And so the exodus of quality expats begins. This time it's personal

[Watawattana]

17 hours ago, oldcpu said:

 

I spent about 6 weeks in Hua Hin (on 3 different visits combined) looking around. In the end I decided against and went for Phuket.  Why?

 

• Phuket has more quality hospitals (albeit Hua Hin has some quality hospitals too ..., just a lessor number)
• Too many local tourists from Bangkok flood Hua Hin on holidays - with massive numbers at times approaching Phuket ill informed tourist area madness
• The main highway that runs through Hua Hin is horrific and makes the entire area unsuitable for me
• Less sea tours / expeditions from Hua Hin than Phuket
• Hua Hin has less international schools compared to Phuket
• Hua Hin is Much MUCH MUCH further from an International Airport such as Phuket has
• In Hua Hin, after viewing over 3 dozen different condos on the massive long  beach , I could not find  one  in decent shape, for a decent price, that I liked ... [ also one only gets a sunrise view over the water - and not a sunset view].
• Not as wide a restaurant selection as Phuket (although Hua Hin does have many)

Don't get me wrong.  I do like Hua Hin.  I think it a great place.  I believe it will be ideal for some.   I have friends who live in that area - so it would be nice to be living in that area close to friends. 

 

Overall Hua Hin is SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive than Phuket also.  The massively less expensive price can be important to many.

 

I urge many to look at Hua Hin. 

 

But Phuket edged out Hua Hin for me.

Thanks for the reply, it’s appreciated. 

[Watawattana]

22 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

If you keep going south from Hua Hin, there are progressively nicer and quieter beaches- Pranburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan City, etc.  Not great if you are into nightlife, but beautiful and relaxing.  Ao Manao Beach just south of Prachuap Khiri Khan is amazing.

Thanks for the reply, it’s appreciated. 

[Expat68]

2 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

Yet you comment so you must have a chip on your shoulder about not living here.

 

I do not live in New York or London but I do not make a special out-of-the-blue statement about it. Although I am going to London for a month next week.

 

To the people who do not like Phuket, yes please stay away as we have enough winging ex-pats already (I avoid them like the plague).

 

I laugh sometimes when I am in other areas for a visit, boring villages for example, some ex-pats tell me they do not live in Phuket for whatever reason and then they get on their twenty-year-old Honda Dream bike and ride off, I laugh and think, the real reason is you can not afford to live in here.

I can only speak for myself but I grew up where the nearest house (not village or town) was 3 miles from me. That is probably why I prefer to live in non tourist areas of Thailand 

[Dickp]

Wife bought land back in 1986. I retired in 1991 and we moved right to Bangkok, Had the western style house build, we arrived 2 weeks before we could move in. Since then up date's 2 times one minor 1998 and one big job 2006. Live in the East end of Bangkok in nice housing project, easy to get to the highways and to the main road to downtown, thought have not been there in the last 6 - 8 years. Nothing there that we can not find real close to home. Raised our daughter here 2 -12 grades then off to the US for collages Three. She Has her Phd along with her own business. She and her husband normally come to visits 2 times a year now that we don't travel any more. Our living standard is great and along with the Medical care, that's what keeps us here. For me never been one for going out on the town, only been in one Bar for the last 34 + years.  Sad now thou that all my real friends' have move back home or died.  

[JamesPhuket10]

21 hours ago, Dickp said:

Wife bought land back in 1986. I retired in 1991 and we moved right to Bangkok, Had the western style house build, we arrived 2 weeks before we could move in. Since then up date's 2 times one minor 1998 and one big job 2006. Live in the East end of Bangkok in nice housing project, easy to get to the highways and to the main road to downtown, thought have not been there in the last 6 - 8 years. Nothing there that we can not find real close to home. Raised our daughter here 2 -12 grades then off to the US for collages Three. She Has her Phd along with her own business. She and her husband normally come to visits 2 times a year now that we don't travel any more. Our living standard is great and along with the Medical care, that's what keeps us here. For me never been one for going out on the town, only been in one Bar for the last 34 + years.  Sad now thou that all my real friends' have move back home or died.  

