Londoner

The only time I "wai-ed" was when I met P's parents for the first time. He had spent an hour or so explaining its intracises to ensure that I got the angles right. He was runner- up in the Kamphaeng Phaet District School Wai completion when he was a teenager, so I believe him to be an expert. "Wai competition"? Yes; a reminder of how significant it is in Thai culture. I recall that another surprising inter-school competition back then was one for ladyboys. What a strange place rural Thailand is (or was) for us foreigners! Things have changed; or at least some things have.

No closer, I fear, than I was in my previous posts. I had the chance to consider some properties in Jomtien. Beautiful and costing only 30% of my recently valued house. Do the maths! Huge (by London standards) , lavishly-furnished (too much so for my taste, sometimes!) but- and here's the rub- few available in the locations I want. Nong Prue has many but is too far from the sea. Na Jomtien also has some but there is so much work going on there that it is not the sort of environment we want. And it has transport issues....I want to give-up driving. I'm back there in three months and am being contacted by estate agents daily. So who knows? One thing is certain, I want to relocate and P wants me to relocate, but I am content enough in london to stay here, enjoying three visits a year with my to stay with my beloved. I thought about colmx's idea of buying a bolt-hole....however, it couldn't be in London. A one bedroom apartment here costs the same as a three bedroom villa in Jomtien. And that's not in Chelsea or Mayfair. One of the major benefits of relocation is the money I would have left in the bank to enjoy with P. Which brings me to a forgotten word of advice; if you are going to struggle financially, do do in your home country!

Good advice. I am in the process of deciding whether to go ahead with my proposed relocation. I'd hoped that my last few weeks in Jomtien would have given me an answer; but no, they didn't, serving only to raise more issues.. And unlike the poster, I have thirty years of visits and a LTR of twenty years to help me make a decision, not forgetting the massive financial benefits I'd reap by selling my London house. For a UK citizen of my age, the decision to relocate would be the most significant by far since I retired; and if I were to go ahead, there'd be no returning home if things went pear-shaped for financial reasons. Medical issues? even more vIsa changes? banking? another coup and nationalist government in Thailand unfriendly to foreigners? Yes, unlikely but possible. The fact is that if I move to Thailand, I die in Thailand. What became clear a few weeks ago, is that location is one of the most important issues. Jomtien is our preferred location but not anywhere in the vicinity. There are areas that would not be suitable, too far from the sea, isolated in terms of transport, or too "new" and undergoing construction to be to attractive us. So my advice is to do what I am doing; take your time and, for heaven's sake, make a trial run for few months. Not as a tourist but as a resident. Not in a hotel but in a rented condo where you have to look after yourself and sort out your own problems.

Thanks, Reader , for raising this interesting issue. I agree that the age factor is central; my generation of gay men spent their younger years in a homophobic and legally-perilous environment. To us, Pattaya meant freedom and liberation. Younger guys don't need to travel thousands of miles for that now. Yet today's Pattaya, admittedly bland compared with the past, still offers us an enormous amount, particularly if it means time spent with a loved one. The hotels remain cheap, embarrassingly so compared to the UK, the dining opportunities numerous, offering even better value. Even the beaches are cleaner. It provides an escape from a northern winter, the denizens remain friendly and welcoming and the travel easier from the airport than back in the day. My ninetieth visit is iminent and I am still like a little boy looking forward to Christmas. The Pattaya/Jomtien to which I return hasn't got the "edgy" flavour it once had but probably that makes it even more suitable for someone who has aged in three decades years as much as the city has changed. The question on my mind is what will happen to the gay scene when my generation has gone.

He contributed to the Chiang Mai thread with his usual eloquence.That was less than three weeks ago.

I'm not mocking anyone's travel booking mistakes having discovered only yesterday that our booked flight to Chiang Mai in two weeks left two weeks ago. And Bangkok Air isn't cheap.

A little later in March I'm paying 1600 bht pn , via Agoda. i suspect that OD was being given the price for a deluxe corner room. I note also that Agate is back to 1600pn (direct) after charging 1800pn over the high season. ( Peter RS and I were posting simultaneously, hence the repetition.) Regarding Agoda, I've found their prices excellent with the important (for us) exception of those offered for Agate (Jomtien) where booking direct is the best option.

