Finding My Way Back to Thailand
After a brief exile from Thailand due to a visa expiration, and spending a full month in Vietnam, I successfully re-entered Thailand and secured a 15-month visa. From that point forward, I decided to explore Thailand long term.
By now, I had traveled from the mountains of Chiang Mai in the north to the beaches of Phuket in the south. Bangkok became a frequent stop, where I stayed in various hotels and leased multiple condos for months at a time. I was getting a good feel for the country, but I was also beginning to think about where I might actually want to live.
Choosing a Home Base
After weighing all the factors—weather, cost of living, city size, and proximity to both the beach and Bangkok for major airport access—I ultimately chose Pattaya as my long-term base.
Settling in, I signed a one-year lease on a modern condo with a full kitchen, perfect for my love of cooking. It also offered the amenities I wanted, including a pool, fitness center, sauna, steam room, and secure parking for my motorbike. Just a short walk from the oceanfront, my new home provided the perfect mix of comfort and convenience.
Pattaya also gave me something I had been looking for: a place where I could live rather than simply travel. Along the way, I immersed myself in Thai culture—practicing the language, reading about the Land of Smiles, and enjoying an endless variety of Thai cuisine.
Life by the Beach
For a change of scenery, the island of Koh Larn was just a quick boat ride away—a perfect escape for a few hours or a few days.
Life in Pattaya was good—not just for the mind and body, but also for the wallet, as the cost of living was far lower than in the U.S. The city gave me access to restaurants, shopping, entertainment, beaches, and the conveniences of a larger city without giving up the relaxed lifestyle I had come to enjoy in Thailand. Pattaya’s established long-term foreign-resident community and infrastructure also made settling in relatively easy.
To add something familiar to my daily routine, I purchased a Yamaha portable grand piano, allowing me to indulge in my lifelong passion for playing keyboards.
A New Chapter in Thailand
Thailand had given me an incredible year filled with adventure, new friendships, exploration, and a lifestyle that perfectly balanced travel and relaxation.
For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t simply passing through. I had chosen a place to call home.
But settling into Pattaya didn’t mean the traveling was over. In many ways, it was just the beginning of another chapter—one where I could use Thailand as a home base while continuing to explore the country, the region, and the world beyond.
And there was still plenty more to come.