KEY Thread If not Dumaguete then where?

If I remember correctly Thailand has a pretty restrictive visa system for tourists, which requires a visa run to a bordering country every 3 months or so. Not a good setup for a whole lot of expats and it is one of the main reasons why I wouldn't make the move to Thailand.

Another option I've heard of was Cambodia......but if a person has problems with the "undeveloped nature" of the Philippines they most likely would not be even remotely interested in that country. Myself: if I wanted to live in a modernized Western culture and city I would just move back to the US, and save myself a bit of money while doing so. Of course if one wants to live in or very near a metropolitan area in the US they are going to spend more than they would in Philippines......but I'm not one of those people. In the US I much prefer the larger cities to be at least 3 hours away from where I live and then make trips every couple months and stay in a hotel (because the only thing to do in a larger city is to get sh*t-faced drunk and "try" (key word there ) to pick up women anyways....right?). I'm in the Philippines (and Dumaguete) because I don't want to be burdened with all the rules, law, and expectations that come along with having a clean, organized and disciplined society.

If someone came here expecting to save a bunch of money while maintaining their standard of living and on top of that still having access to Western quality infrastructure, medical care and culture, well.....chances are they aren't the sharpest tool in the shed and they put absolutely no real effort into doing a bit of research into the Philippines.

I wouldn't consider myself a homebody and I'm content with Dumaguete. The nightlife isn't the best in the Philippines, but it certainly isn't the worst (and by a long shot) and there are more restaurants and bars popping up all the time.

I think a lot of people just have ridiculously high expectations that are completely detached from reality when it comes to the Philippines, which is a "developing"/3rd world country. I also think a lot of people become quite bitter when they finally figure out that:

1. the Philippines didn't turn out to be the pot at the end of the rainbow.
2. the rent is cheaper.....but so is the standard of living.....and they could have a better life for the same price back home.
3. the loud, demanding, "I'm always right" attitude that is so widely accepted in the West is not tolerated here for very long.
4. they are only a "ladies man" when their wallet is full of cash.
5. being issued the status of god/king comes at hefty a price.

If I don't know where to find something I:

1. ask the magic bookmark (which is d*mn near omniscient)
2. ask the backup bookmark
3. ask on a website that exists because of Dumaguete

Not going to risk putting my self through driving in Dumaguete during the rush hours or risk having to interact with the completely inefficient and useless "customer support" at the local stores (these problems are not unique to Dumguete though). Asking questions online or to a network of friends is about the only thing one can do to avoid those annoyances (this forum is proof that it matter not how much you complain about the cultural differences....nothing is going to change it. The only way to not go insane from it is avoidance. ). That being said, the Philippines has really done a good job at hammering in and reinforcing what my mother always told me when I was a child, which was, "You don't 'need' that, you want it." Turns out that it is only my "wants" that really require searching or asking around for.

 

Guam? Kinda expensive and it's part of 'Muricah......and 'Muricah has lots of rules and laws....and they actually enforce them.

Wait, what? Guam not expensive? I suppose if we are comparing it to Hawaii maybe not, but here in the real world "expensive" doesn't even begin to describe Hawaii.

Note: I visited Hawaii 6 years ago and I absolutely DESPISED everything about the place. One night in Waikiki I was approached while getting money out of the ATM by the most nasty, smelly, malnourished, body sore infested, methhead of a hooker I've ever seen in my life and asked if I would like a bit of fun for $300........per hour. After I caught my breath from LMFAO I told her to lay off the pipe and to FO.....then I went the nearest hole in the wall dive bar and bought myself a $10 rum and coke (you know, the cheap stuff in Hawaii ).....where I was later presented with the same business proposal I had at the ATM earlier from 4 more equally nasty and obviously AIDS infested methhead hookers. This lovely evening happened the night after I had to pay a $75 entrance fee to get into a club, only to find out, once inside, that the place was completely empty.....and the drinks were $18+. Did I mention that the $300 a night hotel I was staying at had stinky black water coming out of the shower......and when they moved me to a new room, 3 nights before my flight out, I had my first experience with bedbugs? Yeah.....Hawaii is awesome and totally a great value!

A person who considers Hawaii and Guam plans "A" and "B" for retirement/relocation should probably put the Philippines around plan "P" or "Q". The Philippines should not be compared to Guam.....and never even mentioned in the same breath as Hawaii.

Hawaii - Guam - Philippines = Apples - Oranges - Microbial alien life on Mars

That is not easy, convenient or affordable for the vast majority of expats. I have not heard of a country anywhere that is so welcoming and accommodating to tourists when it comes to visas as the Philippines is. If you are single, not expected to die in the next 20 years and have absolutely no intentions of getting married, the Philippines is about the only options out there for long stays in a foreign country. If there is another country out there that will let a single tourist in his 20's, 30's or 40's stay for 3 years straight without any type of financial "investment" obligations I'd be very interested in hearing about it. To my knowledge no such pace exists other than the Philippines.

Step 1: "Currently hold a passport of his/her nationality with a non-immigrant visa type that allows him/her to stay in Thailand on the basis of a one year visa extension for a total of at least 3 years up to the submission date at submission of the application."
Out at step one.....but let's assume that I have already obtained this mysterious 1 year visa and have extended it a few times (which I'm guessing costs significantly more than "free"):
Application fee - 7,600 THB
Not (and never will be) married to a Thair residence book - 191,400 THB
Multiple re-entry permit (good for one year) - 3,800 THB
Endorsement in residence book for temporary departure - 1,900 THB
To re-apply for residence permit when revoked due to late return to Thailand or departure/return without re- entry permit -(i)Application fee – 7,600 THB
If application approved, or reissue of residence book – 95,700 THB
Total - 308000 THB = $8840.42 USD = No thanks

1. Applicant must be 50 years of age or over.

Crap, didn't even get past the first requirement. Guess I'll get around to reading step 2 in another 17 years.