The neighborhood that I lived in when I first moved to San Miguel de Allende and where I built my first home was a very Mexican working class neighborhood where I was able to observe that women were treated as second-class citizens by their Mexican boyfriends, fathers, or brothers.
As an American and as a feminist, it took a while for me to not react to the way they treat women in Mexico as second-class citizens, in a way where I felt like I needed...
The neighborhood that I lived in when I first moved to San Miguel de Allende and where I built my first home was a very Mexican working class neighborhood where I was able to observe that women were treated as second-class citizens by their Mexican boyfriends, fathers, or brothers.
As an American and as a feminist, it took a while for me to not react to the way they treat women in Mexico as second-class citizens, in a way where I felt like I needed to do something. I still react to how they treat women in Mexico, but only internally. I’ve learned that it’s not my culture and I can’t change it, so I’ve learned to just walk away from something that I witnessed- unless it’s domestic violence, which is prevalent in this country, then I certainly would have to do something about that.
I have nothing negative to say about how I’ve been treated in Mexico as an expat and as a woman, and I have been involved in building two homes and working with Mexican workers. I’ve been respected, so I have not had a negative experience as an expat woman living in San Miguel de Allende, or as someone traveling in and throughout Mexico.
(Croquet at Rancho Los Labradores, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, pictured.)
Do I need to own a car in the Panama City, Panama area of San Francisco?
Chris Frochaux - Chris Frochaux - SERVMOR REALTY
Most people own a car in San Francisco, Panama City, Panama. San Francisco is located at the heart of Panama City and encompasses a wide area, including the upscale Punta Pacifica (Trump Ocean Club) and Punta Paitilla neighborhoods. Taxis (yellow cabs with stripes, as they used to look like in Manhattan) are plentiful and rather cheap (around US$2.00, unless you dress like a tourist, hail them in front of a hotel, or both) although they are frequently shared with other...
Most people own a car in San Francisco, Panama City, Panama. San Francisco is located at the heart of Panama City and encompasses a wide area, including the upscale Punta Pacifica (Trump Ocean Club) and Punta Paitilla neighborhoods. Taxis (yellow cabs with stripes, as they used to look like in Manhattan) are plentiful and rather cheap (around US$2.00, unless you dress like a tourist, hail them in front of a hotel, or both) although they are frequently shared with other passengers. The drivers are under no obligation to transport you and if your proposed destination does not fit their fancy, they'll leave without a word. Buses are also available and modern Volvo white & orange units have mostly phased out the "diablos rojos" (red devils) recycled US school buses: flamboyant death traps, but so picturesque. The construction of the metro (subway) is well under way and accounts for the crazy traffic congestion, which is a necessary (hopefully temporary) evil. Biking is not a transportation option, but rather a sport you should practice in parks and designated areas.
For the truly adventurous, there's always walking, but the pedestrian crossings are almost as rare as the sidewalks, and it's important to assimilate pedestrian rules: since they are generally considered a nuisance, it's their duty to stay out of the cars' way. Now if you don't mind the heat (I don't), San Francisco is a residential section of town and you could perfectly walk to a park such as Parque Omar, our own version of Manhattan's Central Park, restaurants and stores. In other words, you don't necessarily need to own a car in San Francisco...
What's the price of a home, condo or apartment in Ambergris Caye?
Bob Hamilton - Century 21 Coral Beach Realty
At Perla Escondida, a condo complex in Ambergris Caye with 24 units, an 800 square foot unit with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom sells for US $200,000. It’s about a mile from San Pedro town center and it’s right on the beach, so it has an ocean view. They have a swimming pool. You can do your morning exercise, go 15 minutes to the center of town and have breakfast at Estelli. (They serve breakfast at Estelli all day. If you go out at 4 PM, you can still get breakfast at...
At Perla Escondida, a condo complex in Ambergris Caye with 24 units, an 800 square foot unit with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom sells for US $200,000. It’s about a mile from San Pedro town center and it’s right on the beach, so it has an ocean view. They have a swimming pool. You can do your morning exercise, go 15 minutes to the center of town and have breakfast at Estelli. (They serve breakfast at Estelli all day. If you go out at 4 PM, you can still get breakfast at Estelli, right on the beach with the breeze.)
We also have higher end condos on the beachfront, for $1.2 million. We are starting to get developments off the beach or at the back. For example, in my neighborhood, there is the Mango House. On the next street, there is Hacienda, which is also a condo complex built by the same guy who built Perla Escondida, so it involves the same designs. A 2-bedroom unit there would be around $150,000 or $160,000. It is located a mile south of San Pedro Town and it’s about 10 minutes away from the sea. If you buy in this location, it saves you about $40,000 to $50,000 and you will be in a much quieter neighborhood.
There are also houses here. We just sold one to a guy from Alaska. It’s a 2-bedroom 2-bathroom, 1,200 square foot concrete house that sold for $250,000.
(Two independent living layouts and swimming pool of the Mango House, Ambergris Caye, Belize, pictured.)
What are the sports and games in and around Portugal?
Juan Matias - BLUE Boutique Hostel & SUITES
The number one sport in Portugal is soccer. Then I would say, all these basketball, handball, and all these other sports with balls, that tend to be second and third steps. But basically it’s soccer, which here in Portugal, we call soccer.
