Do you live in Thailand?

[Olddaddy]

Just wondering any members that live full time (retired) in Thailand ?

For those of you who live in Pattaya or Bangkok what do you do during the day ?🕺💃🕺🕺

I was contemplating buying a minimum 1 bedroom in Pattaya but I would get bored there full time at this stage of my life 🏢🏥

I couldn't see myself in a studio 

I did look last time and I would think I would be like to close to Jomtien complex although crossing that road everyday to the View talay's would be a headache 

Could you live full time in Pattaya or Bangkok alone at this stage of your life?

I guess if you had a boyfriend👦♂️ to live with it may be different and someone to be with , otherwise it would be bars at night 

Pattaya probably would be easier to make expat friends than Bangkok 

I couldn't see myself going to bars every night nor picking up boys👬 every night 

At this stage I'm holding off buying a Condo and will keep working full time 

I have looked at a few condos ,The Base ,Arcadia Beach, View talay etc but all seem too small 

 

 

[Keithambrose]

35 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

Just wondering any members that live full time (retired) in Thailand ?

For those of you who live in Pattaya or Bangkok what do you do during the day ?🕺💃🕺🕺

I was contemplating buying a minimum 1 bedroom in Pattaya but I would get bored there full time at this stage of my life 🏢🏥

I couldn't see myself in a studio 

I did look last time and I would think I would be like to close to Jomtien complex although crossing that road everyday to the View talay's would be a headache 

Could you live full time in Pattaya or Bangkok alone at this stage of your life?

I guess if you had a boyfriend👦♂️ to live with it may be different and someone to be with , otherwise it would be bars at night 

Pattaya probably would be easier to make expat friends than Bangkok 

I couldn't see myself going to bars every night nor picking up boys👬 every night 

At this stage I'm holding off buying a Condo and will keep working full time 

I have looked at a few condos ,The Base ,Arcadia Beach, View talay etc but all seem too small 

 

 

I thought you had a partner?

[ichigo]

Idea - if you were living in Pattaya, wouldn't you keep yourself occupied by running your bar that you are going to open?

[Olddaddy]

34 minutes ago, Keithambrose said:

I thought you had a partner?

I do but he is Filipino🇵🇭 and only 30👦 so he won't retire with me to Thailand and I'm not prepared to stay in Australia🇦🇺 until I die 

 

[Olddaddy]

30 minutes ago, ichigo said:

Idea - if you were living in Pattaya, wouldn't you keep yourself occupied by running your bar that you are going to open?

I'm thinking that ,maybe a small lounge🛋️ type bar ,just one shophouse with me sitting out the front on a sofa 💺🪑 ,no boys 

[bkkmfj2648]

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

Just wondering any members that live full time (retired) in Thailand ?

Yes I do - already since 2 years and 2 months

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

For those of you who live in Pattaya or Bangkok what do you do during the day ?🕺💃🕺🕺

I get up at the crack of dawn and go to the gym - my training starts at 7:50am - I finish the gym between 9:55am and 10:10am.  Then I go eat breakfast at Tinnies (the Australian place with the BEST bacon in all of Pattaya - in my opinion).  Then depending on the day, I grab a Bolt from Jomtien into almost North Pattaya where I go for my ED Shockwave treatment at 11:30am and that lasts for around 35 to 40 minutes - then I take a motorbike taxi to the TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) clinic - near Boyztown.  That lasts for about 10 to 15 minutes if it is not a day when they need to draw blood for the monthly stats.  Then the baht bus back to Jomtien, run local errands - like to FoodMart and/or 7-Eleven or to go see my viagra/cialis lady to stock up the supply.  Then home for a 2 hour nap. 

Then around 5pm or 6pm one of my 4 hands massage coordinators brings himself and another guy to massage me and have some fun.  Then clean up, myself, the bed, shower area and if one of them wants to go eat we usually go outside of the Jomtien Complex to grab a bite - it is usually Thai food.  Then head into the Jomtien Complex for a drink and by 9pm or 10pm I am craving my bed to catch up on some internet and/or watch some YouTube and then fall asleep.

