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Recently Answered Questions

How much rain does San Miguel de Allende get? When is the Rainy Season and the Dry Season in San Miguel de Allende and what is it like?

Ivy Del Pozzo

Hacienda Las Trancas, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The whole world is changing. I have been here in San Miguel de Allende for 7 years, which is not a long period of time but I can see the change in the climate. In the past, we never had any rain in January or February but in 2016 we had kind of a wet February. The dry season is usually from October through May and May is the hottest month of the year. It also seems to be the worst month because it is the very end of the dry season. We are high desert so it is very dry here...

Is there good fishing in Portugal?

Juan Matias - BLUE Boutique Hostel & SUITES

Fishing at Monte Clérigo, Portugal – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

There is excellent fishing in Portugal.

My birthday is on the 4th of April, and normally on the week of my birthday my present is to go fishing for a week. Last year, I caught a 200-kilo (441 pounds) tuna. In Portuguese we call the fish I caught the atum rabillo but in English I think it’s bluefin tuna. So an amateur like me caught a fish like that, which gives you an idea of how rich our waters are.

If you go fishing in the main cities—Lisbon or...

Is there religious freedom and religious tolerance in Belize?

Bentley Wildman - Consejo Shores

Belize Menonite_Children – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

There's a lot of religious freedom here in Belize. We have a lot of different religions in Belize and nobody bothers anybody else. That's one thing that I've always loved about Belize. Nobody ever takes over anybody else's situation. Religion, creed, color, or anything like that is not important here. I've grown up with that in my whole life here and I have not seen that changed.

(Mennonite children in Belize, pictured.)

How good are the medical centers, hospitals and health clinics in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, and how close are they?

Lucy Valenti - Liv Nicaragua

In San Juan del Sur there is only a basic clinic, Healthcare in San Juan del Sur wiht two doctors and a patient – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Healthcare in San Juan del Sur wiht two doctors and a patient – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

just for basic treatments or for an emergency. If you have a more serious healthcare problem, you should get it treated in a hospital, which San Juan del Sur does not have.

Depending on the severity of your health emergency, you could go to the public hospital in Rivas (20 – 25 minutes away) or, preferably, to Managua (two hours away). Managua has the best hospitals in Nicaragua, up to the standards of the US.

In general, what do I need to know about FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report)?

Jay Butler - Asset Protection Services of America

According to the Foreign Bank and Financial Authority (FBAR) regulations, the IRS must allow individuals to open private offshore bank accounts. So long as the aggregate value of all foreign financial accounts does not exceed $10,000 (USD) at any time during the calendar year, the assets need not be reported. Be mindful of interest bearing accounts, for if your total offshore accounts exceed $10,000 (USD) the IRS requires you to report it or risk facing a maximum penalty of five years in...

What's it like to live in the Panama City, Panama area of Casco Viejo?

Patrizia Pinzon - Arco Properties

What is it like to live in Casco Viejo? For those who like human scale towns, the Casco Viejo district of Panama City, Panama, is simply the best combination, because it has that "small town" feeling, but yet it is minutes away from the crazy "big city". So you don´t have to choose between one and the other, you can have it all.

During the week, it is a bit hectic. My morning routine includes walking the...

During the week, it is a bit hectic. My morning routine includes walking the dog to plazas and beaches or run to Ancon Hill if I have time. Either that, or the Cinta Costera path, it all depends on how much time I have before hitting the office. Three times a week I combine it with going to the gym, which is located in 4th Street (TLGym). There I do crossfit, boxing, jumping rope, weight lifting. After work, when the sun goes down a little bit, Casco becomes my favorite place. You can stroll around the plazas, meet random people, there is always something going on. Go to Las Bovedas, you`ll see children and families with dogs running around. Weekends are also mellow, unless there is a cultural activity (like a concert or something). Because the government is so bad at announcing things, you pretty much bump into them. Sometimes you wish you knew in advance, but it is always cool to bump into an activity.

For Christmas there are always concerts and events around the plazas.

And I`m not saying Casco is not chaotic by any means. We have our share of chaos! like anywhere in Panama City, frankly. But as I tell everyone, I just prefer this chaos over the other one. Why? Because I like being in my "pueblito" where I can walk everywhere, and at some point the construction chaos (which is the most bothersome of all) will go away. Weekends are hectic, and by weekends I mean Thursday (ladies night!), Fridays and Saturdays. Those are the big days. And while there is an influx of people from the city beyond normal, at least businesses are working together to try to minimize issues like parking problems and noise.

Another thing I love from living here is that small gestures make big differences. You can volunteer at local NGO`s and help women, children (and by extension husbands/ partners! jajaja) to have a better life. You can volunteer from small to big, from painting an artistic garbage can or planting a pot to clear a street, to donating to programs that effectively take women out of poverty forever.

It would be hard for me to tell you all about how it is to live here. But you will find that "Casconians" are very protective of it, we are die hards. If you are passionate like us and like what you are reading, already considering Panama as an option to live, then give Casco a shot.

Recently Posted Expat Stories

Two Squished Dogs, Some Quick Kennel Assembly, and a Cruise Through the Sea of Cortez on the Baja Ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan

Deck of the Baja Ferry as it approaches Mazatlan – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Even though we thoroughly enjoyed our six-plus weeks in Baja (my wife, Jet Metier, wanted to buy some land there immediately), it was time for us to move on to experience new things. The desert and relative isolation we enjoyed as newbies in Baja would have to be gently placed into the past as we ventured forward to new experiences, also in places we had never been-- the jungles and more populated areas of mainland Mexico.

If you’re driving, there are...

Reading, Writing and Reinvention in Granada, Nicaragua

To take a line from his own newsletter, Nica Nuggets, for and about the expats of Granada, Nicaragua, Darrell Bushnell is as busy as a one-legged rooster in a three-story hen house. Jet Metier talks to the man who mesmerizes her with his tales of his life in the land of fresh water sharks and steaming volcanoes. Darrell Bushnell Nica Nuggets horse and cart Granada – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Darrell Bushnell Nica Nuggets horse and cart Granada – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Jet Metier: How are you Darrell? How are Amy and the dogs? I like to think of you starting the morning doing something wonderful and unique...

Towers and Bells in Panamá

Since colonial times, Panamá has had a traditional cultural and historical trajectory.

The Torre de Panamá la Vieja (the Old Panama Tower) in San Francisco, Panamá is now a World Heritage site. The importance of this tower goes back to the 16th century when the pirates burned down the city and a new tower was built in the quarter Panamanians now call Casco Viejo.

Other examples of exceptional historical buildings are...