Episode Summary
Johnny Mueller begins the episode by introducing The Expat Files, a show that provides an unfiltered view of living in Latin America, contrasting it with the idealized portrayals in travel magazines and websites. He then reads an email from an expat named 'The Emailer' who is planning to move to Costa Rica, despite Johnny's previous advice against it. The Emailer, a 59-year-old single man with kids in the military, is leaving Tampa, Florida, and plans to live near Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. He mentions the Caribbean side's distinct cultural influences, including Jamaican-style culture, a more European demographic, and fewer American tourists. Johnny acknowledges the Emailer's decision but critiques the popularity of Costa Rica among expats, highlighting the high number of American tourists compared to Europe in the 1960s. He also discusses the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, noting its poorer, more racially segregated environment, higher crime rates, and the presence of a significant black population with limited political power. Johnny emphasizes that while the beaches are beautiful, the area is unsafe and not suitable for long-term residency, especially for those seeking a middle-class lifestyle.
Johnny then discusses the safety and cultural nuances of traveling in Costa Rica, particularly on the Caribbean side. He highlights that while the beach areas are relatively safe for those who blend in with the local culture, such as the hippy types, expats and tourists who look out of place are at higher risk of theft and harassment. He warns against appearing as a typical American tourist, emphasizing the importance of dressing modestly and being cautious in low-rent bars and discos. Johnny also shares a personal anecdote about an expat named Eddie who had his t-shirt stolen by a local, illustrating the potential dangers and the importance of being aware of one's surroundings.
The segment then shifts to a broader commentary on the cultural dynamics of the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, particularly the interactions between local men and expat women. Johnny highlights the local men's belief that all unattached expat women are interested in romantic or sexual relationships with them, and warns women about the constant attention they might receive. He also notes that black women in the region are less likely to encounter gringos, making them more noticeable in bars and discos, and that gringos may find themselves more popular with local women due to their perceived novelty.
Johnny then discusses the cultural and social dynamics expats face in Latin America, particularly in countries like Costa Rica. He highlights the 'gringo advantage,' which includes perceived social and economic benefits, and notes how local men often have mixed reactions to expats, sometimes feeling jealousy or resentment when their women show interest in gringos. He contrasts the behavior of locals in coastal areas with those in more inland regions, where people are generally more reserved and less likely to approach expats unless initiated by the expat. Johnny also addresses the phenomenon of expats influencing the real estate and economic landscape of a country, leading to rising costs and changes in local economies. He outlines a step-by-step process for predicting which countries might become the next 'Costa Rica' by analyzing the flow of expats and their economic impact.
The episode continues with Johnny discussing how the influx of gringos into Latin American countries like Costa Rica leads to a series of economic and social changes. As gringos demand first-world amenities, rental prices soar, and eventually, they shift from renting to buying property, which drives up real estate prices. This trend also leads to increased demand for infrastructure, prompting governments to raise taxes, particularly on the hospitality and property sectors. Meanwhile, locals are affected by rising costs, and the influx of gringos creates a class divide, with locals blaming immigrants for economic issues. The result is a transformation of the country into a more expensive, first-world environment with a jaded local population. Johnny concludes that while some countries like Panama are already on the path of becoming the next Costa Rica, he personally prefers to live in a Latin country that still retains the laid-back, 1980s/90s vibe rather than one that has become overrun by gringos and transformed into a 'tropical Disneyland.'
In the final segment, Johnny discusses the potential of Latin American countries becoming the next Costa Rica, emphasizing the opportunity for expats to invest in land and move to less touristy areas. He also addresses concerns about drug-related violence in Mexico and Central America, explaining that while there are issues, expats can avoid danger by staying in safe zones and not drawing attention to themselves. Johnny also mentions the importance of media portrayal and how it influences expat perceptions, while promoting an upcoming seminar for expats interested in learning more about living and investing in Latin America. The episode ends with a humorous anecdote involving a desk clerk and Eddie, with Johnny providing a lighthearted commentary on the situation. The segment concludes with a standard podcast sign-off, inviting listeners to email with questions about Latin America.
