swissie

Great, I'l fit right in. ????

I take it "Villa Market" on 2nd road still open.

Haven't been there in 3 years. Closures of Bars, shops? New openings? Heard that McDonalds (Beach Road/Soi Post Office) and Foodland (in the mall) have closed. Any old or new Hot-Spots on Beach-Road or in the Soi's adjacent to BR? I assume that the daily/nightly happenings on Beach Road haven't changed that much. Same same would be OK with me.

One question remains: If tested positive upon arrival, is it going to be Quarantaine again? If not Quarantaine, what would they do with "infected persons"? Surely, the next decision the Thais will have to face. I am on the edge of my seat. What will they come up with? No Quarantaine, but forcing every infected person to wear at-shirt, stating: "I am infected, stay away from me"?

In most "Western Countries" there is something like a "Compulsory Portion Inheritance" clause. How about in Thailand? The case: The children of my That (ex) Wife are financially very well off. Therefore, she would like to give all her assets upon her demise to her only grandchild (currently aged 5 years old). Even without any "Compulsory Portion Inheritance" clause (circumventing her children as beneficiaries) at what age could the Grandchild dispose of the assets according to Thai-Law? Not before "legal-age" I suppose. Park the money in some sort of Trust-Fund until "legal-age" is reached? - Of course, if something like a "Compulsory Portion Inheritance" clause exists in Thailand, the above question is already answered.

Yep! Because they know what Gold is. As opposed to other "financial instruments", that most Farangs don't even understand. And: Over the years, I found out that Thais have some sort of Instinct as to WHEN to buy a little Gold. Very successful of picking mid-term bottoms. Much to my amazement. "My Thai's" have bought a little Gold 2 months ago.

Sponsored by Paul McCartney, her teeth could have been fixed. But she decided that this show biz circus was not for her. She dropped out voluntarely. Don't know what happened to her. Same with Julie Cristie ("Lara" in Dr. Zhiwago. Alongside with Omar Sharif). She too had no use for the show biz circus. AFAIK she worked as a nurse for many years afterwards. Respect, I say.

I know only of 2 "market approaches". a) "Trade the markets". That way, 85% of retail investors lose money. b) "Long term investing". Major requirement: Start at a young age. Pointless to start long term investing at the age of 75. There comes a time when time (the most important ingredient of long term investing) is no more on ones side. So, ones "life expectancy" weighs heavier than the direction of the markets. Surely, to asses future market performance in combination with ones life expancy at old age must boil down to the ultimate speculation of a lifetime. - I myself have cashed in on most I owned. I intend to spend it on fast women and fast cars. The rest, I will just squander.

Some of the strongest lyrics in a pop song ever. Timeless. Some older folks can relate. I can.

I am sure there is something to it. Drinking liberal amounts of beer versus drinking liberal amounts of hard liquor makes a difference. In medevil times the water in big cities was a source of diseases of all kinds. So people drank beer. Even children. It saved uncountable lives. 60 years ago, on construction sites and in factories beer was the ultimate thirst quencher. Lastly: "God gave us beer, showing us that he loves us". Benjamin Franklin.

Sometimes, "run of the mill" investors like me are occasionally confronted by financial Enigmas. The most recent Enigma I face (causing me irregular bowel movement plus hot flashes in the middle of the night) is the price of Copper. Because: " Global copper stocks have fallen to record lows, with current inventories enough to supply world consumption for just 4.9 days. Freeport-McMoran was also vocal about shortage risks, stating that the current low prices do not reflect the tightness in the physical market". As the global "electrification"progresses, copper will play a major part, plus low inventories, Copper should be heading north. But no, the price of Copper resembles the behavior of a beached whale. My 95 year old Romanian clairvoyant gypsie lady recommends patience. She claims that currently there are so many financial Enigmas in existance, that her crystal ball has gone into "overload-modus", not producing any results anymore. Rats!

For most of caucasian males, the last 60 years were financially "good". If born in the "right countries", that is. No generation had it this good before, even "little people" participating. Lo and behold, until recently, even world poverty/hunger on the retreat. Yet, a multitude of indicators imply that a reversal of this fortunate trend is in the making. Therefore, I look back with gratitude over the last 60 years. Personally, I recall 2 phases of unrestricted carefree living. Between 1965 to 1973. I already had a little money in my pocket during a time when a cultural talent explosion took place. Just thinking of the avalanche of (pop) music that moved the world during this time still makes my heart soar like an eagle. Then again between 1997 and 2005 a second phase of carefree living for me. This took place in Thailand. But that's another story. Overall, our generation should be happier than we are. But perhaps there is a something like a "happiness-saturation-level", dulling our senses when it comes to count our blessings.

