Post: #26

(06-30-2013 09:25 AM)pegador Wrote:  

(06-28-2013 08:06 PM)Seadog Wrote:  I'm thinking potentially of getting a place in Bali, the other option would be to be boring and just set up in Canada or Australia.

You mentioned avoiding Australia, but I would consider it. I have a friend who lives in Sydney and travels every other weekend somewhere new in SE Asia. Last month he was in Manila, the month before in South Korea and given from his facebook this weekend, he's in Kuala Lumpur at the moment. In Australia you'd have all the amenities of living in a western country and language wouldn't be a problem.

Sorry? That's exactly why I'm considering it. It's expensive, the women have the typical problems of the west, it's a bit of a nanny state where you can't do what you want, and everyone else knows what's best for you, but then at the same time, you have rule of law, good roads, good places to spend money, can confidently buy things knowing you wont get ripped off. I put it in the same category as Canada as I fell while it has a lot of great things, it's a bit of a cop out. The easy road.

Post: #27

(06-30-2013 09:32 AM)Seadog Wrote:  

(06-30-2013 09:25 AM)pegador Wrote:  

(06-28-2013 08:06 PM)Seadog Wrote:  I'm thinking potentially of getting a place in Bali, the other option would be to be boring and just set up in Canada or Australia.

You mentioned avoiding Australia, but I would consider it. I have a friend who lives in Sydney and travels every other weekend somewhere new in SE Asia. Last month he was in Manila, the month before in South Korea and given from his facebook this weekend, he's in Kuala Lumpur at the moment. In Australia you'd have all the amenities of living in a western country and language wouldn't be a problem.

Sorry? That's exactly why I'm considering it. It's expensive, the women have the typical problems of the west, it's a bit of a nanny state where you can't do what you want, and everyone else knows what's best for you, but then at the same time, you have rule of law, good roads, good places to spend money, can confidently buy things knowing you wont get ripped off. I put it in the same category as Canada as I fell while it has a lot of great things, it's a bit of a cop out. The easy road.

Seadog I spent a week in Perth, Australia last month and thought that it was a really nice city, great weather, nice beaches, very clean and well organized. There should be plenty of work for you in Oz, you could have a pretty good lifestyle there and not ever freeze your ass off like we do in Canada.

Post: #28

There's a saying here, that Bali is the capital city of perth. We can get return flights for under $300 on a regular basis (this is less than it costs to go to most other Australian cities), and many people take advantage of this.

(06-30-2013 10:06 AM)scotian Wrote:  Seadog I spent a week in Perth, Australia last month and thought that it was a really nice city, great weather, nice beaches, very clean and well organized. There should be plenty of work for you in Oz, you could have a pretty good lifestyle there and not ever freeze your ass off like we do in Canada.

WA has some of the best beaches in the world. Our coast line consists of lovely white sand as far as the eye can see, with clean water, and bad ass waves if you know where to look. However, the already shitty nightlife is suffering even more of late. It's a lovely place to live, but the general level of stupidity of our police system, and their overcompensating presense make it really difficult to do anything mildly fun without constant paranoia that you'll get thrown in lock up for the night, while actual law breakers often slip by, completely unnoticed. I'm amazed I've escaped so many times. I literally got breath tested, taken back to a booze bus for further testing, blew another 2 times (this is all over the space of about an hour), blew well over the limit every time, and got dropped back at my car, while I was still over the limit, because they "calculated my blood alcohol back to when I was first tested and it was under." I didn't even get a fine. How and why they did this is beyond me, but they literally let a drunk 20 something, who was off face on mushrooms, dexies, and high as shit, back onto the road. I'm not exactly complaining that I got let off, but seriously, that's straight up incompetence, especially considering they had every reason to lock me up, and none to release me.

As for the weather, it's about 5°c here at the moment. Not cold compared to the temperatures you guys get, but compared to our summers it sucks a little.

In terms of work, you're right, there's a lot, but most require experience in areas that no one has experience in, or in areas where everyone is already employed. If you can get a job up north, it's a gold mine, but you generally need to know someone in the industry, or be very qualified for the position you're chasing. It's an annoying catch 20 - nobody can get experience working in whatever area, because every company wants people that already have experience. Even more annoying is that the wages these guys get paid brings up the cost of living for everyone - including those who aren't on double or even triple what your average Joe earns. Rent prices, for example, are up around $400+/wk for a shitty 3/1 house on average, and it's a scramble just to get hold of one of them - the landlords tend to try hold the houses out for people who earn enough that they wouldn't want to live in such a shit hole anyway. A lot of greedy people without much sense in them.

