craigt3365 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Assuming this is not a troll post, I would head over to Ecuador and check it out before burning your bridges here. I spent about a month in Ecuador. It is nice, but it has plenty of rough spots. If you think Thai drivers are bad, wait till you get there. If you think crime is bad here, wait till you get there. Poverty, corruption, etc. Worse. BUT! It has some really beautiful places. Mountains, beaches, jungles, etc. Beautiful. You have to know Spanish. No way around it....unlike here, where you can live forever only knowing a few Thai words. And beer doesn't count! Luckily, Spanish is really easy to pick up. Food is completely different. I prefer the food here, but that's my preference. Take a one month trip there. Cruise around and check it out. Come back here and then decide what to do. If you are down there, check out Brazil. The area north of Rio is really beautiful...and cheap. Don't know about the visa situation, but I have several friends who spend a lot of time there and love it. Worth a look if you are heading that far. Many years ago, I felt the same way...and was considering the Philippines. Spent 5-6 weeks there and decided...for me...Thailand was better. Came back and was glad I didn't burn my bridges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 (edited) Yeah , just chuck the misses aside , i'm sure you'll get another one for a while. And say goodbye to the kids ... just tell em your gunna nip down to 7-eleven . If there's any pets involved ... give them a new toy to play with, they'll like that. Best to slip away in the middle of the night , probably after 1.30am , that way the whole family should be asleep. Give it a few weeks and they will all have forgotten about you ... misses will be out searchin for a new one. Edited March 28, 2011 by steven100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 (edited) Take a one month trip there. Cruise around and check it out. Come back here and then decide what to do. If you are down there, check out Brazil. The area north of Rio is really beautiful...and cheap. Don't know about the visa situation, but I have several friends who spend a lot of time there and love it. Worth a look if you are heading that far. not worth a look if you don't have a government pension. Brazil immigration does not even consider a fat company pension or verifiable private income which is a multiple of the asked minimum amount. apropos "cheap": in 2002 we bought land 100km north of Rio (Itaipava) a most beautiful area with a moderate climate. at that time 1 US-Dollar bought 3.64 Brazilian Reais. today the exchange is 1.65 = minus 55%! Edited March 28, 2011 by Naam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackers Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I think you should go, you didn't mention anything about love in your post, so there is nothing holding you back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Take a one month trip there. Cruise around and check it out. Come back here and then decide what to do. If you are down there, check out Brazil. The area north of Rio is really beautiful...and cheap. Don't know about the visa situation, but I have several friends who spend a lot of time there and love it. Worth a look if you are heading that far. not worth a look if you don't have a government pension. Brazil immigration does not even consider a fat company pension or verifiable private income which is a multiple of the asked minimum amount. apropos "cheap": in 2002 we bought land 100km north of Rio (Itaipava) a most beautiful area with a moderate climate. at that time 1 US-Dollar bought 3.64 Brazilian Reais. today the exchange is 1.65 = minus 55%! Ugh...last time I was there was 2001. What a change...sounds like the Baht!!!! I was single and it was paradise. Not sure I could live there being married! But kinda the same here, eh? My friends hang out in Salvador, Fortaleza and Recife...but they don't live there year round...just rent for a few months or so. I've never been to that part of Brazil, but have heard the beaches are beautiful. Sorry to hear about your purchase...I'm sure it would have been fun to live there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardholder Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Take a one month trip there. Cruise around and check it out. Come back here and then decide what to do. If you are down there, check out Brazil. The area north of Rio is really beautiful...and cheap. Don't know about the visa situation, but I have several friends who spend a lot of time there and love it. Worth a look if you are heading that far. not worth a look if you don't have a government pension. Brazil immigration does not even consider a fat company pension or verifiable private income which is a multiple of the asked minimum amount. apropos "cheap": in 2002 we bought land 100km north of Rio (Itaipava) a most beautiful area with a moderate climate. at that time 1 US-Dollar bought 3.64 Brazilian Reais. today the exchange is 1.65 = minus 55%! A good time to repatriate those Dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstribling Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I think you should go, you didn't mention anything about love in your post, so there is nothing holding you back. Love really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flying Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Man there are some bitter dudes. Once bitten twice shy is one thing but some of the posts here suggest a much deeper scar. 3 words to help....Get...Over...It pigeonholes are for pigeons not for categorizing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 For sure...one incredibly ridiculous post removed from view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Take a one month trip there. Cruise around and check it out. Come back here and then decide what to do. If you are down there, check out Brazil. The area north of Rio is really beautiful...and cheap. Don't know about the visa situation, but I have several friends who spend a lot of time there and love it. Worth a look if you are heading that far. not worth a look if you don't have a government pension. Brazil immigration does not