BusyB

That was of course his brother's take on the matter.

They're out to win, fast, then scarper, not play sports. This is probably about extortion or turf. Or possibly a girl.

Doesn't look very practical for emergency evacuations ...

Religion is the oldest conspiracy theory.

Tough in the UK ...

It's Thai for LOL 555

His face isn't straight in that foto ...

AKA the world is your mirror - what do you see in it?

Fraud is fraud. Irrespective of 'harmed parties'. This sounds like BS sovcit stuff.

Oh dear ... Yeah, Cambo might be an option too ...

Thinking about it I guess I'd go for the Philippines if I was dependent on a UK state pension ... much easier visa conditions so one less worry.

UK State Pension is GBP203.85/week, which works out at 873/month. That's THB38000 ... more than enough to survive on living in a bargirl box. But nowhere near enough for the retirement extension - even if the embassy were still issuing (honest) income certificates. It'd have to be overstay tactics, border hops etc. I'm assuming on that budget you can't cavort around on airlines very much. And you can't afford to get very sick either.

Often quoted in Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen series which is also full of Chinese poetry and food.

Actually I'm agreeing with you. I'd certainly be off to Thailand or similar if I was stuck with a UK pension in the UK. And yes homelessness can affect actually anybody very quickly. The question is though how you respond. Some buy tents, some go to welfare, some go to Pattaya ;D Some always fall through the net. The question is how a country deals with it. The Anglo-Saxon ones aren't exactly glowing examples - I was reading earlier 4 million DESTITUTE in the UK. That is deeply deeply shameful.

You mean they like living like that? I think the operative word there is 'fortunate' 😉 Strikes me that both are stuck in ruts. And like I said that's without being judgmental. And like I said in another post just above - if I was living in a Blackpool loft on a UK state pension, you can bet your backside to a dime I'd relocate and live as long on overstay as I could in a 4k bargirl box in Pattaya.

Dunno. If you can't get your act together where you come from (excluding war, famine, drought etc., and most certainly in developed countries) chances are you'll be even worse off in a strange place where you don't even speak the language. You always take yourself with you. Takes a fair level of drive, grit and ability to set up in another country at any age or stage of life. Those with no roof and using deleted buckets usually don't possess those characteristics. (Without being judgmental about that fact.)

'Dread'? I haven't lived in the UK for a long time and rarely return. But 'dread' visiting? No. My last visit left me feeling sad and reaffirmed the label 'rip-off' (and cheap and tacky) Britain. Fortunately I live quite well where I am, and still like LOS for long stretches (and boy can LOS be cheap and tacky at times). I like the climate, the beaches, most people, the temples and the food. Have a retirement extension organized without an agent. Not running from anything. But sticking to Jingthing's OP: If I was living in the UK on a UK state pension I'd almost certainly be overstaying in Thailand in a 4k bargirl box in Pattaya as long as I possibly could 🤣. Infinitely better than bronchitis in a cold Blackpool attic and the food bank.

Well said. And based on my experience I think there's more than a smidgeon of truth in that last sentence. But what ho! They need us more than we need them 555.

Sad comment. Many have a good life in very affluent and comfortable homelands. But they also enjoy new experiences and learning and have the wherewithal and initiative to be able to expand their horizons successfully and happily. They tend not to hang out with the negative sorts both at home and in LOS or anywhere else. I think it's called something like confirmation bias - AKA birds of a feather.

In hospital?

Just needs a tarpaulin and you've got a dream home ...

You can count on it that they weren't alone.

Compassion.

Many girls just wanna have fun - at least most of the ones I was with did and so did I and so we did 555

Tuktuks stood idle indicating a collapse in tourism.