There have been threads from time to time about living in Latin America. Today's Los Angeles Times has a special section on the topic, with lots of photos.
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Costa Rica in particular is desirable; the climate in San Jose, the capital, is almost perfect, in the low 70's year round. Homes do not need air conditioning or heat. However, there is a lot of rain in the raining season. The main problem is that most retirees have family in the States and they will now be farthur away. Unfortunately, Costa Rica has been getting more and more expensive. Panama is worth checking out, but it is HOT. THe culture in latin america is americanized, but different. THere are long waits and inefficiencies. If you are use to driving to your 24 hour supermarket at 3 AM, or going to the public library to log onto the internet, latin american countries do not offer the same conveniences and easy access to good and services, as we have in the U.S. and Canada.
The less expensive countries have more serious problems. Nicaragua for example is extremely poor and the infrastructure is terrible. Mexico has too much crime, such as kidnapping, and is not as scenic.
Learning Spanish and retiring part of the year makes sense. When I retire I'll check out the prices.Comment -
Stay in America, all other Countries are whore shit compared to here.Comment -
Belize is a very nice place. Expensive in areas that have modern conveniences, dirt cheap in the "boonies".
I have been to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvedor, all very beautiful but you have to check out the political situation, these countries have all had civil wars going on for years. I'm not sure what the latest situation is. I think all the wars got resolved, but I'm not sure. Guatemala is dirt cheap and has some extremely beautiful places. I lived with the head hunters when I lived there. A dead on view of a very beautiful lake.Comment -
You want diseases go live in foreign CountriesComment -
Dominican Republic is a place lots of people go to live, summer weather all year round. There is HighSpeed internet almost nation wide. Lot's of airline fly there ( Spirit even offers $8 dollars special to there ).
Several places to live , North Coast, South Coast, Country side .
Visit DR1.com it's a forum run by many x-pats that live there.Comment -
Food is crap anywhere but America, I eat the best Italian bread in the world right here in Newark. Who the fuk wants to go to some third world Country that is unsafe and dirty and 3/4 of ther broads have diseses??? Everywhere you go there is a high risk for pick pocketers.
Why Why??? USA best Country in the world.
Water poison everywhere but usa, air pollution out of control worldwide, no control anywhere other than America .Comment -
Kinda funny, as JJ lives in probably the ugliest, most blighted and crime-ridden city in the USA. Rightfully the butt of late-night humor. The entire town is a disaster zone. Murder is its main industry.
Newark would have died an unnatural death years ago without massive state and federal funds to prop it up. It's dangerous to walk in downtown in the friggin daytime. Even driving is risky, outlaws will stage an accident just to stop you and rob you.
I'm told by relatives nearby that that there is a fine arts center with decent prices for performances, but that few in the suburbs will attend. (The locals prefer Rap to Rimsky-Korsakov) They don't want a grand adventure in getting to the door, or back home.
It's downtown Mogidishu . . .
An idealistic young mayor is trying to slow the crimewave, I understand, but it's likely like the mythical king who bid the oncoming tide be stayed . . .
Coach, some of the things you say about other nations - esp those in the Third World - are correct, but geez, you are living in a glass house and throwing stones. Yes, my relatives took me to a nice restaurant in the Ironbound section, but I was told the
Portuguese residents of that area patrol the streets themselves, as Newark cops are useless.
Then again, perhaps you wish to follow Nietzsche's advice to "Live dangerously . . ."Comment -
Dominican Republic is very nice, speaking spanish is a must unless you live near tourist spots like punta cana, puerto plata etc.Comment -
JJ u don't like C.R what about the SBR staff. My friends say that C.R is the nicest central American country and it has allot of the same conveniences the US has. any truth there JJ?Comment -
I am living in one of the nicest places in the US by far. Why even consider moving? No way in hell!!המוסד
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jjgold has a point about the food, though. Mexican food is quite OK, but it starts getting a little strange as you go south from there. I don't do goat's head soup.
