Thread: From Laos to Turkey - A Christmas story :)

Originally Posted by Bonecollector

Who is this massive twat

A sock for sure. Another thread complaining about how newbs have their post previewed. Also complained he sees to much "vulgar language" well he cant see it as its in Members and the Dog House. Socka rooty.

Delving further into your move and the change in migration policy made by the Mauritians that has facilitated it, I see that the initiative came about as recently as 2020/21. They were concerned it seems at the shrinking population and stagnation of growth which was seen as a brake on GDP, innovation and expansion. Your optimism is indeed well placed.
Do they stipulate a health insurance policy as a prerequisite to gaining settlement?

Also, what are their pork sausages like?

Just asking for a friend.

Careful Simon, dont hype the place up too much or you'll have Seeking Sausages as your new neighbour

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

...
Do they stipulate a health insurance policy as a prerequisite to gaining settlement?
...
Just asking for a friend.

Yes, you need to show 'adequate' health insurance cover for the year, including Covid cover.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Also, what are their pork sausages like?

Just asking for a friend.

Originally Posted by Simon43

Yes, you need to show 'adequate' health insurance cover for the year, including Covid cover.

Scrutiny of the various websites and their Economic Development Board's guidance notes do not specify such a requirement, as far as I can see. Where is it mentioned? Mauritius, in common with several other states including the LoS, requires any visitor to have a health insurance policy but residents and citizens are excluded. In case anyone else not able to maintain their settlement here in Thailand thinks Mauritius might be a good fit for them this is clearly an important point not least because with advancing age many are de facto uninsurable.

Mauritius is attractive but in the final analysis it is quite isolated ( South Africa's cities are simply too lawless for jaunts and their people are generally too awful, " I never met a South African I didn't like " as the ditty goes ) and too small for any lengthy sojourn being no bigger than, say, Yorkshire - imagine being corralled there for years ......"the horror, the horror". Also, as a demerit Mauritius is a place one goes to and not through on their way to elsewhere and therefore flights are quite expensive from practically anywhere civilised, the average cost of an economy ticket is generally north of £1,200 irrespective of season.

Did you not consider the Canaries as a viable alternative? Siting yourself in, say, Fuerteventura permits a fine bolthole with year round warmth, cheap rentals and easy access to civilisation whenever the whim takes you, at negligible cost? The climate there is perhaps the best in the world, the variety of the food on offer is extensive, the local authorities are laidback, crime is negligible and the cross section of folk visiting and resident would probably ensure you might score well in the shagging stakes.

Mauritius is very much a refuge for bourgeois white South African Boers and Uitlanders which would probably be a dealbreaker for me - a ghastly, bigoted and dogmatic species if ever there was one and that execrable accent of theirs!

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

Did you not consider the Canaries as a viable alternative? Siting yourself in, say, Fuerteventura permits a fine bolthole with year round warmth, cheap rentals and easy access to civilisation whenever the whim takes you, at negligible cost? The climate there is perhaps the best in the world

A friend lived and worked in the Canaries for a decade. When she returned to the UK she was so pleased that it was damp and green because she'd grown very tired of the desert-like climate of the Canaries that regularly leaves a film of sandy dust everywhere. She later relocated to Madeira which is not only greener and more pleasant than the Canaries but is only a short hop from the capital city of Lisbon when one needs some larger urban action.

So in Europe for me it's Madeira Portugal, and in Asia it's Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo with its majority Christian and highly diverse population (with KK in Sabah as a backup plan).

Originally Posted by Simon43

To enter Mauritius, the immigration department requires 'travel and health' insurance for the period of your stay, which includes Covid cover. I had to produce this document when I entered the country.

I think Sausages is implying that as you age the cost of self insurance becomes prohibitive if not unobtainable, does PR mean you don't need your own health cover?

Originally Posted by Simon43

To enter Mauritius, the immigration department requires 'travel and health' insurance for the period of your stay, which includes Covid cover. I had to produce this document when I entered the country.

.

Indeed, and in order to submit an application for retiree you first enter on a tourist visa for which you require health insurance inclusive of COVID cover. There is no mention of a requirement to hold a policy for your subsequent in-country application to remain as a retired person. Which was my point.
As far as I can discern from their guidance the health side of things is limited to confirmation that you are not contagious with nasty stuff ie. infected with HIV, Hep B, Leprosy etc and that you can pass a medical exam. showing you are not dying from cancer, a diseased heart or that you are not flying with the pixies as a moondancer.

