I am almost ready to Pull the plug and leave

[CharlieH]

Inflammatory Post removed.

 

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, meechai said:

I really wonder what the attraction was to stay? I guess for the mongers it is mongering but for us married folks?? Really the world has so much better to offer.

For me it's my (real) Thai son, and my (acquired) Thai daughter.

We just spent the afternoon at our local outdoor swimming pool splashing around in the late afternoon sun ($3 for the three of us).

Once I've recovered, it'll be off to the local market for the weeks' veggie purchases (another $3), and then noodles all round at the local food stalls (yet another $3).

 

Can't see anything better the world can offer me at the moment.

Edited October 14, 2018 by BritManToo

[David Walden]

5 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

 

What is P/W?

per week or 7 days

[BritManToo]

14 minutes ago, David Walden said:

per week or 7 days

$200/week for a small unit doesn't seem that good a deal, I'm paying $400/month to buy a new 3 bedroom house

(12Km from downtown Chiang Mai)

Edited October 14, 2018 by BritManToo

[GinBoy2]

4 hours ago, chrisandsu said:

Same for me . Winters in Thailand the rest of the year I much prefer it where I live . I don’t think there will ever be a point in my life where I will want to live in Thailand full time . 

Same for us, usually escape right after Christmas to avoid the worst of winter, although this year snow has come early!

I actually did think I wanted to live in Thailand full time when first moved there, and ultimately was there 10 years.

But it’s like a lot of bright shiny things....the shine wears off.

Really went downhill for me when our son went to college in the US. Maybe having him there gave me something else to fixate on, I dunno, but after he left I just started to get more and more irritated by it all.

 

Now My winter vacation in our Thai house is the perfect mix n match for me

[meechai]

59 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

For me it's my (real) Thai son, and my (acquired) Thai daughter.

 

That of course is an excellent reason????

[wabothai]

On 9/5/2018 at 8:57 AM, possum1931 said:

Who is going to be stupid enough to tell the UK taxman that he has bought a house in Thailand, or any other country?

You can buy a house but your name ain't on it. Who doesn't know?

[David Walden]

On 10/9/2018 at 8:43 AM, GinBoy2 said:

Well I think what will probably happen is that you end up with more tourists than long stay residents.

 

Now we usually stay 3 months in Thailand each year, but now I’m a tourist

 

I’m actually a lot happier not having to keep money in a Thai bank account

I'm from West Aus and up till mid last year I only came to Thailand on a 60+30 extension Tourist visa. 3 or 4 times a year for 5 years.  You have to pay Aus $55 to get the visa and Bt 1900 for the 30 day extension.  So about Bt3300 all up for a Thai 90 day visit, a 90 day visa in Malaysia is free.  Getting a 30 day extension for a 60+30=90 day tourist visa can take all day which is a real pain.  Sometimes quicker hmmm.   Each time I have passed through Malaysia they have always given me a 90 tourist visa no question asked free, every one gets one they say.  Sometimes I stay a few days in KL.  Interesting not a big drinker but if you want a beer you really have to go and look for bar in KL, not many drunks in there.  55% muslims and they don't drink (much).  Recently I have obtained a Retirement Visa in Australia and made 4 trips to Thailand in the 1st year.  I'm now residing in Thailand on the extension 12 month period.  It's only a 7hr plane trip to Hue Hin from Perth but a 12 hr stopover in KL which is OK.  I will be returning to Aus after 6 month of the extension period or maybe sooner.

   Even if Thailand charge a Bt2/3000 fee for a full 90 tourist visa that would be much better, like everywhere else in the world.  I don't think many people coming to thailand are using the 30 day extension period for Bt 1900 fee to extend there holiday.  It is quite involved with application forms, up to date passport photos less then 6 months old so you can't use the left over ones you've carried around left over from you 5 year old passport, a police interview, photocopies of your pass port and existing visas.  I think most people just use the 60 day part of the visa and go home.  To complicated to go through all the palava of extending for that further 30 days. The 1st time a real pain the 2nd time not so bad.  I like to go too and from Thailand often and usually for only 90 days.  Malaysia has recognised for years that people wanting to stay on a long holiday a 90 day visa is mostly enough and then back home and it's free.

[blackhorse]

Sorry if you took it personal..?

We lived there long enough to learn from it...only after leaving

 

What I meant is whether they  realize it or not most expats get assimilated.

