Thailand Newbie Played Like a Fiddle
I always considered myself to be very well traveled. I’d been there, done that, seen it all, and felt like I knew exactly what I was doing when I went to a different country. I’d been traveling ever since my younger days back when not many people traveled like they do today. I believe that gave me a sense of belonging in the world as opposed to where I was from. I hadn’t been to Thailand at this point yet, although I’d spent most of my time traveling around Africa, connecting to my roots and also around Europe close to where I was from. I wasn’t the sort of guy who went somewhere, sat on the beach for 2 weeks, and stayed in the all-inclusive resorts. That wasn’t me. I was a guy who went off the beaten path, who sought out adventure, and who went to places that most people didn’t go. It had served me well all the way up until I’d reached 55 years of age. I’d always dreamt of living abroad, although that never came good.
I was working at home, getting married at home, having children at home, and life falls into place. Although I harbored these ambitions of somehow somewhere at some point in life moving abroad, maybe when we were both retired, my wife and I, maybe we’ll find ourselves moving to southern Europe and having a relaxing retirement. We always talked about it as something we would do, and it was something that we thought we would really do. It became quite apparent that my wife had different dreams to me, though. She was always a homebody. I suppose that’s why I went on holiday myself. Many times with friends, lads holidays to places like Uganda, one I still remember in Angola, a place which I just felt I needed to go to. It was something unique, Namibia, too. Lots of different places that I went with the lads. Also with my wife, too, thinking about the future.
I thought everything was going to come good until our youngest had reached 18 and she dropped the bombshell that she doesn’t want to do much more traveling. She wants to stay at home. She wants to do the normal things that people seem to do, but I was ready for adventure.
Divorce Because We Wanted Different Things
It was because of that that we decided to part ways. It didn’t come quickly. We spent a year together trying to compromise and do what was best. But it was a divorce that happened because we both wanted different things. We were able to retire. I was around 55 and if we parted ways, we would still be able to retire individually because we had reasonable money from years of work. We both worked and saved and invested and we’d taken advantage of the fact that we got onto the property ladder very early. Because of that, we felt like we both wanted different things, so we might as well go different ways. That was why the divorce happened. It wasn’t like she took all my money like I’d heard so many guys say, and I feel bad for them.
I can’t imagine what that’s like to have a marriage for 25 years. You’re the one that’s working and then she decides she doesn’t want it anymore and she decides to take all your money. I can’t even begin to think what that must be like. We both worked and saved. We both did things together and we both decided mutually that we should end things. It was a positive that our youngest had turned 18, just about to go to university. Because of that, we didn’t feel like we were breaking the family apart because they were already leaving home. We had three children and they both took it very well. They both wanted what was best for the both of us. It was with that understanding that gave me the confidence that we can move ahead.
56 at this point, selling the family home, getting a windfall for that, plus all the savings I had, I guess around £400,000 to my name. That wasn’t a fortune because between us, we’d had a lot more than that. But I still felt it was enough to take in retirement and find myself a place where I wanted to fulfill these dreams. The idea that we’d had before was to live in southern Europe. We particularly liked the Algarve in Portugal. She didn’t want that, but there were little times dotted around the coast that we spent lots of time in. So naturally, I headed there at 56. I think it was 2012. My retirement started a long time ago, 14 years ago, in fact. Because of this, I just felt like the marriage had ended in divorce, but we were both still friends.
We both spoke to each other regularly, seeing how we were. It’s not like we cheated on each other and wanted to find other people. That wasn’t what it was about. It was about our desire for different things and not wanting to hold each other back. When I was getting everything in place to go to Portugal to try out retirement there, she was very supportive and I was supportive of her. That’s enough about my ex-wife because there’s no use going on more about that.
Retirement in the Algarve After Divorce
When I arrived in the Algarve in the summer of 2012, it was just like I’d remembered it being from the times we’d been before. We spent a lot of time around southern France, too, and Spain, but Portugal always was the place that I found the most attractive. I loved the language, too. I tried to pick up Portuguese, although I found it difficult. I did little bits of lessons in my free time throughout my life and I spoke it to a basic degree landing in Farro airport and the place I was going first was Albufeira with the knowledge that I was there all this time because Brexit hadn’t happened yet so you could just move to Portugal without question. I just thought I would remain there in Albufeira. I find myself in a hotel staying there for a week before getting self-service accommodation and I hit the ground running with what I felt was going to be my forever retirement. Something happened though around this time which whether it was a twist of fate, whether it was a strange set of circumstances that allowed this to happen. I will never actually be able to put my finger on it, but I ran into people all the time. I was very, or still am, should I say, a very outgoing person, a very friendly person, a people person.
I’ll always strike up a conversation with people that I meet. And I’d done that for the first couple of weeks that I was there. No strange things going on. At this moment, I was out at a bar around Albufeira, a normal place, like I was doing every time, and already felt like I’d made a few friends who were living there, and I was enjoying myself being somewhere different, and I couldn’t even imagine going back home and having a life there again. Although I had a happy life together with my family and everything was good and we went away together. I went away myself lots of times and I loved the adventurous sort of travel. I was enjoying my retirement to the point where I was thinking about spending a few months there and then heading somewhere off the beaten track to do some adventure traveling. Perhaps even getting a motorcycle and doing a few countries around Africa. Getting the old Africa twin. That was an ambition I’d harbored for as long as I could remember.
In that bar that evening, I was speaking to a guy, a German guy, spoken to people from all over Europe, and it was mainly Europe. I finished having a conversation with him, and I was just about to leave.
Meeting a Thai Woman in Portugal
But at the end of the bar, there was this woman sat there who looked like she was quite dejected. No one was speaking to her. She was alone. When you’re in that early retirement mode, the happiness mode, and wanting to make sure everyone’s okay, I was really enjoying new this newfound singleness. I met a few women since I’ve been in Portugal who were mainly from Europe and I was enjoying that. I suppose I never had the opportunity to be with anyone apart from my wife. I was always outgoing and I always felt like I was a ladies man, but I was never someone who would cheat. Never in a million years would that happen. Because I was single, I just found this opportunity to be single to be so good. I went over, said hi.
She says hi. Everything okay? Can I get you a drink? Even though I was about to go, she said, “No, it’s okay. I’ve got one.” It was like she was quite reserved, not very open and forthcoming. But even still, I pushed a bit and said, “You don’t look like you’re from around here.” Suppose one of the things that you say all the time, and she really didn’t. She didn’t look like she was from Europe or anywhere that I’d ever been before. I asked her quite matter-of-factly, “Whereabouts are you from?”