In Portugal, everyone plays soccer in school as a child and it’s crazy. Everyone plays. And have you heard of Ronaldo? Cristiano Ronaldo the soccer player? He’s the best player in the world. He was nominated the best world...
The number one sport in Portugal is soccer. Then I would say, all these basketball, handball, and all these other sports with balls, that tend to be second and third steps. But basically it’s soccer, which here in Portugal, we call soccer.
In Portugal, everyone plays soccer in school as a child and it’s crazy. Everyone plays. And have you heard of Ronaldo? Cristiano Ronaldo the soccer player? He’s the best player in the world. He was nominated the best world player for three years in a row and he’s Portuguese. The best coach in the world, Jose Mourinho, he’s also Portuguese. They’ve been great ambassadors for Portugal because they are so well kown around the world and they are so good at what they do.
Our Tourism Board and Minister of Sports wants Portugal to be the number one golf destination in Europe by 2021. We have the best golf courses in Europe. One of them is called Oitavos Golf Course, which was elected quite recently top 10 in the world.
(Poster for The Ibercup, an international youth soccer tournament, Portugal, pictured.)
What are the best opportunities to do volunteer and charity work in Nicaragua?
David Smith - Nicaragua Sotheby's International Realty
Nicaragua is still a very poor country and there are numerous opportunities to contribute—medically, sponsoring, education, veterinary, animals, schooling, English teaching or helping with English; so many opportunities to help and contribute. Nobody would have a problem leveraging their own skills.
I was involved in helping get started a women’s cooperative for making jams, jellies, and preserves called Condimentos del Carirzal...
Nicaragua is still a very poor country and there are numerous opportunities to contribute—medically, sponsoring, education, veterinary, animals, schooling, English teaching or helping with English; so many opportunities to help and contribute. Nobody would have a problem leveraging their own skills.
I was involved in helping get started a women’s cooperative for making jams, jellies, and preserves called Condimentos del Carirzal that’s done so well that now they don’t need us. It was sponsored by the Rotary Club. We have a Rotary club now in San Juan del Sur that made connections with other Rotary clubs elsewhere in the world and in North America predominantly. Through Rotary there are a number of projects they sponsored. I was involved in getting one going with the Rotary club in Guelph South (where I used to live in Canada) that was superbly supportive and raised money to help these ladies get going with their business. They haven’t needed any help for the last 2 or 3 years and they’re making gourmet jams and selling them to tourists. They’re doing very, very well. It’s a huge success that most people in San Juan are aware of. The ladies there are lifting themselves out of poverty and helping to put their kids through higher education. It’s a great story. There are lots of opportunities for that kind of thing.
That group of wonderful people in Guelph raised US $15,000 to support the construction of the ladies’ kitchen. The ladies got to the point where they were really good and consistent with their recipes. They received help from Marilyn Rootham in Guelph, of Rootham’s Gourmet Preserves. She was excellent. She came down to Nicaragua and taught these ladies how to make gourmet jams and jellies. Marilyn Rootham sells product all across Canada and into the US. She was supremely helpful along with the Guelph staff. After 5 years of support they raised I think $12,500 and we added a bit more, which was enough money to build them an industrial kitchen with the equipment and supplies to get them the health certificate they needed from the ministry so that they can continue to grow and export their jams and jellies. They’re doing really, really well.
(Condimentos del Carrizal, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, pictured.)
The answer the best reasons to retire overseas has multiple answers and the right one depends on your own lifestyle, family situation, health, monies and more.
We decided to move and work towards retirement in Nicaragua. We checked out Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Colombia and Chile. We skipped Mexico due to many retirees and also high crime rate. Our main reasons where based on economics, ease of travel between US for our...
The answer the best reasons to retire overseas has multiple answers and the right one depends on your own lifestyle, family situation, health, monies and more.
We decided to move and work towards retirement in Nicaragua. We checked out Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Colombia and Chile. We skipped Mexico due to many retirees and also high crime rate. Our main reasons where based on economics, ease of travel between US for our kids to Nicaragua and us back to the US to visit kids and handle our business. We also looked at health, local business environment and government incentives for retirees.
We also have a tax advantage by working in Nicaragua and keeping a good amount of this income tax free from our US income taxes.
Here is one additional item to consider: to succeed as a retiree overseas will require an open mind, a willingness to experience and embrace new ideas, smells, sights.
1. In my view, being an American is more than the happy accident of how the geography of your birth bestowed upon you citizenship, or even where you physically reside. In my view, being an American is subscribing to a set of shared American values. “America” is more than a piece of paper or a place. “America” is an idea.
Jet Metier first heard of the term “tail twisting” from Kent Payne, who explained that it’s a way to get a cow to move where it should go by twisting its tail. Kent expounded that the same principle could be applied to people. Jet learns it did not take much tail twisting for Kent and his wife to settle down in beautiful Gran Pacifica, Nicaragua.
Jet Metier: Good morning, Kent! This interview is our way on behalf of our visitors to thank you for all...
Many people have this idea that Panama is a backward place with grinding poverty, poor infrastructure, political instability and lots of risk for investors. In fact, while there is poverty there in relative terms, the people are happy, relaxed, friendly and open. Much of the country is pretty much like parts of California or the American south, and was so, long before swarms of gringos arrived at the start of the current economic boom.