Expats in Thailand considering moving to Latin America prompted by Thai visa changes

[Jingthing]

14 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Insulting you..no never..

 

Very good posts on Chile,Brazil,Uruguay,Argentina and Mexico..hmm also Belize and Mexico..

 

I am very sure that you can find them as,no doubt,you were paying close attention.

 

My humble posts were about Argentina and Chile.

 

Best of luck in finding your new habitat.

This thread is indeed about all potential Latin American destinations.

But I'm clear that I am not very interested in Argentina for various reasons, and yes I did spend a good amount of time there.

I've also rejected Chile based on lots of research. For me. Not for everyone!

As far as Uruguay, YES, I think it is a very worthy destination but I am not qualified for their retirement visa, so it's out for me, and I won't waste my post considering it further. Similarly Belize. I am not eligible. 

I'm not sure I would be interested if I was though, just because they speak English doesn't seem enough for me, but I won't waste my time figuring that out.

For people with healthier finances, they have a wider range of realistic options, although Latin America for the most part offers lower level financial requirements.

I really don't get your trip with this.

Just because YOU are interested in Argentina and Chile, there is something wrong with me or others that for their own personal reasons are NOT interested?

Yes, it's no secret that I'm very interested in Colombia for many of the reasons that I've detailed. 

I hope you don't think that I'm suggesting that everyone interested in Latin America should be similarly focused on Colombia. That is certainly not my intention.

But don't expect me to post much about Chile, as I'm just not interested.

Others that may be are most welcome to add as much content as they want about Chile. 

It's really not my fault at all if there isn't much interest from others about Chile. 

I don't get what you think my role is supposed to be here, starting this thread.

Do you think this is some kind of paid job for me where I'm required to act like I'm interested in destinations that I've personally rejected? 

Cheers. 

Edited March 30, 2019 by Jingthing

[Odysseus123]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

This thread is indeed about all potential Latin American destinations.

But I'm clear that I am not really interested in Argentina for various reasons, and yes I did spend a good amount of time there.

I've also rejected Chile based lots of research.

I really don't get your trip with this.

Just because YOU are interested in Argentina and Chile, there is something wrong with me or others that for their own personal reasons are NOT interested?

Yes, it's no secret that I'm very interesting in Colombia for many of the reasons that I've detailed. 

I hope you don't think that I'm suggesting that everyone interested in Colombia should be similarly focused on Colombia. That is certainly not my intention.

But don't expect me to post much about Chile, as I'm just not interested.

Others that may be are most welcome to add as much content as they want about Chile. 

Cheers. 

Well...I certainly hope that after a number of years investigating alternatives you eventually settle on one of the many countries on planet Earth. to your liking.

 

Perhaps calm,quiet cogitation is best.

 

Then decide..

 

Then whammo-off you go!

 

Best wishes.

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Well...I certainly hope that after a number of years investigating alternatives you eventually settle on one of the many countries on planet Earth. to your liking.

 

Perhaps calm,quiet cogitation is best.

 

Then decide..

 

Then whammo-off you go!

 

Best wishes.

That you seem so enthused to see me go, makes me feel more like staying. Just kidding. I have never committed to ever leaving Thailand. I am quite unhappy with the recent visa changes and think they are signs of worse to come.

So learning Spanish and narrowing down choices in Latin America is a way for me to be prepared for a beneficial backup. 

I am also considering joining the "Elite" here with a card purchase.

If I do that, I'm definitely STAYING. 

In the meantime, I hope at least a few other people are interested in this topic, potentially good expatriation options in Latin America and issues around moving there from Thailand. 

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by Jingthing

[Odysseus123]

8 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That you seem so enthused to see me go, makes me feel more like staying. Just kidding. I have never committed to ever leaving Thailand. I am quite unhappy with the recent visa changes and think they are signs of worse to come.

So learning Spanish and narrowing down choices in Latin America is a way for me to be prepared for a beneficial backup. 

