Fortaleza

Negative vibes!!! That's all I seem to be seeing. Christ, Chiclana is a beautiful, wonderful place - yet every expat there is determined to have a miserable time.

The same is now happening in Huelva/Ayamonte.

So there's a bit of a financial problem. Yet Spain remains the same - the sun is still here, the beaches are as wonderful as ever, the fiesta lives on.

Places like Chiclana and Ayamonte should not worry too much anyway regarding the "credit crunch". Spaniards will still have their month's vacation. What are they going to do? Stay at home??? Course not. In fact, this could be better for us both. When there's plenty of money around, people go further, try new places - those with properties in Chiclana or Ayamonte may stay for a few days before moving on to far away places. If they have no money, they'll soend the whole vacation with us.

Come on guys, lets have a bit more levity.

jjh

Not us Fotaleza, so not 'every expat here is is determined to have a miserable time'. We've lived in Chiclana for 4 years now and love it. We have great neighbours, all of whom are Spanish and are really sociable with us. We regularly go round to our immediate neighbours house, and they come to us and, while hubby is in the UK, they've really been looking after me. I've even got my vecina drinking tea, although she makes a really awful cuppa.

OK there are some here who are all doom and gloom but I think maybe it's because they are on an income from the UK and have found the current rate of exchange means they can't go out for as many meals as they were able to do in the past so they feel their lifestyle has been compromised.

I totally agree that the Spanish will still have their month's holiday and will get on with life. They will still work on their houses, swim in their pools and have family and friends round. I haven't heard one Spaniard that I know complain about it, with the exception of the price of fuel and, sometimes, food, but not for long and it isn't the topic of a lengthy conversation.

We should all appreciate what we have here in Spain. We have the weather, which most of us moaned about in the Uk, we have great food, we (at least we do) have a wonderful social life and the outdoor living most of us craved for.

I, for one, think that if they are moaners here in Spain then they would have been moaners in the UK. It's like those who go back to the UK because they are bored - they'd be bored anywhere

Well that's my tuppenyworth.

JJ

p.s forgot to say that there is one thing that p****s me off and that's the Levante as it really affects me, but hey it will be gone in a day or so.

andyrich666

for me I really hope that this area is affected bad by the drop in housing prices, I think now my heart is set on moving to La Luz, my current partner however is now obsessed with the costa blanca, I could live there but I really want to push to go here straight away.

Prices were quite steep I thought when I last looked around here 2 year back, a 35% drop in this region I think would suit me perfect.

crispy

I don't think I have moaned about living in Chiclana, I quite like the area the longer I am here the more positive I feel, (I did once have a big moan about the attitude of some of the locals in a PM but I have come to live with that) about the whole thing. I do feel that due to the £/E exchange and being dependant on a UK income the belt is having to be done up a little tighter. I have lovely neighbours, fantastic friends and a charmed life and even with the tighter belt I would not want to go back to the UK at this moment. As for moving somewhere else, yes I would like to but that is because Chiclana was never going to be forever.

There are some people who bought in this area that do and have the right to moan about how they see things, many are not as lucky as Mal and I and their dreams have been shattered and the consequences of this is completely out of their hands to rectify. Many of these people are retired pensioners who just wanted a little sun, sea and siesta in their senior years and instead they feel they are back to square one of 50 years ago having to cut the coat to fit the cloth.

The younger ones who came along with high hopes and there young family's and found life not as they thought it would be in this area don't need to be told they are moaning about their lot. They risk everything and have had to go back to the UK, unable to sell their homes here and having to start all over again in the UK, admitting not only to famly and friends that they could not achieve what they dreamt of but more importantly to themselves.

Some people are blessed with more passion and know how about something and have the energy to make it work, alas we are not all of the same ilk.

Ray51

Thanxxxx for this , Crispy !

crispy

You should tell it as it is Ray, people's dreams depend on it.

jackytoo

Crispy, your post comes across really honest and well-balanced!

andyrich666

Im going somewhere recesssion or no recession, the UK is crap for money right now, I feel I have what it takes to start something there in the bad times, just need to find that angle, I feel Id prolly do better in CB or CDS but I wanna go a La Luz, I like the air more.

The only thing that bothered me moving back to Spain is Im greedy now, I used to be so chilled out and didnt really care about monetry value, now If I aint taking a minimum of grand a week for myself It depresses me, I used to not be like that, I feel if in Spain I would get the hump becuase I would not have the good income I have here, but your swapping that for the much better life, I sort of overcome that in the last 3 weeks, I now see if I clear £80 a day over 7 days is ok so im confident I could get that in Spain doing something or another.

I dont need the push now, I just need to get out there and show my ugly face.

I hope and feel if the big doom and gloom happens more people will want to leave the UK when they see the cheaper prices in Spain.

crispy

Sometimes I think I spend to much time trying to see both sides of the coin. Thank you for your comment, it is always good to get feed back, waiting for The Fort to see what he has to say

crispy

Andy we have gone from a joint salary of over £50,000 per year to less than 10,000, we have no major out lay such as a mortgage believe me I could spend for GB in the Olympics and come out with a gold medal. It can be done, life can be not only good but great, much easier to be poor in the sun than in the UK. Costa de la Luz, I think you would struggle in some professions to clear £80.00 a day for 7 days a week every week, of course it depends greatly on what you do and the area you decide to settle in. What line of business of work are yhou thinking of? whatever it is I truly wish you good luck with it.

andyrich666

to start with same as I do here really (currently sell laptops) Ive asked on this forum before and got a big big thumbs down from some people who should be respected but Im more optimistic - but if that does not work then oncel I cleared it all I will have to try something else, at the moment I am extremely confident even more so in the current climate Im 100% sure I would suceed enough to make a ok living in CB or CDS and a profitable one after 1 year, however I would need to get my spanish well sorted to have a go in La Luz (my dream), I have seen where I think some people go wrong in Spain and the same in the UK. People when they run a business (not a bar) they seem to just stay in the same town and only ever leave it to goto the airport, I have certainly noticed this -where as me I travel about a lot, even here at the moment my sales over internet are poor at the moment, so I have had to start ramping trade up round here but I wont just stick to my little town ill invade other areas im not wanted and undercut people.

I have seen opportunities in CB and CDS but to fill them I would need to be there, I have dipped my toes in and sold a few bits while on holiday to test the water and the feedback I get back is very good but people would be so much more confident if I lived there

I came very very close to selling the people who run the world famous Mullberys bar (lol) that was on the TV a laptop or two when I was there the other week - a lot of negotitation but they needed something I coulnt provide that day, I learnt from that and will be more prepared next time.

poshnbucks

Andyrich.............................Try selling these in Spain ..make a fortune loads of stray dogs to assist.

andyrich666

[QUOTE=poshnbucks;6575036] at school my history teacher called me arthur, lol

bil

Well, I'd rather have a simpler life in Spain than spinning in the hamster wheel in the UK.

Fortaleza

What a fanatstic response. Oh, and I agree about the Levante