Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller provides an in-depth look at the realities of living in Latin America, particularly focusing on the perception of volcanoes as dangerous. He begins by addressing the common belief that Latin America is unsafe due to natural disasters like volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Johnny explains that while the region is volcanically active, most volcanoes are not as dangerous as portrayed, and the real risk lies in people living too close to them. He compares this to other high-risk areas like California and New Orleans, where people continue to build in dangerous zones despite the risks.
Johnny also discusses the concept of 'active volcanoes' and clarifies that most are not as dangerous or dramatic as commonly perceived. He references a geologist from a big oil company to define 'active' volcanoes, explaining that they typically emit gas and have minor eruptions, not the catastrophic events often depicted in media. He notes that large eruptions are rare and usually occur far from populated areas, making them more of a tourist attraction than a threat. Johnny shares personal experiences and observations about the safety and popularity of volcanoes in regions like Costa Rica, where they are often visited by eco-tourists and backpackers. He warns about the risks of hiking these volcanoes alone or with untrustworthy guides, citing instances of theft and the isolation that comes with such activities.
The episode also explores the relationship between volcanoes and human settlement, particularly focusing on the attitudes of locals living near active volcanoes. Johnny highlights how locals often feel safe if a volcano hasn't erupted recently, attributing their sense of security to faith in God or fate. He notes the economic benefits of volcanoes, such as tourism, and the rich volcanic soil that supports agriculture, which is why people return to live near volcanoes despite the risks. Johnny warns expats against living too close to active volcanoes, emphasizing the dangers and the importance of maintaining a safe distance. He also mentions the unpredictability of volcanoes and the lack of insurance coverage for such events, which are considered acts of God.
Johnny provides practical advice for determining if a volcano is active or not, suggesting the use of Startpage.com for privacy reasons. He also discusses the appeal of volcanoes for expats in Latin America, emphasizing how the view of a volcano is a major draw for many. He explains that the view is often a key reason people move to the region and that the availability of volcanoes makes it easier for expats to find properties with such views. He touches on the differences between active and inactive volcanoes and how the presence of volcanoes can affect the surrounding landscape, including the type of beaches found in the region.
In a segment on the calming effect of living near a volcano, Johnny cites expats' experiences, noting that many find the view of a volcano to be calming and even liken it to a tranquilizer. He then transitions into a discussion about the safety of living near active volcanoes, emphasizing that while lava doesn't travel far, pyroclastic clouds are more dangerous and rarely extend beyond 6 miles. He mentions the historical event of Pompeii, where a pyroclastic cloud caused mass casualties. Johnny also addresses the practical concerns of living near a volcano, such as volcanic ash falling even at a distance of 10 miles and the impact of intense sunlight on car paint and interiors. He concludes with advice on protecting vehicles from sun damage and a brief mention of his upcoming book announcement.
Finally, Johnny addresses listener inquiries about his work beyond the podcast, mentioning a new six-hour video series called 'The New Five Flags' and an upcoming Expat Wisdom seminar in Latin America. He humorously offers a refund if the Mayan calendar's end date prophecy comes true.
