Just now, save the frogs said:

For one thing, you sound like a perpetual teenager who's never been married or who never plans to settle down, with all your tales of hopping around the country ceaselessly from hostel to hostel, seeking the cheapest air-conditioned gyms.

Thailand can get complicated when people marry. And broken marriages can lead to life savings being drained in real estate purchases. There's actual reasons adults moan.

That is true, a lot of adult farangs do moan, and then never fix their situation and then carry on moaning for the rest of their lives, some are just born moaners.

Thailand is great if you have the brains to set up your situation here in the first place.

I am settled down with a one long term Thai woman for the last 20 years, I live in one house, I have nothing to moan about, but I can see a lot of silly blokes have as they set off on the wrong foot when they first got here.

But this article is not about Thai relationships, it is about has Thailand as a whole has changed, individual relationships can change at any time and has nothing to do with the country.

3 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Good question. In my opinion it was best from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s. Nightlife, and life generally, in those days was a blast, and friendlier and funnier. That said, I am still very happy to be living in Thailand.

That is probably down to you getting older, nothing to do with Thailand.

No matter where we live, when we get to 60/70 life will be completely different to the one we had in our 20s etc, it is down to nature.

People seem to forget they have got older.

Think about the days long ago when you could bonk all day long with a beautiful girl at will, now try and do that today. 😄

• First marriages: Approximately 40-42% end in divorce.

• Second marriages: Approximately 60% end in divorce.

• Third marriages: Approximately 73% end in divorce.

Something to think about! Without citizenship all you get is less $ in bank for visa.

Just now, Rockyroad said:

Every year for 25 years I was told Phuket was crap now. I visited 8 times had a great time. Same with Bangkok. There must be a negative gene. If people hate both there must be something wrong with them.

Phuket is great, but I would not live in Patong for example as it does not represent Thailand but it is good for a visit every few months for the novelty, it is only six miles away from where I live but seems like a different country when I visit.

Here in Kathu, Kathu there are many family houses, on my gated housing estate about 95% are Thais and the rest farangs so I feel like I am living in an international city, ⅓ the area of Greater London, very modern top quality shopping areas, international restaurants etc.

I think the Phuket haters spend a few days in the very small areas which are rough, bar girls etc, but that says more about them than the regular visitors and people who live here.

And I think it is too expensive for some so they just moan about it.

Just now, Rockyroad said:

Marrying poor women does not make sense. Better to not marry unless she has money. It is not like you get citizenship.

It is better to work, travel and enjoy life. Why "settle down" and do nothing? The happiest people work or travel. Never met a happy retired person. If Clint is working age 96 why are these guys in Pattaya not working? No wonder they are unhappy.

You said. "Never met a happy retired person" , that is because all the miserable retired people have nothing else to do so they sit in a bar all day moaning with the other old moaners.

The ones who are happy avoid such people as I do.

There are lots of interesting things to do, for example I am a retired freelance software engineer in that I do not go on contracts any more, but I still write iPhone apps and put them on the App Store for sale, very interesting and very profitable so I get paid for doing something I want to do in the first place.

I don't need the extra money but it is proof my apps were worth writing in the first place.

Also learning new ways of developing them is fun and it keeps my brain in gear, that together with a ten mile bike ride a day keeps me healthy and fit.

So no, not all long term oldies in Thailand are miserable but yes I agreee some are and need to be avoided, I have noticed a lot of them 'live' on this site as can be seen giving hundred of thumbs down when someone writes something positive about Thailand, but they do make me laugh.

The changes are more applicable to westerners than they are to North Asians. On the contrary, Thailand has become far more welcoming of the North Asians. The shift started in the early 2000's. Western based companies minimized sending foreigners to management positions in Thailand. The packages were expensive to justify in a period of cutbacks; The days of paid housing, servants, vehicles, paid return trips to homelands, and children's education came to an end. As the number of valuable western expats declined, it had an impact upon the perceptions held by the government officials. Coinciding with this was a change in financial relationships: North Asian investors took a larger stake in Thailand than Westerners. The preferences for North Asians became evident with the treatment of visa processing and enforcement actions, and it was justified. It is a rarity to read of visa problems with North Asians or criminal activity (other than Chinese, and the Chinese are still at a lower incidence of wrongdoing than westerners.) Western countries put pressure on Thailand to tighten its banking regulations and to address the allegations of being a money laundering hub. The changes in banking we see today reflect the same procedures in place in western countries.

