Easter weekend and Christmas holidays are very big in Mexico, as well as the summer break which is usually in July. Those are the major holidays and there are also national days to celebrate a president or an event across Mexico.
Holidays such as Easter and Christmas are celebrated in Mexico in much the same way they are celebrated in the US.
Mexico has an Independence Day and a day that resembles Halloween called Dia de...
Easter weekend and Christmas holidays are very big in Mexico, as well as the summer break which is usually in July. Those are the major holidays and there are also national days to celebrate a president or an event across Mexico.
Holidays such as Easter and Christmas are celebrated in Mexico in much the same way they are celebrated in the US.
Mexico has an Independence Day and a day that resembles Halloween called Dia de Los Muertos, which is celebrated across Mexico. Dia de los Muertos has become a famous event internationally, and in Mexico it is an important event where Mexicans honor their past loved ones who have died. Their tradition is Dia de Los Muertos is to celebrate life and welcome the souls of departed loved ones back for that day so that they can be with their families. The time of the year corresponds roughly to the same days as Halloween.
Cinco de Mayo is generally not celebrated in countrywide in Mexico. It might celebrate in the city of Puebla where the even took place, which was a battle that was won by the Mexican army against the French nationals. It is not, as is thought by many in the US, the Mexican equivalent of the 4th of July. It’s just the commemoration of a famous battle wherein a Mexican ragtag army beat Napoleon’s French army.
Our independence celebration is celebrated in September, and is quite a big event. Not only does the president come out to do a big speech at the circle in Mexico City, but there are many reenactments in important cities like Guanajuato where the so-called “shout for independence” was started by Father Miguel Hidalgo.
Here in Merida right now we’re preparing for a carnival. Yep, carnival is just around the corner and then that’s celebrated very big here in Merida. The important cities in Mexico were they celebrate carnival would be Mazatlan, Veracruz, and here in Merida. Generally speaking, carnival is celebrated here the same way it is celebrated in New Orleans or Rio de Janeiro, although certain cities are a little bit different. Merida’s carnival tends to be much more family oriented whereas you can compare how carnival is celebrated in Mazatlan and Veracruz more to the more wild celebrations in New Orleans and Brazil.
In Mexico, Mother’s Day is very important, because Mexico is very family-oriented. You can expect Mother’s Day to be a very important holiday here. I would compare it to where people fly home for Thanksgiving in the US. People definitely come home for Mother’s day. In Mexico, Mother’s Day is bigger than Father’s Day.
Mexico is a Catholic country so Easter is a big deal. We have our very Catholic followers who complain because Easter here has become one of the most important vacation times where families come to vacation all across the beaches in Mexico rather than celebrating the more religious aspects of what Easter is meant to be. So you might have some Catholic followers a little upset that people have changed the holiday to make it an opportunity for a vacation.
The best beach in Panama is Las Lajas in Chiriqui province. Light sand. Rarely crowded -- only on holidays. The sand goes on mile after mile. Great for kids and swimming. You can wade out for a couple of hundred meters and still be able to stand on the sandy bottom.
There is a new B&B opening there run by Flavio and Pillar Nobili. Check it out. Best place to stay.
The best beach in Panama is Las Lajas in Chiriqui province. Light sand. Rarely crowded -- only on holidays. The sand goes on mile after mile. Great for kids and swimming. You can wade out for a couple of hundred meters and still be able to stand on the sandy bottom.
There is a new B&B opening there run by Flavio and Pillar Nobili. Check it out. Best place to stay.
How much stuff you should take with you when you move to Belize depends on how long you are staying here. If you are going to Belize on a trial basis like for six months to a year or less, I don’t think you have to bring a lot of stuff. You can bring some clothes and decent shoes that you can use for all kinds of terrain. But generally, like my father says, “If you don’t have it when you are traveling, you just buy it where you are.”
The only essential...
How much stuff you should take with you when you move to Belize depends on how long you are staying here. If you are going to Belize on a trial basis like for six months to a year or less, I don’t think you have to bring a lot of stuff. You can bring some clothes and decent shoes that you can use for all kinds of terrain. But generally, like my father says, “If you don’t have it when you are traveling, you just buy it where you are.”
