GinBoy2

I just watched this BBC program on a UK pedophile who lived in Phuket for 25 years. It was apparently a pretty high profile case after he jumped bail and fled after getting a passport under an assumed name. He led a pretty open life, never tried to hide, in fact Tim Newton was interviewed and said he was very active in the community. Now Newton can be forgiven, he's Australian, but surely given the fact this guys face was plastered over British media not one UK resident on Phuket recognized him in 25 years! Somehow beggars belief https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62j1098y8no

It's all difficult to compare, since so much depends on where you live, and how you want to live. We used to own several condo's in Noble Remix in Bangkok. 50m2 and we used to get ฿30,000/month for them, shoebox's really but nice and in a great location. We now own condo's back in the US, 1000ft2, or 92m2 and we rent them for $1000/month, so the same, still rather nice in a great part of town. Food is always tricky and it depends how 'local' you want to go. I was never into buying meat at one of those outdoor stalls with the swirling fan trying to keep the flies away, I'd always pay more in Top's for meat that at least looked more hygienic. For sure our grocery bill is higher in the US than when we are in Thailand, but last time the gap is narrowing, but again, ain't prepared to go full native Utilities not much in it, and at least the power stays on all time time here! You said you are on Medicare, so you're at least paying Part B. If you get an Advantage plan they do cover you for overseas travel, which might be worth looking into, then you're not committing yourself to be reliant on the local Government hospitals, which outside BKK vary wildly to say the least

'Protect the Reputation' The reputation IS sex. Like you, as soon as I mention I lived in Thailand and am married to a Thai, the assumption is my wife was a hooker and I went to Thailand just for sex. People that know me know thats not true, but thats the pretty much the worldwide 'reputation' Thailand has. So protect what, exactly?

I'm in the go back home to die camp. Hopefully you have family there to support you, but they will be able to obtain care and will get you through this difficult phase of end of life. I don't know how fluent you are in Thai, but being able to express yourself in a native language at this stage will help too

I think for the Europeans and North Americans Thailand is maybe a one off, and it's day has come and gone. North Americans will go to Hawaii,Mexico, the Caribbean in half the travel time and have a guaranteed experience for the same price. Same for the Europeans, North Africa, Cyprus, Dubai all great destinations, again half the travel time. So TAT is right to worry about the Chinese and Indians, because thats all they got

Very True

My wife was a graduate from the University of Chicago, she's a smart cookie

Well you may have a point there. I speak Thai, I can't tell you how many times I've heard my wife push family to think, debate, not accept what they are told. It's pretty ingrained. My wife was brought up as a teenager in the US, so didn't get the indoctrination Thank God

My wife went to University in Chicago, her cousins in Khon Kaen. Her assessment of their degrees are something close to a US High School Diploma at best She loves them all, but she's pretty pragmatic that none of them could get work outside Thailand based on their degree's

I'm not sure I know what 14kg is in volume. I suspect that was probably an entire suitcase. Was this girl a 'sandwich short of a picnic' Can't have a lot of sympathy here

Map makers tailor the names to the audience. Does anyone know or even care in the UK that in Argentina the maps are printed with the name Malvinas Islands rather than Falkland Islands? Doesn't make a jot of difference to the status, but if makes the audience happy go knock yourself out

On the issue of was TV left biased, I guess you weren't here during the last coup. It was flooded with ultra right wing nonsense from the coup supporters, and of course anyone anti coup had to tread very carefully Is it better now? The rise of the mega posters, who's user name appears then seem to be able to spend their entire day posting stuff, and who I suspect aren't real, thats not an improvement Then there are AI posts, the long essays on life, the universe, and obviously fictional stories, not an improvement either. As for members, we've been down this road a million times. AN is Hotel California, you sign up but you can never leave. Half the 'members' are probably dead, and active participants are maybe in the couple of hundreds

I think if you tell yourself a lie enough times you can actually believe it to be true I've been peddling the story I'm just an Adonis in blue jeans, and Hell Yes it's true

Well you have a point there. If they indeed even graduated HS, a Thai university graduate is at least on a par!

