Ruled out Thailand

[bluebluewater]

Do you ever run into anyone anymore who HASN'T been "coming here since 1991" or "thirty years"?

[Tony125]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-peddicord/live-and-invest-overseas-_b_3461348.html

You might find this news article helpfull

[quandow]

There seems to be a rash of Thai bashing posts lately. The grass is always browner on the other side.

I bashed Thailand, moved to Mexico, found Thailand wasn't as bad as I thought.

It's all in perspective. I move back to Thailand 02 March. Viva Thailand!

[craigt3365]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-peddicord/live-and-invest-overseas-_b_3461348.html

You might find this news article helpfull

Be careful with articles from International Living. They have investments in real estate in several countries and put on seminars to get people to move there and invest in them. Extremely biased.

[ttthailand]

The longer you stay in Thailand the more likely you are to have a bad experience that pushes you over the edge, one bad storm can sink a ship. Also true is that many small negative experiences or storms can have the same effect and sink a ship.

Once the negative feelings starts to grow they are hard to stop, it's time to make a new plan and start over.

Some people's limit has not been reached yet but given time and the right event even they will be thinking about making a move.

Good Luck ! Let us know if you find paradise as there are many just one storm away from their ship sinking.

[NoshowJones]

" I don't like being subject to being stopped by police just because I am a farang"

Hmm...never happened to me here. When and where ? Would you care to elaborate...I am trying to find out why this might be an issue for you.

"For example, chasing 25 year old women is no longer a top priority for me."

Ok...so your reason for coming here for 30 years was to chase young dollies ?

Perhaps you should re-assess what you really want in retirement first before you pick a new place.

" I don't like being subject to being stopped by police just because I am a farang"

A motorbike, wear a helmet, no problem, a car, darkened windows. If you then get stopped, it won't be because your a Farang.

[elgordo38]

Have you ever been to South America? Most places that are cheap and warm have just as many problems, if not more, than Thailand does. There is no perfect place.

Good luck.

No there is no perfect place. But I am at the perfect time in life. I live here cheaply have a good young g/f and try to stay out of harms way. I often reflect on the good times of the 50,60,70,80's and get a smile on my face. Life was so different then and much more actual fun back then but I was younger. We did not chase borrow money to buy useless short lived electronics We did not crave 2 or 3 of the same items like computers TV's etc. one was enough. One car one house an odd vacation life was good. We enjoyed what we had and did not crave more more like today. When I pass on I feel I will not be leaving much behind. Have a great day it could be your last.

[thailen]

Here's my scorecard on Pattaya:

Weather - mild with a gulf breeze most of the year, except for Songran season. Rainy season is hit or miss re no. and intensity of rainy days, but not anywhere near 5-6 months

Walking Street and side streets - most of the prostitutes are confined to the bars on Beach Road and WS.

The rest of the city: normal, like any other Western city, with same traffic problems, more motor bikes/sq.foot than anywhere on earth

Restaurants - Many ethnic choices and growing by the week, including New York delis, authentic Italian, French,German,Middle Eastern, Indian, Korean - prices are from dirt

cheap to Haute Cuisine

Massages - Non sexual, for as little as $3 U.S. for one hour. Anywhere on earth that cheap?

Water - beaches in Pattaya, Jomtien, Na Jomtien, Naklua, Bang Saray and Koh Larn(4o minutes by ferry) and swimming pools at every condo in and around the city

Location - less than 2 hours from Bangkok and Suvarnabhumi Airport; recent expansion of U Tapao Airport(30 minutes from Pattaya)

Family Outings - too many to mention, but more than a dozen to three dozen - look it up on Google)

Transportation - Baht buses get you around most places in town for 30 cents, at most 60 cents. At least 4 inner city shuttle bus ticket booths/stops to Victory Monument in Bangkok

Crime - No.1 - pickpockets. Violent crime is usually between 2 drunks at local pubs

Money exchanges - everywhere, ATMs the same, including at condos, shopping malls. All major Thai banks have offices in Pattaya and Jomtien

Entertainment - pubs, shows in many street pubs and restaurants. Broadway-quality transvestite shows that are sold out 95% of the time

Electronic centers - Tuk.com has the latest and competitively priced products - from laptops to TVs to smart phones; Central Festival Mall has many stores

Car and motorbike rentals - many thruout the city

What have I left out?

[luke000]

I hate having to show my passport everytime that I either leave or enter Thailand , filling out forms which they staple into my passport, put all stamps in my passport and page filling stickers and they only go it because I'm a foreigner .

They even have dual stamping booths, Thais go in one queue and felangs have to go into a another booth.

I hate being targeted this way, I'm going to live in Ecadour

[RedQualia]

Utila,Honduras is pretty nice,and please consider Bonaire.

