geisha

How’s Hua Hin these days ? I can’t remember, but I think it was cooler than Pattaya, also , no pollution ? I know the traffic is horrendous. It was 10 yrs back. Looks like they’ve built a lot of condos. I don’t go to the beach,which is awful’there,, I swim in the pool.

Hi, I’ve found the weather here a bit exhausting this year, what with the heat and the pollution. I stayed through my winter months for 20yrs + in Phuket , the rain and the heat drove me out ( and the prices) and I landed in Hua Hin for two years. The weather was cooler than Phuket but I wasn’t too keen on the place, maybe it’s better now? (2010).So im thinking about going elsewhere where the weather is milder and no smog/haze. Actually in Jomtien /Pattaya,, Im not fixed , but I don’t want to be out in the sticks, somewhere where there’s shopping, restaurants and nice condos with pools. Even other Asian countries. I’m single, 65 yr female.Ive been to almost everywhere, i stayed lately in Ngapali beach Myanmar, where the weather was a dream. Gorgeous dry sunny days, cool evenings and mornings, bordering on cold, a pleasure to sleep, eat and have a walk. Of course, there’s nothing there , except a beach and a few hotels, but it made me wish for a similar climate. Any ideas welcome, and no, I’m not living in cloud cuckoo land .

If you re in a hurry, just go to Siem Reap, cambodia, or Vietnam for a few months and see how it goes. Even Bali, a cheap condo with a nice pool ? Then you have time to check it out, and see if you like it. How can you tell before hand if you don’t try ?

Good luck to you, I think you made the right decision. I always thought I’d retire here, after coming here every winter nearly for 30+ years. But Thailand has changed, and the people too. The once beautiful beaches and country side is fast slipping away. The pollution is only going to get worse, and the food is becoming more and more unhealthy daily. Those are my reasons. One more, the ever depreciation of the euro is making Thailand much more expensive to live. I find that a bit much for the lack of quality concerning infrastructure , building quality , ( I think my newish rented condo will fall down bit by bit in the next 5 years) and hospitals that do not, in my opinion, hit the mark for the price they cost. Also, cherry on the cake, is the very complicated visa process.

So what is the use of that for the French and British ? Imagine me going to Paris from Cannes, a return air ticket, and two nights hotel. / spending money plus visa costs. Plus you’re not even sure of getting a visa as Paris are one abomination ! That’s why I always come in without a visa sincé monaco and Marseille consulats closed down.