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Loneliness is a problem all over the world these days for people of all ages. But certainly culture and language issues exacerbate the isolation.

This thread has obviously touched a cord with many. I'm among those who make multiple annual trips and don't like to be away from Bangkok for more than three months. Much of that has to do with a particular guy I've become close with over the past seven years. There are other reasons of course that I believe many of us share. But as for living there, I couldn't do it for a variety of factors, the cost of health care at my age among them. Of all the factors cited above, I think loneliness can be the most debilitating. How we choose to deal with it affects us physically and emotionally.

Many thousands of people still die from AIDS. Treatments today mean HIV isn't the death sentence it once was but there are still 10's of thousands of deaths each year for many reasons.

it's only because your country never came to terms with atrocities of Stalinist era. Russian 's victims were mainly other Russians

Trying to understand now why I decided against relocation in 2004, despite the financial, sexual and romantic advantages, I come down to this one decisive issue; I knew Pattaya only as a holiday destination, three or four times a year. What was so attractive to me, apart from the obvious, was the fact that it was different, very different, to my life in London. I decided that, were I an expat there, the changes in scenery, routine and sources of enjoyment, would no longer be as attractive as they were, and indeed remain for me as a tourist. There are, of course, some disadvantages for someone enjoying his one and only gay LTR....but that's another story. As long as I am fit enough to travel comfortably, I remain confident I have made the right choice.

that's Picasso

I bought a 2 bed 2 bath unit in Bangkok in 1999. I had no other property and so it was primarily for longer term retirement while being rented in the meantime. Fortunately the market was low following the Asian Economic Crisis and I got a top floor 82 sq.m. apartment in a new condo in a very quiet residential district very close to the centre of the city for 2.8 million. It has a pool, sauna, gym and excellent mangement team. Having rented - usually, thankfully, with employers paying the rent - during the previous 20 or so years I wanted a place of my own with my own furniture and fittings. Being the top floor, I had the roof insulated which keeps the temperature no warmer than in floors below. As we sit on the balcony having drinks, we have a great mostly green view with almost no traffic noise. I'm told it's now worth about 175% more than I paid. Not a great return but you have to factor in the dot.com bubble, the SARS downturn and the 2008 financial crisis. Plus I ended up living here far earlier in 2002. So I have not had to pay rent which for this area would have been at least 7 million over 20 years. Total management fees have totalled around 850,000. The flat took a long time to find, but I've been extremely happy living in this area and having my own property.

From The Nation Breaking a political standstill that has lasted nearly 100 days, Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin succeeded in becoming Thailand’s 30th prime minister. After hours of debate, the former real estate tycoon received ….(vote)… votes in the joint sitting on Tuesday. He required only 374 votes. Srettha was proposed by a Pheu Thai-led coalition, comprising 11 parties who together have a majority of seats in the lower house – 314 seats. The allocation of ministerial posts was made before today's PM election. After assuming office, the Pheu Thai-led government pledged to put forward an agenda for amending the present Constitution in its first Cabinet meeting. It claims the 2017 charter is Thailand's current problem. On the same day, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Thailand after spending 15 years living in self-exile.

It was 30-40 years ago. We're talking about men today who 40 years ago were in their 20's and 30's. One can always make new friends, but these friends do not have the benefit of experiencing your life with you. You can't replace a friend who shared your formative, prime years with you, who remembers those funny stories you'd rather forget. Who can remind you of all the good times you might forget. And vice versa. It gets harder to forge those kinds of connections. And if one lost a lover? Grief can be painful and long lasting. It's just a thought. Another might be that they're a product of the changing times. Men who followed the pattern of society; find a girl, get married, have kids.... and soon found themselves at 50+, with the kids having flown the nest and an unhappy wife, and in a society that now widely accepting of gay people. They leave their life behind to try to capture their lost youth, severing ties with their old social networks... and failing to find a new one. Just hypothesis

in short his health is good according to his age. I don't think he will spend much time there, he either will be pardoned or released on health grounds

Last night in Dodo bar... 20230821_235834.mp4

It would be great fun. But a closed frontage is not going to stop the BIB. Some other owner will get pissed off at the custom that bar is attracting and submit an anonymous tip. And that will lead to an anonymous raid. Hope I'm wrong, though.