even consider a fat company pension or verifiable private income which is a multiple of the asked minimum amount. apropos "cheap": in 2002 we bought land 100km north of Rio (Itaipava) a most beautiful area with a moderate climate. at that time 1 US-Dollar bought 3.64 Brazilian Reais. today the exchange is 1.65 = minus 55%! A good time to repatriate those Dollars. repatriated mine already in 2007 at 1.98 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naam Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 (edited) Take a one month trip there. Cruise around and check it out. Come back here and then decide what to do. If you are down there, check out Brazil. The area north of Rio is really beautiful...and cheap. Don't know about the visa situation, but I have several friends who spend a lot of time there and love it. Worth a look if you are heading that far. not worth a look if you don't have a government pension. Brazil immigration does not even consider a fat company pension or verifiable private income which is a multiple of the asked minimum amount. apropos "cheap": in 2002 we bought land 100km north of Rio (Itaipava) a most beautiful area with a moderate climate. at that time 1 US-Dollar bought 3.64 Brazilian Reais. today the exchange is 1.65 = minus 55%! Ugh...last time I was there was 2001. What a change...sounds like the Baht!!!! I was single and it was paradise. Not sure I could live there being married! But kinda the same here, eh? My friends hang out in Salvador, Fortaleza and Recife...but they don't live there year round...just rent for a few months or so. I've never been to that part of Brazil, but have heard the beaches are beautiful. Sorry to hear about your purchase...I'm sure it would have been fun to live there. 2001 was indeed paradise! i bought BRL in autumn 2001 via non deliverable forwards (to cover construction of our home) at 4.05 to the Dollar. correction: the Mrs just told me that we bought the land in 2003 and that the best BRL rate was in autumn 2002. i think she is right. Edited March 28, 2011 by Naam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacificperson Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 OP: That was a poor choice of simile, but to give a response to your question. I've been there and done that many years ago. If you want to take her with you, give it a try, but she may not adapt to her new surroundings. Be ready to send her home, if you have to. If you move her halfway around the world, you will have incurred a much bigger responsibility for her welfare than you now have. If you don't want to take her or take the chance, then maybe you should think of her as an employee (sort of a rent a wife). In which case, I think that you owe her a severance. Six months of living expenses will help with the guilt of dumping her. Its not her fault that you got bored with Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GM1955 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I can`t believe some of these posts. In ThaiVisa general forum , that's probably a wise move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Assuming this is not a troll post, I would head over to Ecuador and check it out before burning your bridges here. I spent about a month in Ecuador. It is nice, but it has plenty of rough spots. If you think Thai drivers are bad, wait till you get there. If you think crime is bad here, wait till you get there. Poverty, corruption, etc. Worse. BUT! It has some really beautiful places. Mountains, beaches, jungles, etc. Beautiful. You have to know Spanish. No way around it....unlike here, where you can live forever only knowing a few Thai words. And beer doesn't count! Luckily, Spanish is really easy to pick up. Food is completely different. I prefer the food here, but that's my preference. Take a one month trip there. Cruise around and check it out. Come back here and then decide what to do. If you are down there, check out Brazil. The area north of Rio is really beautiful...and cheap. Don't know about the visa situation, but I have several friends who spend a lot of time there and love it. Worth a look if you are heading that far. Many years ago, I felt the same way...and was considering the Philippines. Spent 5-6 weeks there and decided...for me...Thailand was better. Came back and was glad I didn't burn my bridges. A well thought out reply, Craig. Congrats. And yes, Thailand IS better than the Philippines... unless of course you DO like crime and corruption. The same goes for Equador. To the OP I would take Craig's advice. Never jump off a bridge before knowing how deep the water is. And, visiting some place as a holiday is FAR different than making it a home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I would never abandon a dog. It's incredibly cruel and just not what a kind and compassionate person does. I would make an effort to find fido a new home and ensure that the canine was taken care off, even if it cost me. The same thing should be done with your girlfriend. Perhaps the bar you found her in will be willing to take her back? with her improved english language skills she will be an asset . Perhaps you should enter into severance negotiations with the companion and determine what she would prefer?She might surprise you and advise that she too is tired of you and has already secured a backup male. It is not difficult to find a penis and a man with money in Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 GK writes .... Perhaps the bar you found her in will be willing to take her back? with her improved english language skills she will be an asset . I looked back at the OP and didn't see any mention of a bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstribling Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 You guys are freaking out. It's just a girlfriend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Talk about a TROLL post. How obvious can one be? It could have been worse. He might have suggested that the wives of ex-pats were all 'working-girls' .... Nobody would ever make that leap though, would they? mstribling --- I kind of agree. He's not talking about abandoning a family (as others have, while justifying it by Thai immigration law), but the OP was likely trolling with the loyal dog comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Assuming this is not a troll post, I would head over to Ecuador and check it out before burning your bridges here. I spent about a month in Ecuador. It is nice, but it has plenty of rough spots. If you think Thai drivers are bad, wait till you get there. If you think crime is bad here, wait till you get there. Poverty, corruption, etc. Worse. ... Did you visit Cuenca? Yes I know about the crime in Quito being horrible, but hear Cuenca is fairly safe (and they also have lots of low priced taxis). So if you visited Cuenca, what did you think about that place? http://www.cuencahighlife.