Fat is a type of crazy

If you are suggesting by taking a few words out of my post that I have advocated a wall then that is not correct thanks. 

They were talking about this on Bill Maher today. I have always felt that the approach to immigration by democrats is a bit strange and too liberal. Definitely out of step with most people's thoughts and it hurts their chances of success in 2024. I don't think it's cruel by definition to have decent borders but it is complicated. 

As an aside I am wondering how other posters feel about the writer's strike being over. I have kept out of politics for a while but watching Kimmel, Colbert, and Maher along with actual news programs has got be a bit interested. But sometimes I think best not to bother, losing 30 minutes or more out of my day, and let politics do it's thing. 

Harry Potter has passed me by.  To me he'll always be The Singing Detective. 

Stayed at KC Grande trip before and probably has a better breakfast than the three others. Walked past in first week of September had had lots of renovations including gutted breakfast room so might be a bit noisy and best to stay elsewhere unless they've finished it by now. 

Stayed Koh Chang August and September. Similar recommendations as above. Stayed at Santhiya Tree, Sylvan, and Kacha. First and second had the best breakfast but Kacha had a decent breakfast and staying there at the time on the beach side with sea outlook was half the price of Santhiya Tree. Breakfast at the first 2 may improve further as they get more guests approaching high season. 

Santhiya Tree has these cool rooms in a 4 or 5 storey building with everything wood with a nice pool on each balcony.  Nice for your partner who will love it. Sylvan is spectacular in the forest with beautiful outlook.  Kacha is a half a star less and it shows a bit with crappy towels and less maintenance but it is on the best beach in my opinion and good to be in town. 

2 hours ago, NextG said:

This is a discussion forum. I have little doubt that I have more experience with Thailand and travel than yourself. 
I speak from experience and also there are many actually living in Thailand who are recounting their experiences. Whilst you aren’t even in Thailand. You are simply fantasising about a life that you haven’t yet achieved. Whereas the people who are actually living the life are being denigrating by the people who haven’t yet reached their goals. Ridiculous, isn’t it?

Your insights into living in Thailand are no doubt valuable for a potential new expat. Keep an open mind though that someone who is in a somewhat similar boat in terms of considering a move, who has spent a lot of time there with a thai girlfriend but loves life in his home country, may have something to offer.

He will not only want to know if something is simply possible but whether it is worth travelling half way around the world for.

When push comes to shove he may read these posts and wonder if in fact it is wise not to keep a base in his home country, to go without health insurance, and he may have a network of friends and family at home and be quite happy, and realise building networks of friends and developing new romance, will come with certain costs - emotional and in terms of dollars. He may not have thought through what it actually would be like to live in a small affordable apartment if he has spent 20 years in a house.

His home country may be more expensive, but holidays in his car camping or going to the local beach where the water is clean, western food he likes, may in fact be cheaper than Thailand. Lots of things to consider. 

The fact that someone moves to Thailand later in life may not be a sign of weakness or of pathetic fantasising, but be due to actually having a good happy life in his home country, so a new life in Thailand has to be special, and not simply possible, to be bothered to do it. Being special might require a higher budget. 

11 minutes ago, NextG said:

I honestly don’t know why you are addressing me with regard to this. The question was 60k and where. 
If your advice to him is that 60k isn’t enough for anywhere and that he should keep working to build up his pot, with possibly the added stress leading to a earlier demise, then suggest it to the OP. 
I would think this is a place to recount actual experiences and locations, rather than the vacuous ‘opinions’ that often hold no water and are based on hearsay. 
Of course it depends on the individual. 60k for some might give someone a life beyond their wildest dreams or simply pay the wine bill of another. 
It’s subjective. So it quite disgusting to try to deride and judge someone on their level of income. BMT appears more than happy with what he has. That’s the key to a good life. 
Whereas Celsius might have more than double and be as miserable as a woman scorned. 


