Hanuman2547

4 hours ago, BMW Overlander said:

1.2 mil...hardly a condo, probably just a studio apartment.

............and a very small studio at that!  Probably in an older building as well.

First off, forget this condo.  There are zillions of condos all for sale in this country.  It is a buyers market.  Why go through the hassles of this condo when you're not sure who really owns it.  (FWIW I think the ex-GF still owns it)  Find another condo that doesn't have any problems with it.  You'll be a lot happier knowing that you are the owner.  

I would definitely look at Hua Hin.  There are some nice places there.  It doesn't have the nightlife of Pattaya, Bangkok, or Phuket (Patong).  I actually like Prachuab Khiri Khan, another 100km south of Hua Hin.  No night life though and you really need to be able to speak some Thai if you live there.

You might also want to check out Bang Saray.  It's a nice area, quiet but not too far from Pattaya.  If you don't want to drive after a night out in Pattaya you could probably use Grab taxi to get back home.  

Between the two I would choose Pattaya as you can get cheaper accommodation for the month.  You also get a bit of a breeze coming off of the water which makes it a little cooler than the concrete jungle which is Bangkok.  The only downside is that Pattaya beach has the worse water so I wouldn't venture in.  Jomtien is nice but again I would stay out of the water.  

I used to drink Amarit & Kloster back in the day.  Sadly those Thai beers are no longer to be found in the LOS.  Of the Thai beers mentioned, I drink Chang.

23 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

I'm a bit on the fence about that. As far as education yes definitely better in Australia and maybe more opportunities but I spent the latter part of my middle years basing all of my life around children's education, private schools etc and not one of my children picked up the ball. Was a waste of money and effort really. A lot of that depends on the kid. Funnily enough they are all doing well now. After leaving school with poor results 2 went through all the hoops to qualify for Uni and both have medical degrees now and study junkies. And as far as better quality of life.....sitting in traffic every morning, to go and sit in an office or otherwise chained to a job you hate for the rest of your life, then retire and die...albeit with a lot of toys and assets, not sure that's the good life. Don't forget he has Aussie citizenship so he can take advantages of all of those opportunities later on. Life here is good in many ways. For some anyway. Why very hard for Thais to live in another country. My son being half Aussie / Thai and pretty much looking 100% farang will definitely have an advantage. 

My Thai wife and I moved to Bangkok when our two luk krung boys were 4 & 2.  They attended good Thai schools.  When they were 16 and 14 we returned to the USA so that they could go to high school there in preparation for attending university in the USA.  It worked out well and they both graduated from university.  At 33 & 31 they are both doing well in their chosen careers.  They occasionally visit Thailand but not that often.  My oldest one actually handles the Bangkok account of the high tech company that he works for.

The New World Department Store in Bangkok, not far from Khao San Road on Samsen Road, is a perfect example of this.  Originally it was a three floor shopping center and then they decided to illegally add eight more floors to the building without the proper permits.  It's been shut down for about 20 years now after going through a long battle to stay open. 

Why didn't he just go and set up a gofundme page?  Or he could have gone down to beach road and got a sign and a bowl had people donate to him.

At least you know what you will be getting yourself into!  Unfortunately the pay rates have definitely not kept up with inflation over the years.  

Not being from OZ, I'm not up on all the government options available to you.  However, your son will definitely have a better life growing up in a western nation when compared to Thailand.

When I was in Chiang Mai last December I used he red Songthaw a few times.  Slow, had to wait until they got more passengers, etc.  Since there were three of us it was much easier, quicker, and cheaper for the three of us to just use Grab taxi which we did about 90% of the time.

The Red bus songthawes are old from a bygone era.  Time to update their game and adapt to the more modern world.

1983

Came to Bangkok to meet my brand new Thai wife's parents.  Had already met her two brothers who were students in the US like she was.  

Stayed for two months and had a great time.  Later lived in Bangkok for quite a few years.  Now primarily a visitor for a few months a year.  

I wonder if the author of the article, Tina Haskins Chadha, is still in Bangkok or did she leave?  Due to the ever increasing poor air quality in Bangkok as well as the rest of Thailand I'm really thinking of not living in Thailand anymore.  

Is it legal to be a digital nomad in CM?

The short answer is that it doesn't matter if it is CM or Thailand the answer would be NO.  However, many are able to do it.  Personally I would just stay in Thailand a few months out of the year and spend the remainder of the time somewhere else.  Who wants to be in Thailand during the hot season of March, April, and May?  

1)  Visa rules get to be too difficult.

2)  Unable to secure affordable health care insurance especially if over 75

3)  Bank deposit requirements for visa

4)  Unhealthy air pollution

I would keep your money in a something like Vanguard that was mentioned earlier.  Oh, and definitely not in Thailand!

My Mom had her handbag cut at Chatuchak about 20 years ago when she was over visiting me.  Didn't lose anything luckily but the pick pockets are out there at the main tourist spots.  

I would suggest to never pay full price rental for anything.  There's a lot more rentals than there are people wanting to rent which makes it a renter's market.  If something is listed at 15,000 and you like it offer them 10,000.  All they can say is no.  They might come back with 12,000 but my point is everything is negotiable.  

I would also try to just get a 6 month lease.  If you don't like the area or apartment/condo you are renting it gives you an easier out.  

Good luck!

18 hours ago, Chas Wanledear said:

 

Am guessing a taxi is only 200/300B if I needed to get back home at night.

Grab taxi, Uber??

I clicked the 61-70K button.  The house I live in is paid for so I don't have a mortgage/rent payment

Where did you go?

Phuket, in 1983 before Patong was what it is today.

What was special about it?

It was beautiful, weather was great, few people, could walk on the beach with trees nearby for shade.  Food vendors along the small road.  It sure has changed over the past 36 years.

Who did you go with?

My Thai wife of one year who I had met in the USA where she was a grad student.  It was my first time to Thailand.

What did you do there?

Ate a lot of seafood on the beach.  Went to see a few sites on the island.  

First off I would say don't buy, rent.

However, it appears you are set on buying so I would say don't buy a condo or a townhouse.  Buy a single detached house with a nice clear area around it on all four sides.  Yes, a house costs more but it is worth it especially if you plan on staying in it for quite awhile.  The house will be worth more than a townhouse or condo over the years.  The more you can put down on the house the better as it will be less you have to finance.  Of course the sooner you can pay it off by making extra principle payments will be better as well.  

My Thai wife passed away 14 years ago in Bangkok. Our oldest luk krung Thai citizen son was 19 at the time.  When he turned 20 a few months later he came back from the USA where he was studying in university and we signed three houses over into his name.  No problem, easy peasy.

Does the PM and his former cadres in the Khmer Rouge have any other ideas other than to beg the international community to solve the problem that they created?

Thai International is great, but the problem is they are usually more expensive to fly then their competitors are which means I end up flying with someone else.  They also don't fly to the cities that I need to go to in the USA so I again end up going with other airlines.  Even when I do fly to a US city served by Thai their competitors are cheaper and the service is as good or better.