Farangs Retired In Thailand

[keestha]

There are quite a few expat retirees on this forum, and others who aspire to retire in Thailand. Often these people are not so old at all, just fifty something or even younger. The retirees, are they happy here and don't they get bored? Living here, they are far away from their family, and also building up a satisfying social life here is probably more difficult than maintaining the social life they have in their home country. In general, I'm just wondering how they keep themselves occupied, in other words what they are doing with all their time.

Edited July 18, 2007 by keestha

[qwertz]

They have their hobbies.

[soundman]

They have their hobbies.

Origami & bonsai just to name a couple!

[Penkoprod]

I believe Indoor Hang-Gliding and Formula1 Tiddlywinks are the next 2 "big things" happening for retirees

There WAS talk of starting a circuit of Formula Ford Basket Weaving, but nothing came of it

Penkoprod

[WaiWai]

They have their hobbies.

And their hobby horses .

Between the two, retirement can become quite exhausting. That's why so many have little hair remaining on their heads .

[dave111223]

There are quite a few expat retirees on this forum

I think you answered your question about how they occupy their time with your first statement

[lazeeboy]

There are quite a few expat retirees on this forum

I think you answered your question about how they occupy their time with your first statement

being retired you can put everything off today as you have all day tommorrow to do it....

[nick2k]

I sit home and twiddle my thumbs. when the urge arises, I get up and go to the restroom. being retired is not good for you. keep working. we need someone to pay into social security.

[Jingthing]

Reading, interneting, socializing, cell phoning, shopping, watching foreign movies, flirting, combing, whale watching (not really), watching foreign tv, cooking, eating, beaching, sexing, internet banking, walking, baht busing, kvetching, drinking, coffee and teaing, breathing, pissing, excreting, being ...

People who can't handle leisure are a kind of cripple.

Edited July 18, 2007 by Jingthing

[dee123]

preparing real food,not junk food...eating it washing up ,walking to the shop to buy more food,walking back then preparing it,eating it washing up,then walking to the shop to buy more food,walking back ,preparing it eating it then walking back ,prepairing it eating it washing up then walking...etc....etc

[JimmyTheMook]

I just went fishing.

[qwertz]

When I retire I want to become a lounge lizard and pub crawler.

I never had the time for it before.

In the opinion of the board, would this sort of hobby be possible in Thailand?

[Edonista]

There are quite a few expat retirees on this forum, and others who aspire to retire in Thailand. Often these people are not so old at all, just fifty something or even younger. The retirees, are they happy here and don't they get bored? Living here, they are far away from their family, and also building up a satisfying social life here is probably more difficult than maintaining the social life they have in their home country. In general, I'm just wondering how they keep themselves occupied, in other words what they are doing with all their time.

We do what a man cannot do anymore in Western World, that is we .... all the tiime

Btw I don't think that "being away from family" is a disadvantage, also to have a good time here you do not need to build up a "social life", you just show a 500 baht note and that's it !

[mrtoad]

When I retire I want to become a lounge lizard and pub crawler.

I never had the time for it before.

In the opinion of the board, would this sort of hobby be possible in Thailand?

I think you know that those hobbies would fit in perfectly in Thailand. You just need to add sleeping as well.

[jimmym40]

email...

[mcgriffith]

It was a HORRIBLE transition, not being on the 405 freeway in Orange County, CA, headed to the office at 7 AM with all the pinched-faced, angry people around me (in stopped traffic), all of us chattering away on our cellphones at 9 million words a minute....

Ahem.

Get up to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees.

Prepare excellent coffee. Drink same; reflect on the day ahead (and life in general).

Go to gym, work out.

Go to pool, read BKK Post, books. Swim.

Do some shopping at Central KSK.

Go home, put on running shoes, go for walk around the reservoir at CMU (beautiful). Watch the Thai people walking their dogs watch me. Smile at people, dogs.

Return home, shower, prepare (or better yet buy Thai food in soi) dinner.

Eat delicious food. Reflect on how good life is.

Tough deal, I know......

McG

[true blue]

drink eat sex and sleep easy

[tahaan]

...watch UBC

[JetsetBkk]

... count my money.

[retiredusn]

Nice thing about retirement is : We can do What ever we feel like doing and then we can sit back with a cold one and watch the wannabe retirees work and increase our yearly cost of living increases

[qwertz]

^

I'll drink to that.

[SamuiWatch]

There's an 'old' guy of an admitted age of 71 who owns a 'proper' Thai massage parlour with his young and beautiful Thai wife on Lamai Beach's Main Drag. He's known as 'Gentleman John' and he really is a gentleman. He told me the first time I met him: "This country KEEPS you feeling young because everyone here has an inbuilt respect for all older people. Its in their blood. They want to engage you in conversation - and they love all farangs - old and young."

He's right. The elderly in England do feel very marginalised because everything there is geared up to the young or middle-aged. In Samui everyone is encouraged to participate - especially the elderly - because of that respect thing I mentioned earlier. They don't even think of 'ageing in the same way we do.

