8 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Are you Thai?

If not, you own nothing as foreigners cannot legally buy land..

Thanks for the unhelpfully pedantic reply - and in any case I said 'have' as would be covered by it being in my Thai wife’s name. If you’ve nothing intelligent to contribute best not to say anything.

Ten years ago it was different. The Chinese and increase of Nomads has made a difference. The strong baht for us Aussies has taken the shine off a cheaper life in Thailand. My basics in Australia are now comparable to Thailand in cost. The only difference is you cook at home and eat out as as a treat. I think a lot of it comes down to what is comparable in costs. If I was getting 30 baht to the dollar again, I was then living very well. At 22 baht now, a lot of spending power has dropped off. In general, 40 baht street meals are generally unhealthy. I can only eat so much Thai food. In general, my last ten years in Thailand has been enjoyable but I am finding a new fondness for my hometown once again but maybe I am just getting older and the familiarity is comforting. I certainly do not miss the smog and the roads but I miss the small things like coffee with friends and that life in the village is much more slower. I have medical bills of $290 a month in Chiang Mai where as here, my bills are only $40 a month. So many different things to take into context as there is good and bad in both countries. 

29 minutes ago, DonDoRondo said:

Big issue for me also, particularly the latter group.  Also, the police used to do the road blocks once 

or twice a month and were kind of relaxed about it.  Now it's daily and blatantly a money grab.

 You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you.  True power is sitting back and observing everything with logic.  If words control you that means that everyone else can control you.  Breath and allow things to pass."        DDR :  i guess you like bruce lee's quote. Most things here i have been able to navigate , with the usual ups and downs, over the years.  road blocks never a problem with helmet and license, etc    Immig. fortunate enough to have saved most of my life to meet requirements.     Now the last part of the quote :  Breath(e) and allow things to pass .  HMMMM. I am having a bit of a problem observing that with logic.  Maybe its the face mask obscuring my view. And the damn elastic is hurting my ears.    I am, however sitting back and trying to make the best choice for myself. Thanks to all who are also sharing their opinions and decisions.  

rumak is right. You have to relax about that.

It is part of your trip. Motorbike is much faster than a car in city traffic, so even if the police check you still save time ????

Having your license in your wallet you do not need to get off the bike. Dont do that during Songkran though ????

1 hour ago, DonDoRondo said:

It's being stopped, having to get off the scooter and show the license.  One day going from the

east side to west side/ huay kaew I was stopped 3 times in less than twenty minutes. 

I could go on........ 

it is a pain in the butt, i agree.   Maybe just get a t shirt made with a blown up copy of your license on the front .   Probably after a few times the cops would wave you through remembering its you  ????

 1. definitely plan to sell up and move/ done...sold business including property, house and rental condo within a month. Just direct sales...agents are a no go.... after 15 years in here and didn't see any progression, with kids...I assume it will be wisely to leave and for me/us re-locate.

 

We are moving to Spain if everything goes as planned. 

 

Two months of some of the worst pollution in the world, the most dangerous roads in the world, ever changing visa rules with interpretations varying from IO to IO, and just too many people with sh*t for brains. No thanks, it finally wore me down. I have one life to live and I’m no longer going to waste it here hoping things will improve, because they won’t. 

 

I also value my health and have been pretending for years that the pollution isn’t really that bad. Even when it’s good, it’s still often unhealthy. Burn season is the worst but it’s unhealthy most of the other months too. I’ve had a cough for over a year that only goes away when I leave and am in cleaner air. 

 

Its still going to take maybe a year to get everything together but the plan is in motion.

Funny, I see a posting where someone has been in Chiang Mai for 18 years and I think that is a long time. Then I realize that I moved to Thailand semi-permanently in 2001. I don't remember pollution being considered a huge problem then and especially not when I first went to Thailand as a college student in the 70's. I am not retired yet so I travel for work and have some control over the timing so we avoid most of the pollution by staying away. We have no plans to ever move away permanently.

