Food is central to Mexican community and culture, and due to the low incomes of most Mexicans, cheaply purchased. In the Xalapa region, the capital of the state of Veracruz, produce is very cheap. The state of Veracruz is very fertile, and produces copious amounts of fruits and vegetables. As such, these are cheaper here than in most other regions of the country. There are supermarkets, but the savvy shopper can buy the same items in the municipal markets much...
Food is central to Mexican community and culture, and due to the low incomes of most Mexicans, cheaply purchased. In the Xalapa region, the capital of the state of Veracruz, produce is very cheap. The state of Veracruz is very fertile, and produces copious amounts of fruits and vegetables. As such, these are cheaper here than in most other regions of the country. There are supermarkets, but the savvy shopper can buy the same items in the municipal markets much cheaper, and often, of better quality.
We just had our ISA (International Surfing Association) world championships as the first really big international contest here in Nicaragua in Popoyo, north of San Juan del Sur. During the event they came out with some statistics that showed that the biggest part of the gross domestic product right now in Nicaragua is tourism, which has displaced coffee, sugar, and all those kinds of things. The biggest center of tourism is surf tourism.
In a sense...
We just had our ISA (International Surfing Association) world championships as the first really big international contest here in Nicaragua in Popoyo, north of San Juan del Sur. During the event they came out with some statistics that showed that the biggest part of the gross domestic product right now in Nicaragua is tourism, which has displaced coffee, sugar, and all those kinds of things. The biggest center of tourism is surf tourism.
In a sense it’s almost like surfing is this a godsend in this Third World country that had very limited resources. Tourism is such a special thing for our country because the money trickles down through the whole economy and through all the people whereas for a plantation or something like that it doesn’t have that same trickledown effect. Here a local person can start a little restaurant or open up a couple of rooms and have people come through and stay with them and have a real inter-personal relationship between the locals through tourism. It’s a real special thing and something we’re really proud of now.
We’re proud to have been on the forefront of bringing this type of tourism to Nicaragua and helping to put this place on the map. In a sense, surfing is bringing more money to the country than basically anything else. So it’s pretty radical to think about that, in the beginning, we were just a bunch of guys going through the jungle, trying to find waves, and that has changed Nicaragua for the better. Now, suddenly, surfing is something the whole country can be proud of
Nicaragua has embraced surfing and now there’s a Nicaragua National Surf Team that just sent juniors to California to compete in the ISA junior championships. And then it just was announced that there’s a really good chance that surfing will be in the Olympics in 2020 so in 5 years we could be sending an Olympic team representing Nicaragua. In 1999 when I first came here, there might have been 5 surfers in the whole country and now there’s hundreds of thousands of local kids who have taken up surfing and that’s their life now. So it’s pretty neat.
(Surfing Magazine featuring a surfing safari in Nicaragua from Managua to Popoyo, pictured.)
What are the construction standards in Volcan and Cerro Punta, Chiriqui Province, Panama?
Tehany De La Guardia - Tehany Realty
The construction standards in Volcan and Cerro Punta are not very good. There are a lot of builders that they call themselves "builders" but they are not good at all. Just a few I will say are very good. The issue is that they don't care about the details when doing the finish work.
The work done by the plumbers and electricians in the area is generally not good, either. I would recommend just one electrician and one plumber.
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The construction standards in Volcan and Cerro Punta are not very good. There are a lot of builders that they call themselves "builders" but they are not good at all. Just a few I will say are very good. The issue is that they don't care about the details when doing the finish work.
The work done by the plumbers and electricians in the area is generally not good, either. I would recommend just one electrician and one plumber.
I would recommend that you hire an architect or an engineer to supervise the construction and be responsible for the entire job. If you decide to build, this is the best way to "play it safe" and avoid stress.
Are there rivers, lakes and waterfalls in or around Corozal?
Jennifer Bellerjeau - Cerros Beach Resort
In Corozal, we have the bay, itself, and then there is the New River, which goes from the bay all the way to Guatemala. You can go kayaking in the river and then go to the other Mayan Ruins like Lamanai, where you can see crocodiles, birds, and monkeys on the riverbanks.
There are no lakes in Corozal. However, the bay itself gives you the atmosphere of being on a lakeside because it is enclosed and very shallow. The bay is surrounded by land in the...
