Is it time for you to face reality and LEAVE ?

[billd766]

1 hour ago, The Fugitive said:

I agree with the drinking (or lack of it). I no longer enjoy alcohol myself and would rather have a cup of tea. House is not really as comfortable as UK because I often get too hot then there's the ants, mosquitos, jing jok's and tokays doing their business in the drawers on crockery and cutlery. Never had rats chew through cables in my house in UK. Find dead cats everywhere that neighbours have poisoned. I find the soi dogs intimidating and my soi could be described as 'dog <deleted> alley'. Free bus every 20 minutes in UK with my 'codger pass'. Prefer English food. I suppose it comes down to if you can tolerate the cold and rain, ice and snow, everything's expensive and everyone's on strike. Perhaps not!    

I suffer from Arfuritis in both knees and a bit of screwmatism as my Dad used to call it.

 

I don't like the cold any more and if I went back to the UK permanently I would consider myself lucky if I lasted a year before I turned up my toes.

 

The house here is quite comfortable and the red ants are the worst. The mosquitos aren't too much of a problem, jing jok's and tokays doing their business in the drawers on crockery and cutlery. We just turn everything upside down and then wipe any mess off.

[proton]

1 hour ago, Hummin said:

Is most people sex addicts? 

 

What most lacking, is dicipline and a brain to help them to make good and healthy choices for themselves. ✔️

Don't think they are mostly sex addicts, personally I would rather have a good dump, more enjoyable ????

[Negita43]

2 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

If I needed frequent health care that might tip the scales but so far not. I have some health conditions, HBP and cholesterol which essentially preclude health insurance.

If you are from the UK - you have to also take into account when "tipping the scales" that the NHS is in shambles and probably you would have to wait 6 months to see a consultant even if you got through "trial by triage" and saw a doctor. In Scotland getting registerd with a dentist is impossible and even on the NHS it's cheaper to see one over here - my last clean and polish cost 330 Baht at a local hospital

[ThailandRyan]

2 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Thing is Thailand is in general a great place in your 40's and 50's.

 

However as you enter your 60's and later it dives.

 

Funds are running out, and as immortal as we once were stuff breaks and that health insurance we once laughed about is now unaffordable or just not available.

 

Now given the choice of some hovel in a Thai village or moving home to at least be with family and some healthcare, I think I know the answer

Why would your funds run out as you enter your 60's and later on.  Do people not have pensions to live on from their home countries? or are those that are skint and living satang to satang that way because they worked very little, lived off others and then <deleted> it all away? 

 

I understand that not everyone prepares for the waning years, and some have had a hard life, but if you can not make it in Thailand then you sure as hell can not make it back in your own home country.

[Lee65]

One maybe counter-intuitive phenomenon is people getting stuck in a place that's the worst for them.

 

When things are good or OK or not-so-bad we have the energy/mood/money to keep on moving.  But find yourself in a bad place too long and you may not be able to get out.

 

The takeaway: vote with your feet - before it's too late.

 

 

[ozimoron]

1 hour ago, Thailand said:

A little confused, how is travel difficult if you are a digital nomad, can't you work almost anywhere?

50 hours a week night shift. I use a mini computer with a decent sized an external monitor, external keyboard and mouse. I could could travel but it would be disruptive and sleep even more of a hassle. I'm mostly home so it kind of doesn't matter where I am in Thailand. Cost would be the main impetus to move. Pattaya is cheap although I notice that Thai open restaurants are charging almost double what they did pre covid.

[nigelforbes]

I compare costs between my life here and a life back in the UK and they come out about the same. It's really swings and roundabouts for me. Either I spend money on health insurance and helping my wife's family from time to time or I pay Council tax and high utility costs and don't have rental income. I would have a decent quality of life in the UK but I really don't want to be there. The NHS is dead in the water so no advantage there, plus the weather is pants for six months out of the year. Mostly I don't think I could relate to the people, after 20+ years here I've grown accustomed to the quirks and vagaries of Thailand plus I can go hit the beach any time I want. Nah, I think I'll stay where I am.

[2009]

2 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Thing is Thailand is in general a great place in your 40's and 50's.

 

However as you enter your 60's and later it dives.

 

Funds are running out, and as immortal as we once were stuff breaks and that health insurance we once laughed about is now unaffordable or just not available.

 

Now given the choice of some hovel in a Thai village or moving home to at least be with family and some healthcare, I think I know the answer

This is a very good point.

 

People emigrating to Thailand at 60? For what? They can barely get it up. What else is there to enjoy? The local culture? The food?

 

When I am that age, I might be doing 6 months in Thailand (and 6 months back home) or maybe less.

 

At 70, if I am fit, I might be doing 3 months a year in Thailand at most.

 

[nigelforbes]

4 minutes ago, 2009 said:

This is a very good point.

 

People emigrating to Thailand at 60? For what? They can barely get it up. What else is there to enjoy? The local culture? The food?

 

When I am that age, I might be doing 6 months in Thailand (and 6 months back home) or maybe less.

