A bitter pill to swallow .

[Once Bitten]

I'm sure I keep seeing more and more comments on thaivisa and on other forums  from retired expats who are permanently residing in Thailand , some of these retired expats seems to indicate that they are now regretting  making a move to Thailand . It seems in some cases having that feeling of regret is only being made worse by knowing that they have burnt their return home bridges by selling any property they once owned to raise funds for a move to Thailand or they have financially over invested in their life style after arriving in Thailand.  Adding to that the ever declining currency exchange rates, so they now find themselves with limited or no money to enable them to return back home and no prospects of things ever improving

 

So there they are , no property back home to return to , their bank balance has drastically shrunk due to over spending on their retirement life style in Thailand , their pension is shrinking due to poor currency exchange rates .

 

It looks like the realization of being stuck living in a land that you have come to dislike but cannot permanently leave is having a knock on effect as indicated by what looks like an increase in negative posts and vitriolic comments relating to expat life in Thailand 

 

To be in a situation where you feel unhappy about the country you reside in and then come to realize that at your age you may end your days there must be a real downer 

 

I wonder just how many retired expats are in a similar situation to above , may be we will never really know the true numbers as admitting to the world that you made a mistake and cannot now correct it ...........................can be a bitter pill to swallow 

 

 

Any one else seeing this possible trend ?  

 

 

 

 

 

[Peterw42]

Depends who you ask or where you get your information from. 90% of people I know like it here, dont regret moving here and are in no hurry to go home.

There is a small vocal minority who appear not to like it and want everyone else not to like it. There is often a lot of negative sentiment on Thaivisa etc but I dont think its indicative of the wider expat community.

Maybe pose the question as a survey.

Edited March 29, 2018 by Peterw42

[Gruff]

They may not be able to afford to go back to their own country but there are other nearby choices eg the Philippines which is cheaper than Thailand now.

 

I would have thought it is not just a money issue but attachment to Thai ladies that prevents the realistic return home.

[Enoon]

 

Ever since I started looking at TVF that has been pretty obvious.

 

I presume that Thailand (or particular people in Thailand) was/were a straw/straws that many clutched at.

 

Due to reduced circumstances (and an innate inability to deal with the "differentness" of it, or anywhere else) many more are "drowning, not waving".

 

Thailand remains for me a semi-permanent option, thus it and its peoples "silliness" (which I am quite happy to criticise) is just "one of those things" (as is the equal, but different, silliness of my homeland and its people).

 

Shangri-La it isn't.

 

(that would be the Shangri-La of James Hilton, not that of Yunnan province!)

 

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by Enoon

[EVENKEEL]

Selling off your property in homeland to fiancé new life in Thailand is definitely not a sound move. What seems like an adventure slowly turns into extreme boredom and isolation. The old fellow who builds retirement home in rice paddy in Issan is a prime candidate for resentment if he has spent most of his cash money and can't afford to get up and leave.

No offense to those of you who are happy and content in this lifestyle. 

[tutsiwarrior]

even with all escape facilities available, ie, nice house available in the west, good pension income etc...one has to ask oneself if what one plans to return to is what one left many years ago...

 

I think not, realistically speaking...looks we're buggered all the way around...and I ain't just talkin' about the price of in - n - out burgers...

 

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by tutsiwarrior

[Bangkokhatter]

Seems to me it's those posters who have already left that appear the most bitter.

 

Threads full of them, telling us that stay, how bad Thailand is and how great their lives are back home, if it's that great why do they waste their time posting on a forum all about Thailand ?

[canthai55]

I have had conversations with expats who are not happy here.

All they do is sit at home, or weekly visits to Big C and a meal in the food court.

Why don't you travel ? Too Far. Roads too dangerous.

Do you have any hobbies ? No. (take another drink)

Get out in the garden. Too hot.

If they were at home in - ________ - they would say the same things, do the same things.

You don't like your life - change it.

I would not move back for anything. But I did my homework first before moving here.

As I get older, I am not getting much smarter, the only conclusion I can come to is that the world is getting dumber.

 

[LennyW]

16 hours ago, Gruff said:

They may not be able to afford to go back to their own country but there are other nearby choices eg the Philippines which is cheaper than Thailand now.

 

I would have thought it is not just a money issue but attachment to Thai ladies that prevents the realistic return home.