Topics
Introduction to The Expat Files podcast, Perceptions of Latin America as dangerous due to natural disasters, Johnny's experiences with emails from people in the first world, Volcanic activity in Latin America, The real danger of living near active volcanoes, Comparisons to other high-risk regions like California and New Orleans, The lack of a universal definition for an 'active' volcano, Active volcanoes, Volcanic activity, Tourism and volcanoes, Safety and risks, Geological definitions
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:13 Contrasting Real Experiences with Idealized Portrayals 00:00:24 Johnny's Experiences with Emails from Concerned Friends 00:01:54 Volcanic Activity in Latin America 00:02:53 The Danger of Living Near Active Volcanoes 00:04:15 Comparisons to Other High-Risk Regions 00:04:57 The Lack of a Universal Definition for an 'Active' Volcano 00:05:09 Definition of Active Volcanoes 00:05:25 Misconceptions About Volcanic Eruptions 00:06:01 Active Volcanoes Are Not Mount St. Helens Type Events 00:06:59 Recommendation Against Hiking Volcanoes 00:08:41 Tourist-Friendly Volcanoes in Costa Rica 00:09:26 Experiences of Staying Near an Active Volcano 00:10:09 Local Beliefs About Volcanoes and Safety 00:10:47 Economic Benefits of Volcanoes and Local Adaptation 00:13:11 Safety Recommendations for Expats Living Near Volcanoes 00:15:37 The Spectacular View of a Volcano from Your Home 00:15:47 The Cost-Effectiveness of Volcano Views 00:19:55 The Impact of Volcanoes on Beach Composition 00:20:35 Safety Distance from Active Volcanoes 00:21:45 Pyroclastic Clouds and Their Dangers 00:23:40 Volcanic Ash and Car Damage 00:24:50 Sun Damage to Vehicles in High Altitude Regions 00:25:04 Introduction to the New Video Series 00:25:23 Explanation of the Video Series' Availability 00:26:38 Announcement of Upcoming Seminar
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:03] Hi everybody, I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America. The show that tells you what it's really like to live, work, play and or retire in Latin America. I tell it just like it is, not the version they give you in those glossy travel magazines or the picture they paint for you in those international traveler websites where they're only trying to sell you something. What's it really like for expats living in Latin America? Well if you stick around a while you'll find out. So, let's get started. You know it seems like every time the first world has big news about a volcano in Latin America, you know when you see a video of one blowing its top and people running through the streets screaming on the 6 o'clock news, well every time that happens I get a slew
[00:48] of emails from people wondering if I'm okay and of course advising me to wear a respirator lest I choke to death. And generally those emails carry with them a kind of an underlying current of dread. Like somehow they're saying, gee for once I'm glad I'm not an expat like Johnny down in Volcano Alley. In fact, anytime there is a Latin American natural disaster, I get a lot of similar emails telling me to protect my ass. And so do most of all of my expat friends down here too, like expat Eddie. In fact I remember a few years back when that Chilean earthquake hit, the big 7 plus pointer, you know? At the time I was sipping some coconut water on a nice Colombian beach, about a good thousand miles or so away, and yet I got a slew of concerned emails, in fact sometimes I get concerned emails from friends and relatives up in the first world, from people who don't
[01:37] travel much, who still think I'm nuts for being an expat in Latin America. They cite the hurricanes, the earthquakes, the floods, the landslides, the torrential rainy season, the crime, and last but not least, the volcanoes. Now let me set you straight about volcanoes down here. Yup, Latin America is loaded with those bad boys. In fact, El Salvador for example, a tiny little country, only about as big as Massachusetts, has 22 volcanoes, 6 of which are active right now. Imagine if Massachusetts itself had 22 volcanoes, and 6 were huffing and puffing and getting ready to belch. Sounds more like sci-fi or Jurassic Park doesn't it? And some would say Massachusetts deserves the wrath of God, because they did spawn the
[02:23] Kennedys now, didn't they? Anyway, this is how that volcano thing really works. These active volcanoes that you hear about, when you're looking at them from 5 or 10 miles away, they only seem to have a little puff of gray or white smoke, wafting from the center. 99.99% of the time, that's what an active volcano does. Nothing to write home about, but they do look pretty. And when they actually really blow big time, they look like the ones that blow up on the 6 o'clock news. But how dangerous are these things? Well, they're really dangerous if you happen to live next to one, I mean if it's part of your backyard. And only the stupidest of morons live on the side or the base of any volcano that's active. And you wouldn't believe how many stupid morons exist down here in Latin America.
