Sixth in a Series on Moving Overseas: The Philippine Retirement Authority's Special Resident Retiree's Visa

I'm coming up on the second anniversary of my retirement and the second year of living exclusively on the island of Bali. I'm getting that island fever feeling once again. In times like this, I find that I often end up perusing blogs written by expats who live in other countries in Southeast Asia. Some time back, I started a series of post on moving overseas. They are basically a follow up to the first chapter of my book on moving to Bali, which deals with where is the best place in the region to go.

My first article discussed a website about moving to the Philippines. I didn't go into any real detail on living in the Philippines in that post. The second article was about Venezuela, and it also primarily focused on an expat blog about life in Venezuela. My third article and fourth article's were on Bangkok and Thailand. The fifth article covered Malaysia and its MM2H program for foreigners who want to move to Malaysia. Today, I'm back to the Philippines and their program for foreigners that want to move to the country.

The Philippines has, like Malaysia, a website completely devoted to visas for foreigners who want to move to the country. This website is created and maintained by the Philippine Retirement Authority. The PRA is a government owned corporation with the mission to attract foreigners and former Filipinos to move to the Philippines in order to help with the development of the country by bringing in foreign currency. The PRA offers a variety of forms of assistance for foreigners who are applying for one of the SRRV products. The PRA vision is to “make the Philippines a globally competitive and preferred retirement destination in Asia.” Doesn't that just sound great when compared to some of the hoops that some of the other ASEAN countries place in the way of foreigners who want to retire in SE Asia?

There are four classes of visas called Special Resident Retiree's Visa: SRRV Smile, SRRV Classic, SRRV Human Touch and SRRV Courtesy. Details of each product (as they are called on the website) are clearly listed.

The Smile product is for those foreigners 35 years or older. The applicant needs to deposit $20,000 in an approved bank; this money is not convertible, that is the foreigner cannot access it until they cancel their visa. A one-time application fee of $1,400 is required for the main visa holder, along with $300 for each dependent (each category or product of the SRRV has the same application fee). An annual fee of $360 is required. This covers the main visa holder, the spouse and one dependent. Documents required are a SRRV application form, a passport, a medical clearance examination, police clearance, ID photos and some additional proof for a spouse and dependent.

The Classic product is for foreigners from the ages of 35-49 and from 50 on up. The 35-49 visa requires a $50,000 visa deposit but this can converted into investments that must total at least $50,000. The 50 on up visa is clearly the best bet financially. The visa deposit for this group is $20,000 without a pension or $10,000 with a pension (the pension must be at least $800 per month for singles and $1,000 for married couples). As with the the younger group, the visa deposit is convertible into investments such as a condo or a long-term lease on a house). The annual fees are the same as for the Smile product. Required documents are the same as for the Smile product with the addition of proof of pension.

The Human Touch product is for foreigners who are at least 35 years old and who have a pre-existing physical condition (other than a contagious disease or an illness requiring medical care). The visa deposit is $10,000 and has the same conditions as for the Smile product. Annual fees are the same as for the first two products. Documents are the same as the Classic product with the addition of a health insurance policy.

The Courtesy product is for former Filipino citizens who are at least 35 years old, and for retired diplomats. The visa deposit is $1,500 and this may be converted into investments. The application fees are the same as for the first three categories, but the annual fee is only $10.00. Required documents are an application form, a passport, a medical examination, police clearance, ID photos and additional documents for a spouse and dependents.

It seems that the Classic product is one of the most inexpensive visas for expats who move to Southeast Asia although Indonesia is making a serious attempt to make life easier for those of us who have moved here or want to move here. Next post, I'll take a look at the Indonesia options for retirees and others who want to move to Indonesia.

A Warm Breeze from the Coast

It's been a while since my last motorcycle trip (Ramadan isn't ideal for traveling and my eldest daughter was visiting from school), so I decided it was time to hit the road and visit a friend down in Ubud to chat and pick up an antique keris that I bought many years ago. My friend kindly offered to have it cleaned for me, and now that it was done I had a great excuse to visit Ubud.

