2 hours ago, gunderhill said:

My Experience  differs and creates  my perception of Thais in general.

Village? It's a universal trait. Not urban living. Your experience is either exceptional or you live in a very small community such as a country village.

Hell no. If I could sell the house I had built here I would be gone in a second.

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I read all the time the latest news

Never read, listen, watch, or pay attention to the news.

All of it is scripted to reflect the bias of whoever owns/edits the source.

 

“The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether” by Edgar Allan Poe

“You are young yet, my friend,” replied my host, “but the time will arrive when you will learn to judge for yourself of what is going on in the world, without trusting to the gossip of others. Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.

25 minutes ago, Nout said:

Village? It's a universal trait. Not urban living. Your experience is either exceptional or you live in a very small community such as a country village.

Except this Isn't a  Universal forum.

1 hour ago, Tagged said:

No Mojo without Mojito ????better than viagra

Caipirinha ???? 

Well,   this little story is just one indicator of why I am so happy to have escaped ........

 

"

Bruce Springsteen has been fined $500 (£355) after pleading guilty to consuming alcohol in a New Jersey national park where drinking is banned.

 

The 71-year-old rock star admitted drinking two shots of tequila on Sandy Hook beach in his home state.

 

love those "before"  and "after "   photos.     ????

Love this country, here more than 20 years, now retired, but immigration  laws over past few years seem to show we are less welcome and our past service to this country's development is not recognized

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Not sure how you would know how much currency reserve Thailand has ........ the government lies frequently.

I'm thinking they may not have anything at all.

There are some figures it's difficult to lie about.

Currency reserves are in the area of $170 billion (before Covid), and a current-account surplus of 10 percent of GNP, which is record high. In 2020 the public debt was projected to increase to 42.8 percent of GNP,  but had increased to just under 50 percent late in the year due to the Covid-situation. For comparison, the average public debt in EU was 77.8 percent of GNP by the end of 2019.

9 hours ago, worgeordie said:

I wish I had done it sooner.......

regards Worgeordie

???? So do I, but if I had come it sooner – if I for example had arrived during the happy hippie era and just stayed, like some did – I would not have had enough money to be able to stay here later; on the other hand, it hurts thinking of all those gorgeous young girls I could have met, if I had come sooner...

20 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Ok, yes, in principle.

So how about before Prayut took over? Were the previous governments not corrupt? Did much change?

 

Personally when I came to Thailand I was aware of their "reputation" for corruption. Do I like corruption? Of course not. Does it affect me personally? Very little. Over the years the traffic police stopped me probably a hundred times (for not riding on the left lane with a motorcycle). 100 stops and every time paying 100B. 10k for bribes for 20 years in Thailand. I can live with that.

And let's look at so called developed countries were the politicians regularly give huge contracts to their friends. Of course they make sure it's all legal...

 

Yes previous government like all governments was/are corrupt to some degree

 

But those governments were not put in place with a rifle & those governments had some experience in running big business & a country

 

This Junta/Govt has zero experience except to fill its own pockets. You think it is any different than what has ruled Burma/Myanmar since day 1?

You think if this continues eventually the two places will not be the same?

 

Yes corruption such as 100B fines you mention is petty & exists in most places...Except maybe in western worlds corruption is a benefit of the rich only & in Thailand everyone is allowed to partake to some degree such as ticket fixing etc like you mention....But...this is not the bigger picture

 

If/when the SHTF  folks like you can leave..It is sadly the Thai people who will reap the long term effects....But as always you get the govt you deserve/allow & like I said previously not our country & the Thai's will have to stand or crawl their choice

 

All that aside....We probably still have more invested in Thailand than most of the rose colored replies here have ???? Like I said we still have a country home we own outright & enjoy visiting 2-3 months a year because we love our family...We did sell our Chiang Mai Condo in 2016 & could now buy it back for much less if we were so inclined...we are not ????

 

But your topic was "would we do it again"  to that I say 100% YES because we did enjoy it & left only for the reasons mentioned...personal choices & glad we had the option/other home here to move to ...We are happy & healthy & do not rule out moving back to Thailand full time either....but the future is not bright IMHO for Thailand at this time...Trust me I will be happy to be proved wrong in the coming years

20 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Doesn't affect my Thai misses or my Thai kids at all.

Did add a few extra 'booze free' days to my life, well it would have if I hadn't kept a backup stock.

 

Yes not yet but having read your posts previously you do not strike me as the type that will stick around when the going gets really tough

You have said as much more than once ????

On 2/25/2021 at 12:11 PM, faraday said:

 

When all this Corona malarky is over, then why not come for a long holiday? You know the ropes here, & you'd be able to find somewhere inexpensive to stay, I'm sure.