Topics
Expat experiences in Latin America, Costa Rica as a destination for expats, Cultural and racial dynamics in Costa Rica, Safety and crime in Costa Rica, Travel and tourism statistics, Safety in Costa Rica, Cultural awareness for expats, Theft and crime in Latin America, Personal anecdotes and experiences, Cultural dynamics in Costa Rica, Expat experiences, Romantic and sexual interactions
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:24 Johnny's Commentary on Expats Moving to Costa Rica 00:01:21 The Emailer's Plan to Move to Costa Rica 00:02:22 Johnny's Critique of Costa Rica's Tourism Trends 00:03:01 Johnny's Discussion of the Caribbean Side of Costa Rica 00:04:56 The Safe and Easy Place for Hippies and the Poor 00:05:33 The Targeted Tourist: A Warning for Expats 00:06:02 The Gringo Advantage and Its Limitations 00:06:50 Eddie's Story: A T-Shirt Stolen in Limon 00:09:12 Eddie's T-Shirt Theft and Retrieval 00:10:49 Local Men's Perceptions of Expat Women 00:13:30 Gringo Advantage and Social Dynamics in Latin America 00:14:19 Double Standards and Local Reactions to Expats 00:15:34 Predicting the Next 'Costa Rica' Country 00:17:49 The Economic Impact of Gringo Migration 00:21:27 Costa Rica's Transformation into a First-World Country 00:22:36 The Potential of Latin Countries Becoming the Next Costa Rica 00:23:12 Addressing Concerns About Drug Problems in Mexico and Central America 00:27:21 The Desk Clerk's Ray-Ban Glasses 00:27:38 The Expat Files Sign-Off
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. I'd like to start off today with an email that I'd like to excerpt and it starts out like this. Hi Johnny, I've been listening to shows for some months now and they've been very informative for a wannabe expat like me. I live in Tampa, Florida and I've just got to get out of here. And the moment is ripe for me, my lease is up in a month, I'm packing up and selling
[00:52] off everything I can because I don't want to store it or even have an obligation to return. And the time of my life is right too, I'm 59, not quite retired single, and my kids in the military now so I'm free to do as I please barring economics of course. Now I've heard you many times say, don't go to Costa Rica. Well guess where I'm going, yes it's Costa Rica. I've had that place on my mind for the last six years and I just have to get it out of my system. I'll be staying for a little while near Puerto Viejo with my expat friend on the Caribbean side and I'm told the Caribbean side is quite unlike the rest of Costa Rica with mostly black Jamaican style influence. More Europeans and less Americans and the Americans that are there are kinda hippy types
[01:40] as opposed to the yuppy types that you see in the rest of Costa Rica. And well after that I guess I'll explore the rest of the central valley and see what I think. Before I make any decision to put down roots in any one location. Well there you have it folks, those are the kind of emails I get all the time despite my best advice they still go to Costa Rica. And there's nothing wrong with Costa Rica if you got first world money, I always say that. And you don't mind being elbow to butt hole with Americans all the time. I mean after all then you never have to learn Spanish do you? And think of this for a second. In 1960, for those of you who were alive, a half a million, that's 500,000 American tourists visited Europe that year. That's a half a million. Now did you know that last year 2 million American tourists visited little Costa Rica?
[02:28] Four times as many American tourists than visited all of Europe in 1960. And get this, the land mass in Europe is 200 times bigger than the land mass in Costa Rica. And that's why everywhere you look in Costa Rica you see a gringo or 2 or 10. So if you're going to Costa Rica for the weather or the beaches, to enjoy all that with a bunch of gringos at first world prices, why don't you move to Tampa or Key West or Hawaii. And when our emailer says that he's moving to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica and that it's much different over there, well he's right. It's about 90% black, very poor black over there. Like the Jamaican and the island blacks and the rest of the Caribbean. And since there's no industry and almost no real first world style tourism, there's not a lot of evidence of the flood of dollars like there is in the rest of Costa Rica.
