Reasons to be Cheerful

[atlas2 4,329]

Important caveats:

 

1. I bought my condo and my car at 69 baht to the GBP.

 

2. How I spend 'my' time is likely different to how you spend yours. My expenses and yours will differ.

 

 

OK

 

With all the 'Doom and Gloom' on the board lately I'd thought I'd give myself a reality check! Am I just, 'a cock-eyed optimist' or 'Pollyanna as Tomcat says? Or did I get it mostly right when made the leap and retired out here in 2007?

 

What follows is a comparison between Pattaya and England. I can't argue with those who say the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and such-like are head and shoulders above Pattaya...... If that's your view, you can 'ave your two penneth after.

 

Though this is obvious, it needs saying first..........

 

The PFP experience here beats, in terms of cost, quality, opportunity and selection the stale piss-flaps on offer from London's very own clock-watching Picadilly Commandos.

 

That being said........:

 

Also I pay no tax here other than VAT.

 

Motoring:

 

Cheaper fuel

Cheaper service and repair costs

Cheaper insurance

Cheaper Road-Tax

Cheaper + better car-wash.

Cheaper fines for minor motoring discretions.

Cars hold their value longer.

 

Set against this:

V. expensive import car prices.

 

 

 

Entertainment: ..........'Generally'

 

Beer cheaper.

Restaurants much cheaper.

Street eating unbelievably good quality and cheap.

Thai food and Seafood excellent quality, and extremely good value.

Year round there's a multitude of outdoor eating opportunities + Stunning vistas.

Cinemas cheaper.

 

However, wine comparable in price with UK restaurant prices and supermarket costs here higher.

 

Sports:

 

Golf:

 

Green fees cheaper

Caddies cheaper

Buggies cheaper

Bucket of balls in a driving range cheaper.

Lessons cheaper.

95% of the year courses available for play.

 

Against:

Golf equipment slightly more expensive.

 

Tennis........can play all year. Club membership cheaper.

 

Sports opportunities and cheaper costs here:

 

Squash

Scuba

Thai Boxing

Jet-Ski

Kite-Surfing

Wind-Surfing

Go-Karts.......... etc.

 

+Gym membership at Royal Cliff and Fairtex half what I was paying in UK.

 

Against this: No ski-slopes.

 

 

Personal Grooming:

 

Hair-cuts, cheaper+better

Massage, cheaper+ better+available 24 hrs..........A phone-call can bring a sexy girl in 10 mins to my condo to massage my feet while I watch Wimbledon and sip Singha beer.

 

Manicures....Body scrubs etc Never 'ad either one in England, which says it all.

Minor Sports injuries, or just aches and pains dealt with quickly here without need for a 3 week wait for an appointment.

 

Health:

 

Good hospitals

 

My yearly M.O.T (checkup)......'Essentials' + PSA' at Bangkok Pattaya, bought in December was 3500 baht. It would be twice that in UK.

Expat emergency insurance relatively cheap.

 

Against this though, The National Health service, in a crisis, trumps the lot.

 

Condo:

 

Relatively Cheap purchase price for its situation and amenities.

Electricity cheaper

Water cheaper

Ground rent/facilities charge, cheap.

Maid room cleaning cheap.

Minor repairs, no charge just a tip

Laundry cheap

 

Travel

Baht buses cheap

Taxis still very cheap........ Swampy to Jomtien

 

Service

Very good personal Service here at Banks, Hospitals, Supermarkets, filling-stations etc is non-existent in the UK.

 

For instance I was asked at 3 in the afternoon in Tescos South Pattaya,

 

"when would you like your refrigerator delivered?"

"As soon as you can!"

"Would 4 O'clock be alright K. Atlas?"

 

Food Markets:

 

Mind boggling array of good quality and cheap vegetables and Fruit.

 

Hotel/ Accommodation:

 

For what I'm paying for 2 nights in June at a Holliday Inn an hour outside London, I could spend a week in almost any Hotel in Pattaya.

 

Satellite TV....Cheaper

 

Clothes.....DVDs .........CDs.......cheaper.

 

 

That's enough for the the contrarians to argue over......For now anyway I'll add to this later.

 

But let me just give a quick example of the start to my day here. I'm desperate to keep some fitness so.....

