questions from a potential expat

[billseymour]

LAnative,

Thank you for starting an interesting thread, and for your reasoned responses.

It seems to me that you have already conducted a great deal of research and analysis, and are familiar with your own needs and desires, together with many of the issues that may confront you in Thailand.

But I am curious as to how you decided that, of all the places in Thailand, Hua Hin would be your destination of choice.

My background is that my home was in the San Francisco bay area for 25 years, and I retired to Phetchaburi in 2003 with my (Thai) wife. We stayed there for three years, and loved it.

Unfortunately, after three happy years we felt the need to be further removed from my wife's family (a common problem in Thailand), and so we moved to Hua Hin, where we stayed for one year.

Frankly, we didn't care for the place at all; after Phetchaburi, it just didn't feel like Thailand; and most things seemed far more expensive, especially food and accommodation.

We then moved to Nakhon Pathom, about 50 miles west of Bangkok, where we were also very happy.

[MrPlum]

MrPlum -

I hate to tell you but I was using the Sea Salt to determine if my golf balls were well balanced......

Hope it works for your purposes.

I'll try it when I stop laughing.

But I am curious as to how you decided that, of all the places in Thailand, Hua Hin would be your destination of choice.

Good question. Hope you don't mind me pitching in here, since it's one I have been considering myself. My original reasons for coming here were that Hua Hin was a beach resort without a lot of the seediness and criminality associated with places like Pattaya. It has good golf (as long as your balls are balanced), decent shopping, a pleasant feel and due to the King's Palace, safer. Since I came from apartment living in Bangkok, accommodation seemed cheap to me.

In light of a recent shooting and some worrying stories about the activities of other foreigners, HH is beginning to lose its lustre. Tourism can ruin a place and make the locals less friendly and the road I'm on is like a Toll road, with Police constantly extracting fines.

Overall, I'm still happy but if I knew of a better place, where Thai wasn't needed, I might be tempted.

[migrant]

Personally HH is not where I would end up. I like the ability to get there, with its many amenities, but would rather live outside (I remember a similar post to a thread here).

Cha Am perhaps, but I like Bang Saphan/Chumphon further south (clearer waters for me).

I didn't see Hua Hin on your list, have you spent much time there?

[Tony_S]

Special thanx to TIGR for his relevant answers and Hans for unasked questions about what he missed most. To both, I won't pay ANYTHING for a burger and fries as I don't eat either one and haven't in 25 years.
I was thinking more about costs to import vitamins and supplements which I take a large quantity of.

Burgers are full of vitamins

[Khundon1975]

MrPlum -

I hate to tell you but I was using the Sea Salt to determine if my golf balls were well balanced......

Hope it works for your purposes.

I was sat here trying to figure out how I was going to lower mine into a salt water solution, then I read "golf balls"

[LAnative]

Margaret et al
I chose Thailand at the urging of my son who has been there and from my own experience there ( my son wants me far enough away that I can't visit often). I felt at home there and happy altho' that may have been from the party mood of Songkran, which is by far the BEST party I ever went to. Besides that I love the food, the amazing art and temples (as a wanna be Buddhist), the tropical weather ( I like heat), the clear teal ocean, the good scuba diving, the pretty girls, the nice people, the exotic environment and of course, the low prices. I would also love to live in Brisbane, Aus. but I don't qualify, I'm not rich enough.
I reject the Latin American havens because I despise Latin culture and Catholicism (no offense to the Catholics there). I am already surrounded by Latin culture and language and am sick of it. Every place else in the world that is appealing is too expensive, viz France or Greece or Italy. Northern Europe is too cold. The island nations are too remote with no infrastructure, not a place for a city kid used to the internet and roads. Also Hawai'i is FAR too expensive and quite crowded.
Cheers
La Native

[LAnative]