 

Get use to lack of service

Get use to lack of rights

Get use to filthy conditions

Get use to the worlds most deadly roads

Get use to corruption as they think it will behoove them

Get used to polluted air

 

I could go on  but you get the idea

There is so much better out there but, The Thai mirage is strong

Thailand polishes a turd better than anywhere

 

Thai people are excellent...my Thai family is proof

But the country? Yeah 3 (cool season) months a year or every other year is plenty...Then I am Thai-urd[emoji3]

 

PS: Dont know if we sold at top

We bought in 1998 so was easy to profit, All I said is it went down from when we sold

'Get t use to lack of service

Get use to lack of rights

Get use to filthy conditions

Get use to the worlds most deadly roads

Get use to corruption as they think it will behoove them

Get used to polluted air"

 

Who moves to a developing or 3rd world countries and gets a shock when seeing this?

You could have done a 3 second Google search and decided to just stay 1st world.

 

Or at least used your brain and maybe visit the country first before making the jump!

 

No offense but you only have yourself to blame for your failure

[meechai]

43 minutes ago, blackhorse said:

No offense but you only have yourself to blame for your failure

555 As I told you before...a choice was made not a failure

 

We still own a home here & in fact are here in Thailand now

till 2019. Not a problem...we prefer our other home for the majority of the time

 

Enjoy yourself...we do

Edited October 14, 2018 by meechai

[blackhorse]

555 As I told you before...a choice was made not a failure
 
We still own a home here & in fact are here in Thailand now
till 2019. Not a problem...we prefer our other home for the majority of the time
 
Enjoy yourself...we do

Ok lol

[David Walden]

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

$200/week for a small unit doesn't seem that good a deal, I'm paying $400/month to buy a new 3 bedroom house

(12Km from downtown Chiang Mai)

My comments where in the context of someone who cannot remain in Thailand and may need to move back to Australia and can get the Australian Aged Pension (AAP).  The pension and rent assistance provided by the Govt amounts to about $1050 Per fortnight, and you can have quite a nice nest egg and it will not effect your pension.  $400 per fortnight will get a reasonable living quarters or granny flat, not down town Sydney or Melbourne and $650 P/F to live on, buy food and live quite OK in Queensland or in a larger regional town anywhere in Australia, Cairns for example and many others others.  My town of 35,000 population may have several hundred available and that's just one town.  Remember you get free comprehensive medical insurance with Govt Medicare and a whole lot of other benefits I covered in other post I've made.  If you not a big smoker and are modest drinker you can live a very comfortable OK life on that in Australia.  With the falling Aus dollar and the rising Thai Bt there may be a lot of Aussie expats thinking deeply about this option in Thailand.  Some may have been away a long time and the return will have some challenges.

Edited October 14, 2018 by David Walden

[blackhorse]

My comments where in the context of someone who cannot remain in Thailand and may need to move back to Australia and can get the Australian Aged Pension (AAP).  The pension and rent assistance provided by the Govt amounts t to about $1050 Per fortnight, and you can have quite a nice nest egg and it will not effect your pension.  $400 per fortnight will get a reasonable living quarters or granny flat, not down town Sydney or Melbourne and $650 a week to live on, buy food and live quite OK in Queensland or in a larger regional town anywhere in Australia, Cairns for example and many others others.  My town of 35,000 population may have several hundred available and that's just one town.  Remember you get free comprehensive medical insurance with Govt Medicare and a whole lot of other benefits I covered in other post I've made.  If you not a big smoker and are modest drinker you can live a very comfortable OK life on that in Australia.  With the falling Aus dollar and the rising Thai Bt there may be a lot of Aussie expats thinking deeply about this option in Thailand.  Some may have been away a long time and the return will have some challenges.

Good post. People saying they would starve in oz are talking nonsense.

Everything you mentioned plus massively expensive imported drugs here are close to free on the PBS scheme in oz with pension card

As long as one sticks to country towns or small seaside towns then I doubt cost would be that much more expansive than Thailand..

[BritManToo]

15 minutes ago, David Walden said:

With the falling Aus dollar and the rising Thai Bt there may be a lot of Aussie expats thinking deeply about this option in Thailand.

Or they could move to the Philippines where the Oz dollar hasn't fallen, and nobody really minds if they do a bit of work on the sly.

[GinBoy2]

2 hours ago, meechai said:

555 As I told you before...a choice was made not a failure

 

We still own a home here & in fact are here in Thailand now

till 2019. Not a problem...we prefer our other home for the majority of the time

 

Enjoy yourself...we do

We rarely make conscious decisions to fail, it’s just we change over time.

 

I have no regrets about my time in Thailand, it’s just over time my desires changed, that happens, we’re all human.

 

I’m always baffled by a certain mindset in the community here that seems to have to slam anyone that has decided Thailand just isn’t for them anymore.

 

I’ve said this before, but I still think it rings true.

 

To quote George Smiley. “The fanatic is always harboring a secret doubt"

[Ks45672]

On 9/5/2018 at 8:20 AM, theguyfromanotherforum said:

Why would you go from bad to worse?

