The expats in San Miguel de Allende are friendly. You could just walk down the street, and someone would stop and offer to help you. As an example, my friend and I were going some place, and we saw an Indian restaurant. There was this woman who was walking on the other side of the street coming toward us as we were going. As we were talking about the Indian restaurant, the woman stopped from across the street and said, “This place is great, you’ve got to try it,” and...
The short stay visa, which is the visa that is typically granted to tourists, allows you to stay in Portugal for a maximum consecutive period of 90 days. Therefore, in case you wish to prolong your stay you will need to apply for a longer stay visa.Retired but not Retiring in a Guatemalan Village - some Background
I grew up in the United States, most recently from Northern California, but now in my 70’s I live in a village in Guatemala, five miles away from Antigua, a popular tourist destination and NOT typical of Guatemalan life. One of the things I believe has dramatically changed quality of life for this very poor country is plastic. Another, similar, is disposable diapers. And thirdly, cell phones. Here is why:
Before plastic bags and food containers people...
The Flower and Coffee International Fair in Boquete is one of the most important in the region. The town of about 25,000, plays host to an expected 130,000 visitors during the 10 day run, which estimates about $2 million dollars to the economy. The floral offerings come from Canada, the US, Central and South America. The crowds come quite literally from around the world.
This was a special day for my friends from Alabama. They had wanted to go visit the Janson Coffee Farm for the last two years. This was a great day for slow drive to Volcan. It was a cool, rainy, gray day but the smiles and laughter made it feel warm and happy. All along the way there was an air of excitement from the two of them. I heard stories about the times they rode horses with the Janson family, picnics and weekend outings; all the memories were so pleasant. Along the way we...