5 Reasons Why I'm Still In Thailand

Maybe the title for this post should be "Why I'm Still In Thailand After 18 Years". Anyway, lets move on.

 1: Food 

                    I have to say that my spice tolerance is not that high so when eating out I always have to add the instruction "Phet nit noi" (spicy a little bit) to my order. To be honest, some establishments just ignore this and I get the same as everyone else. Maybe in the West you might complain and send it back because it's not what you have ordered but in Thailand you just learn to roll with things like that. It can be frustrating when it happens but it's not the end of the world. Thailand offers some really tasty treats with the outlay of very little money. There is something for everyone here. From Thai curries to deep fried insects, the choice is endless.

Nam Tok Moo.

This is one of my favorite dishes. Grilled pork Thai style.

Som Tam or as some people refer to it "Papaya Pok Pok" This is at the outside edge of my spice tolerance. It's one of the dishes I can really only eat at home because my family know how I like it. Eating this outside could be a problem!

2: Weather 

So, I moaned like a drain about the rain in Bangkok in my last post but as I pointed out it's just a small price to pay for living in paradise. I certainly wouldn't swap it for the cold and damp of my native England. I don't miss the snow and ice one little bit. Also, I think that I have kept better general health while living in South East Asia. I can't remember the last time I had a cold or similar ailment. 

 3: Money  

                    I've never been that well off wherever I've been in the world. But I have always been able to get by. In Thailand it's been possible for me to get by and then some. The cost of living here is relatively low. I still have to budget my income from month to month but I have been able to live quite a comfortable lifestyle and most importantly I never have to go into debt or borrow money. I'm not part of the jet-set but I don't have to worry about money the same as I did in the UK. 

                                          4: The People 

          Thailand is known as "The land of smiles" and it's not difficult to see why. Everywhere you go, the people seem to be looking for an excuse to smile. Where I come from it is often the opposite. So it is a breath of fresh air to spend time around people who actually want to be happy and the ready smile of the Thai people is much in evidence. I find that being with this type of people gives my day a lift and the troubles that I think I have don't seem to be such a burden. It's true what they say about laughter being infectious. And so it is with the smiles, warmth and friendliness of these people.

 5: My Family 

          My Thai family are amazing people. They have stood by me for nearly 18 years now. My wife, Laong, is one of the hardest working people I have ever known. The usual set up for a Thai-farang relationship is that the farang takes care of his Thai wife and her family. Sure, I've done that whenever I have been able. But it seems that over the years my Thai family seem to have been taking care of me. They have asked me for nothing and given me everything in return. They support me in everything I do and provide a safety net when things go wrong. And believe me, things have gone wrong a few times.  

          Life is usually a series of peaks and troughs for most people. Living in Thailand, I have learned how to endure the troughs and enjoy the peaks when they come along. 

          So, here's to the next 18 years!
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