One Less Farang

[whaleboneman]

On 7/10/2021 at 7:19 AM, NCC1701A said:

just move to hua hin. 

He probably wants to go somewhere with good looking girls. According to you, Hua Hin doesn't have any. Or are you just trying to keep the competition out?

[DBath]

1 hour ago, WingFat said:

You are of course free to characterize the US as a whole being a s**thole. Although having lived in LOS for 6 years and then back in the US for the last 10 years, there are still some decent places to live here. But if you choose to live in the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland OR, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and many other large metro areas they are mostly s**tholes that have been under the care of the same political party for decades.

I was - of course - speaking generally... All those cities you mention have gone to the dogs. I've worked in every major US city and lived in Chicago, which is a mess, before I came here. Back in the 80's San Fran was a nice city, but now it's a dump. Grew up in Colorado and I can say I liked Fort Collins - as far as I know it's still a decent city. So yes, there are still good places there; I really miss the mountains and the change of seasons.

[rumak]

1 hour ago, DBath said:

All sarcasm aside, I can see why many are drawn to the life here among other things, including all those things you mentioned. My wife and I chose to move up our vacation and stay here when our plans to move to China fell through at the last minute due to covid back in January 2020. I do feel very fortunate to have lived an almost covid-free life since then and am very thankful for that. We spent the first 6 months in Koh Chang and we're coming up on a year here in Hua Hin where we've rented a nice pool villa here in the center of town right off of Soi 88 at a price that is about one-third what we paid for our apartment in Chicago. We've decided to move to Spain and were approved about a month ago for that. It will be easier for us to convert to a work visa after one year and finally get back to the execution of our business plan. Price points there will also make it more feasible for us to compete in our line of business than would be the case here. I could have paid money to an attorney to help with setup, but opted not to go that route. I will miss it here and will miss many of the people we've met and befriended here also.

I don't know first hand,  but others have mentioned Spain as a nice place to go to .  I am not European,  and now have reached an age where I do not want to look elsewhere unless absolutely necessary.     From your post,  appears that you are younger and still working .   I agree that Thailand would probably not be my first choice in that case , and actually am close to getting out of the rental business.

Best of luck in Spain , let us know how things are after you get settled.    Rumak

[rumak]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

My first Thai live-in gf screwed me more in 9 months than my Brit wife did in 30 years.

 

About the big land ..........

I'm happier without it and all the upkeep and management.

My kids are happier being able to step out the front door and be surrounded by other kids. My misses is happier to be able to be surrounded by all the other Thai women.

 

Big land seems like a good idea (tried it a couple of times in the UK), but it was always a bit lonely, and a drag on my energy and free time.

I would agree with you,  given kids and a "social" misses.   I seem to get more irritated by

"others"  in my old age ...... and have to admit I am bothered by dogs, chickens,  some neighbors  (the usual complaints).    

I had 6 rai which i sold because it was a bit lonely , too much work, and..... far from the city.   But,  I said IF i was

really rich .    Then i could be close by and would still be near others.   And i would be happy to have a worker take care of the grass cutting this time  ,

Actually,  where i am not far from Ruamchok is nice...... but time to downsize and make some money , after 15 years at this location.   

[Neeranam]

5 hours ago, RocketDog said:

My one and only trip to Cambodia left me with exactly the sentiments you state. Never again.

Too many Garry Glitter types in Camb

[rumak]

1 hour ago, WingFat said:

You are of course free to characterize the US as a whole being a s**thole. Although having lived in LOS for 6 years and then back in the US for the last 10 years, there are still some decent places to live here. But if you choose to live in the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland OR, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and many other large metro areas they are mostly s**tholes that have been under the care of the same political party for decades.

cost of living,   political correctness.  property taxes.   aggressive people.   obesity.  and a

few other things that can not be written on this forum.   The great example of a "melting pot"

where nothing mixed,  all just pieces floating around like dead bodies after an explosion.

 

No thanks .   Thirty years gone and happy for it.   Just my own opinion of course.

Such a shame.   It was such a beautiful country when the Indians were in charge. 

