Glad I don't live there.

[bigmtsl]

Wow! Thanks for the info, George. Getting tired of living in Canada. Weather and politics drives me nuts. Actually scouting out countries to move to and live in. Retired now, just me and the dog who is 11 years old. Not too sure how much time she has left, so...

I want to go back to Thailand and check out BKK some more as well as Pattaya. Been to the Philippines twice. Like it there as it is quite north american but it does have its downsides. Found BKK, stayed in Shukumvit near the big mall at Phrom Phong. Liked the area. Felt quite safe in BKK versus Manila. Wasn't as humid there as the PH.

Looked at Europe and Arizona too. Like Phoenix. But the exchange rates of CA dollar versus USD and Euro not that great. Great exchange rate for CA versus Bhat and Peso is excellent and found cost of living there cheaper than Europe. Arizona not too bad.

[George Pill]

Lots of books about moving to Thailand. Unstable junta government and very unpredictable. What if suddenly they say all foreigners get out now? Lose your property and wife. Must have a Thai partner who will own 51% of the property and house. FU! Scams everywhere. But I see lots of white farangs everywhere. You can find them at the coffee shops behind the Bhukao Flea Market Tent at the southern end of Bhukao Street. I think the market is open on Mondays and Thursdays. Full of people, tourists, farangs, Thais. Forgeddaboud the Philippines. Used to live and study there. Everybody asks what I was studying. I told them they were studying me. I had an apartment in Manila with 2 bedrooms, no furniture, no water heater, no AC all for $50 a month. Maid was $20 a month. Food was cheap and so on. But I couldn't trust anybody. The Philippines has Asia's highest breast cancer rates in women. I think the birth control chemicals finally seeped into the water supply after 60 years. Lots of poisonous hydrocarbons and industrial chemicals go with it. Manila is very expensive now. Better walk around the check out condos to buy. I would NOT move to Manila because the air pollution is horrible, horrible, horrible. Look out the airplane windows when you approach Manila Internat Airport. Gradually you approach a fog or smog then you are in a smoke screen. You can faintly see the houses below. Super air pollution. Now Chiang Mai and Bangkok is the same way. Need to think seriously about moving into third world countries. What if the Canadian dollar plummets like the Pound with Brexit. Lots of British farangs are sweating trying to barely keep above the $2000 monthly pension income requirement under Thai law.

Interestingly there's these news about Indonesia's capital sinking underwater.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=indonesia+is+sinking&form=EDGEAR&qs=PF&cvid=b2fb27be751f410b911a3b57d2bd6f10&cc=US&setlang=en-US&elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfPHmR%21uVWK7tB2fK0XWeqGcf%21dEiFaeoPxfZaBhxUnWGQlzSclK9ocWpXe9HGzP*rWHA08yyZHgzqrAqY9QMwrt&plvar=0&PC=ASTS

I remember reading the same thing about Bangkok. Everybody is sucking too much water out from the ground under them. Imagine abandoning all those nice condos, Skytrain, shopping centers, bars, eateries, etc.

Go ahead and visit and hang out with farangs who live there. Crag might be able to help locate those places. He is Canadian also. Start a new thread "Good idea to move to Thailand?" Visit the library and ask the librarian to find you books about this subject. There's is one called, "Perils of a Bangkok/Pattaya Bar owner". Hahhaaha.

Once I saw a white elderly man in a wheelchair being pushing into the Central Festival shopping center under the Hilton Hotel in Pattaya. He was happy because he had 2 lovely young Thai girls who were nursing him. His son was also with him. I suspect he was rich and could more than afford the best of Thai life. Really interesting to move there if you can find some trustworthy girls who can cook and are willing to do the dirty human care chores. Must speak English. I've asked around about wages. A hotel worker is paid about B400 a day plus monthly tips. Must work 6 days a week and 10-12 hours a day. This is human slavery. Cheaper than China. Hard to believe they can smile all day.

