Originally Posted by
11Bravo
With all due respect, I'd really exercise a GREAT deal of caution about bailing out and resettling. At least until you are SURE it has what you want.
I understand about the companionship. But giving up your homestead and moving... A lot of questions to answer, because LIVING somewhere is nothing like visiting, even when the visits are months long. Will you work, or will you retire? (rhetorical question). If working, are you prepared for the hassles, bureaucracy, etc. If retired, does Thailand have what you need, infrastructure, places, things, to keep you amused (and all you younguns who think "hey, there's plenty of go-go bars, mp's, etc. to keep me entertained... that gets old quick). How exactly will you spend your days? Companionship is great, but 24/7/365? Not only you, but can she handle it? And things are great when you're both relatively healthy, independent. But what happens when one declines, and requires a bit, then a lot, of help? One thing about Asians, they don't put their family in homes, BUT you have to be considered family to qualify. And what about medical costs? What would Australia govt pay for someone overseas? Or do you have enough to cover all? Medical care is cheaper there, but it's not free, and a govt hospital might not be what you want.
Thailand has some great things to see, some great parks, beaches, some mountains, etc., but how many Buddha statues can you really see? Yes, every pose has meaning, but for me, non-Buddhist, they become a blur. And it is convenient for trips to Cambodia (a LOT to see), Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar (though I wouldn't be visiting there anytime soon; shame because it is fascinating). Now China, that is a country that would take a lifetime to see.
Some keep the tourist mentality, don't embed with the locals. You have a long term friend... even if you don't socialize with locals, she will. Sure, a number speak English, but unless you speak fluent Thai, you'll always be a bit on the outside looking in. And then there's the corruption, the abuse of power, the inequities of the elites over the masses. Maybe your lady is one of the former. But still, it can grate. For me, like fine sandpaper, what you need to put up with to get things done. Or just listening to the locals tell about their run-ins with the corruption... Your lady will screen you from most of it, but unless you're really oblivious, it does grate.
Not saying it can't be done. But selling the ole homestead, that's a "let me think about that..."
Myself, like I said, I have an agreement with my best friend: if either of us wind up sitting on the Pattaya beach front at noon, drinking beer, in a wifebeater, the other one puts us out of our misery.
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