Alternatives To Thailand ?

[mike_rad]

Just to add to what's already been said about India.

I've made many trips there over the past couple of decades and while living can be very cheap, food can be very good, English is widely spoken and understood, the Indian government is generally not very welcoming to foreignors.

A 6 month tourist visa is easy to get, but then you have to leave and there's no guarantee you'll get another straight away. Last time I checked, 5 year multiple entry business visas for max 6 month stay at a time were being offered, as long as you had a kitty of US 100 grand to show.

If you want to marry a local, possible but not as easy as TH or PI, then you should be able to get a 5 year mutiple entry tourist visa, also for 6 month max stay at a time. Or if you want to study the languages, culture, etc, a visa is given for that, but there's a lot of red tape involved, with a wait of several months while the officials in Delhi consider it.

Similar to Vietnam, I guess, the British Raj has left many locals hostile to foreignors. Indeed, in Hindi, the word for foreignor is angrezi, which translates as Englishman. Never mind the fact that you may be Canadian, French, Russian, South African or whatever.

It does take a certain type of Westerner to live in India. A huge amount of patience is required, for a start.

[tropo]

I am giving a lot of thought to the Philippines. Since I am married to a Filippina, visa stays are minimal problem and I am entitled to work simply by registering with the Department of Labor.

Phillipines has great beaches, but is a more frustrating and more dangerous place to live.

I've lived in the Philippines for 5 years, and now 1 year in Thailand. I live with my Filipino girlfriend.

What can be more frustrating than a solid language and religious barrier. Thais have zero concept of anything that is not Thai. I've never been more frustrated in my life than trying to communicate with these people that just don't like us and have no interest in anything but the money. hours.

There's only a religious barrier to those who don't have a basic understanding of Buddhism and only a language barrier to those who aren't willing to learn Thai. It's a bit rich living in a country that, by and large, is Roman Catholic and speaks Tagalog complaining about a Buddhist country that speaks Thai.

You're a moderator, so I thought at least you could read.

I stated that I now live, and have lived in Thailand for 1 year.

Excuse me if I don't share your love of Thailand, the language and the religion. We all come to Thailand for different reasons. Maybe you might like to live here permanently so of course you need to learn the language (and religion)...I don't, as I'm only a tourist.

I have no interest in learning the language and I'm not interested in Buddhism. I came to Thailand to live in Pattaya, which I'm sure you'll agree is not representative of Thailand (or even close). My attitude (which I'm sure you won't like) is to attempt to communicate in English (with the added sign language), and if I can't, I move on and spend my money elsewhere. I'm in a tourist resort that services millions of tourists and if they can't speak English...it's their problem. It's sometimes an advantage when street hustlers (sellers) can't communicate well...it's easy to ignore them.

I expected to be here for a year or so and then continue my exploration of the world....I'm here on this forum to learn about new visa regulations.

I'd like to clear up a misconception you have. Most Filipinos speak English, Filipino (the national language is not Tagalog, but based on it) and their provincial language if they are not from a Tagalog speaking region...therefore the majority of Filipinos speak 3 languages. Did you know that parliament is held in English?

[Mr Jones]

India, or more specifically Goa.

I have to agree with the comments about the Indian government.

Food, you can get what ever nationality food you fancy and cheep, beer is very cheep as is spirits, wine is expensive and tastes like it has been drunk before,

The people in Goa are on the most part very friendly a mix of most religions and get on well together, as said before English is spoken everywhere,

Rip offs, like most countries it has its wide boys, just don’t get taken in

Annoyances, beggars and taxi drivers “TAXI SIR” every 10 seconds can drive you up the wall, corrupt police, everything is a IR500 fine half the force is plane clothes and offering the unaware tourists pot and girls, while his uniformed mate hides, then arrests you, street fine or ten years in prison. It was mentioned earlier that drugs are legal in India, they are not, easily obtained but not legal recreational drug use in India carries heave jail time (10 years for one refer no parole).

Most people frame the receipt for dropping a cigarette stump in the street if they smoke or not, IR50 in a land where sows <deleted> all over the place.

Women, as a foreigner you don’t have much chance of finding a decent girl, I did see a few old white men with Thai wives, there is prostitution for those that want it but they are as rough as a bears bum.

Money, I can live very well thank you much on £10/

[sting01]

I am giving a lot of thought to the Philippines. Since I am married to a Filippina, visa stays are minimal problem and I am entitled to work simply by registering with the Department of Labor.

Phillipines has great beaches, but is a more frustrating and more dangerous place to live.

I've lived in the Philippines for 5 years, and now 1 year in Thailand. I live with my Filipino girlfriend.

What can be more frustrating than a solid language and religious barrier. Thais have zero concept of anything that is not Thai. I've never been more frustrated in my life than trying to communicate with these people that just don't like us and have no interest in anything but the money. hours.

