Maejoe

So much depends on exactly what you want from your retirement "dream life".
If your worried about loneliness then it's all about if you're a social type of person. You could have quite a busy life playing golf, attending parties and barbecues various functions and friends houses, IF you have an outgoing personality and make friends easily.
If the prime reason for considering Thailand for retirement is just a "girlie bar scene", then I'm sure you'll soon get bored and tired of that. Many Babes come with some serious attitude problems these days and aren't always cheap.
My advice, come for 6 months and spend the time travelling around country and exploring some of the cities. For example Chang Mai in my opinion is a much more friendly expat community than say Pattaya or Phuket, although the "babes" are perhaps not of the same quality.
Perhaps I should also add that I am aware of quite a few expats have thrown the towel in over the last couple of years and moved on to Cambodia or Vietnam, perhaps not because they're bored with Thailand, but it's just become too expensive for them to live the lifestyle that they desire.

The big question is WHY ?
Much less trouble just to flush your money down the toilet.

Currently massive oversupply of units and they're still building thousands more.
Very easy to buy, but almost impossible to sell at anything like its true value.

TG 916 still flying BKK - LHR  3 times per week, mostly cargo only flights,

However, passenger bookings will be accepted from 1 June

Just leave them alone.

They probally a fresh swarm as someone has already suggested, currently just hanging around an waiting for their Scouts

to come back and lead them all to a suitable well protected site.

That said I had swarm move into my front porch over a year ago now - an being an experienced beekeeper I had similar thoughts. But I guess I a didn't allow forThai stubbornness - they are still there now ! and have built many combs from the ceiling in which to store their honey.

it does meanthat we have to use the back door rather than the front door, but so what.

I will get round to building them a proper hive soon and rehouse them !

I agree entirely, the only issue she will have is persuading immigration officials at Manila airport that she is just coming to Thailand for a holiday,

they always jump to conclusions that any single girl leaving the country is an undocumented would be " overseas foreign worker" trying to leave the Philippines without the proper papers for overseas employment.

Strongly suggest that you provide her with an original letter of invitation, detailing her itinerary with a valid Thai address and your original signature.

that normally works, but just recently Philippine immigration have tightened their so-called inspections.

good luck !!

You could always get a Tokay ( they dine on geckos) then you would complain that the Tokay's keep you awake at night !

also immigration - keeping your Visa up-to-date is a lot simpler in the Philippines.

Depending what type of Visa you are on, you don't need to leave the country for at least 2 years.

Those on a tourist Visa do have 2 extended every couple of months, but personal appearance is not required after the initial extension.

Anyhow, immigration offices are all over the provinces, no appointment needed, normally no queue , and everything can be done and dusted within 10 minutes of arriving at the office for a fee of approximately P1,800 .

Those on retirement visas have it even easier.

I Have spent a lot of time on the island Palawan - in my view definitely quite considerably cheaper for most folks than Thailand.

But of course depend so much on your style of living..

You can certainly rent a good 2 bed bungalow in Puerto Princesa for around Peso 7500 per month, that might not me right in the city centre but certainly within easy travelling distance.

Basic food costs are certainly cheaper, i.e. kilo of pork or chicken in the market,

Eating out, if you avoid ubiquitous American fast food style joints, is around the same cost as say Chaingmai, but I certainly prefer Thai food over the local Filipino dishes.

Beer is very much cheaper.

For me, one major advantage is that firstly everyone speaks good English, our friendly and helpful.

Filipino girls are definitely not so mercenary in attitude as Thai girls, and certainly don't expect to move in with a pension for life just because you've had a good time together for a couple weeks.

Weatherwise, Palawan is well south of the typhoon belt, but you can get thundershowers almost any evening, and December can be quite wet.

Plenty of cheap flights from Bangkok to Manila - take a couple months out, fly to Manila and on down to Puerto Princessa and see for yourself,

take a ride up to Port Barton and spend a few days on the idyllic uncrowded beaches and your fall in love with the place.

I don't think the current wave of Visa enforcement has much bearing on it. Certainly some "permanent residents" are leaving, but for other reasons.
Many people are starting to feel the economic pinch - maybe especially those that retired early. The real cost of living for expats keeps creeping up, and some of those living on pensions are really feeling the pinch.
A couple of my friends from neighbouring villages have gone, one couple have returned to the UK in order to benefit from Social Security support, another couple have gone to an island in the Philippines to live what they believe will be a cheaper lifestyle.
Those of us that are real long timers will easily remember when the exchange rate was B80+ to the pound - and there was no way you could actually spend your monthly income ! And now ............