by Asheron 14 Replies latest jw friends
Every year about this time the Wife and I have our yearly talk about selling everything and moving to a tropical location. We are getting more and more serious about this as the years go by. We have even made a financial plan.
One of the possible destinations are the Caymans because of its openess to other nationalities. Does anyone live in an area like this or has anyone made the jump?
Asheron (of the "get me outta this cold class")
I got ice sickles hanging off my ass and heater blisters on my belly. It's like a deep freeze here in Dakota. I'd like to make a winter getaway and I like the green and lush climate of Florida but I hate mosquitoes and I fear the storms and high property casualty insurance in Florida.
We did try a month in Arizona in January of 2003 and I liked that. I hated the 3 day drive there and back. It's pretty dry there and nothing grows. All brown, sorta like the inside of a cereal box. Tucson is lots of young people and they drive fast. Green Valley is really quiet, like . . . . really quiet. The only action is at Wal Mart at the pop corn machine.
I'd like to look Texas over. That'd be closer for me. I hate summer in Texas. I've never been in Florida in the winter. I was there once in the summer. I almost died from the heat and humidity. I was in Arizona in the summer and that wasn't bad. Year round in Arizona, I'd want a summer place in Flagstaff.
My partner is part Norwegian, part Eskimo. She loves cold and ice and snow. Maybe I'll just request to be buried in the south. That way we'll both have what we want:-)
I live on a cold island. I guess that's no use to ya
We have a home we built in the Philippines a couple of years ago. And it surely is warm there and humid also, love it the hot weather doesn't bother me at all. We are there a lot, not as much as we would like but eventually that will change and we will be there most of the time.
I live in a warm continent - Australia. Not exactly tropical where I am though. More like dry and hot. Yesterday 40 degrees Celsius plus. That's about 104 degrees F.
I live in Tampa bay, Pinellas county. We have water on 3 sides. Its good wheather today. I went for a motorcycle ride.Its about 63 degrees. During the summer I stay inside a lot in the ac. It's like being up north in the winter but better. You stay inside but when you go out. You dont have to shovel snow. You don't have to dress up. Your car is more apt to run. I moved here at 32 in 81. For the first ten years, I liked the heat. I didnt even have air conditioning. We had a swining pool and spent a lot of time in that until the sun ruined my skin. Now I'm a vampire. We have dermatoligist on every corner down here. Florida doesnt have a state tax. I don't like the hurricanes. They have just been bad the last few years. Probably the turn of the century. Maybe were in the last days. Or at least the last days of Florida. My wife doesnt want to move. We are going to try to hang in here 10 more years than we can retire. I'd like to go back to Ohio, or West Virginia, maybe Texas. Maybe someplace in the middle of the country where there is no freaky wheather and a low probability of a nuclear attack. Where would that be. Oh yes and low taxes. I would consider West Virginia. Thats the poorest state in the union. So I'm thinking the taxes might not be too high. I could be wrong about that though. As far as mosqitos here in Tampa bay, Pinellas county we don't have many. The county sprays all the time for them. Now where I grew up Cleveland Ohio, we had a lot of mosquitos because the county did not spray for them. I havent had a mosquito bite in years. As far as living in key west. The only way your going to live there is to be a mllionare. You might be able to live on some of the other keys. I guess the workers have to come from somewhere. The keys might have mosquitos. I doubt they have wealthy countys to spray for them. I wouldnt recomend Pinellas county where I live. It is the most densely populated county in Florida. The upside of that is many people from the surrounding countys come here for work. I paid my house of 15 years ago. With home stead exemption my property taxes on a 200,000$ house are 700 a year. House insurance last year was about 900$.
Middle Tn is where I live and also have a beach house in the pan handle of Fl it still can go down past freezing in the winter in Fl and the water is swimmable only April-Oct. So year round swimmable was my goal with equal travel time from Tn.
The Caribbean seemed the logical place. My first consideration was that of language (I speak English). So Jamaica was the first place on the list to check out, due to the sheer beauty. Mountains rain forrests and rivers make up this paridise. The locals were always working an angle, it became tiresome.
The Caymans were ruled out due to topography. When the last Major storm hit there, all land in the Caymans was submerged by a minimum of 4 ft of water.(very flat) So if you were there buildings stuck out of the water but the closest unsubmerged land was Cuba or Jamiaca each >100 miles away.
In Dec. the Us Virgin Islands became my next adventure. They speak english and the US$ is the currency. My intentions were serious about a move there. I brought along my banker who grew up and is very well connected in the USVI. His ancestors arrived there in the early 1800s. I was presented the island at its best. To make a long story short. After spending time there, my realization was that Island life takes some getting use to.
If you have an intrest in USVI. vitrader.com has a relocation package. Which includes newspapers, maps, the local homes for sale mag, and The Settlers Hand Book. If memory serves me corectly the paclage was about $30.(worth every penny) I also ordered a USVI telephone book, This has to be done through the tele co. The area code for the USVI is 340 so calling it is a simple long distance call and long distance is included on most cell phone plans. With a Virgin Moble phone (no contracts) you can activate it as USVI phone then you have a local # when you arrive. Just give 00802 as the zip during activation.
My main sugestion is to rent for several months before you buy. Any where you might like to live.
My family and I left Canada, for a small tropical island in the South China sea, 12 years ago. Although it took a little getting used to, I can honestly say we love it. The people are nice, the weather is great, (87f right now), the food is spectacular, and the cost of living is very manageable.
It may not be for everyone, but we love it, and that's all that counts.
Peace.
Yes, and if you do, would you consider taking on a mature, fun maid? oh yes, and Harley, my beautiful shish tzu/bichon
she is famous, haven been on the Ellen show, so that should count towards something
orb
My main sugestion is to rent for several months before you buy. Any where you might like to live.
GREAT advice. A friend of mine sold everything and moved to Australia with her husband and two of their three children (the oldest stayed behind to attend college and stay with her friends). The sold EVERYTHING and even had to pay much money to emmigrate.
Just SIX weeks into the move, she realized they made a big mistake. She just could not live there and felt she would never feel at 'home'. (Especially with the one daughter staying behind in California).
They packed up and moved back. She is still a little shell-shocked from the experience. They've been back in California for about a year and a half now.
-Aude.
