Phill,cambo,vietnam Anyone?

[mel2surf]

The writing seems to be on the wall.What now? Seems many,like me,don't wish to return to home country unless absolutely necessary.So what of the surrounding SEA countries?I'd love to hear what others like and dislike about them,assuming LOS won't have us any longer.

[Thaiher2me]

The writing seems to be on the wall.What now? Seems many,like me,don't wish to return to home country unless absolutely necessary.So what of the surrounding SEA countries?I'd love to hear what others like and dislike about them,assuming LOS won't have us any longer.

Check out this site for info on SEA. http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-faq.htm

Good no Bull---t info. Cambodia is looking for foreign dollars now, and is the FUTURE destination. Don't know about bussiness there, best to call and talk to one of the guest house owners, ( you'll find them on the site). Some may be paying protection money, but have no evidence off this. Can get business visa $25US for one month, then extend for 6 or 12 months indefinately. If you have an income coming in from somewhere that would be ideal. If you are street wise and are a good judge of human character this is a good start to staying out of trouble. Do your research thoroughly, it pays off.

[thaiman]

how's the internet in cambodia compared to thailand?

[mel2surf]

The writing seems to be on the wall.What now? Seems many,like me,don't wish to return to home country unless absolutely necessary.So what of the surrounding SEA countries?I'd love to hear what others like and dislike about them,assuming LOS won't have us any longer.

Check out this site for info on SEA. http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-faq.htm

Good no Bull---t info. Cambodia is looking for foreign dollars now, and is the FUTURE destination. Don't know about bussiness there, best to call and talk to one of the guest house owners, ( you'll find them on the site). Some may be paying protection money, but have no evidence off this. Can get business visa $25US for one month, then extend for 6 or 12 months indefinately. If you have an income coming in from somewhere that would be ideal. If you are street wise and are a good judge of human character this is a good start to staying out of trouble. Do your research thoroughly, it pays off.

I have heard this too,about Cambo being the future,mainly based on the fact that it is sitting atop a huge source of revenue.Natural oil reserves.Thanks for the link to what seems to be a very informative website! I have a good friend who frequents Cambo,has a wife there as well,and has been trying to get me to go,but then I think about my selfish need for the world wide web,and most say if you venture out of Phnom Pen you are instantly in the sticks.Do you know if one can access the www from say, Sihanoukeville? or is PP a decent place to live?

Thanks again ThaiHer,

hopefully others can benefit from the info as well

[mel2surf]

how's the internet in cambodia compared to thailand?

lol Thaiman,seems we both had the same thought right off the bat.

My friend DID tell me,as he emailed me from Phnom Pen that within the city of PP there was ADSL.

But alot of expats seem to be settled near Sihanoukeville(far away) so I'm unsure of how widely available

the www is.

[stevenjm]

how's the internet in cambodia compared to thailand?

lol Thaiman,seems we both had the same thought right off the bat.

My friend DID tell me,as he emailed me from Phnom Pen that within the city of PP there was ADSL.

But alot of expats seem to be settled near Sihanoukeville(far away) so I'm unsure of how widely available

the www is.

Sihanoukville also has adsl. Internet in cambodia is not good with slow connections and ridiculous prices. If you can settle for net cafes then your ok as its from 25 cents to 75 cents per hour. Or you can do what I do and search for wifi signal and sit outside somebodies house. ( I even did this to a 3 star general) Good luck find a signal in Phnom Penh though as most of them now have passwords thanks to yours truly

Re the 3 star generals house - I have to laugh, his gaurds did not have a clue what I was up to and they would let me play with their guns while they were surfing the net on his connection. He also has password now.

Edited October 7, 2007 by stevenjm

[Manchester]

how's the internet in cambodia compared to thailand?

lol Thaiman,seems we both had the same thought right off the bat.

My friend DID tell me,as he emailed me from Phnom Pen that within the city of PP there was ADSL.

But alot of expats seem to be settled near Sihanoukeville(far away) so I'm unsure of how widely available

the www is.

Sihanoukville also has adsl. Internet in cambodia is not good with slow connections and ridiculous prices. If you can settle for net cafes then your ok as its from 25 cents to 75 cents per hour. Or you can do what I do and search for wifi signal and sit outside somebodies house. ( I even did this to a 3 star general) Good luck find a signal in Phnom Penh though as most of them now have passwords thanks to yours truly

Re the 3 star generals house - I have to laugh, his gaurds did not have a clue what I was up to and they would let me play with their guns while they were surfing the net on his connection. He also has password now.

Just what Cambodia is looking for.................another cheap charlie foreigner.

[stevenjm]

how's the internet in cambodia compared to thailand?

lol Thaiman,seems we both had the same thought right off the bat.

My friend DID tell me,as he emailed me from Phnom Pen that within the city of PP there was ADSL.

But alot of expats seem to be settled near Sihanoukeville(far away) so I'm unsure of how widely available

the www is.

