hermespan

For some reason, decent rooms are much more expensive in the Philippines, at least around Manila, than they are in India. And food is better beyond compare in India.

As to taxes, nationality comes into play again since tax treaties can affect your treatment. And if you're American (or otherwise taxed on your worldwide income by your home country), then paying tax in India, say, may not represent much of a real cost since you can credit the Indian income tax you pay against your American income tax.

Agree with your food comment, at least if one is vegetarian and likes spices, as I do.

Income taxes? I read about that concept somewhere. Have to file to owe...

Actually, my understanding is that renting property in Indian cities is not cheap either. This would explain why most long term tourists stay in guesthouses. My challenge will be finding a place to cook or finding a venue that will cook the food I buy in market, since I get tired of heavy Indian food, cooked in restaurants with questionable oil to boot.

But again, the purpose of this thread is not to discuss pros and cons of each country, but instead to elicit expats' lists of which countries visa policies best suit their needs and why. I mean compared to each other.

So, taxout - what is your wishlist and which Asian countries, based on your experience and reading, best suit you?

But even the above is a tangent. I repeat my question from post #1...

"The subject of this post does not address whether being in country X is worthwhile."

Instead the subject of this thread is which long term stay visa is best (as in cheapest, easiest and least hassle). The merits of the country are a related question which I prefer to not address here. Back on track...

I am fed up after trying living in Malaysia.

It is Ramadan in Johor state The churches and temples don't get crazy loud. The Muslim houses of worship do. Not that it's much better at other times of the year. The local muezzin doesn't consider the neighbours, including the Muslim neighbours', wish (or in some cases, a *need*) to sleep in past 5:44 a.m. The surau (prayer halls) don't have the courtesy to limit aural space but instead compete with each other. Even when the majority is Chinese and Indian where I stay. I am really pissed about this. The PA system is really loud and features a guy who doesn't win any singing awards. The government policy here doesn't give all religions equal value in disturbing the piece. It feels like we infidels are the brunt of propaganda five times a day, as if I am living in something worse than Cultural Revolution China of Mao. Tibetan Buddhist chanting before dawn or Catholic church bells on Sunday is nothing compared to this.

So, I will just have to crank up Hindu chanting in the privacy of my room every day to cover it up, until I can vote with my feet and take my expat dollars elsewhere. Where there is not such a monopoly arrangement between an organized religion and the State. Or a place where the Islam has a sweeter aesthetic and less supremacist mentality. Not sure that is possible. I have read the Koran and Hadiths and know what these vocal declarations mean.

Someone made a complaint to the local authorities about this sectarian noise issue somewhere else in Malaysia and was arrested for 'insulting Islam' and spent a week in jail. Someone tried to bring this subject up in a Malaysian forum and he was had his thread deleted. All of my Malaysian friends tell me that this is 'a very sensitive issue', i.e. taboo to criticize. Period. To try to organize the neighbourhood against this would result only in being kicked out.

I don't have a problem with what people do in the privacy of their homes or community places of worship. But this is ridiculous. And I like Malays a lot. So, it's not a racial thing.

The only effective strategy I can think of is to move to a secular, Hindu, Buddhist or Catholic country.

How is the volume in your neighbourhood in Thailand or wherever readers are? And has there been any effective community or political action to limit the volume of calls to prayer in Thailand and other Asian countries? I know that in Singapore they very sensibly use the radio. And to my fellow expats in Indonesia, I don't recall it being as bad there. Is it?

Jack Thompson wrote:

"When I last looked into it, India had a '180-day max per year' rule, as did Nepal. Back then, my plan was Nepal < 180, India < 180, Sri Lanka the rest."

Old news. Modi's new policies changed that, at least according to what the visa company told me in February 2016, about three months ago. And what with the weak ruppee (vis-a-vis the USD) I am keen to test out India.