[03:09] And surprisingly, not all of them are in the government either. And actually I should qualify that a bit. I'd say about half the people that end up evacuating during a big blow off are stupid morons. And the other half, well they're just extremely poor folks who found out that living on the side of an active volcano is very cheap, in fact free. Because as you'd expect, land on the side of an active volcano or at the base doesn't go for much. But it is real estate now, isn't it? There's always someone who owns the volcano itself. A lot of times it's the government. But you see, if you set up housekeeping on the side of a volcano that's considered active, generally no one's going to kick you out. The fact is there are a lot of squatters around volcanoes. And if there's one thing I've noticed about human nature, especially down here in Latin
[03:55] America, people have very short memories when it comes to natural disasters. Just like stupid Californians who continuously build on the side of precarious cliffs or near dry brush where there's constant wildfires. And what about those stupid Americans who keep building and rebuilding in hundred year flood plains? And now I'm going to get really politically incorrect here and say this. People who insist on living in New Orleans are the idiots that really take the cake. I mean that place is below sea level. Any engineer or geologist will tell you that's a really stupid move. And stupider yet is to think that your government can take care of the contingencies. Like expat Eddie says, if you have zero expectations of your government, you'll never be disappointed.
[04:42] Which proves you don't have to be a poor, uneducated Latin to be a horse's ass. Now about volcanoes, you hear the terms active, dormant, extinct and inactive thrown around all the time. Now the truth is, when you talk about what an active volcano is, no one, even geologists, can quite agree on what that is. Now I have a friend who's a geologist and he told me that if a volcano has blown off within the past five or six hundred years, it's considered active. And that's just one definition people use. That definition's from a geologist who works for a big oil company. So it sounds good to me. And most of those so-called active volcanoes will have a little stream of gas coming out of the tip like I mentioned. That's what geologists call active. Oh no, not very impressive really. Nothing like those monster eruptions they show you on National Geographic.
[05:29] And if you've noticed, all of those gigantic blow-offs are with volcanoes that are far far away from any populated area. Like in Iceland or Alaska or New Zealand, you know? The misconception that first world people have is that when they hear the word active, they right away think Vesuvius or Mount St. Helens. And really destructive events like that only happen close to populations every three or four hundred years. The fact is, I've seen dozens of volcanoes, I even lived close to them, and it's not like that at all. Active volcanoes down here are not Mount St. Helens type events, believe me. 99 out of 100 active volcanoes are very wimpy. Fun to look at but not dangerous unless you walk right up to the edge.
[06:16] And if you're very close, sometimes on a clear night the summit will look a little bit ruby-red. Although sometimes you can't see it unless you actually crawl right up to the top of the summit and look into it. And believe it or not, I've done that. And it was a very cool experience, but I have some reservations about that, which I'll talk about in a second. And in fact, most of the big volcanoes down here, the so-called active ones that is, are pretty popular with backpacker types and ecotourists. So any day of the week, you can get a guided tour of one of these things all the way up to the summit. And these tour guides are poor locals who have lived on the edge of these volcanoes with their families all their lives. And they know they're volcano-like the back of their hand. And you know what? I don't recommend it. Not because it isn't a very cool experience or that the volcano is overly dangerous, it's
[07:05] just that it's a couple hours walk up the side of one of these things, sometimes in a very deep jungle, and you're very isolated and alone for long periods of time. And I've known quite a few cases where backpackers and gringo tourists have been mugged along the way. I mean, after all, it is the perfect setup for a robbery, right? Miles from nowhere, thick jungle, rich gringo tourists, at least that's the perception, right? Though I've never heard of anybody getting killed. I know a few cases where eco-backpackers walked up a volcano fully loaded with gear, and they walked back down buck naked, women included. Now when you talk about countries like Costa Rica, which are heavily on the tourist track, they do have some active volcanoes that are quite well visited by eco-tourists and backpacker
[07:51] types, as well as a good share of ugly American parents who drag their snot-nosed kids along. You know, the whole family text messaging 24-7 and never actually speaking a word to each other? Well, in Costa Rica, since it's so flooded with first world tourists, you get a lot of that now too. Another reason expats like me steer way clear of Costa Rica. Well, some of these active volcanoes, like for example in Costa Rica, have been on the tourist trail so long that they're quite well set up with facilities for tourists. And when you go there, hoping for a nice little eruption, you can watch the thing from the comfort of your balcony in a luxury hotel. In fact, some of these hotels and cabins are right up the side of the mountain. That way you can get the close-up full effect of the mini earthquakes and the explosions
[08:36] that you came to see. I mean, it wouldn't be any fun if it didn't shake you up a little now, right? One of these volcanoes that's been very popular with the tourists for a lot of years is called Adinal in Costa Rica. And since it has a kind of mini eruption about once a day, a lot of little hotels and cabins have sprouted up along the edge of the mountain and up the side itself, so tourists can take advantage of the predictability of the show. Adinal is kind of like the old faithful of volcanoes, it blows off every day at about the same time. In small little spurts and gasps, nothing to write home about, but still very cool when you're way up close. And if you're staying overnight in a hotel or a cabin right up next to the thing, in the day, at the right time, it's blowing off rocks and steam, and at night, sometimes you see a bit of a ruby red lava flow.