Rinse and repeat and before you know it the week has finished.

On non gym days (there are 3) then my schedule is more free and I walk on the beach, or go to Koh Larn, or go into Central Pattaya to one of the malls, go see a movie - catch up with friends, etcetra 

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

I did look last time and I would think I would be like to close to Jomtien complex although crossing that road everyday to the View talay's would be a headache

You don't need to cross that busy road (Thappraya) - you can live in one of the many beach condos that are all within walking distance of the Jomtien Supertown Complex and the gay Dongtan beach.  They are:

• View Talay 7
• Jomtien Complex Condotel
• Grand Condotel
• View Talay 5 (there are 2)
• Jomtien Plaza Condotel

Of course you will pay more because the above condos are on or very near to the beach.  On the other side of the busy Thappraya road - there is View Talay 2 (2 buildings) and also View Talay 1 (2 buildings) that are much cheaper than the above listed on-the-beach condo list.

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

Could you live full time in Pattaya or Bangkok alone at this stage of your life?

Yes - easily.  Just realize to put into your budget 2 important factors:

• Boy tax - everytime you bring one to your room or do them in a massage and/or short time room there is a fee - these can become very expensive - so make sure that you have a way to finance all of this or you might need to join the PFC,
• NEW Thai government taxation (effective from 01-Jan-2024) on money that you bring into Thailand (i.e., remittances) as Assessable Income
• --> my Boy tax is already too high so when the government decided to get greedy - as I am already spending a considerable amount of my discretionary income in the local Thai economy - I decided that from 2025 forward I will only live in Thailand for less than 180 days for each alternating year - thus giving the money that I would have spent in Thailand to other nearby countries (The Philippines and Vietnam).

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

Pattaya probably would be easier to make expat friends than Bangkok

I do not agree with this statement.  It is easier to make expat friends with these 2 types of expats:

• those here on vacation,
• those who live here seasonally.

I found that the expats that live here full time are not easy to make friends with and in fact I have given up on this endeavor - and I instead concentrate making Thai friends.

Even my 1 local expat friend, JD100, is leaving Thailand due to this difficulty to make friends with the full time expats that live here.  There seems to be some kind of acid in the local water - as I cannot explain it but better to leave the hornets nest alone.

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

I couldn't see myself going to bars every night nor picking up boys👬 every night 

Yes I agree for 2 primary reasons:

• 1.) it can become too expensive,
• 2.) if you go into the Jomtien Complex too often the excitement wears off when the emphasis of 98% of the bar owners is that you as the farang = "farang sit and farang drink" - as I do not like to sit in a chair all night and I do not like to drink it becomes VERY lethargic and boring and unhealthy.  There is no excitement and there is no decent place where you can stand up and expend some energy - like a great place to dance with good music.

So, one of the nighttime alternatives can be to walk over to the gay volleyball on Dongtan beach near the Pattaya waterpark and Sea Rescue.  When I do it is a fun night because although I cannot play (I am not good enough) I can jump up and down and cheerlead the guys on and run after the stray balls to avoid that they get wet in the shoreline waves.  It is a social event where you walk around and not only sit on your ass all night - so it is not lethargic as a night out in the Jomtien Complex can be.

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

View talay etc but all seem too small 

This is incorrect.  All of the View Talays were built before this current fad to copy HongKong style small cramped dwellings - so I find the View Talays to be rather large.  Mine is 98 sqm with 2 sea facing balconies - more than enough for 1 person.

I have looked at many of the newer constructed beach condos and they are mostly all very small and VERY expensive.  My goal is to be in walking distance of the Jomtien Complex - so most of the newer constructed cramped buildings are too far away and would require that you either buy a motorbike and have to worry about having an accident or create a BIG dependency on BOLT for transportation purposes.

