The one city I know enough about to recommend in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Low cost of living, lots of other foreigners, English friendly, tons of things to do.
Posts: 361 | Location: Arlington, VA | Registered: 24 May 2007
Great food, good people. Retirement visa situation is not difficult though people love to whine/whinge about it. Cost of living is very reasonable.
Presence of a tourism industry means loads of great restaurants, people who can speak enough English to help you get things done - yet you can live away from those areas easily enough and slip in for what you need when you need it. Living outside the tourist zones means much lower rents and ability to live quite close to a beach rather inexpensively.
Have been here 6+ years and will never go "home". This is home now.
Yeah, I would think Thailand would be near the top of the list too. Especially if you had a monthly stipend in US dollars. Even if not, it seems like it would be easier to live on a modest income there than most places and at the same time have access to most all western things should you get a craving. I would consider it just for the food alone. Aside from Bangkok traffic, everything just seems easy there.
Posts: 1533 | Location: No. CA Mountains | Registered: 01 February 2001
Hard to say if I chose the Philippines or the Philippines chose me as I arrived when i Was 25 years old back in January 1980 to party at the Ati-Atihan Festival aka the Filipino Mardis Gras in Kalibo, Aklan and ended up on Boracay Island with a group of world traveler friends who'd all agreed to meet at the festival. I'd planned to travel 2 months but 4 months went by before I realized I had no desire to leave, weird after more or less following my travel planned itineraries in the previous 26 countries I'd been since I was 22. So I took of to Thailand for two weeks as I knew it was time to head back to the States after almost 4 years away but got HOMESICK and had to go "HOME" one more time before going back to the States.
I love the Philippines in such a way I'm convinced we must have lived past lives and I was Filipino or Malay in one of mine. Life's a Beach here on Boracay Island, coconut palm trees lining the beachfront swaying in the tropical breeze as even better "scenery" passes up and down the beach underneath them.
Feel FREE to ask us questions about living,relocating & traveling in the Philippines;learn more by visiting our website, Explore Philippines at: http://asiabill.pages.web.com
Posts: 41 | Location: Manila / Boracay Island / 3 Months/Year "On the Road Again" | Registered: 17 September 2001
Thailand sees a lot of expats who retire there so you'd have no problem adjusting. For something a little more offbeat but still tropical, the philipines would be a good choice too....
Indonesia is good but retirement visas are hard to get there. Cambodia if you want to live dangerously and walk a wild side.
