Episode Summary
In this episode, Johnny Mueller dives into a variety of topics that highlight the unique challenges and cultural nuances of living and traveling in Latin America. He begins by discussing the safety concerns and cultural differences in amusement parks, particularly in countries like Guatemala. Johnny responds to a listener's account of an incident at a traveling amusement park where a visitor was killed by a lion due to a lack of safety measures. He explains that these parks are often repurposed from outdated American rides and have become a part of local culture, contrasting them with the declining trend of such parks in the U.S. and the rise of safer, modern stationary parks in Latin America.
Johnny then shifts focus to the safety standards of amusement parks in Latin America, comparing them to those in the U.S. He notes that while the rides may be similar, they are often older and less well-maintained. He emphasizes that most accidents are due to operator error or reckless behavior rather than mechanical failure. Johnny highlights that in Latin America, individuals are responsible for their own safety, and the lack of regulation is part of the appeal for expats. He also touches on the treatment of pets in the region, criticizing the lack of care and responsibility many people show toward animals.
The discussion moves to the plight of circus animals in Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Venezuela. Johnny references an article from Diario del Mexico that highlights the decline in the number of circus animals due to the sale of animals to private collectors, taxidermists, and traffickers. He also discusses the poor conditions in Venezuelan zoos, where many animals suffer from malnutrition and neglect. Johnny criticizes the lack of oversight and the role of politicians in passing ineffective laws that lead to negative consequences for animals. He also makes sarcastic remarks about the absence of international celebrities and activists in addressing these issues.
Johnny then turns his attention to the challenges of driving in Latin America, highlighting issues such as poor road conditions, dangerous driving habits, and inadequate vehicle maintenance. He emphasizes the risks of driving at night, the prevalence of reversible lanes during rush hour, and the lack of infrastructure maintenance. Johnny recommends that expats prepare for these challenges by buying reliable cars and being cautious on the road. He concludes by promoting his expat seminars and courses as resources for expats navigating life in Latin America.
Finally, Johnny discusses a letter from a listener named Frank, who is based in Latin America. Frank expresses gratitude for the insights provided by The Expat Files and shares his own reflections on life in the region. He mentions his intention to remain in Latin America after his job is done, rather than returning to Europe. Frank also shares a YouTube video in German that highlights the disparity in government support for migrant children in Germany compared to German citizens. The video details how migrant children receive significantly more financial aid than German children, with examples of families receiving thousands of euros monthly. Frank finds this information shocking and questions the motives behind such policies, suggesting they may be part of a larger social issue. Johnny acknowledges the content and reflects on the implications of such policies, emphasizing the need for awareness and understanding.
Topics
Safety concerns in Latin America, Cultural differences in amusement parks, Travel experiences in Latin America, Safety standards in amusement parks, Regulation and risk-taking culture, Treatment of pets in Latin America, Circus animals in Latin America, Animal welfare laws in Mexico, Conditions in Venezuelan zoos, Criticism of political oversight, Driving in Latin America, Road conditions and vehicle maintenance
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:01:29 The Tragic Incident at the Guatemala Zoo 00:02:56 Amusement Parks in Latin America 00:06:19 The Same Rides, Different Maintenance Standards 00:06:51 Operator Error and Reckless Behavior as Main Causes of Accidents 00:07:51 Scarcity of Safety Features in Latin America 00:11:46 Circus Animals and Their Fate 00:12:03 Who Runs the Animal Welfare Groups? 00:12:45 Mexico's Circus Animal Crisis 00:13:59 The Impact of the Wildlife Law 00:14:52 The Law's Flaws and Consequences 00:15:57 Malnutrition in Venezuelan Zoos 00:16:41 Calling Out International Activists 00:18:17 Poor Road Conditions in Latin America 00:18:59 Risks of Driving in Latin America 00:20:46 Preparing for Driving Challenges in Latin America 00:22:35 Expat Essentials and Plan B 00:23:55 Frank's Reflections on Life in Latin America and His Intentions for the Future 00:24:28 Frank's Gratitude and Acknowledgment of Johnny's Insights 00:25:51 Frank's Shock at the Financial Support Provided to Migrant Families in Germany
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 Okay, let's start with an email that promises to lead us to some sad news here in Latin America This one's from one of our regular email contributors who calls himself. No anonymous. He says dear Johnny I've been working my way through your archives and recently hit on a show from a couple years ago when you spoke of going to a
