There’s an old Aussie guy called Wayne who I follow on YouTube and he sets me thinking sometimes about life and retirement. He knocks around the East with an occasional trip back to Australia to recharge and sort out any health or other issues he may have.
He travels around Indonesia, Thailand , Cambodia and India and generally lives cheaply and simply. He spends his time walking around villages and beaches talking to local people, asking what they do, drinking coffee and eating local food. He’s happy dong this, no responsibility, no house , no wife and seemingly no family. There are a number of older guys like this , many of them building a house and settling down with a younger local partner . But not Wayne , he stays single .He doesn’t have worries , except for getting around by local transport , either taxis , local buses or trains , much of which is ramshackle . He propagates his lifestyle and perhaps at one time I would have joined him. I did in fact go to Chiang Mai, Thailand , with a view to teach English there but after three unsuccessful weeks trying to find a position there I decided to move on to the Philippines. I had visited Chiang Mai on my first travel venture and really liked it but this time I was somewhat disappointed and I realised it was nothing special. Above all else it was very hot , one could get around in the mornings but the afternoons were reserved for a siesta on the bed with air conditioning going like full blast . Then when the sun goes down people move again and hit the streets .
Single guys do retire to the East and many of them have a local partner , which is not hard to find. The advantage is that the cost of living is low ; but really one finds oneself in the same situation as back home ,supporting a house and probably an extended family. The culture is different , it’s hot and likely as not Third world.
So Wayne travels around , staying in Guest Houses and eating locally . Health services are an issue , although Thailand has a good level of healthcare. If one has a serious problem in e g Cambodia then the options are either to fly to Thailand or to UK or South Africa.
Surely one tires of travelling around third world countries in run down trains and cars and staying in guest house bedrooms. Visas are another issue , one has to move from country to country every 3 months so as not to fall foul of the requirements.
You are always an outsider , language and culture are a barrier and it’s hard to break through the family ties.
What’s important at the end is relationship ties with family and friends. That’s why people remain content living in not very attractive places like Halifax or Grimsby.
So I’m happy to live as I am in South Africa and make the occasional foray to a distant land.