You can research the RETIREMENT VISA which is so helpful now having to apply for a tourist visa every three months. Someone on a baht bus told me you can forgo a $2000 deposit every month into your bank by presenting your bank statement showing a large total or something. Check this out.


Be really sure to research this move to Thailand or any other country. Look for the reasons why NOT to do so as well as the reasons to DO IT. Come on members. Help out here and put some input about your experiences living in LOS.

I would not move to Thailand for the sex. One can get completely exhausted and then wish they had just vacationed for a month or two instead. Always wonderful to return to clean modern civilization in Canada, Europe, or the USA.

[George Pill]

Just remembered. The USA Washington State has no income tax. Oregon has no sales tax.

[George Pill]

Ouchie!

https://www.pattayaone.news/leg-broken-by-car-that-jumped-red-light/

[bigmtsl]

[bigmtsl]

Tx for the input George. I wrote a response earlier but the damn site timed me out. Tried to cut and paste but it is refusing to post and tells me I need to write something. Gawd I hate technology!

The above link is about the highs and lows of the CAD. In 2002 it was worth $0.61 against the USD. It is now hovering around $0.74. So, could it get worse? Absolutely, and history has demonstrated that.

[George Pill]

Wait for an American recession. The US stock market is going up too fast for too long. Gotta exhale. Then you might be glad you stayed. Try moving to the southern warmer USA. But tornadoes, drought then too much rain. Hawaii is best, but ya need to be rich. Lots of Canadian snowbirds flock here, buy condos, stay for the winter, and fly back. Same for the Chinese. America is a very safe haven for investments. America is number one in law and order thanks to our status as the 50th state in the union. Lots of money from tourism and from the American armed forces now being beefed up for the coming war with China. Just as it had with the Vietnam war. You'd love Hawaii. Can move to the outer islands, but a cheaper home and land. Vacation in Thailand for a month or two. Takes about 24 hours to fly to BKK from HNL if you add on the 3-hours check in time, shuttle ride, traffic, etc. Costs me about $800 through Orbitz.com if I can find China Airlines which has the shortest flying times. Have to look for it everyday to find it. Remember CAL out of Taiwan. Not China. CAL has much better food. Now third highest living expenses. California is so polluted, overcrowded, and expensive. Funny I saw a news video of expats in Myanmar (former Burma). Forget the Philippines. Girls there are crazy for a husband and their relatives and friends are always conspiring to separate your from your money.

[rxpharm]

If you are considering retiring in Thailand there is a pretty good Youtube Channel about an ex-pat Australian who did it (retired early) and he also has a post op Thai lb wife (well not legally, but they are living together as if they are married).

[bigmtsl]

Tx for the video, rxpharm! I really identified with Wazza and where he was at in his thought process, unhappy with Aus, work, climate etc. Exactly the same mindset I am at living in fucked up and freezing Canada. I have subscribed to his blog/vlog and will watch and read more of his information then plan another trip as a recce.

[bigmtsl]

Wait for an American recession. The US stock market is going up too fast for too long. Gotta exhale. Then you might be glad you stayed. Try moving to the southern warmer USA. But tornadoes, drought then too much rain. Hawaii is best, but ya need to be rich. Lots of Canadian snowbirds flock here, buy condos, stay for the winter, and fly back. Same for the Chinese. America is a very safe haven for investments. America is number one in law and order thanks to our status as the 50th state in the union. Lots of money from tourism and from the American armed forces now being beefed up for the coming war with China. Just as it had with the Vietnam war. You'd love Hawaii. Can move to the outer islands, but a cheaper home and land. Vacation in Thailand for a month or two. Takes about 24 hours to fly to BKK from HNL if you add on the 3-hours check in time, shuttle ride, traffic, etc. Costs me about $800 through Orbitz.com if I can find China Airlines which has the shortest flying times. Have to look for it everyday to find it. Remember CAL out of Taiwan. Not China. CAL has much better food. Now third highest living expenses. California is so polluted, overcrowded, and expensive. Funny I saw a news video of expats in Myanmar (former Burma). Forget the Philippines. Girls there are crazy for a husband and their relatives and friends are always conspiring to separate your from your money.

