How are the stores and shops in Mexico? How’s the shopping in Mexico?
Kristin Wilson - Orbis Relocation
The shopping in Mexico is very eclectic. You can find a lot of local stores that are pretty small and sell really specific products but then you can also find Wal-Mart and Costco, and giant chain grocery stores. Nowadays, they’re building a lot of malls with international brands that you would find in Europe and the US, Canada, and all over the world. So pretty much anything you want now you can find in Mexico when it comes to shopping.
It’s like the US, but the...
The shopping in Mexico is very eclectic. You can find a lot of local stores that are pretty small and sell really specific products but then you can also find Wal-Mart and Costco, and giant chain grocery stores. Nowadays, they’re building a lot of malls with international brands that you would find in Europe and the US, Canada, and all over the world. So pretty much anything you want now you can find in Mexico when it comes to shopping.
It’s like the US, but the prices might not be exactly the same. For example, in the US Walmart is associated with being the cheapest place to buy everything but in Mexico it might cost the same as other stores. It’s not so much cheaper than everything else like it is in the US.
You can buy things cheaper in Mexico but the brands might be different than what you’re accustomed to. The items I saved the most money on in Mexico is the whole food. Not the grocery store whole foods but the actual real food like your standard, what they call in Mexico, the canasta basica, which is a basic basket of food. So everything from milk, eggs, produce, fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, all these things that are very comparable in quality you can get. Organic foods are going to cost less for the most part in Mexico than the US. You might be able to get one avocado for a dollar in the US and in Mexico you can get five for a dollar. So things like that are cheaper. Electronics will be the same brands like you’re used to and then additional ones as well. Usually electronics and certain imports can cost a little bit more in Mexico. But in general, your day-to-day expenses will be less.
If you wanted to buy the same brand of a new laptop you would buy n the US, it would probably cost a little bit more in Mexico but in Mexico they have some local brands that could cost the same or less than in the US.
There is Amazon Mexico, and shipping is pretty reliable compared to other countries in Central America. It’s not as good as the US with the regular post but you always have FedEx, DHL, and the major parcel delivery services with tracking and insurance.
Sometimes people use a courier where they have a US address where they get their US purchases shipped, and then they pay a private company to bring it to them in Mexico. Other people just have their packages sent to something like a Mailbox, Etc. location, and then they go and pick it up in person.
In addition to Amazon in Mexico, Mexico has other online shopping. When I’m in Mexico, however, I just tend to buy everything I need in person. I don’t do as much online shopping as I do in the US. And really, you don’t need as much. The US is a bit more of a consumer society so just by being in the US and because it’s so easy, we get used to the instant gratification to buy something and get it the next day or 2 days later. I think people depend on online shopping more in the US and they do it as entertainment. In Mexico, there are a lot of other things going on and you don’t think as much about shopping just for the sake of shopping.
(Kristin Wilson working on her laptop in a hammock, pictured.)
The Pedasi Azuero Panama area is very safe. I have been going there both for business and pleasure for over 8 years now and have never felt unsafe. There is a great energy in Pedasi and Azuero and the people are so friendly!
The Pedasi Azuero Panama area is very safe. I have been going there both for business and pleasure for over 8 years now and have never felt unsafe. There is a great energy in Pedasi and Azuero and the people are so friendly!
Are there poisonous reptiles, snakes and insects, and dangerous animals in Portugal?
Ana Ferraz
There are no poisonous or dangerous animals in the areas of Portugal where people live. You may find them if you go up in the mountains or to the woods in the northern part of Lisbon, in the countryside. You will some little green snakes squashed on the roads that are not even a meter long.
Generally, you won’t hear of anybody bitten by a snake. There are no issues related to dangerous animals around the populated areas in Portugal.
...
There are no poisonous or dangerous animals in the areas of Portugal where people live. You may find them if you go up in the mountains or to the woods in the northern part of Lisbon, in the countryside. You will some little green snakes squashed on the roads that are not even a meter long.
Generally, you won’t hear of anybody bitten by a snake. There are no issues related to dangerous animals around the populated areas in Portugal.
(The Eurasian wolf inhabits Northern Portugal, pictured.)
How's the ecotourism in and around Granada, Nicaragua?
Janice Gallagher - Granada Property Services
Depending on who you talk to, you will get many different answers as to what ecotourism in Granada, Nicaragua really means. Can you have air conditioners in your rooms and still consider yourself eco friendly? Do you have to use a biodegradable soap for washing your linens in order to be eco friendly? There are several places that have truly stuck to the true meaning of ecotourism, most of which are outside the town center in areas like Mombacho and Laguna de...
Depending on who you talk to, you will get many different answers as to what ecotourism in Granada, Nicaragua really means. Can you have air conditioners in your rooms and still consider yourself eco friendly? Do you have to use a biodegradable soap for washing your linens in order to be eco friendly? There are several places that have truly stuck to the true meaning of ecotourism, most of which are outside the town center in areas like Mombacho and Laguna de Apoyo.
Granada, as a city, is not doing much ecotourism. This is not to say that it is not needed or wanted by many travelers.
How much rain does Placencia, Belize get? When is the Rainy Season and the Dry Season in Placencia, Belize and what is it like?
