Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the complexities of staying anonymous in the digital world, the value of data in first-world vs. third-world countries, and practical tips for expats to protect their privacy. He also shares personal anecdotes and listener stories, including the tale of an older expat finding love and companionship in Latin America.
Johnny begins by introducing the show's focus on life in Latin America, emphasizing the mix of good, bad, ugly, and great experiences. He acknowledges the politically incorrect nature of the content and the importance of the unvarnished truth over fake news. He then discusses the topic of staying anonymous in the digital world, citing an email from a security expert named Jail who explains the process of rooting a device to maintain privacy. Johnny acknowledges the complexity of the process and the challenges faced by non-tech-savvy individuals, while also highlighting the difference in data collection practices between first-world and third-world countries, particularly noting that marketers are less interested in targeting people in Latin America due to lower perceived value.
He then moves on to discuss the importance of maintaining anonymity while living in Latin America. He highlights the challenges of doing so, such as the prevalence of Spanish communication and the ease with which data can be collected by companies like Google and Facebook. He offers practical tips for expats, including using a cleaning lady or maintenance worker to handle tasks like buying a SIM card or setting up internet services, and avoiding the use of real names on digital accounts to protect privacy. He also emphasizes the importance of not engaging in internet banking on a phone and keeping GPS location off unless necessary.
In the next segment, Johnny discusses the importance of using WhatsApp in Latin America, despite its privacy concerns. He warns that while WhatsApp is essential for business and communication, it is owned by Facebook and collects user data. He advises users to avoid posting personal documents or photos on WhatsApp and instead use encrypted apps to send sensitive information. He also mentions that many Latin Americans are unaware of privacy issues and often share personal information without thinking about the consequences. Johnny expresses frustration with Facebook's data practices and the lack of awareness among users.
The segment then transitions to a question from a listener named Tim, who is curious about whether a metal building can act as a Faraday cage in the event of an EMP. Johnny explains that a metal building can be a Faraday cage if it has no openings or slits, and he even suggests using a blown-out microwave oven as a cheap and effective Faraday cage. The segment concludes with Johnny sharing a personal anecdote about a friend named John Gult, who moved to Guatemala and has had multiple romantic relationships with local women, despite language barriers and age differences.
Finally, the segment details the story of John Galt, an expat in Antigua, Guatemala, who navigates relationships with younger women despite his age and health challenges. Johnny recounts how John Galt, who had a history of health issues including cancer, a heart bypass, and strokes, found love and companionship in his later years. John Galt's relationships with younger women were often complicated by their personal circumstances, such as having children or being in love with him. Despite these challenges, John Galt found happiness and fulfillment in his relationships, and his story highlights the possibility of love and romance for older expats in Latin America. The segment also touches on the cultural differences between expats and locals, with John Galt finding more compatibility with Latinas than with other expats.
The segment ends with a promotional message for the Expat Files, offering consultation services and an upcoming seminar for expats seeking plan B options.
Episode Notes
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the challenges of maintaining anonymity in the digital world, the value of data in first-world vs. third-world countries, and practical tips for expats to protect their privacy. He also shares personal anecdotes and listener stories, including the tale of an older expat finding love and companionship in Latin America.
For more episodes, seminar information, resources, and the full archive, visit ExpatPlanB.com.
