Rainmon
American expat in Thailand
Forum posts
18
About me
American
Lives in Pattaya, Chon Buri
Speaks English
Registration: 28 July 2017
About
Occupation
I am Retired.
My expat journey
Phatthaya, Chon Buri, Thailand
I am a Stroke Survivor, had a Lacunar Stroke at age 62 in Oct 2017 while living in Thailand and went to BPH emergency here in Pattaya and for follow up care. There are some very good doctors there that helped me more than the doctors in USA after I returned last year for a 2nd opinion. Spent 5 months in USA and returned to Thailand in Aug 2019.
I've lived in Thailand over 12 years including 2 years in Bangkok running my own condo rental business. Moved back to USA to work for a year then to Pattaya where I had a back injury in 2012. Now I'm unable to work full time being partially disabled, plus dealing with all the post stroke issues. After so many years here the ignorant hooligan alcoholic expats and perverts have become very tiresome, but nowhere is perfect, Thailand is still a good place to retire. Now considering a move to Philippines after the 2019 retirement visa rule changes which go into effect March 2019, but will stay until all the new rules get sorted out.
It's affordable to live here, most the Thai people are very nice, I can walk most places and don't need a car (I now live in the beach resort town of Pattaya, before I lived and worked in Bangkok). If I need a ride I can take Grab (Grab took over Uber) most places around town for about $5-6 per ride around (250 baht). Good healthcare and much lower costs than the US, you can buy prescription medication directly without a doctor. Bumrungrad is one of the best and largest Private Hospital in Southeast Asia that provides cost efficient world-class healthcare, patients come here from all over the world. The BDMS Bangkok Dusit medical network is also very good with hospitals nationwide, there are also many good smaller government hospitals and Camillian hospital a very good private/Catholic charity funded hospital in Bangkok I've gone to many times in 2008-2010 near Sukhumvit Soi 55 Thong Lor. Also note, you don't need to pay an agency for medical "vacation/tourism" concierge service, most all major private hospitals have English speaking staff and inhouse medical concierge type services/advice free for foreign patients.
A big issue is the high suicide rate, physical and mental health issues and financial issues in the expat community, every week there is a report about an expat death. Pattaya is the suicide capital of Thailand. According to statistics collated by the website 'Farang Deaths', 25 percent of foreign deaths in Thailand occur from road accidents, 20 percent from drowning, and 12 percent through other accidental reasons.
Some of the Thai's can be racist, resentful and hateful toward Farang (foreigners) especially in a tourist destinations. The tourist and expat hooligans can be dangerous and will assault you or try to start fights in Pattaya. The motorbikes, cars, trucks and buses will constantly try to run you over as there is no respect for pedestrians (even in a crosswalk you can be struck easily by a vehicle as the Thais and tourists drivers don't observe the traffic laws which are also not enforced by the police). Food poisoning is a chronic problem here (I keep a good supply of Cipro and other antibiotics in my condo). And if you a looking for a relationship, be warned there is a high probability you will be conned and next to impossible to find a genuine lady for marriage or girlfriend.
Dallas, Texas, USA
Lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area all of my life, where I worked and ran my own Printing & Graphics business for 75% of my career until I retired early in 2006 and moved to Thailand.
Activity
Which banks are OK for required THB 800,000 by melmalinowski
I have a bank account at Bangkok Bank where I keep my required minimum balance per the visa requirement. My Thai wife says she has heard that only Bangkok Bank can be used for this. I'm not too happy with BB and would like to establish a joint ...
Krungsri Bank of Ayudhya offers a saving account called the Mee Tae Dia Account which is much better than Bangkok Bank and most all other banks in Thaialnd. It pays 1% interest (not a mutual fund which is not allowed by immigration), it must be a ... Read More
Cheapest cities in Thailand by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Budget is an important consideration when moving to Thailand. Ideally, expats would settle down in a city in Thailand where the cost of living is low but where they could also enjoy a decent quality of life. Would you be able to ...
If you have to ask where's the cheapest city to live in Thailand you should live in Cambodia or Laos. Maybe even consider Syria. Read More
Health Insurance by howie2
Hello, I have visited Thailand many many times as a tourist but I am from next year, emigrating to Thailand and will be marrying my Thai girlfriend. I am wondering if anyone had any advice on which Health Insurance would be best for me to take out ...
Do they only sell insurance plans from Thai companies. There is no such thing as cover for a pre-existing condition Thailand insurance companies even consider taking preventative low dose aspirin or cholesterol medication a pre-existing condition ... Read More
Cheapest cities in Thailand by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Budget is an important consideration when moving to Thailand. Ideally, expats would settle down in a city in Thailand where the cost of living is low but where they could also enjoy a decent quality of life. Would you be able to ...
