I’ve been living in Thailand with my family for a bit over a year and half now, which you might think is hardly any time at all, and yet I can say I’ve learned quite a bit about myself and my interaction with the world at large in that time. Or have I? Have I learned anything by living in Thailand that I didn’t already know or could have learned living in another country or even my home country?

Thai Language
While I will be the first to admit that my Thai language skills are weak at best, I still know far more Thai than I would if I were living anywhere else in the world. I suppose that is a good thing, but really it only benefits me for as long as I continue to live in Thailand right? Still, if you are going to live in a country it is only right to learn the language. It not only helps you in your daily life, it also provides insights into the culture of your host country and the people who live there.

Racism
America has long been pointed to as a home of racism, which isn’t surprising considering the huge diversity of the population. Racism is certainly not an American invention however, and point of fact is that most Americans came from other countries and they brought their racism with them. If you think Thailand is different because of all the Land of Smiles stories, think again. Thai people are still people and as a foreigner living here you can expect to run up against racism. Especially troubling is the racism I’ve encountered from other Westerners. Can’t we all just get along folks?

Children
Children are treasured here much more than in my home country, or so it seems. Thais always have a smile for small kids and are always willing to cater to them. In addition, because there is a lack of the whole “politically correct” movement here (so far), parents are able to raise their children as they like without interference from government agencies. This is really a dual edged sword though. For responsible and caring parents it can be freeing, but for those children living in neglected situations (always far too many) it means there are little to no social services to fall back on. I’m not a sociologist so can’t comment much further, but would love to hear from those with a more in depth background in social science, psychology and child services.

Chill Out
Like many Westerners I was brought up to continually strive to improve and most importantly to win at all costs. My life in the West was stressed and frantic, trying to advance my career and keep up with the Jones’ to some degree (though I never fully bought into this mindset it is difficult to avoid when you are surrounded by it). Since moving to Thailand I have learned to relax and to take things more organically, as they come so to speak. Yes, I am still far more pressured and time oriented than the average Thai, but I am still learning to chill out and take things as they come when appropriate.

Self Reliance
You would think that moving half way around the world would teach more self reliance and in some ways that may be true, but I’ve found a different picture. Americans are taught to be self reliant from a very young age already (too bad so many haven’t followed the teachings) so I had a full measure of self reliance before coming to Thailand. Since being here though I have actually learned to be more willing to accept help when it is offered, and one thing you can say for Thais is that they are very good at offering help and sharing generously, especially once they come to know you personally. This may be one of the more valuable lessons I’ve learned since being here.

I have no doubt there are many other lessons both large and small that I’ve learned over the past 19 months, but I think you get the picture. Living in Thailand has been both a learning experience and a growth experience and it is one I wouldn’t change for anything. As they say, “No regrets”. If you are looking to expand your horizons you could do much worse than a move to Thailand, or any other country for that matter, even if it is just for a short time.

And for those of you who have already expatriated, what have you learned by living in a foreign country that you wouldn’t have been likely to have learned back in your home country?

Following up on Monday’s post about why people are already living in Thailand, I thought I would create equal billing by asking those who are elsewhere why they want to live in Thailand. I know all the reasons I had for moving here, and for the most part I’ve gotten what I expected, but I’m afraid that isn’t always the case. I know there are some who move here expecting one thing, but what they actually experience is something completely different for which they were unprepared.

In some cases this is because the expectations are all out of kilter. Many people come here for holiday for a few weeks, or even a few months and they think that if they move here their life will mirror those holiday times. Unless you have unlimited funds, it simply doesn’t work that way. In many respects your life in Thailand won’t be much different than your life in your home country at the most basic levels. You will still need to work, shop, cook, clean, eat, take care of kids and bills and problems. The difference is the environment in which you will be doing all of these things.

Why do you want to live in Thailand? Is it the low cost of living? I have a surprise for you then. While the cost of living is still somewhat low in the outer provinces of Bangkok, life in Bangkok and Phuket and other tourist type areas is no longer cheap. Inflation has been driving prices up and the irresponsibility of Western governments have been driving the value of our currencies down. Getting 36-38 baht to the dollar is a very significant difference from the 30.5 baht to the dollar I receive today. Those on the Pound and Euro have been hurt just as badly, if not worse. Some countries, Australia comes immediately to mind, have seen improvements, but if history is any clue you can expect that to reverse itself in the future.

Why do you want to live in Thailand? Is it the friendly people and ideas of sanook and mai bpen rai? Let me tell you, people here are not as friendly as they once were. The pace and stresses of modern life are catching up with Thailand. Sanook and mai bpen rai are still alive and well, but they are being replaced by a drive to succeed and an increasingly internationalized middle class. Plus, mai bpen rai and sanook can be downright frustrating when you are dealing with them on a 24/7/365 basis. Once they become the norm you will find yourself longing for someone who understands schedules, customer service, and thoughtful towards others.

