Lebanon ATMs Spitting Back Bank Cards

Discussion in 'Currencies' started by GoldenEye, Nov 25, 2019.

  1. sgbuyer

    sgbuyer Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    I know in some parts of Eastern Europe it’s possible to buy a rural house in for a gold coin. But not in the capital city, that will cost 10 gold coins even for a small flat outside of the city centre. I suppose this is the same for Venezuela.
     
  2. TreasureHunter

    TreasureHunter Well-Known Member

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    I think that would cost more than a gold coin. Or perhaps you are referring to 10 oz gold coins? :D

    For 10 ounces you can buy a wrecked rural house with a tiny piece of land. I know the situation and the prices well, believe me.

    So, even in rural areas you're need 20 ounces to buy a decent small house with small garden in Romania or Bulgaria. No, it's not dirt-cheap.

    But in a very remote area with no roads, no electricity, no sewage/canal, there you could buy a wrecked shack in a gypsy village for 1 oz. But that's worse than Borat.

    No way can you have anything decent and well-equipped with a bathroom and normal road connection for less than 20,000 EUR.

    Off-grid, remote in dangerous rural areas where gangs can loot you and stab you in the middle of the night - even that would be 5,000-10,000 EUR. And that's like in a shanty town.
     
  3. sgbuyer

    sgbuyer Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    My bad, memory is failing. It should be around $3000-$7000, so 2-5 gold coins. But I don't think you can get that price in EU countries. Maybe "east" eastern europe. :D
     
  4. TreasureHunter

    TreasureHunter Well-Known Member

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    Probably Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Albania would be cheaper. What should scare you away are: poor life standards and high criminality rate, lawlessness, political instability, unreliability of local banks, lack of justice and abundance of gangs, stray dogs, poor "middle age" healthcare system, lack of respect and fraud regarding private property, lack of convertible local currency, among the worst fiat money, poor or lack of roads (yes, mud roads in many of these countries), language barrier (can you speak Ukrainian or Russian, Albanian?) etc.

    Not worth moving in any of them.

    Some people move to Cambodia for various reasons (to "retire" and other reasons). I can understand them from many points of view and I did enjoy Southeast Asia myself, but... I can't comprehend how/why someone would give up quality healthcare, a better legal system (perhaps you're more used to you own country's laws), more comfortable climate etc.

    Also: some of these countries are full of diseases. For instance: Ukraine and Moldova are full of epidemics spread by livestock (farm animals getting ill by the tens of thousands), but also water-born diseases, tuberculosis, hepatitis etc. You can get sick much easier than in Central or Western Europe.

    Perhaps living in the Czech Rep., Hungary or Poland would be a better idea. But prices are quite high there. And now with the "migrant apocalypse", these countries are harder to move to and settle in. Hungarian and Polish are among the most difficult languages to learn and necessary for citizenship. Otherwise, the might not let you live there for long.

    It's easier to settle in the UK and Germany. But it's cheaper in Central Europe. Still, no-one should imagine an "easy life" in Hungary or Poland unless they are moving there with the bare minimum 100,000 EUR. Preferably more.
     
    Boyscout, Agnostic and oziwassabi like this.
  5. Roswell Crash Survivor

    Roswell Crash Survivor Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Asia Times: "Switzerland of the Middle East unravels"

    I never understood why some parties try to portray Lebanon as 'Switzerland of the Middle East'.

    Switzerland isn't routinely invaded by the Israeli Defence Force every ten years.

    Beiruit was engulfed in sectarian warfare between 12-16 factions in the 1980s; I don't recall seeing that in Zurich or Bern.
     
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  6. 66rounds

    66rounds Well-Known Member Silver Stacker

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    Beirut is the Zurich of Middle East for the crooks and drug dealers that launder their money there and pilfer more from the state.
     

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