How much rain does Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico get? When is the Rainy Season and the Dry Season in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico and what is it like?
Chuck Bolotin - Best Mexico Movers
Most people will tell you that “High Season” in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area is from October or November through about April, with “Low Season” encompassing the “Rainy Season”, which usually runs from about June to about late September.
On account of this and without knowing anything more, before I moved here, I believed that the Rainy Season would be something that I would want to avoid. It turns out, at least for me, that the Rainy...
Most people will tell you that “High Season” in the Lake Chapala / Ajijic area is from October or November through about April, with “Low Season” encompassing the “Rainy Season”, which usually runs from about June to about late September.
On account of this and without knowing anything more, before I moved here, I believed that the Rainy Season would be something that I would want to avoid. It turns out, at least for me, that the Rainy Season is the best time of the year for two reasons: 1) Low Season has fewer people (I believe more because of the relatively better weather “back home, which causes the Snowbirds to leave; and, 2) everything is so green and fresh.
My misunderstanding of the Rainy Season was that it would rain all day, for days on end. This is completely not true. The average monthly rainfall in the wettest month (July) is about 10 inches (about a third of an inch a day) and almost all of it falls at night. Very, very, very rarely does it rain all day or in any way does the rain significantly alter any of your plans or ability to do what you would like. If there is rain during the day, usually it is of very short duration, and then it is dry again. Total rainfall for the year is less than 35 inches. (For comparison, the average yearly rainfall in San Francisco is 24 inches and New York City is 45 inches.)
During the Rainy Season it is not at all unusual to see waterfalls from the main road and little creeks everywhere. It’s quite beautiful.
In the year (the Dry Season), it will very rarely rain, even an inch.
The currency being used by Portugal is the euro. If you have dollars and you are coming for a vacation from the US into Portugal, or if you have pounds from the UK or Swedish krona from Sweden, you could buy euros at your local bank. It is also possible to buy traveler’s checks although I don’t see a lot of people using traveler’s checks these days any more, but they come with a guarantee and protection, so a traveler’s check is a more suitable choice...
The currency being used by Portugal is the euro. If you have dollars and you are coming for a vacation from the US into Portugal, or if you have pounds from the UK or Swedish krona from Sweden, you could buy euros at your local bank. It is also possible to buy traveler’s checks although I don’t see a lot of people using traveler’s checks these days any more, but they come with a guarantee and protection, so a traveler’s check is a more suitable choice especially for the older generation.
You can also simply use your ATM or cash withdrawal cards in most local ATMs in Europe. Your bank will charge you for doing so. You could withdraw euros at the local ATMs in Portugal and then you will get a bill in the US in dollars with the rates stipulated by the banks.
If you are coming to Portugal for a longer period then we recommend that you use a currency broker because currency brokers can transact millions of dollars, pounds, or whatever currency per day. They would be able to get you a better rate and allow you to get “more euro for your buck”.
(Money clip of Portuguese coin before the euro, pictured.)
What its like to move to Nicaragua depends a lot on how much you want to take with you. When I moved here with my daughter, we had our two suitcases, hand luggage and my laptop bag. That was it.
After we had decided that we'd stay in Nicaragua, we sent a few boxes over here from Germany via a postal service. One package the size of your average moving box cost us about 90 Euros (about $100). It took about 4 to 5 weeks for the boxes to arrive, but they did...
What its like to move to Nicaragua depends a lot on how much you want to take with you. When I moved here with my daughter, we had our two suitcases, hand luggage and my laptop bag. That was it.
After we had decided that we'd stay in Nicaragua, we sent a few boxes over here from Germany via a postal service. One package the size of your average moving box cost us about 90 Euros (about $100). It took about 4 to 5 weeks for the boxes to arrive, but they did arrive safely, and I had no problems with customs whatsoever. I would get a little card to notify me that I could pick up the box at the nearest post office.
If you of course decide to move your complete household to Nicaragua, it's a completely different story. ;-)
(Rex Stout's fictional detective, Nero Wolfe on Nicaraguan stamp, pictured.)
What do I need to know about international pet shipping, international pet travel, and international pet transport?
Alan Stone - Pedasi Palms | Gated Condominium Community
What do you need to know about international pet travel to Panama? From personal experience traveling with our dog from the states to Pedasi, Panama was a bit stressful doing it by ourselves but it can be done.
It's all about timing and making sure you are in contact with the Panamanian consulate and the Ministry of Health in Panama.
