gk10012001

Oh man, my first trip to Thailand was in 2004. over 40 baht to 1 USD. Bar fines, soapy massages, foot massages, food prices all fine. Hotels say of the Flipper or Eastiny Place class were like 700 baht per night. Prices cost more, baht buys less. The higher quality hotels have raised prices much more. Still, mid range places are not horrible, but not a big bargain, that's for sure.

average price of 21 USD per night? You will get what you pay for. As an example, 600 baht per night hotels in Pattaya are not impressive. Small non air con rooms can be had. In the up country yes there are cities with cheap hotels. But they are not in areas that tourists flock to. So take the survey with a grain of salt

I can think of a few bars that should be turned into beach spots

Well Thailand has a hundred years of trying to control the people.... If a court does not over rule a military coup, then what else can be done? The civilian police force is not independent and is subordinate to the military.

Somewhat related, Medicare supposedly will reimburse overseas Emergency medical issues/services. I don't mean just some advantage plans. I just started Medicare this year. Still living in the USA. I got the AARP Medicare advantage plan for basic drug and dental coverage and it cost 0.0. As you probably know, Medicare B premiums are based on income, MAGI income to be precise. My future retired USA location in the future is not clear yet. Interesting to hear the discussions mention 6 months of a year in country USA for the Advantage plans to work. Planning on fully punching out and hanging up my engineering shingle this November. Just in time for a fun High Season in Thailand

Sorry but looking into the details it seems like a possible money grab. 50,000 baht application fee to start with. Various Thai health insurance requirements. For High-income Foreign Retirees: Must present a health insurance policy covering medical expenses in Thailand no less than USD 50,000. The remaining coverage period shall not be less than 10 months on the date of the application, OR provide evidence of savings of at least USD 100,000 held in a Thai or overseas bank account for no less than 12 months before the date of application. High earners must have proof of personal income of at least USD 80,000 annually at the time of application In case of having personal income only between USD 40,000 to USD 80,000/ year, the applicant must invest at least USD 250,000 in Thai government bonds, foreign direct invest or Thai property https://www.thaiembassy.com/thailand-visa/thailand-long-term-resident-ltr-visa

If somebody met the listed requirements, it seems like the Thai Elite Visa would be a decent option also, and with few if any strings attached. The eliminating the annoying and silly 90 day reporting would be nice, but the Elite folks in general will handle that as long as you are in a few cities and locales in Thailand. And at the moment the Elite visas don't have any health insurance requirements. Just some details to consider

1. So the US embassy or Thai officials or some contracted company can't or won't check or verify a US citizen's income verification for the old income affidavit of only 2,000 USD a month but they are going to peek and poke for 1,000,000 USD in USA assets? 2. 18 months process? 3. ● Wealthy Pensioner (LTR-P): Retirees aged 50 years and older who have. an annual pension or stable income How large a pension is needed? would USA social security of $40,000 a year satisfy that?

All throughout Pattaya, the little Doner sandwich carts are fantastic. As are the little Burger stands. But I hope they don't shut out too many small Mom and Pop eateries. It is good to sit down. But I have seen Pattaya landlords or companies asking crazy high rent amounts and many small shops just can't afford that. Sad to see

what's the difference? Does one's belief make something true or not? Can one do anything about it? If it gives somebody piece of mind to believe in something, be it God, Jesus, a flat Earth, the Earth sits on the back of a giant tortoise, or whatever, then so be it. It is all man made thoughts with no proof except some correlations that to quote the statistical people, does not prove causation.

The problem is "card" rulings are often subjective and vary massively between different officials, honest or corrupt. Who will govern the system? How are disputes handled? Is there any oversight, review process, arbitration, appeal, etc? oh wait, this is Thailand.

As for health insurance, if something relatively minor happens, go to a local private clinic instead of any hospital emergency room. Prices are cheap, service is good. In Florida, that is the way to go. Cali is similar.

I never said it was always true. I think it is rare. But again, the point is, depending on the hospital, and the bill size involved, they may not let you go until you pay. Getting a reimbursement can be troublesome.

