Are expats being tempted by Thailand?

[NanaSomchai]

4 hours ago, VBF said:

we Brits

There. Your problem lies right there.

 

Say Hi to Bojo "the nutcase" and Priti "the witch" for me next time you see them!

[SW Happy]

On 9/10/2021 at 10:05 AM, CM Dad said:

I have lived here for more than thirty years.  I think I have been to a beach once during that time.

Sad.

[JustAnotherHun]

3 hours ago, Joules said:

International foods such as Mexican, Italian, American, Japanese and Korean are difficult to find at best and completely unavailable in most places.  It is even difficult to find Chinese food here!  So, if you care about food variety, look elsewhere.  Plan on doing all your own cooking -- that's what I do.

You must be lving somewhere in the outback. Visit Bangkok or Pattya and enjoy any international food you can imagine.

You like to cook yourself? Youl'll find anything and at the same quality you could find in London, Paris or New York.

No need to live on Mama soup or kao pat something. And by the way: There is excellent Thai food in Thailand, but maybe not in Nakhon Nowhere.

Edited September 11, 2021 by JustAnotherHun

[SW Happy]

On 9/10/2021 at 11:17 AM, Orinoco said:

I think this one is called,  Aqua world condo  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL.

Think the drain needs unblocking.

 

 

Taken from Riviera. ????

[garyk]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Nearly every friend I have in the US is single. Why? Because for a man in the US, who is past the age of 50, unless he is willing to get with a woman at least his age, his prospects are dim for finding love, or companionship. Some guys like me, simply prefer younger women. Not kids, but women who are 10, 15, even 20 or 25 years younger than us. For a dozen very valid reasons. I could break them down, but why bother? The PC crew will jump on this and say it is not right. You should not be able to have this kind of life, without jumping over ridiculous hurdles! Means nothing to me. I do not do PC.

 

Why be with a woman our age, if we do not need to? Nothing wrong with it, if it works for you.

 

But It is virtually impossible for a 60 year old man in the US, Canada, the UK, most of Europe, OZ, or NZ, to hook up with a 36 year old woman, unless she is very fat or very ugly, or he is a centi millionaire, or is famous. Period. It just does not happen in this day and age.

Here it is possible. Granted he will likely get with a woman of lesser means, who needs a guy who can provide some financial stability. So what? Who cares? Most women want financial stability anywhere in the world, whether they admit it or not. The difference is here the women are more honest about their financial needs and desires. I know a lot of men who have engaged in relationships with lovely, kind, supportive, humorous, and sexy women here, who are no longer lonely. We have very good lives. Fulfilling lives. Lives we could never dream of having back in the US, Oz, NZ, UK, Canada, or Scandinavia.

Very true, Kinda funny though. In Asia pretty much any age goes I guess. I lived there for many years with a lovely lady..

Different countries definitely have different standards as far as dating goes.. And the difference in the dating scene in different countries is night and day.

Anyone here had a serious relationship in Asia, then moved to different countries and had relationships?

Say, Mexico, South America. My current stomping grounds.

 

Edited September 11, 2021 by garyk

[rabang]

13 hours ago, ThomasThBKK said:

 

You really think being a millionaire is anything special these days, u need help.

 

1 out of 6 american retirees is a millionaire....

8.8% of all americans are millionaires, that's 22 mio people alone from america.

There's over 5 mio millionaires in broke china, tiny germany has like 3 mio millionaires.

15% of all swiss are millionaires, there's around 60 mio millionaires in the world. 

 

But yeah, no one would ever go to and stay in Thailand. ridiculous.

 

 

 

 

 

Even Thailand itself has 90 000 thai millionaires... 

 

You are cute tho, typical broke person having fantasies of "millionaires" being anything special and living a different live while most of them are just everyday people you will never know about, shopping in the same Tesco supermarket as everyone else.

 

 

Who the hell retires in the maldives or seychelles? It's not a place to live, it's a place for a holiday but that's it. There's nothing to do.

 

 

 

 

Still waiting for a list of countries that tick those boxes i mentioned outside of Thailand, let's see and compare them.

 

 

 

 

It is true, the value of money has inflated. Having million dollars or euros now is not the same as in the 1980s. Besides it is not like that money is usually directly available in one's bank account but in assets like property and stocks.

