georgegeorgia

Yes but more to do in Bangkok, less traffic,less crime Manila can be expensive,BGC area, expensive shopping malls. Fast food restaurants more expensive, cannot find a lot of street food like Bangkok

I guess they come from the UK ? Your right though,

Having just spent 6 weeks there travelling I find the people not friendly, compared to thai people.., all taxi drivers had scowls on their faces, people pushed on the decripit SkyTrain if you could call it that. Rubbish on streets left

Try Sydney in Australia, Sydney Water charges me $183 per quarter !!!!

Unfortunately I invested in travel stocks just before Covid Flight Centre,Webjet etc ????????

He is non homeowner,BUT I'm not sure of the Australian law in regards to superannuation accounts and drawing from them. On another note my flight Centre shared went down $1 each today !!

The only thing is he must go back for 2 years before claiming !

What's your lifestyle like? So you only go out a few times a month, what do you do the rest of the time?

He will have to go back eventually to Australia to claim the pension,that's the only way I see it. And why not ? If you paid your taxes all your life you deserve the aged pension!!! Even if he curbs his spending , his superannuation of 500k Australian won't be enough! No idea what he done with his money all his life,said he was a bus driver apparently,never owned a house in Australia just rented his working life but I gathered he was a monger all his life, booze ,women in Brazil & Philippines , but who can blame him .he had a good life I guess Managed to save 580k super ,retired at 64 ,now 65 he has 520k AUD left to last him another 15-20 years But 140,000 b a year on insurance ????

Well he had the super account on his phone ,yes showed anyone that would listen He doesn't want to go back to Australia for 2 years to qualify the pension, unfortunately Australia has a law that you must reside in Australia 2 years before claiming for the old age pension at 67yo so just wants to live off his 500k Australian money, and not go back ,whether he can is anyone's guess but I gathered he was lonely so continually hired the same girls from the go Go bars He is 65yo,he retired with 580k AUD in January 2021 when he was 64yo, No house in Australia or assets, He has 520k left , I saw the balance , actually 516k Australian to be exact,scared it won't last he kept saying. He was thinking of seeing a financial advisor He spent 60k (Australian money) last year i because he as he said was entertaining 3-4 girls per night in his room! Along with barfining taking girls to overseas countries such as Phillipines & Cambodia Interesting he said he has to budget 140,000 baht a year for health insurance Can he live in Pattaya the next 25 years without going for the old age pension, probably not I guess he is lonely .

Met a Aussie guy yesterday in a Pattaya bar, wouldn't stop talking but he was interesting. He was 65yo newly retired to Pattaya showed me his Superannuation balance 520k AUD , he was continually worried this won't last him until his death , apparently spend 60k AUD last year in Pattaya alone !!

As this is now a Asia wide forum ,Im surprised expats living in the Philippines & vietn, Cambodia etc haven't communicated

I was just in a bar tonight in Pattaya and being Aussie I only remember the troubles they had in Northern Ireland when I was growing up. I remember my dad often spoke about it and my grandfather was Irish , but I never took a interest in it Tonight I met a young lad from northern Ireland who told me there had been fights among the "old" people on July 12th apparently and he & his generation don't want to be involved with carrying on fighting with other over something that happened years ago ,he was laughing as he was recalling some old men in their 80's brawling each other in the street ,silly old fools I can only imagine the old guys in the bowler hats dressed like 100 years ago hitting the other old guys with walking sticks on each other because of something that happened hundreds of years ago, ridiculous! But once again my generation and older fools , lollipops want to continue this on ,this hatred I'm sure this next generation will have more commensense& respect than us old fools and our fathers who were even worse in hatred I'm glad places like northern Ireland are becoming more diverse & accepting and this will only happen as us old fools die off Im not gay not do I know any gay people,but I think it's fantastic that places like Belfast in N Ireland are promoting the gay pride marches instead of these hatred marches and promoting diversity. I think it's fanythese young people from northern Ireland are marching in happiness at being gay together kissing each other and they are getting thousands there , fantastic I say and good on them ! Us old fools lollipops are the cause of so much hatred , I'm often glad that many haven't got that long to live in life but want to continue hating others ,why ? And the worse old lollipops are the ones who encourage young people to hate too ! I find the young generation much much more respectful .

Oh but lollipop Lou knew more people than me in his 20 years of being here,he even has the police captain of some area ring him for advice in matters !

Started off this morning went into small medical doctors centre in jomtien. On entering I noticed a old guy around 80 (Lou) from the UK accent talking loudly with a lollipop .Also sitting nearby was a European middle-aged guy who was listening to attentvelly to Lou the lollipop man. And sitting on the other couch ignoring Lou was a older farang and I presume his boyfriend. Well I sat there waiting my turn,and I'm sure you all have bumped into a " Lou the lollipop' So Lou started telling the other guy and me, actually anyone that would listen about how he has lived in Jomtien 20 years ! 20 years & he knows everything about Thailand! And in fact people come to him to get answers! Well still sucking on his lollipop ,UK Lou stopped talking just for a brief moment as the gay couple was called into the doctor. As the door closed, old Lou went in his verbal rampage , " Bloody louts ! Bloody louts ! He shouts to all of us looking at the gay couple gone into the room. I had to laugh because how was there a correlation between "louts" & the middle-aged gay couple ?? But old Lou wanted to take charge as the gentleman opposite him obviously dominated by Old Lou nodded his head continuakky in agreement as Old Lou continued his verbal rampage of every minority even Mexicans ! Lou kept talking then glancing at me obviously trying to get me to agree with him," they have changed England you know,I wouldn't go back there now , wouldn't recognise the place ! They are all on welfare ! Now I wasn't sure if Old Lou was talking about the gay people or the immigration? But he was a bald old man with glasses in his 80's sucking on a lollipop! He kept talking & talking glancing in my direction every now and again as I kept looking at my phone. " They were trying to force my great grand kiddies into this gay education! He says ,head bobbing up & down in anger as he sucked on his lollipop. The other patient opposite still shaking his head in agreement at Old Lou He then looked at me, trying to get a reaction . " And where are you from old timer" ? he asks From Australia I said looking old Lou straight in the eyes to see Old Lou had been a dominant bossy old b in his time . " I bet you are getting all the refugees & P...fs (gay people) there too ,starting all this gay education in schools ! For some reason,I don't know why but I just looked at Old Lou and I don't know why and that song came to my head but in different words ! " Old old lollipop..doh...doh ..doh...old old lollipop .... Then old Lou's name was called and he looked at me completely like I was insane,like a blank expression,confused type and I continued to sing ,"old old lollipop, dooo dooo..." How many Old Lou's s are out there ! Racist homophobic,isn't it time to accept people , especially gay people ,so what if someone is different to you ? If your over 60 surely it's time to accept people instead of judgement?