I honestly don't know what these old folk spend their money on? Rent? 10k? Ok... about right. Food? well, 50b for a quick meal. 100b for a nice one. Do that each day is 4500 a month. Bills? 1500 a month if your not living in a freezer. Let's round that up to 17000. Clothes, Lazada, home supplies, clothing, 3000? So? 20k.... If you want to eat out at a western restaurant every night, you are screwed. But when in Rome..... Expat life can be very reasonable. I admit I spend a lot more, but I could live on 30-35k if I needed, and still have boys. As said before, boys are cheaper when you are a known expat. They contact you!

Last night was bored, so went into Las Vegas because a bartender I've known for years told me he'd be working. I posted on my FB that , even in a communist country they allow drag shows, not like in Florida and much of the south trying to eliminate them....think about that 😆 It was pretty empty, but one 22yr old caught my eye, he wanted $40 usd...I told him to remember where he is, CUBA! We agreed on $25 but he was the type that doesn't touch or suck dick, he'll fuck you and you can blow him..... Always amazes me that these guys that aren't gay have a raging hard on before they take off their underwear, lol Since I haven't seen anything else interesting, I'll probably see him again today. Cuba has advanced to where most people have access to internet on their phones, however, slow and unreliable it is....can stay in touch via Whatsapp. Still no plans on returning anytime soon .... will be in Bali, Pattaya, BKK in 10 days

government pensions are not meant to provide for living , are meant to prevent dying from hunger

as I said already, by moving there permanently one deprives himself one of great pleasures of live - annual trip to Thailand

I wish that d**n moustache would! Don't misunderstand me, I Iove Thai guys but moustaches on twinks just don't "work" on them!

It's not only the Healthcare issue what happened if suddenly there are serious health problems who will take care of us and pay the costs in Thailand? Back in the days when there was many bars in Sunee every time bar was closed it was because the falang owner died or had health problems and returned to his country to take care of himself.

Well we went for a morning walk, hair cut, then swimming. Had a shower and he fell asleep. As they do.. We did both wave to "aussie_" though as he was enjoying coffee with 3 friends. It's day 4 now. He's sleeping (00:27). We had a good night!

I'd suggest its a paradise compared to some drab and boring run of the mill town in the middle of nowhere, with winter bringing short days and cold weather that doesn't agree with old bones But one mans paradise is anothers hell, I guess

Big airlines have an added incentive to keep every seat filled now that American Airlines inked a new contract with its pilots calling for immediate raises of 21% with compensation increasing more than 46% over the duration of the four-year agreement. Some would see this signaling higher fares but tickets are--and always have been post deregulation--price elastic. Demand ultimately determines what passengers are willing to pay and what carriers need to do to maximize yield. Other major carriers are also following suit as unions representing flight attendants and mechanics also take advantage of the resurgent interest in travel.

I guess my food bill would be more than 150b a day ! 😄 I did eat at SINT cafe a few mornings , and Dolce Vita but yes eating farang food would go over your budget if you have to scrimp by. I would have to have Air Con though , wouldn't be able to live in a fan room.

I used to always say I never wanted to take a cruise, but I did take a Med cruise on Virgin Voyages last autumn. The ship was quite nice. I enjoyed the ports. Their ships are more mid-sized than this and don't have all of the outdoor entertainment things like waterslides and go kart tracks. But they are "adults only" so they don't put a lot of those things that would cater more to kids and families. I was traveling solo and I am pretty introverted so I didn't do much socializing. But I think if I had gone with a group of friends I would have enjoyed it more.

