11 Years In Thailand ...

[CebuAndy]

Thanks Gentlemen, I will continue this weekend

Thanks, Andy. Sounds like a good place to visit, not live. All those visa runs would not work for me. You did it for 11 years? Once a year is more then enough.

Yeah I recon I've done 44 visa runs these years, spent 550 hours in vans, 7 passports full of stamps. Cambodia sticker/stamp takes up more than 1 page alone. Couldn't wait to reach retirement age. Although when I finally got there, what did I do? ... moving to the Philippines ... :lol:

I too would like to hear more Andy. I definitely want to visit some day, not sure about living there though. Like Mike I'm sure I would get tired of all the visa runs, but the retirement visa could be an option after turning 50.

Yes, retirement visa is very cheap and easy to get, as long one have 800000 THB.

Edit to my 1st post: 1 year in Thailand with NON O visa, will cost 300 USD, if I remember correct. = Wrong.

When applying I paid 3800THB or 122 USD, just did my 90 days reporting = Free. So 1 year on retirement visa cost 122 USD only :)

[oldutot]

keep it coming Andy, I would to hear more about Thailand. My son's navy ship is on there way to Thailand.

[Jack Peterson]

Couldn't wait to reach retirement age. Although when I finally got there, what did I do? ... moving to the Philippines ...

I was having a bad morning, You have just made the rest of my day, I am now sat here, With the biggest smile you can imagine :thumbsup: :as-if: The choice will be be worth it :) we here it all the time. "It's more fun in the Philippines"

[JJReyes]

It sounds like Thai visa extensions can be as difficult and expensive as the Philippines. Could it be your citizen and passport? I recall after the tsunami and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, the Thai government changed from 90 days to 180 days the visa waiver for Japanese passport holders.

[CebuAndy]

It sounds like Thai visa extensions can be as difficult and expensive as the Philippines. Could it be your citizen and passport? I recall after the tsunami and the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, the Thai government changed from 90 days to 180 days the visa waiver for Japanese passport holders.

Yes if one don't have 800000 THB, it's never ending visa run's ....Unless one get married here.

Could it be my citizenship or passport? No.

Those from 'less wanted nationalities', get only 15 days when arriving by air, while other nationalities get 30 days on arrivals.

Can't compare with Japanese - their governement support the thai economy big time, so they get special treatment.

[CebuAndy]

When I moved to Thailand, I was aware of the pitfalls by going to tourist places like Pattaya, Koh Samui, Phuket. I was looking for a serious relationship, so I went directly to a city up country. I was lucky enough to have a friend living there, so I stayed at his house.

From 2nd day of my stay, people knocked on the door from 8 AM, to introduce their sister, daughter, and grandchildren (i'm not kidding). I will never forget the grandmother who arrived with 2 grand daughters, age only 15 and 16 !

We had a hard time (no pun intended) to make granny understand that 15/16 really was too young. :hystery:

*(Legal age for a foreigner in relationship with a Thai is 18 year).

For the next weeks, the traffic to my friends house increased day by day. One day my destiny arrived with her oldest sister. And we had the typical talk, 'I want to introduce my sister to you, She's single and have good education, She's looking for a foreigner husband'.

Age 23, and a smile that could melt a iceberg. I was doomed. :dance:

A few weeks passed by with more 'applicants', but I had already made up my mind. We contacted my favorites family, but sadly they told me the girl has gone to a city for work. I was devasted that night, and sleepless. Next morning 7 AM we heard knocking on the door, and there was my princess! :lol:

The following weeks we dated daily, always with a chaperone, so there was no more than holding hands. Period. One day her family arrived in full force, and now the negotiations started. For the next days her family told us how good their daughter was, and the Sin Sod aka bride money was expected to be 6000 USD. Thai's use Sin Sod as a sign of the suitors gratitude to the bride parents, for bringing up such a nice good lady. After a few days we finally agreed on 3200 USD in sin sod.