[03:17] The gringos usually don't go there and stay overnight. They might come in for day trips once in a while. Because you see on that side there's almost no big 4 star style luxury hotels and resorts like in the rest of Costa Rica. And why is that? That's because on that side of Costa Rica you see a very poor subsistence kind of lifestyle with the locals. Like you see in the very poor areas of Jamaica and the Bahamas and places like that. And what you get to know when you live in Costa Rica is that crime is about 10 times higher on the Caribbean coast than it is in any other part of the country. In fact the beaches are nicer on that side of the country because it is the Caribbean. But you're never advised to walk on those beaches alone and never at night even in groups because you're going to get robbed. In fact every gringo that I've ever met that has stayed there more than a couple of weeks
[04:03] has been assaulted or robbed himself or someone in his party had been assaulted or robbed. And when our email writer mentioned the fact that most people, the tourists that is, who live there are backpacker hippy types and not your middle class and hire yuppie style tourists like in the rest of Costa Rica, well he's right about that and there's a reason for it. That side of Costa Rica is very dirty, run down and skanky. And there's such a gap between the locals that live there, the black ones and the white Costa Ricans or light colored Costa Ricans, the Latinos and Latinos that it's just kind of depressing to hang around there. And since it's not booming like the rest of Costa Rica and the government puts no money into it, they don't bother because it's no big tourist destination. And the fact that it's a highly racist society, which I mentioned in a previous show, the blacks, even though they saturate the Caribbean, don't have any voice in government.
[04:51] It's easy to go down there as a hippy type and a low budget backpacker, a guy or gal with straggly hair and Jesus sandals, it's easy for them to go there, blend in and hang out since law enforcement is basically non-existent. And those scraggly, roster-haired hippy types don't carry much of anything worth stealing and they don't look like they've got two nickels to rub together anyway, so they're really not in too much danger of being rolled. So it's a free and easy place to hang out with if you're broke or you look like you're broke. Because you see those hippy types, they don't stay in $100 a night hotels. They stay in $5 to $10 a night flea bag joints. So I am warning you, if you go down there looking like your average American gringo with your camera and your leather shoulder bag, your LL Bean safari hat and those real Ray-Ban glasses, well, you're going to be a target. And your stuff won't last long, not if you hang out on the beach.
[05:39] And here's another thing, at night they have a lot of low-rent bars and discos when all the locals go out to drink, party and dance and have a good time because that's what you do at night down there. But let me warn you, you don't want to go into some of those places. Because when you go in there, everybody scopes you out, believe me. You feel like all eyes are on you and not in a good way. Not like in most of Latin America where eyes are on you because you're a gringo, but it's a good thing. Because you got that gringo advantage going for you and everybody loves a gringo, well, guess what? There are places like in the Caribbean side of Costa Rica where everyone doesn't love a gringo. Not your average tourist type gringo anyway. Because you see, all the average tourist type gringos are in the rest of Costa Rica. They're not spreading their dollars and their gringo tourist wealth on the Caribbean side. Not much, not much at all, and if you walk around it shows.
[06:25] So the gringos aren't spending money there, the government's not spending money there, there's no jobs, which equates to resentment and high crime levels, and those crimes are petty crimes, so they never get solved. They'll steal your purse and your wallet and your shoes, but they're not going to beat you up and toss you over a pier. If you hang around in that area much, soon enough things of yours will just start going missing one at a time. In fact, I remember expat Eddie telling me a story when he was staying at a small hotel out there in Limon, Limon, Costa Rica, that's the biggest town on the Caribbean side. Now he was staying like in a $35 to $40 a night hotel, which is in Limon, a pretty secure place, at least it should be. Anyway, Eddie stayed there for three days, and of course you don't stay in your hotel room all day at all, you go out and do things right? So Eddie was out doing things the first day, and at night he went out to eat and then to the bars. You know those discos where everybody's got their eyes on you?
[07:13] Well Eddie can handle that okay. If he starts feeling negative vibes, he just starts buying drinks for everyone within spitting distance. And then after a while everybody's your friend, right? Oh and let me mention on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, everybody speaks Spanish of course, but most people speak English, which is actually a legacy of the sad past and the plantations and the United Fruit Company and all that. Anyway most of the black natives over there can speak a Caribbean style English, you know? So anyway Eddie's in this open air bar disco thing on the beach, and this black Rasta guy comes up to Eddie and asks him if he wants to buy some jewelry. And of course Eddie didn't want to be impolite because you know you don't want to be impolite on their territory. So Eddie looked at what the guy had, but what most struck his eye was that this Rasta guy was wearing a Paul McCartney 1990 world tour t-shirt. And it meant more to Eddie than just being a t-shirt like that because Eddie had been
[08:01] to see that McCartney tour back in Detroit and he had one just like it. In fact it was Eddie's t-shirt because Eddie recognized an unmistakable little rip on the sleeve and a chlorine stain on the shoulder. So how did this guy get a hold of Eddie's shirt? Well he got it from Eddie's hotel room somehow. And you see Eddie's one of those t-shirt guys. He loves t-shirts that have a message, especially rock and roll tour t-shirts like that. And you know that could be a bad habit to have down here in Latin America because Latin's are nuts about t-shirts that have English wording on them too. Anyway Eddie's not the confrontational type and he was outnumbered about 20 to 1. But he did ask the guy where he got the t-shirt and the guy looked down at it, examined it a while and said I went and saw the guy up in Detroit in concert you know. And then he thought a while and said I can let you have it for 25 bucks.
