Best Places In The World To Retire

Water is very reliable in Chapala and Ajijic. I live in Ajijic and we have water all day. We have tinacos (water storage tanks) on the roofs of our houses so in case there would be a problem with the water supply from the city, then we would have water from the tinacos.

 

During the rainy season, thunderstorms sometimes damage the municipal water pumps, which would cause water interruptions. However, when something like that happens, the people here in...

Water is very reliable in Chapala and Ajijic. I live in Ajijic and we have water all day. We have tinacos (water storage tanks) on the roofs of our houses so in case there would be a problem with the water supply from the city, then we would have water from the tinacos.

 

During the rainy season, thunderstorms sometimes damage the municipal water pumps, which would cause water interruptions. However, when something like that happens, the people here in Ajijic really make it a point to get everything fixed quickly so that it doesn’t cause a lot of trouble to the people who live here. I have lived in Ajijic for 5 years now and I have never had a problem with water ever. I have never had to use the tinaco in our house.

 

When we lived in Chapala, I had some issues with the water supply but later on we found out that the problem is not on the municipal water supply but the connection to my house. The pipe that comes into my house has a blockage and because of that we were not getting enough water to my house. We have bigger tinacos in Chapala because Chapala is bigger than Ajijic and the wells are farther from the houses so the water pressure is not as strong. However, after they fixed the blockage on our water pipes, we never had any problem with water supply anymore here in Chapala.  

 

(Tinaco on roof of house, Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

Portugal has come a very, very long way in the past 40 years (this seems a long time, but in fact from then to now it is so different).

 

Women are well respected here and as there are several entrepreneurs who are exceedingly successful in the private sector and in the public sector.  Women have shown their expertise in so many ways here and are indeed considered excellent achievers.

 

Needless to say years ago it was a macho...

Portugal has come a very, very long way in the past 40 years (this seems a long time, but in fact from then to now it is so different).

 

Women are well respected here and as there are several entrepreneurs who are exceedingly successful in the private sector and in the public sector.  Women have shown their expertise in so many ways here and are indeed considered excellent achievers.

 

Needless to say years ago it was a macho society (like many countries in the world), but now there is less and less of that in the new generation. I find that women in the work place are looked up to and their opinions and in-put accepted on the same level as men.

 

I, as a woman, living in Portugal, feel perfectly at ease when having to go out alone at night.  As in most countries one has to be aware, but I certainly cannot say that it is at an anxiety level for women to feel nervous by going out at night or during the day.

 

Portuguese mothers will always be extremely protective of their children, from the day they are born until they are 99.  It is part of their role and they are very inclined to spoil their children.  However, children are more independent nowadays and do not always take on the mother/child instructions.

 

Women here can be the dominant figures even with their partners.  I don't know what that tells you - confidence, bossiness!!  But women certainly play a very important role in the Portuguese society.  Perhaps not so much the older female generation who were certainly not allowed to voice their thoughts and particularly if contrary to male thinking.

 

There is certainly no need for concern with regard to being a female in Portugal.  Respect and consideration are in the forefront and of course if visa versa.

 

(Pictured: young woman in Porto,Portugal.)

After the indigenous people, the Spaniards populated Nicaragua.  After that, the largest immigrant group is German.  The Germans came to Nicaragua after the First World War and populated many of the mountain, pine forest areas in the north of Nicaragua, which are evidently reminiscent of the Black Forest in Germany.

After the indigenous people, the Spaniards populated Nicaragua.  After that, the largest immigrant group is German.  The Germans came to Nicaragua after the First World War and populated many of the mountain, pine forest areas in the north of Nicaragua, which are evidently reminiscent of the Black Forest in Germany.

There are poisonous reptiles, snakes, insects and dangerous animals, like jaguars in Belize. Most animals shy away from human contact. But if you’re trudging through the rainforest, you would definitely want some bug repellant. And then there’s always the worry about snakes and anything similar. Machetes are common tools to carry with you when on an adventure.  You would use it the same way as you would a baseball bat.

Obviously, reptiles are a...

There are poisonous reptiles, snakes, insects and dangerous animals, like jaguars in Belize. Most animals shy away from human contact. But if you’re trudging through the rainforest, you would definitely want some bug repellant. And then there’s always the worry about snakes and anything similar. Machetes are common tools to carry with you when on an adventure.  You would use it the same way as you would a baseball bat.

Obviously, reptiles are a different story. There’s a refuge for alligators in central Belize and the few that we have encountered down there were small.  We just notified the refuge, whose personnel came and hauled them off. They are treated humanely. Walking around town, you’re not going to run into any dangerous animals.

Dangerous animals are probably a concern for people who have houses out of town. I wouldn’t say that encountering poisonous reptiles, snakes and insects and dangerous animals would be a life threatening concern, but it is more of a heightened awareness concern. If you live near water, be mindful because there could be an alligator who wants to take refuge in your lake, pond or nearby stream at some point.

As for pet dogs, you have to worry about them getting eaten by a jaguar, if your house is outside of town. However, jaguars rarely attack people. For example, we have one jaguar near our property. It creeps around at night. We have people on site, but it has never approached them. It just walks around and enjoys the beautiful beachfront.  

Alligators and snakes would more than likely attack you than jaguars. As for mosquitoes, you expect them in Belize, so it is best to have bug spray.  In the day-to-day life of an expat living in Belize, these thing are very insignificant.  The only issue is if you go out into the jungle.