Other expat countries India

[JensenZ]

17 hours ago, still kicking said:

Why do some people like to retire in third-world countries? Is it just the money? I lived most of my life in OZ. My wife is Thai and has lived here for 22 years. I am a pensioner, and she is a nurse we have no problems living here.

Why do some people who are happily retired in Australia spend any time perusing an SE Asian expat forum and asking silly questions?

 

The answer is probably because they are bored with their "no problems" lives in their countries of birth.

 

We don't retire in Thailand to "have no problems". We retired here to enjoy life in a way that is impossible to enjoy back at home. I'm sure you can figure it out if you try hard enough. I have "no problems" in Thailand and had no problems before I came here, back in Australia. That's a low bar to judge a lifestyle by.

[Harrisfan]

9 hours ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

For me, it's because life in developed countries has become bland and boring. I enjoy the smell of cookfires coming from people's homes, and the occasional sight and sounds of goats or water buffalo being herded down cobble stone streets. 

Same same. West is so bland.

[Harrisfan]

4 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

Why do some people who are happily retired in Australia spend any time perusing an SE Asian expat forum and asking silly questions?

 

The answer is probably because they are bored with their "no problems" lives in their countries of birth.

 

We don't retire in Thailand to "have no problems". We retired here to enjoy life in a way that is impossible to enjoy back at home. I'm sure you can figure it out if you try hard enough. I have "no problems" in Thailand and had no problems before I came here, back in Australia. That's a low bar to judge a lifestyle by.

No city in OZ is like Bangkok or Chiang Mai. No area has beach bungalows like in Koh Chang.

[rough diamond]

15 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

No city in OZ is like Bangkok or Chiang Mai. No area has beach bungalows like in Koh Chang.

About time you started to travel then!

They are good but not necessarily the best in the world!

[DonniePeverley]

Punjab is rife with drugs unfortunately. The population elite are also obsessed with leaving the Punjab and heading abroad - leaving a brain drain. 

 

Most of India, but especially Delhi is very dangerous for women. You cannot walk out alone once sunsets if you are women - any age or looks. I've seen first hand families keep their daughters at home permanantly once they reach puberty till marriage. 

 

Goa used to be pretty cool, but then domestic tourism has really taken off and it's become a real dump. 

 

The problem with India is it's so bloody dirty. They've made strides with having toilets now everywhere, but those toilets are awful, and most still urinate outdoors. I've been to awful African countries that are cleaner than parts of India. 

 

Education is needed. 

[Mahseer]

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

So for India, let's summarize:

 

No retirement visa.

Probably never will be. 

Only option is 6 month tourist visas at a time.

Getting the full 6 months not guaranteed.

Then you need to leave India and start that over again indefinitely.

Always at the mercy of not getting a new 6 months or indeed not getting a new touris visa at all.

Not even close. India has 30 day / 1 year / 5 year tourist e visas. The latter costs $82 and is generally issued within 48 hours (just done it and in India at present). There are 10 year options for just a few but may include US & Japan but don't quote.

 

Majority of tourists are limited to maximum stay of 180 days per calendar year irregardless of visa length and continuous stay is limited to 90 or 180 days depending on nationality (Brits 180).

 

As for retiring to Mumbai well it's the most expensive city in India so strike that one in fact forget India and research Cambodia (cheapest option and long stay possible) or Vietnam who may/may not be about to launch a 10 year visa but no knowledge of small print.

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

Not even close. India has 30 day / 1 year / 5 year tourist e visas. The latter costs $82 and is generally issued within 48 hours (just done it and in India at present). There are 10 year options for just a few but may include US & Japan but don't quote.

 

Majority of tourists are limited to maximum stay of 180 days per calendar year irregardless of visa length and continuous stay is limited to 90 or 180 days depending on nationality (Brits 180).

 

As for retiring to Mumbai well it's the most expensive city in India so strike that one in fact forget India and research Cambodia (cheapest option and long stay possible) or Vietnam who may/may not be about to launch a 10 year visa but no knowledge of small print.

