GinBoy2

Western healthcare tends to operate within a fairly tight band. Thai healthcare the disparity between good and bad is huge. Spent quite a lot of time visiting MrsG's family in the local Government hospital and I'm pretty sure my cats veterinary office was probably safer. The local doc, well just be prepared for whatever ails you, you just walk out with 10 baggies of various drugs, probably won't even take your blood pressure! On the plus side, I ended up with skin cancer on my face. Brumrungrad removed it and it couldn't have been better. Thai healthcare is very bipolar, and you probably at the end of the day get what you pay for

I forgot the bacon, and lets throw in the fried bread while we're at it. Fried bread not something I had ever had, since I lived in the UK, but has we talk about it, might be something on tomorrows breakfast to horrify my Thai wife

Oh Dear Lord lets just add some fat to the sugar lol

I rather like UK baked beans. Discovered them decades ago when I was working in the UK and was introduced to the concept of 'beans on toast' not something as an American I would even have considered. Now I'll pick up a can of them from my local Safeway, and not even bother looking at the price. BTW I don't think I would ever eat them any other way than 'beans on toast'

Thats the difference. My wife, married to me, a US citizen (insert almost every Western Country) has, as a permanent resident pretty much the same rights as me, except she can't vote. Later this year she will become a US citizen, six years after becoming a permanent resident If Thailand would offer me, as the spouse of a Thai national the same rights I might be tempted to move back

Can't say I like either of the actually. Both have a tad too much sleaze, beach in Phuket better, but I'm not really a beach guy. First time we visited Pattaya, probably 15 years ago our son was maybe 8, walking together through downtown, couldn't get over the high pressure hustle of the girls. I was walking with my wife and son for God's sake Family vacation? I don't think so

So referring back to an earlier post Why would a 50+ Thai woman who sounds exactly the same as anyone in Chicago, be asked very pointed questions about her origin, Pattaya is the usual guess, versus a 50+Japanese woman with a Japanese accent never gets those kinda questions? Well decades of the sexualization of culture and the development of the sex tourist industry, which of course doesn't exist! The stereotype exists, because it actually does exists

Well lets get real about the stereotypes, and not just in Thailand but in the West. We have lived in South Dakota as out primary residence for the past 6 years We have a bunch of friends, white guys, asian women wives. We're all mid 50-60's, (including wives) been married for years, all got kids, long grown up, every one of them a professional woman in some field or other. But even now you'll meet someone and get chatting and whenever it comes out my wife is Thai the inevitable questions start to come. Where did you meet, what did she do? My wife grew up as a teenager in Chicago and sounds a midwest as they come Funnily our friends with Japanese wives, same general profile but have a Japanese accent and never get the same questions we get Thailand has 'marketed' itself as a sleaze pot and many of us regular folk pay the price of the Thai image of a 20 something with a 60 something slopping around the mall with a couple of rugruts, or worse still the bargirl scene, or a ladyboy hotspot. There is an alternative, but it's hard to sometimes overcome the stereotypes, which do have some basis in fact!

To add to my previous post, it's not just good, it scary good. We now don't know whats real or fake there is no way to tell

You gotta admit it's pretty damn good. But it does make me wonder how much of the nonsense we react to on here is generated the same way!

I couldn't agree more about 'The Quiet American' Its the quintessential movie to explain the Western male over sexualization of Asian women, especially for older Western males!

Well this is a terrible situation isn't it. Rock and a hard place jumps to mind. If it was me, I'd be telling Mom to sign the letter letting you travel to Europe with your daughter to visit Grandma, and assuming your have got your daughter a European passport, if not thats step #1. After you get home with your daughter see if Mom can even be bothered to fight it, and my guess would be no. Certain Thai women seem to be able to abandon children faster than dropping a pair of dirty underwear

Well it's a kinda weird way nature works. Why are some women attracted to black men, just cos they are. Taking out the Thai money thing, walk down any street in San Francisco and probably 50% of the couples you see will be young white guys with young some version of asian female It's just how genetically we are attracted to each other, excluding the the older white guy and Thai female young enough to be his daughter money thing!