I understand there are now over a thousand plus settled South Africans in Mu. and with the re-opening of borders and the relaxation of the income threshold the buggers will be investing heavily - they love buying houses there and Mu wants the property investment they bring. With a falling indigenous population, 50% of which earn subsistence wages, its all 'lovely jubbly' for the government.

Having watched some 'relocate to Mauritius' videos on Youtube, it does seem that the government is relaxing the requirements to live in Mauritius on all visa types, whether it be retirement, work, study or investing in property. Interesting...



For me, early days, but so far very good Down at the beach or in my swimming pool between my lessons.

Originally Posted by Simon43

Down at the beach or in my swimming pool between my lessons.

Being an isolated island in the middle of an ocean, what are the number of shark attacks like?

As I said before, the population for the first time in living memory is dwindling and the economy is beginning to stagnate with an ever greater proportion of its people now approaching retirement, a senescence that is now being distinguished by rampant diabetes etc.

The other issue, briefly alluded to by you, is the use of drugs by a significant proportion of the lower end of their society. This social disease is exacerbated by the problem that half the population are not accruing wealth and 10% are unemployed.

Mauritius was a country that on gaining independence swiftly became a migration state in that its people emigrated for work elsewhere creating a diaspora, chiefly to the UK, US and France. Now that the luxury tourist destination market has to be split so many ways with competitors, Mauritius had to wake up and see the future as it is going to be. The current sea change in policies sees them grasping nettles but the inevitable is coming: they will have to expand that tourist base and target the masses. Flights are too expensive and this can only be addressed by competition.

I've met many Mauritians in my time but I have to say, none signalled a desire to return to the motherland for their twilight years.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Being an isolated island in the middle of an ocean, what are the number of shark attacks like?

None, it is an island pretty much surrounded by reefs.

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

As I said before, the population for the first time in living memory is dwindling and the economy is beginning to stagnate with an ever greater proportion of its people now approaching retirement, a senescence that is now being distinguished by rampant diabetes etc.

The other issue, briefly alluded to by you, is the use of drugs by a significant proportion of the lower end of their society. This social disease is exacerbated by the problem that half the population are not accruing wealth and 10% are unemployed.

Mauritius was a country that on gaining independence swiftly became a migration state in that its people emigrated for work elsewhere creating a diaspora, chiefly to the UK, US and France. Now that the luxury tourist destination market has to be split so many ways with competitors, Mauritius had to wake up and see the future as it is going to be. The current sea change in policies sees them grasping nettles but the inevitable is coming: they will have to expand that tourist base and target the masses. Flights are too expensive and this can only be addressed by competition.

I've met many Mauritians in my time but I have to say, none signalled a desire to return to the motherland for their twilight years.

Having lived in Phuket for many years, I find Mauritius very similar >> nice beaches, nice climate, modern shopping centres, youth drug problem, diabetes (as you say, Mauritius has a much higher rate), low crime rate in most areas.

From hearsay, (no experience yet), and reference to transparancy.org, some differences are that corruption is very low when compared to Thailand.

As to tourism, the location does indeed make it more difficult to attract tourists from nearby countries, 'cos there aren't any nearby countries. I can see India as a good target, particularly due to the ethnicity of many locals on the island.

For me, my only concern nowadays is me, me, me (because I wasted too much time and $ on you, you, you). Me, me, me means that I decide where to live, what to do, and how to spend my money, (which might be helping educational charities in Myanmar and Laos). What goes on nowadays outside my 'bubble' is mostly irrelevant to me

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

As I said before, the population for the first time in living memory is dwindling and the economy is beginning to stagnate with an ever greater proportion of its people now approaching retirement, a senescence that is now being distinguished by rampant diabetes etc.

The other issue, briefly alluded to by you, is the use of drugs by a significant proportion of the lower end of their society. This social disease is exacerbated by the problem that half the population are not accruing wealth and 10% are unemployed.

Mauritius was a country that on gaining independence swiftly became a migration state in that its people emigrated for work elsewhere creating a diaspora, chiefly to the UK, US and France. Now that the luxury tourist destination market has to be split so many ways with competitors, Mauritius had to wake up and see the future as it is going to be. The current sea change in policies sees them grasping nettles but the inevitable is coming: they will have to expand that tourist base and target the masses. Flights are too expensive and this can only be addressed by competition.

