Exploring Latin America

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Some of you will remember that I have an interest in Latin America as a place to spend some time in that coming period between work and death.

I stumbled across a marvelous resource in the About forums (OK, fora) called South America for Visitors. The moderator grew up in Chile, which is how I found the site.

However, there are two long threads by a tireless poster that are priceless. One is Travelling through Latin America and the other is Places Worthwhile Visiting in Argentina, both conducted by Robert Ingledew, a technical translator who lives in Mar del Plata, Argentina (where the anti-FTAA demonstrators have been raising hell this week; by the way, did anyone see where Cuba called the FTAA, and by implication George Bush, "neo-liberal"-- ).

Robert has travelled all over Latin America and the Caribbean, for fun and on business, from Mexico to Tierra del Feugo. He seems to have been e*v*e*r*y*w*h*e*r*e, and if he hasn't been somewhere, he has photos and a link for it. He is a real photography bug and a fisherman all his life. His posts are full of photos from all kinds of sources, links and personal comments on places to stay, places to live, things to do, safety, budget travel, fishing, etc. He is a terrific booster of Argentina and ought to be paid for promoting tourism. I am getting all kinds of good ideas from his threads. These postings cover several years, so some of the links to photos and sites are broken, but there are so many that you hardly notice.

OK, now you need to go look for yourselves:

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&tid=512&webtag=ab-gosoamerica

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&tsn=7&tid=540&webtag=ab-gosoamerica

As Roberto says,

Enjoy!

Gypsy

 

[Sheryl]

A wealth of information there, Ed. Thanks for the links. Have you narrowed your focus to certain countries yet, or still exploring all the options?

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Hi, Sheryl,

Still looking around.  To be honest, a couple of years away yet. 

Today's thoughts:

Mexico is probably where we would start.  Many places possible.

Merida, VZ, looks like a good place to study Spanish.  Maybe Cartegena, Colombia.  (Former landlord from Colombia, but he ain't going back.  For reference.)

Argentina and Chile look very interesting.  (One of the roomers at my current flophouse rooming house is from Chile originally.)

Have you got some suggestions? Tell us.

Cheers,

Ed

 

[Sheryl]

No suggestions here, I'm really still in the early stages of researching, myself. I have only spent time in Mexico and Honduras so far. I have been more focused on Central America than South, but not for any particular reason. Ecuador looks interesting - the Kaderlis have some great photos and travel info on their site from Ecuador.

I don't think I would relocate permenantly. I imagine keeping my homebase here, but spending the winter months in a different place each year.

 

[dougdo]

I'm still on the lookout for that perfect winter (at least) getaway that I can go back to every year.

Last winter, I spent 4 months in Costa Rica.

The year before that was Guatemala.

This year, I'm traveling in Mexico. Right now I'm in Guadalajara and loving it. Maybe this will be the place.

All those pages index the articles written by myself and others about those countries. Including a
couple of articles about ex-pat life and what that's like and what to look out for.  Check out specifically:

News Flash! Foreigners Stricken with Tropical Fever

and

Living in Paradise

Doug.

 

[acg]

Was in Rio de Janiero back in the 80's. Paid $500 for a charter flight from NY that was the most godawful experience ever, but hey you get what you pay for!

The city is absolutely gorgeous, and very cosmo and international, enjoying a very inexpensive filet and hearts of palm salad at a sidewalk cafe on Copacabana was $4. Beautiful people bodies on the beach and around everywhere! Stayed at the Inter-Continental. Very nice.

Definitely a place I will return (am exploring offshore living and this is high on my list to return someday!)

 

[dougdo]

South America sounds like it has some amazing cities--very cosmopolitan and with everything you'd want. What's stopped me from focusing on them is the travel there--expensive and takes a long time. So it would be a drag to go back and forth for me and for visitors since not all my friends and family can afford to (or want to) retire before 40!

After 5 days in Guadalajara i'm starting to think about looking at houses (as silly as that seems)...