I am also considering joining the "Elite" here with a card purchase.

If I do that, I'm definitely STAYING. 

In the meantime, I hope at least a few other people are interested in this topic, potentially good expatriation options in Latin America and issues around moving there from Thailand. 

 

Ah..?

 

You are (quite possibly) staying?

 

Now why doesn't that surprise me.

 

I was quite looking forward to your topic on possible relocations to Africa.????

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Ah..?

 

You are (quite possibly) staying?

 

Now why doesn't that surprise me.

 

I was quite looking forward to your topic on possible relocations to Africa.????

There you go again.

It shouldn't surprise you.

I have never made any commitment to go anywhere.

Please focus on the topic itself and desist from further sport you seem to be playing to mock me or others. 

[Odysseus123]

Just now, Jingthing said:

There you go again.

It shouldn't surprise you.

I have never made any commitment to go anywhere.

Please focus on the topic itself and desist from further sport you seem to be playing to mock me or others. 

Aw cmon.Admit it.

 

Just like "Dead Man's Gulch'Arizona" this thread has been one long leg pull.

 

I've enjoyed it it in a way..there have been sensible posters and I certainly enjoy reminiscing about those lovely summer nights in Buenos Aires and those "fuerte" senoritas down Valparaiso way..

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Aw cmon.Admit it.

 

Just like "Dead Man's Gulch'Arizona" this thread has been one long leg pull.

 

I've enjoyed it it in a way..there have been sensible posters and I certainly enjoy reminiscing about those lovely summer nights in Buenos Aires and those "fuerte" senoritas down Valparaiso way..

You're obsessed. 

I stopped posting to the USA thread because I decided I would be better off either staying in Thailand or moving to another expat destination.

Others welcome to post there if they wanted. It's not my fault if they haven't.

If I change my mind later about repatriation, well, I know a lot more about potential lower cost options there than I did before. 

I already knew plenty about options in Asean other than Thailand.

I realize most people that do leave Thailand either go home or go to another country in Asean.

But personally I feel if I do leave Thailand, I probably won't want to live in another Asean nation.

So this is about Latin America.

I've been interested in Latin America before but it wasn't realistic for me because the programs there are mostly PENSION based.

Didn't have a pension before.

But I have a pension now so now I really could do it (if I choose to). 

So I get it, mocking me clearly gives you pleasure, but my interest in this topic is completely sincere.

But being sincerely interested in it does not translate as any kind commitment to actually move there or even do an exploration trip.

I am learning Spanish. That's a real step. Not French. Not Vietnamese. Spanish. 

 

[Odysseus123]

Just now, Jingthing said:

You're obsessed. 

I stopped posting to the USA thread because I decided I would be better off either staying in Thailand or moving to another expat destination.

Others welcome to post there if they wanted. It's not my fault if they haven't.

If I change my mind later about repatriation, well, I know a lot more about potential lower cost options there than I did before. 

I already knew plenty about options in Asean other than Thailand.

I realize most people that do leave Thailand either go home or go to another country in Asean.

But personally I feel if I do leave Thailand, I probably won't want to live in another Asean nation.

So this is about Latin America.

I've been interested in Latin America before but it wasn't realistic for me because the programs there are mostly PENSION based.

Didn't have a pension before.

But I have a pension now so now I really could do it (if I choose to). 

So I get it, mocking me clearly gives you pleasure, but my interest in this topic is completely sincere.

But being sincerely interested in it does not translate as any kind commitment to actually move there or even do an exploration trip.

I am learning Spanish. That's a real step. Not French. Not Vietnamese. Spanish. 

 

Not at all obsessed...

 

As I have said I enjoyed reminiscing with my fellow posters about dreamy nights in South America..

 

The twang of guitars,the tango,the roses between the teeth..the stlletto in the dark...I loved it.

