Thailand to England move

[Vital Spark]

A bit of an update on preparations for the move.

As we're not taking any large items back with us, I did an inventory of furniture and electrical stuff that we needed to sell on an Excel document. All at bargain prices, of course. I've initially sent this to my Western colleagues to give them first option on anything, as I can explain to them which things they can take now and which things they can take at the end of July. The nice part about dealing with them is that if they say they want it, they won't go back on their word (or try to reduce the already bargain prices). The result is that 75% of the big stuff is already sold.

Books. Boy, do we have a lot of books! We're only taking those with sentimental value back to the UK, so we're left with quite a lot to find new homes for. A couple of weeks ago I set up a table outside my office and piled the first consignment of books on it. Some of them look a tad tired, but some of them are in perfect condition. I decided that a blanket price would be the easiest option. 30 baht each or 4 for 100 baht. Knowing my students' attitude towards reading anything in English that didn't involve a grade, I wasn't that hopeful that I would sell any. I was wrong. When I turn up with a new box of books, word soon gets round and they're like bees round a honey pot. I'm really pleased that they want to buy books written in English, and I'm making quite a lot of money out of it. A win-win situation.

There's one item that we need to sell, and nobody here seems interested in it. It's breaking my heart. It's a mountain bike tandem with lots of gears (can't remember how many). We bought it about 15 years ago, and have had endless hours of fun riding it. Mr.VS does all the power work up front, and I sit on the back with my feet on the frame. It cost us over 20k new, but we'd love it to find a new home. Some of the chrome work on the handle bars has pitted (typical Thai chrome), so it doesn't look perfect, but that's just cosmetic. Yours for 6,000 baht ono.

That's all for now folks....
VS

[dtaai-maai]

Dear God, have you still got that tandem??

Have you decided on where you're going to settle?

[Vital Spark]

Yes, our lovely tandem's still with us. The landlord came round on Saturday and apart from begging us to stay and saying how much he'll miss us showed a bit of interest in it. We'll hopefully find a home for it.

We're planning on settling in Northumberland, if we can find the right place. Our ideal rental would be a cosy stone cottage in a nice village/town with a pub within walking distance. Sister-in-law happens to have a self-contained annex to her house in Hexham, which we can use as a base to explore the area. Apart from the fact that we can stay for as long as we want free of charge (which is very nice of her), it means we have time to find the right place. We may buy a property in a year or so, but need to get a feel for the area first.

Our next 'little' project while we're still in Thailand is to get a police clearance certificate. I want to get a job in the UK (invigilating exams pays quite nicely, and we have a lot of experience of that), but it looks like any job that involves the tiniest contact with people requires a DBS check. I've had a look at the UK Government website and it has a link to the Royal Thai Police's crappy website. The links don't even work!! Rather than miss out on a job through lack of paperwork, we'll try and get the relevant bits a pieces while we're here. It'd be nice if we could do it here in Nakhon Pathom, so we'll try doing it locally first. I work with some lovely Thai colleagues, so I'll drag one of them down to the local cop shop to help out. I have a feeling this isn't going to be an easy process - I'll keep you all posted.

VS

[dtaai-maai]

PM Barrys about the police certificate, he may have some info.

[Big Boy]

it looks like any job that involves the tiniest contact with people requires a DBS check. I've had a look at the UK Government website and it has a link to the Royal Thai Police's crappy website. The links don't even work!! Rather than miss out on a job through lack of paperwork, we'll try and get the relevant bits a pieces while we're here.

Are you sure you can't get a UK DBS check now? My son does some work at a local Hua Hin school, and he had to apply to the UK for DBS check, which I thought was bonkers, but his certificate was issued no problem.

If you'd like more detail, we can continue by PM.

[Vital Spark]

Thanks DM. Barry contacted.

BB: We don't have a problem with the UK DBS check, we can do that when we're there and have a UK address. The fact we've been non-residents for over 20 years means that any future employer will need some kind of certification from the police here in Thailand. We can, hopefully, do it while we're here much easier than them trying to do it from the UK. We're so used to jumping through their moving hoops we're almost gymnasts.

VS

[Vital Spark]

The Police Clearance thing aside (but I'm working on it), I've had a wonderful time selling bits and pieces on a couple of tables outside my office. Bookshelves at home are now empty, and I've reduced the price of books on my table at work to 10 baht each. Every day someone leaves money on my desk and a few more books find new homes.

This week was spent clearing out some crockery. I was thinking that Thais don't do dinner parties or such like, so some lovely dishes and plates wouldn't be on their 'to buy' list. I was wrong. When I turn up with a box of stuff, it's sold before I can display it on the table! We're not making huge amounts of money, but 20 baht for this, or 10 baht for that adds up. They're getting some pretty good stuff at a fraction of what it would cost if they bought it new, and we get to empty out cupboards. Win-win.

It's a kind of balancing act to sell as much as we can when we can, and making sure that we still have enough essentials to live our normal life here for the next 4 months.

