After Chiang Mai, where to emigrate ?

[ThaiPauly]

13 minutes ago, malibukid said:

Bali, excellent beaches, restaurants and friendly

Very poor medical care though.

 

I have a friend who lives there that has to come to CM twice a year for tests that are just not available in Bali

[Dante99]

18 minutes ago, malibukid said:

Bali, excellent beaches, restaurants and friendly

Yes but

 

Read long term visa requires you to pay income taxes on worldwide income.  Negative if true.

[MuuKondiao]

Thanks to Orang for starting this discussion.

 

For me the plan is to go to Vietnam, the end of this month. Once there I will have to decide on making the trip 

a visa run (to come back to L.O.S.) or to stay there - if the visa process is really as simple as people have been

saying. Veterans tell me they don't hate Americans there anymore, though people everywhere else have not gotten over the American war in Vietnam. 

Next on my list would be Costa Rica. Lived there for one month,, about 16 years ago and I don't know what was 

I thinking to return to California to the desert slum of Slab City. So many nice things about that country, like the

peacefulness and women so fine and available, without a lot of hassle. I remember being told the lawyers could get me permanence there (I was on a one-month visa) for a cost of only hundreds of U$ dollars. Language is not a big deal, since I have studied Spanish here and there and it is not that difficult for an English-speaking person to learn and a lot of people know English there. Easy-going atmosphere and non-imposing government.

After that it would be Spain I think, just because I have heard a lot of good things about retiring there - and the language, again, would not be awfully hard to get a handle on.

 

Seychelles is also on my list. I stopped there for too short a time in 2014 on the way back to the U.S.A. from Thailand, completing a round-the-world trip. Tiny island nation where people of mixed ancestry have learned to get along. Climate is dreamy-mellow-moderate tropical. They speak: French (which I have studied and could learn with some practice), and a Creole French which is interesting, and (of course) English. Not cheap, but if the Seychellois can afford it - I could get by on my V.A. disability. 

 

But, being old and decrepit and looking for a place to lay down and rest for my last days, I think of Vietnam as being only an hour's plane ride away. Hate to go through the madness of airports and customs agents any more to get to other continents. I learned the basics of the language 50 years ago. 

But if Vietnam does not work out for me and if I am still alive this summer and able to travel I will go down the list.

 

Thanks again for opening up this topic and for the replies it generated.

[stephenterry]

I'm a Brit and when the pound is further ruined by Brexit, against the Baht, I'll probably learn Spanish and research a move to Panama, or Dominican Republic which are both ex-pat friendly - with Philippines Manilla Metro as the alternative, as they do have a branch of Bangkok bank there - my secondry bank - and pretty much a safe living environment to rent. No way would I move to Cambodia  - s**t hole - or Vietnam - another planet.

 

 

[alex8912]

15 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

Darnang, Vietnam has had some good press

Darnang????

[landtrout]

5 hours ago, ThaiPauly said:

Bob is most definatley not " Trailer Trash" we have some lovely trailer parks in the UK and I am sure that this is the type he is alluding to....there is no Trailer trash in the UK, but I have seen plenty of trailer parks in the states where the rednecks live and they are definately Trailer Trash

    Country Dick has been there, done that, and would likely beg to differ...

 

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2LMcVM1WDY

[alex8912]

9 hours ago, DoctorG said:

only if your Spanish is good

And you have a gun. 

[amexpat]

5 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Darnang, Vietnam has had some good press

 

5 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Darnang????

Yes, of course, Dahling. That's the 'proper' way to say it. The Viets just don't know their own language, yet.

[BarnicaleBob]

19 hours ago, puukao said:

i'll play the devil's advocate...... first, the manager of the park can be crazy and make your life crazy (no, never lived there, but stayed at some when i did extensive traveling).....fines all the time, crazy rules, and they really own you on everything.   one place checked internet usage on each person, then banned people.  i'm not a fan of that.  then the people who live there.  10 kids in a trailer....one guy drinks all day....one guy talks to your wife all day...you get the idea.  i'd never do it.  if you want to leave, they may charge you a zillion months.  

 

I'm not a big fan of tiny homes, but more so than a trailer park.  or a nice townhome, not condo.  

 

florida has the most crazies anywhere.  needed to throw that in....

 

if i had to pick......i would start with San Antonio and a townhome.  

 

try to travel to places in Minnesota and Wisconsin....if you can handle the cold, might be a better quality of life.  my two cents....

