I first went to Thailand in 1997 and immediately fell in love with the country. Thailand at that time to me was mysterious and exotic, full of potentials and pitfalls.
Fast forward to 2010 and here I am after 13 years and many trips to the LOS sharing, with the help of my 
Malcolm from Retired in Thailand and Loving It
This interview comes from a blog with a bit of a different focus compared with the past interviews. Here’s a portrait of an American who is retired to a small Thai village and loving his retirement in Thailand. I am loving the down to earth writing style and homey posts that he writes. Reading this blog always seems to bring my stress levels down a notch as I can easily relate to his stories about life in rural Thailand.
1. What is your name, the name of your blog and the subject matter of the Thailand blog (language, food, general life, nightlife, etc)? If you don’t mind, please provide a photo of yourself so I can share it with my readers. We all like to see who it is that we’re talking to.
Malcolm Burgess—Retired in Thailand and Loving It—Ciejay and Me our lives in Thailand and our home ,family , friends, our small village of Whang Pho and My life , Past ,Present and future.
2. How long have you been blogging about Thailand ? What was your inspiration to start Retired in Thailand and Loving It? Did you (or do you) blog about any other subjects?
I have been blogging for 1 1/2 years — mainly for my friends and family in America to read—I stick pretty close to home and try to stay away from heavy stuff in my post , But will make some pretty strong statements in my comments of other bloggers.I do have a small photo blog.
3. Obviously you are not Thai and have chosen to expatriate to Thailand . What country are you from originally? What made you choose Thailand as your home away from home?
I am from America , the US of A , I wanted to bring my Thai wife, Ciejay, back to her country, home to her family and friends and her kids and to start as it were a” new life being retired “and I fell in love with the country and people.
4. How long have you been visiting and/or living in Thailand ? If you’re currently living in Thailand , what part of Thailand do you live in? Why did you choose this city/province over others in Thailand ?
We have been here for 5 1/2 years. We live in the providence of Kanchanaburi , the ampor of Sai Yok and the Village of Whang Pho on the banks of the River Kwai and at the foot of a small mountain range and in a beautiful fertile valley. My wife has family that live here , it is soooooo clean and well taken care of by our city leaders , and it is soooo safe . It’s in the country and close to town if we need it .
5. From the south of Thailand to Bangkok and Chiang Mai and the NE provinces of Isaan Thailand is very different depending on what part of the country you’re in. What is your favorite region in Thailand and why?
The central – hardly any disasters,such as floods , mudslides , weather is great all year, and far ,yet near to everything and every place .
6. Even though Thai food is really built upon the same 4 precepts as Chinese food (sweet, sour, spicy and salty) Thai food is known throughout the world for its spicy component. Do you like spicy food? What is your favorite Thai dish?
I love spicy food , but not to hot— Curries and fried rice with anything and I simply love tum yum pla.
7. Thailand is known to be very affordable as a tourist destination and as a place to live. What things do you find to be the biggest bargains in Thailand ?
food , clothes, ulilities and labor.
8. Even though there are bargains to be had, some things are certainly more expensive than others. What do you find to be most expensive in Thailand ?
Autos, electronics, fuel.
9. There are many good reasons given by those who live in Thailand for settling in the Kingdom. What do you feel is the best part of living in Thailand ?
A lot less stress , healthier food , great weather , and of course my ss check goes a lot further here in the LOS.
10. One group that’s easy to find online are the complainers who live in Thailand , but seem to feel that the Thai’s should change to accommodate their Western guests. What things do you feel are frustrating for foreigners living in Thailand ? Do you think these aspects of Thailand should change or that they are simply part of the culture?
I don’t find anything here frustrating, as I did my homework long before we came to Thailand , we were not running away from anything when we moved to the LOS ( as is the case for lots of folks that come to Thailand , as my Ole Dad use to say “they had wore out their welcome at home” and to have any chance of happiness they had to go somewhere.) WE were running to something, I think the only thing that ever bothers me is not being able to carry on a conversation with a aThai person. I speak nit noi Thai and Ciejay helps me out with the rest .
I think that most foreigners that come here to live, think that they are so superior, smart and wealthy and they think they are the savior of the country and that everyone has to do as they demand ( they are use to everything here and now ) and it just ain’t going to happen in the LOS and my advise to them,is the same as the folks gave them when they complained about their home countries (IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT LEAVE). My Dad use to have a saying ” SOME PEOPLE WILL COMPLAIN EVEN IF THEY ARE HUNG WITH A NEW ROPE” which means that some folks are just that COMPLAINERS no matter where they live and there’s no pleasing them sooooo I don’t try ,I just give them a deaf ear and pretty soon they get the message that I’m not interested in their complaining, I’m the only American living in our village and I love it , that way I can stay away from the complainers, Ciejay says I’m a ole Fart sometimes ha ha . I love Thailand , not the western influenced Thailand, and I love the Thai culture that’s why, I married a Thai lady, built a Thai home, live in a small village and
I’m RETIRED IN THAILAND AND LOVING IT .
11. Considering the last few years especially it’s evident that Thailand is a country in flux. Western thinking and Western customs are rapidly invading the Kingdom. The Thai people seem to be looking for change and the political leadership in Thailand is constantly changing. How do you think Thailand has changed since the first time you visited, both positively and negatively?