And she said, “Thailand.” Thailand? Well, what are you doing here?
Why the Thai Woman Was in Portugal
Then she went on this whole explanation. It felt like I don’t know why she opened up as soon as I found out she was from Thailand. I asked what she was doing here because the questions I asked her before, she didn’t seem to have any interest in. First, she went off on this spiel about how she’d met a guy from the UK about a year ago and he didn’t have enough money to live in Thailand and he wasn’t able to get a visa for her to move with him to the UK because of some European rules that were in place. Meaning if you’re from one country in the EU, such as the UK, which was in the UK EU at this time, and you move to another country in the EU, you are allowed to take your girlfriend. Doesn’t even have to be your wife or maybe your fianceé. I can’t remember, but because she wasn’t married, so I’m not sure how it worked. But she was able to go with him without having to prove income or prove anywhere that they lived because it was allowing this European freedom of movement rights and you’re allowed to take family with you. She had gone to Portugal with him because he thought he was going to be able to work there and he was really struggling. Now he was drinking and she had a huge argument with him and left and didn’t know where else to go and she was sat there having a drink herself really thinking about how she’d come with this guy.
Didn’t end up as expected and now she has no idea what to do from there. I just thought it was one of those things. It’ll blow over and she’ll get back together or go back to see her boyfriend soon and everything will come good. Could have been fiance like I said. I don’t know. Perhaps it was. I really don’t know what the rules were exactly. I’m just talking about it because I never looked into this myself. I did find it quite alarming that what would essentially mean is somebody from anywhere in the world met someone from anywhere in Europe, they would be able to move with their partner to the UK a lot easier than someone could from the UK themselves. And that seemed wrong.
It seemed backwards, really backwards situation. But I guess it was what it was. Because of that, I just said, “Okay, it was nice to meet you.” When she talked about this, she said, “Well, I’ll have a drink then.” “Oh, so I bow her a drink.” “What about your boyfriend?” Again, I wasn’t the sort of person who would cheat on anybody or not the sort of person who would want someone else’s girlfriend because that was never who I was. I’d seen that happen to a few of my friends who had lost their wives because of guys like that, because it how it destroyed them. I wasn’t that sort of person. Never could be.
Wasn’t about to take anything further with her given the fact that she probably was a lot younger than me. although I didn’t say anything about that yet. If she wants a drink and a chat, that’s fine. Perhaps she’ll be fine because of it. She started talking about things that I didn’t really understand. When it had become apparent why she was there and who she was with and what she was doing, she started talking about how she was very poor in Thailand. And this person that she met had promised her that they would come to Portugal and he would be able to work there, maybe get a job behind a bar, maybe do something. if they lived there long enough apparently, then she he could take her to the UK. But he was really struggling with things and the money was thin. They were living in a very small place and it wasn’t working like he thought it would work.
She said that she had lots of problems because she had family at home that relied on her and he hadn’t given her any money for 2 months to send to the family. The family were giving her a problem and she was thinking she needed to go back to Thailand to go back to work. At the time, that’s what she said. I didn’t know what work meant. I would later learn that work meant that she worked in a bar, but I didn’t know what a bar was in that sense. I knew what a bar was because I was drinking in that bar at that moment, but I just didn’t know what a bar was in Thailand sense because why would I? What I’m finding is she says I need to go back to work because he’s not giving me money. But I don’t have enough money for a plane ticket and it’s very difficult. Why she’s opening up to me? Probably because she was quite a few drinks in at this point.
Maybe it was just quite interesting. Maybe because I was always a good ear for someone and I was very friendly and kind and still am. Perhaps that could have been the case as well. Or perhaps she was already thinking about the bigger picture because of what she did when she was in Thailand and the fact that she was somewhere where people didn’t know the ways of Thailand. If she could do something about it, then she potentially would. I don’t know what it was.
Sending Money to Her Family
After she’d spoken to me for about half an hour, I talked to her about myself, too. I got divorced recently. I’d moved to Portugal. I was retired and free and I was going to go on an adventure base myself in Portugal and how great life was. She looked very envious in a way, not envious where she’s angry, but like she’s just wish she could do something similar. That’s what it felt like to me. Before I was due to leave, she said, “Can I take your number and I’ll see you again.” That was fine. Maybe you can meet my boyfriend. I thought that would sound interesting, too.
It was an interesting night. After that, I headed to a different place. actually got into a taxi to a little town called Carvoeiro, which was a bit of a drive up the coast because I was thinking about meeting a friend there. It was already quite late though. I had a few more drinks, went back to my place, and didn’t even see my friend, not thinking anything of that meeting. Spent the next week enjoying myself planning my trip. I was going to go to Uganda. Actually, I’d been there twice before, but I wanted to go back. I was busy planning it. Hadn’t booked anything yet, but all of a sudden, the phone rings and she says, “Hi, you remember me?”
She didn’t speak English that great. It was, “You remember me?” I could tell immediately who it was and I said, “Yes, what’s wrong?” She said, “My boyfriend’s gone back to England and I don’t know what to do.” Why she was calling me? Surely if she’d been in that position, she must have spoken to lots of people. And I thought, “Why is she calling me? I had no idea.” Told her I was sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?
And she said, “You want to go for a drink? Can you go for a drink with me?” I finished what I was doing there and then and headed out to a bar where I’d met her before. She looked really worried and upset. She looked like the whole world was on her shoulders. She said her boyfriend had fallen out with her. She’d fallen out with him. He wasn’t able to support her family. I didn’t understand the family connotations of Thailand at that moment. Didn’t understand that she was doing everything she was doing for the family.
Perhaps she didn’t like her boyfriend really and it was just someone who was meant to give her a better life, who didn’t, who promised things and couldn’t deliver. She was now in this pickle because he’d left her with no money. Like no money at all. The first thing I said to her was, “Why don’t you go to your country’s embassy and maybe they’ll help you go home?” Apparently, that was up in Lisbon, and she didn’t know how to get there. She had a bit of money, maybe a few hundred. She was talking and opening up and saying that she doesn’t know what to do. She had a few friends in Portugal who didn’t want to help her, so perhaps not real friends, and I was the only person that she knew, and she was just opening up. I didn’t know what was to come though. Was she going to ask me for a loan to help her to get back to Thailand?
