Does Mexico believe in property rights and the rule of law, or is Mexico more corrupt?
Chris Gruenwald - Biencom Real Estate
Mexicans take property rights seriously. If you are not on a border or the coast (for example, if you are in Lake Chapala, which is in the interior), you have the same property rights as a foreigner as you would as a Mexican citizen. If you are a property owner here, you are protected by the same rules as a Mexican citizen and have to abide by the same rules as a Mexican citizen.
If you look for corruption, you will find it anywhere. Certainly, here...
Mexicans take property rights seriously. If you are not on a border or the coast (for example, if you are in Lake Chapala, which is in the interior), you have the same property rights as a foreigner as you would as a Mexican citizen. If you are a property owner here, you are protected by the same rules as a Mexican citizen and have to abide by the same rules as a Mexican citizen.
If you look for corruption, you will find it anywhere. Certainly, here in Mexico, corruption is more out in the open than in other places. You are more likely to be asked for a tip as opposed to receiving a ticket by a traffic cop. For most expats living here that is the only corruption they will run into. Corruption is not something that affects the expat population as much as the natives here who are in business. Personally, even as a businessperson, corruption has never been a problem for me. It is not something that I experience a lot but it is present.
(Home in a country club community, Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)
What do I need to know about living overseas and retiring abroad?
James David Audlin - Editores Volcán Barú
Do you remember the Biblical story of the Exodus? The Israelites managed to escape Egypt, its bureaucracy and crime and unpleasantness -- and through the forty years of wandering in the wilderness they whined and complained for ever having left, and, when they got to the Promised Land, they proceeded to set up a country with a king, bureaucracy, crime, and unpleasantness.
There's a moral in this story for expats moving to Panamá or any other foreign country. Don't expect it...
Do you remember the Biblical story of the Exodus? The Israelites managed to escape Egypt, its bureaucracy and crime and unpleasantness -- and through the forty years of wandering in the wilderness they whined and complained for ever having left, and, when they got to the Promised Land, they proceeded to set up a country with a king, bureaucracy, crime, and unpleasantness.
There's a moral in this story for expats moving to Panamá or any other foreign country. Don't expect it to be your home country. Think of yourself as a guest, and respect the way things are done here. You will certainly conclude that some things might be done better; but, if you keep your mind open, you will realize that some things are, in fact, done better in your new country. Don't rush to judgment, and don't sneer or criticize your new neighbors. Don't leave the United States (or wherever) for various reasons (high costs, political turmoil, psychological tension, crime, etc.) and then demand the same kinds of services here in Panamá that lead to the same factors!
The community of Boquete, for example, is about half "gringo" by now, with the proportion constantly increasing. As an inevitable result, the cost of living is higher there than in other parts of the Tierras Altas - and crime is more common, government is more irritating, and the pace of life is far less tranquil. The gringos there, sadly, have been creating a new "Egypt" in imitation of the one they couldn't wait to get away from.
My advice is come with few preconceptions - and come with few physical possessions. You can buy what you need when you get here. Start fresh!
Do your homework. If you rely on Social Security or Medicare, get solid information on their availability to you. If you have medical needs, consider proximity to a good hospital. (There is a top-notch facility in the capital city of this Chiriquí province, and a new hospital is about to open in Volcán. Don't rely on other gringos for information; I have lost track of the completely erroneous un-facts given to me by gringos living here.
Above all, be gracious. On my first day here I began the practice of walking about my new neighborhood - for exercise, and to get to know my neighbors. My Spanish was at the time execrable, but by this means I quickly improved, and speak it fluently now; I find it abhorrent that some gringos expect everyone here to speak English, and start angrily shouting at Panamanians as if that will somehow improve their ability to understand English. By walking about, I also became known to my neighbors, such that they looked out for me as good neighbors do.
Become used to how things are here. The electric power and internet services often quit for a few minutes or an hour -- that's life here, so don't whine about it. Panamanian homes often don't have hot showers; if that's how it is for you, enjoy it (I find it's better than coffee in the morning). Shops and services often make promises and are rather flexible about when they keep them or whether they will keep them at all; don't let this get you angry; it's just how it is here. You do better to ask someone knowledgeable for a recommendation of a good service provider.
