#947 – The Expat Files: Ants, Ants, and Ants

Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.

[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came out to play and now I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started first things first Let's get to some emails. This one's from max. He says Johnny. You basically have a do-it-yourself solution to practically every problem I have a problem. How do you get rid of those leafcutter ants?

[00:46] Sometimes known as some popos in Latin America. Yep. You're right max It seems like the generic term for any kind of ant invasion is some popos Then he says I've used some white powder poison that I get from the agro paccario that works All right. I follow the trail to the hole and sprinkle a good bit down the hole I haven't invested in one of those pumps that blows this stuff really far deep into the holes But I've seen them used before from his Johnny. They love eating our roses, especially I have to check the yard every night before I go to bed or they come back by the way I'm in Las Vegas Honduras We had three virus cases this weekend the mayor of the town has decided to close everything for eight days Anyway, thanks for all the info Johnny. I haven't missed a show since I started listening five years ago signed max

[01:34] Alright max. Thanks for that and just a little update on the corona virus Yep, most of Latin America is on curfew and stories are shut down except for you know, the essentials though The funny thing is it seems like in the two countries I'd like to do my seminars Salvador and Guatemala. There's a very low virus count and even lower death count Why is that? Well, who knows but just like up in the US seems like the states that are very lightly populated like Idaho and Utah Where the people aren't living elbow to a hole They're just a lot less chance of exposure and with Guatemala and El Salvador being hugely rural With just two cities in each country That's Guatemala City and San Salvador being slightly over a million in population and the fact that those cities are very much spread out It makes a big difference in the way people mingle and come in contact with each other

[02:22] And of course, that's the reason why in the poor congested areas of town the ghettos and fabulous. It's always worse So anyway, just to let you know as for my upcoming expat insider's seminar, which will start on August 21st That's a Friday ending on Thursday night, August 27th as of now Anyway, the third week in April 2020 Guatemala and Salvador have a very low coronavirus incidence, but where were we? Oh, yeah, I'll tell you max I've had my run-ins with San Popos including the time if you're a longtime listener You'll recall I've had two major invasions one where they somehow found their way up into the structure of one of my sofas You know, they just love wood Especially pine and pine is everywhere here in Latin America And of course, there are lots of rainforest hardwoods down here too, and they never attack that stuff

[03:08] They just don't like it. It seems most of the hardwoods produce a built-in biochemical resistance So anyway, if you have decent furniture or even really good stuff like leather The under structure if you lift it up and look you'll see it's pine that includes some box spring mattresses, too So anyway, I had a furniture invasion But I did catch it in time and the second really scary invasion came when one day I noticed two or three ants in the house following a crack under the door into the closet Which is always a bad sign So I ripped everything out of the closet and I saw they were heading into a seam in my guitar case And that was one of the few times in my life. I got the cold sweats. They were inside the case of my 1970 custom fender jazz bass a real classic collector's item worth believe it or not five or six grand now

[03:57] Don't think I'm that nuts or extravagant or even such a high quality discriminating player that actually pay that much for a base Nope, never. The story is I actually bought the thing in Chicago back in around 1985 when there was no vintage antique or classic guitar market at all I remember I paid around 250 bucks for the thing used of course But in perfect shape and now who'd have thought all three of my old classic guitars now Referred to as vintage guitars that I bought used so long ago for under 300 bucks a piece are now worth between five and ten thousand Bucks each, you know that scares me. I mean, look, I don't even want to go out on a gig and play those things I keep thinking what if I'm playing at a bar and I'm on break and some drunk crashes into my stuff or it gets stolen

[04:44] So unfortunately or fortunately for me, they're nicely packed away, but that's no fun. They're meant to be played So I do haul them out once in a while for my own personal amusement and to check for some Popo's By the way, if you want to know exactly what I have. I've got that 1970 jazz bass on 1967 Gibson Les Paul deluxe with big-ass hippie belt buckle gashes in the backside of it to prove it I also have a 1965 Martin T28 dreadnought acoustic guitar and a 100% original 1965 Fender super reverb amp All tubes are as they say in the UK and Europe valves with four 10-inch Jensen speakers all original All right enough said about that. I'm sure most you aren't even interested But it's just an example how valuable things could be a two-edged sword