[08:48] It isn't original you know. Then Eddie said so you were at the McCartney concert huh? Very cool very cool I go to a lot of concerts myself. Then you must be a big fan well so am I. And the guy said yeah yeah I'm a really big fan yeah. Then Eddie said you know I'm a really huge fan too. What McCartney song do you like the best? Then he thought a while and he said all of them man I like all of them. Then Eddie said me too but you know which one I like the best? I like the old ones you know especially that one Satisfaction. You know I can't get no satisfaction. Then the Rasta guy looked at him nodded and said yeah I love that one too. It's one of his best. Now Eddie's not easily riled nor is he ever in a rush to do anything. So he had a couple more drinks before he went back to his hotel to check what else was missing. And to his dismay two other of his prized rock and roll tour t-shirts were gone.
[09:37] And even though you know it to you and me t-shirts like that don't mean anything. You can get a Guns and Roses, a Who, a Zeppelin, a Queen or just about any rock and roll t-shirt you want for 10 or 15 bucks can't you. But to Eddie these t-shirts have sentimental value believe me. I mean we all have our prized possessions that are practically worthless in the eyes of others now don't we. So the next night Eddie went back to the same bar he runs into the same guy wearing the same t-shirt. He says look I don't need any jewelry but you have any t-shirts like the one you got on right there. And the guy says yeah sure you tell me what you want I got it. And Eddie says you know I'm rather fond of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd. Now you wouldn't happen to have a couple of t-shirts for sale like that now would you. And the guy said yeah Jimi Hendrix I got Jimi Hendrix but that Pink Floyd guy who's he. And Eddie said well he's not a guy but the t-shirt has a big transparent pyramid
[10:23] with the colors of the rainbow running through it. And the guy thought a second snapped his fingers and said yeah I got one of those. And Eddie said all right give me a price for those and the one you're wearing too. And the guy came back in a half an hour and they did the deal. Eddie paid 30 bucks and got his t-shirts back. So I'm telling you guys out there that's what's in store if you hang around the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. And ladies let me warn you. You're really in for a time if you hang around in Lamone or parts nearby. Because the problem is nearly every one of these local guys thinks himself to be a Romeo. And they believe yes they really believe that white girls from the first world love those laid back black rosterman types with all those muscles. And yeah a lot of these guys do have muscles. Because they hang around the beach in the hot sun. They're doing a lot of walking and swimming so they're sweating off
[11:08] excess calories that would just make us first worlders fat. And they're super proud of their muscles and their bodies because they haven't gotten much else. I mean they don't have money or any of the other creature comforts that generally impress shallow people like a nice car. So a lot of these guys keep themselves lean mean and looking good. And I've heard how these guys talk to the ladies. It's all smooth and sexy and a totally contrived fake act and a put on. But a lot of first world women fall for that. Because they're alone and on vacation and sometimes just one have a cross-cultural fling. So the rumors are everywhere that first world girls want to hook up with these guys. Even if only a small percentage do the rumors run wild. And here's the thing these guys believe that every unattached first world girl that bothers to come to Limon or the Caribbean side of Costa Rica
[11:54] is looking to hook up with a local Rasa guy. I mean it's an ugly dirty place and why else would they come? And that's on the mind of practically every one of these guys and they're pretty vocal about it. So ladies be forewarned if you come down to that side of Costa Rica unless you're with a guy you're gonna get hit on every second of the day. And a lot of these guys just won't let up. They'll follow you down the street, make little comments to you, show up at places that you're at unexpectedly. Just so they can run into you and make their pitch again. Because you see these guys think and I've been told this many times that first world girls want to hook up with you but they play hard to get. They think when a girl says no she really doesn't mean it. She wants to play the game too. And as a guy keeps at it he keeps wearing her down. Finally they'll give in to your advances. They think that's part of the game.