I can't afford the 800,000 any more so a retirement extension is out, and just going for a holiday would be too frustrating ( in 2 1/2 years I'll qualify to get the pension in LOS- I couldn't get it before, which is why I had to leave in the first place ). I can suppress the longing for LOS if I keep busy, but going there knowing I'd have to leave by the end of a tourist visa would be torment. Everywhere I went would bring back happy memories that could not be recreated.

Better to accept it wasn't meant to be and keep mind occupied with other stuff.

13 hours ago, canthai55 said:

Never read, listen, watch, or pay attention to the news.

All of it is scripted to reflect the bias of whoever owns/edits the source.

 

“The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether” by Edgar Allan Poe

“You are young yet, my friend,” replied my host, “but the time will arrive when you will learn to judge for yourself of what is going on in the world, without trusting to the gossip of others. Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.

Seems to me that the news is designed to make us angry. Why else do they tell me that a plane crash in a country thousands of miles away killed some people? Also, they rarely use any good news- only negative and bad news. Wars are popular on the news, even if it's in a country many of us never knew existed.

12 hours ago, rumak said:

 

love those "before"  and "after "   photos.     ????

He seems to have been around forever, but age makes fools of us all- certainly robs us of many things worth living for.

10 hours ago, kennw said:

our past service to this country's development is not recognized

555555555555555555

Would that be how many Thai women were bonked by farangs? I'm not aware of much "development" other than cash, that was done by foreigners. Do tell.

Worked for many years in Bangkok.  Now I split my time between Bangkok and my home country.  Originally I thought I would retire to Thailand full time.  However, I found that I like being in my home country as well as being in Thailand.

Interesting stats. Considering this forum being predominantly bashers of everything Thai. Just goes to show they are just the vocal ones 

 

I'm in Oz waiting for an operation staying on the gold coast one of nicest city's anywhere but I miss dodging lady boys and being told how handsome I am. It's way to sterile here. 

Some sentiments I have expressed in the past. This is an entirely subjective topic, of course, but some of us live very good lives here. Some of us have been fortunate enough to find an outstanding woman, who is delightful to be around, on a daily basis, always has our back, and is fun, smart, and lovely. In my case, that still applies after being with her for well over a decade. For me, that likelihood of finding that back in the US, would be very low. So, that is a big factor for me. The second factor is just the quality of life. Sure, I miss alot of the culture back home. The theatre, independent film (which I can download here with no issues at all, and a super fast 550 mbps fiber optic connection, at under 800 baht per month!), stand up comedy, live jazz, fine wine with an amazing selection, at great prices, etc. But I have a lovely home that I rent, for about 10% of what I would pay in California, I live very well on an income which is not huge, have access to great health care, at a tiny fraction of what it costs in the US, and do not have to put up with alot of the aggravation that I had to when I lived back there. And I like most Thai people. They are far more lighthearted than the average American. When I go back there I sometimes try to express some of that lightness, and get people to laugh. Wow. It takes alot of effort these days!
 
Thailand is still reasonable. It used to be cheap. Has not been cheap for a long time. But, it is still reasonable. I know people who pay 10,000 baht a month for newer 3 bedroom houses in nice towns. In major cities in the US? $2000-3800 a month. That is 120,000 baht!
Anything to do with labor is very inexpensive here, and ridiculously over priced in LA.

I had my motorbike seat recently redone on my scooter. 400 baht. A friend of mine had similar work done in the US. $275.

Had a big tree trimmed here. 500 baht. My friend in LA is having his pine tree trimmed. $1,500! 
I recently had a guy come over and insulate my ceiling. I bought the insulation and paid him 2000 baht for labor. In the US? $500 and up.
I recently had an electrician do some work on the house. Nearly a full day of work. Paid him 1000 baht. In the US? $500 and up.
An oil change for my scooter costs me 200 baht, with Castrol oil. In the US? $50 to $75.

I had some work done on my motorbike. Required alot of the bike to be torn down, to get to the starter. 3 hours work for 400 baht, at a dealer. In the US. $200 minimum. Likely higher. 
When I travel here I stay in nice four star hotels in Bangkok. Usually 1800-2000 baht. Now, during Covid. Great hotels for 1,000 baht. In the US? $130 for a crappy motel room. $200 and up for a nice room.
I eat well here. In a smaller town you can get a three course meal for 150-250 baht. In the US? 2000 baht and up, plus tax and a nearly mandatory 15% tip, at a basic restaurant. You want nice? The sky is the limit. 

I visit the emergency room here to visit a specialist, and with x-rays I am out the door for 2000 baht, at a private hospital. In the US? $300-2000. An anecdote on this subject. A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1,400,000 baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote. In the interim, my friend called a good friend of his, in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, he knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back the next day, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon here got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1,400,000 at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at Vejthani Hospital, and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon vs. 29,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery.

