20 Things I Used to Believe About Thailand, I Don’t Anymore

The Cost of Living in Thailand

I always thought Thailand was dirt cheap. It was cheap, and everything was cheaper than where I came from. Thirty years on, I still think it can be cheap if you live in a certain kind of way.

If you have a Thai girlfriend, live outside of the city, and eat Thai food every day, you can live relatively cheaply. But if you are one of those guys who enjoys creature comforts such as foreign cheese, wines from around the world, pizzas, and other imported products, then you are going to pay for them. It does not work out that cheaply.

Choosing Between Bangkok, Pattaya and Hua Hin

I always used to think that I would want to live in Bangkok because that was the place to be. It was exciting, and I could not imagine myself living anywhere else. When I was younger, perhaps Pattaya would have been an option. I did live in Pattaya for a while, but I always thought there would not be anywhere else. It had to be Bangkok or Pattaya.

Of course, that has now changed. I am older. I am 66, and I will be 67 next year. I like a bit more peace and quiet in my life, and I am now in Hua Hin, where it suits me just fine.

Living in Thailand Is Not a Permanent Holiday

I always thought it would be a permanent holiday if you came to live here. When you come here for a couple of weeks or a month, you step off the plane and go straight down to Nana or Soi Cowboy, or perhaps you are one of those guys who gets a bus and goes directly to Pattaya. You are in that holiday mood. It is exciting, you throw your bags down, and you have a ball for two weeks.

That does wear off when you live here. You get into a normal routine. You have to pay your bills just as you do back home. It is still nice to live here, of course it is. I would rather live here than back in the UK. I have the sunshine on my back every morning, and I have my girlfriend and the dog.

You do get out of that holiday mood. You lose the excitement. I always thought I would need to live close to the action, very close to somewhere like Nana or Soi Cowboy, so that if I wanted to go out, I could jump on the back of a motorbike taxi or even walk there. I could be in Nana Plaza in about 10 minutes.

That has worn off with age. In fact, I find it completely boring now. The last time I went to a go-go bar was about a year ago with a friend of mine. I went up to Bangkok, but it was not even that long ago. It was six months ago, or it could have been four months ago. My old memories are going. I went up to Bangkok because he wanted to go around some go-go bars, so I joined him at Soi Cowboy. I found it totally boring. I had been doing it for years when I was younger, and it had simply lost its excitement for me.

Why I Eat Less Thai Food Than I Used To

I used to eat a lot more Thai food when I was younger. It was budget-friendly, and I did not have as much money back then. Even when I worked for the hotels, I had to limit what I spent. I always knew I would need money for the future, so I was not spending as if I were a two-millionaire.

Now that I am older, I want a lot more home comfort food. Every now and then, I want a burger, a pizza, a plate of spaghetti, or a crusty bread, cheese, and Branston pickle sandwich. You can get Branston pickle here. I do eat Thai food, but not as much as I used to.

Understanding Thailand Takes More Than One Visit

I always thought that when you came here and had been here for a year or six months, you could look at yourself in the mirror and think, “Yes, I have really got it now. I understand Thailand. Nobody can scam me.” You think you fully understand it, but unfortunately that is not the case.

Even 30 years on, I am still learning about things that I did not know over the years. The Thais are lovely people. It is a land of smiles and everything, but you do get some very aggressive drivers on the road. They do not give way.

Back home, if somebody wants to get out of a side street, normally you flash your lights and let them out. That does not happen here. If drivers see you coming and think you want to overtake, they will put their foot down. If they see you want to come up behind them, they will speed up. That happens a lot.

I have been on the motorway and had cars come right up behind me while flashing their lights because they want me to move. I was doing 90, the national speed limit on that particular road. You never fully understand Thailand. The longer you are here, the more you learn.

Making Friends and Learning the Thai Language

I always thought it would be very hard to make friends in Thailand. In the early days, when I came out here, I thought it would be like the UK, where it is very difficult to meet friends. Most of the friends in the UK are old school friends, workmates, associates, or people you meet through those connections.

I thought coming out to Thailand on my own would be very difficult, but it is actually very easy. There are so many Facebook groups you can get involved in. Foreigners tend to talk to each other as strangers more here.

One of my best friends was a guy called Sam. He was my best friend here in Thailand, and I met him probably 28 years ago. There used to be a bar in Nana Plaza called Lucky Luke’s. It is another kind of Lucky Luke’s now, but it is not a bar. I was coming back one day and he was sitting in there. It was two in the afternoon. I do not drink during the day, but I fancied a bottle of beer on that particular day. I went in there and got talking to him. He became my best friend, and we went out every night for years.