 

One of my chief regrets in life has been that I have twice missed a journey thru the Straights of Magellan and have never seen Tierra Del Fuego-Never sailed around the Horn either.

 

Damn.

[sanemax]

Why dont you just go to Latin  America , have a look around and if you find somewhere to stay that you like , stay there .

[JordanJones]

55 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Why dont you just go to Latin  America , have a look around and if you find somewhere to stay that you like , stay there .

Because talking about it is less effort. I knew someone like this. Talked about doing this and that and never did. He then bought a cheap house in a small town that has no points of interest and poor climate.

[Jingthing]

8 minutes ago, JordanJones said:

Because talking about it is less effort. I knew someone like this. Talked about doing this and that and never did. He then bought a cheap house in a small town that has no points of interest and poor climate.

Yeah everyone is the same.

This guy moved from Thailand to a small town where?

It seems you assume that was a bad choice for him.

I wouldn't assume that although that doesn't sound appealing to me.

I'm not sure a place you live at really needs much touristic interest, but the poor climate doesn't sound so good. 

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Why dont you just go to Latin  America , have a look around and if you find somewhere to stay that you like , stay there .

You clearly haven't read the thread. No need to answer the same questions several times.

 

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, Odysseus123 said:

Not at all obsessed...

 

As I have said I enjoyed reminiscing with my fellow posters about dreamy nights in South America..

 

The twang of guitars,the tango,the roses between the teeth..the stlletto in the dark...I loved it.

 

One of my chief regrets in life has been that I have twice missed a journey thru the Straights of Magellan and have never seen Tierra Del Fuego-Never sailed around the Horn either.

 

Damn.

That's nice but this topic is really not so much about romantic travel musings as opposed to more PRACTICAL matters about realistic expatriation options in specific Latin American countries. Things like costs, safety, culture shock, visa requirements, how to secure housing, and specifically what people leaving Thailand might need to get before leaving for the visa applications for some of the nations.

Cheers. 

Edited March 30, 2019 by Jingthing

[Odysseus123]

I'm really looking forward to your next thread "Thinking of re-locating to Siberia"  having now done the USA and Central and South America....

 

I believe that Tunguska has a few thrills every couple of hundred years.

 

Let's face a few facts here,eh?I doubt whether you get to the end of your soi on a regular basis.

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by Odysseus123

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

I'm really looking forward to your next thread "Thinking of re-locating to Siberia"  having now done the USA and Central and South America....

 

I believe that Tunguska has a few thrills every couple of hundred years.

Let's face a few facts here,eh?I doubt whether you get to the end of your soi on a regular basis.

… and you say you're not obsessed … ????

 

For any people that are TRIGGERED by topics about consideration of residence locations OTHER than Thailand, I strongly suggest that this topic is not for you guys.

Edited March 30, 2019 by Jingthing

[Odysseus123]

19 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

… and you say you're not obsessed ...

Nope..

 

As I said-I am enjoying the long,rather irrelevant. leg pull.

 

It's like train watching.

 

We've done Dead Man's Gulch,Arizona,

 

and El Muerte del Taco

 

.. so we should be on to another continent now...

Edited March 30, 2019 by Odysseus123

[Jingthing]

9 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Nope..

 

As I said-I am enjoying the long,rather irrelevant. leg pull.

 

It's like train watching.

 

We've done Dead Man's Gulch,Arizona,

 

and El Muerto de Taco

 

.. so we should be on to another continent now...

If you want to do another continent, then by all means go ahead.

Earlier in the thread there were people that wanted to discuss expatriation possibilities in Europe including Eastern Europe.

That's cool. If people are interested, start a TOPIC about that.

Nobody did. Not my problem. It doesn't interest me, so I won't. 

This topic however is limited to discussion of expat possible locations in Latin America.

 

Starting at 2:40 in the video --

 

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by Jingthing

[Odysseus123]

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

If you want to do another continent, then by all means go ahead.