Boris Mannsfeld - Boris Mannsfeld & Associates
We do get more rain in the south of Belize (where Placencia is located) than up north, especially during the rainy season. But the good thing is that, during the rainy season, it usually rains at night.
Some of the hotel people and real estate agents up north would say, “Oh Placencia is wet; just look at the statistics and look at how many inches of rain they get.” Yes we do get a lot of rain but these people do not explain to their clients honestly that it rains...
We do get more rain in the south of Belize (where Placencia is located) than up north, especially during the rainy season. But the good thing is that, during the rainy season, it usually rains at night.
Some of the hotel people and real estate agents up north would say, “Oh Placencia is wet; just look at the statistics and look at how many inches of rain they get.” Yes we do get a lot of rain but these people do not explain to their clients honestly that it rains only during the night. It rains from 11 PM to 5 AM super hard and stops and then the sun comes up and the rest is a beautiful day.
The rainy season is from June to December and the dry season is the rest of the year. During the dry season, there is less rain but it’s not like it doesn’t rain at all, although we can go for 3 weeks without rain. It rains just a little bit during the dry season.
What do I need to know about living overseas and retiring abroad?
Yvon Marier - Travel Info Mexico
If you are in Mexico full time or a snowbird staying 6 months or more, it would be best for you to purchase a private, year round Mexican health insurance policy. The same is true for almost any country. Many insurance companies have restrictions on pre-existing conditions, so always read the fine print.
I also recommend you purchase a membership from a medical evacuation company such as ours on top of that medical insurance policy if...
If you are in Mexico full time or a snowbird staying 6 months or more, it would be best for you to purchase a private, year round Mexican health insurance policy. The same is true for almost any country. Many insurance companies have restrictions on pre-existing conditions, so always read the fine print.
I also recommend you purchase a membership from a medical evacuation company such as ours on top of that medical insurance policy if returning to your home city/country in the event of a serious medical condition is important to you. Your insurance policy is only obligated to transport you to another hospital if you cannot be properly treated where first hospitalized, and then, only to the closest facility capable of treating you. An insurance policy has no obligation to take you home to Canada or the U.S.
We know many people are traveling “naked”, meaning they have no travel health insurance because as they get older, travel insurance can be too costly. If any of these people require an emergency medical evacuation, it could cost them up to 50 thousand US or more up front. Our membership does not cover hospital cost but at least those who travel naked will have some peace of mind knowing they have medical emergency evacuation coverage that will pay 100% of the air ambulance home; no deductible and no co-pay.
Every year we see many sad situations when someone needs to be air evacked back to the USA or Canada with no coverage. It is very hard on the family trying to find money overnight to pay for a medical air evacuation. We have short trip, annual, and multi-year memberships at a cost is surprisingly small.
In the summer of 2015 a lady friend who had fallen in love with Ajijic in the Lake Chapala area years ago and wanted to get back there contacted me. Her vision was to run a bed and breakfast in the village, but she needed some assistance purchasing the property, so she contacted me to see if I’d be interested in an investment. After she had expounded upon the virtues of Ajijic through numerous phone calls I was intrigued to the point of flying down and meeting her...
Weddings have always been a big deal for everyone. It is a very special day for every couple that makes a deep commitment in their lives. I think that is universal thinking...
BUT... it´s really amazing what a wedding involves, and, in Panamá, this is very much the case.
Panamanians take very, very seriously the fact that a marriage is a Sacrament; not merely a social issue. Marriage has to be...
Robert and Isabelle Shahverdians found the place that eventually became La Rosa de Los Vientos in Pedasi, Panama after they had traveled Costa Rica and found it wanting. They then moved around Panama, to see if there was something better.
In the environs of Pedasi, they found a place where the road had few inhabitants and came to a bit of land that faced the Pacific, around a small bay lapped by quiet waves. It was there that they made their spot at the end of...
The shopping in Mexico is very eclectic. You can find a lot of local stores that are pretty small and sell really specific products but then you can also find Wal-Mart and Costco, and giant chain grocery stores. Nowadays, they’re building a lot of malls with international brands that you would find in Europe and the US, Canada, and all over the world. So pretty much anything you want now you can find in Mexico when it comes to shopping..png)
There are no poisonous or dangerous animals in the areas of Portugal where people live. You may find them if you go up in the mountains or to the woods in the northern part of Lisbon, in the countryside. You will some little green snakes squashed on the roads that are not even a meter long.
If you are in Mexico full time or a snowbird staying 6 months or more, it would be best for you to purchase a private, year round Mexican health insurance policy. The same is true for almost any country. Many insurance companies have restrictions on pre-existing conditions, so always read the fine print. 
In the summer of 2015 a lady friend who had fallen in love with Ajijic in the Lake Chapala area years ago and wanted to get back there contacted me. Her vision was to run a bed and breakfast in the village, but she needed some assistance purchasing the property, so she contacted me to see if I’d be interested in an investment. After she had expounded upon the virtues of Ajijic through numerous phone calls I was intrigued to the point of flying down and meeting her...
Robert and Isabelle Shahverdians found the place that eventually became La Rosa de Los Vientos in Pedasi, Panama after they had traveled Costa Rica and found it wanting. They then moved around Panama, to see if there was something better.