 

 

[chalawaan]

On 7/10/2021 at 8:16 PM, rumak said:

One thing i've noticed is that there are a heck of a lot LESS  farangs on this new named site

that i had grown somewhat fond of  .    Seems like the purge has been successful.

 

Now there's just 2 or 3 that I even recognize.  And I'm one of them !

There have to be a good number who have died, given the majority of long term posters are past 50.

 

Many crashed and burned in flame wars with each other. Many were put off by the flame wars. The site seems to have improved over the years in terms of the flamers and trolls.

 

I was away so long, I did not even have the email I used on the old account to get back in.

 

I would like there to be a similar thing to Gonzo-the-face's Chiang Mai "page of remembrance" for the whole site.

 

 

 

 

[DBath]

38 minutes ago, rumak said:

I don't know first hand,  but others have mentioned Spain as a nice place to go to .  I am not European,  and now have reached an age where I do not want to look elsewhere unless absolutely necessary.     From your post,  appears that you are younger and still working .   I agree that Thailand would probably not be my first choice in that case , and actually am close to getting out of the rental business.

Best of luck in Spain , let us know how things are after you get settled.    Rumak

I’ll definitely let you know how it goes. I did a fair amount of research this time around, especially regarding some of the things I overlooked while I was here applying for retirement. BTW, I just turned 65 and while my body feels like it, with the various recurring aches from sports played years ago, mind-wise I still feel pretty sharp and I stay fit otherwise. It sounds like you’ve fit the life here pretty good and are happy here. Best of luck to you in the future.  DBath

[chalawaan]

38 minutes ago, rumak said:

I would agree with you,  given kids and a "social" misses.   I seem to get more irritated by

"others"  in my old age ...... and have to admit I am bothered by dogs, chickens,  some neighbors  (the usual complaints).    

I had 6 rai which i sold because it was a bit lonely , too much work, and..... far from the city.   But,  I said IF i was

really rich .    Then i could be close by and would still be near others.   And i would be happy to have a worker take care of the grass cutting this time  ,

Actually,  where i am not far from Ruamchok is nice...... but time to downsize and make some money , after 15 years at this location.   

We got a place you might be interested in, I can DM you details. Not a rooster for miles, well managed body corporate with input from the residents, mature high hedge hobby garden with lotsa kitchen herbs, great neighbours (two are barely ever there!) security up the wazoo, and Raumchok is walkable without breaking a sweat. It's just off the highway, there's ONE traffic light between us and the airport if you use the tunnels, and also the traffic noise doesn't reach us, the local bars when they're running are the better type. The music from them is faint enough to be cancelled by the white noise of the aircon. We're going to Korat, she wants to be near her very ancient mama. 

[chalawaan]

3 hours ago, rickudon said:

Update. Managed to get to Bangkok on my third attempt, the only airline to leave Udon today. No flights leaving tomorrow, so guess i am lucky. Tomorrow , I hope, out of Thailand for a while. Will not be back until they clean up this vaccination/lockdown mess.

Safe travels, drop by and let us know if you find Nirvana and change your mind about coming back, tho as many have said, this place (regulations) can get on your tits, but as for the general lifestyle, healthcare and crime levels, tis hard to beat in this price range.

[chalawaan]

On 7/10/2021 at 10:14 PM, clivebaxter said:

I got mugged in Manila on a Sunday morning in 1998, never went back, there was an air of desperation about the place

Never been that unlucky, yet. But I've been scared there a few times. Of all the Pi it's probably the worst expat location, IMO followed by Cebu City.

[chalawaan]

On 7/10/2021 at 10:25 PM, TimBKK said:

OP could get vaccinated tomorrow if he wanted, at Bang Sue.

I have more chance of banging Sue, whoever she is, than getting to Bangkok from CM, but could I fly in and out on the same day? Serious question. Usually I'd google that, but it seems only boots on the ground reporting is effective now as the confusion mounts and rules change hourly.

[chalawaan]

On 7/11/2021 at 10:26 AM, HAPPYNUFF said:

Not that I am contemplating leaving the land of smirks, but if I was, Singapore Air, which is apparently the only  airline now   accepting passengers   to Australia, advises they are now  fully booked till mid December.       I get to renew my     visa extension next month, wonder what they  assume I should do if I get  knocked back,,, swim home??    floaties for sale anyone??

