Kruang

Thinking about booking into the Peninsula Bangkok for a few nights has anyone stayed there before

I stayed there 2 years ago. I thought the rooms were extremely nice with wonderful views of the city, and the price was excellent value. The location was surprisingly convenient because of the shuttle boat to the BTS at Saphan Taksin. But the overall experience was disappointing because of the impersonal and sometimes indifferent service. I felt like I was staying at the Hyatt or some other mass market hotel.

I did go back a few months ago to have dinner at their excellent Thai restaurant, and I thought the service had improved. All the staff was very welcoming, even though we weren't guests at the hotel. So maybe management has been addressing some of the shortcomings I noticed during my stay.

These days I would book a really nice room at the Majestic Grande for about half the price of the Peninsula, and be just as happy.

As someone said in an earlier post (I think it was lordofdelusion), hey, I thought I was so unique.

It's both reassuring and depressing to find out how many people there are here in Thailand just like you -- they came for the same reasons and they face the same challenges. It really does make it hard to maintain your identity as a free spirit, forging a new path, ignoring conventional wisdom and following your own dream. Now you realize you're just another branch on some enormous baby boomer decision tree. Some day there'll be a feature story in the NY Times on baby boomers who retired early and left for SE Asia, and your family back in the West will finally realize that you're not a complete lunatic. What a sad day that will be.

Thaiquila, you've got an interesting take on baby boomers. I feel I never really 'worked' in my life, so I don't really think of what I'm doing now as retiring. I guess I did have a couple of 'careers', but I only did what I thought was interesting or fun, and when it stopped being interesting and fun (when the bottom dropped out in Silicon Valley) I walked away at the age of 48. At one time I had way more money than I needed, and now I have way less than I would like. Frankly, it's all the same. But living in southeast Asia is something I wanted to do for a long time. There are many ways to make an interesting life here, and having a lot of money to do it is hardly necessary. Follow your dream.

Sorry about the Yankocentrism. I'm not even American

Thanks, Kruang.

Exactly right and it is a very cool thing for early retirees. It is a little known fact, probably because most baby boomers are not considering EARLY retirement; instead, they are wondering if they can ever afford to retire at all.

There is a myth these days that baby boomers are "different" and won't want to retire like previous generations. I think this is really overblown.

(Maybe they won't die either.)

I am afraid this thread has gotten to be rather Yankocentric.

Oh well.

The Thai neighbor across the street had about three pickups show up at his house this morning, it was group of about 20 people in route to play Song Kran, It started to rain lightly and lasted about an hour and a half.

They were all huddled up under the cover on the front porch staying dry waiting for the rain to stop. To do what, go the worlds biggest water fight

I use to work out at a gym in south Florida in the USA. I noticed that people use to drive around the parking lot trying to find a parking spot close to the entrance. Nobody wanted to walk further than necessary in the Florida heat.

Of course once inside, there they were, running on the treadmill, sweating rivers.

Those wacky Americans never stop amazing me!

Right, Taiquila. By the way, other than a partial payout of a TSP fund, which is a different type of employer plan than an IRA or a 401(k), I'm not aware of a non-penalty clause for payouts before age 59.5, except maybe total disability. The formula you're referring to sounds like the one for people at the opposite end, who fail to withdraw funds in advanced old age.

.......

If you're an American or have funds in an IRA in the US, there is a straightforward way to receive non-penalty distributions from your IRA before the age of 59.5. The program is called SEPP (Substantially Equal Periodic Payments). Basically you set up regular equal distributions from your IRA that you must continue for 5 years or until the age of 59.5 (whichever is longer). Note that you can only do this from IRA accounts, not from 401(k).

I've done this and it was very easy to set up through my brokerage firm. If you have multiple IRA accounts you can set up distributions from one or more accounts, so you can set your income level where you want it (and minimize income taxes).

This is really something that any American taking early retirement should be aware of.

I thought it was quite an interesting post as well. What I found interesting is the way it tried to explain why the truth-telling rule was important to follow -- for example, in creating an environment of trust and dependability in human society. Unlike some religions, Buddhism tends not to appeal to some authority ("god") to explain why moral rules should be followed.

Moral philosophers would say that this sermon provides a "utilitarian" justification for moral rules -- that is, it explains the rules in terms of their effects in the society we share. That's a tremendously important thing to explain to children.

If children understand the utilitiarian principle, we can explain to them why it might not be a good thing to say to Mr. Smith that he has a big nose, even if Mr. Smith asks "Do you think I have a big nose?" (the polite answer: "That nose gives your face a lot of personality"). Utilitarians can explain why telling insignificant lies (or avoiding the truth) is a good thing in some circumstances, while recognizing that overindulgence in the practice could potentially weaken the trust we share, based on the fact that most of the time good people tell the truth about important matters.

Moral rules, like the 5 precepts of Buddhism, are really just a kind of shorthand for morality. Once someone learns why the rules are to be followed, there are inevitably exceptions to them. Or maybe we go so far as to decide, as many Thais have, that there is such a thing, for example, as a moderate and responsible approach to alcohol consumption.

