A bitter pill to swallow .

[zaZa9]

1 hour ago, poanoi said:

i wasnt 50, so i had to travel to laos each year for another ED visa,

plus sitting in a school chair.

as a last effort to dodge pain from visa run, i moved to cambodia,

thinking i would save some traveling, and, well i did, (2 trips i think)

but i could not fathom that cambodia is the land of no quality mattresses !

i was so messed up after the first night that i have never recovered,

now i have unbearable pain every second of my life

The writer insists this works poanoi !

 

http://www.kamalala.com/gaba-is-the-drug-for-chronic-pain/

[Gruff]

59 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The appeal of overseas for me was as much driven by dissatisfaction with my home country as much by satisfaction with elsewhere. The country of my youth has been fundamentally changed by trendyism, greed, worship of money, and excessive PC. Not only that, but it has become too expensive for poor people to have a decent life in.

 

One thing that the OP does not appear to consider, are the number of expats that were divorced and came into a large sum of money when they got their 50% of the house sale profit. That was when ordinary people were able to buy houses, which may have changed recently.

They were able to move to LOS and build a house for the young lovely, buy cars etc, but when it's all gone wrong once the money tree died, they have nothing back home, and nothing in LOS.

 

I see no help forthcoming, and to be frank, the future does not look good for many expats.

Depressing.

You don't need property back home or  in LoS you just need sufficient money in the bank or in pensions. If you don't have that the probems begin.

[Gruff]

 

14 minutes ago, InMyShadow said:

Why would OP think that all expats have property?

Most expats I met didn't have a bean to their name

Yes the ex wife has the property !

[seancbk]

How many of us are Third Culture Kids? 

Passport from one country, born in another, grew up in a third (or in several places).    Have no particular connection to the country for which we hold a passport, prefer to think of ourselves as from our adopted countries and in some cases our kids are not eligible for our 'nationality' (whatever that means).

 

[The Deerhunter]

Many of those trapped by circumstances you describe seem to end up on the pavement 8 stories below their condo/apartment.  Much quicker than hanging but inconsiderate and messy for more people. For some folk there is nowhere to go particularly if you have no family back home.  Scary scenario.

[Brunolem]

33 minutes ago, Gruff said:

One standard maybe to set your financial requirements goals to be enough to live and survive ok in the most expensive of countries.

It depends on the meaning of surviving...

Here in Thailand, while some are doing fine with, say, 30,000 baht per month, other wonder how it's possible to survive with less than, say, 150,000 baht.

Living in places like Singapore or Qatar, for example, where space is limited and everything has to be imported, cannot come cheap, while it is possible to live with very little in a farm in many countries.

So, I would say that, before even starting counting one's money and chosing a destination, one has to know for sure what kind of life he wants to live...

[The Deerhunter]

36 minutes ago, Gruff said:

You don't need property back home or  in LoS you just need sufficient money in the bank or in pensions. If you don't have that the probems begin.

Many of these people either started with enough or thought they did but owing to miscalculation back home before they came or  mis-spending or wrong relationships after now find themselves in an almost impossible predicament.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

On 3/30/2018 at 7:11 AM, dotpoom said:

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).

 

You can't afford the rent back home, but you can afford to live in Thailand?

[newnative]

55 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

I will try to comment on your 3 successive posts all at once.

 

I could add the weather to your list of reasons to move in Thailand where, unfortunately, the local weather is becoming more and more unpredictable, and seasons are all mixed together...

 

The future doesn't look good for expats, and currency exchange may be a major factor in that.

Since many expats don't live out a portfolio on Wall Street, but rather from a moderate retirement pension, an exchange rate fluctuation can quickly wreak havoc in their daily life.

Considering the global economic developments, especially coming from China (BRI and else), it appears likely that this part of the world is going to be flushed with Chinese money, through major investments (high speed rail, roads...), thus pushing both the local currencies and prices higher.

Meanwhile, Western retirees will keep on receiving the same amount of money in their depreciating currency.

Within the next 5 to 10 years, things could become very difficult for those who have just enough now.

 

Given the major uncertainties, worldwide, these days, it is very difficult to make a long term decision, especially when it comes to move to another country.

