How much does it cost for a gardener in San Miguel de Allende?
Judy Newell - Perfect Journeys
I pay our gardener 300 pesos (about US $17) a day, which is the standard daily gardener rate for San Miguel de Allende. He comes once a week and works from 8 AM to 4 PM nonstop. He's very good at maintaining (not manicuring) our yard of 13-1/2 acres with that amount of time using both his and my tools.
In San Miguel de Allende, you pay more if workers come on a per day basis than you pay them if they work full time for a week.
...
I pay our gardener 300 pesos (about US $17) a day, which is the standard daily gardener rate for San Miguel de Allende. He comes once a week and works from 8 AM to 4 PM nonstop. He's very good at maintaining (not manicuring) our yard of 13-1/2 acres with that amount of time using both his and my tools.
In San Miguel de Allende, you pay more if workers come on a per day basis than you pay them if they work full time for a week.
(Garden in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico,pictured.)
The economy of the Algarve is mainly focused on tourism, which is the main economic driver here. There is a little bit of agriculture in particular with the production of local fruits such as oranges, carobs, almonds, etc. There is some fishing, including offshore aquaculture or what we call “long line fishing,” cultivation of oysters, mussels, etc. There is also some tuna aquaculture in the Rio de Tavira. There is no manufacturing industry here but there is a little bit...
The economy of the Algarve is mainly focused on tourism, which is the main economic driver here. There is a little bit of agriculture in particular with the production of local fruits such as oranges, carobs, almonds, etc. There is some fishing, including offshore aquaculture or what we call “long line fishing,” cultivation of oysters, mussels, etc. There is also some tuna aquaculture in the Rio de Tavira. There is no manufacturing industry here but there is a little bit of the service industry.
Then of course, there is the public sector. There are a lot of public sector employees who work in the municipalities, tax department, and public services in general. Generally, tourism and the public sector and a little of agriculture are the economic drivers of the Algarve.
The economy right now is better than it had been 9 years ago. Tourism has been growing year after year. Tourism here includes the activities related to expats and anything else that involves people visiting the region or ultimately moving here, typically not full time initially but part time until they understand whether this is the place for them or not, and then becoming permanent residents. That transition phase is something that is included in the tourism numbers.
In the World Travel Market in London, the Algarve is again the Most Requested Region in the World. Tour operators in the UK are moving a lot of the traffic from North Africa and the Middle East to southern European places like the Algarve, which has been particularly popular. From the tourism, sector, the Algarve is doing very well and this has been boosted by the new legislation called the Non-Habitual Residency, which means that people can come and live and even retire in Portugal tax free. This has increased the demand for the country of Portugal and specifically for the Algarve.
(Olive you, Portugal. I love you, Portugal graphic by Jet Metier, pictured.)
Carlos Roman Gutierrez Solis - Casa Granada Properties
The real estate scene in Nicaragua is moving, and it is not attached to a lot of easy to get, risky mortgages like in the US. People here are very conscious when they get a loan. They make sure that they can pay the loan, so they have all the collateral and income to back it up. The local banks are very picky in giving out loans. They are very critical. So when you apply and you are approved by the bank, it means that you definitely have the money, a good income to pay the loan...
The real estate scene in Nicaragua is moving, and it is not attached to a lot of easy to get, risky mortgages like in the US. People here are very conscious when they get a loan. They make sure that they can pay the loan, so they have all the collateral and income to back it up. The local banks are very picky in giving out loans. They are very critical. So when you apply and you are approved by the bank, it means that you definitely have the money, a good income to pay the loan back, or you have money in the States and you are sending money to pay. This policy has kept the market healthy.
Even as a foreigner you can still get a home loan in Nicaragua, but there are more requirements for an expat who doesn’t live here that do not exist for a Nicaraguan citizen. We have about five private banks that have different types of lending policies for expats. The main thing they consider is your income tax report from the bank, so they can check how you make money and what you do for a living. They bank requires more information from foreigners before they give out loans.
To put it simply, yes, you can get a home loan in Nicaragua, but you will be required to submit a lot of documentation compared to a Nicaraguan citizen. You can negotiate just like anybody else but to do that, it is best to go through a lawyer who can give you a technical and legal explanation on how you can get a loan in Nicaragua.
What I do for my clients is I take them to the bank and the bank tells them what they feel they can approve for them as a loan. But I can’t say that the same will be true for everybody else, because the banks can change the rules anytime.
Coronado, Panama is a great place to ride bicycles, because it’s very flat. However, I don’t see lots of people riding their bikes during the day. Most of the bike riding is done in the morning and later in the day, when it’s less hot. If you’re an early morning riser and like to ride your bike, Coronado is a beautiful place to do it. The sunset / evening time is also a great time to ride your bike in Coronado.
I would...
Coronado, Panama is a great place to ride bicycles, because it’s very flat. However, I don’t see lots of people riding their bikes during the day. Most of the bike riding is done in the morning and later in the day, when it’s less hot. If you’re an early morning riser and like to ride your bike, Coronado is a beautiful place to do it. The sunset / evening time is also a great time to ride your bike in Coronado.
I would recommend that you don’t have the thin street bike tires, and instead have more of the thicker mountain bike tires. The reason is that many of the roads in Coronado are not fully paved.
Coronado is fairly big, so you easily have enough roads and trails to ride within the gates for more than an hour. If you rode from one side of Coronado to the other straight along the oceanfront road (some of which is paved and some of which is not), it would take you about half an hour. You can also zigzag and ride further away from the ocean, and you’ve got lots of properties to ride by, so you could ride for hours, if you wanted to.
