Best Places In The World To Retire

There are different areas around Ajijic that you can go to for sightseeing and each one has a different touch. You can go to Chapala where you can walk around and see a lot of Mexican people in the communities so you would really see the flavor of Mexico in Chapala more than in Ajijic because you would see more expats in Ajijic. 

 

The best sightseeing for me is the Monte Coxala, which is a spa located in San Juan Coxala, which is a place known for its...

There are different areas around Ajijic that you can go to for sightseeing and each one has a different touch. You can go to Chapala where you can walk around and see a lot of Mexican people in the communities so you would really see the flavor of Mexico in Chapala more than in Ajijic because you would see more expats in Ajijic. 

 

The best sightseeing for me is the Monte Coxala, which is a spa located in San Juan Coxala, which is a place known for its thermal waters, even at the top of the mountains. Going from Ajijic to the west, you have San Juan Coxala where the thermal waters are located. Another one is Thermal Coxala. They have wonderful hot springs and you can have a good massage at the spa. They have different kinds of spa baths. One of which is where they put certain types of flowers in the tub and those flowers make your skin beautiful. Another is where they put oats in the hot tub and as you know, oats are really good for the skin. Some tubs have mineral water and some have wine. You have different detox treatments to choose from. It is a lot of fun and it is inexpensive. It costs around US $50 to go in the hot tub and another $50 for a massage. It is a very relaxing experience.

 

There are other places to visit in the Chapala area, such as Jocotepec, which has a beautiful park near the lake. Jocotepec is a city near the lake but it has a different atmosphere because not a lot of gringos live there. Only a few expats live there and these are the expats who like living in a Mexican atmosphere. Jocotepec has a nice market and a lot of businesses. It is the agricultural provider of the region. They supply to the ranches around the area. There are also a lot of berry farms in Jocotepec that you can go to.

 

You can also go to Mazamitla, which is a beautiful mountainside town located around 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Ajijic. Some of the roads to Mazamitla are still under construction but it is worth going to as they have really good sightseeing. They have nice vegetation and many places where you can go to eat lamb. People go to Mazamitla when it is very hot because the temperature there is cooler compared to Ajijic. There is a certain time of the year where you can see beautiful wildflowers in Mazamitla.

 

There is also some good sightseeing in the towns surrounding Chapala and Ajijic in places such as Tapalpa where a lot of people have their holiday homes.

 

(Thermal Waters in San Juan Cosala, Mexico, pictured.)

You definitely cannot get by just speaking English in Panama. People have this misconception that all people speak English in Panama City. That is absolute rubbish. It’s the other way around. You very rarely find people who speak English.

 

You need to know a really small amount of Spanish in order to get by, but the best way to do it is just to persevere and listen to other people. Unfortunately, Panamanian is not exactly the same as pure Spanish. We...

You definitely cannot get by just speaking English in Panama. People have this misconception that all people speak English in Panama City. That is absolute rubbish. It’s the other way around. You very rarely find people who speak English.

 

You need to know a really small amount of Spanish in order to get by, but the best way to do it is just to persevere and listen to other people. Unfortunately, Panamanian is not exactly the same as pure Spanish. We learned Spanish in Spain.

 

I’ll give you an example when I used to run a hotel in Panama City. One of the girls working there asked me in Spanish where the screwdriver was.

 

So I said it’s in the armario. Armario in Spain is "cupboard."

 

Over here in Panama, she said, “what’s that?”

 

So I said, “armario.”

 

So she goes over to it and says, “Oh, ‘closet.’”

 

Things like that. As another example, a tire for a car in Spanish in Spain is"neumático." Over here in Panama, it’s a "llanta." "Llanta" in Spain is a wheel hub.

I’ve lived in several locations that would be considered ideal retirement locations such as Florida and I have little doubt that the Algarve is the best, if not one of the best locations in the world. Here are some of the reasons:

I’ve lived in several locations that would be considered ideal retirement locations such as Florida and I have little doubt that the Algarve is the best, if not one of the best locations in the world. Here are some of the reasons:

Here are some of the not so good things:

(Beach on the Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)

The dress code in Nicaragua is very similar to how people dress in Miami, Florida, where I used to live. In Miami, people wear smart casual and it’s like that here in Nicaragua. It is very casual. If you are thinking of living in San Juan Del Sur, you can dress even more casually.

 

On a normal day in Managua, you can wear jeans with a t-shirt. If you want to be a little bit more formal, you can wear khakis and t-shirts or shorts or long sleeves for...

The dress code in Nicaragua is very similar to how people dress in Miami, Florida, where I used to live. In Miami, people wear smart casual and it’s like that here in Nicaragua. It is very casual. If you are thinking of living in San Juan Del Sur, you can dress even more casually.

 

On a normal day in Managua, you can wear jeans with a t-shirt. If you want to be a little bit more formal, you can wear khakis and t-shirts or shorts or long sleeves for men. Women wear black pants, jeans, and shorts.

 

If you are a woman and you want to be a little bit more formal, you can wear a dress. It depends on what you are looking for and where you are going. If you are invited to a wedding, or a birthday that is more elegant, then you dress like you would in the US. You can wear suits or long dresses. It is very similar to how North Americans dress.  It all depends on the occasion.

 

(Wedding in Nicaragua, pictured.)

For me, living in Belize is a lot of work, but that is what I do. Wherever I am, I spend a lot of time on the computer, working. I’m a little bit different than most people here. For most people, what attracts them and one of the reasons why they live in Belize is the freedom. It’s just so free. For a lot of people, that could be a good thing, but for some people it is a dangerous thing. Too much freedom and to think that there are no rules could be...

For me, living in Belize is a lot of work, but that is what I do. Wherever I am, I spend a lot of time on the computer, working. I’m a little bit different than most people here. For most people, what attracts them and one of the reasons why they live in Belize is the freedom. It’s just so free. For a lot of people, that could be a good thing, but for some people it is a dangerous thing. Too much freedom and to think that there are no rules could be intoxicating . There are traffic laws and speed limits, but not everybody abides by them. In the last couple of years, they now have police SUV with sirens, so they are out and about, but they never used to be.  

 

That is an example of life in general in Belize. There are rules and laws to abide by but people love their freedom. They go about their daily life without worrying about someone looking over their shoulder all the time. It is the freedom to be who you are when you are a young beautiful woman or an old man or a transgender. People here in Belize don’t judge transgenders. They see them and they are who they are. There is machismo in Belize, so I am sure there is some snickering, but then again, you are going to find that wherever you go. But in general, I just find that people in Belize just let you be who you are and they like that freedom. 

 

(Girl enjoys riding a horse in the wide open spaces of the Cayo District, Belize,pictured.)