My Regrets Living in Khon Kaen Rural Thailand for 20 Years. HUGE Mistake Moving Here at 30?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2023
- Video #33. Welcome to the latest video for my channel @KhonKaenDen. In this video, I talk about my regrets living in Khon Kaen rural Thailand for 20 years since I was 30 years of age. I walk around Bueng Thung Sang Health Park, Khon Kaen, which is surprisingly beautiful and well maintained. If you visit Khon Kaen then you must visit this place (link below) ... though maybe not in midday sun like me! I walk and talk about everything that has bothered me since living in and around rural Thailand for so long as nowhere is perfect... including all of my regrets such as living here during my potentially most important career/working years. Do I have any real regrets? Watch and find out. If you are fairly young and married in Thailand or relocating to Thailand to work as a teacher or similar (whether in Khon Kaen, Bangkok or Chiang Mai), then there are things you may need to consider if you decide to do so well before retirement age. Hope you enjoy.
I upload videos every two days (one day to record, one to edit), keeping you in touch with just about everything regarding my life in Khon Kaen and Isan (or Issarn) and Thailand life. I cover everything from budgets to speaking Thai and eating (and even making) local dishes to spending quality time with my wife, Beau. I am based in Khon Kaen in rural Thailand but will be travelling further afield and showing you more of Isan over the coming months.
Don't forget, if you like my videos, hit the thumbs up, subscribe and comment... and come along on my Isan adventures.
Bueng Thung Sang Health Park, Khon Kaen (well worth a visit especially during the flower festival in January): maps.app.goo.gl/MJyjpRvKJkLk2...
Help support my channel in any way you can: www.buymeacoffee.com/khonkaenden
Email: khonkaenden@gmail.com
01:26 Intro To My Regrets Living in Khon Kaen Rural Thailand.
02:19 A Quick Look Around the Beautiful Bueng Thung Sang Health Park.
03:43 I REGRET Not Learning to Read and Write Thai.
05:29 I REGRET Moving to Thailand Aged 30.
07:40 I REGRET Missing Friends & Family.
09:14 I REGRET Moving to Thailand?!?
12:00 My ADVICE For Those Moving to Thailand.
13:05 It's a Wrap.
#regrets #speakingthai #learningthai #ruralthailand #thailand #expat #expatlife #expatthailand #expats #retirement #retirementplanning #BuengThungSang #teaching #teachthai #thai
![[Vowel]물고기는 물에서 살아야 해🐟🤣Fish have to live in the water #funny](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3G9MH063Cx4/mqdefault.jpg)
Welcome to the latest video for my channel, Khon Kaen Den. In this video I talk about any regrets I have relocating to Thailand 20 years ago at the age of 30. Was moving to Thailand at that age a HUGE mistake? Watch on to find out. Don't forget, if you like this video, like subscribe and comment. Hope you enjoy, Den.
I forget to mention. There is 5 seconds block in your video around 10 minutes, 45 seconds
You're becoming a whole new level of vlogger, so good to be able to watch and follow you evolve into a semi Spielberg 🙏 you guys are back next week? I still have a surprise for you, good one of course 🎉
Hi, Ben. Still not sure yet... I am in Udon right now (taking some footage to show the place). I am trying to get way ahead with the video schedule. This video, for example, I actually filmed about 10 days ago! It makes it much easier all round. Anyway, will let you know fella as soon as I am back. Cheers, Den.
Oh, and many thanks for the kind words... not sure I am call myself Dennis Spielberg just yet haha... but yeah, I can feel they are improving a little. Cheers, Den.
not only am i married to a Thai female for decades, we (or she) owns a couple of homes in the country.. i had a great job in BK with decent pay but i could never retire in thailand....it is a lonely life as u get older and u never become the fabric of society....i have returned back to Canada where life is predictable, safe and secure..and plus i can own land....Thailand creates an illusion to foreigners that everything will be great but the nation has onerus bureaucracy for the visa process...it is nice to spend a year or 2 but much more is not tolerable--unless u have no family in the western world....even then a better place is Malaysia or vietnam...Thais may appear humble and submissive but they are also cunning and not very charitable...my 2 cents worth.....tks
Hi. Many thanks for sharing. I agree that some Thais can be cunning, just like everywhere in the world, but I find that, especially in Isan (NE Thailand), they seem to be honest. Maybe being able to speak Thai and conversing with them helps a lot, not sure. As for the bureaucracy, I agree with entirely. As you cannot own even a tiny plot of land after living here for a long time and it is incredibly difficult to become a citizen here, you never really feel fully part of it. There is nothing wrong with living back in Canada, it seems like a lovely place with some stunning scenery. Thanks again, Den.