 

[bkkmfj2648]

Amazing views of Jomtien's Dongtan beach - especially when the sunsets behind Koh Larn island and also later into the night --> like right now.

This is the PRIMARY reason why I chose Jomtien over Bangkok - as I have an eternal affinity with the sea.

[WelshGuyUK]

44 minutes ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

Yes I do - already since 2 years and 2 months

I get up at the crack of dawn and go to the gym - my training starts at 7:50am - I finish the gym between 9:55am and 10:10am.  Then I go eat breakfast at Tinnies (the Australian place with the BEST bacon in all of Pattaya - in my opinion).  Then depending on the day, I grab a Bolt from Jomtien into almost North Pattaya where I go for my ED Shockwave treatment at 11:30am and that lasts for around 35 to 40 minutes - then I take a motorbike taxi to the TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) clinic - near Boyztown.  That lasts for about 10 to 15 minutes if it is not a day when they need to draw blood for the monthly stats.  Then the baht bus back to Jomtien, run local errands - like to FoodMart and/or 7-Eleven or to go see my viagra/cialis lady to stock up the supply.  Then home for a 2 hour nap. 

Then around 5pm or 6pm one of my 4 hands massage coordinators brings himself and another guy to massage me and have some fun.  Then clean up, myself, the bed, shower area and if one of them wants to go eat we usually go outside of the Jomtien Complex to grab a bite - it is usually Thai food.  Then head into the Jomtien Complex for a drink and by 9pm or 10pm I am craving my bed to catch up on some internet and/or watch some YouTube and then fall asleep.

Rinse and repeat and before you know it the week has finished.

On non gym days (there are 3) then my schedule is more free and I walk on the beach, or go to Koh Larn, or go into Central Pattaya to one of the malls, go see a movie - catch up with friends, etcetra 

You don't need to cross that busy road (Thappraya) - you can live in one of the many beach condos that are all within walking distance of the Jomtien Supertown Complex and the gay Dongtan beach.  They are:

• View Talay 7
• Jomtien Complex Condotel
• Grand Condotel
• View Talay 5 (there are 2)
• Jomtien Plaza Condotel

Of course you will pay more because the above condos are on or very near to the beach.  On the other side of the busy Thappraya road - there is View Talay 2 (2 buildings) and also View Talay 1 (2 buildings) that are much cheaper than the above listed on-the-beach condo list.

Yes - easily.  Just realize to put into your budget 2 important factors:

• Boy tax - everytime you bring one to your room or do them in a massage and/or short time room there is a fee - these can become very expensive - so make sure that you have a way to finance all of this or you might need to join the PFC,
• NEW Thai government taxation (effective from 01-Jan-2024) on money that you bring into Thailand (i.e., remittances) as Assessable Income
• --> my Boy tax is already too high so when the government decided to get greedy - as I am already spending a considerable amount of my discretionary income in the local Thai economy - I decided that from 2025 forward I will only live in Thailand for less than 180 days for each alternating year - thus giving the money that I would have spent in Thailand to other nearby countries (The Philippines and Vietnam).

I do not agree with this statement.  It is easier to make expat friends with these 2 types of expats:

• those here on vacation,
• those who live here seasonally.

I found that the expats that live here full time are not easy to make friends with and in fact I have given up on this endeavor - and I instead concentrate making Thai friends.

Even my 1 local expat friend, JD100, is leaving Thailand due to this difficulty to make friends with the full time expats that live here.  There seems to be some kind of acid in the local water - as I cannot explain it but better to leave the hornets nest alone.

Yes I agree for 2 primary reasons:

• 1.) it can become too expensive,
• 2.) if you go into the Jomtien Complex too often the excitement wears off when the emphasis of 98% of the bar owners is that you as the farang = "farang sit and farang drink" - as I do not like to sit in a chair all night and I do not like to drink it becomes VERY lethargic and boring and unhealthy.  There is no excitement and there is no decent place where you can stand up and expend some energy - like a great place to dance with good music.