There's only a religious barrier to those who don't have a basic understanding of Buddhism and only a language barrier to those who aren't willing to learn Thai. It's a bit rich living in a country that, by and large, is Roman Catholic and speaks Tagalog complaining about a Buddhist country that speaks Thai.

You're a moderator, so I thought at least you could read.

I stated that I now live, and have lived in Thailand for 1 year.

Excuse me if I don't share your love of Thailand, the language and the religion. We all come to Thailand for different reasons. Maybe you might like to live here permanently so of course you need to learn the language (and religion)...I don't, as I'm only a tourist.

I have no interest in learning the language and I'm not interested in Buddhism. I came to Thailand to live in Pattaya, which I'm sure you'll agree is not representative of Thailand (or even close). My attitude (which I'm sure you won't like) is to attempt to communicate in English (with the added sign language), and if I can't, I move on and spend my money elsewhere. I'm in a tourist resort that services millions of tourists and if they can't speak English...it's their problem. It's sometimes an advantage when street hustlers (sellers) can't communicate well...it's easy to ignore them.

I expected to be here for a year or so and then continue my exploration of the world....I'm here on this forum to learn about new visa regulations.

I'd like to clear up a misconception you have. Most Filipinos speak English, Filipino (the national language is not Tagalog, but based on it) and their provincial language if they are not from a Tagalog speaking region...therefore the majority of Filipinos speak 3 languages. Did you know that parliament is held in English?

Allegro man non Troppo !!!! lol

But I globally agree with you.

@Endure, here some questions :

Is it necessary to belongs to one religion or another to feel confortable in a country?Well, the answer is personnal I guess, and certainly there is reasons why Khomeny choose Neufles le Chateay rather than the Vatican city as exile place, but personaly I feel confortable to go and pray in budhist temples (thought I am roman catholic) as they are basically holly place.

Learning thai .... well done mat. Thailand, and people like you, are claiming since years (maybe decade) to be a hot spot for tourism. Let's compare with french riviera (another hot spot for HiSo tourism). I do have hard time to imagine any member of the Saoudi royal familly having to learn Franch, or nicois as they usually spend more time in Nice than in Cannes).I will let Endure guess in wich language they address the local shop keepers. Maybe that is the reason why they still come in frogland, and not in LOS.

I do speak thai (not fluently alas), but I do live here. Why a tourist should take a course before to come here?It's hassle.

[GracelessFawn]

Cheers Tropo!

[terry57]

I am giving a lot of thought to the Philippines. Since I am married to a Filippina, visa stays are minimal problem and I am entitled to work simply by registering with the Department of Labor.

Phillipines has great beaches, but is a more frustrating and more dangerous place to live.

I've lived in the Philippines for 5 years, and now 1 year in Thailand. I live with my Filipino girlfriend.

What can be more frustrating than a solid language and religious barrier. Thais have zero concept of anything that is not Thai. I've never been more frustrated in my life than trying to communicate with these people that just don't like us and have no interest in anything but the money. hours.

There's only a religious barrier to those who don't have a basic understanding of Buddhism and only a language barrier to those who aren't willing to learn Thai. It's a bit rich living in a country that, by and large, is Roman Catholic and speaks Tagalog complaining about a Buddhist country that speaks Thai.

You're a moderator, so I thought at least you could read.

I stated that I now live, and have lived in Thailand for 1 year.

Excuse me if I don't share your love of Thailand, the language and the religion. We all come to Thailand for different reasons. Maybe you might like to live here permanently so of course you need to learn the language (and religion)...I don't, as I'm only a tourist.

I have no interest in learning the language and I'm not interested in Buddhism. I came to Thailand to live in Pattaya, which I'm sure you'll agree is not representative of Thailand (or even close). My attitude (which I'm sure you won't like) is to attempt to communicate in English (with the added sign language), and if I can't, I move on and spend my money elsewhere. I'm in a tourist resort that services millions of tourists and if they can't speak English...it's their problem. It's sometimes an advantage when street hustlers (sellers) can't communicate well...it's easy to ignore them.

I expected to be here for a year or so and then continue my exploration of the world....I'm here on this forum to learn about new visa regulations.

I'd like to clear up a misconception you have. Most Filipinos speak English, Filipino (the national language is not Tagalog, but based on it) and their provincial language if they are not from a Tagalog speaking region...therefore the majority of Filipinos speak 3 languages. Did you know that parliament is held in English?

cricky's endure,

you have really pissed of tropo have'nt you.

lucky he's not a mod or you'd be in the sinbin .

[terry57]

Cheers Tropo!

cricky's miss fawn,

you have changed your avatar. ?

i very sad, as i cant see your lovely face.

oh well, life's not perfect.

bye bye.

