Are there natural disasters like flooding, earthquakes, fire or hurricanes in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Joan Silver
In 2004 there was an earthquake where the epicenter was a hundred miles away that shook everything for 52 seconds. There were a couple of small cracks in the swimming pools here, but that’s about it. We have only experienced 2 tremors over the years in Chapala and Ajijic.
Chapala and Ajijic is not in a hurricane or tornado alley. We have some heavy rainstorms that can cause a flood that is a foot high because of water from the creek coming down...
In 2004 there was an earthquake where the epicenter was a hundred miles away that shook everything for 52 seconds. There were a couple of small cracks in the swimming pools here, but that’s about it. We have only experienced 2 tremors over the years in Chapala and Ajijic.
Chapala and Ajijic is not in a hurricane or tornado alley. We have some heavy rainstorms that can cause a flood that is a foot high because of water from the creek coming down the street after the rain, which is why the curbs on the streets of Chapala and Ajijic running north to south are higher than anywhere else. There was a week of heavy rainstorms 5 or 6 years ago in San Juan Cosala when a couple of arroyos (creeks) had rocks and trees washed down and in through town, which was the worst flooding we've had in all the time that we've been here in Chapala and Ajijic.
There are no wildfires in Chapala and Ajijic. However, we have man-made fires during April and May to get rid of dead plants that grew like crazy in the rainy season. There's a common saying in Chapala and Ajijic that if you stick a toothpick in the ground, it too will root. Some of the man-made fires in Chapala and Ajijic can go out of control because of the wind that comes from Lake Chapala that pushes the fire up. What people do is water bomb the fire that’s on the mountainside between here and Jocotepec.
(Pool overlooking Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)
How do I become a permanent resident living in Portugal?
Luis Rodrigues - Gouveia Pereira, Costa Freitas & Associates, Law Firm, RL
In order to obtain the Non-Habitual Resident (“NHR”) Status, firstly it will be necessary to be considered as tax resident in Portugal in the same year that the Portuguese Tax Authorities accept the request to be a Non Habitual Resident.
Thereby, in general terms, to be considered as tax resident in Portugal, it is necessary to fulfill one of the following requirements:
i) Has remained there more than 183 days,...
In order to obtain the Non-Habitual Resident (“NHR”) Status, firstly it will be necessary to be considered as tax resident in Portugal in the same year that the Portuguese Tax Authorities accept the request to be a Non Habitual Resident.
Thereby, in general terms, to be considered as tax resident in Portugal, it is necessary to fulfill one of the following requirements:
i) Has remained there more than 183 days, consecutive or otherwise;
ii) Has stayed for less time, but has available there, on that year, accommodation in conditions that indicate an intention to keep and occupy it as an habitual residence;
iii) Is a crew member of vessels or aircraft, provided that in the service of entities with residence, head office or (place of) effective management in that territory;
iv) Exercises functions or commissions of public character under the Portuguese State, abroad;
v) Performs abroad an office or commission of a public nature, in the service of the Portuguese State.
After the requirements are fulfilled, the recognition of this status is not automatic. Rather, it is still necessary to request the Registration in the Taxpayer Registry of the Portuguese Tax Authorities as a Non-Habitual Resident.
This registration as a Non-Habitual Resident must be made at the moment of the registration as Portuguese tax resident or subsequently until March 31st, of the year after taking up residency in Portugal.
(Cafe off the plaza in Montijo, Portugal, pictured.)
What's the crime rate in general in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?
Lance Moss - Surfari Charters
I’m not sure exactly what the crime rate is for San Juan Del Sur but I did see a study that Nicaragua is the safest country in Central America as far as the crime rate and murder rate.
I always tell people that Nicaragua is safer than a lot of places in the US, but if you’re looking for trouble you damn sure can find it. So as long as you’re not being a complete idiot and stumbling down the street drunk at night or doing something like that,...
I’m not sure exactly what the crime rate is for San Juan Del Sur but I did see a study that Nicaragua is the safest country in Central America as far as the crime rate and murder rate.
I always tell people that Nicaragua is safer than a lot of places in the US, but if you’re looking for trouble you damn sure can find it. So as long as you’re not being a complete idiot and stumbling down the street drunk at night or doing something like that, you’re going to be totally fine. It’s incredibly safe. That’s one of the best parts about being out in our area in Playa Guasacate, in Popoyo (about an hour and a half by car north of San Juan del Sur), we’re a little bit outside of San Juan Del Sur, but it’s very safe. If my wife and I didn’t feel safe we definitely wouldn’t live here. Also, we just had a baby.