 

[justin]

South America sounds like it has some amazing cities--very cosmopolitan and with everything you'd want. What's stopped me from focusing on them is the travel there--expensive and takes a long time. So it would be a drag to go back and forth for me and for visitors since not all my friends and family can afford to (or want to) retire before 40!

After 5 days in Guadalajara i'm starting to think about looking at houses (as silly as that seems)...

Why not take a few months and "backpack" around South America? Spend a week or two in cities that you think might interest you. Local transport is cheap. Just buy one plane ticket for down and back.

 

[tozz]

I'm still wobbling between South/Central America and Southeast Asia for extended sojourns during the next few years.  The (serious) downside to South American cities is the crime.  I am reasonably streetwise and live in a gritty part of Boston.  However, Caracas has more murders a weekend than the entire Boston area has during a year.  My friends in Caracas all have personal stories of robberies and assaults--and they blend in as natives and have a good local street sense.  Walking around at night is pretty much out of the question.  People travel around by car from secure location to secure location.   Rio seems similar, with residents steering clear of areas close to the favellas.  Out of the larger more cosmopolitan cites, Buenos Aires seems the safest, though I have heard that it has gotten worse their since they allowed the exchange rate to float a few years ago.

South America sounds like it has some amazing cities--very cosmopolitan and with everything you'd want.

 

[dougdo]

Why not take a few months and "backpack" around South America?  Spend a week or two in cities that you think might interest you.  Local transport is cheap.  Just buy one plane ticket for down and back. 

Yeah, you know it's not so much that it's expensive to get there one time...that's no big deal and I'd use points. Its kinda like window shopping; i don't much get off on it if I have no intention of buying. I kinda feel that way about South America. I'm sure there are some amazing places to see and some amazing places to live but because of the distance I don't see myself living there because I'd want to be able to come back like 3 times a year and I'd want friends and family to be able to visit me easily.

That said I still intend to visit South America and do exactly that; probably next winter (although i said that about this winter and last too). I gotta see Brazil!

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

dougdo,

I compadre of mine disappeared into Brazil for over a year. You seem to have similar interests. Consider it.

Ed

 

[yelnad]

Merida, VZ, looks like a good place to study Spanish.

I spent 4 months in Merida, VZ in 1995. As you say, it's great for studying Spanish. It's a small "city" high in the Andes. If you enjoy hiking and the outdoors, it's perfect. I woke up to a view of Pico Bolivar (highest peak in South America) each morning. I'll try to remember to let you know if I ever get around to scanning my pictures from that era.

Caracas is a different beast from the rest of VZ.

 

[LIPhotoMan]

Am thinking of Costa Rica. Lots of sites about retiring there, but most seem like just excuses for advertising. Can anyone recommend a good site for info on retiring there?
How widely is English spoken? I think I am too old now to learn a new language.

Speaking of a language, Mexico is also on the list. My SO, an artist, spent a year there at the American University, and would love to go back. Says it is a great place for artists (But she is pushing Asheville, NC).

 

[dougdo]

There's at least one decient book about retiring in Costa Rica...I've browsed most of a friends copy, can't remember the name off the top of my head but it shouldn't be too hard to find. Seemed to have good general info.

A friend of mine in Costa Rica is also thinking of writing another book; less of a how-to guide than the one I can't remember the name of, and more stories of people who have moved there. I'll let you know when/if he gets further along.

And, of course, I can always recommend my own website. The [urlhttp://www.travelblogs.com/costa_rica.htm]Travel Blogs Costa Rica[/url] page has lots of articles from Costa Rica from me (I spent the last 2 winters there) and other authors. Several of the articles are of particular interest to those considering living there, including:

[urlhttp://www.travelblogs.com/dougdo/tropical_fever.htm]News Flash! Foreigners Stricken with Tropical Fever[/url], and
Living in Paradise

Doug.

