India alternative

[SenorJorge 185]

Anyone else thinking this way?  Cheaper. Friendlier.  English.  Better health care.  Yeah, there's no good longterm visa options.  However, you can just get a five year multiple entry tourism visa and go home for two months once a year to avoid overstays.

 

Run away from all of the problems and it's not even that far away.  Am I deluded here?  Has anyone else tried this yet here?

 

Thanks.

[PingRoundTheWorld 516]

What is it about India that actually attracts you? It seems quite different than Thailand especially regarding nightlife, bars, etc.

[lopburi3 6,659]

Have you ever lived in India?  I have.  Would not do again by choice.

[Jingthing 51,223]

When you say you need to go home, that could mean anyplace outside India, right?

I looked into it years ago but I think the visa possibilities changed since then. 

10 months a year isn't so bad. 

 

[wgdanson 5,923]

Pleanty of places in UK very similar.

[SenorJorge 185]

5 minutes ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

What is it about India that actually attracts you? It seems quite different than Thailand especially regarding nightlife, bars, etc.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, just letting you know where I stand on this issue.  I'm not like most expats here.

 

I am dynamically opposed to the bar scene in thailand.  If it were up to me nana, soi cowboy, walking street, all of it would be overpriced hotels for Chinese tourists and condos etc.  I can't stand bar girls and I can't drink alcohol anymore due to poor health.

 

I like good health care, low cost of living, and that's about it.  Its ok here in isan but I've got major health issues that even the docs in bangkok can't assist with anymore.  And immigration is just annoying here.

 

My experience with india is just hot and cheap.  Completely immersed in cultural heritage but more westernized than thailand in lots of ways.  Maybe a little grimy in some areas.  All ok with me.  I haven't stayed long enough to have more of an impression of the place, I guess.  I guess I should do that.

[SenorJorge 185]

7 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

When you say you need to go home, that could mean anyplace outside India, right?

I looked into it years ago but I think the visa possibilities changed since then. 

10 months a year isn't so bad. 

 

Exactly.  If your craving for thailand strikes you could easily buy a cheap tourism visa here.

[moe666 4,226]

India Jorge you are joking right, made 3 trips there over the years, no more. Thailand isn't that hard to stay here.

[SenorJorge 185]

1 minute ago, moe666 said:

India Jorge you are joking right, made 3 trips there over the years, no more. Thailand isn't that hard to stay here.

It's getting more and more ridiculous.  No more income affidavits,  four hundred and eight hundred in a thai bank.  Lots of people are getting cranky, it's all I hear about with expats these days it seems.

[Jingthing 51,223]

2 minutes ago, SenorJorge said:

It's getting more and more ridiculous.  No more income affidavits,  four hundred and eight hundred in a thai bank.  Lots of people are getting cranky, it's all I hear about with expats these days it seems.

Totally agree. To many of us, Thai immigration has gone too far and at the very least it's time to seriously look at Plans B and even Plans C.

I've never even been to India. 
I assume there are pros and cons.

Pros such as English spoken and the food if you like the food, which I do.

Cons such as ridiculous crowding and pollution in the bigger cities.

But it's a very big country.

Other then the must leave thing for that 5 year thing, what are the other requirements?

[ratcatcher 26,044]

India is such a vast country that they don't call it "The Sub-Continent" for nothing. 

Have you been to Goa? There are many lovely places in India and countless shitholes as the BBC would describe them. India is too big to generalize. They have the advantage of having been the Jewel in The Crown and thus have a more advanced civil service than Thailand.

However, as hot as it is here, I could never personally entertain the idea of living full time there even though I love Indian food. And yes, I did once have the luck to visit New Delhi and Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

They also have perfected the art of public defecation, apparently being copied in San Francisco I hear.

[AlexRich 7,560]

The question is where to stay in India? And would you be caught up in their tax system? 

 

I’ve been to Delhi several times, on business trips, nice hotels, driver, etc. I’m not sure I’d like to do it as a backpacker type. 

 

[madmen 4,271]

Indian women have bigger boobs

[SenorJorge 185]

https://www.in.ckgs.us/visa/tourist-visa

 

Apparently Americans who aren't of Indian origin may apply for the ten year visa but if you are of Indian descent you must apply for the ten year.  Confusing.

 

Everything else is shockingly lenient.  From what I've heard you will have to go through a more thorough biometrics system on the ten year than what you are used to with thailand.  

[Jingthing 51,223]

Aha. So you have to leave every 6 months. That's what I remember from before. But can't you just come back in a few days?

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