Author Topic: If you could afford to live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why?  (Read 10070 times)

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Offline cass

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I will be in sweden for 3 months starting in about 2 weeks .. once I have some nice shots I can post them.

yes pls do ! eager on this
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merockstar

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Canary Islands

ooh. this just sounds like it might be a good one. gonna wikipedia it right now.


They do have coups on a regular basis. But most people just laugh about the government; it doesn't much affect the way they live their daily lives. Pot laws are strict and there are high profile prosecutions, but at the same time you see a lot of people lighting up, so go figure. Money talks; you can bribe your way out of many situations. Dirty cops can get you anywhere in the world. Some countries do not have the due process we enjoy in the good old US of A. But you make sacrifices wherever you live. Best to travel and see what you like...no sense making up your mind before you visit a place. Spend a couple of weeks there and see if you like it.

that makes a lot of sense. I'll definitely check it out (if I'm ever successful, I'm just living through other's descriptions right now)


Offline donkeypong

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I'd endorse Thailand. Definitely not a conservative culture for the most part. I lived in South Korea for three years and NE Asia is much more conservative (not to mention all unpleasant hi/low temperatures and the smog in all those big urban areas of China, Korea, and Japan). I've also been in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos. Once you get out into the countryside of Thailand, it is virtually the same as much of Cambodia, Laos, or (I imagine) Vietnam. I would find a nice village in one of those countries, within traveling distance of a city that had more amenities, preferably on the coast or on one of the large lakes or rivers. (And unfortunately, I'd stay away from living in Phuket, though I enjoyed visiting it; it is exposed to an extremely active megathrust fault that extends north of Sumatra...sooner or later, there will be more tsunamis with very little warning).

Then again, a peaceful SE Asian village was my thought before I got married and had kids. Having a family does complicate things a bit...in a good way. I could see traveling to some nice second homes on a regular basis, though.

many people have suggested this. I hear you guys. Thailand shall be added to my list of places to visit.

maybe I'll fall in love. I don't want to approach it with a narrow mind, but I do have my doubts that Thailand would be a good fit for me.

I have a hard enough time fitting in when I blend, I can't imagine being in the minority. I would imagine such a different culture from my own would have a lot of idiosyncrasies to learn. Would I be able to get away with my near Asperger-syndrome level lack of tact?

Looking at the Wikipedia page, I see a recent coup, a coup 8 years ago, a curfew, government censored internet.

Would I be safe there long term, standing out the way I would without that much street sense? Is the government's censoring of the internet difficult to get around with a VPN or something? What are the pot laws like? Thai prison does not sound fun. From what I'm reading it sounds like any random cop can just piss test you walking down the street if he wants to, and a bribe may or may not get you off the hook. I would be travelling alone.

I hope I'm not coming off as too critical. Am I approaching it with too many preconceived notions? If I am, I'd love for you guys to change those notions.

Muay thai is amazing to watch (thank you tony jaa)- buddhism seems like the most sensible religious persuasion on the planet...

They do have coups on a regular basis. But most people just laugh about the government; it doesn't much affect the way they live their daily lives. Pot laws are strict and there are high profile prosecutions, but at the same time you see a lot of people lighting up, so go figure. Money talks; you can bribe your way out of many situations. Dirty cops can get you anywhere in the world. Some countries do not have the due process we enjoy in the good old US of A. But you make sacrifices wherever you live. Best to travel and see what you like...no sense making up your mind before you visit a place. Spend a couple of weeks there and see if you like it.

merockstar

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I'd endorse Thailand. Definitely not a conservative culture for the most part. I lived in South Korea for three years and NE Asia is much more conservative (not to mention all unpleasant hi/low temperatures and the smog in all those big urban areas of China, Korea, and Japan). I've also been in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos. Once you get out into the countryside of Thailand, it is virtually the same as much of Cambodia, Laos, or (I imagine) Vietnam. I would find a nice village in one of those countries, within traveling distance of a city that had more amenities, preferably on the coast or on one of the large lakes or rivers. (And unfortunately, I'd stay away from living in Phuket, though I enjoyed visiting it; it is exposed to an extremely active megathrust fault that extends north of Sumatra...sooner or later, there will be more tsunamis with very little warning).

