What's the food like in the markets in Puerto Vallarta?
David Schwendeman - Mexlend
The food in the markets in Puerto Vallarta is incredible. Produce in Mexico, in general, is more organic than it is in the US. I can’t say entirely but there is a lot more small-scale farming. You go to your local markets and it wouldn’t be unusual to see tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, and lettuce, all grown locally by someone with a plot of land a couple of miles out from the beach.
You buy your eggs at the local market as well....
The food in the markets in Puerto Vallarta is incredible. Produce in Mexico, in general, is more organic than it is in the US. I can’t say entirely but there is a lot more small-scale farming. You go to your local markets and it wouldn’t be unusual to see tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, and lettuce, all grown locally by someone with a plot of land a couple of miles out from the beach.
You buy your eggs at the local market as well. Often, they are either free range or at the very least cage free. The yolks are a magnificent deep yellow which tells you the chicken that laid it is happy. You can tell the chicken has a proper diet as opposed to the massed produced, anemic looking pale yellow eggs that we get up north. Generally, things are fresher, better and better for you in Mexico.
Speaking to the freshness, a lot of times produce might be a little bit dirtier, coming right from the earth, and not having been sprayed, processed, bleached or waxed. So when you would bring your fruits and vegetables home you might have to give it a better scrubbing and a rinse in anti-microbial solution than you would in the US or elsewhere.
The cost for food in Puerto Vallarta is much less expensive. I went to the market the other day and purchased 10 bananas, 5 cucumbers, a dozen beautiful ripe, perfectly red tomatoes, a few apples, some celery, a loaf of artisanal, sourdough bread and it all cost about 100 pesos (US $7). In New York, it would have been $30 for the same items. We have a great bounty at a terrific price here.
Do I need to renounce or relinquish my US citizenship or get a dual citizenship to move or live abroad?
RICH Novak - RE/MAX Beaches & City! INC.
To answer the question directly, it is not necessary for you to relinquish your citizenship or even get a dual citizenship in order to live in Panama. You can be a perpetual tourist, if you follow the rules, or you can get one of the different visas available.
When you come to Panama, you can come as a tourist or a visitor, and stay for 180 days, but then you have to leave the country for 72 hours. Then you can come back again. There are people who are stay in...
To answer the question directly, it is not necessary for you to relinquish your citizenship or even get a dual citizenship in order to live in Panama. You can be a perpetual tourist, if you follow the rules, or you can get one of the different visas available.
When you come to Panama, you can come as a tourist or a visitor, and stay for 180 days, but then you have to leave the country for 72 hours. Then you can come back again. There are people who are stay in Panama indefinitely as perpetual tourists.
By law a Pensionado in Panama does not need a passport and possible Panamanian citizenship, but the government of Panama recently changed that rule, so that now, after a person’s has legally been here for five years, you can apply for citizenship. Nobody that I know has ever become a citizen and received a Panamanian passport that I know of, though, so it is absolutely not necessary in order to stay in Panama.
There are programs like the one they have in Saint Kitts, where you could start with an investment of US $350,000 and receive citizenship. To renounce your citizenship is a gray area. You may want to renounce your citizenship or you may not.
I know a Canadian guy who says that he has done everything to become a citizen of Panama, but the president of Panama needs to approve his application to become a citizen. That is the only thing he is says he needs, and I am waiting to see if that happens.
I am a US citizen and because I am a US citizen living overseas, I have to put up with some crazy laws. Because I am a citizen of the United States, I have to send in a report to Detroit telling the government what money I have in foreign bank accounts, and if I do not tell them, the penalty is 50% per year. So just because you already live in another country, does not relieve you of taxes and some other legal obligations in the US, because you are still a US citizen.
What's the food like in the markets in Boquete, Panama?
Debbie Fishell - Expat Freedom
I live about an hour and a half from Boquete, but I make the drive to the Tuesday Farmer's Market once or twice each month for the amazing produce and other goodies. One of my favorite vendors is Eric, aka 2 Guys and a Cooler, who prepares gourmet meals that are frozen and $6-8 for each serving for 2. Things like Chicken Cordon Bleu and various casseroles. I like to get a few for the nights I don't feel like cooking or I'm too busy. There are few restaurants in my little town of...
I live about an hour and a half from Boquete, but I make the drive to the Tuesday Farmer's Market once or twice each month for the amazing produce and other goodies. One of my favorite vendors is Eric, aka 2 Guys and a Cooler, who prepares gourmet meals that are frozen and $6-8 for each serving for 2. Things like Chicken Cordon Bleu and various casseroles. I like to get a few for the nights I don't feel like cooking or I'm too busy. There are few restaurants in my little town of Puerto Armuelles, so these meals are a real treat!
