same phobias drinking water that makes one glow in the dark is a bummer
(although one would see the blinding flash long before the rock music drowned out the final bang ) 
So as you see the most important thing about coming here to live is to bring your own personal sense of humour use it and abuse it or you will loose it
I obviously need some therapy and so does my friend HHfarang who with his muscle car and the pm he sent me on the size of his BBQ machine (obviously a penis envy situation) and our other American friend HHADfan should get together very soon for a therapissed session
That’s living in the Land of Smiles for you
P.S. using more emoticons than sense shows bovinespongeyformencepelopaffy is progressing well
When I saw your name Lanative and read your post I immediately thought TYPO the n should be an X
It took me 4 days of analysis to work out it was La-native and thought a native of Los Angeles.
I then read your post and using clues Therapist,water phobia, and loud rock music I worked it out that the small “a” denotes Los alamos
If I lived in Los alamos next to all those nukes I would need a therapist and have the same phobias drinking water that makes one glow in the dark is a bummer
(although one would see the blinding flash long before the rock music drowned out the final bang ) So as you see the most important thing about coming here to live is to bring your own personal sense of humour use it and abuse it or you will loose it
I obviously need some therapy and so does my friend HHfarang who with his muscle car and the pm he sent me on the size of his BBQ machine (obviously a penis envy situation) and our other American friend HHADfan should get together very soon for a therapissed session
That’s living in the Land of Smiles for you
P.S. using more emoticons than sense shows bovinespongeyformencepelopaffy is progressing well
A Greatfull Guest of Thailand
Sorry MrP, maybe a bit vague there, depends how you translate 'rock steady', a fair few possibilities there. It could be equated to many fronts, as said, like 'got your shit together', 'unswervingly got a plan', 'financially sorted', 'realistically experienced here', 'can see the wood from the trees', 'realistic participation in the abundant leasure activities' etc etc etc.MrPlum wrote:Are you sure, spitfire? I find there are few people in this world who are 'rock steady' and Thailand is full of people who definitely don't fit that description.spitfire wrote: Really you need to be 'rock steady' on a lot of fronts to achieve longevity here.
However, I agree about there being some very interesting/colourful people around.
Key word was longevity, many come, many go, and many stay for a little while.
It would be interesting to know what the average amount of time a farang stays or the percentage of those that manage to realise the goal of a permanent move, out of those that attemp to live here. How long or what percentage end up leaving due to whatever reason? The list is endless, financial screw-ups, female relationship complications, health, disillusionment, general defeat, admitting that it was the wrong decision about where to live, drinking himself into the grave.
Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few that do sort it out and achieve said goal.
Some expats in LOS may seem eccentric to those that don't live here but perhaps it's just because they have a 'handle' on what's going on and many other more naive visitors that claim sanity understand little of Asia or Thailand whilst struggling with the classic problems. There is nothing quite so disturbing as the truth, especially here.
But, in general, I would still say that someone needs to have their shit together to reside here long term, maybe 'rock steady' was too ambiguous.
True, there are many that don't fit that description but how many of them will still be around in 10 years?
It reminds me, do you remember that thread you started MrP about "Most expats return home eventually", for whatever reason?
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
therapy in Los Angeles (not Los Alamos)
Thanx to"caller" for comments on therapy. I didn't mean to touch off a firestorm by mentioning it. My point was that someone gave me advice to gather as much information as possible about a place before moving there. Instead it became the main topic of what appears to be a small "ingroup". I only mentioned it as an aside, not to become the main point of discussion. Somebody needs a hobby.
I see a therapist like others see any doctor to treat any chronic disease. I have hereditary low neurotransmitters and just like other diseases such as diabetes and heart disease (I'll bet at least one of you there or someone you know has one of these as it is rampant in overweight older people, no offense intended). It is treated with medication and the therapy is a doctor recommended adjunct to the meds. It, however does NOT mean I am "unstable"! In fact with these therapies I'll bet I am MORE stable than average otherwise I would quit the treatment. Diabetics take deficient insulin and modify their lifestyle as an adjunct. High bloodpressure is treated with medication and lifestyle modification. This the same for hereditary depression. If everyone wasn't so afraid of self examination I doubt it would be an issue. I've read that Brits are particularly averse to psychological intervention. Is that true?
On this blog I'm curious as to the ethnic and national origins of participants. I'm assuming mostly Europeans and predominantly Brits. Am I right? No need to be afraid of self examination.
I was born and raised here in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Calif home of Austrian governator A Swartznegger and O.J. Simpson who murdered his wife and her lover 2 miles from my apartment at the time. THEY are unstable not I as are the thousands of other movie stars who live here. Despite the constant chaos around me, the hillside firestorms followed by mudslides, the driveby gang murders, the earthquakes waking you, the daily roadway gridlock, the massive overcrowding, the very high rent, food and gas prices, the current drought from lack of rainfall, the airpollution, the constant jetnoise from LAX a mile from me, etc. I have managed to stay sane for over 5 decades. I want to get away from all that as you would. That doesn't mean I am unfit to live in your little town, with all due respect. I don't need or WANT much in material posessions, no house, no car, no furniture of my own. I'm done with carrying around all that.