 

I wake-up between 6 and 7 am.......Have a piss....Budgie-smugglers on and down to the pool. 40 lengths or 66 widths. Back up cup-of tea on my balcony and watch the news. Zero hassle.

 

In the UK I would have to drive 20 or more mins through traffic to Amersham.....find a parking space put 2 pounds in the machine, back to the car, with the rain no doubt pissing down to display the parking ticket. Pay 5 pounds or so entry. Stick a pound in a locker. Swim (in lane). Change in a freezing cold changing room drive back through the school-run traffic......... I'm a lazy phucker and I know I simply wouldn't keep it up.

 

My point is, I've asked myself the question... Are you worse or better off here atlas?

 

Bloody stupid question's my answer.

Edited March 24, 2013 by atlas2

[Gary 4,119]

Be an liberal Obama supporter and live in a make believe fantasy world.

[MM 6,562]

Good post, Atlas. It sums up the many benefits of living in Pattaya.

[nkped 1,208]

Good post, Atlas. It sums up the many benefits of living in Pattaya.

Great post Atlas. I have just about finished my first three month trip and have made a reservation with Dancewatchers for next January and, as I have said elsewhere, am considering a shorter visit in September. With all that, I still don't think I will move here although I have thought about it. Why?

• After 3 months, I am still not dealing with the heat that well.
• I like my spectator sports and seeing some of them in person, even if it is college and minor league.
• In three months, I have lost about 15 pounds and certainly feel in better shape than I have in ages. That's certainly good and I attribute a lot of that to a lot more walking. The walking would decrease if I lived here and had my own wheels.
• The sheer hassle of making the move.

Of course, after I get back to Alaska next month and it is 40 degees F/4 degrees C, or possibly a lot colder, I may reconsider.

[marleyboy 140]

Great post.

Some are saying Patts isnt what it used to be etc etc......maybe so..everything changes.......But Id sooner be there than in cold wet miserable stressful UK.

Sure the N.H.S. is great...............but I pay for it...........Hospitals in Thailand are great modern and efficient etc.......for me though ? The biggest advantage of living in Patts (or most places in Thailand in fact!) is the way I feel! ......ie. much happier relaxed not stressed and generally smile all day long!

[atlas2 4,329]

You hit the nail on the head. Marley'

 

"Much happier..not stressed........smile all day"

 

One reason I'm happy is that in 2010....'tax freedom day' for the UK was 30th May.....5 months of working solely for the Government. My income from savings & investments and pension is half what I was earning before I retired ......but I keep nearly all of it. No bills to speak of....It's all 'sweet money' Lovelyjubberly!

Edited March 24, 2013 by atlas2

[yogi100 1,925]

Can't really find fault in your opinions apart from the those concerning the NHS although it has become more of an International Health Service in recent decades, a service for which it was never designed. The treatment is still very good although the care in the wards often leaves a lot to be desired in particular the recent scandal about the standards in Staffordshire hospitals.

 

I no longer drive back in the UK and would never contemplate doing so in Pattaya.

 

Everything else is better as you say although the climate is too hot for some folk who actually find themselves admitting they miss the seasonal variations of their home countries including the snow.

 

The main grouse is the strong baht which is not the fault of Thailand but some expats and long termers are definitely feeling the pinch.

 

Those who deny themselves the comforts of home for the sake of their booze money are often the most discontent particularly when they sober up.

 

Many complain about the deterioration of the locals' attitude but most Thai people are still pleasant people and friendlier than back in London where I come from. I prefer being a foreign guest in Pattaya than being an often unwelcome foreigner in my own country.

Edited March 24, 2013 by yogi100

[CheshireTom 1,377]

K. Atlas,

 

Good post. I (semi)-retired in LOS around the same time as you and agree with you on most of the benefits. However, two things put me off staying in Pattaya ...

 

a. The year prior to coming over here, I made a lot of short trips (monthly) from Qatar where I was working (in 2006). It was the first time that I had made so many trips on a regular basis since the time I lived in HK in the early 90s. It was also the first time that I spend the majority of my bar-hopping time in and around Walking Street. One thing that struck me was the number of times I would walk into a bar or club to see the same expats, sat in the same seats talking about (more precisely, moaning about) exactly the same things as they had the month before. And the month before that. And the month before that. That is exactly the reason I have no desire to return to my "hometown" in Scotland to live - to me Pattaya, as a place to live, was a big city with the same small town mentality. Not knocking anyone who finds that the place works for them, just explaining why it didn't work for me.

