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

[Jingthing]

Mexico City is one of the greatest cities in the world but on the expensive side relative to Mexico.

There are other big city alternatives such as Guadalajara, Puebla/Cholula, and Queretaro.

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[garyk]

20 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Mexico City is one of the greatest cities in the world but on the expensive side relative to Mexico.

There are other big city alternatives such as Guadalajara, Puebla/Cholula, and Queretaro.

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

Yes, I will be exploring Puebla in a few weeks. I will post some pictures. 

[sunnyboy2018]

Girls in South America less fun. No good for sterling or euro holders. Violence massive. Corruption worse. South America good option for rich, unadventouruse Americans. 

[Jingthing]

Girls in South America less fun. No good for sterling or euro holders. Violence massive. Corruption worse. South America good option for rich, unadventouruse Americans. 

Rich is always better but unadventurous that's debatable. Perhaps people that only go to Cancun and Cabo etc.

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[garyk]

3 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Girls in South America less fun. No good for sterling or euro holders. Violence massive. Corruption worse. South America good option for rich, unadventouruse Americans. 

I agree about the women. Really if you want a good wife, Mexico is probably one of the best places i have ever visited IMO. Fun factor is definitely lacking. 

And Colombia is flake city, the women there are nuts as far as I am concerned. But, I bet they would make an excellent wife if that was your thing, and you had the time and patients to put up with the nonsense.

 

Kind of curious where you have traveled in South America?

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

Appears to be a fair and balanced look at the perpetual "safety" question in Colombia, though Medellin-centric. These people are selling something but still it seems sincere to me. The extremes of fearmongering you are definitely going to get murdered and the defensive/denialist you don't have to worry about a thing are both revealed as silly. 

 

Which brings up the caveat of mongering. It's no secret that Thailand attracts a lot of that. Colombia too to a lesser degree. This video suggests if that's your thing and you go to Colombia, well, you better really watch out or maybe don't even go there. For example about the zombie drug put in drinks or even on bodies which is a definite risk there in prostitution/nightlife related crimes.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2019 by Jingthing

[carnifex]

On 6/26/2019 at 9:33 PM, garyk said:

These is lower middle class folks. 

I looked in newer neighborhoods. And decided that this was the best bang for the buck.

Everyone has different needs.

 

Health insurance? No I had none. I think the total bill was 1600 dollars.  I have been in the hospital in Thailand many times, but never in a first class hospital. When i got hurt in Thailand it was usually in the sticks, and the local hospitals was all that was available. So I cannot comment on that. Although the few times I was in the hospital in Thailand I thought the care was very good and very cheap.

 

I am from south Texas and I am used to Mexico. Keep doing your homework, and good luck if you decide to move. 

This ain't Asia....  Be careful.

For comparison, I broke my wrist in Thailand in 2007 in a motorbike accident. I had surgery at Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya. Although I had health insurance, international claims were reimbursed and not paid directly to the hospital. The cost was about $4,500. I believe the exchange rate at the time was about 35 baht to the dollar.

[garyk]

11 hours ago, carnifex said:

For comparison, I broke my wrist in Thailand in 2007 in a motorbike accident. I had surgery at Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya. Although I had health insurance, international claims were reimbursed and not paid directly to the hospital. The cost was about $4,500. I believe the exchange rate at the time was about 35 baht to the dollar.

Wow, that is a huge difference, I was in surgery and had a titanium plate put in my wrist in Colombia. 1600 dollars. And that was about 3 years ago now. 

Edited July 1, 2019 by garyk

[seasia]

Hi

 

I came across a website giving guidance to rentals in Pereira ( Colombia ), prices and areas.

 

The article is about 3 years old. Total inflation in the last 3 years appears to be about 12 % ( total, not annual ) so add that to prices.

They seem somewhat cheaper than I would have expected.

Pereira to Salento, a very pretty small town is 1 hour away by bus.

 

 

http://www.pereiracityguide.com/cost-rent-pereira-colombia/

 

 

Here is a youtube walking tour of Pereira, quality not too good, whoever did the video must have been shaking a lot.

 

 

 

 

[garyk]

Nice ruin in a small tourist town about 1.5 hours from Toluca, Mexico.

This site was a site for the elders and a site where the captives fought against the jaguars, fierce warriors. After the battle the captives were sacrificed.

Total cost to the site, if a tourist FREE, is a Mexican 60 pesos. 

[emptypockets]

6 minutes ago, garyk said:

Nice ruin in a small tourist town about 1.5 hours from Toluca, Mexico.

This site was a site for the elders and a site where the captives fought against the jaguars, fierce warriors. After the battle the captives were sacrificed.

Total cost to the site, if a tourist FREE, is a Mexican 60 pesos. 

Hardly surprising. The captives were tourists. The locals paid to watch the fun. 

