| COSTA
RICA |
| Articles
On Living & Investing In Costa Rica |
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| CROATIA |
| Dalmatia
- Croatia's Adriatic Riviera - Dalmatian Coast |
| John Hurd
is a former aerospace manager and an amateur writer, painter, poet.
Today, he and his wife live on the Dalmatian Coast. John writes, "You can
feel it in the air, in the shining white yachts visiting the Adriatic harbors,
in the industrious village renovations by the local people, in the sheer
number and richness of the websites: something big is about to happen.
There’s a feeling of widening awareness, rippling out from this narrow
band of Europeans. This year, the beauty and timelessness of the
islands got top story headlines in the New York Times. The region is on
the verge of a market explosion." |
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| Our
Istrian Adventure - Setting Up Home and Business in Croatia |
| Some in the
US may still think of the Balkans wars when Croatia is mentioned, but hostilities
here ended more than ten years ago, and Europeans - especially the Germans
and the British - are streaming back to this beautiful land to vacation,
buy homes and start businesses. |
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| Real
Estate In Croatia |
| Croatia
isn’t scheduled for EU membership until 2008, but a feeding frenzy is under
way. Property prices are rising 20% to 30% per annum. Medieval Dubrovnik—hottest
spot on the country’s real estate map—has experienced such rises in the
past six months alone. But when you compared this market with other European
vacation destinations, you realize that this Dalmatian coastline still
has significant growth potential... |
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| The
Croatian Advantage |
| When I decided
to move to Croatia early in 2005, my friends and business associates were
shocked. "Where is it?" "Isn't there a war going on there?" "Why
would you start a business there?" At the time, my short answer was
that the war had been over for ten years and the Croatian coast where I
was going was a beautiful place with a mild, Mediterranean climate that
was located in the heart of Europe. |
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| Zagreb:
How To Have Fewer Tourists |
| Zagreb is
a mixed Croatian blessing, a treasure that has yet to be overrun by large-scale
tourism. This compact capital offers bustling street and night life and
encompasses more museums than many other European cities. But how long
can that charm and vivacity survive? May/07 |
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| CUBA |
| AdventureView:
Chris Baker - Motorcycles Through Cuba |
| With a fire
engine-red motorcycle and a burning desire for adventure, Chris Baker set
his sights on Cuba. In three months he covered over 7,000 miles – a journey
that would forever change his views of this tiny, politically charged island.
He has written four very popular books on Cuba – two guidebooks, a coffee-table
book, and an award-winning literary book, Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling through
Castro’s Cuba. In this interview Chris talks with Mark about his adventures
there, what inspired him to travel and write, getting into (and out of)
trouble, and he shares some opinions on current U.S. policies. |
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| Cuba
- Having Fun |
| THE PARTY
STARTED just a few hours after I arrived. Decorations were already in place;
the cake was in the refrigerator, the piñata filled with candies.
I was made to feel like I was the special guest of honor when in fact it
was a birthday party for Ellen, my eight-year-old Cuban Goddaughter. (To
get up to speed on my role as El Padrino, read entries at filmtrips.com
from my first visit to Cuba –link1) |
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| Doug
Casey in Cuba |
| The
guru of offshore and international living provides some reminiscence &
analysis of the changes in Cuba over the past five years - he knows his
stuff. |
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| From
Santiago de Cuba to Havana in only Three Weeks |
| Linda Thalman
is the director of WebFrance International and editor of the Paris In Sites
Newsletter. She has traveled extensively. On a recent trip to the land
of music, laughter, and rum, she lived Cuba from east to west. Linda
writes, "At the first step out of the Santiago de Cuba airport on Saturday,
12 February, we salsa-ed through a receiving line of costumed dancers moving
to the beat of Cuban music. And the beat went on and on throughout our
trip from east to west in Cuba. After three weeks of almost no TV -- CNN
and even France-2 television are available at the big hotels, no newspapers
-- only the Spanish-language national daily Granma, and no Internet --
no Internet cafe anywhere, es bueno!, we found it actually is possible
to totally disconnect -- what a fiesta!" |
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| Gaviota,
The Last Cowgirl in Cuba |
| This ratiocination
of events in Cuba leads me to a bizarre vision of the future: Havana stands
very little chance of not becoming another Juarez or Tijuana, with their
controlled and horrific professional prostitution, gambling and gangsterism
(a lot like present day Russia, too). Historically, this has been the payback
for cultures which deny and try to suppress the natural instincts of their
peoples. Kirk Stephan doesn't pull any punches when he writes about
Cuba. Andrei Codrescu would like his writing... we know we
like his writing, but perhaps it's good advice that weaker souls should
stay away. |
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| Havana
Great Time in Cuba - Doing Havana Like a Cuban in Cuba - Vacationing in
Cuba |
| Al Dieste
says, "Having just returned from four weeks in Cuba, three of which were
spent in Havana, I would like to share with your readers the wonderful
opportunity to enjoy and discover a rich and diverse culture, at less-than-Motel
6 prices! Consider an alternative title to this article as “Vacationing
Like a King in Havana for $50 a Day!” |
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| Iowa
City Yankee in King Castro’s Court |
| Obviously
the situation here on the island was closer to the opposite: Nearly everyone
was HIGHLY educated and had had in the past many varying opportunities,
cultures, and comfort-levels. This probably was a significant contribution
to their becoming what they are: one of the most articulate, bright, and
passionate peoples. ...they exhibited daily their tremendous joy in living.