Then again, a peaceful SE Asian village was my thought before I got married and had kids. Having a family does complicate things a bit...in a good way. I could see traveling to some nice second homes on a regular basis, though.

many people have suggested this. I hear you guys. Thailand shall be added to my list of places to visit.

maybe I'll fall in love. I don't want to approach it with a narrow mind, but I do have my doubts that Thailand would be a good fit for me.

I have a hard enough time fitting in when I blend, I can't imagine being in the minority. I would imagine such a different culture from my own would have a lot of idiosyncrasies to learn. Would I be able to get away with my near Asperger-syndrome level lack of tact?

Looking at the Wikipedia page, I see a recent coup, a coup 8 years ago, a curfew, government censored internet.

Would I be safe there long term, standing out the way I would without that much street sense? Is the government's censoring of the internet difficult to get around with a VPN or something? What are the pot laws like? Thai prison does not sound fun. From what I'm reading it sounds like any random cop can just piss test you walking down the street if he wants to, and a bribe may or may not get you off the hook. I would be travelling alone.

I hope I'm not coming off as too critical. Am I approaching it with too many preconceived notions? If I am, I'd love for you guys to change those notions.

Muay thai is amazing to watch (thank you tony jaa)- buddhism seems like the most sensible religious persuasion on the planet...

Offline donkeypong

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I'd endorse Thailand. Definitely not a conservative culture for the most part. I lived in South Korea for three years and NE Asia is much more conservative (not to mention all unpleasant hi/low temperatures and the smog in all those big urban areas of China, Korea, and Japan). I've also been in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Laos. Once you get out into the countryside of Thailand, it is virtually the same as much of Cambodia, Laos, or (I imagine) Vietnam. I would find a nice village in one of those countries, within traveling distance of a city that had more amenities, preferably on the coast or on one of the large lakes or rivers. (And unfortunately, I'd stay away from living in Phuket, though I enjoyed visiting it; it is exposed to an extremely active megathrust fault that extends north of Sumatra...sooner or later, there will be more tsunamis with very little warning).

Then again, a peaceful SE Asian village was my thought before I got married and had kids. Having a family does complicate things a bit...in a good way. I could see traveling to some nice second homes on a regular basis, though.

merockstar

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Well if you have unlimited funds, spend some time in each and see which one you like the most :)

Unless you're from the European Union though, getting a visa can be difficult, especially in Norway, so that's another thing to take into account. I suppose having lots of money helps with that kind of problem though..

i assure you I don't have alot of money-- otherwise i'd already be over there testing out new countries.

i'm just imagining what it'd be like and trying to draw generalizations from you.

Offline svk

Well if you have unlimited funds, spend some time in each and see which one you like the most :)

Unless you're from the European Union though, getting a visa can be difficult, especially in Norway, so that's another thing to take into account. I suppose having lots of money helps with that kind of problem though..
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merockstar

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Alright Dani you talked me into it.

I think I'm going to have make a list of places and visit them before deciding on one.

Greece, Uruguay, and the Scandinavian countries that have been making a name for themselves as having a high standard of living are on this list so far.

An earlier poster mentioned Norway, I've heard about Finland from sources other than this forum, and a guy on reddit expatriated to Sweden and says he loves it. Can anybody generalize what the differences are between these countries?

I'm from Norway, the south-west coast more specifically. I think when most people think of Scandinavia and Vikings, what they're actually imagining is the western coast of Norway. It's a very beautiful place, with mountains everywhere, fjords large and narrow, islands everywhere and a very protected coastline that's great for boatlife.

The rest of Scandinavia, including the eastern part of Norway, is more flat with lots of pine forests, but can still be quite beautiful, like the archipelago of Stockholm.

In terms of culture, you'll find minor differences between Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, but we're quite similar imo. The Finnish are a slightly different breed, and not technically part of Scandinavia. They've had a lot of influence from Sweden, but while they're nice people I think Norwegians at least consider the Finnish to be a bit strange :) They do love their saunas, that's for sure.