The Warning Signs in Portugal
She said something that really shocked me. She said that when she met me, she looked at me and she felt like I was a nice man. She wished her boyfriend was a nice man or her ex-boyfriend at this point was a nice man, too. She wished that he was like me. She wished he was kind and considerate and he could listen to her. He never listened to her. That’s why she said it was always him thinking she just wanted money. Well, she said she didn’t only want money, she had obligations. So because of those obligations, that’s why she was doing what she did. It was a very strange thing, but it was very flattering to hear someone talk about you in that way.
The way she talked to me, very flattering indeed. It was like she was sending signals that I wasn’t picking up on because I’d never been to Thailand and I didn’t know what a signal was. By the way, she was 31 years old, so it wasn’t like she was in her early 20ies. I was older than her. Of course I was. It was like she knew exactly what she was doing. if I’m thinking about it. At the time, I didn’t know because I just thought it was an innocent conversation between two people. One person struggling, doesn’t know what to do, and a guy who’s there to help, who’s just enjoying his newfound freedom in his newfound retirement. She was saying she liked me, and I said, “That’s nice.”
And I didn’t know what I was meant to say. I never had a woman being so forward with me before because I’d never witnessed that. The woman I’d met since I’d been there, and I had a few conquests, yes, I did. It was more of a mutual kind of speaking with each other and things happen after a few drinks, but she was being really forward and she said, “Would I like to go out for dinner with her that evening?” She did say, “I don’t have any money, but I want to spend more time with you because I’m having a good time.” I thought, “Why not?” Because I wasn’t doing anything else.
Going Out for Dinner Together
We went out for dinner, having a few more drinks, and it was like she was playing by this book that had a certain set of rules. Those rules were if you followed those rules correctly, you can get what you want. After we finished a meal and we’re having a few more drinks and she’s at this point holding my hand and I’m going with it thinking it’s great. I find that she’s going back to my apartment with me and I find that things are nothing like I would have thought something like that would be. I suppose even at this point she had me exactly where she wanted me to be. I suppose she knew what she was doing. I mean she did know what she was doing because there she is with me. I’m woken up the following morning and she’s cooking. I had bacon, sausages, and eggs and things like that in the fridge, and she was cooking this full English breakfast. She did make a note that her ex-boyfriend, she was saying, “My ex, as it was already set in stone, she was saying he used to like this, so I know you will like too.”
And she brought it to me in bed, and I’m just there scratching my head thinking, “Is this normal or is this weird? Do I go with it or not?” Of course, because I’m telling you this story, I obviously went with it. And it was like she just didn’t leave. I didn’t understand it, but it was like she was just being there. And I wasn’t telling her not to be because I never had any issues or problems with her. It was just fun and an exciting time of something that I’d never seen or never done. Of course, if I’d been to Thailand, that could have been something I would have just been able to be there and then and not thought anything of it. But I’d never witnessed this before. I didn’t know anything about her apart from what she’d told me.
It was like she was waiting for something. As you’d expect, after she’d been there for probably 2 days, I remembered everything she talked about. Bear in mind, as soon as she’d moved into my place, which I say, move in. How she’d allowed or how I’d allowed that to happen so quickly, I have no idea. As soon as she’d been living with me, even living with me sounds crazy because how would I allow that to happen, I don’t know. As soon as she was in my place, should I say, she hadn’t once talked about her family or the money problem she had or her need to go back to Thailand. She hadn’t mentioned it once. She was just behaving in a way which made me feel like I’m here for her now and eventually she’ll leave. But also thinking I don’t want her to leave because it is fun. It was only a few days and I just said, “I remember you talking about your family.
I’m a little bit worried about them. Do you want me to send them some money?” Initially, if I think about it, I can even see the look on her face now. She had this sweet little smile on her face that she was trying to hide as if to say, “I’ve got him now. I’ve got him.” But she said, “Oh, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I need to go back to Thailand soon, but I don’t know how to go back yet. I said, “Well, you’ve told me that you haven’t sent money before, and you’re worried. I’m happy sort of thing.”
And she sort of reluctantly agreed, although I suppose that was her plan all along. Reluctantly. How much is it? She said it was about €400 that she needed to send, which seemed like a lot, but she said her family had been struggling and giving her problems. But if I could do that, that would make everything better. If I could do that, she’d be grateful.
Giving Her Money in Portugal
I gave her the money. I did expect after I given her that she would leave. If anything, I it brought her closer to me instead, and it made me like and it made her like me more and want me more and understand that perhaps this was the beginning and this more money that she could get out of me. It was quite remarkable. She was making me happy, so why am I going to push back against happiness? It was just like one of those situations that you see in the films which things like this don’t happen, but it was happening and it was fun, so why not? After that though, it was like we’re spending more time together and going out and I’ve completely forgotten about my plans to go to Uganda. I kept talking to her. I want to go on an adventure soon. I wasn’t thinking that she’d be going with me, but she just said, “One day, why don’t we go to Thailand?
I would love to show you around. I’d love for you to see everything and I’d love for you to actually understand where I’m from. Why don’t we do that?” I told her, “I’ll think about it.”
Booking Tickets to Thailand
The next day, we’d booked tickets to go to Thailand. should I say I booked them and I had no idea what I was in for. I had no idea what Thailand was like or anything. We had these tickets booked and it was only for a week’s time, too. And it was all coming so quickly. I was speaking to my ex-wife regularly. I told her and she just said, “Be careful. Have a good time, but don’t do anything stupid.” I laughed it off saying I’m not going to. Of course, I paid for the tickets for her because she didn’t have any money.
I even thought maybe I’ll get back and she’ll just go off and leave me and so be it. I didn’t really care. That’s the thing. It wasn’t like I had strong feelings for her. It wasn’t like I was in love with her because that would have been crazy. The amount of time I knew her. It was like I was having a good time. It was fun. It was exciting. It was enjoyable.
And I’m not going to push away from that because why not? If I’m enjoying myself, I was retired. So, go on an adventure. Although, it’s a different one. A very different adventure indeed. So, it’s not a motorcycle trip starting in Uganda and ending up down in Tanzania. It’s not that, is it? is something different, a different adventure. But that’s why I was so excited to do it. Not once had her ex-boyfriend tried to contact her.
She said he didn’t contact her. She can’t believe he did this. And I think about it now after I got to know Thailand more and understand about things. I think it was a question of him just not having the money to be able to do what he wanted to. I guess he probably really loved her and wanted to be with her, but he just didn’t have the money and he just felt like his only option was to escape and leave her, thinking that she’d make her way back. Of course, she knew what she was doing, and she’d found someone, hadn’t she, me, who was now sitting next to her on a plane out of Lisbon airport to Istanbul, where we were going to spend a few hours before heading to Bangkok.
