#850 – The Expat Files: Off-Grid Living, Healthcare Insights, and Legal Nuances in Latin America

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 as 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 All right today. We'll be continuing on with how to get off the grid in Latin America We'll be talking about the electric power grids down here meters solar panels batteries specifically lithium ion the best way to go

[00:45] You'll hear my particular picks electric cars here in Latin America You know if you come down get that plan be going you will have one eventually So how are you gonna charge that you're gonna plug it into the grid? Where electricity per kilowatt hour in your particular Latin country could be three times what you're paying for it up in the states Nope, you don't want to do that You want to have your own solar panel charging system for your electric car when that time comes and we'll talk all about that Believe me if you add up the material you got in the last show and what you're gonna get in this show and surely What's gonna bleed into the following show and I'm willing to bet the show after that one, too You'll probably have most all the questions you ever had and questions You never even thought about before answered one thing I will promise is that you'll get information overload about how to get off the grid in Latin America or how to

[01:32] Partially get off the grid which is highly recommended and rather easy and cheap to do as well Of course, there are all kinds of pitfalls in minefields to lots of scammers out there Just like there's scammers up in Cleveland and Seattle Solar's starting to kick in down here So you're gonna get the good guys and the bad guys right and you know expat Eddie likens them to use car dealers There are some honest and reliable used car dealers, but not many and for sure there are more honest and reliable solar power Installers and such but here's the problem. It's such a new field and things are changing Oh so fast with batteries and panels being so much more efficient even two three years ago They were twice the price twice the size and twice the weight The thing is I found by checking out various solar companies and solar installers myself

[02:18] They're always because this is Latin America in lag time mode So they're pushing last year's model or even models from two or three years ago stuff They've got on hand instead sure it works It's still functional but like cell phones, you don't want to buy an old model You want the latest tech but how's the average even smart guy who's not an engineer or techie gonna know any of that and it's A lot of these solar installations look mighty nice If you take a trip out and look at one and that respect it is like going to a used car dealer I mean look when you go to a lot all the cars have been nicely detailed and they look a hell of a lot better Than they are mechanically. That's usually the case again with polishing the turd, huh? It's not to say these solar power contractors are spiffing up systems and making them look better than they are

[03:03] They're just selling you old stuff case in point They'll sell you a system for 15 or 20,000 bucks here complete off-the-grid whole house system But and here's one of those big retired asian butts if you know about this kind of stuff and do your research You can get it for half of that price Even less because energy consumption here in Latin America is so much lower than it is up in the states since you won't have to Heat your place and if you're in the Altiplano or any elevation higher than let's say 3,000 feet You won't need air conditioning either because remember for every thousand foot you are above sea level you're one and a half degrees Fahrenheit cooler File that number away. It's good to know. But what if you do need air conditioning? You love the ocean and you have a beach house. Hey, no problem

[03:50] We're gonna talk about that too and how to do it because your solar system even an inexpensive one can provide enough power to run One or two air conditioner units So if that's what you need not a problem, especially since just in the last few years They've got these really efficient what they call mini split air conditioning units I know I know I realize that most people don't even know what a mini split inverter type air conditioning unit is Don't worry by the end of this rant. You surely will but before we dive into the electric solar powered and off-the-grid stuff I want to touch on one little subject concerning health care that I've never mentioned before It's something you're never gonna read about or see on TV unless your Spanish is so good You end up reading op-ed pieces in Spanish newspapers Now you've heard me say over and over again

[04:37] The very best health care options for gringos and expats here in Latin America are private hospitals and clinics They're in many even most cases first world all the way You've heard me say that a million times. You've also heard me say you should avoid Public national health care clinics and hospitals at all costs meaning for example If you get into a car accident or fall into a manhole because someone stole the cover Hey manhole cover theft is an epidemic here When the ambulance comes even if you've only got one long working and a half a breath left in your body Tell them to take you to the nearest private hospital or more than likely if you don't say anything He'll drop you at the nearest public poop hole hospital Why because 90% of Latin Americans do not have private health care, so they don't go to private hospitals and clinics

[05:22] They always go automatically to the nearest poop hole public hospital However, there are two exceptions when a public poop hole hospital is the hospital of choice or at least it's not a bad decision Here's the deal It's a fact that if you get mangled in a car accident those doctors and national health emergency trauma rooms are Really good at what they do since they see so many injuries like that. In fact, they're overwhelmed with those kind of injuries They're very very good at treating emergency trauma cases and getting people stabilized Oh, and by the way, almost all Latin American doctors do a rotation through an emergency room like that at a public hospital Simply because they are so overwhelmed with cases. They can't help to get up to speed really fast So here's the story suppose your plan B is moving down to Panama