You just said only 180 days annually. That's not a retirement visa replacement

 

[JAG]

Spent some hours at Kuala Lumpur Airport this morning, before flying to Don Muang. The place was awash with Indians, they jump queues at checkout, coffee shops, the gate, all the time. I walk with a cane, and got barged aside several times, and actually pushed over at the end of one of those moving walkway things by a bunch of them in a hurry. I got picked up and dusted down by some Malaysian airport staff, they did not conceal their contempt.

 

Loads of them sitting around on the floor at Don Muang as well. 

 

Yes it's only a snapshot, not empirical evidence, but doesn't look good. 

[Mahseer]

I generally refrain from posting negative comment about India due to there's plenty out ready with their 'it's <deleted>' type of comment but I can only agree when it comes to queueing they are completely ignorant and that's young through old. I have a flight out of India in a couple of days and made the mistake of booking Air India and already know it's going to be mayhem checking in despite flying business class. I'll have me boots on.

[Mahseer]

52 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

You just said only 180 days annually. That's not a retirement visa replacement

 

I also said tourist visa. The 180 days is correct. There is no retirement visa to India but full time stay is possible once the wedding rings come out.

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

I also said tourist visa. The 180 days is correct. There is no retirement visa to India but full time stay is possible once the wedding rings come out.

That's completely different. 

[georgegeorgia]

1 hour ago, JAG said:

Spent some hours at Kuala Lumpur Airport this morning, before flying to Don Muang. The place was awash with Indians, they jump queues at checkout, coffee shops, the gate, all the time. I walk with a cane, and got barged aside several times, and actually pushed over at the end of one of those moving walkway things by a bunch of them in a hurry. I got picked up and dusted down by some Malaysian airport staff, they did not conceal their contempt.

 

Loads of them sitting around on the floor at Don Muang as well. 

 

Yes it's only a snapshot, not empirical evidence, but doesn't look good. 

oh don't be racist 

If they knock you over , apologise 

 

The Indians will soon be running Australia 

[emptypockets]

5 hours ago, save the frogs said:

some people get married and that's not feasible 

We do. Thai wife and me.

[Mahseer]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

That's completely different. 

Last one:  You posted a whole load of incorrect information on Indian visas, tourist visas as per top line:

 

"Only option is 6 month tourist visas at a time.

Getting the full 6 months not guaranteed.

Then you need to leave India and start that over again indefinitely.

Always at the mercy of not getting a new 6 months or indeed not getting a new touris visa at all."

 

I corrected you.
 

I'm out.

[EVENKEEL]

13 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I must do some research on my new retirement destination 

 

I'm so excited now ,

Mumbai looks ok , my friend suggested a City called Delhi 

 

I am now watching YouTube though,  there's a City for expats called GOA 

 

It looks nice on YouTube but may be too expensive for me

 

 

My ship dropped Anchor in Goa maybe 10 yrs ago. Spent a day in Goa at the beach, hoards of beggar kids galore, it was dirty. Maybe it's changed? I would never go back for a visit.

[EVENKEEL]

12 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Not just the money, although it is nice to be saving money in retirement.

 

I would be bored out of my skull in Australia.

 

Two abodes, two cars, two scooters. No way I would have that in Oz.

 

A Thai GF 23 years younger than me. Good luck finding one of those in Oz.

 

When I am drooling in a wheelchair, my GF and her family will take care of me. In Oz, an aged care facility where I am fed dog food by an overworked carer too busy to change my adult diapers.

 

I am betting your Thai wife/nurse is a fair bit younger than you. Good planning on your part.

Not sure why you'd want to be saving money. I'm trying to blow mine. Don't cheat yourself, treat yourself.

[Jingthing]

22 minutes ago, Mahseer said:

Last one:  You posted a whole load of incorrect information on Indian visas, tourist visas as per top line:

 

"Only option is 6 month tourist visas at a time.