Below is a list of what you will need to travel with Pets to Panama. You can obtain...
What do you need to know about international pet travel to Panama? From personal experience traveling with our dog from the states to Pedasi, Panama was a bit stressful doing it by ourselves but it can be done.
It's all about timing and making sure you are in contact with the Panamanian consulate and the Ministry of Health in Panama.
Below is a list of what you will need to travel with Pets to Panama. You can obtain information by visiting the Embassy of Panama online. Click on Services then click on Consular services and then scroll down and click on Traveling with Pets.
1. Fill out the form Quarantine for Domestic Animals (Home quarantine costs approx $130) 2. USDA Sanitary Certificate, signed and sealed by USDA Vet and signed by the pet's vet 3. Vaccinations Certificate for Rabies. 4. Fee: $30.00 (money order or certified check). 5. Self-addressed prepaid envelope for return of documents.
All of the above needs to be done within a 10 day period. So be sure and use Fed-ex when sending documents. Also be sure and check with your airline for further guidelines for your pet.
NOTE: Fax the completed Quarantine for Domestic Animals form to (507) 212-9449 or (507) 238-4059 or email it to the Ministry of Health in Panama. This form must be sent to the Ministry of Health authorities 3 days prior to your arrival in Panama. I highly recommend taking a copy of your reply from them because they said they never received mine and I sent it twice. They almost refused me and my dog because of this.
With fees, vet bills and Fed-ex charges It cost several hundred dollars to do this but worth every penny :)
How's the adventure travel and activities in and around the Panama City, Panama area of Marbella?
Nelson Vega
If you want to go for some adventure travel around Marbella, you can go to Parque Metropolitano (around 5 to 10 minutes away from Marbella by car), which is a big nature reserve on the north part of Panama City. They have a visitors' center. They also have trails where you can walk and see nature and the animals in that area.
If you go further north from Parque Metropolitano (pictured), there is another park called Parque Soberania (around 20 minutes...
If you want to go for some adventure travel around Marbella, you can go to Parque Metropolitano (around 5 to 10 minutes away from Marbella by car), which is a big nature reserve on the north part of Panama City. They have a visitors' center. They also have trails where you can walk and see nature and the animals in that area.
If you go further north from Parque Metropolitano (pictured), there is another park called Parque Soberania (around 20 minutes away from Marbella by car) that has a bird watching tower.
Yes, Placencia is a pretty safe place. Belize, in general, is a pretty safe country. Placencia is not over-populated, which adds to its safety. Also adding to its safety is that Placencia is a peninsula, with basically just one road in and out.
The majority of Belizeans who work in Placencia work in the service-based industries, such as airline service, construction, real estate, and tourism services. The dependence on these types of businesses provides...
Yes, Placencia is a pretty safe place. Belize, in general, is a pretty safe country. Placencia is not over-populated, which adds to its safety. Also adding to its safety is that Placencia is a peninsula, with basically just one road in and out.
The majority of Belizeans who work in Placencia work in the service-based industries, such as airline service, construction, real estate, and tourism services. The dependence on these types of businesses provides incentives for everyone to provide a safe area for all people who come to Placencia because the safer Placencia is, the more business comes to Placencia.
In general, I’ve always felt safe in Placencia, but like any other place, there are some areas that you wouldn’t want to go to late at night and as with anywhere there are certain types of activities and people to avoid.
In general be conscious of your surroundings and actions and you should not have any problems.
Calling yourself an ex-patriot does not necessarily mean you renounce or reject your home country. An expatriate is any person living in a different country from where they were born as a citizen. Recently, the term "expat" is often used in the context of professionals working abroad such as oil workers or missionaries.
What About Obamacare and the Expat?
In the new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax code, expats are...
My name is Giselle and I have been a runaway for 12 years.
Well...at least according to some of my stateside friends.
It all started innocently enough (as most adventures are want to do): My husband and I had begun to contemplate our retirement options. We were living in Florida at the time. He was a doctor and I was a Real Estate Agent. We talked up a storm about places we would like to see and destinations that would be good fun to wake up in. Of...
As we arrived early to our appointed visit at the third floor dermatologist office we encountered a lone, smiling face and asked him if the receptionist had already arrived.
"No, she doesn't get here until 9:30" he tells us.
We thanked him and then he asked if we were from the USA. Of course he was too!
This is so typical of Panama. You say something to each other and a person overhears the English or the...