Best Places In The World To Retire

For sure in Los Cabos, you can get by if you only speak English, but in La Paz and in La Ventana (where I live, about 40 minutes from La Paz and 2 hours from Los Cabos), you could get by with “English only” only in areas where there are foreigners, so you probably would prefer learning some Spanish. In Cabo, you can certainly get by without speaking any Spanish but in La Paz you would miss out on a lot if you don’t know the local language because it is a very integrated...

For sure in Los Cabos, you can get by if you only speak English, but in La Paz and in La Ventana (where I live, about 40 minutes from La Paz and 2 hours from Los Cabos), you could get by with “English only” only in areas where there are foreigners, so you probably would prefer learning some Spanish. In Cabo, you can certainly get by without speaking any Spanish but in La Paz you would miss out on a lot if you don’t know the local language because it is a very integrated community.
 
In La Ventana, there is a pretty big foreign community but any of the service people that you are going to get involved with, whether in the grocery store or doing your gardening, housekeeping, or any of the local businesses, do not necessarily speak English. It is the same thing in La Paz, where you can go to one of the major grocery stores there and find out that they do not speak any English. Even in the immigration offices, sometimes you would find a hard time looking for someone who speaks English.  

 

(Art show to raise money for a local ambulance, La Ventana, Baja California Sur, Mexico, pictured.)

Doctors in Belize have typically trained in other countries, such as the US, Cuba or Mexico and are typically multi-lingual.  English is the official language of Belize and all doctors and medical staff speak English, even if it's not their primary language.

Doctors in Belize have typically trained in other countries, such as the US, Cuba or Mexico and are typically multi-lingual.  English is the official language of Belize and all doctors and medical staff speak English, even if it's not their primary language.

One of the best things to do in Panama is to visit an Emberá Indian village.  The Emberá people are one of 7 indigenous tribes in Panama and many of them still live in traditional villages deep in the rainforest. 

 

The Emberá people are warm, open and welcoming and are equally curious about the visitors who come to meet them.  They are eager and happy to share about their culture and traditions with others.  Spending a day or an...

One of the best things to do in Panama is to visit an Emberá Indian village.  The Emberá people are one of 7 indigenous tribes in Panama and many of them still live in traditional villages deep in the rainforest. 

 

The Emberá people are warm, open and welcoming and are equally curious about the visitors who come to meet them.  They are eager and happy to share about their culture and traditions with others.  Spending a day or an overnight with the Emberá people is like stepping into a National Geographic film.

 

                                     

 

The Emberá people have the quality of life the rest of the world is searching for.  The people are very happy and content without most of the trappings of the modern world.  In most Emberá villages there is no electricity, internet and no cell phone signal.  It is so refreshing to see the peaceful and happy faces of the Emberá children without video games, cell phones and iPads. 

      Many villages can be easily accessed in a 1 day tour or an overnight tour for complete immersion into the Emberá culture.  You leave Panama city around 8:00 am and return by 5:00 pm for the day tour, and early afternoon the next day for the overnight tour.

     You will drive for about an hour out to the boat ramp on Lake Alajuela and embark in a handmade (very stable) dugout canoe to travel about 45 minutes across the lake and up the river to the Emberá village.  Upon arrival in the village you will be given a traditional greeting of music and then given a fascinating presentation about the Emberá culture, traditions, how they live and survive today. 

You will be served a traditional lunch of delicious fried fish and patacones (plantains) with fresh fruit. 

   After lunch you have the option of taking a short hike with a village elder to learn about medicinal plants, and/or take a refreshing swim in the river, take pictures, talk with the Emberá people, get a temporary tattoo or purchase some of their exquisite world class baskets made from palm fibers or sophisticated cocobolo wood or tagua seed carvings. All items are handmade by the Emberá people and often charge $1.00 per day that it took the artist to make the basket or carving! 

Tourism is their only source of income, as they live inside the Chagres National Park that was created around them in 1984.  This park protects the water source for the canal.  However the park department prohibits the Emberá from traditional hunting, commercial agriculture and any materials they would like to harvest from the forest to use to build their houses, or boats, they are required to pay a fee to the park.  So your visit and purchases in the village help the Emberá people sustain their chosen lifestyle, culture and traditions.

Finally, your day tour visit will end with a presentation of women's shamanic dances and some celebrational music and dancing, that you may be invited to participate in.  Be careful, the Emberá say that if you don't dance, you have to live with them in the village for 8 months! 

As you get ready to board the dugout canoe to head back down the river, your head and heart will be filled with new friends and great memories of your day or overnight with the friendly and warm Emberá people.  It is truly an unforgettable experience. 

 

 

Whether or not I need to own a car in Portugal depends first, the place where I live.  In Estoril and Cascais (in the Lisbon area), you have everything at walking distance. If you want to go to the city center, you have a coastal train that’s a beautiful trip—the train goes always along the seafront from Cascais to the city center of Lisbon and it takes 25 minutes. The bus and taxi terminals are all over the place. So transportation in Portugal is very, very well...

Whether or not I need to own a car in Portugal depends first, the place where I live.  In Estoril and Cascais (in the Lisbon area), you have everything at walking distance. If you want to go to the city center, you have a coastal train that’s a beautiful trip—the train goes always along the seafront from Cascais to the city center of Lisbon and it takes 25 minutes. The bus and taxi terminals are all over the place. So transportation in Portugal is very, very well developed. Not only that, we have various motorways that connect the north to the south of Portugal within 3 to 4 hours. So you can cross our country in 4 and a half hours from top to bottom, and from side to side, you can do it in 2 hours.
 
Personally, I have a car, and pretty much everybody, in middleclass and above has a car.  In a family of five there’s five cars.

 

(Rossio train station, Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)