Getting the full 6 months not guaranteed.

Then you need to leave India and start that over again indefinitely.

Always at the mercy of not getting a new 6 months or indeed not getting a new touris visa at all."

 

I corrected you.
 

I'm out.

In effect the exact same situation. 

India is not a place to live permanently visa wise if you're going there to retire unless Indian background or by marriage. 

[Sierra Tango]

2 hours ago, Mahseer said:

I generally refrain from posting negative comment about India due to there's plenty out ready with their 'it's <deleted>' type of comment but I can only agree when it comes to queueing they are completely ignorant and that's young through old. I have a flight out of India in a couple of days and made the mistake of booking Air India and already know it's going to be mayhem checking in despite flying business class. I'll have me boots on.

Which airport are you flying out from?

Until recently, I had been flying in and out of Mumbai, quite regularly for the last 20 years or so.

Business class check in was always ok. I used to try and get there and check in early. Since the new airport has been completed, there are a couple of small restaurant / bars quite close to the check in area. I would have a couple of beers and chill until the check in counter opened. Being among the first in the que usually meant a smooth check in and then off to the lounge for an hour or two before boarding. 

[BangkokHank]

I am in India right now, in a place called Mussoorie in the foothills of the Himalayas. I have come here a couple of times before to escape Songkran, as the weather here is perfect at this time of the year. But since I was here 11 and 12 years ago, hotel prices have tripled in US dollar terms and are not as good value as hotels in, say, Vietnam and Thailand; it is difficult to find a decent restaurant here; and there is not a single supermarket in the whole city. Despite its recent rapid economic growth, India is still a primitive society. You would not have anything resembling a modern life here.

 

I spent one night in Delhi on the way here, and if I had to describe it in one word, that word would be "Armageddon". I suppose there must be less horrible parts of the city than where I was near the airport, but there's no way I would live in Delhi voluntarily.

 

Some people might think it's a cliche to say that Indians poop in the streets, but I saw a woman doing just that today on my walk from my hotel to the nearby main road. (I suppose she could have been peeing, but that's not a whole lot better. It shows that India doesn't think to provide facilities for tourists to relieve themselves in an overwhelmingly touristic city.)

 

There are reasons why pretty much every Indian dreams of escaping India for a life in the West. So take it from them: Don't even consider retiring here. (And then there's the issue of there not being a retirement visa. I got a five-year tourist visa online for $80, but that allows a maximum stay of 90 days each time and 180 days in a calendar year.)

[Sierra Tango]

15 hours ago, PomPolo said:

Food is bad (no beef)

Women are worse (just wont go with foreign men)

Walking around anywhere you become a tourist attraction (and those are the places to walk)

You can't take a woman to your hotel (unless you are married)

Unless you are working in an office you will struggle to find anyone that speaks English.

It is the dirtiest country I have ever visited.

There are traffic jams all around the cities as cows have right of way.

Most Indians do not know what deodorant is.

People just p1$$ and sh4t in the street at least in Thailand some efforts are taken to avoid that

Apart from a couple of beach resorts that are steadily getting worse crap if you are a beach lover

The south is extremely conservative to the point you would get stared at for wearing shorts

It pretty much smells of sewerage any part of the country you are in

But apart from that fill your boots

Some of what you say Pompolo is reasonably accurate but there are a couple of items that I have had a different experience of.

There is beef, although widley unavailable in many areas, there is a steak house retaurant just up the road from the office I was attached to in Mumbai. 

Yes, they like to stare at the white people although I found the more curious were in the rural areas. Most city folks don't get too excited.

I found English was not a problem, across the country however, in the Oil and Gas industry most people I dealt with were educated and English is taught in schools. Again, in the more rural areas where education was not so much of a priority, English was not so common.

Definitley rates up there in the dirty countries index.

It is not so much that cows have the right of way, It is because they are considered sacred and you get fined if you run into one in your vehicle. I guess that is right of way in a sense.