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Related guides: Moving to Guatemala · Healthcare in Latin America · Cost of Living in Latin America · Safety and Scams
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Topics
Introduction to The Expat Files, Staying anonymous in the digital world, Data collection and marketing value in first-world vs. third-world countries, Anonymity in Latin America, Privacy and data collection, Practical tips for expats, Using third parties for digital services, Avoiding digital tracking, Privacy and data collection, WhatsApp usage in Latin America, Data security and encryption, Personal privacy and anonymity
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:14 Introduction to The Expat Files 00:00:39 The Unvarnished Truth 00:01:48 Staying Anonymous in the Digital World 00:05:23 Data Collection and Marketing Value in First-World vs. Third-World Countries 00:05:50 Data Collection and Anonymity in Latin America 00:06:21 Tips for Maintaining Anonymity 00:08:13 Avoiding Digital Tracking and Data Collection 00:09:28 Planning for Anonymity and Privacy 00:11:42 The Necessity of WhatsApp in Latin America 00:11:46 Privacy Risks and Recommendations for WhatsApp Users 00:12:48 The Lack of Privacy Awareness Among Latin Americans 00:16:33 Mr. A's Subscription Issue and Johnny's Response 00:18:01 Faraday Cage and EMP Protection 00:19:50 Johnny's Anecdote About John Gult 00:21:53 John Galt's Past Relationships and Health Issues 00:22:37 A Disruptive Encounter with a Latina Woman 00:23:48 John Galt's Cleaning Lady and the Language of Love 00:25:14 John Galt's Death and the Impact on His Relationships 00:27:11 A Shift in Priorities After Health Challenges 00:27:15 Enjoying Life After Major Health Setbacks 00:27:20 Cultural Preferences and Language Challenges
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat 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 now before we get into mating dating love and romance for gringles and expats part two that is part two for 2021 because once in a while I talk about this stuff and of course, it's always completely politically incorrect. Just how we like it
[00:46] Hey, you know, I do get hate mail once in a while and I say if you don't like the truth there's a million and one other podcasts out there that'll give you fake news and BS all day long if That makes you feel better because you know, the truth is sometimes hard to take So what's it gonna be the unvarnished truth or perhaps you prefer the lame stream media or anti social media? Blowing smoke up your ass. So before we get into the sexy stuff a couple of emails By the way, are you wearing your face diaper? Alright first comes this email from jail a security expert He says Johnny staying under the radar can be a simple process involving several clicks and a few minutes I'm talking about anonymous cell phone usage now But you should know that changing sim card chips will not keep you anonymous
[01:34] Using a VPN will not keep you anonymous either Although it might spare you from lots of annoying ads and pop-up windows The good news he says is you can stay under the radar, but you must route your phone That's root. R-O-O-T None of the above changing sim cards are using a VPN Matters when it comes to anonymity because you are targeted on the root level meaning before your system even boots up Think of it this way the system that makes your device power on knows who you are And it happens before your sim card or VPN service is activated in short Rooting prevents the device system from attacking your privacy The bad news of course is you've been using a device without rooting at first all the time practically everybody does
[02:20] So you are already targeted and profiled However, you can still go dark that is go anonymous But you have to start out with a new fresh device if you buy an Android based mobile and activate it without Signing in to any accounts including your Google. I'm talking about none That means do not use your home Wi-Fi or a sim card to activate your device now I'm not suggesting any particular devices to illustrate the point I'm not trying to recommend or sell anything here fact is you can use whatever device phone Whatever as you like as long as it's a hundred percent rooted R-O-O-T-E-D It can be a cheap ass device to or a flagship thousand dollar one What matters is it must be a hundred percent? Rootable and most people have never even heard that word some