In response to Bill Seymore I chose HH because of its geographic position on the Gulf protected from the Tsunamis that nailed the Andaman coast and Phuket . I haven't heard of any cyclones there either. I also thought it would be safer with the king living there and heard it has a decent infrastructure. My son recommended it having been there and I love the beach. I have been fortunate to have lived within 10 miles or less of a beach most of my life and in LA the air is cleanest there. I currently walk to the beach several times a week and it only takes 15 mins.
I have been to Chiang Mai and liked it but it is too landlocked for me. BKK is a chaotic madhouse where I'm afraid to cross the street due to the 1 million motorbikes per block driving on the WRONG side of the road
Then there is the fact that a group of retirees live there, many of whom speak English so if I don't master Thai it won't matter much. I also enjoy the general intelligence and educational level of Europeans, a refreshing change from the products of the American school system.
The American Dream is dead for the native born as immigrants crowd us out and drive up housing costs. May as well live in a foreign country as LA has become like one. Like others I too am disgusted with the political system that has opposed the values that made it great and the ones I practice (hence my precarious position)
Cheers
LA Native

[HansMartin]

I appreciate your honesty, LANative. Can't say I agree with your vision of Amerika. Seems dated to me, but than I live in the Bay area (betweem Hayward and Milpitas), not LA.

So I accept your reasoning and want to answer your question regarding what to bring with you.
1. Yes, cotton sheets; thin and a high thread count -- high quality
2. Your favorite pillow or its twin
3. Large, fluffy cotton towels that will actually dry you off.
4. Coffee, not the instant sh*t you get there. I'm sure you can find some, but you need something to keep you going.
5. Sunscreen -- maximum possible protection. Yes, you can get it in HH but at ripoff prices.
6. Go to your local REI or high quality sporting goods store and get polypropylene underwear, walking shorts, and t-shirts. Loose fitting stuff that wicks moisture off your body and can be washed and dryed over night. Quality sandals - Teva or something simialr. I finally figured this out a couple of years ago and it makes a world of difference. Not cheap, but heaven
7. Your favorite T-shirts and hats
8. Assuming your wear glasses a current perscription
9. A high quality, multimedia laptop computer -- new and thoroughly tested. Don't worry about size,worry about performance


Anyhow that is what my wife and I have it down to, except for hams that we have to bring over for her family. So what do others have on their must have list that you can't get in LOS?

[Tony_S]

I appreciate your honesty, LANative. Can't say I agree with your vision of Amerika. Seems dated to me, but than I live in the Bay area (betweem Hayward and Milpitas), not LA.

So I accept your reasoning and want to answer your question regarding what to bring with you.
1. Yes, cotton sheets; thin and a high thread count -- high quality
2. Your favorite pillow or its twin
3. Large, fluffy cotton towels that will actually dry you off.
4. Coffee, not the instant sh*t you get there. I'm sure you can find some, but you need something to keep you going.
5. Sunscreen -- maximum possible protection. Yes, you can get it in HH but at ripoff prices.
6. Go to your local REI or high quality sporting goods store and get polypropylene underwear, walking shorts, and t-shirts. Loose fitting stuff that wicks moisture off your body and can be washed and dryed over night. Quality sandals - Teva or something simialr. I finally figured this out a couple of years ago and it makes a world of difference. Not cheap, but heaven
7. Your favorite T-shirts and hats
8. Assuming your wear glasses a current perscription
9. A high quality, multimedia laptop computer -- new and thoroughly tested. Don't worry about size,worry about performance


Anyhow that is what my wife and I have it down to, except for hams that we have to bring over for her family. So what do others have on their must have list that you can't get in LOS?

hmmmm everything on your list can be bought in LOS. It may be more expensive but then again it will be expensive for the excess baggage charge

[norm]

LANative

Since you like to walk the beach and money is a bit of an issue, you may want to consider checking out Cha Am. IMHO the beach is much nicer than the beach in HH, you can walk from Regent Holiday Inn to Cha Am city beach. That will take well over an hour. The beach does not disappear at high tide.

