How bad are the mosquitoes and other bugs and insects in Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico?
Pepe Acosta - Ventanas Hotel and Residences
Mosquitoes, bugs, and insects are more common in during the rainy season, but it is not a problem for us here in Cabo. The rainy season is not very long in Baja California Sur and is during the months of August and September, but more common in September.
Baja California Sur is a desert that gets very little rain so because it's so dry all the time, there are not very many insects.
(View of the desert from the rooftop...
Mosquitoes, bugs, and insects are more common in during the rainy season, but it is not a problem for us here in Cabo. The rainy season is not very long in Baja California Sur and is during the months of August and September, but more common in September.
Baja California Sur is a desert that gets very little rain so because it's so dry all the time, there are not very many insects.
(View of the desert from the rooftop pool at Ventanas Hotel & Residences, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, pictured.)
What does it cost for a vacation rental in Cayo, Belize, including San Ignacio and Belmopan?
Virginia Krohn - Villa Cayo Belize
At a resort with a pool the price for one week (7 nights) all inclusive, including the tours, is about $1,800US to $2,500 US per person.
There are not many but for an air-conditioned luxury vacation rental with a full kitchen the cost for 7 nights would be anywhere from $700 US for two people in low season to $1,015 US for two people in high season. High season is from Nov 15th to April 15th.
There is about a week...
At a resort with a pool the price for one week (7 nights) all inclusive, including the tours, is about $1,800US to $2,500 US per person.
There are not many but for an air-conditioned luxury vacation rental with a full kitchen the cost for 7 nights would be anywhere from $700 US for two people in low season to $1,015 US for two people in high season. High season is from Nov 15th to April 15th.
There is about a week in that time that is PEAK season which is quite simply ....... Christmas week and it would be a little higher. You could make up a nice inexpensive tour package yourself or have a tour company plan it for you for an additional cost.
Are there exotic birds in and around Panama? Where can I go bird watching in and around Panama?
Roberto Diaz - United Country Panama Coastal Real Estate
Yes, there are exotic birds in and around Panama. When I lived in Altos del Maria, a mountain community only 25 minutes from where I currently live in Coronado, I met a man who had recorded over 300 different bird species in this gated community alone!!!
According to the North American Birding Association (ABA), there are about 914 wild bird species in all of North America. Where would or can I go bird watching in and around Panama? I...
Yes, there are exotic birds in and around Panama. When I lived in Altos del Maria, a mountain community only 25 minutes from where I currently live in Coronado, I met a man who had recorded over 300 different bird species in this gated community alone!!!
According to the North American Birding Association (ABA), there are about 914 wild bird species in all of North America. Where would or can I go bird watching in and around Panama? I would definitely go to Altos del Maria as almost a third of all bird species in Panama can be found in this one community (and almost 1/3 of the bird population of the whole of North America).
While living in Altos del Maria, I made friends with several birders and went on a couple of outings. On one occasion, I went with a larger tour group who came over just to go birding. We saw the white eagle in this picture and many others species in a matter of one hour.
El Valle de Anton is also another place I would recommend.
This is the MILLION dollar question! My answer is complicated. Petty theft I would say is sort of an epidemic issue here in San Juan del Sur. I have had many experiences personally and have heard many more stories from people I know who have experienced theft and break ins to homes and cars. You must have a caretaker or security person on site in San Juan del Sur, or should I say if you live outside the main town. That is just how it is done here. Couple that with lack of...
This is the MILLION dollar question! My answer is complicated. Petty theft I would say is sort of an epidemic issue here in San Juan del Sur. I have had many experiences personally and have heard many more stories from people I know who have experienced theft and break ins to homes and cars. You must have a caretaker or security person on site in San Juan del Sur, or should I say if you live outside the main town. That is just how it is done here. Couple that with lack of police response and well you must be mindful.
There are many hypotheses on why? Some say it is because there is extreme poverty and extreme wealth. Some say it is because foreigners bring on vacation expensive items such as I-Pads, as well all Apple products, cameras, lots of cash...you get the idea. This makes the traveler an easy target. One back pack snatched likely contains at least US $100 of goods or potentially a LOT more.
