Skallywag

6 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

One can never have enough of a good thing.

 

And, CASH is just one of the best examples of this truism.

 

Many good things other than a big bank balance...  90% of things I see and witness from the expats here who have double or more income than myself is they all spend it on themselves....I have very little monthly income but spend about half on the local Thai people's businesses, Thai companions,Thai massage ladies.... other spend it all on their motorbikes, cars, fancy Western foods, meals, and trips to places for the 3rd or 4th time, travelling back home and all sorts of stuff that as a retiree I could care less....been there done that.  All good for those who still have "yearnings" for more and more stuff they want but likely do not need in their life

I have Enough as someone else said here....cannot complain as that is good situation to be in as a retiree and the only attitude I need in the last chapter or so of my life

22 hours ago, Celsius said:

Me, straight up almost 13mb.

 

A pittance to most and a small fortune to some.

 

I am 50, but I mostly fkd around most of my life,

Wow!  I assume no wife and kids in your past or current home owned free and clear?

....  That seems like a lot of baht saved at 50 yo to me....370k USD equivalent 

3 hours ago, anchadian said:

THB800,000 divide by say 44 baht to the pound = 18,180 pounds earning interest in a UK bank at say 7% = GBP1,272 (THB56,000) yearly compared to using an agent say 12,500 baht yearly, gives a saving of approx THB43,500 annually.

Now which one would you choose?

In the USA Bank of America highest interest is 0.45% .  England must be doing a lot better with the post pandemic inflation than the USA.  

6 hours ago, save the frogs said:

being near water soothes my jangles nerves.

Why I live i Pattaya,  Walk next to the beaches, and have an ocean view from my balcony  

On 9/22/2023 at 4:50 AM, georgegeorgia said:

How many of you regret it ,admit it ,yes some if you wished you kept your house 

I kept my house and get 50K baht a month income from renting it....Property taxes, insurance, and maintenance  lowers that amount.  May take a few months to legally evict tenants if I need to move there, but it is possible.  

Always have a plan B and C man ????  Peace and Love . + Plan ahead for retirement

21 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

I couldn't think of anything worse than sitting in a bar in Pattaya and buying girls drinks so they will sit next to me and spend the evening listening to their lies .

Yes, everybody lies, so any conversation can be that way. 

There is an app  called Thaifriendly for females seeking males, they are mostly freelancers not working in bars, and come directly to your condo. Bars I go to play pool and yes buy a lady drink or 2 if I am enjoying some games with a girl there.  

Just like the numerous massage parlors, there are women everywhere, and the little bit of philanthropy I can share with them is more times than not, well worth it. 

For me it is all about helping the Thai people who have to make a living.  

17 hours ago, Furioso said:

I've been here over a year, I see that most farangs are addicts, usually drinkin' and whorin'. I don't judge that's just the way it is here.  

I prefer to call it imbibing and enjoying female companionship.  As a retired expat, cannot think of a better way to spend my time and money than to help out as many hard working Thai entrepreneurs as possible .   

Can anyone tell me a better way to spend time and money?   

Only have 45000 Baht per month pension, so travelling and staying in hotels is beyond my means.  Yes I live in Pattaya

On 9/13/2023 at 7:40 AM, bob smith said:

most of them seem to have severe mental problems,

alcoholism/drug abuse is rampant.

And they all drive cars and motorcycles!  That is what bothers me.  See so many leaving the bars at 4-5 pm after drinking since 1pm or worse at night on Soi Buakhao .  WTF, why not take a baht bus or walk it off a little?  

4 hours ago, 1 said:

Do you care to share your management company's name?

I have lived at a condo with JLL management and now Peak management.

Our problems have been with the "board" or Committee and JP.  and also security.  