Very nteresting post. However, isn't it true that all 'religions' hold the same precept. "Thou shalt not bear false witness", or variations on the theme.

Also, there is a difference between 'honesty' and lie telling. Our honesty should not be a 'stream of consciousness', if we (all of us) just said everything that came into our heads, as long as it was truthful, the world would be a mad place to live.

For example, we can use children to prove the point. How many of us have been embarresed by their 'truth'. Our next door neighbour visits, he has a very big nose! Our seven year old says "You have such a big nose!". Of course they are not making a value judgement, they are stating the truth. It's afterwards when we say to them 'you shouldn't say to Mr Smith that he has a big nose', and they reply, 'he has!', and 'you tell me to always tell the truth'.

It is then that we try to teach them that not all truths should be stated.

I did like the post - food for thought.

Hello,

I'm retired and living in thailand with a international license and my america license has expired can i drive in america with no problems?

If you hold a valid Thai driver's license (1 or 5 year one) AND you have an International Driving Permit issued by the treaty designated Thai agency you can drive in America as a visitor. If you intend to spend a lot of time there you will also need a license from one of the American states.

Some (perhap many) American states could care less about the International Driving Permit. California is one example. The California DMV recognizes the IDP for what it is when they state "The IDP is only a translation of information contained on a person's foreign driver license and is not required to operate a motor vehicle in California." Good for them.

By the way, if you have an IDP from the US, you'll notice there is no Thai translation. The Thai police who've stopped me for a 'donation' couldn't even tell if my IDP was valid.

I'm sure this rings a lot of bells with everyone who has sweated in front of the computer trying to make the numbers work without the requirement for a premature death

It is indeed a difficult calculation, but perhaps even more complex than you suggest. A few points I've had to wrestle with:

1. When you move to Thailand, the costs of getting set up are considerable (as Thaiquila mentions). Probably a house purchase -- very likely in cash; transportation (likely at least the down payment on a car; then the monthly payments); and in many cases a wedding. I can say that my startup costs in Thailand were in the order of 4 million baht. That takes a real chunk out of the funds currently invested.

2. When you finally expire at 85 you probably don't want the cupboard to be bare. Probably your young wife is still around (what? you didn't marry a girl at least 15 years younger than you?); you may have also have some offspring who deserve a chance at a decent life.

There are probably other things that I'll remember only in the wee hours (in a cold sweat). I have never had to budget as carefully as I have in Thailand, and it's so difficult to anticipate all the expenses that suddenly appear. But at least the house is almost done and maybe the surprises will come less often .....

Thaiquila, if we can guess the interest rate and number of year this fund will take to exhaust itself, then any Excel spreadsheet can be used to compute the present value.

For example, if we say a person needs 0.8 million baht (same as one of the visa requirements for retirement income) per year, for 35 years, dying at age 85.

The formula is =PV(RATE,PERIODS,BAHT). 800K per year requires 10.3 million baht to fund at 7%. Insert rate as 0.07, so it's =PV(0.07,35,800000). Use no commas on the baht amount.

Now I would know what to choose for the poll, ten million, if only I could live on 67,000 baht per month. I actually spend a third more than that, so I'd need 13.4 million baht.

I spent a lot of time between ages 55 and 56, computing this, with each one of my pensions kicking in at different ages, etc. Then I got the H.ell out of Dodge (I quit the IRS). The pension calculations themselves were as difficult as any income tax computation I ever did.

If there isn't sufficient traffic to justify a sub-forum for the southeast, it would be nice if this area were covered in one of the other forums (currently it's not). At the very least, it would be reasonable to have a forum to cover "Other Regions of Thailand." As things stand, where would one go to ask questions about southeastern Thailand?

I assume you mean a THAI DL, not one of those rather useless "international" driver's licenses that are meant for tourists in some countries.

I have heard that a US passport holder cannot rent a car in the US if they hold a foreign DL and not a US DL. I do not know if this is always true, or not. Perhaps, someone with experience can post.

It is kind of a catch 22 because many states require you to surrender your DL (or let it expire) to be officially considered a non resident of their state for tax purposes.

You are probably right that the OP meant a "foreign" license, not an "international" one.

Every US state has different rules, but to take one example, California "does recognize a valid driver license that is issued by a foreign jurisdiction (country, state, territory) of which the license holder is a resident" (from the CA DMV website). It might be a good idea to have a letter from the US Embassy in Bangkok certifying residence in Thailand. Car rental companies may be a different story, so it's probably a good idea to check with them first.

I live in southeastern Thailand, but there is no local forum for the area -- say, from Rayong to the Cambodian border, including Chanthaburi and Koh Chang. The closest area on the local forum is Pattaya and its, well, a different life there.

Would it be a lot to ask to add a local forum for the southeast? I'm sure there must be enough farang in the area, especially in Koh Chang.

Thanks much.

hmmm, rather weird language topic.

Indeed. But once the original poster sets off to get his Thai DL it will become a genuine language topic.