 

It's a pity you have to be rude all the time. I have experience in Thailand and know the lifestyle I intend to live in Thailand will cost more and it is worthwhile to work a little bit longer. Accommodation. Food. Travel. Other things mentioned. Not hi so. Not low so.  Somewhere in between.

You think otherwise. Have other priorities. The key point is he is outside Thailand and is asking what people think. 

56 minutes ago, NextG said:

Your post doesn’t make much sense at all. 
You are attempting to ‘compare apples with oranges’. 
Most people in the USA, don’t even travel outside their country. For the people who do, most will go as far as Mexico. So I don’t know to which demographic your refer when you write about this western lifestyle that involves travel. This is of course disregarding the fact that they may have already reached their destination in Thailand and don’t feel the need to travel further. Most people travel to get away from their miserable lives and pay a hefty premium for just two weeks of freedom.  That feeling subsides if you move to a place where you might feel happy and contented. So why would you wish to emulate your western lifestyle of trying to escape?

So if you please, explain what you mean by a ‘limited lifestyle’. 

There may be factors that aren't relevant or important to you - maintaining a presence in the home country as I may be half half in each country , health insurance and yes $ on supporting and having fun with my lady. 

It's not about emulating the western life, Thailand life though is pretty capitalist too despite the Buddhist charade for a lot of people, but more about feeling you can be yourself and relax and breathe freely. Possible to do that on all sorts of incomes but having someone suggesting working for a higher income, may lead to better outcomes, is a reasonable proposition in my opinion. 

1 minute ago, NextG said:

^^

A lesson in how you can write a lot, but say absolutely nothing. 
I live in a city and have a life that many might envy. I sure others can speak for themselves, but BMT doesn’t sound as if he is starving nor wanting for anything. 
So do you have anything tangible or are you simply waffling into the atmosphere?

Horses for courses.  Fair enough. I'll leave it there. 

11 minutes ago, NextG said:

Rubbish! I just gave a personal example of why what you are asserting is total ???? 

Spending more money would not increase the quality of my life. 
I certainly don’t have a house by the sea in my home country. So how can you assert that I have ‘a limited lifestyle by western standards’. I don’t know ANYONE in the U.K. who might eat out every single day, including the freshest seafood, live in a luxury house by the sea, nit have to work….

You are posting absolute nonsense. I’m shocked that someone could post such absolute nonsense without having their tongues placed firmly in their cheeks. 
And yes, I’ve lived by the sea in many countries. 

Horses for courses as they say. I feel you are mixing two issues.

The first issue is comparing having the same income in say the UK and Thailand whereby Thailand could come out on top. 

The second is for a potential retiree deciding how much they need for a comfortable happy free retirement and whether to, say, retire a bit early, and accept a lower income, or work a bit longer, and have a higher income with increased freedoms but be a bit older.

Not shocking, or a debate that is nonsense, or absolute nonsense. If you feel on 60000 you can do everything you want to do then bully for you. But let's be honest that 60000 a month in a city, as against out in the sticks where it is a different thing, is definitely doable but can come with some significant limitations. 

Delete

My ex wife was a bit upset about it the other night. She has been following them.  Apparently he’s from Melbourne too. So sad. 
Her current boyfriend got dengue in Phuket a few years ago and it was tough.
 

I pay for youtube $15 a month. I did hesitate at first but I watch it a lot and well worth it. Pay $8 for Netflix. No complaints. Pay $40 a month for Foxtel in Australia. Now that is a waste but it has some things like recording and access to good aps and has good news and some other stuff so keep it for now. I am in Australia. Posting here because. 

In terms of trustworthiness my girlfriend seems to see each new day as a new beginning. Things didn't turn out as her prayers at the temple said they would. Oh well. Tomorrow's a new beginning. 

47 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

Yours is a statement built on false logic, or rather no logic at all. Of course religion requires the absence of logic in order to work, so par for the course.