With regard to the 10-year / 180-day Tourist Visa option in India - is there an issue raised with Immigration when doing out/ins every 180 days of the "what are you doing here / must be working illegally" variety?

Also, what are the tax-consequences? In Thailand, as long as you bring in money you made a year+ ago, no tax issues on non-Thai-generated income.

I have always considered Cambodia to be my 'back up plan' if things go sideways with Thai immigration / Tourist Visas before I turn 50, but with the regulations there getting slightly more difficult (vis-a-vis taxes, etc), I am looking into other options.

Taxes, working? The concepts are vaguely familiar to me. Aha, there are normal people on this forum.

To answer your first question, I have not yet tried it. And as we all know, enforcement by Immigration officers is discretionary. They can let you in or not.

I can tell you only what the monopoly India visa agency in Vancouver told me...

Every six months you must leave the country. No going back to country of citizenship. No staying outside India for X days/weeks/months/years. No 'but that doesn't include Sri Lanka and Nepal, you must go somewhere further afield such as Thailand.' Those restrictions are over.

Are there any guarantees? No. I think the most likely change is further liberalization. But let's be frank. If you leave for Pakistan frequently your situation might be different. India visas do ask your religion. Deal with it.

Macau and Israel also use slips. And no cost for entry to Hong Kong. Though that savings is really minimal compared to the very high cost of actually staying in Hong Kong.

As for Taiwan, I was not suggesting the ferry, which is not that easy to reach, but budget airlines: round-trip to HK can be about US$120 all-in on HK Express from Taichung, for example.

However, land crossings are usually cheaper, depending on where you live of course, e.g. Penang to southern Thailand, Seam Reap to Isarn, etc. Philippines and Indonesia have the same challenge.

Interesting thread, however the problem as someone has pointed out it has some many variables v difficult to cover

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

True. However, if everyone, or even a few hundred (few dozen?) experienced globetrotters posted their own wish lists and their own interpretation of their conclusions - soon Thai visa Forum would have a cornucopia of data for all to learn from and act on.

I encourage simple lists as I have done. Otherwise, one has to sort through reams of details. It is a great place to start. Next step, read details. Follows visit and try it out. Follows don't give up your present home base and try it out as a 'resident' for 3 months.

Administrator: Please move to correct sister forum category. Sorry, I meant to post to section on NON-Thai visa discussion

Taxout wrote:

"Further, while Hong Kong gives most travellers a 90-day stay on arrival (180 days for British), it hardly qualifies as "low cost."

The high cost of living in HKG is a related issue of course. But most relevant to the subject of this thread (I already got sidetracked) is the cost of the Hong Kong visa itself expensive? I doubt it. It is probably free. It was for this Canadian anyway. And there is another factor I neglected to list - how much real estate does the visa and entry/exit stamps take? Hong Kong is the only jurisdiction I know of that wastes zero space, instead issuing a paper. Paper clip - no additional cost. Even Cuba stopped doing this for everybody.

Problem is, this varies with your own nationality: India is great for Canadians and Americans, who can get a ten-tear visa with a 180-day stay, and not bad for some British, who might now be able to get a five-year visa. There may another case or two like these, but generally other nationalities are stuck with the usual short-term visa, and applying for an Indian visa is quite a hassle.

(And leaving Taiwan is not that difficult or expensive, especially now with direct connections to Mainland China.)

Well, that was quick! Thanks for your input taxout. So, my guess was wrong, a ferry ride is not slow or expensive from Taiwan to PRC eh? I was influenced by my own prejudices/inexperience. I dislike China for multiple reasons. I even have a 2-year multi entry visa for the place but after dealing with the high price of Canton Fair Guangzhou and language hassles decided that I am unlikely to go back except for business/shopping.

Taxout, I welcome your assessment list for your nationality. I am Canadian. I have been to India many times over the decades. Whether that helped or not, I do not know. It was painless and I got it within the week. I stopped sojourning in Thailand years ago, for many reasons (visa extension hassles mostly and I started to feel I wasn't really welcome, plus cost of living).

