After 40 years in Thailand I have no intention to return permanently to the UK. Things there are not great just now with problems in the health service, the police, the civil service, and national a local governments. and costs are going through the roof. Here in Thailand I have a caring family and good medical attention. No reason for me to leave.

3 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

 

To quote George Smiley. "The zealot is always harboring a secret doubt"

 

 

I had to log in so I could give your post a thumbs up, both for its practical honesty and the Smiley quote.

 

I'm a professional expatriate, having been lucky enough to live in many countries and experience many cultures, beliefs and ways of life. (I personally hold no spiritual beliefs, but accept that many find them comforting.) I always try to be polite and respectful, but never attempt to integrate, other than to blend in as much as a tall, blue-eyed Westerner can blend in. Having experienced many lands, I know each has its pluses and minuses, but one learns to accept or endure the minuses while enjoying the pluses. Being diplomatic works everywhere.

 

My advice to anyone thinking about going somewhere to 'live the dream' is simple: get wealthy enough to be flexible. That means liquid cash and adequate insurance, preferably purchased when young (life does require a modicum of planning). Be ready to enjoy the place chosen, but have the ability to leave if the reality falls short of the expectation.

 

My own peculiarity is that I need a constant challenge. I was able to 'retire' in my late 30s, chose never to propagate my gene pool, and could always find something new to keep me passionate. Endless curiosity. Pretty flexible. Having a financial cushion allows one to mess up from time to time, as all humans are capable of doing, but never mess up so bad that it is debilitating.

 

For the time being, home is Thailand. There is much to enjoy here. It is modern enough for one to have all the conveniences of civilization, but also has a rural option where life is simpler. One can choose either the city or the countryside, depending on one's preferences. The place is safe, requiring a minimum of caution (relative to other places I have lived). People are friendly, even if sometimes some wear a false front. If one has a bit of street smarts, one can avoid any unpleasantness.

 

For my 'challenge', I bought a business in Thailand during Covid, and have had a heck of a fun time re-building it. My staff is fantastic. I will stay with it as long as it remains fun....though now I have the extra consideration of making sure my staff is okay.

 

I think expats fail here when they lack a challenge, have delusional expectations, have planned poorly, and fall into a dissolute sort of life where they seem to be just waiting to die. I have seen plenty of expats who drink far too much, never hit the gym, chase women decades their junior who are skilled at exploiting their fantasies to extract what money they have left, and simply have no goal.

 

I'm not against drinking, nor against enjoying the beauty embodied in young Thai women, but everything in moderation, and with eyes wide open. Thailand can be a wonderful place for a few years or even until climbing into the box, but it requires pre-planning and sober thought, as well as periodic reassessment.

 

 

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Real PGCE or online PGCE?

Both are available in Thailand.

 

And some got their qualification overseas obviously.

 

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I pay a woman to make my bed here.

How sad.

Just now, 2009 said:

How sad.

So do I, every week. I don't make my own bed ever. She has to make the bed because she changes the sheets and cleans the condo. Actually, I pay two women to make my bed.

5 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

What always intrigues me are those that protest too much about any perceived criticism 

 

To quote George Smiley. "The zealot is always harboring a secret doubt"

Exactly ????

 

Can't say the slightest thing bad about Thailand with some of these guys on here.

 

I guess they are in denial.

10 hours ago, billd766 said:

This is Stroh 80 which is 80 proof rum, oddly enough made in Austria.

 

If I could get it in Thailand I would much prefer "Pusser's" rum as issued to the Royal Navy before "Black Tot Day" (31 July 1970)

 

"Black Tot Day" (31 July 1970) was the last day on which the Royal Navy issued sailors with a daily rum ration (the daily tot).

 

We used to get it sometimes in the RAF in extremely cold weather. 1 bottle in a 5 gallon urn of cocoa.

 

https://pussersrum.com/

Naval rum always tastes a bit like a bandaid to me (or plaster, since you're English). In a good way.

 

Stroh is like butterscotch in a glass. I prefer the overproof version. In Amsterdam, Stroh is used to make pot brownies a lot.

 

Just bought a high end Thai rum at Rimping. Like a Nicaraugan Flora de Cana 7 year old one, so a reasonable deal at 960 baht.. Havana Club 7 year old dark for 1100 baht is my splurge (but they were out).