Flying to Bangkok Together
I’d been to Asia a few times before, but only Hong Kong and Singapore. Been to Hong Kong three times, in fact, in Singapore once, and I loved Asia. I preferred Africa, preferred the rural side of Africa, again connecting to my roots. Well, I call it, I mean, I claim those roots very lightly. It was my grandfather’s brother’s parents who moved out to South Africa, but they moved back again generations later. I’d never had that connection really, but I felt a connection there in a way. So, I do claim those roots lightly. I wasn’t going there. I mean, remember sitting in the airport in Istanbul after this landing. But she’s there.
I wasn’t going there for any other reason than just to see what things would go, not expecting anything. But she’s got this huge smile on her face from ear to ear, like the whole world has fallen into place for her. She’s looking around at different souvenirs, saying she wants to take something for her family. She wants to take something for one of her friends. She said her friend had been worried about her, but she didn’t have any money. So, I’m giving money for everything to pay for these souvenirs. About this point, the money I’d given her for the family, plus the plane tickets, plus I’d booked a week in a hotel in Bangkok. It was the idea to just stay there for 2 weeks. I’d booked return tickets for both of us, even though it was probably her plan to never leave. I will find that out later.
And I would find out in a way that excited me. Didn’t shock me, though. Again, she knew what she was doing. But I probably spent £2,000. Well, I’m thinking in euros at the time, so it was probably a bit more in euro terms because I was living in Portugal, but most of my money was in pounds. So about £2,000 gone. A really exciting, happy time going on the adventure of a lifetime with this woman who was just exotic and stunning to look at, adventurous in lots of exciting ways, and it was fun. She got all these souvenirs in a three bags in each hand and I was carrying stuff for her too when we boarded the plane. Luckily, they didn’t give us any issues and we could put the stuff in the overhead locker in just we had two seats right next to each other, pretty close to the front, just a few rows away from business class. I looked at business class and thought maybe I’ll upgrade when we come back.
I can remember thinking that because I thought why not? That would be fun. Jumping ahead though, we never got that far.
Arriving in Bangkok Together
touching down in Bangkok was quite a weird experience because although it didn’t appear that she did this, actually all the time. It felt like she had this sense of calm come over her as soon as she was home, as soon as she was in her home country where she could do things and she could speak the language and could exist easily. It was like all the happiness that she had when she was with me, just being able to get herself back to Thailand with me. It was like now she was even more excited and happy and fun and jolly and all the words you could use to describe her. She was like a kid at Christmas. The Christmas tree was the airport and the gifts were outside the airport. That’s what it seemed like. She didn’t have much stuff with her. When she went to Portugal originally, she didn’t take many things and she had a small little bag which we were going to collect. I had my rucksack which I’d had on the plane with me.
That’s something I learned from my traveling days when I was doing adventurous travel with the lads. Don’t carry too much stuff. I had my rucksack. We went through. I was thinking she’s probably going to leave now, but never mind. I’ve got a couple of weeks in Thailand. enjoy yourself, see what it’s like, and start thinking about the next thing. But she didn’t. She was holding my hand as we walked through, went through immigration, picked up her bag, went to get a taxi straight to the hotel I’d booked. When we were in the hotel, she was even more excited and more happy to be there.
I was enjoying the feeling of what Thailand gave. It felt like a place I’d never been before. It didn’t feel like anything like Hong Kong or Singapore. It felt unique. I think that’s how I would describe Thailand. Unique to all the places I’d been. Although you could point to other countries that I’d been to and find similarities between places, Thailand, I couldn’t find similarities, there was nowhere that it felt like. We’d arrived mid-afternoon, fresh after quite a decent sleep on the plane.
Exploring Bangkok With Her Friend
The first thing she said was, “Can we go to the hotel after we’d been to there? Can we go and see something? I want to show you around because I’m excited. I want to take you to see my friend.” This was the friend she’d actually spoken to a few times over the phone. And her friend was thanking me for helping her. Why her friend didn’t send her some money, I didn’t know. No idea about the money kind of thing. But I had spoken to her friend and she seemed to be quite friendly. I didn’t know what was to come.
She also spoke to her family when she got back. She’d arranged to meet them a week after Bangkok. She’d go up and see the family. I wasn’t expecting to go. I thought that was going to be the time when she left me and we parted ways. If anything though, it was like she was becoming closer to me. That evening we left the hotel. We’re just in this place that in like Portugal summertime heat. It’s different in Thailand heat. You’re arriving in rainy season at this time and it’s bucking it down with rain.
Really sticky and really humid. And I was struggling with that. Also waiting for the rain to cease a bit. When it did, we left the hotel, walked, I would say about 500 m to this big intersection I would later learn was the Asok intersection. She continued walking over the intersection, turned left, and we reached a street. I’m looking down the street and thinking, why has she brought me here? She looked at me with a quite a stern look and said, “I met my boyfriend here and my friend works over there.” Again, I didn’t know Thailand. I didn’t know the nightlife scene or the red light district or whatever you want to call it. I didn’t really know, but I had this inkling about what it was like, but the way she described it to me, she just worked behind the bar at this place and, you know, that’s all she did.
She was telling me that like she thought I knew Thailand, but I didn’t. So, I was just taking it all in. And I believe the fact that she was telling me this, she must be serious with me, even though I wasn’t really serious at this point with her. She must be serious if she’s telling me all these things and these truths about herself. But she wanted me to meet her friend. Perhaps she thought hiding it wasn’t the best idea. Or perhaps she was trying to get me to leave. I still have no idea.
Visiting Soi Cowboy in Bangkok
Everyone knows what street it is. It’s Soi Cowboy. We walked about halfway up the street from the intersection side, took a left into one of the bars there. It wasn’t because she took me into a few other places after with her friend which were more extreme. Perhaps that was one of the things that made me understand wrongly about what this was. But this one didn’t have a stage. It didn’t have poles. It didn’t have girls with bikinis on or anything. It wasn’t as extreme as that. It was more chill.
She walks in and squeals when she sees her friend. Her friend’s happy behind the bar. And there were a few guys in there. And I’m just taken aback. I didn’t see this bar, and I suppose this could be very naive. I didn’t see this bar as the sort of place that, you know, girls work to meet guys. Perhaps that’s what it was, but I didn’t see it that way. I never thought that was what it was. I wasn’t very Thailand forward. I get a drink for her and a drink for the friend, too.