So, one of the nighttime alternatives can be to walk over to the gay volleyball on Dongtan beach near the Pattaya waterpark and Sea Rescue.  When I do it is a fun night because although I cannot play (I am not good enough) I can jump up and down and cheerlead the guys on and run after the stray balls to avoid that they get wet in the shoreline waves.  It is a social event where you walk around and not only sit on your ass all night - so it is not lethargic as a night out in the Jomtien Complex can be.

This is incorrect.  All of the View Talays were built before this current fad to copy HongKong style small cramped dwellings - so I find the View Talays to be rather large.  Mine is 98 sqm with 2 sea facing balconies - more than enough for 1 person.

I have looked at many of the newer constructed beach condos and they are mostly all very small and VERY expensive.  My goal is to be in walking distance of the Jomtien Complex - so most of the newer constructed cramped buildings are too far away and would require that you either buy a motorbike and have to worry about having an accident or create a BIG dependency on BOLT for transportation purposes.

 

Now THAT is one heck of a very informative answer and the best I've read for a long time 👌

 

Thank you for spending so much time to reply 👌😇

[Olddaddy]

28 minutes ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

Amazing views of Jomtien's Dongtan beach - especially when the sunsets behind Koh Larn island and also later into the night --> like right now.

This is the PRIMARY reason why I chose Jomtien over Bangkok - as I have an eternal affinity with the sea.

I might move in with you 😀 

I was in Jomtien complex every night the last 3 weeks when I wasn't in Bangkok seeing that sexy man Guido

Did you buy or rent?

Both have their advantages 

[bkkmfj2648]

2 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

I might move in with you 😀

if you move in with me @Olddaddy you will get an earful from me.  You ask very good thought provoking questions that sometimes give me fear, present a challenge, or are entertaining.  It was you who wrote a post in the summer of 2022 (just before my former employer moved me to Thailand as part of my retirement package) where you asked a VERY thought provoking question which was (I am paraphrasing your post - I am too lazy to dig it out of this forum's archives) - "what do all of the falangs do when they sit on their balconies looking out at the sea in Jomtien all day??  Do they get bored?"

@Olddaddy, that question freaked me out - I was packing my belongings back in Europe for the big move and I thought to myself - oh shit - what if @Olddaddy  is correct?  What if I am making the BIGGEST mistake of my life - after all of the many years that I invested on the very difficult question, "where do I want to retire?"

And yes, I often did get bored in that first year.  I would sit on my balcony looking at that beautiful Gulf of Thailand sea - and think to myself - why am I bored?  I worked my entire life to live on the sea - as that was my lifelong dream.

Then I realized that if I am getting bored then the ONLY person that can change that is ME!!  So, I got off of my ass and made myself busy.  The hardest transition in retirement is that we are often identified by our careers and when there is no more career - we can go into identity crisis - to answer the Holy Grail question of:

What is my purpose in life??

That was the hardest part of my new retirement and now I am finally beyond that because I filled up my life with many little things that when combined fill up my days, so that I don't have too much free time to worry about, "am I bored?" or "what is my purpose in life?"

14 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

I was in Jomtien complex every night the last 3 weeks

and @emiel1981 wrote about this in his recent Pattaya trip report.  Him and I, were often sitting in the Jomtien Complex and wondering is that guy who just walked by @Olddaddy ??   Then we would say, hmm, no he is too fat and Olddaddy said that he goes to the gym and is not yet retired.  Let us look for a more fit guy who is younger and not so feeble.....

[spoon]

1 hour ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

if you move in with me @Olddaddy you will get an earful from me. 

 

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

I might move in with you 😀 

You two should get a condo together. Best yet, find a third guy, and each of you can rotate living in the 3 countries and share the lease. Best thing is, you can even plan it so that none of you need to be in the same condo, country at the same time at all. 

