uk_vette

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Not Italy,

Very dirty, and very scruffy,,,,,,,,,,,, sorry, was there for a while in summer 2010

vette

uk_vette

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Cheap for a reason, and also not EEA or EU, infact, Moroc is nothing.

You wouldn't get me back to Moroc for all the tea in China.
I would have to be chained up and screaming.
The culture stinks, and that just for starters.

You think Moroc is cheap,,,,,????
Respectfully, you clearly have not travelled ,,,,,,

vette

Rural Hungary

We found Morocco unbelievably cheap, if you stay away from the tourist areas and don't get suckered into paying foreign prices!

Having spent several months living in Sale, a suburb of Rabat, we found it very inexpensive. That said, I would not want to spend a year or two living there as it was incredibly dirty, crime was a serious issue and there was always an edgy atmosphere.

total-tree-care

not norway! sooo soo expensive, but beatifull, beaches, mountains, women.. what more could you want?

Ray51

@vette :
where in Europe do you reckon it is "cheap" ?
( or at least : bearable , in terms of value for one's money )

bostonlady

Turkey, Bordum...beautiful people, beautiful beaches. Low cost of getting around.

Good luck..

Malta is also inexpensive..but I do not know about any beaches that maybe acceptable to just lie about..

If you can swing the plan fare...Costa Rica...Belize seems to be just what you are looking for. English is widely spoken in BElize..beer is VERY cheep. You will live like a king

the troubadour

Nowhere with the globalized economy is a steal these days in my opinion.
Do you really find Belize cheap? It is more expensive than neighbouring countries like Honduras. Belize having to import most everything and having a currencey pegged to the US$ all adds up to not being so cheap although cheaper than the Caribbean Islands obviously.
Ecuador is getting a lot of focus in recent times and is said to be far cheaper than Belize.

the troubadour

And very alive. Although not cheap.Perhaps with the Euro crisis countries in the South of Europe may become more affordable? Let's see.

bostonlady

Ecuador is all the buzz with the reitement community right now. However, you have to take in effect the humidity and degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009) from CIA factbook...

If I had a year to kick around like the question asked, I would not want it to be in Ecuador. But that is just my opinion. People LOVE it.

the troubadour

Me neither. Can't see what the attraction, besides being cheapish, would a country such as Ecuador provide.In fact that would apply to most if not all of South America.

Surely a lot of the disease you mention applies to Central America as well?
Another thing which would disqualify Belize in my mind is the high level of corruption and crime.

Malta,another place you mentioned would be a much better prospect.Was there less than eighteen months ago and liked it very much.

South East Asia can be done cheaply. For long term stay make a deal for a good price and very possible to live cheaply.
Have known folk in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand managing to do this.

Domino

wouldn't give a thought to these "emerging" countries such as Ecuador etc. All too volatile, insecure, just cannot see that savings can be made irrespective of how much (or little) the locals may live for. Life is different for foreigners, costs higher, and you need to have somewhere secure.

My desire would be to return (I know that can be bad) but yes to return to places like southern Malaysia, I remember driving a Ford Capri on the beach of a horseshoe shaped cove with island in the middle, where parts of the mini-series A Town Like Alice were filmed.

I think it could also be a year to visit those places that I had visited decades ago, taking the BH with me as she wasnt on the scene in those days. As well as those place we have talked about but never been able to get to.

now where's that note pad . . . . . .

the troubadour

I do agree with your sentiments. Also Malaysia is an old time favourite of mine.
Do you recall the name of the place you refer toin southern Malaysia? I lived in Melaka a few decades back but have also travelled through the country.
Even have some thoughts to retire there although the requirements are getting less favouritable.

Hope you make it back some time. And you will find changes a plenty. Not all for the better as aspects have been lost. People still charming though.

Domino

I don't think I ever knew the name of that little place...
2 colleagues had some local leave and paid me to take them up the coast from Singapore, we drove up the East coast road for several hours, looking for likely places. Came upon a place that had a village with a cricket club, drove out onto that beach and started to unload their tents. two small local children stood there and watched us, eventually one very politely asked if we were staying and did we want any eggs for breakfast. My colleagues said yes and they had early morning visitors for the 5 days they were there.

thoughts of flip-flops and table cloth high on the mind at the moment, its freezing here on the side of the Sierra's

then there's standing at Cape Point, looking South and seeing the join where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.........

but it is dangerous to go back, it is never the same, and as its over 30yrs since that instance can never be repeated. But could lead to more experiences just as memorable.
Just wonder what happened to those 2 guys......

the troubadour

I would have been there around the time you speak off. Several hours of driving up the East Coast means you must have been a way up. Sounds like somewhere in Kelantan State.
I haven't been up that far since 89. Pahang lower down is perhaps my favourite state having such diversity.

Was reading a book some time back about two aging English fellows who served in Malaya while doing their national servive,returning almost fifty years later. One always had a dream to return and he got the other one interested and off they went to rediscover the past. Nice story.

It would be worth a trip back. Any thoughts of retiring there? Or are you settled in Spain?

Domino

Well, settled in/on Spain now, hate flying 2.5hrs so the 12-14 would be like torture. However would like to show the BH some of the sights that I saw as we didnt know each other then (my ex was offered a flight and 10 days in either Singapore or Hong Kong but refused as it would impact on the savings for the house we wanted to buy.. )

Had tapas lunch today with a good friend who was born in Malaysia, has Malaysian mother, reminiscing about the time when Singapore ceded from the Malay Federation. Some of the similarities with the current problems within the EU, as previously seen by the US.

However, on a nice day I have no problems about flipflops and table cloth on the estate, probably wouldnt go shopping dressed like that though, one has ones standards to keep up, don't you know!