America has already been through a recession. The only thing that saved Phoenix was all the CA who vacation there and scooped up real estate when it dropped and the CAD was on par with the USD. Buddy of mine scooped a nice 2 bedroom condo in Mesa.

Been to Hawaii. It's ok. If I went stateside it would be AZ, NM or NV. Love the desert and dry heat.

Aware that CAL is Taiwan. Worked in China for a few months years ago taught post secondary at a Tech institute. Flew Air China. Awful, awful, awful. I am 6'3" and 230 pounds. Worse 12 hours of my life, each way, as the seating is designed for Chinese not Europeans. Hated that airline and always warn people off about it.

Had a Filipina LB, who is CA citizen, for about 18 months. Friggin money grubby individual. Took me a while to figure out that the thing she 'loved' most about me was my bank account. Kicked her to the curb once I figured it out. Very sly, clever and conniving. Hope Thai girls aren't that bad. Prefer pre-op LB not post op of GG.

[P&G]

If you are considering retiring in Thailand there is a pretty good Youtube Channel about an ex-pat Australian who did it (retired early) and he also has a post op Thai lb wife (well not legally, but they are living together as if they are married).

IMHO, it's a mistake to consider retiring in Thailand unless one has built very strong links with the country (and relationships over there).
Thailand is a nice country to visit as a tourist, to play with girls of both sex, get drunk, visit islands, see breautifull landscapes, go to the beach and just have rest. But this is not a guarantee that it's nice to stay over there for your retirement. Thai people expect you to come as a tourist, not as some one who will settle done and share his life with them. Will you be able to follow their uses and habits and mix with them ? Not so sure. You will need a high budget to get a bar girl (ladyboy) to stay close to you and give you good time. Not sure you can feel happy staying there all year long.

[George Pill]

A very interesting article by Stickman Bangkok about advice whether to live in Thailand. Read and learn before you jump.

https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/week...and-no-thanks/

YouTube about the impact of trash generated by the tourism industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78xd...ature=youtu.be

Buy a condo in Thailand. Read this and weep.

https://thethaiger.com/thai-life/pro...buying-condo-1

Like Stickman's stories. Then start here. Lots to read. Better than moving there.

https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/weekly-column/2019/

[northernguy222]

Thanks for those links George...I was very surprised when he made reference about budgeting up to $5000 USD per month, but everyone has different standards of living. My first trip to LOS is this winter and if I like it I will most likely plan a 3 to 6 month stay over winter when I retire and see for myself. $60K USD per year is $80K CAD...too pricey for me.

[rxpharm]

You need to keep in mind what standard of living he is writing about. Stickman Bangkok was not living "Thai style", but close to the level of a western standard of living. Of course that will cost more - but if you cannot adjust to a "Thai style of living", then it is not a place where you should consider retiring.

I posted another video earlier where an Australian man retired early, is on a retirement visa and is living with his Thai postop lb partner. They've been together for more than 10 years. Here's a link to one of his videos covering the cost of living in Bangkok (suburbs) and it is not as much as Stickman's estimates. Warren Gerdes - cost of living in Bangkok.

[outlander5]

Stickman Bangkok article really only hit on the negatives of full time retirement in Thailand and with weak unbacked comparisons , most northerners like being home during the warmer seasons a Canadian living in Florida more than 6 months pays taxes in the US thus they flock home every spring. I don't think you can even compare life styles of retirement in Florida to that of Thailand and I've yet to meet a Farang who said damn I'd made a mistake coming to Thailand it would be so much cheaper in Guatemala or lets fly back to Edmonton its too expensive here !! Everyone i've talked to likes it there and dreads it when they have to go home!!