He is glad he is back,wasnt the dream!

[georgegeorgia]

Im under lockdown here in Australia,cant wait to get back to Thailand,cant wait till another 8 years to retire there .

 

well today spoke to a old friend via Skype who has just arrived back in Australia after 18 months retirement in Thailand.

 

to cut a long story short , at 65yo he had moved from Sydney to Pattaya, his dream,but it wasn’t the dream he imagined.

 

He rented a studio room,(unlike Sydney where he had owned his 2 bedroom apartment),so anyway he was saying it was a boring terrible 18 months.

 

He got bored,sitting often in his 21sqm Pattaya flat ,the constant heat, the boredom, the friends he missed in Australia, the outings in Sydney he missed etc

 

So it always isnt the dream you imagine....just saying 

[CharlieH]

The imagination is a powerful thing, sadly the reality of "living it" doesnt always match what one had imagined. Constantly shifting sand comes to mind with Thailand.

 

Best of luck to him, and hope he finds somewhere he can at least be happy.

[BritManToo]

I've never been keen on condo living.

If I were back in the UK it'd probably be a bedsit ....... no thanks.

[timendres]

I think for many folks, especially those who have a solid life set up back home, and have reasonable flights into Thailand, a "best of both worlds" approach is better. Continue life at home, but spend several months in Thailand enjoying what it has to offer.

[RJRS1301]

I wonder did he speak THai, that makes a huge difference to be able to communicate with the Thai population.

Easier to order food, buy goods, seek directions, go to cultural events, take cooking classes.

Also if no transport makes matters more difficult

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by RJRS1301

[Jip99]

He wasn’t ready/suited for Thailand.

 

You need to ask yourself........are you?

[bkk6060]

What a strange bit of information and fellow your friend seems.

So, he lived in Sydney one of the most expensive cities in the world in a 2 bedroom apartment then came here and lived in a 21 sq mtr. box?  Makes no sense at all why did he do that?  Seems he could well afford a much more spacious place with a nice ocean view in a quality building here.

24 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

He got bored,sitting often in his 21sqm Pattaya flat

Sure he got bored.  Why didn't he get out and try to make friends plenty of Aus. hangouts in Pattaya.

 

For me it has been a great retirement and I never have regretted it.  Cost of living and housing 1/5 of what I would pay, plenty of golf courses at reasonable prices, young sexy girls, made lots of friends meet for breakfast and watch sports, go to the gym, travel frequently to neighboring countries for a week or so with friends, a girl or even alone. No place is perfect but I have certainly enjoyed myself here.

But geez,  your friend just sat around in his box for 18 months no wonder he had issues.

[Gweiloman]

He’s lucky that he can afford (financially) to return. I suspect a lot of expats here would like to do the same but doesn’t have the funds to do so. 

[bartender100]

I think the dream is often, sell everything in my home country, I don't need much, a small condo and bed etc.

 

But after 6 months going stir crazy from living in a box room, possibly a girl has cleaned you out financially, or to much heavy drinking to cut the boredom and as mentioned no Thai spoken, no real friends, noisy neighbours.............

[1FinickyOne]

I had a friend in my teen years and we used to talk about 'doing our dreams' - - I did not see him again until later in life and asked if he had been doing his dreams... 

 

he told me that he was surprised how many of his dreams were nightmares...

 

ps - 21 sq m. !! That doesn't sound like it would be anyone's dream and if he did it because he was hsort on cash, well, a place like pattaya would surely be frustrating if you didn't have much bread.. 

[Puchaiyank]

Pattaya WAS a great place to visit for a few days...

[androokery]

I always thought that 21 sqm was well below what I could live in. Then I started to look at my current home with new eyes and realised I was paying a lot of money for space to store my stuff. Stuff. Just stuff. Things I’ve acquired over the years. Things I don’t really use but don’t feel comfortable getting rid of. At least not yet. But when the resentment of paying for storage space is stronger than the connection to the stuff then I will be free. Well, freeish. Free to maybe live on 21 sqm. But that would

mean spending a lot of the time outside. 

[gk10002000]

13 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Pattaya WAS a great place to visit for a few days...

after my first vacation there in  2004, my plan was to spend about 8 or 9 months each year.  I had and have enough interests in the USA such that I was sure I would return for various reasons.  My interest waned a bit with each coup, then the USD to Thai Baht exchange rate, then the monthly income method monthly transfer required policy, then the medical insurance hassle ( I have fine global insurance but no real way to get it accepted for the OA from home country visa), etc.  I'm looking now just to spend 2x 90 day stays, SETV with 30 day extension, maybe back to back maybe separated by a few months, depending on how I feel at the time.  It will depend on what I do for my semi or permanent retirement home in Florida.  At 63  I can punch out with plenty of income, but having been to Thailand 15 times and have stayed continuously for over two months a few times, frankly I got bored.  So many parts of the country I have not seen.   I love traveling around and would do that for sure.   I love to walk around and eat all the different foods. western and eastern.  Frequent foot massages really are a joy.  Being able to saunter about and in and out of various go gos so easily is still fun.  Pool on a hot day feels great.  I do appreciate buddhism and enjoy visiting different Thai Temples.  Girls have always been nice with me and never had a problem (I'm not married). 

