Luke's 4K post: How to GTFO! (And into Thailand)

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Its great to see other people talking about this since I am pretty much ready to move the hell out of the US. I am really looking at SEA or Central America. Specifically Thailand or Mexico at the moment. I have been doing TONS of research online reading about SEA on english forums and what I found just pissed me off and made me reconsider. Everything I have found online has been about how farangs go over there just to get Thai girls. Hell every person that I have talked to or my brother has mentioned my plans to asks if I like prostitues or something. If its not about the sex trade then its about how Thai's hate farangs and will just treat you like walking atm's. Near two months of reading about visa's and living in thailand and i didn't find anything that made it seem nice in the end.

I am glad to see that rent can be had for cheap since I plan on living very very cheaply. The goal is to come back to the US at some point with more money than I left with. Ditch the TONS of bills and high rent and insurances. I don't want a western lifestyle I want to try and experience the local culture and blend in and make friends. Take it slow and easy for a few years.

So question time.

I am a beach guy, I would like to surf and scuba dive some what near me. What towns would be good to look at? I don't want a tiny town, maybe something mid sized so there are still things to do. I would like to avoid all go-go bars and prostitution rings or at least be far away to not be associated with them. I dont do night clubs, my night life is more pub style. Ill take good food and conversation over the crazy party life.

Have any of you had respectable relationships while there? I can't just be single for the years I may spend there. But would like a women I could hold a intelligent conversation with. A lot of thai women may be really hot but you need brains and personality. I really don't want to have every women I meet see me as a sugar daddy or us green card because that isn't going to happen. Again online forums ruined this for me and NONE of them were specifically about thai wives/women it just happens that 90% of expats seem to want sex salves.

Do Thai people eat much seafood? The perks of central america are cheap lobster and ceviche everywhere. Thailand I haven't really found much on seafood. Its all kinda been land animals and fresh water stuff.
 


Beach Affiliate said:
I strongly doubt this is true for anywhere in the US that's worth living but I have no dog in this fight so I'm certainly not going to argue about it.

But seriously...I'd be very surprised if this were true.
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Consumer goods in America are crazy, crazy cheap compared to the rest of the (first) world - or more accurately, the ROW gets price gouged so Americans can enjoy cheap stuff. Houses and land are crazy cheap, cars are crazy cheap (for the same European car it can be up to 3 TIMES cheaper), electronics.. fuck almost everything is cheaper in America. Food is almost on par, but it's generally cheaper.

The only reason why the 3rd world is cheaper in some things is because the cost of labour is extremely low and thus locally produced goods and services are cheap as well. But as soon as you buy anything imported, you are immediately paying more than anyone in America would.
 
BeerNuts said:
Have any of you had respectable relationships while there?
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3 years, and going strong. Although I'm doing quite well financially now, before we were poor as dirt, and we're still together, so it's not for the money. I have a friend from France who lived here, ended up poor as well, and his Thai women actually took care of him financially. So yes, it's possible to meet good people.

BeerNuts said:
Again online forums ruined this for me and NONE of them were specifically about thai wives/women it just happens that 90% of expats seem to want sex salves.
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Yeah, I can see how you'd get that impression from online English forums. What happens is, take the city I live in. Lots of expats will move here, grab an overpriced $1000/month condo close to the expat area, and only spend time in the megamalls and expat bars & restaurants. These guys don't even bother trying to integrate themselves into society, don't learn the language, look down on Thais, and treat them like shit. So yes, they get taken advantage of. I'd do the same if someone treated me like that.

However, if you integrate yourself into society, learn the language, be respectful, groom nicely, and so on... you won't have a problem meeting good people. Don't worry, there's lots of good expats around too. We're not very visible, because we all avoid the tourist areas & trailer trash I mentioned above, but we're plentiful.

BeerNuts said:
Do Thai people eat much seafood?
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They love it!
 
You didn't mention your age. I'll assume. For a young single man Thailand is a good choice for vacation. But for nothing else with a couple of exceptions. Starting with the visa issue. Then the reality that a real relationship with a local is next to impossible for a newbie who can't speak Thai. Then the fact that most Thais speak English quite poorly; the only ones you'll have real conversation with would be those who have lived overseas or work in multinational companies - little chance you will meet them. So you'll be talking with expats, 90% of which are here for the ugly bar girls as you mentioned.

