There are so many great articles packed into the archives of Escapeartist.com. We have been reading the accounts of those who have gone before us, albeit to different countries, for at least four or five years now and we have to tell you, if not for those great stories, we doubt that we would be sitting here in Chile, savoring the moment, with our former “home” over eight thousand miles away.... that’s a pretty long distance from where we began. Having the benefit of knowing that there are others out there in the world like us, people who have tried and succeeded with their relocation somehow gave us the strength we needed to follow our hearts. 

We lived in our prior home for over twenty-five years. We gave birth and raised our two wonderful children there and have collected many boxes just bursting with photos of friends, family and our numerous pets over the years. No one would consider us the sort of people who would just pack up and move anywhere on a whim and we aren't. However, we felt we needed to make a long-overdue change in our lives.

We were not necessarily impulsive people, but we did feel something needed to change. Why were we actually thinking about leaving the US? Would this be something we actually wanted to do once all was said and done? We have talked with and read about many people who share a similar dilemma with the same growing feelings of dissatisfaction over their lives in the USA. We are proud to call ourselves Americans, but unfortunately, being an "American" is now very different in meaning from what it once was.

The general consensus seems to be that there is an increasing difficulty in maintaining the same lifestyle, quality of life and values that were once synonymous with being an "American." In our case, we were not only dissatisfied with our degenerating quality of life - having to work harder and longer hours to just keep up every year, but we were sincerely concerned about what the future would hold for our children. 

A person would have to have been residing on the dark side of the moon for the past five-to-ten years to have not realized the fact that life was and is becoming a much harsher reality in the US and it seemed more and more unlikely to us, that our children would be able to attain the standard of living they had grown accustomed to, especially at the rate things were changing.

What’s The Big Problem Anyway?

Over the years, we have enjoyed what we consider to be an above-average lifestyle. While not “wealthy” per se, we worked very hard and have enjoyed many of life’s rewards. But like all caring parents we want our children to one day be capable of attaining a lifestyle at least comparable to the one they have had while growing up, hopefully even better.

So, did this mean that we would be bailing out of what seemed like a sinking ship, right into what could very well be a sea of sharks? We hoped not, but while there are sharks in every ocean, some oceans have far more savage beasts and in much larger numbers. Maybe we did finally bail out of what could become the proverbial sinking ship but we don't feel it was into a sea of sharks. We feel we embarked on a journey in a new ship destined for a much safer harbor.

The first bit of insight we gained while broadening our own horizons was that most people are basically closed-minded. We are sure that we were once this way as well, but something happened to us over the years. We believe a part of it was the growing dissatisfaction we mentioned above which made us feel more and more uncomfortable and unsettled with the status quo. More than that, there was a growing anxiety in the pit of our stomachs that kept pushing us to look outside of the US. Then again, maybe it was that age-thing (@#$%#), because it was during this time that we hit the half-century mark.

This very-condensed version of our underlying motivations to search for a new life leads us to the next question, one we seem to be asked on a daily basis, "WHY Chile?" Good question. After much research, soul-searching and many nights spent deep in conversation about the world we were a part of, we began to ask ourselves, "Why not Chile?" Chile seemed to match up very well with our list of criteria for a new home.

Wanted: A Knowledgeable Pen Pal And It’s Not So Bad Being “The Baron”

Now, if one was a non-Spanish-speaking person looking for information about retiring in or relocating to Chile, a person might as well have looked for a magic bottle and rubbed it, hoping that a Genie would appear to grant a wish or two. Most on-line info. that we managed to find had next-to NOTHING to say about Chile as a possible spot for Relocation, at least not information that was relevant to people like us, a family with family needs, like a comfortable place to settle in to, which meant a home with modern conveniences and a place for our animals to be happy (NO TICKS, few fleas and virtually no mosquitoes and open spaces). Obviously, living in an apartment in Santiago, would just NOT be our cup of tea. Call us spoiled I guess but we have certain standards. We were not looking to lower our standard of living, we wanted to secure it and yeah, sure, raising it a bit wouldn’t hurt either. We were willing to make some changes but we expected to gain more than we were giving up, a mighty tall order, si?

The only relevant information AT ALL that we could find was on an obscure Spanish-language Internet search site. You have to understand, without the ability to speak Spanish; we did (and still do) need to depend on Alta Vista's Babelfish Translation tool quite heavily. We were able to find what appeared to be relevant information, so we sent them an email. Oh, did we forget to mention that we spoke next to NO Spanish at this point? (We have improved remarkably, NOW!) So, we broke with "tradition" and sent an English email to a Spanish site, in hopes that someone would be able to understand and hopefully respond.