In all of those nordic countries the living standards are very high, especially in Norway thanks to the oil (it's very expensive there). If you have money, or the possibility of working in the country, they're all great countries to live in.

so how would a foreign expatriate wannabe decide which one to choose? lets assume unlimited funds (since we're feeding my daydreams here)

Offline svk

Alright Dani you talked me into it.

I think I'm going to have make a list of places and visit them before deciding on one.

Greece, Uruguay, and the Scandinavian countries that have been making a name for themselves as having a high standard of living are on this list so far.

An earlier poster mentioned Norway, I've heard about Finland from sources other than this forum, and a guy on reddit expatriated to Sweden and says he loves it. Can anybody generalize what the differences are between these countries?

I'm from Norway, the south-west coast more specifically. I think when most people think of Scandinavia and Vikings, what they're actually imagining is the western coast of Norway. It's a very beautiful place, with mountains everywhere, fjords large and narrow, islands everywhere and a very protected coastline that's great for boatlife.

The rest of Scandinavia, including the eastern part of Norway, is more flat with lots of pine forests, but can still be quite beautiful, like the archipelago of Stockholm.

In terms of culture, you'll find minor differences between Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, but we're quite similar imo. The Finnish are a slightly different breed, and not technically part of Scandinavia. They've had a lot of influence from Sweden, but while they're nice people I think Norwegians at least consider the Finnish to be a bit strange :) They do love their saunas, that's for sure.

In all of those nordic countries the living standards are very high, especially in Norway thanks to the oil (it's very expensive there). If you have money, or the possibility of working in the country, they're all great countries to live in.
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Offline liondani

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I will be in Sweden for 3 months starting in about 2 weeks .. once I have some nice shots I can post them.

I'm so jelly! please do post pics if you have the time.
I could maybe go for a walk and take some legit pics of Ohio, if there's any interest.

of course we are...

idea: everybody post some photos from the place he is right now! Not professional photos!

merockstar

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I will be in sweden for 3 months starting in about 2 weeks .. once I have some nice shots I can post them.

I'm so jelly! please do post pics if you have the time.
I could maybe go for a walk and take some legit pics of Ohio, if there's any interest.

Offline xeroc

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I will be in sweden for 3 months starting in about 2 weeks .. once I have some nice shots I can post them.

merockstar

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Alright Dani you talked me into it.

I think I'm going to have make a list of places and visit them before deciding on one.

Greece, Uruguay, and the Scandinavian countries that have been making a name for themselves as having a high standard of living are on this list so far.

An earlier poster mentioned Norway, I've heard about Finland from sources other than this forum, and a guy on reddit expatriated to Sweden and says he loves it. Can anybody generalize what the differences are between these countries?

Offline liondani

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how long have you lived in greece liondani?

how is the recovery from the recession coming along?

what is the best part about living in greece?

I live until now in Greece from 7 years old (I was born In Berlin Deutschland)
Because of Tourismus the recovery from recession it is smoother than expected...
The prices are very good right now, many oportunitys to make great vacations...
Excellent climate, natural diversity, extraordinary taste of Greek cuisine. The sun is her a 11 months per year. Very clean beaches and water. Nice people.Nice nightlife.So much different places to see...
If you see all Greece it's like you travelled all the world !!!
If you not believe see this:

http://youtu.be/YpKlUIDf4oY

http://youtu.be/VKU_mA7MQdg

http://youtu.be/ZAI0oT_xYug


http://youtu.be/EzfEHZ7JW5o




merockstar

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Offline cass

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yeah i like your pictures liondani! It's not so far from germany ... mabye to come over for a holiday visit! Pls buy this house ...:)
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merockstar

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how long have you lived in greece liondani?

how is the recovery from the recession coming along?

what is the best part about living in greece?

Offline liondani

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Lion, are those pictures all from Greece? Looks amazing :)

I might choose Australia, I was in Brisbane for Christmas and it was a really beautiful place.

My home country Norway and adopted country France are good choices as well. Norway has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and a high standard of living combined with a focus on family life.

As for China, I went there last year and actually really liked it. The south of China, while poor, has a really laid back atmosphere that really appealed to me.