Is that 1800 AUD or USA?

Some personal like yourself may not be too concerned about money especially if you only got a few years left I guess. But I prefer to pay by the kilo not per shirt,but hey each to their own

Everyone of them? I didn't think 45 b per t shirt is cheap Which one did you use? Oh your not here right? Lou concentrate on ya breakfast in cold England! You haven't got a clue what's cheap or not You never used the laundry

I have done it actually, washed my undies in the sink whilst travelling. I guess many CC farangs do this to all/ most of their clothes and hang them in the balcony ?

Anyone know where I can get a lot of laundry done in the jomtien area cheaply

One thing I learnt is never never lend money ! I recall a few years ago knowing a bar owner in Pattaya,who survived on his Aussie pension. I got to know him over the few weeks going to his bar One day he said to me he needed 5k to buy stick urgently as his pension was late ! Well I was the worse person it turned out ! Fancy me asking for it back !!! I gave up asking him

Great points about learning the language! That doesn't matter if your in the Philippines,Cambodia or Myanmar I think learning the basics can be a life survival skill . *Also getting to know your area to survive* How many have great knowledge of your home area? So regardless if you live in Pattaya,Cebu, phomn Penh ,do you know where to get the best food? Best transport,medical etc ? Learn your own area !!!

Well this is where you need to be one step ahead especially if you are getting into a vulnerable position by getting drunk. They no matter how nice will use this against you and try to overcharge you Getting drunk can be good sometimes I guess But there a saying " A publican loves a drunk ,but NOT as his son in law !! Of course you can't blame the bars especially if some annoying drunk has been mauling over girls all night babbling along like a idiot ! Pad the bill I say !!!

Well , reading this thread ,not everyone is "happy" in what makes us happy. I'm surprised some don't need or want bar girls ,even though some live in Pattaya ! Some prefer small rooms ?

What does a single man living in Asia need in "life skills"? Now I have worked out a few things. Minding your own business. Yesterday I'm walking thru the Jomtien complex in Pattaya A black Mercedes Benz has blocked the road and stopped,the Thai driver is out of the car arguing with the Farang on a mb. Both are shouting at each other . I quickly walk past . I have worked out this is not the West where people get involved either with their phone recording or other way Also I was in McDonald's in Pattaya last Saturday night, I observed about 4 young Aussie guys probably 19/20 yo laughing at a arab guy sitting with a ladyboy,and phone recording them, now obviously they are immature so they don't know any better but this is not the West ,that old arab guy could of been violent maybe he knew they were immature so they were lucky so now in Asia I don't look twice at "odd" things , if a farang is walking with a ladyboy with blue hair or whatever it's none of my business ,mind ya own business!! Second survival skill I learnt is never help others if you don't need to in Asia , 2 examples 1/I'm in the Manila Philippines a few weeks ago, a man pushing a food cart is trying to push it up onto the pavement,I stop and offer him help he shouts "Go !!! Get out if here ! Getting aggressive 2/ I'm waiting for a taxi there is a big line up behind me ,I'm first in line in Manila again , a young Asian girl is second in line , a taxi finally pulls up , as it pulls up she drops her suitcase on the pavement, I go to pick it up for her, as I pick it up she opens the back door of the taxi throws her other bag in and without a word grabs the suitcase and hops into the taxi completely ignoring me . I then have to wait for another taxi,the Filipino guy behind me shook his head , Another thing I noticed especiallly in the Philippines is how rude people are ,so nowadays I'm not rude back just neutral, I no longer hold doors open going into shops etc I just let them slam to the person behind me,I worked out in Asia it's survival of the fittest Buses , in the Philippines especially I noticed young people don't care if your 100yo they will run to grab the seat first so I started pushing in to the bus too this is survival otherwise you don't get a seat. *Tipping excessive I noticed no difference in giving 20 b tip or 100 b tip in most cases, they don't remember you . No need to tip excessly ,they in most cases don't treat you any better , if you give 100 b tip to the masseur instead of 30 b do they give you any worse service next time? Nope *Being confident,don't be a pushover* I worked out living in Asia don't be a pushover, when it comes to using the services of anything,they will put it over you if they can , I stayed in a hotel last week,I spilt a little bit of coffee in the pillow case the cleaner tried to intimdate me by demanding rudely 300 b,with a aggressive tone Not this lil black duck !! I went to the manager who knew nothing of it and apologised to me *Getting drunk* Very rarely I get drunk,last week I did I noticed they padded my bill,4 beers 750b I still took my change I forget the religious saying about getting drunk but if you do your a fool. Survival/life skills please ,you learnt or someone coming to Asia needs to know!