[IMA_FARANG]

Mon 02 Oct 06, 7:58 p.m.

Where to go when staying in Thailand becomes too much of a pain in the ass ???

Witness the seven pages (and growing) replies to the post about the so called "shakeup" in visa regulations and other restrictions and red tape necessary to stay in Thailand on a long-term basis. Some people will undoubtedly have to leave because they can no longer meet the requirements. Others may choose to leave because although they may be able to meet the requirements, the process has become too burdensome and the climate of uncertainty and insecurity too uncomfortable to deal with.

Some people have talked about Malaysia being less restrictive and more welcoming. Others describe the process in the Philippines as involving less red tape. We know that Cambodia is easy (but who can say for how long that will be the case?) and lacking in infrastructure and Western amenities (no international ATMs for example). ]

I would be interested to hear others experiences and opinions on possible alternatives to Thailand as a long-stay destination. I hear Costa Rica is nice this time of year!

Aloha,

Rex

It depends on what you are willing to put up with. Don't be fooled by the stories you hear fromother people. Go and check out the place yourself. What one person likes may be exactly why you hate the place.

1. Malaysia. A lot of Brits love it because they get fooled into believing it is more English than anywhere else in Asia. It has it's advantages. But read some of the ads for flats for sale. Note carefully, the small text that says flats are for sale to "Bahasa Malay only", that is only to Malays and often, though not directly stated, Muslim only. And then there are those Malaysian state governements were Sharia law is promoted as the only true law, EVEN FOR NON MUSLIMS.

2. Vietnam. Cheap and easy to live. Yeah, remember "Gary Glitter" in Vung Tau. Okay, so he liked the young girls. No problem, until the parents knew he had MONEY and wanted to meet their daughter. Ended up in jail, didn't he? Also Vietnam is very far from a democracy. You will be watched by the police as a foriegner. Don't be fooled, they have a lot of informers who make extra money by keeping track of what the foriegner does. If you think Thailand is restrictive, Vietnam is worse by far.

3. Cambodia. No way, too dangerous and you look like fresh meat to the people who prey on foriegners. The hospital situation is not to be believed.

4 Myanmar. Poor is not the word. Be sure to keep your feet up if you go to a movie theater. Otherwise the rats running around the floor will bite your toes. And this is in Rangoon, the capital.

Anyhow I guess you get the idea. Nowhere is paradise, you have to pick and choose what you want. Don't let the little head between your legs become more important to what you do than the big head on your neck.

[SamuiJens]

Keep your eyes open, Terry! LOL

[endure]

I am giving a lot of thought to the Philippines. Since I am married to a Filippina, visa stays are minimal problem and I am entitled to work simply by registering with the Department of Labor.

Phillipines has great beaches, but is a more frustrating and more dangerous place to live.

I've lived in the Philippines for 5 years, and now 1 year in Thailand. I live with my Filipino girlfriend.

What can be more frustrating than a solid language and religious barrier. Thais have zero concept of anything that is not Thai. I've never been more frustrated in my life than trying to communicate with these people that just don't like us and have no interest in anything but the money. hours.

There's only a religious barrier to those who don't have a basic understanding of Buddhism and only a language barrier to those who aren't willing to learn Thai. It's a bit rich living in a country that, by and large, is Roman Catholic and speaks Tagalog complaining about a Buddhist country that speaks Thai.

You're a moderator, so I thought at least you could read.

I stated that I now live, and have lived in Thailand for 1 year.

Excuse me if I don't share your love of Thailand, the language and the religion. We all come to Thailand for different reasons. Maybe you might like to live here permanently so of course you need to learn the language (and religion)...I don't, as I'm only a tourist.

I have no interest in learning the language and I'm not interested in Buddhism.

You've lived in Thailand for a year, you complain about the language and religious barrier yet you admit you've no interest in breaking down that barrier by attempting to learn a little Thai or a little bit about Buddhism? The solution to your problem is in your own hands but you aren't willing to make the effort.

[totlanh]

For the great weather and the friendly people i am astonished that no one has mentioned Northern Ireland yet

Regarding all that has been said regarding Vietnam and the scams i concur with all.My wife(who is VN)is even cheated by the locals who used to be her friends Cheating shits the lot of them!!

[totlanh]

Quote:cricky's miss fawn,

you have changed your avatar. ?

i very sad, as i cant see your lovely face.

I too am greatly saddened by this

[the pleiadian]

Actually Tailande is my secondary subsititute to my main stay of Brasil. The living expenses in Brasil and Tailand are very similar, but the beauty, nature, the foods, the culture, variety of locations, thousands miles of beaches, music, ect ect, are uncomparable between Brasil and Tailande. Brasil is now probably the most favoraite long stay or relocation for foreigners.