Honduras??? Have they gotten rid of the police run death squads now? Very good news, if so. Please forgive me for remaining skeptical. Was still reading reports of them only a short time ago.

Someone mentioned Costa Rica. I've been there. I wouldn't want to live there. Maybe it's just me, but seems something's wrong when every little church and sharecropper shack everywhere in the country has to have bars on the windows. But I hear many foreigners do live there, so must just be my problem, yes?

A friend is married to a Colombian. We talk often about when he's going to "make the big move" to live there. I've never been there, but from what he says, it doesn't seem particularly affordable, and not sure what I think about the relationship between Colombian police and Venezuelan drug cartels.

Have read good things about Panama. Even so, not getting any warm fuzzies about living anywhere in Latin America. My bad, I'm sure.

[chilli42]

Choose wisely in South America. There are a few great places. You might be better off in North America. Places like Cuba, Costa Rica etc. South Ametica can be a very though place for a gringo. You can count on discrimination for being a Gringo and there will be no smiles, fake or otherwise ... just unsettling stares. Good luck.

[bkkrooftop]

A college classmate once shared something his father (who was a well-know author) had told him. It was the story of a man who dreamed of owning a sailboat but lacked the money to buy one. For years he daydreamed about what kind of boat he wanted. But when he finally had the money and bought one, it just didn’t give him the pleasure that he was all but certain it would. The classmate said that this was the nature of life; sometimes the dream gives more pleasure than the reality.

Good luck in your search for an alternative to Thailand.

This is an awesome quote and lately I have been realizing this about myself.. it is the ride and not the end result.. we always want what we cannot have and when we get it.. is it actually what brings us the happiness or the idea of it? We are who we are, our emotions, our ideas, our actual happiness in our current state of time...Not "when we get this or that, or attain this".. I hope i can realize this today and not when i get my sailboat..

Thanks for the quote.. great

[Jeffkp]

I know that there is no perfect place. I don't expect perfection but from what I have learned from my research and in country experience is that Thailand is less and less welcoming. I realize this a general statement and I have met some very nice Thai people over the years. But even the ones I have come really close to I find there is always an invisible barrier. I will never be Thai to them and thus never an equal. I know this exist in other cultures and it certainly exist in my own. Also I have traveled all over Thailand not just the sex tourist locations. There are parts of the country I truly love. But you should never confuse the words " I love you" with "I want to marry you". Thailand is a lot of fun. For me personally, it is best as a vacation destination and not a permanent home.

Oh by the way cost of living does play a role in my decision as well but it is not the deciding factor.

Having lived in Europe and, now, Thailand; I think you'll find that anywhere outside your native country you will never be totally accepted. You will always be a foreigner.

[tonray]

People who have been coming here for 30 yrs chasing 25 year olds are largely responsible for thw deterioration of how Thailand is now perceived. What you really want is to have things the way they were on the 70s without the country changing and getting wise to those behavior. Change does not happen in a vacuum. Our existence here is the catalyst for change..if all thailand gets are sexpats and cheap living seekers that is what the system will adapt to. We all need to look in the mirrornow and then..maybe if we spent our years here bettering and contributing to society we wpuld not be so disallusioned about what it's become.

[thailen]

Have you tried to learn and speak Thai? I think you would find that learning to speak the language of the people in the country you choose to live in may not make you a Thai but it brings you closer to those people than any other thing you can do. I speak from experience, since I lived in the Czech Republic for 17 summers(and one winter) before I came here. I'm not fluent in Czech but I can speak it and write it and understand it. My Czech friends tell me I'm an honorary Czech and they can share with me their inner feelings, humor, experiences in ways they couldn't do in English - which they can speak.

[MyFriend You]

I know that there is no perfect place. I don't expect perfection but from what I have learned from my research and in country experience is that Thailand is less and less welcoming. I realize this a general statement and I have met some very nice Thai people over the years. But even the ones I have come really close to I find there is always an invisible barrier. I will never be Thai to them and thus never an equal. I know this exist in other cultures and it certainly exist in my own. Also I have traveled all over Thailand not just the sex tourist locations. There are parts of the country I truly love. But you should never confuse the words " I love you" with "I want to marry you". Thailand is a lot of fun. For me personally, it is best as a vacation destination and not a permanent home.

Oh by the way cost of living does play a role in my decision as well but it is not the deciding factor.

Consider Lake Chapala near Guadalajara, Mexico - weather like Eternal Spring time, lots of North Americans living there - its a true 'Overseas Retirement Place' https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=lake%20chapala%20jaliscohttp://www.cramagazine.com/issues/winter03/article02.htm

[MyFriend You]

I can understand your sentiments. I will leave myself in 12 months or so and go to Philippines as my gf is Filipino.

Have you looked at Vietnam? Hearing good reports but no retirement visa at this stage.