[09:22] I've been there and stayed overnight at one of those places, and your room actually does shake a bit, a mini earthquake every time it erupts. Now in the case of an active volcano like that, where the tourists have been coming for many years, it's pretty well civilized and mapped out all around the mountain. Now if you stay at one of those local hotels or cabins that has been around for years, you're not going to get mugged. There's pretty much no chance of that. But if you decide to take the mountain on yourself, you decide to hike up the thing on one of the trails with some of your backpacker friends, well again, you're going to be gone for quite a few hours. And you really are taking your chances, even if you're with a guide. And from what I've heard, sometimes the guides are actually in on it. Just a word of warning there. Which brings us back to that definition of what's active and what's not.
[10:09] When you talk to the campesinos who live on the edges of these volcanoes, they always say that if the volcano hasn't blown off in recent memory, or there's no stories being told within their family about it blowing off in the last few generations, well then they feel pretty comfortable about living there. And if you ask them if they're worried about it blowing again, they say, it's a ver. Which means who knows. And then they usually add the words, esen los manos de dios, which means it's in the hands of God, or fate. As usual, the less education, the more those poor locals resort to their deities when they're talking about their volcano. In fact, one local guy, who really knew a lot about the mountain, told me that the volcano was a gift from God. After all, it did bring the tourists in some real economic activity now, didn't it?
[10:57] He knew that without that volcano, most of the people living around it would still be living in the 18th century. And now they have cabins, hotels and restaurants, and the people get tips, in dollars. So basically it's like this, if a volcano hasn't blown off in 100 years, in time the people start settling in again along that mountain ridge. And eventually it's as if the big blow off never happened. And it's not like after a big blow off, the volcanic mountainside gets densely populated at all. But after a few years, people start filtering back in, obviously to reclaim what they had before. You can just see from a distance that little patches of farmland and little shacks dot not only the base, but up the side of the thing. And to us, gringos and expats, it looks pretty dangerous actually.
[11:44] It just goes to show that people have really short memories. In fact, it's not unusual at all to see a village of 300 to 5000 people, in what us first worlders would think was a very precarious location. And why did they keep coming back to the scene of the crime? When they know at least some day it's going to blow again? Well that's because volcanic soil is the richest in the world. You've seen Mrs. Olsen in those Folgers commercials, haven't you? Mountain grown coffee? Well, maybe I'm showing my age with that one anyway. When you see on the 6 o'clock news that a volcano has erupted in Panama, Peru or anywhere in Latin America, and that 1100 people had to be evacuated, believe me, these aren't people with iPads, Range Rovers and 4G internet connections.