And they’re talking in Thai. Very difficult language to pick up. Guys coming and going. Few other girls in there. Again, girls speaking to guys. There was none of this groping that we would see in places later on. None of that. It just seemed like a normal bar. I really thought that was the case. Hand on heart.
Call me stupid, call me naive, call me what you want. I thought it was just a normal place. After we had a few drinks, we were really getting into the night. It was fun. She said something that I didn’t really understand. She said, “Can you pay bar for my friend so we can go? I want to show you around and I want my friend to go, too.” I looked at her and said, “You know what does that mean? Pay the bar?” I had no idea what she meant.
How much was it though? 500 Thai Baht or something. Pay bar for my friend. Okay, I just did it not knowing what it meant. Before long, her friend goes into the back, gets changed, come out, and we leave together. She said, I want to show you some crazy things. This is what everybody has to do when they come to Thailand. She seemed to be in her element, but it wasn’t like she was that sort of person. It was just like she was in a normal place, and this wasn’t really out of the ordinary. Again, I wasn’t picking up on what anything meant.
Pay bar for friend.
A Different Bangkok Bar
We went across the road into this other place, and that one was completely wild. not my scene. I mean, it wasn’t my scene at all. There were girls on stage, guys putting money into the bikinis, and there were all sorts of stuff going on. I was okay. I loosened up and was able to have a good time and take it for what it was, but it wasn’t my scene. Never was my scene. Just wasn’t that sort of person. I’m not going to say that I’m not going to go with it and have a good time. She was just looking at me and perhaps pushing up close to me at the same time as if she was happy that I was there and she was showing me these things that she thought was crazy.
and I wasn’t wanting to be approved, so I went with it. A friend was enjoying it, too. Ended up going to a few other places and then didn’t want to go back yet. Her friend was happy that I they met and talking to me, spoke English, too, about the same level as she did. Just thanking me for helping her to get back to Thailand. Thank you. It’s great. She’s so happy. She’s so fortunate. Then her friend said something that really shocked me.
She said talking about the girl I was with that she really likes you. Saying that she’s very happy that she’s met me. She’s really happy. Thank you for bringing her to Thailand and I hope you can be okay with her. Again, I was a bit naive or stupid or whatever. Wasn’t thinking with her at that moment. I wasn’t thinking this could be my girlfriend or anything, but I suppose I was acting that way. Now, her friend had said this and I’m thinking perhaps I should go with it. I don’t really like this sort of bar scene. She’s just showing me it once.
Perhaps she wouldn’t show me again, but we left there, went somewhere a bit more, I would say, normal, had something to eat late at night, enjoying it, and her friend leaves and we go back to the hotel and I had that introduction to Thailand. The fact that she’d taken me to the bar where she used to work, me thinking it’s a normal bar, me understanding that girls work like that and, you know, maybe meet a guy, I thought that was what the bars, you know, were meant for in certain states and so I would learn this later on. But the fact that there weren’t any girls on stage, that didn’t seem like the bar that she was in worked like that. Again, maybe I’m just trying to be stupid here on purpose just to try and look stupid, but I wasn’t stupid. I’m just trying to tell you that I didn’t really know. It didn’t look like she worked like any other way than to serve drinks. And call me naive. I’m happy for you to do so.
Showing Me Around Bangkok
It was over the next few days all she was doing was showing me around Bangkok. She was trying to be the one taking the lead to get me to maybe fall in love with her. I really don’t know. We went to different places around the city. We went to look at famous sites. We went to the malls. We went to eat food at different places. We even went to a floating market, which was some of the things that people seem to like. And it was really fun. And I’m having this adventure with her.
I’m taking it all in. I’m enjoying it. It’s great. And everything seemed good.
Meeting Her Family in Khon Kaen
When it was time for her to go and meet her family, I was expecting her to say, “I’ll come back down soon.” And I was still thinking we’d be going to back to Portugal in a week’s time. But she said, “Would you like to come and see my family?” She said, “I didn’t take my old boyfriend to see my family before I ex my ex-boyfriend. I didn’t take him, but I would like to take you to see my family. They’re very nice people and they’d be happy to see you and they’re happy that you helped me to get back. They’d be happy to meet you. I would love to introduce you to them. I think that was the moment I knew she must be serious. I mean, she was serious.
If that was the case, why would she want me to meet her family if she wasn’t? At this moment, I’d had such a great time with her. I’d taken on board what her friend had said to me, and she’d even said that when we met her a few days after that, I’d taken it on board again. I’d done everything in the same way that I was doing and I was starting to think I actually like this girl. I could actually see myself having a life with her. Because of that, I said I’d love to go. She said that was great. We can get the bus to a place called Khon Kaen, which was in the northeastern part of Thailand. I didn’t know anything about that or EAN. Get the bus there.
We can spend a night in a hotel. Then we can find our way to the village which was 20 minutes out of the city. That sounded fine to me. Although she changed that to let’s go on the bus throughout the night so we can just arrive in the morning. I think she was trying to ease me into the idea of that because that sounded awful 10 hours on a bus. I wasn’t really up for it, but I thought I had no choice. So, let’s do it. Let’s go. I remember arriving up there thinking that this was an adventure. I wanted an adventure and now I’m living one and I’m somewhere different and strange in comparison to places I’d been before.
I’d been to lots of places as you already know and I’m having a great time.
Arriving in the Khon Kaen Village
We were met at the bus station by this pickup driven by a guy. And no, it wasn’t her Thai boyfriend. It really wasn’t. It was her cousin. Her cousin was the only one who had a car in the family. And she’d spoken to him to come and pick us up and he was there. I was told what to do in terms of saying sawatdee krab and doing the Y and all those kind of things. And he did the same to me. Didn’t speak a lick of English. Jumped in the back seats of the pickup and off we went.
Arriving in the village at this point, I’m just seeing things around me that looked nothing like Bangkok or nothing like even the city we’ just left behind. It was a very different sort of place. But she was home and she looked at me like she was so happy that she was there and this is the family that I’d helped send some money to. She didn’t have children, by the way. She just had two older sisters. One of them was married living in the area who didn’t have any money really. And another one was married living in Bangkok, but again didn’t have any money to send to the family. So, she was the one who was supporting them. I thought that was very admirable. They were happy.