Edited September 11, 2021 by rabang

[Jaxxper]

On balance when you look at the hoops that people need to jump through to get here , provide Covid insurance, and then do some sort of “quarantine” , with  several Covid tests during quarantine ( ignoring the fact that currently if they return to say the UK, they have more quarantine to put up with), added to the fact that many venues such as restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues have severe restrictions placed on their businesses, I’d have to say NO.

[josephbloggs]

21 minutes ago, Tanomazu said:

David Beckham owned a house in Samui.

 

https://www.horizonhomes-samui.com/beckhams-house-upsets-monks/

Yep, tons of rich and famous do.

Sven Goran Eriksson.    Robbie Fowler.  Joe Cole.  Robbie Williams.  Kimi Raikkonen.

[Isaan sailor]

Who wants to marry a millionaire?  Apparently loads of Thai girls endeavour to do just that.  

Edited September 12, 2021 by Isaan sailor

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Yep, tons of rich and famous do.

Sven Goran Eriksson.    Robbie Fowler.  Joe Cole.  Robbie Williams.  Kimi Raikkonen.

Owning a home somewhere, and living here as an ex-pat are two very different things. A guy like Beckham can afford to have homes all over the world. Some genius advisor may have talked him into the investment angle, long ago. Does not mean much. Nobody that I know has ever seen Beckham on the island. How often does he visit Thailand? Is it even amongst his favorite ten spots in the world? Has he spent a month here, in the past five years? Why does he not come more often? Has he tried to sell his house? Has he sold it already? 

 

Many wealthy people come here, stay a while, and realize there are so many issues that make Thailand less that what it appears to be, at first glance. 

[Tanomazu]

There are plenty of rich people who live in Thailand. You just have to search for properties in Ko Samui. Prices of 100 to 200 million Baht for houses are not rare. It's not the poor who own those houses. And those houses are all to the European standard, European kitchens etc.

[Charlie Halliday]

On 9/10/2021 at 8:39 PM, Maha Sarakham said:

Most expats looking to Thailand for a better retirement are operating off of far less than 2 to 5 MILLION dollars.  If you converted that figure to THB you might be more on track with the reality of the situation.  If you have money, everything that Thailand offers can be found better elsewhere.

USD2m retirement in Europe wouldn't last long. Thailand is a great place to retire if, like I said earlier, you have a good Thai marriage, which means bypassing most of the red tape, and take no notice of the politics and other bizarre behavior under the feudal system of the so called Thai Elites. Its gross we know but we don't have to be a part of it. On balance Thailand offers everything you pay a lot more for in Europe. 

[spidermike007]

2 hours ago, Tanomazu said:

There are plenty of rich people who live in Thailand. You just have to search for properties in Ko Samui. Prices of 100 to 200 million Baht for houses are not rare. It's not the poor who own those houses. And those houses are all to the European standard, European kitchens etc.

And real estate broker friends of mine tell me it takes many years to sell those high end villas on Samui and then only at large price reductions. 

 

Hundreds of villas were custom built on Samui on a  speculative basis, hoping for a quick flip. Most have been on the rental market for years now. 

 

And back to the original point. Very few people who can afford a hundred mil baht, or more for a property in Thailand, live here for more than a few months of the year, or would describe themselves as a resident of Thailand, for anything other than tax purposes. 

Edited September 12, 2021 by spidermike007

[GrandPapillon]

41 minutes ago, Charlie Halliday said:

USD2m retirement in Europe wouldn't last long. Thailand is a great place to retire if, like I said earlier, you have a good Thai marriage, which means bypassing most of the red tape, and take no notice of the politics and other bizarre behavior under the feudal system of the so called Thai Elites. Its gross we know but we don't have to be a part of it. On balance Thailand offers everything you pay a lot more for in Europe. 

actually, 2M USD retirement in Europe would last much longer and better value than any comparable place in Thailand in terms of value.

 

Thailand is a binary value now with no 50 shades of grey in between ????  

 

live poor like a local, and it's great value

 

or live like a super rich and have a ton of slaves (including farangs) at your feet

[Rookiescot]

8 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Yep, tons of rich and famous do.

Sven Goran Eriksson.    Robbie Fowler.  Joe Cole.  Robbie Williams.  Kimi Raikkonen.

Are any of them still here?

[josephbloggs]

3 hours ago, Rookiescot said:

Are any of them still here?

I have absolutely no idea, nor do I care.

Not sure why you are so hung up on this or refusing to admit you are wrong.