First most foreigners can stay 90 days visa free plus free extension of further 90 days. For US citizens is 100USD for a 5 year visa that works the same as all other visa free nations. For people who likes to relocate and work, you can invest 50,000USD in Brasil to open any business, and your whole family can work and receive permanent residency. If you don't wish to work, you can just invest 50000USD in a condo or anything else and receive permanent residency for your whole family. My brother age 44 has received permanent residency of Brasil through buying a condo of 100,000USD, but the minimum is only 50,000USD. I will do this next yera as well to buy a house in most beautiful city Florianopolis in southern state of Santa Catarina to obtain permanent residency so I can receive rights to buy lands in Brasil. The process takes less than 3 months to receive PR.

After 4 yeras of PR, you can get naturalized as Brasilian citizens. But for me PR is enough because I won't care about voting rights or running for political offices. I like to buy a nice beach front house in Florianopolis and then buy another a huge farm estate in Santa Catarina with horses, swimming pools, tennis courts, and party facilities. My brother bought a farm estate in interior state Sao Paulo near Campinas, a large developed industrial suburbant city 2 hours drive from capital Sao Paulo, with 3 tennis courts, 2 huge swimming pools, 10 horses, have 2 farm hands to take care, a huge house with 8 rooms, plus movie room, party room, a huge back patio for churrasco(Brasilian barbeque), the estate is 15 min to main freeway to capital Sao Paulo, all for 80,000USD.

The price of estates in northeast and southern Brasil are much cheaper than Sao Paulo or Rio. In my favorite state of Santa Catarina, I can get a big farm estate with tennis courts, swimming pool, a big house, horses, and maybe 1-2 hours from Florianopolis for 40k or 50k. Of course you can even buy a fram eatste for holiday also get your PR at the same time.

So thats my plan from next year, to own a peice of beautiful beach and also to own a peice of beautiful mountain in the paradise of Brasil.

Some cities that atrract big expacts population, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and all the hundreds of sea shores cities of both of the 2 states , also Fortaleza, Natal, Maceio, Recife, Salvador, Vitoria, Aracaju, ect in the warm and beautiful northeast, things are cheap here and most beach cities are very safe as well. Huge foreign populations in all these beach shore cities. Then in the south, my favorite beach city Floripa, plus many other major cities like Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Blumenau, Joinville, ectect. The South has the living standard very high as comparable to Spain, Portugal, Czech, Hungary ect.

To me, to relocate with all attractive elements, Brasil is the top of top for me and for many others. Thanks to Lula, the great leftist president of Republic who made the rules so easy for foriegners to relocate and settle and do business, Viva Lula.

If the sound of bossa nova, the beat of samba, the chant of capoeira, the smell of charrasco, the scenes of millions of t-string bikinis, and the thousands of miles of city beaches to pristine white sand beaches are unkown to you, then you should take a long holiday to get a little taste of Brasil. Brasil is so popular with non-English speaking nationals from Europe and from all over the world in term of long stay, but it is pretty much a virgin land for most English speakers for some unknown reason. This is a mostly English speaker forum, so I think I will reccommend the forum members here that if you don't know Brasil, you are missing out a lot.

[terry57]

For the great weather and the friendly people i am astonished that no one has mentioned Northern Ireland yet

Regarding all that has been said regarding Vietnam and the scams i concur with all.My wife(who is VN)is even cheated by the locals who used to be her friends Cheating shits the lot of them!!

regards your opinion on vietnam,

i've been to nearly all asian counties and id have to say that the vietnamese were the best ever at ripping off the tourists.

actually i'm going to go back again just to see if i'm good enough to not get ripped of by them, but cricky's they were bloody good at it.

end of story.

[terry57]

Keep your eyes open, Terry! LOL

what am i keeping my eyes open for gens. ?

you lost me there my samui friend.

am i looking for those beers you are going to buy me maybe.

[tropo]

Plenty of places I can think of I would be quite happy in for a time but as this thread says what happens when it gets you down?

Thailand. Great people,great food, great fun,everything you want you can get,rich culture,safe,cheap. It may not have the best of anything, but it has got a v good choice of everything.

PI Great place, wonderful people but I have toi say it IS dangerous and you have to realy keep your wits about you.

Malaysia. Lovely people, foods great ( but too much chicken) but is mai sanook !

Cambodia. People are great, foods crap (local) infrastructure is poor,can be dangerous.

India (south) lovely people,masses of history/culture. Crap food, v v cheap.

Laos. Opening up, real lovely people, foods a poor thai copy but ok. No problem with a communist Gov. Landlocked.

Jamaica. Great Fun, great food, pretty dangerous & getting expensive.

Mexico. Great fun, loads of history, crap food, everyone thinks your american & ignores you.

