Listen Now: The Price of Paradise

This episode explores the real-life dramatic story of a family who moves to a tropical island, only to face legal disputes, kidnapping, and life-threatening challenges.

1. Paradise is not always as it seems; dreams can quickly turn into nightmares.
2. Legal due diligence is critical when purchasing property, especially abroad.
3. Escalating conflicts can lead to life-threatening situations in unstable regions.
4. Quick thinking and resourcefulness are crucial in crisis situations.
5. The pursuit of an ideal life can have unforeseen and grave consequences.

1. Dream Beginnings

The episode opens with the Gaskin family's initial move to their new island home, their dreams, and the early signs of trouble. Alice Levine: "An island that's been home to an English family for the past seven months."

2. Paradise Lost

Details the conflict with the locals over the ownership of the island and the legal threats faced by the family. Alice Levine: "But soon they all discover that paradise has its secrets."

3. Nightmare Unfolds

Describes the family's kidnapping, their captors' demands, and the onset of a terrifying night. Alice Levine: "The boat ignites into a ball of fire."

4. Desperate Escape

Covers the family's dramatic escape from the kidnappers, highlighting their desperation and resilience. Alice Levine: "Phil scrambles onto the shore and catches up with Jane and the children as they all race into the darkness."

5. Reflections

Concludes with a reflective discussion on the consequences of chasing dreams without considering potential dangers. Alice Levine: "How did their island paradise turn into this nightmare?"

1. Always conduct thorough research before making significant life changes.
2. Have a crisis management plan when living in potentially volatile regions.
3. Maintain open communication channels with local authorities when abroad.
4. Learn basic survival skills that could be life-saving in emergencies.
5. Cultivate resilience and the ability to adapt quickly to unforeseen challenges.

When ex-Bunny girl Jayne Gaskin spots the desert island of her dreams for sale online, she decides to risk it all. Trading in their English village home, Jayne and her family relocate to their own private paradise, just off the coast of Nicaragua. And a reality TV crew follows them to film a new show, No Going Back. But soon they all discover that paradise has its secrets. The locals claim the island belongs to them, and it’s been sold illegally. Jayne’s not leaving without a fight. A fight that will soon turn deadly.

Hosted by Alice Levine.

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People

Jane Gaskin, Phil

Content Warnings:

None

Alice Levine

Have you ever felt like starting again? Quitting your nine to five, skipping town. And escaping to the desert island of your dreams? Well, that's exactly what Jane, Phil, and. Their three kids did when they traded.

Their english home for a tropical island they bought online at a bargain price. But soon they all discover that paradise has its secrets, because the locals claim the island belongs to them. And they say it's been sold illegally. I'm Alice Levine, and from wondery. This is the price of paradise, the real life story of an island dream that turns into a living nightmare, one which ends in kidnap, corruption, and murder.

I'm about to play a clip from the first episode. If you like what you hear, search. And follow the price of paradise wherever you listen to podcasts. Or you can binge the entire season ad free by subscribing to Wondry in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.

Midnight in paradise. Endless stars and hot, humid nights. A remote island off the coast of Nicaragua. An island that's been home to an. English family from Hampshire for the past seven months.

And for Jane Gaskin, this island has become her dream, her destiny. There's no going back, she says. Even if it all goes wrong and. They end up penniless. But now, as Jane looks at her three children and her partner, Phil, it's clear that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

The Gaskin family is huddled together in a small fishing boat in the middle of the night, dressed in soggy pajamas, shivering and looming over them, three masked men. Just an hour ago, Jane was putting the kids to bed, cleaning their teeth before they all crawled under their mosquito nets to sleep, when an armed gang threw open the door and marched them off their island and onto this boat. But what is it they want? Jane and Phil don't know. She squeezes her daughter's hand as one of their kidnappers raises his gun.

You need to get us a million dollars or someone will get hurt. Jane locks eyes with Phil. A million? They don't have that kind of cash. It feels hopeless.

And that's when she spots what her husband is up to. Phil is turning a soggy box of matches over and over in his hand, staring at Jane with a look she recognizes. Get ready, Phil whispers. For what? Jane asks as one of the kidnappers bends down.

Phil grabs a jerry can from the corner and rips off the cap. Phil hurls his arm forward and fuel showers down over their captors. Then he reaches into his pocket and strikes.

The boat ignites into a ball of fire. Jane grabs the kids and they leap overboard. Phil can see his hand is on fire, but he keeps pouring more fuel into the boat. Flames engulf two of the men. Then, as the fire rages, he drops the can and throws himself into the water, his burning arm extinguished in the shallows.

Phil scrambles onto the shore and catches up with Jane and the children as they all race into the darkness, nobody dares look back. But they're not free. Not yet. As the family run through thick mangroves, dodging gunfire, one thought is racing through all their minds. How did their island paradise turn into this nightmare?

From wondery I'm Alice Levine, host of british scandal. And this is the price of paradise.

Have you ever wanted to start again? Quit your job, leave town? Build a brand new life somewhere new? You could hand in your notice to the boss you have always hated, bid goodbye to friends you've outgrown, and the obligations of extended family could be a thing of the past. You could sprint into the sunset in search of your own slice of paradise, whatever that may be.

I have to say, I've been tempted to hit the reset button. Not because of the friends and family bit, obviously. Love you all. Call you soon. Sorry.

Sorry I haven't replied to your text, but particularly on a grey winter's morning on the London Underground, nestled in a stranger's armpit, sweating profusely in my outside layers. Yeah, I think about my choices. Sure. Well, this series is about two women who decided to do just that. Start again, leave their old lives behind and risk everything to follow their dreams.

They just happen to have bigger dreams than me. This is an informal disclaimer to let me off the hook. There will be moments in this story where you want to pull off your headphones and stamp on them. And maybe cry out on the bus or in the car. No.

And there might even be some swearing, both in the program and possibly in your car, because a lot of things that happen involving both of these women are pretty extreme.

Alice Levine

The first woman is, is ex bunny girl Jane Gaskin. I think to understand Jane and all the wild things that happen to her, sometimes because of her, you need to understand where she's at when this all starts. And that's in January 2000, the beginning. Of the new millennium. Jane has just survived the millennium bug.

Good for her. And she's just made the mother of all resolutions to leave absolutely everything she knows in England behind.

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