[garyk]

9 hours ago, emptypockets said:

Hardly surprising. The captives were tourists. The locals paid to watch the fun. 

Safe as a baby. And much more beautiful than Thailand. 

[carnifex]

On 7/1/2019 at 6:43 AM, garyk said:

Wow, that is a huge difference, I was in surgery and had a titanium plate put in my wrist in Colombia. 1600 dollars. And that was about 3 years ago now. 

Apparently we had the same surgery, except they used a stainless steel plate in Thailand. As an aside, I re-injured my wrist the day before returning home and had to have a new plate put in back in the states. Although the care I received in Thailand was very good, the technology difference was glaring.

 

In the Thai hospital, I checked in on a Sunday evening and they performed the surgery early Monday morning. They put me completely under for the surgery and they used a steel plate. I checked out Tuesday morning.

 

Back in the states, I checked in and out on the same day. I was only at the hospital for about 5 or 6 hours if I remember correctly. They used a light general anesthesia and a nerve block to deaden my arm from the elbow down. They also used a titanium plate (which is much better in airports).

 

Thanks for posting the pics from Mexico. 

[seasia]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:30 AM, garyk said:

The locals here say it is crime ridden, I haven't seen any yet.

Haven't had issues with breathing, or health issues. 

The only serious issues I have had with breathing is when I was in Asia. That is the reason I left. Since I left Thailand my coughing and breathing issues have cleared up thank goodness. It was killing me. 

 

Hi garyk

 

Firstly thanks for your interesting posts and the pics. Yes does sound quite cheap there. I have been to Mexico once but so many years ago I have almost forgotten what it was like. Colombia I have never been to, it started to take my interest as a result of this thread and JT s posts.

 

As to the coughing and sneezing I noticed that since early this year and perhaps even from last year I was coughing and sneezing excessively ( living in naklua/pattaya)

I am just about 3 weeks  into  a 4 month stay away from Thailand in what is a clean air town.( European rather than LATAM though)

My coughing and sneezing has stopped, with very rare exceptions.

So I have to conclude that the air quality in naklua/pattaya as well as many other parts of Thailand is indeed very poor.

On a long term basis that must be bad for one s health.

 

All the Best.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Nice ruin in a small tourist town about 1.5 hours from Toluca, Mexico.
This site was a site for the elders and a site where the captives fought against the jaguars, fierce warriors. After the battle the captives were sacrificed.
Total cost to the site, if a tourist FREE, is a Mexican 60 pesos. 

Hi Gary, interesting you’re in Toluca !!

I lived in Brazil but traveled to Toluca for work many times ( probably around 45 ) usually stay in the Del Rey on Tollocan but have probably stayed in 90% of the hotels there.
I worked in a factory inbetween the brewery and the Chrysler factory ( Fabricas Monterrey ), lots of good eating on the other side of the highway , La Distillaria, Fortaleza and the steak place.
Wandered around the Gallerias Metepec many times.

I loved walking downtown , the big church is very impressive :





You should check out Taxco, a great little silver mining town, an interesting ride to get there :





Also, have you driven into the volcano yet ?, it’s quite impressive scenery:



I miss my trips there, became great friends with a lot of guys in the plant, used to go out drinking and went to the football on many occasions.

Of course Mexico City is less than an hour away ( traffic permitting ) and the big mall at Santa Fe is okay.

Would be interested to know why you chose Toluca , although I have a great affinity with the place it is very industrial and not touristy at all.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Cuernavaca is another place worth a visit from Toluca, bit of a drive though , some pyramids and nice scenery/town.
I spent an “ interesting “ weekend there a few years ago which involved smoking some weed, getting naked in a sauna with an American colleague his buddy from Austin and his sex therapist wife. Wasn’t the way the weekend was supposed to go but happy memories !!
I digress.

Many small towns around this region that made a drive out into the countryside a real pleasure, Ixtapan de la Sal and it’s surrounding towns are in some amazing valleys with steep hairpin turns and spectacular views.

I could go on and on about this region !!
The old saying springs to mind:
“ you never miss it till its gone “.

[garyk]

9 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Hi Gary, interesting you’re in Toluca !!

I lived in Brazil but traveled to Toluca for work many times ( probably around 45 ) usually stay in the Del Rey on Tollocan but have probably stayed in 90% of the hotels there.
I worked in a factory inbetween the brewery and the Chrysler factory ( Fabricas Monterrey ), lots of good eating on the other side of the highway , La Distillaria, Fortaleza and the steak place.
Wandered around the Gallerias Metepec many times.

I loved walking downtown , the big church is very impressive :





You should check out Taxco, a great little silver mining town, an interesting ride to get there :





Also, have you driven into the volcano yet ?, it’s quite impressive scenery:



I miss my trips there, became great friends with a lot of guys in the plant, used to go out drinking and went to the football on many occasions.

