Episodes
Sunday Aug 31, 2014
Expat Files - 08/31/14
Sunday Aug 31, 2014
Sunday Aug 31, 2014
-Observe the quirks and odd superstitions of your Latin help (maids, gardeners). Their strange habits are sometimes only exceeded by our own gringo peculiarities (peculiar to Latins, that is). Why do you think Latin workers often refer to us as “crazy gringos” behind our backs? Luckily, the locals almost always mean "crazy" in a nice way- Latins off the tourist trail mean it kindly, that is. Yup, we certainly do amuse them. So how do gringos know that? If you know enough Spanish to eavesdrop you'll soon get the picture…
Friday Aug 29, 2014
The Expat Files - 08/29/14
Friday Aug 29, 2014
Friday Aug 29, 2014
Sunday Aug 24, 2014
Expat Files - 08/24/14
Sunday Aug 24, 2014
Sunday Aug 24, 2014
-Zoning laws in Latin America: how can you be sure your next door neighbor won’t suddenly accumulate goats, donkeys or chickens? Stranger things have been known to happen, even in very high-end subdivisions with strict rules supposedly prohibiting such things- this is Latin America you know.
-Driving the famous Pan American Highway: as you may have picked up in 7th grade geography class (unless you’re under 40 and got socially promoted) it’s a 2000 mile straight shot from Alaska, directly to Panama, City (no, not that geriatric capital city of the world in Florida). You really should try driving it at least once when you're in Central, America. Note that once you get past the Mexico stretch it’s not dangerous at all, but be prepared for a huge education in how not to build a first-world super-highway…
- Home and business insurance coverage Latin style: what you need to know is that Latins generally think it’s money down the toilet and rarely buy any kind of insurance at all, while gringos and expats have an inbred first-world style “insurance guilt“ complex. Many of us are so knee-jerk about it that don’t sleep well at night if we don’t have a policy for every occasion. Meanwhile, Latins sleep just fine... From the “biting the hand that feeds you" department:
-More Bad news from Costa Rica. Besides the fact that its first-world expensive and that gringos are targets for all kinds of scams, more and more Expats and gringo visitors are now reporting that many CR locals want gringos to go home. The fact is, locals are becoming rude and antagonistic to the very people that raised them many notches above their formerly banana republic status. In a way you can’t blame them. since so many “Ugly American” types have invaded that many locals want nothing less than to kick every last gringo out. From the “be careful what you wish for department”: ECUADOR, Part 2: today we have expat opinions on Ecuador, people with ”boots on the ground” experience and sounding off about disturbing changes they’ve personally witnessed in not only Ecuador but in other places touted frequently by big retirement magazines and expat websites
-Do follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a private phone, Skype or Mumble consult with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, you and I can talk about your situation one on one.
Friday Aug 22, 2014
Expat Files - 08/22/14
Friday Aug 22, 2014
Friday Aug 22, 2014
Sunday Aug 17, 2014
Expat Files - 08/17/14
Sunday Aug 17, 2014
Sunday Aug 17, 2014
-Expat Eddie fires cleaning lady #3 … once again for petty theft. This time you’ll never guess in million years what she palmed. And Eddie, after thinking about the misdemeanor for a day or so, threw out the book on his normally rock-solid employee rules and principles and decided to hire her back. It had to do precisely because of what item she pilfered.
Friday Aug 15, 2014
Expat Files - 08/15/14
Friday Aug 15, 2014
Friday Aug 15, 2014
Sunday Aug 10, 2014
Expat Files - 08/10/14
Sunday Aug 10, 2014
Sunday Aug 10, 2014
-Part II of gringos, gringas and motorcycles in Latin America: Motorcycles are cheap, dependable transportation all right… but when in Latin America should you dare drive one or even hop on as a passenger?
Friday Aug 08, 2014
Expat Files - 08/08/14
Friday Aug 08, 2014
Friday Aug 08, 2014
Sunday Aug 03, 2014
Expat Files - 08/03/14
Sunday Aug 03, 2014
Sunday Aug 03, 2014
One of truly great things about living and hanging well off the gringo tourist trail(besides occasionally being treated like a B-grade rock star) is that there are literally thousands of spectacular ancient Aztec, Mayan, Toltec, and Inca ruins open to the public that are almost NEVER crowded. In fact there can be so few people visiting these sites and parks that you can't even locate a park ranger or employee once you've paid the initial entry fee. That said, gringos sometimes wonder how Latin governments manage to keep so many of these places open to the public at all.
Sunday Aug 03, 2014
Expat Files - 06/01/14
Sunday Aug 03, 2014
Sunday Aug 03, 2014
One of truly great things about living and hanging well off the gringo tourist trail(besides occasionally being treated like a B-grade rock star) is that there are literally thousands of spectacular ancient Aztec, Mayan, Toltec, and Inca ruins open to the public that are almost NEVER crowded. In fact there can be so few people visiting these sites and parks that you can't even locate a park ranger or employee once you've paid the initial entry fee. That said, gringos sometimes wonder how Latin governments manage to keep so many of these places open to the public at all.