What part? I just got back from Northern Vietnam and very glad to be in Thailand. Nothing terrible but just didn't like the vibe. Had planned on a month but 12 days was enough.

If you had spent some time down here in the Delta region or the East Coast Beaches, you may have just stayed a bit longer........its all a matter of perspective, I still travel to Thailand two or three times a year, but live mostly in Vietnam.

[Maggusoil]

Have you ever been to South America? Most places that are cheap and warm have just as many problems, if not more, than Thailand does. There is no perfect place.

Good luck.

No there is no perfect place and sometimes to quote an oldy but a goodie, its better the devil you know. If you know all the hassles here, then you know them. I have freinds going to South America. Uruguay has a good reputation at the moment. Better weather for a start. You get seasons.

Prices are similar and people generally speak more English. That's quite a big thing for me. I would look at it. Much later.

I love Thai food. Its the best food in the world. The women are interesting. I think the importance put on money here makes it a very tough place if you're getting low. Of course, we don't know how far this temporary political peace is going to last either. If this general's hand gets too tight, which it could easily, because Thai people don't like to take too much s. . t lying down, things could easily flare up again.

[louse1953]

sorry, but I totally understand where the OP is coming from, of course Thailand has some wonderful areas, but Pattaya, jomtien, Phuket are not part of those wonderful areas , they are whore house cities. Ten years ago, whilst working legit in Bangkok my favoutite area was Cha Am or Hua Hin. Was there last week and the entire 20km stretch between the two was a dusty, dirty building site. Thailand is rapidly killing itself .... For those experts here, look at Pattaya in 1977 and today ! ( I do realise possibly only 1% would be qualified to answer ) Thailand has committed suicide on itself,

[louse1953]

sorry, but I totally understand where the OP is coming from, of course Thailand has some wonderful areas, but Pattaya, jomtien, Phuket are not part of those wonderful areas , they are whore house cities. Ten years ago, whilst working legit in Bangkok my favoutite area was Cha Am or Hua Hin. Was there last week and the entire 20km stretch between the two was a dusty, dirty building site. Thailand is rapidly killing itself .... For those experts here, look at Pattaya in 1977 and today ! ( I do realise possibly only 1% would be qualified to answer ) Thailand has committed suicide on itself,

[uthaithanirules]

I know that there is no perfect place. I don't expect perfection but from what I have learned from my research and in country experience is that Thailand is less and less welcoming. I realize this a general statement and I have met some very nice Thai people over the years. But even the ones I have come really close to I find there is always an invisible barrier. I will never be Thai to them and thus never an equal. I know this exist in other cultures and it certainly exist in my own. Also I have traveled all over Thailand not just the sex tourist locations. There are parts of the country I truly love. But you should never confuse the words " I love you" with "I want to marry you". Thailand is a lot of fun. For me personally, it is best as a vacation destination and not a permanent home.

Oh by the way cost of living does play a role in my decision as well but it is not the deciding factor.

"I will never be thai to them", I dont really get why that matters?

Because it means being treated the rest of your life as an outsider. If you don't think that's lonely, just read the posts on this forum.

As someone said, you're likely to always be a gringo is S America too and I don't think it's realistic to think an expat will become a Thai either. Pretty tough to do if you're not hyper superstitious and don't believe in ghosts. But I've thus far have always found People to be friendly and thoughtful in Chiangmai and the small village I live in. I don't expect anything more.

Exactly,I dont expect more either. I like Thai people, those in this area are friendly. But im never going to eat a shrimp whole, legs and head, fried bugs or kentucky fried rat her brother and dad seem to love so much, and I was never big on religion.....never expected to fit in entirely

[ThaiTony2]

Sounds like you broke your own dream with the help of reading all the negative things on TV and elsewhere. Too bad.

30 years ago was my first trip to Thailand and the experience was incredible. At that time were there political issues, corruption, pollution, traffic, accidents, etc.? You bet there was but I didn't think about it nor did I even care. All I knew is that I loved Thailand and wanted to someday move and retire there.

I never gave up on my dream, not once. Years have come and gone and my dream finally came true. I'm now retired here in Thailand.

After reading hundreds of negative posts on TV about this or that here in Thailand, has caused me to open my eyes to things that I never thought of or knew before.

But when I'm home and feeling content and knowing that Thailand is still great in many respects I don't regret, not for one minute that I'm settled in Thailand as my home. There are so many things to be thankful for. Thailand is my dream come true.

[CoreanoOzzie]

I lived in Phuket for six years. I have been stopped by the police and frisked ONCE in all that time. The #1 target for the BIB is Thais.

South Africa is cheap to live, but South Africans want out of there. They can't get their money out because of the financial restrictions.