[12:40] And it seems like every single local guy under 50 plays it that way. Just giving you a heads up on that ladies. And here's another thing guys this is for you. Those black girls in those mostly black towns on the Caribbean side not just Costa Rica all the way up Honduras and Nicaragua. You name it, Belize, Panama. On the Caribbean coastal side where there are huge black populations they really don't see many gringos at all. Because 98% of that coastal area is off the tourist trail. Until you get up into Mexico that is. And guys I'm telling you you go into one of these bars I'm talking about or discos. And you can be sure all eyes are going to be on you. And there'll be a lot of ladies in there that'll give you that certain look. If you know what I mean. And if you give them that little look of interest back sometimes they'll come walking right up to you. Because you know most of them on the Caribbean side speak English too.
[13:25] So all of a sudden you're in a bar or disco and you suddenly realize you're more popular with the ladies than you ever were up in the first world. And that's of course because you've got that gringo advantage going for you. That extra two or three points add it to your score that I talk about all the time. That's when you're off the tourist track of course. Anyway because these girls seem to have an eye for the gringos. That just might get you into trouble. Because many times they'll talk to you. Even if they've got a boyfriend hanging around somewhere. And man these guys can get jealous. And you haven't seen jealous until you've been down here in Latin America. So if you're in a bar or disco especially on the Caribbean side you have to be extra careful about who you pay attention to. And like Eddie says many times it won't even be your fault. A girl will come walking over and comment on how beautiful your blue or green eyes are. And you did nothing to encourage it.
[14:11] Well you can imagine how that goes down if there's a couple of local guys standing around. They think you're out to steal their women. Even though their women prefer you to them. Which is again one part of the gringo advantage. So there's a big double standard going on as you can see. The local guys want to pick up a gringo. And by the way to have a gringo girlfriend is a big feather in a guy's hat down here. And at the same time the guys down here get really ticked off. If one of their local girls takes a shine to you. So you're between a rock and a hard place on that one. And of course I'm talking about the towns on the Caribbean coast. But when you go more inland where there's almost no blacks and mostly Latinos and Latinas. Things in that department change a bit. Because first of all the Latinos are a bit more humble and reserved. When you're in an all Latin bar and disco the ladies will never come right up and talk to
[14:56] gringos as much as they'd like to unless you do it first. They're just more humble and reserved. And of course 98% of them don't speak enough English to have a conversation. So they almost never try unless you do it first. And then they're always glad to talk to you. You almost never get the cold shoulder from them. And the same thing with Latin guys. If they see a gringo or two in the bar or the disco they're not going to come over and pasture you. They'll ask you to dance because that's what you do in a disco right? But they're not pushy and persistent like you see with the guys on the coast. And maybe that pushy persistence you see with those Caribbean guys is that they don't have that big language obstacle to get over. They speak English. Anyway those are just a few sociological observations to keep under your head the next time you come down or if you're just thinking about it. And you know referencing back to that email where the writer says he's going to Costa Rica anyway
[15:43] no matter what he's heard about it because he wants to see what it's like. Well I want to tell you that I get an awful lot of emails from people asking me in my experience which country do I think is going to be the next Costa Rica. If it's going to be Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay. Those are usually the top four countries that come up. And people who send me those emails are thinking wow if I only knew the answer to that question and Johnny could give it to me they could get in on the ground floor and clean right up. They could get into that next country like people got in in Costa Rica in the 90s. They could buy in cheap and just wait for that boom and clean up. That sounds awful simple right? But really just what did happen to Costa Rica to make it take off like it did. Then it would be easy to analyze which country or countries will be next.
