Id have to say England, just because Ive studied its history and Im always fascinated in their knack for government. Im sure Id be impressed with other cultures if I studied them.
You stole my post 
It’s been 2 years & I still miss Ireland. Truly one of the best places I’ve ever been to & one of the best times of my life.
I loved Australia, but my favorite furrin country would have to be Canada. Miles and miles of nothing, just like Australia, but Canada has lakes! With fish!.
Nothing better than a fly-in fishing trip where you can jerk some jaws to your heart’s content, cook your catch on the shoreline, and then listen to the loons call as evening falls.
And they’re so darn quaint. 
bris vegas is australian slang for brisbane. so called because of the um… craziness of brisbane.
Oh, this is hard…so here’s a list!
Kenya- did research here in grad school. The people are friendly, laid-back, and have great senses of humor. The food is really good, if you know where to look. And do I even need to mention the scenery and the wildlife? You haven’t lived until you’ve camped on a savannah and heard lions roaring in the night.
Ireland- made many visits here to family. Ultra-friendly people, Dublin is a party town, plus, you can stop for a quick snooze on the street and nobody will care too much! (Helpful the morning after a pubcrawl.) Plus, there’s such a sense of community throughout the entire country, the whole nation has such a small-town feel.
Malaysia- people are also friendly, thoughtful, and curious. They’re very tolerant of different cultures and religions, and KL is east Asia’s party mecca. Travelling out into the country, you can find gorgeous forest and unbelievably cool wildlife.
Some places I simply must visit:
Australia
England
Vietnam
Brazil
In Brisvegas, they gamble with foreskins. At least, that’s what I’ve heard.
This isn’t generally known, but in Brisvegas, they gamble with foreskins—but if you win too much, they cut you off.
[hiding.]Sorry for these double posts. The machine eats one and spits out two.
I’ll vote for France, simply because I just got back from there and enjoyed it so much we are going back next year. Anyone that says the French aren’t friendly just doesn’t know what they are talking about.
Guam; or The Federated States of Micronesia.
Thailand is the one that I keep going back to. Good prices, good beaches, good food, nice people. I like the Thai take on Buddhism. I may even retire there eventually. But-
Ooo, that coffee is what I remember most about Spain. And those tortillas. And those cool castles. I would probably have moved there if it had been a little easier for Americans to get decent jobs there.
For intelligent government, good social services, etc., I’d probably choose Canada, Netherlands, Belgium, a few others. Again, there isn’t much for us Yanks to do there, job-wise. All things considered, I’m gonna say Thailand.
I have to agree with those that said Thailand. Great beaches, food, and scenery. Hong Kong is great for shopping, and I love Singapore as well.
To be honest though, the two countries which I found the most amazing, if not places I would want to live, are Namibia and Cambodia. Cambodia has Angkor Wat, but Phnom Phen is awesome as well. Namibia has a huge range of things to do, from great animal watching to climbing sand dunes. Cool place.
Chris
While I love asia, there are only two places I could live permanently, if I couldn’t live in Australia.
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New Zealand. I love that country. The people are excellent, the scenery is gorgeous.
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Maldives. I suppose I could handle it if I had constant free tank refills and my own liveaboard dive boat.
A tough call, this one…
Hong Kong is a place dear to my heart. I had good times there, and I like the fact that you can go from Tokyo-style high tech and high rise to cool, green hiking tracks just by spending half an hour on a ferry.
Thailand, for all the reasons previously mentioned. The Thais are just the most wonderful people.
Vietnam is breathtaking and mind blowing. Watching the sunrise on the roof of a four storey house in the middle of the rice fields, seeing the for gently lift, then going to the street cafe next door for some of the local short black brew, followed by a hair-raising scooted ride down the road for some hot, steamy beef soup. Fantastic.
The USA. Never been there, but the SDMB has me feeling like it’s a second home.
ummmm, okay… Hong Kong.
er… “fog”.
Without a doubt . . . New Zealand. I’m still trying to figure out how I can telecommute from there. Beautiful country, nice people, terrific birds (that would be the kind with feathers, not women, although I’m sure they’re terrific too). I had my best vacation ever there.
I’m also very fond of the Canadian Rockies and I lived in Germany for a while and it was great. Very nice people, excellent beer.