 

For us being away temporarily presents some problems. The biggest problem is the care of our house in Chiang Mai when we are away. It seems like at least one major incident occurs there every time we are away for more than a month. Finding responsible people that can make reasonable responses or repairs when these types of problems occur is difficult. We usually have to deal with these problems remotely and over time the bad repair jobs, etc, lead to the deterioration of our home.

 

Anther problem is maintaining residences in other countries. When I was young, 40's and 50's, I kept apartments in several countries. They were minimally furnished but I kept clothes, personal items, etc, at each one as needed. It was nice not having to stay in hotels and to travel with just a backpack. The idea was to not build up possessions anywhere but over time I had cheap printers and external monitors at each place. Also how many sets of tools does one person need? Since coming to Thailand I have let go of all but one of these apartments so now we only maintain two other residences, a condo in Las Vegas and an apartment in the south of France.

 

So without the pollution problem we would probably only keep our house in Chiang Mai after I retire. Now, due to the pollution, we are considering how to keep two or possibly three residences going. We already sold our house in Las Vegas and bought a condo there to reduce upkeep. We are thinking that we will let go of our apartment in France and maybe buy a condo somewhere on the Mediterranean once I retire (saw mention of Andalusia in another post). But can we afford to do that? For us the biggest problem with reduced income in retirement is how to maintain multiple residences. We are considering locking up the master suites in the remote residences and allowing the rest to be let out using a vacation rental website like Air BnB or whatever.

 

I would be interested in how other people deal with multiple residences. The main hope is that in any season at least one residence has decent weather or lack of pollution. The pros include cheap extended stays and traveling light without much planning. The main con for us is maintenance or maybe the cost of maintenance.

 

My wife suggests getting a small place in Thailand where there is no pollution for temporary stays. I am not convinced there is such a place. Maybe somewhere on a coast but I would prefer an area of higher elevation. But this has been covered in other threads.

 

Sorry for getting off topic.

 

Grin

 

3 hours ago, grin said:

Funny, I see a posting where someone has been in Chiang Mai for 18 years and I think that is a long time. Then I realize that I moved to Thailand semi-permanently in 2001. I don't remember pollution being considered a huge problem then and especially not when I first went to Thailand as a college student in the 70's. I am not retired yet so I travel for work and have some control over the timing so we avoid most of the pollution by staying away. We have no plans to ever move away permanently.

 

For us being away temporarily presents some problems. The biggest problem is the care of our house in Chiang Mai when we are away. It seems like at least one major incident occurs there every time we are away for more than a month. Finding responsible people that can make reasonable responses or repairs when these types of problems occur is difficult. We usually have to deal with these problems remotely and over time the bad repair jobs, etc, lead to the deterioration of our home.

 

Anther problem is maintaining residences in other countries. When I was young, 40's and 50's, I kept apartments in several countries. They were minimally furnished but I kept clothes, personal items, etc, at each one as needed. It was nice not having to stay in hotels and to travel with just a backpack. The idea was to not build up possessions anywhere but over time I had cheap printers and external monitors at each place. Also how many sets of tools does one person need? Since coming to Thailand I have let go of all but one of these apartments so now we only maintain two other residences, a condo in Las Vegas and an apartment in the south of France.

 

So without the pollution problem we would probably only keep our house in Chiang Mai after I retire. Now, due to the pollution, we are considering how to keep two or possibly three residences going. We already sold our house in Las Vegas and bought a condo there to reduce upkeep. We are thinking that we will let go of our apartment in France and maybe buy a condo somewhere on the Mediterranean once I retire (saw mention of Andalusia in another post). But can we afford to do that? For us the biggest problem with reduced income in retirement is how to maintain multiple residences. We are considering locking up the master suites in the remote residences and allowing the rest to be let out using a vacation rental website like Air BnB or whatever.

