MrWorldwide

Not many young guys here(i.e. under age 50). When you live in Thailand it's nothing but old farang guys and their pensions. Imagine what it's like to be in your 20's and living here like I was some time ago. It's quite isolating unless you are in with the English teaching crowd.

If those are my only two choices, I'm moving to Uzbekistan.

SC, he is 68 and she is 66 - they both started work in their teens : to my way of thinking, that is 'their entire lives'. A major part of the problem is that my sister is just a complete worry wort - I'm convinced that she gets off on it - but she also sees people that she grew up with getting sick and wonders what that will do to their savings. It never ends, hence my comment. Retirement should be about something more than stressing about the future, IMO.

Neversure, are you telling me that you handed over thousand-baht notes and got Riel in exchange ? Jesus - it would have been worse than Laos ! Wallet the size of a postman's satchel - happy to hear otherwise.

When the crybabies all go home like bleeting sheep it will make room for those that aren't on the dole. There might even be fewer whingers and whiners on tv.

That's a pile of crap. Most of the retired people who are "on the dole" paid into those funds all of their working lives. Most also have savings and investments.

It doesn't matter how much money one has, it's no fun watching a hard-earned pension or a savings account buy 1/2 of what it would five years ago due to currency exchange and inflation.

No argument from me, but I wonder how self-funded retirees are doing in the UK right now ? Here in Oz,. my sister and her husband have been retired for all of 3 years but she does little other than bleat about rising prices. Worked hard their whole lives to be able to fund their own retirement, and I swear that sometimes you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to that deadbeat from the UK version of Shameless. If that's what retirement looks like, I'll just go straight to a bar on Soi 4 and start pissing it up against a wall.

You misunderstood. All large denomination purchases are made in USD - they give you your change in Riel, but it's just too unwieldy to expect someone to carry a hundred dollars worth of Riel around, much less a thousand (not advisable, but bear with me). Unless things have changed drastically since 2010, the best rate I could get was on the street - down near the river - and even then I felt I was getting slammed by the cross rates.

FWIW, I have used THB at the border crossings, but those seemed to be Thai-owned casino / eateries - the staff were Thai and the announcements were in Thai. Very nice little earners too, based on the Chinese-Thais I watched gambling enthusiastically. Food was cheaper than I thought it would be - probably subsidized by my Chinese-Thai friends.

Any of the recent visitors able to recall what the THB-USD exchange rate was on the street in Cambo ?

I'd be really interested to see the look on a Thai woman's face when her Farang husband announced that he was moving the family to Cambodia. A video of her reaction would be an extremely valuable addition to this thread.

At one stage a few years back, Moscow had the record for the most new millionaires (USD) each year. I believe that China has since stolen that crown, but its debatable whether the Pattaya tour groups are millionaires. Just everyday people who can afford a break from bitterly cold Winters - similar story for tour groups from Northern China and Korea. If I'm going to rant and rave about those folk ruining *my* playground, how would I feel if they were replaced by Brazilians or Botswanans or New Zealanders ?

The Cold War did a lot to drive a wedge between the Russians and the West, and they had no longer torn down the Berlin Wall than we were handed a new boogeyman in the form of China. I dont pretend to be all warm'n'fuzzy with tourists from any part of the world - least of all my own countrymen - but I cant erect a sign at the entrance to Walking Street that says 'Sorry - only native English speakers and Thai women beyond this point !'. Laugh if you will, but there are some here who would like that sign erected in the arrivals hall at Swampy ....

candypants, leave that poor sod alone - sooner or later his mum will realise he is using the computer unsupervised, and that will be the end of his rants.

Excellent posts from phuketrichard above, and I'm guessing he has poured some very cold water on the dreams of those who are over 50 and have no intention of starting a business in Cambodia. The constant search for 'Utopia' is self-defeating - as PR found, as soon as the rest of the Western world 'discovers' Utopia, prices go up. He also mentions something that is magically omitted in the rosier depictions of Cambo - beggars. I found them to be worse in the border towns than in PP, but they are definitely more aggressive than any beggars I've encountered in Thailand.

For a younger guy who could brush all that aside, endure the heat and forge a life for themselves, Cambo may well be the mythical 'Thailand of old', but at 54 I have no desire to live that frontier fantasy. Jam enough new Barang faces into PP and I guarantee that prices will skyrocket - if that sounds like bad news, imagine how much worse it is for the majority of Cambodians.

I must be the only one who takes advantage of Happy Hour, and is prepared to leave when that magical time comes to an end. OK - they caught me in Koh Chang and Hua Hin, but I would have paid anything to dodge the hangovers that followed those evenings. Nothing quite like going out with 10K baht and waking up with a solitary 10-baht coin

Seriously, find a bar with few customers. smile and say 'Happy Hour ?' in your best 'just got off the plane' voice. The absolute worst that will happen is that you will get the 'Cheap Charlie' look - if you cant handle that, perhaps you might be happier paying 140 baht for a Chang.

compared to Chiang Mai (where I stay)

I would be interested in comparisons of

-Internet speed and reliablity

-Traffic safety

-Air quality

I can't imagine wanting to be in PP. Where is the CM or Cambo? SR?