Unfortunately, he died of cancer. I went back to his funeral in the UK with his two daughters, picked them up, and took them to the funeral in Bath. It is actually quite easy to make friends here if you are coming out.

I always thought the language barrier would never be an issue. I thought people spoke English, I could make myself understood, and I had Google Translate. It was not around back then, so it was a lot more difficult.

Actually, you will be surprised. The longer you stay here, the more Thai you learn. It makes life a lot easier, and the Thais look at you differently. It is not the same if you go in and speak 100% English.

My Thai has improved a lot, especially since I have been together with my girlfriend, because she does not speak English. Actually, that is a lie. She does speak some English now, but she did not when I met her. Being able to fill up the car, order your food in Thai, and tell people which ingredients you do not want helps a lot. You integrate much more easily.

Buying Property or Renting in Thailand

I always thought it would be good to own a home out here, perhaps to buy an apartment. Years ago, I thought it would be great to buy an apartment so that you had a bolt-hole and did not have to pay rent anymore. Now I think that is a very bad idea.

There is a lot of red tape when it comes to buying property. A foreigner cannot own land. People will say that you can set up a company and do it that way, but they make it sound easy when it is not. Setting up a company is not as easy as you think, and it involves a lot of money and time.

For me, renting is best now that I am older. My girlfriend bought this place with a mortgage, but I have not bought it. I am paying 11,000 baht a month towards the mortgage, which is half the price of my rent in Bangkok.

Generally speaking, if you come out here, I think renting is the best option because you can give a month’s notice and be away. You might buy a place and think it is great, only to have noisy neighbours move in. It is also very difficult to sell property here. It is not like the rest of the world, where supply and demand determine the market. They are building all the time, and I have known lots of people who struggled to sell their place. It took years, and they took massive losses just to get rid of them.

Finding a Purpose When Living in Thailand

I used to think that when you came out here, you did not really need a purpose. If you were coming out here to live, you were in Thailand, so you would not be bored. Actually, you do need something to do when you come out here full-time.

If you do not have a hobby or something that you are going to do, even if it is something simple such as reading, going to a gym, joining a golf course, or cycling, you cannot come out here and live in Thailand with nothing to do. You will end up in the bars just to be sociable with people. Especially in a place like Pattaya, you could end up becoming an alcoholic, and that is not a good way to go.

If you are planning to come out here for a long time, you do need a hobby. That is something I have changed my mind about. For me, it is YouTube and Facebook. They take up a lot of my time, and that is my hobby.

Thailand’s Climate Is Hard to Get Used To

I used to think that if you lived here, the longer you were here, the more you would get used to the heat. You do acclimatise up to a point. I have acclimatised now and do not need the air conditioning on all the time, but you never get used to that brutal humidity.

The humidity here is something like 82% to 85%. Even in the high season, October, November, and December, you still have that humidity. It is always there, and you never get used to it. It is just so hot.

Public and Private Healthcare Costs in Thailand

I always thought that if you were ill and went to a private hospital, that was the best. You could not get better than a private hospital. Of course, there are some very good hospitals, but for someone living out here, I used to think that if I got sick, I would go to a private hospital.

I do not think that anymore because I go to a public hospital, a government hospital, here in Hua Hin, and I save so much money. People have this vision of going into a government hospital and seeing stained bandages lying on the floor, adult diapers left on beds, dirt, and rats running around. It really is not like that.

I have seen the wards at the government hospital in Hua Hin. They are on a par with the NHS, and they do not look any different. I have fasting blood tests every now and again. The top private hospital I went to when I first got here charged me 12,000 baht for a fasting blood test in a lab. Then I went to another private hospital, which was a lot cheaper, and that cost me 3,600 baht. Then I went to the government hospital and had a fasting blood test. It was busy and took half a day to complete. I had to go back and get the report the following day, rather than two hours later as at the private hospital, but it cost me 1,600 baht instead of 3,600 or 12,000 baht.

I get all my prescription medicines from the government hospital, and I save a fortune. I have changed my mind about that a lot. I do not necessarily think private hospitals are better suited for everybody. They are nice if you have plenty of money or are insured, but government hospitals here are just as good.

The only difference for me is that when you go into a private hospital, a pretty nurse takes you everywhere you need to go, and it is pretty fast. With a government hospital, you have to find out for yourself, and there is limited English. That is why speaking a bit of Thai comes in handy again. Once you get the hang of it, it is not daunting anymore, and you save so much money.