In Nicaragua it’s a little bit different than in the US. In the US, it’s very common to leave your house totally empty, but in Nicaragua you can’t just leave things vacant. You have to have someone there. A lot of people will have the cleaning lady or gardener in their house when they leave during the day. We do have dogs but they’re not attack dogs or anything like that. We’re kind of pulled back in a little hillside here. It’s kind of like tucked in a jungle a little bit. We have someone on site 24 hours a day. The cost of having that is not ridiculous. It can be just like having your cleaning lady at the house just so some random person can’t walk up and start taking your stuff.
We lock our doors but we feel really safe. We haven’t had any gnarly instances. Obviously there’s petty crime, like if you’re on the beach and you leave your sandals or your iPhone, someone might grab them. But for the most part, it’s super tranquilo. If you just use common sense and stay low key and do your thing, it’s really safe.
In all our 13 years years here, in our zone, there’s been perhaps 2 or 3 robbery type incidents where maybe it was an armed robbery or someone got punched or something like that. There haven’t been any murders or anything relative to “estrangeiros” as they call them, or “foreigners.” It’s pretty tranquilo. There have been a few small instances but a lot of those possibly could have been prevented. It’s kind of like the whole low hanging fruit theory. You just don’t want to be a low hanging fruit on the tree so you won’t get picked. Just do a few security things you can do anywhere in Nicaragua and it will keep you from being targeted. That’s probably the best way to put it.
(Lance and Kristin Moss with their dogs on Playa Guasacate, a tranquil beach in Popoyo , north of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Driving a car on the mainland of Belize is exactly the same as anywhere else. Traffic is not nearly as bad as driving in Panama. The traffic congestion in Panama is just terrible and they are very aggressive drivers. In Belize, they are not as aggressive. Belize just doesn’t have the same population density as Panama or other places. We only have 300,000 people in the entire country; not millions and millions.
Driving a car on the mainland of Belize is exactly the same as anywhere else. Traffic is not nearly as bad as driving in Panama. The traffic congestion in Panama is just terrible and they are very aggressive drivers. In Belize, they are not as aggressive. Belize just doesn’t have the same population density as Panama or other places. We only have 300,000 people in the entire country; not millions and millions.
What do I need to know about living overseas and retiring abroad?
kevin obrien - BarefootPanama
The best advice I can give about living overseas or retiring abroad is, if you want things to be like the way they are at home, then do not leave home.
For example, Panama is a lot different from where I come from and from where most people are from. When you go to Panama, you have to get used to the culture. For instance, the fact that there is not a lot of emphasis on education does not mean that the people of Panama are bad. For instance,throwing...
The best advice I can give about living overseas or retiring abroad is, if you want things to be like the way they are at home, then do not leave home.
For example, Panama is a lot different from where I come from and from where most people are from. When you go to Panama, you have to get used to the culture. For instance, the fact that there is not a lot of emphasis on education does not mean that the people of Panama are bad. For instance,throwing trash just out the window is a common practice here because it is not embedded in their education system to do otherwise.
From the perspective of a foreigner, some of the decisions and practices here in Panama are just plain shocking. People cry about it but nothing is going to change. As an example, there was actually one person who decided that taking the trash bins out of Casco Viejo was a good idea. So right now, what everybody does with their trash is throw it on the street; the street of a world heritage site! Yes, they pile up the trash in neat piles on the corners of the streets of a world heritage site. That happens because some person of authority thought it to be a good idea to remove the trash bins in Casco Viejo. You may think that being a person of authority, he wouldn’t have made that decision, but that is not how things work here. I guess being able to adjust to where you are living is a huge part of moving away.
(Fountain in Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama, pictured. )
Below is the second article I wrote for Next Avenue, a website whose media partners include PBS, Huffington Post, etc., and run by very talented and accomplished public television people and journalists.
As always, this article represents the distilled wisdom of the contributors to our site, who I humbly thank. I would know nothing without them.
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared on Next Avenue and Forbes on April 27,...
Ahhh, Panama, you have been sitting wherever for months trying to learn as much as you can about this place, finding some great info and some downright lies, I bet.
How you can retire here and live like a king for around $1,000 per month? That one always makes me laugh.
It is true some things are cheaper here, but overall a gallon of gas costs what it costs, right?
Now let’s say you’re getting older like me, not in too great of health and you see...
Red wine drinkers delight in proclaiming the benefits of red wine over white wine. Although some new studies indicate there can be some benefits to drinking white wine, red wine wins out above the sweeter white flavors. Some of the important features red wine offers above the lovely whites are:
Red wine has a score of 7 as cited by Prevention; white wine has a score of 1