Sihanoukville also has adsl. Internet in cambodia is not good with slow connections and ridiculous prices. If you can settle for net cafes then your ok as its from 25 cents to 75 cents per hour. Or you can do what I do and search for wifi signal and sit outside somebodies house. ( I even did this to a 3 star general) Good luck find a signal in Phnom Penh though as most of them now have passwords thanks to yours truly

Re the 3 star generals house - I have to laugh, his gaurds did not have a clue what I was up to and they would let me play with their guns while they were surfing the net on his connection. He also has password now.

Just what Cambodia is looking for.................another cheap charlie foreigner.

Internet connection there is around $200 a month for a decent plan and was not available in my province and I have contributed plenty of cash to the Cambodian economy. Anyway you could say I have done them a free security service because most of them now have passwords.

Edited October 7, 2007 by stevenjm

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Internet connection there is around $200 a month for a decent plan and was not available in my province and I have contributed plenty of cash to the Cambodian economy. Anyway you could say I have done them a free security service because most of them now have passwords.

what kind of speed can you get for $200 in Cambo? very reliable?

For me I have to live somewhere with decent internet and Thailand is somewhat passing that test for now.

I have researched Vietnam and it would not work very well. The internet is so slow there is no point getting a DSL connection as its the same speed as dialup there. Throw in terrible pollution in both HCMC and Hanoi and roads even more dangerous than Thailand. Also a heavy handed govt that makes Thailand look like Holland by comparison. It's too bad because the people are pretty interesting and the country is visually very attractive.

China has some decent places to live in Yunnan province like Kunming or Dali with low living costs and plenty of friendly girls and speedy internet. Downside is lots of internet roadblocks like the recent blocking of all RSS feeds.

If Thailand gets too restrictive (currently 45 yrs old) then leaning toward Costa Rica or Argentina for having decent lifestyle value and internet.

[Macx]

While I stayed at a hospital in Bangkok, I shared a room with an executive chef from one of the top hotel restaurants in Vietnam. He was leaving Vietnam after 7 years of working in the food industry there. What he told me about the food situation in Vietnam was very scary: farmers raising food full of chemicals that they would not eat themselves, questionable Agent Orange residues in some of the produce and rice, high and wide -spread use of antibiotics and anti-fungal in just about everything, and no government control over these practices.

A friend of mine who is in aqua farming visited Vietnam came back with similar reports about the country's fish industry.

I could put up with the bad traffic, the corruption, and even to a degree the pollution, but eating food with questionable quality seems to me a real terrifying long term proposition.

Does anyone have any real concrete info/research concerning food in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia?

[stevenjm]

what kind of speed can you get for $200 in Cambo? very reliable?

For me I have to live somewhere with decent internet and Thailand is somewhat passing that test for now.

I have researched Vietnam and it would not work very well. The internet is so slow there is no point getting a DSL connection as its the same speed as dialup there. Throw in terrible pollution in both HCMC and Hanoi and roads even more dangerous than Thailand. Also a heavy handed govt that makes Thailand look like Holland by comparison. It's too bad because the people are pretty interesting and the country is visually very attractive.

China has some decent places to live in Yunnan province like Kunming or Dali with low living costs and plenty of friendly girls and speedy internet. Downside is lots of internet roadblocks like the recent blocking of all RSS feeds.

If Thailand gets too restrictive (currently 45 yrs old) then leaning toward Costa Rica or Argentina for having decent lifestyle value and internet.

Not sure of the speed, I think its was 512. Reliable - not really, there are sometimes when the provider is just down. They have recently started using those small portable satellite connections in the provinces but not sure of their speed or reliability.

Throw in terrible pollution in both HCMC and Hanoi and roads even more dangerous than Thailand. Also a heavy handed govt that makes Thailand look like Holland by comparison. It's too bad because the people are pretty interesting and the country is visually very attractive.

You may want to visit first Cambodia first then as its pretty much the same (well in Phnom Penh anyway, not so bad in Sihanoukville)

(and I think I will shut up about the government from now on or it may have repurcussions for me in the future)

I was also thinking maybe Costa Rica or similar next too.

[Jingthing]

If Thailand gets too restrictive (currently 45 yrs old) then leaning toward Costa Rica or Argentina for having decent lifestyle value and internet.

How would you live in Argentina? I like that country alot but can't see a way to live there legally visa-wise without starting a business or having a pension. I am over 50; I wish they had a bank account show some money option like Thailand does. You can do visa runs there but my research says this is not a good idea for living there long term.

To me the Philippines is the only realistic option, and definitely a second choice to Thailand.

Edited October 7, 2007 by Jingthing

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

If Thailand gets too restrictive (currently 45 yrs old) then leaning toward Costa Rica or Argentina for having decent lifestyle value and internet.