[03:05] Manufacturers allow rooting of the devices some do not and some make it cumbersome while others make it partial or slightly easy example I have two devices a thousand dollars plus each and a cheap ass one both equally anonymous and Then jail goes into the complete process on how to root your device He gives us a solid couple of paragraphs worth of instructions after that He says Johnny this all might sound complicated, but it's not by the way if you want the complete instructions And how to do that send me an email the expat files at gmail.com He says I guarantee once you see how it works. You will never use an unrooted device again. All right jail Thanks for that, but and this is a really big but look I'm a real electrical engineer at least in a past life I was and I can tell you this you are living in a different world than I am because even I
[03:55] Find it a little difficult to follow those instructions. That means if I'm having trouble 99.9% of everyone else will too though. It's certainly doable if you're a geek nerd or techie There's just way too many ways to get fouled up including buying or get stuck with a device that can't be rooted So as far as making yourself as anonymous as you can Here's the thing if you happen to be an expat with a plan B And you're living outside of the US especially in Latin America or any third world country The truth is big brother does not give one shit about you. However, if you're in the States, they're all over your ass They own you. I mean look you're one for statistics and facts, right? So am I so remember this You know Google and all the big players collecting your data up in the States and in any first world country They say and you can look this up that every first world person is worth over
[04:44] $10,000 as a marketing tool. That's why they collect your data and sell it off to everyone you as a consumer They're pitching to are worth over ten grand to them You've heard the saying if you're on the internet and it's for free, you are the product Meanwhile, those same calculations have been done on third world residents In other words people living in Latin America where Google and all those search engines have collected data to their conclusions being the average Latin American Is worth less than eight hundred dollars as a marketing tool. In other words It's hardly worth it to market to Latin Americans because their savings income and purchasing power are Valued at less than 10% of the average first world person So what does that mean? It means marketers don't really give a rip about people living in Latin America or any other third world country for that matter
[05:34] So they concentrate almost exclusively on first world people using their devices So then do those big mega data gathering machines and protocols up in the States File and catalog everything Latin Americans do on their phones and devices in a word No, sure. There's data being collected, but very few entities are processing it It's just not worth it to them though in the future. It may be right now nada Remember, there's a huge lag time down here and ninety nine point nine nine percent of all the communications done here in Latin America are in Spanish So as far as trying to remain as anonymous as you can you know, I'm a hundred percent on board with that thing is it's Nearly impossible to do up in the States, but down here in Latin America It's sort of like it was up in the States 20 or 30 years ago and to keep it that way
[06:21] Here's a few tips when you finally get down here buy yourself a cell phone and of course you'll need a sim chip Right and you know smart x-pats will never buy that chip in their name But as you know when you go buy a sim chip, you'll have to produce some kind of ID Usually your passport or a copy of it However, you can buy sim cards on the street in little tien does too and let me tell you what happened last time I bought a chip. I did not go down to the main internet office that claro tego movie star, whatever I went to a little corner kiosk. They sold me a chip asked me for my passport. I said I don't have it right now It's at the American Embassy getting renewed little white lion works every time I said I didn't have it but I said, but here's my passport number and I pull out a piece of paper and show it to Them they always buy that they always do remember that gringo advantage
[07:09] They've got no reason to doubt your passports at the embassy getting renewed and they want to sell you a sim chip They got products to sell or you can do what expat Eddie did when he bought himself and his girlfriend a cell phone He just gave his cleaning lady ten bucks and said go buy me two sim chips and she pulled out her ID and bought them She never balked didn't skip a beat. They never do Why is it any skin off her back to buy a couple of sim chips with her ID? Yes starting to get this now Of course you can kill your anonymity in a second if you start loading up your phone with all kinds of apps with your real Name on it and stuff including your email, which is necessary with apps, right? Which is why you should never set up an email account in your name. Why would you there's nothing illegal about that or any of this?
