Quit your job in the west and move to super cheap Chiang Mai!

[sfokevin]

10 hours ago, NancyL said:

 

Yeah, I've known old expats who live on 35 baht street food.  Under-nourished, deficient in calcium, protein and B vitamins and overloaded in sodium.  These are the guys who trip on a hole in the sidewalk, fall and break their hip.  

 

Too many trips to Duke's will kill you just as fast... 

 

Luckily it is usually a stroke of blood clot... you rarely make it to the hospital thereby saving you 3-5 million baht... 

Edited January 20, 2017 by sfokevin

[chubby]

11 hours ago, NancyL said:

Thanks, JT.  I'll be sure to take a look.  Actually, Hubby and I were part of the economic refugee influx in 2008, but more by design than happenstance.  We came to Thailand for a month in 2006 to evaluate early retirement because Hubby's arthritis was getting to the point that we could not continue to operate our greenhouse/nursery business in Michigan.  We'd looked at hiring staff to replace what he did and it didn't make economic sense.  The big cost drivers in our business were heat for our greenhouses, labor costs and the medical insurance costs (and deductables) for just the two of us.  (it wasn't a large business and I had a bad medical history)  Amazingly once here, I haven't been hospitalized.

 

We came here as "young" retirees, below age 65 and figured we'd return back to the U.S once we could get Medicare.  After 8 years in Chiang Mai and w-a-y too much involvement in the expat community, we're ready for a change.  We were about ready to go back to the U.S., but what with the recent election, I don't think so.  I'm not yet 65, either.  So maybe off for another expat adventure.

 

did the "involvment" go sour, I'd think that "involvment" should have had the opposite effect,(* addendum, i didn't read the whole thread, in case you addressed this already )  I ask  because I am anticipating possbily the 'same boat'  with the incoming  scorched earth no-nothings in charge, aka  losing my ACA coverage, or having it be catastrophic and expensive only, though, i'd have a long decade  to get closer to medicare age as well , it might buy some time, and money (assming MC isn't also gutted or  voucher'd  , as education looks like it is also heading, pardon the tangent) .

 

have a 2nd on your list spot/country ?

Edited January 20, 2017 by chubby

[seancbk]

6 hours ago, little mary sunshine said:

 

 

At 68, still in excellent health, exercise and walk 5 miles daily, not

overweight, take no medications.....I was quoted a monthly premium

of £418/month..$US 471 approx.

From which insurer?  

[little mary sunshine]

3 minutes ago, seancbk said:

From which insurer?  

 

 

Off hand I can't remember,however they advertise on

line all the time 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, amexpat said:

"No, reputable international insurance companies don't cancel after the first big claim.  This is a myth and an excuse not to purchase insurance."

 

Well, there sure are a lot of dis-reputable companies - in the USA, too.  Some just refuse to renew rather than cancel.

 

50,000 baht/year has a payout of what, 500,000 baht?  I'll look some more but I'm not seeing policies with deductibles here. 

And what happens when that person in the very late 60s (69) has a birthday?

I agree about the PA.  

 

Nancy's estimates above are reasonable ones. But when it comes to pricing, you have to distinguish between getting coverage from a Thai-based carrier (which may be part of an international company) vs. an international, often UK based insurance company that will cover Thailand residents. Not surprisingly, the Thai based carriers are going to be less expensive generally, whereas the international based carriers are going have higher premiums, much higher often. But the Thai based carriers also may have more restrictive policies with more limits and exclusions.  Still, there are choices available with good coverage at reasonable prices.

 

This isn't the health insurance thread, so I don't want to go overboard on the subject, but here's the rate's for one Thai-based international carrier that will write a new policy for a 65 year old, and the coverage is in line with the 5 M max per episode coverage.

 

 

The rates listed in their chart are their base rates. But as I indicated in the prior post, they'll also offer substantial deductions off those rates if you exclude outpatient, take a year deductible of 40,000 or 200,000 baht, have no claims over a period of years, etc. For example, I have the 40,000b annual deductible with them, which gets a 25% discount off their standard rates. I get another 10% off for having no claims filed in recent years.

