Adumbration

This Forbes article is entirely wrong in every aspect: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/au/investing/currencies/aud-to-usd-forecast-and-trends/

Collapse back on track as predicted. Some analysts are now predicting 40c to the USD.

I had acid tipped on my head by a group of youths during Songkran. Does that count?

So the old bird has 100K in her handbag and complains when it get stolen. Go figure.

Bot. There is only a tiny handful of real members remaining on this forum.

He is a fictional poster. Most of the new topics on this forum are now created by bots. They have to do this because there is just a tiny handful of real members remaining on this forum.

And the cash registers at the ED Visa Language Schools go KA CHING!

Poorly drafted survey. It should read what percentage of foreigners are worth talking to face to face.

This is not a chinese guy. It is actually Bam Margera in a costume. It was filmed as one of the skits to be included in the next Jackass movie.

There are hundreds of them available on shopee and lazada. And they are very cheap. Just keep buying and trying to you find one that you like. That is what I did. Just have a look at the ones that are cheap but have high 5 star ratings. You can convert the Thai language feedback into English using Google translate. If you do not want much of a scent you can also buy lightly scented alcohol by the litre. There was lots of it online following covid. Super cheap if you head down that path.

As @BritManToo has properly stated, adopting a formalized retirement visa in any country should be the very last option considered. There are often better and much more flexible solutions available.

Hell is other people.

I have been here a very long time and it is amusing to see this topic pop up every few years. It is in the same league as the perenial "are you gay if you have sex with a ladyboy" and "should I lend my GF money" threads. This is what I do. It is safe, environmentally friendly (no spray or gasses to harm the ozone) the cheapest option, and it gives you the greatest degree of flexibility on how you smell. Go to any old school Thai mom and pop store. Ask if they sell "san som". Motion like you are putting deodorant under your arms when you ask this. San som is a large clear aluminium oxide crystal. It looks just like a large rough piece of ice. It is also the active ingredient in all anti perspirants. It is getting harder to buy now....but it is still available...just go store to store until you find it. Last time I bought a bag was about five years ago....it cost me 20 baht....and I still have about half of the crystals remaining. The bags are probably by the kilo I think. The last one I bought had five or six big crystals each a bit smaller than my fist. Rat through the bags of san som to find one that does not have a lot of little broken pieces in it. You want just a couple of good big blocks. After you shower and your pit is still damp you just rub under your arm with a crystal. I keep one in a double soap dish (next to my soap) in the shower. After a few days the crystal with wear smooth to the contours of your arm. Take care not to drop the crystal because it will shatter into smaller shards, which can still be used, but not as convenient as a nice hand sized block. After you have dried off you then just spray your favourite cologne under your arms as well and on your body. The aluminium oxide stops you from sweating and your cologne gives you the smell that you like....and you can apply as much or as little of your cologne as you like. I also have fun trying new scents that I buy if I travel to countries or more recently that I buy online. I have just found a very nice smelling and remarkably cheap cologne and am now using that as well as my oxide crystal. I should just mention that if you do not drop and break the crystal it will last indefinitely. In fact I have never used one up entirely, they always meet their demise humpty dumpty style.

Thanks for your reply. Is there a link to the information on this actual issue?

I am very interested in this thread. At present I have too much money to qualify for the Australian OAP. However I also have a number of very serious medical issues that are now getting much worse and I expect much of my capital will be spent on trying to maintain my health (or stay alive) over the next few years. To the OP @Kenny202 is there not a potential elephant in the room that I think you have overlooked here? You posted that you have a wife. If you have a wife then Centrelink will require her income be assessed when calculating if you are eligible for the pension and what your benefit will be. That is if your marriage was registered...a prequisite being you obtained a free to marry stat dec from your embassy. Of course perhaps you are not married on paper.....or your wife is unemployed.... I would like absolute clarity on the following issue if anyone is able to provide it: Can I go back at 65 then stay in Oz for two years, then at 67 apply for the pension, then once it is granted, leave for Thailand. Or put another way, can the two year residency clock start ticking before you are eligible to apply for the OAP. This is a very important issue for me and despite reading all the threads on this website regarding OAP not one has posted a definitive answer.

And things are just getting started:

23.7 to the baht today. Exchange at this rate if you need the money. May not see 23.7 ever again. RBA made the decision last meeting to take their foot off the rate increase peddle. A policital decision to try and prevent total collapse of Australian property market. However the result will be the AUD collapsing to sub 50 USD.

No...its not me... My long time GF has 7 brothers and one older sister most of whom are working overseas in Korea, Taiwan, Israel....etc Her family is way up north on the Mekong. Mum and Dad have some nice land that backs onto a giant fresh water lake. Her oldest brother (58) lives in Mum and Dads house and has a couple of little wooden boats that he takes out on the lake to catch fish....mostly small stuff that sells for 50-60 baht a kilo. On a good day he will make 300 baht and does not get out every day because of weather. He is basically broke. I should say up front that her family as a whole is very good. They have never asked me for a cent. My GF makes her own money and sends some up to Mum and Dad when she can. They are fine because they have so many kids (working overseas). Anyway the older brother rang up drunk late the other night, asking my GF to transfer him a couple of 100 baht so he could eat moo gattat (Pork Barbeque). This has happened a handful of times in the past but I have been with my girl a long time. My GF told him to go home and did not transfer him any money. Yesterday, my GF informs me that the older brother is getting married to a 17 year old girl from the village (his first marriage by the way and no kids to date) and, I quote: The girl is very attractive apparently (I have requested a photo) and has several boys and men in the village that want to marry her, but she has choosen her brother...get this... because he has a stable income with his fishing boats He is already sleeping with the girl (she is staying in the GF's Mum and Dad's house) and has been for at least 12 months The girl's parents are happy to ignore the underage sex issue provided my GF's brother pays them 10K baht The brother has asked to lend 10K from my GF's older sister who is working in Korea The date for the pukan marriage ceremony in the village, and the sinsot amount, has yet to be set. But at this stage the sinsot is expected to be in the 20k baht range Source of money for sinsot has yet to be confirmed, but I image will also be borrowed from sister in Korea My GF has again asked me when we are having our pukan ceremony (this issue comes up about once every year) but has been ignored by me, for well over a decade now As you can see there is a whole raft of morality and TIT issues that should provide for an interesting discussion and susequent thread. For those of you seeking to marry a young hot Thai girl in her teens have you considered buying two little wooden canoes yet? Over to you...

I predicted to a friend last week that I think it will find a floor around 10KUSD. If you look at the life time graph that looks about right. My friend argued tooth and nail with me that it would not drop below 20K. What do you think....and why?