Are there rivers, lakes and waterfalls in or around San Miguel de Allende?
Melanie Lansing - Mexico Insurance Advisors
We have a public reservoir or presa in San Miguel de Allende. Some people go out there to boat or kayak, but it really isn’t a place where there is a lot of boating or fishing. There are no docks, landing areas or boating businesses around the reservoir.
People do have homes around the reservoir because it offers beautiful views.
( The reservoir, Presa San Ignacio, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, picture.)
We have a public reservoir or presa in San Miguel de Allende. Some people go out there to boat or kayak, but it really isn’t a place where there is a lot of boating or fishing. There are no docks, landing areas or boating businesses around the reservoir.
People do have homes around the reservoir because it offers beautiful views.
( The reservoir, Presa San Ignacio, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, picture.)
How are the stores and shops in Granada, Nicaragua? How's the shopping in Granada, Nicaragua?
Carlos Roman Gutierrez Solis - Casa Granada Properties
I have one word for the shopping in Granada, Nicaragua: boring. There are not many options in Granada for people who enjoy good shopping. I recommend that people who enjoy shopping go to Managua, which is about 40 minutes away by car.
Granada has very basic shops, with very basic items such as clothes, shoes, beds, TVs, stoves and small appliances. The stores in Granada are good enough to resolve your every day, standard issues, but that’s it. If...
I have one word for the shopping in Granada, Nicaragua: boring. There are not many options in Granada for people who enjoy good shopping. I recommend that people who enjoy shopping go to Managua, which is about 40 minutes away by car.
Granada has very basic shops, with very basic items such as clothes, shoes, beds, TVs, stoves and small appliances. The stores in Granada are good enough to resolve your every day, standard issues, but that’s it. If you want better quality and variety, and if you like to buy brands, you’ll have to go to Managua.
There are many good reasons for retiring overseas, and I'll address them elsewhere in another answer. The worst reasons? I have a list of some things to consider:-
1). Don't head overseas just because you are running away from something!
It is no good going overseas to retire just because you don't want to be where you are now. You have to do your research, and have to really want to live in the place you decide to retire to.
...
There are many good reasons for retiring overseas, and I'll address them elsewhere in another answer. The worst reasons? I have a list of some things to consider:-
1). Don't head overseas just because you are running away from something!
It is no good going overseas to retire just because you don't want to be where you are now. You have to do your research, and have to really want to live in the place you decide to retire to.
2). Don't think it is going to be easy!
For reference, see the picture above. Wherever you go things are going to be different, and there will be challenges to face and hurdles to overcome. Maybe you won't have to rescue a boat from the seabed, but you will face challenges.
A new language to learn. New customs. Distance from friends and family.
3). Social circle.
You are more than likely going to move to a place where you know few, if any, people. You will have to develop a new social circle and support network in your new location. It's fun to do, but you will have to be prepared to make the effort to do so too.
4). Do your research!!
This is so important, and is what this website is all about. Make sure you are fully informed and fully prepared before you make the leap. The biggest mistake is not knowing what to expect, and therefore being completely unprepared.
Once you've done your research, and are confident you are ready for the challenges and adventure ahead, jump in with both feet. After all, life really is meant to be an adventure, isn't it?
How much does it cost for a housekeeper or maid in Portugal?
Duncan MacGregor - Duncan MacGregor Accounting
Normally, housekeepers or maids in Portugal get paid by the hour at the going rate of €6 (US $6.50 or £4.50) to € 8 (US $9 or £6) an hour.
You don’t necessarily have to go to a company in order to hire a housekeeper. You can hire anybody who works as housekeeper. There are a lot of Ukrainian, Brazilian, and Moldavia women who do this type of work.
In the Algarve, you would tend to get local people as...
Normally, housekeepers or maids in Portugal get paid by the hour at the going rate of €6 (US $6.50 or £4.50) to € 8 (US $9 or £6) an hour.
You don’t necessarily have to go to a company in order to hire a housekeeper. You can hire anybody who works as housekeeper. There are a lot of Ukrainian, Brazilian, and Moldavia women who do this type of work.
In the Algarve, you would tend to get local people as housekeepers, while in the Lisbon area, there is a more cosmopolitan mix.
(Women in traditional clothes and wearing scarves in the fishing village of Nazaré, Portugal, pictured.)
How's the surf and surfing in and around the Panama City, Panama area of Casco Viejo?
