garyk

Looks like the good old days of flying in to Thailand are over once and for all.

9 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Meanwhile; all the Tourists will be off to countries that have few or no 'restrictions' and spend their money there.   This country is run by the biggest Idiots on Planet Earth !

It's run by big business. The government is letting big business dictate TAT rules. Just another nail in the tourism coffin.  Just so much media blitz and living on the past can do. Sinking ship comes to mind.

Just another scam. Nothing more here to see.

I think CCP just delisted Evergrande. Luckly it was never traded outside of China I think?

It rocked the US market very lightly then rebounded quickly.

I only hold one Chinese stock and I wish I had never bought into it now. It is loosing me a few thousand.

Hahaha, Bought  and paid for by the insurance company's.

Slogans and marketing blitz is about all Thailand has left. 

On 9/19/2021 at 8:25 AM, zzaa09 said:

That's a start. Might be far more beneficial for the country many more "expats" to relocate to different climes. No loss.

They might just feel special somewhere else....and continue to screw up the world by their special cultures.

I think that is the way allot of Thais feel. 

Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck are sure to apply... haha

Retirees with the pension requirements can own land and build on it legally until their death. Then all goes back to Thailand, Spouce, family. Or auctioned off. 

Never happen, bar girls, wives and girl friends of local expats would storm the capital and burn BKK...

4 minutes ago, Maha Sarakham said:

This would be a disaster.  As much as I would like to have a land/house in my name, I can see beyond that benefit and realize it would entail millions of Chinese flooding the country to hide their money from the CCP.  Thailand would not be the same after that, it would change incredibly quickly, even more than it has already.

Chinese already own Thailand!

12 hours ago, mikebell said:

If I had ten million baht I wouldn't be be begging Thailand to let me in to buy a more expensive house than I need in an area not of my choice!  Why can't they see that the best investment is in retirees who live here permanently; adopt Thai children abandoned by their fathers; support the mothers/families and local companies all year round yet get treated as terrorists in every walk of Thai life.

 But you are still there, speaks volumes. 

Synopsis, Take the idiots money. 

6 minutes ago, The Cipher said:

You think that people from pretty much anywhere should be able to enter developed countries on easily attainable and indefinitely extendible visas as long as they agree to put like 25 Gs in an account and report their whereabouts every 90 days?

 

Pretty sure the tsunami of people who would take that up offer won't be complaining about the unfairness lmao.

Put it on the ones already here. That would thin it out considerably..  

The Thai's I know here are dead beats.  

No insurance, No health care unless privately funded, Cannot buy property, Cannot work. Have to keep a balance in a US bank. How many people would come? Have to bring in money from outside of the US and deposit monthly..

Please...

22 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The USA has NO retirement visa. Period. End of story. 

 Personally I think they should change the rules. Tit for tat.  That would stop all the nonsense IMHO.

Back to the things that Near sided Neeranam is spouting.  

The expats here put money in the Thai banking system, and support themselves.  As well as thai families. 

The Thai's that I know in the US are living a good life.  With no obligations what so ever.

Marry a US citizen then it is gravy train.  

I know some that married a US citizen came to America then at retirement draw on the husbands SS and move back to Thailand. It is so one sided it is crazy. 

IMHO Thailand has 0.00 to offer expats. Except for the "Pussy cat bar and grill".

Thai's complain about sexpats, when in fact In the towns I lived in it was the Thais that made this a thriving industry. Hypocrites to the nth  degree.

On 9/15/2021 at 9:19 PM, Neeranam said:

Thailand remains one if the most welcoming cointries for retirees in the world. 

Glad to see some gratitude. 

Thailand is a develiping country, and as we develop, visa requirements are going to become more reciprocal with other nations. 

It seems to be only poor retirees, or those with a self-entitlement

issue that are complaining. 

The government is targetting well off foreigners and some are self righteously attacking them to try to raise their low self esteem.

 

 

I sure wish America would enforce the laws for immigration. 

Low life Thais coming in. Don't learn the language. 

Take up hospital space, and drive the medical costs up.

Personally I wish they would just reciprocate in not allowing Thais to work. All Thais have to put up 800,000 baht in a US bank to stay for a yearly extension. If married they have to put up 40,000 baht in a bank. 

Basically mirror the laws in Thailand. 

This would basically drive out 75-80 percent of all Thai's from the US. 

I know of some wonderful Philippine nurses and people here that contribute to the economy.  Oddly enough I don't know of one Thai. They are lazy and sponge off of the system. 

"Thailand remains one if the most welcoming cointries for retirees in the world."

Hahahaha, are you kidding?

23 minutes ago, Crok said:

I have several condos in Thailand and left for a trip outside Thailand in March2020 before borders closed. Have not been able to return, my visa has expired, driver’s licence expired and am paying tax.. Have been told by Thai embassy can only renew all in person in Thailand and now will have to start the process again. What about those former permanent residents??

I had to redo my retirement visa a couple of times when I was living in Thailand because I was traveling and let it expire. Back then it is a major hassle but doable. Now?  Not sure how difficult it will be. All I owned was a car.  Sounds like you are all in. Good luck.

Don't have to be rich to travel the world that is for sure. If you have a middle class income in the US you can live a nice life in most countries.

