India alternative

[sandrabbit]

1 hour ago, Destiny1990 said:

I lost all interest after i read that going to India is automatically means signing up for lengthy diarrhea’s.

What ever marvelous Visa offer they might have i will only see that Country from whatever the television is showing.  

The last time I was there in Gujarat in a 5* star hotel I got the problems because I was eating buffet so I lifted the lids to access the food and put on my plate which i would then eat with nan bread using my hands so got infected.  I slowed down the problem with local generic antibiotics but I couldn't clear the problem till I got back to Thailand so with good antibiotics it was stopped in 3 days. I continued eating the buffet but only with knife/fork/spoon as the food was great. 

 

I don't know how true this is (I lived in India for about 3 yrs for work) but there isn't a word in the 7 official languages for hygiene.

[Mahseer]

Unfortunately India is one of those countries where folks prefer to focus on the negatives, and there are plenty of reasons for this, but if you do the research and pick your destinations with care then you'll find a side of India that will seriously impress. Try these:

 

Take a 2 day ride from Srinagar to Leh through the mountains.

Walk the 3,000 steps to the double decker bridge in Meghalaya.

Hire a driver at Haridwar and head to Uttarkashi/Harsil/Gangotri.

Drive Delhi/Agra/Bharatpur bird park/Abhaneri step well/Jaipur and on to Jaisalmer in the middle of the Thar desert.

Drive Shimla to Shimla via Kaza. Allow 10 days.

Explore Sikkim. 8 day minimum.

 

All of these are in the north of the country.

 

[Hank Gunn]

18 hours ago, JimmyTheMook said:

 

Maybe you can pitch a good turd?

 

 

 

 

Think I’d prefer the Spanish version, where they use tomatoes instead of cow turds.

[scorecard]

11 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

I lost all interest after i read that going to India is automatically means signing up for lengthy diarrhea’s.

What ever marvelous Visa offer they might have i will only see that Country from whatever the television is showing.  

 

You want guarantees? Well in India diarrhea is guaranteed, everywhere, even in 5 star hotels, even in the senior executive dining rooms of giant conglomerates. And Indian diarrhea ain't pretty and takes a long time to fix. 

[Mahseer]

If I was to consider city living in India I would start in Cochin preferably at the tail end of the monsoon. That to me would be about as gentle an introduction as you are likely to get. If you prefer diving straight in at the deep end then Calcutta would have to be the city of choice. Chaos reigns supreme here and it's one of those places that you truly will either love or hate with the latter being very much in the majority.

[Jingthing]

48 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

If I was to consider city living in India I would start in Cochin preferably at the tail end of the monsoon. That to me would be about as gentle an introduction as you are likely to get. If you prefer diving straight in at the deep end then Calcutta would have to be the city of choice. Chaos reigns supreme here and it's one of those places that you truly will either love or hate with the latter being very much in the majority.

Cochin sounds very interesting but wow during the monsoon season don't you need a boat?

[Mahseer]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Cochin sounds very interesting but wow during the monsoon season don't you need a boat?

I did say at the tail end of the monsoon just to get a taste.

 

Last years monsoon was extremely severe but typically it ain't that bad and personally I enjoy the rains but of course once you get into flooding there's no joy but historically Cochin fares ok.

[Jingthing]

23 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

I did say at the tail end of the monsoon just to get a taste.

 

Last years monsoon was extremely severe but typically it ain't that bad and personally I enjoy the rains but of course once you get into flooding there's no joy but historically Cochin fares ok.

Well based on this the cost of living sounds very favorable.

I'm curious enough to try to learn more about this place.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Kochi?displayCurrency=USD

[watcharacters]

 

Any wanting to learn about India or Russia could gain a lot of information from this British fellow who's posted  scores of his travel videos on YouTube.

 

He calls his channel Bald and bankrupt.      He speaks Russian fluently and converses well in Hindi.

 

Very entertaining.

 

 

 

[Morch]

 

Going back to the original OP.....

 

Immigration - the two-month requirement thing is, as far as I'm aware, a thing of the past. BUT - it's sort of like Thailand, different officers, different decisions. Had this on multiple occasions, and on different visa types. The easy choices for the in-and-out way depends on where one lives in country - Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka are among the common choices.

