Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller shares practical tips for expats traveling in Latin America, including how to hide cash in socks to avoid theft. He also delves into the size and reasons behind Colombia's large underground economy, comparing it to other Latin American countries. The episode touches on the risks of public charging stations, the hypocrisy of some Latin Americans living in the U.S., and the cultural impact of gringos in the region. Johnny also discusses the health risks of eating street food and promotes his expat seminars and residency opportunities in Guatemala.
Johnny begins by introducing the podcast as a platform that discusses the good, bad, ugly, and great aspects of living, working, playing, and retiring in Latin America. He acknowledges that many expat blogs and real estate sellers tend to highlight only the positive aspects, while he focuses on the more challenging realities. Johnny mentions receiving hate mail and criticism, which he sees as a sign of impact. He then transitions into a practical tip for expats traveling in Latin America, shared by expat Eddie, about hiding cash in socks to avoid theft. The tip involves using a secret compartment between two pairs of socks, with money or gold coins hidden in the arch of the foot. Johnny also touches on the topic of cash versus digital payments, noting that cash remains prevalent in Latin America despite global trends toward cashless societies.
The podcast segment discusses the size and reasons behind Colombia's large underground economy, which accounts for 35% of the country's GDP in 2017. Johnny Mueller attributes this to tax evasion, with businesses and individuals avoiding registration with tax authorities and Social Security contributions. He highlights that 64% of the economically active population in Colombia works informally, often in cash, due to distrust in the government. The segment also compares Colombia's situation to other Latin American countries, noting that Mexico's underground economy is 40% of GDP and Peru's is 60%. Johnny suggests that transitioning to a fully digital economy is unlikely in the near future, even in first-world countries, but notes that some European nations have already moved toward eliminating cash. The segment then shifts to a lighter tone, discussing the importance of battery life for smart devices and the risks of using public charging stations, which can be hacked to spread malware.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the risks of charging electronic devices in public USB ports, particularly in rental cars, and advises against using open outlets for charging. He then promotes his expat seminars and courses, emphasizing the benefits of attending and applying for residency in Guatemala. The segment transitions into an email from a Latina listener who criticizes Johnny's views on undocumented immigrants, to which Johnny responds by defending his stance and discussing the complexities of immigration and its impact on Latin America.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller critiques the hypocrisy of some educated Latin Americans living in the U.S. who criticize the influx of gringos (Americans) into their home countries. He highlights that the majority of gringos who live in Latin America do so legally and contribute to the local economy by spending money, hiring locals, and improving standards of living. Johnny also points out that many of the conveniences and technological advancements in Latin America were created by North Americans or Europeans, whom he refers to as gringos. He then shares a story about a gringo friend who trained Latin mechanics, only to find that wealthy Latin clients preferred gringos to perform maintenance work, despite the gringo's claim that the mechanics were highly skilled. This anecdote underscores a cultural inferiority complex among some Latin Americans. Johnny also addresses a question about his identity as a non-Latina who loves Mexico, and he responds by sharing his personal experiences living in Mexico during the 1960s and 1970s, including his time as an undocumented immigrant and his work with missionaries. He concludes by discussing the health risks of eating street food in Latin America, citing his GI specialist friend's comments about intestinal parasites and worms, while also acknowledging the appeal of street food.
In this segment of the podcast, Johnny Mueller discusses a variety of topics, including a story from an email about a woman's experiences in Mexico, her relationship in Michigan, and her observations about women's relationships with gay men. Johnny also touches on the topic of food and hygiene, referencing a negative experience in Guatemala and a book about stealing food. He acknowledges the email writer, Elena, and thanks her for her support. The segment ends with Johnny promoting his podcast and offering help with plan B strategies for expats.