[16:29] So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give you a step-by-step procedure that you can track so you can predict yourself which country or countries are going to be the next Costa Rica. And here's how it goes. Listen closely. First some adventurous gringos have to discover the place. They're the pioneers and they'll keep coming back because it's beautiful and cheap. But it'll be a bit rough and the infrastructure will be a little crappy and the airport well that'll be just like out of the 50s. Then after a while these adventurous gringos when they go back home after the vacations they'll show their friends slides and movies and pictures and tell them how beautiful and cheap it is and that there's almost no gringos around to spoil it. Then the second wave of gringos will come the friends of the adventurers and that's when the trickle becomes a flow and the horse will come
[17:15] because friends will tell friends will tell friends and then the travel agencies will get in on the act and start putting together cheap package deals and charter flights and then the country will need a bigger airport. And all the while gringo dollars are flooding the place and soon enough locals who never had US dollars in their hands before will start preferring the US dollar to their own colorful local funny money. And while the dollar takes over inflation takes off and prices on basic things soar and the hordes of gringos coming down want to live like first world gringos so they suck up all the good apartments and house rentals and naturally prices on rentals soar and of course gringos being gringos want air conditioning garbage disposals BMWs and other first world amenities that they don't have in their little adopted country
[18:01] so prices on imported items soar and soon many of the gringos have been coming down time after time year after year they don't want to rent anymore they want to buy a house or a condo because they have plans on retiring in the future. Now they want first world housing condos and subdivisions so naturally the price of real estate skyrockets too well those gringos who are buying places down there now they want big shopping malls country clubs golf courses and stuff so the price of outlying land skyrockets as well as raw farmland and then the speculators move in and buy a big tracts of land. Meanwhile the locals are watching all this happen they see how the gringos throw their dough around tipping five and ten bucks for a small thing like a cab ride which is a day's wages for the agricultural and unskilled worker
[18:49] and soon the common man won't work for five or even ten times the normal minimum wage and everyone wants to work for a gringo or a gringo enterprise because then they can get dollar tips from extravagant gringos on vacation who tip like crazy because they are on vacation and don't care as opposed to locals on vacation who don't tip much at all and of course neither do backpackers or germans anyway while all that's going on the government sees that it has to improve the infrastructure because gringos are demanding it better roads better airports more stable electric grid bigger and better port facilities to bring in those containers of flat screen TVs BMWs and Range Rovers and to pay for that they have to raise taxes so the first thing they do is slap a big hotel and service industry tax so the tourists can pick up the slack
[19:36] and sometimes it'll even be two taxes on hospitality items which is never enough especially since the bureaucracy itself is growing by leaps and bounds and then the government eyes the next big source of revenue property taxes which they increase steadily from year to year and who does that affect most gringos of course because they buy expensive properties while the average local latin person's house might be valued at twenty to thirty five thousand dollars a gringo on the other hand can't buy a decent townhouse for under a hundred fifty thousand and he's taxed accordingly meanwhile sophisticated slick lawyers and con men have figured out a hundred one ways on how to rip off starry eyed gringos because you see a tender foot gringo is ripe for the picking you're not on your own turf at all so when you get to paradise you want a piece of it so badly that slick locals oblige
[20:25] and since you don't speak and definitely can't read Spanish you'll never be able to make head or tail of the forms and contracts they'll stick in front of you to sign so as nearly all locals learn English to get tourism jobs at paying dollars the poorer latins from adjacent countries arrive to do the crap jobs that the nationals will no longer take believing now that menial jobs like housekeeping and gardening are beneath them sound familiar then it doesn't take long for locals in that dollar saturated country to cop a superior attitude to their poorer latin neighbors and start blaming uneducated latin immigrants for all their country's ills the poorer ones that they let in to do all those crappy jobs in the first place they blame latin immigrants for overtaxing their healthcare system
[21:11] their educational system and for all the crime statistics everything gets blamed on poor latins from adjacent countries hmm that sounds familiar too doesn't it? so when all those things are mixed together a few years down the road real estate prices become first world and so does everything else so that in a nutshell is how Costa Rica became Costa Rica so folks if you take all that basic stuff into consideration it would be easy to track a country and see how it's doing see if it's going to be the next Costa Rica looks like Panama's got a head start now doesn't it? it's about half to three quarters of the way there already but to tell you the truth I just can't see why in the world anyone would want to live in a country that's pegged to be the next Costa Rica anyway sure I'd love to be in a country that was like Costa Rica in the early 80s or 90s