 

But to reinforce  Nancy's point, you can take Pacific Cross's 82,000b annual premium for a 65 year old under their Maxima policy, which is 5M per incident, 20M lifetime coverage, including outpatient, and knock off 25% for a 40,000b annual deductible, and you're down to a policy premium of about 60,000b per year at age 65.

 

I did a recap post a while back here on TVF of what Thai insurance providers are available to those 65 and beyond, because I did the research and wanted to find the answers for myself. But right now, I'm searching and not quickly finding that prior post.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I did finally find the prior recap I'd done on getting health insurance here for ages 65 and beyond, posted last October. Finding a good English speaking insurance broker in Thailand is a good way to help a newcomer navigate thru all the different policies and companies that are out there.

Quote

 

Last time I checked about a year ago, there were a few possibilities:

 

--Pacific Cross Insurance (which used to be LMG International) will write new health insurance only up to age 65, and then for existing policy holders, will renew up to age 90.

 

--BUPA Platinum would allow new policyholders before age 66. But if you joined at that age, they'd only renew up to and including age 70. (If you joined before age 60, they'd renew for life), according to my insurance agent.

 

--the Pattaya Expats Club had a members group plan through AXA that members can enroll in up to the age of 65, and then can be renewed up to age 75.

 

--NZI/Safety Insurance Co. says they will accept new policy holders up to age 74, and then no cutoff for existing policyholders. www nzi co th/en/healthcare

 

--HealthCare International (www healthcareinternational com) would write new policies for people under age 75.

 

 

[chubby]

so must one be Married to a Thai  to get  PR , for the final   qualification?    sorry, I'm sure I could do a TV search, but seems topical :

 

• You must be able to meet one of these categories to apply for PR status in Thailand:
  • Investment category (minimum 3 – 10 Mil. Baht investment in Thailand)
  • Working/ Business category
  • Support a family or Humanity Reasons category: In this category, you must have a relationship with a Thai citizen or an alien who already posses a residence permit as a husband or wife; father or mother; or a guardian of a Thai child under 20 years of age.
  • Expert / academic category
  • Other categories as determined by Thai Immigration

[seancbk]

46 minutes ago, chubby said:

so must one be Married to a Thai  to get  PR , for the final   qualification?    sorry, I'm sure I could do a TV search, but seems topical :

 

• You must be able to meet one of these categories to apply for PR status in Thailand:
  • Investment category (minimum 3 – 10 Mil. Baht investment in Thailand)
  • Working/ Business category
  • Support a family or Humanity Reasons category: In this category, you must have a relationship with a Thai citizen or an alien who already posses a residence permit as a husband or wife; father or mother; or a guardian of a Thai child under 20 years of age.
  • Expert / academic category
  • Other categories as determined by Thai Immigration

It doesn't say that at all.   It says you must meet One of the categories.   

Being married to a Thai is one, but so is working or investing.   

I'm not sure if qualifying in multiple categories improves your chances of successfully acquiring PR.  I don't think it does.   You just choose one category to apply in.

 

[Trujillo]

Trying to assess the minimum cost of living in Thailand must not only exclude beer (unless you think that's sacrosanct), but must also include the cost of your woman. 

Nearly all retirees here are non-married men. Nearly all of them soon decide that they need to have some companionship. The reasons for this include to not be lonely, a safe and good sex partner and having someone to connect them to the new world in which they find themselves since the majority of retirees can't speak any Thai, or if they can, it's usually a few pidgeon sentences with words mispronounced (yes, there are exceptions; some do take the time to learn to speak, and a rarer few actually learn to read and write). Most retirees here can't call to have a new tank of propane delivered, explain to the mechanic what is wrong with the car or understand the flier that the tessaban has handed out. 

The vast majority of retired men here would be lost and adrift without a local guide/companion/interpreter. 

As to my point -- this person will cost money. There may be an exception or two around, but in the main, no woman will stay with a man here unless he "takes care" of her and probably her family/child (particularly if the woman is 30+ years younger). The amount and nature of "help" given is up to the woman and man and the method of payment can take partial form in a new car/house, occasional gold chain or financial rescue of a family member in need, etal. But a regular "income" must be provided in some fashion. 