The gay community is being hit the hardest by monkeypox, according to the Department for Disease Control (DDC). From July last year to this April, all reported cases involved foreigners, but most recent cases occurred within he Thai population, the Bangkok Post is reporting. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2633254/bangkok-the-worst-hit-by-monkeypox-virus-spread

Thailand I knew first 20 years ago could be an option for retirement you could do monthly visa run for years easily, no restrictions on entertainment venues at all and everything was ridiculously cheap .nowadays everything changed completely lots of beurocracy, capricious government decisions, many restrictions on entertainment venues , restricted immigration policy and Thailand is not cheap as it used to be.in these conditions it's not a retirement option for me.

My feelings exactly. Having made as many visits as I have I think I know Thailand is not the place (for me) for longer than a few weeks. It's great when one's focus is a sexcapade. Not a place for settling down and dealing with cultural differences, language and bureaucracy. As Olddaddy pointed out, one will need something else to do besides boys. I like the thrill of looking forward to a visit and arriving. Staying will not give me the same thrill.

2005 - 73 baht/£ 2020 - 38 baht/£ (currently 45 baht/£) A £1k/month pension worth 73k baht in 2005 worth 45k baht today and that doesn't even consider inflation, etc.

10 years ago, I decided, for me, Thailand is a place to visit and to have fun, not a place to live.

The blush on the rose of being in paradise isn't long lasting for many expats, no matter the country - particularly if the expat hasn't prepared himself for the cultural and language differences - and if financial insecurity circles overhead. One can only spend so much time in a bar offing MB / garotos, cruising public spaces, surfing social media / sex sites. There's more to life. 😁 And if the expat doesn't have a partner or a steady, loneliness and depression can and will set-in.

rare situation, biggest party in parliament bypassed from forming government. That and 11 parties in cabinet doesn't seems to promise stable government. As for lese majeste law , law is not a problem , what counts is it's how it's applied.

It will be fun to see it navigate a gale. Or not.

This also highlights the appalling level of UK pensions. Like a lot of members here, I worked in the UK all my life, good job, and paid literally millions in Insurance contributions. I was happy, just about, to pay these, but my state pension after all that is £791pm, even after the recent inflation rise. Around THB 34,000.

I think perhaps we have a tendency to forget that some will have retired here in the late 1990s/early 2000s - maybe with a nest egg pre-full retirement and the start of a pension. And the Thailand they then knew and loved has changed dramatically during the intervening years. It's not just the bars - although the changes there have been radical. The country has been through major political and inflationary changes. For what I expect is a good few, it is no longer the same country. I have written some time ago about two English expats who moved in to the apartment next to me around 2002. Neither had more than a small state pension but one had been left a considerable amount of money in his mother's will. So they decided to retire to Asia, a continent they hardly knew. At first they fancied Singapore as they had been there before. Once their one year rental was up, they knew the city state was far too expensive for them. So they moved into a studio flat off Saladaeng in the hope of finding somewhere suitable in Bangkok. Eventually they did. My building has several apartment sizes. For whatever reason, they purchased by far the largest at over 200 sq. meters with 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen and huge living room - for what I believe was then around 7 million baht. They lived quite frugally, hardly ever travelled, cooked their own meals. One really enjoyed nightly visits to Telephone Bar, but only for a drink and to chat to expat friends. The other would troll around Silom Complex hoping to meet up with guys from time to time. But like many, after the financial crisis of 2008, their nest egg had reduced more than expected. At that time they should have seen the writing on the wall. If they did, they just decided to do nothing about it. By around 2012, though, they realised they had to sell the apartment. But such a big space in a quiet residential district quite far from public transport is too large for most Thais. Even with a number of Embassies and Consulates nearby, it is also too big for their staff. Thus the apartment remained unsold for 3 years. When they did manage to sell it, instead of the 13 million they wanted, they let it go for 9.3 million. It went to a middle-aged expat. After a year he decided he did not like it much and put it on the market. Unlike the two previous owners, he gave it to Thai rather than expat agents to sell. Pretty soon he got 16 million for it! Those property woes aside, the two expats idiotically moved into another large rented flat, still not far from Telephone. Soon they were in serious financial trouble. By 2019 I expect they bribed agents to come up with the 1.6 million they needed for annual visa renewals. Then something went seriously wrong. Exactly what, I never found out. But within 3 months of getting those renewals, they were unable to pay their rent. Soon they were borrowing money from anyone who would lend them anything. Next it was begging for money for food. Over the next 6 months from roughly November until the next visa renewal in May, the landlord cut off all water and electricity. When the visas could not be renewed, it took Immigration just a few days to locate them, put them into custody and then deport them. Since neither had any form of accommodation in the UK, I hate to think what happened to them. Both were in their mid-80s. A cautionary tale, to be sure. But it illustrates how some visa dodgers can now be quickly located.

