Pattaya Questions, after Due Dilengence

[Gaybutton]

2 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I often wonder where all the Farang business owners of Sunee Plaza of 20 years ago are now?

Plenty more other than only Sunee Plaza.  Some were Thai owners.  I have no idea what became of any of them.  Some farang owners are still around.  Some returned to their home counties.  Some died.  One or two might be in prison.  Others seem to have simply vanished from the face of the earth.

[floridarob]

3 hours ago, Gaybutton said:

Ok, so I'll post the question:  If anyone reading this post tried living in Thailand, but eventually left, why did you leave?

I think the question isn't exclusive to Thailand....could be Florida, Las Vegas, Punta Cana, where I live in Mexico, the answers will all be for similar reasons.

People move, looking for a clean start, but so many end up returning to where they came from, their comfort zone.

This article is a little old, but probably still true. The typical American lives only 18 miles from their mother....

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/24/upshot/24up-family.html

Not everyone is able to pick up and move to another state and even fewer to another country, especially where the language and culture is so different.

 

[12is12]

How many expats r living there? Scores? Hundreds? Thousands?

[Londoner]

I suspect the numbers of new retirees may be dropping. When I considered relocating about fifteen years ago, the UK pound was worth 70 baht; now it hovers around 40.

Many expats who arrived a decade or so ago must have felt a serious decline in their living standards. Some may well have left. Others may be struggling.  Some falangs, whom I see around Pattaya Tai for example, appear to be experiencing hard times.

[zoomomancs]

After going to Thailand from the UK some 4 times a year for 6 years I thought seriously about moving there. Maybe to Jomtien. The holiday lifestyle reduces the pain from a health condition so I was tempted. What stopped me was the reality of losing the NHS as I get older and knowing that what I can afford to do on holiday would not be possible all year round if I was there. As long as I can, I will go 4 times a year to the region, as I like Vietnam too. 

[Olddaddy]

13 minutes ago, zoomomancs said:

After going to Thailand from the UK some 4 times a year for 6 years I thought seriously about moving there. Maybe to Jomtien. The holiday lifestyle reduces the pain from a health condition so I was tempted. What stopped me was the reality of losing the NHS as I get older and knowing that what I can afford to do on holiday would not be possible all year round if I was there. As long as I can, I will go 4 times a year to the region, as I like Vietnam too. 

I'm not sure exactly how the NHS works ,I guess the same as Australia  Medicare system,

However I still prefer to take out private health insurance BUPA which I pay $230 a month because I prefer to get into private hospital within a week rather than wait months in the free public health system.

I can't imagine how long I would of waited to have my throat checked under the free Australian Medicare system if I didn't have private health insurance,probably would if been months .

So saying that if I moved to Asia I would spend that $230 a month in insurance anyway .

Every time I go to Asia I get my teeth done as dentist is not free in Australia.

I don't know the NHS in the UK if there are waiting lists for non urgent surgery,I guess you have the option of paying private health insurance too though 

 

 

 

[kokopelli 2]

On 9/6/2022 at 6:40 PM, 12is12 said:

Kokopelli, pls elaborate; ur comment is very enlightening. 

Cld u estimate how may farangs have relocated to Pattaya? Common features (age, origin, financial situation, sexual orientation, working/retired, etc)?

Do they live with their young companions?

Is such relocation a constant trend?

12is12, Difficult to give answers to your questions. People I know are all gay and older and retired. Some have plenty of money and others are not as fortunate!  Many have younger companions or associate via apps with young guys on a regular basis.

Is such relocation a constant trend?  That I don't know! Covid had put a stop to the usual tourist  traffic although it is now reviving.  Obviously it is the older crowd that are retiring here as expats.

[Gaybutton]

22 hours ago, 12is12 said:

How many expats r living there? Scores? Hundreds? Thousands?

According to a Google search:  "There are an estimated 15,000 foreign retirees in Pattaya, according to police Col. Khemmarin Pissamai"

Just how many of that number consists of gay expat retirees - I have no idea.  Your guess is as good as anybody's.

I think it is an exercise in futility to try to guess how many that might be.  Too many factors and variables.

[12is12]

Thx 

Wsnt intrstd in exct nmbrs.

OOH: assuming that gays constitute 10% of population, but given the gay alure in Pattaya, one wld expect circa 2,000.

OTOH: according to reports here, by those of u very well acquainted with the place, about nmbr of patrons in gay venues - the total is apparently much smaller.

[kokopelli 2]

Many of the gays don't patronize gay venues thus the smaller numbers.

[onlymeno]

On 9/4/2022 at 9:11 AM, floridarob said:

Argentina def hairy....Brazil, never been with a hairy guy, never been with a white Brasilian....only brown for me and smooth. I lived in Brasil for a bit, the cost of sex at todays exchange rates....and let me remind you that it's great sex 99% of the time is about 1/2 that of Thailand, without the drama and up to you. 

I believe what keeps people from going is the language, in Thailand is easier to find someone that speaks bits of English than in many Latin countries.

Thai is a tonal language.. more difficult to acquire.  Spanish and Portuguese not so much... and French, Spanish, & Italian are Latin based languages with many commonalities.

[vinapu]

14 hours ago, onlymeno said:

Thai is a tonal language.. more difficult to acquire.  Spanish and Portuguese not so much... and French, Spanish, & Italian are Latin based languages with many commonalities.

that's correct about Thai being more difficult but still like floridarob said :" in Thailand is easier to find someone that speaks bits of English than in many Latin countries."

[Travellerdave]

Over the years pre Covid I spent a lot of afternoons on the gay beach and very often got into conversation with other gays of various nationalities. Principle subjects discussed were health and medical, pensions, the visa rules, price of condos and of course boys. Many said they hardly ever visited the boy bars and if they did it was just to socialise with friends, but nevertheless most had Asian boyfriends either currently or in the past.  One said that the gogo’s were just for boy orientated tourists like me.
the figure on 12is12’s post of 2000 gay expats could be right but I see no.prospect of the Thais doing a census. I’ve never been an expat - my longest stay was about 2007 when I spent 2 1/2 months in Thailand.