Once again, this blog has been ignored for several months as my last few months of work took over my life! However, we have now moved to Chiangmai, Thailand and work, as I used to know it, is over. I have changed the blog design and will continue to repair any problems that resulted from moving all my old posts over from the Chinacanuck.com blog. I will need to redo the photos from the older posts so they are once again visible.
Those of you on my subscriber list that signed on thinking you would continue to hear more stories about China….oh well! From now on, I will be writing about our day-to-day experiences in the Land of Smiles. But there will still probably be stories about that other large, strange place now and again since my son continues to make it his home, and China still has a place in my heart.
We have moved into a house about ten minutes away from the downtown, crazy tourist centre of the city. It is one of four traditional houses on the same property owned by a young Thai. His uncle and grandmother live in two of the houses; the other two are rented out.
Our place has two floors, each with their own living room, bedroom and kitchen. We have taken over the first floor and will keep the upstairs for visitors and space to expand into. It is very unusual to find a small, private group of traditional houses such as this, especially that are available to rent and in the city. It seems that many foreigners either live outside of town or in modern, air-conditioned condos in town.
We are very happy to live in a local Thai neighbourhood within walking distance of everything we need on a day-to-day basis. There is a market down the road, many small food vendors and restaurants nearby, and a large swimming pool/resort complex within walking distance that we can join for about $60 per year. Life is good!
Yesterday, we had our high-speed internet installed. After six years of snail-paced surfing in China, it is a treat to have a constant fibre-optic speed of over 35 Mb/s. We paid the big bucks to get the fast speed but it is still only $30 per month, which is great considering the fact that we will be able to also stream and/or download movies very easily.
The little laundry around the corner charged us about $6 for our week’s worth of clothing…washed, dried and folded. It is a different life but we are going to love it. The constant honking of cars outside our windows in Wuhan has been replaced by the crowing of roosters and the chirping of birds.
This site can still be reached with the old domain name, chinacanuck.com, but I have changed the main address to thaicanuck.com! The links and other items in the sidebars will eventually be changed to Thai items as soon as I get a chance.
Stay tuned for regular updates as we continue to explore our new neighbourhood, city and country.
So good to hear from you guys again, always an interesting read. Us? We are enjoying a perfect summer,Judy is unable to ride due to her shattered wrist,other than that all is well. Candace is finished school,she now has her Bachelor of science in micro biology.Well by for now. Randy
Looks amazing Steve! Best wishes to you and Nancy in your new digs.
Hiya you two
It is great to hear from you and sounds like you have settled into a lovely neighbourhood. Looking forward to reading more about your “new” country.
cheers
Johanna
Hi Steve and Nancy, Always great to hear from you. Looking forward to updates. Stay in touch please.
Nancy and Steve,
Wonderful news. Glad your move has turned out so fine. Did you get a job? Can you tell us what that is? Are you able to use you motor cycle if you still have it?
Looking forward to more blogs from you two!
Will you be learning a new language?
How about your neighbors? A new life in a new country. John
Nice to hear from you, John. No, I did not get a job…I am not allowed to work on my retirement visa here. I couldn’t bring my motorcycles with me but will buy one here once we are settled and I get a new driver’s license..my Canadian one expired awhile ago. I am learning the language. It is easier than Chinese since it is a phonetic language with an alphabet.
I was wondering what you pay for rent and if you can snap a few pics of the inside of your home?
Great blog, you are living my dream 🙂
also, for the 800,000 baht deposit, or monthly pension requirements, is that each or per couple?
thanks 🙂
Hi and thanks for stopping by to read. We are paying approximately $550 (Canadian) for rent. In general, houses are cheaper to rent than condos for a larger amount of space. After considering the pros and cons of both, we went with a new, but very traditional, Thai house. Not everybody’s “cup of tea” but we love it! We have a whole second floor that will be used mostly by friends and family that are lined up to visit lol. I have posted the original photos that were sent to us when we were looking for a place. That is the landlord in the pics!
The financial requirements are per couple. It is much easier to get Non-Immigrant-O Visas before you arrive. If there is enough money to satisfy two retirement visas then each spouse can convert to a retirement visa after 90 days. If there is only enough for one, one person will obtain a retirement visa and the other person will piggyback off that one. The rules seem to be always changing so best to check with your nearest Thai consulate before making the trek.