Goodbye to Thailand (for a while maybe)

[transam]

19 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Out of the millions of Thai women in Thailand, if you can not pick out one and make it work and have a dream life, there is something wrong with your or your judgement.

 

Seriously. Did you move to Thailand for the weather?

 

You need to look in a mirror and see what is wrong with you.

 

Most decent men can find a Thai woman and stay married forever.

 

However, their is a certain percentage that cannot make relationships work in any country then run off thinking and posting that every Thai woman in the world is going to run off with all the money.

 

You are as far from the truth as you can get.

 

Maybe happened to you because it is you.

 

Tons of people married 10+ years with a Thai with no issues

Rubbish...........

[JayBird]

There is so much more than women and alcohol here to enjoy, depending on what you look for.  For me:

 

-- Plentiful food choices (often at good prices) - Unhealthy, pesticide, herbicide, growth hormone, antibiotics laden consumption

-- Lots of shopping choices - Overpriced quality goods because of high import tax or Thai greed, alternative is bad Chinese or Thai brands

-- All the mod-cons of the western world - Like what?

-- Convenience, Convenience, Convenience!   No closing on sundays or closing early.  No waiting in queues for things. - NO queues indeed, they jump all over each other

-- Great location to visit the rest of SE Asia. - That's not a strong point

 

 

 

 

-- Most countries have food like that.  If you want to avoid it you'll have to grow your own.

-- I've done price checking on a lot of goods in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, UK, EU... A lot of it is NOT overpriced.  Funny enough a lot of it is cheaper in Thailand than in EU.  Even for EU made goods.  I'm of course not referring to shopping at tourist traps, but at normal shopping malls.

-- All the mod-cons.  Water, Electricity, Internet (better than France!), Doctors, Dentists, Availability of Tech-related equipment.  All mod-cons.

-- I'm not sure where you are shopping.  I almost never see people jumping over each other (only see the Russian tourists doing this in touristy areas).  I rarely see a queue to be honest.

-- If you do not like SE Asia, then there is no reason for you to visit/live in Thailand.

 

I feel that perhaps you spend a lot of time focused on Touristy areas and touristy life-style rather than visiting the non-touristy areas.  It might be worthwhile to try and live a non-touristy lifestyle for a few months.

 

 

[steven100]

Ladies and Gentlemen .....    elvis has left the country         

[FruitPudding]

On Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 4:25 PM, malt25 said:

I did all that, plus take her 2 teenage daughters as well. Mine waited for the 2 years & then walked with a younger guy.

So, she's there & I'm here. Very happily settled.

 

A guy younger than herself or younger than you?

[FruitPudding]

On Friday, February 24, 2017 at 8:22 AM, louse1953 said:

Typical man,screw the best out of the woman,but give them nothing in return.If Nz is similiar to Oz,your goose is already cooked,married or de facto.Those countries are not like Thailand where women get screwed over.Women have rights,whether you like it or not.Wait til she pulls the abused wife trick.Som num nar.

Yeah, in those countries it's usually the father who gets screwed. And by the way, if there are kids involved she gets more than 50%.

 

She gets custody of the kids because "kids have to stay with their mother".

 

She stays in the house because "kids have to stay in the house".

 

He has to leave the house.

 

He gets the kids 3 nights a fortnight (this really is the norm....if it goes through court).

 

He has to pay child support.

 

She is on social security and getting dicked by any guy off Craigslist in your bed with the kids at home.

[malt25]

11 hours ago, FruitPudding said:

 

A guy younger than herself or younger than you?

About 6 years younger than me.

[huawei]

On 1 April 2017 at 3:22 PM, transam said:

Rubbish...........

Could not agree more. So much uniformed stuff written on here now..how many are really available to the foreigners who come here...dream life..again more nonsense, life can be difficult here just like at home, even more so if you live in the poorer parts of Issan, live on a fixed income and are getting older.

If you come to Thailand just to find a women then you probably won't find a good one or have a dream life..you should come first and foremost for the adventure and that you actually like the country..then let the rest fall into place.

 

[paulsingle]

On 13/04/2017 at 9:15 PM, FruitPudding said:

 

A guy younger than herself or younger than you?

