461–470 of 759 posts
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Dude you live in the mission, probably the most disgusting part of the entire bay area, other than maybe the bay itself. I didn't last a single week there Move to Noe Valley or Bernal heights
There are parts of the Mission that are extremely nice. The Tenderloin is far worse than the Mission and parts of SoMa rival the Mission for grossness.
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When I got to visit SF, it was a lovely, magical city and it inspired me to buy $300 worth of books related to my interest in someday becoming a city planner (or something similar). The problem is I can't possibly afford to live there. If you can live there, cool. For many people, it's just too expensive to make it into a nice experience. All those restaurants nearby are only cool if you can afford the high cost of h…
Also depends on when you started renting. I know people paying $700 a month in SF for a one bedroom but they moved here over a decade ago.
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For the gold card, do you not need to be employed by a local company? If not, that's a pretty good deal.
If you apply via salary, you need to be employed by any company. Freelancing income doesn't count. You need to justify it with employment letter, and tax return. The other way is to qualify for any of their "talent" needs. Blockchain, VR, IA, and have proof it it (publication, work, projects). They have 8 categories of people that can qualify: https://foreigntalentact.ndc.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=128B875DE9C...
Just keeping my options open at the moment.
We passed through so many beautiful places on the trip though, places that you immediately felt an affinity with and could see yourself living. From Jervis Bay to Tilba Tilba or Eden in NSW, all of the beautiful bays in East Gippsland. Anywhere in Tasmania, but particularly the west along the Pieman river - the forests there are older than birds and the air is the cleanest in the world. To the outback farms around the Grampians, the south eastern wine region of SA and the desolate Beachport, Kangaroo Island, up to Wilpena Pound. Esperance and Denmark (wow!) in southern WA, I took sand from every beach I visited and Cape le Grand was the whitest. It is like snow. The epic surf beaches from Hamelin Bay to Margaret River (and route 250, in my top five short drives in the world!) Way up north to Exmouth and Ningaloo Reef, home of the whale sharks, and then onto the sweet smells and rich colours of tropical Broome and the otherworldly Dampier Peninsula. The interior is possibly less-livable (but then I'm an ocean lover), but it is remote and beautiful, so it ticks boxes.
The world is an amazing place. More power to those who choose to test the boundaries a bit.
My wife and I live in Mexico. She works remotely, I did that for 10+ years, now I'm building my thing and taking some occasional freelance projects. I won't deny there are some horror stories coming from Mexico, but I'm a European and have been living here since 2009. I've never seen or experienced anything even remotely violent. I paid for a mordida once, that's it. I've lived in Mexico City, Estado de México, Verac…
Although I'm from Spain I totally look like a gringo I can't help but wonder if a Spanish accent buys you some cred in Latin America that other gringos don't get.
On the other hand, Mexicans use more diminutives compared to Spaniards and have lost the informal plural "you", always using what would be the the formal form of address in Spain. Mexicans often also say "¿mande?" to acknowledge you or request that you repeat yourself, but this more literally means something very servile like "order me" or "what is your command?", a remnant of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. For this reason, Mexicans sometimes sound excessively polite to Spaniards.
Of course, these are just broad stereotypes and it's entirely possible that pier25 has not experienced any of this. Possibly simply due to being foreign and the generally unacknowledged racism we have in Mexico (white is pretty), pier25's experience may have been entirely positive.
Also, pier25 may look like a gringo but he's not a gringo. In Mexico, only people from the US are gringos, regardless of their appearance. Obama is a gringo; Trudeau is not a gringo (other countries use the term "gringo" differently). As soon as pier25 speaks, no Mexican would call him gringo. Gachupín is an older somewhat pejorative term for Spaniards in Mexico, but I think it's rarely used nowadays.
Surprised more people on here aren't saying nice, relaxed, sunny places like SE Asia. I'm a white american citizen and I've been living in SE Asia for 3 years having the time of my life while working remotely. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Looking back at the US, I don't miss the jerks everywhere, the value system of work, work, work and more money. Here in SE Asia, they value quality of life, being happy,…
Most (not all) places in SE Asia have air quality that will have health ramifications that aren't worth the upsides of living there. I unfortunately recently had to move my family out of there because of it. Air quality aside, it can be a great place to live.
other factors
-Food is cheap but novelty wears off eventually and you will want to cook. Apartments are mostly expensive and small [in BKK] so kitchen is small. Western style groceries are expensive.
-Its too hot. Traffic is really bad. Public transport is air conditioned but walking to skytrain etc is tiring because of the traffic, pollution, heat around you.
-Wework or similar remote coworking spaces are not cheap
-Language barriers
-Time difference with clients back home [major one]
I did one month in Hanoi, Vietnam and hated it. Places with infastructure worse than Thailand make it awkward if you have to work everyday 9-5
I think it can be fun if you move around and do it in episodes. I'd like to do some time in SKorea and Japan Perhaps Taiwan too https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23297378 (but then also see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GIndXSfawA)
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If I'm in NZ can I come visit? Looks lovely. How's the cheese shop?
Anyone from HN who wants to can drop by on the way to a more traditional tourist spot like Mangawhai or further north (although over summer I'm often away at the weekends racing stockcars). The phone number for the library redirects to our house if it's not open. The cheese shop is fine! I know Keith and Marita who have owned it for many years, they are good people - Ad Clarijs who founded it still occasionally runs…
Taipei, Taiwan The most underrated city/country in Asia : - Chill and relax - Awesome people, polite and clean - Best place in the world to work from cafes. Many cafes shops welcome people who works for long hours. They also care about cafe ;) I actually prefer to work from cafes than co-working here - Surrounded by nature, mountain, sea, river are within 45minutes reach. Hundred of trails around Taipei. - Metro / Bu…
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Hopefully it's not exploited too much, but yes Taiwan is basically perfect place to live with reasonable comfort on the cheap. I don't think you mentioned gyms. The Taiwanese are an oddly sports-oriented people. Throughout asia I can't think of an equal in terms of availability of cheap gyms. Public sports complexes are also sometimes good enough (but I've also found myself working out in a cramped room with a bunch…
Spot on, love the gyms here. They have MANY decent gyms where you pay by the hour, and sometimes by the minutes without any membership. And really cheap, about usd 1,5 per hour . Nice point on being one of the hub for flying in Asia. It's connected to everywhere within 1 or 2 hours reach(Philipine,China,Japan,Korea, SG etc...)