 

Cheaper? Not really. Or put it another way, to get what you're getting in Thailand, you'll have to pay at least the same. The quality of what you get for said monies is not assured, and no, Thailand's alright if compared to India on this score. Hotels? Even in high end ones, there will still be the mandatory broken tap, and the guy fixing it with a claw hammer (or something along these lines).

 

Friendlier? Yeah, sort of. Depending on area as well. Generally speaking, people more open, less obsessed with "face" in ways which relate to foreigners. Much easier to communicate, and the accent is a killer. A few words in Hindi/local dialect work wonders.

 

Better health care? Umm...no, I don't think so. Not unless paying a bit, and even then YMMV. Maybe not as expensive as some private Thai hospitals, but then there are well-to-do Indians hopping over to Bangkok's hospitals. Medicine prices may be cheaper, and doctors on not-top-end hospitals speak English too. There are also, IMO, greater chances of needing to see the doctor there. On a dental checkup, my Thai dentist noticed previous work and uncharacteristically commented something along the lines of "stone age technique". The Indian dentist referenced was one of New Delhi's finest (and costliest).

 

The best advice would be to give it a test run. Stay a few months, try different places. There's one thing to be said about the country, people don't leave indifferent. It's just sometimes confusing figuring out if you like it or not.

 

[AlexRich]

7 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

Any wanting to learn about India or Russia could gain a lot of information from this British fellow who's posted  scores of his travel videos on YouTube.

 

He calls his channel Bald and bankrupt.      He speaks Russian fluently and converses well in Hindi.

 

Very entertaining.

 

 

 

Unfortunately he keeps bad company ... the Nazi loving Harald seen behind him.

[SenorJorge]

1 minute ago, Morch said:

Better health care? Umm...no, I don't think so. Not unless paying a bit, and even then YMMV. Maybe not as expensive as some private Thai hospitals, but then there are well-to-do Indians hopping over to Bangkok's hospitals. Medicine prices may be cheaper, and doctors on not-top-end hospitals speak English too. There are also, IMO, greater chances of needing to see the doctor there. On a dental checkup, my Thai dentist noticed previous work and uncharacteristically commented something along the lines of "stone age technique". The Indian dentist referenced was one of New Delhi's finest (and costliest).

 

 

 

Thanks man.  I agree with just about everything except for health care.  My primary concern is urology.  I mean, urological issues to the point of requiring surgeries.  Urology in thailand is an absolute joke.  I can tell you this from first hand experience.  If you need anything beyond a bottle of pills and you're male, you need to travel.  India is far superior in this field of medical care.  Half of America's urologist come from India it seems anyway.  Test run absolutely!

[Jingthing]

Let me get this straight. We can get a 5 year visa to India with no financial requirements and the only catch is the need to leave every 6 months for a day or two?

Well if so that's sounding better but still I imagine the required 6 months trips would eventually become annoying.



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[Morch]

On 5/23/2019 at 7:11 AM, simple1 said:

I'm currently in Australia, after leaving Thailand. Have looked at Pondicherry via the Web. Seems you can stay at the inexpensive Ashram guesthouses, have things to do such as gardening etc and they process the necessary paperwork for long term visas. Nationally not the environment if your still into drugs, sex and R&R, but for appears to be attractive option. On the downside seems the beaches tend to be dirty, apparently most of India has unclean beaches. 

 

Thoughts / comments?

 

Not a Pondy or an ashram fan, so probably biased to begin with. But anyway, a word of caution regarding visas which involve designations of studies (extended living on an ashram, by invitation, may qualify), volunteer work and such. These can actually be more restrictive than an "ordinary" tourist visa - in terms of residence, taking part in activities not specified in visa/invitation letter, or ministries changing policy overnight. Also, as mentioned on several post, better to be clear on tax issues.

