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JP
Member/DJ
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Posted: Mon Jun 29th, 2009 07:02 pm |
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One of the best islands to visit or live on is Turks and Caicos Islands.. These islands have a well heeled reputation and all the amenities and sevices that come with indulging one self.. Turks and Caicos are located about 40 miles south of the southern tip of the Bahamas island chain.. Temperatures can be high rising into the 90's, but are much cooler at around 75 degrees during the winter months.. The average temperature for the year usually settles in the mid 80's.. One great thing about Turks and Caicos is the gentle breeze that flows through the islands year round due to the easterly trade winds.. These trade winds make the hot temperatures much more comfortable and manageable. Humidity for the most part is low and winters are usually dry.. While Turks and Caicos does fall in line of the hurricane belt, for the most part direct landfall of hurricanes is not that common..
Turks and Caicos is a group of islands in the West Indies that is part of the British overseas territories.. For American citizens, you can visit Turks and Caicos without a visa and stay for up to 6 months, all that is required is a US passport.. The currency in use in Turks and Caicos is the US dollar making it easier for those that would like to purchase real estate..![[usa]](/forums/themes/default/usa.gif)
Shopping on Turks and Caicos is a pleasure with luxury goods and high quality merchandise easy to find. Necessities are also easy to find, but since all items are imported, it can be difficult to find your favorite brands.. Turks and Caicos have a well heeled reputation and there are plenty of services offered to wealthy individuals. Entertainment on Turks and Caicos seems to be limitless.. There are so many things to do and see on the island and while many expats come to the island to enjoy the scenery and water activities, many come to the island to just relax and do nothing.. High quality restaurants, bars and night life are also easy to find, however the youth culture is lacking since most tourists are either middle aged or mature..
Attachment: DJ3.jpg (Downloaded 24 times)
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JP
Member/DJ
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Posted: Wed Jul 1st, 2009 10:53 am |
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If you like sun & sand.. well.. good news on this tropical Island chain..
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pseudoname
Member
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Posted: Sun Jul 5th, 2009 11:46 am |
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Personally, I think the government that ran Canada back in the day when these islands wanted to hook up with us in a way that would have made them part of our country may have made a HUGE mistake in saying no.
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Mazel Schlimazel
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 28th, 2009 09:21 am |
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It's interesting how many Carribean islands are still owned by a handful of European countries....
I'm mostly interested in visiting the Dutch Antilles someday...  ... And British Virgin Islands would be nice too.
Dutch Antilles (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but with their own currency, the Antilles Guilder...)  :
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Mazel Schlimazel
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 28th, 2009 09:23 am |
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pseudoname wrote: Personally, I think the government that ran Canada back in the day when these islands wanted to hook up with us in a way that would have made them part of our country may have made a HUGE mistake in saying no.
It is 2009, and Canada remains utterly and totally bereft of a single inch of its own tropical real estate. 
Meanwhile, the US, Britain, France, and the Netherlands all lay claim to their own..
Last edited on Tue Jul 28th, 2009 09:23 am by Mazel Schlimazel
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Mazel Schlimazel
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 28th, 2009 09:31 am |
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Curacao, an overseas possession of the Netherlands...
Same cute Dutch seaside architecture as in Holland, but with the Sun, Warmth, Beaches, and Culture of the Carribean!
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pseudoname
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 28th, 2009 01:19 pm |
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Mazel Schlimazel wrote: pseudoname wrote: Personally, I think the government that ran Canada back in the day when these islands wanted to hook up with us in a way that would have made them part of our country may have made a HUGE mistake in saying no.
It is 2009, and Canada remains utterly and totally bereft of a single inch of its own tropical real estate.
Meanwhile, the US, Britain, France, and the Netherlands all lay claim to their own..
Yeah! I remember being a young person back in the 70s when the Turks and Caicos first "applied" to become a part of Canada. At least, that was when I first heard about it.
What fricking idiots ran this country to turn that down!!! Damn, I wonder if they'd still be interested if we offered it now. Somehow, I doubt it.