Yep, Santorini Greece...
Come to Greece only one time and then decide...  ;)



« Last Edit: July 05, 2014, 01:55:47 pm by liondani »

Offline liondani

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I would guess that those must be from Santorini island

Yep all pictures from Island Santorini in Greece  ;)

Offline mf-tzo

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I would guess that those must be from Santorini island

Offline svk

Lion, are those pictures all from Greece? Looks amazing :)

I might choose Australia, I was in Brisbane for Christmas and it was a really beautiful place.

My home country Norway and adopted country France are good choices as well. Norway has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and a high standard of living combined with a focus on family life.

As for China, I went there last year and actually really liked it. The south of China, while poor, has a really laid back atmosphere that really appealed to me.
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Offline mf-tzo

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Liondani you are killing me...Greece moving into Euro was the best decision ever :( :( :(. I remember the days when we could go there for $50 a day and now it is $1,000 per day...


merockstar

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i'm in beijing(china).i like European scenery good place

Do you like China?
Disregarding the need to be near friends and loved ones, would you leave if you could?

EDIT: Rereading this, I sure you hope you don't take this the wrong way. Nothing against China, I just could see myself emigrating from my own country someday, so I'm wondering how other people feel about their own homelands.
« Last Edit: July 02, 2014, 10:53:46 am by merockstar »

Offline gyhy

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i'm in beijing(china).i like European scenery good place

Offline Empirical1

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Empirical, how much poker did you have to play online to get THAT good? any good resources you would recommend for somebody interested in going that route? I play on sealwithclubs sometimes and usually get my ass handed to me, which I find strange because I wasn't that bad for a beginner when I used to play for money on PokerStars (before the U.S. banned financial institutions from making deposits for gambling sites)

thanks for feeding my daydreams guys. lol!

Um I played a lot for about a year and a half before I went full time and even when I did go full time it was probably too early.
I wouldn't recommend it, it's quite challenging, very few players make a consistent profit, the hours are also unsociable, because you tend to play at night and weekends when weaker recreational players are online.

I only started playing in about 2007/8 which was after the US passed that law. Apparently the games were incredibly easy back then. Right now they are slowly passing new legislation and PokerStars is trying to get into California. If they do that will be great!! (Regards making money before  the ban, the games were easier then and also as a casual player your sample size was probably very small and the variance in poker is quite big. I think you would probably need to log 50 000 hands +, which is a lot, to get any idea of your win-rate or skill level at a particular stake.)

If you were going to look into it more I would just google TAG strategy (Which is tight aggressive) and learn the basics of that.
After that I would join a forum where you can ask questions etc & maybe try watch some free tutorial videos on the web.

After that, the next step would be to download poker tracking software like Holdem Manager 2, I think they do a 30 day free trial after that the low stakes version is $60.  (It will be a necessity if you want to make any money, so you can analyse your play, they also come with a HUD, which means the basic stats of the players at you table will pop up as an overlay)

But yeah essentially poker is about making money from people that are worse than you plus enough to cover the rake.
So as long as you make the effort to find and sit with position on really bad players (the simplest stat is if they play more than 40% of their hands at 6max they're definitely bad) & you just play a basic tightish aggressive strategy then you're likely to be able to make a profit.



merockstar

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If I could afford to live anywhere, I could also afford to live no where!
I'd pay off the rest of my mortgage and use it as a homebase (storage facility) and use my riches to travel around the world living in different places for a span of months and move to the next place.  8)

I'd love to checkout New Zealand, Thailand, Greece, Malta, Holland,... everywhere really

I hear that! but I think I could only travel for six months or so at a time just long enough to get a decent grasp on a language before I'd need to go back to homebase for some stability and consistency, and to see friends and stuff.