Topics
Expat life in Latin America, Safety and security for travelers, Practical tips for expats, Cash vs. digital payments in Latin America, Colombia's underground economy, Tax evasion in Colombia, Comparison with other Latin American countries, Public charging station security, Charging devices in public USB ports, Expat seminars and residency applications, Undocumented immigrants and their challenges, Cultural impact of gringos in Latin America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:14 Introduction to The Expat Files and its focus on Latin America 00:00:56 Johnny's perspective on criticism and impact 00:01:19 Safety and security tips for expats traveling in Latin America 00:02:54 The sock stash method for hiding cash 00:05:11 Cash's continued relevance in Latin America despite global trends 00:05:38 Colombia's Underground Economy and Tax Evasion 00:11:43 Public Charging Station Risks and Smart Device Security 00:11:44 Charging Devices in Public USB Ports: A Cautionary Tale 00:12:41 Expat Seminar Promotion and Residency Opportunities 00:14:02 Email from a Latina Listener: Criticism and Defense 00:17:08 Cultural Impact of Gringos in Latin America 00:17:21 Hypocrisy of Educated Latin Americans in the U.S. Criticizing Gringos 00:18:00 Gringos' Economic Contributions and Cultural Impact in Latin America 00:19:05 Anecdote About Gringo Friend and Cultural Inferiority Complex 00:20:21 Johnny's Identity and Personal Experiences in Mexico 00:22:10 Health Risks of Eating Street Food in Latin America 00:22:59 A Woman's Experience in Mexico and Her Relationship in Michigan 00:25:15 Reflections on Gay Men and Societal Perceptions 00:25:50 Food Experiences and Cultural Hygiene
Transcript
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 up to play and now I wonder Hello there all you expat 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 Hey, you know the whole point of this show is to talk about the good the bad the ugly and the great in Latin America, huh? And man, sometimes it's as if I'm the only one who talks about the bad and the ugly all the other expat blogs And also rans always seem to pump up whatever area they live in or recommend probably because they've got some
[00:50] Interest in doing that selling real estate pet projects teak farms those dreaded timeshares whatever Well today you're gonna hear some of the bad me ugly and someone throwing rocks directly at me they say you know if you're in the radio or media business if you don't get hate mail or At least people beating you up sometime for what you said or they think you said if you don't you're not making much of an impact And you're pretty much nothing but mediocre Well, we can't have that now can we stay tuned and you'll hear how a lady body slammed me a bit on a recent email But first let's talk a little bit about safety and security when traveling around I want to tell you a little trick that expat Eddie's been using a long long time He said he didn't invent it, but he picked it up from a Milwaukee clergyman named Pastor Paul now as for Eddie He's the kind of guy who traveled the world both as a backpacker and in recent years
[01:37] First class to all depending on his financial condition at the time and Eddie's the kind of guy who's much more comfortable in a $20 a night fleabag hotel than in a suite at the Hilton Let me tell you now to Eddie's ever lasting credit He can make friends with people faster than anyone I've ever met people tell me and I know this is true He's the kind of guy when they first meet him They felt they've known him their whole life a guy people even strangers will unburden themselves, too And Eddie's found out that sometimes, you know When you go drinking and partying with people you've just met especially when you're a young 20 something backpacker Well, sometimes the partying and the movable feasts get out of hand you end up waking up in unfamiliar surrounding Maybe your glasses your backpack even your wallet have gone missing
[02:22] That ever happened to you and it might be that there was no foul play involved at all Sometimes it depends on the size of your hangover You just might not remember now Eddie of course he settled down a lot now in his early days of traveling Met Padre Paulette one of these get-togethers and he showed him a little trick He wears two pairs of socks and they have to be the very same color and he's created for himself a little secret compartment Between the two pairs of socks So you can put an amount of money from 300 to even a thousand bucks in a place No one would ever guess so for years Eddie's been using that method as his secret emergency stash. So how's it work? Well, it's simple. First you put one pair of socks on in the normal way Next he takes a little cellophane envelope something that collectors put their baseball cards in you can buy them at coin shops
