Jingthing

If I ever need to move from Thailand, obviously Cambodia is a very easy option. But the culture is so similar to Thailand that I think I would be interested in something completely different. I am not planning on leaving Thailand but you never know.

I haven't a clue but I reckon if you're rich enough a transactional relationship would be possible most anywhere.

No and no. I did see that there are a few decent Chinese restaurants in Tirana though.

Yeah if you can find the docs you can get Italian citizenship. If you're serious maybe an Italian immigration lawyer could help find another way to prove it. Albania has a citizenship by descent option as well. Anecdotal but one of my best friends growing up moved to Rome because of his father's Italian background. I had a chance to visit him at age 15 and see how he had become a Euro trash boy. Unfortunately later his mother was found dead in the Tiber river and his father was charged with murder. Go figure.

I don't get the impression that Albania is a crap hole though. It does have it's downsides like any place though. If you know where Greece and Sicily are, you're not far off.

This pleasant older American lady who used to teach English in Chiang Mai says you can live decently in Tirana for only 1000 USD a month. She rents a two bedroom apartment for 400 fairly centrally located. So that obviously means for 2000 a month you can live very well, eating out daily, etc.

Oh, behave.

I'm interested in a tourism visit to Poland. I've enjoyed Czechia and Hungary before. I would only bother with Albania if I was seriously checking it out as an expatriation option. Portugal even with the negative tax changes still appears to be the top expatriation choice in Europe though Lisbon and Porto are now way over low budget levels.

Not fair. Tirana is the capitol. Compare to Bangkok.

Yes they will apply for the EU and I consider that very negative for Americans based on retirement visa requirements for Americans for other EU countries. What I don't know about is any time estimate for entering the EU. Like if its 10 years from now not so bad. Probably a good reason to reject Albania unless a person really thinks they can learn Albanian and get a passport after 5 years. It does have a very weird history and it is very small, but it is a country. As far as religiosity Muslim or Christian I'm not sure how deep that is considering it was a very atheist communist country for a long time. Short of moving there it does sound like it might be fun for a visa free very long stay for those of us that like to move around alot.

I've been aware of Albania before, but have recently learned some things about it that appear to make it much more attractive to Americans specifically, as a possible Plan B alternative to Thailand. Such as -- One year visa free entry specifically for Americans! WOW. Reported love of Americans by the people there English widely spoken especially by younger people, especially in Tirana Unlike Latin America and similar to Thailand, there isn't much expectation that foreigners will speak Albanian. A number of very accessible sounding paths towards 5 year permanent residence Low cost of living comparable to Thailand Lovely beaches and mountains Central to travel to popular European destinations OK private healthcare available at reasonable prices even without insurance Decent weather (neighboring Greece across from Sicily Italy) This is one video. I've seen others that don't really contradict it. I am hearing different info on visa options, additional ones to those mentioned in the video, and a general impression that it's a moving target but always that it's reasonably easy and accessible for most Americans. Downsides? There always are some. Citizenship path possible after 5 years but you need to learn Albanian and Albanian is VERY VERY DIFFICULT. My impression is harder than Thai. Albania plans to eventually enter the EU. That would be good news for EU people but bad news for Americans who haven't become Alabanian citizens (dual passports allowed). Unknown how many years before that happens The food. Related somewhat to Italian and Greek but quite different as well. As shown in the video and seen elsewhere garbage pickup is not first world Although pensions/social security aren't taxed, I think there is a minimum tax requirement which might be about 90 dollars a month (I consider that tolerable) My impression is that I wouldn't like to be stuck with Albanian food and the only place in the country that offers a decent variety of international restaurants in the capitol Tirana (not at the beach) Some Asian food but not very much Not to be Islamophobic but it's a heavily Muslim country and dangerous for gay people but better in Tirana. I think if I moved there I would only want to live in Tirana. Have you been to Albania in recent years? How was it? Would you consider living there? Has this topic piqued your interest in Albania?

I know enforcement of this varies, but my take is that we are not allowed to live indefinitely Thailand based on tourism based entries and that immigration police have every right to question us if they see evidence that we are, and they also have every right to deny entry if they aren't satisfied with our answers. Often related of course to suspicion of working illegally. Obviously what happens on any given day can be random and related to luck, but i seriously ask, am I wrong?

If the picture of the Thai flag is genuine, I assume it was done to show sympathy to the Thais murdered on October 7 by Iran backed Hamas terrorists and also the Thai hostages being held if they are still alive. What the Thai government might think about a show of sympathy to Thai people is really another matter.

The nukes are meant to deter Iran the actual force behind Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houtis. Of course you were being sarcastic but I answered anyway.

You completely misinterpreted that. If you consider yourself a Jew of course you're a Jew regardless. I assume that you mean that you practice the Jewish religion at some level. Jewish is both a religion and an ethnicity. You don’t need both to be a Jew. One or the other or both. Or mixed ethnicity of course. I also never said you need to be one of the typical Jewish ethnicities to be a Jew. Bur if you are not Ashkenazi ethnicity for example you're just not and you can never be just the same I can't be an ethnic Pacific Islander. I said multiple times that race doesn't exist but its a social construct and as we are social animals that's not trivial. Ethnicity on the other hand is real. Again as an example Ashkenazi Jewish ethnicity genetics. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ashkenazi-jews-descend-from-350-people-study-finds/

Conspiracy theory garbage. Intentional misinformation.

There is zero doubt about that but good luck finding Israel demonizers to admit to that dark reality.

Apparently not if it's Jews standing up. Jews should know their place. Waiting passively to be slaughtered.

Of course it's a war. Israel is sort of winning the military side. Hamas / Iran is strongly winning the propaganda side.

You conveniently fail to mention the unconditional support that Iran gives to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houtis.

In an ideal world they would be two completely different things but in the real world we live in now, there is quite often a bleeding and blending going on and I think a person would need to be clueless not to see that. In other words normal criticism of Israel government policies as you would criticize any other government, strongly opposing Netanyahu etc. as I do is clearly not Jew hating but unfortunately a lot of the more extreme Israel demonization rhetoric is very often obviously infected. You know it when you see it.

Regardless not an excuse for Jew hating.

Most gays welcome having equal choices.

Putin welcomes you.

You get it.