This one is for @rycharde

It was 1999 the first time I went to Thailand.

I went for 18 days the first time and instantly fell in love with the place, the heat, the ladies. Having arrived from the UK it was not hard to fall in love with a place like that, rain, more rain and summers that last as long as an instantly forgotten memory.

The latter was the UK.

Pattaya.

That was where I went.

I had some friends from Birmingham there, Pattaya.

The first night was amazing, I hooked up with two guys I had never met before, they were from Birmingham.
One had hired an open top jeep.
We went as they say on the town.

Bar after bar, lady after lady with her hands down my pants, tongue down my throat, how could you not fall in love with that?

I went broke in Thailand a few times, (not to be confused with woke) easy to do when it is a money drain, everyone there wants it, your money. From officials to girls, their extended family, yes everyone wants a bit. I tend to think they think we have some sort of money tree, farangs, people from abroad.

So it was 10 years.
At times bliss, at times so broke I could not even buy a bottle of water.
It was a good ride for a young man though.

I spent months working in the UK, all the time thinking about saving money to go back to Thailand.

And then it happened, I got what they call Pattired, I got sick of being in Thailand, it happens to the best of us.

So I left.

I still have friends over there, some still like it, some can never leave because of the things they have done, some are so used to it they do not know any better now.

Each to their own.

I guess if I added up the cost of living in Thailand it would run into the 100,s of thousands of $ or GBP.

From what I am told, streets like the famous walking street are dead. The bustle is gone, the hustle too.

https://bangkokjack.com/2021/01/17/pattayas-walking-street/

The same as me, gone from there.

The difference between there and Poland?

Well there is a lot.
4 seasons for a start. No young ladies wanting all my money, friendly people for the most part.
Easy to get a stay here without having to pay immigration every 30 days or 60 days, no having to go to Cambodia on visa runs every 6 weeks.

In Poland I would estimate I have made $200,000 to 300,000 in 7 years, in Thailand I would have spent the same.

There are some expats here as people like to call them, but my wife is Polish, my daughter speaks English and Polish too, with some Spanish mixed in between.

I tend to shy away from expats and mix in with the locals.

I did the same in Singapore, Thailand, Bali too, you only get to see how they live and what they do if you stay off the tourist trail.

Thailand was a blast, it was fun, but it took it's toll.

Poland treats me better, almost ignores me, but I like it like that.
I like being left alone to my own devices. Thailand always wanted more from me.

Poland makes me more creative.

In Thailand there is a sense of spend, spend, spend.
Here there is a sense of be creative.

Since being here I have learned to grow food, farm, do woodwork, something I never liked before.

Make things, make bikes, make a family.

I have nothing to say about Poland but good things, because it has treated me so well. Can not say a bad word about a good place, but then again it has not drained me for resources.

It has also not gone down the authoritarian dick-tate route.

So I guess I chose the best place to be, for now.

Have a superb day, live life and enjoy it.