Of course Mexico City is less than an hour away ( traffic permitting ) and the big mall at Santa Fe is okay.

Would be interested to know why you chose Toluca , although I have a great affinity with the place it is very industrial and not touristy at all.

Small world isn't it. I have a friend there and I stay there very cheap. So cool compared to Texas this time of the year.

Yea, I drove up to the Volcano, but got there after three and they would not let me walk up top. So I went back down and got some coffee at the shops. Ate some great fish on the way... 

I just left there. I drove down to Isla Aguada, Mexico. I am a birder www.flickr.com/photos/avianphotos.  I will head back to Toluca in the next few weeks and check out the mining town. Thanks for the tip my friend.

 

[garyk]

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Cuernavaca is another place worth a visit from Toluca, bit of a drive though , some pyramids and nice scenery/town.
I spent an “ interesting “ weekend there a few years ago which involved smoking some weed, getting naked in a sauna with an American colleague his buddy from Austin and his sex therapist wife. Wasn’t the way the weekend was supposed to go but happy memories !!
I digress.

Many small towns around this region that made a drive out into the countryside a real pleasure, Ixtapan de la Sal and it’s surrounding towns are in some amazing valleys with steep hairpin turns and spectacular views.

I could go on and on about this region !!
The old saying springs to mind:
“ you never miss it till its gone “.

Haha, I drove down to Malinalco a few days ago. Had a pretty good time.  Lots of places in the area. Also lots of good birding. High altitude birding.

On a side note, I retired in Austin Texas. The stories I could tell you about Austin would curl your ears.... ????

I was in Thailand for 10 years, I am loving being closer to home and the culture I grew up with.

Why are you in Thailand?

Edited July 7, 2019 by garyk

[Andrew Dwyer]

Haha, I drove down to Malinalco a few days ago. Had a pretty good time.  Lots of places in the area. Also lots of good birding. High altitude birding.

On a side note, I retired in Austin Texas. The stories I could tell you about Austin would curl your ears.... [emoji846]

I was in Thailand for 10 years, I am loving being closer to home and the culture I grew up with.

Why are you in Thailand?

Malinalco, yes went there !!, ate some fish and drank some Mescal in some grubby little roadside place, it was excellent !!

The guy in Cuernavaca was from Austin , called Steve ( yup !, we did the Steve Austin joke ????).

 

I’m a Brit and lived in Brazil for work, spent a lot of time in the US, Mexico and Brazil of course amongst other countries.

 

My love affair with Brazil was dying out ( mainly due to a failing marriage ) and my intention was to retire and return to the UK to spend some time with my ageing father.

This was 2015 , but shortly before I retired I did a 5 week job in Thailand, loved the place and decided I could split my retirement time between the uk and Thailand.

So that’s what I did, although my uk time is getting less and less, my father is in a care home , and loves it, so the pressure and worries are small.

 

I’m in Ayutthaya but travel regularly to north/south/east or west !!

 

Ayutthaya ain’t for everyone but it’s a great starting point for travelling. You probably wouldn’t like it, it’s kinda on a par with Holland for hills/mountains !!

 

Your post proves that there are ex expats ( Thailand) in South America despite the naysayers on here trying to disrupt.

I’m sure there’s plenty more who after leaving Thailand leave TVF too !!

[expatfromwyoming]

Life in Latin America is easy, if you are an expat. The people are outwardly nice and friendly ( but still hold the same resentments you experience here), the culture is rich and vibrant and living is usually cheap and with higher standards than those you are used to here in SE Asia. However  if you value good service, organization or logical process you will not be happy there. And the Internet Sucks

[marcusarelus]

5 hours ago, expatfromwyoming said:

Life in Latin America is easy, if you are an expat. The people are outwardly nice and friendly ( but still hold the same resentments you experience here), the culture is rich and vibrant and living is usually cheap and with higher standards than those you are used to here in SE Asia. However  if you value good service, organization or logical process you will not be happy there. And the Internet Sucks

Good service if you want murder seems OK.  Up to 94 killings per day.  https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9446065/mexico-murder-rate-highest-ever-94-killings-each-day/

Edited July 7, 2019 by marcusarelus

[seasia]

The Sun

 

The gutter press of the UK.  Yes I am British born.

 

How many tourists killed ?

 

Probably none or extremely few.

 

How many killed everyday on Thailand s roads.

Officially  66 or so, real figure more likely 100.

 

Sun newspaper, they pay for sensation.They pay for their stories.

 

It appeals to Brit readers with extremely low IQ levels.

Good business model unfortunately.

 

[marcusarelus]

29 minutes ago, seasia said:

The Sun

 

The gutter press of the UK.  Yes I am British born.

 

How many tourists killed ?

 

Probably none or extremely few.