[03:12] pawn shops and hobby centers They're no more than a few cents each and you only need one or two if you're using them for both feet If you're watching this on YouTube, you'll see a photo come up right now So what Eddie does is he takes fresh sort of new hundred-dollar bills folds them in half Flattens them out puts them in one of these little cellophane wrappers takes a tiny piece of scotch tape Tapes that to the bottom of the first stock that's already on his foot He centers it right under the curved arch then he slips the other sock on and voila everywhere He goes. He's got a little stash of cash in bit of someone steals his shoes Yep, no matter what happens like a spare tire in the trunk of your car He knows he's covered for emergencies By the way, if you use that method yourself
[03:58] You can smirk when you take off your shoes and walk through the TSA metal detectors Yeah, they think they know everything about you. They've x-rayed you they've run their dirty little fingers Through everything you've got at least you know, you've held on to a little bit of your privacy Not that there's anything illegal about it But in a way you do get the last laugh a kind of a small slap in the face of big brother's Overreaching authority, you know, it doesn't have to be paper money. You're putting there either It could be let's say half ounce or one ounce gold coin I know you're thinking it might be uncomfortable walking around all day with money or where she had a gold coin in your shoe And you know what the first five minutes you're focusing on it But after a short while you don't notice it anymore at all because you know It's the upper ball of your foot and the heel that takes all the pressure when you walk the curve of your foot
[04:47] The arch is really always kind of suspended and not taking any pressure at all. And that's where the hidden stash is So then why not a credit card? Well, you'd feel that because that's stiff And anyway, if you really had to use your secret stash You know the old saying cash is king and gold even better And though you may have been reading lately that the slow demise or even quick demise of cash Is in the works and is being phased out in many countries already as long as you're in Latin America That seems to be quite an impossibility and that's not just taught. I want you to hear portions of this recent article He comes from one of Spain's largest newspapers It hits on what I just mentioned the possibility of going to a cashless society in Latin America first
[05:34] They discuss whether it's possible to eliminate cash in Colombia Starts out by saying Colombia's black market and cash economy continues to grow despite attempts of authorities to control it according to the National Association of financial institutions Aniseef the size of Colombia's underground economy which includes various degrees of illegalities pirated products and all in cash amounts to 35% of the country's GDP in 2017 so 35% of Colombia's economy is cash And it says the biggest reason for the cash economy is evasion of taxes not only that companies and businesses can avoid contributions to Social Security and pensions and
[06:21] Never have to register with the tax authorities and get this then it says the underground economy or gray market in Colombia consists of labor Informalities of up to 64% of the economically active population They're saying 64% of the people working in Colombia are working for cash and are not on the books Which is just amazing isn't it you got to love it that infers of course that that 64% does not trust the government not with their tax money anyway hmm Sound familiar then it says as for Colombia the tax Burden for businesses on the books is much more onerous than for businesses in adjacent Latin countries because of the so-called Guatro Pormil tax on all financial transactions through official channels
[07:09] That's a tax of four tenths of one percent nearly a half percent on all financial Transactions that go through official channels that be using banks and checks and wire transfers, etc Of course if you're off the books in the so-called gray economy Cash transactions are invisible to state regulatory authorities, so they can't recoup that Quatro Pormil Four-tenths of one percent financial transaction tax, so there's a huge incentive in Colombia Anyway to stay completely off the books and man the Colombian people have really caught on to that So as for gringles and expats think about that if you're ever planning on going to Colombia and starting up a business That's on the books everyone. I know in Colombia who's tried to open a legit business tells me It's a nightmare, which is why so many people have virtual or IT businesses that aren't registered
[07:56] They're in the cloud so to speak then the article says in most of Colombia Available figures indicate that about 90% of all transactions on the street are made in cash Again, mainly in order to avoid the Quatro Pormil tax on all financial transactions So then how does that compare with the rest of Latin American countries? Well, it says Colombia is very similar to Mexico with an underground economy in Mexico of 40% of GDP Meaning 40% of the transactions in Mexico are off the books and no one's paying taxes and Peru has even a much larger Informal economy their underground economy represents 60% of GDP meaning only 40% of the transactions are on the books and paying taxes and the Latin country
