Recent Farang Uprisings In The Land of Smiles

I have read with great interest the unrest of the Farang society in Thailand. I can attribute much of this to the fact that the Thai government is making it more and more difficult to visit and settle permanently in Thailand. It seems the new face of the Thai government would like to see more nationalistic pride and less intrusion from Westerners. Well, kudos, because they seem to be doing a fine job of it. I have read on Stickman's site and several other sites dealing with Thailand regarding western men moving on, having enough of the BS rules and regulations regarding land ownership, running a business and money issues.

However, there seems to be another reason that men (because let's be honest, it's mostly men that move, live, and / or retire to Thailand) are leaving the country. They claim that they are not accomplishing anything, their lives are boring, and the bar scene has gotten old, they are tired of being scammed, tired of paying double or more what Thai nationals pay for the same thing, tired of getting their visas in order every three months, tired of the (perceived) incompetence of the Thais.

Although I'm certainly not an expert, I do have thoughts on the subject. First, do your research. It doesn't matter where you choose to retire (if thinking of retiring abroad), you should have an idea of what you are getting yourself into. There are a number of countries that make it much easier to live / retire than Thailand does. In fact, Thailand at times really seems to have tired of the Western man retiring there. If you don't want the hassles of a visa, if you want to own land, open a small business to keep you occupied in your later years, then you should never choose Thailand. There are plenty of countries that want your money, your business, and eagerly await your arrival.

Let's be honest – aside from cheap living (available in many countries), tropical weather (again – available in many places), good food (depends on your taste), the reason many men choose to retire to Thailand is the women. The thought that one could have sex every night for the rest of their lives and never have the same woman twice is a strong lure. However, many men get tired of that. They want to eventually settle with one woman, at least for a little while. The knowledge that when / if you tire of her company, there is always another one just down the street.

Now, this does not account for the man who has met his darling before retirement, married and chosen to live here because of the culture, cheaper cost of living, being close to her family, etc. This gentleman already knows what he is getting into and for the most part, he can deal with much of the BS that goes on. It's worth it.

Back to my point – if one retires here for just the women, without any other concrete plans, without any hobbies, without any friends, then he will soon tire of the scene and tire of Thailand. These same men, the men without any real hobbies and interests, would be bored and bitter no matter where they were. They would be bored in the USA, Costa Rica, Hawaii, anywhere. One needs to have hobbies and interests once retirement is reached. If you can't / don't want to own a business (in Thailand your choices are certainly limited) then you'd better have other things to occupy your time. There are 24 hours in a day – 8 for sleeping, 1 for shagging – you have 17 hours left. What to do…..

If you're in Bangkok and you consider your life a bore, that's your fault. This city has everything. Find some interests….gardening, working out, learning to read / write Thai, try new places to eat, learn Thai boxing for fun, read in the park, adopt a soi dog, raise fish, watch football, play golf with some good friends on a weekly basis, become friendly with the owner(s) of your favorite bar(s) and hit the night scene with them, get a daily / weekly massage, see a movie, sit and people watch, go to a festival, go fishing, take a long motorcycle trip to different parts of the country and spend some time there, spend time at the beach (not just Pattaya), lean to scuba dive, travel to other countries (remember to take care of that visa business first). If you can't find anything interesting to do in Bangkok, then you'd be bored in London, New York, Paris, Tokyo. <Gotta disagree here. Bangkok does NOT have anything like the sophistication or diversity that the first 3 of those cities have – Stick>

If you're planning to retire soon, get your financial affairs in order first, so you know what you can afford to live on. Know what your hobbies are, where your interests lie, find new things to do that you haven't done before – maybe you'll find your passion there. Maybe you're not ready to retire just yet – maybe the twice yearly trips will keep you happy until you do decide to make the move – when you have plans set in place.

I'd like to make a couple of other points – one dealing with the Thai women flying off the handle. Some have suggested it's bottled up anger (after all, losing your temper is considered a bad thing in Thailand), some say it's the fact that she is losing a potential way out of her situation, others think it's a loss of face, that she could not hang on to this boyfriend, and others say it's a way of making us change our minds. Who knows – has anyone thought to ask a mature Thai woman why this happens??? Maybe then we'd get some insight.

On the subject of Western women – while I do think some of the criticism is a little harsh, much of it is right on. Women in the West have become empowered. Which is not a bad thing, in and of itself. However, men have been taught to become wussies, they have been brainwashed into thinking that we are the problem and therefore, we are also the solution. We must give into the woman's desire, wants, needs. And if we don't, we are heartless bastards. We are constantly bombarded with stories and magazine articles on how to be a better man, a better catch, how to make her happy and being told we have to give up things to make her happy.

Bullshit I say….rally around me boys!!! I will never sacrifice my happiness, wants and needs just to make someone like me. They like me for me, not for what they want me to be. In reality, I believe women tire very quickly of the weak-minded men, they like challenge, and they like men who stand up for themselves (that's why the bad boys always win).

Ok, that was a little off the subject. I can say, with 100% certainty, that western women, especially once they reach 30, by and large (pun intended) become very unattractive. If you consider the staggering numbers of obese women (not just fat), then you realize that the chances of landing a good-looking gal are very slim (pun intended once again). Add to that most of them cut their hair short, wear frumpy and conservative clothing, and many just don't give a damn about their looks, you have the makings of one ugly society. Compared to Thai women, these women in the west (I'm thinking USA here) don't have a clue on how to remain attractive, charming, desirable.

And that my friends, is why so many of us dream of spending the rest of our lives in LOS, regardless of the hassles and restrictions.

Calvin

Stickman's thoughts:

Chuckle, chuckle. So the crux of the article is that Western men retire in Thailand for the local women? I don't think you'll get too many people arguing against that.