Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores a range of topics that highlight the cultural, economic, and personal experiences of living in Latin America. He begins by discussing the popularity of horse ownership in the region, noting how it is accessible to both wealthy and average women due to the affordability and ease of keeping horses. The climate in Latin America allows for minimal upkeep, as horses have access to natural food sources and don't require special winter quarters. Johnny shares a personal anecdote from a horse farm, where he observed a significant gender imbalance, with more women than men present. He also touches on the social hierarchy among bodyguards, based on appearance, clothing, and cost, with higher-end bodyguards being taller, lighter, and better dressed.
The segment then shifts to a discussion on the bodyguard industry in Latin America, where Johnny contrasts low-end bodyguards, often poorly dressed and not very professional, with high-end bodyguards trained by Israeli security forces, who are more expensive and professional. He notes that bodyguards in the region are often more about showing off wealth than actual protection, and that they are frequently involved in theft or kidnapping attempts. Johnny shares a personal anecdote about interacting with a bodyguard at Costco, where the bodyguard expressed a desire for a better job, indicating that many bodyguards feel trapped in their roles due to economic necessity.
Johnny also discusses the classist and pretentious behavior of bodyguards, particularly in traffic, and shares a humorous anecdote about a confrontation with a group of bodyguards in a car. He then transitions to a discussion about the affordability of services in Mexico compared to the U.S., using the example of horseback riding at a stable. He highlights the confusion caused by language and measurement differences, such as the term 'manzana' meaning both 'apple' and an acre of land. Finally, he touches on the topic of romantic relationships between gringos and Latin Americans, emphasizing that the show is not a dating platform.
In the final segment, Johnny discusses the growing trend of expats and gringos moving to Colombia, particularly motivated by the media attention on Colombian beauty and culture. He highlights the challenges expats face in finding genuine relationships, noting that many Colombian women may be more interested in financial support than emotional connection. Johnny shares a personal anecdote about a gringo expat who has been in Colombia for over a decade and is struggling to find a meaningful relationship. He emphasizes the economic disparity between expats and locals, suggesting that many Colombian women may take advantage of expats' financial resources. Johnny also offers advice on how to determine if a Colombian woman is genuinely interested in a relationship or just looking for financial support.
Topics
Horse ownership in Latin America, Cultural and economic aspects of horse care, Gender dynamics in horse-related activities, Bodyguard social hierarchy in Latin America, Bodyguard industry in Latin America, Cultural aspects of Latin America, Economic conditions and job satisfaction, Personal anecdotes and interactions, Classist behavior of bodyguards, Affordability of services in Mexico, Language and measurement confusion, Romantic relationships between gringos and Latin Americans
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:42 Horse Ownership in Latin America: A Hobby for Women 00:02:11 Affordability and Accessibility of Horse Care in Latin America 00:03:22 Gender Imbalance in Horse-Related Activities 00:05:12 Social Hierarchy Among Bodyguards in Latin America 00:05:52 Types of Bodyguards in Latin America 00:07:05 Cost of High-End Bodyguards 00:08:35 Bodyguards as a Symbol of Wealth 00:10:32 Anecdote About a Bodyguard at Costco 00:11:38 The Pretentiousness of Bodyguards 00:11:50 Classist Behavior in Traffic 00:12:17 The Confrontation with Bodyguards 00:13:14 The Payoff of the Bodyguard Encounter 00:14:03 Affordability of Horseback Riding in Mexico 00:15:42 Language and Measurement Confusion 00:17:20 Romantic Relationships Between Gringos and Latin Americans 00:17:28 Introduction to the topic of expats in Colombia and the focus on relationships 00:17:34 Acknowledgment of the need to address relationship challenges 00:17:38 Discussion of the motivations for expats moving to Colombia 00:17:45 Media's role in shaping perceptions of Colombian women 00:17:50 Coverage of Colombian beauty pageants and fashion industry 00:17:58 Discussion of Colombian jeans stores and their cultural impact 00:18:03 Johnny's comment on the illusion of Colombian jeans stores 00:18:08 Introduction of a gringo expat's email 00:23:13 Introduction to the topic of relationships and cultural dynamics 00:23:13 Discussion on the role of women in supporting families 00:23:19 Addressing the challenges faced by women in certain family situations 00:23:24 Highlighting the importance of honesty in relationships 00:23:29 Debunking stereotypes about Colombian women's preferences 00:23:33 Discussing the importance of cultural awareness and honesty 00:23:35 Sharing personal experiences and insights on interactions with Colombian women 00:23:38 Concluding thoughts on cultural awareness and honesty
