It’s easy to come by advice on nurturing your creative side. Why? Because it’s easy to suggest we read more, get out and meet new people, join a drawing group, or take time out to think. The hard part is finding the time. If you’ve spent decades juggling family and career responsibilities, you’ll know what I mean. So many of us shelve our creative passions.But a move overseas is a sure-fire way to unleash them. For many retirees in affordable destinations around the world, the most fulfilling thing about their new lives is the ability to reinvent themselves and reorganize their priorities.
With a $1,500-a-month mortgage to pay in Pasadena, Fred Fleet didn’t have much time to nurture his creative side. But since building a 3,000-square-foot home on the beach in Panama, Fred’s found plenty of time to make short films and write books.
In Cuenca, IL correspondent Donna Stiteler, has tapped into an incredible vein of artistic talent among the large and welcoming community of retirees there… Alaska-native Mara Gano spent 30 years teaching and raising a family and put her love of opera on the backburner. But since moving to Cuenca, the 56-year-old has become a member of the Cuenca international chorale and hosts concerts around town.
Fellow expat Keith Paul always thought being an artist was something he could never do. “I was a computer guy. I never thought of myself as someone who had talent,” says Keith. But the stress-free life he’s found through early retirement has allowed him to explore and develop his artistic streak with lessons just $5 to $10 an hour.
One of Peru’s most dynamic expat hubs, the historic city of Cusco has attracted many foreign artists and creative types. As the jumping off point for the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu you might assume it’s pricey, but you can rent an apartment in the ancient heart of the city from as little as $250 a month. IL correspondent, Steve LePoidevin, reveals how and where to retire well in the Land of the Incas.
Eoin Bassett,
International Executive Editor
The first thing you notice is the calming scent of lavender. It hangs faintly on the air everywhere, in the garden and in the house. That’s not surprising; the eco-lodge is named for the lavender that owners Elizabeth Perkins and Hans Groot grow on their farm amid a patchwork of rolling hills in Le Marche, between the mountains and the sea.
You could spend weeks or months exploring historic Hanoi. I spent five years living at the heart of Vietnam’s capital, and discoveries large and small were a daily affair. Day trips offer you even more excitement and adventure.
The first thing you notice is the colors. Cobalt blue skies and turquoise waters…blindingly white sand beaches. Waterfalls of purple, yellow, and magenta bougainvillea tum-bling over ancient stone walls.
People have used roofs made of natural vegetation for thousands of years. In northern Europe, a thatch roof—of reeds, heather, straw, or rushes—provides very effective insulation (many say better than the artificial stuff).
I was having yet another deep discussion with my wife Diane about leaving the U.S. for Ecuador. We’d spent more than a year researching, scouring the internet, the pages of this magazine…now I was suggesting we take a trip down there to check it out.
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