Sunday 19 June 2022

Shangri-la


What is your ideal home location?

With the current heatwave, I got to thinking (yet again) about the perfect place to live. Here are my simple criteria.

1. A range of temperatures between a minimum of 10 C (Winter), and a maximum of 25 C (Summer).

2. Fertile soil with rainfall at night only.

3. Reasonably priced vernacular housing, with sensible planning regulations, but little bureaucracy.

4. Within easy reach of water; preferably a coral atoll.

5. An attractive and friendly native population.

6. Zero crime rate.

7. Easy access to fresh vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, and red wine.

8. No snakes or mosquitos.

9. Reliable internet access.

10. No other UK ex-pats.

Sadly there is no online site where I can process these desires to discover where my Shangri-La can be found. Any suggestions would be welcome.


24 comments:

  1. Ha! Cloud Cuckooland I think....Sounds lovely Cro but unfortunately I don't think such a place exists, particularly without any UK ex-pats.

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    1. It exists in my head, but maybe that's all.

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  2. Indeed in your imagination you have found the ideal place.

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  3. My perfect place would be here, only warmer.

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    Replies
    1. I think a lot of people would have the same thoughts as you.

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  4. Strangely I was thinking of writing a similar kind of post last night following three episodes of a Place in the Sun that I had just watched. In terms of a pleasant place to live, although I have never been there, would be the Canary Islands, possibly Lanzarote, although of course there would be UK ex pats.

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    1. A very well-travelled friend (now deceased) always said that the area around Perth in Oz was just about as perfect as it could get.

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  5. Shangri-La is a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a monastery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. - as described by James Hilton in his 1933 novel "Lost Horizon".

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    Replies
    1. I am aware of that, but these days it is used as meaning an 'earthly paradise'.

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  6. I think you might have to pick up a novel. It might be in there.

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  7. When I first moved to this house 24 years ago, I was less than convinced suburbia was the place for me. Even so, I made the best of things. I gardened like crazy, made excellent friends with my neighbours and enjoyed watching my little boys go from playing street hockey to throwing their golf clubs in the car for a round of golf. Despite all the lovely things this suburban house has brought me, I can't seem to shake the feeling there is an old house in the country waiting for me to take ownership. I spend way too much time searching for it on the internet. Lately I've been thinking my husband and I need to find a country house to rent for a month's length of stay. Maybe after several days of being chewed alive by mosquitoes, startled by discovering ticks embedded in my various body parts, and revolted by fresh mouse droppings in the vintage kitchen cupboards, I'll have a more realistic outlook on life in the country.

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    1. At the moment we migrate between two total opposites. Here in France we are way out in the countryside, and in England we are in the centre of a bustling coastal city. We love both.

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  8. I'd stay right where I am but with the option of visits to the city. A nice little place in the city centre, close to transport and free of crime. So I can enjoy a little of the varied lifestyle and culture of an urban area

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    Replies
    1. Most of us live where we do because we love it, so you're probably right.

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  9. I'm quite happy where I am: Rural Massachusetts on nearly 7 acres of combined forest and gardens/lawns/meadow closer to the house. 30-45 minutes to Boston and 45-60 minutes to the seacoast. Having all 4 seasons is a must. I'd like to own a second home on a cliff overlooking the sea. I especially like the Maine seacoast.

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    1. The 4 seasons are a must, but please; not too cold, and not too hot. Another wish (which I forgot) is a stream or river running through my land.

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  10. Give Dubai a chance. Sooner or later there might be a man-made environment there for you.

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    1. A friend of mine designed many of the most extreme buildings in Dubai. He was there for many years, and left with no regrets. Far too hot, tacky, and filled with Z Listers.

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  11. I find my bungalow and back garden, neighbours, local shops, in fact almost everything apart from the weather - fits the bill.

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  12. I don't think that anywhere is perfect..... I think many are searching for Utopia which, in my opinion, can never be found ..... like Susan, I'm happy where I am. XXXX

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    Replies
    1. As Dorothy said "There's no place like home".

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  13. Temperature-wise, Costa Rica is your best bet, with a near constant, even temperature most of the year, but it doesn't fit any of your other criteria. Keep searching.

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