[Keithambrose]

55 minutes ago, spoon said:

 

You two should get a condo together. Best yet, find a third guy, and each of you can rotate living in the 3 countries and share the lease. Best thing is, you can even plan it so that none of you need to be in the same condo, country at the same time at all. 

Then you don't have to talk to them!

[Keithambrose]

4 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I do but he is Filipino🇵🇭 and only 30👦 so he won't retire with me to Thailand and I'm not prepared to stay in Australia🇦🇺 until I die 

 

So he is to be abandoned?

[floridarob]

8 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I'm thinking that ,maybe a small lounge🛋️ type bar ,just one shophouse with me sitting out the front on a sofa 💺🪑 ,no boys 

Pattaya already has a Ripley's....🤔

 

 

6 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I might move in with you 😀 

Here he is being helpful and then you threaten him 😳

 

 

4 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

So he is to be abandoned?

I had an imaginary friend before.... out of sight, out of mind. 

[Tantric]

10 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

You don't need to cross that busy road (Thappraya) - you can live in one of the many beach condos that are all within walking distance of the Jomtien Supertown Complex and the gay Dongtan beach.  They are:

• View Talay 7
• Jomtien Complex Condotel
• Grand Condotel
• View Talay 5 (there are 2)
• Jomtien Plaza Condotel

Of course you will pay more because the above condos are on or very near to the beach.  On the other side of the busy Thappraya road - there is View Talay 2 (2 buildings) and also View Talay 1 (2 buildings) that are much cheaper than the above listed on-the-beach condo list.

 

Thanks for the comprehensive advice, @bkkmfj2648!  It’s very helpful since I‘m considering Pattaya and Bangkok as possible destinations to spend two months every year.

I did a Google search for “View Talay“ and found some sites with rental listings, but assume those sites are for long-term rentals (since there was no option for checking date availability).

Do you (or does anyone else reading this) know of good local (but English language) websites with listings for furnished medium-term real estate rentals?  Are are the global sites (eg, AirBnB and VRBO) the most popular sites in Thailand for medium-term property rentals?  

[BjornAgain]

4 hours ago, Tantric said:

, @bkkmfj2648

Do you (or does anyone else reading this) know of good local (but English language) websites with listings for furnished medium-term real estate rentals?  Are are the global sites (eg, AirBnB and VRBO) the most popular sites in Thailand for medium-term property rentals?  

For a comparison overview of Condo's look at thailand-property.com . Bare in mind the info isn't 100% up to date, for that use the specific Real Estate details and look on their website. Site is useful for giving build details, so date of construction, also links to Sale and Rental availability, so you can gauge condition and quality.

If using AirBnB or VRBO, don't expect the landlord or person / agency offering the rental to complete the TM30 paperwork, which is required by law to be completed within 24 hours of you  taking up residence. Hotels do this at checkin, hence why they always photocopy your passport. Fine to the property owner is 1600THB. Just don't make a reason to be apprehended by the BiB.

Good luck.

[reader]

15 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I might move in with you 😀 

 

[bkkmfj2648]

5 hours ago, Tantric said:

I did a Google search for “View Talay“ and found some sites with rental listings, but assume those sites are for long-term rentals (since there was no option for checking date availability).

Do you (or does anyone else reading this) know of good local (but English language) websites with listings for furnished medium-term real estate rentals?  Are are the global sites (eg, AirBnB and VRBO) the most popular sites in Thailand for medium-term property rentals?  

@Tantric You can do what I did back in August 2022.  I already knew the area that I wanted to live in (Jomtien Dongtan beach condo with seaview), so I visited both AirBnB and Booking.com and I used their map view function where I zoomed onto the buildings that I already knew existed - like the View Talays (5 and also 3) and the Grand Condotel.  Since I wanted to have a trial run of the eventual building that I would call home - I chose the View Talay closest to the Jomtien Complex and long and behold there was a studio apartment on the 10th floor with a stunning sunset view of the Gulf of Thailand and with Koh Larn island.  I booked it for the entire month of September 2022.

