JaiDee Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Moved back to the states this month after three years on the road, bought a nice 2nd-hand Caddy and will settle down here now for a year or 3. Happy to see family and friends once again and the weather is perfectly awesome in every way; man did I miss these 50-degree nights with no humidity! One thing's for sure though; it's damned expensive here. Man, the money just flies out of my pocket, for everything from milk and snacks and gas, to health and auto insurance, which I just had to buy; Caddy insurance was only $55 a month but my health care is $493; ouch. So far so good....I am sure I will miss Thailand or Laos come January when it's freezing cold around here, but Mexico or Florida are a short non-stop flight away. 1 Quote Link to comment
Kahuna Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Tell me about it... You can add property tax, monthly utility bills (electricity, water, garbage, sewer, etc.), cell phone, wifi connection, monthly HOA dues, etc., etc., to the list...My problem is that as a property owner I still have all those expenses even when I travel... During the winter it's warm where I live in Arizona...too fucking hot now...so it's not uncommon to have a monthly 300 to 400 dollar electric bill when I run the aircon...I try to visit SoCal as often as I can to beat the heat,,,Of course my old Stang V8 sucks gas so there you go...It's a wash I suppose... I'm lucky in one respect, the Veterans Admin provides free medical for some of us old worn out Vets...The doctors are good...The wait is long...Because I'm old I also get Medicare...But it ain't free and there is a 20% copay...So I am waiting now to have some surgery done at the Vets Hospital rather than pay a fortune to a private doctor... Course, cause you're single you'll likely be eating out with some frequency...Add that to your expenses....When Socrates and his lady visited I found a nice Thai restaurant...And seriously only a couple dollars more than a meal at Pattaya Beer Garden and the food is every bit as good...I've returned a few times on my own...The little Thai waitresses also have very cute asses... Of course authentic inexpensive Mexican fare is available all over my area...So now I'm as fat as my friends across the border... Don't know that I would pick Mexico as a travel destination these days JaiDee...A bit dangerous...Sad for me cause I spent many happy days in Mexico...Perhaps the east coast is safer... I think now that my trips to Thailand will be few and far between...I'm old and tired and as expensive as my country is, it's my country and it's big and eclectic and electric and I like it... After about 40 years of watching, I even registered to vote... 1 Quote Link to comment
farangbah Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Don't know that I would pick Mexico as a travel destination these days JaiDee...A bit dangerous...Sad for me cause I spent many happy days in Mexico...Perhaps the east coast is safer... Good post, but a little unfair to lump the entire country of Mexico under the "d" word, Unc. There are some absolutely serene places yet. But then again, you are a crotchety old American. So, you're just playing to type. (love you!) Quote Link to comment
deepthroat Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Great posts, all of them. I thought along the same lines as Farangbah though - if JaiDee was going somewhere on the border - say, JUAREZ - then I'd be worried. But Puerto Vallarto, Cabo San Lucas, etc - I think you'll find there's probably a dozen tourists murdered in the past year or two at most. Don't be fooled by the scarey stories you see on tv and other media - they make their money on selling us fear. It's what gets people to tune in, or to keep from changing the dial. The old expression "If it bleeds, it leads" is more true in tv journalism now than it ever was in the past. 1 Quote Link to comment
Kahuna Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Good post, but a little unfair to lump the entire country of Mexico under the "d" word, Unc. There are some absolutely serene places yet. But then again, you are a crotchety old American. So, you're just playing to type. (love you!) Go to work already Nephew mine...Make some money so that I too can visit Mexico again... Truth is you and DT are probably right...But knowing JaiDee is a beach guy I was only suggesting that he exercise caution with his choice of Mexico's lovely beaches.. I ain't a TV sort, but I live about 100 miles from the border...I get my news locally and most of it ain't good...And don't get me wrong I love Mexico...Spent many happy days there...and I would love to spend a few more... Quote Link to comment
