I would definitely consider living on an island in the Grenadines, like either St. Vincent proper or Bequia. My grandfather was born there where his family lived on St. Vincent for many years. It is a very lovely, lush, picturesque tropical country. I've visited a half dozen times but for some reason I never considered SVG for retirement. If I were younger I would travel there again and check it out more carefully. It is a conservative, English speaking country with limited tourists and the currency ratio (EC$/USD) is fixed . Then, if I had the extra money I would travel to my native Canada in the summers to escape the Caribbean heat and enjoy Canada at it's best.

Edited August 19, 200916 yr by Lopburi99

Cambodia? Laos? Vietnam? Philippines? Malaysia? Singapore? Indonesia? Somewhere else?

Where would you go if you couldn't live in Thailand, and why?

Where would you not go, and why?

Goa

I'm still hanging on in LoS, although I could perform my current job from anywhere (internet-related etc). My Thai girlfriend is getting more wary of us starting up a business in LoS and we both would prefer to settle in Laos. However, we would both be foreigners in that country and hence unable to securely own land (unless we put in 10 million baht or so).

For now, I am happy living in Thailand and getting paid offshore - if the poo hits the fan then there is little to stop me from leaving now

Simon

There are two places on my list where i would like to live if Thailand closed down - Vietnam (just sounds good from what i read about it) or Turkey, I had some wonderful times in Turkey, and the Guys are pretty handsome there too.

Places I would not like to live, its obvious really, the bitterly cold, miserable, expensive UK. No Thanks.

I'd go to South Korea, one of the special economic zones in China, or Taiwan.

Why? Because folk in these areas have:

---a good sense of history (up to 2500 years of it written down)

---great art

---great philosophy (philosophy isn't even taught in Thai universities; how dumb is that!)

---intelligent people: Shanghai IQ 109, South Korea IQ 106, Taiwan IQ 104, so you can have a decent conversation with them (cf. Thailand, at IQ 91) (Do an internet search for corroboration)

---affluent people, so you don't have people tapping you up for cash all the time

---great scenery

---plenty of tourist attractions

---fantastic food!

---highly educated population

---very sophisticated culture

---good scientific advancement

---people are friendly; it's easy to strike up a conversation with people who have good jobs

---I can speak the lingo (Korean, Mandarin, and Hokkien)

Thailand was fine while I was establishing my business, but it's established now. I can afford to go and live in a better place. I'll be off as soon as the last of my guinea pigs passes away (may they all rest in peace).

Why not Japan? I don't get along with Japanese. I don't know why. They and I do not gel. If I have a disagreement with a Chinese or Korean, I can almost always reach an amicable conclusion. I have never yet managed to reach an amicable conclusion when I have had a disagreement with a Japanese.

Edited August 19, 200916 yr by chrisartist

Argentina maybe but I won't qualify for their visa for ten years (pension based).

Maybe Malta or Gibralta or Italy; somewhere nice around the Med...

Switzerland,

City ? Lucerne or Geneve

Imagine big house on the mountain facing the lakes ?

Driving Lamborghini or Porche ...dang !

Anyone there for me ?

Ramatuelle, South of France, family holiday house is already waiting for me

My GF is quite keen to live in the UK! Strangely enough, mu current GF is actually my previous GF from 7 years ago! We lived together for 2 years and travelled several times throughout the UK for extended periods up of about 6 months. I don't rule out living in the UK in the future, but it does seemed to have turned into a nanny state!!

Edited August 19, 200916 yr by simon43

I love multicultural environments, volcano-climbing, snow skiing, beach camping, snorkeling, jungle trekking, body-surfing, horseback riding, and history.

Where else but Hawaii where you can do all that (plus high quality of life: beautiful homes/estates, good restuarants, medical care, security, easy jumping-off point for North America or Asia travel, etc.)?

If I could just afford it . . . .

I've always been an "off the beaten track" guy. I also have an affinity with the sea. In the back of my mind, I have a dream of cheap paradise ocean front property far from the madding crowd somewhere along Burma's coast.

I know! Impossible now.....but the country might have a change, and if it does, I will get in quick.

Borneo is another place I would consider.

Lao's lack of ocean is a deterant for me, although a big river or lake is somewhat of a compensation.

oh there was someone here before me, already mentioning Borneo.

yeah that would probably be my choice, but in particular SABAH, Northern Malaysian Borneo.