[07:54] You're not committing any crime. You're just trying to protect your identity and your anonymity That is you know, you're right. You've got a right to privacy, which is why I always advise do no internet banking on your phone You can do it from your computer at home, but don't do it on your cell phone and you know using what's up Which is everyone's lifeline here in Latin America Well, that's an open book too and all that data is collected by Google and Facebook So don't get a what's up account with your real name on it either and always make sure your GPS location is clicked off Except of course if you're on the road and you've got to find someplace because finding things here in Latin America can be murder But only click on the GPS when you're far away from your own home So Google Maps or Waze or whos ever tracking you when they send you that monthly statement saying this is where you've been
[08:44] They'll do that, you know, they're tracking everything Well, if you never have a GPS on except when you're far away from where you actually live or hang It'll never show up on that report Oh, and if you get a membership at Costco, which is called price smart in Central America Anyway, send your maintenance guy or cleaning lady down and get a membership. They give you two or three cards, right? So it'll be in his or her name or you can just bring down a photoshopped copy of yours passport and use that to sign up So then is that illegal? Are you committing a crime? What crime tell me what crime are you committing if you I get a card in somebody else's name and shop at Costco? You're still paying them with green money, right? Or green or red or purple depending on which country's funny money you're holding But the thing is, you know, you got to plan these things out because it's easy to blow your anonymity in a second
[09:33] And of course what a lot of expats have figured out is that to make it easy All you have to do is use your first name and your middle name when you sign and write things Suppose your name's Henry Peter Gogorsky. Well, you just use Henry Peter. That's your name That way you don't have to stutter feel nervous or feel on the spot when someone asks or needs to have your name Because it is your name minus of course your last name Oh and you've heard me say this to a lot of gringos and expats will use their first Middle and mother's maiden name. They'll skip their dad's last name, you know, that's not a lyra fib either You're getting all this right? Oh and about internet service and getting a modem and all that Just go down to your internet provider with your cleaning lady or maintenance guy and have them buy it for you believe me, they're glad to do it no long privacy explanations needed and leave it to expat Eddie again to have the perfect line when
[10:25] He signs up for utilities or internet service and takes his cleaning lady down to the office He doesn't even have to explain she's just glad to do it But he does say this if you're wondering why I'm not doing it myself is because you know I'm an extra on hair or a foreigner and not being a citizen. I have to come up with a lot more paperwork It's just so easy for you to do it. So help me out and let's get it done and they're glad to do it After all you're a boss you're paying their salary. They trust you so Eddie just thanks her for making his life easier and simplifying things and Believe me a cleaning lady making two or three hundred bucks a month is not not Anybody's radar and will never be of course another way to get your internet hookups utilities What's up and all that other stuff in someone else's name is to have your lawyer do it He's got a staff and they do that for clients all the time
[11:12] Of course, you'll have to be a steady client of that lawyer You can't just walk into a lawyer's office and say hey Can you send one of your staff members out to give you an internet service and a bank account, please? And even though it's done all the time You really have to be a steady client of your lawyer on a first-name basis with him before you ask him for that favor by the way, just a little advice about what's up used to be that what's up was anonymous and Encrypted end-to-end but since it's owned by Facebook who also owns instacrap. They're collecting all that data So here's my recommendation You have to have what's up if you're living in Latin America or you won't be able to even get a plumber But don't sign up with your real name and never take pictures or put documents on what's up and send them to anyone like For example, your driver's license passport contracts, etc. I see Latin Americans doing that all the time
[12:00] But again, they've got no concept of privacy or big brother They'll give their dad's way to anyone or any business offering a chance to win a large Domino's pizza So fake books collecting all that what's up data, which is why again I suggest you never post a photo of yourself or any documents And if someone asks you to do so an architect an accountant a lawyer tell them no You don't post personal documents on what's up or social media Instead use an encryption app and send it to their email though Every Latin Americans got a Gmail account, which is again collecting all data and it's an open book for any kind of marketing But at least if you send for example a copy of your passport Encrypted your lawyer or whoever will have to pull it off Google and and unencrypted in a different file
