Dannie Boy wrote:I assume you mean before the inevitable happens?
Picking up on some of the posts about cons etc of living in Thailand, I guess many of the men have invested in a younger wife, maybe the girls should follow suit?
TBH though, it is a big issue as with no NHS equivalent, many people will need a lot more medical attention and home helps, so single people had better plan accordingly.
Yes DB...but sometimes the "inevitable" happens later, rather than sooner! Suppose the young wife dies before the old husband? It does happen, you don't know what route is planned in life. The old husband is left alone in a country with no social help etc. My mother in law is 97 years old she lives alone, despite everyone nagging her to go into warden assisted accommodation. One thing I will say is in the favour of the help in the UK is she has someone coming in 3 times a day to see to all her needs. I really cannot fault it.
I agree with your advise that single people should plan ahead, but also married people should as well.
Mr.VS and I have often talked about the 'inevitable' happening to either of us, and what the other one would do. If I was left here on my own, I would possibly move down to an area like Hua Hin where there would be more women of my age to socialize with. If it got to the stage when I needed someone to look after me, then I'd probably return to the UK (I've paid an awful lot of tax during my working years, and it's payback time).
If someone has the foresight to build a 'farang-style' nursing home, then obviously I'd reconsider.
VS
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
Also, even if I could afford a house near the beach in California, my Thai partner wouldn't be able to get a visa to go there. I found out that from a British friend, married to a Thai, who bought a house in Las Vegas.[/quote]
A British friend of mine who also has residency (not citizenship) of some sort in the USA recently obtained a five year visa for his Thai girlfriend (not wife), he was quiet surprised himself, the only thing he could think of that helped was that she has over US$100k in her bank account which she had to submit copies of. They are both presently in the USA.
"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right." Muhammad Ali
REEM wrote:To have to report to immigration every 90 days is demeaning and to be fined 2000b, or is it now 5000b for missing the date by more than 7 days is downright insulting.
To have to provide maps to ones house and photographs of you and your wife at home, in order to obtain a stay based on marriage, with the possibility of a visit by immigration officers so they can snoop around is downright disgusting.
REEM wrote:To have to provide maps to ones house and photographs of you and your wife at home, in order to obtain a stay based on marriage, with the possibility of a visit by immigration officers so they can snoop around is downright disgusting.
Are you both serious? Do you really get asked for those things? OK, I can believe the snooping about bit, because they do that in the UK, but maps, photographs etc - what does that prove anyway apart from the fact you can draw a map and pose for a photo?
Yes they are serious...all those things are required for an extension based on marriage.
A map is also required for extension based on retirement. My map is very rudimentary and I keep a hard copy on my laptop and just print it off every 12 months. No great hardship...
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
― George Carlin
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” -George Orwell.
OK, have been reading all of this with great interest....So getting back to magsandbilly's OP, and once again in JW's defence, the question was are there any downsides to living in HH, or Thailand in general.
I think JW, for me anyway, listed a reality check, because we all need to be reminded of the pitfalls associated with living in a different society to what we are accustomed to. There is a style of life for experienced expats that includes a way of dealing with all these things on a daily basis.
To be a happy successful expat you need to adapt to and understand the chosen country you are living in. I have lived and worked in several countries since leaving the UK 20 years ago, and all have many cons so to speak. Also I do not relish the idea of living again in the Uk, from what I have seen on the tv. (Bet that will get the keys bashed in defence from the UK living members).
So enjoy the very many benefits of living in a land of extremes, and interesting things. Be they good or bad...Life is too short. I hope magsandbilly do come to HH and have a great retirement. GN.
REEM wrote:To have to provide maps to ones house and photographs of you and your wife at home, in order to obtain a stay based on marriage, with the possibility of a visit by immigration officers so they can snoop around is downright disgusting.
Are you both serious? Do you really get asked for those things? OK, I can believe the snooping about bit, because they do that in the UK, but maps, photographs etc - what does that prove anyway apart from the fact you can draw a map and pose for a photo?
Yup. Those are the rules and they're designed to sort of prove that you're married de facto and de jure.
The map is for them to come around and check that your wife is there. If neither of you are there, then they'll ask questions of the neighbours,
And this does happen.
Yes and I had to provide a map showing were my house is located to get my non immigrant O visa. a copy of my lease for the house was not enough. The second time at immigration for a letter to get my drivers license, I had with me a copy of the month to month rental recept for my apartment and a sales flier from the apartment building with a map on the back. They were very interested in the map. The process was not hard, but you must bring as much documentation as possible. All of this occurred this year
I really like this forum because there are no personal attacks. All the members contribute in a positive way to my posts.