I also think I'd need to keep a house in Ohio though, but I'd spend most of my time in Uruguay (if I had to pick now, surmising based on online pictures and what i read on the internet). I don't fit in here but I would miss my family quite a bit. In spite of how fucked the culture is (in my mind- some folks love it here-- maybe I'm just biased from growing up here) it is gorgeous in certain places. I tried to pick you guys out a few pictures that are quintessentially ohio:

http://karenchandler.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/old_shedweb.jpg - this place is littered with old barns that look alot like this. there was one right behind the house i grew up in, in the middle of a village (the one pictured seems to be more country than that) that recently got torn down and I had no idea how much it made an impression on me until it disappeared.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LH9ZK8yRQdM/THBdnUM8arI/AAAAAAAABEI/e8QTzGtGkAo/s1600/IMG_2389.JPG - most of the state looks like this, with the exception of cities and few hilly, heavily wooded areas here and there

http://www.nal.usda.gov/ric/images/fscases3.jpg - I don't know if this is ohio or not but its close enough to remind of the wooded areas we have around here. the northeast and western part of the state is unbelievably flat. but east-southeastern ohio/amish country is hilly as hell! this doesn't even quite capture that.

its also especially gorgeous here in the fall: http://www.davidroyko.com/photos/undefined/Autumn-Ohio-Fairmount.JPG

I wish I could go take my own pictures for you guys but I have no ride at the moment. I know some really great places for looking at.

Bulgaria looks beautiful! Seems very mountainous, and it looks like it might rain in some of those pictures. Ohio doesn't really have any true mountains so that's something I have yet to really experience much of. I like the way that town at the bottom of the mountain looks architecturally as well. What's Bulgarian culture like? I had one of those spontaneous week long friendships with a dude from Bulgaria before he moved on, can't even remember his name now but we got on pretty good. He always talked about it like it seemed a place worth visiting, so now I think of that guy every-time somebody mentions Bulgaria. I know a greek dude that I can't help but think about everytime somebody mentions greece as well.

I noticed several votes for Thailand. It looks very pretty but I don't know if I would do very well in a more conservative asian culture, I've never been too talented at tact, and I do love my weed. Seems like it might be a nice place for me to visit though. Why does Thailand stand out for you guys?

Empirical, how much poker did you have to play online to get THAT good? any good resources you would recommend for somebody interested in going that route? I play on sealwithclubs sometimes and usually get my ass handed to me, which I find strange because I wasn't that bad for a beginner when I used to play for money on PokerStars (before the U.S. banned financial institutions from making deposits for gambling sites)

thanks for feeding my daydreams guys. lol!
« Last Edit: June 29, 2014, 12:23:55 am by merockstar »


Offline yellowecho

If I could afford to live anywhere, I could also afford to live no where!
I'd pay off the rest of my mortgage and use it as a homebase (storage facility) and use my riches to travel around the world living in different places for a span of months and move to the next place.  8)

I'd love to checkout New Zealand, Thailand, Greece, Malta, Holland,... everywhere really
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Offline santaclause102

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I can tell you that Thailand is pretty safe. More safe than an average European capital...

Offline Empirical1

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I'm in Thailand for a few weeks now and people are very kind and gentle!! I like it!

 +5% Lucky you!

I make most of my income from online poker which I could theoretically do from anywhere. Yet I choose to live near London, which is expensive, unfriendly and the weather is terrible.

For me, a big aspect is crime, I grew up in South Africa, where we had electric fencing, guard dogs, firearms, and panic buttons. If you wanted to come into the neighbourhood you had to go through a security checkpoint and if you wanted to come onto the estate you'd have to go through another...

So I appreciate the low levels of crime. I like the amount of options a big city provides, there's always something new to discover.  Going forward though the Western economies are in for one huge collapse, I think crime and violence are going to sky-rocket. I think Thailand is a good choice (even though they just had a coup) or any fairly peaceful third world country where the majority are not used to living on entitlements, (As they are in the West).

So I would choose Thailand & probably live not in but near a fairly busy area, on the island of Phuket maybe.

« Last Edit: June 28, 2014, 04:13:38 pm by Empirical1 »

merockstar

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Slower pace, more focus on community, everybody isn't as materialistic. I've been reading more about it and somebody made a comparison to America circa-1950s. I've kind of always dreamed about living in the fifties, except with the Internet.

Oh, and did I mention a dollar a gram legally sanctioned marijuana? And beach parties.