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 as I wander 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 It seems all humans of the female persuasion love horses And if you do love horses and you've never had one before because they're just way too expensive to keep train and well look after Ladies you are in luck if you come down here to Latin America, you can't have the horse of your dreams
[00:47] So yes, it is a hobby for many rich Latin women, but it's also a hobby for average gringa women, too Now as far as men the ones I know anyway and horses when you mention horses 99% of the time it's about the track and bedding and all that it seems to be a fact that men and horses Just don't bond like women and horses and of course old Sigmund Freud would say it's about control issues and a woman's power over One large dumb creature versus the large dumb creature at home She has little or no power over though some might see it differently. That's one explanation So the question I have for all you male listeners out there Have you ever been sucked into going riding with your girlfriend wife significant other gay friend or family member? I bet you have and you were bored out of your wits, right, which is exactly what happened to me last Sunday
[01:35] Well, wouldn't you know it there are a lot of natural sanctuaries and horse riding stables in pretty much every Latin country Because horses are cheap and easy to keep down here Anyway, because well first of all, you've got four growing seasons So they always have something to eat The fact is you don't see people buying feed for their horses as long as you've got just a little patch of land It's not necessary. The other thing is there's no cold weather freezer frost So horses don't need special winter quarters either now, of course horses need a lot of upkeep cleaning the stables brushing them down Feeding them someone to be constantly on the poop scoop detail horses are big So a lot of organic volume there, you know But did you know down here you can hire people that know all about horses for around 200 bucks a month Just give them room board at the stables. That's right horsekeepers and caretakers 200 bucks a month
[02:22] That's why if you're down here and you're into horses You could easily get one boarded and stabled for a hundred bucks a month or less and that would include the feed the stable And the vet services too. How about that? So again, let me repeat I went to a horse farm this weekend and since I'm way off the gringo tourist trail I saw virtually no gringos when I was up there. Not at first. Anyway Now this particular horse farm was on a nature preserve and along with that There was a nice little patio outdoor cafe restaurant with fantastic views of volcanoes and lakes and such anyway, when I was there on Sunday at around 1 o'clock, there were a grand total of two guys me and another guy and 20 women sitting in that little cafe. Yes, of course all horse lovers all out for a day's ride
[03:11] Ninety percent of them there with their female friends and family with their men nowhere in sight Surely off with their own buddies watching the soccer game somewhere. So call me narrow-minded Call me a sexist but the numbers say it all two guys 20 women 30 horses on a Sunday afternoon at 1 o'clock What's that tell you now? Like I said at first there were no gringos I was sitting in that little cafe sucking down some of the best coffee in the world at a buck and a half A cup what's not to like about Latin America, huh? All the while trying to think of a good excuse Why I wouldn't have to go on a horse that day That's when a nice new double cab Toyota pickup pulled in with a do-gooder NGO First world logo on the side funny. They always seem to have the nicest newest vehicles, you know
[03:56] It pulled up and that's when the driver got out obviously a bodyguard He had one of those khaki vests on with a little stitched row of places where you put your shotgun shells And he went around opening up the doors and a bunch of gringas got out all of them wearing matching blue t-shirts With the logo of the do-gooder mission they belong to in this case some kind of Lutheran charity group So as the ladies walked into the place the bodyguard stood back in the parking lot smoking a cigarette By the way, he was the most casual of all the bodyguards in the parking lot Oh, I forgot to tell you the parking lot was filled with high-end cars as well as all the different classes of bodyguards By the way, the bodyguards were completely unnecessary. No danger here In fact, it was actually kind of ridiculous. But hey a job's a job, right?
