Best Places In The World To Retire

There are lots of buses in the Los Cabos area and in La Paz. There are community buses that go from the Liberios or the small communities to the main road. There are also 20-seat buses and the old school buses that would go from small towns to the major arteries. Finally, there are the highway buses between San José del Cabo and San Lucas that run every ten minutes and then those that go all the way from San José del Cabo to Tijuana. On the dirt roads, there’s no...

There are lots of buses in the Los Cabos area and in La Paz. There are community buses that go from the Liberios or the small communities to the main road. There are also 20-seat buses and the old school buses that would go from small towns to the major arteries. Finally, there are the highway buses between San José del Cabo and San Lucas that run every ten minutes and then those that go all the way from San José del Cabo to Tijuana. On the dirt roads, there’s no community transit that connects to the East Cape, where I live, a less developed area part way between La Paz and Los Cabos. 

 

 

(Home on a crest with views of the mountains and the Sea of Cortez, East Cape, Baja California Sur, Mexico, pictured.)

In Belize, electricity, telephone, and internet is all the same as in the States, so if you are coming from the States or Canada, you use the same outlets and the same power voltage. Your phone is pretty much the same as you what use in the States. That makes it very convenient; you don’t have to bring your adapters. 

In Belize, electricity, telephone, and internet is all the same as in the States, so if you are coming from the States or Canada, you use the same outlets and the same power voltage. Your phone is pretty much the same as you what use in the States. That makes it very convenient; you don’t have to bring your adapters. 

You will find lots of beautiful plants and trees in the Algarve. One example is the carob, which is the same fruit that exists in the Caribbean.  (The name of the region “Caribbean” comes from the word “carob”.) The carob bean in the Caribbean is longer and flatter, so the carob bean in Portugal is a shorter version of the Caribbean version of the carob. It’s kind of a scimitar-shaped bean around 15 centimeters long. Most of it is green and when it...

You will find lots of beautiful plants and trees in the Algarve. One example is the carob, which is the same fruit that exists in the Caribbean.  (The name of the region “Caribbean” comes from the word “carob”.) The carob bean in the Caribbean is longer and flatter, so the carob bean in Portugal is a shorter version of the Caribbean version of the carob. It’s kind of a scimitar-shaped bean around 15 centimeters long. Most of it is green and when it ripens it becomes brownish or dark reddish. It’s a very interesting product because it can be used in a number of things. It has an enzyme that is used in the pharmaceutical industry and as an additive for the drinks industry. It is also used as a substitute for chocolate in producing a sort of cocoa-tasting product used in the making cakes. Portugal is the third largest European and North African producer and exporter of the carob plant. There is quite a lot of tradition in Portugal linking back to the land.

 

The best time of the year to come and see flowering plants in Algarve is just after the rains, around autumn and again in the spring. We have a flowering area in the western Algarve called the Costa Vicentina, which is a natural reserve of many square kilometers with very little construction. Costa Vicentina has millions of very pretty wild flowers. You will see myriad colors. It is a wonderful place to go to for walkers, cyclists, ramblers, or even if you are just driving through.

 

In the mountains, in traditional areas like Alte, Salir, and Monchique, these are places that because of their height, elevation, and humidity tend to get a lot of flowering plants. Algarve is generally quite consistent with the rest of Portugal but it has a very dry climate. We don’t have much rain or cloudy days. The type of shrubs that exist here are small-leaved plants because these plants tend to do well in less humidity because the evaporation from the leave surface is lower, so they tend to survive better in dry climates. Many of these shrubs are very pretty. Portugal also has the olive tree, which blooms and is fantastic. We also have the almond tree, which is very famous. Probably Japan is the most famous for its almond and orange blossoms but Portugal has beautiful pink, lilac, and white almonds. We also have citrus trees like the orange trees, and a range of other flowering plants, which are very pretty.

 

Among the most famous local plants in the Algarve are the carob plant, the orange, almond, olive, and the fig tree. These are the traditional fruits of the Algarve and they all flower in a different way, which is very pretty. I have all these trees in my own garden.

