What's the dress code in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico? What clothes do they wear in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Anne Dyer - Casita Montana
Chapala and Ajijic is noted to have the second best climate in the world. Everybody here dresses up very casually. Towards the end of May, we get the hottest of the season where the temperature is in the high 80s. But in about three weeks from that, the rains will start and everything will cool down and it will become fantastic again.
The average temperature is 70 to 80 during the day and at night, it cools down to maybe 60 and you could sleep well. Up...
Chapala and Ajijic is noted to have the second best climate in the world. Everybody here dresses up very casually. Towards the end of May, we get the hottest of the season where the temperature is in the high 80s. But in about three weeks from that, the rains will start and everything will cool down and it will become fantastic again.
The average temperature is 70 to 80 during the day and at night, it cools down to maybe 60 and you could sleep well. Up until just a few years ago, people didn’t have air conditioning but now a lot of people have air conditioning. Years ago, there’s no such thing as air conditioning; just a lot of fans.
For people who are planning to move to Chapala and Ajijic, I suggest that they just bring casual clothing like jeans, t-shirts, etc. When you go to the concert or the little theater, you might want to have one or two dressy items but in general, it’s very casual. 29 years ago, when I first came here, I brought a fur coat down. Believe it or not, it’s still in my closet! You don’t need a coat here. A jacket or a sweater is just fine.
(Jet Metier of Best Places in the World to Retire, in her Ajijic, Mexico home, pictured.)
If I want to live in Belize, do I have to become a permanent resident?
Christian Burn
You don’t need to be a resident in order to live in Belize. You can come to Belize as a qualified retired resident or you can be a tourist. But as a tourist, you can only get a 30-day tourist visa that is renewable every 30 days up to 6 months, or something like that. If you want to stay in Belize long term, certainly, the retired residency or the Permanent Residency Program is what you want to have.
The Permanent Residency Program is pretty straightforward. You have to...
You don’t need to be a resident in order to live in Belize. You can come to Belize as a qualified retired resident or you can be a tourist. But as a tourist, you can only get a 30-day tourist visa that is renewable every 30 days up to 6 months, or something like that. If you want to stay in Belize long term, certainly, the retired residency or the Permanent Residency Program is what you want to have.
The Permanent Residency Program is pretty straightforward. You have to obtain a work permit for an entire year and not leave the country for more than 14 days within that first year. Then, after a little bit of paperwork, which includes a police report and some blood work, you will get your work permit.
There are two kinds of work permits: the employer work permit and a self-employed work permit. The self-employed work permit allows you to operate as a consultant or an independent whereas an employer work permit means you own something like a farm, or you’re working in a bar, a restaurant, or a hotel, etc. The employer work permit could translate into the first step of the residency process for permanent residency. With your work permit intact you can then apply for residency. There is a little bit of fee involved but the paperwork is essentially the same and, once you become a permanent resident, you do not need any more visas because as a permanent resident, you are entitled to live and work in Belize.
The Qualified Retirement Residency Program is for people who are 45 years and older, who are interested in not working in Belize, but in retiring in Belize. It allows people moving to Belize to bring in their goods and their personal items without any duty for up to a year.
How much does it cost to get landline phone service in Portugal?
Ana Ferraz
The cost for landline phone service in Portugal is about €10 to €20 (US $10.75 to $21.70 or £7.21 to £14.42), which would give you unlimited calls within Portugal.
During weekends, you would also get free calls from 9 PM to 9 AM to any place in Europe. Outside those times, you would have to pay for calls that you make to Europe.
(Telephone booth in Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)
The cost for landline phone service in Portugal is about €10 to €20 (US $10.75 to $21.70 or £7.21 to £14.42), which would give you unlimited calls within Portugal.
During weekends, you would also get free calls from 9 PM to 9 AM to any place in Europe. Outside those times, you would have to pay for calls that you make to Europe.
What are the best things to buy in Nicaragua as opposed to other places?
Barry Oliver - Surfing Nahua
Some of the best things to buy in Nicaragua include construction materials, which are excellent. Nicaragua has very exotic woods and amazing tiles, and excellent artists, painters, sculptors, and pottery towns like San Juan de Oriente (a town fairly close to Granada) offers beautiful art and pottery pieces. The soapstone carvers in San Juan de Oriente are amazing as well, and you could get huge four-foot Buddhas, or 4-foot marlins carved for a couple of hundred bucks. It takes these...