Does it matter? That seems like a rather salacious question to me. 

[FruitPudding]

15 minutes ago, paulsingle said:

Does it matter? That seems like a rather salacious question to me. 

I had to use the dictionary there, lol.

 

He mentioned the age.

[bheard]

If you work in Australia for ten years you get a pension? Really? 

Not true.
The govt old age pension is paid overseas only if you have paid tax in Australia for a minimum of 33 years.
And it is diminished as well by around 20% ('allowances' removed).
So this guy's wife won't get it she moves back to Thailand.
Also, the old age pension is the only Aus govt pension that is paid overseas.

[ELVIS123456]

On 3/17/2017 at 5:20 PM, ELVIS123456 said:

Hi all - we arrived safe and are living in Aust - and still together 

 

I scanned through the replies - thanks to all those who wished us well and gave their support.

I will send an update in a year - it will be good to check our outcomes versus expectations.

 

Just for clarity about our situation - I am close to 60 and the wife is close to 50.

We have no kids and we both cant (vasectomy for me).

Wife's family all own their homes/farms/shops - they have never asked me for a baht.

 

My points about 'rights' and things like the pension and passport and the 90 days, were said to show how much better Thai immigrants are treated in Aust, than Aust Expats in Thailand. I like Thailand and the people (young pampered aggressive males aside). 

 

It has been almost a year now since we left Thailand, and we have had our first XMas and New Year together, so I thought I would send an update on how things have been back here in Aust.

 

The fist thing I will say in answer to a few posts is that my Thai wife will definitely be eligible for the Aust Pension when she is old enough (67 is the current qualification age). And if she lives here for 10 years in total she will be able to take part of that pension with her if/when she goes back to Thailand (either before or after I am gone). The amount/part she will be paid overseas is calculated on a pro-rata basis - for 35+ years it is 100% of the overseas rate, for 10 years it is 10/35 of the overseas rate, for 15 years it is 15/35 of the overseas rate, etc etc.

 

Secondly - has the wife started to go 'feral' yet - no.  We are going very well and having a great time together - but of course nothing is guaranteed in life (except death and taxes). There are Aussies here with lovely Thai wives that have been for many years, and there are a few whose Thai wife took what they could get and left.  But it does seem to be more of the good ones than 'bad' ones in my circle. And one other thing I have noticed -  those I hear about who took the money and ran all had a kid/s -  and all the Thai wives with no kid are still married and still here. We know several who have kids and are still married after 5-10+ years, but there is something in that factor of kids vs no kids when it comes to a Thai lady deciding if to cut and run back to LOS.

 

So moving onto to myself - how have I found Aust?  I do not like it much.  As they say you dont really know what you have got until it is gone. My complaints about how the Thai immigration bureaucracy and their procedures being a pain, pale into insignificance when compared to the daily never ending khrapp you have to deal with here.  Trust me - dealing with the 90 day reporting and the extensions etc is nothing compared to so many things you have to put up with here.  Just opening a local bank account here was an absolute pain - they have clamped down so much on things and I was not aware until I had to start again and get a new account for myself and the wife.  And dealing with CLink/DHS is an absolute nightmare of confusing requirements and massive delays and waiting - both in person and over the phone.  I had to get an auto-dialer and one day it took almost 30 mins just to join the queue and over an hour later I was speaking to someone - who didnt know and I was transferred and had to wait another 20 minutes.  And there are so many other things that are just so 'difficult' here - and not many 'official' things are easy.

 

But that is not the main reason I dont like it back here, and not the reason why I left in the first place.  This is just not a happy place - the people are just not happy.  Dont get me wrong, there is laughter and most people are trying to enjoy their life - but happiness is not prevalent - everyone is stressed out and most are miserable/grumpy.  People will smile at each other - but their normal state of being is 'oppressed' - and they are so intense and aggressive when things go wrong. Here in the Nanny State everyone is 'controlled' in just about everything they do, and when you raise any related issue with them, like all the unnecessary speed cameras on certain roads, or how stressed out everyone is, they just shrug and say 'what can you do' and they accept it.  When I go shopping with the wife I still cant believe how miserable most people look, and how so many people are grossly overweight.  It seems everyone tries to do something on the weekends to make themselves feel better about their lives (and eating/drinking too much for sure) - and they are always planning on a holiday to 'get away' from their normal daily lives. I play a lot of golf and most of the blokes I play with are miserable/grumpy and they play golf to 'get away' (work, family, etc.).  It is all just so 'unbalanced' here and to me it is definitely a 'rat's race' and I now fully understand why I wanted to leave it before. I miss the LOS and all the happy people - many Expats aside.  I dont care that many things are 'wrong' in LOS - I miss it big time.