Some young single guys do well in Thailand if they were placed here by a large multinational company. They associate with other professionals, including educated Thai women, and if they don't appear to be a hound for bar girls they will usually get introduced to some nice women. Language can still be an issue.

Some guys do well with their own biz. I think Kiopa is in that category. But it's a lot harder and you are more isolated and easily taken advantage of without good local connections. It's only slightly better than being a long term tourist otherwise.

The guys who like to drink and party too much self destruct before long, even if they have the advantage of a professional network.

People with a Thai spouse and retirees have the easiest time living in Thailand. Young single guys are usually better off somewhere else.

Yes, lots of seafood.
 
Beach Affiliate said:
I don't doubt that there's expensive real estate there...
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It's not that. The thing I noticed is that there isn't nearly the wide range of prices of land around the country like I see in the US. A friend of mine just bought a 50 acre ranch in New Mexico. It's pretty remote, but it's nice and it was cheap. But you look all around Thailand and you find that even in remote areas that aren't very nice the land price is still pretty high, a lot higher than something equivalent in the US.

The US$250,000 per acre in my area is not considered expensive. Try Phuket and Hua Hin or in the city of Bangkok or Chiang Mai for pretty ridiculous prices. Of course I'm talking about deeded land that you can drive to. There are a lot of messy land title issues in some places and usually if something is cheap and below market there is a reason for it.
 
Kiopa_Matt said:
However, if you integrate yourself into society, learn the language, be respectful, groom nicely, and so on... you won't have a problem meeting good people. Don't worry, there's lots of good expats around too. We're not very visible, because we all avoid the tourist areas & trailer trash I mentioned above, but we're plentiful.



They love it!
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yeah find a fucking razor and dont look like smelly fucking backpacking hippie, god I fucking hate them....

The only time Im smelly and disgusting is when no one can see me or at the gym....
 
Maybe I'm a little more pessimistic than Kiopa on meeting nice expats. Most of the ones I met I didn't care to associate with.
 
geomark said:
Maybe I'm a little more pessimistic than Kiopa on meeting nice expats. Most of the ones I met I didn't care to associate with.
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I don't know, I've met quite a few without issue. And good people too. It's usually through a friend of a friend, but they're definitely out there. Only problem is you almost never get to meet them, because they're busy working 12 - 14 hours a day, have a wife & kids at home, and are good fathers so make sure to make time for their kids, etc.

There's loads of good, respectable expats around though. You just don't ever see them, especially if you're a tourist or newcomer, because they're busy taking care of their work & family. They're not visible, like the lowlifes you see sitting around drinking a bottle of Chang (cheapest, shittiest beer in Thailand) at 11am at some girly bar.
 
geomark said:
Maybe I'm a little more pessimistic than Kiopa on meeting nice expats. Most of the ones I met I didn't care to associate with.
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There def is, you have only been looking in the wrong places. I have both younger expat friends here an family fathers and so on. Having a huge weekend now this week, riding bike up the country about 35 people. There are 3 or 4 family's and friends of everyone, wonderful trip with No hippie backpackers and all participants are well addepted except my Thai.

M


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
lukep said:
1. Beach/Island Bum. Got the ocean-front hut with a palm The assortment of vacation-type villas out there blows the mind, all for rent between something like $100 per month up to a world-class resort lifetyle in the $1,500 per month range. (cont...)​
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lukep, you mean $1,500 per NIGHT? I was looking at that beautiful amanpuri and all seem to indicate that's the price per night. Else too good to be true :)
 
lukep said:
Phase 4: Getting your ass and your stuff over there

Thai immigration might throw a shit-fit if you arrive on a one-way ticket so I do not advise trying to do that, nor will it save you much money on your ticket price. Buy your ticket to stay in BKK for 90 days so you have the option to go back to the US on your first visa run if you'd like.

Once you arrive in BKK, you'll get a standard 90-day visitor visa. (Slight Exception: A Student visa.) Visitor visas will allow you free-roam inside Thailand for 90 days, and no matter how you plan to stay in the future (work permit, marriage, PR, etc.) you're going to be living on this for the next few years, and making trips across the thai boarder every 90 days to renew it somehow. (Don't worry an industry has popped up to help with that problem too.)
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I just wanted to mention these two things since I have been reading on the subject nonstop weeks now.