As those Fates would have it, at first no one COULD understand our email, so the original recipient gave our email to a second person who also was not able to completely understand our questions. By a stroke of luck, our email found its' way into the hands of "The Baron." Being a kindly man who spoke English, he was quick to reply. He answered our questions and the beginning of a new friendship was in the works. We were amazed that the Baron seemed to be thinking and relating to the world in much the same manner as we did! Imagine, someone from so far away who actually seemed to be a lot like us, hmmmmmmm.
 

For at least nine months prior to our trip from the US to Chile, we corresponded with the Baron, whose own land development actually sounded like it was right up our "looking for Paradise in a safe place" alley. The "Baron," as we teasingly call him, is Chilean, born to German immigrant parents. His parents fled Nazi Germany just prior to WWII and he seems to have a bit of a soft spot in his heart for possible Immigrants like us. We became friends almost instantly, because we share similar feelings about the world at large and the US in particular.

The Baron had worked in South America for a US corporation for many years and his English was quite good. Had we not found a true good friend here in Chile, to guide us, look out for us and to come to our rescue when we needed help, we are convinced our entire experience would not have been at all the same. To be very honest, we probably would not have stayed in Chile, either. This is something to take note of. It is enough of a challenge to pick up stakes and change your whole life but without a friend to lend a hand, we both think it would just be too much to handle.

We have now come to find ourselves in a similar position as the Baron was for us. We also have the ability to help future Expats, people that might wander this way searching for their future, or simply people that need a friend in a place so far from what and where they were used to. We have made lots of contacts in the almost two years we have been here and now we are the "Baron(s)" for a new group. We assist when and where possible, lend a helping hand in the fulfillment of dreams just as the Baron so kindly did for us. There is nothing quite as wonderful in a strange land, as a friend you can trust who also understands you, literally and figuratively. It made all the difference for us.

Living The California Dream 8k Miles Southeast

Working with a budget of only a fraction of what would be needed in, say, California or other premium areas of the USA, we are able to live here in a beautiful, new (designed and built to our specifications), custom lake-view home on an acre and a quarter. Our new home borders a year-round stream in a private, gated community, complete with underground utilities, cable Internet and cable or satellite TV(we have both, long story). We are very close to a popular resort town complete with supermarkets filled with the freshest meats, produce and bakery goods. We have daily housekeeping services (WOW! Can our housekeeper, called nanas here, cook!), plus we have our own swimming pool along with every other comfort we could possibly dream we might need. Here in Chile, we can live a lifestyle we would only be able to dream about in California and we actually made a quite decent living when we lived there.

We had our choice of many different types of areas in Chile, each with their own special features, like an ocean view golf/country club setting, a horse-focused development complete with private, well-maintained riding trails and a community stable where each horse has its own private stall plus pasture rotation privileges in the lush, green year-round pastures. We chose the beauty and simplicity of the Lakes District resort community of Pucón, a reminder of “our” Lake Tahoe area of years past, back when it was pure and uncluttered by hoards of people and one could look down one hundred feet and actually see the white, sandy bottom. If we moved the custom home that we have here in Chile up to Lake Tahoe, we would have to share it with about 20 families to be able to afford it in today's Real Estate market!

We feel that the Chilean Real Estate market is very much like the California market of our youth. If there is one thing we have learned in the many years we spent living in California is that the very best areas always have a good market and they will always appreciate in value more than most others, over time. For this reason, we have looked very closely at the prime areas of Chile. Chile is the new California, it just so happens to be in another part of the world!

In the resort areas of Chile, while it does seem that Chileans are the ones that own most of the second or “vacation” homes, people from all over the world also own homes here, as well. The most surprising fact about the homes that are left vacant for periods that may range from six to ten months a year is that the homes remain completely untouched. There is not much need for a boarded-up window or door, because no one bothers these homes. Maybe it is the Watcher Birds, we can't be sure, but the nights around here are quite peaceful. Actually everywhere we have gone in Chile, we have always felt completely safe. Our dogs prefer to guard "their" swimming pool, which is the place you will find them at any given time during the summer months. We are beginning to wonder exactly WHO the swimming pool was really built for... Actually no, we are not really wondering… it is for the dogs!

Getting Technical, Half Of Us Hates This Part!

Chile is a unique country for more than a few reasons. When reading reports regarding other countries as possible Expat destinations, we cannot help but notice a common thread in all of the advertising/articles: "Lots of Expatriates here!," "Special Economic Incentives for Expats!," "Growing, but Still Reasonable Real Estate Prices for Expats!," and the list of "Expat lures" grows longer with each passing day.....