 

What would this 'competitiveness' look like? The breakfast cereal aisle at the supermarket or toothpaste commercials on TV? "Believe in me and I promise whiter teeth and fresher breath !"

 

If these gods always existed, 13.8 billion years is chump change. Perhaps they take turns creating a Universe, putting in a Planck's Constant and all the other things a Universe needs to behave a certain way, then let it play out over a trillion years or so. Then the next team of deities takes their turn and lets it run a trillion years or so.

 

Or maybe one god is looking for praise and thanks (quite human frailties qualities), and an impish competitor god tosses in a major tsunami that turns some people away from the first god.

 

Humans have this provincial view that it is 'progress' or 'civilized' to abandon polytheism and adopt monotheism. The Greek gods got tossed, and then the Roman gods. So did the Scandinavian gods. Hindus have retained 10 million gods, holdouts that they are. Non-believers just eliminate even the last fantasy, and have zero gods.

 

You are a non-believer with respect to Thor, Zeus, Allah, Krishna and all the others. Non-believers get rid of your god, too.

 

Personally, I think the Greek gods were the best, and if I were to believe, I'd go with them. They're on the one hand helpful, and on the other impish and somewhat sadistic. That is how life passes, with good moments and also tsunamis and childhood cancer. Zeus et al can't be trusted, but maybe you can make a deal with them.

 

 

Then you have Thai people who believe in buddha and Ganesh and snake gods etc. I asked my girlfriend to explain how it works and who's in charge but she thinks I am being churlish. 

5 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Ladies in expensive spas such as mentioned are not paid much more per client than 300bht places, (maybe 150-200bht total)regardless of actual customer price and are generally less busy, with strict managment and work practices.

Correct. Could be 120 baht for a thai massage and 170 for an aromatherapy. Despite much more payment to shop, and expertise of staff member to give the aromatherapy massage, not much more so they rely on tips and based on some of the replies here it's not looking good. 

It's funny sometimes how we base tip on price. I might have a good cheap meal with good service but the tip will be lower than at a more expensive restaurant where the service is the same. Similar with massage possibly as if the 90 minutes was 500 you may give less even if massage same.

Getting to the point 200 baht is a nice tip in my opinion. Not amazing but probably more than many would offer. 

2 hours ago, bignok said:

Is this worthwhile? I wonder

New Wes Anderson movie, new to Netflix in last few days, 'The wonderful story of Henry Sugar' makes a point that you may do meditation with a certain aim in mind but if you do it long enough you may not want the things you thought you wanted. Profound. Or not. 

As a fellow public servant my advice is draw a line in the sand. The old government super schemes are good and each extra year the amount they go up is a lot especially if you had a recent promotion. 

But being a public servant tends to make you a bit conservative and risk averse and you can wait too long. Once not a public servant I think you might feel much freer and be happy to have more fun and wish you had have done it before. Says me who is working for eight more months. 

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Jetstar.

If you join Club Jetstar and buy during sales you can get super bargains. Say less than 6000 each way. Done it 3 times post covid. Tend to think holiday starts in Thailand but rethinking that after a few delayed flights.

In Thailand lots of bargain hotels in Khao Lak and Koh Chang at 3.5 to 4.5 star hotels. Phuket and Bangkok a bit expensive compared to those quieter locations which have seemed to remain quiet post covid. 

I was reading your post about german music.

Kraftwerk, Nena, and others were mentioned.

Next songs by them showed up on my feed on youtube as well as Da Da da by The Trio and Der Kommissar by Falco.

So I listened to them.

And it was good. 

4 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

never owned a house....and all my belongings fit in my car which is also my home at times

 

(waits for flaming)......

You be like Nomadland

That's no good. Oh well back to Day 1. 2 beers is better than 10 beers. 

Youtube has all sorts. Probably the pretty upbeat videos get the most views. I recall Paddy getting pretty cynical as he went through Issan feeling it was the same thing over and again. Make a video saying how much it sucks. See what happens.