 

 

      One possible correction.  You say western retirees will continue to receive the same amount of money in their depreciating currency.  Most American pensions, and American Social Security, have cost of living raises to help keep pace with inflation.  This year my pension went up a little over 2%.  One year I think it was 5 or 6%.  I know it's not a lot but it does help some and I think it's been keeping me at least around even with the dollar/baht fluctuations.   

[Odysseus123]

Once Bitten,

 

What a splendid "Stalking Horse" you are...

 

I have noticed that you start many a subject where the sub text is  perfectly plain-bash a foreigner.

 

As click bait you are sans pareil but,unfortunately, only the usual intellectully challenged show up.

 

I would be very pleased to debate this interesting topic with you.

 

Please post in reply.

[Once Bitten]

 

After talking and listening to quite a few expats at our local meetings I think that there's another common theme associated to burning your bridges , its where a retired resident expat over time comes to realize that their future in Thailand is looking more and more bleak due in part to the ever rising general cost of living in Thailand and also with buying their beloved expensive foreign food and drink.  

 

Add to that the yearly increasing cost of private medical insurance , the poor international currency exchange rate , their frozen government pension payments and of course the ever present immigration requirement of needing a wad of cash in a Thai bank . 

 

 Just listening to some,  the simple answer in their mind to these problems seems to be , Oh well I will just have to tighten my belt and ditch that expensive foreign food and drink I really love and only eat cheap Thai food or I will only buy things I really need , in a few cases I heard the comment made , Oh well if its get really bad I will just get the wife to help , she can find a job some where. 

 

The thought of having to tighten your belt and start to do with out a range of things you once loved and looked forward to and took for granted ,  will I'm sure become a thorn in many retired expats sides that  will only go to increase negativity and bitterness  

 

[Odysseus123]

17 minutes ago, Once Bitten said:

 

After talking and listening to quite a few expats at our local meetings I think that there's another common theme associated to burning your bridges , its where a retired resident expat over time comes to realize that their future in Thailand is looking more and more bleak due in part to the ever rising general cost of living in Thailand and also with buying their beloved expensive foreign food and drink.  

 

Add to that the yearly increasing cost of private medical insurance , the poor international currency exchange rate , their frozen government pension payments and of course the ever present immigration requirement of needing a wad of cash in a Thai bank . 

 

 Just listening to some,  the simple answer in their mind to these problems seems to be , Oh well I will just have to tighten my belt and ditch that expensive foreign food and drink I really love and only eat cheap Thai food or I will only buy things I really need , in a few cases I heard the comment made , Oh well if its get really bad I will just get the wife to help , she can find a job some where. 

 

The thought of having to tighten your belt and start to do with out a range of things you once loved and looked forward to and took for granted ,  will I'm sure become a thorn in many retired expats sides that  will only go to increase negativity and bitterness  

 

I see that you did not answer a direct invitation to converse.

 

Your :observations are loaded,biased and useless and I doubt that a single one of your so-called experiences are real.

 

But a great talking point with your fellow supporters on ThaiVisa,

Edited March 31, 2018 by Odysseus123

[Brunolem]

4 hours ago, newnative said:

      One possible correction.  You say western retirees will continue to receive the same amount of money in their depreciating currency.  Most American pensions, and American Social Security, have cost of living raises to help keep pace with inflation.  This year my pension went up a little over 2%.  One year I think it was 5 or 6%.  I know it's not a lot but it does help some and I think it's been keeping me at least around even with the dollar/baht fluctuations.   

We all know that the official inflation numbers are massaged in order to keep it low...it looks good for the country and it allows to limit as much as possible the increase of anything indexed on inflation, including retirement pensions.

In Europe, many countries manage to not raise at all for many years, thanks to the lack of (official) inflation.

Anyway, here in Thailand, inflation is running fast...over the last 10 to 12 years, prices have doubled on average.

In the meantime, retirement pensions have certainly not doubled and currencies like the dollar or the euro have lost 30%...painful indeed...

[giddyup]

2 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

I see that you did not answer a direct invitation to converse.

 

Your :observations are loaded,biased and useless and I doubt that a single one of your so-called experiences are real.

 

But a great talking point with your fellow supporters on ThaiVisa,

Instead of asking for some kind of one on one discussion, why don't you just dispute his points with evidence to the contrary?