Really, everyone please create your own list. It is much more useful than responses to my comments.

All are in SEA and South Asia. According to my preliminary reading, experience and discussions with old Asia hands (plus a few guesses), the best deals for sojourners are, in descending order of open door policies...

EXCELLENT: India

VERY GOOD: Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines

GOOD: Vietnam, Nepal

OK: Thailand, Hong Kong (?)

PROBLEMATIC: Everywhere else (Indonesia included?) except...

PAIN IN THE NECK: North Korea, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mongolia

Two or three of these might be merely problematic.

Do you agree or disagree, and why?

................................................................................................................................

The subject of this post does not address whether being in country X is worthwhile.

This post concerns the long-stay requirements of someone who...

- does not have any ancestral connection to the country in question

- is from a major western country (UK, Australia etc)

- is not investing, not marrying a local and not studying

- will leave the country every 3-6 months for 3-5 days+

- does not want his eligibility based on age

- not frequently changing Immigration policies

In other words, a long-term tourist who makes country X their home-base from which to travel further, without significant commitment. Low cost, low stress, and unlikely to change for the worse next year.

Clearly there are many factors to consider...

- cost of visa

- days to get

- sponsorship

- age relevant

- medical check ups

- police clearance

- validity of visa (how soon one must use it)

- duration of visa (how long you can stay)

- how often one must leave

- how many times one can repeat process

- how far one has to go away

- for how long must go away

- how much bureaucracy is involved (visits to Immigration office in capital etc)

My comparison is many years in Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia. However now I have a ten-year multi-entry visa for India as it is the best deal in Asia. The only other country-specific comments I will make are two: 1) regardless of what the policies are of Taiwan and Sri Lanka, as they are islands, visa-runs are not so fast, therefore making them worse choices than they might appear; 2) KLIA2 and Dong Muang, being Air Asia hubs make Malaysia and Thailand very cost-effective for regional travel visa runs.

Obvious responses would be (and maybe some are being done already)

1. Surveillance: Monitor all preaching in mosques

2. Separation: Send three deep south provinces on their own with a statement something like: "It is time to go your own way. We will withdraw all the infrastructure we have built. And if you so much as raise a finger against Thailand, we will attack in retaliation for our own protection."

3. Immigration: No more Muslim immigration to Thailand

4. Tourism: Monitor all Muslim tourists and others visiting from Muslim nations

5. Education: Public education events in order to discern the differences between Islam and Buddhism - its founder's life, its scriptures and doctrines as found in the Koran, Hadith and Sira, its history and current situation.

The reason Buddhist culture and nations were destroyed in Pakistan, Afghanistan etc is that Buddhist nations didn't look Islam squarely in the face and combat it as became necessary.

No more ostriches.

While I do not approve of many of their tactics (e.g. violence and coercion) perhaps Thailand needs something more like Burma's militancy, better from non-monks of course.

Read politialislam.com

I can help you get thru Betong Customs here in Yala. But not sure about Sadao.

Are you insinuating that it would/could be a problem otherwise?

Does Thailand still require 'tea money'? I thought that was a thing of the past.

This isn't Cambodia. Er, or is it?

With or without a retirement visa? I might apply, but won't unless it is necessary.

Have any of you made the move say from Penang to Rayong when you weren't working for some corporation that transferred everything?

I am a writer temporarily living in Malaysia. Expect to eventually make the move across the border and well beyond. Maybe ship all my stuff by train from Sadao.

I have a storeroom cum office here in Mallaca. No furniture to speak of. I'd like to maybe bring along an office chair. My desk if it isn't a problem. No bed. No food. No pets. No goods for sale. It's not a family with photo albums and safes. A modest amount. A very large van, a fraction in a one ton truck.

