On 3/23/2025 at 6:43 AM, quake said:

Cheap sex. cheap booze, cheap accommodation.

Nah, just kidding , Golden Temples and clean beaches. 

 

....and meeting very stupid farnags❗

19 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Thailand, or any other country, is a great place to retire IF it meets your needs and your family's needs, both now and in the future. It's a terrible place to raise children, especially girls, so that has to be taken into account if you plan to have children. By yourself, if you like the sea, and beaches, it's as good a place as anywhere on earth, being cheap and pretty. if you end up in Isaan or the country elsewhere and are a city person or someone who has hobbies besides gardening it will end up being the most boring place on earth. It is a place to get stuck, and not always in the best sense.

well I retired here after being assigned to the Embassy 4 different times (1st in1972-73, final 2003-2005)  My first wife died of breast cancer, had no reason to get married again and  me my wife who had a restaurant - we have a college girl now - If one has a child here, I recommend an international school ( daughter graduated knowing well 4 differen languages Chinese, Korean, Thai and English) that sends grads to the home country of whatever dual nationality.  Our daughter had scholarships and accepance in the US but wife's visa was delayed so daughter opted for the #1 university in Thailand and is doing well.  She was selected to participate in an exchange program with a top Korean University for her Junior year.  She is very mature, spent term breaks from university here taking classes at top Korean universities for the same degree and plans on her masters in Korea.  She is also a computer wizzard and is taking online courses from Korean universities while going to school here.  My only real complaint about life here is the pollution but being very familiar witl life in S. Asia for most of my adult life, I know that Thailand alond can't solve this problem as it means a societal change among all the S. Asian countries.  Just look at the NASA satellite showing fires and south Asia is mostly read with hardly any green!  But with air purifiers, my daughter's school in CM also had them and we have them in every room of the house plus we wear masks.  I have my own moniter - today at 4:30AM when I turned it on outside in less than 5 seconds it was flashing "red" reading over 150.  I watched the morning news and saw where 63 of the provinces are experiencing above the safe WHO limit and expect summer storms in many places today!  I used to exercise outside every day but thunderstorms prevent that so now I spend evenings doing walking aerobics for an hour/6 kilometers.  Food availability at all health levels is another plus with every kind of fruit available and prices are fairly cheap.  My wife and daughter seem very happy all the time (except when daughter wants to purchase a particular seat for an upcoming concert such as yesterday).  But I retired here over 20 years ago and have no plans to leave except maybe as ash if that should occur too.  I do wish only the best for all here, as they may not like my opinions but I do respect that they might have one different from mine as we have had different life experiences.

I learnt a lot about Thailand from people I worked with in the UK many years ago, but it most certainly wasn't a jump that brought me here.

2 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

....and meeting very stupid farnags❗

 

I had no idea that we had met before. 

Touring around east Asia I first arrived in Thailand in 1962 aged 21.

On the downside shocked to see people alleging to be Buddhist killing and eating animals. On the upside, friendliness, charm and fun aplenty everywhere.

Now 40 years happily married to my Thai wife and living in Thailand, I find the upsides still outweigh the downsides.

Knowing it would be a “challenge” to retire in the USA on my sustainable $2400.00 a month income ($1604.00 of that from earned Social Security)I started looking for lower cost countries. Mexico, Ecuador, Panama, Philippines, Thailand. In the end … Thailand. I lean Buddhist and, yes, attracted to the Asian female looks and being petite (I am vertically challenged. Fourteen years and counting.

I worked here in the early 1980's for a few years. I moved here to retire, as anyplace is better than the US post Chump. 

Worked all over the world, moving somewhere was always in the cards for me. 

That South-East Asian vibe.

2 hours ago, Task Master said:

That South-East Asian vibe.

I could get that in Philly, PA, USA ... China Town, the area looks no different than some Thai restaurant streets 

 

Doesn't have the limestone karsts & cheap surfside or mountain bungalows with a view though 😎

On 3/23/2025 at 4:01 PM, sharot724 said:

Camper, I have a suggestion as I want to give it a go myself

 

Take the morning train with your bike to here and the roads will provide lovely biking. I have also camped there Doi Khun Tan National Park, just a hike up from RR

Exactly! I love it, too

https://lanna.kunlarat.com/doi-khun-tan/

1 hour ago, blanes2007 said:

Exactly! I love it, too

https://lanna.kunlarat.com/doi-khun-tan/

I am glad to see it now boast a well maintained trail.

   Thai partner decided to move back to Thailand from the US.  I had retired and was working part-time, decided to move to Thailand with him and see if I liked it.  Starting my 15th year here and it's been mostly great.   

Simple. Nagging, fat, British wife...

26 minutes ago, rickudon said:

Simple. Nagging, fat, British wife...

 

Nagging, money hungry, prying gov't, regulations & PC this and that.

On 3/23/2025 at 9:53 AM, fredwiggy said:

In a country where lying is a national pastime?

 

On 3/24/2025 at 8:19 AM, Freddy42OZ said:

 

I was headhunted from Hong Kong. I grew up in Asia so Asian girls are not that appealing to me, unless they are very well educated, speak perfect English (and their family all speak English, you can't marry someone if you can't enjoy good conversations with her parents). 
I definitely did not come here for the girls.  At least in Hong Kong the girls you meet don't have dirt poor family waiting for them to marry a Western guy.

Not sure why people care about temples. Seen one you've seen all of them.  Besides why support the stupidity of religion.  

when did you switch to the US and the lying as a national pastime - but that is almost solely the elected officials.IMHO

3 minutes ago, Presnock said:

 

when did you switch to the US and the lying as a national pastime - but that is almost solely the elected officials.IMHO

Was referring to Thailand