[00:51] Traveling fair with amusement park rides and animals that caused me to remember when my children went to such a fair in Hoko Tenango, that would be Guatemala the feature that caused us most surprised with the lack of many common safety Features such as fencing around spinning rides to keep bystanders from getting hit by cars and rides, etc The crowd just had to eyeball it a bit and make sure Another part of the crowd didn't push him way too close for comfort In fact, I made it an explicit point to tell my kids that in this society Latin society It's not set up to protect people from their own bad and stupid judgments In fact, I heard of a gringo who got killed by a lion when visiting the Guatemala Zoo in the city He stood up close to the fence and closure to get his picture taken and the bars were far enough apart that the lion
[01:42] Was able to swoop down grab him and kill him through the bars Another story I have goes along similar lines I visited Guatemala back in 1993 and was driving with a Mexican friend in Guatemala City We were cruising along the highway at about a hundred kilometers an hour Around 65 miles an hour when we started noticing that there wasn't any traffic on the road at all Suddenly looking ahead we could see the highway ended abruptly and completely We slammed on the brakes and with tires still screeching exited the pavement traveling at about 40 kilometers an hour around 25 miles an hour Fortunately, we didn't sustain any damage as we bounced to a stop on uneven ground in a cloud of dust and dirt You know back then the signage was very limited if non-existent
[02:30] You've been in Latin America long enough Johnny You probably don't notice any more of the scarcity of safety features But they are quite noticeable to those of us newly arrived from the US That said just a quick comment on the US election now for years I've thought I'd like to live in a banana republic and now I feel like I do without ever having to leave That's it Johnny best wishes no anonymous Alright, let's hit on this stuff bit by bit first. Let's talk about amusement parks here in Latin America specifically Traveling amusement parks. They're always coming through you see them everywhere By the way, most all of them the big ones anyway come from Mexico Believe it or not unlike the first world where kids are way too sophisticated for that tacky white trash stuff now
[03:18] In fact, I don't even know if traveling amusement parks exist anymore up in the States in any event What I hear from my own nephews and nieces up in Chicago They'd be embarrassed to be seen at such a tacky event I guess up in the States carnivals and traveling amusement parks have gone the way of drive-in theaters as one young Hip u.s. Teenager down here with his ex-pet parents who spoiled the feces out of them told me he said Amusement parks with rides and stuff. Are you kidding boring? Which surely made me think traveling amusement parks up in the States have gone the way of the dinosaur Except maybe way down south in cracker land But if you think all those classic heavy metal rides the scrambler the twister the tilter world the hammer They're all ratting away in junkyards up in the States now. Well, you'd be wrong
[04:06] Guess where they ended up just like so many of the old worn-out cars up in the States They ended up here in Latin America. They've got a second lease on life the old dead cat bounce You see him all the time down here patched and painted dented rusted effect right this very minute There's a big old circus slash amusement park called Serco hermanos Juarez, which means Juarez brothers circus And it's not a half an hour from where I'm doing this show right now and believe me with kids teenagers Even adults there's no shame or embarrassment attached to go into the circus or an amusement park not down here again It's all about the lag time now I've been to some of those amusement parks myself, and you don't see the way too cool 2% helicopter kids You know faces glued to their smartphones
[04:52] They're most exclusively for the poor and middle classes here though every so often you do catch a glimpse of some upscale Entitled young kids and their bodyguards are accompanying them on the rides by the way I was always secretly hoping a kid in the backseat of the roller coaster would let loose and vomit in a bodyguards earbud Now that would make my day. I am waiting for that eventuality So anyway, you have to assume that the traveling amusement park business here in Latin America though booming now is Definitely on the way out and will soon be in decline Since it's so predictable that Latin America follows US trends with some lag time Now it's part of our gringle advantage that we notice these things and why when we act on that knowledge we often come up with very successful businesses ourselves