[06:10] And then you get private health care insurance That means you've got private hospitals clinics and private sector doctors on your plan Well, as mentioned even docs who've gone to private medical schools most did their trauma rotations through public national health care hospitals That's because most Latin countries have a deal with the private medical schools that their doctors when they come out have to work at a public Hospital for at least a little while most often in the emergency room and trauma center. Hey nothing wrong with that Don't you want your doc to be really good at trauma medicine? I mean just in case you have an accident nearby his office or fall into an open manhole Stranger things have happened. This is Latin America You know and luckily if you end up in a national health care emergency room because you've had a car accident And they just told you there you won't have to take a number and wait four hours in the gigantic line

[06:58] You see as you're pulling in because thank Buddha. They'll always treat the patient coming in in an ambulance first You'll be able to take cuts right away Hmm. Did I say cuts pun intended not to mention you've got that gringo advantage going So even if you didn't come by bambulance and you walked in under your own steam You'll get instant preferential treatment whether you deserve it or not However, once you're there in that emergency room if you're conscious at all You should immediately call or have someone immediately call your private health insurance hotline number You'll have it on that little plastic insurance card. They give you when you sign up do carry that with you at all times You tell them what happened say you're in an emergency room at whatever public hospital dump You're in and you want an immediate lift once you're stable Of course to one of the nearby private hospitals in your plan

[07:44] In other words, you don't want to spend a single night in a bed in a public hospital emergency room No problem because you most likely came in in a bambulance They took care of you right away and you're stable, but don't stay there overnight get the hell out Yeah, I know I've heard from gringos and expats who say hey But Colombia and Costa Rica and Ecuador have pretty good national health care systems Well, guess what some politician or new political party comes along and they promise if you vote for them They'll revitalize and modernize the whole stinking national health care system and some of them do it They borrow a ton of money from the IMF the World Bank or float bonds, whatever They really do revitalize the system till it's almost first world and then do all kinds of photo ops send out super press releases they get the world in the international media thinking there are great things happening in that particular Latin country and that great press sucks in a

[08:36] Lot of low-budget expat gringos and tourists like for example, what Correa did in Ecuador five or six years ago And then as is the Latin way there goes the maintenance and the bills don't get paid in three or four years The place is a wreck again. Go ahead Just ask anyone in Ecuador who was there when Correa revitalized it five or so years ago And what it's like now surprise surprise totally bankrupt history repeats itself now once again Shortages of everything big lines long waits equipment on the blink nurses and staff not getting paid on time the usual crap exact same thing happened in Colombia Costa Rica and Argentina I could go on and on about how that cycle works and Here's the thing as soon as the news gets out that some new politician or party revitalize that national health care system

[09:25] All of a sudden you've got gringo rags and blogs like escape artists and international living Spreading the word telling everyone to head down because it's so cheap and great first world all the way in that moment in that Snapshot in time it really is and then predictably a couple years later It's back into the crapper not to mention whatever tiny price gringos and expats had to pay to get in at first is now Double or triple another slap in the face Considering the service goes downhill and the lines get longer and deeper But guess what there is a publicly funded national health care system that really does deliver on its promise and its first world All the way funny enough a few of these hospitals and clinics exist in every Latin country Wait a minute. You say how could that be first world national health care in every single country when I've been telling you

[10:13] Avoid them at all costs. They suck. Well, here's what you didn't know Yes, there are government hospitals that have the cleanest best first world equipment and it's maintained to they're called Hospitals military military hospitals and they always seem to be first-class joints Why is that because there's a preponderance of politicians generals colonels captains and other large-ass military and government career bureaucrats? That get free access to hospitalization the rest of their lives. That is they get free everything at Military hospitals, so naturally they pass laws and push through all kinds of legislation So that the military hospitals are top priority when the dough starts flowing out for the budget It's pretty much exactly the same kind of scheme you hear that the US Congress and high-level

[11:01] US government militaries have their own insurance plan their own hospitals separate from working-class government grants Nope high-level government spire kids never experienced the stench of a VA hospital unless they're in there Stumping and shaking hands for votes or shaking stumps for votes Hmm. Can I get in trouble for that? So anyway, they've got these first-class military hospitals in all Latin countries Now the thing is for example, if you're a private or a corporal or a low-end grunt You're allowed to use those first-class military hospitals, too But the deal is once you're out once you've served your stint no more military hospital privileges for you Anyway, the reason why Latin American military hospitals aren't overrun with all kinds of privates and corporals and grunts is because 98% of grunts

