Decisions, decisions, where to stay in retirement?

[emptypockets]

10 hours ago, simon43 said:

I thought that I had this sorted.  Move to the Philippines so that I get my UK state index-linked pension (due to start payments in 6 weeks from now).  But the lack of annual increases won't be a financial problem for me just now, and I've never been to the PI anyway...

 

I was teaching in Mandalay.  I came back to Thailand for a couple of weeks to sort out a 'base' condo at Jomtien Beach. 7,000 baht a month for a modern studio condo that's 300 metres from the beach 🙂

 

During my absence, Mother Nature decided to 'throw' an earthquake in Mandalay!  Thousands are dead, many buildings destroyed.  

 

So I flew up to Luang Prabang in north Laos, the UNESCO city where I have lived off and on for many years between my teaching contracts in Burma. A beautiful place (NOT NOW!).

 

Big shock on this visit!  Gone was the sleepy Lao town by the Mekong river.  Now, as a result of the new train from China, the town is bursting with Chinese tourists AND Chinese businesses.  The central peninsula area is jammed with white tourist vans.  The outskirt hills of the town are being scraped away and huge Chinese hotels being built. The Mekong river will become a non-flowing lake when the next Chinese dam just north of the town is in operation, (The Xayaburi dam south of the town already stops natural river flow).

 

I'm so disappointed with Luang Prabang now.... 'paradise' destroyed by the 'locusts'.

 

What to do?  The local international school in Luang Prabang asked me to teach at the school.

 

Then I got an email from Mandalay begging me to return to teach again.

 

What I don't want to do in my retirement is simply do nothing, get fat, drink beer and catch STDs from 'professional' woman.

 

What would you do?

I wouldn't go to a war zone. Even before the war Mandalay was a dump. No way I'd live there. The Burmese guys I worked with warned to be very careful at night time due to the stabbings.

[scubascuba3]

10 hours ago, save the frogs said:

 

Exactly. Continue working as long as you possibly can because retirement can be dreadfully boring.

 

I stopped working recently and I'm going nuts. The bars do not fill the void for me.

 

Retirement is great, of course you can't just drink beer

[save the frogs]

12 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Retirement is great, of course you can't just drink beer

how do you stay occupied?

 

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

how do you stay occupied?

 

Time flies, i cycle 4 days a week in a group, golf twice, afternoons go fast once you do something in the morning, other time just the usual stuff, also listen to podcasts and UK talk radio

[HappyExpat57]

I've visited many places in Thailand and was struck by how they all looked basically the same. I've lived in Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Bang Bua Thong, Jomtien, and am at my 2nd to last final destination in Chanthaburi.

 

Jomtien is the place for me. Close enough to Pattaya for the club fun, great hospitals and Tuckom, and far away enough to avoid the Pattaya two-week-millionaire idiots. Quiet, very affordable condos on the beach, and easy access to bicycling trails on the dark side.

 

So to answer your question, for ME, staying in Jomtien is the choice.

[steven100]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Retirement is great, of course you can't just drink beer

say's who ?

[Harrisfan]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Time flies, i cycle 4 days a week in a group, golf twice, afternoons go fast once you do something in the morning, other time just the usual stuff, also listen to podcasts and UK talk radio

Exercise, podcasts and hookers.

[whiteman]

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

how do you stay occupied?

 

In his case plays with yourself

[Lacessit]

13 hours ago, simon43 said:

I thought that I had this sorted.  Move to the Philippines so that I get my UK state index-linked pension (due to start payments in 6 weeks from now).  But the lack of annual increases won't be a financial problem for me just now, and I've never been to the PI anyway...

 

I was teaching in Mandalay.  I came back to Thailand for a couple of weeks to sort out a 'base' condo at Jomtien Beach. 7,000 baht a month for a modern studio condo that's 300 metres from the beach 🙂

 

During my absence, Mother Nature decided to 'throw' an earthquake in Mandalay!  Thousands are dead, many buildings destroyed.  

 

So I flew up to Luang Prabang in north Laos, the UNESCO city where I have lived off and on for many years between my teaching contracts in Burma. A beautiful place (NOT NOW!).

 

Big shock on this visit!  Gone was the sleepy Lao town by the Mekong river.  Now, as a result of the new train from China, the town is bursting with Chinese tourists AND Chinese businesses.  The central peninsula area is jammed with white tourist vans.  The outskirt hills of the town are being scraped away and huge Chinese hotels being built. The Mekong river will become a non-flowing lake when the next Chinese dam just north of the town is in operation, (The Xayaburi dam south of the town already stops natural river flow).