This has to be figured in if you are going to be a resident retiree here. I've heard figures of 20,000 baht to up to 60,000 baht per month for this privilege. 

 

For the purposes of this post, I am not trying to get at whether or not this is reasonable or if people "pay" women in the West to stay with them, or about the mix of love/likeability and support; that's not the issue. The point is that for the vast majority of retired men here, the care and feeding of a Thai female will be a fixed cost that needs to be figured in the general budget. 

[Jingthing]

Personally I think the financial requirements for retirement extensions are adequate for most people hoping to live a modest comfortable life in Thailand, but that wouldn't be enough for some uninsured medical emergencies, etc. 

[chubby]

2 hours ago, seancbk said:

It doesn't say that at all.   It says you must meet One of the categories.   

Being married to a Thai is one, but so is working or investing.   

I'm not sure if qualifying in multiple categories improves your chances of successfully acquiring PR.  I don't think it does.   You just choose one category to apply in.

 

ya, I meant besides  the  investing, working part,  is why I underlined it 

[NancyL]

7 hours ago, amexpat said:

"No, reputable international insurance companies don't cancel after the first big claim.  This is a myth and an excuse not to purchase insurance."

 

Well, there sure are a lot of dis-reputable companies - in the USA, too.  Some just refuse to renew rather than cancel.

 

50,000 baht/year has a payout of what, 500,000 baht?  I'll look some more but I'm not seeing policies with deductibles here. 

And what happens when that person in the very late 60s (69) has a birthday?

I agree about the PA.  

The max payout is  US$500,000.   not 500,000 baht.  This is a policy from Health Care International, offered as the group plan thru CEC.  

 

You don't want to get health insurance from a Thai-based company.  They have a reputation for cancelling after a big claim and tossing out customers when they get old.  With the international companies, you can continue coverage as you age, if you start before a certain age.  Of course, your rates increase, but you're not dropped simply on the  basis of age.

[NancyL]

6 hours ago, sfokevin said:

 

Too many trips to Duke's will kill you just as fast... 

 

Luckily it is usually a stroke of blood clot... you rarely make it to the hospital thereby saving you 3-5 million baht... 

 

You can survive a heart attack and stroke if you get to the hospital quickly.  Suan Dok (Maharaj, University Hospital), CM Ram and Bangkok Hospital would be the best for this type of crisis.  And depending on what needs to be done to get you back up on your feet, you could rack up a 3 - 5 million baht bill.

[NancyL]

6 hours ago, chubby said:

 

did the "involvment" go sour, I'd think that "involvment" should have had the opposite effect,(* addendum, i didn't read the whole thread, in case you addressed this already )  I ask  because I am anticipating possbily the 'same boat'  with the incoming  scorched earth no-nothings in charge, aka  losing my ACA coverage, or having it be catastrophic and expensive only, though, i'd have a long decade  to get closer to medicare age as well , it might buy some time, and money (assming MC isn't also gutted or  voucher'd  , as education looks like it is also heading, pardon the tangent) .

 

have a 2nd on your list spot/country ?

No, no, the "involvement" isn't a bad business deal or anything financially related.  Those that know me and my husband know we're super-involved in activities and haven't really retired in the sense of having time to travel, and just do nothing.

 

Yes, during the second half of this year (after Hubby is done with a Rotary office on July 1st) we'll relocate to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo.  Nice 10-year retirement visa from Malaysia.  Can own your own home AND land.  Buy one car tax free.  Great gov't program to encourage retirement.  Good medical care available in KK.  And I still plan to keep my Thai retirement visa extension alive to come back here from time-to-time.  It's not really that far away.

 

[NancyL]

1 hour ago, Trujillo said:

Trying to assess the minimum cost of living in Thailand must not only exclude beer (unless you think that's sacrosanct), but must also include the cost of your woman. 

