• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result

Expat Life In War-Torn Thailand

Kathleen Peddicord by Kathleen Peddicord
May 24, 2010
in Retirement/Living
0
A Temple in Chiang Mai
209
SHARES
3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Into The War Zone–On The Ground In Chiang Mai

“Vicki and I arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, a few hours ago, Friday morning local time,” writes Intrepid Correspondent Paul Terhorst. “Protesters left their Bangkok camp on Wednesday, but some refused to go home. Instead, they tried to burn down much of Bangkok. The army prevailed overall, but not completely. Random violence quickly spread to other parts of Thailand, including Chiang Mai.

“The U.S. Department of State talks of ‘unrest in Bangkok and Chiang Mai’ and says ‘U.S. citizens should ‘defer all travel to Bangkok and defer all non-essential travel to the rest of Thailand.’

“The Thai government has set a nightly curfew, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., until Sunday. Go out on the streets after 9 p.m., and you risk being shot. In nearly every news dispatch on the clashes, someone or other refers to the possible start of ‘civil war.’

“In spite of all this, our Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chiang Mai was nearly full. I counted maybe 10 Westerners, 20 Thais. The rest looked to be tourists from Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The Chiang Mai airport functioned normally. Friends picked us up at the airport and took us straight to their house; we wanted to stay off the streets in central Chiang Mai as much as possible our first day.

“So why did we come to what amounts to a war zone? First, we’re 700 kilometers from Bangkok, the main protest site. We expected provincial Chiang Mai to settle down quickly, and it did. More importantly, we’ve been coming to Chiang Mai for years. We know our way around. We’re comfortable here, we have friends here. Tourists and first-time visitors might want to delay coming over. But we know what spots to avoid, who we can count on, and where to stay. We decided we could handle it.

“Today we took a drive around town to inspect burned buildings but found only one site. The city seems back to normal, maybe a bit prettier than usual due to fine weather.

“If the violence returns, we should have plenty of time to get out. I could buy new running shoes, to help me outrun tanks. I could buy an airplane and keep it standing by, the motor running, the pilot on call. Seriously, if it gets bad, I think we’ll be able to take a bus across the border to Laos.

“Vicki and I have experience with hot spots. We lived in Buenos Aires during the 1982 war between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands. We traveled in Chile during anti-Pinochet riots, at a time when Chileans declared a state of emergency and imposed curfews. We traveled in Turkey just after Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. We lived in the United States when terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center towers in 2001. We lived in Mexico when the peso collapsed, ATM machines stopped giving money, and fortunes were wiped out overnight. During our first year living in Argentina, we experienced five military coups, some violent, and saw the peso go from 2,000 to 50,000 against the dollar.

“Pretty scary, right?

“Well, no. During the 1982 Falklands/Malvinas war, we were in Buenos Aires. The war zone was a long ways off, out in the South Atlantic Ocean. We were in peaceful Vina del Mar, Chile, during the anti-Pinochet violence, not in riot-torn Santiago. We were in Las Vegas rather than New York on Sept. 11, 2001. In Mexico, we profited enormously from that peso collapse.

“In Argentina, too, we profited from the local peso’s collapse as our cost of living became very, very cheap. Sure, there were coups in Buenos Aires. But those coups involved military factions and perhaps a few others. People on the street carried on normally. At least Vicki and I carried on normally, if you consider paying 50 cents for a bottle of excellent Argentine champagne normal.

“Along the way, we’ve learned a few things about living in hot spots.

“First, especially in the Third World but also in Europe and the States, riots, unrest, coups, currency collapses, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters come with the territory. In my lifetime, U.S. troops battled on the streets of Panama, searching for General Noriega. Terrorists blew up the Madrid subway, the London subway, the twin towers in New York, hotels in Jakarta and Pakistan, a nightclub in Bali, and on and on. Algerians blew up Paris, Tamil Tigers blew up Sri Lanka, the IRA blew up England, the U.S. army blew up Laos, and drug lords blow up Mexican border towns all the time. Every day you read about natural disasters, oil spills, crashes, strikes, and so on. Death and destruction can happen anywhere.

“Conclusion: We need to realize that we already live with risk. We must learn to manage the risk we face. When living in a hot spot, we need a game plan so we’ll be able to judge when it’s time to leave.

“Before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, many people, including all our friends there, left the area or made other arrangements. Safe and dry, they watched the drama unfold on TV, rather than on the roofs of their homes. Similarly, people who got out ahead of the Los Angeles County forest fires last year survived. Some of those who stayed perished. In Darfur, those who fled the civil war and genocide got a second chance.

