Guy’s
Reading through some of the posts that mention “Living in Malaysiaâ€
Alternative, living in Malaysia
Good stuff, I would be more interested in the work potential there and the red tape involved in getting work permits and setting up a company.
I spent 2 months in Malaysia a few years back and loved it, there are some great places such as the Perhentian Islands, Pangkor Island, Cameron Highlands and Malacca to name a few.
I spent 2 months in Malaysia a few years back and loved it, there are some great places such as the Perhentian Islands, Pangkor Island, Cameron Highlands and Malacca to name a few.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Hogus
I'm here on a expat work visa so not so sure about all the visa stuff, but before being issued with that i was allowed in for 90 days on a tourist visa (I'm from the UK)
Yip 1RM is worth roughly 10 Baht
There is nice beaches, you need to travel out of KL but you can get to a decent beach with a hour and a bit drive, loads of resorts on the nicer beaches, internal travel by MAS or Air Asia is pretty cheap if you want to venture further a field, also as Buksida says lots of other decent places to visit, Cameron and gentling highlands are way up in the mountains and are loads cooler, normally head up there for a few beers when it to hot in KL, temperatures drop to about 20 C
There is one or two expat that have small buisness's here but they are married to local girls so unsure what like the red tape is but i can ask about and get back to you
cheers
I'm here on a expat work visa so not so sure about all the visa stuff, but before being issued with that i was allowed in for 90 days on a tourist visa (I'm from the UK)
Yip 1RM is worth roughly 10 Baht
There is nice beaches, you need to travel out of KL but you can get to a decent beach with a hour and a bit drive, loads of resorts on the nicer beaches, internal travel by MAS or Air Asia is pretty cheap if you want to venture further a field, also as Buksida says lots of other decent places to visit, Cameron and gentling highlands are way up in the mountains and are loads cooler, normally head up there for a few beers when it to hot in KL, temperatures drop to about 20 C
There is one or two expat that have small buisness's here but they are married to local girls so unsure what like the red tape is but i can ask about and get back to you
cheers
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Guess
- Deceased
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Interesting comments Mack. I am an ex ex-pat from KL also and originated in Singapore but things have changed know. When I was there beers was, if anything, more than the UK but we were only getting 3.5 Ringits to the pound then and I was being paid in pounds which was painful for a year or so. Eating out was the same or less than in some cases than Thailand and there was at least ten times the variety of food. I used to eat Thai food a lot but have never been able to get anything like it in Thailand although it get closer in the south.
On more more recent trips I have found beer to have decreased considerably when compared to London prices. How much of this is a less increase in tax and how much it is because of the exchange rate and the currrent strong pound I do not know. I do remember though at the time ther were only 45 Baht to one pound also. In Penang I can get a bottle of Heineken for 140 Baht (two UK Pounds) in an up market pub. For the same class of pub in London it would be almost three pounds. From memory I found Penang and Langkawi to be expensive compare to KL.
I am here in Thailand Primarily as a means of sometime when everthing is right to get back down to Malaya (as it was when I was there first) which in most ways still feels like home to me. It is also possible that I may be entitled to rights over and above that of EU citizens. I have not checked as the plan is really only at pipe dream stage at the moment. One thing I do know is that the Visa hassle will go forever. That would be a major bonus. I don't drink much beer so the price of beer of no consequence. Any Malysians use Pedang Besar like the Brits use Dover - Calais as a booze cruise even though of course we all know that we are not alowed to drink unless you are Chinese.
BTW the ratio was 55% Chinese t0 45% other (most Muslim Malay) when I was there in the eighties but I knew many familes where the Muslim daughter married a farang or a Chinese man and the Man had to become Muslim, which is easy. That apllies here too in the South. The children are trhen all brought up as Muslims and merge into the society in one or two generations without notice.
On more more recent trips I have found beer to have decreased considerably when compared to London prices. How much of this is a less increase in tax and how much it is because of the exchange rate and the currrent strong pound I do not know. I do remember though at the time ther were only 45 Baht to one pound also. In Penang I can get a bottle of Heineken for 140 Baht (two UK Pounds) in an up market pub. For the same class of pub in London it would be almost three pounds. From memory I found Penang and Langkawi to be expensive compare to KL.
I am here in Thailand Primarily as a means of sometime when everthing is right to get back down to Malaya (as it was when I was there first) which in most ways still feels like home to me. It is also possible that I may be entitled to rights over and above that of EU citizens. I have not checked as the plan is really only at pipe dream stage at the moment. One thing I do know is that the Visa hassle will go forever. That would be a major bonus. I don't drink much beer so the price of beer of no consequence. Any Malysians use Pedang Besar like the Brits use Dover - Calais as a booze cruise even though of course we all know that we are not alowed to drink unless you are Chinese.