JaiDee Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 Been to Mexico twice, Cancun.....of course I would never go anywhere near the border areas, but Cancun is safe and nice, great food and they have direct charter flights from my home to there, a little over 4 hours. Or could go to St. Thomas, who knows; point is, by January I know I will want to go somewhere for a few weeks and Thailand is too damn far. I had a good run over there, 10 years of high seasons. I sold my condo here in New England in October of 2009 and for the past 3 years I have been living out of a suitcase; Thailand half that time, Montreal for 9 months 'cause my daughter goes to college there, a few months in Laos and Nepal, some here, some time in Europe.......fact is at my age [just turned 50] living out of a suitcase = homeless and it gets old after a while. Now I will find a decent house in the country to rent for a while and see how things go. I thought I was gone from this area for good in '09 and would settle in Thailand somewhere but fact is I just plain missed it around here. I have a big family, my kids are close by, the weather is awesome half the year, and I like driving a car again; I really miss that when I am in Asia. Yes, for sure I will get tired of it after a year or 2, and as I say it's freaking expensive at about 2-3 times the cost of S.E. Asia, but Thailand will still be there and I can just head back that way in 2014 or something. I also like talking with US doctors about my various maladies; there's nothing like knowing every single word is understood when you have a medical problem. How far out in the country am I staying with my brother right now? This guy was spotted at the end of our driveway last week, yikes......note how the 2nd picture is further away, we were in reverse mode! 3 Quote Link to comment
thaibound Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I thought along the same lines as Farangbah though - if JaiDee was going somewhere on the border - say, JUAREZ - then I'd be worried. But Puerto Vallarto, Cabo San Lucas, etc - I think you'll find there's probably a dozen tourists murdered in the past year or two at most. i understand it's all relative, but daaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmm... to hear that only a "dozen tourists murdered"...doesn't encourage me to risk making it a baker's dozen. i mean, you ever seen the ladyboys in cabo? just not a good risk-reward ratio for me. but as for the cost of living in the states...it's going to be culture shock going back there. literally three times the monthly nut to get by. and while i agree with jaidee about the beautiful autumns in new england, i live in fear of the black ice of winter. losing it into a skid on the turnpike, sliding sideways for the better part of a kilometer with no control whatsoever....i'll put up with 100 sweaty nights to avoid having that 100 sweaty seconds ever again. Quote Link to comment
deepthroat Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 JaiDee, it will be interesting to track your progress as you try to reaclimate to the dull expensive ("high cost of low living") ways of the USA. My end goal is to spend 6 months in LOS and 6 in USA every year. So far you've confirmed for me that this might be a wiser choice than trying to live in LOS full time (and then pining for home eventually which would be a real pain if I threw everything into a big move). So, in a convoluted way your helping me to gauge how my plan might work. That's not "Alaskan Bear" is it? Quote Link to comment
4:17 Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Sorry, but I've had this James Brown song in my head since I saw the topic of this thread. Thus I've come to, in turn, infect you all .. [media=] [/media] Quote Link to comment
Quietguy Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I'm surprised that you would be worried about high murder rates in Mexico, when there seem to be quite a number of suspicious deaths in Pattaya, and from what i read a large number of murders in the USA - though probably not in New England. But I can understand that it must be increasingly difficult to make the long flights from the USA to LOS as you get older. Quote Link to comment
JaiDee Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 My end goal is to spend 6 months in LOS and 6 in USA every year. So far you've confirmed for me that this might be a wiser choice than trying to live in LOS full time (and then pining for home eventually which would be a real pain if I threw everything into a big move). So, in a convoluted way your helping me to gauge how my plan might work. That's the way I did it for 8 years and it actually worked out very well. By 2009 I figured I had had enough of the states, and since my kids were fully grown and semi-dependant I would just move to Thailand full-time and save the cost of maintaining a place in the states. To be perfectly honest; I got bored with it rather quickly. You'd be surprised at the things you miss; driving a car, American food, everyone speaking the same language with no accent, better weather; especially family gatherings and chatting with friends, people you have known all your life, I really missed that and now I can do it again. But mostly, for now, I love the weather and driving my car, I really missed both. If you can afford it, for sure do both! 6 months on, 6 months off. You get the best of both worlds that way. For now I will just stay in the west for a few years, it seems to suit me better at the current time and since I do have a few medical issues [sleep apnea, kidney stones, possibly lower back surgery ahead] I want to get them dealt with here. Quote Link to comment