[Dalewhatdale]

On 9/10/2021 at 9:24 AM, Tanomazu said:

I know a millionaire with a house in the Cayman Islands. He doesn't live there because he got bored to death. The Caribbean Islands are generally small with nothing going on, limited food choices, no shopping to speak of.

 

Spain and Portugal have dying villages, the cities are overrun with crime, Romanians, Africans. Younger women will not look at you.

 

Turkey, that's just madness. Mexico? If you want to die maybe. Canary Islands again is where people go to be bored to death.

Not sure how long ago you last visited Spain, how long have you spent in the country altogether, and how many cities your visit(s) included, but saying that "cities are overrun with crime" is wildly inaccurate. As for the Romanians and Africans, it's such a blatantly racist statement that it's hardly worth delving into it.

 

In fact, Spain has a pretty low crime rate by most measures (see here, for instance), lower than France, the UK and Thailand, since we're talking about Thailand. The same goes for violent crime (here), and this also applies to Portugal, btw.

 

You're right about younger women (just like everywhere else in the West, though) and there's a fair amount of dying villages but also a growing push to bring them back to life, and plenty of bargains to be had if you fancy living in the countryside.

[Dalewhatdale]

8 hours ago, Charlie Halliday said:

USD2m retirement in Europe wouldn't last long. Thailand is a great place to retire if, like I said earlier, you have a good Thai marriage, which means bypassing most of the red tape, and take no notice of the politics and other bizarre behavior under the feudal system of the so called Thai Elites. Its gross we know but we don't have to be a part of it. On balance Thailand offers everything you pay a lot more for in Europe. 

Dude, no way. In countries like Spain and Portugal you can have a positively lavish retirement on 2 million bucks. Add to that cheaper alcohol and coffee, far better roads and public services, and so on.

[meechai]

1 hour ago, Dalewhatdale said:

Dude, no way. In countries like Spain and Portugal you can have a positively lavish retirement on 2 million bucks. Add to that cheaper alcohol and coffee, far better roads and public services, and so on.

Agreed I have seen many nice deals on offer from Spain over recent years

 

Also if I had my choice to start over I think I would love to have built in Andorra years ago. Beautiful!

It is also a spot that has many living training in the same sport I love

Edited September 12, 2021 by meechai

[meechai]

On 9/10/2021 at 6:44 PM, spidermike007 said:

Why be with a woman our age, if we do not need to? Nothing wrong with it, if it works for you.

 

But It is virtually impossible for a 60 year old man in the US, Canada, the UK, most of Europe, OZ, or NZ, to hook up with a 36 year old woman, unless she is very fat or very ugly, or he is a centi millionaire, or is famous. Period. It just does not happen in this day and age.

Here it is possible. Granted he will likely get with a woman of lesser means, who needs a guy who can provide some financial stability. So what? Who cares? Most women want financial stability anywhere in the world, whether they admit it or not. The difference is here the women are more honest about their financial needs and desires.

Of course I do not disagree that for most it is preferable to be with younger attractive person but again this is just one facet of life. If we spend our whole life ruled by the desire of our lowest energy center well then that basically makes us no different than the puppies we see in public that like to hump a leg ????

 

That aside & on to the second part about "Here it is possible. Granted he will likely get with a woman of lesser means" 

 

Yes that is also true & should but do not try to compare or explain it as "all want financial stability" Instead in poor countries it is more of a robin hood self sacrifice they make to help family & yes themselves too.

 

But do not try to paint is as equally beneficial anymore than you falling on hard times take to being with a woman 25+ years your senior because well it provides financial stability for you yes? But of course your more than happy to lay & perform sex acts with this 25+ year older woman...yes?

 

It is what it is & call a spade a spade ????  You live in a poor country & can buy a youthful sex partner & that is all it is by any name

Edited September 12, 2021 by meechai

[jacko45k]

19 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

Who wants to marry a millionaire?  Apparently loads of Thai girls endeavour to do just that.  

And if at first, you don't succeed...... I say that as I knew a couple who moved on to millionaires after getting a new passport by marrying one who wasn't....

[TooMuchTime]

Who wants to visit a closed down country with strict movement tracking and quarantine requirements?

[thaibeachlovers]

On 9/10/2021 at 10:01 PM, Dogmatix said:

always at the whim of surly and corrupt immigration officers to renew visas. 

I read a lot of posts about that, but personally I never experienced that at all. In every case I was treated respectfully, and in some cases the IO was helpful.

