Chiang Mai == Noobie Heaven?

[Scarecr0w]

No, they're just assholes. It's not me. I got on excellent with everyone in my old neighborhood, and it's only 20km down the road. We always helped each other out, grabbed stuff from the market for each other, shared meals, and so on. It was great. I remember when my parents came out, we were out on the patio having dinner, and about a dozen people came over individually at different times to welcome them to the neighborhood. How cool is that, right?

So no, it's not me. I just live around snobs. They're all government workers, so they're the nationalistic Thais. I live around a bunch of police captains, city councillors, university headmasters, and shit like that. They simply view white people as second class citizens, and there's nothing I can do to change that. I could be Brad Pitt, and I promise, it wouldn't matter.

We get on just fine. We're polite, respectful, and courteous to each other, but yeah... they don't like me, but I don't give a fuck either, so it's all good.

Why not move somewhere else in Thailand then?

I mean, I respect what you say, and if you're happy then good for you. For me though - living around a bunch of Thai corrupt feds and fucking officials would be hell on earth. I had the great displeasure of dealing with some of these pricks when I was last in Thailand trying to renew my visa.

Bunch of cunts at immigration, almost stole my fucking passport!

 

[acidie]

I just live around snobs. They're all government workers, so they're the nationalistic Thais. I live around a bunch of police captains, city councillors, university headmasters, and shit like that. They simply view white people as second class citizens, and there's nothing I can do to change that. I could be Brad Pitt, and I promise, it wouldn't matter.

And yet I've had the exact opposite experience with the same group.

Funny that.

 

[bluechinagroup]

I never understood the attraction of Thailand. It's a fun place to visit, but there's too many downsides to living there permanently.

I love the quality infrastructure and tax haven perks of Hong Kong. The high cost of living keeps riffraff like Kiopa_Matt and Lukep away as an added bonus.

 

[Scarecr0w]

I never understood the attraction of Thailand. It's a fun place to visit, but there's too many downsides to living there permanently.

I love the quality infrastructure and tax haven perks of Hong Kong. The high cost of living keeps riffraff like Kiopa_Matt and Lukep away as an added bonus.

Not to mention you are seen as a fucking walking ATM as soon as you step out the airport.

Nice place for holidays, not to live though. Not for me anyway.

 

[Kiopa_Matt]

I love the quality infrastructure and tax haven perks of Hong Kong.

Yeah, spending $10k/month to live in a studio apartment in a concrete jungle, constantly surrounded by walls of people every time I went outside sounds like paradise to me too!

 

[kumansk]

Yeah, spending $10k/month to live in a studio apartment in a concrete jungle, constantly surrounded by walls of people every time I went outside sounds like paradise to me too!

you sound like the type to go to manhattan, walk around times square for 10 minutes and think "how can people live here" on your way back to the airport

 

[bluechinagroup]

Yeah, spending $10k/month to live in a studio apartment in a concrete jungle, constantly surrounded by walls of people every time I went outside sounds like paradise to me too!

You just need immigrate to HK when the property market is depressed and buy your own flat(s) rather than renting like a chump. Then you don't have to pay $10k a month for a studio apartment. You're a property owner and the system works for your rather than against you. Unlike Thailand, it's really easy to buy property in HK as a foreigner.

I admit that if I were a tenant in HK, that I probably wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much.

The property market crashed in HK before, and it'll crash again. Believe me, HK is due for a massive shake up. It will be a great opportunity to cash in.

Also believe it or not, there's a lot of green space in HK; it's not just a concrete jungle.

 

[shindig]

Surprised latin america isn't popular, same time zones as US, cheap, and if you don't have slant eyes you look like anyone else, lot of white european ancestry in many places down there.

 

[James_Clarke]

I have a nice spacious studio apartment with mountain view, computer desk and fast internet for $150 per month.

We spend around $1500-2000 a month for a couple (we are rather thrifty/budget minded). This is eating local food and reasonably priced international places.

I read a bit about Chiang Mai and it looks like your studio (5000 Baht/mo) is on the cheap side, but your other spend ($1500/2 = $750 or 25000 Baht/mo) is pretty expensive.

Where do you spend the 25K per person if everything is so cheap there?

 

[Industrypariah]

Q: Why won't Kiopa Matt move to Hong Kong?

A: He can't afford it.

 

[bluechinagroup]

and if you don't have slant eyes you look like anyone else

But mixing with people of another race is part of the excitement of living in a foreign country.

Also you're still going to be "the stupid gringo" in places like Panama and Costa Rica.

 

[Kiopa_Matt]

you sound like the type to go to manhattan, walk around times square for 10 minutes and think "how can people live here" on your way back to the airport

Most definitely. Want to know the best place I ever lived? Middle of the Canadian Rockies. All day, every day I would see this from outside my home office window (except much closer):

When we went into town for shopping, dinner, drinks, whatever... we'd have to put up with this:

Gotta admit, spending 3 times more to live in a concrete jungle like downtown Vancouver doesn't do much for me (although Vancouver is a beautiful city). I like my nature. I can live anywhere in the world I want so gotta admit, Hong Kong isn't on the list.

 

[bluechinagroup]

Gotta admit, spending 3 times more to live in a concrete jungle like downtown Vancouver doesn't do much for me (although Vancouver is a beautiful city). I like my nature. I can live anywhere in the world I want. Gotta admit, Hong Kong isn't on the list.

Different strokes for different folks. But why not move back to Canada then? What compelled you to move to Thailand in the first place?

