How are the roads in Mexico? Do I need a four-wheel drive in Mexico?
Liliana Cota - Stewart Title Baja and Stewart Title Puerto Peñasco
You don’t need a four-wheel drive if you are in Baja, California since there are toll roads here. You would be driving on a paved highway and you pay a toll from one point to another. There are also alternative roads that you can pay for and they are well maintained.
If you want to go hiking or go to the mountains or somewhere else, you might need a four-wheel drive but that is just when you are going on vacation around the area. We have mountains, beaches, and other...
You don’t need a four-wheel drive if you are in Baja, California since there are toll roads here. You would be driving on a paved highway and you pay a toll from one point to another. There are also alternative roads that you can pay for and they are well maintained.
If you want to go hiking or go to the mountains or somewhere else, you might need a four-wheel drive but that is just when you are going on vacation around the area. We have mountains, beaches, and other places that are great for vacations. Whenever you want to travel to these areas, you might need a four-wheel drive but if you are just going from one city to another, there is no need for a four-wheel drive.
We have main and federal roads all over Mexico. We have Highway One, Two, and Three and these go to all the different parts of Mexico. There might be places in Mexico that you want to visit where you would need a four-wheel drive but in general, most especially in Baja, we do have paved roads and the toll roads that go to the major cities of Mexico so you don’t need a four-wheel drive if you are in these areas.
You might find some roads that need special maintenance but you do not need a special car to drive on them. You just need to be careful while you drive on them. We call the potholes “baches.” Just watch out for baches.
The worst reason for retiring overseas would be moving to another place and wanting it to be like home, because sometimes things do not work the same way as they do back home.
For example, the work ethic here in Panama is different from the work ethic back home, where I'm from, in the US. Here in Panama, if you want to have internet connection in your house, you would not get it by just asking for it. You have to make an extra effort. After I...
The worst reason for retiring overseas would be moving to another place and wanting it to be like home, because sometimes things do not work the same way as they do back home.
For example, the work ethic here in Panama is different from the work ethic back home, where I'm from, in the US. Here in Panama, if you want to have internet connection in your house, you would not get it by just asking for it. You have to make an extra effort. After I applied for an internet connection, I waited for a month, but they had not done anything. So when I got the opportunity, I parked my car in a way that one of their company vehicles could not escape and asked them to give me the internet connection I applied for a month ago. I am not a bad guy; I just need the internet. So if you decide to live overseas, you have to be ready to do things differently because sometimes if you do things the proper way, it just doesn’t work.
Each person would give a different answer to what it was like to move to Belize. I think that everybody will say that it's an adventure--- there is unpredictability. You can do all the research and homework that you want and think that you have everything completely lined up, sewed up, and your schedule is set, but be you should be prepared for the unexpected. It doesn't matter how many times you've done this, there's always a “next one” that you...
Each person would give a different answer to what it was like to move to Belize. I think that everybody will say that it's an adventure--- there is unpredictability. You can do all the research and homework that you want and think that you have everything completely lined up, sewed up, and your schedule is set, but be you should be prepared for the unexpected. It doesn't matter how many times you've done this, there's always a “next one” that you didn't see coming.
It's not always just Belize. It is a strange time that we live in now. There's the unpredictability of the place you're leaving as well as where you’re going. You think you've got it all perfectly set up and ready to go, I'm going to arrive in Belize and this is what is going to happen. My goods are going to be shipped from Miami on such a day, and it will arrive on the port of Belize on such and such a day, and then things are all hung up in Miami.
In moving to Belize, and probably this is going to apply to just about anywhere, be prepared for the unexpected. But upon arriving in Belize and actually settling in and all that, the people, the locals, the people that would be your neighbors, the businesses that you patronize--- the restaurants and the stores, and all that, welcome you with wide open arms. They are very hospitable, wonderful, generous and very welcoming. And that to me, is the first thing that grabbed me when I came to Belize was just how generous and hospitable people were and you feel that they are genuinely happy to see you. There is a not a superficiality to it. A lot of people as they grow up in large metropolitan areas or places in the US, are just busy. Everybody's busy and they have something to do and there’s the sort of gratuitous “Hello how are the kids?” In contrast, here in Belize it's genuine. They look deep into your eyes and ask, "How are you doing? How are the kids and the family?" They have some time to sit down and talk. It's genuine and it's refreshing.
(La Ruta Maya race that goes through the property of Carmelita Garden Residences, Belize, pictured.)
For me, personally, yes, Nicaragua is safe. Nicaragua is ranked as one of the safest countries in Central America.
I've hopped on Nicaraguan buses, I've zigzagged across the country, and I've taken taxis in Nicaragua, alone, and I've never had a problem. There is petty crime all over the world, so I always try to use my common sense when I travel anywhere, be it in Nicaragua or even my in my home country. So far, I've had more problems in Canada. My parents had...