Kahuna Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 My end goal is to spend 6 months in LOS and 6 in USA every year. So far you've confirmed for me that this might be a wiser choice than trying to live in LOS full time (and then pining for home eventually which would be a real pain if I threw everything into a big move). That is basically what I did...As least it started that way...But I only stayed for 6 months straight one time...That was way too long for this old guy...So I opted for the 3 month there and 2 months here and that kinda sorta worked for a while...I also adopted the Kahuna "fuck off" rule...When I walked down a Soi as the number of under the breath "fuck offs" increased I knew it was time to head home...Three months is max for me now... Keep in mind that it is a very expensive proposition if you maintenain your residence here in the States...Just cause you ain't here don't mean that your expenses here are reduced much... But I don't regret any of it... 1 Quote Link to comment
Kahuna Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 But I can understand that it must be increasingly difficult to make the long flights from the USA to LOS as you get older. I truly don't understand...Tell me please just why you believe that getting older has anything to do with being able to make a long flight from the USA to Thailand...In my experience the older I got (and I am damn old) the easier the flight got...I do get to visit a lot of airports though... Quote Link to comment
4:17 Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Just wanted to say thanks to you gents that have lived abroad a long time; your thoughts and views are interesting -- at least to me. When I last went home to the States a year or so ago, after a year and half stint between Viet Nam and Thailand, I had no particular plans to come back to stay any time soon. Being back in the States, in spite of the reverse culture shock one feels upon arriving back home, it was a relief to be back. Walking down the street and being just another guy that no one gives a second thought to, instead of being treated like a Rock Star and/or performing clown -- that's nice. But within four months, I got that itch, and two months after that I was on a plane with a one-way ticket. I'm going home for a month in mid November (having been over here 13 months this time); it will be interesting to see if I feel a month is enough time at home, or if I wish the time were longer. ... For me it's been a big difference this time around, living in a relatively -- stress the word "relatively' -- cosmopolitan city like Sai Gon, as opposed to the small rural towns I lived in, both in Thailand and Viet Nam the first time around. But then that's probably a whole 'nother topic. Quote Link to comment
Hefe Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Interesting topic & something that has been increasingly on my mind now that I've just gotten into my 60's: by the time I have enough $$$ to jump off the hamster wheel it will be 2-3 years from now. Problem is, as the "older" guys have alluded to, you just ain't the same guy anymore except in dreams. I just realized this month I'm getting rheumatoid arthritis & it's my 3rd type of arthritis now. I take 4 meds daily to prevent bad things... & I'm still a pretty healthy guy compared to a lot of my contemporaries. I think about walking away -- daily -- but as the guys above said, if it doesn't turn out to be "paradise" forever, I'd have to return the American economy as a senior with less resources & unable to get a good job, not a good thing, so I'll punch in again for a little while longer. I have a very good deal with a nice apartment in NYC & snowbirding is what I'm thinking too. I do have a EU passport & think about Portugal or Croatia, etc... but every time I get a chance to holiday I'm back with the asian ladyboys in the fleshpots so I don't know about them. Mexico alternatives? I keep hearing more about Panama, Boquete is like the new San Miguel de Allende, & several people have told me that Colombia is the newest best destination for the Americas.... 1 Quote Link to comment
Quietguy Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I truly don't understand...Tell me please just why you believe that getting older has anything to do with being able to make a long flight from the USA to Thailand...In my experience the older I got (and I am damn old) the easier the flight got...I do get to visit a lot of airports though... Well maybe it's just me. But I'm 61, when I was younger the actual journey was exciting,, part of the adventure and experience. Now it's just something to be endured in order to get to my destination. And I find the flights increasingly uncomfortable. I have usually gone on long haul trips to escape the UK winter. The trips to los take from 11 to 15/16 hours depending on whether it's non-stop or with a stopover in the Middle East. I would prefer to get there as soon as possible, but I find even 11-12 hours on a plane quite difficult, so in a way I like to have a break enroute. On my next trip I will have a stopover. On the following trip (already booked too) I am flying non-stop. It also depends on the price. I didn't think it worth the hassle of the long flights to just go for 2 weeks, so my next two trips are for 3 weeks, and I am thinking of going just once a year after that but for 60 days. That will save time and money on flights and maximise my time in los. The money I save on one return flight will pay for 2-3 weeks hotel costs. Perhaps my flights are more uncomfortable because I travel in Economy class. Maybe it's better in Business Class but I don't want to pay that much. I can't understand how guys can endure long flights for just one week in los. And I don't know how you US guys can do those much longer trips, perhaps you are more used to flying. 1 Quote Link to comment