I've been dropping in to Ubud for short visits since I first arrived in Indonesia back in 1989. My trips back in the early days were mainly to look for Balinese art. I'd stay a night or two in a local homestay, get what I wanted and then head back home. What I mostly remember about Ubud back then was how early the village closed down. The streets would be dark and deserted by 10 pm. Years later, I started visiting Ubud with friends to stay a night or two, hear some music, do a little shopping and spend a lot of time in one or another of the bars or clubs. Now, I mostly visit Ubud to visit my American friend and discuss expat life, local and world politics, kids and school and anything else that pops up during the three or four hours that we spend together.

After visiting my buddy, I return to the inexpensive homestay that I've been using as my base in Ubud for the past 22 years. The homestay offers basic rooms with two beds, a fan, an outdoor bathroom with cold water, and the traditional Balinese double doors. No frills, although they do have two new rooms with hot water. What I love about the place is that the folks are friendly but not intrusive. We always have a short chat when I arrive, and then they just go back to their daily household routines. They do provide plenty of hot water along with coffee and tea, and the breakfast is quite good: a large fruit salad along with either an egg or a banana pancake. While the price has gone up over the years, the 100,000 rupiah they charge now is reasonable and fits in my traveling budget of 150,000 a night for a room.

So after returning from my visit, I have a shower and nap, and then wander around a bit. This usually includes buying a book and then having dinner at one of Ubud's many restaurants. While Ubud is one of the top destinations for visitors to Bali because of the cultural attractions (dances, music, art) and the gorgeous countryside, it has limited interest for me because I've been to the ceremonies and dances. I do enjoy watching the tourists, however. We don't get many in Kampung Bugis, so they're some akin to a birdwatcher catching sight of a rare species.

While I was driving down to Ubud from Kintamani, I passed three groups of tourists doing one of the bike rides that go down from Kintamani to Ubud, and then later several groups getting ready to do one of the rafting trips on the Ayung River. There are a number of companies that offer biking and rafting like Bali Adventure Tours and Sobek. So, there were plenty of tourists around Ubud to keep me amused.

Coming back to Kampung Bugis from Ubud, I drove up to Kintamani through a soft morning rain. I love getting out on the road early with the markets full, kids on their way to school and the smell of wood fires burning in the villages. By the time I hit Kintamani, the fog was so thick that visibility was down to 3 meters and a stiff wind was blowing up from the west. Indonesians on motorbikes tend to dress like I used to during the cold Chicago winters when I was a kid: gloves, scarves, heavy jackets. I wore a t-shirt, and I was freezing. My hands were numb from the cold and the vise-like grip that I had on the motorcycle because of the hazardous driving conditions. As I moved down the mountain, the fog cleared up and a dazzling blue sky appeared overhead. A warm breeze from the coast let me know that I was getting close to home. North Bali's brilliant coast never looked better.

Now it's time to figure out where to go on my next trip around Bali.

Road Trip to Sanur

I haven't been out on the road much lately, mostly because of a few health issues. But, an old friend returned from his new teaching job in China, and I wanted to get a chance to sit down and catch up with him. The first plan was to stay in one of the inexpensive hotels in Kuta where I usually sleep when I need to do something down in the south that will take long enough to warrant not doing a round-trip in one day. But, this being the tourist season, all the places where I usually stay were full. Not surprising as the Kuta area becomes Little Australia at this time of the year.

So, the next plan was to sleep on the floor at my friend's house in Jimbaran. I took off on a lovely morning last week and left early enough that I missed most of the crazy traffic of tourist buses that is common in August in the mountains just south of Singaraja. The drive was very enjoyable until I hit the Denpasar area and ran into major traffic. I was on the Bypass and by the time that I reached Sanur, I was hot, sore and choking on exhaust fumes. I stopped off at a restaurant that I used to frequent years ago to have a cold beer and stretch my muscles some. After a few beers, I asked about the price of a room and was pleasantly surprised at the price which was right in my range of 100,000 – 150,000 per night. The room was basic but had a comfortable bed, a fan that worked and a clean bathroom. Added to that, the hotel had a restaurant with good food and a location that's only a few minutes walk to the beach. I thought that it might be a good idea to grab a room in Sanur, rather than cramping my friend and his family in their small house. As things turned out the room was fine, the food that my friend and I had for dinner was excellent, and I had a pleasant afternoon walk down along the beach. We had a few drinks as well, of course.