BTW the ratio was 55% Chinese t0 45% other (most Muslim Malay) when I was there in the eighties but I knew many familes where the Muslim daughter married a farang or a Chinese man and the Man had to become Muslim, which is easy. That apllies here too in the South. The children are trhen all brought up as Muslims and merge into the society in one or two generations without notice.
[color=blue][size=134]Care in the community success story.[/size][/color]
Shame they don't do that themselves over here! Thank God I married a Thai Buddhist after all!Guess wrote:I knew many familes where the Muslim daughter married a farang or a Chinese man and the Man had to become Muslim, which is easy. That apllies here too in the South. The children are trhen all brought up as Muslims and merge into the society in one or two generations without notice.
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Guess
- Deceased
- Posts: 3470
- Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:01 pm
- Location: BangSaphan. Laurasia. Sub thumb
I was once told that the reason for the rapid increase of Islam was the ease at which you could convert. All you have to do is:
Recognise the existance of Allah (God)
Recognise that Mohammed was his son
Lead a good life
Dont eat pigs.
That has now been overtaken as far as ease of joining is concerned and that religion is the relatively new Pweetaism faith where all you have to do is:
Recognise that anything that lives and moves without being attached to a single spot is food.
This religion is becoming particularly strong in poor countries like Mankyland and Pikeyland where the objects of sexual desire and the livestock can all be stored in a single larder making a considerable saving to building costs.
Recognise the existance of Allah (God)
Recognise that Mohammed was his son
Lead a good life
Dont eat pigs.
That has now been overtaken as far as ease of joining is concerned and that religion is the relatively new Pweetaism faith where all you have to do is:
Recognise that anything that lives and moves without being attached to a single spot is food.
This religion is becoming particularly strong in poor countries like Mankyland and Pikeyland where the objects of sexual desire and the livestock can all be stored in a single larder making a considerable saving to building costs.
[color=blue][size=134]Care in the community success story.[/size][/color]
To remain 'on topic', living in the Malay Peninsular may be similar to where Jaime lives currently. They have already got to grips with the space issue 
If they say Baa, they are one and the same thing!
Even less space required!
objects of sexual desire and the livestock can all be stored in a single larder making a considerable saving to building costs.........
If they say Baa, they are one and the same thing! Even less space required!
If a Yorkshireman puts his hand in his pocket - fret not!
He'll just be checking his ferret.
He'll just be checking his ferret.
100 lb. mammals, all needs met.PeteB wrote:To remain 'on topic', living in the Malay Peninsular may be similar to where Jaime lives currently. They have already got to grips with the space issueobjects of sexual desire and the livestock can all be stored in a single larder making a considerable saving to building costs.........
Even less space required!
Guys
Just thought I would update this a little bit since a recent change in the application for Malaysia My 2nd Home program.
Recently rules changed to;
There two categories of requirements, for those aged below 50 years of age, and those aged 50 and above:
1/ Those aged below 50 years need to open a fixed deposit account of RM300,000.00. Proof of monthly income is not necessary.
2/ Those aged 50 and above have a choice of EITHER opening an FD account of RM150,000.00 OR showing proof of offshore monthly income of
RM10,000.00.
3/ After one year on MM2H program, participants may apply to the Ministry of Tourism to withdraw RM240,000.00 (below 50 years) or
RM90,000.00 (50 and above) for specific purposes like house purchase, medical and educational expenses. It is mandatory for all participants to have at
least RM60, 000.00 fixed deposit from the second year till expiry of the visa.
Also you can now bring one car in TAX FREE once you’re approved into the program which if you want to drive a decent foreign car is a major plus as the import tax is crazy here for and car that’s not a proton, to give you an example, I bought a 2nd hand CRV here last year, 18 months old, and it was 30,000 USD. Buying that in the UK would be about half that. I think you have to have owned car for 6 months in the country you are importing it from though!!
Still the same about no working when your on the MMSH program but you can now set up a business and if you do accept a job offer from someone you just drop out of the MMSH program but then stay here on a expat permit so no major ball ache, you still get to keep the car and up to 2 houses. Once you finish the contract you can renter the MMSH program and get the 10 year visa back again. All in all not that bad and probably the best deal in the region.
If anyone has any questions about Malaysia feel free to ask
Just thought I would update this a little bit since a recent change in the application for Malaysia My 2nd Home program.
Recently rules changed to;
There two categories of requirements, for those aged below 50 years of age, and those aged 50 and above:
1/ Those aged below 50 years need to open a fixed deposit account of RM300,000.00. Proof of monthly income is not necessary.
