newnative

I'll counter your two examples with two of mine. My parents lived to 95 and 101. It makes no sense to question government statistics simply because they don't fit your personal observations. In 1995 Thailand's median population age was 26.6. In 2020 it was 40.1. Thailand is considered an Aging Society by population statistics. By 2031 it's slated to join Japan as a Super-Aged Society. When my partner and I are in Bangkok we ride the subway a lot. I am usually the oldest person among those I observe; most of the Thai riders look to be in their 20s and 30s. By my personal observation, Thailand would appear to still be back in 1995 with the median age 26.6. Obviously, not the case. By the way, do you spend much time in nursing homes, retirement communities, etc.? That's likely where a lot are 'hiding'.

Plenty of newer used planes sitting around. Buy one of them.

Sloppy, especially the lousy security camera setup.

My partner and I routinely do most of 'all that' on BigStar's list. We go to the gym 3 times a week in the morning. The other mornings we enjoy our pool before getting to our day. He still works a freelance job so he attends to that and I assist when I can with the paperwork. We socialize with friends and have his extended Bangkok family visit us when they have time. We're in the process of buying a house being built by a developer so we've been involved quite a bit with that--tweaking the house design to our tastes, selecting tiles, wallpaper, drapes, cabinets, appliances, landscaping, etc. It's been an interesting and, at times, challenging project--and still early days. We spend around 5 or 6 days in Bangkok each month--nice that it's nearby. Like many other Pattaya expats, we like to travel and were in Europe in December and we likely will take several trips this year, now that travel has opened up. We both have our hobbies and interests. I like to swim and read, partner has taken up badminton. We both like the movies, the previously mentioned travel, and discovering new restaurants and interesting shops. There's a wonderful, fun, and interesting large warehouse-type store on the Darkside filled with all sorts of stuff from Japan that you'd probably like if you ventured out a bit. Sometimes when family visits we'll rent a boat and all go snorkeling. As homeowners, there are always things to do with the house, improvements and changes to be made, and so on. You may have noticed no mention of lying on the beach or hanging out in bars--nothing wrong with either but just not our thing. I think there are many Pattaya expats like us, living a nice life here and pursuing the things that interest them. Sorry you've missed running in to many of them.

I'm curious. When you are living somewhere else, what everyday activities are you doing?

Another useless 'order'. Year after year, PM 'orders' agencies to vaguely work together about this problem or that problem. "Step up efforts'--what the hell does that mean and who exactly is it addressed to? Useless. Just blah blah blah. No action, just weak reaction, and little of that.

Wants 80 million tourists but also wants them to magically evenly distribute themselves around the country so places like Pattaya, that were overrun in 2019 when 'only' 40 million tourists were welcomed, will have just the right amount of those 80 million visitors. North Pattaya Road heading to the beach was gridlock around noon today--magical even distribution currently not working.

As always, talk, talk, talk. Just talk, talk, talk. Nothing ever done, done, done.

Yellow Bank with Bangkok Bank a close second.

Don't 'discuss', do something already.

Yes, I agree, foreign quota can be valuable in condo projects popular with expats, in places like Pattaya, with large numbers of expats. As others have pointed out, less so in other places and in projects with lots of foreign quota still available. It remains true what I said; Thais bought 3 of our foreign quota condos, and also a house, because they wanted those particular properties. Good luck to you, too.

I agree--no set rule. I've seen 'G' and then '1' on elevators lots of times.

Yes, with a power of attorney (POA) from the seller.

Not weird. My partner and I have sold 3 foreign quota condos to Thais. 'Why would a Thai buy from a farang'? The same reason anybody else would--they want that particular condo.

I guess it depends where on the Darkside you are at. My partner and I are next to Lake Mabprachan near the motorway and new street lights were recently installed on a stretch of Road 3240 where we are. We noticed today that they were just turned on--so our neck of the woods is getting a little brighter.

Unfortunately, I think I read the parking ban was only temporary while the construction is going on. Pity, it should be permanent.

Asian visitors spend less than Westerners but there are far more of them so they are beneficial to the economy.

I agree it's very expensive--and it goes up a lot every year. At my age--71--I'm reluctant to switch, though, having been with April for about 10 years now..

The extremely low numbers of people getting the LTR should be a big tip-off that the program needs to be changed drastically to attract more applicants. I've looked into the retiree LTR, which I would be interested in if it was made easier and with more flexibility with the requirements. I must say the people I've emailed with questions have been very patient, polite, and prompt in responding; unfortunately, their hands are tied with the strict requirements and limitations.

Sorry your Pattaya experience was not a positive one. That has not been the case for my partner and myself. As I said in my post, Pattaya is now a big city, with a lot of different areas on offer. My partner and I find plenty of good restaurants to eat at--but we range all over the city--including the Darkside, where we now live. I think a number of expats have decamped to the Darkside as beachside Pattaya has become more and more popular with tourists. There's a great seafood restaurant on Sukhumvit near the Mercedes dealer, of all places. Mostly frequented by Thais--who know about it. Restaurants like that all over, but sometimes you need to seek them out. Ditto for plenty of grocery stores: Makro, Big C, Tescos, Foodland, Tops, Villa Market, and several others provide about all we need when it comes to food selection. I think if you can't find something to eat in Pattaya you're in deep kimchi and may need to rethink the Far East experience. Unlike you, the expat friends we have known for years are all still here. I can't think of a single expat we know who has moved to somewhere else. None of the friends we know fit your description. You might think we have been lucky in our friends here but I believe there are plenty of Pattaya expats leading happy lives here, enjoying their retirement years in a nice place to live with pleasant weather year-round. We're just not as visible as those hanging out at the bars at 10am. There's recreation around if you look for it. We like the walking and bike path around Mabprachan Lake. There are parks scattered all around. Pattaya has a half dozen or more beaches to choose from. If one is too noisy for your beach walk, try another one instead. We used to live in Wong Amat and enjoyed the beach there. We don't have a home gym so we have a gym membership at one of the nice resorts and we go to the gym there about 2 or 3 times a week. And, there's nothing like having your own private pool to enjoy year-round. I'm going to venture a guess that Chiang Mai also has massage parlors--I've been to CM about 5 times but didn't take note of them. As a Pattaya resident it's not something I give much thought to here, either. They are certainly a bigger presence in the tourist areas and not so much in other parts of town. Not a big deal, in any case, at least for me. I would agree with you that Pattaya is lacking in culture events, museums, art galleries, etc. That was also the case where my partner and I lived in the US--but a big city with all that was nearby. Same here--Bangkok is just 2 hours away, so it's not far if that's important. I love the movies so I am happy to have several movie theaters in Pattaya showing films in English. So, again, sorry your experience was not optimal and I wish you good luck in CM. Safe travels.

This was already happening in 2019. 61% of the Chinese visitors to Thailand that year, over 6.5 million, were independent travelers.

Lame

We can add this to the programs for reporting motorcycles on foot paths, polluting vehicles, noisy motorcycles, etc.--all totally ineffective and should be handled by the proper government agencies, not the public.

The already mentioned stores plus Chic Republic, Lifestyle furniture at Boonthavorn, and possibly Mega Furniture. If I had to choose just one stop I'd go with Index.

Took my four sisters there when they visited in 2017. It was packed. Went back late last year with my partner to catch a dinner cruise and we were shocked at how it had changed. Just a handful of stores and restaurants still open.