Vietnam. (North) lovely people, very serious but can be good fun if you go local. V cheap in the country.Fantastic beaches. Very distrusting of farang (undersandable)

Tahiti. Paradise on earth. Typhoons & v expensive,Americanised.

Indonesia. Wonderful people,very relaxed,v cheap, local foods not too bad but gets boring. Too much chicken.

Bali. Fantastic people, wonderful food, v relaxed,pretty cheap,safe.

Peru. Superb food,pretty cheap, pretty relaxed. Scams are everywhere.

Australia. Great food,plenty of things to do, no culture & v expensive.

China. hmm not fair to judge as it's so vast but I hated it. Like being in a goldfish bowl (the fish)

Lived for a time in all these countries, some longer than others.

Bottom line is I have always loved living in Thailand and i'll stick with the LOS thank you .The only one i'd consider to live long term as an alternative would be Bali but visa's are a real pain in the ass.

Did you ever have to work?

Why did you miss out on Brazil, Chile and Argentina considering you were right there?

[tropo]

You've lived in Thailand for a year, you complain about the language and religious barrier yet you admit you've no interest in breaking down that barrier by attempting to learn a little Thai or a little bit about Buddhism? The solution to your problem is in your own hands but you aren't willing to make the effort.

What you consider complaints were only observations.

You probably haven't been in Thailand with a Filipino girlfriend whom EVERYONE considers to be Thai.

You probably haven't experienced what its like to be totally ignored by everyone, everywhere you go because everyone starts to yap your girl in Thai. These people are truly ignorant....meaning, they don't know any better.

In contrast to Thailand, in Malaysia my girl is treated like a tourist. They definitely don't assume she is Malaysian, although Thais, Filipinos and Malaysians all look similar.

I don't chose to learn the language. I'm a f**king tourist and travel to dozens of countries. Do you expect me to learn all the languages? I learn the thank yous, hellos etc, like all good tourists do.

I'm sorry to break up your little lovefest with Thailand, but there are better places to be, and I'm going to be there soon enough.

If it's ok with you, I'll stay here until I'm ready to leave. I enjoy living in Pattaya and also Phuket. I'm not here for the Thai culture, language, religion, or even the food. I usually eat Japanese, Indian and other Western foods that are readily available in Pattaya. We don't all come here for the same reasons.

Edited October 26, 2006 by tropo

[tropo]

Actually Tailande is my secondary subsititute to my main stay of Brasil. The living expenses in Brasil and Tailand are very similar, but the beauty, nature, the foods, the culture, variety of locations, thousands miles of beaches, music, ect ect, are uncomparable between Brasil and Tailande. Brasil is now probably the most favoraite long stay or relocation for foreigners.

First most foreigners can stay 90 days visa free plus free extension of further 90 days. For US citizens is 100USD for a 5 year visa that works the same as all other visa free nations. For people who likes to relocate and work, you can invest 50,000USD in Brasil to open any business, and your whole family can work and receive permanent residency. If you don't wish to work, you can just invest 50000USD in a condo or anything else and receive permanent residency for your whole family. My brother age 44 has received permanent residency of Brasil through buying a condo of 100,000USD, but the minimum is only 50,000USD. I will do this next yera as well to buy a house in most beautiful city Florianopolis in southern state of Santa Catarina to obtain permanent residency so I can receive rights to buy lands in Brasil. The process takes less than 3 months to receive PR.

After 4 yeras of PR, you can get naturalized as Brasilian citizens. But for me PR is enough because I won't care about voting rights or running for political offices. I like to buy a nice beach front house in Florianopolis and then buy another a huge farm estate in Santa Catarina with horses, swimming pools, tennis courts, and party facilities. My brother bought a farm estate in interior state Sao Paulo near Campinas, a large developed industrial suburbant city 2 hours drive from capital Sao Paulo, with 3 tennis courts, 2 huge swimming pools, 10 horses, have 2 farm hands to take care, a huge house with 8 rooms, plus movie room, party room, a huge back patio for churrasco(Brasilian barbeque), the estate is 15 min to main freeway to capital Sao Paulo, all for 80,000USD.

The price of estates in northeast and southern Brasil are much cheaper than Sao Paulo or Rio. In my favorite state of Santa Catarina, I can get a big farm estate with tennis courts, swimming pool, a big house, horses, and maybe 1-2 hours from Florianopolis for 40k or 50k. Of course you can even buy a fram eatste for holiday also get your PR at the same time.

So thats my plan from next year, to own a peice of beautiful beach and also to own a peice of beautiful mountain in the paradise of Brasil.