It's a worrying thought. I think the option if you get a stay cancelled, but not though misbehaviour, is that they give you a few days grace, and then you might be obliged to languish in IDC until you an get a flight out. I'm not sure if they could or would put you on a random flight out to anywhere you could get into on arrival without a visa.

You have half empty planes "fully booked" you have Australia itself halving its citizens arrivals quota.

Covid makes the simplest stuff mega complicated now.

[chalawaan]

On 7/11/2021 at 7:09 PM, The Hammer2021 said:

The Thailand haters took over..People with love and knowledge left..As did the astute and erudite. .

Are you talking about the Thais or the visitors? 555.

This could apply to the brain drain from this place, you'd be surprised how many Thais are doing well overseas on their own merits. Very few ever plan on returning apart from vacay. Many even visit on their new nationality passport, they kind of stick it to the man that way...

[leba]

if more like you could leave...

 

[anon7854]

On 7/11/2021 at 8:27 AM, BritManToo said:

Spent a lot of time in the Philippines, met many nightclub girls, waitress, security guards. Some of them were doing jobs that wasn't their first choice of occupations, but I didn't see any despair. Most were reasonably happy, some were making good money, families and kids all happy enough. It's a third world country, what do you expect?

 

This security guard seemed happy enough!

Never been to PH but given the fact that  I recognize a forced smile and wondering why you need a guard with shotgun in plain sight in a cafe , I will probably never will. 

[rumak]

3 hours ago, chalawaan said:

I would like there to be a similar thing to Gonzo-the-face's Chiang Mai "page of remembrance" for the whole site.

If a page of remembrance is set up......... i am pretty sure that with the reading comprehension of some posters there is sure to be a clamoring to be the first one on it.

  

Edited July 12, 2021 by rumak

[rumak]

2 hours ago, chalawaan said:

as for the general lifestyle, healthcare and crime levels, tis hard to beat in this price range.

There it is !!   All the back and forth about the merits or disadvantages of living in Thailand...

pages and pages of it :

and those 17 words above sum it up pretty well 

 

With the world going to hell in a handbasket,  my only hope is that they will regard Thailand

as too insignificant to include it on the journey.   Fingers crossed !

 

 

[driver52]

6 hours ago, DBath said:

We've decided to move to Spain

have you been there before? An old friend spent some years in Northern Spain and hated it. It was brrrrr freezing in the winter, ok he was a few hundred meters up but he left for France

quick q please, how does Hua Hin compare to Koh Chang?

Edited July 12, 2021 by driver52

[DBath]

42 minutes ago, driver52 said:

have you been there before? An old friend spent some years in Northern Spain and hated it. It was brrrrr freezing in the winter, ok he was a few hundred meters up but he left for France

quick q please, how does Hua Hin compare to Koh Chang?

I’ve not been, I have friends there. It’s warmer where we’ll be in northern Spain and has warmer monthly temps than Colorado, where I’m from and Chicago, where I lived most recently. Koh Chang is nice, but due to covid was not as good as when we were there 2 years prior. It was a good place to be during covid as they had literally no cases there, but after 6 months there ‘island fever’ set in. They have some nice hotels and a few good villa properties there, but nothing like Hua Hin, which has much more to offer in terms of things to do and overall services and infrastructure. There are tons of villas here in Hua Hin that are cheap and nice and it’s been a great place to hang out during covid without getting bored. 

[blackcab]

Comments on moderation have been removed.

[meechai]

7 hours ago, DBath said:

We've decided to move to Spain and were approved about a month ago for that. It will be easier for us to convert to a work visa after one year and finally get back to the execution of our business plan.