 

At 70, if I am fit, I might be doing 3 months a year in Thailand at most.

 

"What else is there to enjoy" (apart from sex) for the over 60 brigade?

 

Hmm, well let's turn the tables and ask what those same people would be doing back in Morecambe, if by that time they no longer have family. For six months out of the year they would be inside avoiding the cold and the rain but they could always go down the pub I suppose! 

 

I'm 73 and I've been here for 20 years. We have our house and a large garden so there's always plenty to do. We eat lunch out most days plus we can go to the beach anytime we want, or up to the mountains nearby (we live in the North). We never are at a loss for something interesting and different to do.

 

We did try the 6 months at our UK home and 6 months here but frankly it was very hard work looking after two places and all that entails so we stopped that and now we just rent out the UK home full time.

 

I understand why people make the connection with sex but really, there is a lot more to life in Thailand than just sex, if you haven't worked that one out yet you've got some catching up to do.

 

[Negita43]

55 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

We did try the 6 months at our UK home and 6 months here but frankly it was very hard work looking after two places and all that entails so we stopped that and now we just rent out the UK home full time.

Yes that's what I try to do but at 79 the travel is getting more difficult and the cost is rising significantly and I have to keep the flat at 15C for the insurance. Renting out sounds a good idea but I live in Scotland and the law favours the tenants there - time for some difficult decisions, but deciding not to have residence in the UK has huge implications for bank accounts, credit cards etc.

[itsari]

4 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

You can find prostitution in most Countries and having sex isn't  problem in most Countries

Most countries ? How about all 195 countries ? But maybe you have first hand experience of all the countries ? 

[Mike Teavee]

4 hours ago, proton said:

Pure bliss, living the dream? for sex addicts, drunks and weirdos maybe. Most of the rest of Thailand is better than that place ????

I live (With my long term partner) in Wongamat which is considered to be part of Pattaya...  If you can tell me a better place to live in Thailand, then I'm all ears... 

 

 

People who don't live in Pattaya think the whole city is like Soi 6 / Walking Street & all of the "Farangs" here are Mongers, but the reality is most of us expats live on the outskirts & live a pretty normal day-2-day life with little to no exposure to that side of things. 

 

Seriously, I'm very interested to hear where you live that is so much better than where I choose to. 

 

 

[ozimoron]

3 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

I live (With my long term partner) in Wongamat which is considered to be part of Pattaya...  If you can tell me a better place to live in Thailand, then I'm all ears... 

 

 

People who don't live in Pattaya think the whole city is like Soi 6 / Walking Street & all of the "Farangs" here are Mongers, but the reality is most of us expats live on the outskirts & live a pretty normal day-2-day life with little to no exposure to that side of things. 

 

Seriously, I'm very interested to hear where you live that is so much better than where I choose to.

I live ten minutes walk from soi 6 and it may as well not exist. Other than that I walk down it most mornings to buy a coffee from Amazon.

[Mac Mickmanus]

7 minutes ago, itsari said:

Most countries ? How about all 195 countries ? But maybe you have first hand experience of all the countries ? 

I wasn't speaking of personal experience , but I would have thought that it would be difficult to buy sex in Saudi Arabia , Bhutan, Qatar and maybe a few other Countries 

[Mac Mickmanus]

Just now, ozimoron said:

I live ten minutes walk from soi 6 and it may as well not exist. Other than that I walk down it most mornings to buy a coffee from Amazon.

Have you got a link to that ?

[KhunBENQ]

4 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Another draft plonker with his own opinion making a video back then and now. 

Made me smile.

Dan aka Dan Cheeseman. Director and Co-Founder at Choice Group Asia Co. Ltd.

And this group owns/operates what? aseannow.com formerly thaivisa.com

As far as I know he has no headaches about the price of a breakfast.

[DrJoy]

4 hours ago, ozimoron said:

One of my mates is married to an Indonesian girl and has a home in Lombok but it's not for me. Food's good, that's about it.

You forgot the CAT POOP Coffee

[ozimoron]

Just now, DrJoy said:

You forgot the CAT POOP Coffee

That would be coffee beans pooped out by civets. He used to bring some back regularly but we stopped after the prices skyrocketed and we found out that the civets are badly mistreated.

[2009]

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

Hmm, well let's turn the tables and ask what those same people would be doing back in Morecambe, if by that time they no longer have family. For six months out of the year they would be inside avoiding the cold and the rain but they could always go down the pub I suppose! 

I'd likely be:

 

- Enjoying my garden in summer 

 

- Walking down the canals

 

- Enjoying a real pub with real beer and real people.

 

- Eating good food

 

- Enjoying the seasons, especially cool, crisp, fresh, Autumn, evening air

 

It ain't all doom, gloom, cold, n rain .

 

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

9 minutes ago, 2009 said:

I

 

- Enjoying the seasons, especially cool, crisp, fresh, Autumn, evening air

 

It ain't all doom, gloom, cold, n rain .