Riding your bike in Coronado Panama is very safe inside the gates. I, personally, would not recommend riding outside the gates, because it’s mostly a highway. There are, however, plenty of people who do.
What are the things I'll be most happily surprised by when moving or retiring abroad?
David McKeegan
When moving or retiring abroad, every day is an adventure!
We have been abroad since 2002 and have lived in a number of different countries and I think by far our favorite part is the exploring! Finding the best coffee shop or the best restaurant, what new and exciting things are in the grocery store, etc. The “everyday” isn’t the same everywhere and that makes living abroad really interesting.
(Coffee at...
When moving or retiring abroad, every day is an adventure!
We have been abroad since 2002 and have lived in a number of different countries and I think by far our favorite part is the exploring! Finding the best coffee shop or the best restaurant, what new and exciting things are in the grocery store, etc. The “everyday” isn’t the same everywhere and that makes living abroad really interesting.
(Coffee at Artesanos Cafe and Bar in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, pictured.)
I believe that Belize is safe for people who come with common sense. Lock your doors, know your neighbors, and live in areas where you know the community and you have actually taken the time to get to know the people.
Many people, I understand, when they come to Belize, think that it is just like coming to North America where you have a security system, but it is different here in Belize. Your security system here is basically your neighbors keeping an eye...
I believe that Belize is safe for people who come with common sense. Lock your doors, know your neighbors, and live in areas where you know the community and you have actually taken the time to get to know the people.
Many people, I understand, when they come to Belize, think that it is just like coming to North America where you have a security system, but it is different here in Belize. Your security system here is basically your neighbors keeping an eye out for you. Security is yourself making sure that you pay people in a form of check and not cash, and becoming part of a community in a way that you talk to people; where you aren’t always seen as a foreigner. Those are viable things to consider ahead of time.
Because a lot of the highways here in Belize do not necessarily have lighting on them, we take that into consideration, so if we are going to be traveling, we try not to be on the roads at night. We do this is not necessarily because of crimes, but rather it is just about being safe all around. Wherever you are going to be, you try your best to be there before it is too dark.
I came from St. Petersburg, Florida and whenever I am there and you turn on the news, it is frightening to see and hear all of these things that are happening every single day. When you are in Belize and something happens, the difference is that since Belize is a small country, you end up knowing the families and people involved, so people come together and gather, whereas when you see crimes in the news, it is almost as though it is an inundation of just negativity and crime and things that are happening. It is just a whole different culture. You feel most distanced from it in the US, and yet you are inundated with crime. Also, in Belize, you are more part of the community, so when something happens, people gather and get together, so it is very different.
I feel very safe in the Cayo District. (Downtown San Ignacio, Cayo District pictured.) I walk the streets at night with friends; we go to restaurants downtown, we go out to places where people have resorts, and we go to our friends’ homes, since there are lots of people who live in beautiful places in the jungle. I do feel safe here.
When I moved here twelve years ago as a single woman with two teenagers and ten animals, of course, my first concern was how safe it was. I was really pleased to realize that the advice that people give me was actually very good – become part of the community, don’t stand out like a foreigner, become one of the community. That was great advice because I didn’t move to Belize to not become part of Belize.
Within the creation of any great work of art, you can usually see certain elements of that great work in several previous works, but none of those previous works have all the elements at one time. It is the same with great beaches. You probably have your own list of the elements that make up a great beach. Here’s the list for my wife, Jet Metier:
Warm weather.
A cove or a bay, perhaps with a view of an island.
Many, many years ago, back when they still printed Newsweek and we managed to live without iPhones, I was leading a quiet existence in Geneva, minding my own business, when my friend Dr. César Pereira Burgos introduced me to Rita, a bright young diplomat and my future Panamanian wife. César, a prominent lawyer and politician, went on to become my compadre (my son's godfather) and Panama's Supreme Court president. Love at first sight; we married a few months later. The timing was a...
The Metro de Panama, the first subway system in Central America, started operating on April 5. Line 1 operates from Albrook to Los Andes, with 19 trains that make stops at 12 stations. It takes only 23 minutes to travel the length of the line. Seven stations are underground and five are elevated.
Each train consists of three cars, with air conditioning, video surveillance, passenger information systems, and wheel chair accessibility. The trains also have fire safety systems...
.jpg)
I pay our gardener 300 pesos (about US $17) a day, which is the standard daily gardener rate for San Miguel de Allende. He comes once a week and works from 8 AM to 4 PM nonstop. He's very good at maintaining (not manicuring) our yard of 13-1/2 acres with that amount of time using both his and my tools. 
The economy of the Algarve is mainly focused on tourism, which is the main economic driver here. There is a little bit of agriculture in particular with the production of local fruits such as oranges, carobs, almonds, etc. There is some fishing, including offshore aquaculture or what we call “long line fishing,” cultivation of oysters, mussels, etc. There is also some tuna aquaculture in the Rio de Tavira. There is no manufacturing industry here but there is a little bit...
When moving or retiring abroad, every day is an adventure! 
I believe that Belize is safe for people who come with common sense. Lock your doors, know your neighbors, and live in areas where you know the community and you have actually taken the time to get to know the people. 
Within the creation of any great work of art, you can usually see certain elements of that great work in several previous works, but none of those previous works have all the elements at one time. It is the same with great beaches. You probably have your own list of the elements that make up a great beach. Here’s the list for my wife, Jet Metier: 