How's the hiking and camping in and around Puerto Vallarta?
Peter F Gordon, MD - Lake Medical Group
Hiking and camping are some of the favorite pastimes of Mexicans. There are stores in Puerto Vallarta designed for camping gear so you can get outfitted and ready to go. There are some hiking and camping tours as well.
You need to be a bit more careful in the forests and jungles of Mexico. If you go hiking and camping in the Southwestern United States, you'd be careful of snakes and other wilderness dangers. There are also snakes and insects that you need to be careful...
Hiking and camping are some of the favorite pastimes of Mexicans. There are stores in Puerto Vallarta designed for camping gear so you can get outfitted and ready to go. There are some hiking and camping tours as well.
You need to be a bit more careful in the forests and jungles of Mexico. If you go hiking and camping in the Southwestern United States, you'd be careful of snakes and other wilderness dangers. There are also snakes and insects that you need to be careful of in Puerto Vallarta, but if you protect yourself, you'd be fine.
Interestingly, if you go about half an hour south of Puerto Vallarta, you would suddenly find yourself in a cooler environment up in the mountains with pine trees.
It could get very cold in Puerto Vallarta in the winter so there are houses with fireplaces and firewood. This is not something you would not expect when you come to Puerto Vallarta.
There are some places within and hour or two from Puerto Vallarta that people would go to spend a week at as a retreat or for a nice and peaceful weekend and have some wonderful, locally-grown food and coffee. There are volcanic lakes, rivers, and places with pine trees. There are old communities where you could see ancient buildings.
I see people riding bikes around Puerto Vallarta, and then go off-road biking.
Puerto Vallarta has about 300,000 people who are spread out around the bay area. You could go 10 to 15 minutes inland and you're away from the homes. You could go hiking up next to one of the rivers, which leads into the mountains.
There are a lot of places to go and things to see in Puerto Vallarta.
(Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, Mexico, pictured. )
In Belize, it is required by law to have third-party car insurance. If you have an accident and you’re your fault, third party insurance will pay for the damage to the other guy’s property that you caused, and nothing for you. That’s why its cheap.
If you buy a brand new car, you can get full comprehensive coverage (liability, collision; everything) at around Belize $200 (US $100) a month, but it covers everything. It may sound...
In Belize, it is required by law to have third-party car insurance. If you have an accident and you’re your fault, third party insurance will pay for the damage to the other guy’s property that you caused, and nothing for you. That’s why its cheap.
If you buy a brand new car, you can get full comprehensive coverage (liability, collision; everything) at around Belize $200 (US $100) a month, but it covers everything. It may sound expensive but it gets cheaper every year you have the car, because the value of the car goes down every year. For example, if you have a 5 year old car, automobile insurance will cost you around Belize $200 (US $100) a year. It gets really inexpensive.
How's the hiking and camping in and around Panama?
Mirhanna Sandoya - Lucero Homes Golf & Country Club
In Panama, you can go hiking to the Volcán Barú. There are hiking tours to the Volcán Barú that go on every day. There’s also a trail that connects Boquete to Volcán, called the Quetzales (named after the bird). People from Panama City come all the way to Chiriquí just to walk that trail.
Most of the hiking activities in Panama focus on the Chiriquí area. There is a smaller hiking trail in the middle of...
In Panama, you can go hiking to the Volcán Barú. There are hiking tours to the Volcán Barú that go on every day. There’s also a trail that connects Boquete to Volcán, called the Quetzales (named after the bird). People from Panama City come all the way to Chiriquí just to walk that trail.
Most of the hiking activities in Panama focus on the Chiriquí area. There is a smaller hiking trail in the middle of Panama called “India Dormida” which translates to “the sleeping aborigine.” It got its name because the mountain has the shape of a lady who is lying down. It’s about a 2-hour drive from Panama City, and is located close to the mountain town of El Valle, not very far from Coronado.
As for camping in Panama, you can also do that in Volcán Barú, in Veraguas Province, or at the beach where you basically just go and put up a tent. In Veraguas Province there is this beautiful reservoir that has a lake and a very large green area where people go camping. These are the spots for camping in Panama.
People don’t go camping in Darien. In fact, people don’t go to Darien because that’s where the military has set up a base to protect us from Colombian cartels, so if you’re there and you don’t speak the language, you may be mistakenly thought to be a criminal. Never ever go to Darien. Darien is the region in Panama up to the border with Colombia.
(Pictured: view from Lucero Country Club, near Boquete, Panama.)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a second passport?
Ian Usher - House Sitting Magazine
I believe there are many advantages to having a second passport, but few, if any, disadvantages. I've had two passports for over seven years now.
I was born in England, and through marriage I ended up living in Australia, where I became a citizen and received a second passport and dual nationality.
Since leaving Australia in 2008 I have traveled extensively and always carry both passports with me.
I discovered one of...
I believe there are many advantages to having a second passport, but few, if any, disadvantages. I've had two passports for over seven years now.
I was born in England, and through marriage I ended up living in Australia, where I became a citizen and received a second passport and dual nationality.
Since leaving Australia in 2008 I have traveled extensively and always carry both passports with me.
I discovered one of the great advantages to having a second passport when traveling through South America with a friend from the States. Each South American country charges for an entry visa a fee equivalent to that charged for it's own citizens when traveling in the other direction.
So, for example, entering Argentina the cost might be $40 for a citizen of the UK, $0 for an Australian, and $125 for a person carrying a US passport. Obviously I'd decide I was Australian at the Argentinean border.