This strategy gave me:

• an opportunity to see if I would like the said View Talay building, security team, maintenance team, grounds, facilities, etcetra.
• allowed me to meet and view with the various real estate offices that are on the ground floor where you can talk to the various real estate agents about your needs.
• --> unfortunately, most of these in-building on-the-ground real estate agents DO NOT HAVE web pages so there isn't much you can do if you are outside of Thailand and/or outside of the Pattaya area - as you need to be physically present to see what stock they have for rent and what stock is going to be available soon.
• an opportunity to know the owner of my 10th floor AirBnB (Tony) - as he is also in the local real estate business and is a wealth of information.
• --> here is the link to Tony's information that I have already posted in this forum:  
•  

In the end, I enjoyed so much this View Talay building and the entire management team (security, maintenance, Jurissic) that I decided to stay and with the local real estate lady, Khun Fon who owns the ground floor real estate office = P.Pattaya Property

https://www.facebook.com/PariyakronLarsen/

So, you can ask either Khun Fon or Tony to sent you any listings that they might have that are for short term - like for the 2 months that you are looking for.

I am good friends with my 2 cleaning ladies and I see them all over the different View Talay buildings and they told me that they are always cleaning for short term rentals - so there is a BIG short term rental market - but unfortunately, it seems to be that it can only be found by visiting any of these large condo buildings in any of the on the ground floor small mom-and-pop real estate agents.

 

 

 

[bkkmfj2648]

1 hour ago, reader said:

 

Yes, The Odd Couple = 2 Olddaddies 😍🥰

[t0oL1]

On 11/5/2024 at 5:58 AM, bkkmfj2648 said:

, I grab a Bolt from Jomtien into almost North Pattaya where I go for my ED Shockwave treatment at 11:30am and that lasts for around 35 to 40 minutes

 

Focused or Radial Shockwave?

Cost?

[siriusBE]

1 hour ago, t0oL1 said:

Cost?

Maybe DIY 😉

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000750756192.html

[gayinpattaya]

While I am not responding to the OP as I'm convinced he's just a paid poster, I will say this.

If you don't want to live in a box condo with loud idiots above, below and either side of you, there are other options. And don't think I mean holiday makers. You might get a hard of hearing "nearly dead" who has to have his TV on double volume so he can hear it.

Look at it like this. 
View Talay 2 Condo, opposite Jomtien Complex, you can get a studio for 12,000 - 14,000 baht pcm. An expensive 34 sqm box. 

Alternatively, just head away from there a little. You can get a 2 or 3 bedroom house from 15,000 baht. Furnished. No, you won't have a pool. And prices vary depending on if you want a villa, townhouse, and most importantly location. If you want a pool, 28,000 pcm to 35000 for a 2 bed villa, at least around the Khao Talo area. 

You can get a motorbike taxi from there, to Jomtien Complex for 50 baht. Car taxi for under 100 baht. 

There are many options, and as someone who has lived in condos in Jomtien, and then left, I can tell you that you will likely be far happier living away from the insanity. 

[t0oL1]

18 minutes ago, siriusBE said:

Maybe DIY 😉

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000750756192.html

Focused  Shockwave machine ~$50,000.

Cheap Radial ineffective and probably what they use in Pattaya.

Or you can try a hammer.

[Olddaddy]

35 minutes ago, gayinpattaya said:

While I am not responding to the OP as I'm convinced he's just a paid poster, I will say this

A paid poster????😳

Wish I was , I am open to offers 😂

[Olddaddy]

41 minutes ago, gayinpattaya said:

Look at it like this. 
View Talay 2 Condo, opposite Jomtien Complex, you can get a studio for 12,000 - 14,000 baht pcm. An expensive 34 sqm box. 

Then I have to cross the busy road everyday ,then walk into the view talay entrance and if I'm in 2B I have to walk down that drive way road with cars and motorcycles roaring past me .

I would rather be on the same side