Jockstar

I love LOs. So i will always tell people to go there.

Kooky.

I think "traffic can be hell" is a slight understatement! I hate the pollution in BKK, and also the fact that there is somebody every few yards trying to scam you.

lifeouteast

Yes, I agree, the traffic is terrible but it is improving. When I first visited Bangkok fifteen years ago it was the worst place on the planet for traffic. It's getting better all the time. But these guys stated that they are not looking at working so traffic will only be an issue for the school run. I work from home, my daughter's school is ten minutes drive away and I avoid traffic at all times. It's rare that it bothers me as I just avoid anything that involves sitting in traffic. Find somewhere to live near the skytrain or underground and you'll be on easy street.

Scamming is still a big part of life here but, again, only if you let it be. If you live in Banglampoo or Sukhumvit area you're sure to be fleeced regular, or at least someone will try. But away from the main tourist areas and it's not so bad. Once you can speak the language you'll find prices come down a great deal too - this really does make a difference. Many places operate a two-tier pricing system, promoted, it seems, by the government. I simply avoid those places. I won't go anywhere where Thais are paying 20 baht and foreigners are paying 400baht, unless I have to. Private business doesn't seem to descriminate this way though, just things like national parks, museums etc. That said there are some museums that are free for foreigners.

Bangkok isn't to everyone's liking but it has a lot to offer and grows on you, and it's improving all the time.

www.lifeouteast.blogspot.com
www.lifeouteast.com

Jockstar

I love BKK but its not for everyone. Best to spend a few weeks there to realise how good it is. But then tourists dont have the time. Personally its a great happening city. Its not a beautiful city like Auckland NZ. But its has character where as Auckland does not. IMHO Of Course

phin

Penang wld be ideal.
1) Reasonably cheap real estate- 3 bedroom apt ($50k)
2) good infrastructure
3) 30 mins to the everywhere in the island including the beach, shopping malls, International airport etc
4) Good food
5) Check out Upland International School and Dalat School
http://www.uplands.org/
http://www.dalat.org/

lifeouteast

Happy to answer. Not retired and not working. I'm early thirties so too young and poor for retirement. We moved back here from the UK becuase my wife got a job here and wanted to return here for a while (she's Thai). I'm not working at the moment but trying to find something that I can do online from home. I have a project that might be taking off soon which will be based in the UK but run from here, with all money (if any) in the UK.

I have a one year non-im O visa. I have to cross a border every three months , or there abouts.

My wife bought a house, she's Thai. I have nothing to do with that, that's hers and her money. There are supposed to be ways to get around the laws and buy property here but it really is a case of caveat emptor. Personally I wouldn't dream of investing hard earnt money in a dodgy set up that could blow in your face. That said, you can legally buy a condominium here. And they have some seriously nice condos for sale here with excellent facilities. Worth looking into, and legal.

There are plenty of houses available for rent with prices and facilities at all levels. Whatever you want you will sure to be able to find somewhere here. For best price you would do well to avoid some of the internet based foreign property sites, the prices will be inflated. You can also take a long term lease in some areas, 30, 50, 99 years etc. As good as buying I guess.

I've been here since last summer but I've lived and worked here before, which is how I come to have a Thai wife. In total nearly eight years in Thailand I think.

International school fees increase with each year and prices vary. One good policy the old government were about to introduce was a cap on international school fees. The military lot have scrapped this idea. Hmm. They're popping up all over the place and vary in quality as well as price.

We have a daughter, kindergarten age. I took her to several schools before making a choice. I found one which has small class sizes, promotes independence of mind and free thinking, isn't too starchy and pompous (many of the British ones), and is not off the price scale. The cheapest we found at kinder level was about 50,000 baht per term, going up to around 140,000 baht per term. When they're in their teens you're looking at 500,000 baht per year (this varies from school to school). Schools with a good reputation include: Harrow, Bromsgrove, ISB, Shrewsbury and Regents. There are many more and there are more good ones too.

