4 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I have not needed my air purifiers this year in Chiang Rai, the rainy season started early. Dare I whisper the words climate change?

Be that as it may, I just crank up the air purifiers when the meter hits 100, the air I breathe is back down to 25 in 20 minutes.

Same here, as have 2 Xiaomi purifiers.  Keeps the house in single digits.  Air pollution bothers me mentally more than health wise, especially when I want to play photographer.  

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I really do not like living in Thailand, I would much rather be living with my thai wife and daughter in the UK, but circumstances prevent that currently - though that issue is not financial.

 

“Did you abscond with the church funds? Did you run off with the Senator’s wife? I like to think you killed a man; it’s the romantic in me.”

8 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

“Did you abscond with the church funds? Did you run off with the Senator’s wife? I like to think you killed a man; it’s the romantic in me.”

Nothing so dramatic, he attended a Boris Johnson COVID party.

Is Thailand likely to see a mass exodus of expats?

 

 

One can only  Hope.........................

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

there will always be a demand for horny old men to come and live near young sexy women !

Well... what do you expect, when each of these "young sexy women" calls you a "hansum man" and promises to "love you more than monkey love banana" despite your bulging beer belly, bald head, flabby arms, alcoholic red nose, double chin, man boobs, questionable personal hygiene practices, and Birkenstock sandals?

 

I am NOT speaking from experience, of course... ????????

25 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

“Did you abscond with the church funds? Did you run off with the Senator’s wife? I like to think you killed a man; it’s the ro

There are many reasons a man might leave his home country and family.

56 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

Why would anyone leave? Great weather here, living costs 30% of the West, young female company.

You forgot the temples.

Knew I was going wrong somewhere, so temples are where you find the young female company.????

51 minutes ago, VillageIdiot said:

There are many reasons a man might leave his home country and family.

Think the time line is wrong for this to be family.

but it is a very funny likeness. 

 

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by Orinoco

39 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

Is Thailand likely to see a mass exodus of expats?

 

Only if the Government decides that "Retirement Extensions" must include a requirement of a 1 month "at home" period, like the financial you can use 400K of your 800k for 7 months of the year requirements.

Can't see that happening.

I am the family ne'er do well in a family and extended family of over-achievers. I am just more comfortable here.

 

As I have posted before from The Shawshank Redemption script:

 

ANDY: You know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific?
RED: No.
ANDY: They say it has no memory. That's where I want to live the rest of my life. A warm place with no memory.

*********

For me, that is Thailand.

I don't know what the masses will do, but I'm seriously considering pulling the plug.  As an American, it is much cheaper and much less bother for me to spend 6-12 months in Mexico rather than Thailand.  I'll admit part of that decision will be because I speak Spanish quite well but even after 4 years of really trying, I can't manage to speak any more than the very simplest survival Thai. 

These decisions depend so much on individual circumstances.  Too hard to try to generalize about "the masses."

To the above, from the song 'America' in West Side Story (obviously singing of Puerto Rico):

 

I think I'll go back to San Juan
I know a boat you can get on (bye, bye!)
Everyone there will give big cheer! (Hey)
Everyone there will have moved here

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by jerrymahoney

"However, with rents rising...".

 

Rents are rising?

4 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Leaving America to escape the rising cost of living may seem attractive, but it could all go up in smoke if either the USD is devalued or entitlement programs have to be cut.

 

The US debt and deficit are on a scary upward trajectory due to rising borrowing costs and burgeoning entitlement program payouts. The same is true for many other Western countries. If either the dollar devalues (think British pound post-Brexit) or entitlement programs are slashed, the incentive for moving overseas in order to lower living costs could disappear overnight.

 

Becoming an ex-pat for financial reasons becomes a rather dicey decision when you start pondering what the future might hold.

 

If USD went "up in smoke" why would it be better to be in USA than here? The dollar would drop everywhere, and the already expensive USA would become even more expensive..... same goes for other countries.

A dollar or a pound goes further here, and that would still be true even if those currencies cratered. Am I wrong?