[12:30] These are mostly people who carry baskets on their heads, use river water and haven't graduated to sewage systems yet. Don't think that you, an expat, are in any danger of being pelted by falling rocks or being engulfed by a thermoclastic cloud of volcanic dust. That only happens to gringos who are on National Geographic film crews. Because I'm telling you, even if you happen to be in the general vicinity of an active volcano that's getting really ready to rip, you'll have quite a few days warning, you always do. It'll be smoking more than usual, you'll hear that thing rumbling, and that rumbling, believe me, is a sure sign it's ready to go. Because you see, inactive volcanoes never make any noise at all. Bottom line, expats and people with half a brain should never live within 10 miles of
[13:17] an active volcano. Don't be fooled. Even if it's like Mount Arinal in Costa Rica, a very lightly active volcano that is predictable. Even the ones that just gurgle and spurt once in a while, like Mount Arinal, they still have the capacity to blow big time. And though in my or your lifetime they probably won't, you can never tell. And you can forget about getting volcano insurance. When one blows, it's considered an act of God, whether you're superstitious or not. And down here, like I said before, all the locals believe in God. But that's another story. Anyway, you don't want to have your house or business within 10 miles of the summit of an active volcano. Period. Just remember, 10 miles away or more is a very good rule of thumb.
[14:03] And don't forget, at 10 to 25 miles away you're still going to have that terrific million dollar view, with none of the inherent dangers except one. And that is, if you're in volcano territory, which is about 60 to 80% of Latin America, you're also in an earthquake zone. That's just an inevitable fact of life down here. And don't worry, I'll give you the lowdown on earthquakes in an upcoming show, so stay tuned. Okay, so that's the scoop and recommendations on living next to an active volcano. But inactive volcanoes? No problem. And actually quite desirable in the eyes of gringos and expats. But I'll get to that later. And if you're wondering whether a particular volcano is active or inactive, just look it up on the internet. It's that simple.
[14:49] But don't Google it. Forget about Google from now on, use startpage.com. Be sure to set that up as your homepage because Startpage does not record any of your search items or addresses at all, won't keep tabs on you, they keep no records and you won't get any of those annoying ads on the side of the page. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, gringos and volcanoes. A very pointed subject. God, I don't believe I said that. Now I do like to mention that down here in Latin America, to gringos and expats especially, the views looking out of our houses and business properties are very important to us. A small part of the reason why a lot of us move to Latin America. It's a common expat attitude. We want a million dollar view for 50 grand or less, you know? After all, things are so much cheaper down here, why not?
[15:37] And let me tell you, a view of one of those big ass volcanoes from the window of your kitchen, your living room or your bedroom is a real mind-blower and an absolutely spectacular wake-up call in the morning. If you even could get a view like that in the United States, it would be a lot more than a million bucks, that's for sure. I mean if you ask a first world person what kind of view they'd like from their property, they'd say an ocean view, a lake view, a mountain view or maybe a forest view. That's the short list, you know? And you have to do a lot better than middle class to afford something like that. The fact is, the first world has so few volcanoes active or otherwise, that almost no one ever has a chance at a spectacular view like that. Think Mount St. Helens. What a view! Well, it lasted. But seriously, that was a hugely extraordinary event for the states.
[16:25] Where you live, people just don't get to see volcanoes active or otherwise. But down here in Latin America, every expat I know has come to know and love a beach view and a volcano view. Those are the two most desirable views down here when it comes to property. And since there are so many volcanoes, and I mean hundreds and hundreds of them, if you really want one of those great views, which I have by the way, the question is, how close is too close? That's a question expats and expat wannabes are always asking. Well, if it's an inactive volcano, you can build right up to it. You can get as close as you want. Because even if it has blown off, let's say 600 or 700 years ago, geologists have pretty accurate histories on the eruptions of all volcanoes, going back sometimes millions of
[17:15] years. So for example, if a local volcano blew off let's say 600 years ago, the question is, when was the last time it erupted before that? Just ask a geologist to check the internet. If for example it's got a pattern of erupting more or less every 2,000 years, you're pretty much okay, aren't you? You just have to know a bit of the history of your volcano, that's all. So basically, if you have a favorite volcano, and you'd like that view right from your backyard or your picture window in your living room, if geologists say it's truly inactive, then go ahead and build right up to the rim if you like. But what about active volcanoes, ones that have blown off in the last 600 years? There's a hell of a lot of those down here too. For example, Guatemala has 22 volcanoes and 7 of them are considered active.