 

[justin]

Dougdo,

You seem to promote your blog an awful lot on here by linking to it frequently. How much are you raking in from those google ads you have on there? Twice in this thread (that I've counted) plus in your tagline in every message. I don't want to be a sourpuss, but some might think this is self-promotion of a commercial nature.

 

[haha]

You seem to promote your blog an awful lot on here by linking to it frequently.  How much are you raking in from those google ads you have on there?  Twice in this thread (that I've counted) plus in your tagline in every message.  I don't want to be a sourpuss, but some might think this is self-promotion of a commercial nature. 

Hey, the rule here is promote all you want, as long as you don't have an obnoxious personality. Dougie doesn't, so he is home free.

Ha

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Hey, the rule here is promote all you want, as long as you don't have an obnoxious personality. Dougie doesn't, so he is home free.

Ha

Hey, wait a minute! I'm obnoxious but don't promote.
I think I should be cut some slack, at the very least.
BTW, who made this "rule"??

JG

 

[dory36]

Dougdo,

You seem to promote your blog an awful lot on here by linking to it frequently.  How much are you raking in from those google ads you have on there?  Twice in this thread (that I've counted) plus in your tagline in every message.  I don't want to be a sourpuss, but some might think this is self-promotion of a commercial nature. 

Probably not. Those Google ads don't pay squat, unless you are getting a gazillion hits a day. Most people put them on their site in hopes of getting better exposure from Google, and thus letting more people know about their site.

 

[justin]

Probably not. Those Google ads don't pay squat, unless you are getting a gazillion hits a day. Most people put them on their site in hopes of getting better exposure from Google, and thus letting more people know about their site.

Dougdo,

Ignore my previous criticism. If Dory36 says it's ok, then I guess it is ok! In the past I thought people got jumped on for posting links to their blogs or websites that were partly or completely commercial in nature. Dougdo, I know you contribute important content here, especially re: travel, latin america, etc.

 

[dory36]

To clarify ... We are pretty much an anti-promotion forum, as Justin noted. We pounce hard on people who seem to be selling stuff and not contributing anything. OTOH, if someone is posting elsewhere content that is directly and clearly relevant to a thread here, it seems to me to be OK.

To say it a different way: We don't want folks trolling for customers here unless they are willing to pay our advertising rates (currently $5,000 a month ). We are generally pretty tolerant of relevant links to external material in the context of a discussion on the same topic, even if they are the authors of the external material, especially when the poster is an active and regular participant.

Get-rich-quick schemes promoted by first-time posters, well, stand out of the way!

 

[tozz]

Since I am close to being in the same position, I especially enjoy the posts from Doug and Billy and Akaisha and the rest of our overseas posters.  Reading between the lines, Doug is still working through his (semi?)retirement plans, location and calling. 

The ex-pats demonstrate that it is possible to retire for less than that Convenient Round Figure that gets tossed around here alot.  They have taken a different path.  Their experiences are heartening to those still working who are looking for a Plan B.  Even if you decide to keep working, knowing that you could retire now certainly takes much of the pressure off. 

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

tozz,

You nailed it. That is the only thing that keeps me from going crazy.

Ed

 

[dougdo]

Ah, an argument about me when I wasn't paying attention! Now I really feel part of the ERF community!!!

I do like to get traffic to my site but never post anything solely for promotional purposes but figure if I have content on my site that relates to the question being asked then sure, I'll post a link. I'm proud of the content on my site, both written by me and others.

As for those Google Ads, Justin's more or less correct. Right now I make an average whopping $2 a day on Google Ads and that's with getting a fairly substantial 400 visitors/4000 hits a day. It covers my hosting and a bit anyway (and I get a little other revenue--if someone else has a website and wants help getting at least some revenue to cover expenses, send me a private message and I can suggest ideas). Some day I'd like to make a living out of writing and publishing on the web but it ain't happening very quickly... Thankfully the stock market is behaving rather pleasantly right now so I don't have to worry too much about that at the moment.