Maha Sarakham

You're doing the right thing. Pattaya isn't the same place you remember. Keep working through this period of global struggle as long as you can.

Hey, up to you if you want to watch and read the negative news everyday. Our life is no different than before covid, don't know what to tell you. Get out and enjoy nature and the outdoors like the original poster seems to think he can't do. It's all still there. Nothing has changed except your perception you're still "locked down." Except Aussies, they're just screwed.

Life is normal here in the US, who is still locked down at this point? Make a move if it's weighing on you that heavily.

Never been a reader. I just hate staring into a book and always have.

I think Thailand as a destination for new retirees will be significantly reduced in the future. Thailand is not easy nor cheap anymore. People who go online and search for 'retirement in Thailand' will be flooded with pages full of negativity, talk about scams, racism, visa issues, and be immediately turned off. When searching for 'value' for money, Thailand doesn't even make the top retirement destination lists as it used to pre-2014. With that, I struggle to see a business case for attracting new retirees to Thailand that aren't looking primarily for the girls. But even that scene I think will be less in your face and instead move online in the future. This entire pandemic has been a stake in the heart for Thailand as far as I'm concerned. I don't see any possible scenario where they come out of this with anything near what they had before.

After my wife came to the US, she was surprised that people were so busy at work here. As in, they actually had to work. While she personally likes to stay busy, many in Thailand just want to sit on their phone and don't want to do anything. That's why you see so many people working in places like HomePro. The preference to just stand around all day in A/C with no sun is far preferred over farm labor that will make the skin dark and involve having to actually do something.

I'll be honest, I don't even understand the pronoun thing. She/her, what does this even mean? It's a woman, why wouldn't it be she/her? I clearly don't understand.

Walking Street will never be the same again and its probably a good thing.

I wouldn't say the current state of the country is good for anyone except a select few elites to be fair.

Agreed, my desire to be in Thailand has nearly collapsed since the pandemic. The whole place is upside down, where our life here is almost entirely normal.

Retaining wall is a must, but it is more expensive than you think. It is quite costly and will contribute quite significantly to larger projects.

Seems like he fell victim to the unsustainable party lifestyle. Never ends well. However, it is incredibly foolish to say this is representative of everyone retiring to Thailand. It all depends on your hobbies and your unique situation.