 

  I still kick around the Elite Visa or even a Non Imm O for retirement.  I loved the idea of having a visa good for one year and I could come and go easily for as long as I wanted, but that decision is off until next year.  Luckily after quitting what I thought might be my last job last December, I got a crazy high paying contract job in Jersey and also luckily, despite the Virus thing, the defense plant is open, and I am banking money.  I was planning on 90 days in Thailand starting Feb 1.  Lucky I missed that mess. 

 

   So I am not sure just how green the grass is on the other side  there.  My housing situation  later this year will decide my future course.  Fortunately I planned for all of this financially and have options.  Hoping for a two or three month visit there later this year. 

[gk10002000]

18 minutes ago, androokery said:

I always thought that 21 sqm was well below what I could live in. Then I started to look at my current home with new eyes and realised I was paying a lot of money for space to store my stuff. Stuff. Just stuff. Things I’ve acquired over the years. Things I don’t really use but don’t feel comfortable getting rid of. At least not yet. But when the resentment of paying for storage space is stronger than the connection to the stuff then I will be free. Well, freeish. Free to maybe live on 21 sqm. But that would

mean spending a lot of the time outside. 

yeah.  I have lived on the road away from home for many years and lengths of time.  I have shared houses, rented apartments, etc.  One thing I know I really like is to be able to walk outside and be on the ground.  Nothing against vacation rentals, bigger studio suites with views etc.  but in the long run, I like the feel of a stand alone house.  That is tough to do in the tourist spots.  In a condo or apartment I really like the feel of having at least one other room to break things up.  For a few months visit, sure a nice 30 sq m place would be great and doable. 

 

  Maybe I will get more lazy as I get older and will become content with a large studio or at least one that has a broken up floor plan with the sleeping area semi walled off from the sitting area, then give me a reclining chair, a couch and life is good.  I don't have many belongings at all and I travel light. 

[kingdong]

1 hour ago, kenk24 said:

I had a friend in my teen years and we used to talk about 'doing our dreams' - - I did not see him again until later in life and asked if he had been doing his dreams... 

 

he told me that he was surprised how many of his dreams were nightmares...

 

ps - 21 sq m. !! That doesn't sound like it would be anyone's dream and if he did it because he was hsort on cash, well, a place like pattaya would surely be frustrating if you didn't have much bread.. 

Especially at current exchange rates western currencies have almost halved against the baht in the last 15years.

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

He s&ould have ranted on high floor with sliding door to balcony. He have nothing to complain about for sure.

????❤????????

[marko kok prong]

Don't understand why people live in condo's in Patts or Phuket,okay i live up country,Wichianburi,Phetchabun province,my house is on a rai of land,and i think is 220sq metres,,3 bedroom main with en suite ,pool,screened rear patio overlooking pool,fully ac,even my shed,landscaped gardens ,all up with everything maybe 5-6 million baht.Now i am not saying everyone can afford that,but if your mate sold a 2 bed flat in Sydney,surely he could afford more than a 21sq metre condo. Of course he got bored,did he drink? Not much chance of making mates in Patts if you don't and he complained about the heat surely he had ac,anyway Patts not hot,one drawback to living here,it is scorching from late feb until June,even then it rarely dips below 35c did he have a regular gf,that can make a difference,mind you not always for the best,sounds like he was somewhat of a round peg in a square hole. Op maybe think of this,before i lived here i had visited many times ,in 2012 i met a girl from up this way in Phuket,i had to return to Aussie for some months to wait for an insurance payout for a work injury,i came back and said to myself,okay i will try it for 3 months then decide if i would make the move permanent,all was good so i did,8 years later,2 wives and countless gf,i finally feel really settled,i love my houses have a good gf,many expats in the area and it is much cheaper here than Pattaya or Phuket,Australia forget it,i would be a pauper back there,anyway sorry for your mate better luck for you.

[findlay13]

On 4/11/2020 at 9:26 PM, timendres said:

I think for many folks, especially those who have a solid life set up back home, and have reasonable flights into Thailand, a "best of both worlds" approach is better. Continue life at home, but spend several months in Thailand enjoying what it has to offer.