Yes you used the right word: illusion. I think one must be able seeing right through it and accepting that nothing in this severe nationalist (Thai)land is what it lookes like on
first sight. Making myself able to comfort with that reality, I can be able to live with the vibes and beautiful nature and (spiritual) culture of a really amazing Thailand.
I moved to Chaingmai from Hawaii because I couldn’t afford to live in Hawaii on my S S check! Been hear off & on for over 14 years ! No regrets what so ever, met my Beautiful Filipina wife 7 years ago! A very happy man!❤❤❤❤
Fantastic video! I can perfectly relate to everything you have described, in my case I moved to your country. I'll be visiting Udon Thani very soon, I am debating whether I should go to Khon Karen or Nong Khai for a day trip 😊
I love seeing the subscriber number jump with each video almost as much as the content. I mentioned your channel over on the Living in Rural Thailand discord, I don’t think you are on there but a few of your subscribers are.
The six month splits is part of my current plan, more because of family ties, but we plan to gradually stay in Thailand more and North America less, with any travel we do on the time in between, so we can stretch the travel $ and turn Thailand’s lack of direct flights into extended layover trips to almost anywhere that has nonstop flights then or here.
Hey, John. No not on the Living In Rural Thailand discord... but have seen it and the guys are doing a marvelous job with their channel.
I think the six month splits is perfect at first. You will find your feet much better that way. And as you say, it gives you the chance to see other countries too. Great plan! You never know, you might make the six month thing a permanent thing. Many do. Thanks again. Den.
Great video again. Comforting to me as usual and with a lot of wise thoughts in it . Sure for
ourselves going on deliberating to move over to 'your place' there. I heard you saying that it is possible now to present yourself there every 90 days online . Has it really become that 'easy' now? 😮. I presume you stay there with a non immigrant OA visa for each time a year, 15 months? However you look younger then 50 years😊. Not being a teacher anymore how do you manage to get a reasonable income? Keep on going there! I will continue watching your work❤
Thanks for your kind comments. It is, indeed, possible to do 90 day reporting online.I am actually on a visa based on marriage. I ONLY visit immigration twice a year... once for applying for the 12-month visa and then 30 days later to get the full visa. I believe this is the same for retirement - I will find out for sure and confirm. Many people I know who are on a non OA change to an O when they arrive in Thailand as you must have substantial health insurance. On on Non O you can choose the insurance you want.
Thanks for saying I don't look 50... I definitely feel it sometimes haha. As for my current income, it is 0 baht right now. I decided to take a year out after 17 years of teaching straight at one school (video out on that soon), as a have some savings and needed to reset. I won't go back to full-time teaching again and I know I am not going to become a millionaire from this channel. However, if I can earn a little from the channel, combined with teaching at language schools and/or proofreading/editing (my job back in the UK and still do some here from time to time), that would be enough for me right now. Cheers, Den.
Den, don't know why it took so long for your channel to pop up on youtube, but I just want to say I love your style and your attitude. Subscribed and going to binge this weekend and catch up on your amazing life and story.
Hi again... not sure why, but just hit 1,000 subscribers yesterday so maybe the channel gets pushed a little more now. Anyway, thanks so much for your kind words and I will be adding many, many more videos over the coming weeks and months. Of course, I live in Khon Kaen which is right up in the north-east of Thailand, but most of what I talk about relates to living in Thailand in general. Thanks again! Den.
Den, excellent advice about how I could approach Thailand next year with retirement visa and then changing to work visa if I want to teach again. I want to say do not sell yourself short on how your channel might grow. I have been obsessed with Thailand and watching so many vloggers. Your channel is original because of your humor and the fact that you seem to have truly adopted sabai sabai mindset. I also really love your Henry David Thoureau approach to simplify all areas of life. I am pulling for your channel and promise to hit thumbs up button and share. Finally, the conditions you describe at your former school - not sustainable. It is amazing how new admin can come in and destroy the teaching and learning environment for students and staff. When schools become toxic we have no choice but to leave or else we can also become unhealthy. Congrats on 1000 subs!@@KhonKaenDen
I ll move to Thailand soon.
Am already 57 but really want to learn Thai.
My family will be there and I am looking forward to this Adventure.