 

How many killed everyday on Thailand s roads.

Officially  66 or so, real figure more likely 100.

 

Sun newspaper, they pay for sensation.They pay for their stories.

 

It appeals to Brit readers with extremely low IQ levels.

Good business model unfortunately.

 

That's what you do.  Attack the messenger.  I've been tempted to do it myself but I normally look at the message and see if it is correct or not.  75 Americans killed there in 2018.  Forbes (how is that?) "Mexico, where more Americans are murdered then in all other countries?"

 

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/garystoller/2018/02/21/mexico-where-more-americans-are-murdered-than-in-all-other-countries-combined/#7f9a45ede375

Edited July 7, 2019 by marcusarelus

[garyk]

2 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Good service if you want murder seems OK.  Up to 94 killings per day.  https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9446065/mexico-murder-rate-highest-ever-94-killings-each-day/

 Here is another little stat. Mexico has millions of expats. I will look into the ratio of killings in Mexico compared to Asia. Number of expats/killings.  Personally I bet it is close. 

[Jingthing]

8 hours ago, expatfromwyoming said:

Life in Latin America is easy, if you are an expat. The people are outwardly nice and friendly ( but still hold the same resentments you experience here), the culture is rich and vibrant and living is usually cheap and with higher standards than those you are used to here in SE Asia. However  if you value good service, organization or logical process you will not be happy there. And the Internet Sucks

Well you're talking about a large region and generalizing a lot. The stereotype about a different concept of time (like showing up late or not showing up at all) is likely true in much of the region. High levels of corruption and bureaucracy is likely true in much of the region. Internet service is also location specific. In the limited number of places that I've been focusing on, such as high tech center of Mexico Queretaro, I am hearing the internet is very good. Also Medellin Colombia a major draw for digital nomads. It wouldn't be so if the internet was inadequate.

[Jingthing]

As far as focusing on crime statistics, they can sound very scary but in general expats congregate to relatively safer areas. Even so, I think there is a danger for both tourists and expats that don't have the LOCAL KNOWLEDGE yet of their destination -- where it's safe to go specifically, day or night. You can say the same thing about most U.S. cities. If people feel scared off by statistics without looking deeper into what the actual reality might be for them in specific destinations, so be it. The idea here isn't to compel anyone to visit or move to any place in the world that they're not comfortable with. 

[Jingthing]

Medellin still has the buzz!

Interesting travel article.

 

Quote

How Medellin went from murder capital to hipster holiday destination

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/south-america/colombia/articles/medellin-murder-capital-to-hipster-destination/

[Jingthing]

I had mentioned the city of Ibague (music capital of Colombia) before as an interesting choice for expats seeking relatively LOWER COST (compared to Medellin) authentic places with currently very few expats. Well I have some new information about that. Even though the altitude is similar to spring weather all year Armenia the weather isn't the same. Ibague is much hotter because of the flow of air to the inland over the mountains as Ibague is much further inland. For some a positive, for others (like me) a negative. Also the architecture in Ibague is more interesting than Armenia as Armenia was largely destroyed in the great earthquake of 1999. Ibague has historically been other than the music scene a particularly economically depressed and geographically isolated city. But that is changing with air travel of course and a mountain tunnel being built. It's experiencing rapid economic development. Saying all this because it might interest business, tourism, and real estate investors. 

Edited July 7, 2019 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

In some previous posts the contradictory situation in Latin America of liberal civil rights laws mixed with still severe societal homophobia was mentioned. This article expands on that with a musical bent.

 

(Headline and first three sentences only included.)
 

Quote

 

The LGBTQ artists using music as resistance in Latin America

 

Santiago, Chile - Ecuador became the fifth Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage this month, a major victory for the country's LGBT community in a traditionally Catholic and conservative country.

 

Brazil's Supreme Court also formalised votes to include gay and sexual identity in its anti-discrimination laws, joining several Latin countries that have criminalised both violent and non-violent intolerance against gay individuals.

 

Advances in legalisation, however, have not quelled rampant homophobic attitudes that continue to pose a violent threat to LGBT communities in many countries, which remain predominantly Catholic and conservative.

 

 

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/indepth/features/hold-queer-artists-music-resistance-latin-america-190628230904824.html

Edited July 7, 2019 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Yet another Medellin vs. Fill in the Blank city side by side comparison. 
This time it's Armenia, a small city in the Coffee Axis that interests me very much.

Reading the article, it may superficially appear that Medellin wins hands down. HOWEVER, if you highly value significantly lower cost of living and air quality as I do, it's not that clean a win.

Quote

Medellín vs Armenia, which of these cities in Colombia is really the better place to live? In our Medellín vs Armenia comparison, we comprehensively compare the two cities in in 16 categories to see which is the better place to live in for expats.

https://medellinguru.com/medellin-vs-armenia/