 

It is just another phase of the phases we have to go through.

 

My two sons went to school and university in England, one is now married to a New Zealander, they have a child and he has set up a successful business in NZ, the wife is an architect. 

 

The other son is a biomedical scientist at a hospital in England.

 

I have been living in the house in Phuket for the last two years full time, it was bought/built about twelve years ago, and it is in a quiet area with no girly bars, etc, they are miles away over the mountain. 98% of the people living in this housing complex are Thai and the roads are closed to the public. 

 

I do not have as many friends as I used to have as they move on or die.

 

I will go back to the UK this week though, for a month or more, business class with a bed (EVA Air) is what I use now that I am older, health is worth more than money.

 

It is just another stage we go through, but look at it positively, if you are not going through such stages it means you are already dead. 😄

[JamesPhuket10]

On 10/26/2024 at 2:36 PM, Expat68 said:

I can only speak for myself but I grew up where the nearest house (not village or town) was 3 miles from me. That is probably why I prefer to live in non tourist areas of Thailand 

 

I choose to live in this area in Phuket as it is like living in a small village away from the rest of the world, the roads are all private, most of the residents are Thai, and there is a small private park for the kids of the residents to play in, plus as the roads are private there is almost no traffic so the kids can play in the streets as well.

 

There are two manned barriers with CCTV so when I go away for a month or two the house is nice and secure.

 

But outside there are banks, shops, pharmacists, etc close to hand. A massive Makro is a seven-minute drive away as is a massive Lotus and an even bigger Central Shopping precinct is a ten-minute drive away, best of both worlds. 

 

When friends are over on holiday I go out with them now and then to places like Patong, as I feel like I am going on day trip holidays as it is like being in another country, it is good fun in short periods.

 

Then I drive over the mountain and life is back to normal, it is like those areas only exist in holiday land. 

 

[Bundooman]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:51 PM, Ralf001 said:

The exodus from Pattaya similar. 5 friend's have gone home in a coffin since December.

That's a hell of a way to go home.

Hope they had seperate boxes....

[JimTripper]

On 10/26/2024 at 10:43 AM, Whip said:

I am retired and live in a marvellous "bubble" that is not Phuket

What really matters is high income, not location. I could be happy most anywhere as long as I had a high income relative to the location. I would not really care if it was Pattaya, Phuket or some other country for that matter.

 

With money, you enjoy the venues you want and associate with the people you want.

 

51 minutes ago, Bundooman said:

That's a hell of a way to go home.

Hope they had seperate boxes....

I follow cases all the time on Youtube of expats getting sick in Pattaya and other parts of Thailand, several died. It's really sad and lonely. I always wondered whether I would end up like that. As I get older I can see it as a possibility.

When I first checked out Pattaya as a living location I remember looking up at a tall lonely condo building overlooking the beach and thought "Am I going to pass away there?"  😅 I can be dark at times. Most other guys were probably thinking about getting a beer.

Edited October 27 by JimTripper

[newnative]

39 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

What really matters is high income, not location. I could be happy most anywhere as long as I had a high income relative to the location. I would not really care if it was Pattaya, Phuket or some other country for that matter.

 

With money, you enjoy the venues you want and associate with the people you want.

 

I follow cases all the time on Youtube of expats getting sick in Pattaya and other parts of Thailand, several died. It's really sad and lonely. I always wondered whether I would end up like that. As I get older I can see it as a possibility.

When I first checked out Pattaya as a living location I remember looking up at a tall lonely condo building overlooking the beach and thought "Am I going to pass away there?"  😅 I can be dark at times. Most other guys were probably thinking about getting a beer.

      People get sick and die everywhere--and, it can be just as sad and lonely for them in other places than Pattaya.  Whether someone dies alone or surrounded by family and friends is usually more a case of how they have led their life than the place they may find themself at the end.  

