Adam
Tropical South Pacific - Great Climate, Great Fishing, Few People.Northern Australia is a very close second. Maybe better. All of the above just the tyranny of distance can make life hard. Though if money wasn't an issue that would solve a lot of problems.I think the major drawcard for Bali over the years has been cost of living, though that is changing quite fast and a lot of the cons outweigh the pro's IMHO.
davita
I'd live on a decent size motor-yacht and travel up and down the USA East Coast Intercoastal depending on weather pattern. From Ft Lauderdale in the winter to Boston.....Martha's Vineyard etc. in the summer.Alternately, I did visit Panama with a view to having a winter home there but I don't think the abundence of beautiful women was acceptable to my wife...if single, on the other hand, a great place and very welcoming for visa and property purchase etc and a very cheap lifestyle...however, a bit humid.....much like Bali recently.
geedee
America - Americans live thereAustralia -Good but far too expensive and paulseawind thinking of moving hereChina - they are all trying to leaveIndia - dittoScotland - Fantastic people but cold and terrible neighbours (England)South America - woman are madder than Paulseawind (almost)Canada - Too cold and too many Davita's love childrenNew Zealand - beautiful, but there are too many sexual assaults on sheepNorth Korea - Good idea for Markit (need successor to Kim Jong-un)Japan - large aging population good idea for Davita then they couldn't understand him (just like now)You are living in an Island paradise now I bet that lots and lots of people would like to be in your situation(including me)Its probably the best place in the world to live.Enjoy
davita
According to Kuta Weekly the latest place for retirees that love animals, especially horses, is Switzerland. There are an estimated 110,000 horses in the country living on 18,000 farms and equestrian activity is a big sport.However, according to animal rights groups, there are 10,000 people in the country involved in sexual activity with those horses and the trend is growing...there were 1709 incidents of abuse in 2014 up from 1542 in 2013.Although dogs still remain the most common animal targeted by Swiss sexual abusers horses are becoming increasingly popular...:abnormal:Maybe New Zealand, where simply sticking sheep's back legs into one's wellies for a bit of fun, isn't so bad a place to retire after all.:icon_e_biggrin:
Markit
Having read through this litany of negativity it seems to me that instead of finding a place that isn't too bad we should perhaps approach the problem from the other direction. What conditions do you want to have where you live? Listed in no particular order and from a man's point of view (Matsaleh and other women, gay or transgenders you can consider this from whatever plumbing you have's point of view - just change point 2 to fit)1) [B]Climate[/B]2) [B]Women[/B]3) [B]Property[/B]4) [B]Healthcare[/B]5) [B]Available Activities and Hobbies[/B] (golf/hang gliding/sheep shagging/etc)6) [B]Food[/B]7) [B]Government[/B]8) [B]Prices[/B] (booze/food)9) [B]Travel Opportunities[/B]10) [B]Friendly Locals[/B]My answers:1) Bali like please - I love snow for about 2 weeks then not so2) Accessible, appreciative and not too demanding - if they can't speak my language I consider that a benefit. Bali-like3) Ownership or rental is really only material if I want to pass it on to my kids - ****em, let em get their own **** together. So Bali like.4) According to most studies healthcare is really only of major importance in the last 6 weeks of your life. If I'm sick I can climb on a plane and get to SNG/HK or similar and in the 8 years I've been here the med profession in Bali has improved in leaps and bounds (still a ways to go but I aint sick yet). 5) I have dedicated myself to chasing lovely brown women and drinking cold beer - guess what, Bali is fine. 6) I love to cook myself and consider it the main reason I am so even tempered and well adjusted and am able to find all the ingredients here to make just about anything I can imagine and all fresh and relatively cheap (relative to the west - there may be cheaper places for single things but taken as a whole, everything in Bali is moderately priced)7) Government should be largely invisible and have no influence on my daily life. Yep, here ticks that box too. 8) See point 69) If I want to I can jump on a plane in DPS to any place in the known world with a minimum of connections required. 10) If you can find friendlier and happier people on this old planet then the Balinese then tell us all!But what do I know?
Rangi
New Zealand - beautiful, but there are too many sexual assaults on sheep[/QUOTE]People have the wrong idea about this. It is not all assault. It is all about care and love. http://www.dogster.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sheep-thinks-hes-dog-man.jpg[/IMG]Also there is a stereo type that it is only men who get to have all the fun but woman get in on the action too. http://www.dogster.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sheep-thinks-hes-dog-kiss.jpg[/IMG]They are trying to ban it in some areas but the results have not been successfulhttp://i62.tinypic.com/qs1lax.jpg[/IMG]
davita
Since retirement in 1990 I've had the good life...lived in Vancouver and boated the PNW coast on my 50 foot gin-palace between Olympia to Desolation Sound every summer......and, as soon as the weather in Canada cooled, went to our winter home in Scottsdale, AZ where my wife golfed most days (and became lady champion). Our villa was right opposite the clubhouse and pool so, whilst floating on my sunbed, I contemplated whether to drink a vodka cocktail or another glass of chilled Chardonney,This changed in 9/11 when the USA made crossing the border so much more difficult. We were harassed as to where you going, why, what you bringing in??? we decided to sell Arizona at the peak property price and moved on to Indonesia for winter solace.In hindsight I should have sold our Vancouver home and kept the Scottsdale one and progressed our Green card. We have many friends who own boats on both East and West Coast that we join cruising...my wife cooks/shakes martinis and I'm standby-skipper....heading back there in May.One year I joined some guys (no gals) boating (70 feet yacht) around the Sea of Cortez...we went Cabo-La Paz-Mazatlan-Puerto Vallarta.....but Mexican gals seem to get fat, must be all those tortillos!
