come to cambodia !

no visa hassles, cost of life 30-40% less than thailand, cheap booze, cheap apartments, cheap girls.

It's interesting that everyone on here seems to think I'm a bloke! Do I sound particularly masculine?!

Seriously though guys, thanks! Haven't totally given up on Thailand yet, but will be checking out Cambodia as well as places in Europe too. The world is my oyster and all that, particularly since I don't mind living on the cheap.

I agree with this 100%, ive lived in Pattaya since 2005, when the exchange rate was 75 bht to the pound, im 56 yrs old and my pension in real terms has reduced by 30 %. Im lucky that i have a house to rent which brings me now up to the required 800 thou bht a yr required. Its far from cheap living here, compared to what it was some 5 yrs ago and no signs of change. It feels like a conspiracy against farangs, even the moderately well off !! They seem to only like the tourist, thats two weeks or whatever and away home, less probs for them, as they see it !

It's interesting that everyone on here seems to think I'm a bloke! Do I sound particularly masculine?! ...

In the absence of a definition of your gender in your profile and the vast majority of ThaiVisa members being male it is understandable that a gender-unspecific newbie is automatically treated as a male. Better than referring to you as "it" or as "he/she", I think. Care to update your profile on this aspect?