 

b. You've obviously got your life well organised and your priorities sorted, but I met too many guys for whom organising their next beer was their main priority - with the obvious consequences. I really didn't want to be part of that.

 

The one main benefit that you've omitted from your list is that life here can be as stressful, or as stress-free, as you wish. I think a lot depends on your willingness and/or ability to adapt to the country and its people, but if you can, you'll reap the rewards. Like you, I've often sat and thought "Is the grass greener elsewhere?", but it's usually only a fleeting distraction.

Edited March 24, 2013 by CheshireTom

[DP Gumbypgh 97]

Thanks Atlas2 you have summed up exactly why I have been living here for four years now. The same comparison works with the USA too. I don't know why all of the doom sayers are still in pattaya if it is so bad now. Perhaps they can't afford to go back to their home countries and not work.

[atlas2 4,329]

Can't really find fault in your opinions apart from the those concerning the NHS although it has become more of an International Health Service in recent decades, a service for which it was never designed. The treatment is still very good although the care in the wards often leaves a lot to be desired in particular the recent scandal about the standards in Staffordshire hospitals.

 

Many complain about the deterioration of the locals' attitude but most Thai people are still pleasant people and friendlier than back in London where I come from. I prefer being a foreign guest in Pattaya than being an often unwelcome foreigner in my own country.

 

 

I feel the sameway about rather feeling a stranger in a foreign land than a stranger in my own.

 

As for the NHS, if not for the prompt and excellent emergency treatment I recieved in 1997 there would have been no point in ever coming to Thailand unless it was to look at Wats and elephants.

 

That story is a little embarassing to put down here.

[yogi100 1,925]

Thanks Atlas2 you have summed up exactly why I have been living here for four years now. The same comparison works with the USA too. I don't know why all of the doom sayers are still in pattaya if it is so bad now. Perhaps they can't afford to go back to their home countries and not work.

 

Passing negative comments about things that affect us is part of human nature just like saying 'please' and 'thank you'. It's a far cry from being a 'doom sayer'. There are folk who could be referred to as such back in the UK but in their case it is somewhat justified.

Edited March 24, 2013 by yogi100

[Bullfrog 2,224]

Bought my 2 condos at 58 to the pound...sold them at a slight profit but with 4 years rental in my back pocket..sent some money back @ 44.? to the pound...

 

lubbly jubbly..

[teelack 9,635]

Thanks for taking the time with that very interesting topic.

[Bushcraft 2,579]

Excellent list that shows the overwhelming advantages of living here. Two more occur to me:

If you're a smoker, cigarettes are far cheaper than in the UK or rest of Europe (pack of 20 1.80 pounds rather than 6 pounds - indeed it's even worth taking up smoking, think of the money you save).

You can (almost) own a large house here as I do, and pay nothing in poll tax/community charge/land tax. That would be a cost of several thousands per year in the UK.

[atlas2 4,329]

Reasons to be cheerful Part II

 

Feet up either side of the bath taps. Shoulders sunken under the suds. I tug on my scrotum and juggle my balls. Shit! Shit! SHIT!

 

Six months before I'd sold my house and contents. Let the powers 'that be' know I was taking early retirement. I'd already transferred most of my clothes, books I was keeping and guitars to my condo in Thailand. My bags were practically packed, flights booked, some goodbyes already said, and in 3 weeks I'd succumb to Thailand's beckoning...... as if it were a soi six smile. I was so excited..!

 

And now........ NOW I've found a hard lump on a testicle.

 

In a moment all the beckoning smiles of the L.O.S vanished. I saw instead hospital waiting rooms and smiling doctors trying to break the news gently to keep my spirits up. I saw long weakening chemo treatments, and hair falling out...... Or worse a career singing in the 'Castrato Choir'

 

I was so near and now the pleasures that I'd anticipated for years, and were so fucking close I could taste them were going to be snatched from me. So this is how Tantalus felt!

 

I paid 400 pounds for an ultra-sound the next day at a private hospital.

 

"Cough please sir....Thankyou. Do you see the change in colour on the monitor? That's blood."

 

"Is that bad?"

 

"Varicose veins sir, not a problem. Just keep an eye on them."