[21:58] when people weren't jaded and things were laid back where you could walk all day and barely see a gringo land housing food and everything else was dirt cheap and you get treated like a visiting dignitary 24-7 because you are a rare commodity and everybody loves a gringo it's that gringo advantage I talk about which has all but disappeared now in Costa Rica and it turns out almost every long-term expat I know feels the same way we want to live work play and or retire in a Latin country that's still virtually in the 1980s and 90s we don't want to live in a country like Costa Rica that's so in the limelight and overrun by gringos because unfortunately in the end they end up turning every sleepy backwater Latin American country into a tropical Disneyland with first world prices and jaded locals so yes it looks like there are a few Latin countries
[22:43] that are gonna turn into the next Costa Ricas and as for what that means to me that just means it's a good place to buy a good cheap piece of land today and hightail it right back to another Latin country that you know is off the gringo trail and wait for about 20 years and sell your land for a fortune to me that would be the only reason I'd consider investing in any country that was on the fast track to becoming another Costa Rica in other words buy some land get out and let the rest of the first world and their dollars move in enough said about that now I'd like to get to another kind of email that I get quite often it says dear Johnny the news media makes it sound to me like Mexico's drug problems are spilling into the other countries in Central America you know the gang bangers sent from our prisons back to Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador etc etc
[23:31] then he asks is it a countryside sort of thing do they kidnap gringos or what what's your take on this and that comes from David well David let me just report that I have very good news about this first of all everything you hear in the Mexico is true don't go there and definitely don't drive there you don't want to jump from the frying pan into the fire and it's true that they do deport a lot of these gang members back down to the Central American countries that they came from but you see us gringo expats know that when these characters get deported back to their home countries they almost always inevitably try to get back into the states again and they almost always do because everything's bigger better grander and richer in the states than the crappy little barrio that they came from in Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras or whatever
[24:17] being a gang banger in the first world in the states is a hundred times better than being a gang banger down here it's like baseball like being sent down from the majors to a farm team what a letdown and here's the other thing expats especially long-term expats we never go near the places those guys live and hang out we know exactly the places that are safe and the places to keep away from in our chosen Latin American areas for example let's take Guatemala City it's got 25 zones or districts and there are about six or seven of those zones that i'll never go in i just never will i don't have to and i don't want to and there's about five or six of those zones that are so safe you can go there day and night walk alone and hang out till three in the morning if you want then there are six or seven zones that are absolutely fine during the day
[25:04] if you're alone walking around no problem but you just don't want to hang around at night could be iffy and of course an expat learns those things pretty early on just by asking around talking to friends and acquaintances and even checking out tv in the newspapers because you'll see every day people get murdered in big cities just like they do in the first world new york detroit chicago miami murders every day right shootings robberies drug deals gone wrong and all of that well guess what all you have to do is pick up a paper down here flip through the first three or four pages and if you're in guadamala city for example note the zones that all of those shootings and crimes happen in you'll soon notice a pattern there'll be five or six zones that all the crimes seem to happen in 98 of the stuff in these five or six zones you're starting to see where i'm coming from here you don't go to those zones that's where the bad boys live and they're always stealing from each other
[25:52] and shooting themselves up which in the end might be a good thing and there's no need to ever go there believe me but you know the first world media paints all of central america with the same tar brush which turns out to be very good for us expats that keeps all but the most adventurous gringos back in cleveland they don't come down here unless they're on the gringo tourist trail like costa rica can cooner panama and about kidnapping gringos well i'll tell you what if you're wearing a bunch of high fashion jewelry a rolex carrying a laptop and have a range rover and you like to show off your wealth well you won't get kidnapped but the bad guys might keep an eye out for your kid with her pink blackberry and her fashionable little mini cooper the one that you bought for her on her 16th birthday because you see down here they don't much kidnap gringos at all gringo expats especially long-term expats know better than to have a high profile
[26:40] they're seen around town dressed completely normal and they blend right in but you know who does get kidnapped on occasion kids of rich pompous latins who like to show their wealth off to everyone so i have no sympathy for those people when that does happen you get the point and by the way my seminar is on the dates have been selected june 26 27th and 28th there are only 24 available places no more so you better hurry and sign up just go to the seminar website which is www.expatwisdom.com www.expatwisdom.com oh and by the way when expat eddie checked out of his hotel in limon costa rica the desk clerk was wearing rayban glasses the very ones that eddie thought he'd misplaced but the joke was on the desk
[27:28] clerk because eddie only paid three bucks for him they were fake 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 the expat files at gmail.com once again the expat files at gmail.com see you next time