One of my favorite bus companies is ADO and I believe it goes all over Mexico. They have air-conditioned buses with TVs and are like charter buses in a way. Taking the bus in Mexico is really an affordable way to get around and to go on trips to different cities or towns in the region if you don’t want to drive or fly, for example. When I go to Playa Del Carmen I take an ADO bus from the airport in Cancun. I...
There is a good service in Mexico.
One of my favorite bus companies is ADO and I believe it goes all over Mexico. They have air-conditioned buses with TVs and are like charter buses in a way. Taking the bus in Mexico is really an affordable way to get around and to go on trips to different cities or towns in the region if you don’t want to drive or fly, for example. When I go to Playa Del Carmen I take an ADO bus from the airport in Cancun. I think it’s only $4 and it’s a really comfortable, fast way to get around.
I personally don’t use local buses that much but everybody tends to use like Colectivo taxis, which are kind of like a bus because you can get on and off. It’s a van or basically like a big car or truck. It will go around picking people up and dropping them off. You might be sharing a van with other people so it’s kind of like a bus. That would be the most common form of transportation in most of the cities where I am. There are also regular buses, but I don’t use them as much because the taxis and Colectivo are so cheap and easy to use and very accessible. And then for longer range trips I use one of the charter bus companies.
(Colectivo making the rounds in Mexico City, Mexico, pictured,)
The official unit of currency in Panama is the Balboa. The value of the Balboa is pegged to the US Dollar at a rate of 1:1, so 1 Balboa = 1 USD.
In fact the two currencies are so closely linked that Panama doesn't produce any of it's own bank notes, and paper US Dollars are used here as currency. A 1 Balboa coin was introduced in 2011 by the current government, and is very commonly referred to as a "Martinelli", after the current president, Ricardo...
The official unit of currency in Panama is the Balboa. The value of the Balboa is pegged to the US Dollar at a rate of 1:1, so 1 Balboa = 1 USD.
In fact the two currencies are so closely linked that Panama doesn't produce any of it's own bank notes, and paper US Dollars are used here as currency. A 1 Balboa coin was introduced in 2011 by the current government, and is very commonly referred to as a "Martinelli", after the current president, Ricardo Martinelli. The 1 Balboa coin is actually minted by the Royal Canadian Mint, chosen because they already have experience of minting bi-metallic coins. (The Canadian "toonie" $2 coin is very similar to the Balboa coin)
The Balboa is broken down into 100 sub-units, just as the US Dollar is. Here the cents are called centesimos, or often colloquially as centavos. US coins are accepted everywhere, although Panama does have it's own set of coins too. These aren't accepted back in the US, so sort your pocket change when heading north!
As well as the "Martinelli" there is a 50c coin, and the rest of the set that will be familiar to North Americans - 25c, 10c, 5c, 1c. These are all the same size and weights as the US versions.
The gentleman depicted on the coins is Vasco Núñez de Balboa.
From Wikipedia - "Vasco Núñez de Balboa (c. 1475 – around January 12–21, 1519) was a Spanish explorer, governor, and conquistador. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific from the New World."
One of my friends once made me laugh when I showed him one of the Panamanian coins. "I bet he was sat on a horse when he had that photo taken!"
Señor Balboa has had his name attributed to many things in Panama. There can't be a town in Panama without at least one road or street carrying his name. He has quite a few statues erected in his honour too. He even has a port town and a district named after him. Further afield he has appeared in the lyrics of a Randy Newman song ("The Great Nations of Europe") and even has a lunar crater named after him - now that really is having your name live on long after you have died.
To add further potential confusion to Panamanian conversation and transactions, one of the national beers is also named after the ubiquitous Señor Balboa:-
"Bring ten Balboa to the meeting on Friday night!"
How's the hiking and camping in and around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?
Daniel Snider - Snider's Realty Nicaragua
The hiking and camping in San Juan Del Sur is spectacular. We have really good hiking and really good off the beaten path trails where you can go and see all different types of nature and all different types of scenery.
The camping in and around the beaches of San Juan Del Sur is epic. It is very beautiful and camping can be does in these areas. People here in Nicaragua do camp. One of the beaches where people camp is in La Flor, which...
The hiking and camping in San Juan Del Sur is spectacular. We have really good hiking and really good off the beaten path trails where you can go and see all different types of nature and all different types of scenery.
The camping in and around the beaches of San Juan Del Sur is epic. It is very beautiful and camping can be does in these areas. People here in Nicaragua do camp. One of the beaches where people camp is in La Flor, which is a turtle reserves. You can camp there and spend the night. If you are lucky enough you will see a turtle come lay its eggs or you will see baby turtles hatching.
There is no light pollution whatsoever so when you get starry nights, get ready for the spectacle of its own. Camping in La Flor costs around US $15 a night or even less. La Flor is located just south of San Juan Del Sur, about a 30-minute drive away.
(A turtle releasing ceremony in Nicaragua, pictured.)
Do I still have to file my US income taxes if I retire, work or just live abroad?
Penny Ripple
The US is the ONLY country on the planet that taxes offshore income of their citizens overseas. If you have offshore holdings (bank accounts, houses, businesses, corporations, foundations, trusts, etc.) in a foreign country, you must comply with FACTA and report the income from those holdings. And, of course, if they require you report, and they tax, offshore income then it follows that they certainly require that you report, and pay tax on, any US...
The US is the ONLY country on the planet that taxes offshore income of their citizens overseas. If you have offshore holdings (bank accounts, houses, businesses, corporations, foundations, trusts, etc.) in a foreign country, you must comply with FACTA and report the income from those holdings. And, of course, if they require you report, and they tax, offshore income then it follows that they certainly require that you report, and pay tax on, any US income no matter where on the planet you receive, spend or invest that money. ALL income must be reported and most especially those covered by FACTA.
So yes... if you move anywhere outside the US (yes, even Mexico or Panama) you will have to file, report and pay the IRS. It's just one of the many benefits of being an American citizen.... aren't you feeling FREE?
High quality, broadband Internet service in Portugal costs about €10 (US $11 or £7.50) a month. The country’s aim is for Internet service to be free for everybody by the year 2020. The reason why the Internet connectivity is so cheap in Portugal is because the government subsidizes it.
(Pictured: high tech looking hotel in Portugal.)
High quality, broadband Internet service in Portugal costs about €10 (US $11 or £7.50) a month. The country’s aim is for Internet service to be free for everybody by the year 2020. The reason why the Internet connectivity is so cheap in Portugal is because the government subsidizes it.
Two of the best things about living at the Lake Chapala area have to do with aviation:
1. Through what I can only assume is dumb luck, Guadalajara International Airport was placed at the south side of that huge metropolis as opposed to the north side, so us fortunate enough to live at Lake Chapala can get to the airport without having to first pass through 30 miles of the worst traffic this side of Mexico City.
2. Flying from one Mexican city to another Mexican city...
The sun is barely peeking over the horizon as I grab a cup of coffee and step into my yard. There are a few clouds and as the sun catches them they light up and create a spectacular sunrise to start the day. As I sip my coffee, I enjoy a multitude of vibrant and colorful flowers and lush foliage.
The air is sweet and clean (not much pollution here). I love the fragrance from the flowers and some...
The theme of Panamá has always had worldwide importance, especially related Panamá's great importance in trade, commerce and American history. In 2013 we commemorate our 500 year anniversary of the discovery of the isthmus and the Pacific Ocean, and also when the first Catholic community was established in the American continent, our Lady of Santa María la Antigua. These are proud legacies from Panama to the world, not to mention the greatest project of all time: The Panama...