spicyayam
I wouldn't mind living on Samosir Island (Lake Toba) in North Sumatra where my wife is from. Climate in my opinion is great, warm during the day and cool enough at night not to need AC. Great food, nice people, quiet (excluding Chinese NY). Penang or Lang Kawi would also be nice. Actually the country side in Japan is very beautiful. Deflation has pushed prices down and most young people have moved to Tokyo. Great transportation and public infrastructure. Okinawa would be great without the US bases.
davita
The reality is most of the places members here say they'd like to live do not offer foreigners visas to live. Some have short stay visas and some have retirement visas but there are few, to my knowledge, that are openly welcoming.The best visa I encountered was Panama...second is Malaysia with its MM2H. Costa Rica used to be the paradise for Canadians but has somehow lost its panache.Thailand offers a retirement visa but my friends there tell me it's more restrictive than Indonesia...I know Philippines has one but not sure of details as I never envisaged going there.Japan, in my opinion is one of the most racist countries on earth...I've been refused entry to jazz clubs in Tokyo many times "NO Gaijins!"Australia, Canada, USA have limited stay visas but not easy to obtain.Bali suits me but I wonder if my wife were to demise first....what would I do. No point to sit in a multi-bed multi-bath villa on my own floating around the pool all day. Of course I could end up like some who have new wives/GF who everyone knows their purpose but that's not me....and I can only drink so many boxes of wine before I get really thirsty.Maybe gurkha could teach me archery.....or how to ride a bike.
Markit
It's really better you don't know what you'd do if Davita cause then you'd only push her off a cliff or start farming snakes.
davita
What pursuits do you recommend. I'm interested in boating but not the kind available here in Bali. My friend has a 15+ foot RIB he fishes from. Not my idea...my dinghy was bigger and he doesn't even have a toilet...he says there's a big toilet over the side....uncouth sob.I might go back to Canada/USA and use my 'still available' pleasure craft skipper licence up to 10 ton.....but I think I was only invited before because my wife is a good cook/martini mixer and is HOT. I just know how to navigate and argue about politics.FYI....Indonesians call us foreigners 'Bule'. Hong Kong Cantonese call us 'Gweilos'. Japanese call us 'Gaijins'.But try calling them Indons, Honkys or Nips and see the fur fly.....:icon_e_biggrin::black_eyed:
geedee
Melbourne has been voted most livable city in the world 5 years in a row which my melbournian brother in law reminds me often. But go figure, it's cold for about 7 months per year gets too hot about 2 months. Only has good coffee , some good food, the MCG and the crown casino that's about it. Sydney has 1m more visitors and has beaches Harbour etc Can't figure it out.
hecta
hey guys, don't forget Brisbane has the best climate in Oz. Temps are close to Denpasar's without the humidity. Funny thing though because Sydneysiders and Melburnians say Brizzie is too humid. Another thing, Brisbane has the Gold Coast, best beaches in the world. imho.
davita
If Australia is so great.....why so many come to Bali?
hecta
Easy answer, cost of living in Oz is way too high. Last time I went to the compare cities website, Denpasar's figures were about a quarter of all Brisbane's living costs and Brizzie is cheap compared to Melbourne and Sydney.
geedee
If Australia is so great.....why so many come to Bali?[/QUOTE]Cost of living very higheg 1 pkt benson hedges cigarettes -$28Taxi from my place to airport about 26k 40 mins$110 - $125 depending on trafficred pepper(capsicum) $10 per kiloTakeaway burger $8 - $18 depending on the placeetc etc etc
davita
But most of the Australians that I meet [B]are[/B] repeat visitors and only visit Singapore to do visa runs. Quite frankly, I get an impression they're so geographically naive they include Bali as part of Western Australia...:apathy:Re: Melbourne and Adelaide reportedly in top 5 most livable cities. If the cost of living is so high there who writes this crap ......Australian politicos?
no.idea
Maybe I am simply a lazy bastard but I am very happy where I am. (except for the tree across the neighbours roof). Gimme Pies are dropping off 30 pies later today (they will still be hot). I have an esky with about 6 crates of Bintang beer in it. I have a fridge loaded with salami and cheese. Of course there is pickled ginger in there as well. This is wonderful on smoked fish.I have 4 crates of Kilkenny and a few cartons of Stark beer.A Kiwi butcher has opened a butcher shop not far away and is turning out very good quality produce. Things such as this are a big plus. I am willing to share any of the above mentioned items.The only down side is that I have a 20 bed "hotel" without a tourist. This is still the spin off from Virgin and Jetstar refusing to fly to Bali early in November.My Mate DDDDeniis The DDDrug DDDDealer from DDDDarwin should have his 50 foot cat completed soon so I am looking forward to a good supply of properly bled and packaged fish. He is having a hassle with the $80,000 luxury tax fee they have put on the boat. He tells me the same story about the tax every day, I just sit there, smile and think about the fish.