Cha Am has not caught on like HH, the reason being is the CBD is not to inspiring and there are no malls or large super markets. But it is only a 20 to 30 minute drive to HH mall. The time difference is dependent on how you hit the lights in HH. The BIB are masters at backing up the traffic at the lights.

It is less expensive than HH and after living in HH and Cha Am I prefer Cha Am by a long shot. Check it out you may like it. Has a great outdoor market for anything fresh. Lots of Thai and resort restaurants to choose from and the fish is very fresh on the beach retaurants.

[LAnative]

Thanx to Hans for the list. Have the Tevas and some quick dry shorts, sunscreen, shades, many Tshirts etc. What about longsleeves to repel mozzies at night? Will I EVER need a jacket? You are the 2nd person to mention high thread count sheets. I MUST find a local source for good ground coffee as I can't take the Nestles instant for long. Is there a Buckstar in town? (Starbucks). In this tourist destination don't they sell any whole bean coffee? The worst coffee in the world is consumed in coffee producing nations I guess because they export it all. Doesn't HH import some from Indonesia? They are missing a market if they don't.
Norm- I have definitely considered ChaAm . I just thought HH better as it is closer to supermarket and stores and I don't plan on owning a car. I need to be within biking range. But when I am there I intend to explore the entire coast and evaluate the situation. Also is one forced to stay inside for long periods during Monsoon rains? In Viet Nam the volume was massive but duration quite short.
Thanx to all for your responses and Kudos to Margaret for having the courage to publically admit to participating in psychotherapy.That was brave.
Cheers y'all
LA Native

[hhfarang]

hmmmm everything on your list can be bought in LOS. It may be more expensive but then again it will be expensive for the excess baggage charge

Tony_S,

Please tell me where you shop. I agree with everything on HansMartin's list with the possible exception of coffee and the computer. I have not seen the rest in good quality here at any price... we had to not only import sheets because the quality here was crap but also because they don't sell sheet sets that come with a fitted and a flat (top) sheet or sheets of good quality and a high thread count. Comfortable sleep is very important.

[HHADFan]

You may well need a jacket by your second winter here, especially if you go upcountry or ride a motorbike often (you said you didn't want a car).

This past New Year here in Hu Hin, I wore shoes(!), full length jeans,a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. I lived in Seattle for many years and am used to cool weather, but you acclimate here very quickly.

Coffee: I've been a coffee snob since 1976, but became a Nescafe clone here. When it came down to it, coffee was a small thing to change. Yeah, I enjoy nice coffee in the states, but it's just not that important here for me.

LA_N, after you've been here a while (I've been in Thailand only a couple of years) your priorities may change.

Going back to an earlier response, I think the percentage of Americans may be as high as 15 or 20%. The difference is - we don't meet each other often. The Brits seem to have a 'pub' or 'local' culture that we just don't have. We may go to bars sometimes, but we're not apt to have a place to informally meet with buddies.

I know quite a few Americans here, but have only met two in bars.

And for those who know me (S, R, I, HHF), no smartass comments about me and bars! I know already! This post was for illustrative purposes only! When the girls are all English or American, we'll talk about it..

[Super Joe]

Thanx to all for your responses and Kudos to Margaret for having the courage to publically admit to participating in psychotherapy.

There are first class hospitals, medical facilities and specialist's in Bangkok (but not Hua Hin I'm afraid) at a fraction of the cost of 'back home' in London or L.A.
Most enjoy a far less stressful and anxiety filled life here, and a bonus for some is that certain pharmacies in Hua Hin provide without prescription, SSRI's, Benzo's etc that some people make use of it when needs must, not that I'm advocating anything of the kind, just a throw away comment.

Good luck if you do decide to come, and I can assure you there'll be more coffee beans and mosquitos than you can shake a stick at.

SJ

[m_right]

So why do the others on this blog chooseThailand over all the retirement havens of the world like Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Ecuador, Belize, Spain or Turkey?
Cheers
LA Native

For many it is the women.