Either no deoderant or some tend to shower in it. Again, most educated people have a reasonable sense of hygeine.

Yep, no holding back, mostly from the homeless, having a squat beside the road. 

Not sure which southern areas you are talking about but the likes of Goa are still fairly liberal as far as clothing etc. goes.

The slum areas of Mumbai, which, if you are flying in during the day you can see stretching for miles, definitely smell of sewerage and if you are in the city during the monsoon season expect to gag whenever you walk out of your hotel. Vile, putrid, smells like death.

Many beautiful and believe it or not, clean and pristine areas to be found but you have to go way off the beaten track to find them.

[cjinchiangrai]

4 minutes ago, Sierra Tango said:

Some of what you say Pompolo is reasonably accurate but there are a couple of items that I have had a different experience of.

There is beef, although widley unavailable in many areas, there is a steak house retaurant just up the road from the office I was attached to in Mumbai. 

Yes, they like to stare at the white people although I found the more curious were in the rural areas. Most city folks don't get too excited.

I found English was not a problem, across the country however, in the Oil and Gas industry most people I dealt with were educated and English is taught in schools. Again, in the more rural areas where education was not so much of a priority, English was not so common.

Definitley rates up there in the dirty countries index.

It is not so much that cows have the right of way, It is because they are considered sacred and you get fined if you run into one in your vehicle. I guess that is right of way in a sense.

Either no deoderant or some tend to shower in it. Again, most educated people have a reasonable sense of hygeine.

Yep, no holding back, mostly from the homeless, having a squat beside the road. 

Not sure which southern areas you are talking about but the likes of Goa are still fairly liberal as far as clothing etc. goes.

The slum areas of Mumbai, which, if you are flying in during the day you can see stretching for miles, definitely smell of sewerage and if you are in the city during the monsoon season expect to gag whenever you walk out of your hotel. Vile, putrid, smells like death.

Many beautiful and believe it or not, clean and pristine areas to be found but you have to go way off the beaten track to find them.

Mostly true, there used to be beef but Modi really cracked down on it with his religious thugs. There is almost no pork. If you need to eat Western food, stay home. I would say the same about Thailand as well. Western stuff is expensive and not very good.

 

They do not have much proper anti-perspirant and the deodorants are just poor perfume. The people smell, especially in confined spaces like planes.

 

Everything works on the me first principle. Traffic, housing, shopping, everything. If they have an opportunity to take advantage of someone, they will, ruthlessly. It is OK to litter in public while keeping an immaculate home.

[Sierra Tango]

4 minutes ago, cjinchiangrai said:

Mostly true, there used to be beef but Modi really cracked down on it with his religious thugs. There is almost no pork. If you need to eat Western food, stay home. I would say the same about Thailand as well. Western stuff is expensive and not very good.

 

They do not have much proper anti-perspirant and the deodorants are just poor perfume. The people smell, especially in confined spaces like planes.

 

Everything works on the me first principle. Traffic, housing, shopping, everything. If they have an opportunity to take advantage of someone, they will, ruthlessly. It is OK to litter in public while keeping an immaculate home.

Oh yeah, don't start me on traffic ha ha.

 

[bendejo]

7 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

REDUX

 

From Sir Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (1959) -- Cary Grant as Thornhill:

 

Roger Thornhill: How do we know it's not a fake? It looks like a fake.
Bidder: Well, one thing we know. You're no fake. You are a genuine idiot.

 

One of my favorite movie lines is from NxNW:

What I want to know is how a girl like you becomes a girl like you.

 

[RSD1]

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Some details to add about  Colombia. 

 

Option for permanent residence or citizenship after five years

 No language requirement if older.

 

Global taxation. Not remittance based. Not a big problem for modest income and wealth.