[08:45] That's most in line most first world like and with the smallest informal economy. Take a guess Well, it's chilly with the informal economy making up around 18.7% of GDP. So I ask you how is it possible that Latin countries could suddenly say hey no more cash We're going with 100% digital economy. Uh-huh That would be impossible at least not in our lifetimes. However up where you live in our next couple of years anyway It's a hundred percent certainty, you know in some of the European countries where the sheep are well trained They've already done it. They've eliminated cash and the people bought right into it Well, they have to what choice do they have except for maybe gold silver platinum and Bitcoin But we were talking about traveling safely, right? We all know in today's smart devices
[09:34] The weak points are always the batteries That's why you see those mini charge stations everywhere from airports to Starbucks to IHOP And now they're even showing up in certain public crappers I'm sure you've seen it at airports and launches people queuing up to get one last charge or battery top-off on that smartphone Now being an engineer in my past life and having a lot of geek friends You have to realize that most of these guys are hermetically fused to their smart devices if they didn't have that constant Connection they'd probably just wither and die though Not because they're surfing the entertainment news on the net to see if Nicki Minaj has a bigger butt than the retired Ascians Wait a minute. I take that back. Some nerds are secretly into porn I've known many sexually frustrated young IT types and engineers who never had a real date all through their 20s
[10:24] That is not until they made their first million. Anyway, funny how that works, huh? I mean, come on. Look at that studly He-Man Zuckerberg Seems like it didn't take millions but billions to make him attractive to the opposite sex In fact, not so long ago one expat lady friend said he looks like a cross between Woody Allen and Jerry Lewis Oh man, first world gringas can be cruel, huh? But where were we? Oh, yeah talking about batteries in smart devices You see I've been told over and over again by my nerdish friends Not to charge a phone or any other device at a public USB charge station restaurant airport, whatever They've been telling me for a long time to either bring your own extra battery pack device You know you've seen those or find a one-tad outlet and bring your own converter
[11:12] Why because it's the latest greatest phase for hackers to try to infect public charging stations with malware So just note that every time you plug in your phone to charge it anywhere You're opening up to receiving extraneous viruses and unwanted pieces of data So don't do it unless you've got your own little portable charging unit or a converter that you're plugging right into a 110 outlet Using it solely by yourself. Otherwise, man You can certainly bet you're gonna get a virus or your dad is gonna get stolen somehow and you won't even know it Just a little warning and a heads up there In fact nowadays every time I pass a Starbucks or a restaurant or a backpacker hostel when I see all those warm bodies Cozying up to a charging hub. I just shake my head and think man. You're asking for it However, it's completely safe to charge up a device in the USB port of your car
[12:01] Maybe depends how wired your car is to the internet, but definitely I'd avoid Charging a device in other people's cars, especially a rental car I mean if you want to just unlock and open up your device to everyone Just charge it in a USB port in a Hertz Avis budget or any rent a car now You can pretty much use a USB port to charge up your little battery brick device And when that's charged use it for what it's intended to charge one of your devices But just don't go plugging in your USB to any open outlet just because you think hey got a top off that battery This might be the first time you ever heard a spiel like that, but you'll hear it again from others I'm sure alright So this show is going on about Friday June 16 means you got about three weeks left to get in on my expat
[12:47] Insider seminar starts July 8th. Yep. I've got a few spots left. You can still get in just go to www.thenewexpet.com click on Johnny's seminar link and you're there and if you hurry you can still kill two birds with one stone by applying for your Guatemalan temporary or permanent residency while you're down for the seminar and Note in that seminar blurb you'll find out all about those cool John Galt pre and post seminar trips now If you can't swing boots on the ground just yet or come into the seminar You really have to sign up for my expat essentials course It's a nine-hour video course featuring yours truly. Just go to www.expatplanb.com check it out That's where you'll get three free introductory videos to the course And if you need some personalized help with your own plan B
