Why I left Thailand

[GypsyT]

When I was in 20's I went to a small fishing village Cascais. Wonderful place!

Now it's a new Nice. Very expensive.

In those days it was full of African refuges from Congo (Angola) and Mozambique.

Gals had nice brown skin and wanted to be with farangs. They were so HOT...

Hotels were $ 5-7 a night + sheet fee $ 2 to the manager lady.

 

[cardinalblue]

No issue to returning to home country due to free/low health care coverage 

[Keeps]

4 hours ago, GypsyT said:

Listen, Boris Johnson;

Tell that to tens of thousands Britts who can't enjoy Spanish and other warm EU places they bought more than 90 days!" And many lost a lot of Euros when selling...

 

"After spending 90 days in Spain, you must leave the Schengen Area. To return, you'll need to wait until another 90 days have passed since your last entry. This ensures you comply with the 90/180-day rule and can plan your next visit accordingly.13 Jun 2024"

 

Smart  Ireland, seem to do well;

"Statistics from the European Commission's 2024 Joint Employment Report show that the Irish employment rate reached a record high of 78.2% in 2022, while the unemployment rate was at an historically low level of 4.5%.12 Apr 2024"

 

There are various Visa options available for Non EU members to retire in Spain. 

 

https://advocateabroad.com/spain/retired-in-spain/

[Confuscious]

3 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

It took a Dr at her clinic who is also the head of pediatrics at the government hospital in our area, who provided me with a weeks course of antibiotics, which didn't work, then provided me with another course of antibiotics for a week, after I returned.

 

Then I saw the hospitals specialist a week later, who looked far to young to be a specialist, e.g. around 20-25, who was more interested in playing texts on his mobile, that didn't do anything to improve my condition, I would say they both nearly killed me, as I was very weak and felt as if I was slipping away from this earth.

 

He said to my wife that based on what she told him, it sounds like I was getting better, back to texting,  both didn't use any stethoscopes to listen to my chest or ask me to open my mouth to check my airways, both misdiagnosing the severe chest infection that I had for the flu, this over a 3 week period with my condition exacerbating. 

 

As I was new to Thailand and the area, I asked my wife if there was another hospital, like a private one that we could go to because I wasn't convince, yes, but very expensive she said, Jesus Christ I said, stop thinking with your village mentality and get me there NOW.

 

An hour later we were there, saw the Dr in 5-10 minutes vs hours, he used his stethoscope and sent me for a chest and sinus X-ray, which showed that those areas were clear. The Dr then referred me to the Specialist across the hallway, (straight away), another 5-10 minute wait, she used her stethoscope and inspected my airways to also listen.

 

She said that I had a severe chest infection and it would appear that I was exposed to mold (wet season) as my air passage appeared inflamed and narrow, she was spot on, as it just dawned on me at that moment, that where I sat, directly above had an old wet spot from a previous roof leak which was repaired, had turned black, so I was exposed to the molds spores.

 

She gave me a dose of antibiotics, steroid puffer and some other pills, all labelled, not like the unnamed ones the Dr at the clinic provided me, (what if I had an allergic reaction), what would my wife tell the medics ?

 

I was feeling 80% better by the time we got home, went back a week later, then 2, then 4.

 

Some might say, privates are expensive, 4,000 1st visit with X-rays & meds, 2nd and 4th visits, 1,500 as we purchased the meds externally for half the price, making up the excuse that the wife's cousin has a pharmacy which the specialist noted.

 

Moral of the story, you won't see me in a government hospital here, although I have heard the military ones are also good.

 

But while I have money, I figure my life is worth more in the hands of the private hospital than those in the government hospital who see far far far far too many patients, e.g. 300 patients, 2-3 Dr's. 

 

 

 

I had exactly the same experience when I came to korat 

It was not the doctors or hospital fault, but the fault that I was convinced that my wife knew English and was translating everything well.

It came out that her translation was completely wrong and that she was trying to save a few baht. From that day on, I didn't use my "walking translator" anymore.

[GypsyT]

52 minutes ago, Keeps said:

There are various Visa options available for Non EU members to retire in Spain. 

I know. One cost effective, and often used, is inner tube trip from Africa.

 

English have a little bit Capt Bligh in them so;  "Sin Problemas"

[Confuscious]

54 minutes ago, Keeps said:

There are various Visa options available for Non EU members to retire in Spain. 

 

https://advocateabroad.com/spain/retired-in-spain/

Most of the English people and other nationalities I meet here are living here full time and have purchased a nice apartment or house in THEIR OWN NAME.

[Lorry]

18 hours ago, Confuscious said:

Huh??????????????????????

EU citizens are FREE to travel between EU countries WITHOUT A VISA.
Welcome to the REAL WORLD.

EU citizens are free to travel anywhere in the EU.

They are not free to live/settle down anywhere in the EU.

They are free to work anywhere in the EU.

 

But if you are retired, not working:

You can stay 3 months, after this,  you need a permission of stay.

It's different in every country,  but generally requires proof of income or financial stability,  and proof of health insurance. 

 

Spain: beware of the tax traps many expats have fallen into, eg property tax for foreigners. 

Greece: no medical care.  You have to bribe even the dentist if you want treatment - and it's still bad.

Portugal: public medical care is soso, a bit better than in Thailand.  Private medical care is by far not as good as in Thailand,.

 

 

[Confuscious]

23 minutes ago, Lorry said:

EU citizens are free to travel anywhere in the EU.

They are not free to live/settle down anywhere in the EU.

They are free to work anywhere in the EU.

 

But if you are retired, not working:

You can stay 3 months, after this,  you need a permission of stay.

It's different in every country,  but generally requires proof of income or financial stability,  and proof of health insurance. 