 

If you're very wealthy and or high income avoid being a Colombia tax resident 

 

 

Better perks health plans available if you start before age 60

 

 

I’ve read your posts about Colombia and watched the video you shared about that apartment complex in the city you’re recommending. But I’m curious, have you actually been to Colombia or spent any amount of time there, or is this just anecdotal information you’ve picked up and are passing along? I don’t mean to sound judgmental, and I admit I haven’t been there myself, but my understanding is that it’s still a pretty dangerous country in many ways. Robberies seem to be common, and the crime can be physically violent, especially when someone wants something from you.

 

That said, I’ve been curious about Colombia myself. I’ve heard good things about the people, the food, climate, and I’ve met some really nice Colombians. But I think there are still a lot of downsides to living there, and it’s not as straightforward as just low cost-of-living. Sure, it’s affordable, but so are other places like Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Ecuador, Mexico, etc, but I wouldn’t want to live in any of those places either.

 

Unless you’re in one of the major cities in Colombia, you’re probably quite limited in terms of shopping and food choices, availability of imported goods, general lifestyle options, reliability of services, internet, and so on. And while the big cities do offer more variety, they’re also where the risks can be highest in terms of crime. On the other hand, the more remote areas might be safer, but they also risk being boring or too limited, even if they’re cheap and have a decent climate. And realistically, if you want to come and go from the country, you still have to go through those big, dangerous cities anyway.

 

If you’re seriously suggesting Colombia as a place to live, I’d recommend digging a little deeper into the realities on the ground. There’s a guy on YouTube with a channel called "Life with David", an American with Latino roots who moved to Colombia and has been living there for a while. He’s posted a lot of very straight-up videos about life there, and he doesn’t shy away from talking about the dangers. After watching a few of his videos, I came away feeling like it’s a very edgy place to live, which kind of cooled my interest.

 

You could probably find a similar quality of life in Spain, for example, but without all the risk. You’d be in Europe, with better infrastructure, reliable healthcare, solid services, and a more stable environment overall. Probably a better long-term option than Colombia.

 

 

[DonniePeverley]

6 hours ago, JAG said:

Spent some hours at Kuala Lumpur Airport this morning, before flying to Don Muang. The place was awash with Indians, they jump queues at checkout, coffee shops, the gate, all the time. I walk with a cane, and got barged aside several times, and actually pushed over at the end of one of those moving walkway things by a bunch of them in a hurry. I got picked up and dusted down by some Malaysian airport staff, they did not conceal their contempt.

 

Loads of them sitting around on the floor at Don Muang as well. 

 

Yes it's only a snapshot, not empirical evidence, but doesn't look good. 

 

 

Not all Malaysian Indians are all immigrants, but actually locals. The British bought loads of Indians into Malaysia (along with Chinese) to work in their industries there during colonial era. 

 

The problem i have with Malaysia is it can be rather sterile and boring at times. Malls, street life, the people are all rather bland. Whilst not as bad as Singaporians, still pretty dull. 

 

Only thing it has going for it is the different mix of cultures. 

 

 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

10 hours ago, JensenZ said:

Why do some people who are happily retired in Australia spend any time perusing an SE Asian expat forum and asking silly questions?

 

The answer is probably because they are bored with their "no problems" lives in their countries of birth.

 

We don't retire in Thailand to "have no problems". We retired here to enjoy life in a way that is impossible to enjoy back at home. I'm sure you can figure it out if you try hard enough. I have "no problems" in Thailand and had no problems before I came here, back in Australia. That's a low bar to judge a lifestyle by.

Yes, there is a reason many aussies move to Thailand. Still Kickings stories don't add up, they usually change over time

[Mahseer]

13 hours ago, Sierra Tango said:

Which airport are you flying out from?

Delhi. Terminal 3 is excellent but Air India are not known for their organisational skills but hopefully it won't be so bad but typically locals just take the shortest queue irregardless of flight class so let's see. 