She’d even actually, and I must admit, got some money out of me to give to her family. When we arrived, that was actually quite a lot. I don’t know how I agreed to it. It was 50,000 Thai Baht that I was handed over. But she was speaking to them, and they were very respectful towards me, and I was to them, and it was just like we’ve met, and it was great, and everything’s okay. I was even staying in the family’s house. I would later learn that that 50,000 was perhaps a down payment for something for the marriage, which I had no idea was going to happen yet. I think that was how it was sold to the family or whatever. I have no idea. We’re there a few hours later.
We’re on a motorcycle. I’m sitting on the back and she’s driving around. Before long, I told her I want to drive. It was only a small scooter, nothing like the bikes I’d ridden before, but it was fun. Again, I was thinking, “This reminds me of the trips I’d been on before on bikes. Although it’s not quite like I’d done it or planned it like the trip to Uganda was going to be, but it was still fun. I could really enjoy this and I was enjoying it. What happened from there was just her taking me around looking at different places, spending a few days at the family’s house. Said goodbye to them and off we went. And I thought I’d never see them again.
Returning to Bangkok
Back in Bangkok for three nights, ready to go back to Portugal. She said to me, “Why don’t we stay a bit longer?” “I had a really good time with you here is what she said. and why don’t we stay longer? The thing was, to be honest, I was thinking the same thing. Why go back to Portugal? This place is exciting. It’s different. It’s fun. I’m with her and everything’s fun.
And I’m starting to really like her and I believe she likes me. So, why don’t I go with this? When she said that, I kind of said, “Yeah, why do we need to go back?” So, I changed a ticket, cost a bit of money for another two weeks. During those two weeks, we went down to Phuket, took in the beach there, comparing the beach there to the ones or the beaches in Portugal. Although I wasn’t, as I’ve already said, a beach guy who likes to go and sit at the beach. I’ll go occasionally. Even still, it was just feeling like a better sort of beach in the beaches I’d been to in Europe. At least most of them. Maybe not the ones in Greece.
I must admit, they’re brilliant. But even still, this was great. We spent a week there, then back up in Bangkok for another week.
Deciding to Live in Thailand Together
At this point, I must admit, I believed I loved her, and I believe she loved me the same way. I believe that we were meant to be together. I actually started looking into the possibility of living in Thailand. Why not? That’s what I was thinking. What do I have to do back at my place that I’m renting? I mean, I don’t have to do anything to give that up. I only had a few clothes there, a TV, and a couple of bits and pieces that aren’t worth any money. Probably worth less than a plane ticket there and bag. I’ll just get in touch with my landlord, tell them to keep everything, and they can sell it.
I don’t need to go back. I was thinking that, and it’s amazing how quickly your mind can change about things. When I told her I was thinking that, she said she was thinking the same thing, too. She would love to live in Thailand with me, and I would love to live with her. And it was decided we were going to live in Thailand together. Just like that, I’d committed to her, she’d committed to me, and it was like we hadn’t known each other for very long. But the things that we’d done together, things that we’d been through together. It was like everything had fallen into place where it was like we knew each other very well. I all of a sudden decided this is what I needed to do. If we don’t, I’d be missing out on the possibility of having a fantastic adventure with her.
and I didn’t want this adventure to end. So, it was decided we would live in Thailand. Around this time, I was looking into how to live there and I found out about the retirement visa, putting some money in the bank and because of that, you could extend it indefinitely. That sounded quite easy. There was also the marriage visa option, although I wasn’t ready to get married yet. I had decided I wanted to live there. Even if it just lasted for 6 months, I could always go back. It wasn’t like I felt like I was committing forever. It was like I was committing to a few months just to see how it went. I didn’t convince myself that this was what it was going to be like forever.
I didn’t convince myself that. It was just a few month thing. Take everything as it comes. Take every day as it comes too. With that, I found about a company that would assist me to get the visa because I was quite worrying about that. One of the reasons I chose Portugal to base myself was because I didn’t need a visa, but it was pretty straightforward. They told me about getting the visa and how to do it. It might involve leaving the country. Never mind, that’s an adventure, too. When I found out about the fact that I would need to leave the country, it was around this time I bought a bike for myself.
I bought the Africa Twin about 2 weeks after deciding to live there. I bought the bike because it was going to be the thing of our adventures, and we could sell it if it didn’t work and things went wrong. It wasn’t going to be a problem. We could do this trip to Lao to get the visa, and that would be the first trip of many, I hoped. So off we went. Got the visa, got the retirement extension, and about a month after deciding to live there, I was already set up, I felt. Hadn’t rented anywhere yet. We were still living in the hotel. But even still, life was great. Now I had this bike.
We were just about to go on a tour around the country. That’s exactly what we did, too. For 3 months, taking it in all of Thailand. All the best that Thailand had to offer. Each day went from good to better to even better to the point where we’re up in Chiang Rai in the north after taking this trip. And I proposed to her getting married. I thought it was it. I thought it was great. She was happy and excited and yes, she’d love to get married to me.
Getting Married in Thailand
From there, it’s about another 3 months later, we were married. I’d paid sins to the family. Everything was set. We were renting a place in Bangkok. And we were just about to set off on our next motorcycle trip, which was going to see us driving from Bangkok down south through Malaysia into Singapore and back again. That was something I couldn’t wait to do.
Supporting Her Family After Marriage
One thing happened around this time after we were married and after we were living a bit of time together. I should admit that I’d be giving her family money every month since we’d met. That was about 20,000 Bat a month. I was giving her a little bit of money too for expenses because that just seemed to be right. It just seemed to be well I didn’t want her to work and I thought it looked like she wanted to work but I didn’t want that. So I’m giving this money to her and it’s something I was happy to do. Probably spending more money than I would have done if I were single. Quite a lot more in fact. Even still perhaps I’m saving money in certain other places. But we’re about to set off on this trip of a lifetime.
all the way through those amazing places all the way down to Singapore and back again. And she said she wanted to go up to visit the family when we got back after after all was said and done. There was some stuff she wanted to talk about so we could do that. Anyway, it took us two days to get up there after we went on this trip and it was great. Great trip to did experiencing a nice ride. All the back and everything, everything fine. Arriving at the family’s house, they were talking together, and it was like something quite serious. I didn’t understand any of it. But I was picking up on the odd word every now and then, but nothing yet. It was about probably after an hour or so, and I’d had a few beers at this point.