[05:33] I mean look these are great instruments. They're meant to be played but too valuable to take out on the road So anyway, the sampopos invaded my guitar, but luckily since it's made out of rainforest hardwood They weren't going after the guitar. They were going after the pine Reinforcements in the guitar case Yes, I lucked out, but I learned a lesson. So anyway max how to get rid of him or stop him Well, if they're already in the house and they're coming in from outside I found the best way aside from blasting him with toxic substances that are also bad for you your dogs and your kids is to lay Down a line of pure cinnamon for some reason ants and pretty much any bug just don't like crossing that barrier However inside on your floors cabinets and counters. It's pretty messy Hmm. I wonder what would happen if you laid a line of that down at the Texas border

[06:22] Just a little thought experiment Alright, so try cinnamon inside, but if as you say max you've got a sampopo invasion outside Cinnamon will work, but you know, that'll blow away and if it rains it's gone So here's what you do and I've seen it work You know where they're coming from and the line they're walking on they just love following each other They don't take a separate path So you dig a tiny trench about it eats deep and two or three inches wide in the dirt Perpendicular to their path, of course, you pour a little diesel fuel in that trench and some other creatures do not like diesel either Now gasoline will work too, but there's a problem with it It's highly flammable and evaporates very fast diesel on the other hand will stick around at least a residue of it for days and days

[07:07] It will burn but it burns very slowly and with a kind of a smoldering slow flame sure It stinks a little bit, but it leaves a nice kind of moist residue and the ants do not like Of course, you have to keep up with it check it every couple of days because if the trench is a short one Let's say five or ten feet long. Remember. It's long and skinny Anyway, the ants will find a way to go around it the longer the trench the better And maybe you should check it and pour a little diesel in it every week or so Because you know brush and pine needles and leaves will fall and that's a bridge for them to cross over, right? Anyway, I know that works because some people I know are doing it Next comes an email from Chris the next pet insider seminar alumnus. He says Johnny. Hola amigo I hope you're hanging in there. All right, it's a little crazy up here in the USA

[07:54] But I don't think it's as bad as all the doomsday reports you're getting LOL. All right, Chris. I'll respond to that first by the way as for that lol thing. I might be retarded I might not be cool or fashionable or hip with the trip But for a long time, I didn't even know what that meant lol to me It's kind of become the printed word version of the no longer awe-inspiring a word Which has over the years become almost as overused as a certain billionaire female reality stars private parts Believe me Chris. I'm not just picking on you for the lol thing seems like every email I gets got those three letters stuck in there somewhere then again with every show I sort of digress don't I even my 89 year old mother does it anyway you say in your email Chris You don't think it's as bad as all the doomsday reports that are coming out

[08:41] Well, Chris, if you don't think this virus thing is the pin that just popped the everything bubble I would just like you and all the other listeners out there to go to the following website put in u.s. Debt clock Or and you will see a live online Constantly updating complete picture of the imminent destruction of the u.s. And world financial system It'll make you want to cry guaranteed Just go there u.s. Debt clock dot org. You'll be absolutely terrified and Mesmerized in fact the first time I went there probably two or three years ago now. I got absolutely lost in it I think I spent two hours just glued to the thing Oh and note that on the upper left you'll find the state debt clocks

[09:27] Whatever state you ran and you'll see world debt clocks not just the u.s. And on the right that's even more interesting There's a link that's called debt clock time machine So you can go backwards to any date in time and see the entire u.s. Debt breakdown for whatever year and compare it to what's happening now bottom line Chris and everyone else out there if you're an optimist about the situation now aside from the corona virus thing Which was just a pin that popped the everything bubble have a look at this and you will absolutely Get that plan be going on top of that. You'll wonder why you didn't get going sooner For most people most thinking people anyway, cuz they're the only ones who ever gonna look at this thing after about three minutes You feel like you've been punched in the face by Mike Tyson in short if you're living in the first world

[10:15] You're on the Titanic whether you want to believe it or not And even if you're living up in the States or Europe or Japan or Singapore any first world country And you've got a lot of dough let's say well good for you But the point is what good will all that dough do you when you've lost your freedoms and every move you make? Or want to make is being monitored and controlled by big brother in the nanny state and believe me day by day There'll be more and more freedoms lost and people will go with it because they've been trained indoctrinated Especially the Gen Xers Millennials and Gen Z to believe that you must look to the government to solve all your problems Which brings us to the news of the day someone just sent me this article starts The UK is planning to roll out quote immunity Passports to allow people to return to work and socialize