[tjintx]

15 hours ago, BangkokHank said:

I am in India right now, in a place called Mussoorie in the foothills of the Himalayas. I have come here a couple of times before to escape Songkran, as the weather here is perfect at this time of the year. But since I was here 11 and 12 years ago, hotel prices have tripled in US dollar terms and are not as good value as hotels in, say, Vietnam and Thailand; it is difficult to find a decent restaurant here; and there is not a single supermarket in the whole city. Despite its recent rapid economic growth, India is still a primitive society. You would not have anything resembling a modern life here.

 

I spent one night in Delhi on the way here, and if I had to describe it in one word, that word would be "Armageddon". I suppose there must be less horrible parts of the city than where I was near the airport, but there's no way I would live in Delhi voluntarily.

 

Some people might think it's a cliche to say that Indians poop in the streets, but I saw a woman doing just that today on my walk from my hotel to the nearby main road. (I suppose she could have been peeing, but that's not a whole lot better. It shows that India doesn't think to provide facilities for tourists to relieve themselves in an overwhelmingly touristic city.)

 

There are reasons why pretty much every Indian dreams of escaping India for a life in the West. So take it from them: Don't even consider retiring here. (And then there's the issue of there not being a retirement visa. I got a five-year tourist visa online for $80, but that allows a maximum stay of 90 days each time and 180 days in a calendar year.)

 

Try the Tip Top Tea House near St. Paul's in Landour,  lovely food.    You are right about a lack of what Westerns consider supermarkets, lots of family run grocers though, even in Mussoorie.

 

[Walker88]

India is nice, but only if you live like an 18th Century Maharajah.

 

I lived a few years in the Chanakyapuri area of Delhi. It's wildly expensive, but safe. I had a household staff of cooks, cleaners, gardeners and security. I did not have to do the food shopping or cooking, and that is a huge plus. In all my time there, I did not get Delhi Belly even once. Loved the food.

 

I became quite close to my staff, and the women shared their experiences growing up female in one of the lower castes. It ain't pretty. Opportunity for them was minimal, despite their above average intellect. The rape stories are real. Gang rape is a national sport, more than cricket.

 

While I did some of my own driving, I did have a driver. Traffic is batsh!t crazy. One way roads merely mean you only go one way at a time. The guy coming at you full speed is also only going one way; it just happens to be at you.

 

Stop at a traffic light, and a beggar suffering from leprosy, half his face missing, will come up to your window with a fingerless hand out. Cows have the right of way, even if a tuk tuk of schoolgirls is coming at a truck. Cow wins, schoolgirls lose.

 

There's a massive tool booth area just outside Delhi in Gurgoan. I once saw a guy in a Suzuki car coming through the wrong way. I assume he thought "I go that way, I pay; I come this way, they pay me."

 

I did a lot of time in Rajasthan, and loved Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Getting there by road is "interesting", as the roads mostly suck and trucks or camel carts go wherever they want. Coming once from Chandagarh to Delhi, on an otherwise good road, I came across a 20+ car pile up, owing to bad fog and cars going the wrong way. Body parts strewn all over the road. It barely made page 20 of the Times of India, though I'd guess 15-30 deaths, going by body parts I counted.

 

People do do their business wherever they are. I remember being in a tuk tuk heading to my guest house in Jodhpur. The alley was maybe 7 feet wide. Stuck in traffic for a moment, a mother parked he teen daughter just outside their hovel, the girls butt aimed at me, as she proceeded to do a huge #2 maybe two feet from my face. It wasn't an editorial comment on me; it was just how things are done. Her business fell in a drain that ran along the alley, washed away by bathing water and urine from neighbors.

 

I also did Himachal Pradesh. If there is one place I would have enjoyed spending a year or two as a young adult, it would have been Manali, in the foothills of the Himalayas. It's more Buddhist than Hindu, the air is glorious, and there's a smell of Deodar trees in the wind, which are apparently a type of cedar. A wild few hour ride---if you survive---gets you to Rohtang Pass, at about 13,000 feet. The bottom of the drive is strewn with cars and buses that didn't make the 180 degree turns on dirt roads with no guardrails and 1000+ meter drops.

