I’m able to live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, thanks to my mini “import-export” enterprise. When I want a break from Buenos Aires, I hike to the villages in the north to negotiate delivery of llama wool hats, scarves and shawls—direct from the villagers who make them.
Imagine your ideal retirement getaway… Maybe you see the surf of a turquoise sea gently lapping the white-sand beach, right in your front yard. Or perhaps you imagine a plush pad in a colonial capital rich with culture.
Most people have heard about the fabulous steak houses that line the streets and avenues of Buenos Aires, Argentina. But not so many are in on the “secret dinners” that go on behind dozens of unmarked doors around the city.
In the tango of popular conception, a dashing Valentino fellow in ruffled shirt, bolero, and cummerbund leads his partner in her frilly flamenco costume through a series of staccato leaps, jumps, and deep backward bends, in a display of athletic exuberance and total male domination.
“This is the soul of Buenos Aires,” the cab driver assured us in his heavy Italian accent, “…the heart of Argentina.” Apparently out of metaphors, he then stopped the cab at Calle Defensa in the old San Telmo district of Buenos Aires, and we ventured forward into the brilliant Sunday afternoon sunshine.
Residential prices in Buenos Aires have been rising since 2003. Today, prices for apartments are at an all-time high, and I’d say it’d be foolish to think about buying one from a pure investment perspective. However, B.A. is a market unto itself…and a relatively small one in this vast country.
In this issue we present our annual Quality of Life Index. The U.S. looks like a pretty good choice for retirees. That’s good news, now that the collapsing dollar makes the rest of the world so much more expensive. Still, Vicki and I choose to live abroad. We’re Americans, but since 1981 (except for brief periods in Austin, Texas and in Las Vegas in the 1990s), we’ve lived overseas. Why? We have a spirit of adventure, the key to a quality retired life abroad.
My husband, Jamie, and I moved to a small village outside of the bustling town of San Rafael, Argentina, in June 2005. We started our lives in the Southern hemisphere as the owners of a beautiful 65-acre farm with a new, 1,900-square-foot house, a vineyard in need of a little TLC, a plum orchard in need of a lot of TLC, and plenty of open land. This was by far the nicest home I had ever lived in and cost us about 30% less than we would have paid back home in California.
The buzz of Buenos Aires, the “top dog” of Ecuador’s coastal resorts, and colonial splendor in ChileThis month in International Living, we shine the spotlight on Ecuador, Argentina and Chile
Last month I talked about “touch and go.” With touch and go you keep moving, you make the world your home. Your life is filled with adventure, challenge, and excitement-that is, if you can afford it.
My friend Mariela has a 14-year-old daughter. Says Mariela of her daughter, “She’s all touch and go.” I asked what that meant. “Teenagers want to touch everything, to do everything. But they quickly get bored and move on. Today it’s piano lessons, tomorrow horses, next year golf, tennis, ballet, singing lessons, whatever. They never stick to anything. I call it touch and go, it’s a way of life. All kids act like this.”
We retired young, 22 years ago, at age 35. Since that time, we’ve been asked what we do all day, and we’ve asked others the same question.