Green Nomad wrote:OK, have been reading all of this with great interest....So getting back to magsandbilly's OP, and once again in JW's defence, the question was are there any downsides to living in HH, or Thailand in general.
I think JW, for me anyway, listed a reality check, because we all need to be reminded of the pitfalls associated with living in a different society to what we are accustomed to. There is a style of life for experienced expats that includes a way of dealing with all these things on a daily basis.
To be a happy successful expat you need to adapt to and understand the chosen country you are living in. I have lived and worked in several countries since leaving the UK 20 years ago, and all have many cons so to speak. Also I do not relish the idea of living again in the Uk, from what I have seen on the tv. (Bet that will get the keys bashed in defence from the UK living members).
So enjoy the very many benefits of living in a land of extremes, and interesting things. Be they good or bad...Life is too short. I hope magsandbilly do come to HH and have a great retirement. GN.
When you are born and spend most of your life in the same country, you don't always see the cons because you have always dealt with them as a part of normal life, if that makes sense.
I live and work in the UK and like many, really look forward to my holidays in Thailand. Its on these holidays I see the differences in cultures and appreciate the 'Thai way', with all its cons.
As a small aside to anyone thinking of retiring anywhere, I've recently read several articles on retirement and what makes it successful or otherwise. One thing that struck me was that financially, nearly everything I've read says that if you expect a "satisfying" retirement you should have an income equal to 80% of what you were earning before retiring. If you are willing to drastically downsize your life and think you can still be happy the minimum you need is 66% of what your last working salary was.
I guess that was one of my mistakes, I retired on an income of about 33% of what I was earning.
Just something to keep in mind...
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
I agree with hhf, the biggest issue seems to be folks retiring without sufficient funds to sustain the lifestyle they seek.
I have lived in Hua Hin most of my adult life, but I am not looking to retire here fulltime, but rather divide my time between here and the US.
For me it is not about the cons here, as I can easily cope with them, it’s about enjoying two different lifestyles.
I am not so sure I would recommend Hua Hin for fulltime retirement, especially for farang couples, just think the cons could easily overwhelm them.
Atheists have no need of a god. Our lives are not based on fear or guilt. We are moral because we know it's right.
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon
REEM wrote:James West nailed it with a lot of the points he made.
No need to slag him off.
The fact is, as foreigners here we are very much second class citizens with no rights at all.
We can be scammed, cheated and shaken down by the often very unprofessional authorities, many of whom think foreigners are just sources of extra income, this is not common, but it does happen. The rules and regulations that we have to follow here are not cast in stone and the goalposts are moved according to who is quoting and enforcing the rules. Often you just dont know where you stand, especially newcomers not yet accustomed to the Thai way of doing things.
I have been here for eight years, I can speak the language well and can read and write it too.
It actually makes little difference. Many times I wish I had not heard what is said sneakily behind our backs, and sometimes to our faces too, by Thais who really should know better.
We very often have to pay more than locals for the same service, I wonder why that is?
We are outsiders and always will be, it doesnt matter how long we have been here. The only Thais who can truly relate to westerners are those Thais who have been educated abroad and are fluent in English.
The main problem with retirement in Hua Hin, is boredom that sets in after the second or third year.
I dont drink and I dont play golf, I cannot get a work permit, there are no evening classes where I could learn or study. Other non drinking non golfing foreigners have the same complaints.
Hua Hin would be a good town to escape the harsh Northern European winters, but 12 months A year here is starting to drive me, and my Thai wife a little crazy. She also longs for the opportunities available in England to productively fill ones spare time.
Once you have travelled around the country and seen all the sights, you come to the realisation that Hua Hin, as pleasant as it is, offers very little to engage the active mind, like most of Thailand.
It may be different for those with businesses here, but filling ones day becomes harder and harder the longer one stays here.
I wont even mention how the tsunami of development over the past few years has changed the area, and not always for the best.
I know quite a few long stayers who have had enough and left, and quite a few planning to leave, and I cant blame them after some of the experiences they have had at the hands of locals they thought of as friends. Ethics, loyalty and morality are qualities that can be very difficult to find here.
For those coming here to retire, think of it more as a holiday than as making a home here. Rent dont buy, and be just as suspicious of foreign owned businesses as of local businesses. Do your homework extremely well and be very careful who you trust and believe.
For most though, it can never be home, but it can be a pleasant way to pass a few years, providing your expectations are not too high.
