I thought it would get easier here at older age

[sikishrory]

I don't think your experience is age specific. 

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, Card said:

I've lived in bkk 21 years and am now aged 76 and I travel daily on the BTS/mrt. Nobody has ever stood up to let me sit down. 

Maybe i am better dressed when going to work.

[Lee4Life]

On 6/19/2025 at 9:30 PM, KhaoHom said:

 

This was my plan. I lived it large (35)40-50 and married at 50 (unplanned) to a 32yo.

 

I have to laugh the guys that wait until they are not only retired but on full Social Security or pension. There's good as dead. My guess is they settle in and by the time they're pushing 70 they've got serious health concerns, can't much handle the heat nor the food and don't last.

 

Planning is good but too much planning or plans that disallow spontaneity or simply you actually doing or taking action or bad plans.

Totally self serving with a total lack of compassion, that's what I see of you.

[soalbundy]

On 6/19/2025 at 10:13 PM, Chinagmaiguy said:

I had always thought the older I got here the more respect I would get. How wrong I was. For 25 years I had my fun, worked for the government and had various professional jobs in Thailand. The older Thai's always get more respect but I seem to get overcharged more and more and overcharged for the simplest things, medical services especially. Sure, you can say I'm cheap and bitter but others I know have noticed the same thing. To the point of not feeling safe. I wonder how long i should stay on here? Ok go ahead with the nasty responses. 

 

We make our own reality, it's your mode of thinking that is making things difficult. As Shakespeare wrote, 'Nothing is good or bad, only thinking makes it so'.

[Caldera]

On 6/19/2025 at 10:13 PM, Chinagmaiguy said:

Sure, you can say I'm cheap and bitter

 

You said it best, Sir.

[maichai40]

On 6/20/2025 at 11:34 AM, KhaoHom said:

If I may be so bold.. I wonder how much living in Chiang Mai has to do with it. I've always intensely found the place utterly boring to a fault. Then you have the bad air on top of it. It's a dead city for dead people. No amount of silly motorbike rides in the mountains or whatever will change that. It's not even Thailand's second city although it's often thought of as such. Second City is Phuket or Pattaya.  CM just a wasteland

Finally i found somebody with my same view. Totally agree with you. Sad place, the city itself is boring and half the shops are shut, a city left to rot. 

[Burma Bill]

On 6/19/2025 at 10:13 PM, Chinagmaiguy said:

I wonder how long i should stay on here?

 

Cross the Border soon into friendly Cambodia before there is a Border War!

[Card]

3 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

Maybe i am better dressed when going to work.

Or maybe you look more sad and decrepid.

[rwill]

The local government hospital still charges me 50 baht to see a doctor.

[youreavinalaff]

51 minutes ago, rwill said:

The local government hospital still charges me 50 baht to see a doctor.

50 baht? Wow. Definitely time to leave. 😅

[newnative]

How's your grooming, use of deodorant, and dress?

[portisaacozzy]

On 6/19/2025 at 10:23 PM, NickyLouie said:

 

 

Have you considered going back home ?

the older i get the more respect i get in thailand,in uk the older i get the more i disapear,i stopped paying health insurance when i was 60 and it became stupid. Since then the big goverment hospital has looked after me. ! doctor looks after after my prostate cancer and it has always been consistant ,well under 1,have injection every 3 months ,cost about 150 pound . Skin cancer wase every month now ever 2 months ,app 50/60 pound. have open wound on head ,about the size of a dinner plate !,operated in uk ,waited 6 months and then returnded  to thailand  [ fantastic operation,left as open wound to heal itselfe,just covered wth special gauze and cover, cleaned every 2 days by clinic in Thailand ,no app just walk straight in,am looked after buy same skin cancer doc every time 2 months and is now still got at least another 6/9 months before the skin has completley covered the top of head. Yes i do have to sit and wait for along time as do Thi people although if you are elderly etc they tend to push you up the list. The heart doc who looks after my heart [ defibulator ] lungs and kidneys.every 6 months[ will be seeing him soon to find out sbout oxygon therapy for my emphysema . PS. im90

[BangkokReady]

On 6/19/2025 at 10:13 PM, Chinagmaiguy said:

I had always thought the older I got here the more respect I would get.