She said that my dad’s given me some land. Do you want to go and look at it? I said, “That sounds great. We go over to this plot of land about 100 meters away from where the family were living. Wasn’t anything to write home about, but it was just a plot of land.” She said, “This is my lad now. We can go tomorrow to transfer it to my name. My dad wanted to give it to me because I’m married now and I want you to look at it. How do you think about it? I wasn’t really thinking anything really, just a piece of land.
But I did wonder how much it cost and I asked her what it was worth. She said it would be worth about 300,000 and I did think that was quite a lot for what it was given the location and size. But I didn’t care. I just thought how nice for her to get it. The following day, we did go to the land office and I went with them and I was looking and experienced it, remarking about how quickly it was able to be done. They walked in a few hours later. They walk out with this piece of paper that had her name supposedly on the back. I mean, it did. She showed me her the name on it and showed me her name on the ID card and it matched. And wow, she’s got this piece of land, but I didn’t think anything of it because why would I?
But talking about that trip that we had, the trip of a lifetime to Singapore, I don’t want to go into too much detail about that. But during that time, that was when she was dropping little hints about actually living in the village. And I suppose when we got this land, I wasn’t thinking anything of it. But she was dropping these hints. And perhaps now when we got this land, that’s when it first understood to me that perhaps she actually wanted to live here. She’s saying it was her dream in the future to live there. And she kept saying in the future, though, as if that’s going to be a long way in the future. I suppose that gave me the confidence to mean that she doesn’t want it so badly right now. So even when she got this land, I still wasn’t putting two and two together. Crazy, I know.
But I’m thinking based on my mind at this point when I’m actually coming to this conclusion. I think it was in Malaysia though after we’d actually been out back in Thailand for a while. We went to Malaysia again just for a short trip because I was enjoying having these trips. And I was thinking after we’d spoken probably 6 months after going up and her getting that land, why don’t we base ourselves there? we could set off in all different directions from there, doing different trips together every now and then. Why don’t we do that?
Buying a House in Khon Kaen
She said the house was about 3 million Thai Baht again 6 months after getting that land when we came to this conclusion and for 3 million Bat that was what 25% of my money give or take. I bought the bike of course which was other money but it just seemed to be like it was a good idea. I was married to her. I loved her at this point probably more than anything. I was happy. She seemed happy. So why don’t we? It took her 6 months from showing me that land for me to actually pull the trigger and think, “Yes, let’s do it.” We spent time in Bangkok, though, which was a great place to be. After we’d returned from Malaysia, only a little bit of time just trying to put the things into place in order when we would go up to base ourselves in Khon Kaen and start building this house.
But I put the money in. I think it was about 2014 when the house was built. I’d been with her for a while at that point. spoken to my ex-wife a number of times telling her what I was doing and she just said be careful have a good time and the thing was I was having the time of my life. She was just happy living in the same place and I couldn’t imagine living back at home. I couldn’t imagine it. Now we had this house, we’d moved in, we’d had the monk’s blessing and everything was going according to plan and I changed my immigration office to Khon Kaen which wasn’t that difficult and life began in the village.
Opening a Noodle Shop
About 6 months after the house was built, we were actually really really happy together. I didn’t feel like anything was going wrong at all during the first couple of months of living there. We went off on another trip, only a short one. We just took a loop up from Khon Kaen up to T up to Mihong and then back around. Kind of like driving along the border between Myanmar and Laos. It was great. A good trip. It was during that trip when she kept dropping other little hints about now that we’re living in the village, she wants to be able to start making her own money. How many times have you heard that? I thought we were retired or I was retired.
We had enough money and I was bringing in enough money from the investments I had. Of course, those had reduced because of the house and other things, but we were still bringing in, I would say at this point, £20,000 a year to live on, which was more than enough to live the way we were living, but no, she wanted to make her own money. She didn’t say what she wanted to do yet. She said she’s thinking, and we’ll talk about it when we got back. When we got back, I’m already planning the next trip. I was thinking about flying to India and taking her to India for 2 weeks. But before we got that far, it was her enthusiasm and excitement about the prospect of buying a little shophouse about halfway between the village and the city that she’d seen, saying she wanted to open a noodle shop with some friends. “Can we do this?” she said. It wasn’t like I agreed straight away.
I went to look at it, worked everything out as best as I could. I tried my best to work it out, tried my best to think about it. It would be about £40,000 investment to buy this place and get her the equipment and everything set up to be able to do it with her friends. If that’s what she wanted to do, I thought why not? So, I went for it. Huge mistake. I mean, a really huge mistake. And it’s not necessarily the reason that you think it is. As soon as that was done, we spent a few months and I was busy planning ahead, thinking about India and had to put that off because of the shop that she was doing. But as soon as it was done, I’m starting to think about the next trip.
I’d actually forgotten about India completely because I wanted to do Vietnam on a motorcycle. Couldn’t take my bike there, but we could rent one when we were there, just temporarily, and go from the south to the north or the north to the south. I was very excited thinking about that. I went to tell her when it was all sorted out and arranged. Not booked yet, but I’d already worked it out. ”
The Motorcycle Trip in Vietnam
How do you feel about going to Vietnam?” “I can’t wait,” I told her, but she said, “No, I want to work at the shop. I’m busy.” I was a bit shocked because I hadn’t expected that. I thought she had friends working there.
Life Changes After the Noodle Shop
It was as soon as she had that shop, though. It was like she didn’t want to do the same things anymore. It was quite a sudden thing. She didn’t want to go away. She didn’t want to go to the beach. She didn’t want to go on the back of the bike. She didn’t want anything. From the start of this, I didn’t really mind. Okay, we’ll wait. But I find that I’m waking up in the morning and she’s already gone to the shop, and she was going to the shop, and that part’s true.
Then I’m getting on the bike and going around myself and coming back and maybe go to visit her at the shop. Then she’s saying she’s busy, and she did look busy, but it wasn’t like she was that busy. Everything seemed to be a lot more hectic and busy than she actually was, but she’s busy, so she can’t do this and she can’t do that. And it was like she was a different person. It was remarkable. It wasn’t like she was making that much money, but she seemed to be happy. She told her I didn’t need to give her any money anymore because for her family, she was able to support them. So, sometimes I would give her less for her too, even because she was doing okay. But we weren’t doing things together. It wasn’t like it was about to come crashing down straight away, but after this had gone on for about a year, I’m at the point of complete boredom.
Haven’t gone anywhere because I don’t want to go by myself because that defeats the object of everything I’ve done. She’s spending all her time in the shop. Sometimes sleeping in the room above the shop. Now, I don’t think she was cheating on me. I don’t think that was the case. It just feels like as soon as that shop was in place, she no longer needed me in the same way. She no longer needed money from me. She no longer needed anything. She had the house that belonged to her. No questions asked.