We do not see Chile in this light. Chile has been quietly doing its' own thing, maintaining its position as the leading Latin-American economy in the world. Chile has held this title for many years now and we see nothing to indicate that it will be letting up any time soon.

This has created a strong foundation, built WITH Chileans, from the inside outward. Yes, Chile has instituted foreign investment policies that have been designed specifically (and quite successfully, we might add), to encourage foreign investment IN Chile, but the real growth has been because of the Chileans themselves.

Chile has a lower severe poverty rate than the US, a low unemployment rate, an excellent educational system (plus English is now mandated in all the schools), an extremely high literacy rate and a solid and growing-fast middle class. Chile's per capita GDP is well above that of Panama, Belize, Mexico, Dominican Republic and even Costa Rica. Sorry guys, we know you are all trying. In spite of this, we find Chile’s prime real estate to be a better value than prime properties in any of these other countries. Once you see what Chile has to offer, you won’t believe it.

With Chile's strong, well-educated middle class, vast amounts of open space, its bounty of natural resources and low crime rate, Chile is poised for many years of growth, development and prosperity. This is something not only important to us, but to the future that lies ahead of us, our children and hopefully our children's children, as well.

Chilean housing and Real Estate are great bargains right now but not because the general populace is poor and anyone can just swoop in and grab up all of the great deals (Read “exploit”). To be more accurate, housing and land is reasonable partly because there is an abundance of open land. Chile has fewer people than LA County does, but is comparable in length to the North American, Pacific Coast from Alaska down to the middle of Mexico. Just imagine if the Pacific Coast of North America was populated ONLY by the residents of LA County. That would still be greater than the entire population of Chile! Also, over a third of Chile’s population resides in the greater Santiago area. This leaves a lot of very desirable, beautiful, build-able and open land available for sale.

Where Do You Think All The Winter Avocados Come From?

Furthermore, Chile is very rich in natural resources with copper being its leading export (Factoid: Chile is the world’s largest producer) and forestry products are second on the list followed by agriculture, (mostly fruits and Vegetables but don’t forget the wine). This means copper pipes and wiring, wood framing and siding, floors, concrete and almost every item needed for construction of a home is produced right here in Chile. I might also mention that Chile has an abundance of fresh, pure, clean water and most of the electricity is produced from Hydro-powered generators.

There is a different attitude in a country that is neither poor nor over-populated than in a poor and overcrowded country. Chile is a very clean country and the residents here take pride in themselves. Also, Chile does not have a serious immigration problem, although that is changing a bit with the influx of some illegal low-cost Peruvian and Bolivian laborers. Still the population growth is well under control. I think it is interesting that very few Chileans are immigrating to the USA and there is a relatively small population of Chileans in the US. However, Expats and Retirees are welcome here, but not to be viewed as an object of money. Rather, they are welcomed as friends and neighbors from an interesting and in many ways an entertaining (in the case of the USA) country. This is how most Chileans view the world's citizens. We think we are the comic relief for our particular town. Many people smile when they see us. We even have local merchants wave at us and say, "Hola Bonnie, Hola Don Gary!" We are all still getting used to that “Don Gary” name.... and the reason they smile probably has something to do with the way we fracture their beautiful language, all in fun, it really is ALL in fun! People here love to laugh and we sure do give them an ample supply of reasons!

Believe us, there is a very different mentality among the people here than in any of the many other countries we had visited over the years. Chile actually views itself as European rather than Latin. European immigrants started settling here, from Europe about the same time as they did in the US. Also, due to a special Homestead Initiative instituted by Chile in the 1850's, many Germans immigrated to the Lakes District of Chile. They were able to acquire rich and productive farmlands in exchange for all of their hard work developing the land. As we walk around our local lakeside town, with it's abundance of German wood architecture, it is almost as common to overhear discussions in German as it is in the Castileano Español.

California, RIP!

California is very well known for its' temperate climate, particularly along its coast and in the foothills of the mountains. The problems with CA are the absolutely outrageous property prices and the staggering overpopulation (30 million and growing fast) of a once-beautiful state. Both problems show no signs of reversing. The entire population of Chile is less than sixteen million people. Chile's climate is very similar to California and the entire North American coast, for that matter depending on where one travels in Chile.

For all of these reasons and for a million more which we will go into in future articles, if allowed…. ahem…. we have chosen Chile as the ideal location for our family to call home. Then again, we could ask, did Chile actually choose us?? We are working on answering that question but in the meantime, Chile is and will always remain a beautiful enigma.

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