[jayko]

(02-06-2016 09:20 PM)GoodT Wrote:  

@jayko
Interesting to read your post.

Eastern Malaysia. I am used to loud mouthed, chaotic Muslims, like in Africa. But Kota Baru is silent and organized. One guy closely tried to run me over with a car there. Almost a little creepy place for an outsider.

But you are friendly of course. Thanks for valuable comments, I appreciate. I also made good friends in Kota Baru. I think one girl, alone in the street there, was flirting with me, but the only part of her body visible was a narrow square around her eyes. She seemed attractive though.

I also sometimes wonder how high the "level" would be in Malaysia if they hadn't stumbled over oil. Now the Malays, Indians, Chinese are barely kept together by Islam and a feeling of belonging to a select few since they can own a car and fill it up with gas @ 50 c/liter Ok I'm joking and guessing a little here. You can correct me. I am no expert on Malaysia. But I strongly feel I will never be accepted in a Muslim country and have therefore temporarily ruled out Malaysia for settling, even though visa regulations etc are good.

KLIA (airport) is super modern and could receive the loads of tourists the government hopes to attract. But when I have passed through, few planes have been moving and the big buildings were not filled with passengers. Those are just impressions, but I guess you just can't build a Pattaya or Phuket in a Muslim country. The boardwalks of Taman Negara only attract a certian number of two week honeymooners. But of course, some foreigners decide to settle in Malaysia with an easily obtainable retirement visa.

Naturally much depends on what kind of relation you seek. Looking for pay for play in a strictly Muslim country is doomed. I remember disastrous attempts to look for massage in Penang and Kuching. KL is probably too big for me to consider settling in. But well organized.

I feel I have bridged much of the gap to Buddhist countries but will never be accepted in Muslim culture.

Singapore is too expensive and too crowded for me. I often stay in Chinatowns, like in KL, but I even avoided Chinatown in Singapore last time and stayed in Little India. I did so trying to avoid the strong disrespect against people with northern European (and probably many other) looks. I am not sure it helped. You see this disrespect towards foreigner in many places in Singapore and elsewhere in Asia. More where Chinese culture is heavy, like in f.ex Singapore.

And it is not only about normal respect. It is about being able to hold an ordinary discussion with people. The culturally formed differences in opinion just make the discussion more fun if respect exists. I have had such discussions many times in China and occasionally (seldom) even with Muslims, when I met the right people.

Of course cultural level is high in EE. It feels good if the girl and you can laugh at the same kind of jokes. But I am not sure I need a girl that knows history, philosophy, plays chess ... Definitely not for short time relation. Maybe not even for someone I hope will take care of me as I get old. It might even be "too much" if she knows more than I do and flaunts it

As you get older you get softer. I don't mind a Pinaya putting a picture in Facebook of Jollibee fastfood and posting "Thank you for the meal". Those girls know what a guy appreciates.

If I decide on a girl in SEA, I may keep myself busy working on learning her language.

EE guys more straight forward than Asians. They live in a high culture society with developed economy, and can therefore feel relaxed, maybe. Physically those guys are big and have no inferiority complex, fortunately they are friendly. At least Slavic guys seem friendly I think. I am not sure about Serbs and Balkan. (I may not use "Slavic" correctly here.)

I agree with what you write about compatible characters. Also the difference between city and rural area regarding development. Thai people have bridged that to some extent. Also Malaysians more than surrounding countries I think.

Corruption is rampant in Asia. But a foreigner, paying guesthouses, paying visas, chasing girls, does not see it as much as you and other locals do when you "make business and meet authorities".

Many good points in your post jayko. Being exotic is an important factor. After long time in Asia I now start looking back on European girls that I haven't met for long time.

After mant years here I feel more comfortable in SEA than in northern Europe. I will not provide an easy ticket to Europe for the girl, not in the near future at least. I will stay abroad.

My decision now is to live abroad as long as possible. Maybe until the need for (free) medicare forces me back to my country in northern Europe.