[12:45] At least that buffers you a little bit So the problem is you see Latin Americans are completely clueless about privacy and anonymity Because the dangers of it really haven't hit home yet for them But lag time will catch up with them and soon enough They'll be suffering the same big brother and social media abuses you guys are up in the first world Oh and as far as what's up? There's another thing that really bothers me every month or so I get a message saying just click on this link and they'll store all your what's up messages up in the cloud for my security Of course Well, of course I never do but I wish I could send a photo of a raised middle finger or a dog taking a crap and store That in a cloud that's certainly more than fake book deserves. So bottom line as for what's up I got a love-hate thing going with it I love it for the fact that for once you're in contact with all your network here in Latin America
[13:33] Lawyers accountants plumbers cleaning ladies hardware stores everyone But I hate it too because it's owned by a fake book and you know, nothing's for nothing They're collecting all your data But if you don't have it, it just can't do business as usual here in Latin America But you can minimize your exposure by giving them plenty of disinformation Especially when you sign up. All right now an email from Mike. He says hi John I'm still listening to your podcast and enjoying it Sorry to hear that your seminar had to be postponed due to the covid you see But that seems to be where we are these days with the globalists working together around the clock to bring about a new world disorder every day my ideas about getting the heck out of dodge are more and more confirmed this land is not my land anymore and I see no reason to spend the rest of my life here
[14:20] So as I get closer to heading that way Please let me know the best way to ship some stuff down that I might need perhaps let me know what I should bring And what I should not I just want to get the residency paperwork going and get it approved I hope I can move by the end of 2021 or the year after However, I'm still not sure if or how or what can be done about getting most of my money out of the federal system I guess I could put most of it into cryptos that would probably be the safest way to go I could wait till I turn 59 and a half and try to do something with my 401k I'll have to keep researching on that unless you have any ideas Anyway, hope you're happy and doing well and thanks for the great content and helping folks to get out and escape signed Mike Alright, Mike. Thanks for that. You know, I didn't read the whole letter some personal stuff in there
[15:06] But this is exactly the kind of letter that needs a one-on-one follow-up phone consultation with me For example, which shipping companies to use how to pack what to bring how to get your money and finances out of dodge Safely because you see Mike like you and most everyone else. I don't like to type long drawn-out letters I'll get carpal tunnel and that's not good In other words, there's way too much to say and I can't put it down in an email So Mike and for all you others out there working on your plan B If you want answers to what's happening in your own very personalized situation You have to do a one-on-one phone call with me and to set that up Just send me an email the expert files at Gmail dot-com Oh and we can do those talks over an encrypted service So we can talk about anything you like without the conversation being intercepted tagged or stored by anyone else
[15:55] Alright then comes this email from attorney. Mr. A says. Hey Johnny. Hope you're doing well still loving the show I savor and keep episodes aside in the event. I get fed up with the libtard crap I'm still camping out in the forest, but it's still mask Nazi land out here even in tombstone, Arizona As for your new microphone at first, I want it to strangle your maid, but the base seems better now By the way, he's referring to the fact that my maid Broke my very nice German studio quality mic and now I'm using another very high quality one But it's a different brand so takes a while to get the adjustments, right? Hope they're okay now at first people were saying it was way too bassy Then mr. A says as for your segues. I usually love them enjoy the music and Harley stories, too
[16:44] Screw anyone who doesn't like your off-topic ramblings. They're certainly better than solar and water filter ramblings As you know Harley Davidson has been in trouble for a long long time They'll probably file bankruptcy then he says by the way Your podcast is still only one of two out of about 70 that I'm subscribed to for which the icon has disappeared any idea Why it's moderately annoying. I know it's not the fault of yours, but would love to know the cause and find a solution Well, mr. A that disappearing icon is a new one on me I will check it out. Then he finishes by saying cheers and happy new year. Johnny signed mr. A attorney-at-law Well, thanks for that. Mr. A Speaking of off-topic ramblings, you're ready for another one coming up in a few seconds. But first here's an email from Tim
[17:34] He says Johnny just curious since you have experience in this stuff. I have a metal building Curious to see if a metal building would act as a Faraday cage in the event of an EMP man-made or natural That'd be one of those electromagnetic pulses coming from the Sun or man-made the building does have skylights and windows on the garage type doors So I'm thinking it's not a Faraday cage But wanted to ask someone with more smarts in that area that I have signed Tim. Well, Tim That's an easy one a metal building can be a Faraday cage As long as it's got no windows or openings or even slits in the door For example, you could use a metal garbage can as a Faraday cage But only if you buy some of that metallic kind of duct tape and wrap it around the seams of the lid because an EMP