pdogg Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I didn't think it worth the hassle of the long flights to just go for 2 weeks, so my next two trips are for 3 weeks, and I am thinking of going just once a year after that but for 60 days. That will save time and money on flights and maximise my time in los. The money I save on one return flight will pay for 2-3 weeks hotel costs. One Pattaya real estate agent told me that's the new trend, guys just coming once a year and staying longer. Paying a monthly rate in Pattaya, you can get a "nice enough" place for your entire two months for the cost of a return ticket. Quote Link to comment
JaiDee Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 Keep in mind that it is a very expensive proposition if you maintenain your residence here in the States...Just cause you ain't here don't mean that your expenses here are reduced much... Exactly, that is why I sold my condo. I hated paying money to Comcast and Verizon and the electric company, not to mention condo fees and my mortgage! I was paying about 1500 a month and not even staying here for half the year and that was just wasteful. Now, not only is it wasteful, I simply can't afford to throw away that 1500 a month. So it's one or the other, and for now it's the states. Will I get bored? Sure, but I was bored in Thailand also. Will I hate the weather come January? Sure, but I can hop down to the Caribbean quite easily. Is it MUCH more expensive? Sure, but I get to see family and friends and be surrounded by people who speak my language and be familiar with my surroundings at all times, so it's worth it for now. Some day I will live back in Asia or some other 3rd-world, warm country; it's inevitable considering I can spend as much in 5 years there as I would spend in 2 years here. Just for now I am kinda done with the whole travel thing and want to stay in my home country; if someone had told me this 4 or 5 years ago I would have said they were crazy. Just goes to show how things change, so stay flexible and keep your options open. Quote Link to comment
dixon cox Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I am enjoying this thread, although I'm disappointed to hear that some of the guys I enjoy spending time with will not be back in SE Asia for a long while yet. Apart from close family, a handful of friends, excellent PC and internet and some of my own TV there is nothing else what-so-ever I miss about home (London, UK). I have perhaps another 20 months living out of a suitcase in SE Asia ahead of me right now. So long as there's some sweet ladyboys closeby and a decent internet connection I'll be happy. But when my time comes to return home I'll probably be ready, perhaps even before, who knows. My stays in Asia gradually increased several years ago from one month several times a year to 2 or 3 visits of 2 months or more. Last year was 6 months between Cambodia and Thailand in one go, but my house in London remained empty and idle. The following 11 months back home was painful but at the time I needed the money and the timing at home was a necessity for certain financial reasons, plus preparing the house for rental this time Right now I do not miss home at all, but I think constantly about my elderly parents and have contingency money to return home at short notice. 1 Quote Link to comment
JaiDee Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 I remember discussing these topics over lunch, DC......as we both agreed, it's kind of a no-brainer to think we can live in Asia for 2 years [or longer] for the same price as one in the west. No doubt I will go back to that way of thinking some day, but I have time; figure maybe 2 years here max and then back to somewhere cheap and I will still only be 52. Just drove down to the coast today with my brother, dipped our toes in the frigid north Atlantic waters, had a good walk along the beach for an hour.......gas to go the 100 miles round trip was probably 20 bucks; 5 for parking.....we had lunch and I got the lobster pie [of course, a New England specialty] and a coke; 25 bucks, no kidding. So 50 bucks for a quick half-day trip to the beach, or 1500 baht. You know how long 1500 Baht lasts in Thailand if you don't include sex; it's surely longer than half a day! Quote Link to comment
xyzzy Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Keep in mind that it is a very expensive proposition if you maintenain your residence here in the States...Just cause you ain't here don't mean that your expenses here are reduced much... In the beginning I was going to eventually move to Thailand. I could move tomorrow if I wanted. My longest attempted trip was 6 months to Pattaya during the winter. Four months was more than enough. I ran off to Cambodia and Philippines for a change of pace. Now my trips are down to around a month or two as it's hard for me to endure traveling in cattle class for less amount of time. But I move around on trips and two weeks in Pattaya starts to get tedious. I own a home and have the added expense of maintaining it while I am gone. I also live out in the country with no nearby neighbors. A few years ago, while I was gone, I had some vandalism to the house and especially my truck. Did a fair amount of mindless damage and my friends had to retrieve my truck, from where it was towed by the police, in the middle of winter with most of the glass missing. I perhaps hate having to impose on my friends like that more than suffering the damage. At least they caught the idiots as they hung around for hours until someone noticed. I'm some years away from the age were the government will be paying most of my medical but have been retired for 6 years. I'm paying through the nose for high deductible medical coverage that doesn't even cover me outside the US. It becomes harder and harder to justify a long trip with all the expenses I have at home and the added PITA of worrying about things like vandalism. Although it is so nice to miss part of the cold, cold Colorado winter. I now return you to the Jaded Burnout Club. Quote Link to comment