Nearly all retirees here are non-married men. Nearly all of them soon decide that they need to have some companionship. The reasons for this include to not be lonely, a safe and good sex partner and having someone to connect them to the new world in which they find themselves since the majority of retirees can't speak any Thai, or if they can, it's usually a few pidgeon sentences with words mispronounced (yes, there are exceptions; some do take the time to learn to speak, and a rarer few actually learn to read and write). Most retirees here can't call to have a new tank of propane delivered, explain to the mechanic what is wrong with the car or understand the flier that the tessaban has handed out. 

The vast majority of retired men here would be lost and adrift without a local guide/companion/interpreter. 

As to my point -- this person will cost money. There may be an exception or two around, but in the main, no woman will stay with a man here unless he "takes care" of her and probably her family/child (particularly if the woman is 30+ years younger). The amount and nature of "help" given is up to the woman and man and the method of payment can take partial form in a new car/house, occasional gold chain or financial rescue of a family member in need, etal. But a regular "income" must be provided in some fashion. 

This has to be figured in if you are going to be a resident retiree here. I've heard figures of 20,000 baht to up to 60,000 baht per month for this privilege. 

 

For the purposes of this post, I am not trying to get at whether or not this is reasonable or if people "pay" women in the West to stay with them, or about the mix of love/likeability and support; that's not the issue. The point is that for the vast majority of retired men here, the care and feeding of a Thai female will be a fixed cost that needs to be figured in the general budget. 

 

Wouldn't it just be cheaper to rent in a condo where you can go to the office and have them send up the building repair guy when something breaks and read the signs in the lift about when the water supply in the building will be turned off due to maintenance?  Maybe take a few six week  sessions of Thai language at the YMCA for dealing with transactions at the market, giving directions, telling time, making appointments.

 

How do you suppose expat/expat couples manage here? 

[cyberfarang]

There used to be a company or site that claimed it is possible to live in Thailand on $550 (19300 baht) per month. That site is still going I think.

 

Single Farlangs could possibly survive on that amount if they lived basic lifestyles. But living a more realistic lifestyle it is more than possible on $1000 (35000 baht) a month. I don`t see any problems with this at all. The problems are is being able to maintain a cash flow for their period of stay in Thailand and this doesn`t allow for extras required, medical expenses, visa requirements or any other unexpected expenses that may occur.

 

I would not come to Thailand unless I had a savings reserve of a least 4 mil baht as a capital excluding income each month. I also would not come here if my monthly income was reliant on a job or from rent properties owned abroad.

 

Thailand is no longer as cheap as many of the hyped up stories make it out to be that includes Chiang Mai.

 

 

 

 

[Trujillo]

NancyL, you don't even own a vehicle. Yes, you could live in a bubble, never interacting in Thai by staying close to your "safe zone," where life is more or less "assisted living," but you don't address my point -- nearly all retirees here are male and end up with a "significant other." That ups the costs. 

[NancyL]

23 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

NancyL, you don't even own a vehicle. Yes, you could live in a bubble, never interacting in Thai by staying close to your "safe zone," where life is more or less "assisted living," but you don't address my point -- nearly all retirees here are male and end up with a "significant other." That ups the costs. 

What you describe is "assisted living" also, but with a young Thai woman doing the "assistance".  Why mortgage your future instead of developing your own self-reliance?   And I can tell you, young Thai woman often aren't the best decision-makers for you when you get to the point that you're infirm or have dementia.  But, as your legally wed wife, they overrule your adult children or any friends you chose as your health care representatives.  Plus, in being married you've pretty much created a permanent tie to this country and don't have the freedom to pull up stakes.  

 

And what makes you think I never interact with Thais?  Hubby and I are quite active in Rotary on a regional level and that's very much a Thai organization.  We're just not hanging out with the Thai people you meet working in the service industry here.

[mamborobert]

NancyL.....is it possible to get an idea of the take up rate of the Expat Club health package.

 

My reasons for asking is that a few I know have gone for local companies depsite misgivings they may have, solely for the comfort of knowing it was a Thai company and therefore believing that the company was familiar with the local setup and would be easier to deal with in the event of a claim (language, culture, famliarity, local agent etc).