[18:19] Pulse will seep in through there by the way popular to contrary belief or vice versa You do not ground a Faraday cage sure it can be sitting on the ground But you don't have to attach a ground wire copper or otherwise to any Faraday cage It's not necessary and might even screw things up Oh and remember one of the best Cheapest and dirtiest Faraday cages in the world is a blown-out Microwave oven so the next time one of yours bites to dust throw it in the garage or your basement then put some of your spare Electronic equipment and hard drives in it. Believe me. It'll work fine. Don't plug it in though Even if it doesn't work remember Plugging it in would ground it my advice Snip the cord completely right at the unit because it says you might remember from a previous show a cord of any kind Access an antenna and the EMP will travel right down it and get amplified
[19:07] You don't want that and with a blown-out microwave who cares about the court? Just snip it right at the unit snip it in the bud. All right now little boots on the ground story That's completely politically incorrect, but it's a theme that's extremely popular yet We don't talk about it too much that is mating dating and hooking up here in Latin America Now, of course, you remember we ran out of time last show talking about this subject But I think all the talk won't stack up or be as convincing as boots on the ground story So I'll tell you a typical one This kind of thing happens all the time the reason why I'm highlighting this one because it went on for a period of around Five years, so it's over a long enough span of time to see it's just not a flash in the pan In other words, this kind of stuff happens all the time Anyway, it all started around seven years ago when I first met my soon-to-be-good friend John Gult
[19:56] He came to I think it was my fourth seminar and he liked Guatemala so much, especially Antigua Guatemala He never left now Here's a guy who traveled all over the world went to many seminars even got sucked into an international living seminar in Panama Which he says was nothing more than a slick real estate pitch and he ought to know he was in real estate That's how he made his dough and lost it to in 2008 during the big blowout So he came down moved to Antigua Guatemala didn't know a lick of Spanish Now he told me his goals were simple He's looking for a great cheap place to retire and he's looking for love and romance too Having been divorced a few times in the States already now first a few things you have to know about him He had a terrible diet big old potbelly told terrible jokes, but great personality though Not what you'd call handsome, but he was tall about six two six three and he had a funny line for everything
[20:46] In fact, he told me he hated that old cliche question tall people get asked all the time. How's the weather up there? He said sometimes he'd cock his head Stealthily spit and tell him it was raining. That's the kind of guy he was So anyway after about a month of living in Antigua Guatemala, he phones me up. He says Johnny You're not gonna believe this but I already have a girlfriend now She speaks no English and I speak no Spanish, but somehow things are working out just fine I said how'd you meet her? He said well, I was looking for apartments and she was the real estate lady He said yeah, she's a younger woman, too She was around 50 and John Galt was 62 at the time then a few months later. I get a call from him again I said, how are things going with you and your realtor lady? He said oh her she's long gone I have a new one now. The new one's a beautiful Latina. I met at the grocery store
[21:35] She's one of the checkout ladies Then he said she speaks no English and I speak no Spanish, but things are working out just fine only problem is Johnny She's 42 and I'm 62. She's got so much energy She's sort of wearing me out in a good way Of course, then he said, you know Johnny that kind of an age gap is no big thing down here But if I brought her back to the States, man, I'd be in trouble. He said Johnny. I promised myself I'm not going younger than that though. She's perfect for me 42 divorced two kids grown and out of the house Plus she has a job Perfect then about a month and a half later. I visited Antigua Guatemala met up with them and I said John Let's check out some different and new restaurants for the upcoming seminar So him and I spent a day making the rounds and his girlfriend tagged along She was beautiful nice and happy just like he said
[22:23] But as we were walking along and it was around 8 o'clock at night So it was dark already a lady walks out of a coffee shop struts over She was another nice-looking Latina around 50 years old looking kind of pissed off She goes up to John Galt Squeezes his arm and says a few mean and nasty things to him right in front of me and John Galt's girlfriend Then she walked away in a huff and John Galt turns to me kind of gave me a pained look and shrugged And he said under his breath tell you about it later So a couple hours later were sitting at a bar his girlfriend's in the ladies room and I said, what was that about? I thought she was gonna smack you. He said, oh, that's another girl. I went out with a couple of months ago We had a few dates things were going good until I realized it was just gonna be too complicated She had a couple of kids living at the house. The X would pop in to see his kids just complicated too much baggage
