Live and Invest Overseas

Retire To El Salvador

Must-See In 2010

Dec. 22, 2009
San Salvador, El Salvador

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Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

"El Salvador is everything a pocket-sized republic should be," writes Correspondent Michael Paladin, picking up where he left off yesterday.

"The country is small. You can cross it in four hours. The beach is 30 minutes away from San Salvador, the vibrant capital. The landscape is dotted with cones of extinct volcanoes, palms, and lush pastures. There is a newness and a sense of pride in El Salvador, the capital, which boasts the best roads and the biggest shopping malls in the region. El Salvador's skyline is dotted with new high-rise apartment buildings under construction, plus the recently completed World Trade Center, 19 stories of glass and steel, the envy of the region. This is a city that seldom sleeps, and the clubs, restaurants, and discos stay open late. The streets are filled with shiny new BMWs, Mercedes, and Hummers day and night.

"Lonely Planet just rated this country at the #1 destination to visit in 2010. But El Salvador? Isn't that the place where they had the revolutions, gang and drug wars, and internal conflicts that lasted for decades?

"You're partially right. The long-running feud between the right-wing ARENA party and the FMLN (Farabundo Marti Liberation Front) officially ended with a peace treaty signing in 1992. Then Mauricio Funes, ex-CNN reporter and FMLN stalwart, was voted into office as President last June, sending shock waves and ripples of fear throughout the hemisphere. Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba are smiling, but the United States continues to send aid.

"El Salvador is a country of six million hard-working people. There's a big population of El Salvadorans living in the United States and sending home hard-earned currency every month, accounting for perhaps 15% of El Salvador's GNP.

"One of the country's biggest assets is its beaches, which are superb.

"More on this tomorrow..."

Kathleen Peddicord

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MAILBAG:

"Kathleen, I disagree with your list of '11 Things To Know Before You Move Overseas," in particular with points 4 and 9.

"Your point 4 says to 'Understand that no other country on earth is as comfortable or as convenient as the United States of America.'

"I spent 14 years in the United States (3 in California and 11 in Maryland), and I don't agree. In most parts of the United States, public transportation is terrible. You just have to have a car. Even walking is not always practical. In many places, there aren't even sidewalks.

"I now live in Switzerland, outside Zurich, 3 minutes' walk from a train station. There's a train to Zurich every 15 minutes every day from 6 a.m. until midnight (there are trains at night too, just not every 15 minutes). In Zurich, the train interconnects with a network of trains, trams, and buses. I can get from my apartment to any address in metropolitan Zurich within 40 minutes. From my apartment to Zurich airport takes 28 minutes (there's a train every half-hour), and the trains are clean, quiet, and punctual, and I always get a seat.

"I can get to any town, and almost all villages, in Switzerland by train and bus. That's what I call convenient.

"The local supermarket does close on Sundays, but it's open on weekday evenings until 8 p.m. You just have to do a little forward planning for your grocery shopping. That's not much of an inconvenience.

"Appointments are kept punctually here.

"I can walk pretty much anywhere in Zurich at any time of day or night, alone, safely. So can my wife. (There are incidents of violent crime, but they are very rare.) That's true of most Swiss cities and all smaller Swiss towns. Not having to worry about personal safety is a big convenience.

"I don't need to have a surge suppressor on the power supply for my computer or my fax modem. The electrical supply here doesn't seem to experience destructive spikes, as it did in Maryland.

"I don't need to get a permit to hike in the national parks. There are some great hikes starting on the edge of the town where I live, just a 10-minute walk from my apartment. That's convenience! In the summer, I can walk to the lake five minutes away and swim there.

"Your number 9 point says to 'Be prepared for panic.' You indicate that you've never known anyone who didn't experience a moment of, What in the world have I done?

"I did once experience a moment such as you describe, but it wasn't after my first move to another country, in 1972, so I think I qualify as an exception. I admit I did have a moment like that in 1978, when I moved to the United States. But it wasn't so much a temporary panic as a realization that I'd made a terrible mistake."

-- Nick J., Switzerland

***

"Kathleen, you write a lot of very helpful stuff for folk who are thinking about leaving the United States.

"Recently you stated that no other country is as comfortable or convenient as the United States. This sounds very strange to me, and I ask myself why so many people are leaving the U.S. Why do they want to live elsewhere?
 
"Personally, I know lots of Americans who have emigrated to Australia and Asia and are just so happy to get out of the United States.
 
"Having lived in many countries during my 70+ years and having visited every country in the world, the place I avoid going at any cost is the United States
 
"Unless one owns a car, it is definitely the most inconvenient country to be in, as public transport is not very good and in many place nonexistent.
 
"As for comfort, again, I don't understand. Generally, the United States beats every other country in the world for aggression and violence. I have seen it and experienced it.
 
"Now, believe me, I am not having a go at Americans. I have lots of wonderful American friends, and those I know living overseas all appear to be very happy. Those still living in the United States, on the other hand, are always complaining about something. This is not surprising to me, as, in all my experiences in that country, I have found it to be the least comfortable and convenient! And I am not alone in this view.
 
"What I am trying to get across is that you are being so helpful by writing heaps of valuable stuff. Might be a good idea to avoid making such remarks as above, especially when you're aiming at folk who want to leave the country.
 
"Otherwise, please, please keep up the good work."
 
-- Irene P., Peru

 

 

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