[04:46] You know, it's actually nice work if you can get it You sit around all day on your dead ass in the parking lot schmoozing and telling dirty jokes with the other bodyguards While your pompous ass employer rides horses all day Now one word of explanation about the classes of bodyguards So we had the casual bodyguard with the vest and the shotgun cells Which is kind of a low-end bodyguard down here in Latin America Because as you go through the ranks of bodyguards and prestige Turns out bodyguard status is all about the clothes and the height and the look of the bodyguard and believe it or not The color of his skin the higher-end more desirable more expensive bodyguards being thinner taller Lighter and in better clothes normally nice matching dark suits and sunglasses as opposed to the lower class
[05:33] Kind of sloppy short squat dark-skinned bodyguards with potbellies in street clothes that don't particularly match and of course the Differences all in what you pay the bodyguard for 300 bucks a month You get the low end the guy with the shotgun shell vest medium and bodyguards earn around 400 a month Those would be the bodyguards in the ill-fitting monkey wards or cheap off-the-rack suits But at least they have suits types one and two often well over five feet tall and sometimes even pushing 140 pounds And the high-end bodyguards the tall light-skinned suit and tie guys with the glocks they can make five even 600 bucks a month who by the way usually have a diploma that says they're trained by some kind of Israeli Security force outfit they're all over down here by the way
[06:20] They practically own that niche and you'll see that they run all the high-end bodyguard training facilities They advertise in newspaper yellow pages all the time. I'm not talking about open enrollment bodyguard academies down here They don't exist instead security companies with Israeli names like Golan Recruit candidates who they train and farm out to wealthy individuals who think they need bodyguards and to scumbag Pustulant governments, so you could have your plain Jane minimally trained bodyguard for 300 bucks a month Or you could pay 500 bucks or more and get one that's been farmed out from a security company that claims to have Israeli trainers However, the similarity ends there if you want a real Israeli Trained Mossad type guy as your bodyguard that's gonna cost you probably
[07:05] 60 grand a year or more after all Israel is a first world country with first world salaries However, a tall thin light-skinned local Latin trained by a local outfit that supposedly is really owned and operated Will run you only a tenth of that, but I digress as usual. Where were we? Oh, yeah back at the dude ranch That horse farm parking lot had all kinds now normally when I can get away with it I like to screw with bodyguards when I can and even though I really like even love 95% of Latin America the culture everything However, nothing's perfect. There are a few things I absolutely can't stand about Latin America like for example the way they drive the way it Latin's have no concept of time as well as chicken buses
[07:50] Motorcycles tuk-tucks the Latin males neurotic almost psychotic obsession with soccer They're football and those bodyguards. I just can't stomach them someday Maybe next show I'll give you a whole list of all the things I can't stand about Latin America That should be interesting. So anyway, I can't stomach bodyguards though I understand it is a job and I really should be getting pissed off at their bosses were the real pretentious jerks that said I Love to give bodyguards a hard time when I can get away with it without risking getting punched in the face or shot For example in this particular case I started taking pictures of the bodyguards and they hate that in fact many times They'll give me a dirty look and try to take my picture and I'll put my hand up to my face And that really pisses them off, which by the way, if you live down here long enough, you'll know that having bodyguards is completely for show
[08:42] It's really all about showing your neighbors and friends that you have enough dough to afford a bodyguard or two or three or five And of course the double-edged sword of that whole thing is if you have bodyguards the bad guys of the world Obviously know you're the one they want to extort from or you're the one with a kid They want to kidnap since you're pretty much displaying your affluence and the amount of dough you have by having bodyguards Worse yet if there's some kind of theft or a kidnapping or kidnapping attempt It's been shown time and time again that up to 90% of the time It's a bodyguard or a former bodyguard that was involved after all They know everything you've got and all the moves you make and the fact is bodyguards wouldn't steal from their own bosses Or wouldn't attempt to do anything crazy like kidnapping if they were treated kindly fairly and like real human beings