7 minutes ago, LaosLover said:

Naval rum always tastes a bit like a bandaid to me (or plaster, since you're English). In a good way.

 

Stroh is like butterscotch in a glass. I prefer the overproof version. In Amsterdam, Stroh is used to make pot brownies a lot.

 

Just bought a high end Thai rum at Rimping. Like a Nicaraugan Flora de Cana 7 year old one, so a reasonable deal at 960 baht.. Havana Club 7 year old dark for 1100 baht is my splurge (but they were out).

However I live in rural Kamphaeng Phet which is about 400km from Rim Ping which makes buying a bottle of rum a bit expensive.

 

Mekong aint bad either. Just put in a lot of lime.

 

Maybe with a float of coconut water from 7/11. In New York, where Santip is a premium pour, that's a $20 cocktail.

 

Phraya is the 960 baht Thai rum I bought ("aged in oak barrels").  Verdict: Bacardi does a 4 year old rum for the same price that's better. A very drinkable novelty one and done for me.

 

Rum doesn't do much better past 4-7 years, and evaporates a "devil's share" of 5% a year. So be very skeptical about 20 year old rum.

7 hours ago, Walker88 said:

but everything in moderation, and with eyes wide open.

But that can be a problem. Nocturnal lagophthalmos is the inability to close the eyelids during sleep. * I sleep with my eyes half opened. Can sometimes really spook someone who thinks I am dead if not fore warned.

 

*  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16671223/

 

On 1/1/2023 at 11:53 AM, john1000 said:

Anyone with half a brain, knows the answers.

Rob a jewelery store ?

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Real PGCE or online PGCE?

I got an MA in English, the MURICAN PGCE. ???? Took me three years in the racket that US universities have become. Couldn't stand the attitudes teaching in BKK private schools, so came back out here to Issan. Salary cut, but well worth regaining my sanity.

I've just read that the Baht is destined to be Asia's second best performing currency this year, behind SGD, Looking at the rates a moment ago, against GBP it's 40.71 and against USD it's 34.27. It might just be that the strength of the Baht is the thing that makes some people reconsider where they will live, sad but true.

On 1/2/2023 at 10:25 AM, ozimoron said:

If you still use toilet paper to wipe after you go to the loo instead of water it's a sign you don't belong here ????

Supermarkets and 7/11 sell tonnes of toilet paper!

18 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

I've just read that the Baht is destined to be Asia's second best performing currency this year, behind SGD, Looking at the rates a moment ago, against GBP it's 40.71 and against USD it's 34.27. It might just be that the strength of the Baht is the thing that makes some people reconsider where they will live, sad but true.

Nothing new there it was several years ago as well.

 

This from today.

 

The baht is set to be powered by an influx in Chinese tourists after Beijing rescinded most of its Covid controls over the past month, paving the way for a recovery in outbound travel. China is also Thailand’s biggest export market so the efforts by the world’s second-largest economy to bolster growth should help too.

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3205364/singapore-dollar-goes-toe-toe-thai-baht-tussle-be-best-regional-currency

45 minutes ago, proton said:

Supermarkets and 7/11 sell tonnes of toilet paper!

So does Makro especially in bulk packs.

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

I've just read that the Baht is destined to be Asia's second best performing currency this year, behind SGD, Looking at the rates a moment ago, against GBP it's 40.71 and against USD it's 34.27. It might just be that the strength of the Baht is the thing that makes some people reconsider where they will live, sad but true.

I think that is the case for most.  If your home countries currency plummets against the baht it might just be too expensive to live here.  It depends on various circumstances though.  The other thing for me would be enforced spending, i.e compulsory expensive health insurance, although the NHS isn't looking too good at the moment.

48 minutes ago, billd766 said:

So does Makro especially in bulk packs.

I buy it in the 36 roll pack, great for teepeeing the neighbors

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

I've just read that the Baht is destined to be Asia's second best performing currency this year, behind SGD, Looking at the rates a moment ago, against GBP it's 40.71 and against USD it's 34.27. It might just be that the strength of the Baht is the thing that makes some people reconsider where they will live, sad but true.

House mortgage repayments Thailand = 9kbht.