For your enjoyment, following is an article I received permission to reprint from the author some years ago (Apr 04) when I was the editor of the magazine it was first published in.
HOME IS WHERE THE BEACH IS
BY PETER BECK
As one of the almost 1,000,000 Canadians who make an annual restorative pilgrimage to the Caribbean, I found myself in Jamaica this year. Sitting under the palms sipping Red Stripe beer has a number of effects on people, particularly on Canadians who are teleported from the relative grey-drab misery of “Forevuary” in this Country. There is an overwhelming calm (and it’s not just the beer; iced coffee works just as well), and a sense of rejuvenation. The food, the foliage, the unfamiliar songs of colourful and exotic birds, and the Caribbean sea are all part of the essence. That warm topaz jewel with its thundering surf on the horizon turning to champagne-foam around your ankles along the snow-white shoreline. I could go on, but for anyone who has been there, I’m sure you have your own memories and images.
As a Canadian, however, there are a few things that I would like to change. Paying for everything in the almighty US greenback for one. It perturbs me to no end, really. Dealing with exchange rates and trying to figure out how to convert local currency to US, and then into Canadian dollars can make even the hardiest of accountants seasick. I will admit, however, to constantly looking for arbitrage opportunities, mostly to no avail. And what is it about American one-dollar bills? Where do they all come from? By the time I’ve been away for three days I can’t even sit down without first talking out my wallet. Furthermore, what does one do with eleven dollars and thirty-eight cents in Jamaican coinage when you get home? Make a necklace?
The guilt can also be a negative side-effect of these luxury destinations. Abject poverty is something that as Canadians we have very little tolerance for, and I think, I hope, that I speak for most of us when I express the feelings of embarrassment—not pity—for my grotesque affluence relative to the homeless in the streets, or the beggars in the marketplace. It may be a warm paradise for us, but for many, it has a very cold, harsh side.
Then there is the communications issue. Even in these days of worldwide broadband access, it is mighty hard to find a working ABM, a reliable internet connection, or a telephone that doesn’t make the folks back home sound like they are talking to you from a tin can at the end of a 4,000 kilometre-long string.
But some suggest that there is an answer to these downfalls; an idea that first came to light in 1917 when Canadian Prime Minister Borden suggested a union with the entire Caribbean.
What? Turn the second largest collection of Islands in the Western Hemisphere into a Commonwealth? Something about it sounds nuts, but when you really look at it, the idea makes perfect economic and social sense.
The funny thing about it is that in the 1970s, it was at the urging of the Islanders themselves that a Private Members Bill was debated in the House of Commons to seriously look at the issue. Though it was rejected at the time, the idea has re-surfaced a number of times since. Recently it has been a serious topic of discussion in relation to one of the few Islands not yet annexed or given independence from their original conquerors. Yes, I’m talking about the Turks & Caicos, a small group of islands just southeast of the Bahamas.
First off, let’s look at a little recent history. In 1986, a group of private Canadian citizens, along with a large contingent from Turks & Caicos, formed a lobbying group and brought the idea of a union to Ottawa. Despite a 90% approval rate from the Turks & Caicos population, Ottawa rejected a merger.
Last year Peter Goldring, a Member of Parliament, picked up the torch, and is pushing to annex the islands and create a formal, economic union. I for one cannot understand why we haven’t taken this beautiful little country up on its offer. I mean think about it, 430 square kilometres of sun-drenched Caribbean paradise with a CIBC on every corner, high-speed Internet in every home and hotel room, Loonies jingling in your pocket, and a Tim Horton’s Iced Frappucino in one hand and a spicy chicken roti in the other. Heaven!
Economically, the numbers are pretty amazing as well. First of all, there are almost a million Canadians that visit the Caribbean every year. I like to be conservative when I estimate things, so let’s say that an economic union, and all the benefits and comforts that would come with it, would drive a quarter of those visitors, roughly 250,000, to Turks & Caicos. Now, the average stay would probably be around a week, and the average amount spent while there would be, let’s say, $CAD 1500; that’s including food, hotel, car rentals, deep sea fishing, trinkets for the folks, etc. That figure amounts to almost $40 million a year from Canadian tourists alone. And that’s money that goes right back into our Government coffers! And what’s the average airfare to the Caribbean? Conservatively, let’s call it $750, especially when Air Canada can offer great rates. If even half of the visitors flew AC, that’s another $19 Million.
