Thanks for taking the time to post all that, I found it a strangely refreshing read. :)
But erm: You keep horses?! That's pretty awesome.. From the sound of your post ( :) ) I take it you're in the South, like Hua Hin or Phuket or Samui perhaps? I'm just thinking how awesome it would be to do trekking in the mountains in the North on horseback. Besides I think you need a change of scenery anyway.
In general I think you have slightly too much money and a mindset that throwing money at something will make everything easy. That's why 'slightly' too much money is such a frustrating situation. For all work permit, driver's license and immigration related matters you honestly don't need a lawyer. That's 20K saved right there, and when not spending such amounts then it would I guess be easier to take to occasionally lose an afternoon at the immigration office getting something sorted out. But spend 20K and you would expect it to all go away, but, it doesn't.
I think living in Thailand is actually easier when you start from humble beginnings. Cheaper definitely. You remind me a little bit of a 40-something (perhaps 50-something) woman I know living near Chiang Mai.. lots of money, even a member of the Thai Rotary Club.. Spends craploads of money on the most mundane of things, and then finds plenty to complain about and really with good reason. But it's perhaps not the best approach to Thailand.
Beer? :)
Cheers,
Chanchao
hmm i agree with phuketti in many things- i find thais to be extremely two-faced, quite ignorant and incompetent in general, racist, indifferent to suffering around them and huge contributors to environmental problems. i definitely think the "mai pen rai, mai thong kid maak" attitude is a huge impediment to any progress in this country, and that the problem of corruption will only get worse. i chose to live here because i love the lifestyle, despite the people. rather than waking up to a screeching alarm clock, putting on several layers of clothes to go out into miserably cold weather, riding a claustrophobic subway to a dull office from which i rarely see the light of day and in which i have to put up with office politics from capitalist pigs, i can wake up at my leisure, hang out in my hammock in gorgeous weather, have breakfast on a brilliant beach, hang out with my friends from around the world, and do a little work whenever i feel like it for american money, which goes pretty far in a village where you can live easily on 8000b/mo. i don't get too involved with locals any longer, but am polite and respectful, as they usually are to me. the only real frustrations i have are that the electricity/water/internet sources are not in the least reliable. i don't intend to stay here forever, especially as tourist visas become harder to get, however i do feel very at home here and will probably return after future travels elsewhere.
#10 - best post I have read for a while with all the rest of the rubbish on this branch and bang on with every single point. Sure to send the holidaymakers into a tailspin though!
I'm certainly no relationship coach, but if I were Phuketti, and I wanted dates with the kind of Western men I think she does, I'd move to Bangkok or KL or Singapore where there are many hard working, well off types in law firms, NGOs, banks, brokerage firms, hospitals, etc.
You still will have to face the fact that some or even many may have lovely, well educated Asian (not necessarily Thai) wives, but at least there are more fish of the type you want.
You just don't have those kinds of jobs in Phuket, what a few hotel GMs, some property developers?
The guys who buy guesthouses and bars and small shops on the beaches tend, at least from those I have met, to have done so because they had fallen for some Thai gal already.
The other option would be to put youself where Thai women don't, for example sailing and scuba diving. Most of the racing crews at the Samui Regatta, the one in Langkawi, and the King's Cup are Westerners and almost all men and a few wives. I know of one one Thai woman yacht captain who can really sail. The family that owns the Yacht Haven Restuarant would be good friends to have. They are English and very well connected with the large yacht scene because Boat Lagoon is too shallow for anthing much over two meters.
10: <blockquote>Quote
<hr>I've been in Thai-Lie-Land for over a year and have come to the conclusion that this is an extremely bigoted, racist culture.<hr></blockquote>
Everything is relative so when you accuse an entire country of being racist it sounds like bigotry. That is called irony. (Tud, are you there?)
The point is what. We all know that there is plenty of racism in the west. Yes, you have read the history of the US, Germany, Italy, France, Spain Britain etc???????????
Arabs?
So tell me please, who is less predjuced?? Perhaps Holland?
There is a reason Thailand has so many expats, like Costa Rica, its all about tropical climates, pretty girls and cheap living...
Bang got the buck..pardon the pun
I wonder how long #10 has been in Thailand? Having lived in the Third World, I recognize the passage where everything seems to turn to dust in your mouth, people seem deceitful and intercultural living becomes hell. Don't you think expats in your home country experience the same thing? If your business interests require you to stay ~ learn Thai, make friends, stay away from a totally expat social life, and try to be less judgmental about Thai ways.
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