Why do you want to live in Thailand? Is it the girls? Yes, they can be lovely, but increasingly you hear of scams and troubles with foreigners who have hooked up with Thai girls. Maybe this is just the increased availability of information and maybe it is the fact that more girls are jumping into the business of conning a foreigner. I haven’t done any verifiable research into the matter and can’t comment with any authority, but I feel it is the latter. In general though I think foreigners have a chance at meeting two types of girls here in Thailand. The first are the good girls who really are looking for a relationship. They have decided for whatever reason that a farang is what they want (maybe not so different from your reasons for wanting a Thai girl) and if you meet one of these girls you can have a great relationship…maybe even marriage and a family. The other type are the girls who want a farang as a means of immediate upward financial mobility. Good luck to you if you hook up with one of these girls as you will become nothing more than the proverbial walking ATM.

Why do you want to live in Thailand? Is it the sense of exploration and adventure? Honestly you can get that anywhere and if you are really looking for adventure you are probably better served these days by going to Cambodia and Myanmar, Ecuador and Bolivia, or even China and Eastern Europe. Thailand is becoming increasingly Westernized and not always in all the best ways. Why for example do I see Christmas displays everywhere I go in Bangkok? This is a nation that is 98% Buddhist. Doesn’t it seem odd that Christmas should be so highly publicized?

Why do you want to live in Thailand? Is it the freedom and lack of law enforcement? You can certainly still get that here, but let me tell you if you do run afoul of the law here you will wish you were back in your home country where the rule of law actually works. You will feel more free here in Thailand, but only to the extent that you can fly under the radar so to speak. And realize that you will never be fully accepted or integrated into Thai culture. I don’t care what the “I’m so Thai” crowd tells you, you are not Thai and will never be Thai.

Why do you want to live in Thailand?

There are many good reasons to move here and there are probably many more bad reasons that people move here. What are YOUR reasons?

Stories of dual pricing in Thailand are common and they come and go based on the latest trends. Even the government promotes this type of dual pricing for Thais versus foreigners as can be seen when you visit any national park. Other attractions such as zoos and entertainment venues do the same.

Recently, the dual pricing arrangement in Thailand jumped back in the spotlight when the Asiatique shopping area instituted dual pricing for their new Ferris wheel. More critically, when called out about the dual pricing structure by blogger Richard Barrow their response was to remove his comments from their Facebook page and block him from further access to the page. They additionally went on record claiming that this type of dual pricing was fair since the Ferris wheel was built on Thai soil so Thais deserved a discount.

This act of poor public relations prompted a surge of social media backlash, with hundreds of people (including many Thais), posting negative comments on the Asiatique Facebook page regarding the blocking of Richard and more importantly about the dual pricing structure. It seems that the younger social media savvy Thais are no more fond of this questionable practice than foreigners. That definitely points to future changes, though I think it could be decades before the full effects are seen.

In the case of Asiatique however, the changes took far less than decades. After several days, Asiatique rescinded their ban of Richard as well as changing the pricing for the Ferris wheel to be the same for everyone, regardless of race or nationality. Surely this is a huge step in the right direction and will hopefully enlighten other business and attractions about the potential pitfalls and negatives associated with dual pricing in an increasingly global world.

Personally I have never had much issue with dual pricing in Thailand, with the exception of the ethical questions it brings to light. In all honesty I have found prices on nearly everything to be the same for me as they are for Thais. We have even tested this by me buying something and then having my wife buy the same item at a later date. In every case the price quoted has been the same for both of us. I find it ironic in some ways that the average mom and pop shops owned by your average Thai shopkeeper does not participate in dual pricing (nor do taxis, motorbikes or tuk tuks), yet the government and big businesses here insist on clinging to this antiquated policy.

While the Asiatique situation was certainly troubling to some, it is good to see that they have taken the proper steps (after some prompting by their customers) and removed the dual pricing. One can only hope that the rest of Thailand moves into the 21st century with them. Dual pricing is not common and it is not acceptable. Even though it may only translate to a few dollars at most, it is a separatist and one could say racist policy that sets a very negative tone for the millions of annual visitors to Thailand. It was very encouraging to see the groundswell of support for Mr. Barrow coming not only from foreigners, but primarily from Thais who were incensed about the unfair pricing policy.

It’s a question I often find myself contemplating when interacting with other foreigners. True, it is mostly none of my damn business, but I still can’t help wondering what brings such a varied and diverse group of intrepid individuals to the very different land that is Thailand.

My guess is that the answers to this question are probably as varied and numerous as the number of foreigners living in Thailand. And yet I can’t help but feel that even through the differences there are some common themes or threads that tie many of us together, in our ideas and ideals at any rate. Some inner traits or yearnings that we all have and which cause us to venture out into the world, leaving friends and family behind, in search of filling some (often indefinable) need or desire.