 

I would be interested in how other people deal with multiple residences. The main hope is that in any season at least one residence has decent weather or lack of pollution. The pros include cheap extended stays and traveling light without much planning. The main con for us is maintenance or maybe the cost of maintenance.

 

My wife suggests getting a small place in Thailand where there is no pollution for temporary stays. I am not convinced there is such a place. Maybe somewhere on a coast but I would prefer an area of higher elevation. But this has been covered in other threads.

 

Sorry for getting off topic.

 

Grin

 

As far as a house when you are away the only option is to have a live-in maid or trusted friend live there.

Leave clear instructions printed with pictures on what to do in case different emergencies occur for example how to turn off the water from the main line, cut out switches for electrical, etc

You also need to have phone numbers of plumbers and electricians that they can call in case of emergencies.

I also have cameras, sensors etc to monitor my house.

Communicate using line.

 

I have been doing this for more than 20 years the first couple years can be a problem but after a while if you use the same trusted person it's completely worry free.

 

Of course you have to make it worth their while to stay there. They will need to clean and maintain the place so that it doesn't get overrun with ants snakes termites etc

 

a lot of it has to do with you keeping your house in good shape so that things don't happen while you're away.

 

On the other hand, Condos are generally not a worry and you can leave them for a few months.

It seems like the government plan worked. Ignore and it will go away.

 

The pollution is still at very dangerous levels and news and media outrages have stopped.

 

It seems like people are accepting the new reality of being chocked to death.

 

Ignorance is a bliss as they say.

 

 

3 hours ago, THAIJAMES said:

As far as a house when you are away the only option is to have a live-in maid or trusted friend live there.

Leave clear instructions printed with pictures on what to do in case different emergencies occur for example how to turn off the water from the main line, cut out switches for electrical, etc

You also need to have phone numbers of plumbers and electricians that they can call in case of emergencies.

I also have cameras, sensors etc to monitor my house.

Communicate using line.

 

I have been doing this for more than 20 years the first couple years can be a problem but after a while if you use the same trusted person it's completely worry free.

 

Of course you have to make it worth their while to stay there. They will need to clean and maintain the place so that it doesn't get overrun with ants snakes termites etc

 

a lot of it has to do with you keeping your house in good shape so that things don't happen while you're away.

 

On the other hand, Condos are generally not a worry and you can leave them for a few months.

Thanks. We already do a lot of what you suggested including keeping the house in near perfect shape. We have gardeners showing up every two weeks and termite sprayers coming once a month. It's difficult finding a live-in maid for random periods of time on short notice. So we have tried live in relatives and people checking the house once or even twice a day. Explicit instructions have been a failure so far and I've been pretty anal about that. My wife has no problem communicating with them using line so we are okay there. Yep, condos are the way to go but my wife will never let go of this house. One of my wife's sisters used to do a great job but she met a guy in another province and then moved in with him. I think it boils down to being able to find a reliable person on short notice.

I think it is normal. When the pollution goes below AQI 200 and is not so visible anymore (mountain clearer, sky a little bit "bluer" than white/grey) people do not care anymore.

 

grin, I think if you just rent out your units and keep one residence your life is much easier. The rental income can pay for your accommodation / AirBnB etc. when you go. I understand that renting out is not an option everywhere, esp. for a house outside of CNX. But just for me, to keep it short, it sounds you make your life complicated and have to manage so many things instead of enjoying free time.

On 4/10/2019 at 6:40 PM, rumak said:

Who among you  1. definitely plan to sell up and move 

Planned....Sold business & Condo in Chiang Mai but kept house in country

next door to SIL & BIL

 

But, We planned it back in early 2016 & left right at end of 2016

 

Come back for 2-3 months a year now (Oct-Dec) & like it fine

 

We did not leave due to Pollution although it was also a negative in the list

along with corrupt immigration, road deaths, bogus health care instead

we mainly left after 2 years of Junta (just our choice on the matter)

On 4/14/2019 at 1:52 PM, bkk6060 said:

??