 

[kumansk]

Most definitely. Want to know the best place I ever lived? Middle of the Canadian Rockies. All day, every day I would see this from outside my home office window (except much closer):

Gotta admit, spending 3 times more to live in a concrete jungle like downtown Vancouver doesn't do much for me (although Vancouver is a beautiful city). I like my nature. I can live anywhere in the world I want. Gotta admit, Hong Kong isn't on the list.

What was the appeal in thailand compared to that?

 

[shindig]

Probably warm weather heh.

 

[Kiopa_Matt]

But why not move back to Canada then?

Nope. I want a few years in South America first. After that, I'll be happy with my travelling experiences, will have seen all the world I truly want to, and will settle back down in Canada. Parents are retired and getting older, so I want to take advantage of the next few years before they need help with basic shit -- lawn, groceries, laundry, etc. Already know the exact city I'll move to -- about 30 mins down the road from them. Close enough to take care, but not so close we're in each other's faces every day.

What compelled you to move to Thailand in the first place?

Ummm, hatred of the rat race, I guess. I didn't feel like keeping up with the Jones' like everyone else does. That, and I'm adventurous. My dad was stationed in Kuala Lumpur for several years (ExxonMobil), so I visited them several times, and used their place as my home base in Asia while I checked out all the other countries. Ended up enjoying Thailand.

Been here long enough though. Time for a change, and Uruguay will be it. Soon, soon... Have the money saved, but... yeah, soon.

 

[rusvik]

Surprised latin america isn't popular, same time zones as US, cheap, and if you don't have slant eyes you look like anyone else, lot of white european ancestry in many places down there.

True, the ability to blend in at a crowd and people not knowing you to be a foreigner/mark is great for the expat, since it gets really old after a while to be treated as an outsider. I doubt I could live the rest of my life in a place where the local population does not look like me except in certain multi-ethnic cities and neighborhoods.

Also believe it or not, there's a lot of green space in HK; it's not just a concrete jungle.

Yes, there is a lot of green in Hong Kong and the hills are nice. One of the things I disliked about Thailand was that it was flat as a pancake in almost the entire country.

That said, Hong Kong is way, way overcrowded. Worse than almost any place I've been to. That sea of dark hair mulling about everywhere, reminds me of an ant hive and I honestly don't know how Asian people in general can ignore living in extremely cramped conditions.

I don't see the attraction much of being self employed in Hong Kong. It doesn't offer much during the day time except tons of people and traffic. A better place if you spend all your days in an office working yes, then you can go out and go straight to the bar or restaurant after work. At least they have british infrastructure so you can actually walk around, unlike places like Bangkok and Jakarta.

I've just been a fortnight in Prague and the visual aestethics of a place like that is really underrated. It made me happy just to walk around in the city with so many great older residential buildings and cathedrals. No one has as good a sense of use of public space and aestethics as Europeans. As said, I don't understand how Asians can deal with cramped living conditions and lack of visual beauty day after day. Even Japan is pretty mundane and boring in architecture and city planning. Then you compare to HCM where the French built and they built incredible looking parks, boulevards with tall trees and awesome buildings. It's a very underrated aspect of livability.

 

[bluechinagroup]

That said, Hong Kong is way, way overcrowded. Worse than almost any place I've been to. That sea of dark hair mulling about everywhere, reminds me of an ant hive and I honestly don't know how Asian people in general can ignore living in extremely cramped conditions.

I dunno. I'm not really bothered with the crowd in HK. Plus my worst overcrowded experience was in South Korea in October during a fireworks festival, and it felt more like an adventure than a nightmare. The fireworks festival was awesome. I have very fond memories of South Korea.

I guess I just am really into East Asian people and this just flat out doesn't bother me.

Mainland China can be pretty rough though. I know from friends who live there for extended periods. HK people are civilized so it's really not a big deal even when it is really crowded. I would say the same thing about Korean and Japanese people too.

However "Middle of the Canadian Rockies" is practically what I ran away from. I can't stand that lifestyle; my parents loved it. Different strokes for different folks.

I can agree to disagree with Kiopa Matt.

 

[shindig]

True, the ability to blend in at a crowd and people not knowing you to be a foreigner/mark is great for the expat, since it gets really old after a while to be treated as an outsider. I doubt I could live the rest of my life in a place where the local population does not look like me except in certain multi-ethnic cities and neighborhoods.

As a kid I got to go on a couple road trips from San Diego to Costa Rica in a ford F150 with a camper on the back, collecting saturniid moths in the middle of nowhere.
Guatemala:

We encountered people with guns, and plenty of people who could have robbed us while we were camping, and they were all friendly as could be. I could run around the towns/cities and nobody had a clue I couldn't speak spanish.
Belize:

I really like baja california, south of la paz on the gulf side is incredible but no internet. ;(

 

[schockergd]

I don't see how $2500/mo is cheap by any means.

In my part of Ohio, I have properties as I've said. In one of my properties (What I want to do as a prototype of property) it's similar to most of these 1br units I'm seeing in SE Asia. In my case I'm cashflowing fantastic, and the unit(s) are rented for $300-$350 a month.

A person can easily sustain themselves for $600 per month or less (Including all utilities, food, so on and so forth). In this test unit, the tenant is employed by a local fast food joint, makes minimum wage and is able to comfortably afford housing, food and can still save (or blow) several hundred dollars a month on useless crap.

Thus my curiousity in these kinds of minimalist areas that are tech oriented.

The big difference between Thailand and here though is effective courts and contract enforcement. I've met many, many people who tell me the easiest way to get stuff done is by simple bribery. Whether it be getting out of a drunk driving arrest, or something more nefarious. I really don't like the idea of being in a place where bribes are the best way to get things done.