* Lesson learned: One can negotiate anything in Thailand. :)

Getting married: At sunrise, 9 monks started the ceremony in the brides house. Sitting on the floor (for what seemed hours) one get warnings, advices, and blessings from the Munks. Then the grooms best man present the bride money on a silver plate, and every 1000 bill is slowly put on the silver plate, to all the extended family's happy faces.

Afterwards the parents, uncles/aunties, give their blessing and good luck wishes, and tie strings around groom and brides wrist. At sunset the party starts with a band, singers and dancers. Not to mention food enough to feed all the villages around. We had approx 300 invited guests, but in typical thai fashion, others are welcome , and believe me, they show up in numbers one couldn't imagine.

Next day, a handout for the party was expected from the brides family.So there went another 2000 USD. Did I just get sc*ewed or what.

* Lesson learned: Agree who pay the party etc as well.

Moving a few years forward, we have a house and a car, no price for guessing who paid it, all in her name. Local law and a newbie mistake to blame. We live in the province aka out in the sticks, far from any city and we both bored to death. So my wife wants us to move to Sin City aka Pattaya, and so we did.

After a few weeks my wife say she's bored, and ask if I approve that she start working. After a few days she find a job in a shopping mall and starts work 10 am to 8 pm. I notice change in her attitude, and a repeat customer is always at her restaurant, when I come to pick her up at closing time. After a few weeks I notice a change in her behavior, moody, no more cuddling. One evening when I come to pick her up - she had left already and her mobile phone was closed. Next afternoon she comes home. Lies and deception follows, but she finally admitted that she was seeing another foreigner. :angry:

Been a good husband and provider, not to mention multiple handouts to her parents, I expected support from her parents. So I drive home to her parents leaving her in sin city with her new bf. Obviously the jungle drum beated me. When I arrived at her parents house, I don't get any help from them. Next was expensive lawyers to no help.

Taken to the cleaner: To make it short: the house was registered in her name, so I had to move out from there, only allowed to bring my personal things. One can register a house in a foreigners name, but only the house as a physical unit. This was not know by many foreigners back in that time, so we all trusted our wife. The car was also registered in her name, so she got that as well. Total loss more than 65000 USD.

* Lesson learned: Don't allow my future gf/wife to work, and don't buy a house unless it can be registered in my name, same goes for a car.

Next time: buying a car - building a house - relationship/age.

Later: Thailand VS Philippines imo.

Edited August 18, 2012 by CebuAndy

[MikeB]

Very interesting, thanks Andy. You got tangled up with a bad one, no doubt. I don't think allowing her to work was the mistake, it would have happened anyway and the sooner she's gone the better. I understand about the house but why was the car in her name, i assume you paid for it?

[Curley]

What were your ages when you got married and also when you finished?

[CebuAndy]

Very interesting, thanks Andy. You got tangled up with a bad one, no doubt. I don't think allowing her to work was the mistake, it would have happened anyway and the sooner she's gone the better. I understand about the house but why was the car in her name, i assume you paid for it?

Yes I paid for the house and the car. The car was in her name because I was told I couldn't have it in my name.

Remember we are talking about year 2001, before we had Internet forums or expats club. One is a newbie and in love, and located in the middle of nowhere. Any who had a Asian gf/wife with no skills in English might understand the language barrier. Paper and pen / finger language was how we communicated the first years. Thai-English dictionary was limited help, due to the complicated Thai alphabet. Took me 8 years to handle a full conversation. Looking back, I should have consulted a lawyer before investing any money. As they say 'a fool and his money are easily parted'

What were your ages when you got married and also when you finished?

She was 23 year, and I was 39 at the time. We lasted 3 yrs.

Edited August 18, 2012 by CebuAndy

[volstateguy]

Thanks for sharing Andy. I know its not always easy telling the story of getting burned like that....at least not for me. But you live and learn. When I move there I definitely plan on renting at least for the 1st year or so and if I do decide to buy I'm thinking it will be a condo so it can be in my name.