Retirement communities are already sprouting up in Turks & Caicos, and we can assume that the proximity of a Tim Horton’s and the peace of mind that comes with staying Canadian would only increase this growth. The upshot is that all that money coming out of pensions and investments would flow right back in, rather than being bled out to golf memberships and Budweisers in Arizona.
Canadian banks are already a force in the Caribbean, and this would give us a foothold on territory that as yet is relatively unexploited by big US firms. We could run our own fibre connections directly to Turks & Caicos, and multi-cast our banking services to every corner of the Antilles. With offshore Turks & Caicos/Canadian banks we could (I’m sure someone can figure out how to swing this one) become the new Switzerland; our economy diversifying and stabilizing right along with our own, brand-new fourth territory. Another boost to the economy would be updating all the history books and reference materials.
So what’s in it for the people of the Turks & Caicos? Besides having to figure out the rules of hockey, and of course we would have to start making “Cricket Rules #101” part of our school curriculum, it’s all wine and roses, as far as I can tell. The economy would both diversify and explode, for one, and sprout lower costs of goods and services, cheaper air travel, universal health care, improved post-secondary educational opportunities, and improve military and coast guard operations. Heck, we could even market the place as a tropical film-shooting location. Yet another landscape for the already formidable Canadian low-cost arsenal.
It baffles me that we haven’t done this. Is it our meek Canadian “don’t rock the boat” attitude? Or is there some kind of strange fear about having ownership of soil outside our borders? Everyone else does it. Both the US and England have their Virgin Islands, and the French have Guadeloupe and Martinique, to name only two, and the list goes on and on.
Are we worried about immigration? I certainly hope not. We already receive about 300,000 immigrants a year. The whole population of Turks & Caicos is less than 20,000. I don’t see a problem.
If you ask me, it’s high time Canada took a chance on this prime opportunity before someone else does. It’s time to be a leader. Of course, we’d have to do something about the “True North” part of the anthem to accommodate, but then again, Turks & Caicos is still above the equator.
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pseudoname
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 28th, 2009 01:27 pm |
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Mazel Schlimazel wrote:
Curacao, an overseas possession of the Netherlands...
Same cute Dutch seaside architecture as in Holland, but with the Sun, Warmth, Beaches, and Culture of the Carribean!
Yeah, yeah, I know already. Rub my often-frozen nose into it a little harder, why don'tcha?
I've wanted to move to the ABC islands for as long as I can remember. As you've likely figured out by now, I have relatives there.
Wahhh, get me out of here! But all hope is not lost. Also always had the same feeling for OZ and NZ, and it just so happens that one of my oldest gal pals will be moving to her sister's place in OZ in a couple of years, I have a cousin in NZ, and my daughter, barring obstacles, will be moving to Byron Bay in OZ in 5 months. None are close the the ABCs, but in many ways it would be similar. I just gotta sit tight and hope that one of those possibilities happen. 
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Mazel Schlimazel
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 28th, 2009 07:01 pm |
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The possibility of Turks and Caicos joining Canada is still not completely out of the question.
60% of the islanders there favor joining confederation with Canada, and the Canadian gov't said they'd most likely fuse Turks and Caicos into Nova Scotia's provincial jurisdiction, to have to avoid the headache of creating a new province.
If this does happen, of course, it makes sense to substite the US Dollar for the Canadian Dollar on these two islands... Otherwise, what is the point of forcing Canadians to have to put up with currency exchange if they're going to their country's overseas possessions?
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Mazel Schlimazel
Member
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Posted: Tue Jul 28th, 2009 07:05 pm |
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pseudoname wrote: Mazel Schlimazel wrote:
Curacao, an overseas possession of the Netherlands...
Same cute Dutch seaside architecture as in Holland, but with the Sun, Warmth, Beaches, and Culture of the Carribean!
