Thinking of moving.

Zimbo

I'm a newby' on this forum which was reccomended by an ex-forum member. I am looking for a stress free, peaceful place to retire to . My choices are Cebu, Penang or Bali. Can anyone tell me why i should choose bali. My friend advised against it but i would like to hear it from others who live here.

DenpasarHouse

I would never describe Bali as stress free, but I like living here.Being realistic though, you'd really need to do a trial run for a few months before committing to a long term stay.

Markit

Depends entirely what you want to do with your "golden" years. Some like doing water color paintings of mountains and volcanos and then there are those that like to chase small brown women around a swimming pool waving their wallets. I would say that whatever side your deviation falls on you have come to the right place to start your information gathering. Any move you make is going to be stressful so you need to make sure that once that's died down you are in the place you want to stay. As mentioned above the best way is to go and live in each of your choices for 3 or 4 months.

Jasmeen-BLS

Hello Zimbo, I am also new in this forum but not in Bali. I belong to India and I have very good links in Bali. Although there are many beautiful placed in the world that I can suggest you but as you have mentioned the Bali's name and this is one of my favorite vacation spot so I would recommend to go in Bali.

Zimbo

Thanks for all the answers. What are the people like? I have heard both good and horrific!

davita

The first criteria on deciding where to retire is where are you from in the first place so comparisons can be assessed.The second is to check on the availability of being able to retire in the selected countries.Third is to visit and assess for oneself the suitability from an individual perspective.From that research more pertinent questions can be asked. Asking if the people are good or bad is like asking me what I'd do with a big lottery win..."send me the money and I'll show you" would be my answer.I can advise that an RI retirement visa requires certain criteria, including being minimum age 55, and is expensive to achieve.Malaysia has an MM2H retirement program with no age eligibility, far superior benefits and less onerous requirements, so Penang would look good from the Visa aspect. It is relatively quiet if you stay away from the major road where young motorcycle idiots race up and down late at night. It is also very safe and and the only stress I'd get was from boredom.Don't know much about the Philippines as I'd never wish to retire there. In the south the Bonker Harams just executed 2 Canadians one month apart...I'm Canadian!!!

modelt1826

If I were you listen to rest of us test the water before you jump in all places will have pluses and minuses its which one floats your boat.

Zimbo

Markit

Steve Rossell

Hi Zimbo,I don't think that the criteria is the important gauge but how you can cope or adapt to the notion of a fluid criteria.1. The Government is more stable here than Europe, Britain, U.S.A. and Australia...for the moment.2. Technically you can never own land here in your own right.3. Bureaucracy is bureaucracy anywhere. I've never heard of it being easy to deal with. It's laborious and tedious by definition.4/5. Like many so-called developed countries, how much can you afford for insurance and out of pocket expenses? How well can you look after yourself?6. The banks here are as reputable as the ones on Wall St. I haven't had a problem with them. So far.7. Cheap as chips if you want a simple life or just as expensive if you want to transfer your lifestyle ke di sini.8. It's a family thing.9. Yes and corruption too. In 12 months of living here my exposure to crime has been minimal and I must say that on the one occasion, in similar circumstances in Oz the result would have been the same. i.e. I let my guard down. Corruption is a concept just like road rules. Just my thoughts.

spicyayam

If you analyze everything by numbers, you are right Malaysia would come out on top. Philippines suits many people as most can speak English well and visas are easy to sort out. Indonesia is more complicated, but in my opinion more of an adventure and a more different way of living than what you are probably used to, which I think is why some (but not all) people love it here.

Zimbo

There are many different types of internet research, and if you have the money, you have access to a lot more information than the general web surfing public

Zimbo

Nydave

Just go do a trial run and find out for yourself,what is important to you may not be as important to others who live here,seems like when you get the answers to one question you come back with two more questions,everyone has a different experience here so the only way is find out for yourself,