[13:33] No matter what stage you're in right now Just go to the new expat.com website and download my telephone Consult form have a look at that questionnaire to see if you've missed anything along the way with your own plan B So yes, I'm available for one-on-one consults by phone or Skype Just download that questionnaire form and you'll see the details on that and of course if you sign up and come to one of my seminars The phone consult is free. All right, let's get to that email from one of my Latina listeners who wants to beat me up As usual I'll comment along the way this time trying to defend my weak positions if I can You know right off the bat I sometimes get the feeling people are out to hammer me when they don't say Johnny or Dear Johnny or anything I just shoot right into the body of the email like this. She starts out
[14:19] I have to admit that I usually enjoy your podcast maybe for the same reasons I listen to narco corridors because you are interesting entertaining and maybe I might learn something new Unfortunately, I just have to put up with some shit to get some choice morsels I don't think Latin America needs more gringos However, you have done a tremendous job at creating an employment opportunity for yourself and obviously you are quite good at it You are intelligent articulate and do a great deal of research in order to offer an excellent service to your clientele But I will still affirm that some but not all of your opinions truly suck especially concerning Undocumented immigrants to the states and I will continue to gnaw on that bone later. Maybe in another email Okay, it's me. Johnny here. Can't you tell she's buttering me up for the sucker punch by the way for the millionth time. They're not
[15:08] Undocumented immigrants they're illegal aliens who in order to survive Day after day month after month year after year in the states They have to commit multiple crimes besides the original crime of coming in illegally What most law-abiding citizens never consider is that in order to work get benefits? Sanremeses, etc They have to buy or create illegal false identities from criminals or commit identity theft themselves Which really screws up the life of the person whose identity has been stolen In fact, most of us know a friend a family member or acquaintance who's had his identity stolen And one of the driving forces behind that is to sell those identities to illegal aliens You know when she says I don't think Latin America needs more gringos Now that's what I say to especially concerning those horribly gringo iced areas like Panama Costa Rica most of Mexico
[15:59] I mean hell There's a million and a half gringos living in Mexico right now and once in a while in those highly gringo iced areas You'll hear latin's complain that the gringos are changing their culture raising the prices this and that can't blame them They are but you know, it's like the old song they smile on your face all the while They want to take your place the backstabbers. Remember that by the OJ's, right? So how do I know that latin sometimes talk about how the gringos have flooded in and they don't like it much anymore By the way, you'll never hear that off the gringo tourist trail only where they've actually flooded in even then that anti gringo rhetoric is Pretty much a rarity. How do I know that? Well, that's because I can speak Spanish decent enough anyway And when you're on the gringo tourist trail The locals don't think anybody can speak Spanish because it's mostly tourists and they don't and being down here for 27 years now
[16:50] I've overheard a lot of the Spanish conversations I'm sure people didn't want me to pick up on but the truth is every last latin person living on the gringo tourist trail is Making money from the gringo somehow or they wouldn't be there Even though gringos eventually raised prices in the areas They flood into the lands living there always have a better lifestyle, too As one Latin guy told me who has a little restaurant in a gringo iced area He said the grass is always greener where the gringos are isn't that irony for you? So when educated latin's a couple of generations living in the States gringo iced us citizens who speak perfect English whose own parents or grandparents Came in illegally say things like they don't think it's right that gringos flood Latin America
[17:35] Isn't that ironic and you know? 99.9% of all the gringos living in Latin America had to get their residency or came in legally Otherwise Latin countries will catch you and kick you out as you're going across borders or more than likely make you pay a fine for Overstaying your visa. They know you're good for the dough In fact, they want you to stay as a tourist and spend money In fact, they kind of like it when you overstay your visa because they can collect more money there, too So, you know, it kind of strikes me funny when people say they don't want more gringos in their home Latin countries And I've only really heard that from educated gringo iced latin's from up in the States But it is funny that when you come down to Latin America every single convenience that makes life easy I'm talking about 20th and 21st century progress from cars to water heaters to dishwashers vacuum cleaners TVs radios