This is very true and I have seen it more times than I care to remember. But then I have lived here more than 2 decades. As I have posted elsewhere, i never intended to move to Bangkok until retirement, even though I had purchased a condominium in 1999. With the finances of my small business in Hong Kong crashing through the floor when the effects of the Asian Economic Crisis hit Hong Kong last, I virtually had no option but to move to Bangkok and run the business from here. That actually worked far better than I expected even with almost monthly commuting and I kept busy with that till around 2017 when I finally closed it. For much of the time since then I have had a partner which means life is never boring. I also do some freelance work overseas. We have a small circle of close friends, two of whom I knew for decades in Hong Kong. So what with a bit of work, socialising and reasonably regular travel, I keep myself quite busy. If I had to live here on a minimum income and depend on money boys for company, I certainly would suffer from crashing boredom and loneliness. All I can add is that i knew Bangkok and Thailand extremely well before I decided to move here. I would always suggest that anyone even remotely thinking about moving here first come here for at least two extended visits of several months each. Get rid of the illusionary glitz and glamour of the country before considering moving to settle down here.

It's the law! When Interior Minister Purachai launched his Social Order campaign in the early 2000s, he introduced nightllife zoning and restricted certain areas for 'fun' activites. I believe Jomtien Complex is not one of the areas. In this respect, one would assume that monthly fat brown envelopes would satisfy the BIB. But with so many bars clustered in one area, if one is allowed to get away with go-go type activity, others will either complain and have it shut down or will also want to get in on the act. The latter, I expect, would draw the attention of the athorities and almost immediate closures.

From Thai PBS World U.S. President Joe Biden will sign a strategic partnership agreement with Vietnam during a state visit to the Southeast Asian country in mid-September, Politico reported on Friday, citing three people with knowledge of the deal’s planning. The agreement will allow for new bilateral collaboration that will boost Vietnam’s efforts to develop its high technology sector in areas including semiconductor production and artificial intelligence, Politico said. A source familiar with the plans told Reuters on Friday that Biden was weighing a September trip to Vietnam. Biden said earlier this month that he would be traveling to Vietnam “shortly” because the country wanted to elevate its relationship with the United States and become a major partner. The White House has not confirmed plans for the trip. At a meeting in April, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed a desire to deepen ties as Washington seeks to solidify relations with partners in Asia to counter an increasingly assertive China. Officials have not said what the closer relationship might entail, but experts say it could include increased military cooperation and U.S. weapon supplies. By Reuters

you take cruise to get sick or have fun? Or both ?

Yes, I can see how farangs who move to Thailand to be with a Thai boy, and do not put the effort in to build/maintain a social network of friends may find themselves stuck and alone; with the choice seeming like to be lonely in a paradise, or lonely in greyer, colder climes.

I'm a Londoner; the cultural, political and sporting life of the city is part of the very fabric of my body....but heaven knows how I'd cope without my regular trips to Thailand to be with P. And to enjoy chicken and cashew nuts, naturally.

it will be interesting to see if they manage to get much done. Seems like a fairly unwieldy coalition but I guess they only need 251 votes to do things in the House.

