rickudon

I have only had my credit card cloned once, and that was in the UK 25 years ago when i bought a new car from a showroom! In Thailand, i only use my credit card to get cash from the bank or in Lotus or BigC, rarely anywhere else. Maybe online to buy flights (to get CC protection). I also keep a spare card in case the main one is compromised, because my UK bank will not send overseas, and last time i had it forwarded, never arrived (needed new card because old one expired).

And pregnant 2 months after i moved permanently to Thailand! No messing about there.

Wife has worked all the time i have known her, apart from about 3 years around the time our daughter was born; once she went to nursery, wife opened a shop, because she wanted too. Also has her mother and father to look after (especially the last year, both in their 80's), also house to look after and other domestic duties. What she does with her money is her concern, as long as the monthly housekeeping I give her isn't used up.

Me two her none. She was never married before, was 40 when she had our daughter., I was 59.

My wife was managing a restaurant/fishing pond when i first met her. What attracted her to me? 1. I came alone, no bar girl in tow. 2. I didn't smoke, only drank one beer. 3. Called her sister to come and talk to me, because i knew her sister's husband's friend (so probably a good guy). 4. Because her sister was happily married to a farang. 5. when I next went back (9 months later), SHE invited me out. 6. I suspect the pension and the thought of a fairer skinned, longer nosed kid also were in her calculations!

The photo doesn't show any evidence of law breaking. Looks like a peaceful protest not blocking much. Although i sympathise with what they are trying to achieve, law breaking, criminal damage and seriously inconveniencing other people is counter productive. The sentences do seem a bit harsh, if the authorities just want to make a point a one year sentence is sufficient. The M25 protests were OTT. Wave placards and hang posters from a motorway bridge would be quite sufficient.

The USA will probably become a Theocracy before Islam is the dominant religion in the UK. All those creationist nutters.

My ATM is greased with treacle. Works very slowly, only produces money on the third attempt, and often less than hoped for....

Jenny Agutter in Walkabout

Barramundi are native to the Thai coastal waters, so not an introduced foreign fish that will run amok. Probably the local populations have been near exterminated by overfishing/pollution. They are farmed in Thailand, hence easy to get the fish to stock the rivers/canals. Biggest problem will be the locals catching and eating them.... The Blackchin Tilapia is able to survive in polluted water and breeds very successfully, displacing other fish and aquatic fauna. As an introduced fish its natural predators/parasites are not present, giving it another advantage. They could be eaten, but do not grow very big (most under 15 cm). Probably could also use giant snakeheads to cull the tilapia, but hard to get 90,000 of them!

Before moving to Thailand, worked out my budget as 30,000 a month, which was slightly less than my pension income. Had savings. Unfortunately, exchange rate plummeted, wife got pregnant and wife's family business failed. What with unplanned events (repairs etc.) found i was spending 40,000 a month, more than pension. And then some major expenditures on the Thai house; could have done a Heath Robinson repair, but if it needs to be done, better to improve on what was already there. Scraped through to my state pension, and then was able to save (well not really, just save up to do those things you want, but couldn't previously afford). Good thing is 10 years later still only spend 40,000 baht a month, not including 'projects' about twice a year. Pension now 50% above the routine monthly expenditure. Main costs: Utility bills, 10,000 baht a month (big house, 5 people) Petrol, 2,000 baht a month (mainly school runs, shopping) Food 15,000 a month Annual things: School fees/other school costs 45,000 baht a year car insurance /service/ tax 12,000 baht a year Health - PAYG - 30,000 baht a year Annual trip to see children in UK - 50,000 baht (not part of monthly). How anyone would want to live on 15,000 baht a month lifestyle i do not know, especially with a family, it must be very boring. I know Thais do it, but they have to do without many things we take for granted.

Yes, Hampshire. but not even a posh area. In London, that buys you a room in a shared house/flat - if you are lucky.

On.a 1500 GBP total pension income, life in the UK would be tough. Rent, council tax, home insurance and monthly bills (electric, gas, water, internet etc.) Would easily use all that up, let alone running.a car and buying food. Would be living in some substandard accomodatiom, afraid to heat it because of the bills, and living on beans on toast. Is that life? In Thailand, save enough to enhance property every 2 years, have 2 ponds for fishing and land to grow food if i want. Only downsides are too hot most of the time and potential healthcare issues. Oh, and a wife 20 years younger!

And no one would read tbe Daily Telegraph, Express or Mail unless they were Tory sheeple.

I was trying to plug a light extension lead into a a plug on an extension lead and it was hard to push in. I grabbed hold of the extension plug hard and got an electric shock from a screw holding it together, Numbed my whole forearm. All because the shop i went to didn't have the extension plug i wanted. At our house we have about 5 manufactured extension leads with multiple plug points where at least one plug socket has melted and another that no longer works! Always now very careful to only turn on AFTER connecting everything up. In the UK, only ever had this happen once in 50 years.