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilgore Trout Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I hate to say it but ...... Thailand considers all foreigners visitors, here on sufferance. Therefore We foreigners, in turn, must view all relationships with Thai people as temporary. I love my wife and kids, but if I get chucked out, or can't fulfill the visa extension requirement one year, I will have to leave the wife and children. It appears to be what the Thai government wants, who am I to argue with a government. Then you shouldn't have gotten married in the first place. I can think of many things that you are...but one thing you are not...is a good person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstribling Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 So what would you do? Stay illegally? I guarantee his wife would understand. Your saying he should force her to move, against her will? Has this exact scenario not been considered? If not, your not prepared for life in the kingdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 OP: That was a poor choice of simile, but to give a response to your question. I've been there and done that many years ago. If you want to take her with you, give it a try, but she may not adapt to her new surroundings. Be ready to send her home, if you have to. If you move her halfway around the world, you will have incurred a much bigger responsibility for her welfare than you now have. If you don't want to take her or take the chance, then maybe you should think of her as an employee (sort of a rent a wife). In which case, I think that you owe her a severance. Six months of living expenses will help with the guilt of dumping her. Its not her fault that you got bored with Thailand. Well put. Thinking on this a bit more, it's a huge difference between here and Ecuador. I know when I took my wife out of Thailand for the first time, it was tough. But what made it easier was living in New York City...with Chinatown a short ride away. She could get all the food she missed...even the stinky stuff. If I had taken her to Ecuador, it would have been really, really, really hard. She will have to learn Spanish or it will be hell. Same with OP. Spanish is a must. And the "severance" pay is a class act. Assuming this is not a troll post, I would head over to Ecuador and check it out before burning your bridges here. I spent about a month in Ecuador. It is nice, but it has plenty of rough spots. If you think Thai drivers are bad, wait till you get there. If you think crime is bad here, wait till you get there. Poverty, corruption, etc. Worse. ... Did you visit Cuenca? Yes I know about the crime in Quito being horrible, but hear Cuenca is fairly safe (and they also have lots of low priced taxis). So if you visited Cuenca, what did you think about that place? http://www.cuencahighlife.com/ Yes, Cuenca is a really neat, small Spanish colonial town. For sure, forget Quito. I also really liked Banos. Great hiking, biking, etc. But you have to be able to live without any major stores, shop at the local markets, eat local food. At least here...well, in most places...you can head to Tesco and get some "western" stuff. I would think in Cuenca it would be very difficult. I really liked Ecuador. Beautiful country. Not sure I could live there, but it has some really beautiful places. And as said above, visiting a place as a tourist is totally different from actually living there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 (edited) OP: That was a poor choice of simile, but to give a response to your question. I've been there and done that many years ago. If you want to take her with you, give it a try, but she may not adapt to her new surroundings. Be ready to send her home, if you have to. If you move her halfway around the world, you will have incurred a much bigger responsibility for her welfare than you now have. If you don't want to take her or take the chance, then maybe you should think of her as an employee (sort of a rent a wife). In which case, I think that you owe her a severance. Six months of living expenses will help with the guilt of dumping her. Its not her fault that you got bored with Thailand. Well put. Thinking on this a bit more, it's a huge difference between here and Ecuador. I know when I took my wife out of Thailand for the first time, it was tough. But what made it easier was living in New York City...with Chinatown a short ride away. She could get all the food she missed...even the stinky stuff. If I had taken her to Ecuador, it would have been really, really, really hard. She will have to learn Spanish or it will be hell. Same with OP. Spanish is a must. And the "severance" pay is a class act. Assuming this is not a troll post, I would head over to Ecuador and check it out before burning your bridges here. I spent about a month in Ecuador. It is nice, but it has plenty of rough spots. If you think Thai drivers are bad, wait till you get there. If you think crime is bad here, wait till you get there. Poverty, corruption, etc. Worse. ... Did you visit Cuenca? Yes I know about the crime in Quito being horrible, but hear Cuenca is fairly safe (and they also have lots of low priced taxis). So if you visited Cuenca, what did you think about that place? http://www.cuencahighlife.com/ Yes, Cuenca is a really neat, small Spanish colonial town. For sure, forget Quito. I also really liked Banos. Great hiking, biking, etc. But you have to be able to live without any major stores, shop at the local markets, eat local food. At least here...well, in most places...you