Latin America (Mexico) or Thailand ?

[tuonsai]

Hi guys, I’m interested in how living as an expat in Latin America compares to living as an expat in SEA, e.g. Thailand. There’s a lot of talk about Mexico these days so I’ll ask specifically about Mexico, if any of you have lived in both places (or Thailand+ another Latin country), would be great to hear your opinion.

I’ve only been to Peru for 10 days (Lima and Iquitos), which obviously did not give me a good impression, but here are my highly subjective first impressions:

Peru vs. Thailand

Food: Peruvian food for me was so much better than Thai, in fact I loved it. Lots of meat and potatoes and much more similar to European food I’m used to, but also has a lot of exotic stuff. Thai food for me is just mostly not good, despite all the hype it gets.

Women: I love all types, but found Peruvians more attractive overall, saw many that I could imagine would be great as a wife, whereas I find it hard to trust Thais, as I just don’t know what bizarre stuff is going on behind their pretty faces.

Large cities: I love exploring Bangkok, it never gets old. Lima, on the other hand was terrible, first of all there’s only a handful of places you can actually visit, most of the city is completely off limits as locals will tell you if you go there you are certain to get knifed/mugged/kidnapped for starters. I would love to walk around an authentic Lima slum, but I was advised to never even take public transport for my safety.

People: Peruvians were really nice, easy going, and friendly, but you don’t get the kind of smiles you only get in Asia. People seem a lot more Westernized and of course Christian culture vs. Buddhist. Obesity is a huge problem in Peru. It looked like about 90% of women (and men) were overweight. This fact makes an average Thai woman much more attractive for me.

Safety: the day I was in Lima, some big shot narco in his yellow Lamborghini was shot to bits by five masked gunmen with machine guns. This in the middle of downtown when people were going home from work. Apparently this happens routinely there. The whole population of Lima seems to be living in constant fear because of this stuff. In Iquitos however, they told me there’s no crime anymore as a couple years ago they managed to go after all the local bad guys and put them out of order, so Iquitos was completely safe.

Public transport: the public minibuses in Lima are a huge pain to take as they often get really crowded and all types of beggars and performers constantly get on. In contrast public transport is great in Bangkok and taxis are really cheap.

Prices: prices for accommodation in Lima were a bit higher than in Bangkok though still not Western prices, but in Iquitos it was easy to get a room for less, around 15 dollars, though you can get better quality in Thailand for the same price. Food prices seemed about the same. In Peru they often serve gigantic portions too.

Friendliness: In Peru locals mostly just minded their business and paid no attention to me at all, whereas in Thailand a foreigner still seems to get a bit of extra attention.

Music: I love latin music so obviously that’s a huge plus for me in Peru.

Overrall: Thailand much more accessible and friendly, Peru: better Music, Food, Women but huge problem with safety and not so accessible for foreigners.

Edited June 6, 2016 by tuonsai

[Muzarella]

I retired in Baja California, Mexico for few years. I am Italian/American and I speak Spanish fluently enough.

Living in Thailand for 6 years now, I can tell that the biggest problem here is the language. Not speaking fluent Thai, life here it is not complete. And Thai is not easy to learn... like many other Asian languages.... and not many Thai people speaks English, at least in not very tourist cities

.

Mexico pros...

The western culture, the food, the weather..not so hot and humid, and easy and cheap medical care.

Living cost, very similar to Thailand. out of the big cities and expat spots like San Miguel, Lake Chapala, etc. Easy immigration rules. Closer to the USA.... many English speakers.

Mexican women are very friendly and good wives and mothers, and hard working too.

Mexico cons..

The violence in some cities to avoid.

Most women have tendency to gain weight easily...but..that depends in personal taste. I prefer the skinnies ones.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Muzarella

[alfalfa19]

I have the same concerns and questions. I like the idea of mexico, as i now live in san diego. however, the narco violence there is unbelievable. it seems that it does not take much to be kidnapped for ransom, and worse. i like thailand much better, but it seems from what i read that foreigners really don't have many rights there, except the right to spend copious amounts of money, and smile i realize this is probably a distorted generalization, and i've heard that away from the major population centers, the people are honest and friendly. i have not really explored these out of the way places, so i can't say for sure. so, i am looking at alternatives also.

[docinbangkok]

Hi

I lived in Thailand for 3 years and i liked it .

pros : easy access to many pretty and slim women who are sexually available

thai food

cheap transportation

inexpensive rents

cons

weather

immigration procedures

i am now considering living in Baja California

how easy is it to find and date younger women ( 30's-40's ) who are slim and petite ?

what are the young ladies expectation as far as financial support compared to Thailand ?

are rents as inexpensive as they are in Thailand

hope someone who had lived in both places can help me answer these questions

[Thaidream]

From what I have heard many Americans are retiring in Mexico due to low costs and easy access of medical care. A friend has told me that once one obtains permanent residency- they can buy into Mexico's national health scheme which is inexpensive and obtain medical care equivalent to what they have i the USA at a tenth of the cost. The Immigration rules are simpler than Thailand. However, the food is very fattening and lacks variety but the people are friendly.

