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Recently Answered Questions

How much rain does Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico get? When is the Rainy Season and the Dry Season in Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico and what is it like?

Paul Clark - East Cape Homes

After the rains in East Cape, Baja California Sur, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The rainy season in the Los Cabos area, also known as the hurricane season, starts at the end of May and lasts until the end of October, with the normal rainfall at 4 to 6 inches for the entire season. When the hurricane hits, rainfall increases 10 to 20 inches depending on the strength of the storm. The highest point of the rainy season in the Los Cabos area is on the first week of September.

We have gone through a period of 4-5 years of drought in the Los Cabos area wherein...

In general, how does the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) affect me if I move overseas?

John Ohe - Hola Expat Tax Services

Seal of US Congress – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The United States has a highly stringent policy when it comes to the taxation of its citizens and permanent residents (i.e., those with a green card). The US government taxes all of its citizens based on worldwide income, which means it does not matter where the money is earned.

US persons (including entities) with an interest or signature authority over foreign financial accounts that have an aggregate balance exceeding $10,000 are required to file...

How do I start a business in Portugal?

Duncan MacGregor - Duncan MacGregor Accounting

Mário Centeno Minister of Finance, Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Starting a business in Portugal can be relatively simple because Portugal has an “On The Hour” facility whereby you can walk into a government department and basically set up a company in an hour.

Once you get the company running, that’s the only time the problem starts, because the bureaucracy comes in. It’s easy to start a business but it’s the rules after that which makes it a bit frustrating.

...

How's the adventure travel and activities in and around Granada, Nicaragua?

kevin obrien - BarefootPanama

There are lots of things that you can do in and around Granada. People often go hiking on the Masaya Volcano. People also go to Masaya at night and check out the bat caves. You can also go to Volcan Mombacho, which has a forest at the top where you will find glass-winged butterflies. Another nice adventure trip would be to the Isletas de Granada. When Mombacho blew up a million years ago, it spread out these little islands on the lake. There is kayaking and boat trips around those...

Is there religious freedom and religious tolerance in Panama?

Antonio Cheng - Romero Realty

Here in Panama, we have Catholics, C religious freedom Panama Muslim Mosque Chitre Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

religious freedom Panama Muslim Mosque Chitre Panama – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

hinese Catholics, and Hebrew Catholics. We also have Jewish synagogues, Muslim mosques, and Buddhist temples.

We all get along together well. Everyone can practice his or her own religion openly and publicly here in Panama without any problem at all.

Can I buy furniture in Ambergris Caye?

Kate Corrigan - Caye International Bank

Brodies supermarket, Belize City, appliances, deli, department store – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

We have some lovely furniture stores here in Ambergris Caye. One of the most popular stores here is Hummingbird, which makes some wonderful and beautiful furniture. Hummingbird has some retail stores, so you can just walk in and choose from the beautiful furniture they have on display. They make beautiful sofa beds, tables, and chairs. They make a lot of outdoor furniture, but they also make some soft furnishings. They are a more expensive brand, but that is what people here in Ambergris Caye are looking for. In the developments, if homeowners are not having a container load brought in, they would have Hummingbird make their furniture for them. If you are looking for soft furnishings, sofa beds, or pull-out beds, Hummingbird is the best place to go.

We also have some local furniture makers like Graniel’s, which is a family that has been making woodwork furniture here in Ambergris Caye for many years. I actually just had some new desks delivered here from them. They are beautifully made. We have about three or four furniture makers who take bulk orders, but they can tailor-make them for you. Some of my friends had just purchased a condo unit and they told me that they wanted some furniture made for them, so I told them that I’ll take them to Mr. Graniel and he will make the furniture just for them, and they did. They have some lovely designs at Graniel’s. If you need some desks or some cabinets made, you can have them tailor-made for you by Graniel’s. They come over and fit them, and make them especially for you. They are very busy because most people go to Graniel’s to have their furniture made for them. One of the desks that we had made by Graniel’s was made of the local wood here in Belize and it cost us about $1,000 Belize or US $500, but every job is different. They will give you a quote depending on the type of wood that you would like the furniture to be made out of.

