What's the best country in the world?
Discussion
paua said:
RobDickinson said:
C70R said:
I was only going on what I was told by a few locals when we arrived a few weeks back (having been forced to take the horrendous Inland Road on a misty night, because Highway 1 was closed both North and South of town).
A beautiful part of the world, which will be fantastic when it's finished.
They must have been drunk or having you on. A beautiful part of the world, which will be fantastic when it's finished.
The kaikoura quake was November 2016, the road will be open again by Christmas this year so just over a year and it's been a major effort.
I don't find getting around nz any problem at all
C70 R, I think you may be caught up in language that is a bit too emotive - The Inland Rd is, by no means "horrendous". Pre-quake it was a lot of fun with 2 doors & 6(manual) gears & little traffic. I learned to drive on this road when it was mostly loose shingle. Currently, it has quite heavy traffic, pot holes/ poor surface - no fun at all & certainly not fit for a low-slung sports car. It has always been narrow, but hardly like a rural English road between hedgerows, where you can't pass the village tractor.
The quake caused major infrastructure damage, NZ has challenging terrain, but things are being repaired. We're not a war ravaged, politically unstable banana republic. Hope you enjoy your visit. Cheers
I grew up in the countryside, and yet it was one of the worst and most mentally taxing drives of my entire life - terrible surface, blind turns, narrow lanes (punctuated by multiple 'roadworks' lane closures).
Like I said, I absolutely loved the country (the views, the people, the craft ale and the coffee would be worth the trip alone), but the infrastructure is very poor for a developed country.
Mr Roper said:
Junior Bianno said:
Maybe I've missed it, but I'm amazed there have been 9 pages of posts and no mention of Portugal
Number 3 in the Global Peace Index
Low cost of living (for Europe)
Outrageous weather - in the Algarve you can go literally weeks without seeing a single cloud
Close to everywhere important
Great beaches, restaurants, cities
Amazing diversity from the hilly north, the wild west coast and the hot south
Friendly locals
Stable laws and government
You can buy really good wine for €2
Each to their own but I would take it every time over any of the cold, dark Northern European countries mentioned
This article sums it up quite well
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/portugal-trave...
My missus would move there in a heartbeat...She has multiple trips every year to Lisbon and Porto and it's often talked about as our retirement plan.Number 3 in the Global Peace Index
Low cost of living (for Europe)
Outrageous weather - in the Algarve you can go literally weeks without seeing a single cloud
Close to everywhere important
Great beaches, restaurants, cities
Amazing diversity from the hilly north, the wild west coast and the hot south
Friendly locals
Stable laws and government
You can buy really good wine for €2
Each to their own but I would take it every time over any of the cold, dark Northern European countries mentioned
This article sums it up quite well
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/portugal-trave...
In fact we're off to Porto in December.
C70R said:
paua said:
RobDickinson said:
C70R said:
I was only going on what I was told by a few locals when we arrived a few weeks back (having been forced to take the horrendous Inland Road on a misty night, because Highway 1 was closed both North and South of town).
A beautiful part of the world, which will be fantastic when it's finished.
They must have been drunk or having you on. A beautiful part of the world, which will be fantastic when it's finished.
The kaikoura quake was November 2016, the road will be open again by Christmas this year so just over a year and it's been a major effort.
I don't find getting around nz any problem at all
C70 R, I think you may be caught up in language that is a bit too emotive - The Inland Rd is, by no means "horrendous". Pre-quake it was a lot of fun with 2 doors & 6(manual) gears & little traffic. I learned to drive on this road when it was mostly loose shingle. Currently, it has quite heavy traffic, pot holes/ poor surface - no fun at all & certainly not fit for a low-slung sports car. It has always been narrow, but hardly like a rural English road between hedgerows, where you can't pass the village tractor.
The quake caused major infrastructure damage, NZ has challenging terrain, but things are being repaired. We're not a war ravaged, politically unstable banana republic. Hope you enjoy your visit. Cheers
I grew up in the countryside, and yet it was one of the worst and most mentally taxing drives of my entire life - terrible surface, blind turns, narrow lanes (punctuated by multiple 'roadworks' lane closures).
Like I said, I absolutely loved the country (the views, the people, the craft ale and the coffee would be worth the trip alone), but the infrastructure is very poor for a developed country.
"infrastructure very poor for a developed country" - we're not Afghanistan! Apologies to anyone from Afghanistan who might be reading this over their high speed internet connection - oh wait...
paua said:
C70R said:
paua said:
RobDickinson said:
C70R said:
I was only going on what I was told by a few locals when we arrived a few weeks back (having been forced to take the horrendous Inland Road on a misty night, because Highway 1 was closed both North and South of town).
A beautiful part of the world, which will be fantastic when it's finished.
They must have been drunk or having you on. A beautiful part of the world, which will be fantastic when it's finished.
The kaikoura quake was November 2016, the road will be open again by Christmas this year so just over a year and it's been a major effort.
I don't find getting around nz any problem at all
C70 R, I think you may be caught up in language that is a bit too emotive - The Inland Rd is, by no means "horrendous". Pre-quake it was a lot of fun with 2 doors & 6(manual) gears & little traffic. I learned to drive on this road when it was mostly loose shingle. Currently, it has quite heavy traffic, pot holes/ poor surface - no fun at all & certainly not fit for a low-slung sports car. It has always been narrow, but hardly like a rural English road between hedgerows, where you can't pass the village tractor.