I can tell you that for me there are several reasons that I live in Thailand:

1. Because life here is less controlled than in my home country
2. Most of the year I enjoy the weather
3. I want my daughter to experience and internalize at least some aspects of Thai culture
4. The foods are mostly delicious (I still can’t get used to organs or those little meatballs though)
5. Inexpensive cost of living
6. It is still a bit of an adventure

Needless to say, there are also very good reasons NOT to live in Thailand, but I’ll save that for another post where you can all tell me to stop whining and to leave Thailand if things are so bad here. Life in Thailand can be good, as can life anywhere because for the most part your life is what you make of it. For the time being though, Thailand suits me and my family quite well and I can say I am pleased (usually) with our decision to move here.

More importantly though, what are YOUR reasons for living in Thailand? I would love to hear them in the comments below.

Today is December 14th, 2012. In a small town in CT, 20 children were brutally murdered while in school. A tragedy of this magnitude is difficult to comprehend and horrifying for our nation. In our blogging Facebook group, a dear friend and blogger Amy from Adorable Chaos- knows a family who lost a little boy in this nightmare.

If bloggers know how to do one thing, it’s how to get people to read, pay attention, and listen. We’re interrupting our regularly scheduled plans to collect money for this family who has to deal with such a horrific loss. Please consider donating a small amount to this family (who we are keeping anonymous for publicity sake).

We will purchase a star and then deliver a check to help relieve some of the burden of funeral costs. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the family and all the families in Newtown CT.

I’m normally not a huge fan of infographics…perhaps because so many of them are done so poorly. That is not the case with this Thailand Infographic produced by Thomson UK. For such a small image, they packed it with great information and fun facts about Thailand. Check it out below!

Rediscover your senses in Thailand – An interactive graphic by Thomson

President Barack Obama will be visiting Thailand next week, and is scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on Sunday November 18th. The visit will kick off a tour of Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar, making President Obama the first U.S. president to visit both Cambodia and Myanmar. Thailand has had ties to the U.S. since the 1960s and Obama will be the fifth U.S. president to visit the Kingdom. Travel records show that Lyndon Johnson made visits in both 1966 and 1967, Richard Nixon toured Thailand in 1969, Bill Clinton visited in 1996, and George W. Bush came to Thailand twice during his presidencies, in 2003 and again in 2008.

The primary stated reason for President Obama’s visit to Thailand is to expand trade ties between the U.S. and Thailand. A Thailand government spokesman, Tosaporn Sererak, has told news sources that Thailand will enter into negotiations to join the U.S. led Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that currently has 11 member nations. Unfortunately, Thailand has since recanted and will instead promote Thai-US trade relations under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement. Bilateral trade talks between the two countries broke down after the 2006 coup in Thailand and have not resumed since.

Thailand would have been the fifth nation in talks about the TPP agreement that does not have a free trade agreement with the U.S. The other four nations are New Zealand, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. The remaining TPP member countries are the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, Chile, Peru and Singapore.

Obama’s aim is to increase bilateral trade agreements with Asia-Pacific countries in an effort to counter the growing economic strength of rival nation China. Thailand and the U.S. once had very closely shared economic and security interests, however, the political turmoil and inconsistency have resulted in diminishing Thailand’s importance in the region. Obama will seek to redress the balance and foster closer economic and cultural cooperation and exchanges.

Other topics of interest will certainly include renewing the weakening Thai-US military alliance. Further highlighting the importance of these ties to the U.S. is the arrival on Thursday of U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who will be working to reinvigorate military cooperation with the U.S. This is the first visit to Thailand by a top U.S. defense official since 2008. Panetta will meet with his Thai counterpart Sukumpol Suwannatat as well as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. It is believed that improved cooperation between the U.S. and Thailand is necessary considering the increasing influence Beijing has over the region.

Thailand will be making symbolic steps by finally joining the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which was initiated in 2003 by then President Bush as a method for stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Following the Bangkok visit, President Obama will travel to Myanmar on November 19th, which could turn out to be the more important stop on this tour. Myanmar has been seen in a new light over the past 2 years by the U.S. as an important strategic ally in the region. The fact that Myanmar has been willing to stand up to China on issues, something Thailand is unwilling to do, only increases the desire of the U.S. to strengthen ties with the once pariah state.

The Thein Sein government has cooperated quite well with U.S. requests over the past several months, and Obama’s visit, the first by any U.S. president, highlights the willingness of Washington to work more closely with Naypyidaw. The only potential thorn is the continuing human rights abuses, especially among the Rohingya Muslim minority in Arakan State.

