TGIR

Hi Dude -

Hadn't checked back on this for a while and see you're getting a lot of good information. Yes, 60K Baht seems like a lot but when you consider everything it only works out to about 2,000 U.S. dollars a month.....and we sure couldn't live in California on that. Our property taxes for the 2,000 sq ft house we still own in Ca. is almost $6,000 a year now and our last electric bill (July 2006) was almost $600....admittedly a very hot month but still, I only pay about $23 a month here....In the 60K Baht I tried to include ALL of your potential expenses like insurance, travel to visit family, entertainment etc. I've tracked ours for the past four months or so and that number is just about right on the money....and it's just two of us.

One thing none of us has really touched on is your age and the exchange rates. You should keep in mind that over time your expenses are going up with inflation and a retirement or other fixed income will decrease in relative value......so until you're in your mid seventies you can expect to be active (probably) and having a consistent living pattern that includes some activities and travel. Travel back and forth to Canada and the U.S. isn't getting any cheaper with the oil prices going up and it has already curtailed some of our travel plans.

As for the exchange rate, when I first came to Thailand in 1988 it was (U.S. Dollars) 26-1; when I decided to move here in 2005 it was 44-1; now it is 33-1......as you can see there is as much as a 25% differential just from 2005 to 2008, so be prepared for those kinds of fluctuations.

Good luck and we hope you will enjoy Cha Am enough to stay around here....we can always use some good neighbors.

Only one reference to MPG.....I have an '06 Ford Escape, my friend has a Fortuner. Both are nice in their own way. The Toyota is bigger which is nice when a passenger but I rather like the nimbleness of my Escape when driving.

My friend says he only gets about 9 mpg. I get 21 mpg. This would be a concern given the recent prices of fuel.

I've driven both and the Fortuner is a little quieter, the ford a lot peppier (3.0 V6). My wife says Thais don't buy the Escape because they think buying a big engine is stupid..........obviously they aren't products of the pony car generation as I am. The throaty sound of a nice V-8 is music to my ears.

Frankly I would love to have a Honda Jazz, except I wonder what would be left of us if we actually got hit by a Fortuner.

Having cancer is not the end of the world. You can treat it in a number of ways and you have plenty of time to made your decision.

I had prostate cancer in 2002, not a high PSA, but bleeding when urinating, which led to the discovery of the actual cancer. I don't have it now which is neither here nor there. It can kill you or you can kill it....your choice.

The worst thing you can do is nothing. The second worst thing you can do is listen to people who "have a friend" yada yada, i.e. most of the posts here. Go do your own research and get on with it. It isn't going to ruin your life although it may change it for awhile.

Go to prostate treatment and advice websites, there are plenty of them.

Good luck.

I'm not an "ex PGA golf pro" and I bet you aren't either......Tucked in shirts, slacks and belts are the appropriate dress for any golf pro I've ever seen.

Dude -

1) How old are you.....coming on a retirement Visa or otherwise?

2) Do you play golf....if so, Cha Am/Hua Hin are a fabulous place to retire

3) If you outlive your spouse she could bequeath the property to you and you would have a year to divest upon the unlikely event you outlive her. We have a friend here whose wife died and the process can be extended by quite awhile if you have a good attorney; his is in Bangkok. Condos can be purchased (as was ours and Never Been There's) and the title held by a farang....in which case you would avoid the above.

You can also have your wife bequeath your property to a trusted family member who could take care of it in your behalf or sell it for you....however from personal experience you should have a 100% certainty you can trust even the most likely of potential trustees.

4) Assuming your house and car are paid for and you have no children, living as you do now would probably cost you in the neighborhood of 60,000 bht a month, about half of that for food and religious stuff as your wife is Thai. That wouldn't include much entertainment, or travel.

Good luck!

Try the Veranda in Cha Am. It's a very nice facility and they have lots of Thai guests....good beach and a very nice restaurant also.

It's very close to the Regent so you can check out both if you want in one day.

Wait awhile......maybe everyone's still laughing.

Agree with PennyFarthing123, we did the same thing and our friends who also own in our condo building did as well.....we both selected Starmark and couldn't be happier. Our friends are also going to use Starmark for a second condo they are renovating.

We also bought our own appliances from Home Pro as well as floor tile and backsplash.....will P.M. with contact info for a good contractor if you wish. We purchased granite countertop from Cha Am Granite and had our contractor install all tile and granite.

I have attached a picture of our kitchen.....

This does sound a little fishy, and did anyone note the sudden change in grammatical ability and spelling?

I was going to mention that after being here ten years I would suspect the OP had a bank account, and we all know how many copies of your passport that takes.

In 1988 my wife recieved her fiance visa in two months. At the time they told me the same thing all of you are saying. She knew someone from college who worked in the consulate, who she said helped move her application along, and I sent all of my paperwork from the states Fedex. We did use an attorney to go to the embassy with her for her filing, and it was pretty cheap....and a good investment I think.

So, just to let you know, it can happen faster. Just make sure you have all of your paperwork in order and keep checking in every week or two by phone.

Good luck to all of you, it's been twenty years for us and the smartest thing I ever did in my life !

I wish......I've often said it would be nice if the Tessaban would sell some of the land on Petchkasem Rd. so we could have a golf course right behind our condo............

Uh......180 holes would be ten full courses, not six.

I heard the other day, that the owner of Chan Beer, is going to build a 180 hole golf complex near Cha-Am, 6 full courses, anybody heard about this?

I was told this news by reliable sources.

I have to second the last response. We've always found the entire staff to be helpful and have yet to see anyone being treated badly, except for one guy who deserved it.

We went in two weeks ago for our 90 day and were in and out in FIVE minutes.

One thing to know in HH that may help you....if you're doing a 90 day just to the room in the back on the right instead of sitting in the chairs waiting.......they will usually sit you down right away. Also, the best time to go is right after lunch.

We originally had thought Florida presented good possibilities for retirement but after three trips there in 2005-6 we changed our minds. Property prices were going up faster than California where they've been busy giving mortgages to anyone with a heartbeat.

You might be better off right now renting or staying put rather than trying to find a decent deal anywhere, not just in HH.