Hers. She had the shop that belonged to her, too. She owned the building that it was based from. No questions asked. All hers. She was making money. She didn’t need me anymore. And it was a weird situation. I didn’t understand it at all. I didn’t leave because I didn’t want to and it didn’t seem like she wanted me to too.
But I kept insisting, “Okay, we’ve done this for a whole year. I want to go away together. Let’s do that motorcycle trip in Vietnam.” Eventually, she agreed and we head off to Vietnam. But she’s always on the phone speaking to friends about the shop. Again, it wasn’t making a fortune at this point, but I suppose it was covering her living expenses as well as the money she gave to her family. So, I wasn’t giving them that. But that wasn’t what it was about. Maybe I should have been happy about that, but it like life wasn’t exciting anymore. If I was at home, she’d come back and she wouldn’t be exciting like she used to be.
She wasn’t being enthusiastic like she used to be. She wasn’t even sleeping in the same room as me many times. And it was not what I signed up for.
The Vietnam Trip Goes Wrong
During that trip in Vietnam, it was awful. She was always on the phone, always messaging. Then she informed me about how she’d expanded the business and she was doing deliveries, too, and she had a delivery driver and all of these things she was talking about. I was really shocked because I wasn’t enthusiastic about her business. I was enthusiastic about what we were doing before. And she was more enthusiastic about the business than me. We fell out, the biggest fallout we’d ever had. About halfway into the trip, screaming and shouting at me, and I’m shouting at her, and it was a bad time. I suppose we made it up and then we fell out again up in Hanoi. A complete fallout.
It was ridiculous. Then she ends up flying back to Thailand herself. I spend a few days and go back to try to make it up. And we did make it up for a while for a few weeks or maybe a month. Then we’re shouting at each other again. And that happened a few more times. But it was clear that she just didn’t need me anymore. I didn’t feel like she needed me before. That’s the thing. But it was obvious.
And I’m starting to learn about Thailand more. Of course I am because I’m living there, meeting other guys and things that have happened to people. And I’m starting to picture what’s happened to me. I had just somehow built a house and given her a shop. Now she doesn’t need me anymore because she can make her own her money. And because of that, she’s not behaving in the same way. We’re not having the same kind of time. And I’m out about 40% of my life savings that have gone into this and I can’t get it back. I would say it was about 3 more months before the inevitable happened and everything fell apart. I don’t believe she cheated on me, but it was clear that she was trying to get me to leave off my own free will.
She wasn’t pushing me out, but she was doing everything her power to make me not want to be with her anymore. Why would I? She’s not behaving like a wife anymore. She’s sleeping in a different room, sometimes staying in the shop, not wanting to go away together, not going to eat together, not going for a drink with me anymore. Nothing like it was when we met. It was like a huge change of who she was. And it was alarming. When everything fell apart with her.
Ultimately, We Got a Divorce
Ultimately, we got a divorce. I did manage to get about 200,000 Thai Baht back. She had some money in the bank and she said, “I’ll give you this because of the house and the shop.” It was only a tiny bit of money, a small price for her to pay. Nothing for her based on what she had. I had the motorcycle and I had my other savings. At this point, because of what I’d spent, I was still bringing in maybe 13 or 14,000 a year from my investments, which was reasonable. I’d lost a big chunk of money and I’d lost the understanding of what I was there for. I didn’t lose my retirement, but I’d lost my understanding of who I was and how I’d been so stupid to do those things and how the feelings of happiness that I’d had with her for all that time had allowed me to basically give her what she wanted. She’d got what she wanted out of me and then she didn’t want me.
That was how it was.
Staying in Southeast Asia After Divorce
I didn’t need to go back home, which was the main thing. But I decided what to do because I was already on a retirement visa. I was living in Thailand and I found myself liking Thailand. I decided to stay on there and I spent a few years there just traveling around, staying in cheap hotels, enjoying the bag, but ultimately I got bored of Thailand. Didn’t want to be there anymore. I’d met another woman and the problem was I could see straight through her straight away. Now I couldn’t see through the woman that I’d married who I’d met in Portugal. I couldn’t see through her because I didn’t know the game. I didn’t know what it was about. But every time you’re meeting a new woman in Thailand, you’re just seeing through it straight away.
Everything you can see through it. You can see through that. When you’re meeting guys, many of them say just how it is and you know exactly based on other people’s experiences. But when you don’t know, I suppose that’s why it was so fun and exciting to start with with the one I married because I didn’t know what was going on until it was too late.
Moving to Vietnam and Cambodia
After that though, I had spent time around lots of different countries. I ultimately ended up moving to Vietnam. That lasted about a year, but the visa situation was difficult and I couldn’t be bothered with it. After that, I chose Cambodia and I remained there. My investments have gone up and down, but mostly up. I suppose I’m okay off. I would have been so much better though if I never did what I did and I lost that money. I probably lost £150,000 to her, but it didn’t ruin me to the point where I had to lose everything. The reason I wanted to share my story is because many people don’t know what the game is until it’s too late. If I’d have known Thailand, I would have known what was going on and it wouldn’t have happened.
But I didn’t. Every time you meet another woman after you finish with her, it’s just not the same because you can see straight through it. It’s amazing that I couldn’t see straight through it because I didn’t know what was going on. It was just an awful time. I am still depressed about that even today. I still have bad days and have good days, too. But the bad days, I’m thinking, how was I still stupid? How did I let that happen? I did. It was just like she’d played me perfectly, played me like a fiddle, read me like a book, and got exactly what she wanted out of me.
As soon as she had what she wanted out of me, that was it. I was not useful anymore, and I was discarded. I’m thankful that I’m still enjoying retirement. I’m still reasonably healthy, which is the main thing. Happy in Phnom Penh, where I live at the moment. Will I be here forever? I assume so, but I don’t know. I do travel occasionally. I have the money to do that. If you budget accordingly, Southeast Asia can still be cheap.
But don’t expect luxury. Expect nice and decent and be sensible. You can live here on that. Don’t get married and do something stupid and give such a big portion of your money to someone just because they wanted it. Don’t do like I did. If you’re not financially sound, you might end up losing so much more, losing the opportunity to live your life even, and it could be worse. I wouldn’t want that to happen to anybody. What happened to me was awful, and I still didn’t lose everything, though. But it was still awful. I can promise you that.