On our journey this became a bit of a standing joke. "Oh, free for me if I'm English coming into Brazil. How much for you Val? $125 again? Oh dear!" I didn't pay one cent in visa fees in South America by chopping and changing my citizenship as appropriate. My friend shelled out over $500. I'd say my second passport certainly paid for itself on that trip.
Of course there are all the other advantages too. I can choose to live and work in either location. I have the freedom to go and live elsewhere if a country becomes intolerable for political or financial reasons, or for any other reason at all.
I can also choose where I live for tax purposes, and to whom I report my income. I believe this isn't a luxury afforded to holders of a US passport, who have to report all income, no matter from where it is sourced, and where they are living.
Disadvantages? The only one that comes to mind is that on occasion I am asked a few pointed questions at borders, particularly the US. If I fly from England, obviously I leave as a UK citizen, but I have to arrive in the US as an Australian, as my Australian passport carries the electronic authorization that the US insists I have to pay for every few years.
With my Australian passport showing no evidence of where I have been just before arriving at their border sometimes results in an invite into a small office. Producing the second passport usually clears the issue pretty quickly.
However, I have had quite a few amusing border incidents, and have written about them at length in my latest book, "Paradise Delayed".
If you have the opportunity to get a second passport, I'd highly recommend it, just for the extra options it gives you.
How are the roads in Portugal? Do I need a four-wheel drive in Portugal?
Duncan MacGregor - Duncan MacGregor Accounting
The main highways in Portugal are very good and you pay for them because they have tolls. The secondary roads and the country roads are not as good and that’s where you will definitely need a 4 x 4. Generally, you can drive on regularly paved roads around Lisbon. It’s only when you get to the villages that the roads may be unpaved.
(The single track dirt road to the lighthouse of Ponta dos Rosais, Portugal, pictured.)
The main highways in Portugal are very good and you pay for them because they have tolls. The secondary roads and the country roads are not as good and that’s where you will definitely need a 4 x 4. Generally, you can drive on regularly paved roads around Lisbon. It’s only when you get to the villages that the roads may be unpaved.
(The single track dirt road to the lighthouse of Ponta dos Rosais, Portugal, pictured.)
What are the worst reasons to retire to Nicaragua?
Daniel Snider - Snider's Realty Nicaragua
The worst reason to retire in Nicaragus is if you are a felon in the US trying to escape to here. A couple of the FBI most wanted have been caught here in Nicaragua. They thought Nicaragua was a good place to hide, but lo and behold, they got caught.
Another bad reason to retire in Nicaragua as an expat is to think that you are coming into another state of the United States. Nicaragua is a completely different country and you should be able to assimilate...
The worst reason to retire in Nicaragus is if you are a felon in the US trying to escape to here. A couple of the FBI most wanted have been caught here in Nicaragua. They thought Nicaragua was a good place to hide, but lo and behold, they got caught.
Another bad reason to retire in Nicaragua as an expat is to think that you are coming into another state of the United States. Nicaragua is a completely different country and you should be able to assimilate different aspects of the culture, the people, the food, and everything else that Nicaragua has to offer. It will go very badly for you if you think that you will just come here as an expat and completely ignore the fact that people here have their own language, identity, and culture, and for you not to adapt in some way.
So if you are those two people that I have mentioned above, then do not come to Nicaragua.
I hear you are Belize bound. Maybe I can help. No, packing plates wasn’t what I had in mind. Sorry. Be of good cheer, though, that your porcelain will remain safely out of my CLUMSY hands.
Now then, let’s consider some handy things you may want to toss in that last box before you tape the top. First, have you included a goodly number of chains among your household items? You look at me wildly. Take it easy, now. I am not...
Panamá has always been on a global path, “pro mundi beneficio” (for the benefit of the world).
Since the 15th century, Panamá was the main route for gold from South America to Europe, mainly Spain. This is one of the reasons why Panamá was always the center of attacks by the pirates at that time seeking wealth, and the city of Panamá was ultimately burned, leaving only the famous ruins of “Panamá la Vieja” (Old Panamá). We also have other ruins of...
Torio is a small town on Panamas Azuero peninsula. It is an undeveloped region with people who live a simple but interesting way. There is a fishing village that is very friendly and the people cooperate and respect tourists. Little do they know how privileged they are to live in a place where the Humboldt current passes and an abundance of pelagic fish pass through the region.
Torio's coastline has views of Isla Cebaco and has a surfing beach...
Hiking and camping are some of the favorite pastimes of Mexicans. There are stores in Puerto Vallarta designed for camping gear so you can get outfitted and ready to go. There are some hiking and camping tours as well. .png)
In Belize, it is required by law to have third-party car insurance. If you have an accident and you’re your fault, third party insurance will pay for the damage to the other guy’s property that you caused, and nothing for you. That’s why its cheap. 
In Panama, you can go hiking to the Volcán Barú. There are hiking tours to the Volcán Barú that go on every day. There’s also a trail that connects Boquete to Volcán, called the Quetzales (named after the bird). People from Panama City come all the way to Chiriquí just to walk that trail. 
I was born in England, and through marriage I ended up living in Australia, where I became a citizen and received a second passport and dual nationality. 
The main highways in Portugal are very good and you pay for them because they have tolls. The secondary roads and the country roads are not as good and that’s where you will definitely need a 4 x 4. Generally, you can drive on regularly paved roads around Lisbon. It’s only when you get to the villages that the roads may be unpaved. 
I hear you are Belize bound. Maybe I can help. No, packing plates wasn’t what I had in mind. Sorry. Be of good cheer, though, that your porcelain will remain safely out of my CLUMSY hands.
Panamá has always been on a global path, “pro mundi beneficio” (for the benefit of the world).
