4 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I was very angry about a lying Thai woman and her thieving family. Since I left her and her horrid family I'm happy enough now.

Didn't have to relocate to divorce her.

Good. I'm glad you got away from an ugly situation. Life is too short.

2 minutes ago, JTXR said:

To me, the stress doesn't come from rule changes (that's to be expected).  And it doesn't really come even from the cost of living increases represented by rule changes.  It comes from the long periods of uncertainty about how TI will interpret the many rule changes and the inability to plan amid the uncertainty.

Amen to that!!

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Much more than 20 years. The beach was always rubbish too. I did stay there one night the first time, and then discovered Railay. Sadly Railay has been ruined as well. Seems that the greedies ruin everything soon as it gets popular.

I first went there over 26 years ago and it was fabulous. Then about last time was 17yrs ago and it was a dung hole. The beach was actually great over 26yrs ago. There was no hotel or build up and I can remember sitting late night with my friend on the beach laughing looking at the fabulous stars and watching the small crabs all over the beech come out of their holes paying like a tag running game. It was magical then, but not the last time.

13 minutes ago, JTXR said:

To me, the stress doesn't come from rule changes (that's to be expected).  And it doesn't really come even from the cost of living increases represented by rule changes.  It comes from the long periods of uncertainty about how TI will interpret the many rule changes and the inability to plan amid the uncertainty.

All of life deals with uncertainty.  2 rule "changes" only: seasoning of money in the bank for all "retired" on Non-0  and the TM-30.

Leave the 800K in the bank all year, done. 

TM-30 of course now enforced.  If you have the time and money to travel, you have time to file a TM-30 when you get back home, done.  

We are "retired" after all.

Do not see how people who are retired are feeling "immigration stress" 

Those on fixed income whose home currency value has gone down. Yes, financial stress is most likely 

14 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

I first went there over 26 years ago and it was fabulous. Then about last time was 17yrs ago and it was a dung hole. The beach was actually great over 26yrs ago. There was no hotel or build up and I can remember sitting late night with my friend on the beach laughing looking at the fabulous stars and watching the small crabs all over the beech come out of their holes paying like a tag running game. It was magical then, but not the last time.

I must have just missed it then. There was a strip of restaurants/ bars etc along the beach road, and around the corner there was a cheap hotel I stayed at.

I didn't see the point of staying there as Pattaya was more exciting and Chaweng was a far superior beach, but I made a day trip to Railay and fell in love with it. Spent a few holidays there, and the last time I spent a month with a DDG girl. By then the valley on the east side was starting to be built up ( that cave was brilliant ). I was there during the wet season and the rain was spectacular while sitting in the veranda. I usually stayed at Railay village, before it went upmarket and horrible, and the frog chorus in the pond at night was wonderful.

Time to move on, and north east Phangan became the cheese.

Railay was wonderful when it was, and isn't now- sad.

 

40 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

All of life deals with uncertainty.  2 rule "changes" only:

Seasoning of money in the bank for all "retired" on Non-0  and the TM-30.

- Leave the 800K in the bank all year, done. 

- TM-30 of course now enforced.  If you have the time and money to travel, you have time to file a TM-30 when you get back home, done.   //

- Not for all "retired", only for those using the 800/400k method.

- TM30 still not enforced for retirees at Jomtien (and probably other places too)

58 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I must have just missed it then. There was a strip of restaurants/ bars etc along the beach road, and around the corner there was a cheap hotel I stayed at.

I didn't see the point of staying there as Pattaya was more exciting and Chaweng was a far superior beach, but I made a day trip to Railay and fell in love with it. Spent a few holidays there, and the last time I spent a month with a DDG girl. By then the valley on the east side was starting to be built up ( that cave was brilliant ). I was there during the wet season and the rain was spectacular while sitting in the veranda. I usually stayed at Railay village, before it went upmarket and horrible, and the frog chorus in the pond at night was wonderful.

Time to move on, and north east Phangan became the cheese.

Railay was wonderful when it was, and isn't now- sad.

 

Back then there were some restaurants and bungalows and really no build up at all. Nowadays way better places to go as that is washed up. Yes Back then Railay was fantastic and Chaweng and even Koh Lanta was out of this world spectacular. Not now. Good memories though!

6 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

Once the foreigners start showing up in masses kiss paradise goodbye. The Thais have a knack at destroying the very thing that made a area popular. Cover every square inch in resorts , tacky gift shops, restaurants that charge ten times the price for watered down <deleted> food, loud bars, and as many greedy scammers as possible.

Once somewhere gets over run with immigrants, aliens, asylum seekers or foreigners in general the locals lose pride in the place and no longer regard it as part of their country.

 

They often move else where. In this case they do an Thai version of what we in the West call White Flight. The only ones that remain are those who find it financially beneficial to do so. That's why in places like Pattaya they are always clamouring for our money with their plastic smiles and entreaties.