For me, personally, yes, Nicaragua is safe. Nicaragua is ranked as one of the safest countries in Central America.
I've hopped on Nicaraguan buses, I've zigzagged across the country, and I've taken taxis in Nicaragua, alone, and I've never had a problem. There is petty crime all over the world, so I always try to use my common sense when I travel anywhere, be it in Nicaragua or even my in my home country. So far, I've had more problems in Canada. My parents had their house broken into and my car was broken into in Canada. I've never had those problems in Nicaragua.
I'm a female and often travel by myself. I've never gone out at night, alone, anywhere in the world, but I have been out at nighttime in the streets of Nicaragua, and I've never had a problem.
When people ask me if Nicaragua is safe I say, "Yes." You just have to remember that when you’re in a foreign country, you have to be smart and safe.
In Portugal, do I have to worry about malaria, yellow fever and other diseases we don’t generally have in North America or other parts of Europe?
Luis Rodrigues - Gouveia Pereira, Costa Freitas & Associates, Law Firm, RL
No, if you move or visit Portugal, you do not have to worry about diseases that are typical in tropical countries, which is not the case in Portugal. Although the climate is hotter than in most European countries, Portugal has a temperate climate (it has the same latitude as Virginia or Maryland), which does not allow such diseases to exist. There are no medical restrictions or warnings for travel to Portugal.
(Sao Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal, pictured.)
No, if you move or visit Portugal, you do not have to worry about diseases that are typical in tropical countries, which is not the case in Portugal. Although the climate is hotter than in most European countries, Portugal has a temperate climate (it has the same latitude as Virginia or Maryland), which does not allow such diseases to exist. There are no medical restrictions or warnings for travel to Portugal.
Yes there are quakes here in Panama. They usually register 4.0-5.0 on the Richter scale. The quakes mostly occur in Chiriqui Province and outside of the Bay of Panama of Panama City. There never seems to be much damage or threat to life, interestingly enough. Thank goodness.
In Panama City, we had another small quake a week ago.
Just a note: I lived in Tokyo for 6 years and the constant quakes paralyzed everything for the...
Yes there are quakes here in Panama. They usually register 4.0-5.0 on the Richter scale. The quakes mostly occur in Chiriqui Province and outside of the Bay of Panama of Panama City. There never seems to be much damage or threat to life, interestingly enough. Thank goodness.
In Panama City, we had another small quake a week ago.
Just a note: I lived in Tokyo for 6 years and the constant quakes paralyzed everything for the duration. Have seen nothing like that in Panama.
In the summer of 2015 a lady friend who had fallen in love with Ajijic in the Lake Chapala area years ago and wanted to get back there contacted me. Her vision was to run a bed and breakfast in the village, but she needed some assistance purchasing the property, so she contacted me to see if I’d be interested in an investment. After she had expounded upon the virtues of Ajijic through numerous phone calls I was intrigued to the point of flying down and meeting her...
On our road trip through Mexico and on the Best Places in the World to Retire site, we and other contributors to our site are often asked to do a comparison between life in the US and life abroad. In order to be accurate, these comparisons are almost always filled with lots of caveats because it is not often easy to do a fair one-to-one, “apples-to-apples” parallel. However, sometimes, you can, which is exactly what happened to me a few days ago.
In Part Two of their interview, Anne Gordon de Barrigón of Panama Whale Watching Panama/ Emberá Village Tours reveals to Jet Metier the highly tactile and social qualities of dolphins and whales, and when it comes to forgiveness, how their hearts maybe bigger than their legendary brains.
You don’t need a four-wheel drive if you are in Baja, California since there are toll roads here. You would be driving on a paved highway and you pay a toll from one point to another. There are also alternative roads that you can pay for and they are well maintained.
Each person would give a different answer to what it was like to move to Belize. I think that everybody will say that it's an adventure--- there is unpredictability. You can do all the research and homework that you want and think that you have everything completely lined up, sewed up, and your schedule is set, but be you should be prepared for the unexpected. It doesn't matter how many times you've done this, there's always a “next one” that you...
No, if you move or visit Portugal, you do not have to worry about diseases that are typical in tropical countries, which is not the case in Portugal. Although the climate is hotter than in most European countries, Portugal has a temperate climate (it has the same latitude as Virginia or Maryland), which does not allow such diseases to exist. There are no medical restrictions or warnings for travel to Portugal. 
In the summer of 2015 a lady friend who had fallen in love with Ajijic in the Lake Chapala area years ago and wanted to get back there contacted me. Her vision was to run a bed and breakfast in the village, but she needed some assistance purchasing the property, so she contacted me to see if I’d be interested in an investment. After she had expounded upon the virtues of Ajijic through numerous phone calls I was intrigued to the point of flying down and meeting her...
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