What are the expats like in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Michael Kavanaugh - Continental Realty
Most people who are willing to pick up stakes and move to a foreign country are people that you probably want to know because if you moved here, you’re one of those people; you’ve pulled up stakes and moved to a foreign country. These types of people are usually outgoing and friendly and interesting and those who aren’t usually don’t stay because they don’t fit in.
The reasons that people move away from the Chapala –...
Most people who are willing to pick up stakes and move to a foreign country are people that you probably want to know because if you moved here, you’re one of those people; you’ve pulled up stakes and moved to a foreign country. These types of people are usually outgoing and friendly and interesting and those who aren’t usually don’t stay because they don’t fit in.
The reasons that people move away from the Chapala – Ajijic area are age, health, problems with children, and problems with grandchildren, and they feel they need to go home and deal with that situation. That’s why people leave. Or they just fit in socially.
(Mexican Cesar Balsa with Walt Disney in Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)
How are the roads in Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan? Do I need a four-wheel drive in Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan?
Gwido Mar - Grupo Mar Realty Ltd.
You do not need a four-wheel drive to get around in San Ignacio, Belize. Most of the roads are paved or cemented and they're getting better. As I speak, they are paving more roads in San Ignacio and Santa Elena (the “twin towns”; the largest towns in the Cayo District).
It would be better to have an SUV or a pickup truck than it would be to have a sedan, but it doesn't need to be a four-wheel drive. The reason I recommend these is to get the higher...
You do not need a four-wheel drive to get around in San Ignacio, Belize. Most of the roads are paved or cemented and they're getting better. As I speak, they are paving more roads in San Ignacio and Santa Elena (the “twin towns”; the largest towns in the Cayo District).
It would be better to have an SUV or a pickup truck than it would be to have a sedan, but it doesn't need to be a four-wheel drive. The reason I recommend these is to get the higher clearance, but not necessarily because you will get stuck. Sometimes there are bumps or maybe rocks in the road that if you don't have enough clearance the tummy of your car will rattle.
(Collared peccary, also known as a javelina, crossing the road in Belize, pictured.)
Is there good fishing in and around Granada, Nicaragua?
Esmerelda Vargas - Schuvar Tours
Yes, there is good fishing in Granada, Nicaragua. You can fish on the Lake Granada (also called Lake Nicaragua). You can take a boat and go out to the lake and go fishing. You can catch guapote, which is the local name of the fish you can catch on the lake. Guapote is the fish that you eat in restaurants in Granada. It’s very good. There are even fresh water sharks in the lake, too.
Lake Granada covers a good portion of Nicaragua. It goes up to...
Yes, there is good fishing in Granada, Nicaragua. You can fish on the Lake Granada (also called Lake Nicaragua). You can take a boat and go out to the lake and go fishing. You can catch guapote, which is the local name of the fish you can catch on the lake. Guapote is the fish that you eat in restaurants in Granada. It’s very good. There are even fresh water sharks in the lake, too.
Lake Granada covers a good portion of Nicaragua. It goes up to Ometepe and over to the sea. If you look at the map of Nicaragua, you will see the lake in the middle and that lake ends at the sea.
There are no rivers in Granada. You can just go to the lake and to the isletas (“small islands”) if you want to fish. There is a trail around the lake and you have some islands. You have to move around the isletas to catch the fish. What people usually do is go to the lake and go to Ometepe and they go fishing there because there is more open water over there.
If you want to go fishing in the ocean, you can get from Granada to San Juan Del Sur in an hour. You can go there by car but not by boat. San Juan Del Sur has great fishing on the ocean.
Is Portugal Safe? What is the crime rate in Portugal?
Carol Bartlett Ribeiro - Carol Bartlett Ribeiro, Property Consultant
We do have crime in Portugal, but it’s not violent crime. One of the reasons that there are so many Brazilians and so many South Africans coming to Portugal now is because Portugal is so much safer than their countries.
The crime rate has gone up in Portugal. Do you have houses burgled in Portugal? Yes, we do. But people are not violent. It’s not like in many other countries where they would probably shoot you first and steal from you...
We do have crime in Portugal, but it’s not violent crime. One of the reasons that there are so many Brazilians and so many South Africans coming to Portugal now is because Portugal is so much safer than their countries.
The crime rate has gone up in Portugal. Do you have houses burgled in Portugal? Yes, we do. But people are not violent. It’s not like in many other countries where they would probably shoot you first and steal from you afterwards. But they do have people breaking in and they have probably youngsters on scooters who rush past you and grab your handbag. But compared to many other countries, the crime rate overall is very low.
