Convince me you live in Utopia, please !

Welcome Jim-san,

which continent / part of the world would you prefer? There are so many, many places!

Have you ever been in Dominican Republic or in Mauritius for example?

Hello Julien !
And thanks for the Welcome!
I have met people from Mauritius in Perth and I researched it a long time ago. Thanks for reminding me about there, it certainly did seem to be a great place. Are there any members here from Mauritius?
Mmm? Dominican Republic...now that's a place I know little about, so I'll follow your lead and do some research.
I've never travelled to the Americas, although I have researched the city of Curitiba in Brazil, which certainly seems to be a quite special place, without the usual difficulties that come with developing countries.
I've also wondered about some of the Carribean islands, but most of the most attractive sounding places seemed to be well out of my budget.
I'm unfortunately a bit jaded with Thailand, which seems at first an ideal location, but is actually very problematic regarding visas, and apart from Bangkok - which is an environmental nightmare - is not a sophisticated country.
French former colonies do interest me, but when I reseached them they all seemed to be very much on the expensive side. But maybe I don't know enough details, and have made just generalisations about them?
Basically I have focussed on S.E.Asia, Mediterranean Europe, and have thought about Eastern Europe also. Of course, being part Czech, Prague is an obvious choice. But accommodation choices and prices seem, yet again, over my budget.
I agree, the world's such a big place, n'est ce pas? But I'm hoping that through your site I can whittle down my general choices and locate some real possibilities that suit my values, and especially my limited budget.
I know Australia very well and know that any places worthy of my interest are either way too expensive, or, unfortunately culturally extemely limited for my tastes. But any place with similar environmental beauty will certainly interest me. I did travel around New Zealand looking for a place to settle, and it certainly is a beautiful place but again, like Australia, the cultural side of life is very parachial and limited. If I was a sheep farmer though, I would think it was a paradise ! :0)

Here's hoping some people on your site have some suggestions for me.
Thanks again.
Jim-san in Tokyo

I am moving to Mauritius in ... 12 days now

French departments and territories can very expensive, yes.

I heard that Cyprus is a very nice destination, but I don't know if it's expensive.

Enjoy Mauritius, Julien !
If you find time once you're there, drop me a note about cheaper property rentals if any exist.
Or if you know any millionaires who have a spare little house in their back garden and are happy to rent it out cheaply to an Artist    then please let me know!

Yes, I agree, I've also heard that Cyprus is cheaper than a lot of similar places. I have Greek/Cypriot friends in Australia and they were wonderfully hospitable. Great food, coffee, and sweets. I'll look into that option more closely. Thanks for the idea!

Bon Voyage !
Jim-san in Tokyo