There is no problem for 'retirees' of all ages. In fact a very sensible suggestion was made to me the other day by another retiree. He said that because pensions can now be collected from any ATM in Thailand - one could rent a small 2-bed bungalow and have a permanent live-in maid cum nurse cum friend cum helper. It could be called 'assisted accommodation' where the maid does all the running around, shopping etc - and she has a free place to live herself - with grub thrown in. She'll even do all the cooking. She wouldn't want perhaps more than £60.00-monthly and she'd be on call 24-7. Thais don't really have a five-day working week.

This is not 'taking advantage' of a low-wage country - it is giving active employment to those in the most need. Have you any idea how far £60.00 would stretch for her? She'd probably send half of that to her family in the provinces and still have enough to buy her little odds and ends locally. £60.00 is about 4000 Baht - which is a fair monthly wage for a woman in Thailand.

What can retirees do in Thailand? They can have their life back, that's what.

LOL

[qwertz]

^

Samui, that's exactly my plan you're outlining there.

[Tinkelbell]

preparing real food,not junk food...eating it washing up ,walking to the shop to buy more food,walking back then preparing it,eating it washing up,then walking to the shop to buy more food,walking back ,preparing it eating it then walking back ,prepairing it eating it washing up then walking...etc....etc

LOL , you put it nicely. In reality that's what some of us retirees doing. Always in the kitchen trying a new recipe for my new dish.

One of the good things from being retired is you got all the time in the world, often I don't even remember what day is it. I fee so luxury.

[meemiathai]

Farangs Retired In Thailand, What are they doing the whole day?

Not sure if 24 hours a day is enough time for moaning?

[Gary A]

I have no social life and don't miss having one. As far as activities, I have MANY projects started and just can't seem to find the time to finish any of them. I am in training to because a world class procrastinator. I just have too many books to read and the Internet has too many interesting things on it for me to work. What an ugly word. I can't believe that I typed it without choking. I did that ugly chore most of my life and I'm REAL happy to be done with it. Don't feel sorry for me.

[skydiver77]

I would highly recommend retirement,[early if possible] here in the LOS.

Three years ago in the UK, I was on my jack-s--t, working nights and high balling to Tesco on Sat. for my weekly microwave junk.

The only thing that kept me going, was my 2 or 3 trips per year to Thailand for R and R.

Today, if you gave me a world map, I would be hard pressed to locate the UK.

Still visit Tesco most weekends though, but in the company of my beautiful wife,[25years younger than me] and my stepdaughter age 12.

A usual sort of day for me, is; get up first for cup of tea for me and Mrs. Wake daughter up, get her sorted for school,[1st high school term] Fettle up some breakfast for us. Open gates, get car out, [Focus 1.8 auto] and cooled down for Mrs and daughter.

Mrs drops daughter off at school and continues to office. She is an exec. with a shipping co. at Bangna.

I now have coffee and read the BKK Post, which has just been delivered. Then I do the usual house chores etc, then sort some emails out. Followed by 15 min. on the rowing machine.

After lunch, I call or am called by farang mate on next estate. If my turn. I scorch over there on the scooter and if partner is visiting Mum, we have a strenuous afternoon getting some ale down.

I return home on a security guarded enclosed estate just in time to meet Dom, my taxidriver mate, who takes me to collect daughter from school.

Depending what time the Mrs returns home, we eat out or in. Later I help with daughters home work and we all have nice time together watching the excellent Thai tv. Later, UBC.

All you young uns out there, I know your heart rate has shot up, reading about my exciting lifestyle.

Perhaps if you pay your dues, you may even achieve it one day.

Regards.....................................................

[Nibor1945]

^

Samui, that's exactly my plan you're outlining there.

Happy Birthday Qwertz.

Now you qualify for the "Old age pension" you can consider that option, and remember if you marry you get 60% more!

Unfortunately that's frozen from the day you start to live here. I've got 2 years 364 days to go (discounting leap years) before I catch you up in the "pensioner stakes".

Back on topic, the days just fill themselves up for me, but being a parent does contribute to that. Filling the day should not be a problem for a retiree here, if it is then retiring is not a good option and certainly not to Thailand! I must agree that being old does have advantages here (respect-wise), certainly more than we would receive in our home country.

[qwertz]

^

Thank you kindly Nibor, just recovering from celebrating.

It's a modest pension but I can work on for a while anyway.

This is my second retirement, I only went back to work to boost my savings plan.

On topic, LOS is as good as anywhere to retire, the good bit is that golf and geriatric sports are very reasonably priced.

According to my research there's enough daytime activity to keep any pensioner occupied and the nights speak for themselves.

[Ping]

It was interesting - when I retired, the majority was saying, 'What are you going to do with your time; I'd be bored witless'. It seems that this is the type of concern to which the OP is referring. Well while I was working, there were never enough hours in the day for my private activities. Sinced I retired, nothing has changed - best thing I ever did. I do tend to get out more in Phuket than when in my country of birth, but I never have time for boredom in either.

Edited July 19, 2007 by Ping