Living Outside the Expat Bubble

I used to think that the best places to live would be in an expat bubble. I still like living in an expat bubble to a point when I go up to Bangkok because I do not like living out in the sticks if I cannot get the food I want sometimes. It has nothing to do with wanting to spend time only with expats.

When I lived on Sukhumvit Soi, right down at the bottom, it was quiet, but I was only 20 minutes from being out of the bubble. I do not think it is particularly good to live in an expat bubble now. I live in a Thai village. I always say I live in Hua Hin, and I do, but I am eight miles west of the city, so I am actually in a little Thai village.

All my neighbours are Thai, apart from one other foreigner, who I think is a Russian guy renting nearby. Everybody else around here is Thai. They are all very friendly towards me, and I think you fit into Thai society a lot better if you are surrounded by Thai people and living with them.

Roads, Driving and Quality of Life in Thailand

I used to complain about the roads and driving, but I have completely changed my mind about the infrastructure in Thailand. It has improved a lot over the last 30 years. Some of the roads used to be terrible, but generally speaking, the highways are very good now.

If you go into rural areas, you can still find bad roads, but the main roads are much better than they used to be. The highways, including the one that goes down to Pattaya, have improved considerably. The main arteries of the country are now very good.

I used to think that if you were here and had a lot of money, you would be very happy. I do not think that anymore. I think you are happier here because of your quality of life. If you have a lot of money, of course you can buy a lot more, but it does not necessarily bring you happiness.

I live on a very modest budget now. I live in a Thai village, and I eat Thai and foreign food. Money does not necessarily bring you happiness, and I suppose that is true about everywhere.

Thailand as a Place to Retire

I used to think Thailand was not for retirement and was just for holidays. When I was younger, I thought that when you were old, you wanted to be in your own country rather than a foreign country. I do not think that anymore.

People say to me, “What happens if you get ill? What happens if you get dementia?” If I worried about it, I would not step out of my front door in the morning when I was back in the UK. What is the worst that could happen? I have made it this far. I am in my fourth year and I am happy. I have bad days like everybody else.

If you are on the fence and thinking about whether you should come out to Thailand or anywhere else, do it. The only thing that normally holds people back is family. I have only got two daughters. I lost all my friends when I was in the hotel industry because I was abroad for 30 years, so I lost contact with them. Moving out here full-time is the best move I have ever made.

Thai and Foreign Relationships Need Patience

I used to think that finding a Thai girlfriend and maintaining a relationship would be very easy. When I was in my mid-30s, I was not interested in finding a girlfriend because I was already married. I used to go to places such as Soi Cowboy and Patpong, and spend weekends in Pattaya. I thought that if I were single and wanted to find a Thai girlfriend, it would be easy because women in the entertainment areas had thrown themselves at me.

Of course, when you are younger, you can think all Thai women are like that, but that is nonsense. They are not. It is a small percentage. I used to think it would be very easy to get into a relationship and maintain it, but it is not.

My current girlfriend and I have been together for three and a half years. She spent the best part of 25 years working in a hospital in Bangkok, in an area called Saphan Khwai. The first year was very difficult for both of us. She had never had much experience with a foreign boyfriend, had never married, and had never had children. It was a culture shock for her spending time with me because we are not the same. Our cultures are completely different.

The first year was a learning curve. If you think you can get into a serious relationship with a Thai woman and have happy days every day, you are mistaken. You have to work at it, have a lot of patience, and put in the effort. Everything is okay now. For example, if I wanted to go out, she would say, “The only reason you want to go out is to see other girls,” which we now laugh at because she knows that is not true.

What I Miss About the UK and What I Do Not

When I was younger, I used to think that if I came out here full-time, I would miss the UK. I have changed my mind completely about that. I do not miss it at all. There is nothing I particularly miss about the UK, apart from a few small things.

You go out in November and somebody is burning a log fire, and you get the smell of the burning wood. That is nice. You do not get that here so much. In April or May, when people cut their lawns for the first time, you go out in the morning and smell the freshly cut grass. Those little things are nice, but generally speaking, there is nothing that I particularly miss. You can get all the food here now.

Thailand Will Not Make an Unhappy Person Happy

I used to think that if you moved to Thailand, you would be happy because it was Thailand and you would not have any problems left. That is not true. If you are unhappy in your own country, you will be unhappy here because you bring all those problems with you.

If you are going to come out here and have problems back home, you are better off tying up those loose ends, getting rid of those problems, starting afresh, and coming out here. Then you have more chance of being happy.