[09:28] So it's fair to say nearly every bodyguard resents his boss in some way or another But they all pretty much absolutely love their jobs because they're just sitting on their dead asses all day or just standing around Doing absolutely nothing, but trying to look the part So if you're in a big Latin American city, you'll run into them all the time at the barbershop Sears Starbucks the IHOP shopping malls the Costco checkout line But most especially parking lots because there are some establishments that won't allow bodyguards inside like for example health clubs High-end restaurants and some private schools So one day I'm in the checkout line at Costco standing right next to an absolutely bored bodyguard Whose job was to look tough and also push the cart meanwhile his boss
[10:15] Recognizable government suck ass was on the phone maybe a hundred feet away And I said to the guy was standing right next to him say that's your boss over there, right? No one likes that guy He's an absolute jerk. What's he like to work for? Is he a dick in that respect to and you know what? I must have hit a nerve He took his sunglasses off. He rolled his eyes. He said yeah someday. I'm gonna get a decent job So that was a guy obviously with the right idea but again a job is a job and I guess he felt trapped and down here in Latin America with that big lag time effect we Talk about it's almost like the 1960s and 70s and the States back Then when my parents and probably your parents were in the workforce they held on to their jobs even if they didn't like them because it was a steady paycheck and their parents didn't experience that because
[11:03] Well, that was the depression era and all that Well, that's what it's like for the lower lower middle and middle classes here in Latin America. They hold on to their jobs They just don't quit they feel fortunate just to have a steady paycheck The family's got to eat right and I find it amazing as to what latin's will put up with in regards to a job You wouldn't believe how many very low paying jobs down here really suck Now as far as bodyguards It's the low-end guys that'll shoot the breeze with you and have fun and laugh and the more serious ones with a three-piece suits Well, they try to act cool and tough and don't give you the time of day figures, huh? You work for a jerk and it can't help but rub off on you But then again, they sort of have to put on a preposterous front like they're actually guarding someone that's worthwhile or important
[11:48] It's all part of that stupid Classist pretentious game when I run into those guys, especially in traffic where they're always weaving because they think they've got more of a right To be there than you do that includes being in line where they think they can take cuts I will on occasion when I know I can get away with it flip them the bird or worse Though never for no reason they have to provoke by taking cuts or trying to pull their imaginary macho rank of which they ain't Got any for example one day I was at a stoplight and a brand new silver Toyota Hilux pulled up right next to me five identically uniformed bodyguards in the car and right behind them a Giant bulletproof SUV with the big boss trailing behind Well, it's not what I have it the driver that car was looking down at me in my little car By the way, they all had their windows down so you could see how cool and proper they looked in their three-piece suits sunglasses and earbuds
[12:40] Anyway, the driver looked at me coldly and gave me that get out of the way spud Can't you see I'm escorting a VIP kind of look that's when I rolled my passenger side window down Remember now these guys are the high-end bodyguards in designer three-piece suits and I said to this guy in Spanish I said señor de scuba me pero to teni un gran moco in el punto de su naris Then the other bodyguards in the car broke out laughing and the guy just freaked out He had this priceless look of anguish on his face. I wish I could have got a photo Anyway, the light turned green and I was off. So then what did I say to provoke all that? Well, I just said excuse me Mr Did you know you have a huge booger hanging from your nose and believe me having a gringo saying that to a person in a
[13:27] Three-piece suit is all the worst but I digress as usual. Where was I? Oh, yeah back at the horse stables Well, the group of do-gooder gringas with the matching t-shirts walked up to the information desk and said Do you speak English and the young lady behind the counter said in very broken English? I speak some English. Oh and by the way as to rules and regulations at the writing stables Well, there really weren't any not only that surprise surprise No one had to sign any kind of legal liability release document you know in case you fell off the horse and got trampled or broke your neck or something and The price to ride a horse a whole four bucks for a half an hour and seven bucks for an hour Now I understand the going rate up in the states for riding a horse at a stable is 25 to 50 bucks an hour