The only essential things that you need to bring to Belize would be your pharmaceutical things, if you need any, and toiletries like deodorant, shampoo, beauty products, etc. because they are not easy to obtain here in Belize. Another thing I have not been able to buy is contact lenses, but you can buy them online and have them sent to Belize. If you have prescription eyeglasses, bring a spare pair.
I would always recommend bringing an e-reader or any kind of tablet. People are very committed to their news sources and ultimately having access to the same news and other media that you have at your home country is a good way to ease into your new situation while still having access to the things that you love.
If you decide that you want to stay in Belize for a long time, other than your basics, you should bring your linens, because it is difficult to get decent linens here in Belize, unless you pay a fortune. If you have a hobby, you should bring the items you need for your hobby, like your fishing rods, golf clubs, hiking shoes, etc. If you are buying a car in Belize, you will pay double. So if you are coming to Belize on a Qualified Retired Person’s Residency, you could just bring your car to Belize duty free. You have a one year window to do that and that window is renewable after the third year.
My recommendation is to bring less. Just bring your essentials. Bring less than you think you are going to use. I am saying this from experience. I have a three-bedroom home in Canada that I packed up, and after numerous donations, garage sales, and friends coming to harvest, I kept the special stuff. I kept the dining table that my husband’s grandmother had given us and other essentials, and now, they are all just sitting in my mother’s basement for years because I have a small house in Belize. I do not even remember what we had, but now in hindsight, I realize I should have gotten rid of all of it, but we did not know that then. I had already gotten rid of so much of our stuff that I thought I was just keeping the essentials. It was a learning experience. So I would recommend for people to not bring lots of their stuff to Belize because you can buy most things here. You can also buy furniture here in Belize.
If you realize that you need something you left in your home country, then you can bring it into Belize later. Just because you have moved to another country, doesn’t mean you are not going back. And when you do go back, you will realize how much consumerism there is in North America; everything is “buy and buy and buy.” You have one thing and then you buy another one of that same thing. That doesn’t seem to exist in Belize nearly as much. When you move to Belize, your attitude about buying things changes. Out here, you live with less. You keep it simple, and it is a really freeing feeling. I will never forget those first few days when we were deciding what to keep and what to leave. I was panicked thinking that I could not sell my stuff; I needed them. I told myself that I would be back in three years. That’s what I said nine years ago. Now, I realize I am not going back, so I don’t need the things I used to think I needed and I can only farm them out to family members for a certain amount of time.
When you come here to Belize to live, your attitude really shifts about how much stuff you need, and I think it’s a really healthy thing. In North America, your “wants” become “needs”, but not here.
I would highly recommend that whoever comes to Belize over the age of 45 to get a Qualified Retired Person’s Residency because it is very easy and provides a lot of benefits. All you have to prove is that you have US $24,000 per year or $2,000 per month coming into your bank account; whether you spend it or not in Belize is up to you. They are just looking to make sure you have the ability to support yourself. Once you have that residency status, you don’t need a tourist visa, and you get that one-year window to bring in your goods duty free. Also, as I wrote above, it is renewable after the third year. You will not be able to import goods for two years after the first year. But then you can re-apply and start bringing in duty free goods again.
What’s the language most often spoken in Portugal? Can I get by if I just speak English?
Duncan MacGregor - Duncan MacGregor Accounting
You can definitely get by in Portugal with just English. I know several expats who have been here for years and still do not speak a word in Portuguese and they get by well.
The reason is because the Portuguese are not like the French or the Spanish. Portuguese people like to please foreigners and therefore they make the effort to speak the same language, whereas the French and the Spanish tend to be more nationalistic and therefore, could make life difficult for a...
You can definitely get by in Portugal with just English. I know several expats who have been here for years and still do not speak a word in Portuguese and they get by well.
The reason is because the Portuguese are not like the French or the Spanish. Portuguese people like to please foreigners and therefore they make the effort to speak the same language, whereas the French and the Spanish tend to be more nationalistic and therefore, could make life difficult for a foreigner. In addition, English is taught in the schools in Portugal so the students know how to speak English.