You'll also find handicrafts (wooden crafts photo), meats, cheeses, herb plants, and even wine and cigars. The Tuesday Market is primarily expats. Down the street, on the other side of the bridge, is a local market (top photo). You may need a little Spanish to negotiate there, but the produce is fresh and cheap. There is also a smaller market in Volcan on Fridays' that is worth a visit if you're in the area.
I frequently buy fresh produce from the backs of cars or trucks also (bottom photo). They are everywhere in Panama and very inexpensive. A few days ago, I bought a large papaya for 35c. Yum!
In Belize, healthcare workers and the government work to maintain open cooperation. There is also some significant crossover between private and public sectors.
For example, if a private facility needs some particular equipment it does not have, in certain circumstances they will be allowed to use government facilities.
About 14% of Belize's health care workers provide services in both private and public sectors. ...
In Belize, healthcare workers and the government work to maintain open cooperation. There is also some significant crossover between private and public sectors.
For example, if a private facility needs some particular equipment it does not have, in certain circumstances they will be allowed to use government facilities.
About 14% of Belize's health care workers provide services in both private and public sectors. It is not unusual for those working at a public healthcare facility during the day to provide private services outside normal business hours.
What are the best opportunities to do volunteer and charity work in Nicaragua?
David Smith - Nicaragua Sotheby's International Realty
Nicaragua is still a very poor country and there are numerous opportunities to contribute—medically, sponsoring, education, veterinary, animals, schooling, English teaching or helping with English; so many opportunities to help and contribute. Nobody would have a problem leveraging their own skills.
I was involved in helping get started a women’s cooperative for making jams, jellies, and preserves called Condimentos del Carirzal...
Nicaragua is still a very poor country and there are numerous opportunities to contribute—medically, sponsoring, education, veterinary, animals, schooling, English teaching or helping with English; so many opportunities to help and contribute. Nobody would have a problem leveraging their own skills.
I was involved in helping get started a women’s cooperative for making jams, jellies, and preserves called Condimentos del Carirzal that’s done so well that now they don’t need us. It was sponsored by the Rotary Club. We have a Rotary club now in San Juan del Sur that made connections with other Rotary clubs elsewhere in the world and in North America predominantly. Through Rotary there are a number of projects they sponsored. I was involved in getting one going with the Rotary club in Guelph South (where I used to live in Canada) that was superbly supportive and raised money to help these ladies get going with their business. They haven’t needed any help for the last 2 or 3 years and they’re making gourmet jams and selling them to tourists. They’re doing very, very well. It’s a huge success that most people in San Juan are aware of. The ladies there are lifting themselves out of poverty and helping to put their kids through higher education. It’s a great story. There are lots of opportunities for that kind of thing.
That group of wonderful people in Guelph raised US $15,000 to support the construction of the ladies’ kitchen. The ladies got to the point where they were really good and consistent with their recipes. They received help from Marilyn Rootham in Guelph, of Rootham’s Gourmet Preserves. She was excellent. She came down to Nicaragua and taught these ladies how to make gourmet jams and jellies. Marilyn Rootham sells product all across Canada and into the US. She was supremely helpful along with the Guelph staff. After 5 years of support they raised I think $12,500 and we added a bit more, which was enough money to build them an industrial kitchen with the equipment and supplies to get them the health certificate they needed from the ministry so that they can continue to grow and export their jams and jellies. They’re doing really, really well.
(Condimentos del Carrizal, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, pictured.)
Are gays, lesbians and others in the LGBT community accepted in Portugal?
Carol Bartlett Ribeiro - Carol Bartlett Ribeiro, Property Consultant
Yes, absolutely; gays and lesbians and others in the LGBT community are accepted in Portugal. In Portugal you can have gay marriages and they have just passed a law to say that gays can adopt children as well.
The attitude towards gays and Lesbians has changed a tremendous amount. Perhaps 30 or 40 years ago, not, and maybe not even 20 years ago, but now they really are, not just legally, but culturally as well.
Yes, absolutely; gays and lesbians and others in the LGBT community are accepted in Portugal. In Portugal you can have gay marriages and they have just passed a law to say that gays can adopt children as well.
The attitude towards gays and Lesbians has changed a tremendous amount. Perhaps 30 or 40 years ago, not, and maybe not even 20 years ago, but now they really are, not just legally, but culturally as well.
It's funny but when we moved to Panama, I kind of figured that I would not get that homesick, because my family was with me. Boy, was I wrong!
Think about it for a minute....new country, new language, new city, new work setting, new work colleagues, new home setting, new cars, new EVERYTHING. Nothing felt comfortable and nothing felt stable for a very long time.
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Push
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