John McCain is more of an unknown to younger Americans but older generations still honor and respect both his physical and political courage. A maverick in every sense of his life, McCain was true to his ideals to the very end. When the terminally-ill senator cast the deciding vote that preserved the Affordable Care Act in 2017, he defeated Trump's attempt to relegate Obama Care to the dustbin of history. Had he not resisted ll attempts by his party to vote with Trump, millions of low income citizens would today be without health care coverage. He truly understood and was inspired by the best traditions of his office. He also embraced the grace of being both forgiven and forgiving.

Most rentals I’ve seen in Pattaya have real cheap , uncomfortable furniture. Like a 4 or 5 million baht condo, and they have plastic chairs , ugly tables and depressing crap on the walls.

I really wonder how true this now is. Until about 4 years ago, the 800,000 minimum had to be in the bank account for 3 months. Immigration demanded a copy of the bankbook updated on the date of application to check this. (All major banks have ATM machines in the basement at the immigration Department for this purpose). I can't imagine visa agents would be prepared to cough up 800,000 for 3 whole months. If I am correct, then it must have been crook Immigration officers who turned a blind eye to this mandatory requirement in return for a substantial brown envelope. But the situation now is even more of a problem for those taking the 800,000 route. I made a slight error in an earlier post. I believe now the requirement is that 800,000 must be in the bankbook for 2 complete months prior to the date of appication PLUS 3 months following that date. Thereafter the amount goes down to a mandatory 400,000 for 7 months. In the first year, a retiree can obviously get away without those 3 additional months. But if another year is required, the total of 5 months is essential. Again I cannot see agents lending retirees that amount of cash for such a long period, but perhaps I am wrong. I think the big concern for all existing retirees is that the amounts of 65,000 monthly/ 800,000 annually have been in place for many years. Given that Thailand Elite is raising its fees by at least 50% and some senior Immigration officers have been calliing for higher payments from retirees, how likely is it that these amounts will continue to remain at these levels? The outrage and anger shown by existing Elite members when told existing benefits would be unilaterally withdrawn did result in the Elite organisation facing an embarrassing climb down. As one who took the 800,000 route prior to becoming an Elite basic member 3 years ago, I think I might now be concerned. No amount of retiree outrage will change a future government decision if that raises annual retiree payments, of that I am 99% sure.

I would say, fortunately there are ways around this! Just because someone does not have or wish to deposit 800,000 in an account does not mean they are destitute. The 800,000/annual is about equivalent to the monthly 65,000 required for a retirement extension. At one time it was possible to get a certificate from your Embassy showing that your monthly income was 65K or more and no problem. Then many Embassies would no longer certify that even though their citizens met the requirement. (Some Embassies still do this certification). The visa agents now provided a service to those who do not have or do not wish to deposit 800,000 in an account. Citizen still can opt for the 65 K monthly deposits but that can be tricky at times so easier to use an agent.

Whatever it is, I am sure that a deal, with appropriate emoluments has already bee done!

Not a BBB Guy! mine is the Oldest Twink in Thailand!

Got one of them naked on my sofa at the moment. Oops

I have lived in Thailand for almost twelve years now, and I have a work pension of 60,000 Baht a month and next year I can claim my old age pension. What has hurt me a lot was the UK vote to leave the European Union. The day before the vote the exchange rate was 56 Baht to the UK pound, the day after it fell to 36! Currently it is around 44 so still a serious loss of income.

certainly there will be some who underestimated cost on living abroad, perhaps moved when exchange rates were more favourable and now they are stuck. They still have advantage over tourist of knowing best places to east and shop. When I visited Pattaya first about 10 years ago my first impression and it's recorded somewhere in the forum in my report was many sad looking farangs walking the streets. It was bit depressing. Although it could be other factors like loneliness or poor health , not just economic woes

either Sunee, Jomtien or Boyztown are good to do your search, first pick up boy you like , then tell him what you want. Asking him to come during day next day saves you bar's off fee. Searching can be more fun than actual encounter