      There are lots of worse ways to pass away than in a 'condo building overlooking the beach'.   In fact, that sounds pretty darn good to me--I love a beach and ocean view.  And, it sounds even better having visited some nursing homes in the US while scouting for one with my sisters for our Mother.  Even the nice ones I found depressing.  I'd much rather be here, in my own home, enjoying the nice weather, and with help available at a reasonable cost if I need it at some point.  

[harryviking]

On 2/9/2024 at 11:14 AM, Olmate said:

Lifes not a 'beach' apparently! 

Lol! Funny----

[renaissanc]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:14 PM, xylophone said:

Sadly, a good friend of mine who has lived here most of the time for years has now decided to call it quits and has moved back to the UK. I am in contact with him and he says although the weather is disgusting, he is glad to be free of the traffic, Russians, invading Chinese and poor roads here in Patong/Phuket – – he owned a Triumph Bonneville and loved riding it around, but not safe to do that now, so sold it and he has gone.

 

Another friend is considering going back to Canada because he is fed up/bored with Patong and has been financially shafted by one Thai girlfriend, thereby losing his business, and his latest Thai girlfriend has decided to dump him! Not a happy chappy, so I expect him to leave very shortly.

 

As I have posted previously, this is not the place I remember it to be, but I'm tied here by friends and a daughter, so I will have to put on a happy face and carry on!

 

 

I lived on Phuket from about 1988 to 1996. The island was such a wonderful place back then. The roads were so quiet. I drove around on a Honda 90. I've watched videos of the island now. It could be Spain now.

[johnc925]

On 2/9/2024 at 4:52 PM, Galong said:

Six of my very good friends have had enough of Phuket and all six are leaving because of traffic. Another friend and his family of four just bought a house a relocated here from the UK. After just a few months, they are already looking for ways to leave. 

How many of you have lost friends due to the 'progress' going on in Phuket?

We chose to move up north after living in Phuket for a very long time. PhangNga is a bit remote, but close enough to things needed.

[AndreasHG]

On 2/9/2024 at 6:09 PM, NoDisplayName said:

306,000 Beijing millionaires might want to escape the traffic congestion and cold winters.

XI Jinping and the CCP are also good reasons to leave China or, at least, take some money out of it and build a comfy nest out of their reach.
China is currently losing wealthy individuals and families by the thousands (https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/henley-private-wealth-migration-report-2024/crazy-rich-moves-breaking-down-asias-millionaire-migration-flows).

The richest Chinese prefer the US, Canada, Singapore, but also Australia, Europe or wherever there is no extradition to China.
Middle class Chinese have fewer options and that’s where Thailand comes into the picture.

From shoe-box apartments in Bangkok to villas on the Thai coast line, these investments are insurance policies against anything that can go wrong in China. And things went very wrong many times in China, as the Chinese diasporas around the world prove.

[JamesPhuket10]

Someone said in this blog, "Another friend is considering going back to Canada because he is fed up/bored with Patong and has been financially shafted by one Thai girlfriend, thereby losing his business, and his latest Thai girlfriend has decided to dump him! Not a happy chappy, so I expect him to leave very shortly."

 

Anyone would become tired of Patong after a while, that is why most of us in Phuket do not live there, it is not the real world, it is like a real-life Disneyland. 

 

What I can't understand is the comments from people thinking Phuket is all about Patong, it is about six miles from where I live and I go there a few times a year as an outing, it is like going to another country for a few hours. 

 

Phuket is 543 square km in size.

 

Patong makes up just a few sq km of the island.

 

And if anyone is stupid enough to open a business in Patong and associate with the bar girls there who are 99% from other provinces, especially the North East then they deserve what they get, I do laugh when I hear of the stupid antics some of the farangs get up to and end up being ripped off. 

 

Luckily that type of person does not live in this area.

 

I just looked out the window of the house and I saw no Russians or Chinese, I keep looking every few hours as we were supposed to have been overrun by them, but no sign of them yet so far.   But the few Russians I have come across seem like nice decent people to me, not one of them had a bar girl in tow, the Russian males are with Russian women. 