Hi, Christian. Yep, you are NEVER too old to learn. Just do it at your own pace. Even if you only learn a little, it makes you feel good when you speak and are understood! Thanks for sharing and I really hope you enjoy your adventure! Thanks, Den.
An absolutely stunning park there, Den. I love that view! And it even have a map for aliens to visit, so they can see the place from their spaceship 😊 I have really missed out on so much at Khon Kaen, what a lovely area, so thank you for the tour around the city and district. Regrets, that is a huge topic in life. We all have them, and we have all been thinking, at one time or another, what if.. What if we had done that, or done this.. Learning how to read Thai, is a huge task for farangs, but you are right, it is doable. It`s like going back to school, starting with your ABC`s again. But it`s never too late, although our ability (and patience..) to learn is clearly better the younger you are. It might be harder for, let`s say a pensioner. About moving to Thailand at the age of 30. I have never heard of, or seen that, so much respect to you for that, and the fact that you are still here, thriving and happy. You are that sunshine story we read about.. But you touch some of the subjects we probably all miss when we are away for a long time, moving abroad, or even if we move to another part of our country, out of our neighborhood and away from friends and familiy. At one point we all move on I guess, and will miss those things you remember and cherish, but things never stay the same. We grow up, lose a lot of contact, starting new lives, and that`s that.. But I agree, you might lose som opportunities, but new opportunities arise in a new country or area too. All through, good and valid points, thank you, Den, I enjoyed this! Again. And your funny moments, how do you come up with those 😂 Sorry for rambling on again, but you know me by now. I`m like that machine you put a coin into, and it starts going. God or Buddha help us all 😂😂 Oh, and I forgot, life is too short to have too many regrets. Worth thinking about. There are no do-overs, unless you have a time machine.. 😉😉
Alot people move early. Just look at other TH-cam channels. I moved time i was 27 and now i´m 51. Have a lovely wife and 9 year old daughter.
@@okrim-thailand Good for you, and I'm happy to hear that! In my head you haven't really moved if you return to your home country a few years later. That was what I was referring to. Which you maybe didn't, I understand. Awesome 👍🙏😊
Hey, Sarlina! Yeah, this park is wonderful. Sadly it's on the other side of town for me and not easy to get to during rush hour, otherwise I would go most days just to walk around. And YES!!!! There are definitely aliens there haha. They hide behind the trees when I film.
I agree about regrets being a huge topic (one that you will know all too well about, as you have lived in different countries). You are not human if you don't have any regrets when leaving your previous life behind. Hitting the reset button and starting again is a weird and wonderful thing that can be exciting and scary at the same time. But nothing stays the same as you say. When I finally managed to get back to England back in April (for the first time in 13 years), it felt like I was visiting a foreign country... even Manchester my home town didn't feel the same. In the end, I couldn't wait to get back home to Khon Kaen haha.
As for learning to read and write, I am in the process of doing so now. I may not ever become fluent but at least I am going to give it a go and I am quite determined when I put my mind to something.
Yeah, being here for 20 years (since 30) isn't that common. I have a good friend here in Khon Kaen who has kind of done a similar thing. I think he's done about 18 years and became a teacher, got married, happy... similar stuff. But certainly not common. Most people come over at a young age to get experience and teach for a while then return home or go to another country. Alternatively, most come over at retirement age - and I fully understand why.
As for the funny moments, dunno... they just pop into my head! Haha. I have always been that way and can think quickly when it comes to humour. I used to do the same when I taught and the kids loved it. It takes the edge off a potentially boring subject for kids: language.
Anyway, before I put another coin into me continue to ramble (love that by the way), I will leave it there. Thanks so much for your amazingly kind and caring words and I hope you have the best week ever! Take care, Den....
Now, where did I park my time machine?...
@@okrim-thailand Wow... 27 is young. Yeah, it seems that more and more people are moving at a younger age. Cool. Thanks for sharing.
@@KhonKaenDen How to contact you ? There is no E-mail on your youtube account.
great video den, that park is beautiful. i love the video and the last part of it I have planned for. I have a thai girlfriend and I am looking to spend a year on a ED visa to study thai (and the missus will take english classes as the same time) and experience the country and culture for a good amount of time. But, I am undecided where I should study. Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok are all off the list. Chiang Mai would ease me into thailand with the many amenities and familiarity. Korat would give me some of those amenities while also keeping close to Sisaket where (if things go well) I will eventually settle and also close to Bangkok for any travel/embassy/shopping amenities. What would you recommend? is there anywhere else that has a good selection of language schools i should consider?