So, I've found another nice place to stay down south, plus it's not in the Kuta area which is almost always a good thing. Occasionally, I like staying in the Kuta area if I really need to do some shopping there, but Sanur is much less hectic and pleasant overall. During my stroll down along the beach, no one pestered me for transport, a room, a girl, a boy, some drugs. No one even tried to get me to have something to eat or drink in one of the many restaurants along the beach. I'd forgotten that there are some places down south that are quiet and relaxed. Next time I'm looking for a place to base myself while I do business in the south, I'll pick Sanur over Kuta.

Fifth in a Series on Moving Overseas: Malaysia

Southeast Asia is a popular destination for foreigners who want to move overseas whether it be for retirement or just a change of life. It would be interesting to see the statistics on the number of Americans who are leaving the States for overseas destinations as the economy of the US seems stuck in the doldrums. Life in Southeast Asia can certainly be less expensive than life in the States, and the warm weather is attractive for those of us getting on in years who don't want to deal with cold weather and snow. I've already written extensively about life here in Indonesia, and I've touched on the Philippines and Thailand as two popular destinations for new expats. But, there is another Southeast Asian country that is actively seeking foreigners who want to relocate to this part of the world: Malaysia.

Malaysia's government set up the Malaysia My Second Home program (MM2H) for foreigners who want to move to the country on a long term basis. Some of the features of the program are: a ten-year multiple-entry visa, tax-free import privileges, the ability to purchase a home, the ability to invest in and own a business, no taxes on income earned outside the country, and a clear set of procedures for entry into the program.

MM2H has two sets of financial requirements: one for people under 50, and one for people over 50. The under-50 requirements are a bit stiff in regards to finances – it's required to have a minimum of RM500,000 and a monthly offshore income of RM10,000; that's around USD165,000 and USD3,333. So, foreigners who want to retire early need to have some significant financial resources available. For the over-50 crowd, things are a bit more reasonable. We need to have RM350,000 in assets and a monthly income from a government approved pension of RM10,000, or a fixed deposit account in Malaysia of RM150,000. While it is possible to purchase a house, the price of the house has to be at least RM500,000. So, while the 10-year visa and tax-free status looks great, the financial requirements may be above the resources of many of us.

Reading a few blogs about life for expats in Malaysia, their experiences seem to be very similar in many respects to that of life for expats in Indonesia. The positives about moving to Malaysia include a low cost of living, an infrastructure that is one of the most developed in Southeast Asia, a stable political system, a low crime rate, the multiculturalism of the country and an excellent location for traveling around the region.

So, as potential expats look around for places in SE Asia to retire to, Malaysia appears to offer some attractive benefits but at a cost. At this stage, Indonesia's financial requirements for long-term residency are lower than Malaysia's. For someone like me with a retirement income below the Malaysian requirements, I'd say that retiring in Indonesia is the more attractive option.

My 5 Favorite Cities for Walking Around

Walking is the best way to explore all the nuances and nooks and crannies that define a city's ethos. These days so many of us stick to a car, motorcycle or public transportation; this is especially true in the tropics where heat and humidity can discourage all but the most diehard walkers. I just finished reading Orhan Pamuk's novel, The Museum of Innocence, and I was struck by his use of the city as another character in the story that he tells. When I finished the novel, I was overwhelmed by the desire to hop on a plane to Istanbul and wander through the city. I was reflecting on this while sitting on the roof late yesterday afternoon watching the sun set as I usually do on nice days here in Bali. Gazing over the city of Singaraja, I was struck by how much of the city I've yet to walk through despite living here for over 20 years. That got me to thinking about my favorite cities to walk in as I love walking through cities. Here are my five favorite cities.