Starting a post with "let's be honest" is your way of thinking you are right.

Well, you are not.

Several of the months during that period are rainy and down right cold.

If we are being honest, your post is untrue and basically nonsense.

Someone's a bit of a hot-head, doesn't bode well for a farlang in Thailand...lol.

Enjoy the el nino hot season...

555

????

 

Quote

 

  On 4/14/2019 at 2:10 PM, totally thaied up said:

The Chinese and increase of Nomads has made a difference. 

 

 

 

On 4/14/2019 at 2:33 PM, DonDoRondo said:

Big issue for me also, particularly the latter group. 

 

I am curious to ask you how "nomads" can affect your quality  of life here.

 

~0:37;

On 4/16/2019 at 11:12 AM, mania said:

Planned....Sold business & Condo in Chiang Mai but kept house in country

next door to SIL & BIL

 

But, We planned it back in early 2016 & left right at end of 2016

 

Come back for 2-3 months a year now (Oct-Dec) & like it fine

 

We did not leave due to Pollution although it was also a negative in the list

along with corrupt immigration, road deaths, bogus health care instead

we mainly left after 2 years of Junta (just our choice on the matter)

two years ago pollution was not as big a problem.  last year was a good one with rains in march.

but this year has been really bad .  I have been in the North for twenty years and this is first time that

I really can't take it.  deffinitely lasting much longer than WAS usual.  

mania:  have you moved somewhere in thailand or another country ?

I do not plan on leaving the country  ????   

9 hours ago, orang37 said:

 

 

 

 

I am curious to ask you how "nomads" can affect your quality  of life here.

 

~0:37;

Stop making sense.

9 hours ago, orang37 said:

I am curious to ask you how "nomads" can affect your quality  of life here.

It is their camels and donkeys that crap in the roads making two wheel riding dangerous.

27 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

It is their camels and donkeys that crap in the roads making two wheel riding dangerous.

 

Okay, I feel relieved knowing that; I was worried that the horse/camel-dung charcoal fired braziers they use in their yurts might be the problem.

 

thanks, ~o:37;

 
Okay, I feel relieved knowing that; I was worried that the horse/camel-dung charcoal fired braziers they use in their yurts might be the problem.
 
thanks, ~o:37;

Those only bother me when they use them24/7 to keep warm in the freezing weather.


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2 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Those only bother me when they use them24/7 to keep warm in the freezing weather.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

It's the smog this burnt camel shit makes that is doing all the environmental damage to CM. Blame the Nomads!

 

Nomads really don't worry me. Just a few of my coffee shops that use to be a quiet haven to go too are now full of Nomads. Good for the owners but I just prefer quiet out of the way places. Just my problem.

12 hours ago, rumak said:

mania:  have you moved somewhere in thailand or another country ?

I do not plan on leaving the country  ????   

 

No we moved back to our home country as we left because of Junta another section of Junta ruled Thailand would be no better ????

 

The deadly pollution is one of the top reasons.  It makes little sense to me to maintain a place that I can not comfortably and safely live in 3-5 months out of the year.  Justifying it with in home air purifiers and safety masks is not my idea of enjoying life in retirement.  There are far too many places to chose from that offer clean air.

 

Immigration money/income letter change, lack of road safety and quality medical care round out the top.  
The rest are more lifestyle activities that are seriously lacking here for me.  

Chiang Mai specifically and Thailand in general have lost their appeal to me.   

This years 3 month trip back to farangland during the deadly season sealed the deal for vacating Chiang Mai and my retirement visa extension at the end of the year.

 

I get why the defenders will flame this and why they stay, but these are my reason based on my personal experiences.  Chose as you will and enjoy life.