Following his Myanmar visit, President Obama will conclude his tour with a 1 day stopover in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on November 20th. Improving relations with Cambodia is another key to the U.S. strategy in the region, as Cambodia has had increasingly closer ties with China over the past 3 decades. Later in the week, U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta will also make a stop in Siem Riep, as will U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Now that you have all the background information about our move to Thailand I’m guessing some of you might be wondering how much it cost to get set up here? Any intrepid travelers out there looking to expatriate and explore the world outside their home countries? Read on and you’ll see what it cost us to make the move to Thailand and to get our household set up.

Before I get into the financials I should let you know about the visa restrictions here in Thailand. If you are a citizen of the U.S., Canada, the U.K. or Australia the requirements are the same, but that doesn’t mean they are easy.

Visiting for us is easy enough. You can get a 90 day tourist visa from the Thai embassy or consulate in your home country for $40 for a single entry or $80 for 2 entries. Additional entries can be arranged once you are here in Thailand. If you are just looking for a vacation you do not need a visa prior to arrival, you can get a 30 day “visa on arrival” on your way through immigration at Suvarabhumi Airport (yes that really is the name. Thai can be quite a tongue twister) or if you are heading elsewhere in the Kingdom at whichever airport you land. In both cases you must have proof of onward travel out of the Kingdom by the time your visa expires.

Permanent Thai Visa Options
Those looking to make Thailand a more permanent home have limited options. The first (and most utilized) is to make border runs every 90 days to renew your tourist visa. If you are looking to explore SE Asia this can be fine, but if you aren’t crazy about traveling every 90 days it can be a pain in the butt. The second option is to find employment here in Thailand in which case you can enter on a non-immigrant B visa. This type of visa is good for 1 year and must be extended annually. A third option is the non-immigrant ED visa which is granted to those studying in the Kingdom. The study of the Thai language is included under this type of visa which makes it useful for those who can’t qualify for other types of visas. This visa is also good for 1 year and must be renewed annually.

The fourth option is good for those over 50 years. It is a non-immigrant O-A type visa. It is also good for 1 year and must be renewed annually. And the final (for the purpose of this discussion) type of visa is the non-immigrant O visa which is granted to those visiting, caring for or staying with spouses, parents or children. It is also good for 1 year and must be renewed annually.

The Thai Consulate in New York has a very clear explanation of all the visa types and fees on their website here.

In addition, all foreigners in the Kingdom on any of these visas must report to the immigration office in their province once every 90 days to verify their address. And for even more fun, it is required that those on a non-immigrant O visa for visiting spouses or children have 400,000 Thai baht in a bank account 90 days prior to their yearly visa extension. Those on other types (B, ED and O-A) are required to have 800,000 Thai baht in an account for 90 days prior to their yearly extension.

Is all that a hassle you might wonder. Yes it is, but one worth enduring in my opinion. With that out of the way let’s get to the meat of the matter, how I got here and set up the family.

Financing Your Thailand Start Up (Well Mine Anyway)
The very first financial requirement you will have is the airfare to get to Thailand. Naturally this will vary based on where you are coming from, what airline you choose to fly and what time of year it is. We flew Cathay Pacific from JFK (a 20 hour flight) and the cost for 3 tickets in June was $2969. Of course we could have decreased that by 1/3 because our daughter was only 1 year old at the time and could have flown as a lap infant.

Let me recommend to you that if your child is under the age of 2, but is walking or crawling, you get a seat for them. 20 hours is a damn long flight for an adult and for a child that age it is an eternity. Being able to put her in her own seat at times was a god send. We also got 2 extra checked bags and 1 carry on by buying a seat for her. Since we did not ship anything this was also helpful. Yes I know paying for the 2 extra bags would have been cheaper, but all together we felt it was worth it.

The next financial hurdle is having the money for the visa requirement. Once the money is deposited in the account it cannot be spent until after your visa extension is approved. So, that was roughly $13,000 tied up in an account and untouchable from June 7th until September 4th. If you don’t mind you can then simply leave that money sit for as long as you are in Thailand, thus meeting the financial requirements each year. Thai savings accounts are currently paying 0.75% interest.

Where to Live
There a lots of options for living when you move to Thailand. Bangkok, the capital city, has pretty much everything you would find in a western city of comparable size (12 million people), loads of awesome restaurants, shopping (if that’s your thing), excellent and cheap public transport (better than most U.S. cities) alongside all the wonderful Thai cultural destinations. Chiang Mai to the north is much quieter and laid back, has a growing arts community and is much cooler, being in the north and the mountains. In the south you can have your pick of a multitude of scenic island locales, or if you want to “go native” there are plenty of towns and cities in the northeast of Thailand where foreigners are still rare and life is much as it was decades ago.