 

The older Thai's always get more respect

 

They're Thais.  It isn't the same with foreigners.  We aren't really considered to be fully human to most Thais.

 

It can happen, occasionally, with Thais that you get to know well, you can get a fraction of the treatment that a Thai will get.

 

On 6/19/2025 at 10:13 PM, Chinagmaiguy said:

I wonder how long i should stay on here?

 

A good question, and one that any expat should ask themselves regularly.

[Keeps]

8 minutes ago, portisaacozzy said:

the older i get the more respect i get in thailand,in uk the older i get the more i disapear,i stopped paying health insurance when i was 60 and it became stupid. Since then the big goverment hospital has looked after me. ! doctor looks after after my prostate cancer and it has always been consistant ,well under 1,have injection every 3 months ,cost about 150 pound . Skin cancer wase every month now ever 2 months ,app 50/60 pound. have open wound on head ,about the size of a dinner plate !,operated in uk ,waited 6 months and then returnded  to thailand  [ fantastic operation,left as open wound to heal itselfe,just covered wth special gauze and cover, cleaned every 2 days by clinic in Thailand ,no app just walk straight in,am looked after buy same skin cancer doc every time 2 months and is now still got at least another 6/9 months before the skin has completley covered the top of head. Yes i do have to sit and wait for along time as do Thi people although if you are elderly etc they tend to push you up the list. The heart doc who looks after my heart [ defibulator ] lungs and kidneys.every 6 months[ will be seeing him soon to find out sbout oxygon therapy for my emphysema . PS. im90

Blimey, you are going through the wars! Didn't detect any self pity in your post so I applaud you sir! 👏

 

Best of luck to you, hope you are feeling as well as can be and keep that positive attitude. 

[Keeps]

46 minutes ago, portisaacozzy said:

PS. im90

Forgot to mention - make sure King Charles knows where to send that telegram to when you hit the big 100!! 🍻

[Lorry]

9 hours ago, Card said:

I've lived in bkk 21 years and am now aged 76 and I travel daily on the BTS/mrt. Nobody has ever stood up to let me sit down. 

So, according to some posters,  we can conclude that you must be unwashed, unkempt, smelly, wearing flipflops, shorts and wife beaters over your big beer belly, holding a can of beer while traveling,  farting all the way from Kheha to Khu Khot and back. 

 

I, on the opposite, followed those posters' advice and always wear a tuxedo over my silk shirt when traveling the BTS, and a top hat. My Italian leather shoes are always clean and shiny, as my butler - who as a matter of course always travels with me - polishes them on the platform.

I have been offered a seat two times already, in less than 30 years!

 

 

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, Lorry said:

So, according to some posters,  we can conclude that you must be unwashed, unkempt, smelly, wearing flipflops, shorts and wife beaters over your big beer belly, holding a can of beer while traveling,  farting all the way from Kheha to Khu Khot and back. 

 

I, on the opposite, always wear a tuxedo over my silk shirt when traveling the BTS, and a top hat. My Italian leather shoes are always clean and shiny, as my butler - who as a matter of course always travels with me - polishes them on the platform.

I have been offered a seat two times already, in less than 30 years!

 

 

If nobody offered me a seat, I would have taken that as an compliment.

 

when that is said, most people who care about themselves, know how to dress even with flip flops and not look like a bum. 
 

 

 

 

[Lorry]

1 minute ago, Hummin said:

If nobody offered me a seat, I would have taken that as an compliment

There is some truth in this. 

A shy 17y.o. recently guessed my age - and made me 20 years younger than i am.

I didn't protest.

[ronnie50]

On 6/20/2025 at 11:35 AM, Hummin said:

We are leaning towards keeping both options alive, and not fully invest one place or the other.