[keeniau96]

For the OP, if you sort-of liked Peru you would love Chile. Great people, good food, great climate, very much rule of law and justice. Not many tourists even though beautiful country but just a bit remote and has had bad press from long ago. Population is mostly European stock, Spain and Italy and many germanics. Women far more attractive than typical Mexican who tend to be on the fat side. Spanish language but many have some english and large share in Santiago are very fluent.

So why am I here in TH? Good food, wonderfully women.

[Gracas]

Mexico is a great place with a lot going for it.

But if the violence we have seen in Thailand in the last month or so is a worry for you then don't even think about Mexico, it is much much worse.

[mesterm]

My own Mexican friend's father was randomly one day kidnapped by the taxi driver who was driving him. He was then taken to a secluded ATM and made to withdraw the money from the account. My friend related the story as if it was normal and could happen to anyone, any day. For a Thai this would not be a normal incident, but a very shocking one that would be all over the news.

As much there are certain safety concerns in Thailand, things are not as heated and aggressive as it is in Mexico. Having been in both places, I will argue that overall, the "sense" of safety you can feel in Thailand is more than it is in Latin America.

Edited June 7, 2016 by mesterm

[elgordo38]

I lived in Mexico for 10 years Lake Chapala and did Costa Rica for a month. My choice Thailand by far. Mexicans love you for your money but not you personally. Their grudge of loosing a third of their country to the USA does not sit well to this day. Don't mess with their women they really take that personally although the men have a tendency to wander a bit much like here.

[Ulic]

Don't limit your search to just Thailand here in Asia. Take a trip to Vietnam. The food and

alcohol are definitely cheaper than Thailand, and excellent. The women are slimmer than

Thailand and while there is no overt bar/Go-Go scene they are receptive to relationships.

As I understand it they have a new 1 year visa for Americans that I hope they expand

to other G20 countries and infrastructure is improving rapidly. It is also cleaner than Thailand

and from my perspective safer as well. Certainly well worth checking out to see how it suits

you. I really enjoyed my two week trip in May, taking in Saigon (HCMC) and Nha Trang.

While I am at it if you like the Latin culture and speak Spanish I would also very much

recommend Argentina. Salta in the north in particular. I have spent a lot of time in Chile,

an little time in Mexico and Brazil but Argentina is special. Beautiful country and the food

(beef and wine in particular) are outstanding. You can argue all you want but Argentina's beef

and wine are second to none in the world. And if were any cheaper it would be free. Of course

I travel on my Canadian passport there not my UK as the Falklands/ Islas Malvinas is an

extremely sensitive issue with signs posted at all boarder crossings and ports of entry. Again

no beer bar/Go-Go scene but again the women are very receptive.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Ulic

[ozyjon]

I don't care where i live in the world,,

safety is paramount for me so i view

it that way.

[balo]

What about Colombia ? The women there are stunning , the best in America from what I've been told .

But I wont risk getting killed by a random drug dealer.

[tuonsai]

Don't limit your search to just Thailand here in Asia. Take a trip to Vietnam. The food and

alcohol are definitely cheaper than Thailand, and excellent. The women are slimmer than

Thailand and while there is no overt bar/Go-Go scene they are receptive to relationships.

As I understand it they have a new 1 year visa for Americans that I hope they expand

to other G20 countries and infrastructure is improving rapidly. It is also cleaner than Thailand

and from my perspective safer as well. Certainly well worth checking out to see how it suits

you. I really enjoyed my two week trip in May, taking in Saigon (HCMC) and Nha Trang.

Thanks for the recommendation, Chile and Argentina sound good but it might just be too expensive.

I agree Vietnam is great, but it's just so foreign it's like being in a jungle. Especially their language, no chance of ever learning that.

I found it very difficult to do stuff in Vietnam, unlike Thailand where they're accustomed to foreigners. In Vietnam at many bus stations they

don't even speak a word of English, I had an extremely hard time just trying to find out a bus schedule!

I can't imagine living in such a foreign place. I lived in Cambodia 3 years, and also Philippines. Both of these are very easy to live in

for a foreigner.

[Gary A]

A good friend of mine has a long term Brazilian girlfriend. He is quite well off, retired and likes to travel. He has been to Brazil with her a number of times. When he wants to leave the family house, his girlfriend calls her brothers to go with him because the crime is rampant. They have told him that at best, he would be mugged, and at worst, he wouldn't come back. He also visits me and his expat brother here in Thailand at least once a year. He feels safe here.