jackytoo

California is not the whole of America. You can google stats but nothing like first hand experience. Maybe you should ask on the USA forum..although I suppose they are all expats and they do buy them.

cricketman

So you deliberately ignored that number "4-8 million homes" in gated communities??? They are hardly all Tiger Woods are they?

So you are saying I need to live in those homes before I can have an opinion?

Btw, I do have an American SIL, does that entitle me to an opinion? Or maybe I need to experience being American before I can say anything about it

I dont like the place and I dont want to live there. And I've visited 3 times, I may go back, I may not, its not on my priority list at the moment. Spending time on the beaches in Cádiz IS my priority at the moment

jackytoo

Well I shan't be telling you how I know. So now you have an American SIL too. No wonder forum members are jealous of you you have friends and relatives everywhere and know everything.

I did not say just celebs I said also second homeowners who like to buy in over 55 communities because of the golf course etc, not just Florida, Arizona and California. Sometimes when you are googling you have to look at the sources of the information too. Middle America does not like them or ordinary citizens in Florida.

Long way from Cádiz beaches aren't you!

missile

I accept your explanation, but you appear to be contradicting your earlier assertion that these cities are safe? I would respectfully suggest it is very dangerous to form and then express an opinion based on hearsay from others

cricketman

As you'll know the closest good beaches from me are either in Cádiz, Huelva or Almeria, so we go at the weekend sometimes.

For my work I have to be close to Málaga airport. Maybe for not much longer though

cricketman

It seems I was being a bit flippent and it hit a nerve with someone! I was just trying to make a point that almost no place on this earth is particularly dangerous unless you go to a warzone or mix with criminality.

I tried to convince my OH into driving to the World Cup in South Africa across the whole African continent, but she rightfully talked me out of it

missile

Perhaps when you are a bit older

Rotor

Safer than living in Benalmadena

cricketman

Well no not really. People arent very good at viewing risk. In a dangerous country you still only have about a 1% chance of being murdered in your lifetime, so staying there a few days isnt much of a risk is it?

I have a friend who walked to the world cup in Japan in 2002, he wrote a book about it, he said people were always incredibly nice and only once did he feel in danger (I can't remember the situation).

I've got another friend who left home in Argentina when he was 16 and backpacked across the whole of the Americas and then did the same in Europe. Nothing ever happened to him either and he has a few stories to tell!

I feel people get so scared nowadays because they spend too much time indoors, reading papers, watching TV and like us, on forums

People should just get out there and do things, my best guess is that we only live once!

jackytoo

I didn't realised you worked Cricketman...I thought you just sat at home tuned into this forum all day

cricketman

I have a couple of screens on the desk and I often have british expats forum sat on one of the tabs, it's a welcome distraction at times.

Slow day today though, as you can tell!

JLFS

I replied to youi post because you made out that only obvious tourists got done. I gave the example of two elderley relatives of mine, not tourrists, living in their own homes in Galicia (which really only has a lagre infulx of tourists during the summer months, but has crime all year round, so how do you explain that one.

How come you are such an expert, are you one of us, Spanish?



Where do you get this .........? Have you never seen a spanish tourist?[/QUOTE]

And to your question "if I have ever seen a Spanish tourist, with a rolleyes symbol.

Seen one: Ive been one one numerous occasions.



Well, I for one think that I have more of an insight into the Spanish view of life and crime, and social matters, than most on here. I have had a few first hand experiences, but know lots of folks (fam and freinds) that have told me their versions of events, so I dont google, I form my opinions from street talk, listening and such.

And who the hell are you to call my claims wild?

JLFS

[QUOTE=cricketman;8546986]So you deliberately ignored that number "4-8 million homes" in gated communities??? They are hardly all Tiger Woods are they?

So you are saying I need to live in those homes before I can have an opinion?

Btw, I do have an American SIL, does that entitle me to an opinion? Or maybe I need to experience being American before I can say anything about it

I dont like the place and I dont want to live there. And I've visited 3 times, I may go back, I may not, its not on my priority list at the moment. Spending time on the beaches in Cádiz IS my priority at the moment

Good point.

Do you have to climb everest to know that it is a bloody high mountain?

Answer NO

But what is being said is that you cannot have an opinion about the height, unless you have climbed it.

So you can have an opinion about things, without living it first hand.

jackytoo

Yes everyone can have an "opinion" but it doesn't make it correct or everyone elses wrong.

JLFS

Just to please some posters on here I have GOOGLED and found this interesting article.

http://sosinvasion.wordpress.com/200...es-policiales/

The gist of the story is that 10per cent of the Rumanians living in Spain have a Police record, (not talking about Walking on the Moon)

I have never said that they are responsible for all the crime, but I said that they are thought of by a lagre number of Spanish to be responsible for many street, mugging type crimes.

Imagine if 10 percent of Brits in Spain were crims, they would be thought of in the same negative way.