seasia

I am not surprised that Thailand is waning in popularity for Europeans., Plenty of nice holiday spots in Europe itself, which contains some of the most popular tourist destination countries in the world.

France normally ranked no.1 followed by Spain at no. 2, Italy no. 5, UK in the Top ten somewhere.

Spain in particular a far more destination for Brits.

Shorter cheaper flights, many other costs either similar or lower.

23 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

I will be avoiding all establishments that cater for mainland Chinese tourists. Easy for me as I hate Chinese food, never ride baht buses, don't do shopping malls, Walking Street, Bali Hai pier, never been inside King Power or the gem store on Pattaya Nua. I think that about covers it for me.

Very similar to me, with 1 exception.

I do not eat Chinese food, do not like it.Do not like shopping malls either although used to visit Central Marina on 2nd Road in the past. T21 I avoid.

Walking Street and Bali Hai, not been to either in years.

I do use baht buses though as I do not drive.

Probably cut down on them, most everything I could need is near walking distance to me fortunately.

Still go in 7/11s, a lot of Chinese in the one nearest to me at times though.

11 hours ago, possum1931 said:

In my case about 7 in the morning.

That should be fine, unless something has very recently changed, which I doubt.

59 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/01/27/significant-water-outage-scheduled-this-week-for-27-hours-for-most-of-pattaya-city/

 

You are welcome

Thanks for the info, was totally unaware.

I live in naklua so unsure if will be affected although it does state North Pattaya road will be and I am fairly close to that.

I will store a little to get by just in case.

Cheers

48 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

For the past couple of days the air in Pattaya is the worst I have ever experienced, and when I see a tour bus belching black smoke I wonder how they are not taken off the road and forced to do an engine rebuild ????

Yes same for me here. It has been bad for some time but seems to be getting worse

On 1/8/2020 at 7:08 PM, sirineou said:

I don't meant to be argumentative just a small point, 

I think the above might be a bit exaggerated, I have being coming to Thailand for over  13 years and for the most part fot the past 10 years, except for a short time between 2015 and 2016 where it hit 36   bht it has being bouncing between 33 bht and 29 bht those are 10% at their extremes. The most extreme move from its highest of 34.6 sept 14 2014 to the lowest is about 15% . 

Is my math correct or am I missing something?

PS: July 4 2005 for a brief time it hit 41 bht in case you are using that as your standard. 

Hi 

I am fairly sure the poster Ron Jeremy is referring to CAD/THB rate rather than USD/THB .

He did mention $ Canuck in his post.

Therefore a different FX rate, CAD/THB appears to be around 23 baht to  his stated currency currently.

Maybe that the reason for slight confusion ?

Hi

Link to the international living article from which the list was sourced.

Has a short report on the 10 countries mentioned.

Brief extract from the Ecuador correspondent

"For me, the number one thing about Ecuador is that it offers so many different types of places to live; you can have warm weather year-round on the coast, a more temperate climate in the Andes, small village life, big-city conveniences, and everything in between.

Quite simply, some of the best weather on the planet can be found in Ecuador. The unique combination of its position on the equator, the cooling sea breezes from the Humboldt Current, the Andes mountain range, and the Amazon basin have conspired to create a variety of climates. There are beaches that are warm year-round but rarely muggy (and are too close to the equator to ever have hurricanes or tropical storms), and places in the hills where you do not need a heating or cooling system. Lush, green hills and fertile valleys are the norm in Ecuador........"

Sounds like a very good value country to live in.

Link

https://internationalliving.com/the-best-places-to-retire/?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr-organic&utm_campaign=press-release

On 12/22/2019 at 9:28 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Speaking with my theatre nurse hat on; anyone that chooses to have a general anaesthetic not in a hospital is crazy. GA is dangerous, and it is well advised to be close to an ICU when having one.

Perhaps the OP is confusing sedation with GA. IMO sedation is quite sufficient for a dental procedure.

I had my first wisdom tooth removed with a hammer and chisel by a dentist under local. It's really not that big a deal.

Yes agree with you though my medical knowledge is limited at best.

I was offered GA for a difficult extraction ( in  a very highly regarded hospital in the UK, full ICU facilities available if needed )

No issue, friend drove me there and then back home. In and out in a long day.

I was impressed by the service, they checked I was OK and recovered from the GA before letting me go.

If they had suggested staying in overnight I would have obeyed the expert opinion.

No way would I have a GA in a clinic. Anywhere.

