Escape to Thailand is an account of an Englishman’s dream of emigrating to Thailand and how it turned out. There are twists and turns throughout the 14 chapters. He first “met” Toy, a Thai teacher, on an internet dating site. Three times she asked him to join her. But, three time he declined. After a lonely Christmas following his divorce from his English wife, he relented.
We take up his story when he is on the aircraft on the runway at Heathrow. He began having doubts about flying out to meet Toy, who had a teenage daughter from her first husband. Was that too much baggage to take on?
Will Derek integrate into Thai Culture?
Later, he seemed happy to have made the choice to visit. But, talking to other expats and thinking more closely at what Toy was saying and doing, brought some doubts to his mind. One day he was convincing himself that he could make a new life here; the next day he thought he had made a big mistake.
Was he going to fit into an entirely different culture from that he was used to? Was his Escape to Thailand going to be a big mistake?
Does Derek Understand Thai Culture?
Here is a short piece I wrote on The Thai Smile.
Derek’s Divorce.
Following a bitter divorce and a forced early retirement from his job, Derek struggles with making the final decision to leave England for good and settle for the rest of his life in Thailand. We begin to understand the turmoil going on in his head when he realises what he is leaving behind in the land of his birth. We see from his questioning that he is still unsure whether he is doing the right thing or not.
The Doubts Continue.
One moment he is confident and contented; another, full of doubt and fear. He explains how he felt about some of the cultural differences that awaited him and how he coped with them. He compares them with the very different experiences that some of his expat friends encountered. Culture shock is not the same for everyone.
You see him getting to grips with his new life. However, is he really settled here? Are there going to be some unpleasant surprises in store for him? Who is wearing the trousers? Derek or his wife Toy? Was he seeing only the acceptable parts of Thai life? Certainly, there are travel bloggers on the internet who turn a blind eye to the unacceptable side of Thailand.
Escape to Thailand is biographical and not judgmental or critical of anyone. It looks at how a relationship between a farang and a Thai is not the same as that which would exist between two Thais.
To understand Thailand and to integrate better with the Thai people and their culture, it’s important to observe and listen rather than doing all the talking oneself. After all, God gave us two eyes and two ears but only ONE mouth. Reading Escape to Thailand is a way that the reader can be those two eyes and ears.
A Short History of Thailand