Friends of mine, who are single, enjoy the company of a young, beautiful woman for a couple of hours, for 2500 baht. In the US? $800 an hour now for a pretty gal, with alot of attitude. I could go on and on, all day long. I live at a level here, that I would never be able to live at, in the US, in most of Europe, in Oz, or Canada. Yes, the higher baht is an annoyance. And yes things are more expensive than they used to be. But, it is very relative.

Sure, Thailand has changed. My first trip here was in 1976! It was so much different than now. The politics here are absolutely regressive. The army is horrendous. Will that ever improve? I think so. I think the youth will eventually oust them, as they are virtually useless to Thai society, with the exception of protecting the elite. those in power and the super wealthy. But alot of things here have improved since then. The infrastructure here is quite good. Sure they could use a high speed rail. That would be amazing. Hopefully it will happen.

 

All I know, is that every day I wake up, I am very glad to be here, very glad to be with the woman I am with, and thankful for my life. Would I feel the same way in the US? I seriously doubt it. Most of my friends back in the US, say they would trade positions with me, in a heartbeat, if they could. I believe them. And I feel for them. The quality of life in Zombieland is a pale shadow of what it used to be. No thanks.

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Seems to me that the news is designed to make us angry. Why else do they tell me that a plane crash in a country thousands of miles away killed some people? Also, they rarely use any good news- only negative and bad news. Wars are popular on the news, even if it's in a country many of us never knew existed.

How many people want to read good news?

I have the Guardian App on my phone. They have, or maybe had, a section with only good news. It was up to the reader if they wanted to see that section and if it should be on top or at the bottom or wherever. I added it and I saw a couple of good news headlines. Yeah, great. And then? Then I read the bad news from all over the world. Not all of it but definitely more than the good news? Why? I don't really know and I am not going to psychoanalyze myself about the why. That the way it is - and it seems that the way it is for many people. 

26 minutes ago, madmen said:

Interesting stats. Considering this forum being predominantly bashers of everything Thai. Just goes to show they are just the vocal ones 

 

I'm in Oz waiting for an operation staying on the gold coast one of nicest city's anywhere but I miss dodging lady boys and being told how handsome I am. It's way to sterile here. 

Probably if someone over there would tell you how handsome you are you could sue them for sexual harassment, and win. What a wonderful world... 

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Some sentiments I have expressed in the past. This is an entirely subjective topic, of course, but some of us live very good lives here. Some of us have been fortunate enough to find an outstanding woman, who is delightful to be around, on a daily basis, always has our back, and is fun, smart, and lovely. In my case, that still applies after being with her for well over a decade. For me, that likelihood of finding that back in the US, would be very low. So, that is a big factor for me. The second factor is just the quality of life. Sure, I miss alot of the culture back home. The theatre, independent film (which I can download here with no issues at all, and a super fast 550 mbps fiber optic connection, at under 800 baht per month!), stand up comedy, live jazz, fine wine with an amazing selection, at great prices, etc. But I have a lovely home that I rent, for about 10% of what I would pay in California, I live very well on an income which is not huge, have access to great health care, at a tiny fraction of what it costs in the US, and do not have to put up with alot of the aggravation that I had to when I lived back there. And I like most Thai people. They are far more lighthearted than the average American. When I go back there I sometimes try to express some of that lightness, and get people to laugh. Wow. It takes alot of effort these days!
 
Thailand is still reasonable. It used to be cheap. Has not been cheap for a long time. But, it is still reasonable. I know people who pay 10,000 baht a month for newer 3 bedroom houses in nice towns. In major cities in the US? $2000-3800 a month. That is 120,000 baht!
Anything to do with labor is very inexpensive here, and ridiculously over priced in LA.

I had my motorbike seat recently redone on my scooter. 400 baht. A friend of mine had similar work done in the US. $275.

Had a big tree trimmed here. 500 baht. My friend in LA is having his pine tree trimmed. $1,500! 
I recently had a guy come over and insulate my ceiling. I bought the insulation and paid him 2000 baht for labor. In the US? $500 and up.
I recently had an electrician do some work on the house. Nearly a full day of work. Paid him 1000 baht. In the US? $500 and up.
An oil change for my scooter costs me 200 baht, with Castrol oil. In the US? $50 to $75.

I had some work done on my motorbike. Required alot of the bike to be torn down, to get to the starter. 3 hours work for 400 baht, at a dealer. In the US. $200 minimum. Likely higher. 
When I travel here I stay in nice four star hotels in Bangkok. Usually 1800-2000 baht. Now, during Covid. Great hotels for 1,000 baht. In the US? $130 for a crappy motel room. $200 and up for a nice room.
I eat well here. In a smaller town you can get a three course meal for 150-250 baht. In the US? 2000 baht and up, plus tax and a nearly mandatory 15% tip, at a basic restaurant. You want nice? The sky is the limit. 