 

You can only be bored with Pattaya if you're lazy. Whenever I'm..... 'lazy-bored' I juggle my nuts to remember how lucky I've been.

 

That's another reason to be cheerful.......Though I understand if it's a reason you can't quite share.

Edited March 25, 2013 by atlas2

[Bullfrog 2,224]

Reasons to be cheerful Part II

 

Feet up either side of the bath taps. Shoulders sunken under the suds. I tug on my scrotum and juggle my balls. Shit! Shit! SHIT!

 

Six months before I'd sold my house and contents. Let the powers 'that be' know I was taking early retirement. I'd already transferred most of my clothes, books I was keeping and guitars to my condo in Thailand. My bags were practically packed, flights booked, some goodbyes already said, and in 3 weeks I'd succumb to Thailand's beckoning...... as if it were a soi six smile. I was so excited..!

 

And now........ NOW I've found a hard lump on a testicle.

 

In a moment all the beckoning smiles of the L.O.S vanished. I saw instead hospital waiting rooms and smiling doctors trying to break the news gently to keep my spirits up. I saw long weakening chemo treatments, and hair falling out...... Or worse a career singing in the 'Castrato Choir'

 

I was so near and now the pleasures that I'd anticipated for years, and were so fucking close I could taste them were going to be snatched from me. So this is how Tantalus felt!

 

I paid 400 pounds for an ultra-sound the next day at a private hospital.

 

"Cough please sir....Thankyou. Do you see the change in colour on the monitor? That's blood."

 

"Is that bad?"

 

"Varicose veins sir, not a problem. Just keep an eye on them."

 

You can only be bored with Pattaya if you're lazy. Whenever I'm..... 'lazy-bored' I juggle my nuts to remember how lucky I've been.

 

That's another reason to be cheerful.......Though I understand if it's a reason you can't quite share.

 

 

Indeed!!

 

Here in Pattaya you can walk in with your Health Insurance straight into a Private hospital...In UK you HAVE to see a NHS GP and be reffered to a private hospital....The NHS would save millions by allowing direct access to private hospitals......

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Indeed!!

 

Here in Pattaya you can walk in with your Health Insurance straight into a Private hospital...In UK you HAVE to see a NHS GP and be reffered to a private hospital....The NHS would save millions by allowing direct access to private hospitals......

 

On the flip side of the coin, when I was in my mid-30s (about 20 years ago) I was played football one Saturday afternoon and was surprised to be pissing what appeared to be a decent Chateauneuf du Pape after the game. By 6 pm the quack had come to see me, I was admitted to hospital the following day and they operated on the Monday to identify and remove the tumor. No private insurance scheme could have been more efficient.

[atlas2 4,329]

Yes when I've needed the help urgently the NHS came through.

[Bullfrog 2,224]

On the flip side of the coin, when I was in my mid-30s (about 20 years ago) I was played football one Saturday afternoon and was surprised to be pissing what appeared to be a decent Chateauneuf du Pape after the game. By 6 pm the quack had come to see me, I was admitted to hospital the following day and they operated on the Monday to identify and remove the tumor. No private insurance scheme could have been more efficient.

 

 

On the flip side of the coin, when I was in my mid-30s (about 20 years ago) I was played football one Saturday afternoon and was surprised to be pissing what appeared to be a decent Chateauneuf du Pape after the game. By 6 pm the quack had come to see me, I was admitted to hospital the following day and they operated on the Monday to identify and remove the tumor. No private insurance scheme could have been more efficient.

Yep I absolutely , totally agree. My Mother is alive today because of the NHS Emergency services after she had a heart attack last year....at 2am in the Dorset countryside!!.... She is also very mobile due to 2 hip replacements and 1 knee replacement..

 

My comment wasn't meant to deride the NHS Emergency services or anybody that works for them as I have total respect for them especially Poole General Hospital. My point was that I can go to a choice of 3 Private hospitals here in Pattaya any time I want for anything I want whereas in UK you MUST see a GP first and then get a referral. It is a bizarre system that my NHS friends and I ( 2 Paramedics) often talk about over an Abbot Ale ( me) and a diet coke ( them). If those that had Private Health Insurance were allowed to go direct to a Private Hospital it would take a massive burden off the tax payer and allow those without Health Insurance to enjoy a better, quicker service.