Better not to invest in anything here. Aside from an 11 year old car, I own nothing in Thailand - and I plan to keep it that way. I own nothing in my home country either, not a sausage, which makes me a non-resident for tax purposes there. Don't get me wrong, I like living here, but I would never buy anything in Thailand that I would have trouble walking away from. As for going back to my own country, no thanks, other than to visit. The health care might be free, but it's elusive, and the number of homeless people and just run down looking people is telling  of the more general decline.  The place just feels more tired every time I go there. I could afford to relocate there - but cons outweigh the pros. Many Western countries are like this now and I know others have noticed similar declines in their countries.

[ronnie50]

On 6/19/2025 at 10:13 PM, Chinagmaiguy said:

I seem to get overcharged more and more and overcharged for the simplest things, medical services especially.

Where does all this over-charging happen in Thailand? I did notice it recently when my wife was searching for some medical procedure (30% more on the English webpage than what was advertised on the Thai page), but I don't see this on as regular basis in Bangkok. Is it something that happens a lot in other places, CM, Phuket, Patts? 

[Keeps]

14 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Better not to invest in anything here. Aside from an 11 year old car, I own nothing in Thailand - and I plan to keep it that way. I own nothing in my home country either, not a sausage, which makes me a non-resident for tax purposes there. Don't get me wrong, I like living here, but I would never buy anything in Thailand that I would have trouble walking away from. As for going back to my own country, no thanks, other than to visit. The health care might be free, but it's elusive, and the number of homeless people and just run down looking people is telling  of the more general decline.  The place just feels more tired every time I go there. I could afford to relocate there - but cons outweigh the pros. Many Western countries are like this now and I know others have noticed similar declines in their countries.

It would seem being in a state of flux agrees with you. I don't disagree. I am not dissimilar myself.

 

You must have monetary assets so, if you don't mind me asking, where do you keep most of these? 

 

I'm still flitting between my home country and Thailand pretty much in equal measures throughout the year. I will move here permanently but it's not possible at the moment whilst an elderly relative is still alive and kicking. 

 

I've managed to avoid paying any tax whatsoever in the last 8 years since I retired due to how I've structured my finances. Should be the case for another decade until I get to state retirement age when I may have to start paying a bit. I've got enough time to come up with a workaround to avoid this 🤞

 

If Thailand goes bad for you, where is your next port of call?

[Hummin]

34 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Better not to invest in anything here. Aside from an 11 year old car, I own nothing in Thailand - and I plan to keep it that way. I own nothing in my home country either, not a sausage, which makes me a non-resident for tax purposes there. Don't get me wrong, I like living here, but I would never buy anything in Thailand that I would have trouble walking away from. As for going back to my own country, no thanks, other than to visit. The health care might be free, but it's elusive, and the number of homeless people and just run down looking people is telling  of the more general decline.  The place just feels more tired every time I go there. I could afford to relocate there - but cons outweigh the pros. Many Western countries are like this now and I know others have noticed similar declines in their countries.

Everything changes when you have family you care for both countries. 

 

 

[ronnie50]

1 hour ago, Keeps said:

You must have monetary assets so, if you don't mind me asking, where do you keep most of these? 

Not rich by any stretch. Just keep my powder dry with basic investments and a pension income. Like you, I've structured things to avoid paying most taxes. That may change of course depending on the outcome of Thailand's tax revisions. If Viet Nam comes up with a similar (minimum) one year retirement visa like Thailand, I would try to add that to the current Thai O-visa-retiree extension. Then spend some minimal time in home country to round out the year. It means being nimble, but it would also means paying for two places.. (two six month leases - Thai - VN back to back). But I'd need to weigh pros and cons. It might be cheaper to just pay the Thai taxes.

[ronnie50]

1 hour ago, Hummin said:

Everything changes when you have family you care for both countries. 

Yes, but I seem to manage it.