I know a lot of TV programs and movies sometime depict mobile home communities as trashy.  However, the park I picked is 55 and over only (Yes, my wife meets the standard), no kids running around, lots of social activities in three clubhouses of which all have swimming pools, pool tables, hobby and craft rooms, card rooms, libraries, hot tubs, saunas tennis courts and shuffleboard courts.  Not to mention a very beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean less then a 10 minute drive away.  Here is a link to just one of several homes I'm looking at, note you can fish in the lake in it's back yard.  You might have to use a vpn set to a US location to open this link.   https://www.mhvillage.com/Mobile-Homes/Mobile-Home-For-Sale.php?key=2022624 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by BarnicaleBob

[ThaiPauly]

12 hours ago, landtrout said:

    Country Dick has been there, done that, and would likely beg to differ...

 

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2LMcVM1WDY

Terrible!!

[mikey88]

On 2/12/2019 at 11:47 AM, BritManToo said:

Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, China (in no particular order).

They're all good, although China may be too strange for many.

 

Beer and booze is cheaper in all of them. Women are more expensive in Vietnam.

Exchange rates are also better in all of them, very little loss over the past 5 years.

VISAs are easy to get.

Food is probably the best in Cambodia (it surprised me), but different to Thailand, they use less chillies and more coconut milk and peanuts in their cooking.

 

Although I  haven't ever emigrated anywhere, I'm more a long term tourist.

Women are not a commodity...show a little respect.

[ChipButty]

If you are English then Cyprus 

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, mikey88 said:

Women are not a commodity...show a little respect.

Everything is a commodity.

[marcusarelus]

On 2/12/2019 at 2:12 PM, bkk6060 said:

Cambodia, Vietnam..

It sounds to me like any 3rd world environment will suit you just fine.

Please keep us posted.

Thanks.

I think it is a law anyone who leaves Thailand feeling angry must post once an hour on Thai Visa for 7 years. 

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, mikey88 said:

Women are not a commodity...show a little respect.

Respect is in the amount not the fact of existence. 

[puukao]

7 hours ago, BarnicaleBob said:

I know a lot of TV programs and movies sometime depict mobile home communities as trashy.  However, the park I picked is 55 and over only (Yes, my wife meets the standard), no kids running around, lots of social activities in three clubhouses of which all have swimming pools, pool tables, hobby and craft rooms, card rooms, libraries, hot tubs, saunas tennis courts and shuffleboard courts.  Not to mention a very beautiful beach on the Atlantic Ocean less then a 10 minute drive away.  Here is a link to just one of several homes I'm looking at, note you can fish in the lake in it's back yard.  You might have to use a vpn set to a US location to open this link.   https://www.mhvillage.com/Mobile-Homes/Mobile-Home-For-Sale.php?key=2022624 

 

 

can't see the link, but interesting.  55 and over does make more sense.  lake in the back yard means mosquitoes, but i love the atlantic.  i've been in maybe 10 trailer parks in the US, but none for people over 55.... we all know the bottom line.  you both go there and trust your gut feeling.  that's really everything.  until that happens, i still wouldn't want to be in some "cult."  LOL.  What if they have 10 devil worshippers?  all 100 yards away.  or retired crazy people who are always 1 minute from you, asking for peanut butter at 5 a.m.  lol.  a retirement community is expensive and also crazies, but maybe better medical care if needed on site.  again, life is crazy.... you might live next to someone who had 100 daughters who are 30 and sunbathe in the nude every day....LOL... or billy the meth head.... we just don't know, BUT spend more money than less. more money can help filter out the crazies....

[ChipButty]

2 hours ago, mikey88 said:

Women are not a commodity...show a little respect.

When they show me respect I will show them until then they are a commodity 

[Berkshire]

16 hours ago, puukao said:

can't see the link, but interesting.  55 and over does make more sense.  lake in the back yard means mosquitoes, but i love the atlantic.  i've been in maybe 10 trailer parks in the US, but none for people over 55.... we all know the bottom line.  you both go there and trust your gut feeling.  that's really everything.  until that happens, i still wouldn't want to be in some "cult."  LOL.  What if they have 10 devil worshippers?  all 100 yards away.  or retired crazy people who are always 1 minute from you, asking for peanut butter at 5 a.m.  lol.  a retirement community is expensive and also crazies, but maybe better medical care if needed on site.  again, life is crazy.... you might live next to someone who had 100 daughters who are 30 and sunbathe in the nude every day....LOL... or billy the meth head.... we just don't know, BUT spend more money than less. more money can help filter out the crazies....