We choose Bangkok for the convenience along with the fact that my wife wanted to work and it is the best place to find employment. It also has the greatest concentration of international schools, which isn’t important now but will be in the future. And it is where most of our friends and acquaintances in Thailand are located.

Excluding the tourist locations in the south (Phuket, Krabi, Samui) Bangkok is certainly the most expensive place in Thailand. Rents are not cheap for Thailand, but would be quite reasonable by most North American standards. Food is definitely a bargain here compared to the West, although it is still more expensive than throughout the rest of Thailand. And imported items are quite expensive. If you don’t want to spend $1500 per month on food you need to stick with a primarily Thai diet, but that’s no burden as Thai food is so delicious!

We began our stay at a small hotel on Sukhumvit Rd, the main road in Bangkok. Our plan was to use that as a base of operations while my wife found a job and we found a permanent place to stay. Turns out we only needed to stay there for one week at a total cost of $418.60. Not bad for a large suite complete with kitchen, king sized bed, breakfast and a balcony. Try to find something similar in NYC, Vancouver, Dallas or Toronto.

One week turned out to be perfect. My wife found a job within 3 days and we had our new condo within 6 days. Unfortunately it wouldn’t be ready until the 24th which was still 10 days away. No problem though, my in-laws had yet to meet their 1 year old daughter so off we went to my wife’s hometown while waiting for the condo to be ready.

Find out the differences between Bangkok and small town Thailand next week. Plus I’ll finally be revealing how much we spent to set up our home here. You might be surprised.

Read the entire series:
1. My First Trip to Bangkok
2. Changes and a Coming Hurricane
3. How I Met My Thai Wife
4. Thai Visa Costs, Types and Our Arrival in Thailand

I’m not sure where this came from, but I found it amusing. Reminds me of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and it would be a very good way to live your life in my opinion. Hope you all get a kick out of it too!

I want to live my next life backwards! You start out dead and get that out of the way right off the bat. Then, you wake up in a nursing home feeling better every day. When you are kicked out of the home for being too healthy, you spend several years enjoying your retirement and collecting benefit checks. When you start to work, you get a gold watch on your first day. You work 40 years or so, getting younger every day until pretty soon you’re too young to work. So then, you go to high school: play sports, date, drink, and party. As you become even younger, you become a kid again. You go to elementary school, play, and have no responsibilities. Ina few years, you become a baby and everyone runs themselves ragged keeping you happy. You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, spa-like conditions: central heating, room service on tap. Until finally…You finish off as an orgasm. I rest my case.

Today is the 236th celebration of America’s Independence. Sadly I will miss this 2nd favorite holiday (Christmas is of course #1) for the second year in a row. I have so many memories of 4th of July fireworks, carnivals, bar-b-que’s and parties over the years and for those I am glad. Last year we had only been in Bangkok for about a month and I didn’t even notice the passing of the 4th of July. This year is different and though it is only 2am back on the East coast of the U.S. I see people already posting pictures of the fireworks on Facebook.

Fortunately, I won’t have to miss the 4th completely this year as I now know that The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand will be hosting a 4th of July Independence Day Picnic this Saturday July 7th at KIS International School in Huay Kwang! Those of you who want to join us in celebrating the birthday of the American nation can do so by traveling to the Huay Kwang MRT station and taking the free shuttle from there to KIS. The celebration will start at noon and last until 8pm.

No fireworks are planned sadly, but there will be all sorts of Independence Day fun on tap. There will be American rock and roll, folk and blues music playing all day long from the following bands:

• Bangkok Soul Jets
• Lovebone
• Mekong Dr. Blues and the Groove Junkies
• Peter Driscoll & The Cruisers
• Soi Dogs Blues Band
• Wildside

In addition, there will loads of fun and games for the whole family including 3 legged races, Bingo (Golf’s favorite), an egg toss, watermelon eating contest (my favorite) and a tug of war. Kids can enjoy face painting, clowns, a giant wave slide and a rodeo bull.

Of course there will be food galore with the highlight being the 4th annual I-Day Chili Cookoff. I didn’t have time to sign up this year, but it’s on the calendar for next year. My chili rocks! Real American hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs and American beer will also be available as well as a large selection of foods from Bangkok restaurants Sunrise Tacos, Anantara Bangkok Riverside, Roadhouse Barbecue, and others.

Tickets are available in advance for 200 baht at the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand offices or for 300 baht at the gate on the day of the event. Children under the age of 12 are FREE. Pattaya residents can get tickets from K. Naiyana of the Amari Orchid Pattaya (email: naiyana.r@amari.com).

I will definitely be there eating and playing and having a great time and I hope to see some of you there as well.

So when I left off I was up to 2005 and the winds of change were ready to blow into my life.