[Brunolem]

2 hours ago, Once Bitten said:

 

After talking and listening to quite a few expats at our local meetings I think that there's another common theme associated to burning your bridges , its where a retired resident expat over time comes to realize that their future in Thailand is looking more and more bleak due in part to the ever rising general cost of living in Thailand and also with buying their beloved expensive foreign food and drink.  

 

Add to that the yearly increasing cost of private medical insurance , the poor international currency exchange rate , their frozen government pension payments and of course the ever present immigration requirement of needing a wad of cash in a Thai bank . 

 

 Just listening to some,  the simple answer in their mind to these problems seems to be , Oh well I will just have to tighten my belt and ditch that expensive foreign food and drink I really love and only eat cheap Thai food or I will only buy things I really need , in a few cases I heard the comment made , Oh well if its get really bad I will just get the wife to help , she can find a job some where. 

 

The thought of having to tighten your belt and start to do with out a range of things you once loved and looked forward to and took for granted ,  will I'm sure become a thorn in many retired expats sides that  will only go to increase negativity and bitterness  

 

So you are the dog...your avatar...and yet it seems that you have a few of them (other posters) after your a..

Not sure why...

Anyway, I agree with what you say.

Yet, there is a limit to downsizing (managing one's way of life in order to reduce expenses).

For a guy in his 80s, such a strategy might work, but for a guy in his 60s it is much less likely, especially if things keep going the way they have during the past decade, which is quite likely (stagnant pensions, high inflation, declining exchange rate).

Never easy to make predictions, but it wouldn't be surprising if many expats were living in the coming years...

 

Edited March 31, 2018 by Brunolem

[DonnyT]

2 hours ago, Once Bitten said:

Thailand is looking more and more bleak due in part to the ever rising general cost of living in Thailand and also with buying their beloved expensive foreign food and drink.  

 

Add to that the yearly increasing cost of private medical insurance , the poor international currency exchange rate , their frozen government pension payments and of course the ever present immigration requirement of needing a wad of cash in a Thai bank .

Forget the health insurance (death is an option)

Cook your own 'foreign food' (it's as cheap as Thai food)

 

Problem solved!

[DonnyT]

On 3/30/2018 at 7:04 AM, LennyW said:

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

Not all that much difference between PI and LoS.

The booze is cheaper in PI, the beaches and the exchange rate are both better.

[Odysseus123]

44 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Instead of asking for some kind of one on one discussion, why don't you just dispute his points with evidence to the contrary?

He has posted many OP's-with exactly the same message,rarely contributes afterwards and curiously enough pretty much the same followers turning up right on cue.I regard his OP's as nothing more than Dorothea Dixers.

 

It is a not quite subtle message in "foreign" bashing.

 

Like all good  masters of the art he does not respond to a direct conversation.

 

I have dismissed him as a fake.

 

I am perfectly content to dismiss you too.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Odysseus123

[rott]

On 3/30/2018 at 8:29 AM, StraightTalk said:

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

Stunning and beautiful is all very well, but you need to include safe plus affordable accommodation/food/bars/p4p amongst other things. Can you suggest any places that combine these things.

Edited March 31, 2018 by rott

[gamini]

On 3/30/2018 at 11:58 AM, Brunolem said:

I would agree with most of that, but no one seems to mention the social issues, such as integration.

As a "farang", you always stand like a sore thumb (except in Pattaya, which is not really Thailand) and will be treated as such no matter how long you stay.

Imagine the outcry if all black people in Western countries were called "african" and fingered as such by children and local hillbillies!

This to say that, given the massive cultural gap, it is very difficult for a farang to be integrated here, which is why farangs in Thailand, for the most part, live among farangs.

I don't think that many farangs could share, in a forum such as this one, the latest interesting conversation they had at dinner with their Thai wife's family, or with a group of Thai friends.

For this reasons, a number of foreigners prefer to retire in Central or South America, where it's easier to mingle with the local population.

I dont agree with you at all.  You generalise too much. It depends on what type of "farang". There are plenty of expats I know who have lots of Thai friends, like I have. They are all very well educated. They don't live in "farang" ghettos. They would not be seen dead in Pattaya. We go on trips abroad with our Thai friends. Many of my Thai friends speak better English than  the average Brit with thier regional accents. We all feel very much at home in Thailand and I have never felt disrespect from any Thais.