(Bookstore with curved wooden staircase in Portugal, pictured.)
Dr. Carlos Alemán - Centro de Diseño Denta (Clínica Dental)
I don’t generally go fishing but recently we went to Rio San Juan, which is the river that divides Costa Rica and Nicaragua and there is a big fishing competition there. People from other countries and also the locals join the fishing competitions. There are also nice places in San Juan del Sur where people go fishing on the ocean.
Local people in Granada go fishing in the marina. Some people also have their own boats and that’s where...
I don’t generally go fishing but recently we went to Rio San Juan, which is the river that divides Costa Rica and Nicaragua and there is a big fishing competition there. People from other countries and also the locals join the fishing competitions. There are also nice places in San Juan del Sur where people go fishing on the ocean.
Local people in Granada go fishing in the marina. Some people also have their own boats and that’s where they go fishing. You can also go fishing in Isla Zapatera, which is also on the Lake Nicaragua. You can go fishing on the ocean in San Juan del Sur and in Rio San Juan. You can rent a boat and have a boatman accompany you to tell you what you need. They rent out boating gear and you can bring your food or a couple of beers while you fish.
We have Lake Managua but people in general do not go there to fish. Some people do it just out of necessity but it is not a tourist spot and the water is polluted. They’re in the process of cleaning the waters of Lake Managua because it has been polluted by the people over the last several years. The countries of Spain and Germany made contributions to have a treatment center so that the water does not go to Lake Managua so it’s getting cleaner after the treatments.
Matt Ouellette – “The Canadian Renaissance Man: Family, Music, Business, and Sports”
Matt Ouellette came to Mexico as a vacationer and real estate investor and fell in love with the area. Originally from the west coast of Canada, Matt found a Spanish beauty in British Columbia and the two of them were married in Spain. After years of rainy cold weather in Vancouver, Matt and his wife decided they would like to explore living in a warm tropical climate so in 2000 they...
Welcome to Boquete. This charming town has changed a little and a lot in the last four years. We have watched as the economy has improved for the community. A great deal is based on tourism and the influx of expats. There has also been a worldwide increase in the higher-end coffees that grow in the mountains that tower over the towns of both Boquete and Volcan. Many small businesses have come and gone in the last four years. Growth is evident as the high school is currently...
Robert and Isabelle Shahverdians found the place that eventually became La Rosa de Los Vientos in Pedasi, Panama after they had traveled Costa Rica and found it wanting. They then moved around Panama, to see if there was something better.
In the environs of Pedasi, they found a place where the road had few inhabitants and came to a bit of land that faced the Pacific, around a small bay lapped by quiet waves. It was there that they made their spot at the end of...
Easter weekend and Christmas holidays are very big in Mexico, as well as the summer break which is usually in July. Those are the major holidays and there are also national days to celebrate a president or an event across Mexico. .png)
You can definitely get by in Portugal with just English. I know several expats who have been here for years and still do not speak a word in Portuguese and they get by well..jpg)
I don’t generally go fishing but recently we went to Rio San Juan, which is the river that divides Costa Rica and Nicaragua and there is a big fishing competition there. People from other countries and also the locals join the fishing competitions. There are also nice places in San Juan del Sur where people go fishing on the ocean. 
Matt Ouellette came to Mexico as a vacationer and real estate investor and fell in love with the area. Originally from the west coast of Canada, Matt found a Spanish beauty in British Columbia and the two of them were married in Spain. After years of rainy cold weather in Vancouver, Matt and his wife decided they would like to explore living in a warm tropical climate so in 2000 they...
has changed a little and a lot in the last four years. We have watched as the economy has improved for the community. A great deal is based on tourism and the influx of expats. There has also been a worldwide increase in the higher-end coffees that grow in the mountains that tower over the towns of both Boquete and Volcan. Many small businesses have come and gone in the last four years. Growth is evident as the high school is currently...
Robert and Isabelle Shahverdians found the place that eventually became La Rosa de Los Vientos in Pedasi, Panama after they had traveled Costa Rica and found it wanting. They then moved around Panama, to see if there was something better.