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I am going back to Kyrgyzstan next year, to seriously explore the prospects of moving their permanently. It's suburban Siberia, so I'll have to consider if I want to spend winters there.
The people have a "civility" that is not found in "civilized" countries. They are polite, they have dignity, they are quiet, they have self-respect. They are egalitarian, they are honest, friencly, generous.. The yardstick I use to judge a people is not how they treat me, but how I see them treat each other.
The capita GDP is lower than some African countries, and only one-sixth of Mexico's. But to be out and about, mixing with people in the capital or in provincial towns, one has the sense that it is a country at least comparable to Mexico in living standard -- the cost of living is affordable, poverty is hard to detect, the people are clean and tidy and tastefully dressed and bilingually literate. The status of women (who are beautiful, by the way) runs high, and family values are strong.
The scenery is breathtaking, with summer snow-cap just 15 miles from the central square in the capital. and snowcapped horizons visible from virtually every point in the country.
The people have a "civility" that is not found in "civilized" countries. They are polite, they have dignity, they are quiet, they have self-respect. They are egalitarian, they are honest, friencly, generous.. The yardstick I use to judge a people is not how they treat me, but how I see them treat each other.
The capita GDP is lower than some African countries, and only one-sixth of Mexico's. But to be out and about, mixing with people in the capital or in provincial towns, one has the sense that it is a country at least comparable to Mexico in living standard -- the cost of living is affordable, poverty is hard to detect, the people are clean and tidy and tastefully dressed and bilingually literate. The status of women (who are beautiful, by the way) runs high, and family values are strong.
The scenery is breathtaking, with summer snow-cap just 15 miles from the central square in the capital. and snowcapped horizons visible from virtually every point in the country.
Isn't there parts of China that are like this? i remember awhile back you talking about peaceful villages where the birds aren't don't fly away when they see a human.
What are you talking about, early marriages & wife- battering are serious problems. Doubt whether women really hav much power & equallish status. You probably didn't notice s subtlelities. MOST men never notice things about women's welfare!
Isn't there parts of China that are like this? i remember awhile back you talking about peaceful villages where the birds aren't don't fly away when they see a human.
Yes, but those were places that were visibly poor. Kyrgyzstan has the overall appearance of a modern country with the foundations of an industrialized infrastructure. I'm not sure if it is safe to attribute that to the socialist history through the middle of the 20th century, when there were public expenditures in areas like housing, medicine, education designed to reach the most menial of workers, which are now paying dividends of an egalitarian mindset in which everyone still benefits from several generations with those amenities and the sense of dignity that came with them. I traveled this year through six former Soviert republics, but I didn't look up heir GDPs until I got home*. I expected them all to have per-capitas in the Mexico range, but none of them had even half the per capita wealth of Mexico. Yet, there was no visible poverty, everyone acted and looked like they had the self-esteem that goes with wealth. Georgia looks every bit as well off as Turkey, with people who are even more proud and dignified, but with only 1/3 the per capita GDP.
* I don't do much research before I travel. I just wander into a country and wait for it to reveal itself to me.
Last edited by jtur88; 09-10-2015 at 07:25 AM..
09-16-2015, 07:00 PM
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"From 31 to 41 Countries Visited: )"
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Davy-040
1.You can pick a maximum of 6 countries, you picked 9.
2.Read OP why Saudi Arabia is not in the poll. If i made the poll again i would include Malta and probably Norway, Sweden, Ireland and New Zealand but not the other countries.
3.Interesting, you would love to live in Kazakhstan/Latvia for longer than 6 months?
4.China is not close to $20k GDP (PPP) per capita.
5. I could live in almost all countries you listed (except Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, Maldives) but Thailand, Philippines, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and maybe Vietnam/Cambodia are the only countries i would like to live in for longer than just 1 year.
1. High variety is a key theme.
2. There are tons of Muslims that wouldn't mind living in Saudi Arabia. The World is overly populated with Muslims after all ironically. Too bad Saudi Arabia is too xenophobic towards non-Muslims. Maybe some people outside of this religion wouldn't mind some temporary endeavors there.
2A. Yeah, tons of people wouldn't want to reside in Norway, Sweden, Ireland, New Zealand, even if they are wealthy, and offer a lot according to some high quality of life measures.
