For better or worse? Expats think Thailand is going down the pan, poll

[malibukid]

On 1/25/2019 at 12:35 PM, BritManToo said:

Why would you retire to Thailand if you didn't want the beer and pussy?

There isn't much else here worth the trip.

not everyone comes here for the drink and the girls,  you can find that anywhere in the world if thats your style.  L.A. has much more to offer in that regard, but it's so ugly and stressful.

[Jimbo2014]

On 1/25/2019 at 5:15 PM, DrTuner said:

That's what I'm eyeballing now, https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Australia&country2=Thailand&city1=Brisbane&city2=Pattaya&tracking=getDispatchComparison

 

#7 in Numbeo's quality of life https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_current.jsp , Bangkok is ... #206. I think that's just about right.

I appreciate that but it really does depend on what you want to do and what you consider important to quality of life.  For example - clean water - Brisbane Free - Pattaya - bottled or filtered only.  Clean Air - Brisbane Free - Pattaya not available now - Fresh organic vegetables - Brisbane costly - Pattaya not available (illegal pesticide use is through the roof).  Brisbane - hassle free bike ride - Free.  Pattaya - not available.  Clean Beaches - Brisbane Free - Pattaya - not available.  You get the point.   its about Priorities. I accept that for many Pattaya offers great opportunities but as I noted for me what I value as quality of life seems presently diminished in Thailand.  

[Jimbo2014]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:46 PM, Pilotman said:

We live in the countryside, just north of Ban Chang in Rayong Province.  So far it seems to have escaped the worst of the tourists and environmental impacts and is still largely rural, with clean (ish) beaches within easy reach. It will change I guess, but for now, it beats the UK for quality of living

Certainly - warm weather and a clean environment sounds good.  We are going to look around in Thailand properly before committing.  There are still good options but reluctant to be too remote.

[Jimbo2014]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:45 PM, somtumwrong said:

If you can afford it, try living here the winter and in Aus in the summer, although the Aus way of thinking may differ in this from our northern European way of thinking. 4 months of sanity in a year + 8 months of hmm plastic paradise a year ????

Difficult for us - not because of money but because of dogs, cats and our desire to settle in one place ???? - 

[Pilotman]

45 minutes ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Certainly - warm weather and a clean environment sounds good.  We are going to look around in Thailand properly before committing.  There are still good options but reluctant to be too remote.

Believe me, it doesn't feel remote where we live, just a nice distance from the mayhem you can find in some places here.  We are a 50 minute drive from the centre of Pattaya, which is quite close enough for me,  having said that, we hardly ever go near the place.  I was just siting on my patio, by the pool, drinking a late afternoon beer and reading.  All I have as background sound is the call of the birds.  Who wouldn't value this for retirement?  

[inThailand]

For better or worse? Expats think Thailand is going down the pan, poll. 

 

Yup and the number of TV posters not living in Thailand will soon dwarf the expats here, who are not going down the pan, but rather going to the happy hour bar. 

[DrTuner]

On 1/28/2019 at 4:12 PM, CMNightRider said:

I can't think of another country in the world who requires foreigners living in their country to check in to their immigration every 90 days.  Am I the only one who thinks something is wrong with this nonsensical requirement not to mention the 24 hour TM30 requirement.

I once traced the immigration act's origins to the 50's, when Phibun was in charge and laws were being passed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaek_Phibunsongkhram#Coup,_second_premiership_and_more_coups

 

That time Thailand had 10000000x buffaloes compared to the few farangs that probably travelled on foot once in a decade. 

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

 All I have as background sound is the call of the birds.  Who wouldn't value this for retirement?  

I can hear the infernal Koel driving people nuts in the background right now. It-needs-to-die. Bloody birds.

[SEAsia Traveler]

On 1/31/2019 at 5:51 PM, DrTuner said:

I can hear the infernal Koel driving people nuts in the background right now. It-needs-to-die. Bloody birds.

kooell, kooell

 

kooeeeellll, koooeeelllll

 

KOOEELLLL, KOOEELLLLl

[fouryesrs]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:19 AM, dyertribe said:

I'm seriously looking at Cambodia as an option for my retirement where, up until now, it has always been Thailand.

question : why not new zealand, spain, queensland or california ???? why a thirld world country after a gruesome war ???

[fouryesrs]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:28 AM, RotBenz8888 said:

It's not that easy to "just leave" when you built a life with family, bought a house, a car etc, and have a fixed income. It has nothing to do with unhappiness, but many will be forced to leave due to the baht appreciation.

not easy it your ties are strong but sure possible because before u moved from somewhere else to los right ? for me its a temporary solution...because they only give me one y. visas and i have to report every 90 d. to the military government... so i never know if i can stay a( not live ) another year...so after some month i usualy move on to come back later...one year too little time to build a house that i cannot own...if i wanted to retire permanent outside of Europe ( where i can live everywhere at my desire ) i need a permanent residency and the right to buy and sell at least my own house... Los a temporary home not more...