The past couple years I had been developing the idea of expatriating, leaving America to live in another country. What country though? I had been traveling quite a bit over the past 5 years and the list had been narrowed down to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Costa Rica. Russia was a contender, but as you can see from the short list I didn’t want to endure any cold weather. Mexico was also a possibility, but I had never been there yet, so couldn’t really assess whether or not I would like it.

So in October of 2005 I booked a 3 week trip to Cozumel. The plan was to get some diving in as well as investigating the rest of the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from Cancun down to the border with Belize. My flight was booked and the initial week in Cozumel was booked as well as the diving being all set. The trip was planned for November, so all that was left was the waiting.

As they say though “The best laid plans of mice and men may often go awry”. So it was with my planned Mexico excursion when on October 20th, 2005 hurricane Wilma, the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin made landfall on Cozumel.

The small island was completely devastated and my plans were completely disrupted. I held out for a couple weeks, hoping the devastation wasn’t complete, but no luck there. That’s why in mid-November I changed tack and re-booked everything for my favorite destination – Thailand – for April of 2006 to coincide with the Thai New Year celebration of Songkran. As a side note, I have since made it to Cozumel and my wife and I agree it would be a wonderful place to spend an extended period of time. Chances are you’ll find me blogging from there or nearby sometime in the future.
Here’s where fate steps in. Literally the day after booking my trip to Thailand I was on a dating site and up pops my (future) wife. She says little more than hello and that she works as a nurse in Bangkok and then has to log off with promises of chatting the next day. I was confused as to why she would pop up just to leave, but quickly forgot about the short contact.

As this was over the Thanksgiving holiday I was working 16 hour days to provide on site support for my companies data center. No one else wanted to work holidays and for me it was a great chance to make a nice chunk of cash for very little work. As long as nothing went down over the 4 days I was getting double pay for 48 hours of very easy work.
That weekend I spent the majority of my time online chatting with my wife and getting to know each other. Despite incredibly different cultural backgrounds we both had very similar goals, motivations and ideals and by the end of that 4 day weekend I was beginning to be hooked. As it turns out so was she.

Over the following 4 months not a single day went by that we weren’t chatting online, talking on the phone or using our webcams to talk “face-to-face”. By the time April rolled around we were both in love (still hard to believe) and when I arrived in Thailand it was only 9 days until we decided to get married. And such was the unbelievable beginning to our wonderful relationship.

Naturally this turn of events pretty much cemented my choice for an expatriation destination. Thailand it would be, but not until Golf came to the U.S. for some American cultural experience and to be with me while I continued to pay down the rest of my debt and save for our eventual return to Thailand.

She arrived in November 2006 (almost 1 year to the day after our first chat) and even though I was over $40,000 in debt at that point I promised her that we would return to Thailand within 5 years.

The debt took 33 months to get rid of and the savings took an additional 19 months, 6 months shy of my promised 5 years even though we added a 3rd member to our family in June 2010. That almost derailed things, but you will find that many times where there’s a will there’s a way and we made adjustments to keep our savings on track even with the expense of a new baby.

And that’s how I found myself moving to Thailand in June 2011 with my lovely wife and our adorable 1 year old daughter. And if you are wondering how we finance everything since then it is a combination of my earnings from sites online and my wife’s salary here in Thailand. No we aren’t wealthy, not in the monetary sense. We are however very wealthy in terms of our relationship, family and experiences.

And what about all of you…are there any readers out there with dreams of an expats life in Thailand? Do you have a story of a time where fate intervened and sent your life off in a new direction? Are you working towards your dreams and what are those dreams? You can post anonymously if you are too shy to publicly share your dreams; I know it can be a very vulnerable position to place yourself in.

Read the entire series:
1. My First Trip to Bangkok
2. Changes and a Coming Hurricane
3. How I Met My Thai Wife
4. Thai Visa Costs, Types and Our Arrival in Thailand

Earlier this week I introduced you to my first experiences with Bangkok and Thailand and this post continues my saga.

So last post I wrapped up with my first experience of Bangkok way back in 1997. Though it was my first experience it certainly wasn’t my last. The following 3 years contained plenty of trips to both India and Singapore and with each one there was a mandatory stopover in Thailand. Sometimes just a long weekend and sometimes a week’s vacation tacked onto the end of the business trip. Yeah the Big Mango definitely had me in its grip.

That brings us to 2000. Even though the big Y2K bug didn’t hit us that year it was not a good year for me personally. In August my wife of 10 years asked for a divorce and if that wasn’t bad enough in December I was laid off from my wonderful job. All was not lost however. Being 33 years old at the time put me right in the sweet spot for the Golden Cross of Love. I was crushed, but rebounded (I think) fairly quickly and set about rebuilding my life.