Philippines LOL!!! The Zimbabwe of Asia...no thanks!!

[dotpoom]

Sure, I miss sitting at the fire back home waiting to die in the freezing cold, at a one bar electric fire, in a room where I cannot afford the rent ( like I miss a hole in the head).

[DoctorG]

I am one of those that lived there for a couple of years and found it was not for me. No big dramas; no financial ruin from a Thai GF. I just came to the realisation that my life would be more fulfilling in OZ.

I have no regrets about any of it. I have actually lived in 8 countries around the world and try not to dwell on any aspects of my life in any of the places.

I still come to this forum because I still hold an attachment to Thailand, even if it is unlikely that I will ever return.

 

[chicowoodduck]

Only on a daily basis....lol...????

[OmarZaid]

If there's a growing number of such curmudgeons it's not because of Thailand but because they imported myopia.

[StraightTalk]

1 hour ago, LennyW said:

Philippines LOL!

There are really stunning and beautiful places in PI where one can retire equal to Thailand, one just have to pick the /right/ place.

[Farang99]

I only regret not making the move to Thailand sooner.

[uffe123]

It used to be a nice place to retire, but now you cant breathe the air, vegetables, fruit and rice will kill you being heavily sprayed with paraquat. Beaches are full of garbage, and the water is full of sewage. Traffic is horrible, price of food is now comparable with my home country, if not exceed the the prices. Got screwed out of a million+ in such a good land deal, that went bad due to military take over. Immigration fees have triple since I came here.

If it was not for me having a Thai wife who doesn't want to leave, and a house in bk, i would have left long time ago.

But now that the pollution, and pesticide poisoning  is so bad,  and Thai government is not telling the truth on the severity of the problems, i have decided to finally leave, so I can have a few more years of life to enjoy. 

After all if you don't have good health how can you enjoy life in a hospital bed or wheel chair.

Will leave in may and come back for visits.

[soistalker]

Well, Pattaya was a nicer place when I decided to start getting ready to live here. The thais were nicer. People were more polite. The girls were generally younger than what is around now. Thai were just really not as aggressive, pushy, and outwardly hostile.

And all Thais now know they can hurt you and probably legally get away with it.

Garbage is a much, much bigger problem. More Soi dogs. And unbelievably, Thais are worse drivers ....getting worse every year.

I don't regret moving here, but if I knew then what I know now, no way....well, maybe.

[1FinickyOne]

Hi Once - As you note declining funds, I think people with insufficient funds to maintain the lifestyle they want are going to be unhappy wherever they are... I usually assume that is the largest common denominator of the complainers on Thai Visa. Financial worries and problems, insufficient funds for medical expenses and daily living are not going to be fun anywhere - Western World or here... 

[maximillian]

18 hours ago, Gruff said:

They may not be able to afford to go back to their own country but there are other nearby choices eg the Philippines which is cheaper than Thailand now.

 

I would have thought it is not just a money issue but attachment to Thai ladies that prevents the realistic return home.

Yes, after 8 years non-stop living in LOS, it sometimes sucks.

Been living in the Philippines but see little to nothing that I would prefer there over Thailand.

Malaysia, Lao, Cambodia, Indonesia would be no alternative for me either.

I'm looking towards Europe; Spain maybe.

[maximillian]

2 hours ago, canthai55 said:

I have had conversations with expats who are not happy here.

All they do is sit at home, or weekly visits to Big C and a meal in the food court.

Why don't you travel ? Too Far. Roads too dangerous.

Do you have any hobbies ? No. (take another drink)

Get out in the garden. Too hot.

If they were at home in - ________ - they would say the same things, do the same things.

You don't like your life - change it.

I would not move back for anything. But I did my homework first before moving here.

As I get older, I am not getting much smarter, the only conclusion I can come to is that the world is getting dumber.

 

 

As I get older, I am not getting much smarter, the only conclusion I can come to is that the world is getting dumber.

 

Wise words, indeed.

[ubonr1971]

2 hours ago, DoctorG said:

I am one of those that lived there for a couple of years and found it was not for me. No big dramas; no financial ruin from a Thai GF. I just came to the realisation that my life would be more fulfilling in OZ.

I have no regrets about any of it. I have actually lived in 8 countries around the world and try not to dwell on any aspects of my life in any of the places.

I still come to this forum because I still hold an attachment to Thailand, even if it is unlikely that I will ever return.