[14:14] Again bearing out what I've said so many times on the show when you're off the gringo tourist trail You'll pay a fraction of what you'd pay for the same service or product up in the states So the ladies signed up for a half hour of horseback riding only four bucks Oh one more thing they didn't have a chalkboard in the information office and it said Minimum age to ride a horse alone ten years and the maximum weight for a person 240 pounds which makes you think some gringos have been there and have been rejected Oh and this will make you laugh when that lady who spoke a little bit of English was explaining about the setup She said we have 40 apples at our riding stable and around 20 different trails To which one of the gringo ladies raised her hand like she was in school or something
[15:00] We gringos are noted for that, especially when we're in groups Yeah I've seen it a thousand times people will want to ask a question or go to the bathroom and they'll raise their hand even though They're 45 years old. Some of us will anyway, especially those of us who went to Catholic school Anyway, the gringo lady raised her hand and said did you say 40 apple trees? What kind of apples? I didn't know they grew apples here and the Latin girl with the bad English said yes 40 apples So now you're thinking there's something lost in translation here. What's that 40 Apple thing all about? well, let me tell you if you've been down here long enough and If you listen to my show last week, I was talking about measurements, you know the metric in the English system Well, just so happens the Spanish word for Apple is manzana
[15:47] ma n z a n a manzana and each manzana according to Spanish measurements is 1.72 acres. So when the lady said they have 40 manzanas They don't have 40 apples. Although that's the same direct translation in English. That's about 70 acres So keep that in mind if someone's talking about a particular piece of land One manzana or one apple would be a very nice piece of land for a single-family home about one point seven three acres So anyway, those gringa do-gooder ladies rented some horses the last of the horses by the way And as soon as they took off it started raining Which couldn't have pleased me more because I didn't want to ride one of those beasts anyway And the gringas in the matching t-shirts
[16:33] Well, they got drenched and there's nothing worse than being drenched in the forest and on a muddy path Sitting on a wet horse that doesn't much like the situation either better them than me So was it karma or my dumb luck who knows and get this as soon as it started raining all of sudden the bodyguards Sprinted out of the parking lot with open umbrellas. Yes, I guess that's another dimming part of a bodyguards job Diverting rainwater from their lady bosses designer jot purrs. No, not diapers. Jot purrs. What a life, huh? Okay now for something completely different onward and upward now I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you that at least about one out of five emails is regarding sex Love romance mating dating and jot purrs. No, not jot purrs. Just kidding
[17:20] So there's a lot of interest and gringo guys coming down here and hooking up with latinas and gringo ladies from up in the states Coming down and hooking up with latin guys. Now. I don't ever want to make this show a kind of a lonely hearts Club thing However today, we've got a few things to sort out in that department Alright since going down to Columbia is very big on the minds of so many gringos and expats a lot of it Motivated by the way girls like Sofia Fergata and Shakira have kind of taken the u.s First world media by storm not to mention Columbia gets an excessive amount of media coverage for their beauty pageants And of course the latest rage those Colombian clothing outlets featuring what they call Colombian jeans stores Which offer the rear-view illusion of well, you know the illusion
[18:08] I'm gonna read a couple emails here that are certainly on PC So get used to it the first one from a single lonely heart gringo that went down to Colombia and been there for a while He says, you know many in Colombia is all the rage now, especially with international living and all those Retirement magazines talking about what a great deal it is and how the weather is so nice and well how it's just so damn Beautiful and cheap and that by the way is why I came down to Colombia I've been down for over a decade However, these days the type of gringo tourists and expats is changing quite a bit Many more guys are coming down looking for a companion or a woman or just a lot of women and a lot of companions Anyway, like I said, I've been down here for over a decade retired at 45 and just looking myself for a good woman and permanent companion
