I Walked Away: An Expatriate's Guide to Living Cheaply in Thailand

Rating:
Summary: The Real Goods!
Review: "I Walked Away" is a heads-up guide for anyone who wants to relocate in Thailand to live as an "ex-pat". It is written from the perspective of a middle-aged white male, so politically correct types are here forewarned that they will be offended by the section on how to find sex. The rest of the book should bother no one, and it is chock full of accurate and useful information on how to find decent affordable housing, how to acclimate oneself to Thai culture, and how to find work.

Most ex-pats who relocate aren't rich and a common dream is to set up a business--usually a bar--to keep afloat and protect what funds that haven't already been dissipated in riotous living. The author rightly points out that the road to becoming a sucessful barowner is perilous indeed. If you don't follow his advice, as a naive "farang" (foreigner) you risk being taken to the cleaners and winding up flat broke or embittered by the high tuition costs of the Thai-style School of Hard Knocks.

The section on visa requirements is very detailed and useful. However, as the author points out, these things change, so it's best to check with the appropriate consulate, so you'll know before you go.

I didn't find any serious flaws in the book, so if you're thinking seriously about going, take "I Walked Away", even if you take along no other.

Rating:
Summary: Great first look at living in Thailand
Review: As a person who loves to go to Thailand 2 weeks at a time, I thought exploring the idea of living there full time would be interesting if nothing else. This book is a great guide on how to be a decent American when traveling abroad (not just in Thailand). Much of what I read in the book I already knew from studying the culture. I wish I would have read this book before my first trip to Thailand. a good book of realistic concerns That westerners should know and understand before even vacationing in Thailand!

Rating:
Summary: DANGER-THIS BOOK IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR MENTAL HEALTH!
Review: Having read, and re-read, this book a few times it should come with a 'surgeon general's warning'-BEWARE-READING THIS BOOK MAKE CAUSE YOU TO REEVALUATE YOUR LIFE-I know that sounds dramatic but the author is some who 'chucked it all' and moved to a foreign country. How many of us haven't had the same thought??? I have them daily!!;-)

He mixes the spiritual, emotional, and practical in a concise, quick read.

Mike, THANKS FOR THE INSPIRATION!

Rating:
Summary: Sensitive understanding of Thai culture, few concrete info.
Review: I am thinking of moving to Thailand. This book gives a good, sensitive understanding of Thai culture. However, the author's bumper-sticker philosophical musing gets a bit tired after a while. Practical questions about living in Thailand, such as taxes, health insurance, banking/investment (which a lots of retirees may be interested in) are not discussed. There is a chapter about fear and procrastination, which reads like the National Enquirer self-help page. This book is not worth the price, so I returned it.

Rating:
Summary: For The Compleat Beginner
Review: I like Michael Ziesing. He's an interesting guy. But unless the idea of going to Thailand for a vacation just hit you on the head like an apple falling out of a tree, this book isn't going to give you much in the way of practical advice. It's pretty much a validation of a lot of stuff you already know, if you've ever been to Thailand and have a modicum of common sense.

Don't get me wrong. It's a pretty good read, and Ziesing, as I said earlier, is an interesting and entertaining guy. But it's more Ziesing's tale of his experience in Thailand, with a few lessons drawn from the experience, than it is a "guide" to anything.

Still, if the musings of an ex-community college philosophy professor on his new low maintenance lifestyle in a Buddhist country sounds like something you'd like to read, then buy the book. You won't be disappointed. There's not a whole lot out there coming from anywhere near the social/financial perspective of Ziesing about living in Thailand.

Come to think of it, these days there's not a whole lot out there coming from Ziesing's perspective on anything. Buy this book and help change the zeitgeist.

Rating:
Summary: I did it.
Review: The book is great. In fact I bought the book and I did it. I went to Udonthani (in Northeast Thailand), met and married a beautiful Thai girl. I intend to move their next year. Buy the book you won't regrt it. There is a lot of valuable advice in the book. In fact I outdid the author - my is 30 years younger than me. Definitly its worth the money. And the author was correct in saying that Thai people are nice friendly people. Thailand is like being in another world - nice, friendly, unpretentious people. Buy the book. I should write one myself!

Rating:
Summary: A nice small book, but lack of concrete information
Review: This book is wonderful in the sense that few Westerners have such sensitivity and understanding of Thai culture. However, his repetitive scolding of the bad, unappreciative and whinny expatriates gets a little tiring. The winding bumper-sticker philosophical musing about life gets more and more irrelevant, if what you'd like to get is up-to-date practical information. The chapter on Money, for example, sounds like a self-improvement pop-psychology manual. Instead of answering questions on taxes concerning investment withdrawals, health insurance, etc., the readers are treated to lots of philosophy about life. Since the book is not worth its price, I returned it.