 

you couldn't pay me to live in the nanny state of oz.....

[Sprigger]

Best advice, never burn your bridges or buy property here if from Europe 6 months here to escape the awful weather, 6 months home to the beautiful spring and summer. Whilst here look out for the burnt their bridges fly Falangs. 

[TheFishman1]

Well let me think about this one Cheap rent cheap food plenty of fish in the sea Answer No Regets 

[oslooskar]

3 hours ago, canthai55 said:

As I get older, I am not getting much smarter, the only conclusion I can come to is that the world is getting dumber.

 

Your conclusion is correct. There is a very good book on the subject by Elmer Pendell titled "Why Civilizations Self-Destruct". 

[Suradit69]

20 hours ago, Once Bitten said:

some of these retired expats seems to indicate that they are now regretting  making a move to Thailand .

And many are quite happy with their decision to stay here.

 

20 hours ago, Once Bitten said:

To be in a situation where you feel unhappy about the country you reside in and then come to realize that at your age you may end your days there must be a real downer

 

Lots of people who've never been to Thailand feel equally trapped in a life that didn't pan out the way they thought it would. They would like to undo some of the things they did too. Marriages disintegrate, careers plummet, debt overwhelms etc even for people who have never moved to Thailand. 

 

Everyone regrets some of the things they've done in life and may find themselves unable to extricate themselves from what they've done. Dealing with the consequences of what you've done is also part of life. Throwing a tantrum or blaming everyone but yourself or whining incessantly on message boards are not productive ways to resolve the problems you've created.

 

 

 

If you feel you're stuck here and can't undo what you've done, then you need to find ways to make your life here less disappointing rather than making yourself miserable by focusing only on running away.

 

Let's face it, some people came here because they thought it would be just like living at Disneyland and/or they thought they could live a life of luxury on a shoestring. Now they've discovered you can only eat so much cotton candy or get on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride so many times before you want to go home.

 

Planning ahead and rationally considering all the possible consequences of your behavior are not strategies encouraged in Nanny states.  

 

The one possible benefit of the incessant whining of people who made poor decisions is that maybe it will prompt others to think twice before leaping ... but history seems to indicate that's not going to happen.

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2018 by Suradit69

[user4654364]

I'm thinking along the same lines as Farang99. I had planned to move here 6 years ago but for some absolutely stupid reason I let my little head rule my big head and shacked up with another Western leech who just recently had me in the family court. Everything was planned for the move then i made that mistake. I have the best of both worlds right now working offshore and spending my time off in Pattaya. I have rented a nice place in Naklua and just when i'm starting to get a tired of it, it's time to go to work and dry the liver out. After 3 weeks at work I can't wait to get back. I have a great girl in Pattaya who looks after me and never asks for much and my mates that live in Thailand love it just as much as I do. Still have my property in Perth which I will maybe think about selling in 5 years when my work finishes out here. To be honest, I can't see myself ever living back in Oz full time but will go back periodically to see my kids and grandkids.

Wish I had of moved to Thailand years ago. 

[HLover]

1 hour ago, uffe123 said:

Thai government is not telling the truth

Hilariously you think your home government does?

Maybe take a break from the (mis) information media and enjoy what Thailand has to offer.

[Peterw42]

40 minutes ago, ubonr1971 said:

you couldn't pay me to live in the nanny state of oz.....

Dont worry they wont pay you, the pension laws seem to change daily, lol

[newnative]

       No regrets here.  If you can't afford to live in Thailand you would likely be much worse off in your native country.  And, the situation would likely get worse the older you got.  My Mom (99) is in a nursing home in the US that costs about $4,500 a month--that's more than my monthly pension and social security.  Luckily, my Dad left her well-provided for.  I couldn't afford a decent nursing home in the US but I have no doubt I'll be able to afford to be cared for here, when or if the time comes.

      As others have said, I think if you are unhappy here odds are you will also be unhappy somewhere else.   I love seeing guys in their 70s and 80s out and about here in the year-round nice weather, enjoying their lives here, living each day as vitally as they can, and not parked in front of the tv day after day with a blanket covering their knees vegetating.

[Scottie12]

I used to spend 9 months here and 3 months in Scotland, now spend 6 months here and 6 months in Scotland, a perfect lifestyle missing the UK winter and the wet and humid months in Thailand.