[11:04] This concept is being promoted as a means by which those who have been vaccinated against a coronavirus Whenever that happens may be allowed to return to normal life In other words, they'll need permission from the government to do so then it says in Germany where the same concept is being advanced Gerard Krauss the epidemiologist leading the Hemholt Center for infection research says quote those who are immune will be issued a Vaccination pass that would for example allowed them to be exempted from certain restrictions on their activities Italian politicians too are discussing using covid passes for the public based on lab results, etc So then just how will this be handled the San Francisco publication wired offers this explanation quote

[11:50] The standard for certification of passes will be set at a national level and updated continually certification of individuals with passes should be done by all capable and available agencies at state county and federal levels and then Recorded in a common online searchable registry Unfortunately, this project entails the creation of different classes of people who will have different levels of privileges Just like China's social scoring George Orwell would be proud Then it says so essentially all those seeking to regain the freedom They enjoyed prior to the onset of the virus would need to get the appropriate vaccination and approvals They then would receive a passport that states what level of freedom they would be allowed

[12:38] And if you don't like it or you're suspicious of the underlying motives of the so-called Expert bureaucrats in the system if you complain about the loss of Liberty They just make sure you remain on lockdown either at home or in a central facility if necessary Of course, it would be a logical unnecessary step that all those who've been issued passports would need a booster vaccine or two or three or ten and Periodic testing to assure that as each new flu season arrives You've lined up at a government health clinic like a good little lemming Meanwhile, we've got Bill Gates the vaccine king chiming in saying what we'll have to have his Certificates of who's a recovered person and who's been vaccinated because you don't want people moving around the world Well, you'll have some countries that won't have a vaccine that won't have the problem under control

[13:27] Speaking of Bill Gates who's got the kind of kisser that begs to get clocked. He and suck a turd You know Robert F. Kennedy jr. Is a famous environmental attorney author and vaccine skeptic Well, he's just released a thorough investigative report about how Bill Gates is vaccine brigades in India And Africa have killed and damaged so many people most of them kids They've caused so much damage that Gates's vaccination lackeys are no longer allowed in certain countries For example, did you know in 2017 Indian doctors blame the Gates Foundation campaign for a devastating paralysis? directly related to his vaccines 500,000 children were paralyzed. So what happened then? Well

[14:13] The Indian government asked Bill Gates and his lackeys to leave India. They said get the hell out We don't want you here. By the way, if you want that report send me an email the expat files at gmail.com Now if you happen to be pro vaccine yourself, I mean there certainly are some vaccines that work though If I had to guess I'd say probably three quarters of the vaccines Including the flu vaccines are all about enriching big pharma's bottom line as for me. I don't take them I never did now if you believe all the mass media big pharma propaganda that's been directed against Kennedy If you think he's in that case or a whack job, how come none of these big pharma guys bill Gates? Foundation guys or the who etc will ever invite him to an open debate because he's got the proof

[14:58] He's got the data and it threatens their bottom line, but I digress says usual. Where are we? Oh, yeah, Chris's email He continues Johnny. Do you mind telling me where you get your cigars in Antigua Guatemala or elsewhere? I've tried the little wine shop next to the arch, but they seem a little overpriced Hopefully someday. I'll be able to get my house on the lake when all this crap passes He's talking about Guatemala's Lake Atit land the most beautiful lake in the world Chris, you know every time we do the Antigua Guatemala leg of my seminar We take everyone who wants to go to a particular cigar bar. In fact, it's called the cigar bar It's on 4th Avenida sewer number 10 So how to get there of Antigua streets and numbers confuse you they certainly do me

[15:45] Well, just go on the net and look up and T. What cigar bar by the way When you're in Antigua in one particular direction, you're looking smack dab at a huge volcano. It's right there in front of you Although it's scary look and it's not dangerous. It's never blown off in the history of well history So not to worry. It's dormant famous last words, huh? Anyway, I've had some of the most interesting conversations in my entire life in that bar It's a must-see in Antigua Guatemala, even if you don't smoke which begs the question. Do I smoke? Well, I smoke one good stogie maybe every month or two By the way, when you walk into the place You don't have to necessarily buy a really high-end cigar from Cuba like a coheba or Romeo and Julieta Ask them about their own brand. They're just as good for half the price and I bet they're a lot fresher, too