We stayed twice at the Lavender , in premier rooms. They were dated but priced appropriately. We liked the roof-top restaurant, the attached show bar, Power Boys, infinitely preferable to some we'd seen elsewhere while the massage facility had some cute guys, as well as a fearsome mamasan. The lower floors were often used by Thai guests who were visiting relatives in the hospital next door. A rather odd arrangement, apparent at breakfast when we were outnumbered by Thai families. I liked the position too; near my favourite (and venerable) shopping centre, now alas closed down. Lavender had previously been the Tokyo Hotel and last time we were in CM, the premises was still operating as a hotel. I was disappointed when Lavender closed but CM had long since stopped being a smaller rival to BKK and Pattaya. Its gay bars were too spread-out and apart from the rather questionable places near the Night Market, there was no discernible "gay area." However, I do remember Adam's Apple being packed to the rafters on occasions, the audience including university guys who were cuter than some of the dancers. Some readers will recall that the bar was also a fire-hazard! We still go to CM regularly; but not for the gay scene.

Unless you want to sail across the Gulf of Mexico.....heaven knows where you'll end-up. Mar el Largo?

Thanks; yes, Cigna is one of the two that I am looking at. I particularly appreciate the provision of a private room if admitted to hospital.

Yes, I've just received a helpful report from Pacific relating possible deals. I note that other emails to Thailand relating to my proposed relocation have not received prompt replies. In fact I found that in four cases this morning, websites contained non-operative email addresses. I thought it was good business practice to keep websites up-to-date. Thus, four Pattaya companies have thereby lost my custom in one morning. Surprising; I'm not making the move "on the cheap"; I'd have thought that I'd be a valued customer.

Has anyone any experience of the new procedures, personally or vicariously?

Thanks guys; a difficult question. I need advice and I am being quoted $1300 pm for full coverage. I have the usual elderly man problems but have yet to be asked to list them. I cannot forget my American buddy whose US insurance let him down when he was being treated for cancer. He died in squalid conditions without proper treatment in a public ward.

I never forget the white polystyrene reindeer that decorated our Krabi hotel afew years ago. We returned in April and the d**n things were still there. But brown. And a couple of weeks ago, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer was playing on a loop in the supermarket next to Outlet Mall. Lotus? I could have screamed....it was mid-November. Has it stopped yet?

Has anyone any recommendations regarding full health insurance for expats in Thailand?

My impression- and I have no evidence of this- is that, putting aside the high-high season around Christmas, over the years the difference in tourist numbers has been less pronounced. Maybe the influx of Asians? Or the utter confusion surrounding Covid? At any rate, when I was visiting as a punter, I never took much notice; most of my activities were indoors!

Thanks everyone. Including for the disagreements... always more fun than agreements. They are part of the rich tapestry of Pattaya ex-pat life!

Can anyone recommend a reliable, English-speaking lawyer in the Pattaya/Jomtien area who can help me with my proposed move to that fair city? and assist me in replacing my UK Will with a Thai one?

Yes....that's an increase of 30% since we were there pre-Covid. The baht-bus system in Pattaya is remarkable value and you can hire one from outside Terminus 21 to the Complex for 200bht. A taxi costs 400. I don't know about other users but our experiences with public transport in Chiang Mai aren't that good either. Tuk tuks charge 200bht for what I regard as a short journey- Tapae to Night Market, for example. And I never got the hang of the bus service there.

It is amazing to recall that I was paying 200 bht or sometimes 300 bht to the bar back in the late 90s. Like the cost of a baht bus ride, there are things in Thailand that remain extremely good value. We have been very fortunate. Or at least I have.

The absence of that facility on the new ones I posted about will deny you your preference, and it will cut down on the number of passengers who can use the bus by four or so. But I promise you; the improvement in comfort is huge. I suspect a rise to 20 bht is iminent. And it will still be good value. Especially for a Londoner....

Has anyone travelled in the new buses? Quieter and smoother, more comfortable seating, better protection from the rain but no "cage" at the back to allow extra passengers. We were lucky enough to have two Jomtien to Pattaya journeys on them back in November. Perhaps, they will eventually replace all the old (and very old) ones.

Thanks for the memories! My goodness, what great times I had in those days. If only there were photos.

A worrying issue for some of us. Neither of the two principal beneficiaries named in my Will live in the UK. One, of course, lives in Northern Thailand, the other (who also exercises Power of Attorney because he understands and writes English better than P) lives in Palestine and is, at present, dodging bullets and, as a senior UNWRA officer, is shortly to lose his salary, and probably much else. You can imagine the complexity of my solicitor's task ensuring that my bequests are safely delivered.

I wish you every success and the fortitude to withstand the inevitable set-backs and problems that accompany a commitment such as this. I suggest that you take things very slowly. P's interpretation of what has happened to us over the past twenty years is totally at variance with mine and is based on Buddhist and Thai cultural beliefs. We must tread carefully when dealing with the deeply-held religious and cultural values of others, particularly those we love.