Living here gets a little trickier. In my experience I had issues with cleaning staff stealing clothes, money, etc. Over time though we sorted through it and found amazing, caring and trustworthy people to surround ourselves with. I imagine this happens the world over when people are migrating to a new country and a new language. This often places you in danger of being a potential target from someone claiming to want to "help" you.
In my ten years living here I have never been the target of a robbery or attack but I have had a few friends who have. Most crimes are not violent in nature here. I hope I have not painted a bad picture here. Many of the other answers on this site especially under "Is Nicargua safe?" are right on and I do not feel unsafe here. In fact visiting my family in California and making a wrong turn I find myself in the wrong part of town and felt more unsafe than I ever have here. I feel pretty comfortable with the knowledge that I know where my potential threat would come from here and can take measures to avoid it.
I could have quoted statistics but I am unsure how real they are and how much gets reported or followed up on. In a small town of San Juan del Sur, everyone knows who is thieving (the small percentage of criminals) but not much happens to them. Try to surround yourself with good, honest people and stay aware.
What should I be most concerned about regarding retiring abroad?
Sarah Booth - Panama Holiday Homes & Buyer's Consultant with My Panama Real Estate
In a word, the thing you should be most concerned about regarding retiring or moving abroad is EXPECTATIONS. If you avoid having them you'll be pleasantly surprised by so many things and less annoyed by other things (punctuality etc). I believe that when people retire or move abroad for the right reasons, they live happy, interesting and fulfilling lives. I know a few people who have moved overseas to "escape". It's one thing to re-invent yourself and that's...
In a word, the thing you should be most concerned about regarding retiring or moving abroad is EXPECTATIONS. If you avoid having them you'll be pleasantly surprised by so many things and less annoyed by other things (punctuality etc). I believe that when people retire or move abroad for the right reasons, they live happy, interesting and fulfilling lives. I know a few people who have moved overseas to "escape". It's one thing to re-invent yourself and that's fantastic, but just be wary about your reasons for this move. Wherever you go, there you are :)
There are over 450 surf spots in Portugal. We have over 300 kilometers (about 185 miles) of coastline. We have been a recognized country for surfing for many years. In 2011, Ericeira, which is 60 kilometers (37 miles) away from Cascais (near Lisbon), was elected second as World Surfing Reserve and the first in Europe.
I’ve surfed at Ericeira many times. Surfers use a lot of slang in their terminologies. But for the first timers, I can...
There are over 450 surf spots in Portugal. We have over 300 kilometers (about 185 miles) of coastline. We have been a recognized country for surfing for many years. In 2011, Ericeira, which is 60 kilometers (37 miles) away from Cascais (near Lisbon), was elected second as World Surfing Reserve and the first in Europe.
I’ve surfed at Ericeira many times. Surfers use a lot of slang in their terminologies. But for the first timers, I can tell you, you have all sized waves—you have lefts, you have rights, you have sandbanks, you have rockbanks. Each of these makes the waves different. People at any level of expertise will find waves in Portugal.
The ASP, (the professional tour of surfing, now the WSL-- World Surfing League) has one of their events in Portugal in October in which they get well known attendees like Kelly Slater, 11-time world surfing champion.
In Cascais, where I am, near Lisbon, we don’t get waves for two months out of the year, but there are always places like Ericeira and further north Aveiro or Porto, which are more exposed to the Atlantic Ocean and where we get mid-sized waves. The best time to surf in Portugal is from September to May; the whole winter and spring there are waves in Portugal all over the place.
I came to San Miguel in 2011 to do a presentation to a group of dentists who belong to the local dental association and fell in love with the people (the indigenous Mexicans), so I returned to the USA and decided to retire and come back to live in San Miguel.
My initial plans were to retire to San Tropez in the South of France, but fate has a way of planning dreams and for some reason not revealed clearly to me, I decided to move to San Miguel de...
If you have recently relocated to Panama or another foreign country, you may have questions about how to purchase an international, private major medical policy.
Of course no one plans on getting sick or having a car accident, but that is what insurance is all about. It handles the "just the in case" which we hope never actually happens. We hope we never have to use our health insurance the same way we hope we never actually have to use our...
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.
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...