Why DR continued......

Jaws2003

Member
Mar 31, 2016
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Hello Everyone,

I was looking through the threads and seeing if my question could be answered that I was thinking about and I found one. Thanks to that person who posted the thread here : https://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/173790-Why-The-DR

I didn't want to high-jack the thread from the poster so I started my own. I get a feeling on here that a lot of people are well traveled and I want to know something a little more specialized if they can answer it. On paper DR is a good place for me. Close to Florida, Cheaper flights, I can speak Spanish, I can own land if I desire(Might be a paperwork nightmare), Chance to have another citizenship(Might be another paperwork nightmare). What I want to know is from my fellow forum members who have traveled to Asia especially and anyone who's spent time in N. Africa if there are any. What made you choose the Dominican Republic over Asia or N. Africa? On paper and from my travels to the Philippines it looks like there is more potential for international travel in Asia(but less chance to own land or citizenship) compared to the DR and able to be immersed in other cultures. Same with N. Africa.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,087
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At one time, before my second wife died who was from Sri Lanka, I was going to retire to Sri Lanka. We bought land on the ocean north of Colombo and had an architect draw up plans. But with her passing, I did not follow through on moving there alone.

I can say the food would have been 10,000 times better.

I probably would have had 24/7 power from day one. It took until last year for my location to get that in the DR.

It would have been so much more difficult to visit the US, but then I would have had little reason to do so with all of my family now gone. The land was purchased through Sri Lankan family with a 99 year lease, so you are correct that land ownerhsip is an issue in other countries.

The DR does not currently have cheap flights to the USA unless you are willing perhaps to try and travel from Punta Cana. Certainly the flights are not cheap, are limited and have bad connections from Puerto Plata and have gotten much worse over time.

I would never have considered Africa as a place to live, but that is just me.
 

Jaws2003

Member
Mar 31, 2016
106
0
16
At one time, before my second wife died who was from Sri Lanka, I was going to retire to Sri Lanka. We bought land on the ocean north of Colombo and had an architect draw up plans. But with her passing, I did not follow through on moving there alone.

I can say the food would have been 10,000 times better.

I probably would have had 24/7 power from day one. It took until last year for my location to get that in the DR.

It would have been so much more difficult to visit the US, but then I would have had little reason to do so with all of my family now gone. The land was purchased through Sri Lankan family with a 99 year lease, so you are correct that land ownerhsip is an issue in other countries.

The DR does not currently have cheap flights to the USA unless you are willing perhaps to try and travel from Punta Cana. Certainly the flights are not cheap, are limited and have bad connections from Puerto Plata and have gotten much worse over time.

I would never have considered Africa as a place to live, but that is just me.

I have always wondered why land ownership is setup in that manner in Asia. Only thing I can come up with is that they want the local population to become landowners. Totally agree on the food. It's wayyy better in Asia for the most part. In my situation I would like to visit the US more since I still have things here to take care of. In regards to cheap flights I am comparing traveling to DR and Asia or Africa. In that sense it is a whole lot cheaper.
 

TropicalPaul

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
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My company has staff in Sri Lanka. Life there seems to be very hard for expats, they are not allowed to work at all and are treated differently to Sri Lankan nationals. And prices seem to have risen quite a lot in recent years. One big advantage of Dominican residency is that once you have it, you have a cedula and you are equal to Dominicans. Foreigners with a little money are very much welcome here and compared to many countries, there really isn't a paperwork nightmare.
 

Jaws2003

Member
Mar 31, 2016
106
0
16
My company has staff in Sri Lanka. Life there seems to be very hard for expats, they are not allowed to work at all and are treated differently to Sri Lankan nationals. And prices seem to have risen quite a lot in recent years. One big advantage of Dominican residency is that once you have it, you have a cedula and you are equal to Dominicans. Foreigners with a little money are very much welcome here and compared to many countries, there really isn't a paperwork nightmare.

That is a good thing positive about having the cedula. That sucks for those expats in Sri Lanka. On the other side I see them wanting to put Sri Lankan people first.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,087
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That is a good thing positive about having the cedula. That sucks for those expats in Sri Lanka. On the other side I see them wanting to put Sri Lankan people first.

Keep in mind that the Tamils, through the terrorist group The Tamil Tigers of Elam, were a huge problem in Sri Lanka. They wanted their own part of the island nation as their own. It was not until an all out war literally forced them with their backs against the ocean that they were beaten down. Imagine if the DR was on an island with two countries :p..

That probably has a lot to do with the nationalism present on Sri Lanka. I do wonder what it would have been like to be there. The food was amazing and I would have had a local support system through my extended family at the time.
 

Jaws2003

Member
Mar 31, 2016
106
0
16
Keep in mind that the Tamils, through the terrorist group The Tamil Tigers of Elam, were a huge problem in Sri Lanka. They wanted their own part of the island nation as their own. It was not until an all out war literally forced them with their backs against the ocean that they were beaten down. Imagine if the DR was on an island with two countries :p..

That probably has a lot to do with the nationalism present on Sri Lanka. I do wonder what it would have been like to be there. The food was amazing and I would have had a local support system through my extended family at the time.

I believe you would have been happy there as well. I don't believe choosing DR was a bad choice at all. I typically go with what place I like the most and is feasible to travel to.
 

KyleMackey

Bronze
Apr 20, 2015
3,126
848
113
Hello Everyone,

I was looking through the threads and seeing if my question could be answered that I was thinking about and I found one. Thanks to that person who posted the thread here : https://dr1.com/forums/showthread.php/173790-Why-The-DR

I didn't want to high-jack the thread from the poster so I started my own. I get a feeling on here that a lot of people are well traveled and I want to know something a little more specialized if they can answer it. On paper DR is a good place for me. Close to Florida, Cheaper flights, I can speak Spanish, I can own land if I desire(Might be a paperwork nightmare), Chance to have another citizenship(Might be another paperwork nightmare). What I want to know is from my fellow forum members who have traveled to Asia especially and anyone who's spent time in N. Africa if there are any. What made you choose the Dominican Republic over Asia or N. Africa? On paper and from my travels to the Philippines it looks like there is more potential for international travel in Asia(but less chance to own land or citizenship) compared to the DR and able to be immersed in other cultures. Same with N. Africa.

I might avoid N. Africa if possible, unless only doing safe tourist stuff but even then multiple terrorist attacks at nice resorts.
88 dead at Sharm el-Sheik, 30 dead Dahab, and more recently 38 dead Sousse Tunisia. 2 Euro women were raped and had their heads chopped off in Morocco while camping hiking a few weeks ago. Asia is massive, lot very safe places lots of very dangerous places.
 

Jaws2003

Member
Mar 31, 2016
106
0
16
I might avoid N. Africa if possible, unless only doing safe tourist stuff but even then multiple terrorist attacks at nice resorts.
88 dead at Sharm el-Sheik, 30 dead Dahab, and more recently 38 dead Sousse Tunisia. 2 Euro women were raped and had their heads chopped off in Morocco while camping hiking a few weeks ago. Asia is massive, lot very safe places lots of very dangerous places.

Yes. I saw the article about the women being decapitated. I can't lie but Morocco was on my list. I was thinking about how those tourist where beheaded. Honestly if I did live in Asia I would want to have my "home base" in the Philippines and explore other Asian countries. Like I said before though on paper DR is a better fit for me. That's why I want to go to Santiago and check it out. Heard a lot of good things about that city.