[05:38] Now just in the last few years Stationary amusement parks have been popping up throughout Latin America Operating in the same place all year round on the order of Six Flags, Knott's Berry Farm, Coney Island, Disneyland But on a very small less detailed scale and since all these amusement parks are relatively new The rides and attractions are newly built too That means they're safe and built to first-world standards and as our emailer No anonymous mentions as far as the safety standards its buyer beware Especially at the traveling amusement parks and even though all the rides and amusements You see are the same ones you rode on as a kid up in the States The fact is the scrambler or Tilt-a-whirl you're riding right now in Nicaragua could be the very same one you rode on when you were
[06:26] Six back in Cleveland, so are they well maintained and up to first world standards the new ones probably It's the older shabbier looking stuff That's been welded and patched a hundred times that you might want to take a pass on and yes It's true every once in a while you read in the paper that someone got hurt or killed on one of these rides From what I can see it's almost never because a ride itself broke down or had some kind of defect It's almost always because of operator air or a grandstanding kid trying to show off But as old expat Eddie always says half the fun is knowing there are risks and dangers to the experience Take skydiving or hang gliding for example people die every year It's the risks and the thrills that motivate people to want to do those things
[07:12] When people get hurt up in the states they sue they pass laws they ban things you know the story at least down here in Latin America you're pretty much responsible for your own body and what you want to do with It and subject it to or not Nothing wrong with that. It's the way I like it so risk taker or not and By the way just by coming down to Latin America that shows you're kind of a risk taker doesn't it that said down here It's for you to decide whereas up in the states Everything is pretty much regulated to death by the nanny state and people are used to it Well anyway, here's a part of his email. I'd like to comment on he says Johnny You've been in Latin America long enough you probably don't notice anymore the scarcity of safety features But they are quite noticeable to us newly arrived from the US now
[08:01] I believe that's totally true however if I just pull back a little and think about what Safety conditions real life at amusement parks and such when I was a kid I lived in Chicago went to all the big amusement parks We had Riverview a huge stationery amusement park with the roller coaster called the fireball It's the world's fastest roller coaster and one called the bobs and that one practically ripped your stomach and your heart out Now those were wooden roller coasters And they had one called the comet too and those harsh Chicago winters kind of rotted a lot of those wooden supports I remember once riding on one of those things and a piece of wood actually fell off and hit the ground now if I flash Back to those days and the minimal restraints. They used when they strapped us into those things
[08:46] I have to say it reminds me a whole lot of Latin American amusement parks here today So those of us who live back then knew about a looser for your society and kids today people I guess Under 35 even 40 let's say we're brought up in a much more controlled and regulated world And they just don't know what it was like way back when when your mother let you out at 8 in the morning And said come home for lunch, then you came home for lunch and 15 minutes later. You're out in your bike again till sundown I understand these days that would be Prohibito prohibited social services would certainly view that as child neglect The 800 numbers would be called and child health care services would be over and you'd be forced to attend some parental counseling classes
[09:31] Or worse so yes when you come down here to Latin America You will see many things as they were up in the states back in the 50s 60s and 70s And if you bring your kids down, you'll actually have to parent them yourself You won't be able to rely on the so-called benevolent nanny state because there are just ain't none down here Which is why I never recommend Latin America for people who've bought into the big brother thing hulk line and sinker And the fact is they wouldn't come down here anyway Unless they were coming down as Kumbaya Mormon I'd do-gooders, but they never come down to actually live here They think that's kind of nuts Which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned and that's one of the reasons Latin America presents for me anyway The perfect plan B and the only time you'll ever have to deal with gringos who are in love with the first world nanny's state
[10:17] Is when you're on the gringo tourist trail you'll run into them here and there and just like up in the states You won't have anything profound or stimulating to talk to them about they just don't get it They never will unless they have some kind of family disaster or trauma up in the states Financial physical social or otherwise and believe it or not That's how a lot of people eventually see the light and decide that they too need to get out of Dodge Plan B I know I know I'm babbling on and preaching to the choir right now when we talk about amusement parks and circuses We have to talk about what I consider one of the big negatives of living in Latin America That is most people treat their pets and animals like crap the fact is there are abused animals everywhere in Latin America and people don't seem to get it and