Some cities that atrract big expacts population, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and all the hundreds of sea shores cities of both of the 2 states , also Fortaleza, Natal, Maceio, Recife, Salvador, Vitoria, Aracaju, ect in the warm and beautiful northeast, things are cheap here and most beach cities are very safe as well. Huge foreign populations in all these beach shore cities. Then in the south, my favorite beach city Floripa, plus many other major cities like Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Blumenau, Joinville, ectect. The South has the living standard very high as comparable to Spain, Portugal, Czech, Hungary ect.

To me, to relocate with all attractive elements, Brasil is the top of top for me and for many others. Thanks to Lula, the great leftist president of Republic who made the rules so easy for foriegners to relocate and settle and do business, Viva Lula.

If the sound of bossa nova, the beat of samba, the chant of capoeira, the smell of charrasco, the scenes of millions of t-string bikinis, and the thousands of miles of city beaches to pristine white sand beaches are unkown to you, then you should take a long holiday to get a little taste of Brasil. Brasil is so popular with non-English speaking nationals from Europe and from all over the world in term of long stay, but it is pretty much a virgin land for most English speakers for some unknown reason. This is a mostly English speaker forum, so I think I will reccommend the forum members here that if you don't know Brasil, you are missing out a lot.

Thank you for this info. I've been contemplating a trip to Brazil and after what you've said here, sooner than later.

How easy can you get by with only English? What about TV, movies, newspapers, DVD's...are there any in English?

What is the cheapest way to fly from Thailand to Brazil?

You mentioned that a tourist will get 90 days free upon arrival, which can be extended. After the extension (180 days total), must one leave? If so, can one come straight back, or must one stay away for a certain period of time?

[Amihan]

You've lived in Thailand for a year, you complain about the language and religious barrier yet you admit you've no interest in breaking down that barrier by attempting to learn a little Thai or a little bit about Buddhism? The solution to your problem is in your own hands but you aren't willing to make the effort.

What you consider complaints were only observations.

You probably haven't been in Thailand with a Filipino girlfriend whom EVERYONE considers to be Thai.

You probably haven't experienced what its like to be totally ignored by everyone, everywhere you go because everyone starts to yap your girl in Thai. These people are truly ignorant....meaning, they don't know any better.

In contrast to Thailand, in Malaysia my girl is treated like a tourist. They definitely don't assume she is Malaysian, although Thais, Filipinos and Malaysians all look similar.

I don't chose to learn the language. I'm a f**king tourist and travel to dozens of countries. Do you expect me to learn all the languages? I learn the thank yous, hellos etc, like all good tourists do.

I'm sorry to break up your little lovefest with Thailand, but there are better places to be, and I'm going to be there soon enough.

If it's ok with you, I'll stay here until I'm ready to leave. I enjoy living in Pattaya and also Phuket. I'm not here for the Thai culture, language, religion, or even the food. I usually eat Japanese, Indian and other Western foods that are readily available in Pattaya. We don't all come here for the same reasons.

seriously??? how is that possible...she would have stuck out in Thailand like a sore thumb.

And the Philippines wouldn't be the best place to go if ur not married to a local.

More and more foreigners are being targeted in the Phils.

Edited October 27, 2006 by Amihan

[terry57]

You've lived in Thailand for a year, you complain about the language and religious barrier yet you admit you've no interest in breaking down that barrier by attempting to learn a little Thai or a little bit about Buddhism? The solution to your problem is in your own hands but you aren't willing to make the effort.

What you consider complaints were only observations.

You probably haven't been in Thailand with a Filipino girlfriend whom EVERYONE considers to be Thai.

You probably haven't experienced what its like to be totally ignored by everyone, everywhere you go because everyone starts to yap your girl in Thai. These people are truly ignorant....meaning, they don't know any better.

In contrast to Thailand, in Malaysia my girl is treated like a tourist. They definitely don't assume she is Malaysian, although Thais, Filipinos and Malaysians all look similar.

I don't chose to learn the language. I'm a f**king tourist and travel to dozens of countries. Do you expect me to learn all the languages? I learn the thank yous, hellos etc, like all good tourists do.

I'm sorry to break up your little lovefest with Thailand, but there are better places to be, and I'm going to be there soon enough.

If it's ok with you, I'll stay here until I'm ready to leave. I enjoy living in Pattaya and also Phuket. I'm not here for the Thai culture, language, religion, or even the food. I usually eat Japanese, Indian and other Western foods that are readily available in Pattaya. We don't all come here for the same reasons.

your telling the story mate and its your gig but i'm very surprised to hear that the thais ignore your filo girlfriend totally.

are you sure its this bad all the time. ?

i thought the thais were welcoming to most people if approached in a friendly manner.

does your lady make an effort to be friendly with the locals. ?

cheers .

