Desperately Seeking New Life In Thailand

[PeaceBlondie]

There's a lot of confusion here.

There are two kinds of Social Security in America: retirement pension, and 100% disabled (couldn't sell pencils on the street corner), to which the US$1,800 doesn't apply. Look at www.ssa.gov (or go to firstgov.gov and find your way) to see the disability amounts.

If he waits to collect retirement Social security as a pension, he has to wait until age 62. Meanwhile, he'll have no additional FICA or SE earnings to boost his pension, and every year the eventual pension gets smaller.

A million baht is nothing to retire on. What percent are you going to get on that, which is only US$25,000? 2%? Next year, maybe 4%. Say 3%, and this is not an area where you want to be optimistic on your expectations. A yield of 4% on a million baht is only 40,000 baht PER YEAR. One motosai accident could cost that much.

Opening a restaurant in Isaan? Everybody in Thailand thinks they can cook Thai food better than farang can. Can you even make enough 'profit' on that to buy a hamburger when you get to Bangkok?

Sorry to rain on your parade, but a 49 year old American with a history of depression might find Thailand to be very depressing in the long run, especially if you're trying to survive on 3,000 baht per month.

[DJ Pat]

Sorry to rain on your parade, but a 49 year old American with a history of depression might find Thailand to be very depressing in the long run, especially if you're trying to survive on 3,000 baht per month.

He's right, consider your motives.

[Pepe']

I'm in my late 30's, born American and fell in love with Thailand and the girl. I'm not rich and don't need western comforts other than the occasional coke. Has anyone left the west with little money (1 mil bat or less) and eeked out a lifetime of an existence in Thailand? I plan to marry a nice Isaan woman who is a cook and a massage therapist, not a bar gal. We plan to open a restaurant in northeast Thailand and live a quiet life. 95% of the people call me crazy for doing this. "It's not realistic." "You gotta have millions more bat to live the ex-pat life." "What are you gonna do when you're 70 and have no retirement funds? Make a border crawl?" I can bear the heat, the mosquitos and the rats, not neccesarily in that order. Can one collect Social Security while living in Thailand. I have been diagnosed with clinical depression which may qualify me for benefits. The depression seems to lift when I'm in Thailand. Coincidence?

stormbrewing,

Hummm

I'm sure initially you might have a good time for a while.

Especially while spending your lifes savings.

What's your level of suicidal ideation?

Eventually where the body goes the mind follows. There's no place to run, no place to hide.

Others have said it before and I'll say it again. Get your head screwed on straight before you go, if possible or at least just visit a couple of times to test the water.

Desperately seeking + clinicaly deppressed

-------------------------------------------------- = real bad forecast

stormbrewing (good choice)

[the scouser]

Do you want to live with a raddled prostitute who cheats you into financial ruin before legging it back to her drug-dealing Thai boyfriend?

Do you want to amuse the ladies of the Nana Disco with your ridiculous dyed comb-over whilst trying to coax them back to your place for a grudging sympathy-shag?

Do you want to become a fat, tedious, no-mates <deleted> with a bottle of Chang beer welded to your hand?

Do you want to buy a dream bar, go broke and stage a dramatic death-plunge from your Pattaya balcony?

Plagiarism, Harry. By the way when you cut and pasted the Mangosauce article you missed the first line:-

Do you want to teach English and get paid with pretty sea shells and colourful beads?

Please jog my memory. You're...er.... a teacher, aren't you?

Scouse.

[monkeygirl]

stay in the US. there's too many foreigners here.

[sriracha john]

Plagiarism, Harry. By the way when you cut and pasted the Mangosauce article you missed the first line:-

Do you want to teach English and get paid with pretty sea shells and colourful beads?

Please jog my memory. You're...er.... a teacher, aren't you?

Scouse.

LOL @ being busted for plagiarism from mangosauce...... sheesh....

[DogNo1]

He can't stay in the US. There's too many foreigners there.

[Pepe']

Do you want to live with a raddled prostitute who cheats you into financial ruin before legging it back to her drug-dealing Thai boyfriend?