On the surface, it is an excellent city, indeed, to live in. When you're actually stuck here, not so much. At least we don't have the ginger minister anymore...

EDIT: If you're already a baller, and earning huge passive incomes, it would be a nice place to set up a base for when you need a break from tearing up SEA, otherwise, I'd avoid living here.

Post: #29

Architeck you have a problem with biker gangs there thought right? Coffin Cheaters et all.

Post: #30

Forget Brazil. Have lived and worked there for years, speak language like a native, have connections etc, used to travel there 4 to 5 times from Europe UNTIL 2010 when Inwas in Jurere, the high end party place in the south during x mas party season. Inwas spending 1.5k per day (house, pre party at cafe and night party at posh each 500us, and the guys inwent with were club owners from sampa and had the best deals, house and table booked months ago), and the girls were just not that hot. My point is you are 10 to 15 years too late, it's still a great country, but you'll sadly be just another gringo dweeb competing with cash soaked locals that dominate even the euro summer vip circuit. The genetic make up of the average brazilian chick is portuguese, indian, black.

This applies a little less in Porto Alegre.

Post: #31

(06-30-2013 06:10 PM)Fisto Wrote:  Architeck you have a problem with biker gangs there thought right? Coffin Cheaters et all.

They don't really bother anyone who isn't associated with other gangs. The only reason they're going to cause you problems is if you try rip them off or something stupid like that. Most of the bikers I've met are actually pretty chilled dudes, and the gangs themselves are pretty strict on their club policies and codes, so yeah, not an issue if you're not an idiot.

Post: #32

(07-01-2013 12:15 AM)ChrisGambi Wrote:  Forget Brazil. Have lived and worked there for years, speak language like a native, have connections etc, used to travel there 4 to 5 times from Europe UNTIL 2010 when Inwas in Jurere, the high end party place in the south during x mas party season. Inwas spending 1.5k per day (house, pre party at cafe and night party at posh each 500us, and the guys inwent with were club owners from sampa and had the best deals, house and table booked months ago), and the girls were just not that hot. My point is you are 10 to 15 years too late, it's still a great country, but you'll sadly be just another gringo dweeb competing with cash soaked locals that dominate even the euro summer vip circuit. The genetic make up of the average brazilian chick is portuguese, indian, black.

This applies a little less in Porto Alegre.

Mad props for really good insight. I agree that there are some real high end Brazilian dudes & chicks who can outspend some big money gringos 365 days per year if they wanted to on any circuit, haha. With good game, grasp of the Portuguese tongue, and an outgoing personality, these rich as balls Brazilian guys can easily be outgamed as they surprisingly have beta tendencies in only dating chicks within their social circles only while struggling to meet people outside of it. This isn't the case with any of our Brazilian members here in RVF as they're all about meeting new people & associating with new females, but it's quite the surprise how some of the locals out there will only affiliate with people they've grown up with while being overly complacent about stepping outside of that comfort zone.

Though very nice people in general, Brazilian chicks in my experience can be territorial about out of towners. This however is advantageous as a big shot from Sao Paulo who comes into town isn't going to be seen more favorably over a non-Brazilian who can speak some Portuguese in terms of a ONS.

With regards to moving to Brazil, yeah it's not cheap like it used to be but who says you need to throw money around like crazy at all the in clubs just to really enjoy it on a day-to-day basis? If you have a good amount of money saved up while fluent in Portuguese or wanting to study the language in Brazil, then it's a very enjoyable place where you'll make a lot of friends & then eventually get introduced to some pretty good looking tail in the process. There's an abundance of cultural aspects of the country that cannot be experienced elsewhere as I don't think anybody who's ever moved to Brazil has regretted it.

I'd say more but it's essentially everything VP has mentioned.

Post: #33

(07-01-2013 05:31 AM)Architekt Wrote:  

(06-30-2013 06:10 PM)Fisto Wrote:  Architeck you have a problem with biker gangs there thought right? Coffin Cheaters et all.

They don't really bother anyone who isn't associated with other gangs. The only reason they're going to cause you problems is if you try rip them off or something stupid like that. Most of the bikers I've met are actually pretty chilled dudes, and the gangs themselves are pretty strict on their club policies and codes, so yeah, not an issue if you're not an idiot.

While this is generally true, innocent people, especially lone wolf men (who I have more respect for than I'll ever have for a gangster), do get caught in the crossfire. What you've stated here is an often-repeated view of biker gangs, so often as to be cliche, and part of what permits their frequent abuses of power.

The problem with guys like this is they believe too much in the word on the street and they often get shit wrong. When they destroy someone else's life over a mistake or misunderstanding, they shrug their shoulders.