One good piece of news is that we've found a tenant for the house. He's a guy who's just starting working with Mr.VS and is desperate to find somewhere reasonably quiet (a rarity in Thailand). He stayed the night at our place, and has made friends with Pickatable (resident dog). It's a huge weight off our minds to know that Mrs. P. (the dog) will be taken care of.

Feeling hugely positive...
VS

[Vital Spark]

A kind of mini-update on our move.

Sold the tandem yesterday to a lovely Thai couple who are going to use it to ride around their orchard in Chantaburi. I thought that the tandem would be the most difficult item to sell because it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm relieved that it's gone. Still have the sports bike and Zafira to sell, but (ever the optimist) I think they'll both be gone by the end of the month. Our lovely Nissan Cefiro has been sold to the guy who's renting the house, so we can keep the car until the day we leave - we still need wheels.

We've decided to go for a medium-sized cube from Seven Seas for bits and pieces to ship back. We checked on their site today and they don't list Nakhon Pathom as a drop off or pick up destination. I'm hoping it's a glitch in their website. What we did, however, find out is that we need to get a ToR1 (Application for Transfer of Residence) form completed before the cube gets popped into a container and leaves Thailand so that we don't pay import tax on the contents. We can fill in in on line and the UK Customs will give us a clearance number. Seven Seas will need this before they put the cube on a ship. There are discussion forums just talking about filling in this slightly scary form, but I think we'll be OK as we have an address in the UK (Mr.VS's sister), and we're not shipping anything really valuable - just sentimental stuff.

We've both finished teaching and the grades are all in. I've just got a presentation to do at a conference later on this month and then I'm done. We'll just have goodbyes and tidying up to do in July.

VS

[Vital Spark]

Things are moving on.

Sold the Zafira last week to the parents of a student at the university. It was quite handy as we had an interpreter (student) and they sorted out all the paperwork. They're pleased as punch with it as it replaces their family car that dad had written off the previous week.

The bike has gone to a new home in Cha-am. We decided to deliver it by rail as we love travelling by train, so we had a leisurely 2hr, 28 baht each (plus 60 baht for the bike) ride down to Cha-am. Had a very pleasant hour or so chatting and drinking beer with the new owner. The ride back wasn't so smooth. For some reason the train stopped at a tiny station just north of Ratchaburi. We sat motionless for nearly 2 hours while the later train we could have caught whizzed by. Having been on many trains across the world, I must say that Thai trains are the worst for punctuality and reliability.

We've booked a cube from SevenSeas to be delivered the week before we leave. They promptly replied and arranged to deliver a 'starter pack' to our house - I guess it's so that they know where the house is. Anyway, they said the pack would be delivered last Tuesday between 9am and 6pm. We both went to work on Monday and Mr.VS got a phone call from SevenSeas saying that they're at our house. Why?? I do hope that they're more accurate with their timing for the cube.

We had a wonderful farewell party at our favourite restaurant last Friday evening. It was pretty emotional as we both realised how many lovely friends we have made during the past few years. For farewell gifts they sensibly gave us money and wine - both hugely appreciated. Here's a photo:

Group sunset.jpg (57.5 KiB) Viewed 1335 times

VS

[Vital Spark]

Sorry about the quietness this end. Here’s a bit of an update:

So, we left Thailand on 31st July 2018. When we first arrived we stayed at my mum’s in Framlingham, and bought another Zafira (we loved the other one so much).

We floated somewhat aimlessly around the UK for a few months, saying hello to people and staying with family members while we tried to find somewhere to rent. Suffolk was way too expensive, as were some other areas of the country, so we eventually ended up renting a farmhouse about four miles east of Carlisle. It was a lovely house – particularly so on that first lovely day when we saw it – so we loved it and moved in happily. Then it got colder. This was a very nice house, but was a listed building, so no double glazing or anything fancy like that. It had a huge and expensive central heating system which was pretty much useless, as you could see the draughts, never mind feel them. It was quite a warm winter, by all accounts, but to us it was cold, wet and hideously expensive. I stupidly broke my wrist so couldn’t do much work. Henry also hunted for jobs but to no avail – too old, I suspect – although one online site suggested that he would be ideal as a trainee dentist’s assistant in the town of Lewes in Sussex. Somehow we felt that it was a bit too far to commute.

Our spirits were rapidly sinking, and we were dreaming of a return to Thailand, but somehow were unsure if that was a good idea – chasing ghosts rarely works – so what else to do? Then, one cold evening, we found ourselves in a pub (a rarity, I can assure you, as the price of a pint in the UK is now illegal!) wondering what next, when I simply said ‘Spain’. Henry grinned and started laughing and we drove home in fine moods and started that ball rolling. We flew out there on a quick recce and found a town we liked so the decision was made.

