“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
Expat Judith Gold, 68, never runs out of places to explore on the tropical island of Bali. “I love to go to all the different waterfalls. It seems to be never-ending. I hear about new ones all the time,” she says. “You’re hiking through the jungle through papaya and mango trees, and your guide is handing you leaves that are every type of spice that you can imagine."
Small, frothy waves slowly recede from the light tan sand, while the colorful parachutes of kiteboards fly overhead. A man in a cowboy hat walks his horse along the strand, hoping someone will ask for a ride. I’m sitting in Beach Café Restaurant, drinking fresh coconut water right from the shell ($2) and taking it all in.
When Rob Evans’s retirement severance package ran out, decent healthcare for him and his wife Jeni was going to cost $18,000 a year in the U.S. “We simply couldn’t afford it. If we chose to stay there, I would have to get another job just to pay for healthcare,” says Rob.
“Our lifestyle here is so much more tranquilo than it would be if we were back home,” says expat Lorelei Kusin, 57. After waking to the sound of chattering birds, Lorelei and husband James enjoy a smoothie using local fresh produce, such as fresh coconut water, mango, pineapple, guanábana, and bananas.
The sun is creating a halo behind the grand cathedral of León. This Nicaraguan city feels a world away from other, better known colonial cities in the Americas. The buildings aren’t yet prettified and restored. The cathedrals, churches, and centuries-old homes are a little rough around the edges in places.
Without a doubt, China looks set to be the economic powerhouse of the 21st century. And the next stage of the country’s growth draws inspiration from China’s storied past, when silks from the Far East graced the markets of ancient Rome.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that federal agents can hack our smartphones, computers, and even televisions. They can scrape passwords from web browsers, and they’re working on technology that could remotely control a smartphone’s camera—to secretly take pictures of U.S. citizens.
The sight of a blonde Ursula Andress in a white bikini, emerging glistening from the waves on a Caribbean beach, must have had quite an effect on the impressionable minds of many young men in the 1960s. It certainly had on me.
"I have the best job in the world. I get to meet new people and eat with my friends all day. The fact that people love my food is just an added bonus. We are a community that supports each other and there is never a shortage of help when you need it.”
“When I started reading about Cuenca, Ecuador in International Living, I had pretty much been everywhere but South America,” says Cherie Rose of her travels. But she hadn’t considered South America for retirement. “I decided to take a 10-day exploratory tour. I came by myself and on the first day, I knew this was where I wanted to live."