Do you think I could live there living simply on a reliable government pension? I have no other options, this is my Plan D
Cheers
LA native
I see a therapist like others see any doctor to treat any chronic disease. I have hereditary low neurotransmitters and just like other diseases such as diabetes and heart disease (I'll bet at least one of you there or someone you know has one of these as it is rampant in overweight older people, no offense intended). It is treated with medication and the therapy is a doctor recommended adjunct to the meds. It, however does NOT mean I am "unstable"! In fact with these therapies I'll bet I am MORE stable than average otherwise I would quit the treatment. Diabetics take deficient insulin and modify their lifestyle as an adjunct. High bloodpressure is treated with medication and lifestyle modification. This the same for hereditary depression. If everyone wasn't so afraid of self examination I doubt it would be an issue. I've read that Brits are particularly averse to psychological intervention. Is that true?
On this blog I'm curious as to the ethnic and national origins of participants. I'm assuming mostly Europeans and predominantly Brits. Am I right? No need to be afraid of self examination.
I was born and raised here in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Calif home of Austrian governator A Swartznegger and O.J. Simpson who murdered his wife and her lover 2 miles from my apartment at the time. THEY are unstable not I as are the thousands of other movie stars who live here. Despite the constant chaos around me, the hillside firestorms followed by mudslides, the driveby gang murders, the earthquakes waking you, the daily roadway gridlock, the massive overcrowding, the very high rent, food and gas prices, the current drought from lack of rainfall, the airpollution, the constant jetnoise from LAX a mile from me, etc. I have managed to stay sane for over 5 decades. I want to get away from all that as you would. That doesn't mean I am unfit to live in your little town, with all due respect. I don't need or WANT much in material posessions, no house, no car, no furniture of my own. I'm done with carrying around all that.
Do you think I could live there living simply on a reliable government pension? I have no other options, this is my Plan D
Cheers
LA native
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Wanderlust
- Legend
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- Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:27 pm
- Location: Hua Hin
LANative,
I am sorry if anything I wrote offended you, but your response in a way does sort of prove the point; you do need quite a thick skin here sometimes as the people you will be dealing with most of the time do not know you, and very few will care about you in the way that people in your home town will. There will be no support group (family, friends, therapists, whatever) and while that can sometimes be very liberating it can also be daunting and worse. You will meet and make friends of course, but despite all the problems you list where you are living now, I am sure there are people you can turn to when times are tough, which you can't be sure of when you are in a new place. I wish you the best of luck, and you have chosen a great place to start your new life, and there are plenty of great people here of many nationalities, but whether or not you encounter them is another matter. Just be prepared to take a few knocks when you live here (physical, mental, financial) and be able to deal with them on your own; you will find people who will help you if anything happens but you shouldn't rely on that fact - I think it is something that we all take for granted when we are in our own countries and it is easy to pick up a phone or pop round to see someone when you have a problem. I'm not trying to paint a bad picture or put you off, just making sure you are prepared for what might come. A fair number of people who come to Thailand to live either become raging alcoholics or leave because of a variety of problems and I wouldn't want that to be your destiny.
On a side note you may well be right about the Brits and our attitude to therapy, and there are a lot of us in Hua Hin and on this forum. I think the main concern is that you might find it hard to find a doctor here who could help you in the same way if required.
I am sorry if anything I wrote offended you, but your response in a way does sort of prove the point; you do need quite a thick skin here sometimes as the people you will be dealing with most of the time do not know you, and very few will care about you in the way that people in your home town will. There will be no support group (family, friends, therapists, whatever) and while that can sometimes be very liberating it can also be daunting and worse. You will meet and make friends of course, but despite all the problems you list where you are living now, I am sure there are people you can turn to when times are tough, which you can't be sure of when you are in a new place. I wish you the best of luck, and you have chosen a great place to start your new life, and there are plenty of great people here of many nationalities, but whether or not you encounter them is another matter. Just be prepared to take a few knocks when you live here (physical, mental, financial) and be able to deal with them on your own; you will find people who will help you if anything happens but you shouldn't rely on that fact - I think it is something that we all take for granted when we are in our own countries and it is easy to pick up a phone or pop round to see someone when you have a problem. I'm not trying to paint a bad picture or put you off, just making sure you are prepared for what might come. A fair number of people who come to Thailand to live either become raging alcoholics or leave because of a variety of problems and I wouldn't want that to be your destiny.
On a side note you may well be right about the Brits and our attitude to therapy, and there are a lot of us in Hua Hin and on this forum. I think the main concern is that you might find it hard to find a doctor here who could help you in the same way if required.