Yeah, that park is really nice... even better in January (coolest time of the year) when they have a flower festival with thousands of tulips and whatever. Will do another video on it then.
As for studying, of all the places you have mentioned (and anywhere else I can think of), I would most certainly opt for Chiang Mai. No idea of the language schools there, but there will be many and a lot of good ones too. I love that place (been many times and would certainly consider living there if I didn't have roots put down in Khon Kaen) and it is very foreigner friendly and you can slowly immerse yourself into Thai culture/language/way of life etc.. but still come up for a breather now and again at one of the numerous western restaurants etc., if you feel the need. I really miss the Mexican restaurants there! It's also a short flight to/from Bangkok if needed. By having many Thais there who can speak a little English will make life so much easier for you... and, once your Thai starts to come on, you can practice with the local Thais... get something wrong and they will help you correct it, I am sure. It is the perfect place to dip your toe in to the Thai language, so to speak. In places like Korat (where my wife is from), Khon Kaen and Sisaket, it is "normal" Thailand. I prefer these places, nowadays. Love the pace of them. However, few people speak English and would struggle to be able to explain something if you get Thai wrong (and you will... a lot, as I did, but just don't worry about it. Be confident and your Thai will improve quickly).
Anyway, hope this is of some help and let me know what you decide! And good luck learning Thai... you are doing the right thing and Thailand will be a much better experience for you when you can converse, I promise. That first real conversation with a Thai (no matter how short) where you both understand each other, will stay with you. Cheers, Den.
@@KhonKaenDen thank you so much for the thought out answer den. i really appreciate it. there's a bit for me to think about between now and next year. I am visiting korat for the first time early next year so ill have to get a feel and see what its like.
spot on mate
Cheers, fella. Thanks for your kind words. Den.
Another interesting video though!
Over the last year, I have been so very lucky to spend 7 months in Thailand and love it.
My only question, is how do you change from Holiday Mode. I seem to be in it constantly, and the thought of staying in at night, seems such a waste and something I would regret on a cold winters uk evening
But money is leaking from every part of me as I party every night and a lovely bar girl teaches me a new word, while I supply her with countless drinks 😂😂😂
For the time being, I can afford it but I could not continue with this lifestyle forever
So any tips on getting out of holiday mode would be good 😊
Hi, Richard. Wow... very tough question to answer. Haha. For me, it was easy because I started teaching and it would have been impossible to do both, out partying and teaching. It would have killed me. I would say, however, that taking up an interest could change things. It did for me. I took up photography and, rather than hitting the bars, I started hitting the national parks and taking photos of nature.
Another thing that is inevitable, is that you will eventually meet the perfect girl for you and that may reel you in so to speak and you will enjoy her company rather than the company of others... then its the cinema and restaurants etc. Much cheaper than girlie bars, I can tell you haha. But for now, if you enjoy the bar scene and can afford it, why not? Cheers, Den.
If you made a massive choice on moving to Thailand and not done any research beforehand ,and now having moved over there and asking that Question ..Cmon 🤦♂
I ended up in that rut
Take up going to the gym and smoking weed
I stay in now and only come out at the weekend 😁
@@genokemp2433 Hi, I have not moved to Thailand yet, been have very lucky to have spent 7 months there out of the last 12
My plan is to move permanently in 20 months time
I'm just not sure how to get out of holiday mode
I have been having a fantastic time as you can imagine😉
But I cannot live like this forever, was just after some tips of how to get out of holiday mode.
I will no longer have to work and don't want to spend all day drinking
Although the night time entertainment is great, my budget won't be able to keep that up 7 nights a week, maybe two...
Was just wondering if there were some more tips other than smoking weed, of that's anyone's, thing grwat, but it's not for me
Considering another (Bhouddhist?) mind set and looking for new thrills and impulses that could comfort your mind in a less illusional empty (also in your pockets)way😊?
This fucking channel is awesome. So much truth here. I live in Japan, but it all translates.
Haha... brilliant! Cheers, fella. I think it's the same wherever you lay your hat. There are elements of home or whatever that you are always going to miss (or think about whether or not you have done the right thing). Would love to visit Japan one day! Thanks for sharing. Den.
I often wonder what I might have done differently too. But if I had done something else, I wouldn't have met my missus and live the life I enjoy now either.
Yep, my exact same thoughts. Wouldn't want to change anything... well, maybe my bank account. When I went back to England in April, it didn't feel like home at all and I couldn't wait to get back to Khon Kaen. This place is home now and I know it is the same for you, fella.
