Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Latin America”
It started in April with a rash of deals between Argentina and Russia during President Cristina Kirchner’s visit to Moscow. And it continues with a $53 billion investment bang as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits Brazil during the first stop of yet another South American commercial offensive – complete with a sweet metaphor: Li riding on a made in China …
-More on safely moving your gold, silver and precious metals across borders and how to stay as anonymous as possible while doing so.
-A word on bank safety deposit boxes: their availability and use in Latin America
-If you’ve been watching the international news over the last few weeks you may have noticed a rather big top level political shakeup going down in Guatemala. It’s just the most recent billion dollar corruption scandal collapsing the present government. Along with the country’s first female vice president, dozens of high level politicos are in jail or under house arrest and a dozen politicians now fugitives on the run from Interpol.
That said, how does all this political turmoil and unrest affect the expats and gringos living in Guatemala? What do long term expats have to say about the situation? Are they nervous, frightened and ready to pack up and leave? You’ll be surprised to hear that talk of corruption and scandal rarely comes up in casual conversation amongst gringos and expats. Why? Because every administration is thoroughly corrupt. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the only ones really affected by such massive corruption and thievery are the common people, the 80% who must ride the chicken buses, attend horrible free public schools (no desks or running water). Its the poor people who must go to the pitiful but free public hospitals (with not enough beds, gloves, medicines or syringes to go around). They’re the ones that suffer- while expats and gringos continue to live like first world people no matter which corrupt leaders are in office.
-In the last two years nearly all Latin American countries have adopted their own sort of local Craig’s list clones… as well as many free classified ad websites. Of course there’s been the usual lag time of a few years but suddenly these sites are springing up and becoming quite popular- fast displacing the traditional newspaper classifieds which can be too pricy for the average Latin selling low-priced stuff. That said, wannabees and gonnabees should take advantage of such sites as much as they can; not only to find good cheap stuff but also as a nice side effect, pick up bits of commonly used Spanish terms along the way.
– If you live in Latin America long enough and as your Spanish skills improve, soon enough you’ll start to understand there’s a very odd subservient classist relationship between Latin Americans and their so called “mother-country” Spain. Do remember that it was the Spanish conquistadors that came over to rape, pillage, kill pagan priests and extract gold and silver at any cost. And do remember that, most of today’s present Latin Americans have a high percentage of the local indigenous blood (unlike the long term residents in the USA and Canada) …. which is why the majority of Latins are short and brown- not white and tall like their Spanish conquerors. In short, real Spaniards fro Europe believe their Latin cousins to be lower-class rabble who will never pull themselves from the muck they have created.
Peruvian judicial authorities have ordered the reopening and expansion of a criminal probe into the mass forced sterilization of an estimated 350,000 women and 25,000 men during the 1990s. A Peruvian public prosecutor reopened an investigation on Thursday into former President Alberto Fujimori’s possible role in the forced sterilization of thousands of Peru’s indigenous people during the ‘90s. Luis Antonio …
A friend recently asked to meet for coffee. ‘I’ve had some more bad news,’ his text said. A ‘fifty something’ year old friend had taken his own life the day before. Jack had hanged himself from a tree in a public park on the outskirts of London; it was his fourth attempt. He had four children. This was the second, …
– On the other side of the globe, the Philippine islands have the closest thing to a Latin American culture. They were once conquered and colonized by Spain so they have many of the same traditions… with some important differences…
-When you come to Latin America, for all of you who enjoy walking and exploring, note that there are different categories of “safe”. For example there are, #1, safe places to walk through day and night, #2 safe places to walk in the daytime only (questionable at night), #3 places that are considered unsafe to walk in both day and night. Then there’s the question- what if you’re walking alone or with two or more in your group?
-Would you like to take part in on one of my live “webinars?
Check out www.Expatwisdom.com and sign up for one of my free one hour live “webinars”. They will take place about every two weeks and free for a limited time so sign up now to listen in live and contribute your own thoughts and questions about Latin America.
-Some Latins, especially upscale Latins, don’t like the term “3rd world”. They much prefer the more PC term “developing nation”. In fact, to call someone a “trecer mundista” (a 3rd worlder) south of the border can be a harsh insult to some of the more sensitive educated Latins- though its often mouthed by Latin bosses to employees who have made errors on the job or have done something the chief bottle washer considers stupid. Use the 3rd world thing at your own risk…
-Seems like everyone who’s been any kind of traveller at all occasionally checks in with the “Trip Advisor”. If you don’t know what the Trip Advisor is then you probably live in your basement. So today we have some comments, the pros and cons of using (and trusting) it as a free public service. Remember, you usually get what you pay for(including this show!)
-How “Trip Advisor”, big retirement magazines websites and vacation bloggers have slowly but surely put Roatan, Honduras smack on the gringo tourist trail. It’s not a good thing by any means. Adios Roatan! Formerly one of the best inexpensive, secret island paradise getaways. Guess we won’t be vacationing there anymore!
-Tips on packing and protecting your prescription drugs, vitamins and supplements. What to keep in mind when packing for trips to and from Latin America
-Would you like to get in on one of my free live “webinars”?
Check out www.Expatwisdom.com and sign up for one of my free one hour live “webinars”. They will take place about every two or three weeks for a limited time so sign up now to listen in live. Contribute your own thoughts and questions about Latin America.
-Now for a disturbing recent eyewitness in-your-face report on drones and chem-trails in Coast Rica and Mexico.