Earlier in the thread there were people that wanted to discuss expatriation possibilities in Europe including Eastern Europe.

That's cool. If people are interested, start a TOPIC about that.

Nobody did. Not my problem. It doesn't interest me, so I won't. 

This topic however is limited to discussion of expat possible locations in Latin America.

Really?

 

But you are staying aren't you?

 

In fact one must logically consider the possibility that you have never thought of leaving-even tho' you have been posting exactly the opposite for at least 2 years now.Hmm..3 is more accurate,I think.

 

Eastern Europe?Oh goody...

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Really?

 

But you are staying aren't you?

 

In fact one must logically consider the possibility that you have never thought of leaving-even tho' you have been posting exactly the opposite for at least 2 years now.Hmm..3 is more accurate,I think.

 

Eastern Europe?Oh goody...

No. You're not obsessed. 

[Luckysilk]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Why dont you just go to Latin  America , have a look around and if you find somewhere to stay that you like , stay there .

Because creating a thread and controlling / bullying is fun for some.

 

I don't like Argentina, Peru the food sucks, Ecuador is too close to the equator

 

Lol

Edited March 30, 2019 by Luckysilk

[Jingthing]

15 minutes ago, Luckysilk said:

...

 

I don't like Argentina, Peru the food sucks, Ecuador is too close to the equator

 

...

All three of those are expatriation possibilities.

For retirement, Ecuador is probably the most popular of the three. But that still surprises somewhat considering their notoriously difficult visa system. 

One of the main reasons people move to Peru is for the food, so clearly a lot of people like it (including me).

A possible food saving grace of food in Colombia is that cities of any size will have some Peruvian, Mexican, and Argentinian restaurants. How good is the question. 

This was mentioned before but if someone has up to date visa rules for Argentina, please post it.

It's simply not believable that 50 USD a month qualifies. Even if still says that on consulate sites. That's got to be outdated.

 

About Ecuador, that is going to be difficult for people that have lived in Thailand. You will need the police document (translated and apostle) for the initial temporary application. Must be fresh enough as well. Then later after two years, my current information says you will need it again for the permanent application. How do get that from Ecuador? If you mess up the permanent application, you can do serial temporary applications but you will continue to need that Thailand document until you haven't lived there for over FIVE year. PITA!

Edited March 30, 2019 by Jingthing

[marcusarelus]

1 hour ago, Odysseus123 said:

Really?

 

But you are staying aren't you?

 

In fact one must logically consider the possibility that you have never thought of leaving-even tho' you have been posting exactly the opposite for at least 2 years now.Hmm..3 is more accurate,I think.

 

Eastern Europe?Oh goody...

Actually the first post from JT about alternatives to Thailand was January 26, 2008.  We have an anniversary party every year in Pattaya to celebrate the start of his long tradition to offer us poor expats a way out.  

[Odysseus123]

13 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Actually the first post from JT about alternatives to Thailand was January 26, 2008.  We have an anniversary party every year in Pattaya to celebrate the start of his long tradition to offer us poor expats a way out.  

Well steal me leg and kiss me parrot!

 

That long eh..?

 

And I thought that the Dead Man's Gulch  ( the USA) thread ran for an eternity...

[zydeco]

4 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Ah..?

 

You are (quite possibly) staying?

 

Now why doesn't that surprise me.

 

I was quite looking forward to your topic on possible relocations to Africa.????

What the he???  In an earlier post he claimed even to be learning Spanish. Now, he's not going? What is this topic all about then?

[Jingthing]

48 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

Actually the first post from JT about alternatives to Thailand was January 26, 2008.  We have an anniversary party every year in Pattaya to celebrate the start of his long tradition to offer us poor expats a way out.  

Post a link. 

[marcusarelus]

6 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Post a link. 