Yes, you would have been FAR better off in a country in South America, where you can own land and get permanent residency within the first two years. That way, you could have created both a stable life and a stable future. You are not allowed to, in xeno Thailand. (I made the same mistake at 30 but will NEVER spend a penny in Thailand ever again.)
Incidentally, I was fluent in spoken Thai by the third year and then started daily with the kids' books that you mentioned and learned the writing fairly quickly. This got me some paid translation work.
The road not taken…. everyone thinks about this, even if you’re happy with your lot in life
Yes, I agree 100% However, I think that if you end up spending most of your "career" life in another country where things are more limited, it increases the thinking time. That said, whatever you do in life, you may wonder whether you have done the right or the wrong thing. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend!!!. Den.
What do you do for work ?
Hi. Right now, nothing. I am taking a well-deserved year out (after teaching at one school in Khon Kaen for 17 years straight... video will. be out on that at some point soon). I aim to continue pushing this channel, though never going to make a living out of it, just doing for fun and will have some memories to look back on when I am very old. I may get back into teaching eventually but only working at a language school at weekends and/or carry on editing/proofreading documents (something I have done on and off for a long time). Cheers, Den.
@@KhonKaenDen fair enough all the best on your journey pal and good luck
@@Stuffed007 Cheers, fella... I hope to share many more videos over the coming weeks and months. Den.
@@KhonKaenDen keep on pumping content out mate you be suprised how fast a following you get which will equate to money
Please see comment I left on your Could You Live Here video....just left an idea for a possible video you could do on learning Thai. No regrets at all moving to Japan....sometimes I have nightmares where I am about to leave Japan and am so relieved when I wake-up and know it was only a dream.
Cheers, David. Just seen it and responded. Great idea and I may well have to take you up on it. Thanks again, Den.
Video freezes at 10.40
Huh? Weird. Yeah, it seems to freeze for a couple of seconds at 10:40 as you say. It didn't do that after it was uploaded (tested prior to going out) and the copy I created to be uploaded is fine. I will look into it. Very strange. Many thanks for highlighting it. Cheers, Den.
I thought that was my computer freezing again, so I gave it a kick, and it continued like nothing has happened. And here I was, thinking I was doing very well 😂😂
Why not take your own advice and learn to read and write now? Unless there are special reasons you have not shared yet, the odds seem stacked in your favor if you decided to - you live in thailand surrounded by thai writing, you already speak it well, you have a thai wife, you seem to have spare time, etc...
Just get a "No ragrets" tattoo. ;-)
Haha... yeah!!! I have no regrets living in Thailand to be honest. Love the place. Thanks again. Den.
It is so tiresome to here all you vloggers who go to Thailand talk about money. Coulda shoulds woulda
Wow... great idea, David. That is definitely something to think about. Right now, my Thai (reading/writing) is about 0. Therefore, I should put my money where my mouth is haha... I will most certainly consider this idea. Tough but doable. Thanks for sharing. This is great. Cheers, Den.
Money and Thailand are synonymous, if you haven't figured that out, you won't make it here. As an expat one needs an amount the government specifies to be able to live here. It's still less than a comparable life would be in a Western country. The presenter is showing and telling the realistic side of living in this foreign paradise. I particularly like the presentation of another part of Thailand that always intrigued me. I believe the most beautiful women in Thailand come from Khon Khen. I live in Phuket. Amazing onto it's own but well over-played, over-done and overpriced. Inspite, of those 'qualities' it is home for me for the last 16 years. I love it, far more than my previous state, Hawaii. To me this IS Paradise, not specifically Phuket, but Thailand as a country. If you don't live on the news daily, it can be bliss. if you can make or receive U$D2000 it is a good life with little to want.
@@brianphuket5951 Hi, Brian. A million thanks for your kindest of words. I don't understand some people. If they don't like something or it isn't to their taste, move on! This is my own personal thoughts and my own experiences in my little part of Thailand. I love it here and, if the guy had ACTUALLY watched the video, I ultimately don't have any regrets... only love my this amazing country (as clearly do you)! You are so right about Thailand and money being synonymous with each other and that it is a constant concern for westerners... being taxed soon? Aaargh! So it is an ongoing thing. And YES, Thailand IS paradise... even my little Khon Kaen... I love it and want to showcase it to the world as no-one else seems to be (other than tourists passing through). Also agree... $2000 and you can (almost) live like a king. Thanks for sharing and if you are ever up in Khon Kaen, give me a shout. Cheers, Den.