Chicago

OK, I was born in Chicago so I'm somewhat biased, but I spent a lot of my youth wandering the city, especially the area that runs from downtown up through the Near North Side and into Lincoln Park. I did a few searches to see if I could come across some photos of the area from back in those times and found, to my surprise, that there are all these mini-neighborhoods now that weren't there 40 years ago. Well, regardless, Chicago is a great walking city. A walk from downtown going north takes the walker past a variety of restaurants, bars and cafes, which offer weary walkers a chance to rest and refresh themselves. Some highlights include the nightlife area, Rush Street, Old Town with its quaint buildings dating back to before the great Chicago Fire, the Gold Coast featuring mansions dating back to the late 19th Century, the lakefront and, of course, Lincoln Park Zoo.

San Francisco
OK, another home town. I moved to San Francisco after I left Chicago, and The City by the Bay is one great place to walk through. Again, I'm a bit biased; I fell in love with a beautiful young woman on one of my walks through the city. The Embarcadero is a great place to start. Going north, I'd follow the Embarcadero up to Fisherman's Wharf and stop for a snack at one of the many restaurants and cafes there. After a break, I'd make my way down to North Beach with a visit to City Lights Bookstore the old home of the Beats with a quick stop at Caffe Trieste for a cool beer or two. Refreshed once again, I head for Chinatown and stop for an early dinner and end up the walk down at the Powell Street Bart station to head back to Berkeley. This is just one of the many possible walks around the city. I've left out Nob Hill, Russian Hill, the Haight and Golden Gate Park. I don't know that there is anyplace in the world with as many great walks as San Francisco.


Singapore

Time to get out of the historical mode and into the present. Now we get to the favorite places that I've actually walked through in the past few years. Singapore can be hot and sticky for visitors from outside Asia, but the city is easily walkable with loads of fancy international restaurants and neighborhood haunts to stop in for a snack, meal or drink or two. Orchard Road might seem like one mall after the next, but the streets still have some great treats like local buskers playing traditional instruments, high school dance groups performing for pun, or just watching the tourists and locals get on with their business. Count the number of people that pass by that are talking on a cell phone while walking. In a twenty-minute period last year, 75% of the people that passed me were talking on their phones. Get out of the mass of shoppers and travel up to Chinatown for a look at what's left of old Singapore. There are still many traditional old shophouses and local restaurants. Take a look in a Chinese apothecary and see some of the fascinating traditional medicines that they have for sale. I love wandering around the Kreta Ayer Road area. Sometimes I stay at the cool little boutique hotel, 1929, and sometimes I stay across the street at the Keong Saik, not quite as cool but a little less expensive. One of the best places to eat in Singapore is this little outdoor place across the street, Kim Hock Seng. They have great seafood and back when I still ate pork, they had some delicious pork dishes. This hole in the wall is often crowded with local workers and then suddenly a Mercedes will pull up and some wealthy folks will pile out for lunch. The Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple is right here as well. While, Chinatown is my favorite place to walk in Singapore, there are just so many great areas that an enthusiastic walker could spend weeks just exploring the city.

Bangkok
Bangkok is not usually thought of as a great place for walking, but I love strolling through the farang ghetto on Sukhumvit. I've been staying for years on either Soi 22 or Soi 23 when I visit Bangkok, and they are excellent starting points for a walk around the Sukhumvit area. Sukhumvit just past Asoke has one of my favorite bookstores, Asia Books. This small multi-story bookstore is filled with books from travel to history to children's books. The staff are helpful and it's possible to spend an hour or more browsing. And when I have a need for something from McDonald’s, it's right down the street from Asia Books. One of my favorite Robinson's stores is right there as well. So, I can get a lot of shopping done on these walking trips around Sukhumvit, and I plan my walking trips around what I need to do in terms of shopping. Back across a very crowded Asoke and over on Soi 23, is the famous, or infamous, Soi Cowboy. This nightlife street is fascinating to observe during the daytime when nothing much is going on. I like sitting in one of my favorite restaurants in Bangkok, Old Dutch, which is just at the Soi 23 entrance to Soi Cowboy, and watch the daytime activities. Then back to the Tai Pan Hotel just down the street to drop off any shopping and then out again to wander around the leafy, quiet backstreets in the area. My dentist in Bangkok, Bangkok Smile Dental Clinic, is in the area as well so I can always fit a visit to the dentist during one of my walks. And there's a number of little bars around if I feel in need of some refreshment. This is just one of my walks in the immediate neighborhood of my hotel. Other sections of Sukhumvit offers much more including some cool antique shops, mom and pop grocery stores and the Emporium mall if I feel really hot and need to get off the street for a while and cool down. I love the Sukhumvit area.

