Where do you all live & are you planning on living in Asia ?

[fedssocr]

In the USA, near Washington DC. I expect to keep my home base here. All of my closest friends are here now. But my expectation is that I will travel a good bit. I think I'd like to spend a couple of months out of the year in Thailand. We've discussed this a bit in a number of other threads. Without being fluent in the language I think it would be difficult to expect to stay there full time. And without a support network it could be especially difficult.

My mother and other family are in Florida. But I hate Florida so I don't plan to move there. If my mom is still alive when I retire I will likely spend more time there though.

A lot might depend on political and economic situations. There are lots of gloomy projections for the next decade or so out there right now.

[Shonen]

I’m 64 and live 7 months in USA and 5 months in Pattaya. I love my time in Thailand but my time in the USA is rather depressing. I do like the cooler weather, and I eat healthier, but my best friends have died and I hate constantly driving everywhere here.

I watch too much tv here also. In Thailand it’s easy meeting new people and nice being near the beach. I’ll be in Thailand in a month, can’t wait to play pool and swim in one also.

[kokopelli 2]

I live in Pattaya.

[xpaulo]

Live in western Canada. I'm retired now and no plans to live elsewhere. Where I am is a nice place to live. I can travel when I want to. Some Americans in a nearby community across the border joke about the "joyous mediocrity" of my town, nothing too polished, nothing too worn out, a sort of triumph of the middle class.  In other words, good enough is good enough, it's almost a motto in Canada.

[scott456]

No, I am not planning on living in Asia.

[Olddaddy]

1 hour ago, scott456 said:

No, I am not planning on living in Asia.

You plan to stay in America?😳

 

 

[a-447]

Although I live in Australia I would be very happy to live in or near Tokyo.

I don't have any family but I have lots of friends in both countries. I will now probably just stay here a a couple of years ago  I built my dream home by the ocean and it would be silly to give that up now. I like lots and lots of space - something that is hard to find in Japanese houses. Most of the rooms remain unused, but it's nice to know that they're there just in case. 

During Covid I had a live-in "friend" to look after me, so to speak. He lived on the other side of the house because I like my own space and enjoy being by myself sometimes.

When I was living in Tokyo my apartment was considered quite large by Japanese standards ( my company owned it, not me ) but compared to my present house it was very tiny indeed. But while I was living in it, it never occurred to me how small it was. I guess you get used to it. I don't know if I could do that now.

There is no jet lag between Perth and Tokyo so it's easy to fly back and forth as I wish.

So I guess I'm attracted to the space. And anyway, the Japanese summer is unbearable!

[alvnv]

I live in the US, but I would like to retire abroad. So far, I’m considering Mexico, North-Western Mediterranean, or Thailand. As much as I would like to retire at 60, I may have to wait till I’m 65 in order to secure finances to allow a comfortable living.

[Olddaddy]

2 minutes ago, alvnv said:

I live in the US, but I would like to retire abroad. So far, I’m considering Mexico, North-Western Mediterranean, or Thailand. As much as I would like to retire at 60, I may have to wait till I’m 65 in order to secure finances to allow a comfortable living.

Don't leave it to long though.

Unfortunately here in Australia you can't get the government old age pension to 67yo😳

[billyhouston]

I intended to retire at 55, but changing pension regulations made that impossible and the choice became 50 or 60. It didn't take long to decide; going to 60 meant more money but retiring at 50 meant more fun. I spend 7+ months in Thailand and the rest in UK. I would rather spend much more time in Thailand but a fairly large house and garden make that unrealistic. Downsizing is coming up but I need to retain some sort of 'pad' in UK. Given that it's difficult to obtain permanent residence in Thailand and, as far as I'm aware, impossible to gain citizenship, I don't feel able to cut all my ties with the UK much as I might wish to do so.

[maump]

I live in a university town in central Pennsylvania USA, just turned 65.  I have a condo in Ocala Florida.  My plan was sell the pa house move to the condo.  Then try living 3 months at a time in various countries. But husband says no to florida. My main countries of interest Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines.  If I find the right place then leave USA mostly behind. (Husband can stay in condo)  I spent 45 days in Thailand, 35 Colombia. The rest are only known to me from the men I slept with.  Each has advantages and disadvantages.  Thai and Filipinos are friendly and the best bottoms.  Latins are passionate with big cocks.  Food is best in Vietnam, Thailand.  SeAsia is safer I think. Latin closer to home. Medical care probably better in Thailand....  Cost is best in Colombia, Vietnam, Philippines...  Weather is best in Medellin.  

