abas haInternational Living Postcards – Sunday Edition
April 1, 2007
It’s early morning as I write this. Since midnight I’ve been on the phone with a contact in the South Pacific, reporting to me on a sensational story that will break in the next 24 hours.
Eminent volcanologist Kaitlin Jackson has, not 12 hours ago, discovered a large tropical island undocumented on any known maps. The few scientific researchers who have visited the island since its discovery have dubbed the approximately 2,000 square miles of rolling meadow and white-sand beach "Gullible Island," from the local patois guiliable, meaning "paradise."
The island is part of a new archipelago. These island groups are often volcanic and usually found in the open sea.
Jackson (who worked as a field assistant with Alain Quartermain after an unprecedented three-year stint studying under the renowned explorer Dr. Jones) attributes the secret of the islands’ location to massive quantities of iron ore buried deep beneath the surface. The iron disrupts compass bearings of planes and ships, so that they take an elliptical path around the islands when the captains think they are traveling in a straight line. Passing the outer islands of the archipelago, pilots and mariners have incorrectly identified these islands as being part of other island chains, all the while completely missing the main island–Gullible Island–hidden at the center of this modern wonder of the world.
A treaty similar to the 1959 Antarctic Treaty is in the works, prohibiting military and mining activity, but allowing non-invasive scientific research and protecting the island’s ecozone. Due to this refreshing non-proprietary stance by all governments involved, pioneering residents will pay no taxes…ever…to anyone.
Further, the climate is so mild, my contact reports, that you can grow anything year ’round–and wear short sleeves in the depths of "winter."
To encourage settlers, a first-come-first-served homesteading approach is under way. And, once adjustments are made to allow for the iron deposits, the island will be able to plug into one of the most modern satellite networks in the world (with unparalleled hi-speed Internet access) and connect itself to excellent international transport links.
For calibration reasons, the little gizmo that planes and ships need to make the iron ore correction to navigation equipment can only be manufactured on the island, and as part of the tender process, potential manufacturers are offering free public transport to all residents.
Details have not yet been released on how the homesteading will be handled. But one thing is for certain–if you’re one of the lucky few hundred who get a chance to claim a piece of this new paradise, you’ll want for nothing.
Kathleen Peddicord
Publisher, International Living
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P.S. Lest you failed to notice today’s date and realize our little April jest…I’m afraid Gullible Island and the hidden archipelago don’t exist. Come on…did you really think such a Shangri-la could be hidden somewhere in the world? Actually, now that I think of it, it could be…and is (no kidding). Next month, our most experienced and intrepid reporters, contributors, expats, and experts will gather for four days in Las Vegas to share with assembled readers the location of paradise, based on your personal requirements. Bring your toughest questions and most demanding agendas. Our team is ready to help you find the paradise you seek: Click here for more information.
