Alternative Retirement Locations

[retired]

From time to time one finds posts from expats looking for options to residing in the Philippines . Maybe the relationship didn't work out , they are just tired of dealing with the system or whatever . Options tend to center around other Asian locations but not always . Happened to run into the one linked below . Maybe a thread starts that includes others as well .

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/best-place-retire-overseas-budget-163750049.html

[earthdome]

My older brother has been to Cuenca, Ecuador several times and spoke very highly of it. I may go there to visit with my brother the next time he goes. Cuenca seems to have everything except for one important thing, those lovely Filipina's!

[i am bob]

Equidor is a nice place but, dollar for dollar, I think the Philippines is still a much better choice. IMHO the author of the artical (link) was either biased or just wanted to get an artical out that nobody else had written before. Having been to Equidor several times, I can honestly say that, though the medical care is good, it is nowhere as good as Canada or the US (my 2 reference points). Remember - this is one of the favorite locations to attain a paper "Medical Degree". Anyone who is any good is in the "big city" in private practice and not available for many months at a time. In the Philippines, there are doctors and hospitals that are comparable to home. Food is cheap and good both places. As I was travelling, I obviously relied on public transit - and never found anything as cheap as mentioned in the artical. In fact the taxis often don't have meters and tell you after the drive is over what the fare is - by how long it took I suppose. Housing is NOT the same in both places - and you don't get what you pay for! The price for an apartment mentioned is more in line with an outhouse. A friend of mine still lives in Equidor (though he is thinking of leaving) and pays $800 a month for a lesser apartment than mine which I pay $600 for in Canada - and he is in a dump in a less desireable neighbourhood! In the Philippines his rent would be much cheaper than what I'm paying in Canada! And did I mention - for you single guys - the women? Very latino and hot-blooded - and do not hesitate to let you know that they are the boss! Not all but most of the ones I have met on over 7 trips there and a total of 19 months in country plus 2 other trips before my retirement! And not at all like in the Philippines!

Equidor was on my list of places to retire to and, after doing my research and discovering the Philippines and it's benefits, I don't see any comparison - it's Philippines hands down! Of course you are allowed to disagree with me... But you'd be wrong!

:mocking:

[Old55]

:th_thbestpost:

[JJReyes]

The piece on Cuenca, Ecuador is by Kathleen Peddicord, founder of the "Live and Invest Overseas" publishing group. More than 15 years ago, my plan was to publish the "Live & Retire in Hawaii" guide for seniors with dreams of becoming the future publisher for "Live & Retire in Arizona," "Live & Retire in Florida," etc. After accumulating more than 3,000 pages of research on Hawaii, the project was set aside for a more lucrative venture and it was never revived.

Peddicord's writing style indicates to me the possibility that she may not be actually visiting the retirement destinations. It's very superficial and the information is available from other guide publications. I learned during the period of my research that "borrowing" information is quite common. For example, many guides mention that the Contemporary Museum of Arts in Honolulu is free to the public every Wednesday. One guide mistakenly wrote this and others copied. The museum director told me this misinformation is the cause of so much irritation among visitors to Hawaii that the museum is permitting free entrance whenever a visitor quotes a guide as an authoritative source. (We try to be nice to visitors.)

For the "overseas retirement care" website, each facility has a slide show. The last frame is my picture as proof that I actually visited the place. My associate and Manila representative, Don Gordon Bell will do the same whenever he visits a facility to add to the website.

Going back to Cuenca, there is a book of drawings done by someone from the Ayala family. My wife flipped through the last "Not For Sale" copy at the Ayala Museum in Makati. She really likes it. "Cuenca" is a limited edition and out-of-print at the time of her visit. I plan to check several bookstores in Manila to ask if there are copies, assuming they printed a second edition. Unfortunately, most sales clerks just look you in the eye and say, "Out-of-stock." rather than make the effort.

[scott h]

I visited my brother a couple of times in Panama (stationed there). Lovely place, nice people, good food, most folks speak english, like americans, they still use the dollar as currency, good medical (he and his wife had all 3 of their kids there) and naturally lost of pretty gals. pretty mild climate, cost of living about on par with the american south. Would consider it as an option if i was married to a Panamanian gal.

[Curley]

I visited my brother a couple of times in Panama (stationed there). Lovely place, nice people, good food, most folks speak english, like americans, they still use the dollar as currency, good medical (he and his wife had all 3 of their kids there) and naturally lost of pretty gals. pretty mild climate, cost of living about on par with the american south. Would consider it as an option if i was married to a Panamanian gal.

Panama was on my list of possible retirement places, they have the best retirement package of anywhere, they really make an effort to get retirees. Apart from the new section of the capital city (and that is small) I did not find anywhere that I liked enough to put down my roots. There are some housing communities and a few golf courses with housing but little else to do. Girls? yes there were some but the actual numbers were not great and overall the looks were nothing special apart from a few stunners, I actually went out with an ex Miss Panama who at 40 years old looked 28 and was fabulous. Thailand and Philippines give far more choice of places to live and people to live with.

[KanoJoe]

I visited my brother a couple of times in Panama (stationed there). Lovely place, nice people, good food, most folks speak english, like americans, they still use the dollar as currency, good medical (he and his wife had all 3 of their kids there) and naturally lost of pretty gals. pretty mild climate, cost of living about on par with the american south. Would consider it as an option if i was married to a Panamanian gal.

I like Panama quite a bit, except for the fact that the USD is the de facto currency, so no leverage on exchange rates. Friendly, safe and you can live there on either end of the economic spectrum. I know several American expats that had been living in Costa Rica, then relocated to Panama for all the usual reasons.

Personally, I have a weakness for Colombia having spent quite a bit of time there and in fact, married a Colombiana from Villavicencio. We lived in Bogota and then Cartagena for a number of years. My only mistake was bringing her to the US. Back on topic, I could live in Cartagena, Medellin, Bogota or Cali in a heartbeat. The only problem is I now have a strong affinity for Asian women, so South / Central America is off the list for retirement locations.

[Campero]

Hello,

I have been thinking about Argentina and I will let you know sometime early next year after I take an extended vacation there with my partner (Pinay).

Advantages that I see are that you can own property there, and you can own firearms. Plus, from what my Spanish friends tell me, its just like living in Europe but a hell of a lot cheaper.

Check out some property ads there and you may be surprised.

I hope to post the outcome of our trip. We have been planning on going to Argentina for two years now.

Regards,

Campero

[Dave Hounddriver]

I have been thinking about Argentina

I thought about it. My good friend who married an Argentinian girl says its a great place to retire but learning Spanish is a MUST, according to him. That lets me out.