When I read the post here about the Mexican minimum wage to rise by 20 %, my first thought was that could cause inflation to rise.

Some asked by reuters seem to think similar.

However the Mexico minimum wage was raised by 16 % on Jan 1st 2019.

Inflation has actually been fairly stable so perhaps that will not be an issue.

"The Mexican government on Monday agreed to raise the daily minimum wage by 20%, the second consecutive major increase, but experts said a large hike could make it challenging for the central bank to keep core inflation under control.

We continue to gradually recover the value that the minimum salary has lost over time without creating instability, without creating inflation,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. “This is an important increase.”..................

Full    article             https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-wages/mexico-to-hike-daily-minimum-wage-by-20-experts-worry-about-inflation-idUSKBN1YL051

Hi champers

This firm list it, big bus

https://www.easybook.com/en-th/bus/booking/chonburi-to-chanthaburi

There is also a minibus service from Pattaya Tai, described as VIP but it is not really.

Used it once, somewhat slow with many stops on the way.

On 12/8/2019 at 5:51 PM, Jingthing said:

Seems like a good, detailed, and importantly CURRENT guide to Mexican immigration. 

 

https://www.mexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/Mexico-Immigration-Guide-2019-Mexperience.pdf

 

 

Thanks

I read the 1st quarter yesterday and then skimmed through the rest earlier.

On the subject of the visitor s permit, a stand out there it is possible is arrive in Mexico without visa. Then provided being a national of one of  the many "no visa required " countries you get a permit allowing up to a 180 day stay. All sounds easy and hassle free.

In addition to some/many that may be considering relocation I am sure there is probably a near equal number of people looking at doing the "winter snowbird " stay. From say Canada, UK, northern Europe, Scandinavia etc.

So comparing to Thailand where most nationalities will only receive 30 days visa free, you can go to Mexico and get 180 days.

That is a big positive in my mind.

Various other LATAM countries also quite generous compared to Thailand with their visa free stay lengths.

On to their temporary residence scheme, that seems quite fair and not too onerous.

Hi MS

I am fairly certain that Zurich Bread Cafe in naklua have a range,

It is on the left hand side a one minute stroll from the Dolphin Circle/junction.

Prices are high.

Between 6 PM and 9 PM they do a buy 1 get 1 free. if they have any left.

Another 1 or 2 minutes walk from there, also on the left hand side is La Baguette, they may have what you are looking for ( not sure though )

21 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yeah but Jaco has a very small population and I don't think it's near any kind of big city. Sounds like a good place for a holiday but not so practical for long term expats. 

Good point. Confess I never realised just how small.

100kms from the capital. You are right, better for a holiday than long stay.

According to this article it is a 24 hr. town

"Jacó needs a moniker. I propose “The Biggest Little City in Costa Rica.”

Really. Jacó’s population is only around 12,000, but the nonstop activity that radiates from this town belies it’s modest population. Due to its proximity to San José – just over an hour drive on Ruta 27 – city dwellers flood this once-sleepy beach town on weekends and holidays. This ease of access also makes Jacó an easy stop for travelers exploring Costa Rica. The result is a 24/7 city that, with the exception of the capital, doesn’t exist anywhere else in Costa Rica........"

From  https://ticotimes.net/travel/the-biggest-little-city-in-costa-rica

Hi

Costa Rica.

I have never been, it cropped up in conversation with a friend who has been a few times.

It got my interest, so started looking on line.

Came across this blog post which gives thoughts on cost of living.

Not all that keen on the blogger but some interesting info.

https://www.costaricatravel.tips/what-is-the-cost-of-living-in-costa-rica/

Then came across this video on Jaco Costa Rica.

Very well made.

I was almost drooling at the sight of the pizzas ( just over 1 minute in )

Jaco looks lovely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X5H1YG5exw

4 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

so why are you here?

Gradually reducing my time here after 20 yrs. experience.

Have some ties here still.

Back to Europe next year.

4 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

You aren't moving there anyway. This thread is 122 pages of nothing. We had one guy that went to Mexico City and got stressed out by Chardonnay and Greek Salads. The level of alert has gone way up as well, lately.

Easy to attack.

The OP has never stated that he is definitely moving to a LATAM country.

Note the " considering " word used in the title.

The poster who went to Mexico at least provided some useful insight.

If you consider the thread to be 122 pages of nothing why are you even reading ?

I have found it interesting from the start.

Have several friends with experience of the region.

None of them would even think of posting  here in such a toxic environment.

Another for the growing ignore list.