I not only like nature but as well the super-friendly local Kadazan-people (largely Christians).

having a house on stilts in the middle-of-nowhere with views of Gunung Kinabalu, and at night hearing nothing but the sounds of the jungle..... but as I am a big-city-kid, of course not toooooo far away from the shopping-, dining- and entertainment-options of the capital, Kota Kinabalu.

unfortunately, Borneo nowadays is not the unspoilt nature paradise as it used to be decades ago.

for real unspoilt and pristine nature, you would have to travel a few hundred kilometers north-East of Sabah, to PALAWAN. this REALLY IS the hidden paradise. though, infrastructure is virtually non-existing there....

but on the other hand, for the moment, MONSTER BANGKOK suits me well

In the country of United States far away from any big city.

Yep, some nice quiet small town in the middle of America

Brigante7.

New Zealand .... or maybe the Polynesian islands

There are two places on my list where i would like to live if Thailand closed down - Vietnam (just sounds good from what i read about it) or Turkey, I had some wonderful times in Turkey, and the Guys are pretty handsome there too.

Places I would not like to live, its obvious really, the bitterly cold, miserable, expensive UK. No Thanks.

Turkey, just the thaught makes me

Borneo is another place I would consider.

What part of Borneo? Brunei, Malaysia or Indonesia?

Somewhere where there is virgin jungle at my back and empty sea in front of me, where I can go fishing or hunting, whatever my mood or plans for the evening's menu.

wake up mutley your dreamin again

Borneo is another place I would consider.

What part of Borneo? Brunei, Malaysia or Indonesia?

Somewhere where there is virgin jungle at my back and empty sea in front of me, where I can go fishing or hunting, whatever my mood or plans for the evening's menu.

wake up mutley your dreamin again

Dreams are free.

A couple of people here have mentioned New Zealand where I currently live. It IS a nice place, whether you're into nature or city life. In theory, you can catch a marlin on Saturday morning, be mountain trout fishing by the same afternoon or schooshing down the pist, or deer hunting, and then be in a crowded club that evening, without more than 5 hours driving in total....and never once be out of cell phone range (except maybe during the game fishing). It's a nice place.

My next stop was always going to be Africa I would have wandered about until I found some place I felt at home.

However I love Thailand and my life here so maybe I will give up that dream and be content.

My other love is Scotland, but it's just too darn cold.

Dreams are free.

A couple of people here have mentioned New Zealand where I currently live. It IS a nice place, whether you're into nature or city life. In theory, you can catch a marlin on Saturday morning, be mountain trout fishing by the same afternoon or schooshing down the pist, or deer hunting, and then be in a crowded club that evening, without more than 5 hours driving in total....and never once be out of cell phone range (except maybe during the game fishing). It's a nice place.

A dream place since decades for many Europeans, who have enough of the rat race. Only drawback, which can be an advantage, too, is the distance to Europe.

Quiet odd no-one has said Australia......

My next stop was always going to be Africa I would have wandered about until I found some place I felt at home.

However I love Thailand and my life here so maybe I will give up that dream and be content.

My other love is Scotland, but it's just too darn cold.

It's not the cold that is the problem it's the rain that is the problem. I live in Edinburgh and fu_ck me does it rain, in fact it's the one thing that would make my wife go back to Thailand.

Brigante7.

Cambodia? Laos? Vietnam? Philippines? Malaysia? Singapore? Indonesia?

no

horrible countries

I live in Edinburgh and fu_ck me does it rain

i'd live there, melbourne or brcelon.

sorry my ' ' on my keybord doen't work.

No reflection on the OP but I think many people spend all of their time dreaming about paradise. I believe there is no where that is perfect and you can never be perfectly content. So pick the best of the lot and settle down and enjoy life.

But if you do find the perfect paradise be sure and let us all know. Or do like Ian Forbes does and have more than one place and go back and forth. That sounds good except for the traveling part.

Mexico is fine in the interior and on various coasts.

I felt Bulgaria had a beautiful country side and once you got out of Sophia/pollution it is a beautiful, interesting country. It has beaches, mountains, hot, and cold with real seasons. The women are said to the most beautiful in Europe (by the Bulgarians) but I thought they were understating the comparative area by 10 fold. I understand the rest of Europe have rediscovered this gem and prices for housing etc have gone up substantially in recent years.

I keep hearing great things about Argintina. Othe than that probably New Zealand.

I still think that Bangkok is the best city in the world to live.

Ha Noi because I have property and family there.

The plan is to spend time between there and here in retirement.

Quiet odd no-one has said Australia......

that's maybe due to the fact that many of the members posting in this topic are in fact Aussie nationals

In the Okanagon, British Columbia Canada,,,,,,,,,