In regards to the one-way ticket. From what I have read this is more required by the airline that flys you to Thailand than enforced by immigration when you get there, since they will be responsible if you are not allow to enter. Many people seem to buy a one-way ticket to Thailand and then buy a cheap AirAsia ticket to somewhere close by that is refundable. This way you have a ticket out to get your visa and then you can refund the ticket and use the buses or whatever to renew the visa by land. Backpackers also do this.

As for the Visa (also what I have read, US citizens) if you just fly in you get a free 30 day tourist visa. If you come in by land you only get 15 days. If you want to stay for 90 days you need to apply for a real tourist visa before you get there. The 90 days is not good for 90 days though its only good for 60 with a 30 day extension. I am pretty sure you need a valid reason to extend the visa that extra 30 days and not "I just like it here". (Source: Thailand Visa: Application, Requirements. Apply for Thai Visas Online. ) So every 60 days you will have to go on a visa run to try and get another 60 days.
 
Yeah, you don't get 90 days on arrival, only 30 days. If you want longer you have to get a visa in your home country before you arrive in Thailand. If you get a 60 day tourist visa it is simple to extend, just fill out the form, pay 1900 baht, and yes "I like it here and want to tour around some more" is good enough reason. But what you do is get a multiple entry tourist visa valid for one year. Then you do visa runs and get another 60 days every time you re-enter. You're going to get sick of the visa runs and trips to immigration if you are planning to stay long.
 
BeerNuts said:
I am a beach guy, I would like to surf and scuba dive some what near me. What towns would be good to look at? I don't want a tiny town, maybe something mid sized so there are still things to do. I would like to avoid all go-go bars and prostitution rings or at least be far away to not be associated with them. I dont do night clubs, my night life is more pub style. Ill take good food and conversation over the crazy party life.
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Although I don't live here in Thailand I'd say if you're after beachside without the sex tourists check out Hua Hin and Krabi. If a secluded island is your thing, check out Koh Chang. I'm off to Hua Hin tomorrow, I'll post some pics if you like. :)
 
gcad1981 said:
Although I don't live here in Thailand I'd say if you're after beachside without the sex tourists check out Hua Hin and Krabi. If a secluded island is your thing, check out Koh Chang. I'm off to Hua Hin tomorrow, I'll post some pics if you like. :)
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Beaches in Krabi are really nice. Beaches in the northern gulf of Thailand, which includes Hua Hin, are pretty muddy except on some of the islands like Koh Chang. If awesome beaches are a must you need to go south.
 
geomark said:
Beaches in Krabi are really nice. Beaches in the northern gulf of Thailand, which includes Hua Hin, are pretty muddy except on some of the islands like Koh Chang. If awesome beaches are a must you need to go south.
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To be honest, I've never been scuba diving before, I just assumed you could do it anywhere there was water. I have pasty white skin and burst into flames when I go out in the sun. I get ridiculed for my skin tone in Australia and complimented on it in Thailand.
 
gcad1981 said:
Although I don't live here in Thailand I'd say if you're after beachside without the sex tourists check out Hua Hin and Krabi. If a secluded island is your thing, check out Koh Chang. I'm off to Hua Hin tomorrow, I'll post some pics if you like. :)
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If you try want to relax go to Phi Phi Islands, when I was there on the whole island there was only 1 holiday village with villas owned by Holiday Inn if I am not mistaken and they had good satelite internet connection.

But it was indeed a bit boring for my taste and I was stuck there for 8 days, towards the 5th day I really wanted to kill myself....
 
Lol, the way some of you rag on partying and bar girls you should just move to Malaysia which is much more wellcoming legal wise. None of those pesky dark skinned bar girls either and plenty of nice beaches. I'm serious, Malaysia would be a better fit if you want somewhere 'beachy' without the distractions.

Some of you sound holier than thou though. Nothing wrong with partying in Soi Cowboy once in a full moon. You obviously wouldn't want to associate with the people who live there thai or farang.

From my limited experience, you really need to get into some good clubs, associations and the like if you want to avoid being isolated and only meeting boozehounds and mongers. If you have the money and are not too old, try taking some classes in a university.
 
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