 

I'm so disappointed with Luang Prabang now.... 'paradise' destroyed by the 'locusts'.

 

What to do?  The local international school in Luang Prabang asked me to teach at the school.

 

Then I got an email from Mandalay begging me to return to teach again.

 

What I don't want to do in my retirement is simply do nothing, get fat, drink beer and catch STDs from 'professional' woman.

 

What would you do?

Keep working, at hours that suit you. Find hobbies.

 

You'll live longer if you don't get fat, and don't drink beer. A good woman is worth dozens of professionals.

 

Up to you.

[Harrisfan]

What about Chiang Khong? Peaceful border town

[simon43]

11 hours ago, Sierra Tango said:

Come over to the Eastern Seaboard, as they call it. Pala beach, near Ban Chang. We own a nice condo right on the beach and hardly a tourist to be seen. Our condo building has a few people, I would say mostly older Scandi folks, having had a few chats with some of them, come in for 3 or 4 months during their home country's winter but that is as close to tourists that we get. 

The thing is, I don't do condos 🙂  I have a condo at Jomtien purely as somewhere to store goods etc, but it's not a retirement home. I'm a shortwave radio ham and I need a small detached house with a garden.

 

I'm in Luang Prabang right now, and such properties exist at low prices.  But the burning season is a major no-no for me! Sure, I could stay in Jomtien during that time, but I don't want my retirement governed by whether there is smoke in the air. Right now, the smoke in LP is terrible!

 

Because there is this smoke problem every single year in north Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia etc, I'm half-thinking to find somewhere in southern Europe where I can legally live (I'm British so Brexit has made some visa problems for retiring in EU countries).

 

I could stay in south Thailand, but I don't have 800k in the bank and I simply do not trust the Thai government not to change the visa rules......

 

Basically, I'm looking for a hot country with clean air, with a coast if possible, easy visa requirements for Brits etc, especially for impoverished Brits!

[Harrisfan]

7 minutes ago, simon43 said:

The thing is, I don't do condos 🙂  I have a condo at Jomtien purely as somewhere to store goods etc, but it's not a retirement home. I'm a shortwave radio ham and I need a small detached house with a garden.

 

I'm in Luang Prabang right now, and such properties exist at low prices.  But the burning season is a major no-no for me! Sure, I could stay in Jomtien during that time, but I don't want my retirement governed by whether there is smoke in the air. Right now, the smoke in LP is terrible!

 

Because there is this smoke problem every single year in north Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia etc, I'm half-thinking to find somewhere in southern Europe where I can legally live (I'm British so Brexit has made some visa problems for retiring in EU countries).

 

I could stay in south Thailand, but I don't have 800k in the bank and I simply do not trust the Thai government not to change the visa rules......

 

Basically, I'm looking for a hot country with clean air, with a coast if possible, easy visa requirements for Brits etc, especially for impoverished Brits!

Go south of Hua Hin. Chumphon be ok.

[simon43]

2 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Go south of Hua Hin. Chumphon be ok.

Those places are still in Thailand!  I want to avoid Thailand for a long-term retirement location.

[Harrisfan]

Just now, simon43 said:

Those places are still in Thailand!  I want to avoid Thailand for a long-term retirement location.

Cambodia? Easy visa. Less smoke. Siem Reap be good.

[save the frogs]

11 hours ago, simon43 said:

Those places are still in Thailand!  I want to avoid Thailand for a long-term retirement location.

albania has been popping up in a lot of retirement youtube channels.

 

maybe easier to get a visa than western / south europe ... and has a coastline, cheap , not sure. never been, but it's on people's radars lately. and proximity to everywhere else in europe.

 

and if there is a path to citizenship, you can move to another european country later on .. but not sure. 

[simon43]

^^^

As a young boy, I and my family used to take month/2-month long holidays on the island of Corfu (my father was a university lecturer and got long holidays).  We would relax on the beach opposite the coast of south Albania, about 9km away.

 

At that time, Albania was hard-core Chinese-style communism, with gun boats patrolling up and down the coast at night.  I remember one early morning when a young Albanian man swam under cover of darkness to the village where we were staying.

 

Nowadays, there are more Albanians in the UK, than in Albania!  And most crime in the UK is committed by Albanians 🙂

 

Still, worth consideration as a retirement destination, as is eg Cyprus.

 

The air quality is so terrible right now in Luang Prabang that I have just booked a flight back to Thailand tomorrow! I'm coughing, nose streaming etc.  Impossible now to consider this location for retirement 🙂

[nausea]

Not Thailand, definitely not; too many of us here already, talk aboit elephant's graveyard.