[11:04] most unwittingly Contribute to the problem. It's like a parent who complains about her puts down other people's kids yet. His kids are disasters In fact the other day I was visiting someone's house way out the boonies and Stuffed way in the back room by the peel of the outside wash bin was a tiny little dirty cage with a beautiful But damaged and neurotic parrot in it and the parrot who could barely turn around was living just a terrible life In fact, it was so neurotic It had a habit of scratching its head on the top of the cage and had removed all its feathers on the top of its head I mean, come on What do you do with people like that and when I mentioned it to the young girl of the house who owned that parrot She said yeah, I have to get him a mate then he'll be happier. That'll occupy him
[11:51] Yeah, right. She'll put him in the same tiny cage. Imagine that And sure they have animal groups and organizations with no teeth down here like the SPCA and such But they've got no power in most of them By the way, the groups that help and save abused animals are run by surprise surprise Gringos and gringas with a few highly educated and good-hearted Latin people almost exclusively Latin ladies thrown into the mix Now you heard me mentioned before that almost all the circuses that come through Latin America originate in Mexico Who by the way get most of their circus animals from the US? Generally buying animals from the first world that are considered second rate Poorly trained or no longer considered good performers in first world shows and circuses which are closing down left and right and
[12:42] Selling off their animals to make some dough That said here's an article from a newspaper called Diario del Mexico, which talks about that very subject It's entitled Mexico's circus animals are going extinct starts up by saying Mexico's Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources Department reported the new circus animal audit for the year He said last year by the summer of 2015. They had a count of 1,298 animals performing in the 80 circuses in and around Mexico and the tragedy is he said of those 1,298 animals we counted last year There are only 300 alive and accounted for as of our latest 2016 animal audit
[13:27] Then it says Teresa Moreno a veterinarian liaison between Mexico's environment and natural resources board And the circus companies in Mexico Said the almost 1,000 missing animals were sold to private collectors and taxidermists All this happened within one year and she said some were sold to animal traffickers for their skins Others were sold to zoos often housing them in horrific conditions. So how'd that happen? How did a thousand animals disappear? Well in December 2014 the Mexican Congress approved The general wildlife law due to the fact that so many animals are kept under horrific conditions in zoos and circuses
[14:14] So this new law for the first time ordered yearly animal inspections and fines and harsh sanctions for owners who were found abusing their animals Hmm. Did you get that? It's me again Johnny so it looks like you see they passed this law and The owners of these circuses got rid of all their animals that showed obvious signs of neglect and abuse All of course to avoid the fines and the sanctions that would surely have come during the next inspection So again as usual pus bag malignant politicians passed a law that had very negative Secondary effects because they didn't think it through but it gets worse It says here the general wildlife law passed just one year ago Has no stipulations for the government to oversee the destinations of the species when so
[15:03] They left that in the hands of the pus bag circus owners. Guess who added the pus bag part? But there's more now an article about zoo animals from Venezuela This article is from July 12th 2016 It says at least 50 animals have died in the last six months at just one National Venezuelan Zoo alone that got a cow zoo in Caracas where people are actually paying attention to these things goes on to say Marlene Cilifantes a union leader for employees of state parks agencies in parques which oversees Venezuelan zoos Said that the zoo lost its Vietnamese pigs the tapirs rabbits birds, etc
[15:48] Etc as the animals went weeks without being fed Meanwhile other animals at the zoo are in various stages of malnutrition The lions and tigers which should be on a carnivorous diet are being fed mango and pumpkin just to get something in their empty stomachs While the elephants are being fed tropical fruit instead of the usual required diet of hay According to a veterinarian at the zoo the big cats are being fed slaughtered thoroughbred Racehorses from a nearby racetrack that's gone out of business He also reported that the bison are so weak that they're being pecked at by wild turkey buzzards turkey buzzards We call them turkey vultures up in the US only eat dead animals and the near dead. They prefer
