No country for old men?

[frequent]

I had some interesting conversations with ex-pats and potential ex-pats recently, most in their seventies. One Westerner/Thai couple had decided to relocate to Thailand when the Westerner retired. They built a house for themselves on the outskirts of Yasothon, the Thai’s home town, and on the Thai family’s land. I’m told the house is generously proportioned and airconditioned. They lived there for three months in all before the heat became too much for the Westerner, and they returned home. They had not sold their home in Farangland. The Westerner also complained of the comparative loneliness although that wasn’t the most significant factor. Since returning home the Westerner has had a heart attack and is convalescing. Not only won’t they be returning to live in Thailand, the Thai says he has no intention of returning to live when his boyfriend dies either; “things are much better where I am”. His aged parents are living in the house

A second Westerner/Thai couple relocated to Chiang Mai from Farangland, selling their property there and using the proceeds to set themselves up in Thailand. A couple of years after arriving the Westerner was diagnosed with bowel cancer; chemotherapy cost him in excess of a million baht. He is, in effect, a permanent invalid. They would like to return to Farangland to live but have no wherewithal to do so

A third Westerner has lived in Thailand for a number of years, but contracted HIV shortly after he relocated. He’s the most fortunate of the four in the sense that his Farangland health insurance does cover him for most medical expenses in Thailand. He originally bought a condo in Jomtien but realised after a few months that having only sexpats for company was OK for a holiday but not sufficiently stimulating intellectually now he’s a permanent resident. He’s relocated to Bangkok. Needless to say, Pattaya condo prices meant selling the condo resulted in a capital loss. For his age (78) he’s in remarkably good health and for the most part enjoys living in Thailand. He has no plans or even thoughts about living elsewhere. He took pride in showing me his large collection of dildoes

A fourth Westerner (in his mid sixties) owns his own condo in Bangkok but spends extended periods in Farangland, where he also owns a condo. He rents both out on AirBNB or similar (Favstay in Thailand) while he is away and has a fund of amusing stories about his guests. He was telling me about his most recent Bangkok guest and contemporary, a Thai who does the reverse – lives in Farangland but spends short periods in Thailand. He thinks the Thai must have an umbrella fetish or is very forgetful. He found nine in his condo when he came back from his latest trip. As a diabetic he relies on medication that is expensive in Thailand but subsidised in his home country, so stocks up on his trips home. He insures his trips to Thailand via travel insurance

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