When I was in Asia the people that did not travel were people like on this thread. They just did not travel because they thought it was very expensive. Also for what I have seen in Thailand, the expats do not want to travel. They are happy squatting in one place.  It's whatever you enjoy, but traveling the world and living a fairly nice life is not very expensive.

The key IMO is not to be in debt. And learn to say NO. Works for me anyway.

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Nearly every friend I have in the US is single. Why? Because for a man in the US, who is past the age of 50, unless he is willing to get with a woman at least his age, his prospects are dim for finding love, or companionship. Some guys like me, simply prefer younger women. Not kids, but women who are 10, 15, even 20 or 25 years younger than us. For a dozen very valid reasons. I could break them down, but why bother? The PC crew will jump on this and say it is not right. You should not be able to have this kind of life, without jumping over ridiculous hurdles! Means nothing to me. I do not do PC.

 

Why be with a woman our age, if we do not need to? Nothing wrong with it, if it works for you.

 

But It is virtually impossible for a 60 year old man in the US, Canada, the UK, most of Europe, OZ, or NZ, to hook up with a 36 year old woman, unless she is very fat or very ugly, or he is a centi millionaire, or is famous. Period. It just does not happen in this day and age.

Here it is possible. Granted he will likely get with a woman of lesser means, who needs a guy who can provide some financial stability. So what? Who cares? Most women want financial stability anywhere in the world, whether they admit it or not. The difference is here the women are more honest about their financial needs and desires. I know a lot of men who have engaged in relationships with lovely, kind, supportive, humorous, and sexy women here, who are no longer lonely. We have very good lives. Fulfilling lives. Lives we could never dream of having back in the US, Oz, NZ, UK, Canada, or Scandinavia.

Very true, Kinda funny though. In Asia pretty much any age goes I guess. I lived there for many years with a lovely lady..

Different countries definitely have different standards as far as dating goes.. And the difference in the dating scene in different countries is night and day.

Anyone here had a serious relationship in Asia, then moved to different countries and had relationships?

Say, Mexico, South America. My current stomping grounds.

Not tempting me back. I left because of the pollution. Thailand and that area has undoubtedly the worst air pollution of any country I have ever visited. 

Retire there and choke to death several months of the year.

1 hour ago, John Drake said:

I do not want to spend my time doing home construction and improvements. I may be retired, but I have other things to do. I'm not some doomsday prepper trying to take myself off the grid. So that makes Thailand an enjoyable and efficient alternative for me. There are still far fewer rules and regulations for me to worry about here than there. Not to mention the weather related requirements of the US as opposed to Thailand. No need here to wrap the pipes, winterize the lawn, fertilize the grass in the spring, and then see it all die anyway because you run into another summer drought. 

Hahaha, what is a doomsday prepper?  Trying to take myself off the grid..  Almost spit out my tea.....  

Like another gentleman here has stated it makes me money, plain and simple. I don't mind doing the repairs as long as it is making cash.  

It is a great life.

Thailand is alright, I lived there for years, but when i sell out permanently  and to move to another country it will be one with a permanent retirement visa and land ownership rights. Not a one year extension of stay.   

2 hours ago, John Drake said:

I, too, decided to stay on after working here. But I don't see too many other foreigners around, especially in my village. I'm on the outskirts of Bangkok, almost in Nakhon Pathom, and the last time there was another foreigner living in the village was 2011. He moved out after the big flood of that year. And I do wonder if a lot of foreigners have left or, well, passed on during this Covid lockdown. Anecdotal as it may be, the number of familiar names posting to this forum have dwindled significantly. Even when my former employer, Mahidol University, supplied retirees with Covid vaccinations, I only saw a handful of foreigners show up. It was almost all Thais. Otherwise, I've become so settled in dealing with things, physicians, hospitals, public transportation, the convenience of small shops and eateries in my village, that I don't want to think about returning to the US. Never again to getting building permits costing thousands of dollars just to reinstall a deck. No more getting separate insurance for cars, health, house (superstructure), house (foundation), house (flood), theft, and living my life attached to login IDs and passwords. You can't even die in the United States without paying a fortune for "services." A world full of fees, regulations, rules, and requirements that makes Thai Immigration look like a holiday resort. I can avoid almost all that <deleted>, here. 

Lots of truth to that about ownership in the US.

I have found the trick for me, is to do the maintenance myself?  Cheap and simple if you don't mind doing some manual labor.

I just removed and installed new siding on my my home here and the permit was 152 dollars? So, not sure where you lived, but thousands is a little out of bounds..  Just redid both of my bathrooms, tile, tubs and trimmings. No permit fees.

I own the house so dropped the house insurance all together. Retired so pay out of pocket for insurance deductable. 

Own the truck I drive so only pay liability.

You can be cremated in the US cheap. My first GF's mom died in Thailand and they threw a party for 3 days and then burned her. I asked about the cost and it was over 3 grand and that was about 13 years ago.

Bottom line is you don't have to pay all the fee's in the US. You just need to manage you money properly and it will fall into place. And not be so lazy. My neighbors think like you do and they spend a fortune on the houses. It is insane.

I miss the cheap meals and eating out, the US is insanely expensive for dining out and going out.  

I am a little paranoid and distrustful of governments. I try to insulate myself from the all in theory of retirement overseas. So I work hard at it.

Not to mention I can OWN  property here. Property values are at an all time high. 

Downside is you have to pay taxes on it here in the states. Good news is I got my taxes frozen when I retired.