So the current plan is leave husband in pa, start spending time exploring and fucking my way thru those countries.  Any advice is welcome! 

[floridarob]

1 hour ago, maump said:

My main countries of interest Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines.

 

1 hour ago, maump said:

Any advice is welcome! 

You got all the right countries down....just go enjoy!

[xpaulo]

3 hours ago, billyhouston said:

it's difficult to obtain permanent residence

A guy I know married a Thai woman about ten years ago and has lived there ever since. He loves it and hardly ever returns to Canada for visits. On Facebook they appear to have a good life, fantastic meals, lots of travelling around the country to resorts and such. During the pandemic they posted photos of staying in beautiful resorts with almost no other guests. He has a Canadian government employee pension and she seemed pretty well set up before they got married. A small business and nice middle class (I guess) house in the country. I've never had a chance to ask him about adjusting to life in a foreign country, but they seem to be very happy together. It's not the older western guy, young Asian woman stereotype. They're about the same age and he's not the domineering husband type, but maybe a little juvenile. I think she's probably a benevolent ruler in the household.

[xpaulo]

On 9/19/2022 at 12:59 AM, a-447 said:

I built my dream home by the ocean

The first time I visited some friends in Perth, I fell in love with it and wanted to move there. It seemed like a paradise (I live in Canada). On my second visit I developed a more realistic view. But I still believe it would probably be one of the best places in the world to live for me. I really liked the Australian cities. Except Adelaide. I don't know why it didn't appeal to me.

[Olddaddy]

1 hour ago, xpaulo said:

The first time I visited some friends in Perth, I fell in love with it and wanted to move there. It seemed like a paradise (I live in Canada). On my second visit I developed a more realistic view. But I still believe it would probably be one of the best places in the world to live for me. I really liked the Australian cities. Except Adelaide. I don't know why it didn't appeal to me.

Sydney is great, big Gay population,plenty of Thai Boyz 

[scott456]

On 9/19/2022 at 12:19 AM, Olddaddy said:

You plan to stay in America?😳

 

 

Yes, I will stay in America and travel worldwide frequently.  One day when I am too old to travel, I will just rest in America till the end of my time.  I have made plan for my final arrangement including a cemetery plot here in America.  Many years ago, I did a long stay in BKK for 1.5 years.  I decided Thailand was not for me.

[Gaybutton]

4 hours ago, scott456 said:

Many years ago, I did a long stay in BKK for 1.5 years.  I decided Thailand was not for me.

That was the smart thing to do and is what I always recommend.  If serious about moving to Thailand, if possible try a long term stay first before committing and make sure to leave yourself an escape route in case it doesn't work out.  Thailand is not for everybody.  People very quickly find out that actually living in Thailand is very different from a holiday in Thailand.

You did it just right.  People like me are living in Thailand because it did work out and we are here because we want to be here - and wanting to be here is a far cry from finding yourself stuck here.

It is reminiscent of that old saying - "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."

Folks, if you are serious about wanting to live in Thailand, make sure you are doing your thinking with your head, not your crotch.

[TMax]

The advice I was given by friends many years ago when I was a frequent traveller to the Philippines and considering the Philippines as a retirement option was (as stated above) to go for a lengthy stay first then decide on whether to make the move or not. The second piece of advice I find just as valid today as it was back then is to have something to come back to, a house or apartment etc, things may be all rosey for a while but there is always a chance things can go bad and a person would need an escape route. Things do change and it could be the new lifestyle in a foreign country wears a bit thin, health deteriorates etc. I've been retired for 8 years now, still only in my mid 60's and the thought of making a move is still in my head and is still a possibility in the years to come. 

[PeterRS]

I think I have problably told my story too many times before - so apologies in advance to those who know it. I gave up my job and rented apartment in the UK in my 20s. I had always been adventurous, loved travelling and visited several Europen countries. Then I went to the USA and decided I wanted to work in New York, a city which amazed and captivated me. I returned for a vacation two months later trying to find work. But there seemed none available. Almost immediately on my return a friend asked if I would like to work in Hong Kong. My initial reaction was 'No'. I wanted to go west not east. I knew virtually nothing about Asia apart from a little about the war in Vietnam and the Cultural Revolution in China. But it would be a part of the world I could explore. Even if I disliked the job, it would give me a chance to see quite a bit of Asia that I might never again have a chance of seeing. This was after all a time before mass travel to Asia apart from occasional stopovers on the kangaroo route to Australia.