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

say's who ?

of course if you drink daily it's a slow death, i see plenty of alcoholics, most deny its happening

[BKKBike09]

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

Basically, I'm looking for a hot country with clean air, with a coast if possible, easy visa requirements for Brits etc, especially for impoverished Brits!

 

Belize?

 

https://www.belizetourismboard.org/programs-events/retirement-program/

[DaRoadrunner]

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

somewhere in southern Europe where I can legally live (I'm British so Brexit has made some visa problems for retiring in EU countries).

If you invest (I think its about 200,000 Euros) in places like Portugal or maybe Spain you can get residence visa that leads to citizenship. Just buy property there and you comply with the requirements.

[simon43]

9 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

If you invest (I think its about 200,000 Euros) in places like Portugal or maybe Spain you can get residence visa that leads to citizenship. Just buy property there and you comply with the requirements.

Right, there is one small problem there - I don't have a spare 200k euro lying about the place... 🙂  I don't need citizenship, I just need a cheap, hot place with clean air...

[Harrisfan]

Burma Bill lives in Siem Reap after living in Thailand. Ask him. AQI 55 in Siem Reap now. 

 

[giddyup]

Nothing stays the same. I first went to Bali in the 60's, flying from Darwin to Timor and then to Denpasar via a prop plane. Bali was truly a paradise then, Kuta beach had nothing but a couple of vendors on the beach selling cold drinks. 

[Harrisfan]

12 hours ago, LosLobo said:

Chumphon is a real gem, with a great expat area at Tung Wua Lien. Paddy Doyle even used to teach there. Both Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat, nearby, also have mainly little smoke and beautiful beaches. All of these locations are very liveable and well-connected with airport access to Bangkok. 

Yeah nice area. Little smoke. Good beaches. 

[Ben Zioner]

16 hours ago, simon43 said:

What I don't want to do in my retirement is simply do nothing, get fat, drink beer and catch STDs from 'professional' woman.

 

What would you do?

Exercise and diet, teetotal and always wear 3 condoms

[Harrisfan]

2 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Exercise and diet, teetotal and always wear 3 condoms

One for nose, one for willy. One for finger.

[LosLobo]

Maybe these countries might interest you.
 

Portugal offers the D7 visa — proof of pension income, health insurance, and a rental contract are required. No large investment needed. Cost of living is moderate; outside Lisbon and Porto, many towns are affordable for a UK pension.
 

Spain offers the Non-Lucrative Visa — proof of around €2,400/month income or sufficient savings is needed. Cost of living is moderate; southern coastal areas and inland towns can be relatively cheap compared to the UK.
 

Malta offers the Malta Retirement Programme — requires pension income, health insurance, and minimum annual rent (€9,600/year). Cost of living is higher than Portugal or Spain but manageable with careful budgeting, especially outside main tourist zones.
 

Colombia offers a Pensionado visa — proof of around $750/month pension income is required. Cost of living is low, with affordable rents, food, and services in many areas, but healthcare is private and good private insurance is important.
 

NB: UK citizens have a special relationship with Malta historically.
English is an official language and daily life feels very UK-friendly (football, pubs, English media, shops).
If you get a UK State Pension, you can access Malta’s public healthcare with an S1 form.

[NoDisplayName]

3 hours ago, simon43 said:

Those places are still in Thailand!  I want to avoid Thailand for a long-term retirement location.

 

At least wait until there is a resolution to the tax situation.  Last I heard, legislation is still pending for Thailand to move to global taxation.

[simon43]

13 minutes ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

At least wait until there is a resolution to the tax situation.  Last I heard, legislation is still pending for Thailand to move to global taxation.

That doesn't affect me at all 'cos I have no money.......

[Woke to Sounds]

17 hours ago, simon43 said:

Big shock on this visit!  Gone was the sleepy Lao town by the Mekong river.  Now, as a result of the new train from China, the town is bursting with Chinese tourists AND Chinese businesses.  The central peninsula area is jammed with white tourist vans.  The outskirt hills of the town are being scraped away and huge Chinese hotels being built. The Mekong river will become a non-flowing lake when the next Chinese dam just north of the town is in operation, (The Xayaburi dam south of the town already stops natural river flow).

 

Jeepers creepers, this is terrible news on all fronts.

 

I was in LP in 2016 and it was wonderful.

 

Very few tourists and the surrounding nature hadn't yet been decimated.

 

Won't ever go back now.