[11:48] Transition into private life after they've had their two or four years and the careerists the ones have gone to university Military training and officer's school the lifers and the ones that have transitioned into sack government jobs They and the other high-level carbuckler pustulent politicians have full use of those five-star military hospitals the rest of their malignant lives again, those Latin military hospitals are first world and governments make sure they stay that way because Politicians make the laws and bend them to accommodate themselves as usual Oh and one more thing you and I could never get admitted to one of those hospitals Even I think if you're got a car accident right in front of the emergency room unless you're a military or a high-end bureaucrat Doesn't matter if you're dying on the doorsteps. They won't let you in Oh, and by the way, if you're for example a grunt or a corporal

[12:36] You do have access to those hospitals, but your family doesn't just you if you're a high-up colonel admiral general Congressional dickhead, whatever your whole family gets to use the military hospital facilities the rest of their lives Anyway, that's the usual setup in most all Latin countries So when you hear me or anyone else say the national health care systems in Latin America suck That's not quite true because of that military hospital exception to the rule When there's one more amazing twist to the military hospital story now If you're at all keeping up with the major news coming out of Latin America You see that presidents vice presidents and congresspeople are always being caught for corruption and thrown in jail It's just an absolute revolving door president vice president one or two terms in office one or two terms in prison

[13:24] That's the way it should be. Usually they have political and diplomatic immunity. They've written that into the law So when they get caught for stealing the expected amount for the office they happen to hold they don't go to jail but when the crimes are really severe and they've stolen a lot more than the job permits and Or it's been discovered and they have witnesses to show they've bumped off a few people along the way Eventually due to international pressure not internal pressure their own Congress will pull their immunity Then they have to face the music go under house arrest for a year or two because that's how long it takes to Go to court then after that, they'll generally spend a few years in jail get out and run for office again But really is that any worse than the crimes of the Bushes Clinton's in Obama's at least here in Latin America Many many big-time president vice presidents and high-end politicians do go to jail

[14:14] They serve some time Meanwhile up in the states where presidential crimes are on a much more insidious scale They never go to prison. Has there ever been a u.s. President or vice president who's done time? Nope That's why I'm totally for term limits for Congress or president two terms only one term in office and one term in prison That ought to make them think twice about how deep they want to stick their dirty paws into the cookie jar But I digress but not much Oh and did you read just this week the ex-president Peru died of lead poisoning? He offed himself knowing that the international courts finally got the goods on him for stealing millions in that old abrecht international kickback Construction scam you may have heard about so what do I have to say about a politician offing himself before he has to go to court? I say that's a good start give that man a cigar

[15:02] I think that's what they should do to all high-end political scumbags when they're about to serve them the indictment papers Lock them in a nice comfortable room with those papers and a loaded revolver. Hey, that's the way the Japanese handled this grace It's the noble way out. They call it fallen on the sword, but I digress though. Not much Here's the thing talking about those first-rate military hospitals Well, guess what? Every single Latin country now has passed a law that says if a high-level politician or military shit for brains has to go to court because he's been indicted if he's got a doctor to sign off saying he's got A serious medical condition. However, you define that he can have a get-out-of-jail-free card an Unlimited stay in one of those first-rate military hospitals, which are pretty much like a club fed

[15:48] In fact right now at this very minute every single major military hospital in Latin America is housing Special political scumbag guests who've been indicted and should be in court, but it's been postponed indefinitely Why because they've had their doctor generally a very good friend Certify something like heart disease severe depression or other psychiatric syndrome Just thought you'd like to know how another Dysfunctional system works besides your own and now without further ado do part two of electric power here in Latin America And how gringles and expats get off the grid or nearly off the grid now I have to say being an engineer in a past life one of the five greatest feelings in my life the gift that keeps On giving is the feeling you get when you know, you're completely free from the power grid That is the utility companies no longer have you under their thumb though expat Eddie says herpes is the gift that keeps on giving

[16:40] Well, that may be true with the disco and party crowd, but not in my limited universe, which begs the question or questions What are the other four greatest gifts that keep on giving? Well, they vary a bit from person to person you fill in your own blanks But I'll give you one more on my list that is being completely free of a debt It's true Ask anyone who's loaded down with that how he feels when he gets up in the morning and when it gets towards the end Of the month that virtual noose starts tightening around his neck, which begs yet another question How much will it cost you to completely get off the grid? But first let's talk about Latin American meters and meter readers When you go down to pay your monthly electric bill and you will do that sometimes I'd say at least three quarters, maybe even 80 or 90 percent of people physically go down to the electric company or bank to pay