[18:25] Cell phones airplanes lasers computers the internet heart bypass operations everything was invented by either an American or a European So the world that you know with all its conveniences was created by North Americans or Europeans You could lump them all in and call them gringos if you like But let's keep the gringos out of our country Right, even though when they come in they prosper like crazy. They bring along those first world details with them They hire locals and increase their standards and standard of living to bottom line Latins have a huge inferiority complex. They won't admit it outright But you see evidence of it everywhere and nothing drives that point home like that little story I told I think it was five years ago now and it's worth repeating Now a gringle friend of mine who was head of maintenance for a certain very popular brand of helicopters for all of Latin America
[19:15] So his job was to train technically proficient latins to be Mechanics at all the big airports throughout Latin America to do service on this brand of helicopters now He told me that time and time again He'd be at an airport and some multi-millionaire Latin bigwig would fly in with his helicopter His helicopter would be in for routine maintenance and he'd walk up to my friend at the airport and say I want you to do the maintenance on my helicopter and he'd say well I'm the head of maintenance for the entire Latin region. I don't fix the helicopters myself I'm the boss of the maintenance guys But these pompous Latin millionaire guys would say but I want you to do the maintenance on my helicopter And my friend the only gringo in the outfit would say not me. I don't do that
[20:00] My maintenance guys do that kind of thing and the guy would pull out a lot of cash for his checkbook and say how much? You get it. These guys don't trust their own countrymen. They want gringos to do the maintenance. Yep. They know details details, right? Even though my gringo buddy said he had some real crack mechanics the best now. What does that say about the Latin culture? Okay, here's more of that email Johnny I'm truly curious to know why you think I'm a latina who has never lived in Latin America Is that that you think my love for Mexico keeps me from seeing the realities? I'm not like gringo Nationalists who approve of or are ignorant of all the horrific things the US has done around the world Beginning with the genocide of the American Indians when I hear racist remarks coming from my Mexican friends
[20:46] I like to remind them that their lighter skin comes from the fact that some gotcha penis That's espanol's rape some Indian women in their genetic past and that the Indians are the true Mexicans I lived in Mexico during the 60s and 70s in three totally different environments in Mexico City I studied at UN a.m. And fortunately was not murdered because a friend kept me away from the protest Then I got a job with some gringo Evangelical missionaries where I taught primary school to their orphanage kids and served as an interpreter for the two of them who did Not know Spanish. So in truth, I was an undocumented Immigrant in Mexico and cheated some Mexican-born individual out of a job I also had to go to Guatemala every six months to renew my tourist visa, too I love those old rickety trains from Mexico City to the Guatemalan border
[21:34] With the big open windows and the kids and the women coming with all sorts of goodies that you would never eat I say you Johnny not me I learned two valuable lessons from missionaries first never to have kids and secondly that Karl Marx was right when he said that Religion is the opiate of the masses. All right meet Johnny here again Just a little comment you mentioned street food saying I'd never eat that stuff No, I won't one reason is I am a friend of a Latin American Gastro and horologist and he told me that every single lower middle-class middle-class and upper middle-class Latin who eats street food has Intestinal parasites and lombrisas meaning worms. Isn't that sweet? So go ahead eat that street food. Enjoy your lombrisas will enjoy it, too
[22:21] Now my GI specialist buddy says it's not like what you don't know won't hurt you because those things do take their toll And he says whenever they do a full blood workup on a person in the hospital or in a clinic almost inevitably They'll find intestinal parasites and they'll have to give them some medication to knock it out Of course, he said it's the same around the world with all societies who eat street food with their fingers But he did say mmm that street food sure looks and smells good So I said, what about you do you eat it? He said well I did until I saw the pictures in my pathology book and did my clinical rotations and saw that stuff in person But I digress as usual. Where were we? Oh, yeah All right Then she says in her email once we were held at gunpoint in Mexico by some men dressed as federales They went through everything and did not find much to steal only the missionaries guns