[luk AJ]

I decided long time ago never to reside in China and look what happened, China came to Thailand! In the airport, shopping centers etc.. they are just everywhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Brunolem]

34 minutes ago, gamini said:

I dont agree with you at all.  You generalise too much. It depends on what type of "farang". There are plenty of expats I know who have lots of Thai friends, like I have. They are all very well educated. They don't live in "farang" ghettos. They would not be seen dead in Pattaya. We go on trips abroad with our Thai friends. Many of my Thai friends speak better English than  the average Brit with thier regional accents. We all feel very much at home in Thailand and I have never felt disrespect from any Thais.

How many of these Thai friends are, or are not, from Chinese origin?

Did you ask them?

All the Thais I have known, behaving like you describe, were from Chinese origin.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Brunolem

[Brunolem]

15 minutes ago, luk AJ said:

I decided long time ago never to reside in China and look what happened, China came to Thailand! In the airport, shopping centers etc.. they are just everywhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Not to mention in the "Thai" society where they own and control everything...

[Brunolem]

45 minutes ago, DonnyT said:

Forget the health insurance (death is an option)

Cook your own 'foreign food' (it's as cheap as Thai food)

 

Problem solved!

Unfortunately, death is not an option once you find yourself in the private hospitals' greedy hands.

I have known a couple of cases recently.

An acquaintance had a heart attack and found himself in a private hospital where the meter started running.

Once he was in better shape, he was informed that his bill was around 500,000 baht, which he couldn't pay.

So, they kept him, like a prisoner, while piling on more charges everyday, until the bill reached 800,000 baht, and he was somehow released after someone provided a guarantee.

There are cases like this all the time.

Foreigners not insured up to at least 5 million baht should tattoo on their arm "do not send me to a private hospital!".

 

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

After I broke my arm, and had to go to hospital every day for dressings, my wife resented having to take me. I have no doubt she wouldn't have cleaned up after me, if I became incontinent.

We all want to believe the idea that all Thais take care of their family, but for some of us, that ideal is not a reality.

Perhaps you were unlucky in your wife choice, and I was lucky in my GF choice. Life is a lottery. I have had ample evidence my GF is genuinely concerned for my welfare.

[DonnyT]

49 minutes ago, gamini said:

 I have never felt disrespect from any Thais.

How about when you visit a National Park or Immigration?

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Brunolem said:

We all know that the official inflation numbers are massaged in order to keep it low...it looks good for the country and it allows to limit as much as possible the increase of anything indexed on inflation, including retirement pensions.

In Europe, many countries manage to not raise at all for many years, thanks to the lack of (official) inflation.

Anyway, here in Thailand, inflation is running fast...over the last 10 to 12 years, prices have doubled on average.

In the meantime, retirement pensions have certainly not doubled and currencies like the dollar or the euro have lost 30%...painful indeed...

Really? My condo rent has actually decreased from 10,000 baht/month to 8500 baht/month over the last 5 years. My Australian part pension has increased from $400 to $700 per fortnight in the same time frame.

AFAIK, in Chiang Mai the price of fruit and vegetables in season is unchanged. And if you are interested in other aspects, the price of pussy hasn't changed.

[luk AJ]

Not to mention in the "Thai" society where they own and control everything...

True, but they were already here when I arrived 20y ago. In fact I am convinced the Chinese/Thai contribute most to the Thai economy


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, Odysseus123 said:

 I am perfectly content to dismiss you too.

Ooh, not the dreaded dismissed. How will I go on?

Edited March 31, 2018 by giddyup

[Brunolem]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Really? My condo rent has actually decreased from 10,000 baht/month to 8500 baht/month over the last 5 years. My Australian part pension has increased from $400 to $700 per fortnight in the same time frame.

AFAIK, in Chiang Mai the price of fruit and vegetables in season is unchanged. And if you are interested in other aspects, the price of pussy hasn't changed.

Rule number one when making a case: do not assume that your personal situation can be taken as a standard!

I am not going to get into examples of prices increases in Thailand because it would take pages...but they do exist, besides the rent of your condo...

As for your 70% pension increase over 5 years, I can guarantee you that my French mother didn't get that...she was lucky if she got 7% during these years.

Finally, about 15 years ago in Pattaya (in a famous go-go on second road), you could get the bar fine, the short time room with jacuzzi upstairs, and the lady...for 1,200 baht.

As far as I know, these days such an amount may cover the bar fine...