 

(Carob plant, pictured.)

The FBAR form is now Form 114 and can no longer be filed on paper. You must file it on line at a special US Treasury Site.  It is due for each calendar year on the following June 30th. That due date cannot be extended.  You can incur a $10,000 or more penalty for failing to file the form for any year it applies or for filing the form late.  There are ways around this penalty though and you should consult with an experienced CPA / Attorney to enter into one of these...

The FBAR form is now Form 114 and can no longer be filed on paper. You must file it on line at a special US Treasury Site.  It is due for each calendar year on the following June 30th. That due date cannot be extended.  You can incur a $10,000 or more penalty for failing to file the form for any year it applies or for filing the form late.  There are ways around this penalty though and you should consult with an experienced CPA / Attorney to enter into one of these programs.

I cannot think of anything that can offend a Nicaraguan unless you come here with an attitude. Nicaraguans get annoyed when people from other countries come here and they want to boss people around or they don’t show respect. For example, people here in Nicaragua...

I cannot think of anything that can offend a Nicaraguan unless you come here with an attitude. Nicaraguans get annoyed when people from other countries come here and they want to boss people around or they don’t show respect. For example, people here in Nicaragua are very nature conscious even though they are not very educated. There are certain parts of the city that is obviously not as clean as the others but they are really in to cleaning that up. They get upset when tourists come and trash their parts of the city. I’ve known of moments when people from San Juan del Sur, which is a beach town, when it was high season and all the tourists come and they treat it like a crack town and they leave bottles and cups everywhere. The locals get very angry. I heard that a few years ago, the locals boycotted the entire town so people would clean up the trash. Locals do not like expats leaving trash around and I do not think anybody would like that anywhere.

Unless you find an old United States Department Of Defense or PanCanal (CFR35) (the US code of regulations regarding the Panama Canal) build per US Fed or Mil Code (Military Code) housing, you would not find wooden frame homes in Panama like you find in the US. Most housing in Panama, due to termite tropical issues are made of CBS (Concrete, Block and Steel) with galvanized (or hot washed) channel thrushes and channel roofing galvanized sheets instead of wood thrushes with...

Unless you find an old United States Department Of Defense or PanCanal (CFR35) (the US code of regulations regarding the Panama Canal) build per US Fed or Mil Code (Military Code) housing, you would not find wooden frame homes in Panama like you find in the US. Most housing in Panama, due to termite tropical issues are made of CBS (Concrete, Block and Steel) with galvanized (or hot washed) channel thrushes and channel roofing galvanized sheets instead of wood thrushes with plywood roof and shingles.

 

Also the potable water supply lines are all PVC and not current US Teflon CODE. Older Panama housing uses wrought iron or copper tubing for water supply lines.

 

Bathrooms hardly ever have nuisance odor remover or extractor fans.

 

Central air conditioning is nowhere to be found unless it is part of commercial RTU (Roof Top Units).

 

Due to tropical high relative humidity weather, carpet is hardly ever found; instead tile floors provide a cool, easy to clean and hypoallergenic surface.

 

In a traditional Panamanian home, minimum closed space is normal and linen closets, attics and basements are not found.

 

A family room is not a norm and not part of the culture in Panama. The living room serves that function.

 

Garage space is limited, which is the reason why you have so many street curbside parked vehicles.

 

Yards are a luxury in traditional Panamanian homes.

 

Storage space or sheds are not a norm neither in Panama. Garages do not cater to your vehicle's needs such as closet and benches.

 

Relative to the local Panamanians, if they live in the local Panamanian economy with the local Panamanian average per capita income, homes in Panama are definitely not cheap; they are un-affordable.

 

I almost forgot to mention the most important safety issue pertaining to you and family.  There is no way to get out through the bared windows of a traditional Panamanian house  in case of fire, so make sure to put out the fire as soon as it starts and make sure that the doors  (which are the only way out) are in your evacuation plan A & B.