I would like to just load a simple canvass lorry with all my 13 plastic boxes of drawers (you've seen them at TESCO) and move to south-central Thailand. It took me what seemed million trips moving suitcases from Cambodia to Thailand. Don't want to repeat that ever again.

S.E. Asia is just my home base from which I travel.

I haven't yet looked into the cost for truck with driver. My concern here is simply Customs and Immigration. Do they care if you don't have residency when you arrive with a lot of goods? I have sojourned in Thailand for up to six months before, always getting my visa extended legally and it was all straightforward and easy. But that was arriving with a suitcase or two not a U-haul. And 10 years ago.

Do they go through your stuff with a fine tooth comb? I am not carrying contraband, I just would not rather spend ten hours having all my pots and pans and clothes and papers gone through. I am especially concerned about dutiable items like electronics. It would take me a week to itemize my stuff - but it would not be an impossible task. And I am the border guard's best friend. Besides being very polite and patient, everything is labeled and packed in see through bags. I am nothing if not organized. No receipts though.

Regarding saving money (a related issue), I once made another international move where I jettisoned almost everything. It wasted a lot of money and especially time starting from square one again. so, that modus operendi never again also

BTW, when I made a domestic move within Malaysia, the challenge was finding a *small* enough truck rather than a big enough one. The modest lorries that looked to be a perfect fit are used in local use businesses. I ended up hiring a 3 tonner 90% empty! A two hour one-way journey was USD85. I do not look forward to getting a price on an 8+ hour journey in Thailand.

examples: kimchee, wakame, ume

Best selection?

Lowest prices?

Highest quality?

Tesco Lotus is NOT the place.

I suspect Central Festival will be much better, but last trip I found the quality/value lacking even there, at leadt for those spoiled by Seoul and Tokyo.

I suspect there is so d niche market store where natives shop.

Nothing comes up on my google and thaivisa searches in English.

Just arrived and famished for some artisinal miso (kept in the fridge) for one!

I was recently in Had Yai and enjoyed the delicious and good value knom jin at a restaurant in Central Festival Mall there. Jienda Fishball Noodle eat all you can lunch buffet THB99

In Bangkok I eat at the small stall off Khao Sarn between Co-operative and other department store opposite Wat Chana Songkram R.M.

Where in Pattaya has the best?

Freshest, most generous choices of raw greens?

Most delicious fish soup to pour onto the rice vermicelli?

Cheapest all-you-can-eat that still tastes good?

One open latest?

One that offers duck eggs?

Etc

I land in Had Yai by air and intend to visit Dannok, Betong or Sungei Golok as well.

Anyone care to offer their pros and cons of each destination? No place is perfect. Not even Udon.

My interests are nightlife, vegetarian INDIAN food (not Chinese) and hot springs.

Or return to your home country?

Why?

Imagine a zombie holocaust of breakdown in society and infrastructure.

Do you want to be a prepper in Utah/Oz or Thailand? If so, where?

Economists and libertarians put on your thinking caps!

I just posted a specific FXS question to the SE Asia forum and now wonder in general...

If you compare Thailand to its ASEAN neighbours how pure capitalist is the marklet place and how much is there intervention by the State and monopoly corporations?

Money supply

Lending rates

Capital controls

etc

Seems to me, that based on my brief but over 25 years of trips in Thailand that Thailand had or maybe still has, many more restrictions on economic activity than Cambodia, making it closer (financially speaking) to communist Vietnam. I am not speaking as a perjorative, but factually, in numbers and in in terms of economics, not politics or society.

A related question could be how independent is Thailand economically, in terms of trade balances etc. Does the economy (government related but separate question?) of Thailand have to submit to the will of other markets or is it self-sufficient? And is that even a good thing?

region 'b' keeps coming up in my post as a smiley.

Subject explains all.

Context: I just picked up an external blueray player in Canada intending to bring it to Thailand/Cambodia/Malaysia. I did so because although my 3.5 year old laptop (SONY Vaio) does include a disk player (maybe it is a burner too) blueray must be too too or expensive to be included. And for business reasons I needed one right away.

