simon43

XR150.. sort off! Chinese copy but it works fine.

You forgot the cyclones... 🙂

Yes, there are many radio hams in The Phillipines, so no problem there. I have joined a Facebook group for expats living in The Phillippines and am getting good advice about retiring there.

Luckily for me, ex #3 is absolutely fine 🙂 (She is not the 'mad' ex #2...). We divorced perhaps 10 years ago but stay in regular touch. She is intelligent and hard-working and also rarely visits Ao Nang (the air is too humid for her delicate skin). I am also considering retiring to The Philippines because: - My UK state pension will not be frozen - I can find a rural location with healthy sea air etc - No 'baggage' from ex-wives Whatever I decide to do, I need to visit the location to check out all factors.

Yes indeed! About 18 months ago I rented a nice house in a coconut grove on Koh Phangan. I think I paid 7,000 baht/month with no deposit etc. I only left when I had to return to the UK for hospital tests.

I see that hotel room prices are reasonable right now in Ao Nang. I will see if I can fly down via Bangkok and stay for a week in Ao Nang to 'test' any effect on my lungs and to check how things have changed. Hey, I could stay at this nice-looking little guesthouse on the high street which is currently advertised on trip.com! https://us.trip.com/hotels/krabi-hotel-detail-709741/ao-nang-vip-hotel/ The only problem is that was MY little hotel that I managed with my Thai wife around 2010. It has been closed for at least 14 years.....

I live in Luang Prabang, in north Laos. I like living in Luang Prabang! But I have a problem. I have a lung condition that is exacerbated by the smoke during the burning season. For the past 2 months I have had bronchitis, coughing, litres of phlegm etc etc. It is doing my health no good 😞 and I am spending a fair amount of money on anti-histamine tablets, phlegm thinner tablets and strange brown cough syrup from China (they all help....) I have 2 choices: - Move to a location where the air quality is better. To this end, I have been asking questions in the Krabi forum because my ex has a modern house in Ao Nang which I could rent from her. I lived in Ao Nang many years ago and my lung health was good! or - Try to keep the smoky air out of my house in Luang Prabang, and wear a decent N95 facemask when outside. My house is old and has more holes in the walls than a colander! What would I need to do to achieve clean air in the large, open-plan downstairs area? I guess: - tape up or cover all ventilation grills in the walls - add insulating strips etc to all doors/windows to ensure a good fit when closed - add a suitable filter to the sole air-con unit (I don't use air-von usually, but after closing all air-gaps I assume that I must provide some means for the outside air to actually enter the room via an air filter, or I will suffocate from carbon dioxide poisoning!! - Buy a decent room air purifier. What would you recommend? Stay and try to improve my Lao house or move to a location with clean, sea air all year round? As much as I love living in Laos (and previously in Myanmar), my lung health is telling me that I need to do something about this situation.

Yes, it would mostly be for health reasons. The burning season is almost over here (according to the historical air quality data for the past few years)_. My plan is to try to 'air-proof' my old Lao house so that the air pollutants cannot get in (a very difficult feat when considering the loose windows and doors etc). Then I'll see if it has had a good effect next burning season. If I still get sick, then I'll move down to Ao Nang. (There is a long-term renter in my ex's house who needs 6 months of notice).

I left after a few issues with the local police chief about my ham radio gear. I'm back and living in the same house and it seems he has moved on to annoy other foreigners...

Up here in north Laos, it's very safe to ride a motorcycle because the roads are so bad that it is impossible to drive fast! Young school kids ride the e-bikes and I have never seen an accident (of course, they must happen and probably to the teenage boys who want to show off). I expect to fall off my motorcycle when I go riding in the hills because of the many potholes and bad camber on the muddy roads. The important point is to wear a crash helmet and to ride a bike that is light enough to push back upright after the road has thrown you off!

I don't agree 🙂. Surely he would have woken up when the toad started its blood-curdling screams? No, it must have been a silent predator or parasite..... My bet is on an oversexed Mute Swan.

[quote] The chances of the vaccine causing severe injury, health issues or even death is highly unlikely but still possible. ... [/quote] ... which is exactly the same situation for any vaccine, such as Polio, Measles etc etc, and exactly the same for most medications, even common ones such as Aspirin. The unfortunate fact is that some people have adverse reactions to some medicines, sometimes very serious negative reactions that can cause death - it's a fact of life and not unique to the AZ Covid vaccine.

The air in Ao Nang is very humid (the clouds coming in from the sea can't get over the mountain behind Krabi Town, so drop their rain!). Hot and humid and salty air is good for my health. Anyway, it's something for me to consider before the next burning season.

I would not move to Ao Nang for the tourist sights, with the exception of the beach and sea (I recall vicious dogs on the beach when I lived there before, but there are ways to calm these dogs). This would be my quiet retirement location. I have to be realistic about my life expectancy with this annoying lung condition (I have had bronchitus etc for the past 2 months here in Laos because of the burning season). I enjoy my ham radio hobby (which I can do from Ao Nang because I hold a Thai ham licence for 22 years). I enjoy walking for exercise, I enjoy nature and simple things 🙂

I'm very happy where I am right now 🙂. But I have to be realistic and consider the "what ifs" as I get older. You live with your family. I live alone. I'm happy living alone. If I move to Ao Nang, then I will continue to live alone - my ex doesn't like living in Ao Nang because the air is too humid for her delicate skin. But she still considers me to be her husband and refers to me as that when talking with others. If my health went south, she would be there in an instant to look after me. @KhunLA - there are high tourist numbers here in Luang Prabang. Her house is near the primary school, some 2km back from the town. It's definitely not a tourist location. I typically walk 5km every day (to keep my lungs clear), so no issues about being away from the tourist centre. @Celsius, if I have a cancer scare then I will call upon my private medical insurance again. I have reinsured with a new company since my cancer scare last year. That new insurer specifically stated that prostate cancer (or any cancer) is covered in my policy because my UK trip and tests revealed no sign of any prostate cancer.