      

Edited October 28 by JamesPhuket10
typo

[grumpyoldman]

On 10/24/2024 at 10:34 PM, Presnock said:

If you're going to the PI, do as I did first - I got certified in SCUBA diving - greatest in the world with so much sea life and super clear water - literally as clear as drinking water.  In the PI I also did an "Advance Open Water" certification - at 135 ft deep, nighttime, the full moon was clear as sitting on the boat and observing that ball in the sky.  Did well over 500 dives there - sunken warships, giant whale sharks, wateris not too cold so don't have to wear wetsuits, just pure pleasure dives available throughout the PI.  Great golf courses too.  Baguio in N. PI great when cooler weather needed.  Avoid the typhoon months though - they normally get 20 storms a year. Just a suggestion, depending on what you enjoy in life.

Thank you Presnock.

 

Yes, have done some wreck diving in Subic. Got an open water cert in Phuket some years back.

 

Did not have my Padi book on me when I went wreck diving in PI, the guy running the show asked "do you remember how to breath underwater?" Sure I say. Good2go.

[Dante99]

11 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

I keep looking every few hours as we were supposed to have been overrun by them, but no sign of them yet so far.  

Continue to check for them.  After 22 days of observation you will earn your Private Detective badge and water gun.

[oldcpu]

16 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

What I can't understand is the comments from people thinking Phuket is all about Patong

 

 

IMHO it is similar with regard to Pattaya .... where many think it is only about Walking street (and a couple of other smaller areas) which are in essence RLD spots ... Where there is a lot more to Pattaya and Jomtien than such spots.

 

I have a number of friends who live in Jomtien - and its very good ... for most of the same reasons as Phuket ...  Good shopping, not too far from an International Airport (in this case @ Bangkok), lots of banking facilities ... many international schools .... and more isolated spots for those looking for such away from the main madness.

 

Obviously I prefer the relatively 'out of the way' spot I found in Phuket, but I do note Pattaya/Jomtien have some pretty good spots - with many condos with fabulous views ... close to a beach where one can go to exercise.  As noted, Pattaya is the location of choice of a number of my friends who never visit the night life areas.

Edited October 29 by oldcpu

[JamesPhuket10]

21 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

IMHO it is similar with regard to Pattaya .... where many think it is only about Walking street (and a couple of other smaller areas) which are in essence RLD spots ... Where there is a lot more to Pattaya and Jomtien than such spots.

 

I have a number of friends who live in Jomtien - and its very good ... for most of the same reasons as Phuket ...  Good shopping, not too far from an International Airport (in this case @ Bangkok), lots of banking facilities ... many international schools .... and more isolated spots for those looking for such away from the main madness.

 

Obviously I prefer the relatively 'out of the way' spot I found in Phuket, but I do note Pattaya/Jomtien have some pretty good spots - with many condos with fabulous views ... close to a beach where one can go to exercise.  As noted, Pattaya is the location of choice of a number of my friends who never visit the night life areas.

 

True, many Thais visit Pattaya for weekend trips, you will not see them in Walking Street, etc as they are in the restaurants in the 99% of Pattaya which is not girly-bar-land which a lot of the farangs on holiday never see and hence paint a poor picture of Pattaya amongst farangs. 

[JamesPhuket10]

5 hours ago, Dante99 said:

Continue to check for them.  After 22 days of observation you will earn your Private Detective badge and water gun.

 

Will I get the hat as well? 😄

[p414]

On 2/9/2024 at 10:18 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

I am amazed how many people still go to Phuket, for holiday or to live there.

I was there the first time 30 years ago and at that time it was an obvious rip-off. Did it improve over the years? Obviously not.

I wonder if anybody who decided to live there do any research? 

Yes I went there around the same time..looked ...saw...left...

[oldcpu]

2 minutes ago, p414 said:

Yes I went there around the same time..looked ...saw...left...

 

Great !  Where did you look ?  Patong? 

 

Did you visit Laguna?  Rawai ?  Chalong?  Panwa ?    If so - how long did you look?