can head to Tesco and get some "western" stuff. I would think in Cuenca it would be very difficult. I really liked Ecuador. Beautiful country. Not sure I could live there, but it has some really beautiful places. And as said above, visiting a place as a tourist is totally different from actually living there. That sounds about right. In recent years, their socialist President Correa has also greatly increased tax duties on all imported goods, though it's hard to imagine imported cheese prices could be worse than in Thailand. I don't oppose his intentions, to encourage local industries, but it does make life harder and more expensive for expats with certain tastes. Well he looks a lot friendlier than Suthep, anyway http://www.captivatingcuenca.com/supermaxi-cuenca.html Edited March 28, 2011 by Jingthing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I just saw this article...it's actually quite good and compared Ecuador to Costa Rica. I have never lived in either country, but have spent 3-4 weeks in each. This site has some good articles, but many you have to take with a grain of salt as they are written by people with a vested interest in the topic (usually local real estate agents). But does not seem to be the case for this one. http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2011/03/overseas-retirement-in-costa-rica-or-ecuador/ One thing I forgot about is the altitude. Cuenca is fairly lofty at 2500M. I use to live in Denver, which is lower, and remember having a few problems with the altitude. But I was MUCH younger then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyk Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) Just getting back and reading this.. Wow. I am very serious about this. I have already researched it a bit. You can get a retirement visa there for $800 U.S a month. This is nothing. Also you can import household goods. Within 6 months of the visa. Also l love travel and the outdoors. I am presently photographing the birds in Thailand. www.flickr.com/photos/avianphotos/ This time around I am going to go for 3 months which is a standard tourist. If I want I will attempt a visa run. I also have a retirement visa here in Thailand. It expires in Sep. and I want to make sure I decide what I want before it expires. I also have been thinking about 6 months here to finish my photo of birds here. And 6 months there. Also I still have a home in Texas and vehicles if I want to return. But have found it is very easy to travel cheap. And the birding is great here. But Equador is supposed to be one of the best in the world. Also I believe you bring a vehicle with you??? I am from Texas and Mexico is very close. I originally was going to retire Mexico but it is a little do dangerous now for me. I speak very little Spanish but understand the culture some. Being raised in Texas close to the border. GF, two years. I pay her every month. And I told her when I started I was paying so I would not feel bad when I left. But I think she thinks it is going on forever. And it is useless to try to talk to her about it. I have tried and it ends quickly and the next day it is back to usual. No children no tie other than two years. I have thought about taking her with me but i just don't know. And she has had another farang from pattaya before. I found out after we had been togeather for a while. So she is no angle for sure. I am leaving in two months to go back to Texas and do repairs on the house if needed and visit the folks. Then?? I think is it wise to check it out before i let my retirement visa go here though. Good advice. But I am defiantly going to Ecuador for a minimum of 3-6 months. If anyone if interested in what I find. I will be happy to let you know. Also I will have a gallery for the birds there on my flickr account. Edited March 30, 2011 by garyk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ableguy Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I am also interested in Ecuador. In case anyone is interested and doesn't know, I believe Ecuador enforces a 180 day per year rule for tourists, so you can't live there on visa runs. There are various residency options. A pension is the best, but also real estate buying options (a bit dicey as they aren't so big on deed there), or just stick 25K USD in a bank there, which you can't touch. Do you know the amount required ref pension ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstribling Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Good luck. Let us know how it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I am also interested in Ecuador. In case anyone is interested and doesn't know, I believe Ecuador enforces a 180 day per year rule for tourists, so you can't live there on visa runs. There are various residency options. A pension is the best, but also real estate buying options (a bit dicey as they aren't so big on deed there), or just stick 25K USD in a bank there, which you can't touch. Do you know the amount required ref pension ? As far as I know, it's still a minimum 800 USD per month (no conversion needed, their currency is USD) in pension income. It must be pension income. Not clear if you need to import the full amount although that's a bit of a moot point as I think most people would import at least that much annually. There are many fewer expats there than Thailand and most everyone uses lawyers for immigration matters (there are indeed potential landmines in the process, this forum isn't really the place to get into that). The nits of the rules do change and there is nothing even close to thaivisa to keep track of it. You'd be more of a pioneer there than expat haven Thailand. However, once you get it going, you have a real kind of residency, unlike the short leash Thai system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Why don't you just get a ticket to Equador? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderpuff Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Then you shouldn't have gotten married in the first place. I can think of many things that you are...but one thing you are not...is a good person. His avatar is Fidel Castro for cripes sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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