 

I certainly dont miss the wild traffic when travelling in LOS, but when compared to the totally oppressed and controlled nature of things here, then I prefer the wild west excitement. I got a speeding fine equivalent to a months house rent in Thailand for going 3km over the speed limit.  I cannot turn left on a red light, even if there is no one there, even if the lights take 5 mins to change at 6am, or I risk a fine of 3-4 months rent and maybe losing my licence. There are 19 speed cameras between the airport and city central in the nearest big City.  They all know it is all about the fines and road safety is just an excuse - but they just 'comply' - driving here is a constant state of checking what the speed limit is and making sure you are under it.

 

And I miss how cheap things are back in LOS.  In some regards it has improved here in Aust, but in so many others it has gotten worse - much worse.  The wife still cannot understand why electricity, gas and water costs so much here - we pay about the same each month here as what it cost for 6 months in Thailand - and we used the aircons a lot more in LOS.  But Aldi has had a good impact on the shopping, and now the groceries are only 3-4 times more expensive than in LOS.  It seems that anything that involves the use of people here costs a fortune - restaurants all seem to be so expensive now.  How they can charge the equivalent of 600 baht for a plain Pad Thai is ridiculous. And the price of meats have gone up a lot  - they say it is because exports get more money so domestic prices have gone up.  Wine is cheap though - good and cheap.  When I explained to the wife that Aust has a full-time minimum wage of about $20 per hour which equates to about $36K PA (about 900K Baht PA) she was astounded. When I added that the employer also has to give them 4 weeks fully paid annual holiday, and some have to pay an additional leave loading of 17.5%. And that all employers also have to pay a minimum of 9% of their salary into a Super fund, and they all must also pay for workers compensation and liability insurances, and most States also charge an additional payroll tax to most business of 5.5%, she started to understand why everything is so expensive here.

 

However, the medical system here is very good and is free for most things serious - and in a few years time I will get the age pension and be able to get it paid when we are back in Thailand.  And golf is far cheaper here - and is much better organised.  So for the time being I will be staying here and Aust will always be our place of residence - but in the future we will be spending a lot of holiday time in Thailand - a lot 

 

[ELVIS123456]

I forgot to add something (getting old).  Today I caught up with a mate from Melbourne and he told me some stories about the violent gangs - and it is worse than what is being said in the papers and has been an ever growing problem for years.  Having lived in Sydney I can tell you that the Nanny State is skilled at covering up what it doesnt want people to talk about.  When it comes to violence and all that, LOS may have its issues, but so does Aust.  And I have some friends in Sweden and Holland - they reckon it is worse in most of Europe than what is happening in Melb.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/the-violent-youth-gangs-terrorising-melbournes-streets/news-story/4e41d6ab2eb4e8faa02172000e9e3dbd

 

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/community-taskforce-to-combat-street-gang-violence-in-melbourne/news-story/5b705e43d4d0ba9b6341ca3ff945313d

 

 

[toughlove]

See you back here dude about a day after she gets residancy and is on the dole

 

They think unemployment benefit is hitting the lottery

 

And it's the "it's not you it's me routine"

 

Happens to two mates of mine. Problem is much younger guys don't mind a bit of Asian..

 

 

[catman20]

10 hours ago, ELVIS123456 said:

It has been almost a year now since we left Thailand, and we have had our first XMas and New Year together, so I thought I would send an update on how things have been back here in Aust.

