“Do you love art?” It was hot in Malacca and I’m not going to lie: I stepped into that gallery to get under a fan. But the paintings were interesting and the inquiring sales guy was laidback. We talked a while. And, to both of our surprise, I took a chance and bought a painting.
Malacca is for me the most atmospheric city in Malaysia. I was checking out opportunities to rent an old Chinese shophouse and turn it into a bookstore, curio store, restaurant, or other easy-going lifestyle business.
But the painting had me thinking about the “finer things in life” equation. In all the places on our beat, you’ll spend less money to live as well—and often better—than you do at home. Things cost less. So it stands to reason you’ll have more money. More money to travel, to enjoy fine wines, stay in good hotels, take cruises…buy art.
This month you’ll find plenty of proof that a move overseas is a sure way to trade up. You’ll learn about joining one of Penang’s most prestigious colonial-era clubs, complete with waiters in stiff uniforms…unthinkable at what it would cost you in the U.S.
Sixty-eight year old Judith Gold reveals how a move to Bali (a cradle of crafts and art) means she can afford three staff, “one to maintain my pool, one as a gardener, and one to clean my house.”
Want somewhere to hang your art? How about an aristocratic mansion with stone tile floors, frescoed and vaulted ceilings, and modern comforts? The asking price is just $255,900 and it’s in Italy’s hottest emerging expat locale where we’ve uncovered historic properties at bargain prices.
How about your own pied-à-terre on the French Riviera? Paul Murray Elliott explains how he and wife Wendy savor a few months in Nice each year, and it doesn’t break the bank. (Nice boasts more galleries than anywhere in France outside Paris.)
And we tell you the best place to buy amber and semi-precious larimar in the colonial zone of the oldest settlement in the Americas. Our IL Portugal Correspondent brings you a romanticist marvel sitting atop a mountain peak, surrounded by lush pine forests, just 45 minutes from Lisbon
—Eoin Basset, International Executive Editor
Whenever I visit Honfleur, one of the prettiest harbor towns in Normandy, France, I’m gripped by a desperate desire to learn to paint. I blame the light. On clear mornings, Honfleur’s light is soft and rosy, bathing the slate-fronted houses surrounding the old port in a golden-pink glow.
Every time I visit Belize’s Cayo District in the country’s interior, I’m delighted by the lush, wild jungles, languidly flowing rivers, and the remnants of the ancient Maya civilization scattered throughout the region.
Catalonia, in northern Spain, has lots of nooks and crannies for the intrepid traveler to explore. One such town is La Bisbal d’Empordà, renowned for the high-quality pottery and antiques you can pick up there. And you don’t have to be a pottery nut to enjoy this old medieval town or appreciate the vivid colors of the pottery shops that line the pavements.
Gold has posted a rocky comeback move in 2017. After rocketing out of the gate in January, the Midas metal hit rough waters in March. Gold finished lower for eight straight days to kick off March trading—and traders abandoned ship, as precious metals endured their first correction of the young year.
In early December, my wife Wendy and I found ourselves blinking in the bright, warm sunlight that floods the colorful Cour Saleya fruit and vegetable market at midday, even in mid-winter. An old daily tradition dictates that a cannon shot is fired at noon from nearby Castle Hill. This signals lunchtime.
Centuries-old olive groves…dramatic cliffs rising above the turquoise sea…time-burnished towns with ornate baroque architecture. Welcome to Puglia. Forming the heel of the Italian boot, Puglia has postcard-perfect landscapes worthy of the front cover of any glossy travel magazine.
“If I had stayed in the U.S., I’d be dead now,” says Warren Sklar, reflecting on his new life in Ecuador. “I was 140 pounds heavier, I was having a very difficult time controlling my blood pressure with three medications, and my diabetes was pretty much out of control.”
“We made a trip basically around the whole country, and as we passed through this area for the very first time, I made the cab driver stop. I got out and said, ‘This is fantastic!’” says Doug Klaver of the small town in Ecuador he now calls home.
For nature lovers like Gary and Karen Schiltz, it doesn’t get much better than the cloud-forest town of Mindo, Ecuador. “There are tons of birds, including a crested quetzal that nests just outside the house,” says Gary.
“Our days are filled with sundown catamaran sailing…going to visit the monkeys in the trees…and taking long beach walks each day.” This is the kind of healthy, outdoor life George and Celia Antoniazzi can enjoy in their winter home: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.