There are certain areas of Lisbon that are poor areas and in which the crime rate is quite high. Portugal has to be very careful because of its long coastline makes it a natural transit point for drugs. The influx of drugs that also comes from Morocco also causes crime. Unfortunately, gone are the days when most of the Portuguese could leave their keys in the front door and that’s absolutely fine; you can’t do that today, so you do have to be aware. But every foreigner that I know here says that when they come home late, they don’t feel intimidated and nervous like they would in other places. As far as statistics go, I know that the crime rate has gone up but its not astronomical like a lot of countries.
In England, in London, I’ve never had any incidents there but my mother’s house was burgled and totally wrecked. In Brazil, I was attacked on a Saturday coming back from the supermarket. I’ve never, fortunately, had anything like that happen here in Portugal.
A lot of people ask, “Carol, where would you like to go back to live?” To answer, I think it’s easier to say where wouldn’t you like to live and that would mainly be because of security and I don’t have that feeling at all here in Portugal. And I have to say most of my friends who are foreigners and Portuguese say the same thing. They all feel safe in Portugal.
What are the things I'll be most happily surprised by when moving or retiring abroad?
John Gilbert - PanamaKeys
When you’re looking to move abroad, you need to correlate the amenities that the place you’re looking at has with the amenities that you’d like to see every day. For example, if you want it to rain like Seattle, then move to a place where that has rain similar to Seattle. If you want to experience a dry climate like Wyoming, then you would want to move to a place that has a dry climate like Wyoming. If you wanted a place like Kentucky that has four true seasons,...
When you’re looking to move abroad, you need to correlate the amenities that the place you’re looking at has with the amenities that you’d like to see every day. For example, if you want it to rain like Seattle, then move to a place where that has rain similar to Seattle. If you want to experience a dry climate like Wyoming, then you would want to move to a place that has a dry climate like Wyoming. If you wanted a place like Kentucky that has four true seasons, you’re going to want to move to a place that experiences four true seasons.
In Panama, we don’t have four true seasons- we have a rainy season and a dry season. That means we experience six months of relatively dry weather, and six months of relatively rainy weather, all of which exist in a temperature of your choosing based on the elevation, because we’re so near the equator here in Panama.
Where I live here in Panama, at 4,600 feet elevation, it’s 74-78 Fahrenheit nearly every day of the year. At night, it’s usually 55 Fahrenheit, although I’ve seen it at 46 Fahrenheit. It’s just perfect for burning a fire on the colder nights. Then you experience an eternal spring every day of your existence, which was attractive to me.
We were happily surprised by how nice the people are here in Panama. As an example, when you’re standing in lines in the United States like in Wal-Mart, people don’t talk to each other anymore. Here in Panama where I’ve got a young family of six children, people are always taking the time to talk to us and ask us where we’re from, and about our children.
We do have one child now who was born in Panama and hearing about it just lights Panamanians up that we’ve been here in the country long enough. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the engagement of the people. People are genuinely interested in you.
(The beautiful Gilbert Children, all six of them, enjoying the beach in Panama, pictured.)
How's the golf in the Panama City, Panama area of Casco Viejo?
Patrizia Pinzon - Arco Properties
If you lived in Casco Viejo and wanted to golf, you could go towards Gamboa, where there is the Summit Coast Panama, located about half an hour away from here by car. There is also a first rate golf course in Toucan, which is 25 minutes away from Casco Viejo by car.
You can also go to Pacific areas, in the Coronado area, where there are a number of golf courses between an hour and an hour and a half away.
(Sand golfing on beach at...
If you lived in Casco Viejo and wanted to golf, you could go towards Gamboa, where there is the Summit Coast Panama, located about half an hour away from here by car. There is also a first rate golf course in Toucan, which is 25 minutes away from Casco Viejo by car.
You can also go to Pacific areas, in the Coronado area, where there are a number of golf courses between an hour and an hour and a half away.
What happens when you mix two years of shamanic work, 12 peacocks, zero chickens, 42 animals on two acres, five cats, five dogs, two biological children, six adopted children, a 10 day fact finding tour, a move with 10 animals, two teenagers, one best friend from high school and four containers, 10 minutes to be in the jungle (12 without seeing a snake), and five House Hunter’s International, with one caring, remarkable woman? Read on, and find out, as Jet Metier...
In early 2014 my partner Vanessa and I sold almost everything we owned. Vanessa sold her house in the UK, and I sold my small island home in Panama. NOTE: You can read more about this in my previous "Best Places..." story.
Free at last
We were free. Free to go wherever we wanted, free to live life on our own terms.
Looking back on this decision we now see that it was the first step on a three step journey towards the global freedom we sought.
On September 7, the Panama men’s and women’s flag football national teams will be flying to Grosseto, Italy, for the International Federation of American Football Flag Football World Championship. Originally scheduled for August 13-15, in Jerusalem, the tournament had to be moved because of the violence in that region.
This event has been held every two years since 2002 and is the showpiece event for senior national teams competing in 5-on-5 flag...