| GUATEMALA |
| In
Guatemala - On The Road To Panama |
| There
had been quite a debate at the language school we had been attending, and
between our host family where we had been living, as to which market was
the more interesting: San Francisco el Alto or Guatemala’s most famous
market, Chichicastenango. We had seen the former and now we would explore
the latter. Actually, in my mind there was no question that we were going
to go to Chichicastenango. It was on my list before we left the US in our
motorhome three weeks earlier. San Francisco el Alto was a bonus. |
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| Love
At First Sight - The Historical City Of Antigua, Guatemala |
| Love at first
sight is the comment most often heard from those who pass through the historical
city of Antigua, Guatemala, in the country of the “Eternal Spring”. Countless
people from all corners of the world have made the decision that “Antigua
is the place to be”, and I for one, made that decision over 13 years ago
without a single regret. |
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| Moving
to Guatemala |
| Why
Guatemala? First its affordable. A middle - class retirement can
buy an improved life style, with plenty left over to support your activities.
You can attain a much higher standard of living on your social security,
investments and retirement income. An introduction to the subject from
Guatemala Lifestyles Magazine - includes information on obtaining residency. |
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| Murder
And Horses - Todosantos, Guatemala |
| I arrived
in the Guatemalan mountain town of Todosantos Chuchumantan hoping to improve
my Spanish. Some hours after my first lesson, my teacher's brother was
shot dead by a local police officer. The dead man turned out to have been
the head of a local gang - the next morning the entire town police force
fled in fear of lynching. As the town began the preparations for its annual
horse racing fiesta, preparations mainly involving getting fantastically
drunk, the infamous Guatemalan army rolled in to keep the order. That weekend,
six other people would die, and the host family I was living with would
fall into crisis when the father punched his wife in the face. |
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| Re-Building
The Bridge On The River Escondido - Development of Guatemala |
| All materials
had to be moved by the crew, piece by piece, loaded on the flatbed and
taken to the work site, unloaded and constructed “a mano”. The beams weighed
100 lbs. per foot and were 6 to 14 feet long. All would be carried and
maneuvered into place by the workers, who were thin and tough, and existed
on a diet of tortillas and beans. - A true tale told by Jim Hearne, Publisher
of Guatemala Lifestyles Magazine. He makes it clear that the thrill
of living isn't gone for those who've decided to restart their life in
a new nation. |
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| Steam
Train Excursions to Roll Again in Guatemala - Train Excursions in Guatemala |
| The
much anticipated arrangement to provide narrow gauge Train Excursions on
a weekly basis to Guatemala's growing tourism sector has become a reality.
It's a feat that not many could have accomplish. The 52 year old
"Guatemala Choochoo" is not being deterred from running "El Tren Alegria"
and even plans to do so daily. Steam engine 205, a Baldwin 282 steamer
built in 1948, was returned to service. |
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| The
advantages of Living Overseas: a new and refreshing way to look at Offshore
- Offshore Investment |
| Edmund J.
Pankau writes about the broader meaning of offshore, this time in terms
of the real advantages to the ordinary person seeking a lower cost of living,
a better quality of life, reasonable and fantastic real estate, lower taxes,
and ground floor business opportunities. "In recent years, Central America
has become the Florida, California and Arizona of the 1950’s. Remember
when you could buy beachfront property in Florida for a song? When prices
in California were dirt cheap? Well, those days are now in full bloom
just a little further south of the border. The slower paced climate
of Central American has awakened to the realization that is can revitalize
its economy by becoming the retirement center of the western world. |
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| The
Country Of Eternal Spring - Guatemala |
| Guatemala.
Another of the world’s undiscovered gems, waiting to be shaped and shined
by adventure seeking travelers. Landing in Guatemala City is rather unremarkable,
and spending more than a day in the urban center is unnecessary. The city,
which is divided into fifteen zones, does have several sights worth seeing.
The Mercado Central, located in Zona 1, boasts arts and handicrafts that
make wonderful souvenirs and gifts. In Zona 10, Museo Ixchel displays the
richly colored traditional clothing, arts and costumes of Guatemala’s people. |
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| The
Sailing Life On The Río Dulce, Guatemala - Boating Lifestyle |
| The Río
Dulce is not generally regarded as a place to retire. “That’s because property
is pricey. Most people on the river are living on boats. They come and
go.” But, having fallen in love with Guatemala and it’s people, Sharon
and Big Al decided to stay and build a house boat. Due to the heat and
humidity in the Río Dulce area, they felt that a house boat would
give them more wide open breezes and the ability to enjoy the beauty of
nature. [From Guatemala Lifestyles Newsletter] |
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| GUERNSEY |
| Residence,
Immigration & Work Permits - Special Feature From LowTax Online TaxWire |
| In an ongoing
effort to provide a cross-section of the best offshore information on the
internet, EscapeArtist seeks out the best online resources. We are really
excited about a new website and news letter called, Low Tax Online NewsWire
- In this issue of Escape From America we present a Special Feature from
the NewsWire on Residence, Immigration & Work Permits. Countries covered
are: Bahamas, Bermuda, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Isle
of Man, Jersey, Mauritius and Panama. An excellent resource from
a valuable newsletter. If you intend to invest offshore you need
current information from an effective source, the LowTax Online TaxWire
is as good as it gets. |
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| HAITI |
| Building
A Bridge Home - Haitian Internet |
| Henri Deschamps
is the creator and editor of Haiti Global Village, Haiti's premiere online
community. We always enjoy Deschamps innovative and often courageous writing
as well as his very creative website. Here the prodigal son of Haiti
talks about returning to his homeland. |
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| Turning
Haiti Into A Tropical Paradise - Investing in Haiti |
| ...in essence,
it's possible to transform a hellhole like Haiti into the kind of place
you'd want to move to, no matter where you now live, regardless of other
considerations. If there were ever a true free market country, the place
would be so overrun with rich people that workers now making $1 a day would
be in demand at $15 an hour... Doug Casey has a plan to turn Haiti from
a basket case into a tropical paradise - Is this just a pipe dream or is
it a possible reality? Doug Casey's reputation is world renown, his
expertise is amazing. |
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| HONDURAS |
| Honduran
Mainland: Cheap Properties |
| This
is La Ceiba, a Caribbean port city on the northern coast of Honduras.
