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Recently Answered Questions

Are there natural disasters like flooding, earthquakes, fire or hurricanes in Yucatan: Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, etc?

Doug Willey - Doug Willey, Independent Real Estate Consultant

Cancun, Yucatan, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Hurricanes are not a problem here in the state of Yucatan. (The Yucatan Peninsula has three states: Campeche, Yucatan, and Quintana Roo. Yucatan has Merida, a city of over 1 million, and beach areas that are on the Gulf of Mexico. Quintana Roo has the famous Riviera Maya with the well known tourist and expat locations of Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, all of which face the Caribbean.)

The hurricane problem is in Quintana...

The hurricane problem is in Quintana Roo, where you are on the Caribbean. That is what they call the Hurricane Alley. Hurricanes come from Africa and move right on through. It follows up the Caribbean and up to Florida, where they do get a lot of hurricanes.

Here in the state of Yucatan, our biggest problem is what they call the Nortes, which are winds at 25 to 30 miles per hour. During a Norte, the wind picks up, the waves are a little more intense, and the tide rises. It’s not a major deal. It doesn’t blow houses down or windows out. It is not recommended to go out on a 20-foot boat if there is a Norte out there. It’s not going to be any fun. But a lot of times, when there is a Norte, I sit on my porch, drink a beer, ad watch it.

There is no flooding here in the state of Yucatan, either. The only time that I remember Chelem got flooded was during hurricane Gilbert, in 1989. In Quintana Roo, however, some of the homes that are very low or the property was not build up at all get flooded when it rains for a complete day and night. I have seen some of these homes get flooded to their living rooms because they were built so low down to the ground. But that is fairly rare.

I have never heard of earthquakes here in the Yucatan Peninsula. It is Mexico City that has a lot of earthquakes.

Fire is not a problem here in Yucatan either because every building is built out of cement and cement blocks. I’ve never heard of any brush fires like the ones that happen in California, either.

(Cancun, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)

How are Americans, British and Canadians in Algarve treated? How are expats in Algarve treated generally?

Luis Teixeira da Silva - Algarve Senior Living

The George Pub celebrates fallen British solideris with poppies in Lisboa, Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Americans and other expats in the Algarve are treated like kings.

From the economic perspective from the time of the discovery of the New World, Portugal has always been outward facing nation. This is reflected in the way that it receives foreign people. Most people who come to or go to Portugal immediately say that they are made to feel so very welcome.

As far as how Americans in particular in the Algarve are treated,...

Americans and other expats in the Algarve are treated like kings.

As far as how Americans in particular in the Algarve are treated, it’s tough to tell because there are not that many residing here full-time. Generally, Americans are very interesting folk in that sense that Americans are very inquisitive. They love to understand the historical background of the region and they’re very interested in the details. So they pay attention and show interest in a lot of the traditional aspects of the country; the tiles, the road, the balconies, what happened to the river course and what it was used for in the past, whether a castle was inhabited or not—all these kinds of small details typically interest Americans. This attitude helps aid the integration because local people in particular like to talk about their little place in the world. So when they see someone with mutual interest, of course, they like to talk. The first way to break down the barrier is to engage with someone even if there is a slight language barrier.

So what you find is that Americans in particular integrate very well in the Algarve because typically Americans come with a very inquisitive mind. The Americans who travel here love Portugal and love the Algarve. They really do love it. I wouldn’t be overstating it by using the word “love.” It’s kind of a love affair that starts with a statement such as, “This is a place that I should’ve been in or I want to be in.” We often get that reaction from Americans.

(The George Pub memorializes fallen British solideris with poppies in Lisboa, Portugal)

What should I be most concerned about regarding retiring abroad?

Nelson Vega

One of the main things to be concerned about when retiring abroad (among other things) is health insurance. Often the health systems abroad are not even similar to those of your own country. However, with Latin America, specially Panama, as hot spots to retire, the change in public and private health has been huge over the last years. Panama is a medical tourism destination, and many health insurance companies now offer great plans for the best hospitals in Panama while also...

How many Americans, Canadians, and other expats live in Belize?

Boris Mannsfeld - Boris Mannsfeld & Associates

I do not have the exact number of Canadians and other expats who live in Belize but I would say 60% of the expat population are Americans, 35% Canadian, and 5% are from elsewhere.

Lately though, people are saying that the whole population is 50/50 now. That is 50% expats and foreigners, and 50% locals. In total, Belize just has 350,000 people now.

How's the kayaking in and around Marbella, Panama City and the rafting in and around Marbella, Panama City?

Lourdes Townshend

Marbella is a city town in Panama City, Panama, which does not offer any adventure tours, or historical sites.

Are there rivers, lakes and waterfalls in or around San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?

Diony Fuentes

There are no fresh water activities in San Juan Del Sur. Most of the activities are at the ocean.

If you want to go to a river, the closest you can go to is Rio San Juan, which is south of San Juan Del Sur on the border of Costa Rica. Rio San Juan starts on the Pacific Ocean and ends on the Caribbean Sea. In the past, there used to be steam boats on Rio San Juan that go to Granada. Rio San Juan is magnificent; you will see different kinds of animals,...

Recently Posted Expat Stories

My Personal Experience Comparing Healthcare in the US vs. Mexico

Chuck Bolotin being examined in Ajijic, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

One of the most important and personal items people consider when thinking about moving abroad is “How is the healthcare?” While the Best Places in the World to Retire website has a huge quantity of answers provided by hundreds of expats to the question “how is the healthcare” for more than a dozen locations on our site, there is nothing like experiencing it yourself, which I had never done personally.

Until recently.

Let me...

Our Amazing Tortolito Tale

I hate to be a copy-cat but I have a bird story too. My wife (Eneida) has a small house she rents and one day she returned to our condo, after working in the garden of her house, with a small cardboard box. “Guess what this is”, she said. She opened the lid and there, nestled in some paper towel was a tiny, almost necked baby bird. Its eyes weren’t even open yet and she explained it fell out of a nest in a bush she was trimming and she didn’t know what else to do with it,...

Presidential Palace In Panama

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