GinBoy2

Thats an interesting point. On my xray there was a pretty obvious infection going on. Now how you can determine where the infection is coming from, that I don't know. But after several days I just wanted the pain to stop, and I probably could have bought in to anything. The tooth was already crowned and in pretty decent shape, apart from the unholy infection and pain, so I was pretty motivated to save it

If they show you the xray it's pretty easy to tell if you have a root infection. From my xray I could see a large shadow at the base of the root which was the source of my pain I would also agree that a proper endodontist is a must, or you're probably throwing away money

Exactly my point. We're all different, and what we want or need in our lives isn't static, it can change over time. 30 years ago my travel lust was satisfied by my work, today the idea of spending a night away from home is awful, don't want or need it. It's an illusion created in your mind that what you have today is what you will want forever. Always be prepared that down the road wants and needs may change. Who knows if health issues raise their ugly head and your by the book Thai health insurance drops you like a pair of dirty underwear. Or family want you closer. For us it was grandkids, those rugrats are a pull So it's very complex what the pulls are in our life, but you navigate it the best you can

So, setting aside the monetary stuff, isn't it always the sentimental stuff that we give each other that means the most? I've already told you i made a photo montage of us and our son before he went to college, made my wife very emotional. Few years back she gave me a ticket for a concert we went to in Singapore long before we were married. Hadn't thought of it for 20+ years, yet the fact that she had kept it for all this time made it special

Actually I do have a Thai child with my wife, although not exactly a child anymore all grown up and his wife is about to give us our second grandchild

Nothing wrong with hedging your bets. A Thai who gets permanent resident in <insert western country> is essentially treated the same as a citizen As a foreigner in Thailand, with the exception of a tiny percentage of one percent who get permanent resident status you will always be nothing more than a long stay tourist, extending that annual visa and those 90 day reports. The Thai government could click their fingers and change the rules overnight. So that escape plan shouldn't be viewed as fanciful, but more of an essential part of living in Thailand

To bring this back from the gutter I made a montage of us and our son before he left for college in the US. Never seen my wife cry like that when I gave it to her

Well thats a lazy answer to a complex question. We all have different things that engage us. We're not all addicted to Golf or to the Bargirl scene. So, have to figure out what works for you, and for some of us, you go through boredom to figure out what does work for you!

Very true Contrary to what many keyboard warriors on here think, we all live different lives. What may work for some doesn't work for others. As in my case family was a major force in my life, but I don't regret anything in the past. What many on here fail to understand is that some of us can change the direction of our lives, not being bound to something you are determined to see through to the end even if it makes you unhappy. I'm now happier then I was in full time Thailand. We have my daughter and Thai son in Denver, my son's wife is about to give us our second grandchild. My other daughter is in San Diego, grandson is about to be one year old in December. Life's pretty good.

As I think back on it, I'm glad my son gave the the 'excuse' to make the move It would be so easy to simply float along as the years go by and that sense of hopeless boredom just becomes normal. I think I came close to that, and my sons decision saved me

Depends what you mean by 'seek it here' I met my Thai wife in Singapore, she grew up as a teenager in the US and went to university in Chicago. But she's Isaan though and through, and we can still have drop down knock out arguments, and not just about what we're having for dinner! That Isaan feisty streak on top of an intelligent mind, powerful combination and after 20+ years I know when to pick my battles and when to capitulate lol

Be very careful with root canals, especially if it's a molar. I had just gone through this in the US, and with molars you have four canals which need to be cleared out and properly filled, or the initial infection will just rear it's ugly head again and you're heading for extraction. Make sure they show you the post op xray, where you can see that they totally filled the root

Hmmm, my wife is from Isaan, but she was raised and educated in the US. Yeah, she's as feisty as it gets and in an argument will give as good as she gets. Not sure its anything to do with her being from Isaan, but more the fact that she's just a strong confident woman. I think there is a perception with Western men that believe Thai women are a throwback to the last century and in someways beholden to 'their man' Not a bit of it. I wouldn't want a woman who couldn't hold her own against me in an argument. Strong, Feisty, and Spicy thats what I look for in women

I was bored. Didn't admit it to myself until we decided to move back to the US after our son told us after graduating college he wasn't coming back to Thailand. It was only after going back home where I could get a little retirement job, that I realized how bored I had been in Thailand In my career I travelled a lot, probably spent more nights in hotel beds than my own bed, so travel doesn't interest me at all anymore. Don't play golf, not a barstool guy, and there are only so many books to read or TV to watch. So yeah I was bored. When we were building our house it was good, gave me something to focus on, but after that I kinda fell into the doldrums after a few years. Now we spend a few months in Thailand every year and it gives me the same thrill it did when I first visited

