What are the construction standards in Puerto Vallarta?
Armando Contreras - Galvan Real Estate and Services
I do not know much about construction but my father is an engineer and one thing that I remember about the houses that he built on the coast of Puerto Vallarta is that they are all up to seismic standards and could withstand hurricanes.
For you to be able to build in Puerto Vallarta or in Riviera Nayarit (an area just northwest of Puerto Vallarta), you have to obtain a building permit from the government. You have to tell them what kind of house you are...
I do not know much about construction but my father is an engineer and one thing that I remember about the houses that he built on the coast of Puerto Vallarta is that they are all up to seismic standards and could withstand hurricanes.
For you to be able to build in Puerto Vallarta or in Riviera Nayarit (an area just northwest of Puerto Vallarta), you have to obtain a building permit from the government. You have to tell them what kind of house you are going to build and in which location. If your building plans are not to their requirements, then they will not give you a permit.
As you are building your house, the government comes to check. If they see that you are not building as they required, they might close down your construction. The building standards have been this way ever since tourists started coming into Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.
All of the houses here built to good standards so that they are made to stand forever. The only difference that you will see in the houses here are on the designs because that depends on the taste of the owner. The Mexican-style houses are still built to high construction standards.
(Holiday villa in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)
Will Medicare cover me if I live (even part time) in Nicaragua?
Tuey Murdock - Title Coordination Services (TCS)
Medicare is only usable in the US. You cannot use if for any regular medical services in Nicaragua. There are exceptions for emergency services, but the exceptions are very limited and specific.
Medicare is only usable in the US. You cannot use if for any regular medical services in Nicaragua. There are exceptions for emergency services, but the exceptions are very limited and specific.
Where do the expats in Portugal meet? Where are the Portugal expat communities?
Ana Ferraz
Most of the expat communities in Portugal are in Cascais, just west of Lisbon proper.
Cascais is a well-known retirement destination for the English people because of the connection that we have with England in the last century. Portugal is the oldest ally of England. We had a Portuguese Queen who married and English King. It is also popular for expats because of the golf courses. There are quite a lot of English clubs in Cascais such as the Rotary Club,...
Most of the expat communities in Portugal are in Cascais, just west of Lisbon proper.
Cascais is a well-known retirement destination for the English people because of the connection that we have with England in the last century. Portugal is the oldest ally of England. We had a Portuguese Queen who married and English King. It is also popular for expats because of the golf courses. There are quite a lot of English clubs in Cascais such as the Rotary Club, the Women’s Institute Club, etc. They even have a daily newspaper that is in English. There is also one in the Algarve as well, which is called The Portuguese News.
We have three English high schools in Cascais: Saint Julian’s, Saint Dominic’s, and the international school. These are all big schools so you would see that there is really a big expat community here. My daughter went to St. Dominic’s. The schools here start from primary and finish up and then they leave for the universities.
Another reason Cascais is a top choice for expat communities because it is very near to the airport and it has always catered to expats very well. Cascais has a beautiful landscape and a very nice weather. It’s a beautiful town by the coast. It used to be a fishing village, which has now turned into a tourist town. It’s a very appealing and very nice. It is also about 20 kilometers directly west of Lisbon, which is the capital of Portugal.
There are also lots of expats in the Algarve, the majority of whom are also English. The reasons include the golf courses, the beaches, the weather, etc.
The main expat communities of Portugal are Cascais, Sintra, and the Algarve.
(Shops with English signs, Sintra, Portugal, pictured.)
MANUEL GRANADOS - MEDICAL SERVICE PANAMA, S.A. (MS PANAMA, S.A.)
Many of the doctors in Panama are bilingual, board certified and accustomed to working with the same medical equipment and technology used in the United States and Europe. Most of of them have been trained in the U.S. where they went on to practice for several years. They return to Panama to work in first-rate facilities boasting state of the art medical equipment, such as in San Fernando Hospital.
Many of the doctors in Panama are bilingual, board certified and accustomed to working with the same medical equipment and technology used in the United States and Europe. Most of of them have been trained in the U.S. where they went on to practice for several years. They return to Panama to work in first-rate facilities boasting state of the art medical equipment, such as in San Fernando Hospital.
Food costs in Corozal are all fairly low, excluding products that have been brought in from non- CARICOM (trading block that includes Belize) countries. For instance, there is an Indian shop here in Corozal I frequent that has a lot of American products. I need to go there sometimes whenever I’m searching for a certain product that I haven’t been able to find...
Food costs in Corozal are all fairly low, excluding products that have been brought in from non- CARICOM (trading block that includes Belize) countries. For instance, there is an Indian shop here in Corozal I frequent that has a lot of American products. I need to go there sometimes whenever I’m searching for a certain product that I haven’t been able to find locally, or find a similar locally made product at a lower price. These products are generally 15% more expensive here in Corozal than if I bought them in the States.