I was in Panama last year to check it out. It's supposed to be the #1 rated retirement destination. It was a terrible place. Razor wire everywhere, fat women and bad food.

I was also in Colombia. Had a great time but I'll never learn Spanish which you'll absolutely have to have. Ecuador is still a possibility.

Vietnam is a possibility. If Thailand is a 3rd world country, Vietnam is 2.75, Cambodia is 2.5.

You're blowing off Thailand for the wrong reason. Don't buy anything. Go live in the place you want to stay for awhile and good luck.

I'll take LOS, with its faults.

Vietnam and Cambodia as more advanced than Thailand? Come off it.

Edited February 26, 2016 by CoreanoOzzie

[CoreanoOzzie]

People who have been coming here for 30 yrs chasing 25 year olds are largely responsible for thw deterioration of how Thailand is now perceived. What you really want is to have things the way they were on the 70s without the country changing and getting wise to those behavior. Change does not happen in a vacuum. Our existence here is the catalyst for change..if all thailand gets are sexpats and cheap living seekers that is what the system will adapt to. We all need to look in the mirrornow and then..maybe if we spent our years here bettering and contributing to society we wpuld not be so disallusioned about what it's become.

This is an excellent post.

[zzo]

Every country in the the world suspects outsiders. Years ago I moved to a small town in the US and was treated like a leper.

Retirement communities with a lot of ex military are very good. They have moved so many times they make friends easily.

Arizona towns resent the "snow birds".......high crime in Central America, and Mexico. Best thing to do is live somewhere a

couple of years without investing in real estate or a lot of "stuff". You are never going to be a native. Forget that! Live

where you like the weather, the food, and most of the time the people.

[MyFriend You]

Utila,Honduras is pretty nice,and please consider Bonaire.

Honduras??? Have they gotten rid of the police run death squads now? Very good news, if so. Please forgive me for remaining skeptical. Was still reading reports of them only a short time ago.

Someone mentioned Costa Rica. I've been there. I wouldn't want to live there. Maybe it's just me, but seems something's wrong when every little church and sharecropper shack everywhere in the country has to have bars on the windows. But I hear many foreigners do live there, so must just be my problem, yes?

A friend is married to a Colombian. We talk often about when he's going to "make the big move" to live there. I've never been there, but from what he says, it doesn't seem particularly affordable, and not sure what I think about the relationship between Colombian police and Venezuelan drug cartels.

Have read good things about Panama. Even so, not getting any warm fuzzies about living anywhere in Latin America. My bad, I'm sure.

You could be killed for just 'looking gringo' in Columbia, I'm not talking Center City Bogota, but in any Barrio, rural township, coastal town - they look at all of us as DEA, and the Cartel crowd are loved by the locals as they spread the wealth around. Nice place to visit, wouldn't live there. Spent two years in Caracas, beautiful women, but you'd better speak good spanish or they won't even look at you twice, and believe me,I ran th streets hard in Caracas, went to bars, rooftop patios, dance clubs, you name it, same same..........Now Valencia is just the opposite, and so is Margarita Island- know a guy that sold his interest in a bar in Pattaya and Angeles City to move to Margarita - Pattaya on Steroids, but clean, and Caribbean.

[mickyboy]

south america has worse problems then your going to get here, unless your isolating on an exclusive beach or high end type living arrangement.

for me at least is there probably never will be a "retire thailand" situation. there are just too many other affordable places within easy reach.

it's always going to be a semi-permanent situation, and i have found that the relationships i have experienced here so far fit in with this scenario quite well. thailand, just something about it, transitory, backpackerish, and fleeting relationships with people screwing around with just whomever or bailing when finances get tight.

i would say really hunkering down for a final stretch may be better done in south america, even if there are more hassles.

could you let us know what countries you plan on going to in south america?

there was a program on costa rica and there is nearly crime free and very good standard living for retired people if what they say was true

[craigt3365]

south america has worse problems then your going to get here, unless your isolating on an exclusive beach or high end type living arrangement.

for me at least is there probably never will be a "retire thailand" situation. there are just too many other affordable places within easy reach.

it's always going to be a semi-permanent situation, and i have found that the relationships i have experienced here so far fit in with this scenario quite well. thailand, just something about it, transitory, backpackerish, and fleeting relationships with people screwing around with just whomever or bailing when finances get tight.

i would say really hunkering down for a final stretch may be better done in south america, even if there are more hassles.

could you let us know what countries you plan on going to in south america?

there was a program on costa rica and there is nearly crime free and very good standard living for retired people if what they say was true

Far from crime free. It's gotten very bad over the years with home invasions, etc. I've got a friend who lived near the sea but had to visit San Jose frequently. He always went with an armed guard/driver. Always.

[sawadee1947]

Good decision. Go to Costa Rica. You'll like it.

[fred110]

Who cares?