I live in Bangkok, not Pattaya, but I see the same sort of people in BKK that gravitate to Pattaya for retirement. I can walk my area and see the same guys in the same seats in the same al fresco bars every day, sometimes even early morning when I'm heading to the gym. If that is 'living the dream', good for them. I doubt it is, however. If the goal is a laid back lifestyle in a new culture, with weather that is a break from bitter winters, with a chance to play a favorite sport outdoors the year round, Pattaya might do just fine. Sadly, I get the impression---perhaps wrongly---that too many guys have a delusional fantasy about what retirement in Pattaya will be like. They seem to think they will somehow turn into babe magnets just by virtue of passing through 6-12 time zones. When they first see it fails, they seem to think, "Maybe if I got some bad boy tattoos......." Old, chubby and on a limited pension does not a babe magnet make. Sure, such a guy might be able to purchase fake affection, like the AN member previously of Cambodia who boasts continuously of that practice, but I doubt that will be satisfying over the long term. Also, since a good many of the men who retire to Pattaya hold similar delusions, "friends" one meets in Pattaya are unlikely to make for stimulating conversation. Guys who came both well prepared and with realistic expectations are more likely to find kindred spirits and build a strong social network. Gyms in Bangkok are a great place to meet people. Regulars eventually recognize each other and begin to converse. Friendships form. Women even approach guys who don't look as if they're on the hunt (even if they are). I don't know, but I get the impression this is not true in Pattaya. In Bangkok, there are still plenty of folks holding down jobs, both foreigners and Thai women not in the field of P4P. One can meet them at gyms. Maybe a good rule of thumb, factoring in the changes Thailand has seen in the last 20-30 years, is to imagine how one could live at home if his pension was twice as large. That is maybe how far that non-doubled pension could go in Pattaya. $100K a year does not a kingly lifestyle make anymore, not even in Thailand. Second, if one was not successful with women up until the point of retirement back home, best not to fool oneself and think that same appearance, charm and character will work any better in Pattaya. If a guy couldn't score back home, he'll only score in Pattaya with women paid to pretend they are enjoying themselves. Of course, such guys' choice could be the post-menopausal, mother of three by 3 different men former bargirl now working in a beer bar looking to score a trick for 500 baht. If that is good enough, Pattaya might fit just right. Dreams might die hard, but die they do when smacked upside the head by reality. There's a reason one of the more famous "clubs" in Pattaya is the Flying Club. Know beforehand, so that one never joins that infamous club.
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