I 'think' a lot depends on age. Some 50/60/70 year guy old claiming he married a 20 something Astrophysicist is past laughable, she's almost always a bar girl of some variety. The closer the couple is in age the more likely it is to be a usual male/female attraction thing

I met my wife at work. We were both working for the same company in Singapore. I was still married at the time, so Yes it was the definitive sordid workplace affair, furtive kisses in the stairwell etc Worked out OK, kids ex-wife we all get along. Time heals

One last thing I'd add. Unless you're having all you teeth replaced remember this. I had a front incisor replaced and my wonderful dentist had the tech who was making the crown come and correctly get the color of my existing teeth so it didn't look stupidly out of place To this day it looks exactly the same color as all my teeth

Implants are easy, unless they are not. I have an implant on one of my upper front tooth after a failed root canal. That was terrible, since it was pulled i had no bone and it required cadaver replacement which took I think over six months to bind in to my mouth before the implant could even happen, I think after wearing a flipper for four months I was ready to say, enough just do a bridge. Glad I didn't since over 20+ years later still going strong and you'd never know it wasn't real. My wife had an implant on a molar she'd lost years ago, which unlike mine wasn't visible, so the bone had regrown, and it literally took 5 minutes to drill the hole, then screw in the titanium post, then two weeks later get the crown on top So a lot depends on where you start out and how much time and effort you want to put into it

Totally agree, but most women are gentler souls than most men, or trans!

Well remember what happened to Stephanie Turner, the fencer who refused to compete against a trans, she got booted out! Until sports authorities grow a backbone and just say no this lunacy and ignore of the inevitable hate mail they will get, this nonsense won't stop I think society is past caring about gay men and women competing in sports of their sex, which is of course why we have sports for men and women, not unisex sports https://www.espn.com/olympics/fencing/story/_/id/44524619/fencer-dqd-refusing-opponent-says-transgender

This whole men pretending to be women, sorry' transgender', has kinda rocked my bleeding heart liberal soul to the core. These are men, dressing as women with male genitalia, aka transvestites, although maybe thats now an offensive term, who knows, maybe I've just lost the plot I was actually rather proud of Gavin Newsom, Gov of California bravely stuck his head over the parapet to actually say the obvious, that basically transgender men in women's sports is basically nuts, much to the ire of the radical LGBTQ+*&^%$#@, dunno how many more things they can add, community .....Oh and btw Gavin should be the next POTUS

Jeeez, how much of a guys life is actually taken up having sex? Wouldn't better measure be how much of your life was actually having a life with someone, enjoying just simple stuff, watching TV, cooking, smiling at grandkid pics, laughing when someone farts? Fella's, sex ain't everything, and don't die if thats all you got to leave to the world, which is in no way remembered

Why is is all about sex? For the Americans you know Bill Belichick and his 'wife' 50 years younger than him He's at the high end of pay for play. In Thailand it's the two week millionaire, and get me the Hell outta here hookers What the f++++k do you talk about with a wife/partner young enough to be your daughter, or granddaughter? I'm happy enough with my aging menopausal Thai lady. Crazy as she may be as times, we kinda like hanging out together, sex can take a back seat if you just have some common life experiences. The Belichick's may get away with it with money, not so sure our 2 week millionaires fare so well

Hmm, I think Thailand is great in your 50's and early 60's. Now I'm just ignoring the old man sex with young hooker thing But it becomes increasing harder the older you get. Lets not beat about the bush, bodies start to fail and medical issues are real So health costs begin to be an issue. That insurance you have in your 50's becomes either unavailable or ridiculously expensive as you get in to late 60's 70's Now I read all the crap about 'I self insure' which basically means you need enough money in the bank to take care of something like a heart attack You want to go in some rural government hospital, those you go in alive and come out dead So better hope you can afford a private hospital in your twilight years