Without the comforts which most of the world enjoys (TV, computers, magazines,
presidential sex-scandal-entertainments, etc.) they resort to music and
dance, poetry and art, dialogue and personal interactions... life as we
used to know it. |
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| Iowa
Yankee in King Castro's Court |
| Steeping back
through time, the author, recounts the events of a short trip to Cuba --
his fifth. "Though recovering, my energy level was hovering around zero
plus 2 or so. I told my girlfriend I would pay her plane ticket to
come to Havana from Santiago de Cuba, but this was tantamount to telling
a North American girl in Los Angeles that her lover from Europe had arrived,
but she'd have to travel to New York in order to see him! All this
was compounded by the fact that Cubans aren't allowed to just travel about
at will, but Havana is starting to shape up. In the next couple of
years, I guess, it'll be looking a lot more like it did in the old capitalist
glory days." photos by Håkan Rönnblad. |
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| Retiring
in Cuba |
| Christopher
Howard, author of "Living and Investing in the New Cuba" shares his wisdom
on Cuba. Cuba may soon become the place to beat if they can maintain cautious
growth and a realistic balance between what they have and what they need. |
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| The
Case Against Cuba Sanctions - Latin Business Chronicle - Cuba Tourism |
| Philip Peters
is a vice president of the Lexington Institute. Peters writes, "On the
eve of Congressional consideration of amendments affecting U.S. economic
sanctions against Cuba, the State Department has released a 20-page "white
paper" to bolster its point of view. The paper may well reveal the
Administration's real reason for wanting to deny Americans the right to
travel freely to Cuba: it does not want Americans to see how distorted
is their own government's presentation of Cuban reality. |
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| CYPRUS |
| Cyprus:
Archaeological Adventures |
| The Athienou
Archaeological Project (AAP) is a multidisciplinary project focusing on
the site of Athienou-Malloura and the surrounding valley. This site
was settled for nearly 2500 years and encompasses the Archaic, Classical,
Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, and Ottoman periods
in the island's history. Due to its long occupation coupled
with the variety of the archaeological remains found-religious, domestic,
funerary - the site remains an ideal training ground for archaelogical
students. Aug./06 |
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| Post
Europe Cyprus |
| Cyprus finally
joined the European Union in May 2004, thus achieving a long sought after
prize. Despite a last ditch effort to unify the the Turkish occupied
north and the Cypriot Greek south, with a plan put forward by Koffi Annan,
Cyprus entered Europe as a divided island. |
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| CZECH
REPUBLIC |
| A
Villa B&B in the Czech Republic - Real Estate in the Czech Republic |
| Ronald
Winkles spent 25 years in the U.S. Army. Now retired, he runs a BB
in the Czech Republic six months out of the year. It's what he's
always wanted to do. Moreover, Winkles says, "The Czech real estate
market is poised for another explosion with their entry into the European
Union. Thereafter, all EU member nations will be allowed to buy real
estate without restriction. Czech has never had fewer than 18 million
tourists a year since its borders first opened in 1990. This is one
and half times the number of people who live in Czech. Buy now." |
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| Adventures
In The Czech Republic - Czech Hooks, 2 Beautiful Gardens, And A Twisted
Birch Tree |
| For
many of us, it was another disappointing year of the Academy Awards. Again,
the Academy managed to give the worst film-nominated the top honors, at
least as far as I’m concerned. The upside to this is that, after I’m finished
grumbling, I try to prove to myself, among others, that the Academy Awards
still have credibility. One way I do this is to dig through the past winners
until I find one deserving of the top prize. I would argue that one such
motion picture is Milos Forman’s Amadeus which won best picture at the
Awards in 1984. One of the greatest things about this movie is the sets
and background, which were filmed in Czechoslovakia. |
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| Artfully
Escape by Owning a B&B - A Beautiful Czech Villa Looking For You |