My takeaway is that many of Thailand's changes to Visas, banking and perceptions of westerners is a reflection of the demographic that now enters Thailand. North Asian visitors are more likely to be compatible with Thai culture. Western culture has changed over time and with it the western demographic of residents and visitors, and none of it for the better. It should therefore not be a surprise that Thailand has adapted its management of westerners.

1 hour ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

That is true, a lot of adult farangs do moan, and then never fix their situation

Some situations are hard to fix.

Some people's marriages fall apart and guys lose their life savings here.

Some people's lives are genuine tragedies in Thailand.

Plenty of stories online.

Maybe they made bad decisions, or it's just bad luck.

Not everyone's life is the same in Thailand.

Just now, save the frogs said:

Some situations are hard to fix.

Some people's marriages fall apart and guys lose their life savings here.

Some people's lives are genuine tragedies in Thailand.

Plenty of stories online.

Maybe they made bad decisions, or it's just bad luck.

Not everyone's life is the same in Thailand.

Why did they invest their savings into a woman?

Just now, Rockyroad said:

Why did they invest their savings into a woman?

No investment from me, I just pay her for the time she's of use to me.

Mind you, that adds up over our 17 years together.

Edited May 6May 6 by BritManToo

Just now, BritManToo said:

No invesstment from me, I just pay her for the time she's of use to me.

Mind you, that adds up over our 17 years together.

Pay as you go plan. Like leasing a car instead of owning.

On 5/4/2026 at 4:21 PM, Celsius said:

Yes it is. But much worse than before covid .

Was 90/00s not before the Covid outbreak?

11 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Pound up

Euro up

Nzd up

Swiss franc up

Aud up

Most farang money is up 2.5% to 11%

Let's focus on the currencies that matter, by examining where the majority of tourists to Thailand actually come from.

In order, out of the top 10; Malaysia, China, India, Russia, South Korea, Laos, United States, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam - only MYR has gained against THB (as already mentioned). 

THB has rallied against every other currency of the Top 10 tourist groups to Thailand.

Add to that the fact that most currencies are first converted into the weakened USD before they are then converted into THB and you are willfully ignoring a significant influence.

22 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Good question. In my opinion it was best from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s. Nightlife, and life generally, in those days was a blast, and friendlier and funnier. That said, I am still very happy to be living in Thailand.

well, of course in those days, we were a lot younger too with different attitude about life! IMHO anyway.

18 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Definitely not the losers.

I'd Still be here.

I've been to over 40 countries, the Thai's are the most beautiful, lovely people I've ever met.

"Beautiful?" I guess when you can pay girls for their attention they are beautiful. Most mongers who come to Thailand are losers in their own country and could not possibly get the countries "beautiful" girls.

Just now, Rookie123 said:

Let's focus on the currencies that matter, by examining where the majority of tourists to Thailand actually come from.

In order, out of the top 10; Malaysia, China, India, Russia, South Korea, Laos, United States, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam - only MYR has gained against THB (as already mentioned). 

THB has rallied against every other currency of the Top 10 tourist groups to Thailand.

Add to that the fact that most currencies are first converted into the weakened USD before they are then converted into THB and you are willfully ignoring a significant influence.

That means nothing to farangs from other nations. The conversion is direct not via usd. Your claims are null and void.

Just now, Rookie123 said:

Let's focus on the currencies that matter, by examining where the majority of tourists to Thailand actually come from.

In order, out of the top 10; Malaysia, China, India, Russia, South Korea, Laos, United States, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam - only MYR has gained against THB (as already mentioned). 

THB has rallied against every other currency of the Top 10 tourist groups to Thailand.

Add to that the fact that most currencies are first converted into the weakened USD before they are then converted into THB and you are willfully ignoring a significant influence.