Lourdes Townshend
Even though Casco Viejo has a extraordinary ocean views, is not suitable for surfing, or any other similar sport. Casco Viejo is located very close to the entrance of the Canal, and also doesn´t have waves.
But Panamá is the center of international competitions in outdoor and adventure sports, including surfing and many others. More than in Casco Viejo, all these sports are practiced in beaches like Gorgona, El Palmar,...
Even though Casco Viejo has a extraordinary ocean views, is not suitable for surfing, or any other similar sport. Casco Viejo is located very close to the entrance of the Canal, and also doesn´t have waves.
But Panamá is the center of international competitions in outdoor and adventure sports, including surfing and many others. More than in Casco Viejo, all these sports are practiced in beaches like Gorgona, El Palmar, Coronado, Isla Margarita, or Bahía Piña, among others.
Casco Viejo is more of a historical district, with many buildings and places to visit where walking is the main way to go from one place to another, as the area is very small, and the streets are very narrow.
How long will I have to wait for a doctor's appointment in Ambergris Caye?
Melisa Ayala
If you want to see a doctor in Ambergris Caye, you can just walk in and get an appointment. There are about six to seven clinics on the island. We have around fifteen pharmacies and they all carry different varieties of items.
We are working to have a 24-hour hospital for emergencies, too. If there is a medical emergency, for example, if somebody had a stroke, then they could fly to Belize City. Ambulances and planes are available 24/7 here. There are planes available at any...
If you want to see a doctor in Ambergris Caye, you can just walk in and get an appointment. There are about six to seven clinics on the island. We have around fifteen pharmacies and they all carry different varieties of items.
We are working to have a 24-hour hospital for emergencies, too. If there is a medical emergency, for example, if somebody had a stroke, then they could fly to Belize City. Ambulances and planes are available 24/7 here. There are planes available at any time and there are also helicopters that could take you to Belize City any time of the day.
(First aid kit assembled for tropical travel, pictured.)
Almost on cue, just minutes after my wife Jet was finished with her massage on the beach in Mahahual, the wind picked up, and we and everyone else could notice that the squalls that earlier were further out and more separated were now consolidating and moving closer. Evidently not strangers to what would happen next, everyone but us folded up and headed for nearby shelter. Having a full itinerary, we got in our van, retraced the road back to the main highway, and made a left...
On Wednesday, January 7th 2018, while walking near my apartment in Medellin, I had a heart attack. I realize it was above and beyond the call of duty for a writer/contributor to go to this length for a story. No need to thank me, I’m recovering nicely, and because of my Colombian cardiac adventure I now have in-depth, personal info on health care in my adoptive country.
I once lived in Colombia. Now I live in the land of Ace Inhibitors, Beta Blockers, Plavix &...
I have met and spoken with many North American ex-pats while in Panama. I'm a curious guy, and one of the questions I often asked was why they were there. The answers weren't all that surprising to me.
A guy waiting to get at his safety deposit box, in my Panamanian bank, told me he retired to Panama at age 58 because he could. He could never, he said, do that in the United States. Was he happy with his decision? Yes.
here there is a lot of boating or fishing. There are no docks, landing areas or boating businesses around the reservoir. 
1). Don't head overseas just because you are running away from something! 
Normally, housekeepers or maids in Portugal get paid by the hour at the going rate of €6 (US $6.50 or £4.50) to € 8 (US $9 or £6) an hour. 
If you want to see a doctor in Ambergris Caye, you can just walk in and get an appointment. There are about six to seven clinics on the island. We have around fifteen pharmacies and they all carry different varieties of items.
Almost on cue, just minutes after my wife Jet was finished with her massage on the beach in Mahahual, the wind picked up, and we and everyone else could notice that the squalls that earlier were further out and more separated were now consolidating and moving closer. Evidently not strangers to what would happen next, everyone but us folded up and headed for nearby shelter. Having a full itinerary, we got in our van, retraced the road back to the main highway, and made a left...
On Wednesday, January 7th 2018, while walking near my apartment in Medellin, I had a heart attack. I realize it was above and beyond the call of duty for a writer/contributor to go to this length for a story. No need to thank me, I’m recovering nicely, and because of my Colombian cardiac adventure I now have in-depth, personal info on health care in my adoptive country. 
I have met and spoken with many North American ex-pats while in Panama. I'm a curious guy, and one of the questions I often asked was why they were there. The answers weren't all that surprising to me.