 

I appreciate that we have all heard horror stories of dealing  with insurance companies.  And this leads on to rationale for my question.  If there was a significant take up rate I for one, and a few more I know would be keen to look at an international provider as many of the concerns related in respect to the benefit of having a local provider, would be addressed CM specifically if there was a large enough cohort with the international insurer (particularly the level of familiarity and expertise built up over the future)..  

 

Apart from the discount pricing from a group package, the real added benefit (from my view) would be that insurer becoming familar with any CM expat demographics, needs, servicing and local hospital procedures and practices.   The insurer effective becomes more reliable locally.

 

I have to say that for me personally, the advent of a group package by the expat club, has been one of the best initiatives for locals in quite some time.

Edited January 20, 2017 by mamborobert

[Trujillo]

I agree. I never said that having a Thai woman was a sound idea, but you must understand this is the norm. 

How often do you interact with Thais who do not speak English? I assume that those in your various clubs and functions can communicate in English. I can think of many situation out of the condo/club scene where not understanding Thai or speaking it to a basic level would be highly frustrating. 

Still, all this does not detract from my point that most men saddle up with a Thai bird, and that's an extra expense, often more than a token, too. 

Maybe a man can live here in 35,000 baht a month alone, but really, how many retirees live here alone? A very small percentage to my mind of having lived here full time for almost 11 years now. 

[amexpat]

6 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

I would not come to Thailand unless I had a savings reserve of a least 4 mil baht as a capital excluding income each month.

 

I recommend 50 mil baht.  Otherwise stay in your home country where you might rent a tiny apartment for 20,000 baht or so and get your teeth cleaned for about 5,000 baht, modest lunch for 250, etc. 

 

[cyberfarang]

7 hours ago, NancyL said:

What you describe is "assisted living" also, but with a young Thai woman doing the "assistance".  Why mortgage your future instead of developing your own self-reliance?   And I can tell you, young Thai woman often aren't the best decision-makers for you when you get to the point that you're infirm or have dementia.  But, as your legally wed wife, they overrule your adult children or any friends you chose as your health care representatives.  Plus, in being married you've pretty much created a permanent tie to this country and don't have the freedom to pull up stakes.  

 

And what makes you think I never interact with Thais?  Hubby and I are quite active in Rotary on a regional level and that's very much a Thai organization.  We're just not hanging out with the Thai people you meet working in the service industry here.

Bunkum.

 

It is obvious that you are out of touch and firmly locked in your western woman perception of western men and Thai women in Thailand. I know of several Thai wives who care for their infirm Farlang husbands and I`m talking at wiping their backsides and hand feeding levels. These wives are dedicated to the care of their husbands and without them their husbands would probably end up in a hospice. One of my English friends is 84 years old, his Thai wife is 51. My friend has been virtually bed ridden for the last 5 years since he suffered a stroke and she gives him 24/7 care. 

 

Being married to a Thai does not mean being tied down to living in Thailand. A western wife can locate to Thailand and a Thai wife can locate abroad. Have several Farlang friends who have taken their Thai wives to live with them in their own countries.  It works both ways, providing western women and Thai women can meet the requirements for any country they choose to locate to, then they have no problems.

 

[WinnieTheKhwai]

13 hours ago, Trujillo said:

NancyL, you don't even own a vehicle. Yes, you could live in a bubble, never interacting in Thai by staying close to your "safe zone," where life is more or less "assisted living," but you don't address my point -- nearly all retirees here are male and end up with a "significant other." That ups the costs. 

 

It ups the cost if you have children. If not though then it adds to the income, so you need less of your own.

 

12 hours ago, NancyL said:

What you describe is "assisted living" also, but with a young Thai woman doing the "assistance".  Why mortgage your future instead of developing your own self-reliance?   And I can tell you, young Thai woman often aren't the best decision-makers for you when you get to the point that you're infirm or have dementia.  

 

Why would she be young, or a worse decision maker than you are?  

[NancyL]

14 hours ago, mamborobert said:

NancyL.....is it possible to get an idea of the take up rate of the Expat Club health package.

 

My reasons for asking is that a few I know have gone for local companies depsite misgivings they may have, solely for the comfort of knowing it was a Thai company and therefore believing that the company was familiar with the local setup and would be easier to deal with in the event of a claim (language, culture, famliarity, local agent etc).