I have had several disappointments that I wish to warn others about...

1. Brand: I bought LG instead of some unknown Chinese brand or even Pioneer because I figured a higher end name brand would have a better warranty, better performance and all-round be better. Based on the posts here it appears I made the wrong decision - that cheapo brands are more likely to have fewer hassles and because they are a throw away price, who cares? I paid CAD100 plus 12% taxes at a big box store when I could have paid $60.

1. Software scams: Using the accompanying CD I got a test that said my laptop was incapable of playing disks but for the price of $50 I could buy something to solve this problem. ? Isn't hardware supposed to come with a disk that makes the device work or a free online download? Had I such an old laptop that the tech specs weren't up to par or was this a scam? Turns out it was a marketing scam (not impressed by LG) as after closing another name of a software came up that ;looked more legit. If I wasn't sort of savvy I could have been ripped off by deceptive marketing practices.

2. Customer 'service': I called 24/7 Canada office (every call it sound like they are in the Philippines) and after they looked up the model number, they told me to call US as it is a US model. 'US' office is closed at night. Call next day, on a Saturday, they have to transfer me from Blueray division to ISP division. But that department closes early. So must wait over a day for information.

3. Region limitations: I need to be able to read a disk burned in Switzerland (region then burn disks for Canada and USA (region A) and ocassionally Hong Kong (region C). And switch back and forth accoring to mailing and in-pereson presentation needs. the burner in Europe has no idea whether how he did it is region-free or a particular region. So this all sounds very unpromising.

I thought regions for disk and entertainment products were abandoned ages ago?

I especially welcome details and conclusions based on first hand experience.

A friend in Angeles has serious problems with his opiate addiction (regular use of crushed oxycontin as far as I can tell). Strange thing is he is part of the body-building milleu (injecting steroids, HGH etc), looking good in order to make a semi-geezer attractive to young women, and generally very health conscious: doesn't drink, is vegetarian etc.

I am telling him to get professional, medical model in-residence treatment, better in Thailand than Philippines. He has money but is cheap. I am shocked at the prices in Thailand, like $12K for a month. But if it works, that's more important. Philippines ones tend to be 'faith-based' and 12 step and I doubt he will do either. He seems to think he can do it alone, andd has gone cold turkey with his (bargirl?) girlfriend. He is making some really foolish decisions such as trying to extract vengeance on the girlfriend who ripped him off big time. Complains a lot about pain and mental agony.

On the one hand I want to fly out and escort him to a more suitable place, but what is the point of holding someone's hand unless he is willing to make an effort and investment himself? And I loathe Fields avenue, don't want to even step in that country -- to me it's the most venal place I have ever been on earth.

I calculated whether it makes financial sense to get a long stay visa just to save tax on interest (4% vs.14%) and with my small money it doesn't really for someone who wants to sojourn here for only 6-weeks at a time a couple times a year.

Is a long stay visa on passport enough to qualify as a resident and get the reduction of witholding tax on interest to 4% ? how long has the visa to be ? 1 year ? 6 months ?

Careful - bedbugs a problem in Penang, like all of Malaysia it seems.

For health, ethical, sensual and budget reasons I have a diet that is both restricted and expansive. I have an unusual way of finding exactly what I want to eat. It is a combination of self-catering and restaurant dining (well, that's stretching it). For the moment I live in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I adapted to this after getting fed up in Vietnam trying to cook in my budget hotel room (Hanoi is a desert for a vegetarian and even in Saigon, at least for those who loathe fake meat). The induction cooker took something like six million years to get beans soft enough. The pots and pans were albatrosses. So I gave away my travelling kitchen and tried something that seems to me to be the perfect compromise. It started with giving up on South Asian cooking (dhals, breads etc) and converting to a diet of ingredients that are very easy and quick to turn into a meal - kasha and shitake mushrooms that have been soaked overnight, green leafy vegetables, ginger and chili, tempeh from a local Balinese restaurant etc. I

My shopping is an adventure and I love it! Every 2-3 days I shop at local street markets (sometimes supermarkets too, though produce is always better value and fresher where ladies sell vegetables and spices on the street in my experience). I get to know which ladies have the best deals on which fruit for breakfast. They get used to seeing me and start charging a lower price and knowing my tastes.