2/ Those aged 50 and above have a choice of EITHER opening an FD account of RM150,000.00 OR showing proof of offshore monthly income of
RM10,000.00.
3/ After one year on MM2H program, participants may apply to the Ministry of Tourism to withdraw RM240,000.00 (below 50 years) or
RM90,000.00 (50 and above) for specific purposes like house purchase, medical and educational expenses. It is mandatory for all participants to have at
least RM60, 000.00 fixed deposit from the second year till expiry of the visa.
Also you can now bring one car in TAX FREE once you’re approved into the program which if you want to drive a decent foreign car is a major plus as the import tax is crazy here for and car that’s not a proton, to give you an example, I bought a 2nd hand CRV here last year, 18 months old, and it was 30,000 USD. Buying that in the UK would be about half that. I think you have to have owned car for 6 months in the country you are importing it from though!!
Still the same about no working when your on the MMSH program but you can now set up a business and if you do accept a job offer from someone you just drop out of the MMSH program but then stay here on a expat permit so no major ball ache, you still get to keep the car and up to 2 houses. Once you finish the contract you can renter the MMSH program and get the 10 year visa back again. All in all not that bad and probably the best deal in the region.
If anyone has any questions about Malaysia feel free to ask
Pete Well, I know a Brit who's being living on Langkawi for about 2 years now. He's married to an Indonesian lady - they previously lived on Java for years, but he fell foul of their visa regulations.
Prices on Langkawi are "cheap". He's been in Thailand for long stretches of time and I'm assured that rental prices for accommodation are cheaper (with the same quality), beers cost less, food is about comparable, but more varied, so overall roughly the same. Langkawi is a duty-free place, I think.
My friend's Indonesian wife has to do a "visa run" to Thailand - Satun - every now and then.
All-in-all, it seems like a decent place. I havn't been there myself yet, but hopefully will take my friend's invitation to visit whenever we can.
And BTW, Pete, I think it's only an offence to be behind closed doors with a Muslim woman, if you're not married. And that law is very rarely imposed. It is still the law though.
Prices on Langkawi are "cheap". He's been in Thailand for long stretches of time and I'm assured that rental prices for accommodation are cheaper (with the same quality), beers cost less, food is about comparable, but more varied, so overall roughly the same. Langkawi is a duty-free place, I think.
My friend's Indonesian wife has to do a "visa run" to Thailand - Satun - every now and then.
All-in-all, it seems like a decent place. I havn't been there myself yet, but hopefully will take my friend's invitation to visit whenever we can.
And BTW, Pete, I think it's only an offence to be behind closed doors with a Muslim woman, if you're not married. And that law is very rarely imposed. It is still the law though.
Langkawi = yip its pretty cheap there for most things as it’s a duty free island, its actually cheaper drinking beer than drinking water there….what a hardship…..housing there also cheaper than any of the big towns in Malaysia as its still developing for the tourists, all in all Langkawi is a pretty laid back place and a great spot to chill out at.
Living with girls = Lomu is right it’s only if the girl or guy is a Muslim and not married, if a falang living with a Thai girlfriend its no problem at all, also its never really imposed in tourist areas only in the Kampongs (villages)
Penang Condo’s = Penang is the 2nd most expensive place in Malaysia to buy property, it’s a predominantly a Chinese area and is been targeted for MMSH (Malaysia My Second Home) for European people so prices are high there.
General Atmosphere = Yes it is an Islamic country but everyone pretty laid back about it, I have a few work mates that are Muslims and they drink beer and generally like partying and stuff, bars and clubs are open to about 4AM and never get any hassle from the police about late drinking etc, some things like TV shows are censored for soft porn and swearing but that’s really about it.
Malaysia in general is worth a visa run vacation to see what’s its like.
cheers
Living with girls = Lomu is right it’s only if the girl or guy is a Muslim and not married, if a falang living with a Thai girlfriend its no problem at all, also its never really imposed in tourist areas only in the Kampongs (villages)
Penang Condo’s = Penang is the 2nd most expensive place in Malaysia to buy property, it’s a predominantly a Chinese area and is been targeted for MMSH (Malaysia My Second Home) for European people so prices are high there.
General Atmosphere = Yes it is an Islamic country but everyone pretty laid back about it, I have a few work mates that are Muslims and they drink beer and generally like partying and stuff, bars and clubs are open to about 4AM and never get any hassle from the police about late drinking etc, some things like TV shows are censored for soft porn and swearing but that’s really about it.
Malaysia in general is worth a visa run vacation to see what’s its like.
cheers