Think of a city that would be the opposite of Chiang Mai, and that city would look a lot like Pnomh Penh. My advice is to get on a plane and find out for yourself. Other than CM's burning season, I'm stuffed if I know why you would swap a mountain retreat with a cool season for a flat. dusty plain with just two seasons - hot and wet. CM may not be the place it was when you moved there, but my guess is that PP will never approach CM as a drawcard for people from all over the world - for some here, that might even be a blessing. Others might be able to fill in the blanks re Siem Reap, but PP is very unlikely to be the place you are seeking. If your only priorities are cheap beer and cheap sex, go for it - for virtually everything else, I think you are better off where you are. Just my two bahts worth, but flights are cheap and nothing beats firsthand experience.

Devalue the THB as it not a reserve currency it will not only make

everyone in Thailand feel richer but stimulate the tourist economy and

XE rates.

i nearly peed in my pants laughing out loud! this beats even the bla-bla about

baby rhino heads mounted in a shop because their horns can't be used commercially.

+1 - his Pattaya thread is 'special' too, but I thought Tommo's claim that everyone should have two year's 'supply' of the local currency if they are serious about living in Thailand was this weekend's classic. 'No worries, Tilac - I'll just rip down to the ATM and take out a couple of million to see us through this rough patch !'. Hilarious.

I hope that wasn't a vintage Omega - newer watches can be replaced, but those vintage Omegas each have their own story.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys - looks like I need to stick with the 'guarded' accommmodation, even if they are just ordinary guys on minimum wage. Such is life.

Thanks Robblok - that sounds a lot like Sydney. Definitely not good in a fire.

PaullyW, I happen to be a huge fan of Wesley Snipes - I picked 3 black men purely to show that it was NOT an issue of color. All 3 were rich men, and that seems to be what matters in the US - end of story. It's sad that you read that and immediately leapt to those conclusions.

Given that I've only ever stayed in apartments which had their own security stationed near the lifts 24/7, I may have an overly rosy view of the threat of being burgled in Thailand. Even when the security guys are snoring at their desk when I stagger back at 3am, it's better than nothing. Interested to hear from anyone who has had first-hand experience of burglary in LOS - the number of Thais who keep dogs that bark loudly at anyone new tells me that it's a different story for those who cant afford human security.

Tks,

MrWW

Post deleted by MrWW.

Right - Thais would flock to the UK because they adore cold, grey days warm beer and blood pudding. Not to mention fat slappers in mini-skirts.

I dont see anyone declaring war on China as being in anyone's interests - can we move on from that little gem ? That is a 'go straight to Soi 4 and drink until you collapse face first onto your bed at the Nana Hotel' scenario for me. Actually a pretty cheap Armageddon fantasy - just chicken-on-a-stick and Beer Leo : the staff at the Nana would lose interest in my room rate when the first mushroom cloud appeared on the horizon.

OxfordWill, I hang out with hookers and assorted desperates from lower Suk, and one of them mentioned that your bar tab is quite substantial - any chance you could pop by Golden Bar on your way to the Cockatoo Club this weekend ?

Of course, Thailand wouldn't be the first country to grapple with the growing pains that go with 'prosperity'. Two puff pieces from the Ipoh Echo (alliteration - cute) contain some interesting quotes, and a rather blatant if laudable agenda. Anyone who has been to KL knows that it is an expensive city, especially if you want to sample the nightlife, but Ipoh has long been considered a cheaper alternative - especially by Malaysian who dont see much point in paying 30RM for a beer or 300RM for female companionship. If people in a relatively 'rich' country like Malaysia are unhappy about rising prices, its not hard to see how well that will go down with rural Thais and those who live hand-to-mouth in Bangkok.

2010:

http://ipohecho.com.my/v2/2010/12/16/spiralling-cost-of-living/

In 2006, when Najib was Deputy Prime Minister, he asked Malaysians to change their lifestyle in order to face the spiralling cost of living. Someone responded, rather sarcastically: “How are we going to change our lifestyle when we have none?” He could not have been more precise

2012:

http://ipohecho.com.my/v2/2012/09/01/the-rising-cost-of-living/

Perak Consumers Association president Abdul Rahman Said Alli when contacted, blamed the high cost of living in Ipoh on the Government’s plans of wanting to turn Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020.

“Why must we be so obsessed with becoming a high-income nation?” he questioned. He claimed that by pushing the country towards high-income, traders also push to have higher income by increasing their prices. He said the problem is more evident during festive seasons when the price of everything skyrockets. “And I am not talking about the controlled price items,” he said. He said the association had been receiving calls from the concerned public daily, over difficulties in making ends meet. “Our advice to them is to try to look for alternatives,” he said, adding that many people are working two jobs nowadays just to ensure there is enough income for the family.

When I get to Thailand, I'm going straight to Tommo's place - he has two year's supply of baht sewn into his mattress, apparently.

Tommo, I expect that at least half of your posts are taking the piss - it's the process of trying to determine which half that seems to really take it out of me.

Dont know about Swizerland, but it would seem that my copy-and-paste skills are failing me, Meant to grab this gem :

About 70% to 90% of the foreign exchange transactions are speculative. In other words, the person or institution that bought or sold the currency has no plan to actually take delivery of the currency in the end; rather, they were solely speculating on the movement of that particular currency. Hedge funds have gained a reputation for aggressive currency speculation since 1996. They control billions of dollars of equity and may borrow billions more, and thus may overwhelm intervention by central banks to support almost any currency, if the economic fundamentals are in the hedge funds' favor.