[23:13] So I quit calling her and she's been pestering me ever since small town, you know, Antigua only around 30,000 people Then another couple of months rolled by I got a call from good old John Galt. He says Johnny. I broke a rule I said what rule he said about going out with younger and younger women. He said I found my soulmate She's 36 extremely self-sufficient rents out part of her house that is an Airbnb and is a travel agent She speaks some English too. And as for the X, of course, she had one But he got killed in a car accident and she has no kids. Alright, so another month or so passes he calls me up He said Johnny, what's the best way to fire a cleaning lady? I said why is she stealing from you? He said no, in fact, I leave money around purposely just to test her and she never touches the stuff
[23:59] I said what's wrong with her? Is she no good as a cleaning lady? He said no man She's everything you could ask for in a cleaning lady and more and that's the problem I said, yeah elaborate. He said she comes on to me. She's in love with me. She told me so He said she speaks no English and I speak no Spanish But man, I can read the language of love and this is just not gonna end Well, I said John don't ask me you're gonna have to handle this one yourself. By the way, she was 50 So anyway, that was the life and times of good old John Galt after he moved to Antigua, Guatemala He lived there for around five years I think had at least a dozen or more girlfriends all of them younger even much younger than he He wasn't a rich guy just living off Social Security. So his girlfriends weren't in it for the money Oh and I should add before even came to Guatemala He had already been through cancer and a heart bypass operation
[24:47] In fact, he knew the clock was ticking because he suffered a minor stroke too Then I got the news John Galt who liked to run marathons Yep, even with the heart bypass and all that he ran marathons He had a stroke while running one in downtown Antigua recovered from that Okay, I visited him a couple times only that wasn't the end of it after about another half a year I got the news that he had a stroke while in bed with his 36 year old girlfriend He ended up in intensive care for a couple of weeks and didn't survive But I can tell you at the funeral a bunch of weeping ladies showed up and they didn't know each other and his cleaning lady She took it the hardest of all So the moral of this story or immoral of this story if you're wondering especially your older gringles and expats if there's still a fight
[25:33] And chance for you in the love and romance department if that's a possible scenario once you get down here Well, I can say definitively no matter what your age or physical shape or condition as long as you're not a complete dud Or a slob there's plenty of love romance mating and dating waiting for you If that's one of your priorities when you come down here to Latin America In fact after that first stroke when I went to visit John Galt at his house And he still wasn't quite a hundred percent recovered He said Johnny in my 66 or was it 68 years of living these past five years in Antigua, Guatemala have been the absolute Best years of my life. I just wish I would have found this place 30 years ago But he said better late than never at least I found it Oh, and one more thing, you know Antigua, Guatemala is probably the most touristy city in all of Guatemala
[26:20] It's not really touristy. It's kind of like tree-hugging tourism Spanish schools with hiking and mountain climbing types all over the place not at all your typical tourist trail but there are a certain amount of permanent gringos and expats there lots of gringos and expats own boutiques and restaurants and John Galt had dated some of those single gringa expats as well as a select few Latinas as mentioned and he told me point-blank. It didn't work out with the gringas And although they were nice and like-minded generally, you know They had their reasons for leaving the US to and getting on their plan B He said they always tried to drag him to events meetings and get-togethers Since gringas and gringos are always busy trying to organize people and save the world He told me that it didn't take long for him to learn that
[27:06] Latinos are much less complicated and more forgiving than the first world gringas He met down here who were always on a mission. He didn't feel like saving the world. He said He said after having cancer heart surgery and a stroke his mission was to enjoy himself That's why he much preferred the company of Latinas even though to the very end his Spanish Absolutely sucked though. He always said regarding his love life that didn't seem to make a bit of difference at all You've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America If you need some help with your own plan B We can schedule a one-on-one phone or Skype consult just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com and if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week Long expat insider seminar in Central America where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan B
[27:54] Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com