[18:05] And 7 out of the 11 volcanoes in Costa Rica are active. Not to mention, 8 out of the 19 volcanoes in Nicaragua are active. So if you want a spectacular view, and believe me, volcanoes are spectacular, if you're in Latin America, you'll have no trouble building or buying close to one. And of course, don't let me give you the impression that every time you swing a dead cat, you're going to hit a volcano. Because in fact, there are countries down here that don't have any, Belize for example. Uruguay has no volcanoes either. In fact, Uruguay and Belize are very flat and to me kind of boring and ugly. It's kind of an unwritten topographical law down here. Volcanoes, great landscape, no volcanoes, flat, boring and ugly. And that's one of the reasons Belize and Uruguay weren't good choices for me as an
[18:53] ex-pat. To each his own, right? And let me mention just one more thing about volcanic terrain. Where you have volcanoes, you can embed on the coastal areas they're going to have some ugly, dark sand beaches. And because of the intense sun beating down all day on that dark sand, those beaches can be so hot that you can't walk on them with your bare feet. Some day at the beach, huh? That's another reason, as a rule, I don't like Pacific Coast beach vacations. I'll take the Atlantic shoreline any day. And as for buying or building a beach house, sure, beachfront property is a lot cheaper on the Pacific side, but to me, most of the beaches are pathetic and dirt ugly. Again, that's because the beaches are made up of dark volcanic sand. And in countries that don't have volcanoes, they usually have nice white beaches, again
[19:42] mostly on the Atlantic ocean side, and that's more or less the rule. Though a lot of the white sand beaches on the Atlantic side are more due to the erosion of the giant coral barrier reefs on the Atlantic side than anything else. Whereas the Pacific side has very few coral reefs at all, so there's no white coral breakdown to mix in with that volcanic sand to lighten it up. But let's get back to volcanoes, and for expats, when you talk about volcanoes, it's all about the view. Man, a view of a spectacular volcano is not only mesmerizing, but it's actually somewhat like a tranquilizer. It really calms you down. At least that's what so many expats who have a view like that have told me. You really have to be here for a while and experience it day after day, to know what
[20:28] I'm talking about. But anyway, in regards to active volcanoes, according to my geologist buddies, a safe place to start building is about 10 miles outside the base of an active volcano. It's not wise to be any closer. For one thing, lava won't flow a fraction of that distance. It turns out in modern times, lava fields rarely extend more than a mile, even from the most active volcanoes. And those killer pyroclastic clouds that blow out of a small percentage of erupting volcanoes, they never make it to the 10 mile mark either, not even close. And let's talk for a second about those pyroclastic clouds. Now those things are much scarier than lava, believe me. A lava flow you can run or even walk away from, they move rather slow.
[21:13] But not one of those pyroclastic clouds. Those things can move at over 100 miles an hour. There's no way to sidestep or outrun one of those. By the way, you might have heard of that term pyroclastic cloud. You know that superheated cloud of dust that killed and preserved all those bodies in Pompeii and Italy? That was due to a superheated pyroclastic cloud that not only cooked everyone, but it sucked all the oxygen out of the air too. Well according to my geologist friend, there's never been a recorded case where a pyroclastic cloud like that extended more than 6 miles from the base of the volcano. And Pompeii was the most famous example of that, it was 5 miles from the base of Vesuvius. And that cloud petered out right after it reached the Pompeii city limits.