 

Spain: beware of the tax traps many expats have fallen into, eg property tax for foreigners. 

Greece: no medical care.  You have to bribe even the dentist if you want treatment - and it's still bad.

Portugal: public medical care is soso, a bit better than in Thailand.  Private medical care is by far not as good as in Thailand,.

 

 

I have no plans to play that game.

I will stay here 179 days and travel to other countries as long as I can.

Travel as a tourist with the health care insurance of my country.

Besides that, my country has double tax agreements with almost every country.

[Hummin]

45 minutes ago, Lorry said:

EU citizens are free to travel anywhere in the EU.

They are not free to live/settle down anywhere in the EU.

They are free to work anywhere in the EU.

 

But if you are retired, not working:

You can stay 3 months, after this,  you need a permission of stay.

It's different in every country,  but generally requires proof of income or financial stability,  and proof of health insurance. 

 

Spain: beware of the tax traps many expats have fallen into, eg property tax for foreigners. 

Greece: no medical care.  You have to bribe even the dentist if you want treatment - and it's still bad.

Portugal: public medical care is soso, a bit better than in Thailand.  Private medical care is by far not as good as in Thailand,.

 

 

Private hospitals in the major cities and tourist places is on pair if not better than Thailand in Portugal and Spain, but the government health care if that is important, I would had chosen France above every other Eu country. They score high on the most except friendlyness 😄

 

A smaller fishing village would be a good base for a long stay in EU, and as said above, at once in Eu, you are free to travel all over Eu included EEA

[proton]

On 11/7/2024 at 1:07 PM, Caldera said:

Spain seems like a good choice for an EU citizen wishing to return to Europe, best of luck to you there.

 

Most of it is semi desert, and the shops close in the afternoon, horrible. Portugal or Cyprus are better

[Lorry]

1 hour ago, Hummin said:

Private hospitals in the major cities and tourist places is on pair if not better than Thailand in Portugal

Are you qualified to judge this? 

Obviously not. 

The private hospitals on the Algarve and Hospital da Luz are good, but Hospital da Luz is a bureaucratic nightmare.  The others... have fun!

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, Lorry said:

Are you qualified to judge this? 

Obviously not. 

The private hospitals on the Algarve and Hospital da Luz are good, but Hospital da Luz is a bureaucratic nightmare.  The others... have fun!

I spent a few years in Portugal skydiving, and as a skydiver, you frequently experienced skydivers, who for some reasons had to use their hospitals, and you also have comparisson pages that measure different parameters when it comes to social security, healthcare so you can pick a few and compare them up against each other. Portugal is one of the cheaper, but not so effective compared to Spain, where I have family living. Subjective based opinion might be, but there is as said plenty of different sources to pick from 

 

https://www.statista.com/topics/9017/global-health-care-systems-comparison/#editorsPicks

 

https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Thailand&country2=Portugal

 

https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Spain&country2=Portugal

 

https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Portugal&country2=France

 

 

 

[save the frogs]

This is pretty funny. Irish alpha omega dude is having a meltdown in his latest video. 

Complaining about dual pricing in Thailand, have to wait 15 minutes for breakfast at McDonald's ... and ... ends the video by recommending farangs don't marry a Thai woman because you'll have to deal with her family .... and it seems his Thai wife is giving him a hard time because he's not giving her enough money. 

Classic stuff! Must watch!

 

 

Edited Sunday at 10:36 AM by save the frogs

[Confuscious]

58 minutes ago, proton said:

 

Most of it is semi desert, and the shops close in the afternoon, horrible. Portugal or Cyprus are better

When was your last visit to Spain (if ever)?
Most of the shops are open from 10am to 8pm.
Big outlets like Marcadonna, Aldi, Lidl, etc. are open from 10am to 10 pm and offer home delivery (internet shopping).
Lots of little shops are open 24/24 hr, kind of like 7/11 shops.
Several "mom & dad" shops are open from early morning to late night and will deliver when it is in the neighborhood.

[Confuscious]

33 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

This is pretty funny. Irish alpha omega dude is having a meltdown in his latest video. 

Complaining about dual pricing in Thailand, have to wait 15 minutes for breakfast at McDonald's ... and ... ends the video by recommending farangs don't marry a Thai woman because you'll have to deal with her family .... and it seems his Thai wife is giving him a hard time because he's not giving her enough money. 

Classic stuff! Must watch!

 

 

Funny.
Remember me of my 1st Visa extention in 2004 at Suan Phlu in Bangkok.
At that time, there was no local Immigration in Korat.
My wife, my daughter and me went to Suan Phlu for my "Spouse Visa" extension.
While processing my application, one of the officers invited my wife to a separate room.
On returning, she said that it was OK for now but my next appplication would not be so easy if I kept threating her this way.
Flabbergasted, when I arrived home I asked my wife what the Immigration officer meant with that and her answer was "I don't know".
The next year, my wife was invited again for a chat with the Immigration officer.
On her return, the officer said that my extension was refused on the ground that I didn't provide enough support for her parents and her son (from a previous marriage).
I went home, booked a trip to Belgium and on my return I applied for a "Retirement" visa.

[proton]

1 hour ago, Confuscious said:

When was your last visit to Spain (if ever)?
Most of the shops are open from 10am to 8pm.
Big outlets like Marcadonna, Aldi, Lidl, etc. are open from 10am to 10 pm and offer home delivery (internet shopping).
Lots of little shops are open 24/24 hr, kind of like 7/11 shops.
Several "mom & dad" shops are open from early morning to late night and will deliver when it is in the neighborhood.

 

2 years ago Mercia region all the shops shut in the afternoon and restaurants opened when they felt like it. Boring and dispiriting place, never going back.