Some of the best things to buy in Nicaragua include construction materials, which are excellent. Nicaragua has very exotic woods and amazing tiles, and excellent artists, painters, sculptors, and pottery towns like San Juan de Oriente (a town fairly close to Granada) offers beautiful art and pottery pieces. The soapstone carvers in San Juan de Oriente are amazing as well, and you could get huge four-foot Buddhas, or 4-foot marlins carved for a couple of hundred bucks. It takes these people weeks to finish these amazing artworks.
While you’re in Nicaragua, the fruits and vegetables are amazing and fresh. They’ve now got some very good microbreweries. There’s one bar called Erdmann’s that has some of the best beer I’ve ever had, including IPAs and Dark IPAs 55:26 and he’s got a Black Santa over Christmas, which is one of my favorite things to buy in Nicaragua.
My wife and I like to buy some nice wood furniture, yoyos for the kids that are handmade out of wood, and hammocks.
In general, should I keep my US bank, brokerage, investment, IRA or retirement account if I move overseas?
Roy Cannon - Gestoria Cocle - main office in Penoneme
By all means, keep your home financial arrangements in place while you are exploring new countries. You never know in advance if you will be staying, or going back home. In addition, your new country will most probably have different financial products with a different cost and fee structure than you have at the present time. Most countries have ATMs that can be used to take money from your home bank account as needed, which is useful while you decide if you want a local...
By all means, keep your home financial arrangements in place while you are exploring new countries. You never know in advance if you will be staying, or going back home. In addition, your new country will most probably have different financial products with a different cost and fee structure than you have at the present time. Most countries have ATMs that can be used to take money from your home bank account as needed, which is useful while you decide if you want a local bank account (if available, with FACTA this is getting more difficult for US passport holders). Some US institutions will even refund ATM fees when you draw funds abroad, but may require that you have a US residence. This is easy before you leave, difficult to arrange once you have gone. Better to be prepared and later decide you don't need the facility, than the other way around.
What's the crime rate in general in Volcan and Cerro Punta, Chiriqui Province, Panama?
Lourdes Townshend
People from Volcán and Cerro Punta, in Chiriquí, are very sensitive and friendly to visitors or expats. They all take good care and watch out for them, in any way they can, including safety and general needs. They guide expats on the things they should avoid to make their area a safer place to live. The Security Ministry is making great efforts to offer all residents a good quality and safe day-to-day living. I don´t think there are...
People from Volcán and Cerro Punta, in Chiriquí, are very sensitive and friendly to visitors or expats. They all take good care and watch out for them, in any way they can, including safety and general needs. They guide expats on the things they should avoid to make their area a safer place to live. The Security Ministry is making great efforts to offer all residents a good quality and safe day-to-day living. I don´t think there are statistics for crime in the area, but local residents are the best to describe this issue. Being such a beautiful and peaceful place brings any criminal event into a minimal expression.
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...
It’s another beautiful day in Pedasi. In the morning it rained but now the sun is shining and there’s a nice breeze. A great day to go fishing or just plain relaxing on the beach under a shade tree with a tropical drink!
I just wanted to tell people about Pedasi and the Azuero Peninsula without sounding like I'm selling them. lol
I have visited 43 states, including Hawaii. I've...
We find our way back to Los Cuatro Tulipanes in Casco Viejo by landmarks, sights and sounds: the nonchalant dog who lays on the sidewalk near the president’s security guard (who seems to be the only dog in a city of cats); the smell of beef broth from an open door whose meaty heat is added to the saturated heat of close dwellings and narrow passage ways, causing a linear view of the sea, its pungency carried by erratic winds; and remembering to walk just past the ruins of a convent that...
Chapala and Ajijic is noted to have the second best climate in the world. Everybody here dresses up very casually. Towards the end of May, we get the hottest of the season where the temperature is in the high 80s. But in about three weeks from that, the rains will start and everything will cool down and it will become fantastic again. 
The cost for landline phone service in Portugal is about €10 to €20 (US $10.75 to $21.70 or £7.21 to £14.42), which would give you unlimited calls within Portugal.
Some of the best things to buy in Nicaragua include construction materials, which are excellent. Nicaragua has very exotic woods and amazing tiles, and excellent artists, painters, sculptors, and pottery towns like San Juan de Oriente (a town fairly close to Granada) offers beautiful art and pottery pieces. The soapstone carvers in San Juan de Oriente are amazing as well, and you could get huge four-foot Buddhas, or 4-foot marlins carved for a couple of hundred bucks. It takes these...
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...
who lays on the sidewalk near the president’s security guard (who seems to be the only dog in a city of cats); the smell of beef broth from an open door whose meaty heat is added to the saturated heat of close dwellings and narrow passage ways, causing a linear view of the sea, its pungency carried by erratic winds; and remembering to walk just past the ruins of a convent that...