 

The fist thing I will say in answer to a few posts is that my Thai wife will definitely be eligible for the Aust Pension when she is old enough (67 is the current qualification age). And if she lives here for 10 years in total she will be able to take part of that pension with her if/when she goes back to Thailand (either before or after I am gone). The amount/part she will be paid overseas is calculated on a pro-rata basis - for 35+ years it is 100% of the overseas rate, for 10 years it is 10/35 of the overseas rate, for 15 years it is 15/35 of the overseas rate, etc etc.

 

Secondly - has the wife started to go 'feral' yet - no.  We are going very well and having a great time together - but of course nothing is guaranteed in life (except death and taxes). There are Aussies here with lovely Thai wives that have been for many years, and there are a few whose Thai wife took what they could get and left.  But it does seem to be more of the good ones than 'bad' ones in my circle. And one other thing I have noticed -  those I hear about who took the money and ran all had a kid/s -  and all the Thai wives with no kid are still married and still here. We know several who have kids and are still married after 5-10+ years, but there is something in that factor of kids vs no kids when it comes to a Thai lady deciding if to cut and run back to LOS.

 

So moving onto to myself - how have I found Aust?  I do not like it much.  As they say you dont really know what you have got until it is gone. My complaints about how the Thai immigration bureaucracy and their procedures being a pain, pale into insignificance when compared to the daily never ending khrapp you have to deal with here.  Trust me - dealing with the 90 day reporting and the extensions etc is nothing compared to so many things you have to put up with here.  Just opening a local bank account here was an absolute pain - they have clamped down so much on things and I was not aware until I had to start again and get a new account for myself and the wife.  And dealing with CLink/DHS is an absolute nightmare of confusing requirements and massive delays and waiting - both in person and over the phone.  I had to get an auto-dialer and one day it took almost 30 mins just to join the queue and over an hour later I was speaking to someone - who didnt know and I was transferred and had to wait another 20 minutes.  And there are so many other things that are just so 'difficult' here - and not many 'official' things are easy.

 

But that is not the main reason I dont like it back here, and not the reason why I left in the first place.  This is just not a happy place - the people are just not happy.  Dont get me wrong, there is laughter and most people are trying to enjoy their life - but happiness is not prevalent - everyone is stressed out and most are miserable/grumpy.  People will smile at each other - but their normal state of being is 'oppressed' - and they are so intense and aggressive when things go wrong. Here in the Nanny State everyone is 'controlled' in just about everything they do, and when you raise any related issue with them, like all the unnecessary speed cameras on certain roads, or how stressed out everyone is, they just shrug and say 'what can you do' and they accept it.  When I go shopping with the wife I still cant believe how miserable most people look, and how so many people are grossly overweight.  It seems everyone tries to do something on the weekends to make themselves feel better about their lives (and eating/drinking too much for sure) - and they are always planning on a holiday to 'get away' from their normal daily lives. I play a lot of golf and most of the blokes I play with are miserable/grumpy and they play golf to 'get away' (work, family, etc.).  It is all just so 'unbalanced' here and to me it is definitely a 'rat's race' and I now fully understand why I wanted to leave it before. I miss the LOS and all the happy people - many Expats aside.  I dont care that many things are 'wrong' in LOS - I miss it big time.

 

I certainly dont miss the wild traffic when travelling in LOS, but when compared to the totally oppressed and controlled nature of things here, then I prefer the wild west excitement. I got a speeding fine equivalent to a months house rent in Thailand for going 3km over the speed limit.  I cannot turn left on a red light, even if there is no one there, even if the lights take 5 mins to change at 6am, or I risk a fine of 3-4 months rent and maybe losing my licence. There are 19 speed cameras between the airport and city central in the nearest big City.  They all know it is all about the fines and road safety is just an excuse - but they just 'comply' - driving here is a constant state of checking what the speed limit is and making sure you are under it.