.

Edited October 30 by oldcpu

[London Lowf]

8 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

Great !  Where did you look ?  Patong? 

 

Did you visit Laguna?  Rawai ?  Chalong?  Panwa ?    If so - how long did you look?

.

 

Why do you bother with this.

 

For all of the years that I have been coming to this forum there has been large number of posters who hate Phuket! Rightly or wrongly, they have their reasons - just let them be as we are clearly better off without them.

[oldcpu]

3 minutes ago, London Lowf said:

 

Why do you bother with this.

 

For all of the years that I have been coming to this forum there has been large number of posters who hate Phuket! Rightly or wrongly, they have their reasons - just let them be as we are clearly better off without them.

 

You are right.

 

[JamesPhuket10]

45 minutes ago, p414 said:

Yes I went there around the same time..looked ...saw...left...

 

Great, stay away from Phuket, negative boring people are not welcome. 

 

Do as you are doing and moan about a place you do not live in from afar. 

Edited October 30 by JamesPhuket10
typo

[JamesPhuket10]

38 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

Great !  Where did you look ?  Patong? 

 

Did you visit Laguna?  Rawai ?  Chalong?  Panwa ?    If so - how long did you look?

.

 

No, keep places like that secret we don't want to be overrun by miseries.  😁

[PeterA]

On 2/9/2024 at 5:19 PM, Lacessit said:

It would take a hell of a lot to pry me loose from Chiang Rai, although I suppose Chiang Rai is not high on the riff-raff bucket list of places they can spoil for others.

The first time I visited Chiang Rai, I was very impressed. The streets were clean and well lit. No holes in the sidewalks, no dog poo on the sidewalks, no traffic. It became a fav place. When I finally moved back to Thailand, I ended up Phimai. No regrets, but Chiang Rai would be a nicer place to live in my opinion. 

[oldcpu]

5 minutes ago, PeterA said:

The first time I visited Chiang Rai, I was very impressed. The streets were clean and well lit. No holes in the sidewalks, no dog poo on the sidewalks, no traffic. It became a fav place. When I finally moved back to Thailand, I ended up Phimai. No regrets, but Chiang Rai would be a nicer place to live in my opinion. 

 

I like Chiang Rai.

 

Would you have stayed there seasonally?

 

During the first part of the calendar year, the air quality in Chiang Rai can be much less than desired IMHO - and that alone would drive me away at that time of year.

Edited October 30 by oldcpu

[JamesPhuket10]

1 minute ago, PeterA said:

The first time I visited Chiang Rai, I was very impressed. The streets were clean and well lit. No holes in the sidewalks, no dog poo on the sidewalks, no traffic. It became a fav place. When I finally moved back to Thailand, I ended up Phimai. No regrets, but Chiang Rai would be a nicer place to live in my opinion. 

 

I am going to have to complain as I am missing out on events supposedly happening in Phuket. 

 

I have been visiting here for 30 years, some of the trips were for six months and for the last two years I have been living here full-time.

 

Yet I have never been ripped off once, I am missing out it seems. 🤣

 

Where can I find out where the Rippoff venues are? 

[JamesPhuket10]

2 minutes ago, oldcpu said:

 

I like Chiang Rai.

 

Would you have stayed there seasonally?

 

During the first part of the calendar year, the air quality in Chiang Rai can be much less than desired IMHO - and that alone would drive me away at that time of year.

 

It is like Chiang Mai, you get free fags (cigarettes) for five months of the year, but good news to smokers, the number of months have been increased this year.

 

I know a lot of people who move out of CM for a large part of the year.

[oldcpu]

Just now, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

Where can I find out where the Rippoff venues are? 

 

lol !!

 

Try taking a tuk-tuk in Patong  🤣 [ie the "Phuket taxi mafia"]   ...Having typed that, I think the taxi mafia hold is gradually being weakened (which is a good thing).

 

Its been over a year since I last visited Patong - but it does seem to be the location by which many judge Phuket overall.