Singaraja
OK, my third hometown on the list. Singaraja was once the capital of Bali back during the colonial period. For tourists visiting Bali who only know the Kuta-Legian-Seminyak strip of tourist madness or the increasingly crowded and commercial Ubud, Singaraja is something completely different. Owing to the history of the area, Singaraja is one of the more multicultural areas of Bali. This is where cruise ships used to dock and ships from around the country used to dock at the old harbor, which just happens to be a few hundred meters from where I live. Our neighborhood, Kampung Bugis, is a poor little neighborhood, but we get a lot of walking visitors who come over from the harbor to view a fishing neighborhood. Just south of us is the main shopping area of Singaraja, Jalan Diponegoro. Nothing fancy here, no Starbucks or Pizza Hut or even a MacDonald's. Just a collection of small general stores, a few bookstores selling mostly textbooks, a handful of stores selling televisions and other electronics, and a couple of small hole-in-the-wall eating establishments. Nothing fancy here, just a working city along the north coast of Bali. The center of the city has wide streets with remnants of colonial architecture that reflect the hundred years of Dutch presence, as Buleleng (the regency where Singaraja is) was colonized much earlier than the south of Bali. It's possible to wander the streets of Singaraja without ever being hassled for transport or a hotel or a girl. Far different from the tourist areas of Bali, including Lovina, the tourist and expat ghetto to the west of Singaraja. I still have a lot of exploring to do here, but I'm looking forward to it.

My Three Favorite Drives Around Bali

Generally, I hate driving in Bali. I actually love driving in general, but here – no, just too crazy and too dangerous. It just drives me nuts when tourists get into some mystical explanation of how traffic works here and how everything goes fine. Well, in fact, it doesn't go fine. I've known nine people that died here in accidents over the past 21 years. So, beware when driving around the island. Wear a helmet, long pants, shoes and a shirt, not a singlet.

But, I do love getting out on the motorcycle and driving around the island once every month or two months. Outside of the cities, the roads are relatively free of traffic, and it's possible to really enjoy driving around the island and appreciate the beauty of Bali outside of the cities. I begin my drives from downtown Singaraja, but these drives can be taken from the south up to the north for folks who want to visit the Singaraja area.

Singaraja to Ubud via Kintamani
I drive out from Singaraja on the main road to the Kintamani turnoff in the village of Kubutambahan. Driving out of the city requires some concentration because the traffic gets intense in the morning, especially around the start of school. I usually leave around 9 am in order to miss most of the crazy early morning drivers. Once I'm on the road up through the hills to Kintamani and Mount Batur, I can relax and enjoy the incredible views of the ocean to the east. There's minimal traffic on this road, which allows me to get into a driving zone. Just past Kintamani, before reaching the temple, there's a turn-off down to Ubud. Fortunately for me, since I have terrible problems with directions, there's now a sign for the turn-off. The road down from Kintamani to Ubud was, once upon a time, one of the worst roads in Bali; it was filled with huge potholes and loose gravel. I actually lost control of the bike once because of the road conditions. Now, however, the road is wonderfully paved with lovely views of the orange groves alongside the road. It's a straight drive down to Ubud with a right turn at the statue.