 

 

I prefer UK weather when it gets cold , then you really appreciate the hot summer days and being unbearably hot everyday becomes unpleasant .

[Kwasaki]

3 hours ago, Negita43 said:

If you are from the UK - you have to also take into account when "tipping the scales" that the NHS is in shambles and probably you would have to wait 6 months to see a consultant even if you got through "trial by triage" and saw a doctor. In Scotland getting registerd with a dentist is impossible and even on the NHS it's cheaper to see one over here - my last clean and polish cost 330 Baht at a local hospital

you quote wrong poster.

[JeffersLos]

Broke at home, move to Thailand.

 

Broke in Thailand, move to Cambodia. 

 

So where do the broke pervert weirdos go after Cambodia?

 

The Ex Democratic Republic of Congo??

 

 

Asking for a friend. 

[Mac Mickmanus]

3 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

Broke at home, move to Thailand.

 

Broke in Thailand, move to Cambodia. 

 

So where do the broke pervert weirdos go after Cambodia?

 

The Ex Democratic Republic of Congo??

 

 

Asking for a friend. 

Congo is very expensive , on par with western Countries 

[Jingthing]

47 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

Broke at home, move to Thailand.

 

Broke in Thailand, move to Cambodia. 

 

So where do the broke pervert weirdos go after Cambodia?

 

The Ex Democratic Republic of Congo??

 

 

Asking for a friend. 

Maybe a provincial area of Nicaragua. Not an expat popular area like Grenada. The retirement visa requirements are very low.

Edited January 1, 2023 by Jingthing

[save the frogs]

the 'not really' democratic republic of congo.

aren't there countries with easy path to residency and access to public healthcare if healthcare in thailand is an issue?

 

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

the 'not really' democratic republic of congo.

aren't there countries with easy path to residency and access to public healthcare if healthcare in thailand is an issue?

 

Colombia requires expats to enter their highly rated by WHO health care system which is private but integrated into significant public oversight.

It's much better if you join before age 60 as after about age 60 you can't opt for the higher end plans with lots of perks (which you would want and could afford). 
Preexisting conditions are included and costs are low. However, recently Colombia's visa programs got more difficult (retirement visa still affordable but more work than before).

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Jingthing

[Salerno]

2 hours ago, Negita43 said:

... but deciding not to have residence in the UK has huge implications for bank accounts, credit cards etc.

At 79 I wouldn't have thought it that much of an issue. 

[nigelforbes]

6 hours ago, 2009 said:

I'd likely be:

 

- Enjoying my garden in summer 

 

- Walking down the canals

 

- Enjoying a real pub with real beer and real people.

 

- Eating good food

 

- Enjoying the seasons, especially cool, crisp, fresh, Autumn, evening air

 

It ain't all doom, gloom, cold, n rain .

 

 

Excellent, I'm happy for you that you have things there that you enjoy doing. But you asked the questions, "What else is there to enjoy? The local culture? The food?". We enjoy all those things plus we enjoy many of the same things that you do back home, our lifestyles are not that different I suspect, only the location changes. The big difference between us that we do those things year round. And we do enjoy the change in seasons, which in the North are quite marked, the weather currently is very UK like and quite cold at night.

 

Your earlier post reminded me very much of me. I came to Thailand to live full time in 2004 but had been semi living here and elsewhere in the region for many years, because of my work in Hong Kong. I first moved to Phuket because it ticked all the boxes and I also was at a very comfortable point in my life. I had a British friend in Pattaya that I used to visit from time to to time plus I would spend time in Bangkok because I found it intriguing. A rent a friend persuaded me to visit Buriram also but I couldn't get away fast enough. (it was bad, but not as bad as Chachoengsao where locals congregate around the drainage canal at dusk to watch the ducks....that's their sole source of entertainment and amusement). Later I went to Chiang Mai and everything clicked, scenery, people, infrastructure, resources...it took several years of travelling around the country, exploring, before I understood that Phuket was

A) unnecessarily expensive, B) nice to visit but it wasn't necessary to live there. C) The people and their attitudes are nicer and more natural in other parts. D) Full of tourists and migrant workers, temporary and permanent. E) full of locals who were mostly unpleasant and resentful of tourists and foreigners. (in four years there, my CRV was keyed five times and our house was cat burgled twice (whilst we slept)).

 

My experiences and observations, FWIW

 

 

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by nigelforbes

[jerrymahoney]

My brother for a while worked for an independent Prudential (USA) insurance agent selling long-term care insurance. He said most of the buyers of such policies were by persons who had either a family member or close friend who should have bought long-term care insurance, but did not realize that until it was too late.

 

Many more reasonable options for long-term care and not just by immediate family here in Thailand.

[LaosLover]

13 hours ago, billd766 said:

I have one Stroh rum and coke every New Nears eve. I figure that I have another 10 years to finish that bottle nd by then I will be 88

 

 

2nd best rum after Havana Club Blue Label. I say go mad and have one on your birthday too.

Edited January 1, 2023 by LaosLover