[16:36] decomposing carcasses Indicating the very poor condition of the remaining animals So how about it which rich do-gooders from the first world should help those animals out? How about all those rich socialists big-mouth suck-ass Democrats who had all those spectacular photo ops with Hugo Chavez when he was alive and Madero after him. Oh, they're there for the good times. Where are they when you really need them? Where's Sean Penn and Danny Glover? Where's Harry Belafonte and Oliver Stone? Where's Kevin Spacey Naomi Campbell and George Clooney? How about Don King? What about Michael Moore? Hey, I got it. How about we put Michael Moore on the Venezuelan diet, but I digress as usual
[17:21] All right As for the last part of the email from non-anonymous he talks about the bad and unmarked roads and the driving conditions in Latin America Specifically in Guatemala actually, it doesn't make much difference which Latin country you're talking about They're all basically the same as far as their roadways and road design It seems like every road and highway designers a schizophrenic moron with a mail-order engineering degree But let's not go overboard on the compliments For example, every Latin country's got beautiful first world concrete highways, of course But only it seems whether there's masses of first world tourism Including the streets around high-end business centers malls first world gated guarded communities and airports Oh and we must mention the roads in the signage are very nice in and around those areas where malignant
[18:10] political pus bags embassy people and their families live as for the other 95% of Latin America The roads in the signage are very hit-and-miss one minute You're on a perfectly fine concrete or asphalt road and minutes later There could be giant potholes buckles and cracks and what's really annoying is when a nice two-lane highway Suddenly becomes one lane or just ends which means when you're driving you always have to be on your guard Forget about gliding along and talking on your cell phone or text messaging. Oh, everybody does it All right But that's a cause of many many accidents down here and why in Latin America you should put very little faith in the other driver Sure, you can have a hundred percent faith in yourself as a driver But remember even the best drivers down here drive crappy cars that often don't have headlights at night or taillights
[18:59] And you know the number one cause of accidents down here is being rear-ended by a tailgater Why because everyone tailgates and I mean everyone and often, you know, you see the strangest things while driving down the street For example while riding along on a beautiful concrete highway often You'll see from a distance something weird in the road as you get closer It might just be there's a big chunk of concrete missing from the road. How'd that happen? Who knows? But things like that just pop out out of nowhere So know that even in the daytime if you have your eyes wide open and you're driving very very safely You will do a lot of dancing and swerving to avoid that kind of stuff Then of course you longtime listeners know about those two mollows those speed bumps that are everywhere down here many of them so high especially the ones out in the boonies that often you can't even slow down to a snail's pace and
[19:48] Pass over it without scraping bottom Still more reasons why you don't want to drive at night unless you've driven that way many times before Even so things change in a hurry down here and lately with all that extra traffic clogging up the big cities Comes another driving nightmare many heavily traveled Latin roads are switched to reversible lanes during rush hour So for example in the morning you could be driving down a normal four-lane road and two hours later in the same place on that Same road suddenly all the traffic in that lane is coming in the opposite direction Yeah, I know. I know Reversible lanes are the hallmark of bad worse than substandard engineering and road design That's the lesson they taught us an engineering school by the way, so when you see that happen
[20:34] It's simply another government failure though people eventually take it for granted There's nothing normal about it Which gives me the perfect reason to mention once again that it's never a good idea to buy a brand new or very late Model car unless you're prepared to handle the consequences of terrible drivers around you and crappy ever-changing infrastructure The fact is everywhere you go in Latin America There are unsound bridges that should have been repaired or replaced years ago Something that most drivers never think about sure when most of them are built They're built a first world standards, but then just like everything else in Latin America. There's just no maintenance or follow-up It's a culture that responds to crisis and that's about it For example when you're driving down the road and you pull up to a stop sign have a look at the trucks and cars
[21:19] In front and on the side of you now look at their tires Down here people do not buy new tires just because they're bald They buy new tires only when they're flat and won't hold air anymore, or they have a blowout Same with oil changes I'd say 80% of latins with cars have never done an oil change When the oil gets low or the idiot light comes on they just top it off with the cheapest oil possible Which is one of the reasons why so many Latin cars burn oil prematurely They don't change it the motor gunks up the engine wears a bit moving parts get sloppy And it starts burning oil in fact I've talked to Latin to own cars who don't even know they're supposed to change the oil You've all heard me hit on certain of these points before but to see this stuff for yourself