In Corozal, we have the bay, itself, and then there is the New River, which goes from the bay all the way to Guatemala. You can go kayaking in the river and then go to the other Mayan Ruins like Lamanai, where you can see crocodiles, birds, and monkeys on the riverbanks.
There are no lakes in Corozal. However, the bay itself gives you the atmosphere of being on a lakeside because it is enclosed and very shallow. The bay is surrounded by land in the shape of a horseshoe so there is land on both sides and makes it looks like a lake, though it is part of the ocean.
There are no waterfalls in the northern part of Belize because we are located at sea level so the area is flat. You can find waterfalls in the southern part of Belize, in the Cayo District, which has a mountain range.
(Corozal Bay at Cerros Beach Resort, Corozal, Belize, pictured.)
The construction standards in Portugal are not on par as the standards in Scandinavian countries. The main concern here in Portugal is to build houses that will withstand an earthquake, so from that point of view, the basic structure is world class. The finishing and the insulation is where they fall short of the world class standard. They could not be compared to the Dutch standards, for example. Basically, Portuguese houses are cold in winter and hot in summer!
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The construction standards in Portugal are not on par as the standards in Scandinavian countries. The main concern here in Portugal is to build houses that will withstand an earthquake, so from that point of view, the basic structure is world class. The finishing and the insulation is where they fall short of the world class standard. They could not be compared to the Dutch standards, for example. Basically, Portuguese houses are cold in winter and hot in summer!
Some builders or contractors who have permits but do not have work, “rent” those permits up to other builders or contractors who don’t have permits. In a situation like that you have “cowboys” free to operate in the market. Fortunately, because of the severe recession in the building industry since 2007, most of these guys have run out of business.
In the US, you can rest assured that the home that you are buying met certain minimum standards because the contractors have to pull permits and the building gets inspected. That is not the case in Portugal. You don’t have to pull permits for electrical or any sort of requirement here in Portugal in order to build something. If you sell or rent a property, you have to get an Energy Certification, which is done by an engineer but it doesn’t really tell you much about the quality of the electrical installation of the building or the house.
It’s the local government that issues construction licenses and building permits, as opposed to the central government. Most of these guys are as corrupt as they come. You could find a builder who pays someone at the local municipality not to come around. If you are having an argument with your neighbor, you could probably go to the municipality and say, “Hey, look, these guys are putting this swimming pool in. Is this on the building permit?” It’s sort of like the “wild west.”
(Traditional houses in Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)
Do I lower my US income tax liabilities if I retire or work abroad?
David McKeegan
Whether or not you lower your US income tax liabilities if you retire or work abroad really depends on your personal situation and where you choose to retire.
If you are paying taxes locally you can use the Foreign Tax Credit to get a dollar for dollar tax credit on your US taxes. If you are in a zero tax country you can use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion to exclude the first US $100,800 (tax year 2015) of your income from US taxes. This can...
Whether or not you lower your US income tax liabilities if you retire or work abroad really depends on your personal situation and where you choose to retire.
If you are paying taxes locally you can use the Foreign Tax Credit to get a dollar for dollar tax credit on your US taxes. If you are in a zero tax country you can use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion to exclude the first US $100,800 (tax year 2015) of your income from US taxes. This can really help lower your tax liability.
(Resort near Santa Maria Beach, Nicaragua,pictured.)
This website is specially designed for people seeking to move to a different country, mostly for retirement, or for new adventures.
In that spirit, I would like to share beautiful memories of when I first visited Nicaragua, in my teens....and I´m a senior now.
I was probably 13, and very enthusiastic about the idea of visiting my family, and making new friends in Nicaragua. I became enchanted with the country of Nicaragua...
Another sunny and breezy day. It´s late in the day and I´m just now ready for lunch, waiting for my grilled tuna sandwich with a tall glass of fresh squeezed pineapple juice! After all, this is the famous “Tuna Coast” of Pacific Panama.
I certainly hope those reading this information about living in Panama can arrange a trip down soon. And see for themselves the beauty of the Azuero Peninsula, the tranquility of the town of Pedasi and the...
This province is situated on the border with Colombia, and the center is La Palma. Weather is around 70° to 87°. It´s also known as “Tapón del Darién”, because of its extensive and prime mountainous rainforest and jungle. Its geography, with lots of high volume rivers like the “Chucunaque” and “Tuira”, heavy jungle, national park and waterfalls, do not permit the...