“During Argentina’s war with Britain in 1982, Vicki and I were living and working in Buenos Aires. My partners in New York and elsewhere strongly encouraged us to leave the country. By that time, the United States, neutral at the beginning of the conflict, had declared for Britain. The English were the enemy, the Americans were traitors. Vicki and I should leave.

“We refused (that’s another story). But most American and British expats working for the big companies did leave. They headed for Uruguay and the Victoria Plaza Hotel in Montevideo. They shared their lives with one another, meeting for drinks, taking the kids on outings, comparing telexes from head offices, and, most of all, worrying about what might happen. The way I heard it, rumors flew, fear took hold, and desperation set in. Families wondered if they’d ever see their homes in Buenos Aires again. These people were miserable, stuck in Lodi—or, in this case, Montevideo—for who knew how long.

“Meanwhile, Vicki and I and others who stayed in Buenos Aires led a fairly normal, albeit tense life. We came up with a game plan and prepared to leave on a moment’s notice if necessary. Only once did it look like we might have to jump. Eventually the crisis passed.

“Meanwhile we enjoyed thick steaks for a buck or two and other small luxuries at great prices. When economies collapse during wartime…when there’s blood in the streets…those who stay behind often do well.

“We wonder why we ever considered leaving Buenos Aires during those war years. And we wonder, today, why earlier this week we considered canceling our plans to come to Chiang Mai. In the end, we believe we did the right thing, for the right reasons.

“A little luck helped, too.

“More later…”

Kathleen Peddicord

Continue Reading: Panama Upgraded To Investment Grade or Foreign Earned Income Exclusion And Other Tax Breaks For Overseas Americans

Comments

Tags: expat relocationliving overseasliving thailandthailand propertywork abroad
Share84Tweet52
Previous Post

Retirement And Living In Europe

Next Post

Travel In The World’s Trouble Spots

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has covered the live, retire, and do business overseas beat for more than 30 years and is considered the world's foremost authority on these subjects. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 21, established businesses in 7, renovated historic properties in 6, and educated her children in 4.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets across three continents, from the East Coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland... then to Paris, France... next to Panama City, where she has based her Live and Invest Overseas business. Most recently, Kathleen and her husband Lief Simon are dividing their time between Panama and Paris.

Kathleen was a partner with Agora Publishing’s International Living group for 23 years. In that capacity, she opened her first office overseas, in Waterford, Ireland, where she managed a staff of up to 30 employees for more than 10 years. Kathleen also opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France.

Kathleen moved on from her role with Agora in 2007 and launched her Live and Invest Overseas group in 2008. In the years since, she has built Live and Invest Overseas into a successful, recognized, and respected multi-million-dollar business that employs a staff of 35 in Panama City and dozens of writers and other resources around the world.

Kathleen has been quoted by The New York Times, Money magazine, MSNBC, Yahoo Finance, the AARP, and beyond. She has appeared often on radio and television (including Bloomberg and CNBC) and speaks regularly on topics to do with living, retiring, investing, and doing business around the world.

In addition to her own daily e-letter, the Overseas Opportunity Letter, with a circulation of more than 300,000 readers, Kathleen writes regularly for U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.

Her newest book, "How to Retire Overseas: Everything You Need to Know to Live Well (for Less) Abroad," published by Penguin Random House, is the culmination of decades of personal experience living and investing around the world.

Related Posts

Cascais, Lisbon Area, Portugal
Lifestyle

Finding Our Dream Life Overseas In Cascais, Portugal

by Terry O’Halloran
February 26, 2021
0

About two-and-a-half years ago, my wife and I made the leap. We moved halfway around the world, to Portugal. Maybe...

Read more
Azenhas do Mar, Portugal coastal town.

Portugal: The Best Place To Live Is Also One Of The Safest

February 25, 2021
Riverside in Tavira on a summer morning, Faro District, Algarve, Portugal.

Why Tavira Is The Best Place To Retire In Portugal

February 24, 2021
Cost Of Retirement In Portugal vs. Panama

Cost Of Retirement In Portugal vs. Panama

February 24, 2021
Dordogne, France.

The Challenges Of Living Abroad And How To Overcome Them

February 22, 2021
Beautiful Caribbean sight with turquoise water in Caye Caulker island, Belize.

10 Reasons To Reinvent Your Life In Beautiful Belize

February 17, 2021
View overlooking Corozal township in Belize.

Different Places To Live Well In Northern Belize

February 16, 2021
Next Post
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Travel In The World’s Trouble Spots

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

how to retire overseas

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2021

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

WANT TO RETIRE OVERSEAS?

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately send you a free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE in style overseas. Each day you’ll learn about the best opportunities for international living, retiring overseas, offshore diversification and asset protection, and investing in real estate around the world.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.