Singaraja to Candidasa on the east coast road
I used this road many times during my six years in Sumbawa when I was going back and forth between Sumbawa and Bali. The east coast road features landscapes much different than the rest of the island. The north coast section of the road is lined with coconut groves, farther south the landscape becomes drier until you reach the area around Tulamben which is very dry and still shows the signs of the eruption of Mount Agung in 1963. This drive takes you past the small tourist area of Air Sanih and then Tulamben, Tirtagangga and finally Candidasa. Along the way are a number of hotels and homestays for folks that want to spend a night or two exploring the area. For me, it's just a lovely drive past picturesque villages with some incredible rice paddies once you reach the southern part of the road.

Singaraja through Pupan and down south
This road is on the west side of the island. I traveled this road the first time that I came to Bali. That time I was on a bus going from Denpasar to Lovina. What an

incredible introduction to the Balinese countryside it was. Now, I just drive west from Singaraja just up to Seririt and then travel south through small villages up into the hills and then down through glistening rice paddies. When I've had enough of the magic of Bali, I turn around and head back home. This is another road with a minimal amount of traffic and views that you want to photograph and send back to your friends and family at home to let them know just what Bali is outside of the tourist zoo of Kuta-Legian-Seminyak.

Lombok: An Alternative to Bali

The island of Lombok, situated due east of the fabled tropical resort island of Bali, is developing its potential as an attractive multicultural alternative to Bali for the backpacking set as well as for more upscale tourists. Government tourism officials and local business people are actively working together to promote Lombok's vast potential for the millions of tourists that visit Indonesia annually. Lombok's promotions highlight its natural beauty, friendly population and relaxed atmosphere.

Geography
Lombok is a small island that is located between Bali and Sumbawa in Indonesia. It has a population of approximately 3.2 million people and is small enough that it can be crossed east-to-west in a car or on a motorbike in about two hours. The western side of the island tends to receive more rain than the drier eastern side of the island. The active volcano Mt. Rinjani is on the east coast. The southern coast is excellent for surfing. About 85% of Lombok's population are ethnic Sasaks who practice Islam. Balinese Hindus make up about 10% of the population with the remainder of the population coming from other islands usually to look for work in the tourist industry.

Attractions
Lombok has a predominately agriculturally-based economy, but the tourist industry is rapidly developing. Lombok offers a wide variety of activities for visitors including snorkeling, diving, surfing, mountain trekking, and learning about the local cultures.

While Bali has a number of excellent surfing spots, they are usually quite crowded. Lombok has some ideal spots, such as Desert Point, where surfers can enjoys great waves without the crowds found in Bali's favorite surfing spots. The Gili islands off the north coast are a popular diving spot because of their crystal blue waters and abundant sea life where divers can view reef sharks, sea turtles, octopus, manta rays and a large variety of exotic tropical fish. Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three Gili islands, has a number of PADI certified instructors available to teach new divers.

For the visitors who prefer land action, hiking to the top of Mt. Rinjani is a challenging activity. Rinjani is the third highest mountain in Indonesia at 3726 meters. While some visitors like the attempt to trek to the top of Rinjani without the assistance of guides or porters, the difficulty of the terrain makes this unwise. For visitors who prefer a more laid-back vacation, Lombok has a number of star-rated hotels for relaxing by the pool or on the beach with a tropical cocktail while they enjoy Indonesia's beautiful sunsets.

Places to Stay
Lombok has two main tourist areas: Sengiggi on the north coast and Kuta on the south coast. Sengiggi, which is only a short drive from the airport, has the most developed facilities for visitors. This area is full of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and hotels that run from star-rated to budget-class. Kuta is set to become a major tourist destination because of the new international airport that is due to open in 2013.

Getting There
Lombok has a small international airport that mostly serves domestic flights. However, Silk Air flies to Singapore three times a week. Most visitors, however, come to Lombok from Bali. Tourists that choose this route to Lombok have several options. They can take a short 25 minute flight from the domestic terminal in Denpasar on any of six domestic airlines that provide service from Denpasar, Bali. For visitors who prefer to travel by sea an assortment of companies offer fast boat service from Bali to Lombok. Large, public ferries that accommodate both vehicles and passengers make the four-hour crossing to Lombok on an hourly basis.