Do you want to amuse the ladies of the Nana Disco with your ridiculous dyed comb-over whilst trying to coax them back to your place for a grudging sympathy-shag?

Do you want to become a fat, tedious, no-mates <deleted> with a bottle of Chang beer welded to your hand?

Do you want to buy a dream bar, go broke and stage a dramatic death-plunge from your Pattaya balcony?

Scouse,

You sound like your describing me. Do we know each other

Well easily could have been...

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Plagiarism, Harry. By the way when you cut and pasted the Mangosauce article you missed the first line:-

Do you want to teach English and get paid with pretty sea shells and colourful beads?

Please jog my memory. You're...er.... a teacher, aren't you?

Scouse.

LOL @ being busted for plagiarism from mangosauce...... sheesh....

Heheheheheh Harry got S P R U N G. Getting to be a habit isn't it.

[huahin]

If he lives like a local, which eventualy he will, then 3000 will be enough

[DJ Pat]

If he lives like a local, which eventualy he will, then 3000 will be enough

Yeah enough for about 5 days.

[Neeranam]

I'm in my late 30's, born American and fell in love with Thailand and the girl. I'm not rich and don't need western comforts other than the occasional coke. Has anyone left the west with little money (1 mil bat or less) and eeked out a lifetime of an existence in Thailand? I plan to marry a nice Isaan woman who is a cook and a massage therapist, not a bar gal. We plan to open a restaurant in northeast Thailand and live a quiet life. 95% of the people call me crazy for doing this. "It's not realistic." "You gotta have millions more bat to live the ex-pat life." "What are you gonna do when you're 70 and have no retirement funds? Make a border crawl?" I can bear the heat, the mosquitos and the rats, not neccesarily in that order. Can one collect Social Security while living in Thailand. I have been diagnosed with clinical depression which may qualify me for benefits. The depression seems to lift when I'm in Thailand. Coincidence?

In Isarn you could buy a nice house for half a million. Once you have this you don't need much more. Maybe a pick-up for a couple of hundred thousand. The Isarn people believe that buying a house is the first thing you should do. If you don't have much work at least you can survive, buy growing your own food etc.

If you can speak reasonable English, there will always be the chance to teach it.

If you have your house then to live quietly but comfortably, assuming you are not a boozer, or with other compulsions which cost money, you could live on, say 2000 baht week. I have been offered to teach the kids locally for 500 baht an hour(some call this peanuts, or seashells), just talking to them. I can buy a meal here in Isarn for 15 baht!!! 4 hours a week would be enough to live on. If you needed any more just work a few hours more, not very taxing. I know lots of guys who spend 10,000++ baht a month sitting around bars and complain about how tough it is being an expat here.

Must admit I used to do this years ago(apart from the complaining).

If your disease is "cured" by living in Thailand, go for it and good luck.

I have a mate from the Uk with a similar condition, he used to have to make a twice yearly trip to see the doc, but now he doesn't have to go back for 4 years! Not entirely legal.

It isn't nearly as bad as half the people on this board would make it out to be.

Once in Isarn, there are lots of ways to make enough for a comfortable existence; you could try import/export(this also gives you time "back home" if you need). I go "home/abroad" once a year for this purpose.

I came here when I was sick of the Thatcher govt. in the UK, and have been penniless(literally), but always survived.

I now live a very comfortable life, supporting a wife and family by "working" about 10 hours a week. My wife has a small restaurant - don't expect much from this type of venture. You can rent a place for a restaurant for a couple of thousand a month, fit it out with kitchen stuff, air-conditioners, etc, etc for 1-200,000.

What is an Ex-pat lifestyle? It doesn't have to be earning a heap of money, although the Thai people assume you do, which is a bit annoying at first, but easy to overcome.

I came here for an easy,good standard of life, and have found it. I suggest you be positive, keep your options open, and try it as well.

What will I do when I am 70? What a thought! 30+ years to go. I suppose I could still do a bit of business, maybe my family will look after me - this is the Thai way!

Ignore all the posters who think that life ends in Bangkok or Pattaya and all expats are sad, prostitute seeking drunks.