The problem with immigration IMO is that people higher up than those I had contact with are trying to make things difficult by inventing new and in some cases ludicrous requirements every year. The stupidity about the colour of the photo background and the colour of the pen are just 2 examples.

[GinBoy2]

6 hours ago, meechai said:

Of course I do not disagree that for most it is preferable to be with younger attractive person but again this is just one facet of life. If we spend our whole life ruled by the desire of our lowest energy center well then that basically makes us no different than the puppies we see in public that like to hump a leg ????

 

That aside & on to the second part about "Here it is possible. Granted he will likely get with a woman of lesser means" 

 

Yes that is also true & should but do not try to compare or explain it as "all want financial stability" Instead in poor countries it is more of a robin hood self sacrifice they make to help family & yes themselves too.

 

But do not try to paint is as equally beneficial anymore than you falling on hard times take to being with a woman 25+ years your senior because well it provides financial stability for you yes? But of course your more than happy to lay & perform sex acts with this 25+ year older woman...yes?

 

It is what it is & call a spade a spade ????  You live in a poor country & can buy a youthful sex partner & that is all it is by any name

First time I ever went to Pattaya I was horrified by the sight of 60ish guys with 20ish women.

 

My always pragmatic wife just shrugged her shoulders and said; "They are poor no education, they have to earn a living and if sleeping with old guys pays the bills and provides for family, so be it"

[Tanomazu]

15 hours ago, Dalewhatdale said:

Not sure how long ago you last visited Spain, how long have you spent in the country altogether, and how many cities your visit(s) included, but saying that "cities are overrun with crime" is wildly inaccurate. As for the Romanians and Africans, it's such a blatantly racist statement that it's hardly worth delving into it.

 

In fact, Spain has a pretty low crime rate by most measures (see here, for instance), lower than France, the UK and Thailand, since we're talking about Thailand. The same goes for violent crime (here), and this also applies to Portugal, btw.

 

You're right about younger women (just like everywhere else in the West, though) and there's a fair amount of dying villages but also a growing push to bring them back to life, and plenty of bargains to be had if you fancy living in the countryside.

I spent 8 years living in Spain, and was there last in 2014. Just had a visitor from Spain. If you look at the crime index I link below you will see that crime in Barcelona, Spain is worse than in Prague, Berlin, Sydney, with only New York, London and New Delhi with higher crime.

 

However, I actually expected it to be much worse, and I take your point that violent crime is not disproportionately high. It's just I've had countless reports of people having had their wallets stolen, and a close relative was a victim of organised burglary by an East European gang operating in Spain. The high unemployment in Spain also results in a highly degraded urban environment with so-called "Gamberros" perpetrating hooligan and petty crime, graffiti is an issue. That's from my own experience.

 

It's not racist to say that Romanian and African crime gangs operate in Spain, they do, and as the statement makes clear it's both whites and blacks, I fail to see how it's racist. I know woke accusations are the fashion, but watch your tone when you interact with me.

 

I would not want to live in the country side in Spain. The Spanish people are fanstastic, I have travelled all over Spain from the very north in Asturias to Madrid and the Baleriac Islands. I've lived there almost a decade. I know the area and people well. However, there are almost no facilities in the isolated rural areas in Spain. Living costs are actually high. Unemployment is high, crime in the sense of theft, graffiti and hooligan crime, if not violent crime or murder, is a problem. The winters are clammy and unpleasant. I see no reason to trade Thailand for Spain, and I think Spain is a long way away from Thailand in terms of culinary options, massage quality, shopping and the climate in Thailand is better, as winters are not clammy. Thailand is a lot better than Spain for an expat who likes a more interesting life. Spain is a bit too boring.

 

 

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Spain&city1=Barcelona&country2=Germany&city2=Berlin

Edited September 13, 2021 by Tanomazu

[Tanomazu]

Direct comparison between Bangkok and Barcelona also shows crime is significantly worse in Barcelona. Also note how the increasing crime rate in Barcelona is categorised as "High".

 

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=Spain&city1=Bangkok&city2=Barcelona

[Astromambo]

I am from Southern Spain and lived in Thailand for half year.

 

Personally, I don't see many upsides compare to my place, not even in overall costs. Regarding the lifestyle, the biggest difference is local food and shopping in a big city like Bangkok, as well as some exotic beaches (there is very little that can be labeled 'exotic' in my country AFAIK).

