LIVING in Spain is definitely one like inhabiting a paradise on earth. There are lots of sunshine in Spain and precipitation is nil. That’s the difference between living in the tropics and living in Spain. Tropics is paradise enough but with the constant threat of typhoons, tsunamis and earthquakes (the most beautiful tropical islands sit in the ring of fire), tourists are sometimes discouraged to go there. Also, northern and western Europeans cannot withstand the heat in the tropics where temperatures can go as wild as 39 degrees Celsius at the peak of summer.

That’s a moderate contrast to Spain where the highest temperature ever recorded is only at 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. Living in Spain is also like living like a king. You can rent for two days any castle you can find in the countryside, remnants of royalties of old. These restored structures are now supervised by no less than UNESCO as heritage sites and are leased to tourists with reasonable rates. That means being in Spain means you must be neat. There are no harsh penalties here unlike in Singapore but Spanish tourism authorities constantly recommend foreign visitors not to litter around to preserve the beauty, grandeur and honor of the nation which prides itself as a defender of Catholicism whose rulers have staunchly allied themselves with the glory of old that was Rome. Yet Catholic as they are, the Spanish people are definitely not ignorant to being liberated. In the Mediterranean coastline in the southeast and even in the Atlantic coast by the west are splashed nudist beaches but if one is uncomfortable stripping in front of people, one can always skinny dip at remote beaches. Just make sure you accompany your friend with you for remote beaches are not covered by patrolling lifeguards. Speaking of beaches, the staple viand of Spain is seafood coming from the Mediterranean. And please note that the Spanish hate to consume their seafood frozen. That’s why in the rural seaside villages, it is not unusual for the locals to queue at the shore once the fishermen have landed their catch for the day. They usually buy these catch right there and then and cook it once they reach home which may be just a walk away. Restaurants also buy directly from these fishermen and the fish produce are then speedily hauled back to the city in huge trucks direct to the kitchens of those restaurants.

This may be an exaggeration but it may be true in some cases that while you wait for your restaurant order of 30 minutes, the fish to be cooked has just reached the doorstep of the restaurant’s kitchen. Because of this quite healthy food, the Spanish are among the people in the world with the highest life expectancy, most probably next only to Bhutan. Where Bhutanese attribute their high life expectancy to their also high index of happiness, the Spanish attribute theirs to the nutrition and quality of the food they eat. So live in Spain and have a longer life.