Are you not in canada yet?? 

[blackhorse]

I’m not sure i agree with that.
 
I think for the majority, and I count myself in this bucket, they just kinda tire of the place. Now there are the cases of the total crash and burn, all very well documented. Bar girl steals all my money etc etc
 
Do I hate the place nah, still go to Thailand every year. 
 
But would I want to live there anymore, No.
 
I had investments, rental condo’s in Bangkok which I sold up. Not the best investments I’d made in my life, but not a failure.
 
So it’s a mixed bag. I just feel, and you may not be one these, but there is a section of the community that is absolutely resolute to defend and  slam anyone who seems to make any perceived criticism. 
 
Thats when I kinda go, “thou doth protest too hard"

Trust me best thing to do in life is maintain class
If you split with your partner you don't go and trash her on Facebook.. That's class

If you split with thailand you don't bash it on TV.

The guys that couldn't make it are pathetic. Seriously how is possible to fail in 3rd world? It takes a total loser and these champions think they are gonna make it in first world [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

[CharlieH]

Bickering posts removed.

[georgegeorgia]

Yes I too left Thailand after living there for awhile.

 

I had grand plans to eventually retire first in Pattaya then Udon.

 

I had met a lady back in2008 and we had been seeing each other on & off until 2016 she asked me to move there.

 

Long story short I decided at that time I thought I was too young to “waste” my time there and decided i wanted to go back to Australia,she didnt want to come back with me so I left by myself .

 

Thailand is now too expensive for me,a lot of stuff is cheaper in Australia,

but now im leaning more for the Phillipines in retirement, im sick of visa issues in Thailand and just a whole bunch of other stuff.

 

Cebu has nice beaches, better english speaking , no visa hassles, and cheaper.

Edited October 14, 2018 by georgegeorgia

[blackhorse]

Yes I too left Thailand after living there for awhile.
 
I had grand plans to eventually retire first in Pattaya then Udon.
 
I had met a lady back in2008 and we had been seeing each other on & off until 2016 she asked me to move there.
 
Long story short I decided at that time I thought I was too young to “waste” my time there and decided i wanted to go back to Australia,she didnt want to come back with me so I left by myself .
 
Thailand is now too expensive for me,a lot of stuff is cheaper in Australia,
but now im leaning more for the Phillipines in retirement, im sick of visa issues in Thailand and just a whole bunch of other stuff.
 
Cebu has nice beaches, better english speaking , no visa hassles, and cheaper.

The pines are the arm pit of SEA!!
What a dump, crap food and extreme violence
Why would you leave oz for that dump

[simon43]

he pines are the arm pit of SEA!!
What a dump, crap food and extreme violence
Why would you leave oz for that dump

 

Seems it is you who is doing the bashing now... ????

[meechai]

16 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Do I hate the place nah, still go to Thailand every year. 

 

But would I want to live there anymore, No.

 

Exactly same for us & as you said in your other post there are some that will not allow folks an opinion that does not match theirs

 

We kept our house here in Thailand & like it fine for 3 cool season months a year

 

Yes after many years all the negative things I mentioned became visible but really it was after we  left that I saw  them clearly.

 

Truth is the main reasons we initially left was after 2 years of Junta it seemed the new reality & in fact 2 more years later still is.......but personal choice is all it was...

 

Then after returning for vacations ...THAT is really more so when our eyes saw other things we did not notice much before.   I guess we had accepted it was part & parcel of Thailand which it is. Which is why I called it a mirage ???? It was a mirage for "us"

 

If some take it personal that others have an opinion different than theirs about a place..well what does it matter? ???? I am not looking for some anonymous forum users approval

 

Edited October 15, 2018 by meechai

[David Walden]

It's nice for a change to see some Aussies with positive comments on this site.  I remember in a restaurant in Thailand politely explaining about the fish and chips I ordered at a restaurant.  I explained that the fish only needs about 4 min in batter in the oil and the Prawn about the sames, the squid in batter only need 2 minuets.  Everything including the chips were cooked for about 15 mins.  The fish inside the batter was like liquid, the prawns just still eatable and the squid was like leather, just terrible, you needed a hack saw to cut it before you could chew it.  The chips were quite OK and were just like the Smiths's Potato Crisps you get in Aus.  Really crispy.  When I tried to explain how he could improve thing he informed me that I was committing defamation and in Thailand that is a crime...TIT

Edited October 15, 2018 by David Walden

[falangjim]

On 9/5/2018 at 9:29 AM, impulse said:

 

One reason Thai families can live on 10K/ month is because they count on help from extended families and they do a lot of bartering- formal and informal.  That's not in the cards for most foreigners.