bumblebee Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I think the big 50 gets us thinking about what we really want to get out of life for the second, shorter in most cases, part of this great journey. It's time to analyse what's important and make the most of it. I am 2 and a half years shy of 50 and spend a lot of time pondering how the next 20 years will play out. This year I am planning to spend 4 months in Los, with the option of extending it to 6 or 7 months if I decide to work in Bkk. I really enjoy meeting up with you great guys there, many of you have become an important part of my life, not only in SE Asia but in general. But the call of home has become stronger the last few years. Even 4 or 5 years ago I could see myself living in SE Asian for years, but now that hunger has been replaced with an appreciation of what I have at home, what we all have, family. The folks are getting older, who knows how many years they have left and I want to spend as much time as I can with them as possible, while also having the outlet of Los etc for my other life. So that's where I am at now, but who knows how those feelings may change over the coming years. Great thread JaiDee and good to see some honest soul searching being discussed. 1 Quote Link to comment
Kahuna Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 But the call of home has become stronger the last few years. Even 4 or 5 years ago I could see myself living in SE Asian for years, but now that hunger has been replaced with an appreciation of what I have at home... You're not alone BB...But just why it happens I have no clue...Lefty and I have had this conversation several times in recent months...The "when" word is increasingly replaced by the "if" word... Sometimes the call is so great to return that I jump to Kayak to search for airline tickets...And sometimes I think my time has passed and that I will never return to Thailand... For now I am just treading water...Staying afloat...I am sure that when the Docs have me all fixed up again that I will return...So for now the "when" word is winning the race...However, the weather is serving as an anchor of sorts...The fall, winter and spring are truly amazing seasons here is the desert...They make it well worth surviving the summer for... I have a strong feeling that when I do return Thailand will only be one of many stops...I wanta see a bit more of SE Asia and maybe a bit more of Latin America before my feet are planted permanently here in the desert... 1 Quote Link to comment
farangbah Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 There's supposed to be a youtube link above. Can you guys see it? with the option of extending it to 6 or 7 months if I decide to work in Bkk. [media=] [/media] Quote Link to comment
bumblebee Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 You're not alone BB...But just why it happens I have no clue...Lefty and I have had this conversation several times in recent months...The "when" word is increasingly replaced by the "if" word... Well I think with me it's a case of ticking the boxes of things I wanted to do so I would not have to live with "what ifs" I used to want to live in Spain, and so I went and did it in Madrid and Barcelona, I sort of got it out of my system. The same with Thailand/Bkk and Cambodia. I told myself I wanted to live there, did it and now the mystery is gone. I remember my first time in Phnom Penh, and thinking some day I'd like to come back and live here for a while. The thought stayed with me and finally I did it last year. Now no longer do I have to live with the wonder of what it would be like to live there. The curiosity has been removed. At the moment I have gotten all of these places out of my system and can appreciate home more, as I don't feel like life is happening elsewhere. When I want to live a fantasy life these days I can just hope on a plane, meet with up with the fine gents here, and then head back home when I have my fill. The balance suits me fine, I am at peace with the urges which controlled my thoughts up to recently. That's also why I said I may hang around Thailand longer than the planned 4 months. My previous two jobs were in high schools in Bkk, I am still curious to see what it would be like to teach in a language academy with adults. If a decent job offer comes along I would consider it, but I don't have any urge to put too much effort into it as I have a job to come back to at home. Maybe that's why some of us here feel more comfortable with home than in the past, as the old cliché says, been there, done that. Quote Link to comment
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