 

And I miss how cheap things are back in LOS.  In some regards it has improved here in Aust, but in so many others it has gotten worse - much worse.  The wife still cannot understand why electricity, gas and water costs so much here - we pay about the same each month here as what it cost for 6 months in Thailand - and we used the aircons a lot more in LOS.  But Aldi has had a good impact on the shopping, and now the groceries are only 3-4 times more expensive than in LOS.  It seems that anything that involves the use of people here costs a fortune - restaurants all seem to be so expensive now.  How they can charge the equivalent of 600 baht for a plain Pad Thai is ridiculous. And the price of meats have gone up a lot  - they say it is because exports get more money so domestic prices have gone up.  Wine is cheap though - good and cheap.  When I explained to the wife that Aust has a full-time minimum wage of about $20 per hour which equates to about $36K PA (about 900K Baht PA) she was astounded. When I added that the employer also has to give them 4 weeks fully paid annual holiday, and some have to pay an additional leave loading of 17.5%. And that all employers also have to pay a minimum of 9% of their salary into a Super fund, and they all must also pay for workers compensation and liability insurances, and most States also charge an additional payroll tax to most business of 5.5%, she started to understand why everything is so expensive here.

 

However, the medical system here is very good and is free for most things serious - and in a few years time I will get the age pension and be able to get it paid when we are back in Thailand.  And golf is far cheaper here - and is much better organised.  So for the time being I will be staying here and Aust will always be our place of residence - but in the future we will be spending a lot of holiday time in Thailand - a lot 

 

so the moral of the story is get a girl with no kids. WHY did you move back? you do sound quite unhappy living there?

Edited January 11, 2018 by catman20

[ELVIS123456]

There are plenty of lovely Thai girls with a kid, that will not do the wrong thing - we know a few. But it seems those without kids may be less of a 'flight risk' if you take them home with you.

 

The reason I am here is that you cannot apply for the Aust age pension from overseas - you must be living in Aust when you apply.  And you must have been living in Aust for a minimum of 2 years prior to the age qualification, otherwise you cannot then get paid the pension if you then go overseas. 

 

And, the wife will soon get a permanent residency Visa which will allow her to come and go far easier in the future - as well as a lot of other benefits in the future.  As I said, we plan to reside in Aust and holiday a lot in Thailand a lot, once the pension is approved and I can get the pension paid when I go overseas.   Some blokes call it 'doing penance' in order to then live (mainly) in Thailand, and all think it is wrong this has to be done. 

 

Some blokes come back when they qualify and then stay at least 2 years here, before then moving back to Thailand.  But the Govt is getting harder on that and I would not be surprised to see the 'qualification period' increase above 2 years soon - maybe event to 4 or 5 years as a resident.  So I decided to get back first - both in case it is increased and also so the wife can get a permanent residency Visa and maybe even get citizenship (after 4 years here).

 

 https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/163135-australian-aged-pension/

 

[amidia808]

Good bye!

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 8:42 PM, EvenSteven said:

There are many people like Elvis who have come to and left Thailand.  He has had enough and I can understand.  The longest I stay here is a month and then I want to be back home.  I've occasionally thought about owning a condo in Thailand and treating it as a second home, like many of us I suppose, but I'm not sure I can live somewhere which is essentially a third world country.  Many of the charms and more mentioned in this thread can be found in practically all major urban centres in the developed world - the difference being the increased cost to some extent.

 

Once the charm of relatively cheap booze and sex of Thailand wears off, the inconveniences of the country seem to amplify.  Initially overlooked once arriving, these seemingly minor inconveniences - can't drink the tap water, the dangers of the road, mopeds running on the sidewalks, etc - now become irritating issues.

 

And many falangs complain about the poor attitude that a good proportion of Thais have toward falangs.  I can't blame the Thais.  After all, how can we expect them to respect throngs of criminals, drunks, and tattooed simpletons living in a tourist ghetto who come here for cheap booze and sex, often causing issues of one kind or another?

Once the charm of relatively cheap booze and sex of Thailand wears off,

If that is the only thing one does in LOS, I'm not surprised it gets old quickly, but one can't blame Thailand for one's lack of desire to discover the other, more interesting side of LOS.

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 9:57 AM, VillageIdiot said:

In the 18th century Samuel Johnson said something very similar about London.

It was probably true at that time, but who would say so nowadays?

Thailand fit that description in the 1970s and it still beats the PC nanny-states by a country mile.

 

I was in London for over 10 years and barely scratched the surface. I can't imagine being bored there unless one is a particularly boring and unimaginative person, and I didn't even like the place.

At least LOS has a more pleasant temperature to go with it.