So it was that on the 20th April 2019 we packed our lives in to our faithful Vauxhall Zafira until it would take no more – there wasn’t even room left for a toothbrush – and drove away from our lovely, cold and expensive house near Carlisle, up to Scotland to say farewell to Henry’s mother, and then down to Northumberland to say farewell to his sister, and thence down to Suffolk to see my family. From there we drove to Devon to Henry’s brother, and thence to Plymouth to catch a ferry to Santander in northern Spain. A nine-hour drive later, we arrived here in Arcos de la Frontera – a lovely town on a rock near enough to a beach, if you like that sort of thing, but not near enough to be flooded with tourists. It’s on the Atlantic side of Spain, so has reasonable weather almost all year round – even in the height of summer there’s always a breeze, and in the height of winter there is always the same breeze off the ocean that stops things from getting too cold. It’s lovely. A few Brits and other foreigners here, but not many, and certainly not enough to upset the locals who are some of the kindest people on the earth. We’re happy.

We have rented a small flat here in the town, which suits us down to the ground. We have calculated that just by being here, we are saving £750 per month just on rent and council tax. The sun shines pretty much every day and the locals are super-friendly. What’s not to like?! We’ve been back to the UK a couple of times – once to sell the trusty Zafira and once to keep my mother happy over New Year.

Henry goes to ‘school’ four times a week, swinging his satchel and whistling at the girls at the bus stops. The Spanish government finances free Spanish classes for anyone who wants them. Henry did ‘O’ level Spanish, so his language skills just needed re-awakening, but the level was a bit too high for me. I’m starting from zero, so I’m spending my lock-down time learning as much as I can, so that I can join the classes when they start them again. I also do a little bit of English teaching for our landlord’s children – 6-year-old twin girls (identical!!!), and an eleven-year-old boy. It gives me something to do, and the pocket money is handy.

We absolutely love it here, and have no intention of living full-time back in the UK. We have done all the legal residency bits here which means that as Henry is now an OAP he qualifies for full medical care, and as I am his dutiful wife I also get it (v. important when we get a bit older). We find the Spanish not dissimilar to Thais in many ways. Any excuse for a fiesta… And, when we feel like it, a quick flight from Jerez airport (20kms up the road) means that we can cheaply zip back to the UK to see folks.

[buksida]

Sounds idyllic. I really enjoy my trips back to the UK but quickly realised I wouldn't want to live there full time. The same is now happening with Thailand after over two decades here so it will soon be time to seek out that third place!

[pharvey]

We have rented a small flat here in the town, which suits us down to the ground. We have calculated that just by being here, we are saving £750 per month just on rent and council tax. The sun shines pretty much every day and the locals are super-friendly. What’s not to like?! We’ve been back to the UK a couple of times – once to sell the trusty Zafira and once to keep my mother happy over New Year.

Henry goes to ‘school’ four times a week, swinging his satchel and whistling at the girls at the bus stops. The Spanish government finances free Spanish classes for anyone who wants them. Henry did ‘O’ level Spanish, so his language skills just needed re-awakening, but the level was a bit too high for me. I’m starting from zero, so I’m spending my lock-down time learning as much as I can, so that I can join the classes when they start them again. I also do a little bit of English teaching for our landlord’s children – 6-year-old twin girls (identical!!!), and an eleven-year-old boy. It gives me something to do, and the pocket money is handy.

We absolutely love it here, and have no intention of living full-time back in the UK. We have done all the legal residency bits here which means that as Henry is now an OAP he qualifies for full medical care, and as I am his dutiful wife I also get it (v. important when we get a bit older). We find the Spanish not dissimilar to Thais in many ways. Any excuse for a fiesta… And, when we feel like it, a quick flight from Jerez airport (20kms up the road) means that we can cheaply zip back to the UK to see folks.

Truly happy you've both found your "home" VS - really does sound a great place.... You may just bump into the LHG & I when this whole mess comes to an end.

Sounds idyllic. I really enjoy my trips back to the UK but quickly realised I wouldn't want to live there full time. The same is now happening with Thailand after over two decades here so it will soon be time to seek out that third place!

Most certainly does sound idyllic. I returned to the UK several years ago, but but my job does take me overseas for several months of the year - sometimes more. For me, I enjoy the UK - well, at least where we are based (Chepstow home, with a holiday home in Devon) - family in and around Bristol & Bath, for me a great part of the country. More than happy to call the UK my home.

[oakdale160]

Interesting that you have moved to Spain and are happy with the move. I have two sets of friends there who are very nervous about the post-Brexit future for UK ex-pats.

[Vital Spark]

Interesting that you have moved to Spain and are happy with the move. I have two sets of friends there who are very nervous about the post-Brexit future for UK ex-pats.

Yes, the post-Brexit deals (whatever they may be) are of minor concern, but not major. We have registered with the local authorities and done all we can to be legal residents here (unlike a lot of folk). As far as we are aware, the Spanish government will continue to allow us to stay here and have the benefits of their wonderful healthcare system as long as the British government offer the same to the Spanish in the UK. Spain has a huge expat community from the UK (over 300,000) so don't really want them all to leave. The fragile Spanish economy would suffer a huge blow if they forced expats to repatriate. At the moment we're OK, but if it's difficult for us to live here we'll just find somewhere else. We prefer to rent rather than buy (which is what we did in Thailand), which gives us the option to move on if we want to.

VS