There are many “Chinos” (Chinese stores) throughout Corozal that will offer you everything, soup to nuts. The quality of some of the items in these Chinos is not as good as you may want, but you have the option to go to the Indian store in Corozal instead.
I love going to the butcher. In Corozal, Frank’s is my choice of butcher. Frank’s has everything that you can imagine. The meats in Belize are cut up differently, so when you order, you have to tell them how you want your meat cut to make sure that it meets your needs. Otherwise, they’ll have some pre-packaged stuff which you can also buy.
Bacon in Belize is to die for. It may be because the way the pork is raised makes it end up being extremely flavorful and tender. Sometimes it may have a little more fat than I would normally like, but the flavor always comes through.
Chicken products in Belize are exceptional. Poultry in Belize aren’t intensely farmed in the way they are up in those big factory farms in the United States. The Mennonites raise the chickens in Belize, and they do a great job with it.
It’s strange how when you go to the butcher, they also have a phenomenal stock of fish and shrimp. It doesn’t make any sense, but you’ll get to understand why that is after you’ve been to other stores where you’ll see for example a store that sells auto parts along with fresh orange juice.
It’s counter-intuitive to go to the auto parts store to buy your orange juice, but it works. It’s incredible. You can go to the hardware store and if it’s Chinese, they will have much more than hardware. You go in the Chinos and think of anything wild and wacky, and they probably sell it. It might take the Chinese people a little while to climb over all of the goods they’ve got stacked up in there, but there are generally two or three people working in the store who know exactly where what you want is located. They’re very good about climbing over the big piles and finding what you’re looking for. You just go in and say, “I want (this).”
Can I receive my Social Security checks or benefits abroad, as an expat, outside the US and if so, how?
By Edgington
We have our Social Security and other retirement money deposited in an international investment banking corporation. I won't mention which one, but it's world wide, established, reliable, well funded and safe. We have credit cards that were issued from the institution that are usable at any ATM world wide, and the company remits fees from those transactions back to us, so we never have to pay anything to access our cash. We have no bank account (yet) in Medellin, nor do we...
We have our Social Security and other retirement money deposited in an international investment banking corporation. I won't mention which one, but it's world wide, established, reliable, well funded and safe. We have credit cards that were issued from the institution that are usable at any ATM world wide, and the company remits fees from those transactions back to us, so we never have to pay anything to access our cash. We have no bank account (yet) in Medellin, nor do we feel we'll need one, since we have that international account.
In order to establish a bank account, at least in Colombia, it's necessary to have a visa/cedula. We're in the process of acquiring those, so it will be a while.
BE Medellin
(Commemorative photo of Citibank celebrating 100 years in the country of Columbia, pictured.)
It was the middle of the Christmas High Season, when house rental prices are the highest and house rental vacancies are the lowest. (The euphemistic term for this is “Landlord’s Market.”)
My wife, Jet, our two dogs and I we were in Chetumal, about as far south as you can go and still be in Mexico.
A disclaimer: I’m a capital G Gringo. I’ve been practicing my English skills for many years, and I’m proud to say that I have my native language down pretty well. In other words, I ain’t no expert in español, so keep that in mind.
However, or sin embargo as they say, I am learning Spanish paso a paso, (step by step) here in Medellin, and it’s very gratifying to be able to speak with folks in their native tongue. I see questions on various websites, Best Places to...
So far, on our road trip through Mexico, we have rented six vacation houses that did work out (pictured here) and two that haven't (not pictured here). From those experiences, there are lessons to be learned.
The first rental gone bad was in San Miguel de Allende. Here are the facts, with parenthetical commentary.
We found the rental on the very popular site VRBO. ...
I do not know much about construction but my father is an engineer and one thing that I remember about the houses that he built on the coast of Puerto Vallarta is that they are all up to seismic standards and could withstand hurricanes. .jpg)
Medicare is only usable in the US. You cannot use if for any regular medical services in Nicaragua. There are exceptions for emergency services, but the exceptions are very limited and specific. 
Most of the expat communities in Portugal are in Cascais, just west of Lisbon proper. 
Food costs in Corozal are all fairly low, excluding products that have been brought in from non- CARICOM (trading block that includes Belize) countries. For instance, there is an Indian shop here in Corozal I frequent that has a lot of American products. I need to go there sometimes whenever I’m searching for a certain product that I haven’t been able to find...
We have our Social Security and other retirement money deposited in an international investment banking corporation. I won't mention which one, but it's world wide, established, reliable, well funded and safe. We have credit cards that were issued from the institution that are usable at any ATM world wide, and the company remits fees from those transactions back to us, so we never have to pay anything to access our cash. We have no bank account (yet) in Medellin, nor do we...
Here was our situation: 
A disclaimer: I’m a capital G Gringo. I’ve been practicing my English skills for many years, and I’m proud to say that I have my native language down pretty well. In other words, I ain’t no expert in español, so keep that in mind.
Now that it’s over, I can tell you about it.