Yep. I always only expected my health insurance to cover large huge, potentially financially devastating costs. I always carried high 10,000 USD deductible here in the USA as I had no chronic conditions, had plenty of income, etc. I was not concerned about some minor surgery that might have popped up. That approach served me well for my entire life and I am now 66 and on Medicare. One does not have a lot of options with Medicare. One does have choices with the supplemental coverage you need for drugs and dental and other things. As for all the various Thai insurances out there. Man, as one ages the choices and prices are getting very thin. That is one of the reasons I am considering shelling out the 1 Million baht for the 20 year Elite Visa. I think it is unlikely that will ever require any insurance, much of which one can't get as an elder foreigner in Thailand anyway. I will always have my USA medicare and would return home if needed/ Medicare does cover emergency situations while abroad, but at a reimbursable level

The fountains of Paradise by Arthur C Clark. Great Sci Fi that has some real world possibilities in the future.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. T Harv. Eker. A really fun book that gives great examples and talks about financial blueprint, mindset etc. Small paperback. Highly recommended.

Well, having made 15 trips there from the USA since 2004, what started as just a travel curiosity quickly became a more enlightened thing. Love the beautiful ladies. Love the general cost and availability of almost everything. So much international food available as one wanders around a city such as Pattaya. Love the Buddhist temples. Love Buddhism basics in general. Love the beaches when you get to a clean one. Foot massages an almost daily event. Such a great get away from hustle and bustle of my engineering jobs. Love tropical plants. Nightlife never was my big thing and still is not as I am not a drinker much at all. But I enjoy a lookie see now and then. Thai ladies in general are just trying to have fun and make the best of their often limited opportunities. I like the mass transportation options. I love baht buses in Pattaya. What a great way to get around if one is not carrying much and is not in a hurry. I love watching and seeing things without having to concentrate on driving. Looking forward to some extended visits now as I coast into semi retirement.

hehe. Welcome to the LOS. Ever try arguing with a Thai lady? good luck with that.

Most over looked activity is mild weight training. Flexibility and some aerobic exercise is good, but strength is better. Not powerlifting. Just mild weight training. It helps maintain bone strength and mass. It can really help prevent injuries from falls. Circulation benefits. After that of course is diet. More veggies and tofu and less nitrates and bacon the better.

That person and one or two others were pretty unique. I think one of them had internal testes. I.e. his testicles had not dropped. A biological anomaly for sure. But how much should one person be allowed to affect so many others even if that person did nothing wrong on his/her own?

The problem with the transgenders competing is, even if they have surgery, hormone reductions or whatever they usually still have the innate physical size difference. Look at the Male swimmer who competed as a transgender against women in the USA. Yes he/she passed all the current drug tests, testosterone limit checks, etc, he/she was still physically much taller, bigger hands, bigger feet, larger muscle groups, etc. Granting these permissions and lawsuits based on discrimination makes no sense to me. Discrimination is not necessarily a bad word. Discriminate, the root word just means there are differences. No rights are implied or taken away

I agree. And if one actually reads all the fine print, you will very rarely find a company that will direct pay the hospital. Most, when it even happens may reimburse you. And that is quite a long time after you submitted the claim. That won't help your hospital bill and they may still not let your out of the hospital.

After doing my own taxes for 49 years, and never had any issues. Last year I used a local CPA tax agency and they made mistakes that cost me first 862 USD for their services, which was actually well worth it as I had 3 state income taxes to deal with. But the Feds did not like what they did and sent me a bill with no explanations and I had to pay the IRS another 592. I have an IRS account and all it seemed to say was something about advance child care credit? I have never been married, no kids, never touched any thing to do with that, etc. This year, I only have one state I worked in, but for grins I tried the deluxe downloadable Turbo Tax. That really was pretty easy to use. I had Obamacare for a few months, some slot machine w2Gs, some stocks, dividends, an excess ROTH IRA contribution. Nothing complicated and I had already roughed out the Federal taxes. Turbo Tax came up with the exact same amounts as I had. The nice thing was it then spit out the one Tate income taxes at the push of a button. Well worth the 105 bucks. In your case I would suggest you pay turbo tax a little bit more and get access to their real live person tax expert, or even let them take a shot at doing your taxes. Not a bad thing to try pricewise.

Looking for comments on buying the 20 year Elite Visa. I am looking at the long term convenience of it as I coast into my retirement here in the USA and plan many trips and many long stays in Thailand. I am well aware of all the Elite options and costs and other retirement visa options. My big question is are there any expiration issues I need to be aware of? If I don't go to Thailand for a year or more, does the Membership or Visa expire?

I have read some other articles about similar incidents, one of which had insurance but claim was being held up, denied, investigated etc. If one is found DUI the insurance company may not pay up. Not wearing a helmet, may not pay up. I question the veracity of any temporary insurance. Man companies advertise a lot, take money, but actually getting a claim paid or paid promptly is a big issue.