 

Thais are naturally nationalistic and xenophobic. Now they have a military government and some people have become richer and the country more prosperous those qualities are beginning to become more apparent and are being encouraged and acted upon.

6 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I first went there over 26 years ago and it was fabulous. Then about last time was 17yrs ago and it was a dung hole. The beach was actually great over 26yrs ago. There was no hotel or build up and I can remember sitting late night with my friend on the beach laughing looking at the fabulous stars and watching the small crabs all over the beech come out of their holes paying like a tag running game. It was magical then, but not the last time.

I have witnessed so many places destroyed by mass tourism. One reason i keep my places a secret. Like i said Thais have a knack for destroying things. Afterwards all the tourist slums look the same and attract the worst of the foreigners. Thailand lost the plot.

9 hours ago, HuskerDo said:

Two questions....

 

Do you have a Thai spouse and what is your age? The answers will show us whether or not your life would be so stress free if you aren't in your 50's and don't have a Thai spouse. Many folks are older and single thus they have to play by different rules and have additional concerns. 

I am retired and have been happily married to a Thai woman, for going on 20 years. We have lived both here and in the States. I didn't come to Thailand in need of anything. I already had everything I needed.

I think one advantage I have is that I have married into a functional, self sufficient family. My wife's mother, and all my wife's siblings, are successful professionals. 
 

36 minutes ago, Mitkof Island said:

Afterwards all the tourist slums look the same 

Not only in Thailand. 

Koh Lipe, Gili Islands, Cancun...all the same.

Many tourists don't even know where they are,  and they don't care.

Our staff once called us from Honolulu,  later it turned out he was in Kuala Lumpur, kind of the same. 

That's globalisation

On 10/25/2019 at 3:18 AM, holy cow cm said:

Your attitude will become the norm eventually for many. But in all honesty, southern Thai have always been a little rude and the ultimate hot heads, but Krabi you could not pay me to live in. It is a very beautiful place in parts, but AO Nang is a dung hole now and was only beautiful over 20+++ years ago. And the ongoing saga of will immigration pull another one out of their rear end to taunt us is a stress. We have been replaced by the come and go Chinese so no longer needed.

Well, my wife and myself moved away after 20 years living in Thailand, most of those years I lived in Krabi. We left, had enough of it in general. Yet, now being back in Europe we do ask ourselves if we made the right decision and if and when we move back to Thailand ????? I hadn't lived in my own country for 20+ years and changed it has. Most of our big cities are full of muslims of all sorts who mainly live off benefits. Then again we left Thailand for the reasons you mention above, rude and arrogant locals, ever changing and annoying visa rules.........But being back in the homeland I notice it is not much better, and it is cold, dark, no open air restaurants, pubs and bars. People don't smile, not even green. Thailand at least has its climate and nature on its side, the locals oh well........I know they used to be friendlier, but again, coming to Europe and seeing my own breed again, hmm, well, lets say I prefer rude and arrogant locals any day. I told myself to give it at least a year, we've been here for 5 months now, lets see what time brings.

Thailand lost its charm inviting thousands of Chinese to the islands, as from then it went downhill fast but so has Europe. 

The summer here was good, cozy sunny terraces, good food and beers with decent service, but Euro weather being what it is, only enjoyable a few months per year.

Thinking about to spend summer time in Europe and maybe November to May in Thailand, if logistics allow for it. 

Both places have its pros/contras but my observation about both, is that society, humanity as a whole has changed dramatically.

 

On 10/26/2019 at 7:16 PM, villagefarang said:

Perhaps you could share some of your adventures and the details of your health plans.????

I've been everywhere and done everything.

My health plan was always to die, but it hasn't worked out so far.

Was out in the jungle this morning, it might rival your photos ............

 

So you are saying leave the country and quit supporting your Thai family and you will save money?! 

 

Worked for me! ????

6 hours ago, Curt1591 said:

I am retired and have been happily married to a Thai woman, for going on 20 years. We have lived both here and in the States. I didn't come to Thailand in need of anything. I already had everything I needed.

I think one advantage I have is that I have married into a functional, self sufficient family. My wife's mother, and all my wife's siblings, are successful professionals. 
 

Congratulations Curt. I'm quite sure many on this board wish they had what you do.

Krabi is the arm pit of Thailand, you could not pay me to live there.

Rude and unfriendly locals

I could not get out of there fast enough.

 

Why does the OP not know this?

Why is such a sensitive soul living there?

 

There are plenty of friendly places to live in Thailand.

Weird

 

 

 

Edited November 3, 20196 yr by toast1

17 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I've been everywhere and done everything.

My health plan was always to die, but it hasn't worked out so far.

Was out in the jungle this morning, it might rival your photos ............

 

Love it, keep on keeping on.