[AussieSteve]

Hi , I've been reading this forum for a while now as I will be going to Thailand to marry a Thai lady at the end of this year.

My problem is I am unsure as to where I should go. I want to set up a clinic for my Thai GF who is finishing her Doctor of Thai Natural Medicine and was wondering where the best area would be.

I originaly intended to live in Chaing Mai as I have been there and really liked it. But I am told there are a lot of clinics there already. Then Phuket was suggested to me as a good place for a clinic.

I will be on an Ed visa as I need to learn Thai. My GF has an 11 yr old daughter who will be going to a Thai school.

I know ultimately it is up to us but if anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it.

 

[stednick]

Where does the future wife and doctor want to work?

I'm would expect that she has a significantly better understanding of the many possible locations available and the pros and cons of each. Let her decide.

 

[AussieSteve]

Thanks Stednick, I know that sounds like an obvious answer but she is happy to go where I want to live. Although she has mentioned Khon Kaen but I haven't been there or know anything about it.

I am also interested in starting an internet business using products from the craftsman around Chaing Mai.

Thanks for your input maybe I should listen to her.

 

[cnx_bruce]

As with locating any business, who (exactly) is the target market for the clinic? Where would you find the greatest concentration of people in that group?

Have you been to Phuket? I would not seriously contemplate relocating anywhere without first committing to at least a few weeks there to explore. Are you also aware it is also relatively expensive compared to other parts of Thailand? Might this be an issue? On the personal front, I'd suggest that you and your friend write out your own likes/dislikes/needs/wants and compare this to what's on offer in each potential location

 

[AussieSteve]

Thanks cnx_bruce, the intended cliental are Thai nationals so I think Phuket is not the right place but I was also looking at my opportunities for work too. I am an ex ambulance officer and first aid instructor and a couple of dive shops have offered my some casual work.
But I do like Chiang Mai and I think there will be more call for the clinic there. I will probably end up teaching English......
Thanks again for your reply.

Cheers

Steve

 

[cheriz]

I think Khon Khaen is also a good choice though.

 

[knapdale]

Hi my friend your original decision to live in chiangmai is probably the best you could make ,yes there are a lot of clinics and yes you will have competition but that is healthy for business Chiangmai is well known for having great dentistry , medical and health clinics , and people from around the world travel here for those reasons alone , regarding schools the very best are located in and around CNX , As for general living Chiangmai is hard to beat , you can get anything a foreigner would want hear and it is easy to get around ,has a great climate and a great welcome come and stay with us you wont regret it

 

[AussieSteve]

Thanks Knapdale,
I am coming over early December but will have to stay in BKK first as that is where my GF is then I will have to convince her to go north.

 

[dhream]

Hi my friend your original decision to live in chiangmai is probably the best you could make ,yes there are a lot of clinics and yes you will have competition but that is healthy for business Chiangmai is well known for having great dentistry , medical and health clinics , and people from around the world travel here for those reasons alone , regarding schools the very best are located in and around CNX , As for general living Chiangmai is hard to beat , you can get anything a foreigner would want hear and it is easy to get around ,has a great climate and a great welcome come and stay with us you wont regret it

This message brought to you by TAT (Tourist Authority Thailand)! :lalala:

A little balance is in order don't you think? people are here to make life changing decisions, with all due respect for your newfound enthusiasm, knapdale, we get enough of this kind gushing guff on the shill sites that sell Ecuador as paradise etc.

I have never felt as high and as low as I have in any country other than Thailand.
There have been times when i could not leave fast enough, and times when I could not wait to return.

That probably says more about me than LOS, but in any case, it is these feelings I have about this fascinating country that keep me posting here, while living elsewhere...

To the OP all I can say is good luck! I hope you know what you are getting into, and I hope in spite of all the indications on this thread to the contrary, that you both find success and happiness.

It just looks to me like the beginning of one of those all too familiar naive descents into a world of pain.

Beware the Venus fly-trap that is Thailand!

 

[AussieSteve]

Thanks dhream for your observations.

I beleive we all come to Thailand with certain dreams....... sometimes to escape circumstances of our own making and others to experience a new way of life. I will arrive with eyes wide open I know what can go wrong but I also know that sometimes it can work out.

The onus is on the person making the move........ its what you make of things.

I can't live in Australia on what I have saved or on a pension but I can stretch it out in Thailand, and as for Ecuador I have been there too and it would be my second choice, the city of Cuenca is absolutely beautiful.

I wonder what you find in Portugal and why you keep in touch with Thailand, just maybe it's not such a bad place as some make it out to be.

My only concern is getting older I am 63 in good health but I know I will face health concerns.

Thanks to all that have replied I can't wait for the new adventure to start. Life is an adventure that some people just don't appreciate. All I can say is "bring it on".

Thanks guys.

 

[dhream]

AussieSteve,
I did not mean to sound too harsh, nor do I want you to feel a need to defend yourself for your decisions.

I am not exactly the worlds best financial brain or I would not be in Portugal (Europe yes, but not necessarily here!)

On the bright side, your girl seems to be on the right track.

I am sure you are only too familiar with those of us who go ga-ga over go-go girls. This is a recipe for disaster, although even there, one hopes 'Pretty Woman' stories do eventuate and old geezer and Lolita live happily ever after.

An internet business anywhere, is hard, and often disheartening work! As I have learned.

I am in Portugal because that little voice within has been whispering 'Europe' for many years.
I am originally from the UK but have spent so little time there I don't identify at all, I left there as a kid, and if anything I feel closest to Rhodesia which no longer exists!

Also, I screwed up big time in Aussie financially, playing the markets when everyone else was buying houses. It could have gone either way, but didn't go my way. The GFC came along, and you know the rest...

I'll stick my neck out here, and say that if it were not for the female population of Thailand, I would not have given it a second thought! So there you have it. I am in fact fascinated by the fact that I can go there and be fawned over by some of the most charming young women on the planet (who cares if all they see is an ATM in a T-shirt? It is intoxicating for most red-blooded males of a certain age!)

I absolutely sympathise with your situation re-super etc. and I think you should, on the balance, make a go of it and hopefully enjoy your golden years in relative contentment.

As for me, I have done enough partying in Thailand to know that it is wonderful while the music is playing, but when things go wrong, they go horribly wrong... and you are on your own.

I am sure there are many here who are in stable happy relationships with Thai women of good standing, and also speak Thai, and accept the old maxim, 'This Is Thailand' at each turn of fate, more power to them! I happen to subscribe to the cynical philosophy 'If it floats, flies, or fornicates -rent it!' regardless of where I live, all other considerations aside, it is ALWAYS cheaper in the end!

But since you asked, that is my story. that is why, as tempting as it is, I will stay away until I can afford to be in Thailand by choice rather than out of a sense of financial desperation. And I guess if I had that much money, I would not necessarily opt for Thailand anyway. Go figure!