| INDONESIA |
| Dragons
at Sea - Breathing Fire with the Monitor Lizard - Eastern Indonesia |
| Andrew
Greene has spent the last decade traveling the globe in search of distant
places, unique faces, and unimaginable cultural events. As a teacher in
San Francisco equipped with a large dose of cultural curiosity his adventures
have provided experiences and insights not easily found here in the west.
As he states, “Adventure travel is not synonymous with taking unnecessary
risks, but rather with a willingness to venture down the path that you
didn't intend to find.” His experience in Indonesia searcing out the famed
Komodo Dragon is indeed distant, unique, and unimaginable. |
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| Indonesia
- Adventure |
| Almost everyone
in economy class looked out their window trying, I’m sure, to envision
the infamous assault from the perpetrator’s point of view. We did too.
Things looked pretty quiet down there now. And then, while pondering this
contrast, we suddenly hit the mother of all air pockets and for a few heart-stopping
moments it felt exactly like it must have to Yamamoto’s raiders fifty years
ago to the hour. |
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| Let
It Go And Let Bali - Robin Sparks Looks At The Expat Scene In Bali
- Being In Bali |
| The
rhythmic clanging of hammers hitting the bamboo shafts in the kul kul tower
pull us in. Women in tight sarongs and lacey tops stride regally under
three foot towers of offerings on their heads. Like the ladies back home
bringing food to the church potluck, they are bringing food to the gods,
which they will share with others. We kneel on bare earth before a shrine.
Made places the offering of food and flowers she has brought on the ground
and lights a stick of incense. We hold out open hands to receive holy water
sprinkled from a flower petal by the old pumanku, a priest's assistant,
and tuck flower petals behind our ears - even two year old Lode knows the
routine. "What should I pray for?" I ask Made. "Whatever you want. No problem!"
she says. |
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| Looking
At Real Estate In Bangkok, Bali & The Philippines - Real Estate In
Bangkok, Bali & The Philippines |
| I then went
to Bangkok, a hot and crowded place, but my favorite city in this part
of the world, probably even ahead of Hong Kong. Poor planning got me there
in the middle of the Thai New Year, which meant everything was shut down
for a week, and I didn't get a chance to see a lot of property. On the
other hand, the whole city goes wild with a water festival; you walk down
any street and after five minutes you're completely soaked from squirt
guns and buckets of water thrown at you, day or night. It's great fun.
Bangkok reminds me of L.A. without the social problems. If you're thinking
of living in the Orient for a while, this is the place. - Doug Casey looks
for real estate in the Orient. |
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| Musings
on Living in Jakarta - Living in Jakarta |
| Jeannie Fairfax
writes, "I live in a distinctly Indonesian neighborhood, or, "kampung."
And, although bordering Jalan Sudirman, one of Jakarta's largest, most
important thoroughfares, here in "Ben-Hill" (Bendungan-Hillerman) I can
safely wander the curving, crooked paths day or night and feel far away
-- in another world from the city." And with keen wit and intuitive observation
she tells about the push cart vendors selling fruits, vegetables, dinners,
houseplants, herbs, and about other people who make noise in front of her
house. |
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| Real
Estate in Bali – A Truly Magical Island |
| Bali’s
indigenous population of just over 3 million welcomes around 1.5 million
foreign tourists (figures for 2004). There are almost 40,000 foreigners
living or working in Bali who are extremely happy and satisfied with their
decision to be on this magical Island. Some have learned it the hard way
while others made sure they were well informed about the location before
any commitment was made. |
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| Robin
Sparks In Bali - Looking At The Expat Scene In Bali |
| I
move into a house in the midst of the rice paddies above the old artist
village of Bali called Penestanan. It is like moving into a zoo, so full
of creatures that I must wear earplugs at night to sleep. The house is
a large traditional Balinese home open to the outdoors complete with a
lush garden and lotus pond stocked with fat goldfish. Like most homes in
Bali, it comes with a "helper" or pembante. The cost of my magnificent
home in paradise? One million five hundred rupiahs, which at this writing
equals about $175 a month. |
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| Sacred
Mountain Sanctuary - An Indonesian Resort |
| Well, what
can I say, it's Bali and my mind races to the people, the beauty, the peaceful
green setting. Sacred Mountain Sanctuary is located in the highlands of
Bali. The resort offers a perfect enviroment for meditation as well as
trekking into the nearby mountains. The resort has become a favorite within
Indonesia earning a silver medal in the Tri Hita Karana Award Competition
- an award for hotel excellence. Remember, if you make a reservation through
the above article and you mention that you saw the resort on Escapeartist.com
you will get 15% off on all room-rates. |
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| So
You Want To Retire In Paradise - Thoughts On Bali, Singapore And New Guinea |
| Once upon
a time, there was a man with a band of children, a lovely wife and a house
in Bali. Life was good, but this man thought that life could be better
if only he didn’t have to work. This is the story of that man and his dream.
Bali. For some people the name says it all - warm seas, soft sands, cold
beers, vibrant colors, exotic sounds, friendly people, large smiles, laughing
children, a multitude of inexpensive small hotels and homestays. Bali.
A land of wonder and magic set in the warm waters of the Bali Sea and the
Indian Ocean. Hand planted rice, homemade religious offerings, vibrant
cloths used in ceremonial clothes. |
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| Sumbawa
- Another Kind Of Paradise |
| It is a dilemma
that every traveler faces – especially every traveler who wants to tell
his friends about the Hidden Paradise he’s discovered: the very fact of
giving a name - or a face - to the place you love changes it till it becomes
a place you hardly like. Talk about how unspoiled somewhere is, and you’re
almost inviting its despoliation. When someone gives you the address of
the unknown Shangri-La he’s found, you’re forced to wonder whether he’s
serving its interests or his own. |
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| Sumbawa
- Another Kind Of Paradise Part II |
| For
some reason, mostly, I guess, due to the distortions of perception common
to those who live in small villages, I had the impression that Sumbawa
Besar would be a wonderland of shops, restaurants, hotels and perhaps even
a bookstore. The reality is that it’s the sleepy little capital city
of a large, sleepy island. After an uneventful night at the Hotel Tambora
with only one offer of a woman (“I’m married.” “It doesn’t matter.” “It
does if you know my wife.”), and a breakfast of toast and bitter coffee,
I’m ready to head back to my little village of Sekongkang. |
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| The
Practicalities Of Moving To Bali - Thoughts On Living In Bali |
| This is a
follow-up to my last two articles about living overseas, in particular
living on the island of Bali. I suppose, being a frequent lurker and participant
on a number of Bali internet forums, that I shouldn’t have been surprised
at the number of people that wrote to me asking about moving to Bali, but
I was. The following are the most common questions that potential expatriates
have in regards to moving to Bali. All prices and fees are in United States
dollars unless otherwise noted. |
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| Torn
Between Two Lovers - Thoughts On San Francisco And Bali |
| Robin
Sparks writes about some of her experiences in Bali and what it felt like
to return to the US after the bombings in Indonesia. She talks about some
of the changes that have taken place in the U.S. since she left and what
life might be like in Bali and San Francisco. She talks with some expats
about what someone should expect when they relocate overseas: how will
the conflicting demands of wanting things from home cross with the new
enviroment of living overseas. |
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| IRELAND |
| Articles
On Living and Investing In Ireland |
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| ISLE
OF MAN |
| Residence,
Immigration & Work Permits - Special Feature From LowTax Online TaxWire
- Moving to the Isle of Man |
| 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. Their international editorial staff provides up
to date information from around the world. |
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| ITALY |
| Articles
On Living and Investing In Italy |
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