Because of pending anti-dumping lawsuits (my job had been in the steel industry) I was given the option of attending school to get a bachelors degree and the government agreed to continue my unemployment for as long as I was in school. Pretty sweet deal, and one that I jumped at quickly. Unfortunately I also jumped at the student loans offered to me, thus setting the stage for my later battles with debt.

I enrolled at Penn State University in Information Sciences and Technology and prepared to dust off my study skills. Life was good. University at 33 was much easier than it had been from 18-22. I was more organized and less apt to distractions and had no problem pulling off a 3.89 GPA in my 2 years there. And since college “kids” get plenty of time off I was also free to travel the world. The Caribbean, Moscow, Singapore, Mexico and of course my beloved Bangkok were some of the destinations during those years of wanderlust.

After finishing the degree I went back to work as an IT Analyst for a small company in my home town. It was easy work and better yet they were both generous and flexible with my time off. This allowed me to easily book 3 week vacations to head off to Thailand. I can say that these trips were probably the most hedonistic of my travel career although Moscow came in a close 2nd. Think Hangover 2 type experiences (though I never traveled or partied with a monkey). I justified it all by telling myself that I worked hard and deserved whatever pleasures I could find.

Those of you familiar with Thailand in general will know that while there are police and laws in Thailand they are very flexible. In most cases any misdemeanor type crime can be conveniently ignored for less than the price of dinner in the U.S. I am not proud of those years of my life, but neither would I take them back. They were dissolute for certain, but they are my experiences and my life and I believe in never having regrets. And no I never broke any laws while visiting my home away from home (though opportunities did abound).

The only thing I might change about these years if I could go back would be to make a conscious effort to learn more of the language. In Bangkok and other tourist spots in Thailand it isn’t technically necessary, you can always find someone who speaks enough English for you to get by. And I did obviously pick up common phrases that made life easier. However I would be much better off now if I had taken the time to learn the language over the course of the last 15 years.

That brings us all the way to 2005. This was the year that a diving trip to Cozumel and a hurricane conspired to change my life forever. I hope you all tune in later to learn more.

Read the entire series:
1. My First Trip to Bangkok
2. Changes and a Coming Hurricane
3. How I Met My Thai Wife
4. Thai Visa Costs, Types and Our Arrival in Thailand

I was stunned, amazed and speechless after reading today that “Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong Area Aims To Emulate Singapore’s Orchard Road”.

Where to start with this? First of all, why does anyone feel that emulating Orchard Road is good or necessary? The truth is there is only one Orchard Road and there is no need for another one or anything similar. A much better course of action would be to simply build on what they have already at Ratchaprasong…the positive’s I mean. Improve the infrastructure, clean up the area, make access to all of the malls easier for everyone. Another big improvement would be to lower the taxes on luxury goods to make them more accessible. There are many imported items that I can get much cheaper back in the States.

The other thing that struck me is the claim that traffic to the area increased by 27% last year and is projected to increase by 33% this year. With that type of growth they are obviously doing something right already, why try to emulate anywhere else when you are growing in leaps and bounds? If those numbers are in fact correct. Unfortunately there is no source mentioned for the figures so I have no idea who computed the traffic, the increase or the projections.

If they are looking at improvements to the Ratchaprasong area there are several things they could do that would be far more helpful than increasing lighting and security systems. Widening the BTS skywalk is a good start, but what about increasing the capacity of the BTS system itself? A 33% increase this year and a 30% increase in traffic next year means an additional 142,000 people per day coming to the Ratchaprasong area. That is darn close to double the number of visitors coming daily in 2011. How will the already overcrowded BTS handle all this extra traffic?

All those extra people certainly won’t be coming by road either. The area around Ratchaprasong is horrid for driving. What should be 5 lanes on Rajadamri Road is routinely just 2 lanes thanks to the street vendors, taxi’s, tuk tuk’s, buses and anyone else who feels inclined using the far left lanes as parking and the oncoming traffic using the far right lane as a 2nd lane. Other roads in the area are better, but not much.

To emulate Orchard Road would require that the entire Ratchaprasong area be razed and they begin anew with proper infrastructure, roads that are well planned and wide enough, sidewalks that are much wider and even and designated areas for public transport such as the taxi’s, busses, etc.

I think that the area is already successful, especially if the growth numbers are anywhere close to accurate. Sure there are improvements that could be made, but that is true pretty much everywhere. Nowhere is perfect, but if it strikes a chord with you then you will be happy visiting, shopping and eating there. Singapore has already done Orchard Road, there is really no need for another. Focus on what you do well already and improve the areas that need improvement and the world will notice.

The following several posts were written back in February 2012 and were a chronicle of what brought me to Thailand initially (in 1997), what brought me back over the years, and finally what brought me to stay. It concludes with a breakdown of our modest budget in Bangkok (which has since changed a bit…more details to come). These posts premiered on another site I write for, but I thought the time was right to share them with everyone here as well. If you are one of the few who read my writing here and at the other site, please accept my apologies. As for the rest of you, I hope you enjoy learning more about me and what makes me tick.