As said, get your visa before you come, or in Laos, and then extend later an on subsequent years in Thailand. Yes, i had a hassle trying to open a new account in Thailand, had one already but wanted a better account - took me 5 attempts and one and half hours to do the paperwork when they did agree (they also throw hurdles in your path). Keep trying. If you want/need to do the 400,000/800,000 in a Thai bank, rather than on monthly income, and you do not have enough cash - borrow it in the UK, repay over 7 years, not that expensive - that is what i did when they stopped accepting Embassy income letters for extensions. Finally, if you are going to be living in Thailand, make sure you have enough money..... are you going to work (if you do not have a job lined up, do not count on it)? Do you have enough pension? You said you do not have much cash. What with exchange rate calculations and contingencies, you need 50% more than you calculate you need. Otherwise you WILL end up broke.

As quite a few have said - housing is the big cost in our home countries. In the UK, renting a one bedroom flat anywhere in the south will cost you near 1,000 GBP a month (or more). But ... you also have Council Tax, house insurance, TV licence, Internet as well as Utility bills. So actual 'housing' costs are actually around 1250 GBP and up. This would represent around about 80% of my pension. Running a car also expensive - 50-100 GBP a month on top. Other transport costs also high. I suppose if i was still in the UK i could still afford Tesco value baked beans on toast 3 times a day, but that would be it. In Thailand my living costs are about one third of the UK. Negatives - yes foreign food is more expensive, but you can find substitutes - if you keep looking can find many items at similar costs to UK - Jam - i make my own, frozen strawberries and sugar are cheap, i make 4 jars for about the same price as one jar of imported stuff and tastes better too. Wife makes good burgers patties, just hard to find good buns. Even found Muesli at 150 baht a kilo. The big negatives are the heat and humidity, somewhat counterbalancing the cold in the UK; and the big elephant in the room, Healthcare. Is Thailand perfect - far from it, but where is. And the 20 year younger wife a bonus too.

She had a daughter. Next trip back 9 months later a Yank had already snapped her up and she had gone to the USA.

Right, first are you after lure fishing or just bait fishing, or not fishing at all? You stock about one fish (fingerling) per square metre, so about 2,000 fish max. Put to many in and they will be stunted, even if you feed a lot. If lure fishing, then snakeheads are OK. Giant snakeheads - maybe not, they will eat pretty large tilapia, for instance. Could put in some barramundi (sea perch in Thailand); They will not breed but could be fun. Red tailed catfish also predatory. Need to stock some fodder fish for them to eat; maybe Plaa tapien (java Barb), or tilapia. If bait fishing lots of options. All the following fish not really predators, although maybe eat some small fish. Mekong catfish, Striped catfish, various carps (Catla, Rohu, common carp, mud carp). Pacu (plaa Jeramid) are very pretty when young, but do have sharp teeth, related to Piranhas, but omnivores, they like Jackfruit, but will eat anything. Giant Gourami (plaa rat). Tilapia. Walking catfish also omnivores, but as said, will Walk! If just for show, no fishing, then yes Koi carp. Taptim, the yellow tilapia, will also look good, and cheaper.... Depending on if there are other water bodies close by, you may get wild fish getting into your pond - particularly small gouramis, climbing perch (plaa mor) and of course snakeheads Lots of other species, but some hard to get. If you look on the internet there are quite a few sites (e.g. famous fishing lakes) which will provide pictures and brief descriptions

Prefer Emirates from London, quieter (A380) and better drinks selection. But depends on price and total Travel time. I like to have an intermediate stop as good to have a decent walk rather than sit for over 10 hours. Have also used Etihad and KLM when price was right, plus a few others - worst airlines were Jet airways (now defunct i think) and Kuwait airways. A few are much cheaper but involve a 20 hour plus total travel time with a long airport layover.

In our village, there are at least 6 village grocery stores and a similar number of street food stalls. Also 5 mini-laundrettes. I doubt that any of these traders ever make 1,000 baht profit a day - certainly they cannot afford to employ staff. Practically every restaurant in the wider area has expired after 2-3 years. There just isn't enough money around to support all these restaurants.

In our village, there are at least 6 village grocery stores and a similar number of street food stalls. Also 5 mini-laundrettes. I doubt that any of these traders ever make 1,000 baht profit a day - certainly they cannot afford to employ staff. Practically every restaurant in the wider area has expired after 2-3 years. There just isn't enough money around to support all these restaurants.

After a long flight, you just want to get out of the airport. Also, you do not pass by any duty free shop on your route from plane to immigration, then baggage reclaim and customs, at least i have never seen one. The delay at immigration usually means your baggage gets to the carousel same time you do. As for departure duty free, prices usually higher than UK supermarket - also they never seem to have the brands i like. 16 years and have never bought anything.

Got off the plane at Swampy, first time in Thailand, took the sleeper train to Udon Thani, and 6 hours later had found a pond and was fishing for plaa sawai. Also a public park which was better than most in the UK. Other farang were friedly back then (70 baht to the pound helped). Within 4 days the hotel owner had tried to set me up with one of her waitresses (a real beauty). I knew then i was looked upon as a local, albeit still a farang.

Not worried here. Too old now. Had NSU in UK twice, nothing in Thailand.