I've gotten half a dozen visas from the RTC in LA, and never once showed a travel itinerary. Passport, application form, photos, and money are all they needed.

According to the RTC/LA website, they only seem to require a copy of airline tickets for non-US passport holders applying for tourist visas. I guess that's why I had to submit them ....

Hello,

I'm retired and living in thailand with a international license and my america license has expired can i drive in america with no problems?

I have an American DL and an international DL, and as I understand the rules, you can neither drive legally in the USA or anywhere else because your American DL has expired. The international DL requires that you also have a legal license from your home country, it's not a standalone license to drive.

I think what you need to do is either (a) renew your American license or ( get a Thai DL and an international DL from Thailand.

When I moved to Thailand last year, I really wanted to buy a used vehicle and save some cash. A month of looking at second hand cars soon disabused me of that idea. The prices on used cars are ridiculously high, as is the risk of buying a vehicle with an unknown history and unreliable odometer reading. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

So I went down to my local Toyota dealer and bought a new car. Financing is very easy in Thailand. If you can put down 15% to 25%, you can probably get financing, especially if the car is registered to a Thai. I bought my car with 15% down, registered the vehicle in my wife's name, and they gave her a loan for the balance, even though the monthly payments exceeded her income as a teacher in a government school. One of the legacies of Thaksinomics is that credit is very loose in this country, and people are encouraged to take on way more debt than they can afford. Rather than worry about financing, you'll probably hear "Khun Tuffy, what will it take to put you in this brand new Fortuner today?"

I am not sure that my wife (Thai) can get us guarentted through her father for financing on a new vehicle. I thought it would be easier and cheaper to buy a second hand car when we get to Thailand.

I am actually quite leary abotu buying a used vehicle for the reasons that have been mentioned above.

We are looking for something that will carry us and our big dog as well, so we are looking at the medium sized SUv's right now. I would like to buy something for around 1,000,000 baht

I always remember Paul Theroux's remark about every traveller's trip being different. And earlier is not always better or more difficult.

A few years ago I recreated Norman Lewis's trip down on the Irawaddy River in Burma that he describes in Golden Earth (1952). I took the same kind of riverboat as Lewis and followed the same route. But where Lewis travelled in luxury in a first class cabin in the bow, being served his meals by English-speaking waiters, my trip demonstrated just how far Burma had slipped back into the past. That first class cabin had been converted to squalid crew quarters, and the waiters had been replaced by a smoky kitchen in the hold, serving greasy curries. By the third day I was unable to eat a thing. I shared a tiny cabin with a forest service officer, whose snoring overwhelmed my industrial-strength earplugs. No one could tell me when or where the boat would dock (it eventually arrived, 2 days late). But I did see Irawaddy dolphins late one night under the moonlight.

I was tempted to write Lewis a letter about how difficult the trip had become. But when I got home I found out he had just died at the age of 95.

I've applied for a few visas at the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles during the past 3 years, and they seemed to have no trouble with copies of e-ticket confirmation emails. After all, if the airline issues you an e-ticket, you don't really have a paper ticket to show the Consulate, right? What else can they do ..... but it does make the whole exercise of verifying the applicant's travel plans sort of pointless since those e-ticket confirmations are trivial to fake. Maybe the Consulate actually checks the ticket numbers, but I kind of doubt it. Anyway, why does someone want to apply for and pay for a visa unless he's actually planning to go? Mai kit mak .....

i can't remember what they required from me last time... An itinerary of my e-ticket should suffice, right?

If you're moving your goods from the USA, any international mover will arrange the move end to end, including the customs clearance agent and mover in Thailand. I would get a few quotes from different movers in the USA. Check out the cost of insurance as well (it can be a bit expensive). Be prepared to prepay the cost of the move before they'll touch your stuff. I used Stevens Worldwide.

Kruang and Sil,

Do you have the names of specific companies you have dealt with that you might recommend?

thanks

kdf

What did it run you to ship the container from the USA to Thailand?

The shipping cost for a 20ft container from Florida in the USA was about $6,500, including the fee for the clearance agent and delivery to my home in southeastern Thailand. It took about 8 or 9 weeks.

I just brought in a 20 ft container from the USA, and my movers in the USA used one of the well known international clearance agents in Bangkok. I have a Thai O visa based on retirement, so I was not entitled to duty free import. But though the total value of my imported goods was about 2.5 million baht, my customs payment was only 10,000 baht, including the under the table payments to the extortionate customers inspectors. There were a couple of reasons my customs assessment was so low: the clearance agent knew who to work with in customs to get the best deal; and I played it dumb and pretended that I was entitled to duty free import, resulting in some sympathy from the customs assessor. It's also a good idea to be there in person to plead your case.

Some people on this forum have advised retirees to forget their worldy goods back in their home country and just buy new stuff in Thailand. I don't think that's particularly good advice, especially if you've invested in high quality furniture and have sentimental attachments to books, carpets, art work, etc. The cost of importing household goods is really fairly minimal compared to the cost of the goods, and it's not that easy to buy things you really like here in Thailand.