I read your post carefully and from your list Panama is clearly out of place. Putting Panama in the same sentence with Switzerland is a crime. As for Panama having first world comfort available. ALL countries have that. It is the 95% of the rest of te population that kind of spoil the picture. I have visited Panama and it is a very 3rd world country make no mistake about it.
I think most of you miss a key point. That point is being in a place where you feel like its *your home* and not someone else's home. I feel like both SoCal and NYC are my homes. NYC feels especially like my home since I grew up around the area. I know everyone around the area to include the guys who work at the local stores to the mechanics to the bartenders to the cops to just about everyone everywhere. I have lists of names and so many friends that its difficult to keep up with them all. There are events, parties that I attend each week. So much to do and so many people to get to know. The many drunken happy hours at Proof, the many drunken wine tastings at the Gratto. The lists of women, business cards and phone numbers. Being a native of the area, its easy to talk my way out of situations such as a drunk driving offense that I got caught for outside of the Holland Tunnel many years back. I simply looked at the cop and kindly explained that we both come from the same neighborhood and that he shouldnt be putting his own people in jail. That was enough and he let me go. There is this commonality, this feeling of home and closeness that cant be beat. The only hostile New Yorkers are the ones that didnt grow up there in the first place. As for Southern California, I spent a lot of time there and know the area like the back of my hand. I know all the sites, all the places and many people as well. I've been to other places in the world, but in the end, it just doesnt feel like home. I dont know anyone and I feel more like a visitor then a resident. The only place where I felt like a hero was in the Philippines where Americans are worshipped. Elsewhere I felt like a scrub, a visitor and nothing more. The key to your sanity is having friends and knowing people, knowing the area and feeling comfortable. I wouldnt feel right living in Europe. If my neighbor next door needs my help, then who will she call if I am not there? This is my home, this is what I shall defend. These are my people and these are the ones I shall help. That is the bar (my bar) and thats where I will go drink. I dont need some goofy place in Europe to make myself feel important. I have all I need right here. All the women, all the liquor, all the friends, all the sites to see. Everyday and in everyway.
What bout the Virgin Islands... anybody there or been there... or have any opinions about it for living and trading...
Just wanted to share this, a friend of a friend was disappointed a few years ago after he moved from Germany to the Bahamas. Maybe his expectations were too high, I guess the note about beer gives him away as a German : The part about AC and cable TV sounds exactly like what I described about my experience in Eastern Europe with the quality of services being way below average I am used to because simple nobody gives a rat's a** if something works or doesn't
Here is a little linkfest about countries/immigration/ideas from my bookmarks. Have fun surfing: Escape Artist - http://www.escapeartist.com - A site listing all type of expat destinations with accounts of first hand experiences, real estate listings and details of taxation/incorporation/laws. A good start for to single out a few jurisdictions before you drill down deeper into them. British Expats - http://britishexpats.com/ - A site dedicated to questions and first hand experiences of British emigrants - The gem here is the Discussion Forum, it has over 250,000 posts of British discussing their stories of emigrating to AU, NZ, Carribean, USA, CA etc. Great site. International Real Estate, here are a few good sites: http://www.primelocation.com/ http://www.luxuryrealestate.com/ http://www.engelvoelkers.de/de/index.php (Spain + South Africa) http://www.sothebysrealty.com/