 

In my experience, most beaches near cities are useless. Polluted, crowded, and noisy. That holds true for many heavy duty tourist locations/weekend getaway spots. One way of getting it right is looking up what's the beach of choice, then heading a beach or two up/down the coast.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Morch

[Morch]

18 minutes ago, SenorJorge said:

Thanks man.  I agree with just about everything except for health care.  My primary concern is urology.  I mean, urological issues to the point of requiring surgeries.  Urology in thailand is an absolute joke.  I can tell you this from first hand experience.  If you need anything beyond a bottle of pills and you're male, you need to travel.  India is far superior in this field of medical care.  Half of America's urologist come from India it seems anyway.  Test run absolutely!

 

How many of these USA trained Indian urologists return to practice in India? If you're gonna do a serious test run, might as well set up checkups at your Indian hospital of choice, see how it fits the bill.

 

Practically all of my immediate family had medical issues taken care of there, at one point of another. While the treatment itself was very nice and friendly, there were invariably problems later on.

[Morch]

16 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Let me get this straight. We can get a 5 year visa to India with no financial requirements and the only catch is the need to leave every 6 months for a day or two?

Well if so that's sounding better but still I imagine the required 6 months trips would eventually become annoying.



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

 

The trick is to time these exists with the seasons. Escape the heat or the rain. It actually works out well if you need to stock on some essentials, try different tastes, and get some perspective. Enough nearby places to make it a fun holiday list.

 

Don't know about the "no financial requirements" for long term visas, I think there are more than one kind, so could depend on specifics.

[Morch]

On 5/23/2019 at 1:20 PM, Jingthing said:

So India is a large country.

 

Surely there are some specific areas that would be great expat havens?

 

Or not?

 

Any India hands have thoughts on these places?

 

https://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/10-best-places-to-retire-in-india-456793/

 

 

 

Amusing, mostly.

 

Most of the places listed aren't really all that special (putting it mildly). Barring a few, they wouldn't even make the lists of places to visit. Those that are of interest are either busy or flooded with tourists (during season). Indian cities/towns are dirty, polluted, noisy and crowded - not my idea of a retirement destination. I can imagine someone who's really into India, and got some mileage under his belt finding it nice, but otherwise...nope.

 

The only place which seems half-way reasonable is Goa - but Goa is a state (albeit a small one), so makes a difference where one makes his new home there.

 

[Jingthing]

What do you think about Cochin?

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[Morch]

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Well based on this the cost of living sounds very favorable.

I'm curious enough to try to learn more about this place.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Kochi?displayCurrency=USD

 

Kochi is nice. Really liked it. The Ernakulam side offers what every big city got to offer, while Fort Kochi and Mattancherry are more laid-back. Prices may vary quite a bit between areas, some properties in town are very expensive. Good selection of hotels, decent on the dining side. Convenient for exploring up and down the coast. Much public transport is by ferries, shuttle boats. An easy starting point as India goes. 

[SenorJorge]

The more I read the more I think if they just get medical Mary Jane id be set to relocate like now.

[SenorJorge]

I think most of the docs get trained in India and then come over.  They may do a fellowship or whatever it's called in america but most of their schooling is in India. 

[Bang Bang]

14 hours ago, Mahseer said:

If I was to consider city living in India I would start in Cochin preferably at the tail end of the monsoon. That to me would be about as gentle an introduction as you are likely to get. If you prefer diving straight in at the deep end then Calcutta would have to be the city of choice. Chaos reigns supreme here and it's one of those places that you truly will either love or hate with the latter being very much in the majority.

Couldn't agree more even though I lived many years in Kolkata - sort of brings to mind the saying "a face only a mother could love" in a different way.

 

However, a 40min. flight from Kolkata gets you to Siliguri from where you can drive/take a train to pretty hill stations like Kalimpong and Darjeeling. Sikkim and Bhutan border the north of Bengal as well. In fact, I would recommend anyone coming to the East to head straight north from there to the mountains - the towns on the eastern plains like Kolkata and Patna are mostly ugly.