[fouryesrs]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:39 AM, VocalNeal said:

Where ya goin.. Bullie

try cyprus...or italy...or portugal...many nice spots also greece is a great place

[fouryesrs]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:39 AM, VocalNeal said:

Where ya goin.. Bullie

try cyprus...or italy...or portugal...many nice spots also greece is a great place

[GinBoy2]

We can argue until the cows come home about the costs of living in Thailand.

 

I personally stopped thinking it was cheap few years ago, all the usual caveats apply; how you live, not living in a Isaan tin shack etc...

 

But for us what really drove the nail in the coffin was after our son finished college in Chicago and told us he was never coming back to Thailand, it sort of made the decision easy.

If he'd come back to Thailand, we probably would have toughed it out and stayed

 

But my wife's parents are long dead, so without him she wanted out too.

 

So, yeah family ties are are huge part of the stay or leave decision for many

[HuskerDo]

7 hours ago, fouryesrs said:

try cyprus...or italy...or portugal...many nice spots also greece is a great place

Remember they guy has limited resources/money.

[dcnx]

On 1/25/2019 at 10:25 AM, fruitman said:

We're also going to move out....enough is enough.

 

Many Thai products cost more in BKK than in the West....in the supermarkets...if you like high quality products (like most westerners do) thailand is 2-5 times as expensive as the West....so it's a no brainer for me...leave!

Also leaving. It’s been planned for a while though. 15 years is enough. The list is long and things don’t improve here. We get fancy new malls and faster internet but the mindset of the people and the government are not evolving. Possibly even moving backwards. The pollution has become a real issue too and is now causing health issues.

 

I also choose not to live the rest of my days checking in with immigration like I’m some sort of criminal, while living in uncertainty about ever changing visa regulations. No thanks. There are many countries out there that are welcoming and treat foreigners like human beings, not criminals. I have have worked too hard and have too much self respect to continue to be treated in this manner. I’ve bit my tongue and dealt with their xenophobic ignorance long enough.

 

I do feel for those of you who are trapped here.

[GinBoy2]

28 minutes ago, dcnx said:

Also leaving. It’s been planned for a while though. 15 years is enough. The list is long and things don’t improve here. We get fancy new malls and faster internet but the mindset of the people and the government are not evolving. Possibly even moving backwards. The pollution has become a real issue too and is now causing health issues.

 

I also choose not to live the rest of my days checking in with immigration like I’m some sort of criminal, while living in uncertainty about ever changing visa regulations. No thanks. There are many countries out there that are welcoming and treat foreigners like human beings, not criminals. I have have worked too hard and have too much self respect to continue to be treated in this manner. I’ve bit my tongue and dealt with their xenophobic ignorance long enough.

 

I do feel for those of you who are trapped here.

Thing there are various forms of 'trapped'

 

Family is often a real issue if you want to leave. Kids, inlaws, you name it it can be hard. Like I said previously, it was our son moving to the US that really tipped our decision. 

 

The saddest ones are those that are trapped because they just can't afford to or just nowhere to return to. They sell up everything back home move to Thailand, and are essentially, as you rightly say...trapped!

[transam]

30 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

Thing there are various forms of 'trapped'

 

Family is often a real issue if you want to leave. Kids, inlaws, you name it it can be hard. Like I said previously, it was our son moving to the US that really tipped our decision. 

 

The saddest ones are those that are trapped because they just can't afford to or just nowhere to return to. They sell up everything back home move to Thailand, and are essentially, as you rightly say...trapped!

I like my "trap"....????

[stanleycoin]

32 minutes ago, transam said:

I like my "trap"....????

Me.too#

I also feel very degraded some days. 

 

 

[DrTuner]

4 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Me.too#

I also feel very degraded some days. 

 

 

One donut from a beer belly.. BGs were the leading indicator, let's call it the waist index. Trending up.

[pattayadgw]

My beloved adopted country of 20 plus years (living here) is in the midst of its greatest changes I've witnessed since first visiting here in 1976.  This present transition period is one where I see the country becoming too expensive for #1 tourists, #2 expat retirees and $3 business investment. 

 

 

 

 

[Essex Reject]

I've been here 18 years, have a wife and 2 young sons...I'm at the point now where I want to go back home to Blighty for fresh air, watch football and eat real curries etc amongst many other things....of course far from easy for obvious reasons...I'm 48 and have no desire to grow old living in this oven worrying about visa rules etc, year in year out...

[Essex Reject]

2 hours ago, dcnx said:

Also leaving. It’s been planned for a while though. 15 years is enough. The list is long and things don’t improve here. We get fancy new malls and faster internet but the mindset of the people and the government are not evolving. Possibly even moving backwards. The pollution has become a real issue too and is now causing health issues.