Not only did I grow up around biker gangs but I've been the guy in the crossfire too. I can't stand people who get their power through the intimidation of numbers.

Yes, in the majority of cases, staying away from them and out of their business will be enough to keep you uninvolved. But that hardly makes everyone unfortunate enough to get dragged into their wold an idiot.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #34

(07-01-2013 04:52 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  What you've stated here is an often-repeated view of biker gangs, so often as to be cliche, and part of what permits their frequent abuses of power.

This is just what I've observed. Every encounter I've had has given me that impression. Personally, I avoid the gangs, mostly because I don't want to be associated with their stigma, but in all honesty, I usually hear people talk about them like they're the scum of the earth, rather than honour bound businessmen.

Yes, innocent people do get involved unnecessarily, but it's also true that police shoot innocent people (and dogs) on a somewhat regular basis. Some people are just unlucky.

Post: #35

Seadog: if you're thinking about Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia (Jakarta), be aware of the annual haze event that comes from the burning of dried crops to make way for new planting season.

SEA isn't the best place to be when u consider the cleanliness of the cities, clean and fresh water supply and air. I've came across too many foreigners develop allergy cases due to those 3 factors alone.

That said, if you ARE able to alternate between a Western Hemisphere country and SEA it is quite dope. I lived in the UK 5 years myself but would not want to set myself up there again though.

- nutrition over medication -

Post: #36

I can understand that you are bored of traveling, I think this is just a normal progress. But why not travel slower, till you know where you want to live? I think the chance that you end up in a place that you don't really like long-term is pretty high if you go there with the intention to live for a few years. Just rent an apartment for one month in another country/city, enjoy the life and if think this time is hard to top, then just stay there. Otherwise choose a next destination next time.

Hard to recommend anything, because it depends so much on individual interests. People even suggest moving to Australia and I know plenty of people being happy in Germany.

For me the question is just between Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia) and Southamerica (Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile).

- Friends: You can make good ones everywhere, but this is much easier in Southamerica. Average people are much more interesting as well
- Women: Hot and easy in both parts as well, I still prefer latinas though
- Language: It doesn't take several years to learn a new language. After a few weeks in southamerica I could have basic conversations and after 3 month fluent ones. Spanish is easy to learn and you will be forced to learn, since not many people speak English. Just stick to non-english-speaking girls the first few weeks and you will be fine soon. In Asia most of the people you want to spend time with it do speak decent English anyway, so you will be fine. But yea, makes still sense to learn the language, which will be harder
- Lifestyle: I know the "life" in mining towns and after a month there you probably just want to live a hedonistic life. I would choose southamerica for this. Personally I choose Thailand at the moment, because I believe that there is much more to learn here. Great food and sport, completely different culture. I hate religions but I believe that buddhism philosophy has many good influences on people (a lot of weird ones as well obviously).
- Cost of living: Higher in southamerica, but probably cheaper flights for you and not to much to worry about anyway

conclusion: you can have a great time everywhere. asia takes more time to settle down and to make quality friends and is better for self-improvement. southamerica could be much more fun due to crazy and outgoing people.

sidenote: i thought i finally really felt in love with thai women. till i saw this colombian chick one week ago... latinas are still another league.

Post: #37

(07-03-2013 09:56 PM)libertad1312 Wrote:  I hate religions but I believe that buddhism philosophy has many good influences on people (a lot of weird ones as well obviously).

I'm wary not exactly of religions, but of people who think they have "transcendental knowledge", meaning knowledge of things from a special messenger which is all powerful.

This means if Allah, or God, or whoever claims to hear them, wants you dead it's OK to kill you because the Divine Ruler said so.

Buddha is a notably different case, although adherents can always distort something and end up persecuting people for some abstract bullshit.

I have no real idea how Thais follow Buddhism in everyday life, I don't think most people anywhere have the capability to really analyze philosophical schools.

Buddha himself more or less specifically denied "special knowledge"; As Buddha originally expressed it, it is much more a philosophy of life than a religion with insiders, outsiders, and the outsiders lacking the "special knowledge" (accepting Christ etc, Mohammed, etc.) . Here is a quote attributed to him:

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
― Gautama Buddha

Another good quote from Shunryu Suzuki, a Zen Buddhist, when asked what is the basic idea of Buddhism, he said "Everything changes."

Post: #38

As retired U.S. military, looks like the Philippines is the place. There are Space-A military flights out of Clark to Guam, Okinawa and Singapore now. That is only going to increase now that the Empire is going back to Subic and Clark with the Pacific shift. You can get back to the USA for a $10 processing fee. They also have a VA clinic and retired military affairs office in Manila.