 

As a total TF I would also like to add that parking fees at NHS hospitals are so steep that the savings alone from this will pay for your Private Health Insurance in Thailand!!...OK, Tongue in cheek but you get my drift!

[CheshireTom 1,377]

As a total TF I would also like to add that parking fees at NHS hospitals are so steep that the savings alone from this will pay for your Private Health Insurance in Thailand!!...OK, Tongue in cheek but you get my drift!

 

The cost of building, maintaining and operating car parks is enormous. I'd much rather that NHS money was spent on actual medical services. Most hospitals also try to fund their security people out of car-park revenues.

Edited March 25, 2013 by CheshireTom

[jaxxon55 252]

Be an liberal Obama supporter and live in a make believe fantasy world.

How is this related at all?

Jack

[jacko 8,813]

Bought my 2 condos at 58 to the pound...sold them at a slight profit but with 4 years rental in my back pocket..sent some money back @ 44.? to the pound...

 

lubbly jubbly..

Capital gains tax due?

[jacko 8,813]

 

• After 3 months, I am still not dealing with the heat that well.

This time of year I don't think anyone does that well...... me after nearly 9 years.

[jacko 8,813]

Thanks Atlas2 you have summed up exactly why I have been living here for four years now. The same comparison works with the USA too. I don't know why all of the doom sayers are still in pattaya if it is so bad now. Perhaps they can't afford to go back to their home countries and not work.

Most were just complaining of the deterioration of Pattaya...... there was no doubt that it is still better living here than most places in the UK. And I don't think anyone was saying it wasn't.

 

If someone cannot afford to go back home though, I wonder how they would be surviving here?

 

Anyhow, Atlas2, a very good post balancing the negatives on the board, perhaps I am a major contributor to the doom and gloom, but that is my nature, panic, if this place becomes unbearable I don't think there would be any-place to go for me!

 

I bought my 'house' at a considerable bit less than 65 baht/£, nearer 55, but I could not afford a place similar to this in the UK.

(Maybe I could but the day to day expenses would have me selling up soon)

 

Yes P4P is certainly easier, better etc etc, but that seems a shallow thing to use to justify my reasons for being here, I am not just a nonce.

 

You only pay VAT...well I get that, plus tax on bank interest, something for my house ownership and I seem to pay something for my car and bike each year.... let us not understate the reality. BUT... of course they would bleed me dry in the UK!

 

Motoring, yes, you got that right, I can drive a larger vehicle here, only negatives, traffic is worse as is driving standards and parking in town.

 

Again, right on the entertainment, although some of my beers are more than UK prices.... especially if I get nostalgic for a pub environment... those guys have been sneaking up prices for a few years.

 

Don't play golf, maybe I should!

 

Surprised you got jetskis in there, what are they now, 45,000 baht/hour?

 

Haircuts, spot on 100 baht yesterday, (including 30 tip)... ears shaved, nose hair trimmed, eyebrows too. They can't do that in the UK without 3 health and safety representatives there!

 

Health... I have to say the UK wins, because of NH, despite state of the art hospitals here. The cost is high as you age and I have little faith of being treated 'fairly' at the BPH! A bad health bout here could bankrupt you. People who harp on about 'public' Thai hospitals, well the one I visited scared me.

 

You say Electricity is cheaper, well it is hard to calculate how much it is in the UK, standard charges and multiple tariffs. In the UK isn't it about 15p/KWH? Here I pay about 10p/kwh, So agreed, but the difference is less than I thought.

 

Baht buses are useless, can't get on one and it is faster to walk.

 

Trip in a taxi to my UK airport £25-27, less than 1500 baht!

 

The array of 'fruit and veg' in the UK is at least equal in a big supermarket. More fruits here is balanced by more veg over there I believe.. but still many things are hard to find in LOS.

 

I have cable TV, it is shite, but way way cheaper.

 

Of course my life here is far superior to anything I could afford in the UK...... it will likely last too as the UK is certainly deteriorating faster than here. I gave up on the UK many years ago, prior century, why would I bring there into any comparison, life in Pattaya beats Bangladesh too I bet! The fear might be, if Pattaya continues on it's current paths, I may think of elsewhere, where the hell would there be then?

Edited March 26, 2013 by jacko

[atlas2 4,329]

Good post Jacko

 

As Einstien said: "It's all relative!"