Daniel and Eleonora Desbaillets
They call their Baan Tara, which translates as "House on Water" in Thai. Nestled within the sprawling gated enclave of Leisure Farm Resort in Johor, the Desbaillets, who hail from Switzerland, live in a world of contentment in Malaysia. We met up with them and they took us on a tour of their beautiful home.
The Expat: How long have you lived in Malaysia under the MM2H programme?
Eleonora: Three years.
The Expat: Why did you choose this part of Malaysia?
Eleonora: Daniel works in Singapore so Johor was the perfect choice. We fell in love with Leisure Farm and we saw the potential here. Also, it's close to theSecond Link so it's convenient.
The Expat: Had you visited Malaysia prior to moving here under MM2H?
Eleonora: Yes, we were in KL, Ipoh in Perak and Penang mostly.
The Expat: What was the main reason you decided to come and live here under the MM2H programme?
Eleonora: We have always wanted to live here and we have no intention to go back to Switzerland, except to visit relatives. Malaysia is a nice place tosettle down.
The Expat: What do you like most about living in Malaysia?
Eleonora: The laid back feel here is refreshing. Of course, we are also very happy with the warm tropical climate. Even as foreigners, we have no problems with Malaysian customs. Everyone is always good to us and we love the quality of life here. But most of all, we love the great Malaysian cuisine.
The Expat: What do you like least about living in Malaysia?
Eleonora: The bureaucracy here should be lessened, especially with matters concerning immigration.
The Expat: Did you travel outside of Malaysia in the last year?
Eleonora: Yes, we went to the United States for our daughter's graduation. Other than that, we have been to Switzerland, Thailand and Laos.
The Expat: How about trips within Malaysia?
Eleonora: Not as much. We are considering going to Langkawi. The thing is, we love our house here so there is really no need to go anywhere. We love spending time with our three beautiful dogs and enjoy the serenity of this area.
The Expat: Do you socialise mostly with foreigners, Malaysians or both?
Eleonora: Both, actually. We have a lot of good local friends as well as expats.
The Expat: Tell us about your children.
Eleonora: We have a son, Adrian, 26, and a daughter, Katherine, who is 23. Adrian works in Shanghai while Katherine is in Thailand.
The Expat: So tell us how do you pass your time?
Eleonora: We spend a lot of time with our dogs and just relaxing at home. Reading is also our favourite hobby.
The Expat: How happy are you with the MM2H programme?
Eleonora: One concern is the red tape to get the MM2H application approved. We only got ours after two years. The other thing is the hassle of filling out the forms when entering Malaysia from Singapore. This is despite the fact that we have already been approved under MM2H. People with work permits, however, don't have to fill out those forms.
By Aida Ahmad
