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The past seven years of living offshore, earning tax free income, enjoying hundreds of days of sunshine, and playing numerous sports from beach volleyball to good old Canadian ball hockey has come to an end. What an experience it has been. From the friends we have met, the professional experiences we have gained and the places we have traveled, we can’t imagine what life would be like without having had this Bermuda experience. Now that our stint in Bermuda is over, we are heading back to reality where poverty will be a common day occurrence, distances will seem farther than ever, traffic and pollution will be the norm and the sound of the ocean waves will be replaced with sirens, horns, and hawkers.

Contrary to popular misconception, Bermuda is not a tropical paradise. You will not find towering mountains, glorious rain forests or exotic volcanoes. Instead, it is a prosperous island characterized by neat trim houses, pastel cottages, quaint shops, offshore business and incredibly beautiful pink sandy beaches. In recent years the infrastructure of Hamilton “town” has benefited from the billions of capital flowing in from new start up Reinsurance Companies.

Turning to the history of Bermuda, Bermuda takes its name from Juan de Bermudez, who we know was able to thread his way through the reefs in 1515 and anchor his ship, La Garza, close to land.

Best known around the world for its location in the “Bermuda Triangle”, it is not one island as is commonly thought, but a string of many islands. Eight of these islands, Ireland Island North, Ireland Island South, Boaz Island, Watford Island, Somerset Island, Bermuda Island, St George’s Island and St David’s Island are linked by bridges and a causeway to form a continuous fishhook shaped area of land, 22 miles in length and only 2 miles across at its widest point. Bermuda is the second most remote island in the world, the first being Easter Island, located in the North Atlantic Ocean, with the nearest point of land being to the west, at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 650 miles away. Bermuda is divided into 9 parishes, each named after major shareholders of the Virginia Company that colonized the islands. The parishes are linked by 3 major roads that run from east to west, Middle Road, South Road and North Road.

For those interested in reading more about Bermuda, the national newspaper is www.theroyalgazette.com

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