Gary Fong moved to Thailand in September 2022, when he was 65 years old.
He had long wanted to own a large farm since he was in his early 40s, but being a single parent meant he had to wait for his son to become independent.
"There’s really not much to explore on the island, and the freedom of movement is restricted."
But when my kid had wings to fly, that’s when I was ready, too!
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Exploring options
Gary retired in his late 50s and explored relocation possibilities in New Zealand, Fiji, Vietnam and Thailand.
He was in Fiji for close to three years, doing forest and ocean conservation with the American non-profit environmental organisation, Conservation International, which has a dozen offices throughout the world.
"We would buy tree saplings from the farms and use them to reforest land damaged by farming and development. We also planted artificial coral on the ocean bed to create new habitats for marine species to thrive."
But due to climate change and the increasing number of typhoons in the South Pacific, Gary decided to look elsewhere.
"There were land ownership restrictions to foreigners in Vietnam and Laos, so I decided to settle In Thailand."
Foreigners are not allowed to own land in their name, but opening up a Thai Limited company to run a genuine business with a Thai partner would suffice. This is to meet all the tax and local work permits needs, and social security requirements for the employees.
The ranch owner
Gary’s ranch is located in Petchabun, about four hours by car from Bangkok. It is surrounded by pristine mountain ranges and national parks.
It’s an agricultural region and is perfect for growing cabbages, strawberries, tamarind and Arabica coffee. It claims to have the richest soil in Thailand and has a reputation for being able to grow crops that wouldn’t grow elsewhere.
In winter, temperatures can drop to -7°C on the mountains and 10°C on the lowlands.
Plans go awry
The land required infrastructural work, like boring for well water, digging a reservoir, laying electrical cables and poles, sanitation, water filtration, building workers’ quarters and laying a road. These were expensive items when pooled together.
Building the business
Meanwhile, as Gary builds up his stable of horses, he has organised motocross races and a wedding event to raise awareness of his business, 77 Lamune Farm.
"My ultimate goal is to create a party destination for locals and tourists. There will be monthly full moon parties like the one in Kho Phangan. It will be called the Green Moon Festival."
He also has plans to have Thai music festivals, barrel horse racing, trail riding, tattoo showcases, cultural ethnic dress competitions, dance festivals, paragliding, and a bar and club for parties every day.
Gary has plans to make Petchabun alive and bustling.