5 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Was it really necessary to single out a specific nationality to make your point?

Given the Gov't is publicly hanging their hopes of economic recovery on the influx of Indian tourists, the comment is not out of line. Maybe you're too woke for this Forum.

5 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Was it really necessary to single out a specific nationality to make your point?

Well seeing TAT have been making a lot of news about tourists from India, I would say yes! ????

 

6 hours ago, BE88 said:

Many expats from Europe have already returned permanently, those who remain will make it more difficult to move to another country as they have families in Thailand so they will resist the rise in prices in Thailand because prices in Europe are also rising.

For the most part, the migratory birds of the six months have already found more hospitable places in the southern European countries and Arab countries.

The only expats I know who have returned had to because  of financial or health reasons. There in other reasonable to return  to broken Britain or a fractured Europe. As for friendly Arab countries: Dubai  welcomes millionaires and Russian Oligarchs ejected at last from the UK.

 

43 minutes ago, Jerno said:

Given the Gov't is publicly hanging their hopes of economic recovery on the influx of Indian tourists, the comment is not out of line. Maybe you're too woke for this Forum.

And perhaps  you don't know what woke means. Anti racism is a common decency - Woke ideology has no monopoly on anti racism- woke ideology  has no interest in Indian issues. There is a strong argument  that woke ideology  promotes racism by its reliance on toxic identitarian perceptions. But polemics  aside  - the majority  of expats in the world  are Asian not British or European or Australian or American.

Thailand will be seeing  more resident expats  from India as it is historically a natural place for them. All the big cities have 'India ' towns.

Thai Buddhism incorporates many aspects  of Indian Hinduism.

Indians own a lot of  land and property  here especially  in Bangkok.

 

 

57 minutes ago, Jerno said:

Given the Gov't is publicly hanging their hopes of economic recovery on the influx of Indian tourists, the comment is not out of line. Maybe you're too woke for this Forum.

The OP compared the economic value an expat provides with the economic value of a low-budget tourist.

By saying a "busload of Indian tourists" he inferred that all Indian tourists are low-budget, which, contrary to the common wisdom on this forum, they are not. There are also plenty of low-budget tourists who come from other countries as well. Equating Indian tourists with low-budget tourists is an obvious disparagement of Indian tourists. 

 

Aseanow might want to give some thought about how they are going to adjust to the shifting demographics TAT keeps identifying. In the not too distant future Aseanow's advertising base might be Indian restaurants, spice shops, tailors, gold dealers, and wedding planners. A large number of Indian tourists are English speakers, after all. Is all the Indian bashing which goes on on this forum going to sit well with Indian advertisers? I think not.

 

It's not me who is too "woke", sir. It is you and others on this forum who think you can disparage other racial groups with impunity who are the ones increasingly out of step with the times.

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by Gecko123

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Perhaps you have not noticed. The Indians I have known, to a man, were as tight as a duck's bum.

Was this you?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/21/man-jailed-for-having-sex-with-chickens-and-dog-in-greater-manchester-13632216/amp/&ved=2ahUKEwiunou8jp34AhXGEcAKHSgQAgAQFnoECAYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2X2RJPsxpM5oDdN56TcK03

6 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Leaving America to escape the rising cost of living may seem attractive, but it could all go up in smoke if either the USD is devalued or entitlement programs have to be cut.

 

The US debt and deficit are on a scary upward trajectory due to rising borrowing costs and burgeoning entitlement program payouts. The same is true for many other Western countries. If either the dollar devalues (think British pound post-Brexit) or entitlement programs are slashed, the incentive for moving overseas in order to lower living costs could disappear overnight.

 

Becoming an ex-pat for financial reasons becomes a rather dicey decision when you start pondering what the future might hold.

 

And yet the Dollar goes from strength to strength and every innovation in how everyone lives their lives, and the companies that have led the way, for the past two decades has come from America. Sorry the worldwide reign of the Dollar US based on solid fundamentals and anyone who has bet against it has lost money.