[18:55] now I know very few local Colombian women that have money to go out and pay for a cab or Buy any food at a restaurant better than McDonald's or much less have a car Now unless they were university educated professionals, then of course, they may have a car in a nice house But they always most always have a good-looking boyfriend or husband somewhere in the wings But when you meet them as a gringo They are so very nice and they will tell you yes at first that they do have a boyfriend or a husband But after they get to know you perhaps after one cup of coffee and a little flirting Colombian girls love to flirt You better watch out because their boyfriends and husbands are really jealous now Generally the typical Colombian girl from a big city when you have a date
[19:45] She'll ask for cab fare because well She doesn't have a car and you'll give it to her of course and she'll wait till you get into your cab And she'll run off to a bus or the metro and pocket the difference That's so common here. I've seen it a million times also clueless gringos out there You must realize if you're 45 plus and going out with a 25 year old or let's say 60 and going out with a 30 year old Stop thinking it's because she likes you for what you are or who you are It's simply because you are a good meal ticket You must man up and deal with it because you see Johnny even though almost all Colombian ladies and men have jobs They only make on the average 300 to maybe 500 dollars a month meaning for the average latin girl
[20:31] Taxi cabs are completely out of the question unless they're out with their lady friends on a Friday or Saturday night Then they'll all pile into the same taxi now you see Johnny big city Colombian ladies Know that your average gringo loser like I considered myself up in the States so long ago Even so a loser like me making 30,000 bucks a year makes five to ten times what the average Colombian person makes Anyway, like I mentioned the place is now being flooded with gringos. I like to stay away from Lieras barrio Colombia las palmas las trenta tres mangoes a bonita, etc Because there are just way too many gringos. I could have stayed back in the States and seen fewer gringos Yep, they're streaming into the big cities and guess what in almost all cases when it's single guys
[21:20] It's for sex tourism You know before Sofia Vergara and her hit TV show made the scene up in the States Costa Rica Panama and Brazil were the main sex tourism sites now It's the big cities in Colombia Cartagena and Medellin man again I can't overemphasize what Sofia Vergara has done to tourism down here I keep away from all those crazy and clueless gringos myself though I was one when I first came down. I always prefer to hang out in places farther out where the gringos are spares anyway, Johnny I don't consider myself much of a swinger I'm a pretty conservative guy really but let me tell you if you choose to come to one of the big Colombian cities Kali Medellin Cartagena Bogota You just have to make a decision to simply choose how much you want to let the women take advantage of you the so-called
[22:08] Rich gringo and why not let them get away with a little bit taxi fare Of course dinner, maybe a little clothes shopping I don't care But many guys come down and blow thousands of bucks because so many Colombian ladies use the line me mommy is in Firma meaning I need a little money because my mother is sick Of course, it could be the grandmother the uncle the aunt doesn't matter Just note when you hear that story the lady has her angles and is not as pure as a driven snow Certainly not long-term stable Relationship material then he says Johnny, you know, I found out if you're really interested in a girl But you're not sure if she's into you or just your wallet I've developed the kind of a test you plan a big night out and you tell her all about it Then when she arrives or maybe a half hour earlier you call her
[22:54] Tell her you had a big lunch and say you just want a hamburger or a hot dog or a chuco off the street If she says sure thing and doesn't put up a fuss She's probably a keeper. Now if she's a middle-class working girl, she might really need some clothes You can tell by the wear on their shoes when you're down here long enough. You can spot things like that you know they try the best they can and they don't make much and they might really be helping out a sick grandmother or a mother because a Lot of times dad has left the family is nowhere to be seen or he's a drunk And she might be bringing in quite a bit of the salary to support the whole family So by all means if she is supporting the family you can't help her out Do take her shopping if she's the right kind of girl It will seem just like Christmas to her and if not Well, that's a warning sign too, isn't it?
