Thanks for the advice. Just get tired living here, reading/listening to rip off stories,no doubt true,and a host of other things,"please buy my caff" crap,stopped going to breakfast in my nearest one,getting my ears bashed off, rip off after rip off Likened to another day at The Mad Hatters Tea Party every day here in Patts and the same all over Thailand I imagine,(well worse)

Just want to get back to where near normality exists,no visas,no bent cops on every street corner,noise noise noise Demographics are certainly changing Korean,Chinese and Indians,thanks but no thanks,want no part of that lot

Done bit of homework on marriage,buy a place before marriage No buying land/house then every sod miles around claims it two minutes later,or threats of confiscation,anyway try selling anything now in Thailand. Divorce is easy ,just write to the amphur, will be a ten bob marriage too Companionship is a plus, get on OK with her after many years , shirts washed and ironed,swept and mopped tiles before sun up, and of course no hairy women,sounds too good.

Just want to do normal things like,growing olive trees,turnips ,carrots,anything,be able to say things without your head being blown off. Few things to polish off that will take around 15 months or so, but good to get an aiming point in life,even later life

Basically I do not think Thais generally want long term farang here anymore There is only one visa now that Thais could have a shot at and that's the retirement visa extension,anything affecting that is curtains anyhow,sigh of relief when the chain is extended for another 12 months

I don't experience any of the problems you mention here. But then again, I don't hang out in Central Pattaya. Rarely go there, except Central Festival for lunch once a month or so.

Sat on the beach yesterday, had a beer for 50B, chair for 20B. Watched the sunset. Wonderful waitress. No, the water isn't the cleanest, but nobody was around and it was great. Went down the beach and had dinner with a few beers for 400B for 2, right on the sand. Can't do that in Europe. Thailand has some wonderful places. Sure, they are quiet, but beautiful beaches with cheap food and housing. They are just not near major tourist centers.

As I mentioned before, my wife had had her purse stolen in Lisbon. While we were at the police station, the officer told me of the problems they are having with Eastern Europeans. It's a pretty big deal. As for visas here, if you are over 50, it's a breeze. I don't find it a problem at all.

I think that place outside Lisbon sounds very interesting. The places down south pretty much close up in the winter. It's relatively cold and I'm sure can get boring.

I haven't experienced that either and we ride downtown for either breakfast or lunch almost each day.

I don't mind the Indian tourists, they seem very well behaved to me. The Chinese, well, noisy but I don't have anything to do with them them so don't really care.

Portugal is likely a very nice place to live if you like it quiet but must be lonely for a single guy.

We grow mango and papaya in the garden among other things, nice to grow your own stuff and it taste better too, for some reason.

Being just a little street wise here in Pattaya will avoid most bad thing happen to you. People are generally worrying too much about bad things happen to others when they read about it and they are likely +90% sure it wont happen to them.

Try to see the positive things in Thailand/Pattaya and there are still many.