Even though Thais only own 51 % our board is 100% Thai as well as the JP. There seems to be more foreigner full time residents actually living here, yet when annual vote comes, we are told there are hundreds of proxy votes from Thai owners living elsewhere.  I asked about this but not possible to have a uniform board as Thais and Thai representatives have larger ownership and always get voted on to the committee as far as we know.  Annual tax audits look fishy as well, a Canadian friend told me there are 100's of thousands of baht seemingly unaccounted for from the common area fees and expenses in the audit .  But again believe the committee chooses the tax auditor.

Security is a subcontractor and never follow the "by-laws" or what is in the annual reports saying their responsibilities are.  They are basically there to call taxis for guests (yes likely 30% + of renters are illegal short time AirBnB)   and open doors for Thais whether they have a key card or not...   

TIT  This is Thailand

I wear a hat outside to protect my exposed head from sunburn.  I wear sunglasses to protect my blue eyes from glare.  I wear a mask at times to protect from smells of car and motorcycle exhaust, children coughing and sneezing, and protection from sun on my nose and face under my hat.  

Lived here all during the pandemic and mandates were not enforced as with so many laws or mandates,  Really a non-issue in Thailand during the pandemic except inside some larger grocery stores where the management required masks, similar to requiring a shirt and shoes while inside a business.  Not a problem for 99% of people IMO

Cannot see how this is an issue in 2023

I do not see what everyone's problem is. I have used Thai post EMS 4 years in a row with no problems. 

I received the SS "proof of life" form by mail, I return the completed form by mail.  

It actually says in the instructions to just mail it back.

3 hours ago, Doctor Tom said:

I have 'been with' a couple of virgins in my time, 3 actually, , and they weren't  near the top as the best experiences. Actually, I'm pretty sure that one of them was brain dead. 

Gotcha.  You are a arrogant braggart and a Necrophiliac  Hahahahaha  Peace brother. 

11 hours ago, mania said:

Seems fair enough to say there is life before birth so why not life after death?

There is assisted life through the umbilical cord to a viable fetus after 27 weeks, but come on. not comparable.  

Death of the brain is permanent , you cannot save it by some type of man made umbilical cord.  

3 hours ago, advancebooking said:

Possibly, you are a very sensitive person in many respects. Perhaps you are from the English upper class or maybe from Oz?

Am from USA as I state under my avatar.  My ancestry is English Irish, but no upper class that I ever heard of.

Yes I have a fairly sensitive nose/sense of smell.  

I think I look cool and mysterious outdoors with my fedora and mask and large dark sunglasses.   People cannot tell who I am or my age. 555 

Also can walk by tourists/youtubers with their gopro camera and am incognito as well! 

Am 66 now, yet 20 years ago when I had long still blondish hair and beard people sometimes mistook me for Richard Branson!   

Here in Pattaya many female personal companions/massage therapists will show up at my condo with masks....I would say more than 50% still wear them.   With a mask and sunglasses and cap, a young Thai lady can literally "save face" when showing up at a large condo lobby, because people cannot see her face!  555

1 hour ago, Confuscious said:

When I go to Pattaya, I see people in a wheelchair or otherwise disabled people, driving around in their motorized wheelchair with a stunning girl on their lap and having fun despite of their disability.
I see lot of grandpa's, some as old as Mathusalem, hanging in some bar with a stunning girl and having lots of fun.

I live in Pattaya and very rarely see this.  Many older 40 +  ladies who are caretaker types I see with older disabled men, yes.  A stunning lady under 40 almost never. 

Hanging in a bar is one thing,  stunning girl on the lap of your wheelchair is something else 5555   

Good for them and as we all know it only takes the right amount of Baht to hire a companion for an hour, a day, or a month.  

6 hours ago, sirineou said:

How many Baht bushes are in Pattaya?

Someone who has been here over 20 years told me over 600 as they are numbered if you look. I have seen Numbers as low as 36 and as high as 620 on the baht busses here.