 

I appreciate that we have all heard horror stories of dealing  with insurance companies.  And this leads on to rationale for my question.  If there was a significant take up rate I for one, and a few more I know would be keen to look at an international provider as many of the concerns related in respect to the benefit of having a local provider, would be addressed CM specifically if there was a large enough cohort with the international insurer (particularly the level of familiarity and expertise built up over the future)..  

 

Apart from the discount pricing from a group package, the real added benefit (from my view) would be that insurer becoming familar with any CM expat demographics, needs, servicing and local hospital procedures and practices.   The insurer effective becomes more reliable locally.

 

I have to say that for me personally, the advent of a group package by the expat club, has been one of the best initiatives for locals in quite some time.

The CEC group insurance plan is quite new, just introduced a few months ago.  However, the insurer, Health Care International is well-known and used by many, many members of CEC for years with good experience.  We had an informational meeting where representatives of HCI came out from London and, sadly, most of the people in the audience were CEC members who were current HCI customers eager to switch over to the new CEC plan.  The idea was to get new customers for HCI, not simply provide a discount for their already happy customers in Chiang Mai.  Once we get a large enough group of new HCI customers, then current customers who are CEC members can switch to the CEC plan when their policy is up for renewal.

 

I can assure you that the local private hospitals are well used to working with HCI.  I see no benefit in working with a Thai insurance company and many disadvantages.  And now that we've decided to relocate to Malaysia later this year, it's good to know the same policy will work there and is also acceptable for the requirements of the requirements of the MM2H 10 year retirement visa program.

[NancyL]

7 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

Bunkum.

 

It is obvious that you are out of touch and firmly locked in your western woman perception of western men and Thai women in Thailand. I know of several Thai wives who care for their infirm Farlang husbands and I`m talking at wiping their backsides and hand feeding levels. These wives are dedicated to the care of their husbands and without them their husbands would probably end up in a hospice. One of my English friends is 84 years old, his Thai wife is 51. My friend has been virtually bed ridden for the last 5 years since he suffered a stroke and she gives him 24/7 care. 

 

Being married to a Thai does not mean being tied down to living in Thailand. A western wife can locate to Thailand and a Thai wife can locate abroad. Have several Farlang friends who have taken their Thai wives to live with them in their own countries.  It works both ways, providing western women and Thai women can meet the requirements for any country they choose to locate to, then they have no problems.

 

 

CF, perhaps you like to go thru the training and become a caseworker for Lanna Care Net, like I am.  Then you'd realize how very out-of-line you are in saying I'm "out-of-touch".  Yes, many times the young Thai woman/old western man relationship work out well, but I caution incoming retirees into thinking this should be a good plan for the future, something to get organized within their first year of arrival as so many do, often almost "by accident", with a woman they meet working in a coffee shop, barber shop, condo staff, etc or friend of a mate's spouse.  Instead, an incoming retiree should spend that first year learning Thai, and building a broad network of friends, both expats and Thai, instead of going around doing things with the first Thai lady he meets.

 

I've been directly involved in seeing these men not getting taken to hospital right after suffering a stroke or heart attack because their Thai wives don't recognize the symptoms are something that should be acted on immediately.  I've seen these men kept at home, exposed only to Thai TV and fed nothing but rice porridge when they suffer from dementia, rather than being return to their home country and cared for by willing adult children who would welcome them into their homes.  It's important to people suffering from dementia to receive regular interaction in their first language and as much exercise as possible.

 

I could go on.   

[cyberfarang]

24 minutes ago, NancyL said:

 

CF, perhaps you like to go thru the training and become a caseworker for Lanna Care Net, like I am.  Then you'd realize how very out-of-line you are in saying I'm "out-of-touch".  Yes, many times the young Thai woman/old western man relationship work out well, but I caution incoming retirees into thinking this should be a good plan for the future, something to get organized within their first year of arrival as so many do, often almost "by accident", with a woman they meet working in a coffee shop, barber shop, condo staff, etc or friend of a mate's spouse.  Instead, an incoming retiree should spend that first year learning Thai, and building a broad network of friends, both expats and Thai, instead of going around doing things with the first Thai lady he meets.