I still own "pseudo-property" in the Thai sticks. Inspite of inflation, I could still live on 20K Bht/month. Laptop and girlfriend included. Plus an occasional big cigar. My fragile health keeps me anchored in Europe. Unfortunately.

To predict exchange rates 20 years into the future is impossible. Depending on "home currency", some have lost buying power versus the BHT. Swiss Franc holders have not. Many that have deciced to make Thailand their new home in the past needed all their funds to make this happen in Thailand. In other words: They had to put all their eggs in one basket. It takes a lot of eggs to financially diversify. Many did not have the necessary amount of eggs to diversify.

I personally am NOT in this situation.

Expats in Thailand have it good. While 30% of Europeans wonder how they are going to pay next winters heating bills (eat or heat), Farangs in Thailand have it comperatively "good". Of course, complaining about the humid and hot summers, Thai-Immigration in general, the Thai Family spending too much of your money are minor standart complaints by Farangs and re occurring like clockwork. Minor complaints compared to the worries of some folks that live in one of the richests parts of the world, I find. As it shows, to live in a country, not playing a major role in international politics, with an economy basically "autark" if need be, is not such a bad place to be after all. While in Thailand, always good to count your money, but don't forget to count your blessings as well.

Baguio (Phil) hit by an earthquake today. Plenty of volcanos / earthquakes in the Philippines. It's one thing to dance on a volcano (Pattaya), another thing it is to reside near a volcano. ???? -------------- Portugal: Property prices in expat saturated areas have indeed increased almost exponentionally, compared to 5 years ago. RESULT: Plenty ou EU Retirees living in motorhomes year round. (Can park anywhere for free including the many "Camping Rustico" sites). Persistent rumors have it, that this "modern day, uncontrolled Gypsydom" will come to an end soon. One more door closing.

Thanks. Informative. This confirms what I mentioed in an other thread: "The doors are closing". (For average mortals). On the other hand, I am quite sure that a $ 10 Million investement would give any person some sort of "permanent residence" in most countries. Rats! That makes me a second class "world citizen".

The usual suspects: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Ecuador, Mexico. But this is where you come in: I don't know of any other person that has put so much effort into looking at "Immigration-Rules" globally like you did. By now, you must be the ultimate authority in this field. Name your latest favourite countries. Don't hide your sheffel under your bushel. Or is it the other way around?

In majoer cities and tourist hub's yes. For same sex couples, it is still not recommended to hold hands in a small Portugise village.

Rats! Blimey! H*ll and damnation. Our european grandfathers didn't know what a Visa was. They paid for the ships passage and went everywhere they wanted to go. Now we have visa's. Filtering who can go where and for how long. Todays trend: a) Bring a lot of money or b) be a highly professional with a rare skill, otherwise we don't want you. The alternative, to settle in some doubious 3rd world countries with less stringent visa requirements is not very tempting as long as one will have to live in a "gated community" with 2 heavily armed Bodyguards at your side 24/7. Thailand is nice this time of year. Best: Thai visa requiremnts are (still) relatively "nice" all year round. Count your blessings.

Portugal, as all countries deeply rooted in Catholicisme have little tolerance for "alternative sexual orientations". Of importance to some.

Scottland? Try the south of Ireland instead. Thanks to the gulf stream, even the winters are bearable. Similar landscape, frendly outgoing people. Most major companies have their call centers in Ireland. Hiring "native speakers" to serve their customer base in most countries. Companies take care of work permits. So a legal stay without a major investement becomes possible. Salary is "adequate" but not opulent. Drawbacks: Housing in cities is expensive. Depending on country (nationality), home country may curtail state retirement benefits as the retiree has "an income". Depends on country. Conclusion: Unless tired of SE/Asian culture, yearnig to go back to cultural werstern roots, just stay in SE/Asia as your western "hard currency" will go much farther here than in any other western country.

Let it be said. Everyone, having studied Thai Girls intensively must find everything in the West somewhat stifling in comparison.

Yep! Recently everything was down with the exeption of the US$. Global Stocks and certain commodities are close to important support-levels. Making a modest "upward-bounce" likely. To be used to add to short positions. As a hedge, long Copper, in case the markets decide that the economic problems of the world have vanished overnight.