The usd is also up since Jan

January 2026	31.20 – 31.50	Baht strengthening
February 2026	30.97 – 31.30	Peak Baht strength (4-year high)
March 2026	31.50 – 32.96	Sharp Dollar recovery
April 2026	32.00 – 32.60	Consolidation / Volatility
May 2026 (Current)	32.44 – 32.50

Direct pairing of currencies

Major Global Pairs

These are the most common direct pairings found at almost every Thai bank and exchange booth:

• USD (US Dollar)

• EUR (Euro)

• JPY (Japanese Yen)

• GBP (British Pound)

• CHF (Swiss Franc)

• AUD (Australian Dollar)

Regional & Secondary Pairs

Most major Thai banks also offer direct Baht rates for these currencies to support regional trade and tourism:

• CNY/RMB (Chinese Yuan)

• HKD (Hong Kong Dollar)

• SGD (Singapore Dollar)

• MYR (Malaysian Ringgit)

• KRW (South Korean Won)

• TWD (Taiwan Dollar)

• NZD (New Zealand Dollar)

• CAD (Canadian Dollar)

So if the usd is weak it does not affect these others.

5 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

That is probably down to you getting older, nothing to do with Thailand.

No matter where we live, when we get to 60/70 life will be completely different to the one we had in our 20s etc, it is down to nature.

People seem to forget they have got older.

Think about the days long ago when you could bonk all day long with a beautiful girl at will, now try and do that today. 😄

Ref your last para, at my age I'll dream on. Ref the atmosphere 50 or so years ago, being old I, of course, have a different perspective now. However it was definitely very different, and more fun, than it is today in my opinion.

9 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

The real problem is people become older, see the world in a different light no matter which country they live in and then they become negative about the country they are in.

They are the ones changing in a negative way, not the country.

I have been coming here since 1987 and have visited for months at a time over that period and have now been living full time in Phuket for four years.

Phuket is actually much better that in was in 1987 when I first came here, in the area I stayed in there were two hotels on a beach, one bar and nothing to do so I left after two days.

Now Phuket is international, large very good quality shopping centres, international food, a great vibe and lots to do.

The cost of living has gone up everywhere in the world so if farangs can not afford to live here then they will really struggle elsewhere unless they want to go and live in say Bangladesh for example. I doubt if any want to do that.

Food etc has risen but incomes from rents in the UK have also increased as have pensions so it is still cheap for most of us to live here.

Dirt cheap for example when compared to the UK as I was there last year for a few months, one visit to a basic restaurant for a couple, £110 (4,840 baht) that is expensive for a one course meal and a few beers.

Immigration, yes it is a good thing that visa runs etc are being stopped, we want properly documented farangs in this country, people who are legally here, ones who do not give us a bad name.

Earlier this year it took me 20 minutes to get my one year non-O visa extension in the immigration office in Phuket, that is not much once a year, it take two minutes to do the 90 day report online and two minutes to do the TM30 online so I don't know what the problem is re immigration status, it is easy if we are legal.

Bank accounts, I have never had a problem with a Thai bank account over the last 30 years, tens of millions of transactions are done every day, now and then a very few will have a problem so the news should be tens of millions of people used their bank accounts successfully today and without a problem one or two had a problem.

Houses are cheap in Thailand if we have a way to own one legally, for example a three bed, two bath detached house in a gated housing development in Kathu, Kathu, Phuket is about 6 million baht, the equivalent in a good seaside town in England would cost 33 million.

I think the rent for this house would be about 30k baht a month which is cheap compared to many countries.

I have noticed here when people write real truthful POSITIVE comments, the old moaners bombard it with negative thumbs down so feel free to do the same here, it will just make me laugh out loud even more. 😁👍

There is a lot of personal experience being presented as universal truth.

Yes, Phuket has improved in some ways since the 1980s: better roads, shopping centres, hospitals, international food, and more things to do. For some people, that is progress. For others, it means the loss of charm and a simpler life. The same development can also mean more traffic, higher prices, crowds, over-tourism, noise, and loss of local character.

I truly miss those days when everything was simpler. The beaches were cleaner, mangrove forests still thrived around the coast, the coral life was healthy, and there was more life in the sea in general. Back then, you could snorkel from many beaches and see turtles, sharks, sea snakes, and healthy marine life. Today, you are lucky to see some of that even after months at the best available dive spots.

That is not progress, if you ask me.

