hi there, we also left our country (NZ) to have a more relaxed lifestyle, but honestly its not, if you have to deal with goverment agencies etc it can be quite stressful if you are that way inclined, as the previous poster said it is quite slow here, as they say small small,thats island life for you, they do like to take there time. You can't get everything that you need here like you can in OZ and NZ, and somethings are expensive, we have been here for nearly 3 months now and still dont know where everything is. Lots of asian shops here that carry cheap things. Food is a lot different too here, ie in the supermarkets, export stuff is expensive, but there local produce is cheap and nice, and there beef is beautiful if you know where to get it from. The island itself is beautiful if you look past the rubbish thats sitting on sides of the road and stray dogs etc. It personally doesn't bother us too much. you do have to be careful of break-ins from locals, most expats have dogs, and most places have high fences sometimes with barb wire or broken glass at the top to stop intruders. You have to be very aware of things here. I love the friendly people here and they are always smiling and happy, but they will rip you off if given the chance. So to answer your question, its still stressful here as it would be in OZ but in different ways I supose. We love it that you can jump on a boat and go snorkelling in beautiful water. You really need to maybe rent here for a month or two to see how you like it and get a true feeling for the place, don't just pack up and leave OZ. Hope this info helps you, am only being honest