[17:27] The bill they're not hooked up online to pay though. Most gringos and expats jump on that right away Anyway, when you go down to the electric company or one of the branches pay your bills You'll notice little signs posted here and there Some are warning customers that there are unscrupulous people out there representing the electric company that you should have no dealings with They're referring to people that look like electric company reps who are offering to modify your meter to make it appear Like you have less electric power consumption So your bill naturally will be lower every month and those little signs which are in spanish Of course say it's illegal to make and accept these kind of offers Then they try to scare you by saying if someone modifies your meter, it will damage your electrical appliances Then on the bottom it says you can report these unscrupulous people

[18:16] By calling a certain number or going to a particular fake book or twaddle page What they're not telling you is that it's actual electric company employees moonlighting for some extra dough Most are not fly-by-night scammers off the street, but can actually perform that service In fact a couple of times I approved it myself i'd be driving home or i'd be in a parking lot There'd be some electric companies guys working on a pole or messing with a rat's nest of wires And i'd stop and say hey I wonder if one of you guys can come over and look at my meter seems to be running way too fast Wink wink hint hint. Guess what? Nearly every single time one of them would say how about after lunch? Of course as usual i'm not advocating anything illegal I'm just giving you a little picture of what it's like to live here in latin america

[19:02] That's my job, right? Of course all this is going down in spanish because grunt workers at the electric company don't speak english Would you expect them to nope by the way? Here's a little story just to reinforce how common that kind of stuff really is At one time I put together with a half canadian half belgian guy a bar in antigua guaramala I was the silent partner In doing so I was putting together a deal to rent a really nice commercial space about two blocks from the central park And I said to the owner the propotario of the property. I said how much is the electric bill normally? He said oh don't worry about that. It's really low. I said well, how low he said around 15 bucks a month And I thought well, maybe because he hadn't had any renters for a couple of months So that would seem normal if no one was using the place at all

[19:48] Anyway signed a contract for a year paid for six months Started doing some big time remodeling new bathrooms wall partitions bar even built a little studio apartment in the back for myself So naturally there were saws and drills and lights blazing day and night and at the end of the month We were still working on the place got the electric bill and it was 20 bucks I thought this is not right, but I like it. Maybe it'll kick in next month So next month came around something like 24 bucks I'm thinking this is good, but something's not right So me in a past life being an electrical engineer That means you're not at all afraid of electricity because you've been jolted maybe 600 times already I took a ladder and headed up to the main breaker box, which was well out of reach opened it up

[20:34] I saw there was the usual 220 coming in split to two 110 circuits That's how almost all breaker boxes are set up in latin america and in the states That's why when you open up the door to your circuit breaker box You see a row of circuit breakers on the left and a row of circuit breakers on the right on the left Is one of the 110 lines on the right is the other? 110 volt line that's how it works the 220 coming in is split into two 110 lines Anyway, looking at this thing. I soon realized practically every outlet in the place including all the main lights We're all running off one side of the panel and the other side of the panel just a few outlets and some outside entrance lights Guess what when I was checking out the 220 line coming in from the street through the meter to the circuit box

[21:20] I realized whoever installed this thing or maybe it was an aftermarket thing because hell this building's been around for a couple hundred years So it's been worked on over and over again Anyway recently at least in the last five years or so Somebody and it had to have been a qualified or disqualified electrician or a guy from the electric company Had bypassed the meter with one half of the 220 line So in other words Only one side of the breaker box was running through the meter and the other side of the breaker box was completely bypassed So anything running off those breakers was gratis not virtually free, but absolutely free power So no one was the wiser not even the electric company because the meter still had a reading on it 15 or 20 bucks a month would show up on the bill no matter what which seemed to satisfy the electric company

[22:05] Meanwhile, you could hook up refrigerators freezers microwaves appliances blenders and such In certain if not most electrical outlets in that space and pay zero for their use Welcome to latin america. The thing is all first world new construction will now have a smart meter But that doesn't stop these electrical power company workers They can still bypass half the circuit as mentioned Then what happens when you get caught because people are getting caught It's so widespread people have to be calling that number and Some people investigate it if not just to get even with someone or for revenge Like for example, if a couple breaks up and one of them knows about it They could call that number try to get the other one in trouble But remember this is not the u.s This is latin america seems as if even if you're calling or somebody gets caught nothing happens plausible deniability and all that