Steve Rossell

G'day Zimbo.I had been visiting this vast and diverse archipelago for about 33 years when I decided to explore the option of living here.Bali specifically.I had some simple modest goals, none of which involved monetary enrichment in Indonesia.I started by making 5 trips to Bali in the space of 2 years to see if I would feel comfortable living here and indeed where I might live and none of those visits lasted longer than 4 weeks.I came twice to the mountain regions during the 'wet season' just to see if I could deal with incessant rain and where it might flood or roads become difficult or impossible to pass but alas the rains didn't come during those times.I visited coastal areas that I thought that I may like and everywhere I went I would take time to stop and talk to people. On the side of the road, at small warungs, in villages and sometimes just stop and take in what was going on around me. No talking needed.Apart from booking a night or two at the beginning and end of my many visits to Bali and beyond I've always left the in-between time accom' until i was here or there.I checked out rental options from local papers and notices posted on light poles and outside supermarkets.Then I found this forum.It helped me enormously in making my decision to try out the move. I arrived at a pre rented place that I had paid for a 3 week stay and began searching for a more semi permanent place. I was lucky, or prudent, and found a place that suited and negotiated a deal that worked for both the landlord and me.The landlord wanted a 12 month commitment and being a newby I didn't want to commit for that period of time but I was still after the cheaper advanced 12 month rate.Our deal ended up being that I would pay the higher month by month rate and if I stayed the 12 months then the last month did not need payment.Well I ended up making a decision 7 months into this arrangement and re-negotiated our rental agreement and paid for the next 12 months in advance for a better deal than the original 12 month advanced payment offered. I happily paid the higher rate for those first 7 months as it gave me the flexibility that I wanted.I tell you this to give you some idea as to the importance of actually coming here and experiencing it for yourself. I would not have been able to negotiate/haggle to the degree that I did without first forming a relationship and building trust with my landlord and would not have been sure of where was right for me to live at that/this time.For me it was about relationships as much as it is about knowledge gained.As I've said, this forum has been of great value to me and I spent a lot of time on other internet sites researching. I also had the luxury of having expat friends that had lived here for decades but they had different sets of circumstances and different tunes to dance to. What was right for me could only be determined by me.I'm happy for now and the foreseeable future. Never say never right! I only put forward my experiences in the spirit of the help that this forum gave me.My advice, albeit 1 year in, is just don't be an a@#hole. :) . Nobody anywhere likes an a@#hole.Wish you the best.

davita

@post #15 by Steve Russel.Good post Steve and well articulated....great advice for everyone....not only the OP.

mugwump

My criteria are as follows:1.Political Stability2.Land ownership3.Ease of dealing with Bureaucracy4.Health issues5.Hospitals & Health care6.Banking7.Cost of living8.Infrastructure9.CrimeIve looked at various websites to address some of the above and it looks like Malaysia first and then Bali & Cebu equal second!Any comments?[/QUOTE]Hi Zimbo,Have lived here 14 years after coming here for 20 years, will try to provide an honest evaluation based on my own experience.1.Although the stability of the govt. may be stable comparatively speaking it isn't partisan in any respect to foreigners.2.As mentioned land ownership is out.3.Depending upon the extent of exposure don't expect partiality as a foreigner.4.&5.Health issues involves problems of hygiene to available quality healthcare isn't comparable to western countries and the latter is far better in Malaysia.6.Banking isn't available to you unless you have a Kitas,as a norm7.If you live like the locals then things are relatively cheap. Anything imported or even produced here but not part of the local diet or way of life is often more costly.8.Just review some of the issues dealing with environmental concerns and the future of water shortages reveal large problems.9. This is a spotty area. Living in a densely populated area with numerous non Balinese neighbors of more recent history reveals greater incidents of crime whereas a more homogeneous village may reflect little incidence of serious crime.You have set forth some critical areas that reveal careful thinking. Having visited Cebu in particular several times I would put Bali well ahead, but Penang is certainly appealing in many respects.Good luck.

Zimbo

Thank you for the opinion.

Zimbo

I landed on Cebu Island 2 weeks ago. So far , my impressions are:1. People: Friendly, great musicians and singers, all fluent in English. The women are gorgeous! Nearly all Catholic2. Crime: It exists, mainly petty crime but I can import, license and carry a firearm.3. Food: Pork , Beef Chicken dishes. Good. Seafood: Fantastic! Especially the marinaded raw fish.4. Bureaucracy. Quite efficient but a bit laid back. Application forms are in English and Filipino.5. Medical care. appears to be good but I have not hurt myself / got sick so I can't really judge.6. Infrastructure: Good in Cebu City but could be better in the countryside.7. Weather: Tropical at sea level. Cooler at higher altitudes. not affected by annual typhoons due to geographical positionOne other thing I've noticed is the very highly skilled labour here, be it carpenters, electricians, mechanics, welders, machinists etc. The people are very literate, bookshops and libraries all over the place.

mugwump

Hang around but don't fall in love unless you enjoy providing for large families.