One thing you can say about English expat Simon's eight years of living in Thailand -- it hasn't been boring! Read about his work in the telecoms field and as a police volunteer and find out why he loves living in the southern part of the country.	Simon Luttrell

-Where were you born?

I was born in Leicester, a rather dreary city in central England.

-In which country and city are you living now?

Since 2002, I have lived and worked in Thailand.  I initially lived in Bangkok for a few years, then moved to Phuket to start a new business.  I also stayed in Nong Khai, on the Mekong river in the north of Thailand, as well as working in Pattaya.  Right now, I live in Ao Nang, the beach resort near to Krabi, in south Thailand.

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I live with my Thai wife.  We have actually known each other for more than 7 years, but we only married last year after I endured a 5 year 'prison sentence' in between with another Thai lady. That event was my own mistake and I regret it very much.

-How long have you been living in Thailand?

Just over 8 years

-What is your age?

I'm 51 years old.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Thailand?

There was a two-fold reason.  I had been living and working in the UK for many years, and the cold, wet weather was really beginning to give me chest/bronchial problems.  But I also had a reasonably successful telecoms business, and I decided to relocate to Bangkok and pursue business opportunities in Asia.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

There is always a visa that you can obtain, but it may not be the type of visa that you actually want!  For the first 4 years of my stay, I was able to obtain one-year business visas.  Then after the military coup, the visa rules changed and I was left with the options of either obtaining a religious visa (and becoming a monk!), or studying at university in Thailand and obtaining a 1-year student visa.  I chose the latter and signed up to study a Master's degree in Thai Culture at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. It was actually a very interesting course, but rather expensive.

I also subsequently obtained an unusual visa type because I worked as a volunteer police officer with the Thai Tourist Police. Over the year, I have worked with the police to help tourists in Phuket, Bangkok and Pattaya.  Sometimes these police volunteers have ulterior motives for their work, but I did it purely out of interest in helping overseas tourists. 

Right now, I have a visa because I support a Thai child from my previous marriage with a Thai lady. 

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Not really.  I obtained private insurance from my employer in Thailand.  Luckily, I have never had to claim on it.

-How do you make your living in Thailand? Do you have any type of income generated?

I initially came here to pursue my own telecoms business.  I registered a Thai company and opened an office in Bangkok.  Actually, that business was not very successful, but I still had a good income from my UK telecoms business.  After meeting my first wife in Bangkok, we married and relocated to Phuket where we built the Phuket Airport Hotel, which was a very busy and successful business.  Unfortunately, my wife became seriously mentally ill, so I was spending all my time trying to look after her AND managing the hotel at the same time. To be honest, some days I did not know whether to laugh or cry at her antics, and I apologise to anyone who stayed at our hotel and was 'disturbed' by the goings on.

After that experience, I returned to working in the telecoms sector, and was employed in romantic Pattaya with a U.S. telecoms company.

-Do you speak Thai and do you think it's important to speak the local language? Please add your thoughts on local customs and whether it's important for expats to respect/observe local customs.

Yes, I speak, read and write Thai reasonably well.  This skill has come into good use with my police volunteer work, when I help out with incidents that involve overseas tourists.  I think it is very important that one should at least make an effort to speak some of the local language.  I also learnt a lot about Thai culture from my university course.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes? Describe your favorite recreational activities there or those that are available.

I have 3 young kids back in the UK and I miss them very much.  I send them presents and photos at Xmas and on their birthdays, but I never get a reply.  I guess their mother is not allowing them to contact me.

I do have some hobbies here in Thailand.  I am learning to play the khaen, which is a northern Thai musical instrument that is rather like a large pan pipes.  I'm also a licenced radio amateur and chat with friends all over the world.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

Right now, my wife is studying at local university to complete a degree that she never completed before due to lack of funds. I'm working hard to save some funds to build a house for us both.  I do have a reasonable amount of telecoms consultancy work from outside of Thailand.  We are far from rich, but I've learnt that money does not always bring happiness.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

Although we could afford to rent a 'western' style of house or condo, we both prefer to live in a simple wooden house on stilts that is located amongst the pineapple fields, a few kms from the tourist beachs of Ao Nang, in south Thailand.  We have air-con, satellite TV and internet, as well as a car.  What more do you need when you are happy together?

 I would not buy a house in Thailand in my name, due to the legal issues for foreigners to own land.  So we are saving so that my wife can buy a small piece of land on which to build our future home.  

-What is the cost of living in Thailand?

Cheap, because I do not usually eat western food.  We pay $250 to rent our house, plus $15 for internet and $44 for 80-channel satellite TV.

-What do you think about the locals? (also how they treat foreigners)

In all my 8 years, I have never had any problems with the local Thais.  I recognise that many expats do have problems.  Either I have been very lucky, or my attitude has been different from them.  I can certainly say that during my volunteer police work, I have seen (and had to intervene in) several ugly incidents in the go-go bars of Patong, Phuket.  A mixture of alcohol, drugs, pretty women and stupidity do not go well together.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Thailand?

This really depends on what you are after.  If you are retired and seeking the simply life, than a place in north (Issan) Thailand can be very relaxing.  I lived for 9 months in Nong Khai, and loved the peaceful, cheap and laid-back lifestyle.

I enjoyed living in Bangkok when I first came to Thailand, but on more recent visits, I note the lack of smiles.  Thailand is called 'The Land of Smiles', but many expats are coming to realize that these smiles are wearing rather thin in the tourist cities of Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya.

The most friendly people that I have met are from Issan in the north-east of Thailand.  I can certainly envisage retiring to that area in my later years.

I currently live in south Thailand, where the vast majority of my neighbors are Muslim.  I get on very well with them and have experienced no problems, other than the local shop not selling my favorite beer.

During the dark days of looking after my first Thai wife when she became ill, I found that mental health and understanding care was almost non-existent in Thailand, unless you had lots of money.  Those sad events definitely made me a stronger and more compassionate person.

 -Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Thailand?

Learn to speak the language, learn something about the culture, never show anger or impatience, go with an open mind. But also be wary of scams, double-pricing, 'commercial' beggars with missing limbs, and the typical scams and annoyances that occur in many Asian countries.

Above all, avoid taking tuk-tuk taxis in Phuket, and tell them that 'Simon told me not to hire your rip-off tuk-tuk' if they should ask why :)

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Thailand?

www.stickmanbangkok.com, especially the readers' stories

If you intend to get involved with the local women, please read 'Private Dancer' by Stephen Leather (Asia Books).  It could save you a lot of money and time.