Best Places In The World To Retire

There are doctors here in Chapala and Ajijic that have studied in the US but there are more doctors here who have studied in Europe. Many doctors in Chapala and Ajijic take their residency in Germany or France. There are doctors who also train in the US but because of visa issues it is easier for them to go to places like Canada. So, yes, there are doctors here in Chapala and Ajijic that were trained overseas so the Mexican doctors are really good. 

 

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There are doctors here in Chapala and Ajijic that have studied in the US but there are more doctors here who have studied in Europe. Many doctors in Chapala and Ajijic take their residency in Germany or France. There are doctors who also train in the US but because of visa issues it is easier for them to go to places like Canada. So, yes, there are doctors here in Chapala and Ajijic that were trained overseas so the Mexican doctors are really good. 

 

In my experience, the doctors in Chapala and Ajijic are just as well-trained as in they are in the United States, if not better trained. But you could get what you paid for. Also, here or anywhere, you should double check or reference doctors with someone who had experience with them because you could find all types of doctors here or anywhere.  

 

(Dr. Jonathan Barragán seeing patients at the Foliatti Casino, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)

There is a lot of great ocean sport fishing in and around San Juan Del Sur. We have really good, world class sail fishing and dorado fishing. San Juan Del Sur is very well known for these two types of fishing, especially in the areas closer to the peninsula, getting closer to Costa Rica. They hold different types of fishing events for different types of people to join.

 

Besides that, there is really good bass fishing in the lake just right behind San Juan...

There is a lot of great ocean sport fishing in and around San Juan Del Sur. We have really good, world class sail fishing and dorado fishing. San Juan Del Sur is very well known for these two types of fishing, especially in the areas closer to the peninsula, getting closer to Costa Rica. They hold different types of fishing events for different types of people to join.

 

Besides that, there is really good bass fishing in the lake just right behind San Juan Del Sur. That is where they catch guapote, which is a fresh water bass that is really good for eating and really good for sport fishing because they put up a really good fight, so it is more for the rapala angler.

 

San Juan Del Sur is also known for really good tarpon fishing near the opening of the Rio San Juan, or the San Juan River. Tarpon fishing in San Juan Del Sur is a catch and release type of fishing. You could catch a 100 or 200 pound tarpon, reel it in, and then release it back into the water.

 

I am an avid spear fisher. During the months when the water gets very clear, when the rainy season ends, which is usually from the beginning of November up to the end of March, I do inshore spear fishing, closer to the reef where you will find parrot fish, snapper, grouper, and any other fish that lives in the reef.

 

I also go spear fishing when you get on a boat, and they take you out close to a buoy or a FAD (Fish Attracting Device). You plunge into the deep blue, where you will be surrounded by deep ocean water and then you will be able to spear fish anything that comes close to you. You will usually catch barracuda and other big blue water ocean grown fish.

 

Deep blue water ocean fishing is a little harder because sometimes the blue water will come in with the rain. When strong offshore winds pick up, they might make the water really nice and clear close to the shore, but that offshore wind is blowing sedimentation further out to the sea. So, it depends on the day when you will get really clear ocean blue water. However, it usually happens between November and March.

 

All these are the most popular fun types of fishing within the San Juan Del Sur area.

We have noticed in Belize is that the power has become a bit more reliable. It used to be that you would have blackouts at least three or four times a week. There are some villages that don’t even have power running through them and they use a generator.  

 

The national power grid is more reliable now. Not too long ago, the government of Japan donated funds to build a 500-megawatt solar array at the University of Belize in Belmopan that...

We have noticed in Belize is that the power has become a bit more reliable. It used to be that you would have blackouts at least three or four times a week. There are some villages that don’t even have power running through them and they use a generator.  

 

The national power grid is more reliable now. Not too long ago, the government of Japan donated funds to build a 500-megawatt solar array at the University of Belize in Belmopan that feeds back into the grid. I think that is a good sign. Even the power that they buy from Mexico is generated through hydro-electric facilities but it’s gotten more reliable. 

 

In my project and a number of other expats have chosen to go “off grid” and go with solar power.  Because of the abundance of sunshine that we get here in Belize, it’s a very good alternative. 

 

People go off grid for different reasons. Some people do it because they are happy to save the planet. Most people do it because of their independence and for the peace of mind and because the cost for electricity in Belize is fairly high. It’s US 27.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.  In California the rate is 15.2 cents; in Hawaii, its 33 cents, and in Texas, it’s a little over 11 cents.   The cost for electricity in Belize does add up, so with the right solar package, over time, they save quite a bit of money in the supply of electricity and they have control.  

 

People like having the independence from a utility company and from the grid and know that their price is not subject to the utility company raising it in the future.  The utility company may change the price of electricity some months from now and I don’t think that anybody will predict that energy is going to be less expensive and more reliable coming off a traditional grid. 

 

The picture above is of a house with a solar collector, at Carmelita Gardens, Belize.

Retiring overseas may definitely sometimes be a difficult decision but once you have found the right place, its totally worth it.

 

Retiring overseas may definitely sometimes be a difficult decision but once you have found the right place, its totally worth it.

 

Temperature decreases with increases in altitude according to these temperature lapse rates: 

Volcán Barú in Chiriquí is 11,398 feet, El Valle de Anton is 2,000 feet - do the math.

1. Dry: the dry lapse rate is 5.5 F degrees per 1,000 feet. Dry air moving up or down. It is a function of atmospheric pressure, air density, and the molecular activity of a parcel of air.
2. Wet: the wet lapse rate is 3 F...

Temperature decreases with increases in altitude according to these temperature lapse rates: 

Volcán Barú in Chiriquí is 11,398 feet, El Valle de Anton is 2,000 feet - do the math.

1. Dry: the dry lapse rate is 5.5 F degrees per 1,000 feet. Dry air moving up or down. It is a function of atmospheric pressure, air density, and the molecular activity of a parcel of air.
2. Wet: the wet lapse rate is 3 F degrees per 1,000 feet. Moist air rising vertically. It is affected by the release of latent heat from the condensation of water vapor.
3. Normal: the normal lapse rate averages about 3.5 F degrees per 1,000 feet.