[23:41] Though another test is to ask her where she'd like to buy those jeans in the blouse if she picks a high-end Upscale mall. Well, say you've got another engagement. You're leaving town and run in the opposite direction Now don't get me wrong. There are some really really nice calm Non-partying average girls in Medellin though. They all love to dance Which to us men is not really partying is it and you'll find them working as secretaries and bank tellers and office workers, etc My favorites are from Robledo or above Boston or Manrique or Buenos Aires, Colombia There you'll find just a lot of nice laid-back girls with very good families Also, remember I'm a normal-looking guy a solid five out of ten up in the States. No hottie I'm 5 foot 10 in my mid 50s with a few extra pounds thin hair and yet because I speak a bit of Spanish and have a
[24:32] nice personality and of course because I'm a gringo I can strike up a conversation with almost any Latin girl and she'll never give me the brush off or treat me like I'm intruding They're always kind courteous and eager to help you out If for example, you're looking for an ATM or a bank unlike where I come from up in the States They never look at you like you're ruining their day or bothering them. They're always glad to help I know. I know Johnny. That's your famous gringo advantage, right? And yes, I know it really exists In fact Johnny, I'd say you're down playing it if anything Now Johnny the thing about gringo is going to the big cities especially in Colombia if they're single and there's a few of them together They're always on the prowl and looking for edgier things in parts of the city that aren't recommended I tried that scene when I first got down here, too
[25:19] In fact, I've seen people shot robbed and drugged in places. Gringo's should not be hanging especially at night Like you say Johnny, there are districts to hang there are districts to avoid then he says my final advice Nice girls here in Colombia really appreciate the truth If for example you tell them that you prefer going out with many people You would normally have to dance around that if you were dealing with a lady from up in the States For example, at least that's what I had to deal with when I lived back there However here in Colombia, they seem to accept that and will probably trust you even more And of course, if you're looking for a long-term meaningful relationship be honest and tell them that too And they'll be perfectly honest with you. Also, of course There are lots and lots of beautiful Colombian girls that are not nice girls and they'll lie to you
[26:07] Man, will they lie to you now? You may have heard that Colombian women only like blue-eyed gringos and that's far from the truth In fact is they like any gringo white brown or black sure Columbia like the rest of Latin America like the rest of the world is a racist place Everyone down here in fact want their children to be lighter taller and have clear or blue eyes But that's just not possible for ninety nine point nine percent of the population again That's where that gringo advantage comes in by the way Johnny I also lived in Brazil for three years and had the time of my life, but that was a while ago Now it's a real hell hole and you have to practically put a padlock on your wallet Everyone has become a thief or a scavenger In fact, the cops are pretty much all on the take and you can't even see a doctor in a hospital
[26:55] Unless you pull out your cash first, then yeah, go to the front of the line and it's a long long line Whoops, we're near the end of the show now, and I can't finish this email. We'll get to it next time So stay tuned. Meanwhile, don't forget to check out my youtube channel and do go to www.thenewxpad.com because you can still sign up for my July 2016 Exped insider seminar and of course while you're there check out John Galt's famous pre and post seminar trips, too Remember, it's all about getting your plan B in motion. There's really no better way than to come down and get boots on the ground You've been listening to the Exped files living in Latin America Coming to you twice a week from somewhere south of the border email me the expat files at gmail.com
[27:46] And if you want me to help you sort out your own Latin American plans schedule a one-on-one Consult with me just send an email and let me know at the expat files at gmail.com. No spamos