 

Good luck with your health situation.  

 

 

[GinBoy2]

20 hours ago, meechai said:

Exactly same for us & as you said in your other post there are some that will not allow folks an opinion that does not match theirs

 

We kept our house here in Thailand & like it fine for 3 cool season months a year

 

Yes after many years all the negative things I mentioned became visible but really it was after we  left that I saw  them clearly.

 

Truth is the main reasons we initially left was after 2 years of Junta it seemed the new reality & in fact 2 more years later still is.......but personal choice is all it was...

 

Then after returning for vacations ...THAT is really more so when our eyes saw other things we did not notice much before.   I guess we had accepted it was part & parcel of Thailand which it is. Which is why I called it a mirage ???? It was a mirage for "us"

 

If some take it personal that others have an opinion different than theirs about a place..well what does it matter? ???? I am not looking for some anonymous forum users approval

 

You kinda block out a lot of the nonsense when you live in Thailand full time. 

When you leave you become a little more objective.

 

I kinda understand why a lot of the hyper apologists are the way they. Many of them fall into the trap of just not having the resources to leave even if they wanted to, so self denial, justification etc kicks in.

 

I now thoroughly enjoy my 3 month winter vacation in Thailand, without all the crap that goes with trying to live there

[meechai]

48 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I now thoroughly enjoy my 3 month winter vacation in Thailand, without all the crap that goes with trying to live there

True all you said but especially this part quoted above.

 

Wish Thailand offered spouses of Thai citizens a simpler path like my wife followed a dozen years ago when she moved to the US.

 

First they gave her a 2 year temp residence green card, SS card & work permit..after that 2 year card a 10 year permanent residence card.

 

After just a year into that 10year card she was allowed to apply for US citizenship, which she got.

All the while working & paying taxes in the US building her own 401k & Social Security

 

Compare that path with what we recently jumped thru in Thailand for so many years ????

Edited October 16, 2018 by meechai

[GinBoy2]

14 hours ago, meechai said:

True all you said but especially this part quoted above.

 

Wish Thailand offered spouses of Thai citizens a simpler path like my wife followed a dozen years ago when she moved to the US.

 

First they gave her a 2 year temp residence green card, SS card & work permit..after that 2 year card a 10 year permanent residence card.

 

After just a year into that 10year card she was allowed to apply for US citizenship, which she got.

All the while working & paying taxes in the US building her own 401k & Social Security

 

Compare that path with what we recently jumped thru in Thailand for so many years ????

I hear you bro.

 

I have very very similar thoughts, as does my wife, who constantly reminds me that ‘she told me so’ and we should have pulled the plug years ago.

Not of course that, as with so many female/male conversations I can remember any of them!

Edited October 16, 2018 by GinBoy2

[Damrongsak]

14 hours ago, meechai said:

... Wish Thailand offered spouses of Thai citizens a simpler path like my wife followed a dozen years ago when she moved to the US....

Indeed.  I married in Thailand 40 years ago.  It took a couple months to get her a Thai passport and an immigrant visa, no problems.  Flew to the US, got a permanent green card, then came back to work for a year.  She didn't apply for citizenship for a dozen or so years, but that was no problem. Got immigrant visas for two of her married siblings and their families about 8 years ago.  But that took 10 years: 5 to approve the application and another 5 to wait for an available quota number. At that time, relatives from India and the Philippines were more like 15 years or more due to demand.

[GinBoy2]

36 minutes ago, Damrongsak said:

Indeed.  I married in Thailand 40 years ago.  It took a couple months to get her a Thai passport and an immigrant visa, no problems.  Flew to the US, got a permanent green card, then came back to work for a year.  She didn't apply for citizenship for a dozen or so years, but that was no problem. Got immigrant visas for two of her married siblings and their families about 8 years ago.  But that took 10 years: 5 to approve the application and another 5 to wait for an available quota number. At that time, relatives from India and the Philippines were more like 15 years or more due to demand.

I adopted my Thai stepson when he was little, even  before me and Mrs G actually formally married. 

So, he became a US citizen by default.

 

Could you even imagine Thailand adopting anything like that?

 

No matter what we all think about Trump, xenophobia, walls, Brexit it pales in comparison to what the Thai elite think about foreigners

[usacb500biker]

Gov. hospitals are CHEAP....chest x ray ,Ekg , Meds, 28 blood tests, See student DOC cost ...1500B..........another time hospital stay 13 days Lung infection  13,000B.....Not 200,000--300,000B.....I Live on 15000B, have new CBF 500 honda, condo, new swiming pool, get Drunk, 35 yr olds all night for 500B and Bank the rest.........Life is Wonderful....