[speedtripler]

On 24/02/2017 at 11:50 AM, transam said:

In the UK after divorce there is a court hearing where the judge just listens, parties cannot talk, barristers have to do the talking. All financial stuff is put on paper where the judge has previously read it. At the end the judge states his/her recommendations for who gets what, if any of us disagree with the findings it goes to a full blown court case where the loser pays all the fees...

In my case my ex chose to tell lies in her financial statement which l worked on and she was served with a "Penal Notice" (possible imprisonment...

 

Anyhoooo, this bloke ended up with around 66% of the pot....

 

I would still call that a 34% loss.... Depending on your net worth it may or may not be overkill..... 

Ask Paul McCartney or Tiger woods how much a divorce costs.... 

Edited January 12, 2018 by speedtripler

[speedtripler]

On 24/02/2017 at 7:26 PM, Gonefortea said:

I don't need to listen to bar stool banter. I have research it's called an empty wallet three times to Western girlfriends who were common law wife's. So I'm pretty sure I know thank you.

Your anal cavity must  be gaping... 

[speedtripler]

On 08/03/2017 at 2:10 PM, Robert24 said:

good luck. Australia is a great country, great quality of life.

Could have been a great country... Were  it not for too many 'stralians... 

[speedtripler]

On 17/03/2017 at 8:44 AM, Elkski said:

I read that if you are married living in USA after 10 years the wife can leave and collect on your SS?      Utah is a non common law marriage state. 

 

In the USA SS benefits have a weighted number given to the time value of money.  So contributions in say year 1985 are multiplied by 14 vs contributions from 2016 are 1.  So working the last 10 years would be worth as my guess 1/10 as much in SS benefits compared to if you worked 1985-1995.     I can't believe this isn't the case in OZ?  So I think the comment about someone coming to rip off the system is totally false.   You only get some % of the time value of your contributions.   Not free money.  This Elvis is looking to bail trump land.   My main worry is the heat in Thailand and no snow or fresh air or elk hunting. 

Did you come to Thailand expecting to hunt elk? 

[speedtripler]

On 23/03/2017 at 10:21 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Anyone that is bored in Thailand isn't trying very hard.

 

Or has done  it all too many times before and needs a change? 

 

[Rhys]

....back to counting the rice grow.....

[toughlove]

Did you come to Thailand expecting to hunt elk? 

Theres a good huntin but it ain't elk

[flashgordon1959]

Thats correct and ,you dont even have to work,just live there.

That's great .why does everyone not go there.sounds great .better than English living

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[flashgordon1959]

 
I would still call that a 34% loss.... Depending on your net worth it may or may not be overkill..... 
Ask Paul McCartney or Tiger woods how much a divorce costs.... [emoji2]

Remember Paul and Tiger use 50 quid notes for toilet paper the normal bloke or woman has got nothing

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[Ulysses G.]

On 3/25/2017 at 6:42 AM, EvenSteven said:

 

 

Once the charm of relatively cheap booze and sex of Thailand wears off, the inconveniences of the country seem to amplify.

The charm of the cheap beer wore off immediately because the beer was so lousy back then. The charm of cheap sex never wore off and hopefully never will.

[MaeJoMTB]

On 2/24/2017 at 11:50 AM, transam said:

In the UK after divorce there is a court hearing where the judge just listens, parties cannot talk, barristers have to do the talking. All financial stuff is put on paper where the judge has previously read it. At the end the judge states his/her recommendations for who gets what, if any of us disagree with the findings it goes to a full blown court case where the loser pays all the fees...

In my case my ex chose to tell lies in her financial statement which l worked on and she was served with a "Penal Notice" (possible imprisonment...

 

Anyhoooo, this bloke ended up with around 66% of the pot....

My former English wife contributed ZERO in financial terms, but walked away with 66% of the assets and all the children.

Still, a good result for me in the end, as I finished up with a wife half me age and a new family in Thailand, while she ended up with a house full of cats in the UK.

[MaeJoMTB]

On 3/23/2017 at 10:21 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Anyone that is bored in Thailand isn't trying very hard.

The cycling and hiking here are excellent, very hard to get bored when you can just go out on the mountains and in the jungle everyday.