What reason for not including Denmark, Greece(Can't believe they still have an average income above $20,000 somehow), Uruguay(Ought to be part of Argentina), and Malta(Just go back to Italy)?
I wonder what Dutch people think of Romania? They are quite drastically varied countries, and barely have any grouped resemblance anywhere. (Other than the EU).
Romania is already up to $19,712 and 5+ main metropolitan zones of Romania is currently having an average annual income of $20,000-$39,000 Brasov, Sibiu, Cluj Napoca, Timisoara, Bucharest, Constanta.
3. They are all highly seasonal countries just like Romania, yet I love 4 seasons, and each of these countries have enough entertaining options of life all months of the year with enough vibrancy at all times.
And Romania, Kazakhstan have tons of high mountainous scenery getting a benefit from the winter, including the mountain resort cities of Romania (Brasov, Sibiu, Sinaia, Sighisoara).
Latvia has tons of Nouveau architecture around Riga, and they must have enough nightlife during the winter months.
4. Wow, an equal surprise with China ending up poorer than expected with average annual income with an astronomically vibrant emerging World Class economy, and Greece being wealthier than expected despite all of the paralyzing fatal problems there.
Is Shanghai really much more economically destitute than Hong Kong or Macau just because of the one country two systems policy? There are millions of comfortably middle class, and wealthy Chinese mainland citizens outside of Hong Kong/Macau.
5. What is the basic explanation with not wanting to live in Georgia(Batumi or Tbilisi?), Armenia(Yerevan), Azerbaijan(Baku), Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, and the Maldives?
What is the basic explanation with not wanting to live in Georgia(Batumi or Tbilisi?), Armenia(Yerevan), Azerbaijan(Baku), Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, and the Maldives?
Georgia: too traditional/religious, bordering Russia Armenia: too traditional/religious, bordering Iran Azerbaijan: islamic, bordering Russia and Iran Kyrgyzstan: islamic, too far from ocean Bhutan: too traditional/religious, kinda isolated Maldives: islamic, too isolated
Georgia: too traditional/religious, bordering Russia Armenia: too traditional/religious, bordering Iran Azerbaijan: islamic, bordering Russia and Iran Kyrgyzstan: islamic, too far from ocean Bhutan: too traditional/religious, kinda isolated :Maldives islamic, too isolated
Seriously, what do you think would happen to you , if you lived in a a "too Islamic" country and you walked down the street, or went to a cafe, or got on a bus? What would those Muslims do to you?
I was in Georgia, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan this year. Georgia and Armenia are far less religious than Texas. Norway has a longer border with Russia than Georgia has. Armenia has about a 20-mile long border with Iran, and no legal crossing checkpoint. I did not see a mosque or hear a muezzen call there in three weeks traveling in Kyrgyzstan, although I saw a few women wearing head coverings, maybe 1%, which is probably less than Amsterdam, which is 5% Muslim. Islam is less visible in Kyrgyzstan than in Indonesia, and exists more as cultural background than daily practice. Too traditional? I bet Netherlands has more buildings dating back to the 1700s than all those countries combined.
Seriously, what do you think would happen to you , if you lived in a a "too Islamic" country and you walked down the street, or went to a cafe, or got on a bus? What would those Muslims do to you?
I was in Georgia, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan this year. Georgia and Armenia are far less religious than Texas.
Norway has a longer border with Russia than Georgia has.
Too traditional? I bet Netherlands has more buildings dating back to the 1700s than all those countries combined.
Nothing, I just don't want to live in a Islamic Country.
Thanks for letting me know, will put Texas lower on the to visit list.
Russia-Norway border is not longer than Russia-Georgia border.
Talking about conservative culture, not old buildings.
Nothing, I just don't want to live in a Islamic Country.
The OP should have specified in the question whether I am selecting the worst country for ME to live in, or the worst country for the general population to live in, as in Quality of Life. Sorry about the misunderstanding. I tend to think of the world as the habitat for seven billion people, not just me, and judge places on that basis.
Speaking pesonally, as you seem to be, what other criteria do you consider of overwhelming deal-breaking import? Besides presence of people nominally of faith, intergenerational continuity, and neighboring countries or oceans ?)
Quote:
will put Texas lower on the to visit list.
The OP didn't say anything about countries to visit. Maybe we can prevail upon the OP to some back and clarify the question we are all addressing.
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