Do I need a Nicaraguan passport, citizenship or a visa if I retire or work in Nicaragua?
John-Marc Gallagher - GPS Real Estate
You do not need a Nicaraguan passport to retire, live or work in Nicaragua.
There are different requirements for retiring, as opposed to working in Nicaragua. Retiring would require you to become a resident if you want to spend more than a few months at a time legally. Not a as a tourist that is, but as a legal resident. There are several levels or types of resident cards. Talk to your attorney about those options.
In...
You do not need a Nicaraguan passport to retire, live or work in Nicaragua.
There are different requirements for retiring, as opposed to working in Nicaragua. Retiring would require you to become a resident if you want to spend more than a few months at a time legally. Not a as a tourist that is, but as a legal resident. There are several levels or types of resident cards. Talk to your attorney about those options.
In Nicaragua you are not allowed to work in a job that would take away a job that could be taken by a Nicaraguan. This means that a job you are allowed to take must be one in which you have skills that do not exist or are at insufficient levels to meet the needs of the country that could be filled by Nicaraguans, like qualified teachers or nurses. In these cases you would apply for a Work Visa, which would allow you to work legally.
If you own a business and employ people, you are "golden" and can run your business. But, for example, if you owned a restaurant as a resident, you could not earn a wage as a waiter or cook, but you could "work" at your business as a business owner.
A Nicaraguan passport would only be issued to you if you wanted to become a citizen and I find no real advantage to exercising that option.
What are the traditions of Boquete, Chiriqui Province?
Giovy Rojas - Boquete Horseback Riding Eco Tour
As a "city girl", when I moved to Boquete 7 years ago I had the same question, but it seems that Boquete doesn't have a special tradition. Here we celebrate the national holidays as the rest of the country and the fairs (a big one in January and another one in March - Orchid Exposition).
Boquete is famous because of the specialty coffees grown here. It was founded by foreign people 100 years ago. Boquete is...
As a "city girl", when I moved to Boquete 7 years ago I had the same question, but it seems that Boquete doesn't have a special tradition. Here we celebrate the national holidays as the rest of the country and the fairs (a big one in January and another one in March - Orchid Exposition).
Boquete is famous because of the specialty coffees grown here. It was founded by foreign people 100 years ago. Boquete is growing and changing... Expats have been contributing to Boquete traditions since it was founded
Many years ago the people of Boquete used to celebrate San Juan in June with traditional festivities but one day a priest decided to stop that celebration because it was turning into an alcoholic party.
There is good fishing in or around Corozal depending on what type of fish you're looking for. There are a couple of rivers that feed into the Corozal Bay.
There's snook and tarpon. In the bay itself, there are some groupers and snappers. If you really want the big variety of fish, then the reef is the place to go. Depending on the water conditions, it takes an hour or an hour-and-a-half to get to fantastic fishing sites where you can fly fish for bonefish or catch anything...
There is good fishing in or around Corozal depending on what type of fish you're looking for. There are a couple of rivers that feed into the Corozal Bay.
There's snook and tarpon. In the bay itself, there are some groupers and snappers. If you really want the big variety of fish, then the reef is the place to go. Depending on the water conditions, it takes an hour or an hour-and-a-half to get to fantastic fishing sites where you can fly fish for bonefish or catch anything that's a warm salt water type of fish. The snook, tarpon, and even barracuda that you could catch in Corozal Bay are all good for eating.
I go fishing a lot. It depends on what projects we have going on, but I own a boat so we try to fish at least a few times when we're down at the bay. If we're down longer, then we'll fish more. We eat our catch and they taste good. There's nothing like having a fish you just caught, cooking it up, and eating it. You can't get anything better than the flavor and texture of freshly caught fish.
Is Algarve safe? What's the crime rate in general in Algarve?
Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living
The Algarve is very safe.
I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is probably one of the world’s most dangerous places. I lived in San Pablo in Brazil, which is amongst the crime capitals of the world. I used to do a lot of business in Bogota when the drug cartels were more prevalent, where I used to have a personal code with my driver so that I wasn’t hijacked. I still remember when I lived in Miami that there were places in downtown...
The Algarve is very safe.