 

[Jingthing]

24 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

 

Thanks. I'm not surprised. As I've been completely open about the fact that I've been interested in Latin America for a very long time. Even before moving to Thailand. That's one of the reasons I took several trips to Latin America (including some long stays) before I moved to Thailand. I like Latin America, warts and all. The main reason I chose Thailand was the offer of a bank account based retirement visa. Ecuador at that time was one of the very few other countries that offered such an option for people without pensions at a level I could afford. Perhaps the only other one (not sure at this point). So Ecuador has indeed been on my radar for a very long time. But Ecuador didn't appeal to me as much as Thailand and Thailand's visa rules were much less onerous back then.
Now that I do have a pension and Thailand's rules have evolved as they have to ONEROUS city, I have some more realistic options than before. However, Ecuador isn't high on my list because of their reputation for visa hellishness plus now added the issues of getting repeated Thailand documentation for them. Also not thrilled about their food, but I can say the same thing about Colombia.
All this doesn't necessarily mean I actually will move from Thailand. It doesn't mean it's even likely. NO SECRET. You lot seem so happy to have outed me for something I've always already been OUT about. I'm not there yet and may never be there.

Cheers. 

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by Jingthing

[CharlieH]

bickering off topic posts removed.

 

Once again, dont get personal in your remarks.

[Jingthing]

Best countries for expats to make friends with locals?

 

Four in Latin America made the top ten.

 

Including Colombia.

 

Mexico is the leader.

 

Cool.

 

Again and again I keep hearing how friendly and welcoming Colombians are. But I think it would still be very hard without Spanish.

 

 

http://theportugalnews.com/news/portugal-among-top-ten-best-countries-for-expats-to-make-friends/48878

 

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

 

 

[seasia]

Hi

 

I think a consideration for many thinking of moving either away from their home country or from Thailand if already expat there could be medical service standards/costs.

I am here ignoring health insurance or buying in to a foreign country s home scheme.

 

A while back, before this thread was created I was looking at options for dental implants, not high priority for me but might become so in the future.

I noticed that Mexico rated high in the cost/standard ratio.

 

My figures might be a bit out but seems average price in Mexico runs to about 800 US $.

 

I live in naklua/pattaya and notice signs indicating implants "from " 50,000 baht.

That is about 1580 US $.

 

Anyway, that a specialised field.

 

Then looked to general health standards in Colombia.

 

I was somewhat surprised that in a WHO ranking it rates 22 in the world.

That is a good ranking, supposedly the best in Latin America.

 

Then looked at a basic such as wanting to see a private doctor ( Columbia again )

 

Patchy information but appears that in Bogota a 15 minute consultation is about 31 US $.

Cartogena about 26 $.

 

Source  is  https://www.expatistan.com/price/doctor/cartagena-colombia/USD

 

An extract from the Colombia tourist/inbound investment board, it is mainly targeting those from the US for medical tourism, rather than expat but I feel interesting all the same:

 

s one of the best medical service options for U.S. patients

Bogota, June 16 (Pxp). "I'm in shock. The hospitals, the clinics, the high service level, the professional training and the certifications. I am still surprised with what Colombia can offer in terms of specialized medical services".

This is the experience of Thomas Grady, chairman of Meridian Healthcare Options, one of the five self-insurers in the U.S. that were in the country to get acquainted with the medical offering for its patients.

"The health debate in the U.S.A. has been long, and even though there is legislation in place, it is still very expensive to receive medical treatment. Therefore, its wonderful to be able to see Colombia, which has the same service level but at a better price", said Kendis Gibson, CBS correspondent who came with the group to record the visit.

"I was amazed with the physicians, because of their level of education and the way in which they treat their patients. Everything is also very clean. I feel that if you have surgery here, success is guaranteed. I can really endorse people coming for medical treatment", added Jacqueline Madrigal from American Apparel......"

 

I have had to clip some of the article  so as not to just copy all from another site.

 

Link for full article.

 

http://www.procolombia.co/en/health-colombia/health-turism-news/colombia-one-best-medical-service-options-us-patients