Absolutely in my opinion.
Absolutely in my opinion.
Originally Posted by bkkmfj2648
I've noticed you have 42 posts and I assume you are familiar with Thailand of recent, when it retired here it was a wonderland of sleepy sex joints and many many bar boys and Fillininesque farangs , elephants etc. there is no way to discribed how wonderful it was, every evening was an adventure, one only has to see it now if they knew it then to see that Thailand is much lesser of a gay destination, the present government has stated the image of Thailand as a sex heaven must change I'm not sure how much more it will change but I take the current government at their word. Nothing lasts forever and it's been in decline for years if sex is of little interest to you it might work for you, things also cost about double than they did when I retired.
You should however keep visiting Bangkok, Pattaya , Chiangmai and Phuket and judge if anywhere suites you.
I am trying to sell my condo and leave, 2 of my friends have left already, a third is looking for an alternative.
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
So where would be your alternative?
Hitchhiking's more of a challenge on the road less travelled.
I think Smiles has a great point about the progress in Thailand. It has a lot of catching up to do compared to other countries in the area. That means higher prices for just about everything. Look at South Korea. In fact they developed with such enthusiasm they covered a river in Their Capitol with concrete and now are trying to undo it and bring some green back.
Middle class on the way. I bought a condo in anticipation of higher prices in the future as I plan on retiring in LO S at some point. A bit too early as there's a glut right now.
The evenings of exciting sexual adventure may come to an end at some point if not already. But seriously, there will always be plenty of bois to be had , if not from bars from the internet. And even if they shut GR down there will always be cruise areas.
Too much gloom and doom c'mon.
Uruguay! heh, I have no idea, but will let you know how it is there.
Ummm, as for Thailand, I don't think I'd retire here. Then again, I'm way too young (and poor) to be worrying about retirement.
I'm one of those typical cases who says, once you live here for so many years, the rose tinted glasses fall off, and blah, blah, blah... you've heard it before, but it is true. I am glad I ended up in Thailand for the time I did though, as I think it bettered me as an individual in many ways. I'm more confident in my own skin now, and I don't sweat the small stuff as much, both of which I think I can thank Thai society in general for.
What they say about the rose tinted glasses is true though. When you come from the West, society here seems so polite and respectful you almost have to pinch yourself, right? Give it a few years, and you realize it's not genuine. Thais are brought up to be very selfish, greedy, and nationalistic which causes xenophobia. You even know these things after just being here a few times as a tourist, but you don't admit them to yourself. Give it a few years though, and it does get tiresome.
Thailand is a great country with great people, but don't think I'd ever retire here. Not to mention, it's not all that cheap anyway. I'm living very frugally these days saving for my Uruguay move, and I still manage to blow through 60,000/month somehow, and that's just me and the dogs -- no giks, nights out, nothing. Plus I could be wrong, but I'd say it's becoming more difficult as the years tick by to tell whether you're in Asia or out West.
I'm not so sure this is a ghost issue, but rather as you alluded to earlier....the fact that so much has built up around everything so quickly, that there are few ways to pull this building down now without taking out the surrounding neighbourhood or worse...falling into the river.
Christianpfc posted a facinating article on his adventures with the building on Gay Thailand a year or so back.
http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/to...ictures-taken/
[youtube:3o2olcfc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX_3ABo7AoU[/youtube:3o2olcfc]
I think it's a great question, one I've struggled with myself these past years. Property ownership here in Thailand has been a roller coaster ride from the very beginning and when I retire, I'm going to be looking for something quite a bit more stable than this. I don't want to plan on settling down somewhere, where I might have to pick up and go...possibly in a hurry. Thailand, for me has become one of those kind of countries since this crisis and like Smiles said, this is the second coup...remembering 2006.
I look at my own aging mother and know that at her age and condition, she could never just pick up and move and so I have to think of myself when I'm that age and not as mobile. I prefer to set my roots in deep.
Like you Joe, I'm looking after my mother and I think about how comfortable I've been able to make her in the house in Guatemala these past few years and how I could easily live the same lifestyle myself when I'm at that age. Hopefully I'll be as mobile as she is now, but the help that we've arranged to look after both her and the house has been with us for years and is like family to us. The older I get the more things like this, being closer to home and being able to enjoy a good bottle of wine are important for me.
I'll keep coming to Thailand as long as I can suffer the 12 plus 2 hour flight which hopefully will continue for another 20 years or more.
Surfcrest
If you haven't worked it out yet there's another 1997 on the way for Thailand so I wouldn't be all doom and gloom about the cost of living in Thailand - I just wouldn't keep any money there, certainly nothing tied up long term like a condo. As for the 800,000 baht qualification for a retirement visa, do what all my friends do - lie to their embassy and get a declaration "confirming" their income. The one worry is the exorbitant cost of anything that comes close to decent health care especially if you've got a chronic disease requiring regular medication.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessecolomb ... e-crash/3/
You will only know that for sure when you do sell it.
She has rent boys dropping by? Wow!
Perfectly valid point. But even if it sold for nothing (which, being the centre of Bangkok, would require some sort of massive calamity), I am still better off - and will continue to be so - than if I had rented for so many years. I fully accept, though, that for anyone who is not 100% certain that this is where they want to live, renting makes far more sense until they are in a better position to decide.
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