[jaywalker2]

On 6/19/2025 at 10:13 PM, Chinagmaiguy said:

I had always thought the older I got here the more respect I would get. How wrong I was. For 25 years I had my fun, worked for the government and had various professional jobs in Thailand. The older Thai's always get more respect but I seem to get overcharged more and more and overcharged for the simplest things, medical services especially. Sure, you can say I'm cheap and bitter but others I know have noticed the same thing. To the point of not feeling safe. I wonder how long i should stay on here? Ok go ahead with the nasty responses. 

 

Being overcharged for medical services isn't peculiar to foreigners. Thais get ripped off too. I knew a woman whose dog bit her at home, just nipped her really but enough to draw blood. At the hospital, they insisted she have the full treatment: full series of rabies shots, antibiotics, bandaging, etc. And the elderly in Thailand are the favorite target of scammers just as they are everywhere. I think your problem may be more with modern society rather than anything personal.

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, jaywalker2 said:

On 6/19/2025 at 10:13 PM, Chinagmaiguy said:

I had always thought the older I got here the more respect I would get. How wrong I was. For 25 years I had my fun, worked for the government and had various professional jobs in Thailand. The older Thai's always get more respect but I seem to get overcharged more and more and overcharged for the simplest things, medical services especially. Sure, you can say I'm cheap and bitter but others I know have noticed the same thing. To the point of not feeling safe. I wonder how long i should stay on here? Ok go ahead with the nasty responses. 

 

Being overcharged for medical services isn't peculiar to foreigners. Thais get ripped off too. I knew a woman whose dog bit her at home, just nipped her really but enough to draw blood. At the hospital, they insisted she have the full treatment: full series of rabies shots, antibiotics, bandaging, etc. And the elderly in Thailand are the favorite target of scammers just as they are everywhere. I think your problem may be more with modern society rather than anything personal.

 

Thailand has developed rather a reputation in South East Asia for having a lot of scammers... 

 

This has surfaced recently with 'local upset' at the phrase being used in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore... "Don't Thai to Me"...   meaning don't lie or cheat me... 

 

The story is doing the rounds on Thai social media, but has also hit the Bangkok Post.

 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/380989/we-lie-to-each-other-it-our-culture-to-cheat-to-lie-to-save-face-so-don-t-put-all-the-blame-our-politicians-says-voranai-vanijaka

 

 

....and for those who can read Thai or pick-apart a poor translation / transliteration... 

https://pantip.com/topic/31242084

https://www.thairath.co.th/news/politic/382737

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kwilco]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I knew a woman whose dog bit her at home, just nipped her really but enough to draw blood.

that is not a scam - oit's standard practice - if the animal breaks the skin, you MUST have shots etc,

[kwilco]

Healthcare for Older Expats in Thailand – A Word to the Wise and for those of us with a few more candles on the cake…
As we get older, medical needs naturally increase by a lot!— but there are two things that many older expats in Thailand either underestimate or find out the hard way:
Health Insurance Gaps - Far too many long-term expats don’t have sufficient insurance to cover serious health issues later in life. Premiums shoot up with age, and some find themselves priced out or excluded altogether. Relying on “pay as you go” might work for minor stuff — but not for a stroke, bypass, or cancer treatment.
Secondly, upselling health checks & “observation” tactics - Be cautious, especially with larger private hospitals in the tourist-heavy areas (Pattaya, Phuket, etc). There are reports — and I know one example firsthand — of hospitals inviting older patients (invariably 70+) in for a routine checkup, only to be strongly advised to stay overnight “just for observation.” Translation: they talk you into staying, then charge eye-watering rates for a night in a glorified hotel bed with a saline drip.
Some facilities look excellent but see older foreigners as cash cows. Always get a second opinion, don’t be afraid to question recommendations, and never feel pressured into a hospital stay you’re unsure about. 

[richard_smith237]

14 minutes ago, kwilco said:

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I knew a woman whose dog bit her at home, just nipped her really but enough to draw blood.

that is not a scam - oit's standard practice - if the animal breaks the skin, you MUST have shots etc,

 

Quite the correct person.