I think you can find beauty everywhere but of course it depends a lot on if you need to work etc

That often determines for many their location

 

That said I would be more than Happy in Girona & that would fit me as well as where I am now

 

But if I could just pick & go I think these days it would be Andorra

 

Good luck to you folks & glad your the type to know you don't have to stay anywhere if it is not working out

Just slip out the back Jack...Make a new plan Stan 555

Edited July 12, 2021 by meechai

[DBath]

1 hour ago, meechai said:

I think you can find beauty everywhere but of course it depends a lot on if you need to work etc

That often determines for many their location

 

That said I would be more than Happy in Girona & that would fit me as well as where I am now

 

But if I could just pick & go I think these days it would be Andorra

 

Good luck to you folks & glad your the type to know you don't have to stay anywhere if it is not working out

Just slip out the back Jack...Make a new plan Stan 555

I agree. Andorra is intriguing to me, we'll not be far from there. We don't need to work per se, but I'm helping my wife to realize her dream of opening a business that she has a strong passion and aptitude for. We're strongly considering Logrono and Pamplona at this point, but will take the first 6-months to get a good start on learning the language and determine where to finally settle. I would be curious to hear your thoughts about Girona some things that make it desirable to you - I've not researched it at all yet. I've been focusing my search more to the north, so as to avoid the vacationing hoards along the Mediterranean and the heat there as well.

Edited July 12, 2021 by DBath

[BE88]

13 minutes ago, DBath said:

I agree. Andorra is intriguing to me, we'll not be far from there. We don't need to work per se, but I'm helping my wife to realize her dream of opening a business that she has a strong passion and aptitude for. We're strongly considering Logrono and Pamplona at this point, but will take the first 6-months to get a good start on learning the language and determine where to finally settle. I would be curious to hear your thoughts about Girona some things that make it desirable to you - I've not researched it at all yet. I've been focusing my search more to the north, so as to avoid the vacationing hoards along the Mediterranean and the heat there as well.

Spain i found a strange country nobody sleeps at night, and quite stressful, not really a relaxing country.

 

 

[DBath]

1 minute ago, BE88 said:

Spain i found a strange country nobody sleeps at night, and quite stressful, not really a relaxing country.

 

 

I've heard that. There are some small towns outside of city centers in the north that don't seem to have that, though. I intend to stay clear of the southern/Mediterranean side and places like Madrid (except for short visits). Many of the small towns have decent infrastructure and you can even have your groceries delivered. I plan to also avoid the western part of Spain, which on paper has more rain and fewer sunny days.  One can own property in Spain, even as a non-resident.

[Andycoops]

On 7/10/2021 at 8:19 PM, BritManToo said:

I predict Phuket will close quite soon.

Who's gonna risk coming with the threat of expensive COVID prison if another person on the plane tests positive anyway?

That's what I never understood in the first place, it only takes one case from your flight and your in quarantine, what a waste of time and money and jumping through all the hoops before boarding.

Crazy.

[BE88]

30 minutes ago, DBath said:

I've heard that. There are some small towns outside of city centers in the north that don't seem to have that, though. I intend to stay clear of the southern/Mediterranean side and places like Madrid (except for short visits). Many of the small towns have decent infrastructure and you can even have your groceries delivered. I plan to also avoid the western part of Spain, which on paper has more rain and fewer sunny days.  One can own property in Spain, even as a non-resident.

Also consider Italy where the kitchen is much better and the climate is less hot, not the north but more towards the south after Rome and where you can buy houses and land like all of Europe without problems.

 

[KhaoYai]

On 7/10/2021 at 1:06 PM, Makoshark said:

With insurance costing me 180,000 bht per year and with pre-existing conditions, the insurance is useless.

I had the same problem - when I stated a pre-existing condition the premium tripled.  I just can't work out how they justify that.  My pre-existing condition doesn't have any impact on my general health or ability to live a normal life and in any case, it and any related future illness are excluded.  So they (understandably) exclude pre-existing conditions and triple the price.........they should wear masks and carry guns!

[KhaoYai]

37 minutes ago, Andycoops said:

That's what I never understood in the first place, it only takes one case from your flight and your in quarantine,

Really?  I wasn't aware of that - I bet most tourists know nothing about it either.

[ThailandRyan]

30 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Really?  I wasn't aware of that - I bet most tourists know nothing about it either.

Thus why it has gone international in the news and caused a circling of the wagons here.  Draconian rules for a supposed open quarantine make it very tenuous.