 

Eating out in Spain is usually quite more expensive and not as tasty, though portions are more generous (and much less spicy!). I think the biggest issue for retirees with a limited income would be renting. In places like Málaga, rents has gone up quite a bit the last few years. This is the cheapest you can find in Málaga at the moment, but a rent for a normal flat is now going for about 600 euros/month: https://www.idealista.com/en/alquiler-viviendas/malaga-malaga/?ordenado-por=precios-asc

 

In any case, my impression is that Thailand has shifted its focus on South East Asians. I know for a fact Thailand is a big destination for Hong Kongers and Mainland Chinese. Their cultures are much closer to each other as well, so for SE Asians it is a much more natural destination. As a Westerner though, Thailand is a nice place to visit, but I still prefer Southern Europe (or Australia, etc.). Of course, my Asian wife has the exact opposite preferences. She appreciates the eateries, the shopping, the closer culture, etc., and is more willing to put up with the bureaucracy. She finds Spain quite boring and alien by comparison.

[Dalewhatdale]

7 hours ago, Tanomazu said:

I spent 8 years living in Spain, and was there last in 2014. Just had a visitor from Spain. If you look at the crime index I link below you will see that crime in Barcelona, Spain is worse than in Prague, Berlin, Sydney, with only New York, London and New Delhi with higher crime.

 

However, I actually expected it to be much worse, and I take your point that violent crime is not disproportionately high. It's just I've had countless reports of people having had their wallets stolen, and a close relative was a victim of organised burglary by an East European gang operating in Spain. The high unemployment in Spain also results in a highly degraded urban environment with so-called "Gamberros" perpetrating hooligan and petty crime, graffiti is an issue. That's from my own experience.

 

It's not racist to say that Romanian and African crime gangs operate in Spain, they do, and as the statement makes clear it's both whites and blacks, I fail to see how it's racist. I know woke accusations are the fashion, but watch your tone when you interact with me.

 

I would not want to live in the country side in Spain. The Spanish people are fanstastic, I have travelled all over Spain from the very north in Asturias to Madrid and the Baleriac Islands. I've lived there almost a decade. I know the area and people well. However, there are almost no facilities in the isolated rural areas in Spain. Living costs are actually high. Unemployment is high, crime in the sense of theft, graffiti and hooligan crime, if not violent crime or murder, is a problem. The winters are clammy and unpleasant. I see no reason to trade Thailand for Spain, and I think Spain is a long way away from Thailand in terms of culinary options, massage quality, shopping and the climate in Thailand is better, as winters are not clammy. Thailand is a lot better than Spain for an expat who likes a more interesting life. Spain is a bit too boring.

 

 

https://www.numbeo.com/crime/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Spain&city1=Barcelona&country2=Germany&city2=Berlin

Quote

"...so watch your tone when you interact with me"

Lol, who do you think you are?

 

You dont get to make openly racist statements and not get called out for it. Sorry if it comes across as "woke" or disrespectful towards your excellency.

 

Then you say you know "the area" (which one?) and the people very well, but a lot (in fact, most) of what you say confirms you don't know Spain that well. You may know Barcelona well, but you don't get to say "Spanish cities are overrun with crime" just from the figures in Barcelona. Barcelona does have a petty theft problem, but believe or not, there are many other cities in Spain besides Barceona. And Barcelona isn't even much worse than Berlin, as per your own chart.

Also, you're the first person I ever heard calling graffiti a crime, especially one that would make an expat decide against moving to a country. I see it as an annoyance and nothing more.

As for the "hooligans", again you may be talking about Barcelona, cause it's definitely not a major problem elsewhere, or at least not a problem the average expat would encounter in their daily life. I'll take grafitti before non-existing, or leg-breaking, riddled-with-holes and other obstacles sidewalks any day.

 

Then you go on:

Quote

"The winters are clammy and unpleasant."

Again, you're clearly talking about Barcelona; go elsewhere like parts of Southern Spain or the isles, and you can even get year-round beautiful, mild, sunny weather. You prefer your winters cold and dry? Go to the central area of the country.

 

Quote

"Unemployment is high"

So what? What do you care as a retired expat? Specially since this doesn't translate to significantly higher crime (petty theft or worse) than in even Berlin, as per your chart (what's the Crime Index, 42 in Berlin vs 47 in Barcelona? That's nothing).