Room rental in UK = 600gbp.

 

The pound would need to drop below 10bht = 1gbp before it would be too expensive for me to live in Thailand. 

My plan has always been , retire at 55 with early company pensions and annuities, rent out my house to make up the immigration demands and stay with family for another 8-9 years until my UK pension hits. At 67 I'll more than likely bring the family to the UK since i'll be able to meet the financial requirements for immigration with pensions kicking in and house sale (My house is daft expensive in the south for 2 bed old council, can put £50,000 in the bank and get 4-5 bed up north). I do not want to spend the last years of my life here. I really do not like Thailand compared to the seasonal UK and hopefully NHS care at the end will be better - and free.

18 hours ago, proton said:

Supermarkets and 7/11 sell tonnes of toilet paper!

I find I still do need a little bit of dabbing action -even after a fire hose-level blast from the bum gun.

On 1/2/2023 at 8:35 PM, Walker88 said:

I had to log in so I could give your post a thumbs up, both for its practical honesty

I just did the same for your! Good Post

On 1/2/2023 at 7:58 PM, BritManToo said:

On the other hand, most of us don't have lives so dull we have to hang out in another countries forum.

When I left the UK, I stopped posting in UK forums.

But he like I still have homes & family in Thailand

Which is why we check in & post

Plus I believe he like I spend a quarter of the year

(most years not counting covid) in Thailand anyway so did we leave?

 

Having lives & homes in more than one country is far from dull ????

7 hours ago, mania said:

But he like I still have homes & family in Thailand

Which is why we check in & post

Plus I believe he like I spend a quarter of the year

(most years not counting covid) in Thailand anyway so did we leave?

 

Having lives & homes in more than one country is far from dull ????

You are correct about our lifestyle.

 

However with some of these guys you have to be 'All In' to be a true Believer.

 

I contribute to this forum, general US forums as well as local forums to where we live in the US, plus a Spanish language forum in Mexico where my family originates from.

I think I have some interest and say in all of them

 

Maybe the definition of 'dull' should be redefined to someone limiting their field of view and tunnel vision!!!

 

I prefer to embrace a wide range of my life experiences

On 1/3/2023 at 3:13 PM, BritManToo said:

House mortgage repayments Thailand = 9kbht.

Room rental in UK = 600gbp.

 

The pound would need to drop below 10bht = 1gbp before it would be too expensive for me to live in Thailand. 

That depends where you compare...

 

Mortgage in Bangkok  80k Baht per month

House Rental in UK (countryside town) £1200 per month (about 50k Baht)

 

 

I know thats not quite comparing apples and oranges - its comparing where I live in BKK vs where I would live in the UK - the difference is the bigger Tax hit in the UK (when still working).

when you have busted up teeth (maker of the video) and cant afford dental makeover....maybe it is time to go home.....you only see teeth like these with drunkards

On 1/1/2023 at 5:19 PM, ozimoron said:

Suggestions as to where a single man in late 60's would enjoy? I'm not fixated on girls and don't want to have a girlfriend but complete celibacy would be a problem. I'm very much a homebody and not much of a drinker. I'd like to rent a car for a month and travel all over.

Costa Rica, Columbia, maybe even Panama and Mexico. Forbes claims all of these countries have a lower cost of living compared to Thailand and there are lots of friendly ladies, in certain cities, in all of these countries. The Thai ladies are slimmer than most latin women.

 

Cuba also has lots of available ladies to entertain you.

19 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

Costa Rica, Columbia, maybe even Panama and Mexico. Forbes claims all of these countries have a lower cost of living compared to Thailand and there are lots of friendly ladies, in certain cities, in all of these countries. The Thai ladies are slimmer than most latin women.

 

Cuba also has lots of available ladies to entertain you.

lol, I meant in Thailand

 

1 hour ago, Banana7 said:

Costa Rica, Columbia, maybe even Panama and Mexico. Forbes claims all of these countries have a lower cost of living compared to Thailand and there are lots of friendly ladies, in certain cities, in all of these countries. The Thai ladies are slimmer than most latin women.

 

Cuba also has lots of available ladies to entertain you.

Do they have ladyboys in those Countries ?

16 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Do they have ladyboys in those Countries ?

Are you asking for a friend?