[Gary A]

I've been through the whole drill and decided that Thailand has the most to offer. The Philippines has poor infrastructure, too much crime and is subject to a lot of natural disasters. The visa situation also leaves a lot to be desired. Getting married so I could stay there didn't sound like an option to me. The Philippines was my second choice to retire. Cambodia also suffers from a poor infrastructure in addition to being squalid, dirty and dangerous. Laos and Vietnam are communist so they were automatically out of the picture for me. The whole of South America is dangerous for the most part and I did take a close look at Mexico. I'm simply not comfortable in muslim countries so that also eliminated a lot of countries. If things here were to go really bad, I'd pack up my Thai wife and head for the USA or possibly New Zealand. Until then I'm convinced that I picked the best place to retire and have no regrets even if it were to go bad. One of the things that irritates me most is that some of the farangs here in Thailand have a vastly inflated view of their worth to Thailand.

[PhilHarries]

sorry about that, but on a more serious note

i've had a few friends saying about vietnam, as an up and coming destination is getting better year by year.

Right with you on VN. Will be going there on this project early next year and will be looking into the long term possibilities very seriously. Only been to Ha Noi so far but the people generally are very freindly, the infrastructure a little shakey but there are ATM's and it is improving. Cheap as chips, a half liter of beer in the Spotted Cow costs 20,000VND ($1.20) unless you are unlucky and it's happy hour then it's $0.60. Other stuff is also similarly cheap but, as in LOS, you have to be prepared to haggle and my Vietnamese needs a bit of working on.

Malaysia, as has been said, is a expat/retiree freindly option. I am working here at the moment and have not encountered any bad vibes from the people. One small example : I worked 12 years in LOS and got nothing in a way of reciprocity from the Thais, I was and will be for ever a farang. Here I have a Malaysian expat ID card which allows me to pass through the Malaysian passport channels at KLIA and they don't even stamp my passport. A small thing, insignificant you may say, but a sign of just a little bit of appreciation.

[tropo]

your telling the story mate and its your gig but i'm very surprised to hear that the thais ignore your filo girlfriend totally.

are you sure its this bad all the time. ?

i thought the thais were welcoming to most people if approached in a friendly manner.

does your lady make an effort to be friendly with the locals. ?

cheers .

No, you've got it the wrong way round. I thought I made it clear...they ignore ME totally and start talking to my lady in Thai.

Once we were stoped by a cop and even he ignored me and started yapping to my girl in Thai. He was upset to find out she wasn't Thai so he couldn't easily negotiate a tip. I ended up paying it the normal way and saving about 300.

They want to talk to someone in Thai.

If you have a Thai girlfriend with you, and you go somewhere, are you not aware that she does all the talking?

Anyway, we're quite used to this by now...we've been here awhile. It's not a big deal, but suffice to say that at least in Pattaya, people are not friendly. If you think this is a friendly country, you've been here far too long....or you've come from a more unfriendly country.

[tropo]

One of the things that irritates me most is that some of the farangs here in Thailand have a vastly inflated view of their worth to Thailand.

I would consider that you have a vastly inflated view of the worth of Thailand as a retirement haven.

You've already married one, you've made your choice. Good luck!

[Thaiquila]

I've been through the whole drill and decided that Thailand has the most to offer. The Philippines has poor infrastructure, too much crime and is subject to a lot of natural disasters. The visa situation also leaves a lot to be desired. Getting married so I could stay there didn't sound like an option to me. The Philippines was my second choice to retire. Cambodia also suffers from a poor infrastructure in addition to being squalid, dirty and dangerous. Laos and Vietnam are communist so they were automatically out of the picture for me. The whole of South America is dangerous for the most part and I did take a close look at Mexico. I'm simply not comfortable in muslim countries so that also eliminated a lot of countries. If things here were to go really bad, I'd pack up my Thai wife and head for the USA or possibly New Zealand. Until then I'm convinced that I picked the best place to retire and have no regrets even if it were to go bad. One of the things that irritates me most is that some of the farangs here in Thailand have a vastly inflated view of their worth to Thailand.

I agree the Philippines can be a dodgy choice. But English is widely spoken. I just don't like the overall feel of the place compared to Thailand.

Alot depends on what a particular expat want to do in the country of choice. For retirement, there are so many options these days! And they are not all Thailand. I completely disagree that all of South America is particularly dangerous, specifically Argentina, which has a very easy to qualify visa that easiler leads to permanent residence for retirees with pensions: http://www.retireaway.com/

However, not so easy if just using a bank account. In that case, you kind of have to set up a real business or live on tourist visa runs (don't have sufficient info on how stable that can be, but know people who have been doing it for years there).

I still see the appeal of Thailand. But given the crazy visa situation, I fear the main clientele will over time trend towards masochists.