6 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

I think it is just the opposite more want, and will come here.

It is literally 4 to 5 times more expensive to live in my home country now then here.  If a person has a fully paid off house or can stay for free with family back home, then I guess they can consider  it   Otherwise, most of the living expenses listed are way way up in western countries now compared to here.  Not to mention, all the political issues with hate being at an all time high.  And for men, younger attractive female company is non existent.

I am very happy remaining here thanks, go back once a year for a month to visit family that is more then enough.

Mt family are here full stop and many have no family to speak of in the UK and maybe a few close friends but they have their own families.

I'm happy as a clam living in Thailand (over 20 years now) and really liking the change in scenery to Phuket the past year and a half. Currently I'm scuba diving in Ko Lipe, way down the Andaman Sea near the Malaysian border. I'm really liking southern Thailand, where the cost of living is quite low, the scenery nice, and the air quality pristine. 

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by Pattaya Spotter

1 hour ago, Emdog said:

If USD went "up in smoke" why would it be better to be in USA than here? The dollar would drop everywhere, and the already expensive USA would become even more expensive..... same goes for other countries.

A dollar or a pound goes further here, and that would still be true even if those currencies cratered. Am I wrong?

A dollar or a pound is not going to go further here if it's value is cut in half. Were the dollar to drop with you in the US, yes, imports would become more expensive, but domestically produced goods and services probably wouldn't change that much. A weaker dollar would encourage more exports and, over time, probably encourage more goods to be manufactured domestically.

 

If entitlements were cut, my guess is that this would have a hugely deflationary affect on the US economy, driving down the price of all asset markets, including real estate, thus making them all more affordable. If you were living outside of the US, your income would obviously be reduced, but without any corresponding deflationary impact in the local economy.

 

Another point to consider is that back home, at least in theory, you could supplement your income through employment, something which you can't easily do in Thailand.

3 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

Well... what do you expect, when each of these "young sexy women" calls you a "hansum man" and promises to "love you more than monkey love banana" despite your bulging beer belly, bald head, flabby arms, alcoholic red nose, double chin, man boobs, questionable personal hygiene practices, and Birkenstock sandals?

 

I am NOT speaking from experience, of course... ????????

Birkenstock?
That must be the german brigade.

30 minutes ago, Joe Farang said:

Was this you?

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/21/man-jailed-for-having-sex-with-chickens-and-dog-in-greater-manchester-13632216/amp/&ved=2ahUKEwiunou8jp34AhXGEcAKHSgQAgAQFnoECAYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2X2RJPsxpM5oDdN56TcK03

Never been to Manchester, I understand due to the foibles of the English language a native of the city is called a Mancunian.

Please don't put evil thoughts in my head, I have enough already.

34 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

And yet the Dollar goes from strength to strength and every innovation in how everyone lives their lives, and the companies that have led the way, for the past two decades has come from America. Sorry the worldwide reign of the Dollar US based on solid fundamentals and anyone who has bet against it has lost money.

I suppose that explains why I have never lost money buying and selling gold.

The US dollar is the world's reserve currency. That is based on belief, AFAIK a government debt of $30 trillion is not solid fundamentals.

Switzerland and Sweden lead the world in terms of innovation, America comes in third. South Korea is climbing up the rankings fast, because it employs more scientists per million people than any other country.

I am starting to see expats living 10+ years in Thailand leaving this place in the last 2 years,

 

same in China, in particular Shanghai where it's an absolute nightmare

 

this is what happens when you let authoritarian governments micro-manage your life

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by GrandPapillon

6 hours ago, jacko45k said:

There are millions and millions coming from India!

According to TAT 5 million! All going to Pattaya?

 

Five million Indian tourists are expected to visit Pattaya by the end of 2022, Tourism Authority of Thailand says

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by mikeymike100
spelling

Our living costs in Thailand have not gone up so much. Maybe 2000 a month and now 32k total before travel expenses, insurance, dinner outside home etc.

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by Hummin