I had to laugh at this. The demographic of the this forum, we're all 'older people' Time creeps up on you and suddenly you have turned into your Dad

Apart from the radio in my car, I can't remember the last time I owned a stand alone radio. I stream radio stations and podcasts, even in the car for the most part using bluetooth. They could close down the entire AM/FM broadcasts worldwide and I'd be OK with that. Free up the spectrum for something else

Funny, we actually thought of moving to St George, my wife has a Thai friend that lives there. I work with an airline and was offered a job with Skywest which is based in St George as a load planner. Went to visit with Mrs G and it was a definite NO. Fairly boring, nothing much that makes it stand out. Close to some great scenery, but St George itself, no so much Close'ish to Las Vegas, but not for me, or my wife for that matter! Here in Rapid there is at least a decent circle of Thai ladies to associate with, in St George I think it was my wife's friend +1, and the scenery is better

Oh you have no idea how much money I have spent on mosi repellent after this after these episodes. Malaria they can treat, Dengue you just have to tough it out. For all of those that have had it you know what I'm talking about. That headache which is so intense you literally think your head will explode. Couple that with the body aches which feel like your bones are breaking, you literally feel like death. You can't eat, can't sleep, it's truly awful

There are two versions of dengue; dengue and hemorrhagic dengue. I've had dengue twice, and it sucks big time, your bones are on fire, your head feels like it will explode, but you don't die. This poor guy must have had hemorrhagic dengue which is a killer. To this day I have a visceral hatred and fear of mosquitos.

Now Gentlemen, maybe I'm playing with semantics. But in my mind there is a huge difference between Boredom and Unhappiness. I was bored for sure, but I wasn't 'unhappy' verge of cutting my wrists! Boredom creeps up on you and you at some point go, 'I just need more than this' But again, one size does not fit all, we're human, and different strokes for different folks

Well I don't think it's just Pattaya that gets boring. I retired early at 55, but after the initial honeymoon period I realized I was bored stupid in Khon Kaen. I'm not a bar fly, don't golf, the beach has limited appeal, and I wanted to go back to work, which as we all know is pretty much impossible in Thailand My boredom and my wife's stagnant career possibilities is what prompted our move to the US. Curiously now our annual trip back to our Thai home, seems a lot more exotic and exciting

You made some bad insurance choices. We have a 2023 and a 2006 Subaru Foresters. Full coverage max limits, $500 deductible we pay $117 a month with Progressive

That is actually true. Go up North, Yreka, or South, Salton Sea are cheap as examples. But none of the 'cheap' CA options ever appealed to me, and they are to be honest a little sketchy. What I went for was affordable, but where I could live, and I know it's a cliche, the American Dream middle class lifestyle. Now I get my ocean on our annual vacation to Thailand, and trips to the Grandbaby in San Diego

So assuming the OP is real, which nowadays in AN I question. Work cost me my first marriage, I stupidly put it before everything. Missed God knows how many kids soccer games, recitals. Still love my ex, probably count her as my best friend, we talk every week. With my Thai wife, and retirement gig I finally got it, better later than never I guess. The job is never is never worth wreaking the home life

I think it's mainly because of the Brit heavy makeup of this forum thats distorts the data

Too many variables for any of us to make a real opinion. But FL, really? That will drain you real fast! I'm a Californian, but I'm not dumb and recognized, albeit I love the State, culture, scenery, that was never going to be an option for retirement. Back after college I'd come to South Dakota as a contractor for Rockwell on B1 bombers, and when I wanted a tax free State I bought a house in Rapid City while I was living full time in Asia. I miss the ocean for sure, but I love the outdoors of the Black Hills, close enough to Denver, and I can live very comfortably on $5k