[22:55] As opposed to the burning hot coals they'd drag you over if you ever tried to pull that up in the states You know, there are a lot of other ways to screw with a meter and make it run slower But you can't do that with smart meters because you see the smart meters have no old school gears and moving parts that you can Slow down a little bit You know in the old ones there was a way to gum up the works just a little bit little honey little lacquer Tweaking the adjustment screws bending some of the gears just a little bit. So how do I know all that? Well going to engineering school You meet a lot of guys who like nothing better than to screw with the telephone and utility companies For some engineering students. It's a challenge to just try to get over on the man and pull it up For example, I had a friend who made these things called blue boxes back Then probably 10 bucks worth of parts at radio shack and it allowed you to make unlimited long-distance phone calls

[23:42] Well, that doesn't matter these days I said but way back when when I was in engineering school was a hell of a cool thing because So many of my buddies were from out of town and out of state and we're staying at the dorms and those calls back home Cost a lot of dough now you might wonder how those blue boxes work once you hook that thing up You dial the number and the circuit inside the box would send back ringer voltage down the lines So it appeared at the phone company's switching station at the party you were calling long distance Of course had not picked up the phone yet Meanwhile, you really did connect and you could talk as long as you want Because one thing you probably experienced when you call someone and they don't pick up That can go on for ages as long as you hold and wait for someone to pick up Unless you're calling a pbx or an answering machine kicks in at least in the old school analog days of mob bell

[24:29] That's how it worked now as far as smart meters. You all know the problems with those, right? Not only are they another intrusive device that can monitor you and all the devices you're using in a big brother kind of way They put out a lot of dirty high-frequency waves, too So it's true If you're renting a place and remodeling or you're building a new place and they put a smart meter in which they'll always try to do Some gringos and expats and a lot of locals will have the electrician or electric company guy Play games with the meter as mentioned He may even offer to do so but beware if you happen to be moving into a place That's already got a smart meter and your electrician or electric company guy offers to diddle with your meter I wouldn't take the chance because those smart meters are sending the signals directly back to the power company And as opposed to the traditional meter which has to be read by a human

[25:16] The smart meter sends every little glitch back to be analyzed by sophisticated software back at the home office That's why they call them smart meters And if there are some sudden changes in the power consumption at your place You just might get a knock at the door Now if that happened to you up in the states, they'd probably be knocking at your door the next day down here in latin America, they probably wouldn't catch up to you for three or four years or never but why take the chance? Instead go solar. Oh and sorry about not sticking to the solar point like I promised but next show for sure You know how I digress and get sidetracked, but then again, it is my show, right? So next show it'll be part three of getting off the grid in latin america and other crazy relevant and not so relevant stories Meanwhile another reminder that my week-long july 2019 expat insider seminar will be kicking off on july 6th

[26:08] For all the information details sign up sheet prices and how to kill two birds with one stone That is come down to the seminar and apply for your temporary or permanent residency in guadamala immediately following the seminar Just go to www.dinoaxpat.com and click on johnny's seminar link And if you're thinking about coming down as a single and want to save 750 bucks Let me know and i'll hook you up with a roommate Then you'll be sharing double occupancy in our hotels and i'll pass that savings on to you Now a lot of people wonder how that works Do they send me an email and say johnny hook me up with a roommate and then they're hooked up? No I hook the two perspective people up and they talk to each other go on skype email back and forth to see if they're compatible I mean really we don't want to put hillary in the same room with donald trump after all

[26:54] She's got bigger balls and more testosterone. So it wouldn't end well Thankfully and nearly all the people who have come down to the seminar are very like-minded Independent thinkers smart anti-big brethren government sick the way things are going up in the states, etc, etc It's never been a chore to hook up two single people thinking about coming down and sharing double occupancy So if you're thinking about that send me an email the expert files at gmail.com as for me I'd never want to share a room with a person. I didn't know that's just me Mainly because I don't want to share a bathroom with anyone. That's why I never was a backpacker I guess i'm a bit weird and eccentric But you knew that already, right? You've been listening to the expat files living in latin america If you need some help with your own plan b, you can schedule a one-on-one phone call with me

[27:40] But first download my free plan b questionnaire at www.thenewexpat.com Better yet if you want to get your plan b going from right up there in the states Just sign up for my nine hour expat essentials course get the perfect plan b blueprint by going to the expat files.com slash academy