[16:34] If you don't smoke, it's still a must-see. Just have a drink feel a vibe and listen to and partake in some great conversations Again, I don't get a single favor or a kickback for mentioning this All right, then finally Chris asks some more pressing question. He says Johnny. Do you know anything about motion sensing security lights? I haven't heard you talk about security lighting on the show before I see a bunch of options on Amazon I need a couple from my carport and entrance gate. I was thinking of battery-powered any thoughts signed Chris from Austin Well Chris, you know those motion sensing security lights have been around for a long long time. My suggestion get a basic cheapie They're not very complicated. So they're pretty failsafe Probably can pick them up at a big box store for 10 bucks or less now As far as the ones with a little solar panel on them the rechargeable ones, obviously they have a battery

[17:22] Well, I don't find them very well-built very heavy-duty Unless you want to go on Amazon and buy one of the commercial grade ones Which will probably cost you 40 or 50 bucks apiece I don't know I haven't checked lately But I can tell you this cheap ones work just fine though since I've installed a lot of them over the years I can tell you most of them have a little quirk Now, of course you want a nice strong light one that'll illuminate a big area But you don't want to use a halogen or an incandescent ball because they use so much power Let's face it. We're all looking to lower our energy bill. And if you're going solar you want to have really efficient lighting So what do you do? Well, I'll tell you what most people do they put in a low wattage high lumen LED light That's the perfect solution. I'd say a 12 watt LED light should put out the equivalent of a hundred watt

[18:08] Incandescent or halogen ball. It's like an 80% savings in electricity for the same output But here's the hitch and most people don't know this I'd say probably not one in a thousand people know this But you will know in many cases with motion sensing lights They need a minimum load a minimum wattage to switch on for example I once put a six watt bulb in a motion sensing light unit and it just wouldn't turn on at first I thought it was defective and then for grins. I stuck in a 60 watt Incandescent bulb and it worked fine. And then I started testing smaller and smaller wattage bulbs till I ended up with a nice compromise 12 watt LED bulb now the reason why I put a six water in there in the first place because they're equivalent to about a 60 watt Incandescent bulb so lucky for me I screwed around with it and put in a bigger bulb and found out the unit wasn't bad at all

[18:56] It just needed something bigger than a six watt bulb a bigger load So again, some of those motion sensing fixtures need a minimum load on them So keep that in mind Now if you're wondering why some of those units will work with any light bulb and others only with a bigger bulb or heavier load Turns out the ones that will work with any bulb have a solenoid in them that clicks when they go off for on It's a soft click but you can hear it With the fully solid state units where they just got a high-powered transistor turning everything on and off Those circuits need a minimum load and by the way, they're completely silent when they operate But you won't know that till you buy the unit and you'll certainly know which one it is by testing a bulb or by hearing That noise if it clicks on or off. I know I know way too much information for a simple thing, huh?

[19:45] Anyway, let's move on. This one's from K Rex. It starts Johnny. It's been six months since my stem cell infusions I feel good. No problems. My heart doctor in the States says I wasted my money, but that's his opinion Me Johnny here. Yeah to be expected You know Seems like any alternative medical treatment, especially when you have to go outside the state sport is gonna get dissed and poo-pooed by your local Doc who in fact stands to lose business and dough if those alternative treatments work and a lot of them do all right Then it continues Johnny. I plan to go back and have my joints taken care of stem cells on joints have been very successful I hear however, I have a real dilemma and a question about my plan B I live in a small town in Western, Colorado. It's beautiful here. However, I freeze my ass and winner

[20:33] People here are doing all the recommended things to prevent the kung flu and I hear there's some Enforcement of the regs in large cities if you don't comply But for me living in a large city is a death trap, especially during a crisis like this, but I digress Anyway in my area. There is really no enforcement. We just go along like good little lemmings And if you don't they point fingers and say shame shame and I feel like every time some crisis comes along We lose more and more of our freedoms. We tend to accept more government control every time we have a crisis You know, they passed a law in the state mostly Denver did I should say that if someone seems strange So law can pay you a visit and confiscate your guns without due process However in most of our Western counties the sheriff say no way we're gonna do that

[21:19] Which is cool with me as US citizens However, we have laws that I really really hate excessive taxes lawsuits civil confiscation laws Privacy violations the list goes on and on our tendency is to be heading towards communism and it is frightening for me I have a house land a well food storage everything to survive most crisis issues and No death and Johnny what I love about Guatemala and South America is the freedom They might have some of the same laws we have but at present. They ignore them or they find you very minimally However, now I'm hearing that down there. They're enforcing strictly curfew laws with jail time 4 p.m. Curfew time every day. Are you kidding seems authoritarian and super controlling to me

