We’ve Got to Look Back to Look Forward

You can never step in the same river twice. So said Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher born in 544 B.C.E. It’s a way of saying “things change.” The river moves endlessly on, and the water you stepped in earlier has now made its way that bit farther toward the sea. This month, we’re channeling that sentiment, checking in on places where we’ve noticed a new story, or a detail that shifts the narrative we’ve been telling.

Part of that decision was made earlier this year, as I strolled the gleaming clean waterside promenade that runs along the Guayas River in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It’s a fun, bustling place to be, with a cooling river breeze and leafy shade from the equatorial sun. It leads to a brightly painted old quarter on a hillside, which reminded me of Lisbon, Portugal (only more colorful). A decade ago, Guayaquil was considered an urban mess, not worth visiting. Now, well, it was one of the highlights of my trip. It just proves that change happens, it’s not always bad, and that we here at IL have to keep an eye on old places as well as find new destinations to cover.

In Malaysia, a destination we’ve always suggested you rent in, rather than buy, new property laws are about to hit, which change the paradigm completely. Our Malaysia Correspondent, Keith Hockton, suggests that it may be time to consider owning a place in this most rewarding of destinations.

In Medellín, Colombia, new investment in ambitious public transportation, along with urban redevelopment, are creating tempting investment opportunities in whole sections of the city that were previously overlooked. Again, it pays to update your thinking regularly—this is Medellín’s second rebirth in a decade. It’s come a long, long way from the bad old days of the cartels. Ronan McMahon guides you through the best real estate picks in this energetic, upwardly mobile city.

It all goes to show that it’s not enough to simply search for the new, but that it’s important to keep tabs on our old favorites too. We’ll continue to do both, and we’ll update you with the on-the-ground details that can only come by having our own network of correspondents worldwide. The river of opportunity runs ever onwards, and we’re keeping tabs on it for you.

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