So I did the interview and was offered the job. I dithered for 24 hours as it was a really major move into the unknown. Then I signed the contract. 6 weeks later I was in one of the most stunning and fascinating cities in the world (at that time). Once settled into the job and my lovely apartment (being on expatriate terms thankfully I had an accommodation allowance), I was hooked. I stayed there for far longer than the initial 2 years of my contract - 20 in fact. I explored most of Asia including Bhutan in the year when it had total tourist numbers of just 17,300 (in 2019 it was 319,000). I had also spent 2 years working in Tokyo, a city I found as fascinating as Hong Kong and where I would love to have lived - had there been a job and enough salary to afford it! On all my travels I indulged in a gay lifestyle I could never have dreamed of when I had started working in the UK.

In the mid-1990s I had to decide: do I remain in Asia for the rest of my life or should I consider returning to the west? It did not take me long to decide Asia was my home. With a view to eventual retirement, I purchased a small condo in a very quiet residential part of Bangkok. I had visited Bangkok so many dozens of times and enjoyed so much of what it offered, particularly gay life, even though I was aware that later in life I hoped to be settled down with a partner rather than being a typical expat butterfly. So it has worked out.

Only once have I considered returning to the UK. I had had an excellent medical insurance policy for decades. By the time I reached 55 I was shocked at the premium increase. Looking at the estimates of forward premiums I realised I had to change to one that would be more suited to Thailand than worldwide.Before the next major premium hike at age 60, I consulted a poster on another Board who the Board owner had consistently recommended as being the best for medical insurance advice. After exchanges of emails and meeting him twice, I went with one of his recommendations. For a few years all went well. Then in the space of just two renewals, I was faced with 103% premium increase. I was furious with this "expert" but also at myself. Had I checked on the insurance company, I would have noticed a lot of correspondence on the internet about its hooking in older people with lower premiums which then get jacked up massively after 65 by which time finding any insurance can be extremely problematic. So I returned to the UK one November/December to spend several weeks staying with many old friends and trying to find somewhere relatively inexpensive where I would be happy living even at the worst weather time. At least I would have the benefit of the National Health Service.

I found some beautiful parts in the north west of Scotland and in south east England. But I knew my heart and my mind were by then rooted in Asia. So I felt I had to find a way of making Bangkok work for the future. Thankfully I did. Now, apart from Taipei and Tokyo where I have a network of friends, I could never consider living anywhere else.

[Olddaddy]

5 hours ago, TMax said:

The advice I was given by friends many years ago when I was a frequent traveller to the Philippines and considering the Philippines as a retirement option was (as stated above) to go for a lengthy stay first then decide on whether to make the move or not. The second piece of advice I find just as valid today as it was back then is to have something to come back to, a house or apartment etc, things may be all rosey for a while but there is always a chance things can go bad and a person would need an escape route. Things do change and it could be the new lifestyle in a foreign country wears a bit thin, health deteriorates etc. I've been retired for 8 years now, still only in my mid 60's and the thought of making a move is still in my head and is still a possibility in the years to come. 

Where in the Philippines would you consider?

I know Dumamagette now has the large farang population so they may be a option for me 

[xpaulo]

11 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

Sydney is great, big Gay population,plenty of Thai Boyz 

There was a cruising place there with an interesting set-up. They had a wall with glory holes. The guys standing there were about three or four feet higher than the guys standing on a sunken floor on the other side so their heads (mouths) were at about the same height as the dicks sticking out through the holes. I quite liked it.

[TMax]

54 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

Where in the Philippines would you consider?

I know Dumamagette now has the large farang population so they may be a option for me 

I like Baguio and I used to like Tagaytay for the cooler climate (in both places) however due to the Taal volcano Tagaytay is out of the question which is a pity as it was nice and close to Manila, Palawan is the other option I like but for the opposite reasons (nice and quiet and the people there are the friendliest I had met in the Philippines). Bonifacio Global City would be my choice if I was to choose to live in Manila, more up market and a much nicer part of the city. 

[Olddaddy]

3 hours ago, xpaulo said:

There was a cruising place there with an interesting set-up. They had a wall with glory holes. The guys standing there were about three or four feet higher than the guys standing on a sunken floor on the other side so their heads (mouths) were at about the same height as the dicks sticking out through the holes. I quite liked it.

The Toolshed , just near where my apartment is 😉

[Londoner]

Where to live and where to spend my holidays are two very different places. And long may they continue to be so.

[xpaulo]

15 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

The Toolshed , just near where my apartment is 😉

Wow, still there? There was a lot of activity the couple times I went.