Those small natural gems used to be quiet places where you did not have to step on people’s toes to enjoy them. There were peaceful hikes and hidden places. Today, many of them are crowded, chaotic, and filled with tourists in bad shape, walking in flip-flops, bleeding from small wounds, and regretting that they ever went there just to get an Instagram picture without proper preparation.

The small hidden gems are almost all gone. And the prestine islands are all gone, one way or the other.

And to be honest, Thailand was never better than after the tsunami and during Covid. Sad to say, but that is the truth from my own selfish point of view. It was quieter, cleaner, less crowded, and closer to the Thailand I originally fell in love with. Of course those periods were terrible for many people, and I do not ignore that. But from a selfish personal experience, the country itself felt better without mass tourism everywhere.

I do agree with you on immigration and banking to some extent, but that does not mean there are not frustrating issues once in a while. As long as you have enough resources, most things are manageable, but not everyone is in the same position.

6 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Marrying poor women does not make sense. Better to not marry unless she has money. It is not like you get citizenship.

It is better to work, travel and enjoy life. Why "settle down" and do nothing? The happiest people work or travel. Never met a happy retired person. If Clint is working age 96 why are these guys in Pattaya not working? No wonder they are unhappy.

That is a new one. So now a man cannot be happy with a woman from a poor background? 😁

News for you: where a woman comes from does not matter much, as long as she is a good woman with good manners and a decent upbringing. But I know that, for some people, that is not so important either. Nothing is carved in stone.

Still, if you want a good life with a woman, it is something worth considering. And, just as important, you also have to behave yourself. A good woman is not only found; she is also kept by how you treat her.

But whether a woman can be happy with a poor man is another discussion, and probably a more honest one. Financial security matters more than many people like to admit.

Edited May 6May 6 by Hummin

49 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

The usd is also up since Jan

January 2026	31.20 – 31.50	Baht strengthening
February 2026	30.97 – 31.30	Peak Baht strength (4-year high)
March 2026	31.50 – 32.96	Sharp Dollar recovery
April 2026	32.00 – 32.60	Consolidation / Volatility
May 2026 (Current)	32.44 – 32.50

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Despite its recent recovery (we call this a 'dead cat bounce'), the USD is still down vs the 2025 AVE of 32.88 and currently sits at a sickly 32.05.

You need to know what you're talking about, 'Rockyroad' and not just google the interenet for quick answers that make you think you're correct. SMH.

18 minutes ago, Hummin said:

There is a lot of personal experience being presented as universal truth.

Yes, Phuket has improved in some ways since the 1980s: better roads, shopping centres, hospitals, international food, and more things to do. For some people, that is progress. For others, it means the loss of charm and a simpler life. The same development can also mean more traffic, higher prices, crowds, over-tourism, noise, and loss of local character.

I truly miss those days when everything was simpler. The beaches were cleaner, mangrove forests still thrived around the coast, the coral life was healthy, and there was more life in the sea in general. Back then, you could snorkel from many beaches and see turtles, sharks, sea snakes, and healthy marine life. Today, you are lucky to see some of that even after months at the best available dive spots.

That is not progress, if you ask me.

Those small natural gems used to be quiet places where you did not have to step on people’s toes to enjoy them. There were peaceful hikes and hidden places. Today, many of them are crowded, chaotic, and filled with tourists in bad shape, walking in flip-flops, bleeding from small wounds, and regretting that they ever went there just to get an Instagram picture without proper preparation.

The small hidden gems are almost all gone. And the prestine islands are all gone, one way or the other.

And to be honest, Thailand was never better than after the tsunami and during Covid. Sad to say, but that is the truth from my own selfish point of view. It was quieter, cleaner, less crowded, and closer to the Thailand I originally fell in love with. Of course those periods were terrible for many people, and I do not ignore that. But from a selfish personal experience, the country itself felt better without mass tourism everywhere.

I do agree with you on immigration and banking to some extent, but that does not mean there are not frustrating issues once in a while. As long as you have enough resources, most things are manageable, but not everyone is in the same position.

That is a new one. So now a man cannot be happy with a woman from a poor background? 😁

News for you: where a woman comes from does not matter much, as long as she is a good woman with good manners and a decent upbringing. But I know that, for some people, that is not so important either. Nothing is carved in stone.

Still, if you want a good life with a woman, it is something worth considering. And, just as important, you also have to behave yourself. A good woman is not only found; she is also kept by how you treat her.