 

I've been directly involved in seeing these men not getting taken to hospital right after suffering a stroke or heart attack because their Thai wives don't recognize the symptoms are something that should be acted on immediately.  I've seen these men kept at home, exposed only to Thai TV and fed nothing but rice porridge when they suffer from dementia, rather than being return to their home country and cared for by willing adult children who would welcome them into their homes.  It's important to people suffering from dementia to receive regular interaction in their first language and as much exercise as possible.

 

I could go on.   

You really are out of touch.

 

It is not easy for retirees on first entering Thailand to find a circle of friends either Farlangs or Thais considering the lack of expat social clubs in Chiang Mai, and also not easy for an expat to fit in with mainly Thai orientated clubs and groups. What clubs there are intend to be very cliquey and not easy for them to find new friends and make other expat connections within a short period of time.

 

I as a Brit having lived in Thailand for sometime and having no UK accommodation address I am no longer entitled to receive treatment under the UK National Health service if I fall ill or infirm and many of us do not have family or family willing to care for us in our own countries. It`s not as simple and as cut and dry as you think.

 

You are correct that expats should not rush into forming relationships with Thai women but there are many Thai women here who can make great wives and can be beneficial to both parties if the man finds the right Thai woman that are around if the man chooses carefully. But it seems you are tarring all Thai women with the same brush, as is the usual attitudes of western women. 

 

[NancyL]

3 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

.....

 

It is not easy for retirees on first entering Thailand to find a circle of friends either Farlangs or Thais considering the lack of expat social clubs in Chiang Mai, and also not easy for an expat to fit in with mainly Thai orientated clubs and groups. What clubs there are intend to be very cliquey and not easy for them to find new friends and make other expat connections within a short period of time.

 

.......

 

 

I'm sorry, but you must be living under a rock, but no I'm not "out of touch" with rocks like the one you live under because that's some of the Lanna Care Net clients live -- people who have never formed their own networks and instead rely on their Thai partner and her friends to be their "network". 

 

Where to start on how to form your own network?  There is CEC with three meetings per month, with about 100-150 people turning up at each of these gatherings and a nice Welcome Committee.   Did you come to CEC many years ago and didn't like it?  You owe it another look.  Numerous Outside Group Activities covering a wide range of hobbies.  Royal British Legion welcome everyone, not just ex-military and even people who aren't British.  Chiang Mai has one of the most active and diverse English speaking expat retiree communities on the planet.  Google and Facebook are your friends.

 

And as for joining predominately Thai groups, just about every Thai Rotary club has foreign members.  Many Thai churches welcome interested foreigners.  The "We Love the King Committee" that organized yesterday's big observance at Three Kings Monument was Thai/foreign.  I could go on.

[evenstevens]

7 hours ago, NancyL said:

.  And now that we've decided to relocate to Malaysia later this year,

 

why are you,s quitting C/Mai,???  may i  ask

[mamborobert]

Not knowing NancyL reasons but there had been an increase in the drift to the Malaysian program amongst expats in a lot of Asian countries (some of which may have been borderline on deciding or borderline on financial requirements), and it touches on a post you made earlier (EvenStevens).   There is a pull to Malaysia and certainly a push factor from Thailand for some.

 

The Ringit has suffered devaluation against most countries and earlier this month was at an 18 year low against the USD (17% drop since April last year) and the future for this year is not that bright.  That is very attractive, apart from the benefits associated with the visa programme and infrastructure etc etc.  Thailand is making sounds of a  rather pitiful attempt to emulate this programme.  You would not  want to hold your breath...or make a bet...or bank on longevity of any arrangements.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, mamborobert said:

 Thailand is making sounds of a  rather pitiful attempt to emulate this programme.  You would not  want to hold your breath...or make a bet...or bank on longevity of any arrangements.

 

What Thailand "sounds" are you referring to???  The fake 10-year visa plan, which hasn't actually been enacted yet, and even if it ever is, would still as proposed required 90-day reporting from participants?