The article didn't lie and I have been able to get along with the realities I've encountered thus far. There was a lot to absorb culturally the first couple years of long stays. When in the US now I live like I do in Jamaica. Family and friends offer me various gadgets and implements to take to JA, but I have learned it is easier to make do on the fly and avoid the clutter. I was recently in Florida for a month and the cost was sooo much more!
There can be such a thing as too much weed! I think that Accompong's post is very wise. I have given you the "hard" facts. If one is still inclined, after hearing the difficulties, to try living in Jamaica long term, read Accompong's post carefully and then plan carefully. As a Jamaican friend told me, "you do not want to be a poor white man living in Jamaica".Some people can live as Accompong does and enjoy it. I would not myself, with the other difficulties, call that living in paradise. A friend of mine lived 8 years in Laos under the communist government right after the war in Vietnam. He had quite an adventure. I had no interest in staying there that long. Most Americans would not enjoy retiring in Jamaica. I am not threatened by logical arguments, in fact I welcome them and try to learn from them, but they do have to be logical. I will take issue with Accompong's assertions about the Jamaican government. They were dictated to by the IMF. If they had not complied with the IMF dictates, the Jamaican economic system would have been in big trouble.Take a look at the latest exchange rate! The highway project isn't too bad. It is,however, a toll road and I wonder about where some of the funding went and how various contracts were let. Giving the Chinese carte blanche to establish a logistics hub is not at all wise. Already, there are serious labor problems with the Chinese. One only has to look at the way the Chinese operate in Africa to see how they will treat Jamaicans. I would like to know how crime is being reduced on the island. I have had friends from UK law enforcement that were seconded to Jamaica in an effort to reduce corruption. They left in despair and expressed little hope that anything could be done in the near future. My friends that were Jamaican police officers left to work in law enforcement in the UK. When they return to Jamaica for visits, they complain of being approached by former colleagues in the Jamaican police asking them to take part in money laundering and other illegal activities. When they retire in the UK they plan to take contracts in other Commonwealth countries as police officers rather than return to Jamaica. Their wives fear for their safety in Jamaica. Jamaica is a very corrupt place. I dream of the day when Jamaica will be similar to Hawaii and I think that someday it will. I just regret that I will not be alive when that happens.
Last edited by negrilsand; 02-04-2015 at 05:27 PM.
I don't see what that has to do with living in Jamaica. There is a lot more weed around where I live in the states than in JA, and much stronger as well. Weed is everywhere, moderation can be applied anywhere.Originally Posted by negrilsand
I've often wondered about the legal immigration process. From what I understand it is a 4 year process to become a permanent resident unless you meet certain requirements. One of those requirement is showing you can financially support yourself. To those that live in Jamaica now did you go about it the legal way and then buy property or did you do it the Alborosie way and go on vacation for two weeks and stay permanently?
Cap,
That is really the key, having options and being able to travel between the places you love. That for me would be perfect retirement. I spend time in the woods in Down East Maine, (I call it Negril North) beautiful in the fall but really cold with a ton of snow in winter. May-July bugs / black flies really thick. Having the ability to split the seasons in different locals makes the most sense to me especially if you have people in place to manage your properties when not there. The hills of NC sounds like it is pretty weather optimal (not too hot not too cold). Jamaica, I don't like it I love it, but living there 24/7/365 would probably not work for me.
johng,
Retirement to me wouldn't be a 27/7/265 retirement in Jamaica as I have VA Hospital appointments and I do some side work accounting here in South Florida. I am "retired" as a current occupation so it is just where I lay my head each night that is a variable. I love Jamaica for the 90 day stretches I spend there (as you have to pay a fee to stay just one day up to 90 days longer than that) and I even look forward to coming back here to South Florida but that only lasts for about a week or so and then I begin missing Jamaica all over again.
Retirement in Jamaica vs Retirement here in South Florida is differentiated by where I call "home" and where I call "visiting". I am sure Down East Maine and the hills of NC have a lot of good points going for them but for me, I don't want to travel anywhere north of where I "visit" in South Florida.
As you so rightly said, "That is really the key, having options and being able to travel between the places you love. That for me would be perfect retirement."
That is how my retirement rolls!
Peace and Guidance
Free Opinions Offered. No tipping required. Hours: Open when I feel like it.
Accompong,
Sounds like you have the right idea. Good for you too is the close proximity to JA, couple hours most from Ft. L or Miami??? As you have found a place in JA that you love I too have found a place in Portland with good friends there that offers a cooler climate than the coast, yes no ocean there but mountain streams, fresh air and very nice people. Having the chance to spend a few months of the year between several locals would be great. That is the challenge balancing, family, work, and hoping that good health is intact. My motto: Count your blessings not your problems. I do hope that everybody can fulfill their own dreams of the future wherever that might be!!
Thanks,Accompang! You are setting the example. Everyday of one's life should be an adventurous vacation day. Call it work, call it retirement. call it what ever you will, but enjoy it. I, too, enjoy VA benefits. We also enjoy our extended stays in Jamaica and return to the US eager to return to the island. Not a bad life. Thanks for your enlightenment.
After my first wife passed away, I was ready to move to Jamaica. I had found a nice house in a great area and all I had to do was sign the contract and mail the check. My shrink talked me out of it; said I should wait a year before making any life-changing decisions. So I did and I met my current wife here in Florida. We got married at CSA on 4/20 (yes, we chose that specific date) in 2013.
We talked about buying a vacation home but decided that with the cost and the amount of work involved, it was cheaper to just keep going to Jamaica two or three times a year and keep the house in South Florida as a base of operations. We begun to travel extensively, spent a month in Italy this past September and we've already got two trips to CSA booked for this year along with a week in Costa Rica and a couple of weeks in England and Scotland. This year we'll be out of the country around 50 days with a goal of 100 days a year as soon as she retires.
As much as we both love Jamaica, it just doesn't make sense to live there right now.
Ricky Ginsburg
Fort Collins, Colorado
(Where it's always a Rocky Mountain high.)
Sounds like to me a right decision. Also looks like your too busy to live there at the moment.
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