[23:10] Like that missionaries have guns good. However, they found my tequila and vodka stash. I'll be enough. They didn't take that stuff Also, I live briefly in Michigan though I did have to kiss a few latino frogs before I found my Mexican prince However, anyway, I was in Michigan with one of these frogs who turned out to be gay My best memory of that relationship is when his keys Fell out of my jeans in an outhouse and I made him fish him out All right me Johnny again, by the way, that's one thing most of us men will never understand about women Especially those very hot good-looking women who at times fall for gay guys now as it generally turns out all through junior high school High school college graduate school the beautiful hot unobtainable girls always got the handsome debonair guys
[23:58] Right except for a few bad boy Johnny Depp like troublemakers thrown in for good measure However, if you play in a rock and roll band, you kind of qualify it as a bad boy So that worked pretty good, too Anyway, all through those formative years us guys have had our discussions about guys We knew from the neighborhood or school who were slightly different who later on we know turned out to be gay many of them were Well-mannered good-looking ever so friendly nice guy artsy types, too Yet way back when when most were in the closet, they all had girlfriends Always good-looking girlfriends and us average regular guys could never figure that out We knew these guys weren't powered by testosterone How is it that a bunch of regular guys in a school or a neighborhood would bet money that a certain guy was gay yet?
[24:47] The desirable hot unobtainable woman. He was going with sometimes for years never seemed to figure that one out Of course, you know later in life when the girls hit 25 30 40 years old They look back on those times just like Elena does in this email and says man Yeah, I had a boyfriend who was gay. The other question is do other ladies notice when their girlfriends are going with a gay guy Apparently not because you think they'd wise their friend up. That's what friends are for right? Oh, well I guess those are a few of those universally unanswerable questions, huh? Oh and no did no way am I gay bashing here I've got a couple of first cousins who are gay So it's never been a big deal Except when one of them went to seminary school to become a Catholic priest. Oh Now there is this story. I'll have to tell you some time, but not now
[25:36] All right, then Elena says Johnny. I agree with some of the things you say about dogs I believe a dog should be what a dog is meant to be not some yappy little genetic mutant again As for food if it smells good tastes good, and I'm not confronted by something gross it usually goes in I do think she says Latinos have a better immune system than gringos It's good to be hygienic of course, but not obsessive my two most memorable negative food experiences occurred in Guatemala From eating shrimp on the beach at Champa Rico, then there was a fly in the soup incident I was served a cup of coffee with three dead multi-eye floaters in it. I called the waiter over He seemed embarrassed and offered to replace the coffee, but no way He would just pour it back in the pot and brought me some more without flies, of course
[26:22] And finally she says Johnny admit. I do enjoy your podcast Well, Elena, thanks for that. I think You know when she mentioned about the flies in the restaurant that reminds me of a famous book called steal this book by Abby Hoffman a huge hit with the counterculture of the 1960s and 70s it was a book on how to scam the system and get just about anything for free of course It's quite dated now, but the title says it all you actually wanted you to steal the book From the bookstands I remember one of the ways to get free food was to put a fly Rakuka Racha in a tiny bottle and bring it into the restaurant with you and in the states the management will always be most Apologetic and give you a free meal. But here in Latin America, that'll never work
[27:07] They'll apologize and bring back another dish with no guarantee It's a new batch of food because you know customer service and customer satisfaction are not real big down here yet Which is another reason why so many gringo businesses absolutely flourish Anyway, Ellen our Elena. Thanks for that email and keep throwing those rocks. You know, I have a pretty thick skin I'm from Chicago, you know, we can dish it out, but we can take it This is the expat files living in Latin America If you want me to help you out with your own plan B Just schedule a one-on-one consult send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to learn how to move forward with your own plan B from right up there in the states Go to www.xpatplanb.com and check out my three videos. See ya nos vemos