 

Quote

"I think Spain is a long way away from Thailand in terms of culinary options, massage quality, shopping and the climate in Thailand is better, as winters are not clammy. "

These are all mostly subjective. I don't think Spain is a long way away from Thailand in culinary options at all, and I love Thai food and the Bangkok restaurant scene is really impressive in terms of international options. Massage? Sure. Shopping? No way, unles you're into big honking shopping malls. Not a lot of those in Spain, and most people don't want them anyway. As for the climate, again, it's personal. In most of Spain you get four seasons, in some parts with reasonably mild winters and summers. You prefer the year-round crushing heat and humidity in Thailand, sprinkled with dangerous-to-breath air during burning season in many areas? By all means. Just don't make it sound like a no-brainer, cause it's far from it.

 

Then you conclude with:

Quote

"Thailand is a lot better than Spain for an expat who likes a more interesting life. Spain is a bit too boring."

Which, again, it's down to personal taste. Cultural life in Thailand is pretty limited, road trips around the country are inherently life-threatening due to poor driving discipline and education, and lack of enforcement of road rules, etc. it's hard to run or play sports outdoors due to lack of facilities and the heat and humidity, I could go on.

If by "a more interesting life", you mean bars filled with poor young women waiting for older expats and their money, then yes, Spain is not for you.

Edited September 13, 2021 by Dalewhatdale

[GinBoy2]

4 hours ago, Dalewhatdale said:

Lol, who do you think you are?

 

You dont get to make openly racist statements and not get called out for it. Sorry if it comes across as "woke" or disrespectful towards your excellency.

 

Then you say you know "the area" (which one?) and the people very well, but a lot (in fact, most) of what you say confirms you don't know Spain that well. You may know Barcelona well, but you don't get to say "Spanish cities are overrun with crime" just from the figures in Barcelona. Barcelona does have a petty theft problem, but believe or not, there are many other cities in Spain besides Barceona. And Barcelona isn't even much worse than Berlin, as per your own chart.

Also, you're the first person I ever heard calling graffiti a crime, especially one that would make an expat decide against moving to a country. I see it as an annoyance and nothing more.

As for the "hooligans", again you may be talking about Barcelona, cause it's definitely not a major problem elsewhere, or at least not a problem the average expat would encounter in their daily life. I'll take grafitti before non-existing, or leg-breaking, riddled-with-holes and other obstacles sidewalks any day.

 

Then you go on:

Again, you're clearly talking about Barcelona; go elsewhere like parts of Southern Spain or the isles, and you can even get year-round beautiful, mild, sunny weather. You prefer your winters cold and dry? Go to the central area of the country.

 

So what? What do you care as a retired expat? Specially since this doesn't translate to significantly higher crime (petty theft or worse) than in even Berlin, as per your chart (what's the Crime Index, 42 in Berlin vs 47 in Barcelona? That's nothing).

 

These are all mostly subjective. I don't think Spain is a long way away from Thailand in culinary options at all, and I love Thai food and the Bangkok restaurant scene is really impressive in terms of international options. Massage? Sure. Shopping? No way, unles you're into big honking shopping malls. Not a lot of those in Spain, and most people don't want them anyway. As for the climate, again, it's personal. In most of Spain you get four seasons, in some parts with reasonably mild winters and summers. You prefer the year-round crushing heat and humidity in Thailand, sprinkled with dangerous-to-breath air during burning season in many areas? By all means. Just don't make it sound like a no-brainer, cause it's far from it.

 

Then you conclude with:

Which, again, it's down to personal taste. Cultural life in Thailand is pretty limited, road trips around the country are inherently life-threatening due to poor driving discipline and education, and lack of enforcement of road rules, etc. it's hard to run or play sports outdoors due to lack of facilities and the heat and humidity, I could go on.

If by "a more interesting life", you mean bars filled with poor young women waiting for older expats and their money, then yes, Spain is not for you.

I think you nailed that.

 

In terms of 'things to do'. My God, Spain boring, I don't think so.

 

Comparing what 'things to do' are available in Spain versus Thailand it doesn't even compare.

 

Now if you mean 'can I have sex with women a third of my age for money' as things to do, well of course Thailand will win hands down.

 

I'm an Hispanic American and I've been to Spain many times over my lifetime, and I can tell you I have never once been bored, whereas living in Thailand for over a decade, yep I've been bored!

[Rampant Rabbit]

Yes oh  boy yes they are,  like a  slap  in the face with a wet  Haddock.