>
> >
> > > Basil
> > ...
> > My basic point is Marriott is a lot safer to own than a resort in South Africa.

> How do you know? Maybe you're right, but why do you say that? Is it simply because one is in the United States and one is in South Africa? That's far too sweeping a generalization if that's the case.

> Take for instance your bank. If you ask most people whether your New York bank is a lot safer than some foreign bank like RaboBank Nederland, I suspect that most of us in the US would say the New York Bank is far safer. However, in comparison to the time each has been in business, the experience, assets, etc., your New York bank is a mere pimple on Rabobank's butt, and that the odds would clearly favor Rabobank being here a 100 years from now over the other.

> Obviously, I feel far more comfortable dealing with Marriott, but that's because I have some knowledge and familiarity with them as a company. I'm ignorant with respect to the South African businesses, laws, resorts, etc. I don't know. That's why I'm uncomfortable - because I don't know. But that's all I can say, and I can't say that's its not safe, etc. based on my current knowledge (or lack of knowledge). I can say that based SOLELY upon comparing the current exchange powers, purchase prices, and annual maintenance fees between the Marriotts and the South African resort, the South African resort is a far superior product. Its the other unknown factors that thus far have kept me from buying every Dikhololo week I could get my hands on.

> I also know that you would be safer trying to recoup your purchase price on the $1500 Dikhololo resort two years from now than the purchase price on a $15,000 Marriott resort two years from now. You might not get back a penney on the Dihololo resort and lose the entire $1500, but you would lose a lot more than $1500 trying to re-sell the Marriott week. And in the interim, you pay a lot less in maintenance fees.

> Dikhololo may be a bad buy. It also may be the greatest buy ever. I don't think any of us here have enough knowledge or information to say one way or the other. That's all I'm saying. And I'm still trying to decide whether to pay my money and take my chances or not.

> One thing that keeps bothering me is why is the resort being sold here in the US at such a low price, when apparently the demand to use the resort comes primarily from Europeans. They seem to have far more familiarity with the resort, and it seems to pull up every resort in England (except London) without any problem whatsoever. So I keep asking myself, why timeshare owners in England (who have much more familiarity with South Africa than I do) don't just buy here and use it to vacation in England, thereby saving $1000s on the purchase price and yearly dues over an English resort? Maybe they're just unaware of the opportunity. Or maybe they know something I don't. I would love to have more first hand information about South Africa and the Dikhololo resort to help me decide.

> Basil

....
Hmm ***
You lawyers can argue anything. You make me want to cancel my Royal week and hop a flight to South Africa and see the huts :)

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