[22:08] You really need to get some boots on the ground and the best way of course is to come down to my January 2017 Expat insider seminar it kicks off a little more than two months from now, and I do have a few spots left Just go to www.thenewexpet.com click on Johnny's 2017 seminar link and join me for an adventure I'm sure you'll never forget and if you can't make it down to the seminar for whatever reason There's always the next best thing my expat essentials course It's a 35 video course by yours truly and how to get your plan B on the ground and running from right where you live up In the states to find out how you can accomplish that just go to www.expatplanb.com Go there and check out my three free videos. That's www.expatplanb.com
[22:57] That's where you'll find my new expat essentials course Yep, the first world's cracking around the edges, and we all need a plan B a way to get out of dodge How far along on that plan B are you? All right now I should mention I have a lot of Europeans who listen to this show the expat files living in Latin America I'd like to read this email from a German listener who tells us some things that are quite extraordinary So here it is. Dear Johnny. I'm a German Libertarian working in Latin America and scared of what is happening in Europe That's where I have to go back when my project is done I learned about the flag system and have acted upon it That would be the multiple flag system that people talk about including me in my expat essentials course anyway
[23:44] He says the European community that zombie Construction that does not want to die for good or for worse becomes more and more dangerous by the day I really don't know how European people feel when they must retire But I think for myself about not returning to Europe when my job is finished here in Latin America I have been trying to imagine a future life for me somewhere in this Latin region Then I suddenly found your expat files on the internet I am very thankful for your free insights and you often make me smile But I'm no client for you as you see I have had boots on the ground here in Latin America for many years And I'm no US citizen. It is more that your thoughts allow me to verify my own Know I'm not alone anymore
[24:30] Both of our views about the world and Latin America are right on track you get my big thumbs up Then he says Johnny your name is German rooted Do you understand German if you do you might like this and he gives me a YouTube video to watch in German and man? if this doesn't tell it all here's what it says translated a German he says explains in the video that every migrant child to the EU Gets 1,000 euros a month from the government, but every German child only gets 130 euros a month Then in the video the guy shows copies of payouts to migrants actual cases were two Migrant adults and five kids get
[25:18] 3,500 euros a month along with rent and Medicare Transportation costs and kindergarten expenses all worth a total of around 7,000 euros a month, which is around 8,000 US dollars a month. That's for a formerly illegal Migrant family and then the guy on YouTube says here's the absolute topper Here's a case of a Muslim immigrant coming to Germany. He applies for aid. He comes with four wives and 23 kids he receives over 30,000 euros a month in cash from the German government Then the email says if this is not suicide from my ex society I don't know what is Then he says the case for a normal German is the following to have a decent income of
[26:08] 7,000 euros a month a German must earn 11 or 12,000 and the rest is taken out for taxes Then he says some dentists or professionals make that but no average Johnny or Frank What exactly is going on? Of course to the logical mind he says they are all stupid Socialists, but I I do have some knowledge and I find that knowledge gives me some power So thank you very much Johnny for what you do and best wishes signed Frank from Germany Wow And now that's something I've never heard come out of the first world media You think the German government wants the common people to know that that every migrant child that ends up in Germany gets a thousand euros a month That's over 1100 us a month and the guy that came in with four wives and 23 kids gets
[26:59] 30,000 euros a month. You know what that is just about $400,000 a year and This given to a Muslim migrant who most assuredly didn't even have a high school education or made $1,800 a month in his own failed state country By the way, if you want to see that amazing breakdown on that YouTube video Send me an email and I'll send you the link like Frank says it's the suicide of an entire society sound familiar So I'll ask again. How's your plan be coming? This is the expect files living in Latin America If you want me to help you out with your own plan be just schedule a one-on-one consult Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com
[27:45] And if you want to learn how to move forward with your own plan be from right up there in the states go to www.xpatplanb.com and check out my three videos. See ya nos vemos