@John ******

yep....buffaloes seem to have a short life span ...just make the ground rules very clear. They respect that....they use suckered that they don't respect.

Learn the culture and follow it.

Never be a self righteous prick, never critique Thai politics, food, life style, you are a guest. Make good Thai friends and try to learn some language.

Lived tgere 7 years pre covid...loved every minute.

@Dave ****************************

If you have a liscence. I hired for one year.

Then paid cash for new Honda Click...Rode every day....Fuel about $8/ 2 weeks. Scheduled services approx $8. Insurance, rego, liscence approx $50/ year. 2019.. not sure now.

That was in Chiang Mai.

@Kev *********

at 72 I got my bike liscence.

100% on computer test because I prepared well.

Failed last point on practical on a Friday....the examiner gave me a couple of tips re weight distribution. Practiced on the week end and passed 9 00 Monday.

Rode every day for 5 years.

Say one minor accident.

Never involved in accident. Felt far safer in Chiang Mai city traffic than I do driving a car in Australia.

My Thai friends gave me only two pieces of advice.

I. Forget about the traffic behind you, focus on traffic ahead and respond.

2. When yiu use your indicator move immediately.

Had to cross 4 lanes of traffic in approx 200m to get home.

Easy as pie.

The only aggressive drivers in Chian Mai were tourists and privilaged expats. Once you are in the traffic it is not as scary as it looks.

Just respect other drivers. Never saw a Thai driver exhibiting any road rage in 7 years.

90% of my driving was in inner city traffic.

Miss my Honda CLICK.

@Bhavin *********

o felt far safer on my motor scooter in Chiang Mai than my car in Austrslia.

If you put £ from your nest egg in A Thai bank account to secure your visa you will live very comfortable in your .

= 0THB/pa=THB/Month

Easy unless you are a piss head and ☆☆☆☆☆ diner. I live comfortably on THB/Month and still holiday education in Vietnam etc each year

@Steve *********

no 90 day resets when you come back.

I had a retiremen visa before covid in 5 yeaes I did 90 day check in twice.

Make sure though that you have a entry form.

I had a multiple entry.

Every time I came back to Thailand the 90 days starred again.

Just make sure yiu are there at renewal time.

@Tim *********

it's not daunting.

Get the list of "to dos" and work through it.

@Robert ****

welcome.

But for covid I would still be there.

Hope to return now they have relaxed the health insurance a bit.

Personally I prefer to rent....easier to move....

Tim Shilling

I had a retirement visa in Thailand for 7 years.

I was under the old system of an incomebof THB/month.(£1500)

These days you have to have the 0THBk(£) in the bank but I think in years 2 yiu can swap to the THB/M.

My Australian pension easily covered that.

I tented a furnished studio apartment on Chiang Mai for approx 7500THB/M Including electricity and water. I spent about $100/£50 setting up a cooking area cooked for myself. But ate local food regularly.

I am nit a drinker but liked to socialise, go to movies etc, take trips to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam etc.I spent about THB/ M and saved the rest for special outings, holidays etc.

I used to fly back to Aust once a year to visit family.

I give these figures as a guide....I don't know what the UK pension is.

(I did get my bike liscence, at age 72 ,and bought a new Honda CLICK ( approx Thb(approx £800....petrol was about 400THB/month)

Hope that's some help.

Good condos are available at Jomtien ...around 8000- /m

Good luck.

I did mine by myself.

Just follow the directing.

Some agents are rip offs