Hi everybody. I am a Canadian from Ontario. I retired a couple of years ago. My wife retires this summer. She has always wanted to flee the frozen north for somewhere warm and pleasant. Now my dear wife is dragging me kicking and screaming to the north coast of the DR.
I know I am not going to like the sunshine and ocean breezes. I can't stand the thought of cheaper beer, palm leaves all over the place, year round gardening and fruit trees in my yard. I won't enjoy having to look up to ensure I don't get wacked on the head by a falling coconut and the lack of North American fast food restaurants. I am going to miss shoveling snow and dealing with uptight people scurrying from one shipping adventure to the next at the likes of Walmart, Target and Zellers. This is going to be horrible!
We have considered and researched retiring in Panama, Belize and the DR over the past five years. While we travel to the DR 3 or 4 times a year I personally did not really want to relocate to an island. Up until about a year ago, we were pretty sure that we would be heading to Belize. The cost of living, English speaking country and all that. Well, the political situation in Belize seems to be on downswing and violent crime on the upswing. Panama is just too far and too hot. So the DR it is.
We are coming down in August to find a place to live and expect to move in Sept. or early Oct. We have the immigration situation under control. We have a general idea of where we want to locate to, at least initially and have a real estate agent on the hunt.
Years ago all this didn't seem so real and there was no reason to panic. Now each tick of the clock actually brings home the reality of it all. Not many days left before all that is familiar and comfortable is tossed to the winds. I've moved many times in my life thus far. The actual move is not that big of a deal. Standing in my driveway and wondering where the grocery store is or where my favorite cantina can be found will be rather disconcerting.
Oh well, it's nothing that copious amounts of alcohol and new friends won't cure.
Cheers!
I know I am not going to like the sunshine and ocean breezes. I can't stand the thought of cheaper beer, palm leaves all over the place, year round gardening and fruit trees in my yard. I won't enjoy having to look up to ensure I don't get wacked on the head by a falling coconut and the lack of North American fast food restaurants. I am going to miss shoveling snow and dealing with uptight people scurrying from one shipping adventure to the next at the likes of Walmart, Target and Zellers. This is going to be horrible!
We have considered and researched retiring in Panama, Belize and the DR over the past five years. While we travel to the DR 3 or 4 times a year I personally did not really want to relocate to an island. Up until about a year ago, we were pretty sure that we would be heading to Belize. The cost of living, English speaking country and all that. Well, the political situation in Belize seems to be on downswing and violent crime on the upswing. Panama is just too far and too hot. So the DR it is.
We are coming down in August to find a place to live and expect to move in Sept. or early Oct. We have the immigration situation under control. We have a general idea of where we want to locate to, at least initially and have a real estate agent on the hunt.
Years ago all this didn't seem so real and there was no reason to panic. Now each tick of the clock actually brings home the reality of it all. Not many days left before all that is familiar and comfortable is tossed to the winds. I've moved many times in my life thus far. The actual move is not that big of a deal. Standing in my driveway and wondering where the grocery store is or where my favorite cantina can be found will be rather disconcerting.
Oh well, it's nothing that copious amounts of alcohol and new friends won't cure.
Cheers!
