...but wouldn't it be fun to own one? An island, I mean, not the man. This improbable train of thought blossomed out of a recent news article about buying the smallest country in the world. Really. It's called Sealand and if you Google it, you'll get all kinds of interesting links, including the one at Wikipedia, which has a few photos. According to that article, since Sealand is a principality, it can't be sold but it is open for transfer. They're looking for offers of "eight digits or over." One of the figures cited was U.S. $977 million.
Okaaaaay. Well, I have to admit, it has a really exciting history, including attempted invasion and kidnapping and all that good stuff. Somebody should write a book or make a movie. But then you look at a photo of this little principality (5920 square feet) and find it difficult to understand why anyone would want to live there, let alone pay an appalling amount of money for a transfer. The truth is, Coffee Mates, Sealand is -- ah, there is no gentle way to put it -- Sealand is ugly. Would you want to live out on the North Sea on something that looks like a stripped oil rig? I didn't think so.
On the other hand, even if you didn't dream it seriously, have you ever dreamed about owning your own island? It's not such a far-fetched dream, actually. When I typed island for sale into Google, almost immediately I was faced with 41,400,000 links! Shazaam! What was even more astonishing was the asking price on some of these islands. I mean, there are plain old houses in this area that would cost as much, I kid you not.
For example, for a mere $540,000 you can buy a 21-acre island in the Lake of Nicaragua, only 5 miles east of the mainland, with a view of the city of Granada. A 25-minute boat ride, they say. This is not just a bare island. No. It's got a main house (furnished), a caretaker's house (and the caretaker and his wife, who provides maid service, go with the deal if you want them), docks, boats, two wells, a water tower, two generators, livestock, phone and Internet capabilities and something they call an Infinite pool. Whatever that is. There's even a dog that looks to have largely German Shepherd origins that is part of the deal.
The web site with all the details is here and there are a lot of photos to give you a taste of what the island is like. They say there has never been a hurricane there and the lake is usually calm. They say the offshore breezes keep the house cool even when it's hot. So I'm looking at the pictures and I notice they even have big fans set up outside on the wrap-around porch. And I realize "hot" and "cool" are relative terms.
They say the soil is very fertile and the owner has easily grown crops there. Certainly the pictures with the cattle show lush grass but then, why is the ground around the house just dirt? And why are there cement walkways all over the island and even a cement pad under the picnic table beside the house? For that matter, why are the houses up on stilts? Insects are not supposed to be a problem but they don't mention whether or not there are (shudder) snakes creepy-crawling around. Now that I think on it, don't they have the fer-de-lance down there?
On the other hand, the fishing seems to be fairly spectacular and there are coconut palms, banana trees, mango and avocado. I could live with that.
Now listen, Coffee Mates, if we pool our resources, we could go together and buy that island. But all y'all had better have a bigger pool than I do. I'm just saying ...
Eddi update: her vitals are all good and, while some things aren't up to snuff, other things are looking better. They tried letting her breathe without the ventilator today but had to hook her back up. Will try again tomorrow. The mojo is helping, I'm sure of it. Thanks, everyone.
Okaaaaay. Well, I have to admit, it has a really exciting history, including attempted invasion and kidnapping and all that good stuff. Somebody should write a book or make a movie. But then you look at a photo of this little principality (5920 square feet) and find it difficult to understand why anyone would want to live there, let alone pay an appalling amount of money for a transfer. The truth is, Coffee Mates, Sealand is -- ah, there is no gentle way to put it -- Sealand is ugly. Would you want to live out on the North Sea on something that looks like a stripped oil rig? I didn't think so.
On the other hand, even if you didn't dream it seriously, have you ever dreamed about owning your own island? It's not such a far-fetched dream, actually. When I typed island for sale into Google, almost immediately I was faced with 41,400,000 links! Shazaam! What was even more astonishing was the asking price on some of these islands. I mean, there are plain old houses in this area that would cost as much, I kid you not.
For example, for a mere $540,000 you can buy a 21-acre island in the Lake of Nicaragua, only 5 miles east of the mainland, with a view of the city of Granada. A 25-minute boat ride, they say. This is not just a bare island. No. It's got a main house (furnished), a caretaker's house (and the caretaker and his wife, who provides maid service, go with the deal if you want them), docks, boats, two wells, a water tower, two generators, livestock, phone and Internet capabilities and something they call an Infinite pool. Whatever that is. There's even a dog that looks to have largely German Shepherd origins that is part of the deal.
The web site with all the details is here and there are a lot of photos to give you a taste of what the island is like. They say there has never been a hurricane there and the lake is usually calm. They say the offshore breezes keep the house cool even when it's hot. So I'm looking at the pictures and I notice they even have big fans set up outside on the wrap-around porch. And I realize "hot" and "cool" are relative terms.
They say the soil is very fertile and the owner has easily grown crops there. Certainly the pictures with the cattle show lush grass but then, why is the ground around the house just dirt? And why are there cement walkways all over the island and even a cement pad under the picnic table beside the house? For that matter, why are the houses up on stilts? Insects are not supposed to be a problem but they don't mention whether or not there are (shudder) snakes creepy-crawling around. Now that I think on it, don't they have the fer-de-lance down there?
On the other hand, the fishing seems to be fairly spectacular and there are coconut palms, banana trees, mango and avocado. I could live with that.
Now listen, Coffee Mates, if we pool our resources, we could go together and buy that island. But all y'all had better have a bigger pool than I do. I'm just saying ...
Eddi update: her vitals are all good and, while some things aren't up to snuff, other things are looking better. They tried letting her breathe without the ventilator today but had to hook her back up. Will try again tomorrow. The mojo is helping, I'm sure of it. Thanks, everyone.
4 comments:
As we sit here covered with ice at 30 degrees, that island begins to sound good.
Is your snow still around or has it blown to timbuktu?
I agree with bb... it finally got cold here, and with a vengance. Lessee... I've got $17 and... wait, there's another quarter over there, and a nickle in the couch... 67 cents! Does that help - are we close to the half mil yet? :)
Hugs for Eddi,
Wolfie
Bonnie, the snow is nearly gone but only because it's been raining since last night.
Wolfie, yes, we are closER to the half-mil -- by $17.67. (smile)
www.privateislandsonline.com has hundreds of islands for sale from all over the world
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