[Neeranam]

QUOTE (IamMaiC @ Tue 2004-09-14, 14:27:59)

QUOTE (lopburi3 @ Tue 2004-09-14, 14:26:21)

He might also want to keep in mind that:

QUOTE 

Foreigners who fall into any of the following categories are prohibited to enter the Kingdom.

        ((cut))

(4) Being mentally unstable or having any of the diseases as prescribed in the Ministerial Regulations. 

Wow Will the authorities know about it?? I mean How will they know? 

the answer is YES.

If as suggested by him, he is going to apply (now is too young to get pension) for social security based on mental instability, this (when approved, and US are not so easy going) will be public and pretty easy to be notified to Thai authorities whenever he will apply for a working Visa or register a company.

If he stays in Thai as a Tourist, no problem, but 1,000,000 Baht won't last so long!!!

Nonsense

[Neeranam]

Should I run away to Thailand?

This is the question that many men ask themselves each time they put down their heavily-soiled copy of Asian Babes. Do you have what it takes to start a new life in the exotic East? Yes?

Do you want to live with a raddled prostitute who cheats you into financial ruin before legging it back to her drug-dealing Thai boyfriend?

Do you want to amuse the ladies of the Nana Disco with your ridiculous dyed comb-over whilst trying to coax them back to your place for a grudging sympathy-shag?

Do you want to become a fat, tedious, no-mates <deleted> with a bottle of Chang beer welded to your hand?

Do you want to buy a dream bar, go broke and stage a dramatic death-plunge from your Pattaya balcony?

answer yes to these questions & you'll qualify to join the rest of us 

Bloody Idiot

[kenkannif]

Where there is a will there is indeed a way!

I agree with all the posts, but Neeranam seems to be in a similar situation and what he says I personally think is true. I knew a chap here that (I kid you not) lived on around 70,000 Baht A YEAR (yes frugally!)! So it's doable, you won't know if you don't try!

[DJ Pat]

Some of you are downright mad!

[mbkudu]

I remember watching a short story on Thai television a few years ago about an old Aussie who had lived in Issaan for decades; he looked at least in his late 70s.

His past few years he had fallen on hard times, so he collected old scraps of metal,

drink cans and whatever else and pedaled it around on an old samlor. He spoke such fluent Lao that it made him look like he was from there. He was very thin and his clothes were funky. He said his wife had passed away and he had no family left

in Australia. Neighbours aparently helped him out with money now and then.

The Thai government was going to deport him back to Australia, but I can't remember what for. The TV station was asking for donations to help him, but I'd imagine the Australian embassy probably sent him back after they saw the story.

[Azul_Blanco]

I think 1 million is possible but why not make some quick money before you come over here? I was working as an accounting clerk in Seattle but found it hard to save much so before I came here I went up to Alaska and worked in fishing for 4 months. Saved about 1.2 million Baht in that time. The work was ###### but it's not as much ###### as you would have to go through to make 1.2 million Baht in Thailand. It's easy to get and keep jobs up there if you're willing to work hard.

[Nemesis]

This exiled Amrican sures agrees with the sentiment of "Fleeing America." Get out while you can.

God for it and don't look back. What's the worse that can happen?

[mbkudu]

This exiled Amrican sures agrees with the sentiment of "Fleeing America." Get out while you can.

God for it and don't look back. What's the worse that can happen?

It is modern day Babylon.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

This exiled Amrican sures agrees with the sentiment of "Fleeing America."  Get out while you can.

God for it and don't look back. What's the worse that can happen?

It is modern day Babylon.

More of a Sodom I'd say.

[phormio]

...What is an Ex-pat lifestyle? It doesn't have to be earning a heap of money, although the Thai people assume you do, which is a bit annoying at first, but easy to overcome.

I came here for an easy,good standard of life, and have found it. I suggest you be positive, keep your options open, and try it as well.

What will I do when I am 70? What a thought! 30+ years to go. I suppose I could still do a bit of business, maybe my family will look after me - this is the Thai way!

Ignore all the posters who think that life ends in Bangkok or Pattaya and all expats are sad, prostitute seeking drunks. .

Amen, Brother !