WRONG Read More
Cheapest cities in Thailand by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Budget is an important consideration when moving to Thailand. Ideally, expats would settle down in a city in Thailand where the cost of living is low but where they could also enjoy a decent quality of life. Would you be able to ...
Don't waste your time moving to Thailand unless you have a good job that will do all your paperwork and get your visa, the laws have changed twice this year and after over 12 years living in Thailand I am leaving, they only want rich tourists ... Read More
Clearing your belongings through customs in Thailand by Priscilla
Hello everyone, During one聮s big move abroad, shipping personal belongings to the host country can be stressful. Customs regulations differ from one country to another and you never quite know what to expect when trying to recover your belongings ...
Why would anyone ship all of their stuff to Thailand when you can buy everything you need here. What a waste of money and unnecessary hassle, plus they've just totally changed the rules to get retirement or long term Visas here making it ... Read More
Looking for affordable hospital at Pattaya or urology clinic ? by fredbkk
Hi, could you recommend me a good hospital cheaper than Bangkok hospital or may be a urology clinic ? I need to see a urologist doctor because i think i have some kidney stones. Thanks in advance
no idea how the Sattahip hospital came in first place?Post #6 from the resident troll know it all Read More
Looking for affordable hospital at Pattaya or urology clinic ? by fredbkk
Hi, could you recommend me a good hospital cheaper than Bangkok hospital or may be a urology clinic ? I need to see a urologist doctor because i think i have some kidney stones. Thanks in advance
and the guy who doesn't even know that Queen sirikit hospital is Sathahip navy hospital keep talking... real life experience ! a real champion yes ! 5555+Can you explain why google maps shows 2 different hospitals one being Queen Sirikit and ... Read More
Looking for affordable hospital at Pattaya or urology clinic ? by fredbkk
Hi, could you recommend me a good hospital cheaper than Bangkok hospital or may be a urology clinic ? I need to see a urologist doctor because i think i have some kidney stones. Thanks in advance
I've been to both of these hospitals, lived in Thailand going on 13 years lived in Bangkok 2 years, I don't know what the previous poster is talking about, a simple Google search and Google maps research validates my previous post as well as ... Read More
Looking for affordable hospital at Pattaya or urology clinic ? by fredbkk
Hi, could you recommend me a good hospital cheaper than Bangkok hospital or may be a urology clinic ? I need to see a urologist doctor because i think i have some kidney stones. Thanks in advance
I don't know about Sattahip hospital but I've been to Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital (very near Sattahip) and had an appointment with the Gi doctor (same guy from Pattaya Memorial), saved about 400 baht (but it's 37 kilometers from ... Read More
Traffic in Thailand by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Which city or area do you live in in Thailand, and how do you find the traffic? How long does it take to commute to work or run errands? Is there a rush hour in your city? What times of the day would you recommend people to ...
Make sure you have your life and accident insurance up to date, drivers in cars and on motor bike will also happily run you over as a pedestrian, they also drive motorbikes on sidewalks and tourists on 'crouch rockets' drive 60 mph thru ... Read More
Retirement by RustyG
Hello, I have so many questions in regards to retirement in the land of smiles. I have been there many times as a tourist on vacation and have enjoyed myself immensely. However, this is a far cry from living there in retirement. To start, ...
These are the Royal Thai Honorary Consulate-General listed in the U.S.- Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, Texas (Dallas and Houston), Puerto Rico and Utah. These are in addition to the listed locations. The Thai ... Read More
Retirement by RustyG
Hello, I have so many questions in regards to retirement in the land of smiles. I have been there many times as a tourist on vacation and have enjoyed myself immensely. However, this is a far cry from living there in retirement. To start, ...
Housing; Use an agent, look on Google or Craigs list, or go look in person on your own for a condo/apt rental, it's not rocket science. Visa: get a 30 day visa when entering the country, go to US Embassy Outreach meeting or set an appointment ... Read More
Looking for advices on Health Insurance by jesterjeffs
Hi, my name is Julie, from England, my husband and myself (both 49 years old), are wanting to give up our jobs here in England, rent our house out and move to Pattaya, we have visited Pattaya for the last 10 years on a holiday. We think we have ...
You have to be careful and read the details closely, most of these Thai based plans have very low total cover 300,000 or 400,000 baht and limit how much a surgeon is paid in the 20,000 to 30,000 baht range which will not even cover a simple hernia ... Read More
Girlfriend by blubmeister
What dies a Thai girl mean when she says , "Can you boyfriend with me?". Before she offered sexual services for a fee. What is the difference? No charge now? Is monogamy expected in return?
The only thing Thai women love is your money, thier family and thier iPhone. Farang = same same Soi dog... Read More