Then I take my supplies to my hotel room, wash and prepare it for cooking. But I don't cook it. I make it as easy as possible for someone else to do so.

I take it to a nice lady who runs a hole in the wall from almost dawn to well past dusk. She speaks good English, better than my Khmer - she even teaches me culinary vocabulary. I have her cook it for me. She charges a buck to cook one or two dishes. Sometimes I order a duck egg or two, maybe a cocoanut. All she supplies is the garlic.

My habit is simple wholesome cooking from whatever fresh ingredients I find in the outdoor market primarily. This way the food isn't cooked to death. I know exactly what went into my sustinence. I supply oil and am thinking to start ocassionally bring gifts of kitchen doodads. I remain sensitive to when are slow but not rest hours. I am not critical. It is like a relationship. I periodically tip. I don't take up a place in her eating area, leaving that for her customers. I take an interest in her baby, am careful to not behave inapropriately lest her husband misunderstand why I come 5X a week, am polite with her neighbours etc.

What does she get out of it? She charges 80 cents to a dollar for dishes for which she supplies everything. I pay slightly more and cost her nothing but her time. What do I get? Cheap custom meals.

Bowls with removable lids serve as both 'tupperware' to carry all back in the basket of my bicycle to my hotel room closeby and as eating vessels. I cannot think of a more perfect solution to being fussy, cheap and social. I invite friends to share and contribute sometimes.

I got this idea from an italian couple who actually travelled with a campstove and cook on their balcony. With my current modus operendi I don't get kicked out of my hotel for cooking in my room (though my bum gun is getting yellow from turmeric root on my hands. Trust me you get over the taboo against WC as a kitchen).

I did this at a border town in China successfully. It works only with self-owned very low-end family-run places of course. I looked for someone who is clean off course. A diamond in the rough. A place just getting started. I became a regular. There are so many foods that just are never cooked in restaurants. I get to eat whatever strikes my fancy and that won't be a hassle for the cook.

What countries do you think it would be easy (and which close to impossible) to continue this style of getting myself fed? Somehow I just can't see Vietnamese or Malaysians agreeing to do this. But maybe I am wrong. Maybe it is all about finding the right fit. I want to try this in Indonesia because the tempeh is cooked with the chicken and so much of the food in warungs is hours old. Burma? Philippines? Laos?

Can't find any major review sites unlike for all the 1 and 2 SIM phone manufacturers and their fans/critics.

I get the impression that these super multi-SIM phones are all the rage in the third world especially China and India. Thing is *how good are they*?

Here in Cambodia my steady vendor recommended only name-brand sturdy stood the test of time Nokia 2 (count them, two) - SIM phone, either the cheapo ($30, no internet?) or the moderate one ($45, internet) for my basic needs.

She ha a LG 3-SIm used but said she gets many complaints about them. There are a couple of vendors who sell off-brand 4-SIM phones but she says they actually don't work. What does she mean? I don't need to have the White House, NASA and my babysitter calling me 24/7 from anywhere in the world - just store ASEAN SIMs so there is less work after borders as I travel the region. Geez, I met a Chinese businessman in Jakarta two years ago who was upgrading his 4-SIM to a *five* SIM. Who cares if all can work at the same time. I wouldn't even want that (well, maybe two)

All I care about in a phone is that it doesn't break down, quality of sound, a clock/alarm, calculator, that it isn't including criminal software, battery time and number of SIMs. But manufacturers keep adding silly features like Facebook, Twitter and 'Snakes and Ladders'.