Yeah, yeah, I know already. Rub my often-frozen nose into it a little harder, why don'tcha?
I've wanted to move to the ABC islands for as long as I can remember. As you've likely figured out by now, I have relatives there.
Wahhh, get me out of here! But all hope is not lost. Also always had the same feeling for OZ and NZ, and it just so happens that one of my oldest gal pals will be moving to her sister's place in OZ in a couple of years, I have a cousin in NZ, and my daughter, barring obstacles, will be moving to Byron Bay in OZ in 5 months. None are close the the ABCs, but in many ways it would be similar. I just gotta sit tight and hope that one of those possibilities happen.
Good luck to ya.
Now that I've learned more about all these Carribean islands, I want to go there some day to go island hopping in the US virgin islands, and then head to the Dutch Antilles, and Back...
I've been once to Hawaii, a few years ago.. now that was pure paradise... 
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pseudoname
Member
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Posted: Fri Jul 31st, 2009 11:00 am |
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Mazel Schlimazel wrote: The possibility of Turks and Caicos joining Canada is still not completely out of the question.
60% of the islanders there favor joining confederation with Canada, and the Canadian gov't said they'd most likely fuse Turks and Caicos into Nova Scotia's provincial jurisdiction, to have to avoid the headache of creating a new province.
If this does happen, of course, it makes sense to substite the US Dollar for the Canadian Dollar on these two islands... Otherwise, what is the point of forcing Canadians to have to put up with currency exchange if they're going to their country's overseas possessions?
60%? Now? Still? This very day?
And which Canadian gov't said that they'd "most likely fuse T&C into Nova Scotia's jurisdiction"? Hmm, maybe it'd be better to ask what year they said it in, because then I could find out exactly who, in which government, was for it, and who was against.
As for the currency issue, Beck addressed that quite well, I thought. It would have to be the same currency as ours to make it workable, since there's already no shortage of places Canadians can go where they have to use US dollars. Having CA dollars would attract tons of people from here. It's not that Bermuda or the West Indies or Caribbean are boring or anything, but it would be really neat to just be able to hop a plane and land in a similar place without the hassle of borders and money!
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pseudoname
Member
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Posted: Fri Jul 31st, 2009 11:05 am |
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Mazel Schlimazel wrote: pseudoname wrote: Mazel Schlimazel wrote:
Curacao, an overseas possession of the Netherlands...
Same cute Dutch seaside architecture as in Holland, but with the Sun, Warmth, Beaches, and Culture of the Carribean!
Yeah, yeah, I know already. Rub my often-frozen nose into it a little harder, why don'tcha?
I've wanted to move to the ABC islands for as long as I can remember. As you've likely figured out by now, I have relatives there.
Wahhh, get me out of here! But all hope is not lost. Also always had the same feeling for OZ and NZ, and it just so happens that one of my oldest gal pals will be moving to her sister's place in OZ in a couple of years, I have a cousin in NZ, and my daughter, barring obstacles, will be moving to Byron Bay in OZ in 5 months. None are close the the ABCs, but in many ways it would be similar. I just gotta sit tight and hope that one of those possibilities happen.
Good luck to ya.
Now that I've learned more about all these Carribean islands, I want to go there some day to go island hopping in the US virgin islands, and then head to the Dutch Antilles, and Back...
I've been once to Hawaii, a few years ago.. now that was pure paradise...
Thanks. To you too. I gather from posts you've made that you're still young. Go, I say. Eat up the experience. Gather as much of it as you can before you tie yourself down as life unfolds. I've been telling my 28-yr-old daughter the same thing for as long as we can remember, and she's been doing it. Go Kid Go!
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stevecanuck
Member
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Posted: Wed Oct 28th, 2009 05:44 pm |
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| Now that Air Canada offers direct flights from Wankouver to Auckland and Sydney, it's so much easier getting there. The first couple of times we went through LA and were absolutely beat by time we got there.
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Mazel Schlimazel
Member
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Posted: Sun Nov 1st, 2009 06:28 pm |
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Wankouver to Auckland/Sydney?  That must be a 16-hour flight!
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