That's what I find.I am sorry I can't return to Thailand ATM though.I'd planned on  coming

April 20th for 3 months

 

[Cricky]

On 4/11/2020 at 6:08 PM, georgegeorgia said:

He rented a studio room

Now, I often wondered how people can live in a room. Lots of people do it, not for me.

I can understand why he moved back, I would have done the same.......... poor planning.

 

I have always owned a house, bought my first at 22yo. As soon as I moved here in 2002 I found a housing development, bought of the plan, built 2003 and been living here with my family ever since. 

 

At 65 its an age that I would imagine find difficult to adjust, he's probably mis-managed the whole process, it's not simple, a lot of thought and planning involved. Sounds like an expensive lesson

 

I have been working offshore on rotation over the years so I've been very fortunate.

[murraynz]

On 4/11/2020 at 6:19 PM, BritManToo said:

I've never been keen on condo living.

If I were back in the UK it'd probably be a bedsit ....... no thanks.

Ive mostly live in semi rural properties in NZ.  But i love my 72sq m  condo at cosy beach pattaya.it has fantastic views of sea and jomtien night lights.

Im 68, never get bored here..there is so much variety.

Ive been here 4 yrs ,but happy to spend rest of life here.

If things change healthwise,i can return to nz anytime.

I have very ample assets and income in nz.

I cant understand how anyone could be bored in pattaya...sure a 21sq m room ,wouldnt be very nice.

Its like anything....life is what we make it..

Even during the lockdown,im not getting bored,lots of walking,reading,utube.etc.

I realy miss my weekly visits to gogo bars,but i also have plenty of close lady friends,if i need some company.

[murraynz]

On 4/12/2020 at 12:19 AM, Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai said:

He s&ould have ranted on high floor with sliding door to balcony. He have nothing to complain about for sure.

????❤????????

Agreed..my 24 floor cnr unit has fantastic views and good breeze 85% of time.dont need aircond.

Power 400thb month

[murraynz]

2 hours ago, findlay13 said:

That's what I find.I am sorry I can't return to Thailand ATM though.I'd planned on  coming

April 20th for 3 months

 

Always visit different parts of thailand,before settling here.

Buying a condo in foreign name,is far more secure than buying house on thai owned land.

Likewise,best to rent a wife ,than to buy..

 

 

[MiNombreEsFicticious]

21 square metres? Couldn't he find something smaller?

[TKDfella]

As I have mentioned on other threads, we are all different; different likes/dislikes, different needs etc. Dreams just come true...only in the movies. In reality you have to work at it and most times accepting only a partial success.

[murraynz]

On 4/11/2020 at 6:44 PM, bkk6060 said:

What a strange bit of information and fellow your friend seems.

So, he lived in Sydney one of the most expensive cities in the world in a 2 bedroom apartment then came here and lived in a 21 sq mtr. box?  Makes no sense at all why did he do that?  Seems he could well afford a much more spacious place with a nice ocean view in a quality building here.

Sure he got bored.  Why didn't he get out and try to make friends plenty of Aus. hangouts in Pattaya.

 

For me it has been a great retirement and I never have regretted it.  Cost of living and housing 1/5 of what I would pay, plenty of golf courses at reasonable prices, young sexy girls, made lots of friends meet for breakfast and watch sports, go to the gym, travel frequently to neighboring countries for a week or so with friends, a girl or even alone. No place is perfect but I have certainly enjoyed myself here.

But geez,  your friend just sat around in his box for 18 months no wonder he had issues.

Well summarised.

I came to pattaya from Auckland,also a very expensive place to live.

I looked at many areas inthailand,before deciding on pattaya.

I have no regrets,if i need change of scenery,i can do return flights to many other countries ,for under $200.

Dont ever cut all ties with home country.

[PatOngo]

On 4/11/2020 at 9:23 PM, kingdong said:

Especially at current exchange rates western currencies have almost halved against the baht in the last 15years.

It's been great, I've just transferred a few baht to Aust in the past month, cleaned up! Dee Money even offered me free insurance!  

 

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by PatOngo

[georgegeorgia]

Look some guys prefer a small bedsitter, they are quicker /easier to keep clean, they are mostly busy active type guys who are not sitting in the room a lot.

 

but if your a introvert then i guess a small depressing bedsit is not for you

[BTB1977]

Bored setting?? Why did he just set doing nothing.  I guess he had no friends.  If you aren't popular at home, Thailand won't make you popular either 

[murraynz]

On 4/11/2020 at 6:46 PM, Gweiloman said:

He’s lucky that he can afford (financially) to return. I suspect a lot of expats here would like to do the same but doesn’t have the funds to do so. 

Those sorts of people should never come here in the first place.nowonder immigration is insisting on 100k us insurance.

People with no money in retirement,never get my sympathy.

[scubascuba3]

Retiring anywhere and then doing virtually nothing won't be fun