I've met many Mauritians in my time but I have to say, none signalled a desire to return to the motherland for their twilight years.

Always look on the bright tide of life SA. Just because yours seems to have been blighted, especially by your attitude to others, does not mean that others don’t have a right to make the choices that suit them.

Originally Posted by thaigrrr

Consider this as a piece of friendly straight talking advice...
I don't really buy your comments above Simon.
You have a long track record of putting on a brave face in adversity.
A few weeks ago Nth Cyprus was the promised land, then the Turkish coast, now Mauritius apparently.
You are evidently an intelligent and educated person. At the same time seemingly lacking in basic planning skills.
As for your 'bubble' - given that you travel alone, I'm not sure which bubble you consider yourself to exist in? - The Thai forum bubbles perhaps?
You say "Me, me, me means that I decide where to live, what to do, and how to spend my money", but the truth is you are ricocheting around the world in search of the cheapest option, with very little choice in the matter.

Whether we like it or not, money brings the ability to choose, and you have acknowledged that the Thai financial stipulations for foreigners, modest as they are, are beyond your means.
This may sound harsh, but the truth is I do have some respect for you, otherwise I wouldn't take the time to respond.
Unless you are expecting to inherit a lot of money, or win the lottery, the UK welfare state would seem to be a real likelihood in your retirement.

Getting an Irish passport will not help a lot if you can't afford to live in the EU without a UK state pensions top up (which is only available in the UK of course).
And that's how you started this latest saga if I remember correctly - you consider the EU to be too expensive for you.

Now I remember the phrase that flashes in my mind when I read your posts.

"What a fcukin TWAT!"

You are all doom and gloom, whereas I am an optimistic guy. I make plans, and if there are reasons why I can't continue with those plans (North Cyprus didn't issue a radio ham licence, Turkey winter was bad for my health), then I change my plans so that they suit the most important person in my life >>> me.

You twist my comments. Thailand is not beyond my means, but I have no intention of sticking my hard-earned 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account. Mauritius is the richest country in Africa, yet I still seem to have the money to afford an almost beach-side house with a swimming pool...

Your posts are just full of pessimistic drivel! I thank my god that I don't have to sit in a bar listening to your depressing verbal crap......

Please.... don't reply to my posts.. block me if you can.... save my eyes from having to read your total shite!

I'd just like to agree with Simon here.


And also to not that the newbie joined in December so obv isn't a newbie so should probably go the same way as Deeks etc.

Originally Posted by thaigrrr

modest as they are, are beyond your means.

24K USD in the bank is modest? Perhaps "modest" is a matter of perspective.

Originally Posted by thaigrrr

I've never understood why some people need to publicise their difficulties to strangers on internet forums.

One might question what you think a forum is fucking for then.

And if you feel the need to tell me your business is legitimate it probably isn't

Armstrong (not a pervert)

Face facts Thaigrrr, you are boring, predictable and a troll. What is it to you if I fly around the world or screw up my life? Try telling us something interesting about your life instead, something that doesn't have us snoring in the aisles.

(Simon shakes head at how twatish and boring some people are, and goes off to face-fcuk Candi...)

Don't be too hard on the girl

Had a look at some pics of Mauritius before and it looks ruddy beautiful.
Paradise on earth, clears seas and pristine coral reefs.
Good on ya Simon.

Originally Posted by Joe 90

looks ruddy beautifu

Indeed but remember Simon will have lie in a sunny hammock with some dusky Maiden nipples like gherkins tugging his todger yet be unable to pop down to a Pie Shop in Diddlesbury , A pint of warm Boddie's in a steamy Manchester Ale House or the delights of Morrisons Stoke -on- someone's got to put in the hours.

PS De Bruynes screamer was a well deserved clincher and seals the PL tighter than Deek's beak

Originally Posted by david44

Indeed but remember Simon will have lie in a sunny hammock with some dusky Maiden nipples like gherkins tugging his todger yet be unable to pop down to a Pie Shop in Diddlesbury , A pint of warm Boddie's in a steamy Manchester Ale House or the delights of Morrisons Stoke -on- someone's got to put in the hours.

PS De Bruynes screamer was a well deserved clincher and seals the PL tighter than Deek's beak

It's not over till the fat bus driver is singing