It is also possible to have your furniture imported from the US or France, for example. It would be expensive, but most of the people who do that, take advantage of the QRP program, which allows qualified residents to ship in a container full of their goods to Belize tax-free. You still have to pay for the shipping cost, but there are shipping companies that will work with you on that. The persons who are facilitating your QRP status for you will also be able to give you an idea of a couple of companies to use. Height Shipping is one of them, but there is also a barge that comes over from the mainland.

There are also several stores in Belize City. Mirab has a furniture store where you can go and just buy furniture. They have chairs and everything that you would normally want. They import their furniture. We also have Courts and you can buy furniture there, too. I know Grand Baymen, which is a company that we work with here in Ambergris Caye, has a development that we offer financing on, and when they first occupied the building, they had container-loads of things that were all bought from the States. But now they go around and buy everything from the local distributors like Mirab or from the hardware stores for their water heaters or other big things like that. They order them through local companies.

The local companies would have a better relationship with the shipping companies than you would as an individual, and they just bring the goods in with their next container.

White plastic folding chair – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

You have to make sure that when you are planning and building your home, that you always allow for delays such as rain and customs, because nothing comes quickly here in Belize.

We are still in a Third World Country, but I would like to call it a Two and a half World Country, where it is a bit of manana mentality in some areas. It just happens, and you just have to be okay with it because being upset does not make things work any quicker. You just have to sit back, have a pina colada, and say, “Oh well, I am still sitting on my plastic chairs today, but my new furniture might be here tomorrow.”

And if it does not arrive tomorrow, go ahead and sit on someone else’s sofa and have lunch at their house!

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Ben White of the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic Reveals How LCS Has been Successfully Serving Expats and Locals Alike for 61 Years, and Their Exciting Plans for the Future

Chuck Bolotin: It’s mid-February 2017 and we have the privilege of chatting with Ben White, President of the Board of Ben White at Lake Chapala Society LCS and Chuck Bolotin

Ben White at Lake Chapala Society LCS and Chuck Bolotin

Directors of Lake Chapala Society (LCS), in Ajijic, Mexico, right here on their beautiful grounds. One of the reasons why we’re so honored to talk with Ben is that in all our travels on our road trip throughout Mexico and from what we know after reviewing thousands of answers on our site from expats about living in Panama, Nicaragua, Belize, and Portugal,...

Saturday market, Segundo Parque Laureles, Colombia – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

A disclaimer: I’m a capital G Gringo. I’ve been practicing my English skills for many years, and I’m proud to say that I have my native language down pretty well. In other words, I ain’t no expert in español, so keep that in mind.

However, or sin embargo as they say, I am learning Spanish paso a paso, (step by step) here in Medellin, and it’s very gratifying to be able to speak with folks in their native tongue. I see questions on various websites, Best Places to...

Bocas Del Toro, Panama, The Redneck Riviera

Bocas Del Toro is located in the Republic of Bocas del Toro Palm Trees At Sunset from the Balcony – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Bocas del Toro Palm Trees At Sunset from the Balcony – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Panama on the Caribbean side of the country. The coastal views are of lush tropical trees, shrubs, flowers and beaches. Many islands dot the ocean in this beautiful mystical blue water paradise.

You can get to Bocas del Toro by plane from Panama City or from Costa Rica's airport at San Jose. Buses have regular scheduled trips, and there are many car rental locations in the country of Panama: Thrifty Car...

Best Places In The World To Retire

Recently Answered Questions

How much rain does Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico get? When is the Rainy Season and the Dry Season in Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico and what is it like?

In general, how does the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) affect me if I move overseas?

How do I start a business in Portugal?

How's the adventure travel and activities in and around Granada, Nicaragua?

Is there religious freedom and religious tolerance in Panama?

Can I buy furniture in Ambergris Caye?

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Ben White of the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic Reveals How LCS Has been Successfully Serving Expats and Locals Alike for 61 Years, and Their Exciting Plans for the Future

How to talk Spanish good... and why. (Como hablar espanol bueno... y por que)

Bocas Del Toro, Panama, The Redneck Riviera

Best Places In The World To Retire