How would you live in Argentina? I like that country alot but can't see a way to live there legally visa-wise without starting a business or having a pension. I am over 50; I wish they had a bank account show some money option like Thailand does. You can do visa runs there but my research says this is not a good idea for living there long term.

To me the Philippines is the only realistic option, and definitely a second choice to Thailand.

I haven't researched Argentina for a few years but I have a few friends who have done various things like obtain residency and dual citizenship. Also have a friend who just stays without a visa or border runs and pays a fine when he wants to return to the states. Not sure if they have clamped down recently. Here is a link about argentina immigration I bookmarked a while back. My impression is if you can hire a decent lawyer then he can get it done.

expat-argentina.blogspot.com/2004_05_01_archive.html

[technocracy]

While I stayed at a hospital in Bangkok, I shared a room with an executive chef from one of the top hotel restaurants in Vietnam. He was leaving Vietnam after 7 years of working in the food industry there. What he told me about the food situation in Vietnam was very scary: farmers raising food full of chemicals that they would not eat themselves, questionable Agent Orange residues in some of the produce and rice, high and wide -spread use of antibiotics and anti-fungal in just about everything, and no government control over these practices.

A friend of mine who is in aqua farming visited Vietnam came back with similar reports about the country's fish industry.

I could put up with the bad traffic, the corruption, and even to a degree the pollution, but eating food with questionable quality seems to me a real terrifying long term proposition.

Does anyone have any real concrete info/research concerning food in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia?

Well one thing I can say about the food in Laos is there is very very little use of chemicals, fertilisers etc. If you ever walk around a local Lao market that is selling Lao produce (not imported Thai - which there is a lot of) you will see all the fruits and vegs are considerably smaller in size than that you'd see in Thailand. We have several fruits trees on our land (bananas, sour mangosteens and passion fruit) and they are all just left alone nothing added and these relate perfectly in size shape etc to what I see in the markets.

The sour mangosteens particularly from Thailand are HUGE incomparison obviously packed with fertilisers and chemicals.

Also the fertilisers and chemicals cost extra - something which most farmers in Lao won't have the money to pay for.

As for Agent Orange residues well that only affects the Xieng Khouang province - any food around that provinces would stay local (due to distances and poor roads). But also Lao didn't get doused quite so heavily in AO compared to Vietnam - just more bombs!

If you visit the Xieng Khouang region you can still see the orange bare hilltops where nothing has grown since the agent orange was dropped.

Forgot to mention - the main problem with food here in the remote regions is lack of clean running water and poor sanitation. Vientiane however isn't bad at all - but if you cook your own food obviously this isn't a worry!

Edited October 7, 2007 by technocracy

[Jingthing]

I haven't researched Argentina

I have. There is simply no option that doesn't involve opening a business, having a pension, showing income from investments (not just showing the investments) and transferring the money into the country. There is no bank account option or passive investment option. People doing endless tourist visa runs eventually are confronted. It is true it is much more relaxed about overstaying and all you have to do is pay a small fine at the airport on leaving. No jail! But I for one won't stay in a country illegally and without legality there is lots you can't do such as open a bank account, get utilities in your name, etc. etc.; in other words a nightmare unless you a close local who can cover for you all the time.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

I haven't researched Argentina

I have. There is simply no option that doesn't involve opening a business, having a pension, showing income from investments (not just showing the investments) and transferring the money into the country. There is no bank account option or passive investment option. People doing endless tourist visa runs eventually are confronted. It is true it is much more relaxed about overstaying and all you have to do is pay a small fine at the airport on leaving. No jail! But I for one won't stay in a country illegally and without legality there is lots you can't do such as open a bank account, get utilities in your name, etc. etc.; in other words a nightmare unless you a close local who can cover for you all the time.

Uh well I can prove income so that opens to the door to a lot of countries like Costa Rica and I still think Argentina and a host of others. What about Uruguay? I think its easier than Arg.

well how are you going to live anywhere? You need income right?. If you have non income producing home country assets then consider shifting into some that do provide income. You could buy a rental property in your home country and document the rental income stream for your visa....Also its not that hard to setup a trust and using a secured line of credit create a monthly income stream. You just need a lawyer help you prove you are producing an income stream. What was your plan? move to a country and work?

[Jingthing]

Personally, I live on stock market investment sales and dividends. They don't produce much income. Its working very well for me lately. I would not wish to convert them into low interest bearing income vehicles. Sitting on my butt for five years now and twice as rich, why would I change that? I do appreciate that Thailand has a visa for people over 50 who can just show a pile of money. Very enlightened of them. Sadly, not many countries offer this option, the Philippines being another. Ecuador has a 30K dollar investment option but still haven't figured out if you can get that just buying housing.

Yes, you could probably do Argentina with income and it isn't that high. You have to transfer in that amount though every year and their banking system is very bad.

Uruguay financial standards for long term visas are very high, much higher than Argentina or Thailand.

Edited October 7, 2007 by Jingthing