I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, which is probably one of the world’s most dangerous places. I lived in San Pablo in Brazil, which is amongst the crime capitals of the world. I used to do a lot of business in Bogota when the drug cartels were more prevalent, where I used to have a personal code with my driver so that I wasn’t hijacked. I still remember when I lived in Miami that there were places in downtown Miami that you couldn’t walk at night.
Compared to those places, it’s a complete and utter difference in the Algarve. I believe Portugal is the seventh safest country in the world. The Algarve is known as a place for people who do not wish to be necessarily in the limelight and who would rather be away from the media. Many famous people who could choose any location choose the Algarve because you don’t have the paparazzi running around.
If you walk around the Algarve, you will see the average middle class people who live here, among whom, the crime rate is very low. Historically there has been very, very little violent crime in the Algarve, which continues to be the case. There is no racial or social unrest. Portugal is generally a very homogenous country from a racial, a religious, and other perspectives. Most people are of the Roman Catholic faith. And even people who are not necessarily religious are very, very neutral and not in any way outspoken about their beliefs. What one finds in Portugal is a country that is very tolerant, which contributes in no small measure to the fact that not only is the country safe, but people feel safe. The comment that we often receive from people who are down here is, “I really feel safe. I can walk at night to a restaurant or into town and I don’t feel as though I’m being threatened in any way.” This is very important.
We had a single female client from the US living in London who was staying in one of our locations near Portimao in the Algarve and wanted to go to either a jazz concert or ballet that playing in a very large venue that was located in a bit of an industrial area on the edge of the river. She walked from the place where she was staying across a fairly deserted village to the performance, and then walked back. Later, I dropped her an email to ask her how it went. She wrote back, “Absolutely fantastic! If I had been in London I would have had to take a cab to stay overnight in a hotel and caught a cab to see the show, pay a fortune for the show, come back and have gone back home to my house. Instead, in the Algarve, I saw a top performance, and walked back. I felt completely safe and it cost me probably a tenth of what it would cost in London or New York.” I believe it’s important to live in a place that feels safe as opposed to just citing statistics that say it’s safe. The important thing for most people is to feel safe.
In general, people don’t have burglar bars or big dogs for security in the Algarve. Some of the traditional properties that are out in the countryside need some protection because they closed for months and so to just avoid anyone having the temptation to break in, sometimes people will put worked, ornate iron bars on the windows and the doors. However, in the city and in the suburbs, it’s not that common to see burglar bars. On the contrary, it’s much more common to see big wide sliding doors to make the most of the views and the sunshine.
(In 2009 actress Angelina Jolie had been looking for property in the Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)
My husband is 73 and he was on several medications over the last few years in America. We have been in Panama only 10 months and he has cut his medications in half. He feels better, has more energy and feels less stressed. We attribute our good health to foods, climate, and less stressful lifestyle here. He has lost over 12 pounds, walks often and enjoys our life here.
We were paying almost $700 per month additional to Medicare for supplemental...
We have many friends who are living the day-to-day hardship of the crisis in America. They choose to stay and deal with the political, economic and emotional stress on a daily basis. It takes a toll on everyone of all ages.
My husband and I chose to leave in hopes we could find a less stressful lifestyle. We wanted to be able to afford a more comfortable life in a climate that seems to boost our spirits. We found it in Boquete, Panama! Along with thousands of...
I moved to Panama about seven years ago. I thought differently (much differently) when I first moved to this interesting, fun filled, beautiful and different country. When I first came to Panama, I thought like an American.
I thought I could get things done like I used to in the USA. I was wrong, very wrong back then. I thought a lot of the laws, rules of living, customs, do's and don't's would be the same .... They aren't! Panama is Latin America, not USA...
Mexicans take property rights seriously. If you are not on a border or the coast (for example, if you are in Lake Chapala, which is in the interior), you have the same property rights as a foreigner as you would as a Mexican citizen. If you are a property owner here, you are protected by the same rules as a Mexican citizen and have to abide by the same rules as a Mexican citizen. 
There is good fishing in or around Corozal depending on what type of fish you're looking for. There are a couple of rivers that feed into the Corozal Bay.
The Algarve is very safe. (1).JPG)
We have many friends who are living the day-to-day hardship of the crisis in America. They choose to stay and deal with the political, economic and emotional stress on a daily basis. It takes a toll on everyone of all ages. 