So I thought why not start a weekly series where I can give you all the gory details of my love affair with Thailand, the process of setting myself up for the move, selling our stuff and saying goodbye to the States and what’s happening in our life here now.

So without further ado…

I should start at the beginning which was in 1997. I was 30 years old and had never been out of the country, but thanks to hard work and some luck I was heading off to Singapore to assist with a new office opening there for my company. Needless to say I was excited and a bit nervous.

Singapore was amazing, but even more amazing was the side trip planned by one of the company’s directors. The last weekend in Singapore he suggested we headed to Bangkok for a long weekend. It was a short 2 hour flight and we would be back Monday for work. Holy cripes I thought, Bangkok. I was just getting adjusted to my time in Singapore and now I was off to Bangkok, the fabled sin city of SE Asia. Of course I agreed and we headed off to Singapore Airlines to book tickets. The next morning we were in the air and on our way.

Truly I had no idea what to expect from Bangkok short of insanity. You remember that song “One Night in Bangkok“? Well so did I and I had visions of debauchery and endless parties. It turns out that is part of Bangkok, but it is so much more than that as I’ve learned over the years.

After landing we were whisked off to our hotel, The Mandarin Oriental. Yes, one of the top hotels in the world. It was good to be traveling with a company director.

A short time later, checked in and showered up I got my first real impression of Bangkok. I still remember stepping out the doors from the air conditioned and mildly British Colonial atmosphere of the Oriental. It was like being tossed into a sauna and punched in the face all at once. Even though it was December (supposedly the cool season), the heat and humidity was phenomenal. After 5 minutes I was covered in sweat, but to tell the truth I hardly noticed. Bangkok was alive.

One thing you immediately notice is the press of humanity on the sidewalks. Hordes of people moving both ways, stands set up seemingly everywhere and selling everything from the expected food items to clothes and shoes, dvd’s, souvenirs and all manner of other items. Then the sounds hit you…a constant murmur of foreign voices, motorcycle engines, horns and bells and traffic and yells. Almost simultaneously you notice the strange smells, some delicious, some exotic and some downright repellant. This is how Bangkok assaults your every sense when you take to her streets for the first (and even the 100th) time.

And in that moment I fell in love with the city. Some might claim it to be bright lights, big city syndrome but I had been to New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC and most recently Singapore. All great cities in their own right, but none capturing my heart like Bangkok did in that moment.

Read the entire series:
1. My First Trip to Bangkok
2. Changes and a Coming Hurricane
3. How I Met My Thai Wife
4. Thai Visa Costs, Types and Our Arrival in Thailand

Well, I had planned on posting first thing Monday morning to get things off to a great start, but unfortunately True had a different idea. After they came last Friday to get our internet set up everything seemed to be working great. Unfortunately, we went out for groceries Sunday morning and when we returned…no internet! So, after a call to True they said they would look into it and get back to us. To their credit they did get back to us within 15 minutes, but it was to say that they would be sending a technician Monday around noon.

So, no internet Sunday afternoon until sometime Monday. I was a bit stressed, but not nearly as stressed as I would have been a year ago when we had just arrived. I have become much more laid back and just gave it a mai bpen rai and spent the night playing with my daughter.

Imagine my surprise Monday morning around 11:30 when my wife called and said “Check the internet”. It was back on and without the need for a technician coming to check things out. Strange at best, since it seems as if the issue was on True’s end. Makes me wonder why they couldn’t resolve it yesterday when the problem occurred, but overall I am just happy to have the internet back.

I guess overall I shouldn’t be surprised at this little glitch, since we had a similar glitch in dealing with True Visions. On Sunday the 17th we went contacted them to have our account transferred to our new place as of the 23rd. Several times we confirmed that the account would not be transferred until the 23rd. Sure enough, when we came home on the 17th our cable service had already been turned off. Quick call to True and they informed us that our service had already been transferred and they would be sending someone the next day to install the new cable box. Not what we had planned, but on the upside, they upgraded us to HD for no extra charge, I think that speaks volumes about the trend in better customer service that appears to be coming to Thailand (well to Bangkok at least).

Consider this a pre-post post and expect to hear more tonight, once I get my notes together. I am planning on reposting a series of articles on the costs of moving to Bangkok and setting up here, including our full budget here for the past year. I am hoping it might be helpful to others out there thinking of moving to Thailand, though you will have to read it with your own circumstances in mind. As many people state when asked about the cost of living in Thailand “How long is a piece of string”? Of course that’s true anywhere, but I hope you get some use out of seeing what our family of 3 spends living a moderate lifestyle in The Big Mango. Talk to you all later tonight!