Well, folks, my canyoneering trip didn’t cure my fear of heights, nor my fear of deep water… But it was certainly an experience.

For one thing, our bus broke down on the way to the Vincente Perez Rosales National Park. That wasn’t a good sign, but once we got to our destination - a couple hours later than expected, mind you - things were looking up.

But then we had to hike for about a half hour, up hill, in a wetsuit.

I’d though I’d left hiking behind in Pucon, but that was not to be… It was well worth it, though. The cool waters were quite refreshing, though the thought of sliding down a three-meter waterfall didn’t sit well with me.

And my impressions didn’t improve as we went along.

It’s okay, you can call me a chicken. I am… And I tried to let my mind wander to other things besides white water and rapid currents.

Like all the “Se Vende” signs we saw on the way to the canyons. “Se Vende” means “For Sale.” Massive amounts of farmland are up for grabs just an hour south east of the fun touristy town of Puerto Varas. You can pick up a parcel of land for between $1,500 and $4,300 an acre.

Then you can buy a pre-assembled home for a cool $12,200. Continue Reading »

In my last post, I noted that Krakow was “under construction.” Well, I’d like to extend that to more than just the city. There was barely a road I travelled on that wasn’t coned off and rerouted for some kind of improvement.

And one of the reasons Poland is spending so much time updating its infrastructure and roads is to become more attractive to foreign investors.

On one stretch of highway, I saw two major manufacturing plants: BASF (BAS:Frankfurt) and Daewoo (004550:Korea).

Interestingly, the Slovak roads are in much better condition. Investment is still going strong, though, and one major private investor is expanding a huge resort here in the High Tatras, in the Pieniny National Park.

Now, that brings up an interesting point to growing so quickly…

And sometimes, fast growth comes at the cost of quality. Take this picture of the Czorsztyn-Niedzica-Sromowce Complex for example. This is the dam provides only half the electricity it could have had it been built right. It was finished in 1994 and has a capacity of 160 million kWh of generation a year. That’s less than what Rhode Island uses in a month… 

So, not all the rules are being followed. Even my guide book has a little note on it. In talking about Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava, the Lonely Planet says:

As post-EU-membership investment pours in, the whir of construction equipment in all quarters of Slovakia’s capital is growing… There’s something a bit reckless about the development, though. Zoning laws are largely ignored and and odd mix of antireform-minded parties took control of the parliament in June 2006.

But Slovakia is certainly breaking away from the past, and it’s financial markets are trying to do the same. The SAX Index on the Bratislava Stock Exchange (BSSE) has climbed 3.54% in August, year over year.

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The trip was long and draining from Teplice mad Metuji to Krakow. I was stuffed on a bus winding through picturesque little towns for six hours.

Yes, the vegetable gardens outside of every home are cute and quaint, but six hours was more than enough. I have to say, though, the farmland on this trip was really beautiful. We’re talking about corn, sprouts, and even sunflowers growing in neat patches that stretched far and wide.

The green was even more rewarding in the drizzling, misty grey sky.

Our first stop in Poland was the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. Quite a sobering site, and I will freely admit that I cried seeing the 80,000 shoes piled in rooms, and the two tons of human hair that would have been used to make textiles.

It is something everyone should see at least once in their lives.

But I was really interested to learn that after the camp was liberated, some of the materials - like wood and stone - were taken by the local population moving back into the area whose villages were destroyed when the Germans swept through.

At least, they took the material from the buildings the Nazis didn’t get a chance to burn.

It would seem that the Poles (who were actually the first persecuted by the Nazis at Auschwitz) are good at rebuilding.

As I walked around Krakow today, I couldn’t get away from construction. Everything is being updated or reconstructed, from old churches to new tramways. Everything is loud and noisy and parts of sidewalks are closed to pedestrians.

To me, this is good to see. Over the past several years, Poland has been reducing its unemployment rate.

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It would seem that a large number of frontier markets are concentrated in the Middle East these days. Iran is a major energy trader with China and Russia; Dubai is opening movie studios in Hollywood; and Iraq is now exporting oil.

And now, Syria is becoming the next hot spot for Middle East opportunities.

President Bashar al-Assad has recently introduced new laws that make it easier for international companies to do business in socialist Syria. Al-Assad is quick to point out that these changes are economic only, and not political in nature, but economics commentator Jihad Yazigi told the BBC that it’s a way for Syria to break its isolation:

“It’s a circle. More investments improve political relations and political relations attract more investment [sic] and more investments.”

More investments like Lafarge (LG:Paris) and Total (TOT:NYSE) teaming up after French President Sarkozy took a trip to Syria in early September. Lafarge will set up two cement factories, making it the largest foreign investor in Syria, and Total would extend its operations at the Deir Ez Zor oil block and sign a gas development deal.

Other European companies are investing in Syria, too. EADS (EAD:Paris) and Alstom (ALO:Paris) both have long-term deals in the country.

Continue Reading »