Burning Bridges comes in various forms. There is the financial one, where you sell up everything and go all in money wise. Then there is the trickier one, where folks burn bridges with family. There have been threads where guys get estranged from their kids and really are alone if things turn south. On both counts I always kept up a US house and loving relationships with my kids, even with my ex wife actually. Never quite understand why guys chuck up everything to move to Thailand when at the end of the day you are nothing but a long stay tourist. When the end comes, as it will for all of us sooner or later, I want to be in a place where family will be there for me

I've actually had good success with rentals, both in Thailand and the US. I rented out my house in the US while living full time in Thailand, I didn't have a mortgage so it was all paid off and I very willingly paid a property management to take care of it. I also had some rental condo's in Bangkok, and when I sold them, didn't make any equity gain, but the rental income was solid. When we moved back to the US, sold them and bought in the US. Unlike in Thailand where I managed them myself due to a lack of property management companies, I pay to have someone else take care of them, which is a Godsend, just send me a check every month

Baldness is to men, what going gray is to women. I'm quite lucky it's an issue I don't to deal with, since I haven't really lost much. I also look pretty much the same as my Dad, which is a good rule of thumb with regards to hair, look at your Dad and you'll pretty much end up the same. But it's like my wife, she's going pretty gray, and she hates it. I think the salt n pepper look is pretty sexy on her. But same with baldness, for whatever reason it's how it makes YOU feel, not particularly how others view you that drives to to hair dye, rogaine or whatever. The only guys I do feel sorry for are the young pups who lose their hair early. My best friends brother, had full on male pattern baldness by 25. Thats a real gut punch at that age

This is why tourist visa's for young single females are so hard to get for Western countries. This is a CO's number one fear

Not sure thats true. I also think it's foolhardy to cut all links to a country to which you are a citizen, and hopefully family to go back to, for a country for which you are at best a long term tourist. Only an fool doesn't have an escape plan should things turn south. At the end of the day you have a passport for your home country when things go bad, so don't expect Thailand to pick up the pieces. How many 'Go Fund Me' threads have we had on here? It might be a clue of how tenuous your life in Thailand might be! I'd put it this way. Thailand is great until it's not. After that it can be for many an aging expat a nightmare

Well thats the part many an older expat try to push to the back of their mind. 'I exercise and eat well' is the most often response on here, almost claiming that they can defy nature and live forever. It just ain't true, and you're right getting old and starting to have the inevitable health issues, despite exercising and eating well, coping alone is damn scary. Who knows what the stats are, but I also wonder how many relationships between the 50+ year old guy and the 20 year old gal work out 20 years down the road when the shi***t may be hitting the fan. I've said here before, Thailand is a great place for the 50 year old guy, but you need to know when to call it quits, before you become a very sad, possibly infirm and alone guy

I think thats what a lot of Europeans fail to get, the sheer size of the US. We just did a road trip from San Diego back to South Dakota. In 1500 miles we did beach, desert, alpine, prairie scenery, and thats only half way across the country. Maybe if all those States pretty much all double or triple the size of Belgium needed passports more Americans would get one!

Just binged through the second season of Annika on PBS First season was good, but definitely improved in the second season https://www.amazon.com/Annika-Season-2/dp/B0CHFB9ZV2

An interesting question would also be, why don't women retire to Thailand? Of course the obvious reason is sex. I'd speculate that once age takes over, and sex becomes less a part of your life the appeal of Thailand as a retirement location may wane, then the closer to home locations may well become more attractive. Don't underestimate how in the final chapter of your life being close to family is a huge draw.

We're heading to Iceland, Sweden then on to Thailand in December./January Prior that, I work at our local airport and Thanksgiving on, it's 20 frikken xmas tracks on the airport musak, played over and over again. If I ever meet that damn Rudolf deer, it's gonna get a bullet between the eyes. So, when we land in Iceland better not hear a damn Christmas song, or I'm gonna go all homicidal maniac

And there lies the rub. To backtrack on several previous posts. Yes age does come into this The fact that the OP is not American helps The applicant will need to show ties to Thailand that will make her return. What the CO is always thinking is 'will she return to Thailand' There's the problem. So many young Thai women enter the US on tourist visa's then vanish into the black economy. Or they enter with a BF, then marry in the US and apply for an adjustment of status, trying to bypass the immigration process. I don't think many recognize that the US has the largest Thai diaspora in the world, reading AN you would think it's the UK, but they are well down the list. Even here in South Dakota my wife has a group of friends, only her and one other entered as legal immigrants, all the rest, either still overstay, or the preferred method is to marry a guy of the local AFB. I'd suggest that's some of the reasons young single Thai women find US tourist visa's really tough.