[21:59] A very bad day for the locals. And as spectacular and as memorable as that was, it happened 2000 years ago, you know? Which makes it a very, very rare event. So as long as your house is 10 miles or more from the base of any volcano, statistically you'll be absolutely fine. But if you choose to live by a cool looking volcano that's occasionally active, that doesn't mean that you won't wake up some morning and find your car and your roof and your driveway completely covered with about a quarter inch of volcanic ash, even if you live the recommended 10 or so miles away from it. Now I have to admit, it's happened to me two times in the last 20 years. And if you're from way up north like I was, Chicago that is, when you look out the window and see that ash for a second, it actually reminds you of a cool winter's night with
[22:49] a fresh powder dusting of snow. First time it happened to me, I did a double take. But man, let me tell you that's where the similarity ends, for sure. You see, if you don't get that stuff off your car and your driveway quick, when it starts to rain, and it usually does right after that for some reason, it's a huge mess. Now meteorologists will tell you that it starts to rain generally after that ash starts falling, because those particles are actually seeding the clouds. You've heard of airplanes seeding clouds in dry areas, haven't you? You know, to try to stimulate some rain. Well, volcanoes spewing ash and powder are doing the very same thing in a natural way. Now if you're 10 miles or more away from a volcano and the ash starts falling, it's pretty disturbing but not the end of the world, really. I mean to say that ash isn't really dangerous, it's not going to ruin your house or ruin
[23:39] your health. But it will really screw up your car. And that's another great reason to have a garage down here, or an open air car port with a roof. Not that there's any likelihood that you're going to have volcanic ash raining on your car every so often. That's not going to happen. For me it was twice in 20 years. The fact is, the sun is extremely penetrating here. Even more so in the Altiplano region where it fools you because the weather is so nice all year round. The fact is, you're higher up, so the rays have less atmosphere to penetrate, thus their damaging effects are accelerated. And I noticed this right away when I first came down here. I'd park next to cars that were only one or two years old, and yet paint jobs would look old beyond their years. All faded and chalky looking.
[24:26] Just like a lot of the sun worshippers at the beach I might add. The bottom line? If you don't put your new car in the garage, after a year or so, the paint job just is never the same, and the upholstery and the dashboard suffer too. You know, bleached out, dry and eventually alligator checks and even hairline cracks. Down here the sun can turn a nice car into a white trashmobile in about three years, if you don't protect it. Bottom line? Always park your car in a covered garage if you can, or find a nice big shade tree to park under if you're forced to park your car on the street. Now I'd like to make a little announcement. You know, as long as I've been doing this show, people always ask me if I have any books or articles, interviews, blogs, or anything else out there besides the show.
[25:12] Well, I've been getting a lot of emails from listeners saying they've heard about a private, new, six-hour video program I put together called The New Five Flags, and they want to know more about it. Anyway, the word got out somehow, and it's not so private anymore, though it was intended to be very exclusive. Not that I wanted to keep it a secret from you guys, my listeners, but the publisher who owns the rights wanted to keep the initial offer very exclusive for their own subscriber list. And so at first, we only released it to the folks who follow me and Robert on our website, expatwisdom.com. People who visit that site regularly already know about this offer, and a whole lot of you took advantage of it. Anyway, now that the word's out, you guys who have never visited the Expat Wisdom website
[26:00] can now get in on it, too. Just head on over immediately to expatwisdom.com and get all the details. I promise you won't be disappointed. Now remember, there's six videos to The New Five Flags series that I'm doing, and each is over an hour long. So you got more than six hours there. And to give you a little taste of what it's like, if you go to expatwisdom.com, you'll be able to get three free videos that I've done, and each of those is 20 minutes or so. So get those and see what it's all about. Now you're all up to date on what I've been doing with myself over the last few months, producing this new six-hour video series called The Five Flags. And now a little about my upcoming seminar. By popular demand, I'm doing another Expat Wisdom seminar off the tourist trail down
[26:46] in Latin America, like I did a couple of months ago. So all you folks who are interested, just send me a short email to expatfiles.gmail.com so I can put you on my private mailing list, and send you the updates and messages as I roll them out. Now I'm honing in on the dates, and it looks like it's going to be in January from the 15th to the 21st. That's to avoid the holidays and holiday airfares. Now I know some of you might be thinking, wait a minute, that's three weeks after the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar, right? Well don't worry about a thing. If that prophecy does come true, I'll give you triple your money back. Just send a short email to the expatfiles at gmail.com. End of the world or not? We're going to have a seminar.
[27:38] You've been listening to The Expat Files, living in Latin America, coming to you each week from somewhere south of the border. And don't forget you can email me on anything at all about Latin America, theexpatfiles at gmail.com. Once again, theexpatfiles at gmail.com. See you next time. Nos vemos.