Happy in Thailand (Well almost) Part 1

This little tale started off as a brief submission describing how I came to be in Thailand and my life and experiences here but somehow turned into a short novel. I made a submission a couple of months ago but it was never put on the site, who knows why? Maybe because I made comments about someone building a house in Khon Kaen, maybe because you didn't like what I wrote. I can't re-submit that one because my laptop hard drive has decided to pack in so I have to wait until I get back to Thailand to the dealer I bought it from for the warranty.

I'm a 61 year old Brit (now), divorced after 34 years and I worked overseas for 6 years which paid for everything I own (50% plus of which went to the ex wife). I retired early because of the demands my wife was making in the divorce settlement (capital, property, pension, all the jewellery and future earnings based on overseas which I'd given up 2 years previously because of her). Kids grown up so no ties that way (apart from the only time they come to see you is when they want something). I walked away from the divorce with about 120 grand sterling and decided not to buy a house again (wrong decision as house prices have rocketed and I could have made a killing) but decided to rent. At short notice it was either private or because of my age I was eligible for sheltered accommodation for the elderly in a hard to let area. Suited me because it was cheap, secure and only 6 miles from the local airport. Now don't think I'm some doddering old fart, I've always been active and physical and wouldn't let anything beat me but the men in this establishment were so sad. Why do elderly women seem to manage being alone better than men? Men seem to sink into a bottle where women just seem to accept it and get on with their lives alone. (Why do men die before their wives? Because they want to)

During the divorce I tried the dating agencies online because I was lonely and depressed. I'm very introverted so I don't make friends easily and the ones I had drifted when I began working away from home in 1990. The ones I met were fat, idle and their only interests were shopping and watching TV. All brain-damaged from the crap you see on the box. Reality TV? Who wants to watch a load of morons 24/7 stuck together in a place to make utter prats of themselves like Big Brother. I'd rather watch grass grow. People watch this crap as long as it's on and think it's good entertainment. The main news headlines are what happened last night in Big Brother, people love this crap.

Anyway I get away from my story. After a few of our UK beauties I decided to try elsewhere and since I'd worked in Thailand for 8 months in 1999 and met a lovely family who looked after me and still email me, I decided to look at Thailand. I suffer from arthritis and the UK winters are painful so a warmer climate is very attractive as well. I chatted to maybe 25 ladies on the internet over a period of time but wouldn't commit myself to any one until I'd met them. I'm not into the PFP and would never even consider following another man 1/2 an hour later, maybe because of my upbringing, but it is absolutely abhorrent to me. Am I unique? I'm the same with beds, I don't like sleeping in strange beds, don't like using public loos, won't sit down in a dirty chair, won't eat food unless I'm sure it's reasonably hygienic, always wash my hands after going to the loo etc.

I filtered through the list and was down to about 5 or 6 (One woman said she sold vegetables and travelled from Korat to Bangkok to do this. I rejected her because I just didn't believe her. 250 km to sell a few vegetables? Rubbish. When I visited the early market in Korat I found that they actually do this). 2 ladies I was serious about and arranged to meet, one lived and worked in Bangkok but was from Isaan and the other from Phimai. The one from Phimai I had chatted to for a long while and her English was pretty good (I thought) but when we met she only spoke a few words and I found out it was her sister who I'd been chatting to and a little steamy it was at times, rather embarrassing as she was at the airport to meet me. I never forgave her for that one. She made up for the lack of English in other ways and we got on very well. I must say that she was very fit and was working hard to learn English. She was a wonderful lady whose husband had left her years before and had a daughter who was married with a son who lived with them. All she wanted was someone to care for her, her own house and some land to work. We went to Chiang Mai and Phuket together and she was wonderful company. If it wasn't for my present I would probably be with her now. She was a country girl of 46 but always had a handbag and wore proper shoes, not sandals (very good at sex too). Because of the lack of English I never did discover why, as it didn't seem normal , and this was one reason we split. There was always a feeling of doubt in my mind about her. I really had feelings for her but my present had her claws in.

To be continued.