JaiDee Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Many of us have [gasp!] real jobs we must perform in the states or whatever country we come from. Some may even have a wife or a girlfriend? I have heard that before as well. Family issues? Lack of funds? Afraid of flying?? Boss won't give you enough time off to head back? What is YOUR reason for not being in what is generally considered paradise by the people who read this message board and others like it? For myself it has mostly to do with medical issues......I was diagnosed with a few things last spring and wasn't at all happy with my treatment in the Land of Ladyboys. So came home, got re-established in my hometown after thinking I had moved away for good 3 years ago, and will stay put until I am all better and good and ready to go back. I also missed my family and little things like driving a car, talking to people with no accents, a large supermarket [Phangan Island has literally NONE]; basically, 'familiarity'. Going on 6 months now since I have been back here - first time in 14 years I haven't spent ANY time in the Kingdom - and not liking the snow and cold one bit, but taking care of myself and also spending time with family feels really good. However, I am already planning to go back next year for 6 months; I miss the beaches, the nice weather, the freedom and the extreme cheapness factor! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hefe Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 It's family & finance for me. Funny, growing up I always actually saw myself as ultimately being an expat somewhere. Not a family man or high status professional. Progressing from job to job & moving around the country for a decade, when it came to the right time in life that I might've jumped in my late 30s, life took an unexpected sharp turn away from a relationship & my career. 2-3 years later I was deep in debt & just short of being homeless: a job here & there, now & then, living in a boarding house situation, a scenario unimaginable to me 3 years previous. (I learned the definition of "recession" the hard way.) I've spent the last 20 years in a large corporate environment, not what I planned, focused on not being broke & old in my twilight years. 1 year into my "second wind" I visited Thailand after not having a vacation for 5 years & had all the usual awakenings & fantasies & even looked into a Bangkok position with my company but decided to stay put for $$$ (Bangkok postion was local terms & less) & my elderly mother. I had a birthday last week, big f#*%ing number all right, depressing really, but I'm 2-3 years away from stopping work. Mom is finishing up chemo & seems healthy for now, but that is an issue as well. If I go to LOS or the PI or somewhere for a few years, full or part time, or maybe for good, that will help $$$ too. But I see a lot of guys there around my age bitching about things & permanently attached to barstools, so I'm more cautious about ditching the first world on a notion. But I miss it when I am away... she's an unforgettable mistress. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomas Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Health has been dodgy since my last trip and lost alot of weight. I cancelled a trip for xmas just gone, and just going to take a break from travelling until I put weight back on, then getting alot of tattoo work done to cover up old ones, so 2013 is going to be a year dedicated to getting back in shape and getting tattooes. Also I am growing tired of the p4p scene in general so that made it alot easier to cancel my last trip, and have no plans for future trips. If I can get back in shape, I might, and its a big might, go for a Thailand trip sometime in October and November. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hefe Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Also I am growing tired of the p4p scene in general... Amen brother Tomas, I'm thinking as much about books I want to read, restos I want to vist, walks i want to take & gins I need to taste. Gogos are less enticing these days... funny isn't it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strocube Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 For me, it's money, damnit! Just got back to the US in early October after spending the previous 6 months in Colombia and Peru. I was on the medicine trail, ayahuasca and San Pedro (Huachuma). Did a lot of good work and got much needing healing of various issues. Thank you, Madre Ayahusaca:) Once back, had to get my shit outta storage, rent a new apartment, and worst of all go back to work for the fucking courts. I need the money, so here I am, back in smell-A, working, saving money and planning my next move. Not sure when I can get back to the LOS. Would very much like to explore the possibility of working in the kingdom, but the pay is so low, and I'm not getting any younger. It's all bout money and especially how I can set myself up to live without having to worry about a fucking job, ugh. No idea yet how I'm gonna make that happen; rob a bank, play the lottery, grow weed and use the money from the grow to invest in rental property . . . I don't fucking know. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaiDee Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Also I am growing tired of the p4p scene in general so that made it alot easier to cancel my last trip, and have no plans for future trips. If I can get back in shape, I might, and its a big might, go for a Thailand trip sometime in October and November. good for you, man...... IMO once you realize that Thailand has so much more to offer than just p4p and hookers, you can enjoy the place so much better. In the past 5 or 6 years I have been with a hooker less than 10 times total; whereas in the first 5 or 6 it was well into the hundreds. It seems like something we need to get out of our systems when we first find the place, and then once it's done the newness is over and the ''kid in a candy store'' syndrome kicks in. I was in Pattaya for all of May and June and didn't sleep with *anyone*, surely some kind of record. I have the same goals as you....minus the tats......I need to get my arse back in shape, get better physically and mentally, lose some weight, and head back NEXT year. I could afford it this year and even considered it for a month in February - I even have free air miles to cash in - but if I'm just not feeling it what's the point of going all the way over there? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaiDee Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Not sure when I can get back to the LOS. Would very much like to explore the possibility of working in the kingdom, but the pay is so low, and I'm not getting any younger. It's all bout money and especially how I can set myself up to live without having to worry about a fucking job, ugh. No idea yet how I'm gonna make that happen well, at least you know you are not alone brother.......tens of thousands of people are in your shoes and once we all discover the joys of Thailand the "now, how can I make it possible so I can live there" feelings usually kick in, it's very common these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azza33 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm stuck on the treadmill at home until September. Out of leave, out of cash & bored senseless. Still 2012 was a good year and i managed to go April, October and Xmas. Ive got 7 months to pay off some bills, try and lose some weight and plan for 6 week break later in the year. Its not all bad :) I suspect however that a fair hit of my time with be in Phillipines rather than LOS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciobha Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 For me it is all about finances unfortunately. After being able to travel to LOS, almost at will over the past 7 years, as long as I could wangle the time off work, early this year my personal situation and finances took a massive unexpected battering, which has left me struggling to find excess money for "fun". Normally at this time, I would be counting down the weeks to a March return, but alas I will have to sit this one out, and possibly any trip this year could be on the back burner, unless some things go in my favour i.e, I manage to sell the house in Samui, but that is looking less likely by the day. That said, although I will sorely miss a trip, perspective is that over said 7 years I have neglected things that really need doing at home, so perhaps this will be the year to get my shit in order, so to speak. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I usually do the month long trip once a year, going back in a few weeks. Been with the same LB for about 4 years now. She left the bar about 18 months ago and is working in a BBQ place in Korat. I hope to make a permanent move in about 4/5 years. Lost my only dependant (my 85 year old mum) in August last year, so have no other commitments apart from work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenW Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 talking to people with no accents Ah JD you Americans never cease to amuse me; only folk on the planet who speak without an accent, eh? The reason I'm not in Thailand right now is I live in Vietnam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kahuna Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 For myself it has mostly to do with medical issues......I Same same here... Had one minor surgery on my ankle and minor cataract surgery on my eye... Y'all know just what minor surgery is...That's surgery on someone else... I still have a few issues to resolve before I get the green light to travel... Goddamnfuckingshit it's a pain in the fucking ass to get fucking old...Sorry, I was always old...I mean older... I been here in the States a year now... I have only ever had one Thai phone number...That has now expired...So it will be kinda like starting all over when I return...Albeit in a re-manufactured body...With a new phone number... The New Kahuna will return... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaiDee Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 you Americans never cease to amuse me; only folk on the planet who speak without an accent, eh? No, I am sure we have an accent to people who don't speak American English, of course.......I just needed to understand my Doctors 100%; hearing stuff about potential life-threatening problems and really only understanding half of what they were telling me was kind of freaking me out. I needed to get back to my home so I could understand exactly what the Docs were saying the first time, I wasted a lot of time and money trying some out over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaiDee Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Y'all know just what minor surgery is...That's surgery on someone else... exactly.......and I had an operation done to me at the hospital in Pattaya back in May; got back home and my doctor here tells me "you didn't need that done". Ugghhh. I also had a hard time understanding what they were telling me half the time and I have some pretty serious internal issues. Bottom line; when you need real medical attention you should get it in your home country if at all possible. *Exception; dentists in Thailand tend to be perfectly well-trained and cost about 1/5th the price of US dentists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacman Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I don't mean to disparage all Asian doctors, some of them are excellent but those who are more concerned with face than patient care scare me. Every time there's an inquiry into patient death here in our hospital system, it is almost always a foreign doctor. And there is always an experienced nurse who testifies that they told the doctor that the medication or procedure or whatever it was, was wrong & all they got for their trouble was denigration. I received excellent care at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital when I was being treated for pneumonia but I have also had some very poor medical advise in LOS. I hate to think how many people die unnecessarily from over-opinionated doctors with big face issues. And yes, I do understand the reverse of that argument, that without them, more people would die but doesn't everyone deserve the best chance? Just saying... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strocube Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Interesting to see people posting negative experiences with the Thai medical system. I guess I was lucky. I had my man-boobs reduced there and had a great experience and have been super happy with the results. No complaints from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaiDee Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 I guess your mileage may vary. I have had some good luck and some bad over the years, but this past spring it was all bad. I think Thai medical personnel are very well-trained, and their bedside manner is second-to-none; they spend MUCH more time with their patients than an American doctor ever would, here I always feel like I am getting the bum's rush. But again, it means a lot to understand 100% what people are telling you, and to also trust them 100%; having an expensive [130K baht], painful surgery which turned out to be not even necessary was the last straw for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kahuna Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Years back I had very good luck with a Doctor at Bumrungrad...State of the art hospital and the doc I saw spoke excellent English...I can't say that I have had the same luck with Pattaya doctors...There is a Swiss doctor I have visited a few times near Tuk-Com who speaks excellent English but I ain't certain of his doctoring skills... If I was there and needed to be cut, I would be heading home for the cut... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEXASMAC Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I work 55- 60 hours a week and I use to love my job but now I am a managerial whore. I will do what I do for who ever pays me most. I had a scare this past December and now have 4 stents in my heart. The physical part was mush easier than what has become the mental. First I am not the BIG Indestructable Being I always thought I was. Plus why do I do al this work just for $$. There is better in life. I HOPE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kahuna Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 That is some scary stuff Big Tex...It's time to stop worrying about the big bucks and start taking care of the big heart...Good luck to ya...Hope is indeed a very good thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebee Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 I am at home for another 6 months while I replenish my savings for next winter's tour of duty. Seeing that the Baht is at a 16 year high today, if that continues it's going to be a quiet time in Patts for me when I get back. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Baht-at-new-16-year-high-30204336.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xyzzy Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Yes the exchange rate looks like it's headed back to pre Pacific Rim meltdown levels. It was 25 baht to the US$ back then. I have a little dollar to baht widget that automatically comes up on the screen of my laptop. So I see the exchange rate every day. It's been a bad week against the baht. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTel Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I can remember saying to myself a while back, "I would not go if the rate was below 50 to £1", well I kept up the trips despite that,even when it was at 47 to the £1, I was thinking ah that's not too bad. Now today after reading your post B B, I checked the rates and it's 43 baht to £1 http://www.scb.co.th/scb_api/index.jsp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumblebee Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I can remember saying to myself a while back, "I would not go if the rate was below 50 to £1", well I kept up the trips despite that,even when it was at 47 to the £1, I was thinking ah that's not too bad. Now today after reading your post B B, I checked the rates and it's 43 baht to £1 http://www.scb.co.th/scb_api/index.jsp Interesting point BT and I wonder how many guys are not in Los right now because of the rate. Does it really stop members for going or does the craving over-ride the financial hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoot Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 The exchange rate is depressing, but that alone would not keep me away at this point. However with the combined increases in airfare and hotel accommodations over the years it sure adds up and I have to make some adjustments. I work off a budget for the trips - airfare, accommodation, and fun. If one budget area goes up I take it from another. My accommodation is usually what gets adjusted. This year I'm looking at staying in a guest house vs. a hotel which will actually increase the money I have to spend for the 'fun' category. The exchange rate would have to drop another 10 baht to the dollar before I would think about not going, and even then I think I would shave a few days off the trip vs. not going at all. Is it inappropriate for me to play the 'poor American' card? I would love to have the exchange rate that the GBP or Euro is getting against the THB right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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