But whether a woman can be happy with a poor man is another discussion, and probably a more honest one. Financial security matters more than many people like to admit.

Phuket and Krabi have changed due to mass tourism. International airports, same with Samui. For some they are better but if you want local quiet beaches no. Chumphon and Hua Hin airports are tiny which keeps the masses away. Pranburi is nice with 90% less farangs than Hua Hin.

I'm a train buff. I like the slow local trains. The masses take express then hop to islands.

15 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

The real problem is people become older, see the world in a different light no matter which country they live in and then they become negative about the country they are in.

They are the ones changing in a negative way, not the country.

I have been coming here since 1987 and have visited for months at a time over that period and have now been living full time in Phuket for four years.

Phuket is actually much better that in was in 1987 when I first came here, in the area I stayed in there were two hotels on a beach, one bar and nothing to do so I left after two days.

Now Phuket is international, large very good quality shopping centres, international food, a great vibe and lots to do.

The cost of living has gone up everywhere in the world so if farangs can not afford to live here then they will really struggle elsewhere unless they want to go and live in say Bangladesh for example. I doubt if any want to do that.

Food etc has risen but incomes from rents in the UK have also increased as have pensions so it is still cheap for most of us to live here.

Dirt cheap for example when compared to the UK as I was there last year for a few months, one visit to a basic restaurant for a couple, £110 (4,840 baht) that is expensive for a one course meal and a few beers.

Immigration, yes it is a good thing that visa runs etc are being stopped, we want properly documented farangs in this country, people who are legally here, ones who do not give us a bad name.

Earlier this year it took me 20 minutes to get my one year non-O visa extension in the immigration office in Phuket, that is not much once a year, it take two minutes to do the 90 day report online and two minutes to do the TM30 online so I don't know what the problem is re immigration status, it is easy if we are legal.

Bank accounts, I have never had a problem with a Thai bank account over the last 30 years, tens of millions of transactions are done every day, now and then a very few will have a problem so the news should be tens of millions of people used their bank accounts successfully today and without a problem one or two had a problem.

Houses are cheap in Thailand if we have a way to own one legally, for example a three bed, two bath detached house in a gated housing development in Kathu, Kathu, Phuket is about 6 million baht, the equivalent in a good seaside town in England would cost 33 million.

I think the rent for this house would be about 30k baht a month which is cheap compared to many countries.

I have noticed here when people write real truthful POSITIVE comments, the old moaners bombard it with negative thumbs down so feel free to do the same here, it will just make me laugh out loud even more. 😁👍

Perfect post for this thread.

All very good but, Charlie, please use your own words and not AI to construct your sentences.
As soon as I recognise AI, I switch off.

15 hours ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

You said. "Never met a happy retired person" , that is because all the miserable retired people have nothing else to do so they sit in a bar all day moaning with the other old moaners.

The ones who are happy avoid such people as I do.

There are lots of interesting things to do, for example I am a retired freelance software engineer in that I do not go on contracts any more, but I still write iPhone apps and put them on the App Store for sale, very interesting and very profitable so I get paid for doing something I want to do in the first place.

I don't need the extra money but it is proof my apps were worth writing in the first place.

Also learning new ways of developing them is fun and it keeps my brain in gear, that together with a ten mile bike ride a day keeps me healthy and fit.

So no, not all long term oldies in Thailand are miserable but yes I agreee some are and need to be avoided, I have noticed a lot of them 'live' on this site as can be seen giving hundred of thumbs down when someone writes something positive about Thailand, but they do make me laugh.

Fourteen negative thumbs down, I see the old miseries are out in force again today, keep up the good work as you make me laugh. 😃

Edited May 6May 6 by JamesPhuket10

1 hour ago, newnative said:

Perfect post for this thread.

Thanks, I am glad there is yet another commentator who is not a member of the moaning-club which seems to be rife on this blog. 😃

2 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Phuket and Krabi have changed due to mass tourism. International airports, same with Samui. For some they are better but if you want local quiet beaches no. Chumphon and Hua Hin airports are tiny which keeps the masses away. Pranburi is nice with 90% less farangs than Hua Hin.

I'm a train buff. I like the slow local trains. The masses take express then hop to islands.