| A
19th century country villa in the Czech Republic located near Prague and
surrounded by woods and hopfields and you laughing and enjoying the company
of fellow travellers. This is what awaits you at Villa Favorite: Villa
Favorite is a stone villa that has been restored and turned into a beautiful
hideaway for international travellers. The villa has four apartments and
each has its own living and dining areas. If you have ever thought about
owning your own B & B, then you must read about Villa Favorite. |
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| From
Yin and Yang to Fred and Ginger: The Dancing Building in Prague |
| In a quiet
green space in the ancient city of Prague, Czech Republic, a stone-faced
old man sits idly and watches as a gleaming couple bends and sways in a
perpetual dance on the corner of a busy intersection near the banks of
the Vltava River. But there is no music to be heard as the couple dances,
because in reality “the dancers” are actually a Frank Gehry creation
officially known as the Nationale-Nederlanden building. The building has
been dubbed “Fred and Ginger” by appreciative critics because of its resemblance
to the famous dancing pair of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Like-minded
Czechs tend to call it tancinsky d?m, or, The Dancing Building, while less
appreciative viewers have names for it like: “terrible“ and “looks like
a crushed can of Coke“ to name but a few. By Michael Felton-O'Brien Mar/06 |
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| Jindrichuv
Hradec, Czech Republic - Number Two vs. Number Three |
| Don’t be blinded
by the hype. Yes, it’s true. Cesky Krumlov is one of, if not the most,
beautiful places in the Czech Republic. Never heard of it? Ask any Czech
person to tell you about Cesky Krumlov and their face will light up like
a child on Christmas morning. They’re certainly not wrong as Cesky Krumlov
has the second-biggest castle in the Czech Republic (behind Prague’s of
course), a spectacular garden to go with it, and unique architecture throughout
the town on top of that. |
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| Not
Your Normal Pagan Fertility Ritual - Easter Monday In Mikulov, The Czech
Republic |
| Every culture
has its own holidays and ways of celebrating them. It's not uncommon for
countries of the "Western" world and beyond to know at least something
about American or other country's holidays. And many holidays overlap,
such as Christmas, with different cultures and countries having various
ways of celebrating them. As far as the Czech Republic goes, no other holiday
puts a wry smile on the resident and a perplexed smile on the foreigner
more than Easter (Velikonoce in Czech which literally translates "Big Nights"). |
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| Prague,
“City of a Hundred Spires”- a quarter the price of Berlin or Paris and
equally as charming - Living in the Czech Republic |
| From The Best
of International Living an article on living in Prague. To live in Prague
is to live in a city of enchantment. Here, amid Gothic cathedrals, ancient
palaces, and cobblestoned streets, it is easy to believe that Mozart and
Einstein were born. As an added bonus, it is easily one of cheapest beautiful
cities you will ever visit. I have lived in over a dozen of the world's
major cities, and Prague is assuredly one of my favourites. |
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| Real
Estate in the Czech Republic |
| No matter
what part of the globe you call home, making the decision to invest in
property can be a challenging, albeit exciting process. Prague is all the
more enticing when a slice of history begins at only 50,000 GBP for a romantic
apartment in the centre of town. But for foreigners interested in purchasing
real estate outside of their own country, the road to home or business
ownership can be a bit more difficult to travel. |
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| Rhapsodic
Bohemia... where you can become a homeowner for less than $4,000
- Real Estate & Life In The Czech Republic's Bohemia |
| Cottages to
restore start at just $3,700. Some are admittedly ramshackle but you can
find simple homes in good condition for crazy prices. RIS Agency has an
exceptional bargain at a village called Zanicary, near the old silver-mining
town of Kutna Hora. Just 50 miles from Prague, this 100-year old cottage
is 1,300 square feet and was restored 10 years ago. Priced at $8,300, it
has wooden beams, a cobbled courtyard, and a 3,300-square-foot garden.