The quake caused major infrastructure damage, NZ has challenging terrain, but things are being repaired. We're not a war ravaged, politically unstable banana republic. Hope you enjoy your visit. Cheers
I grew up in the countryside, and yet it was one of the worst and most mentally taxing drives of my entire life - terrible surface, blind turns, narrow lanes (punctuated by multiple 'roadworks' lane closures).
Like I said, I absolutely loved the country (the views, the people, the craft ale and the coffee would be worth the trip alone), but the infrastructure is very poor for a developed country.
"infrastructure very poor for a developed country" - we're not Afghanistan! Apologies to anyone from Afghanistan who might be reading this over their high speed internet connection - oh wait...
As I mentioned in a previous post, it's a very rural country, people don't need to commute from the farmlands into the cities like they do in the UK as there is plenty of room in the cities and suburbs for everyone that wants to live there - with maybe the exception of Auckland which does have a bit of a problem with housing being overpriced. You say 'developed' but the truth of the matter is it's not 'developed' like the UK where millions of people live cheek by jowl and towns and villages have been established thousands of years. It's mostly farmland and wilderness outside the cities. Dual carriageways are few and far between, but ask most natives and they'll tell you they're not necessary.
Scotland, has to be the best. Especially when we have a nice sunny day. Nothing to bite you, poison you or trying to eat you. Some of the greenest land on gods earth.
Plus theres a reason all the Lidls adverts feature English people questioning their food sourcing, and they all end up in Scotland in beautiful surroundings showing exactly where that lovely food comes from. Then said English person ends up literally eating their words!
Plus theres a reason all the Lidls adverts feature English people questioning their food sourcing, and they all end up in Scotland in beautiful surroundings showing exactly where that lovely food comes from. Then said English person ends up literally eating their words!
Vi16v said:
Scotland, has to be the best. Especially when we have a nice sunny day. Nothing to bite you, poison you or trying to eat you. Some of the greenest land on gods earth.
Midges. Culicoides impunctatus. 68 Billion of them.Ayahuasca said:
Every country comes with three possibilities:
1. Low Tax
2. Nice place to live, clean, everything works
3. Low cost of living
The problem is, you can only have two from that list.
If anyone can think of a place that has all three, please tell me!
Earn enough money and number 1 makes number 3 irrelevant.1. Low Tax
2. Nice place to live, clean, everything works
3. Low cost of living
The problem is, you can only have two from that list.
If anyone can think of a place that has all three, please tell me!
Ayahuasca said:
Every country comes with three possibilities:
1. Low Tax
2. Nice place to live, clean, everything works
3. Low cost of living
The problem is, you can only have two from that list.
If anyone can think of a place that has all three, please tell me!
I wouldn't consider parts of the UK to be far off achieving that.1. Low Tax
2. Nice place to live, clean, everything works
3. Low cost of living
The problem is, you can only have two from that list.
If anyone can think of a place that has all three, please tell me!
Robertj21a said:
Ayahuasca said:
Every country comes with three possibilities:
1. Low Tax
2. Nice place to live, clean, everything works
3. Low cost of living
The problem is, you can only have two from that list.
If anyone can think of a place that has all three, please tell me!
I wouldn't consider parts of the UK to be far off achieving that.1. Low Tax
2. Nice place to live, clean, everything works
3. Low cost of living
The problem is, you can only have two from that list.
If anyone can think of a place that has all three, please tell me!
paua said:
Tablet quality pics, but this is the view from my picnic/bbq table. Piece of lamb on the bbq right now & a glass of good Aussie shiraz in hand - just getting dark now.All countries have their ups 'n' downs, social issues etc. Some, however, have more downs than ups - politics/ conflict, basic services, health etc. I expect most of us reading here, have it better than a large proportion of the world's popn.
Added to what Colonial said above, there are some places where one can't really trust the police ( eg. minorities in the US, never mind some other parts of the world).
Robertj21a said:
I wouldn't consider parts of the UK to be far off achieving that.
Where I live in the midlands it is not exactly a hell on earth, and prices are fair for what we get. Quite a few things seem expensive compared to where I used to live in the third world, but the average salary is about 25 times higher in England. And the infrastructure is 50 times better.
Every day I read or view news relating drama and misery and violence in some areas on England, but where I live in blandsville 3 bed semi land we see very little of it.
paua said:
paua said:
Tablet quality pics, but this is the view from my picnic/bbq table. Piece of lamb on the bbq right now & a glass of good Aussie shiraz in hand - just getting dark now.All countries have their ups 'n' downs, social issues etc. Some, however, have more downs than ups - politics/ conflict, basic services, health etc. I expect most of us reading here, have it better than a large proportion of the world's popn.
Added to what Colonial said above, there are some places where one can't really trust the police ( eg. minorities in the US, never mind some other parts of the world).
paua said:
Tablet quality pics, but this is the view from my picnic/bbq table. Piece of lamb on the bbq right now & a glass of good Aussie shiraz in hand - just getting dark now.
All countries have their ups 'n' downs, social issues etc. Some, however, have more downs than ups - politics/ conflict, basic services, health etc. I expect most of us reading here, have it better than a large proportion of the world's popn.
Added to what Colonial said above, there are some places where one can't really trust the police ( eg. minorities in the US, never mind some other parts of the world).
Nice. All countries have their ups 'n' downs, social issues etc. Some, however, have more downs than ups - politics/ conflict, basic services, health etc. I expect most of us reading here, have it better than a large proportion of the world's popn.
Added to what Colonial said above, there are some places where one can't really trust the police ( eg. minorities in the US, never mind some other parts of the world).
Where abouts in unzud are you?
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