The transportation in Puerto Vallarta is very good, so you wouldn’t really need a car. Buses even go to the north. If you wanted to go take a day trip, you can take the bus. An hour to the north is Nayarit, and a bus ride to Nayarit would cost about US $5. Around town, they have plenty of regular buses, and each ride costs about $0.30 - $0.40. Taxis in Puerto Vallarta are cheap. If you’re in downtown going from one place to another, it usually costs about $3. I do own a...
The transportation in Puerto Vallarta is very good, so you wouldn’t really need a car. Buses even go to the north. If you wanted to go take a day trip, you can take the bus. An hour to the north is Nayarit, and a bus ride to Nayarit would cost about US $5. Around town, they have plenty of regular buses, and each ride costs about $0.30 - $0.40. Taxis in Puerto Vallarta are cheap. If you’re in downtown going from one place to another, it usually costs about $3. I do own a car, but just because I need it for my business.
(Truck with Post-it notes all over it, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)
You don’t have to own a car in the Algarve but many people do own cars here.
The Algarve is a little tricky in the sense that the distances can be misleading. Nothing is very far in the Algarve. A lot of people say they want to be able to be close to the coast, which they will define as about half an hour away, but you can be anywhere in the Algarve in half an hour’s drive.
But it is where you want to be in 5 to 10...
You don’t have to own a car in the Algarve but many people do own cars here.
The Algarve is a little tricky in the sense that the distances can be misleading. Nothing is very far in the Algarve. A lot of people say they want to be able to be close to the coast, which they will define as about half an hour away, but you can be anywhere in the Algarve in half an hour’s drive.
But it is where you want to be in 5 to 10 minutes walking distance that becomes tricky. There are lots of these areas, residential suburbs in the outskirts of towns and cities, which are generally too far to walk into a town and just too uncomfortable for public transport, which is sometimes infrequent on these small secondary roads. We find more and more people requesting a place that is within walking distance to the town center, shops, and restaurants because in that sense, you can do without a car. If you are in a town like Lagos, Portimão, or Faro you will find that they have the bus networks that can take you anywhere in the city so you wouldn’t need a car.
If you are going out of the town or the cities, having a car is definitely advisable.
(The beach at Praia da Luz, Algarve, Portugal, pictured.)
Is it safe to drink the water in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua?
George Cooper - Casa de Cooper
Is it safe to drink water in San Juan del Sur? Yes and No. Yes because it is treated and No because your body might not be used to it. It is always a good idea to drink bottled water while traveling outside of the US or Europe. We have to remember that the local beer is only US $1 and as they say in Nicaragua, Beer is not only for Breakfast. Be careful and stay with bottled water.
Is it safe to drink water in San Juan del Sur? Yes and No. Yes because it is treated and No because your body might not be used to it. It is always a good idea to drink bottled water while traveling outside of the US or Europe. We have to remember that the local beer is only US $1 and as they say in Nicaragua, Beer is not only for Breakfast. Be careful and stay with bottled water.
In inland Belize, cable TV costs 45 Belize dollars, which is US $22.50 per month. You get 125 channels, including FOX news, MSNBC, ABC, Discovery, History, ACTV, HATV and lots of US channels. You also get six to seven Belizean channels. There are also Mexican, South American and Asian channels.
There’s Dibo which is I think the counterpart of Tivo in the US. It is a digital box and you get digital TV. Dibo costs $100 as a one-time cost and it gets you about 60 additional...
In inland Belize, cable TV costs 45 Belize dollars, which is US $22.50 per month. You get 125 channels, including FOX news, MSNBC, ABC, Discovery, History, ACTV, HATV and lots of US channels. You also get six to seven Belizean channels. There are also Mexican, South American and Asian channels.
There’s Dibo which is I think the counterpart of Tivo in the US. It is a digital box and you get digital TV. Dibo costs $100 as a one-time cost and it gets you about 60 additional channels, 50 of which are HD. “Dibo” is short for “Digital Boss.” $100 is just for the Dibo box. You still have to pay $22.50 every month for cable.
What's the best strategy for asset protection and wealth preservation offshore?
John Gilbert - PanamaKeys
There are three overriding views for asset protection and wealth preservation offshore, and those are diversification, diversification, and diversification. You want to make sure that your asset classes are diversified- that all your eggs aren’t in one basket. It would be foolish for an investor to hold 100% of his assets in cash. It will also be just as foolish for an investor to hold 100% of his assets in stocks. I think just as stocks are an important asset class, just as an...
There are three overriding views for asset protection and wealth preservation offshore, and those are diversification, diversification, and diversification. You want to make sure that your asset classes are diversified- that all your eggs aren’t in one basket. It would be foolish for an investor to hold 100% of his assets in cash. It will also be just as foolish for an investor to hold 100% of his assets in stocks. I think just as stocks are an important asset class, just as an important asset class is foreign real estate.
There are tremendous gains that can be made over time in Central American real estate. For example, I’ve met many people here in Panama who have fundamentally transformed their life through their investment in raw land here in Central America. I think foreign real estate absolutely has to be an asset class for any serious-minded investor.
Cars in Panama are expensive and even second hand cars are expensive. I am buying an SUV. You will see a lot of SUVs here. Occasionally, you will find an expat who is leaving and you can buy the car from him. It is only a matter of finding a good car from somebody who is leaving because they are always going to sell it. It is very unlikely that they will take the cars with them when they leave. You will pay a little more for it's value. That is typical but that is ok. That is just the...
Cars in Panama are expensive and even second hand cars are expensive. I am buying an SUV. You will see a lot of SUVs here. Occasionally, you will find an expat who is leaving and you can buy the car from him. It is only a matter of finding a good car from somebody who is leaving because they are always going to sell it. It is very unlikely that they will take the cars with them when they leave. You will pay a little more for it's value. That is typical but that is ok. That is just the way it is.
Bajareque in Panama refers to a mountain mist or drizzle…(similar to the Oregon ones) but a much finer mist which 'floats in the air' as it drops to the ground and when combined with the bright sunshine and the right angle you will see the most brilliant rainbows you can imagine.They can happen throughout the year. And Double and even Triple versions are common.
For 65 million years, the world has changed, and those in the human race interacted with one another. People change where they live for convenience, and most of all, for personal choices, and to seek happiness and quality of life.
From personal experience, after having been an expat in the US for 23 years myself, I can surely and candidly say that moving to a different country which brings you their best and opens their doors for you is a gift. Not everyone can...
Good roads leave no traces in the memory – smooth, seamless, without jarring bumps or sudden twists, they are the silent asphalt arteries that carry us from one place to another as we go about our daily lives, never calling attention to themselves. Not so with bad roads. A bad road, like a bad marriage, feels endless, terminal, and impossible to escape, even years later.
I have seen many bad roads around the world. Some in Central America are...