Another good buy in the same region was a 2,700-suare-foot family house
on land of 8,500 square feet. This was $15,000. - From The Best Of International
Living |
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| Tax
Time with an Overseas B&B - Investing in the Czech Republic |
| Ron Winkles
and his wife run a Bed and Breakfast establishment in the Czech Republic.
They spend about six months of each year in the US and six months in the
Czech Republic. Ron writes, "Our return on investment has run about 5 to
8 percent annually, and we have had a great time making a little more than
stateside CD rates while earning a nice tax write off. I was audited once
by the IRS, the agent was curious and could not believe a retired couple
earning $55,000 a year could afford to live in America and own a villa
in Europe. Jokingly, I told him we saved money by not shopping in Wal-Mart." |
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| Teach
English Worldwide - Starting Point Prague |
| People from
all walks of life are heading to the heart of Europe to begin their adventure
of teaching English abroad. Prague, in the Czech Republic, is the perfect
setting to begin teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). In just
4 weeks you can become certified by TEFL Worldwide to teach English and
receive job placement assistance worldwide. |
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| Teaching
English in Prague - a Great Place to Start |
| Mali Charlaff,
Careers Officer here at Oxford Tefl Prague gives a brief insight into what
you can expect if you want to teach English as a Foreign Language in Prague.
Jun/06 |
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| The
Czech Republic - Worth A Look |
| Let's start
with the fact, that for a lot of readers of this newsletter leaving their
home country will mean tremendous tax savings (for Americans living abroad,
all income up to 75000 is tax deductible, for many other countries all
income is.) Sure, if you are a construction worker, you will not be able
to find a job in Prague, that will pay you as much as your current job
in LA, but if you are a privacy consultant, Internet entrepreneur or stock-market
trader, you might as well do it from here. The communications are about
as good as in Germany, and in the small beautiful village in the mountains
where I live, I have a phone line with ISDN, cellular coverage and satellite
dish for my CNN and CNBC. |
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| The
Other Franz Ferdinand - Experiences In Bensov And Konopiste Castle |
| When I visited
the small Central Bohemian city of Benesov (the 's' makes a 'sh' sound),
and the adjoining Konopiste Castle for the first time, it was my first
trip outside of Prague. On the journey there I noticed that the clouds
hung low in the sky and merged with the tops of the hills that dominate
Central Bohemia's landscape, which gave the countryside a gloomy, eery
feel. Most of the leaves had left the trees so the landscape was very skeletal. |
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| The
Universal Language: Teaching ESL in a Czech Cat House - MeeeOW |
| D.A. Blyler
is an ESL instructor. He has taught English as a second language in many
places around the world. He wrote this article during his tenure as a faculty
member at the University of West Bohemia in the Czech Republic. The story
takes place at an upscale brothel in Plzen. Blyler writes, "The girls were
quick learners, and by the end of a month, they had mastered most of their
lessons. Steffi thought that two classes a week would be sufficient, but
also offered me another job as a limited partner. For every client I steered
or brought to the club, she would give me half of her 50 percent take.
I took her up on the offer. She handed me 100 Steffi's Club business cards,
and I went to work." |
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| Top
Tips for Expats - Living in the Czech Republic |
| Chris Westphal
and his family of four moved lock, stock, and barrel to Prague in the Czech
Republic. They learned a lot, so much they wrote a book about it. Chris
writes, "Most of the millions of U.S. citizens who live abroad are either
single people getting a taste of adventure while teaching English abroad,
or career expatriates. We fit neither of these categories. What's more,
we had no family ties and no cultural ties to the Czech Republic. In fact,
we had never even visited the country. If you've ever considered living
abroad with your family, here are some of the most important things to
keep in mind before you go, while you're there, and when you return. |
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| UNESCO
As My Guide - More Travels In The Czech Republic |
| The longer
I’m in Europe, the pickier I’ve become as a traveler. In a sense, I’m still
like a little child on the way to the candy store because I feel as though
as I’ll be satisfied by ANYTHING I see, treasuring every moment of my life
abroad. Then there’s another part of me that critiques the town while comparing
and contrasting with other places I’ve seen. As you can imagine, my appreciation
and amazement by new surroundings have declined over time, much as one
would feel eating their favorite meal 5 times in a week. Because of this,
I’m finding it harder and harder to rely on people’s recommendations. |
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