There were several indigenous empires previous to the Aztecs. A lot of people believe that the Aztecs were the leading power in Mexico but they were just a power in a region. There are the Mayans down south and other indigenous tribes controlling the north.
The Spanish conquered part of Mexico, which extended all the way up to Canada. (Mexico lost a good portion of its territory in the Mexican-American War.) When most of Mexico proclaimed its independence, some regions...
There were several indigenous empires previous to the Aztecs. A lot of people believe that the Aztecs were the leading power in Mexico but they were just a power in a region. There are the Mayans down south and other indigenous tribes controlling the north.
The Spanish conquered part of Mexico, which extended all the way up to Canada. (Mexico lost a good portion of its territory in the Mexican-American War.) When most of Mexico proclaimed its independence, some regions like the Yucatan Peninsula did not join Mexico and weren’t actually part of Mexico for several periods. The Yucatan was part of Mexico then in and out three times before they decided on staying with the republic of Mexico. You can see in the food and the music, which definitely has a German-French influence. This extends not only in architecture but also in gastronomy and in customs. I believe that this makes Mexico more of a melting pot than the US has ever been.
(Mayan pyramid in the ancient city of Chichen Itza during the spring equinox, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)
Is the Panama City, Panama area of Casco Viejo safe?
Miriam Ortiz - Casco Antiguo Spanish School
Casco Antiguo / Casco Viejo is one of the safest places to be in Panama City. It´s a very touristic area of town and you find police officers at every corner. I work here and I never feel like I have to watch my purse or anything like that. Even at night, it´s very safe. There are more and more bars opening up and security is always there.
Casco Antiguo / Casco Viejo is one of the safest places to be in Panama City. It´s a very touristic area of town and you find police officers at every corner. I work here and I never feel like I have to watch my purse or anything like that. Even at night, it´s very safe. There are more and more bars opening up and security is always there.
Everything but appliances and televisions are extremely inexpensive in Granada and all of Nicaragua. Just outside of Granada in Masapete, is where most of the beautiful furniture is made. Well worth the trip, you can go to the factories and have anything custom made and for very little money. Along the road you'll see dozens of small little craftsmen shops with very talented and friendly people to meet all your needs...Masaya is the places to buy and have custom made hammocks....
Everything but appliances and televisions are extremely inexpensive in Granada and all of Nicaragua. Just outside of Granada in Masapete, is where most of the beautiful furniture is made. Well worth the trip, you can go to the factories and have anything custom made and for very little money. Along the road you'll see dozens of small little craftsmen shops with very talented and friendly people to meet all your needs...Masaya is the places to buy and have custom made hammocks.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a Belize passport?
Christian Burn
I don’t think there are too many disadvantages in having a Belizean passport.
Some of the advantages to having a Belizean passport in particular is not only does it give you access to the British Commonwealth because the Belizean passport is a Commonwealth passport, but a Belizean passport also gives you access to the Caribbean, or the CARICOM nations. (At last count, there’s about 15 or so CARICOM countries.)
The British Commonwealth nations...
I don’t think there are too many disadvantages in having a Belizean passport.
Some of the advantages to having a Belizean passport in particular is not only does it give you access to the British Commonwealth because the Belizean passport is a Commonwealth passport, but a Belizean passport also gives you access to the Caribbean, or the CARICOM nations. (At last count, there’s about 15 or so CARICOM countries.)
The British Commonwealth nations include any colony of Great Britain, and that includes Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Jamaica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Belize, and Canada, among others. For example, an advantage I get as a Commonwealth nation member (Canada), living in another Commonwealth nation (Belize) is that, as a resident of Belize, I just have to register to vote. My Canadian passport with my Belizean residency allows me the ability to vote in Belize.
A Belizean passport allows you free trade and free travel between the CARICOM nations.
If you have a Belizean passport, visa access would certainly be a lot easier, whether it be via a tourist visa or via a residency visa access.
You don’t have to own a car in the Algarve but many people do own cars here.
The Algarve is a little tricky in the sense that the distances can be misleading. Nothing is very far in the Algarve. A lot of people say they want to be able to be close to the coast, which they will define as about half an hour away, but you can be anywhere in the Algarve in half an hour’s drive.
But it is where you want to be in 5 to 10...
You don’t have to own a car in the Algarve but many people do own cars here.
The Algarve is a little tricky in the sense that the distances can be misleading. Nothing is very far in the Algarve. A lot of people say they want to be able to be close to the coast, which they will define as about half an hour away, but you can be anywhere in the Algarve in half an hour’s drive.
But it is where you want to be in 5 to 10 minutes walking distance that becomes tricky. There are lots of these areas, residential suburbs in the outskirts of towns and cities, which are generally too far to walk into a town and just too uncomfortable for public transport, which is sometimes infrequent on these small secondary roads. We find more and more people requesting a place that is within walking distance to the town center, shops, and restaurants because in that sense, you can do without a car. If you are in a town like Lagos, Portimão, or Faro you will find that they have the bus networks that can take you anywhere in the city so you wouldn’t need a car.
If you are going out of the town or the cities, having a car is definitely advisable.
(The beach at Praia da Luz, Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)
We wanted very much to visit the towns just to the north and south of Lo de Marcos, in the state of Nayarit. How could we not? Lo de Marcos was beautiful, exotic and interesting, the people were friendly, the food was great, and we had never been anywhere else in the area. We had only eight days in which to explore before our deadline to leave for the Central Mexican Highlands.
From side to side, Lo de Marcos is only about a half a mile wide,...
After years of visiting Belize, since 2006, we decided to leave the family, friends and acquaintances behind and start a whole new life in a new country. As per my family a Third world country at that. Needless to say we started making friends almost immediately. Belizeans are so friendly and open their homes to you with no restraints, even without knowing you at all. Expats also were so heartwarming and friendly, eager to meet the new kids on the block. We found there are local hangouts...
January 2014, I arrived in the early afternoon in Managua airport via United Airlines. After the huge and tedious Houston Airport, the small Nicaraguan airport was a relief. Customs stamped my passport and I paid the $10 fee.
I had reserved a so-called “resort” online for one night in Managua, as well as the Budget car rental. (I am deliberately omitting the name of this hotel for reasons that will become clear soon. I will say, however,...