Way too many and of course no set schedules.  2-4pm likely 8 out of 10 baht buses I see are empty during the day, just driving.  Walking home after 9PM, there are usually 20 or more baht buses parked at end of Beach road by Walking Street entrance just waiting.  Also 20 or more parked on second road in areas, I guess waiting for "business" or sleeping

Scheduling would benefit all drivers IMO.  Either have 3- 8 hour shifts, or 2- 12 hour shifts

Motorcycle taxis I believe are unlimited as I read you only have to show proof of ownership and register with the Department of Land transport.  Yet there is a "gangland" type fee for anyone new who wants to join with others at a favorable spot. 

Sad thing I read in a Bangkok post article (cannot post link here) is Grab and Bolt have welcomed anyone to register and many of the Orange vest guys just do not as they want more money per trip or something.  Yet many of these guys are only making around 600 baht a day or less.. 

https://www.thethailandlife.com/the-business-of-motorbike-taxis-in-thailand

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Anything more recent than 18 years old article? most bikes tested would have been big bikes, but of course no detail given as to split

True, yet I would think the smaller scooters without any pollution control are the most numerous in Pattaya,  I can see their exhaust and smell it while walking.  Cars I rarely see the exhaust, yet am not sure about pollutants as you cannot see or smell CO and CO2

5 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Worse polluters are pickups, lorries and coaches, baht buses not so bad

FYI

"The yearly hydrocarbon emissions of the average two-wheeler in urban traffic measured up to 49 times higher than that of the average car, according to the study, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology".

No pollution controls on motorbikes, while most cars have   https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2005/dec/21/travelandtransport.transportintheuk

Over 21 million motorbikes on the roads in Thailand, they are a huge problem 

https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/twice-as-many-motorcycles-on-thai-roads-as-there-are-cars-348260

20 hours ago, Social Media said:

Woman loses her leg after getting caught in an airport travelator: Passengers' horror as moving walkway at Bangkok airport mangles victim's limb forcing medics to amputate it in order to free her.

 

Full Story

 

Amazing, lose part of a leg and no blood comes out!?  Pants have no blood, escalator no blood, Where is the blood? Another staged photo??? 

As Chris Christie has said ...in 2015 at this time, Trump (45) was at 3%.  Just because 45 is ahead now means nothing.  45 is a 3 time loser and likely 4 or 5 time by next year as the indictments keep coming

Once the debates start, poll numbers will change.  62% of Independents already state they would not vote for loser 45 in the next election if he is the nominee

First actual primary is not for another 7 months or so

Speculating at this time is just that ....speculation.

Biden is OK for now, yet logically he must know in his head and heart, that he cannot continue being an effective POTUS for 4 more years into 2028.   Hope things can change for the Dems, but not seeing any change coming at this point 

On 6/20/2023 at 4:36 PM, Lacessit said:

got me to thinking how many farangs here are dependent on alcohol.

I am not judgmental or virtuous about this, just curious. I have seen a few people die quite badly from their prolonged consumption,

More people are dependent on automobiles and motorcycles in Thailand.  

More fatal vehicular accidents than liver disease annually in Thailand.  20K - 17K

I quit driving many years ago, but 98% of other people I see or talk with say they would never give up driving... And as we see here, many people will give up alcohol. 

Off topic as numbers are for all Thailand, not just foreigners, but the idea of "dependence" got me thinking

Where I got the numbers

https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/thailand-liver-disease

On 6/18/2023 at 3:52 PM, dingdongrb said:

What other choice is there?

 

I have a similar situation. We were married in the USA and never registered the marriage here in Thailand. My understanding is, in order to get a divorce we would need to first register our marriage here in Thailand. My wife will not register our marriage here. 

 

So please tell me how I'm supposed to get a divorce....

Maybe go back to the USA and after a year file for divorce under abandonment?   

Wife would have to stay in Thailand for the year.

Have you talked to a lawyer in the USA? 

Interesting, never heard you have to register marriage in Thailand before a divorce in the USA

On 6/17/2023 at 11:52 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

That should guarantee that you don't end up with any problems, including debts, in the future.

If you have any credit cards together or items bought with payments still outstanding then you are responsible for those debts.

Otherwise as far as I know, you can walk away and are not responsible for your wifes debts while still married in Thailand