New life goal.

Offline jae208

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just read this comment in an article

Quote
Everyone hangs out outside, says hi to each other on the streets, and they all greet one another with a kiss on the cheek. People stop and actually talk to each other and have real conversations. I am the kind of person that hates small talk, so it was heavenly to discover that people here actually hold meaningful and deep conversations about stuff that really matters. When I did that in America, I was usually met with the "crazy eyes" or a swift change of subject.

omg I hate fake conversations so much! to live in a place where people actually take an interest in each other sounds heavenly.

anyway yea people, tell me where you would go and live if money weren't an object.

or, are there any other hidden secrets like this that I should research?

I think most of Latin America is like that.
It seems to me like their goal in life is to be happy and hold meaningful relationships as opposed to here in the United States the focus is always on making money and having a dream car and house.
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Offline santaclause102

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I'm in Thailand for a few weeks now and people are very kind and gentle!! I like it!

merockstar

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just read this comment in an article

Quote
Everyone hangs out outside, says hi to each other on the streets, and they all greet one another with a kiss on the cheek. People stop and actually talk to each other and have real conversations. I am the kind of person that hates small talk, so it was heavenly to discover that people here actually hold meaningful and deep conversations about stuff that really matters. When I did that in America, I was usually met with the "crazy eyes" or a swift change of subject.

omg I hate fake conversations so much! to live in a place where people actually take an interest in each other sounds heavenly.

anyway yea people, tell me where you would go and live if money weren't an object.

or, are there any other hidden secrets like this that I should research?
« Last Edit: June 24, 2014, 08:33:30 am by merockstar »

Offline onceuponatime

I purchased some of my first bitcoins a few years ago from a miner in Uruguay.

You will be happy there!

merockstar

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I like to fantasize about what I would do with my life if I weren't a slave to the system.

It's a tough decision, there's a lot of wonderful things to go do in this world.

Researching different places, I was thinking about what would be important to me tonight.

I would need to live somewhere marijuana friendly. That would be a must. I would want beaches, I've always dreamed of living in a small but modern looking beach villa. So I started looking at those two factors, and stumbled across what looks like this little gem of a nation. Expensive, but perfect as far as what I'm looking for lifestyle wise. That nation is Uruguay.

I would want somewhere advanced enough that modern conveniences, and the internet is in the plurality, but I miss the simplicity of the nineties. Uruguay seems like the perfect blend for that. Alot of stores only take cash, they have these markets set up in the mornings where you can buy plenty of fresh produce, and their beef is supposed to be the best in the world-- which is something that really appealed to me because my step-grandpa used to raise his own beef, and after eating steaks with him I honestly don't really care for the store bought stuff in my homeland of Ohio any more, I really miss that. I've also always wanted to try living somewhere where it's not absolutely mandatory that one must drive to get to where they are going. At a quick glance Punta del Este looks like the perfect place for me to settle down. It's small, but still party-ish. But I'm sure there are many other options.

I would want to live somewhere scenic and there seems to be plenty of that there. I would want a liberal government that aligns itself with my politics, and Uruguay seems to be that way. I would also want options for smaller cities. I grew up in a tiny village and didn't care for it because if you don't fit into the culture, you have no other real options-- too much lack of diversity. I moved to a big city for quite some time, and it was perhaps a bit too fast paced for me. So I like that the average city's population down there is about 30,000. A good cross between small and cozy, but not stifling. In spite of not caring for the culture of my homeland, I have fallen in love with the ability to escape way out into the country, and there's plenty of spaces in Uruguay where that's still possible.

I like the fact that the seasons still change, I wouldn't want to sacrifice winter all together, but winters sound less harsh down there. I prefer nice blistering hot summers.

I also want to try some mate, their national drink which is apparently a Uruguayan answer to coffee, but completely different. It's served in a friggin gourd.

If there are any Uruguayans (is that the correct word?) on this forum, I have definitely taken an interest in your country. Just browsing articles like this, this, this, and this I've already half fallen in love with the place.

Now I ask you, bitsharestalk community, if money were a non-issue where in the world would you choose to live, and why?