[22:07] so the question is do I leave an almost perfect situation with my family friends and Lots of cool things and gadgets to move to a third world controlling country where I don't know the language at 76 years old Not to mention I'll have few friends No guns and can't drive a mile without some crazy sharp turn or going up and down a mountain For me the laid-back freedom of Latin America was big on my list and now it seems to have been an illusion Please help best regards k-rex and there's a PS. I'll get to that in a minute Alright, so what's my take on all this? Well, there's one hardcore reality You learn when you live down here and you're not just coming down as a tourist or visitor I'll put it this way if you were to visit Latin America right now if they lifted the restrictions on air travel You'd say oh my god

[22:53] I could never live like this four and five o'clock curfew masks required when you go to the pharmacy bank or stores No hiking no beaches. No all-inclusive resorts. No camping boating. Nothing. It's a forget it Better off in Cleveland. Here's the real dope I've seen copycat laws passed over and over here in Latin America and for the first month or two The government and police rigidly enforce those rules But soon enough and this always seems to happen after a while the cops in the government completely back off the law still exists But once again, it's back to things as usual give you a good example Not so long ago The president of Guatemala put out an edict that everybody had to have one of those Safety triangles and a fire extinguisher in the trunk of his car and they said you had to have one by so-and-so date

[23:41] So everyone went out and bought him cost maybe 20 or 25 bucks to get the two of them and for the first couple of Months at every single roadblock. They'd check you for it. And if you didn't have one you get something like a thirty dollar fine I remember it well because I still have one of those reflective triangles and a fire extinguisher. That's well past its due date However, within a couple months surprise surprise the whole idea faded away. Here's the truly Latin American part of this You know, I've spoken to countless drivers over the years no one and I mean no one has ever had their car burst into flames Have you I doubt it. Yep a fire extinguisher and your car sounds like a great idea But really that's strictly for the movies You got a better chance of being killed by a falling coconut than never being able to use that thing better a law Making a tank of oxygen mandatory. I mean that could actually come in handy every time you're behind a chicken bus

[24:32] Anyway, it was discovered a year or so later that the president's son or was it his nephew? Can't remember imported a couple of containers full of those triangles and extinguishers Months before the law was passed same with Latin building inspection departments. You think they come out and check your property No way But when they first created and staffed those places for a while the people actually came out and did their jobs You get the picture bottom line if you live up in the first world, you're going down with the Titanic Which just might be fine with some people you saw the movie a lot of people just stayed on the deck Dancing and partying knowing they were gonna go down But at least they were with their friends and there was plenty of booze on board Yep, some people even smart people choose not to have a plan B figuring they lived a nice life and they'll take what comes

[25:17] Which is why my expat insider seminar is such a great option First off you'll get a two to five year head start on your plan B you'll meet and hang with our crew and like-minded people some of whom will end up being your friends forever and You'll have an instant network that you could never have cultivated on your own And that means once you land if you've got any questions at all or doubts You'll have a list of phone numbers emails and personal contacts People who can give you a good advice and lend a hand with anything that comes up now as for my next seminar Which is slated for late August to get on the waiting list and take advantage of the early bird discounts Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com. All right as promised. Here's the PS to that last email It says PS Johnny You're an entertainer and your message is to tell the good the bad the ugly and the great south of the border

[26:07] I also know that what you say is your opinion based on all of your experiences If you were dull or not entertaining, no one would listen or give a shit So keep up the good work and in regards to your website being hacked with fake news, I could care less Even if that amateurish attempt to disparage you were true. I'm not concerned in the least bit. It was interesting However, I also think the doctor in front of your name is sexy I also think German ancestry is sexier than whatever fake news said it was. All right me Johnny here one more thing I've got some emails about my last show where I said I don't sell anything except my hundred-plus page health care report for 20 bucks and my expat insider seminar Then some people wrote to me but Johnny you sold that expat essentials course The fact is I spent hundreds of hours putting that together and I made nothing from it

[26:56] Yes, hundreds of people bought that course turns out Jen bird the swindler fugitive who hacked my website after I fired her for stealing And when I found out she'd swindled a bunch of other expats, too Well, here's the rest of the story She stole all of the thousands of dollars that came in from my expat essentials course by diverting it through her PayPal account Then she closed down the expat essentials site, which was interactive So people who bought the course have no way of getting back in again Talk about bad seeds and evil people, huh? So what can you learn from all this? Well, I don't know if there's a god, but I know for sure. There's a devil You've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America If you need some help with your own plan B We can schedule a one-on-one phone or Skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com

[27:44] And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week long expat insider seminar in Central America Where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan B Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com