Hope that helps and that you've not lost the will to live now. cheers!

www.lifeouteast.blogspot.com
www.lifeouteast.com

pmth99

Hi,

You may want to consider Cebu, Philippines.
It meets all of your requirements and a bonus is the high English literacy rate.



good luck ..

good info at;
www.cebu-philippines.net

pmth99

JoanMC

I lived in Cavite Philippines..and for all of the corruption I love Filipino's..However to be realistic, as a foreigner you are always being assessed for what you can give or have taken from you.. once you leave your sub-division no doubt with armed guards on the gates always looking for handouts and neigbours attack guard dogs howling and straining at the leash to get at you, you are in pollution where the traffic police (worst for bribery) wear protective masks, filthy streets with potholes big enough to swallow you and beggars beggars beggars...My expat friends still living there for business reasons are always wary of the ever present danger of kidnapping, especially of kids that don't look asian and usually have a watcher keeping an eye on them and also the adults when they go shopping ...An acquaintance was bitten by a dog and the each shot of vaccine he needed came in individual phials, there is too much in each phial for the treatment, consequently outside the clinic there were/are people begging for you to give them the remainder of the phial so that they can get treatment...If I were to return I would probably look at Bohol, Cebu, or somewhere hundreds of miles away from Manila......As for the cost of living, rents, rice and fish are cheap, but if you want a decent steak, dairy products, or stuff you enjoy from home, you will have to a) search for it and b), naturally be prepared to pay high prices..
With a family ? Singapore, Malaysia, or Thailand or would be my personal preference...

katongkaren

RSee, wondered if you have made a decision where to move? We are also considering Penang under MM2H scheme in the next 2 years, depending on our current permit status. Has anyone moved to Penang? Any thoughts?

RSee

Hi,

I still have not decided.

If I make the move, it will happen in in early 2008.

I would prefer Thailand, but I suspect Malaysia is most welcoming and I may end up there.

I detest the idea of having to do visa runs every few months if I live in Thailand. I also like the fact that I can freely/openly buy up to two houses in Malaysia, whereas Thailand does not allow foreign ownership of landed properties(unless you want to setup a shady corporate ownership structure).

My current plan is to go ahead and apply for MM2H. Assuming my app is succesfull, I will then move to KL, rent a condo for a year(rents are so cheap there compared to anywhere in the west), and use it as a base to explore Msia and Thailand(and possibly Philippines) during that year.

Based on that year of experiences, I will then make a "final" decision as to where I will settle.

Cheers,
RSee

alexleeson

Cebu, Philippines matches all your requirements.

There are beautiful beaches, the people are great, the cost of living is low and there are international schools. Everyone understands english - for some reason the english standard is better in Cebu than Manila (from my experience). It would be much easier for you to live somewhere where everyone speaks good english (so avoid Thailand or Indonesia!) - everything will be made harder because of the language barrier.

Cebu is much nicer than Manila or Cavite (when my office relocated from Manila to near Cavite, I transferred to Australia rather than there!!!). If you are in Cavite and you want to get into the city, it can take any amount of time because of the traffic. So avoid Manila or Cavite!

The people in Cebu are genuinely great and are more laid back and less affectatious. I felt safe going around alone using taxis or buses. It has a couple of big malls with multiplex cinemas (less than one pound to see a movie!!). You have the modcons of a city with access to countryside and beach.

The only other thing to consider is can you withstand a tropical climate all year round. I found that I could not cope, and had to live somewhere temperate. But then even in England I could not stand hot weather!

If it wasn't for the weather, I would plan to live in Cebu...

The only other place you could consider is Malaysia, but I would be unsure about living in a muslim country.


Cheers,
Alex

slowsmile

The only place that fulfills all your requirements above is Kota Kinabalu(KK) in Sabah, Malaysia. KK is a very modern town/city with beaches, mountains, unpolluted jungle and volcanoes(extinct) all around. It is a very up and coming place and property is still cheap. A very beautiful place for a family to live, I think,

Check it out on the internet,

Good luck,

Bill