@ Kakugo
Thanks for the info once again - Chile sounds like the way to go, of course I plan on doing all of my world exploring very soon.
@ shackleford
Yes but based on the “official response” the Obamanation Administration gave out as a retort to the secession petitions, you get the feeling that to make secession a reality would bring about a second civil war.
I have been to Africa and I would recommend it only to my personal enemies (who wouldn’t ask me for recommendations wink). The whole continent has actually got much worse since the '90s under all points of view and the only island of stability (and sanity), South Africa, is melting away. I will never set foot there again, no matter how much money I am offered or even if Charlize Theron offers me a date.
Morocco is fairly stable and affluent (for an African country). They have not much a history of violence or instability. Morocco has an impressive culture and great natural scenery. The standards of living has continuously improved. Quite a few Europeans live there during the winters - especially the French.
Strange, as I’ve always heard Botswana was Africa’s golden gem, with Morocco there as well as Al stated. Just the history alone is enough to make me want to visit Morocco, a place I’ve long thought of as the definition of exotic.
Botswana was, for much of the latter half of the 20th century, the world’s fastest growing economy. Their dire poverty led to a culture of fiscal restraint then they found diamonds. or something like that.
Meistro, I thought it was countries that were rich in natural resources that had the most problem with corruption and tyranny.
Pretty sure problems with tyranny are universal; some tyrants get better press.
Why do you dislike it so much?
@Kakugo - thank you! Your replies never disappoints 
Where do I start about my experience with Africa?
Let’s start at the airport, where immigration and custom officers will make your life miserable for starter. They turn up to check passports when they feel like it (meaning you have to spend lots of time in no man’s land) and the less we talk about baggage control procedures, the better. If there’s a charter plane full of tourists coming, you can rest assured the tour operator has some “special agreements” which means your luggage will slip to the back of the queue. So far so good, these are common irritations when traveling by air, just a bit more extreme than usual.
Then we get to the hotel. The sign of a good hotel in Africa is the number and quality of the security personnel: those in Tanzania are usually top notch since they mostly hire Masai who are honest, alert and very smart. In Kenya most hotels have very shaky security: guards are easily bribed and will melt away at the first sign of danger. Now: security in Africa is not an extra hotels throw in to make guests feel more comfortable. As The Clash sang back in the '70s (about Jamaica) “Every white face is an invitation to robbery”. Just a few weeks ago my village baker’s nephew was seriously wounded during a hotel robbery in Kenya. Security had completely disappeared even before the attack began.
Then there’s corruption. In Africa is not as the same as in Asia or the Middle East. In those places prices and fees are “all inclusive” (nudge nudge, wink wink) and usually open to barter. Haggle a bit and both parts will be satisfied. Not in Africa: you get pestered for more money at every turn and it’s never enough. As I am fond to say “A honest bureaucrat is one that, when bought, will stay bought”. Personally I have nothing against bribes, but I consider them a form of verbal contract. I pay you to speed up this process and you do it, end of story.
Let’s talk about racism now. Racism in Africa is not the kindergarten variety we have in the West. If you are white (or yellow, or even light brown), you are not welcome there, and people will make you feel unwanted at every turn. I am told people living in rural areas tend to be different (a guest is a guest regardless of skin color) but, let’s be honest: unless you are prospecting or going on a safari you won’t leave urban areas.
Finally there’s the widespread misery. I have been to the Eastern Bloc in the heydays of the Cold War. I have been to the Palestinian settlements in the West Banks. None of them had the misery you find in Africa. It’s something that goes far beyond mere material poverty and I cannot exactly explain it. This is what scared me the most about Africa. I’d gladly go back to the West Banks but I would never set a foot again in Africa, even if it becomes a Chinese colony.
you might want to check this out
I actually have a friend who’s living in China right now who is a British-South African (originally from GB but grew up in Johannesburg) and he said he hated every minute of it.
@Kakugo - Thailand does seem to be the best option (in Asia). Thank you for your input.
Does anyone else have any experience with Thailand? The people, the culture, starting up a business there, etc?
I’ve read that Malaysia is better than Thailand or Singapore. It of course isn’t a “Third World” country, though.
@shackleford - can you please elaborate on Malaysia? Business aspect, people, culture, etc?
@ Kakugo
What would be a way to get to stay in Chile, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. (what would be the industry to get in to).
Also, when you say that Singapore is the place to go if you’re looking to get the most amount of money in the least amount of time, are you saying in terms of starting up your own Singapore-based business (even if you’re a foreigner) or taking a job there?
rosstaylor,
I just remember reading a website awhile back that said Malyasia is more friendly to Americans (whites) than Thailand. It’s also a bit more modern, has affordably decent medical care, etc.
Chile has a very healthy demand for people with scientific and technical skills to train people down there and/or help them to get up to speed. Last time I checked there was a very strong demand for people from an engineering background who can use/write CAD and CAM programs. People trained in advanced aerospace maintenance (last generations FADEC etc) are also in very high demand both to run maintenance themselves and train local personnel.
Hong Kong is a bit of a nutcase. There isn’t strong demand for a single particular job but the appetite for qualified manpower, especially in marketing, IT and banking, is very consistent.
Singapore… opportunities for big bucks are strong both if you start/move your business there and if you take up a job there. Obviosuly working for a company such as Siemens or Microsoft (which curiously/tellingly enough always has a ton of vacancies in Singapore) cuts the need for initial capital to a minimum but as we all know can be much less rewarding.
Okay. I know Hong Kong has a vibrant film industry, and that’s the kind of industry I’d like to get in to, and I know there’s probably opportunities with dubbing and the like, and foreign distribution. A pocket idea of mine was to actually go overseas and get into a seperate industry like the tech industry and use paychecks to finance independent films, but that’s just an idea right now.
Thanks once again for the great info.
I also like Chile but let’s say things turn out for the worst and one decides to stay in Chile permanently and becomes a citizen - doesn’t Chile require that all of its citizens report their incomes worldwide as well? I am not quite sure on this, but I do recall reading about this somewhere. Chile is the most developed nation in south america, and I do really like that fact.
Hong Kong and Singapore are great choices to live, albeit they are quite small…the last time I checked, the population density is quite high and not to mention the way their work culture (not enough work/famliy life balance) and real estate prices. Wouldn’t Hong Kong’s economy be affected by the burst of the real estate bubble and China’s economy?
I really like Thailand and Malaysia, beautiful countries, less populated, friendly people, and very affordable living. Although those new frontier’s markets were mentioned earlier (Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar) are quite attractive as well. Perhaps someone else here has some experiences in those new frontier markets and would like to share some facts with us?