I don’t think the REAL Thai people want change as much as a lot of folks think , I think they are happy with the old ways and the old BUDDIST AND THAI BELIEFS AND CULTURE .
I think the political leadership of Thailand are motivated by greed and lust and the old desire to be RICH , RICH , RICH , and they as, they call themselves ” Hi So folks” are not helping Thailand they are ruining it and are trying to change it for their own good, and not the good of the real Thai people. and as Forest Gump would say ” AND THAT’S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT “
12. Even with all the changes in the past decades, it’s safe to say that Thailand is very different from any Western country. How is your life in Thailand different from your life in the West?
Read my blog and you’ll know how I feel my life is different here in the LOS and that’s why I say I’m RETIRED IN THAILAND AND LOVING IT .
13. Please tell us about 3-5 of the best posts from your blog
1. A MAN’S HOME IS HIS CASTLE— Is the story of the preparation thought and work in order to move to the LOS from our house in the USA and to build our home and castle.
2. I ATE A RAT — True story about trying all the food and snacks that the LOS has to offer and a great recipe is included in the post for those that want to give it a try.
3. SOUL SEARCHING — a post about me and what makes me happy and what makes me sad and how things that we see with our eyes affect our souls . A good read if I do say so .
4. TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS— A look back at when I was young and how taking long rides in the country with my Dad, on country roads , gave me lots of lessons in life and things about those rides that I have shared thru the years with friends and family.
To tell you the truth I like them all and think that each is a small story of my life Past , Present , and the Future and all of them are reasons why ” I’M RETIRED IN THAILAND AND LOVING IT”
If you liked this interview why not go check out all of my Thailand blogger interviews.
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Good interview and Malcolm seems to be a nice enough fellar or would that be dude!
Blog on and a good ideato promote each others blogs this way, I may start reviewing some blogs soon.
I greatly enjoyed this interview! I’m a fan of Malcolm’s and love reading his blog. I love how he connects the life he left back here in NC with the new life him and Ciejay have created for themselves there. And since I’ve never been out of the US myself-I love all the history and culture he shares about Thailand.
Steve I’ve been reading Malcolm’s blog for over a year now and the quality about it that grabs me is the passion Malcolm puts into his writing. Perhaps head butt would be a better choice of word than grab. Malcolm has a whole lot of experience of the world and is a country boy at heart and that makes him highly suitable to write a blog based in a Thai village. Malcolm’s posts always come with some great photos as well and the man is also a great commentator on other Thai and world blogs. Mind you he’s lucky to have a great woman behind him in Ciejay and I reckon she encourages him the whole way.
@Martyn Malcolm’s experience and down home sensibility definitely shine through when reading his blog. I agree wholeheartedly about the quality of the photos as well, some of the posts could almost stand on their own just by virtue of the photos. And I have recently begun to notice how prolific a reader and commenter of other blogs he must be as it seems I am running across his comments almost daily.
Hi Tipper and welcome to Thailand Musings. I too love the way Malcolm can connect his life back in the U.S. with his life in Thailand and it has been a big draw for me. I’m glad that you enjoyed the interview and hope you enjoy the upcoming interviews as well.
Nice to have you stop by and hope to see you more in the future.
Glad you liked the interview Camille. I may be contacting you shortly for an interview so keep an eye on your mailbox!
Steve, another fine interview. Malcolm is a great guy who has a very good perspective on the village life. Always a good read and great to find out a little more about him.
Great interview! I just love hearing about Thailand from someone who is actually living there. It’s also refreshing to hear from someone who didn’t settle down in the typical spots like Chiang Mai, or down south in the islands. Look forward to reading some more interviews!
A really good interview with a really nice guy. Thanks for that.
It”s amazing the number of shared experiences there are that I also have with ‘my Thai girl and I’.
Not least of these is the urge to set fingers to keyboard and keep blogging about our experiences retired in Thailand.
Best wishes,
Andrew Hicks
Malcolm has encapsulated a True Westerner’s feelings about Thailand.
I am an Australian Male, 58 years of age and Married for the past 3 years to an exquisite Esarn Lady 7 years younger than Myself.
Having met my now wife whilst she was in Aust. holidaying and going back and forth to Thailand many times over the past 4 years, I have only 2 regrets.
(1) That even though I have travelled the world extensively for the past 30 years, It was not until 2007 that I spent an extended period of time in Thailand.
(2) My Second regret which I suppose should be Number One is the fact that many Farangs – Australians included, Come to the Kingdom looking for easy sex. Yes, I have been to Pattaya (with my wife) and I was disgusted in seeing 60 – 70 year old Farangs accompanied by 20 year old Thai girls. I lay no blame on the girls. They are only trying to support themselves and their Family. I do however look at these “men” with distain.
Thai Ladies have very high morals. On our first “Date” in Sydney we were chaperoned by a mutual friend, to ensure that my intentions were honourable.
Having learnt to speak Thai over the past 3 years it will be easier for me to assimilate into the Thai Culture when I retire from Aust. next year and come to Thailand to teach English.