 

I also choose not to live the rest of my days checking in with immigration like I’m some sort of criminal, while living in uncertainty about ever changing visa regulations. No thanks. There are many countries out there that are welcoming and treat foreigners like human beings, not criminals. I have have worked too hard and have too much self respect to continue to be treated in this manner. I’ve bit my tongue and dealt with their xenophobic ignorance long enough.

 

I do feel for those of you who are trapped here.

Exactly how I feel...enough is enough. Absolutely sick of this heat too.

[Always curious]

To Stanleycoin....I live on Soi 6.  It is noisy beyond belief, 24/7, but it seems you only come here for massage

'entertainment' so you don't know what living on Soi 6 is really like.

[stanleycoin]

42 minutes ago, Essex Reject said:

I've been here 18 years, have a wife and 2 young sons...I'm at the point now where I want to go back home to Blighty for fresh air, watch football and eat real curries etc amongst many other things....of course far from easy for obvious reasons...I'm 48 and have no desire to grow old living in this oven worrying about visa rules etc, year in year out...

Why not make your own curries. cheap and tasty. 

[Essex Reject]

8 minutes ago, stanleycoin said:

Why not make your own curries. cheap and tasty. 

What the same as UK curry houses...sadly not a chance ????

[likewise]

2 hours ago, dcnx said:

Also leaving. It’s been planned for a while though. 15 years is enough. The list is long and things don’t improve here. We get fancy new malls and faster internet but the mindset of the people and the government are not evolving. Possibly even moving backwards. The pollution has become a real issue too and is now causing health issues.

 

I also choose not to live the rest of my days checking in with immigration like I’m some sort of criminal, while living in uncertainty about ever changing visa regulations. No thanks. There are many countries out there that are welcoming and treat foreigners like human beings, not criminals. I have have worked too hard and have too much self respect to continue to be treated in this manner. I’ve bit my tongue and dealt with their xenophobic ignorance long enough.

 

I do feel for those of you who are trapped here.

For me, it's been 22 years and like you, it is indeed about self-respect that would get me to leave. Their mentality towards foreigners has gotten a lot worse, price quality just isn't a good deal anymore as used to be. We live in our own home, that we have put for sale BTW with as most little hope of getting it sold but we could move and just cut the loss. In case we'd make that decision Portugal or North Spain is where we would go. We basically live on about 50 to 60K THB per month, only costs are the internet and electricity but I do enjoy good food, cheeses and wine hence the 60K/month, sometimes a bit less.

I see some thinking Cambodia, Vietnam, the Cambodians are the Moroccans of the east lol, a lot more aggressive and less easy going then we were used to with Thais. Vietnam, sure go ahead and let me know. Got a few friends there, they don't seem to be ecstatic about the place. Thailand and Asia, in general, has lost a lot of its charm it still had back in the 80ies en 90'ies. Mass tourism has brought money to the general economy but has killed the kindness, the smile, the easygoingness. Not saying that our home Euro countries have improved, far from but I have seen good deals on spacious plots on the Atlantic side, North of Spain and Portugal, great climate by the way. We are giving it thought but more and more leaning towards leaving. I have all the financial requirements they want but as some more than fed up of year in year out applying, waiting, rules change, every year over and over again lol, 90 day <deleted> like I am a 20-year-old on probation. Really, <deleted> 'em, the place went downhill fast the last 5 years IMO. Thailand has lost its charm for me. Consider myself lucky came here when I was 24/25, worked here made a living, never really had any financial problems, had really good times and not regret anything about it. Yet at 48 I just start to have more than enough of their corruption, yearly visa extensions kinda like begging them to stay. We'll see, I'm happy that we have the choice. As side joke, reading here guys being afraid of getting deported, I sit and quietly laugh if they would ever want to deport me, I'd be like; Jai yen yen pee, Phom pai eng K'dai na, mai yaak yoo laew khrab 55555. Where's that airplane.55

[WeekendRaider]

everyone is different.  some of us much more so.  rural northern Thailand is a natural setting, self sufficient, self governing, fresh and healthy food... my Thai wife makes very elaborate northern Thai dishes which have a lot of herbs and other things that are quite local and varied.  usually at least 10 distinct flavors, the kind of food that after you eat it you feel good as you know you are getting something you need.  and with a large frig plus a freezer unit stocked with salmon, local fish, cheeses I need for pizza and pasta dishes.... satellite TV, high speed internet... and the still untouched SET way to making and keeping wealthy as well as healthy (at some point a cap gains tax will begin to creep in, just as with the land tax)... what am I missing other than baseball games and a racing green MX-5 with roads I can have fun driving on?  nothing, and very very "paw pehaung".  no complaints at all.   

[Nong Khai Man]

On 1/25/2019 at 10:42 AM, Aforek said:

Leave Bangkok, Pattaya etc, and go to upcountry: life is nice and not expansive if you have a "thai life " 

Agreed..................100%.....

[stanleycoin]

6 minutes ago, Essex Reject said:

What the same as UK curry houses...sadly not a chance ????

Ok, if you say so.