Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-29-2018, 02:17 PM
 
Location: San Diego CA
8,407 posts, read 6,781,810 times
Reputation: 16764

Advertisements

These older guys usually wind up in places like Pattaya which is a kind of fantasy land and not representative of the real Thailand at all. Think they’re going to fall in love with the bar girl with the golden heart. Not gonna happen. Will get their feelings hurt and get scammed out of their money.

They usually end up occupying a bar stool and commiserate with their fellow disgruntled ex pats. There’s a high rate of suicide among this group and a lot of injuries and death due to motorcycle accidents due to intoxication. Add to that the perils of catching an STD from the working girls. Life’s better back home. Stay there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-29-2018, 02:39 PM
 
50,275 posts, read 35,918,926 times
Reputation: 76186
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry View Post
I actually admire people who do this. I visited Thailand as a teen when my dad was living in Malaysia. I can agree the country is beautiful, the people are friendly and the food is tremendous. I do not recall the weather being any different than the summers here in Maryland. I remember we only had AC in the bedroom, the house had giant open doorways with no screens as apparently bugs were not a problem which sounds kind of weird to me.

It's also on the other side of the world and that means saying goodbye to most everything and everyone you know. Takes a lot of courage to make that leap.

As for the health care sure it's inexpensive but this is not like dental work in Mexico. Retirement means aging bodies and that means health care and there is not a chance the health care in Thailand can compare to what is available in the United States.
What are you basing that claim on? As someone who works in U.S. healthcare and been a patient, I can objectively state while we still lead the way in research everyday health care for most Americans is not that great and needs a LOT of improvement. We are no longer the best in the world at everything. Thailand is a modern country, no one is getting surgery in huts.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3883860/


"Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, can feel like a shopping mall or five-star hotel. It offers 21 VIP suites and the mezzanine has a McDonald’s. On the floor below, people line up to buy lattes and Americanos from a Starbucks.
Sitting nearby with coffees, a father and son from Oman silently faced each other in the lobby. They had been in Bangkok for 50 days already, travelling to Thailand to seek treatment for the father’s prostate cancer.
“Some friends at home told us about this hospital,” said the son, declining to give their names. “They said it is very good.”
The largest private hospital in Southeast Asia, Bumrungrad is the unofficial leader of medical tourism in Thailand, itself the most popular destination for medical travellers in the world, though accurate data on this fast-growing industry remain elusive."


https://mic.com/articles/8471/the-ri...and#.ONmL6rHAX


https://www.liveandinvestoverseas.co...e-in-thailand/




"There have been billions of dollars invested in the healthcare sector. As a result they built hospitals with cutting edge technologies, all the latest equipment, all the comforts of a 5-star hotel, great nurse-patient and doctor-patient ratios, and they invested in education in the healthcare sector with many thai doctors specializing or doing fellowships abroad."
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2018, 05:21 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,624 posts, read 57,628,813 times
Reputation: 46064
Quote:
Originally Posted by msgsing View Post
These older guys usually wind up in places like Pattaya which is a kind of fantasy land and not representative of the real Thailand at all. ... Life’s better back home. Stay there.
Their fantasy land... sad for all involved but big business. for shop owners

Since my first trip to Thailand (1988) and being there a lot in the last 10 yrs, I have not encountered the shady side.

Street market until 11 PM
Disco until 3AM
Dog fights at 4AM
Roosters at 5AM


Sometimes requires a nap! during your $4 massage in the beach hut.

Last edited by StealthRabbit; 10-29-2018 at 05:47 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2018, 05:53 PM
 
Location: San Diego CA
8,407 posts, read 6,781,810 times
Reputation: 16764
Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit View Post
Their fantasy land... sad for all involved but big business. for shop owners

Since my first trip to Thailand (1988) and being there a lot in the last 10 yrs, I have not encountered the shady side.

Street market until 11 PM
Disco until 3AM
Dog fights at 4AM
Roosters at 5AM


Sometimes requires a nap! during your $4 massage in the beach hut.



Well you can certainly stay away from the shady side. But for fun it's interesting just to take a stroll down Beach Rd and people watch especially in the evening.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2018, 06:51 PM
 
Location: Spain
12,722 posts, read 7,508,177 times
Reputation: 22628
Quote:
Originally Posted by msgsing View Post
life’s better back home. Stay there.
I'm still in disbelief that people are choosing (or recommending to avoid) their retirement destination based on the assumption they'll be unable to resist the temptation of becoming one of those old losers hanging out with the bar girls. You can live in a big city in Thailand without ever seeing an area like this.


Quote:
Originally Posted by ocnjgirl View Post
We are no longer the best in the world at everything. Thailand is a modern country, no one is getting surgery in huts.
Thailand has good healthcare available and they can treat just about anything. I've met Aussies who came to Thailand for major surgeries since it's (along with Malaysia and Singapore) like their version of when Americans go to Mexico for medical tourism. My wife and I have both been to hospitals here and have been quite satisfied with the treatment, in fact the doctor's wall had his medical diploma from UCLA.

