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Do you have more precise details on the costs involved with that Philippine island idea? What kind of numbers?
by brador 13y ago
Do you have more precise details on the costs involved with that Philippine island idea? What kind of numbers?
- samstave 13y agoThis was in ~2003... There were islands in Palawan fro sale at the time that were uttery perfect for ~$35,000 USD - large enough for a house, had a really nice beach etc... The problem was that in the northern part of Palawan, you either need to ship from Manilla, or fly stuff in. The islands were too small/rocky to be able to have a well, so water was an issue - as was power - you'd need to basically have solar/wind/generator (which meant boating in fuel regularly). So - I don't have exact numbers - but it made buying an Island for ~35K really mean that you'd need ~$250K+ to really accomplish something.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- jpatokal 13y agoAlso, buying an island in a 3rd world country is an entirely different proposition from doing it in a place like Canada. For example, keeping your stuff safe becomes a major concern, especially if you're planning to only visit every now and then; you pretty much need to hire a permanent caretaker. Also, in the Phils (and most all Asian countries) foreigners can't buy land directly, so you need to use various workarounds of dubious legality like setting up a corporation with a local citizen as director and an undated, presigned letter of resignation, etc. And you're still screwed if somebody in power doesn't like what you're doing. There was a bizarre case a while back with some Finnish guys setting up camp on a remote Indonesian island (with go-ahead from the locals, mind you) that eventually ended up with the army showing up to kick them out with lots of chest-thumping about Indonesian sovereignty, but my Google-fu is failing me right now...