 

I would definitely recommend someone new to India to begin in the South. Kochi, the Kerala backwaters and Kerala in general are perfect to start with. Dip your toes there and you just might start to like India. Just saw that Air Asia and Indigo (a very well run Indian airlines) fly Bkk(Dmk)-Cok. Here's a Stickman reader's story about travel in Kerala

https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/readers-submissions/2010/02/delightful-indian-encounters-22-north-kerala/

 

and another about medical care (and kindness) there

https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/readers-submissions/2010/09/another-view-of-india/

 

Edited May 24, 2019 by Bang Bang

[wgdanson]

On 5/22/2019 at 8:19 PM, SenorJorge said:

It's getting more and more ridiculous.  No more income affidavits,  four hundred and eight hundred in a thai bank.  Lots of people are getting cranky, it's all I hear about with expats these days it seems.

Then STOP listening to them.

[Mahseer]

India forum:  https://www.indiamike.com/

 

Like any/every open forum you'll have to sift through the muck to find any relevant information.

[Morch]

13 hours ago, Mahseer said:

India forum:  https://www.indiamike.com/

 

Like any/every open forum you'll have to sift through the muck to find any relevant information.

 

Heh....used to be a member ages ago. As said, the good with the bad.

[DaRoadrunner]

Thai Immigration are getting ridiculous, but India? Every time I go there I get Delhi belly. No thanks, surely there are better alternatives in S E Asia.

[puchooay]

On 5/24/2019 at 11:37 PM, Jingthing said:

What do you think about Cochin?

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Cochin is nice. The city is a bit hectic but there are some nice boat trips. Regular ferries, about 10 minutes journey, out to Fort Cochin and Veepin Island, which has some great beaches, Very quiet and not built up at all.

 

Direct flights too. Air Asia from Don Muang. Times are not great but not a deal breaker.

[SenorJorge]

I've decided that Thailand is not for me.  I am moving to India next year. 

 

Places I will visit when looking for a more permanent place to reside:

 

Noida

Jaisalmer

Goa

Kerala

Kasol/Melana/Tosh

Kolkata

 

I'll report back here what I think.  If India won't allow us to stay pay 6 months then we will hit up other SE Asian countries to reset the clock and head back.  From what I have heard, though, immigration police will help you stay, if you ask.  Especially if you do not work.  How true is this, really? 

 

Positive vibes

[Saddic]

On 5/22/2019 at 8:05 PM, lopburi3 said:

Have you ever lived in India?  I have.  Would not do again by choice.

ditto... 10+ years... job imploded... now retired here... amen

[Mahseer]

2 hours ago, SenorJorge said:

I've decided that Thailand is not for me.  I am moving to India next year. 

As you are likely aware there is no comparative visa to the retirement option we have here. If you fancy marrying a local then doors open but that aside you are limited to 90 or 180 day stay / entry depending on nationality. Nothing stopping you jumping across the border and coming back as e visas are multi entry and good for a year. No idea regards the immigration police comment but would be completely surprised if there's any truth there.

 

Noida - Only ever stayed her for 2 nights so cant comment.

 

Jaisalmer -  Fabulous place to visit for a week but unless you love the desert there's not much else here.

 

Goa - Haven't been for 35 years but as long as you can handle the monsoon (May-September) this could work long term.

 

Kerala - Would be my first choice for long stay. Cochin / Western Ghata / Varkala / Kovalam / Ayurveda. 

 

Kasol/Melana/Tosh - Full of Israelis especially in harvest time which is October but for a couple of months great option. Brutal in winter.

 

Kolkata - Tough to love this place but many do. I'm still trying but slowly getting there.

 

As many times I have visited India since 81 I have never thought of living there but if I did I would split my time between the Himalayas, say April-October, and the plains.

 

Others places to visit:

Leh, Ladakh - Great area to explore. Festival in first week of September is excellent.

 

Pondicherry and Aurroville - Completely different vibe to much of India and well worth a look.

 

Kashmir - Yes I know plenty of ethnic strife thanks to the neighbour to the west but places such as Pahalgam / Srinagar / Gulmarg (skiing in winter) / Sonamarg strung together would make an excellent trip and if you want to couple with Leh hire a vehicle and driver and take 2 days via Kargil for a fabulous trip through the mountains. Spectacular and road typically open May-October only.

 

Biker? Try Shimla to Shimla via Manali and Kaza and take at least 10 days. Again seasonal due to high passes. Places such as Kalpa /Pin Parvati / Kaza especially the area above are superb.

 

Good luck