However I'd have a hard time believing the advanced care is on par with USA. Despite the problems with the system itself USA is consistently ranked near the top in five year survival rates for major diseases. For example with breast cancer USA leads the world in five year survival rate at 89%, while Thailand comes in at 63%. Granted the numbers for Thailand are more questionable since clearly it has a large portion of the population without the money to access the same level of care as the wealthy western retiree.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2018, 08:17 PM
 
50,275 posts, read 35,918,926 times
Reputation: 76186
Quote:
Originally Posted by lieqiang View Post
I'm still in disbelief that people are choosing (or recommending to avoid) their retirement destination based on the assumption they'll be unable to resist the temptation of becoming one of those old losers hanging out with the bar girls. You can live in a big city in Thailand without ever seeing an area like this.


Thailand has good healthcare available and they can treat just about anything. I've met Aussies who came to Thailand for major surgeries since it's (along with Malaysia and Singapore) like their version of when Americans go to Mexico for medical tourism. My wife and I have both been to hospitals here and have been quite satisfied with the treatment, in fact the doctor's wall had his medical diploma from UCLA.

However I'd have a hard time believing the advanced care is on par with USA. Despite the problems with the system itself USA is consistently ranked near the top in five year survival rates for major diseases. For example with breast cancer USA leads the world in five year survival rate at 89%, while Thailand comes in at 63%. Granted the numbers for Thailand are more questionable since clearly it has a large portion of the population without the money to access the same level of care as the wealthy western retiree.
Yes but it’s not wealthy retirees moving there. It’s couples who have savings and income but not enough to afford $800 a month for their supplemental policies. Health care is expensive in retirement here. And those statistics may reflect high rates of survival at our top hospitals, but maybe people like me in relatively rural areas, who have restrictive networks, well maybe for us the survival rate is closer to the Thai rate so it might not be much change. Maybe there they can afford to go to the top cancer doc while here they can’t.

That’s just like the cutting edge spinal injury devices to help you walk, or state of the art prosthetic limbs. Those are available to a select few, kids frequently benefit because there is a lot of charitable money for kids. But if I need a prosthetic arm, I wouldn’t stand a chance of getting one of those state if the art arms that cost $200,000.

My point is it doesn’t matter if you live in a country with the best care if you can’t access that care, and that is true for many Americans.

Last edited by ocnjgirl; 10-29-2018 at 08:57 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2018, 10:46 PM
 
Location: Wasilla, AK
7,448 posts, read 7,528,258 times
Reputation: 16456
Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit View Post
Sometimes requires a nap! during your $4 massage in the beach hut.

The $4 massage doesn't include happy ending.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2018, 10:50 PM
 
Location: Wasilla, AK
7,448 posts, read 7,528,258 times
Reputation: 16456
Quote:
Originally Posted by msgsing View Post
Well you can certainly stay away from the shady side. But for fun it's interesting just to take a stroll down Beach Rd and people watch especially in the evening.

Just watch out which alley you go down. I started to go down one that had bars named Boy Boys Boys, Boy Toys and The Cockpit. I beat a hasty retreat.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2018, 06:51 AM
 
Location: Washington, DC
4,321 posts, read 5,113,848 times
Reputation: 8272
Quote:
Originally Posted by msgsing View Post
These older guys usually wind up in places like Pattaya which is a kind of fantasy land and not representative of the real Thailand at all. Think they’re going to fall in love with the bar girl with the golden heart. Not gonna happen. Will get their feelings hurt and get scammed out of their money.

They usually end up occupying a bar stool and commiserate with their fellow disgruntled ex pats. There’s a high rate of suicide among this group and a lot of injuries and death due to motorcycle accidents due to intoxication. Add to that the perils of catching an STD from the working girls. Life’s better back home. Stay there.
But what would these same men do back in the States? The same drinking and commiserating but without the fun and at twice the price (if not more). For guys like this, the US is as dull as dirt.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-30-2018, 08:03 AM
 
Location: Phoenix
3,211 posts, read 2,225,671 times
Reputation: 2607
Quote:
Originally Posted by IWLC View Post
I was reading an article in the doctor's office the other day. It was about Americans who are lured by the promise of comfortable retirement on a Social Security check, in Thailand. Many, it seems, fall prey to the tourist bar life and quickly squander their monthly checks, become alcoholics and get evicted from their rentals. According to this, there is a growing problem of homeless Americans who have made themselves destitute and don't have the means to return to the US and, having given up everything to move to Thailand, have no place to return to. I wonder if it is something that happens in other dream cheap retirement destinations as well, or is the article sensationalizing a not-so-common problem. The scene of the drunk ex-pat hugging the bar in an exotic locale is almost a movie cliche isn't it?
I've known plenty of men that retired to Thailand and love it. I have 1 friend that retired there because he lost his job and had a pension of about $1200/mo....now he's getting his pension plus SS but is not sure if he can afford to move back to the USA with his Thai wife and kids on that income. I've also seen some Western expats that blew their money on girls and alcohol in Thailand and without a social safety net, now they're screwed...so for some it's great, others okay, others it's horrible.


For the record, if I wasn't married, I would probably retire early in Thailand....it's a great place for some and probably would be for me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top