Thanks for a good post jayko.

Thanks for the replies that have come and hopefully willl come. I must get on the move a little. I will read all with great interest but my replies may be a little delayed.

Where is a good place to settle? Naturally very individual, of course. But the factors involved can be discussed.

I never travelled to Muslim country, coming from from Muslim nation, it is a lesson learnt to stay out from it.
Kota Bahru is in muslim dominant state and practises syahriah law. best is to stay of those muslim majority states.

As you are awared off , they are many ethnics here, in eastern Malaysia, they are majority aboriginal which are Christian, and Chinese is
2nd biggest majority ethnic, Muslim is less compare to Pennisular Malaysia. Oils for sure is the major pillar of the economy beside agricultural,
and others (Minerals, Timber, light industries). Oils is cheap here, but the price fluctuate according to market price. as of now, Diesel is the
cheapest, it is U$0.3245/litre, every country that want you in is after your money, that is the universal law. But one thing is certain.
Malaysia is a race based country without a question. If you are non-Malay Muslim, that mean you are auto relegated to third class citizen.
2nd class citizen reserved for Muslim foreigner. so that pretty much ruled out anyone who are foreigner and non-muslim here.

In my entire time, I guess I have only been to KLIA twice, LCCT twice at most, there is no business for me to travel to that part of the world, I was
in Singapore most of the time. you can't build the Thailand equivalent of Pattaya or Phuket in Malaysia, not only because it is a Muslim country,
But it is runs by crony capitalists. Where Thailand is open the foreign investor and making themselves the detroit is the SEA. Malaysia is the opposite, protective towards its own Auto industries, it doesn't encourage
competition but shielding businesses with protective laws that can only survive inside test tubes. Guess I have painted much of the negative light here,
But that is fact. I certainly do not see myself staying long term here which explained I am sourcing for better alternative places to migrate.

When I first visited Singapore, it was late 90s, population was at 3 Millions +/-, when I left last year, it was 5 Millions +, their forever chasing of GDP number
is going to ruin this country, with high influx of foreigners that share no cultures with the locals much less any possibility to integrate. with big populations,
metro system is having frequent breakdown, public housing price rocketed through the roof, car ownership is a symbol of status, landed property is next to impossible. basically
Singapore is playground for tycoons. As for your experience in Singapore, I m not sure why such stuffs happened to you, basically the chicks treat white as their trophy bf.
I am pretty sure, most people here do feel the same. In what sense you felt disrespect? maybe you can elaborate a little?

I find that most chicks couldn't careless with philosophy, economy or world affairs, much of the hype has been centre around drama, fashion if not reality tv. Current education and the MSM
playing a big part in creating this dumb down serfs which serve the best interest of rulling elites. Talk to any girl on Federal Reserve, my bet is probably only one out of ten know what that really is.

I find that a wife-to-be has to be on the same frequency and hence able to hold ordinary discussion pertaining to family issues,financial planning, kids future and stuffs.
As you get older you get softer, I am not sure that is applicable to me, I am in my late 30s, as one get older, you gain financial independent and broader world view, that make you in position to leverage and
not settle for anything below your expectation. I don't know much on pinoy, but in Singapore, there are mostly working as maids. the local tend to paint them in negative light. Weekend in Orchard Road
you get to see Pinoy maid with Bangladesh boy friends hanging out all over the places. it doesn't help much either for sure. As an Asian, I m more gravitated towards Europe, I have no interest
in visiting SEA countries, nor any Asia countries except for HK and China.

One thing for sure, Chicks from less developed countries always looking to marry up as a way to escape poverty and some even abuse it. Now that men have learnt it and would naturally ask, what can they bring to the table?
if she ain't bringing anything, it is just another case of pump and dump.

As what other have suggested in this thread, EE is your best bet, but may I ask which part of the world you are currently in?

Glad to learn some life experience and sharing it with the community here, and not to worry, feel free to reply when you are available and Thanks for your informative reply. Cheers.