Actually, I've been to a few retirement communities in the USA and they're quite nice.  They seem to be sprouting up all over the place...baby boomers coming of age I suppose.  The typical minimum age is 50-55.  A friend of mine lives in a huge one in Northern California and it's awesome.  Rec center with pool, fitness center, pool hall, golf course, etc.  Very safe, clean and quiet...but not cheap.  A 2 BR home would be north of US$500k.

 

Note that these are not nursing homes.  They are senior communities of single detached homes and definitely not mobile homes.

[VocalNeal]

Kuching or Miri

[CMoldie]

Uruguay. Never been there and no real idea what it's like, except reasonably safe. Two good reasons to go.

[chingmai331]

Uruguay sounds good:

Cannabis is legal in Uruguay, and is one of the most widely used drugs in the nation. President Jose Mujica signed legislation to legalize recreational cannabis ...

 

 

[Mike Teavee]

On 2/12/2019 at 10:17 AM, Loaded said:

Mindanao in the Philippines for me.

Used to visit Davao 3-4 times a year & loved the place, but on last few visits I've noticed the number of foreigners (Mongers) has increased massively & the place is (people are) getting spoiled.  Used to have a house in Kapalong which is about 30 minutes up from Tagum City & it's still really nice around there, TC is just about big enough to live in Kapalong no where near big enough, especially as 1/2 of the Barangay is related to my Ex - Surigao City is quite nice too...

 

I do love the Philippines though & if I don't fully move to Thailand next year it's going to be a toss-up between PI (Somewhere in the Visayas or Palawan) and Vietnam, though I would love to explore South America - Just don't know where to start... 

 

 

OP: Have you checked the weather out in Kunming? Think it gets pretty cold/wet up there... 

 

[freedomnow]

Dalat Vietnam....hill station, and cooler than the rest.

[Mahseer]

21 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Kuching or Miri

Would be worth living in Kuching for that food court on top of the 5 story car park. Must be 30 stalls selling seafood which would be a dream after living here. Was only there 5 nights but ate there each night and an absolute delight with coral trout being my favourite dish.

 

Miri is an oil town and once being in the business didn't get far from the docks but apparently there are national parks beyond but what I saw it lacked the colonial aspects that Kuching offers.

[ChipButty]

48 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

Used to visit Davao 3-4 times a year & loved the place, but on last few visits I've noticed the number of foreigners (Mongers) has increased massively & the place is (people are) getting spoiled.  Used to have a house in Kapalong which is about 30 minutes up from Tagum City & it's still really nice around there, TC is just about big enough to live in Kapalong no where near big enough, especially as 1/2 of the Barangay is related to my Ex - Surigao City is quite nice too...

 

I do love the Philippines though & if I don't fully move to Thailand next year it's going to be a toss-up between PI (Somewhere in the Visayas or Palawan) and Vietnam, though I would love to explore South America - Just don't know where to start... 

 

 

OP: Have you checked the weather out in Kunming? Think it gets pretty cold/wet up there... 

 

Costa Rica not to sad

[ChipButty]

 Get Lost In Belize

For the bargain price of around $1,500 a month, you can set yourself up nicely in English-speaking Belize. Don’t expect too much company, though, as Belize has Central America’s lowest population density. It’s the perfect place to hang out if you’re looking to get away from the rat race in a really big way. While you’re there, you can enjoy scuba diving some of the world’s most breathtaking coral reefs along Belize’s stunning coastline. Furthermore, income earned outside Belize is completely tax-free.

[neeray]

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 1:02 AM, Berkshire said:

So your idyllic future is living in a used mobile home in Florida?  To each his own.  But personally, I'd aim a bit higher. 

I've heard it said, "go to Florida to die, go to xxxxx to live".

As for the used mobile home, nothing wrong with that !

[JimmyJ]

On 2/11/2019 at 5:48 PM, CMNightRider said:

... As far as Kunming, that would be one of the last places on earth I would consider moving to. ????

 

Why?

[SheungWan]

On 2/12/2019 at 8:52 AM, ThaiPauly said:

I would not move to anywhere in China, discounting Hong Kong, I like it there, but it's way to expensive to live there

If you are prepared to move well away from the central areas, there are more affordable areas in HK, but we are still talking in the 30-40k baht per month region.

[Hummin]

On 2/12/2019 at 9:43 AM, BarnicaleBob said:

This may sound radical, but I am thinking I could move to Florida and live in a senior mobile home park for not much more than I spend here.   

I know the swinger lifestyle there is great! Been there, done that, and now never again ????