Edited October 27, 2006 by Thaiquila

[terry57]

I've been through the whole drill and decided that Thailand has the most to offer. The Philippines has poor infrastructure, too much crime and is subject to a lot of natural disasters. The visa situation also leaves a lot to be desired. Getting married so I could stay there didn't sound like an option to me. The Philippines was my second choice to retire. Cambodia also suffers from a poor infrastructure in addition to being squalid, dirty and dangerous. Laos and Vietnam are communist so they were automatically out of the picture for me. The whole of South America is dangerous for the most part and I did take a close look at Mexico. I'm simply not comfortable in mu slim countries so that also eliminated a lot of countries. If things here were to go really bad, I'd pack up my Thai wife and head for the USA or possibly New Zealand. Until then I'm convinced that I picked the best place to retire and have no regrets even if it were to go bad. One of the things that irritates me most is that some of the farangs here in Thailand have a vastly inflated view of their worth to Thailand.

I agree the Philippines can be a dodgy choice. But English is widely spoken. I just don't like the overall feel of the place compared to Thailand.

Alot depends on what a particular expat want to do in the country of choice. For retirement, there are so many options these days! And they are not all Thailand. I completely disagree that all of South America is particularly dangerous, specifically Argentina, which has a very easy to qualify visa that easiler leads to permanent residence for retirees with pensions: http://www.retireaway.com/

However, not so easy if just using a bank account. In that case, you kind of have to set up a real business or live on tourist visa runs (don't have sufficient info on how stable that can be, but know people who have been doing it for years there).

I still see the appeal of Thailand. But given the crazy visa situation, I fear the main clientele will over time trend towards masochists.

getting a retirement visa for los is piss easy isn't it.

800000 bath in bank or 400000 plus pension, and if all papers are in order its only a three day wait to get said visa.

nothing hard about that at all and if you cant get 400000 bath together you probably wont be going anywhere soon.

if your under 50 then the situation is different but we are talking retirement visa arent we.

cheers

[GuestHouse]

You probably haven't been in Thailand with a Filipino girlfriend whom EVERYONE considers to be Thai.

I had a Filipino g/f visit with me in Thailand once, the problem was not Thais thinking she was Thai, but their behavior when they learned she was Filipino.

It became evident that Thais regard Filipino women in much the way that many guys back west with their stack of top shelf magazines regard Thai women.

[Gary A]

One of the things that irritates me most is that some of the farangs here in Thailand have a vastly inflated view of their worth to Thailand.

I would consider that you have a vastly inflated view of the worth of Thailand as a retirement haven.

You've already married one, you've made your choice. Good luck!

It's whatever suits the person making the decision. Thailand with all its warts fit me better than any other place I looked at. I am now fortunate to have a wife who I would be happy to live with anywhere. I am truly content for the first time in my life. Could it all go bad? Sure, I doubt it and hope not but I have been a cynic for years and nothing can change that. Follow the rules; Keep a low profile and never spend more than you can afford to walk away from.

[jamman]

... I have no interest in learning the language and I'm not interested in Buddhism. I came to Thailand to live in Pattaya, which I'm sure you'll agree is not representative of Thailand (or even close). My attitude (which I'm sure you won't like) is to attempt to communicate in English (with the added sign language), and if I can't, I move on and spend my money elsewhere. I'm in a tourist resort that services millions of tourists and if they can't speak English...it's their problem. It's sometimes an advantage when street hustlers (sellers) can't communicate well...it's easy to ignore them.

I expected to be here for a year or so and then continue my exploration of the world....I'm here on this forum to learn about new visa regulations.

There are many long timers who don't bother to learn Thai. One argument for learning Thai is that it allows you to appreciate the intricacies of the culture, and communicate with greater subtlety with the locals. An argument against learning it, is that you have no interest in doing so.

My attitude falls into the latter camp. I've lived in Thailand, the Phils, and Indonesia. The bulk of my interactions with locals is with girlfriends. They speak English, and they liase between me and locals to get stuff done. I learn the local culture through how they behave.

From what I've read, very few western men have a single locally educated male Thai friend. It is only a small minority of western men, no matter their level of Thai language and cultural knowledge, who use this for friendships with locals.

Thai's don't have conversations that I would find interesting enough to inspire me to learn to communicate better with them, and the most educated, who would be more interesting to me, speak English.

And that's true all over Asia. The more worldly and more educated tend to speak English. And the less worldly and less educated are more likely to be painfully boring and interested in my money.

Some are of the opinion that a long timer is doing a dis-service to the locals if he doesn't speak the local language. Some in the US feel offended by the Chinese in Chinatown or Mexicans in LA who don't bother to learn English. I don't see how the individual has any obligation to assimilate.

Edited October 27, 2006 by jamman

[BlackArtemis]

I have tons of Thai guy friends, all of them with BA or in the process. Not all of them speak English either. But see I am 24, and I studied at CMU for a bit. So I have access to all sorts of different people than sa a 55yr old guy here on retirement.