 

Not sure I'd do it again, but India was great. The caveat I noted at the start as you'd better be sinfully rich, because living comfortably in India takes more than Pebble Beach kind of money.

[Jingthing]

15 hours ago, RSD1 said:

 

I’ve read your posts about Colombia and watched the video you shared about that apartment complex in the city you’re recommending. But I’m curious, have you actually been to Colombia or spent any amount of time there, or is this just anecdotal information you’ve picked up and are passing along? I don’t mean to sound judgmental, and I admit I haven’t been there myself, but my understanding is that it’s still a pretty dangerous country in many ways. Robberies seem to be common, and the crime can be physically violent, especially when someone wants something from you.

 

That said, I’ve been curious about Colombia myself. I’ve heard good things about the people, the food, climate, and I’ve met some really nice Colombians. But I think there are still a lot of downsides to living there, and it’s not as straightforward as just low cost-of-living. Sure, it’s affordable, but so are other places like Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Ecuador, Mexico, etc, but I wouldn’t want to live in any of those places either.

 

Unless you’re in one of the major cities in Colombia, you’re probably quite limited in terms of shopping and food choices, availability of imported goods, general lifestyle options, reliability of services, internet, and so on. And while the big cities do offer more variety, they’re also where the risks can be highest in terms of crime. On the other hand, the more remote areas might be safer, but they also risk being boring or too limited, even if they’re cheap and have a decent climate. And realistically, if you want to come and go from the country, you still have to go through those big, dangerous cities anyway.

 

If you’re seriously suggesting Colombia as a place to live, I’d recommend digging a little deeper into the realities on the ground. There’s a guy on YouTube with a channel called "Life with David", an American with Latino roots who moved to Colombia and has been living there for a while. He’s posted a lot of very straight-up videos about life there, and he doesn’t shy away from talking about the dangers. After watching a few of his videos, I came away feeling like it’s a very edgy place to live, which kind of cooled my interest.

 

You could probably find a similar quality of life in Spain, for example, but without all the risk. You’d be in Europe, with better infrastructure, reliable healthcare, solid services, and a more stable environment overall. Probably a better long-term option than Colombia.

 

 

If I had been there, I would have said that.

Yes I've been researching Colombia for many years and am very familiar with all the better known youtubers.

I like Life With David but it's obvious he's one of those "seek danger" types.

He goes places and does things no normal tourist or expat would intentionally do for clicks.

Your post is rather distorted as to what I said.

I wasn't suggesting Colombia.

I was suggesting looking specifically into ARMENIA Colombia.

I would also suggest looking into MANIZALES and BUCARAMUNGA.

But Armenia is big enough with a population of 400K not a small town.

Manizales in the same coffee region has a much better variety international restaurants.

Bigger shopping available in Pereira the biggest coffee region city but I wouldn't suggest living there.

The latter two are bigger more sophisticated cities than Armenia but all three are relative safe for Colombia.

Armenia has an airport but bigger one in Pereira.

Would not suggest Medellin, Bogota, or coastal cities.

At home would you go into a dodgy neighborhood alone at night?

It's more like that. You learn what's bad.

In Armenia the entire North Side is richer and safer vs. the less so South Side.

So you live in and hang out on the North Side. Not rocket science.

Think Chicago.

Yes short of going there, I've gone as deep as possible.

If you want to PM me for research suggestions about it, you're welcome.

Colombia has great advantages over those other places you mentioned:

Very low financial requirements. Path to citizenship. The best health care scheme I have ever heard of for expats in a lower cost country. No issue with preexisting conditions. France is also great for that but not a lower cost country. 

Do whatever you want.

I am only saying IF I wasn't basically more or less "stuck" in Thailand and I was new to expatriation, the first place I would go to for boots on the ground exploration is the coffee region of Colombia, specifically Armenia.