As you might have read in the dentristy thread, I'm fond of Thailand. My retire-abroad daydreams usually involve Thailand. It's getting easier to own land there. It's quite stable (the only country in Southeast Asia never colonized, I believe). The people are ridiculously happy and friendly. The women beautiful. Bangkok has everything, including cheap flights to everywhere. The food is terrific. They drink rum with dinner at outdoor cafes. The prices are way cheap. Good infrastructure and technology. Just a very pleasant place, if you can handle the tropics.
It's just so dang far away from the USA.Comment -
Also no one speaks fukkin English in these other Countries and women are lousy in bed I know.
PassComment -
The Philippines.
English speaking and the cost of living is less than half of costa rica.Comment -
Women in Philippines do not like sex because of culture, why would we go there and food is crap?Comment -
JJ you dont really believe that do you? Filipinas are quite beautiful in every way. They are not as high strung as latin girls and probably not as sexy but they are way up there. As for the food, the food in latin america is terrible except for some parts of mexico. The food in the Philippines is simple but no worse than latin america.Comment -
askin' jj gold for his opinion on foreign countries is like askin' a goldfish his opinion on the Mediterranean. neither one has been anywhere but in a bowl and fed nothing but flakesComment -
jj is right on the most part. if you lived in a first world coutnry, going to a developing countries just won't cut it. first thing you'll notice is that drinking water is a hassle...in most developing countries you have to boil the water or buy bottled waters. poeple do smell, and streets are tend to be more dirty, so whenever to go outside and come back you can't just walk around the house without taking off your shoes.
jj is right about the disease too, you americans have a very weak immune system because the states is very clean compare to other places. if you go to places polluted like india, i guarantee you'll have a fever/diareah within the first two weeks. but that'll go away after your immune system is caught up with the environment.
another thing is that whenever people see a old gringo, they see a walking atm, so becareful in that part.
there are lots of places gringos like to retire...off top of my head: thailand, phillipines, panama, costa rica... imo, i would recommend just stay where you are or where ever your friends are. because if you're old and head to a foriegn country, your new gf will probably snatch your wallet and tv after your heart attack.
latin america is a shithole compare to america. you'll hate it even more if you don't speak spanish.Comment -
I agree with this. You have to be selective, and get to know your new neighborhood before moving. Try it for a while before burning bridges. And it sure helps to know at least a bit of the language, and the culture.
One thing i notice that people in many Third World lands do is to eat raw fish. Whether it's sushi (OK, Japan is first world), or ceviche (Mexico) they love the raw. But in most of these countries the people also regularly take a de-wormer. That's right, a pill to purge the worms from the large intestine!
Because, friends, if you've ever eaten raw fish, YOU GOT WORMS! But you've never been de-wormed, you think that's only for your dog!
They're mostly pinworms, little white ones, not usually the big and dangerous tapeworms. But if you eat sushi, etc, better de-worm regularly.
BTW, Mike Roxboborough, founder of LVSC, is - last I heard - retired in Thailand.
Always thought that nation was a paradise for child molesters. Guess not.Comment -
That's right. If you eat raw fish, you got worms.
No matterr how finely they try to chop it, the worm, or its larvae, will survive. Right in the old pooper, your large intestine. Usually little pinworms, but if you eat things like pork undercooked it could be worse.
There are plenty of nutrients in the large intestine for the little critters to feed on.
If you ever had a bad butt itch, that's the worms crawling very close to the anal opening.
In every pharmacy in Mexico you can buy, over th counter, a medicine to de-worm yourself. I suspect the same would go for Japan, and other countries with a long tradition of eating raw fish.
Or, you can take the very healthy and good-for-you natural food, organic apple cider vinegar (Bragg is a good brand.) Mix a few tablespons a day with water or tomato juice, and drink down. It will militate against the little white critters enjoying a fine home in your colon.Comment -
I agree with Durito. Since the us-americans twice have voted for Bush, often behave ignorant towards other cultures and languages and show a very low average education level I would for sure prefer to live in latino america with friendly people, a nice climate and good food (oh yes they have!).
Concerning the probabilities of crimes I guess that as long as in the USA it is allowed for everyone to own weappons the situation is not much better. Apart from that it must be really stressful to stay there for a longer time because of the terror paranoia (it was more than enough to be at the Airport of Atlanta twice...).Comment