There are many quiet beaches in Phuket.

It has 95 kms of accessible beaches so it shows you have not been to any of the many quiet ones as is the case for many tourists who visit the island.

It ⅓ the size of Greater London, in other words it is huge but for some reason many tourists stick to only some parts of the island thus a false impression is created.

6 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Pay as you go plan. Like leasing a car instead of owning.

But they still have to pay for the service costs and breakdowns. 😃

2 hours ago, Hummin said:

There is a lot of personal experience being presented as universal truth.

Yes, Phuket has improved in some ways since the 1980s: better roads, shopping centres, hospitals, international food, and more things to do. For some people, that is progress. For others, it means the loss of charm and a simpler life. The same development can also mean more traffic, higher prices, crowds, over-tourism, noise, and loss of local character.

I truly miss those days when everything was simpler. The beaches were cleaner, mangrove forests still thrived around the coast, the coral life was healthy, and there was more life in the sea in general. Back then, you could snorkel from many beaches and see turtles, sharks, sea snakes, and healthy marine life. Today, you are lucky to see some of that even after months at the best available dive spots.

That is not progress, if you ask me.

Those small natural gems used to be quiet places where you did not have to step on people’s toes to enjoy them. There were peaceful hikes and hidden places. Today, many of them are crowded, chaotic, and filled with tourists in bad shape, walking in flip-flops, bleeding from small wounds, and regretting that they ever went there just to get an Instagram picture without proper preparation.

The small hidden gems are almost all gone. And the prestine islands are all gone, one way or the other.

And to be honest, Thailand was never better than after the tsunami and during Covid. Sad to say, but that is the truth from my own selfish point of view. It was quieter, cleaner, less crowded, and closer to the Thailand I originally fell in love with. Of course those periods were terrible for many people, and I do not ignore that. But from a selfish personal experience, the country itself felt better without mass tourism everywhere.

I do agree with you on immigration and banking to some extent, but that does not mean there are not frustrating issues once in a while. As long as you have enough resources, most things are manageable, but not everyone is in the same position.

That is a new one. So now a man cannot be happy with a woman from a poor background? 😁

News for you: where a woman comes from does not matter much, as long as she is a good woman with good manners and a decent upbringing. But I know that, for some people, that is not so important either. Nothing is carved in stone.

Still, if you want a good life with a woman, it is something worth considering. And, just as important, you also have to behave yourself. A good woman is not only found; she is also kept by how you treat her.

But whether a woman can be happy with a poor man is another discussion, and probably a more honest one. Financial security matters more than many people like to admit.

Re your comments on Phuket, you have your view and I have mine, it is great living here for me, large shops, malls, restaurants are just five minutes drive from where I liven Kathu, Kathu, easy parking, good roads, good services , hospital down the road and there are still small gem beaches available to go to if you know where they are.

The area I live in is very quiet as the roads are private with a private park, so only the residents use the roads which means I get one car an hour passing by on average. 95% of the residents are Thai, I cycle around the area every day when the sun is low and mingle the the many locals doing their daily walking exercise, all very pleasant.

Let's agree to having different opinions of Phuket and leave it at that.👍

3 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

Phuket and Krabi have changed due to mass tourism. International airports, same with Samui. For some they are better but if you want local quiet beaches no. Chumphon and Hua Hin airports are tiny which keeps the masses away. Pranburi is nice with 90% less farangs than Hua Hin.

I'm a train buff. I like the slow local trains. The masses take express then hop to islands.

I feel the pristine beach experience, with clear azure-blue and green water, is mostly a thing of the past. If you are lucky enough to find it in Thailand, it often comes with add-ons you neither need nor want.

The cheapest nice places are often crowded with people you do not really want to hang around: people smoking, partying all night until early morning, and treating the place like their private playground.

Then you have the so-called environmentalists, who talk about saving the planet, eat vegetables, smoke weed, and use other chemicals, while leaving noise, waste, and chaos behind them.

8 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I feel the pristine beach experience, with clear azure-blue and green water, is mostly a thing of the past.

The water is blue enough for me.

What other aspect of your life is "pristine" and "perfect"?

Look at Mick Jagger's face. It's not perfect. It's rough and twisted.

That's how life is, man. Rough and twisted.