Home to more than 100,000 people, it’s a town that has everything: a pleasant
central square, a large, modern mall, new supermarkets, food markets, a
cinema, fast food restaurants, and waterside dining. They even have
a North American-run real estate office right on the town square.
The lush cloud forest is just a few miles to the south, with an awesome
peak known as Pico Bonito overlooking the region. The Caribbean beaches
stretch from La Ceiba for more than 100 miles to the west and almost 300
miles to the east. Aug./06 |
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| I
Dream Of The Sea - Diving In Roatan |
| Landing in
La Ceiba, it’s hard to believe that the small, primitive airport services
international flights. La Ceiba is the third largest city in Honduras,
and a great base to start your explorations. Home to Dole Fruit Company,
the city offers a beach, proximity to nature and more urban activities,
such as night clubbing. |
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| Look
to the Honduran Mainland |
| This is La
Ceiba, a Caribbean port city on the northern coast of Honduras. Home to
more than 100,000 people, it’s a town that has everything: a pleasant central
square, a large, modern mall, new supermarkets, food markets, a cinema,
fast food restaurants, and waterside dining. They even have a North
American-run real estate office right on the town square. The lush
cloud forest is just a few miles to the south, with an awesome peak known
as Pico Bonito overlooking the region. The Caribbean beaches stretch from
La Ceiba for more than 100 miles to the west and almost 300 miles to the
east. Jul/06 |
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| Our
Life on Roatan |
| A
Leisurely, Luxurious, Affordable Caribbean Dream. You smell the perfume
of the white ginger and watch the palm fronds sway in the southeastern
trade winds… slip into quiet, blue water that feels like velvet on the
skin… walk along the white sand and scoop up shells, adding to a collection
already spilling onto the patio table... Experiences like those -- a daily
pleasure on Roatan, Honduras -- are, really, what enticed us to invest
here. Sept./06 |
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| Roatan
Revisited - Living On The Island Of Roatan |
| Roatan - is
an island of pristine beaches, lush jungle covered hills, welcoming people,
unique cultures, world renowned diving and an endless array of activities.
It is Caribbean and it is inexpensive Caribbean. The island of Roatan,
the most developed of the Bay Islands Archipelago, is located only 40 miles
northeast of mainland Honduras. Lyle Burke and his family lived on Roatan,
where he was inspired to start Tropical Pathways Tours, a tour company
that brings wantabe expats to the prime destinations and provides expert
advice. |
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| The
advantages of Living Overseas: a new and refreshing way to look at Offshore |
| Edmund
J. Pankau writes about the broader meaning of offshore, this time in terms
of the real advantages to the ordinary person seeking a lower cost of living,
a better quality of life, reasonable and fantastic real estate, lower taxes,
and ground floor business opportunities. "In recent years, Central America
has become the Florida, California and Arizona of the 1950’s. Remember
when you could buy beachfront property in Florida for a song? When prices
in California were dirt cheap? Well, those days are now in full bloom
just a little further south of the border. The slower paced climate
of Central American has awakened to the realization that is can revitalize
its economy by becoming the retirement center of the western world. All
of the things that made Florida and California boom are now happening in
Belize, Honduras and Costa Rica, as is starting to emerge, Nicaragua, Panama,
El Salvador and Guatemala." |
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| The
Caribbean's Last Frontier: Great-Value Investment and Lifestyle Opportunities
in Honduras' Bay Islands - Honduras Bay Islands - The Caribbeans Last Fronteir |
| If
you've always dreamed of owning a Caribbean escape, a place you can retreat
to a few weeks or a few months a year… maybe full-time eventually, I have
good news for you: It's not too late to make a smart investment in the
Bay Islands of Honduras. |
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| HONG
KONG |
| Before
You Jump - Thinking About What You Need To Know Before Moving Abroad |
| Thinking
about living overseas for the first time? Wondering what you should investigate?
Pondering how your family will react to their new environment? This month
Samuel Atlee outlines some of the experiences he had when locating to Hong
Kong with his family. |
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| Birth
of a Freelance Travel Writer Abroad - Modest living while enjoying the
expatriate life |
| Between
train, plane, and car trips to all corners of Europe, Anika Scott is at
her computer at her home in Central Germany. In this article Ms. Scott
tells how she got started, how to get residency and work visa permits,
and how she puts pen-to-paper (or keyboard-to-bytes), where she gets her
ideas, and how she makes her income. Many resources are supplied to help
anyone who has the insatiable need to tell the stay-at-homes about the
ordinary and the extraordinary abroad. |
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