rosst

Not everybody's experience, I am quite happy in the Phils

Yes, I am living most of the time in the Philippines, I am still just using the tourist visa which is easy to use and you can stay up to three years just renewing the visa and can get a six month extension. If you have a pension, you can get a retirement visa for $10,000 USD and no pension $20,000 USD lodged in a specified bank account, which can be drawn and used under certain circumstances or withdrawn when leaving. Upsides and downsides of the Philippines, depending on where you are, the main cities of Manila and Cebu are bloody awful in my opinion, I live in the provinces and find it very enjoyable. Worth a look, food not as good as Thailand, it takes time to find the dishes to your taste but the widespread English language skills makes it a good destination to look at. Travel is not expensive but tourist accommodation is much dearer than Thailand but long term accommodation is not bad. I love Thailand but only go there for holidays now, I feel very sad for long term expats being priced out by this visa bullsh#t. Just my two bobs worth.

I feel your pain, I am pleased that I am now living in the Philippines and only come back to Thailand for a holiday each year, I saw the locomotive coming down the track.

As I read this, I thank my lucky stars that I made the move to the Philippines. Not perfect but predictable