I visit the emergency room here to visit a specialist, and with x-rays I am out the door for 2000 baht, at a private hospital. In the US? $300-2000. An anecdote on this subject. A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1,400,000 baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote. In the interim, my friend called a good friend of his, in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, he knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back the next day, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon here got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1,400,000 at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at Vejthani Hospital, and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon vs. 29,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery.

Friends of mine, who are single, enjoy the company of a young, beautiful woman for a couple of hours, for 2500 baht. In the US? $800 an hour now for a pretty gal, with alot of attitude. I could go on and on, all day long. I live at a level here, that I would never be able to live at, in the US, in most of Europe, in Oz, or Canada. Yes, the higher baht is an annoyance. And yes things are more expensive than they used to be. But, it is very relative.

Sure, Thailand has changed. My first trip here was in 1976! It was so much different than now. The politics here are absolutely regressive. The army is horrendous. Will that ever improve? I think so. I think the youth will eventually oust them, as they are virtually useless to Thai society, with the exception of protecting the elite. those in power and the super wealthy. But alot of things here have improved since then. The infrastructure here is quite good. Sure they could use a high speed rail. That would be amazing. Hopefully it will happen.

 

All I know, is that every day I wake up, I am very glad to be here, very glad to be with the woman I am with, and thankful for my life. Would I feel the same way in the US? I seriously doubt it. Most of my friends back in the US, say they would trade positions with me, in a heartbeat, if they could. I believe them. And I feel for them. The quality of life in Zombieland is a pale shadow of what it used to be. No thanks.

Great post...Balanced, rational & reasoned....

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

He seems to have been around forever, but age makes fools of us all- certainly robs us of many things worth living for.

 

"its no fun getting old".      and there aren't any exceptions.

 

those that get along the best are those that try to do the best they can with the hand they are

now playing.

 

i certainly do not believe anyone (older person) that tries to convey there are no negatives.

But,  the more one can focus on the positives the happier one is        simple, really   lol

52 minutes ago, rumak said:

i certainly do not believe anyone (older person) that tries to convey there are no negatives.

But,  the more one can focus on the positives the happier one is        simple, really   lol

I guess many of us just have to think about the weather back home. And then compare that with Thailand. Case closed.

On 2/25/2021 at 9:05 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

And I thought the idea is that you can show your main phone to your wife and keep the 2nd phone hidden.

It doesn't work like that with dual-SIM. ???? 

Phone 1: Wife (well...)

2: mia noi (flexible)

3: 2nd mia noi (talks to much but rest ok)

4: girlfriend/Tesco(big upper parts)

5: GF 7/11 (18 years old)

6: GF University (long legs)

 

All phones nicely numbered and description encrypted on phone 1.

33 minutes ago, AlfHuy said:

Phone 1: Wife (well...)

2: mia noi (flexible)

3: 2nd mia noi (talks to much but rest ok)

4: girlfriend/Tesco(big upper parts)

5: GF 7/11 (18 years old)

6: GF University (long legs)

 

All phones nicely numbered and description encrypted on phone 1.

What happens if they all call you at the same time? ????

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I had my motorbike seat recently redone on my scooter. 400 baht. A friend of mine had similar work done in the US. $275.

I just had my pickup seats recovered, 2,500bht for both.

They put  in a 'loaner' seat while they are doing it, in on Wednesday, collect and pay on Saturday.

I thought that was very reasonable.

On 2/25/2021 at 10:25 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

I was lucky enough to experience a few Brazil girls back home. Yeah great. They know how to have fun and party. When I was young I could handle that. I guess if I would have continued with Brazil girls I would have had a few heart attacks by now.

Brazil has obviously another advantage:

 

Caipirinha, yes. I miss that too.

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I guess many of us just have to think about the weather back home. And then compare that with Thailand. Case closed.

 

i've lived in a few really nice places .    Hill Country in Texas  ( people fairly nice, back 25 years ago)

 

and Sonoma County in N. Calif.  ( beautiful,  clean, nice weather )  .... but taken over by yuppies

 

Its just the  censored ,  censored,  and censored   way of life / attitudes / mindsets   that I would

never go back to.   ( well,  unless they start outlawing air conditioners in Thailand)

 

 

Honestly, I'm super-happy in Thailand. But if we had enough money, we'd move to Mexico, closer to kids. NOT USA, NOT Canada! Easy visas, free medical, dental, optical. Easier travel...