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, mania said:

 

No we moved back to our home country as we left because of Junta another section of Junta ruled Thailand would be no better ????

political correctness or political incorrectness,  choose your poison.  As TTUp says in his post above yours,

 I just prefer quiet out of the way places.   Not many hassles for me 70 km away from CM,  and health care is very reasonable where i live.   BUT,  no escaping the months of pollution ....

 

5 minutes ago, Nowisee said:

The deadly pollution is one of the top reasons.  It makes little sense to me to maintain a place that I can not comfortably and safely live in 3-5 months out of the year.  Justifying it with in home air purifiers and safety masks is not my idea of enjoying life in retirement.  There are far too many places to chose from that offer clean air.

 

Immigration money/income letter change, lack of road safety and quality medical care round out the top.  
The rest are more lifestyle activities that are seriously lacking here for me.  

Chiang Mai specifically and Thailand in general have lost their appeal to me

I think you have summed up the major concerns very well !   I have learned to adapt and remain positive through most of what you state.   The one thing that has me beat is the pollution.  I like outdoors, not air purifiers and masks.  It's like being in jail !

Is your return to Farangland all that you hoped for ?  Medical care in US would bankrupt me if anything near serious were to occur,

10 minutes ago, rumak said:

I think you have summed up the major concerns very well !   I have learned to adapt and remain positive through most of what you state.   The one thing that has me beat is the pollution.  I like outdoors, not air purifiers and masks.  It's like being in jail !

Is your return to Farangland all that you hoped for ?  Medical care in US would bankrupt me if anything near serious were to occur,

Yes, very well summed up. I cannot beat the pollution anymore as well. I need the outdoors and having to shut myself in daily was doing my head in.

 

My trip back to Farangland has made sure I do not paint myself into a corner and have a plan B ready to go. Will take a few years to achieve but I have a goal now.

plan b for me is some Beach area.   plan C is Canada     Only place where i might be able to get residency

where the health care actually does not have tons of   co-pay bs and etc

 

if I remember correctly I think you are Australian ( so plan A for you  ????

I have heard there is free ? health services there..... but have also heard that is not really the case.

Anything is better than US though

37 minutes ago, rumak said:

I think you have summed up the major concerns very well !   I have learned to adapt and remain positive through most of what you state.   The one thing that has me beat is the pollution.  I like outdoors, not air purifiers and masks.  It's like being in jail !

Is your return to Farangland all that you hoped for ?  Medical care in US would bankrupt me if anything near serious were to occur,

Living here for the last few years, I have dug deep into my positive thinking reserves, which has actually served me well and I am grateful for the experience. 

 

Farangland offered excellent outdoor recreational activities.  The mountain biking is what I miss probably the most next to hiking.  I wasn't able to get in any kayaking this trip.  Abundant wildlife sightings and great photography opportunities, talented live music, social and intellectual engagement, quality food (and much more expensive) road safety and courtesy (generally speaking).  On some levels I enjoy(ed) the motorcycling here in the mountains, but the riding in farangland is truly spectacular.
Fortunately for me I have excellent affordable health insurance and a great provider.  
 

8 minutes ago, rumak said:

plan b for me is some Beach area.   plan C is Canada     Only place where i might be able to get residency

where the health care actually does not have tons of   co-pay bs and etc

 

if I remember correctly I think you are Australian ( so plan A for you  ????

I have heard there is free ? health services there..... but have also heard that is not really the case.

Anything is better than US though

Healthcare is free to a big extent. You just have to wait if it is non-urgent. I got a years supply of medication to bring back at next to no cost.

 

Yes, Australia is plan B if the smog crisis does not sort itself out or maybe a beach in Thailand if I could sell of my wife's land.

15 minutes ago, Nowisee said:

Farangland offered excellent outdoor recreational activities.  The mountain biking is what I miss probably the most next to hiking.

Mountain biking and hiking is exceptional in Chiang Mai (smog allowing).

Never found anywhere in the world better.

If I wasn't sick, I'd be out almost every day.