#1054 – The Expat Files: Safety, Security, and Survival in Latin America

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 out to play and now as 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 alright So a lot of you guys know that I have not been robbed in 30 years I know I know you go on expat blogs in any Latin country And there's always some gringo expat telling a story about a robbery and it comes down to the fact that bad guys

[00:46] Like to rob people who wear bling and look upscale come on You don't rob someone who's wearing three dollar tennies right the thing is you could go 30 years without getting robbed if you play It's smart on that subject just talking to a friend of mine in New York gringo last night He's early 40s recently divorced down here in Latin America to start again. That's you know something you see quite a lot He's got a gold ring a nice tasteful gold necklace Rolex I might even be real Designer sunglasses might be real too And he's been down here about a year now, and he's never been robbed, but I'm thinking if I was a crook He's the guy I want a finger now I'm not saying you got to dress like a street urgent just think about dressing like an upscale backpacker You know one that can afford to have his own private bathroom

[01:31] I know I know that's against the backpackers code But you know having your own bathroom is a minimum requirement for me now I mentioned in backpackers because they almost never get robbed up front and personal even though you see them standing out like a sore thumb Walking through some of the crummiest of neighborhoods because hey backpackers explore right now You might be thinking that you know backpackers who've been robbed you've heard the stories of course They get robbed, but they don't get robbed up front and personal They get robbed when they're sleeping when they're in big groups partying that means late in the evening when they're drunk And they let their guard down. That's when they get their backpacks stolen or rifled through There's almost never a physical altercation Backpacker will go back to his room as communal room You know where 14 other people are living only to find out that his iPad or phone have been stolen out of his backpack Or from under the mattress you know lots of backpackers once they settle into a hostel will when no one's looking

[02:20] Hide some of their good stuff in the room because they don't want to haul it with them everywhere They go problem is everybody knows the typical hiding places point being backpackers Don't get targeted while they're out and about because to a thief They don't appear to have anything worth stealing and that's one big reason why I haven't been robbed in 30 years myself I don't wear any real designer labeled stuff. I have no bling at all. I mean none I don't have Ray banner high ticket sunglasses in my car though. It looks very nice and is in great shape It's a couple years old and a model that's so common people don't give it a second look Thieves have the cars they like to target and mines not one of them when speaking of cars I don't leave anything valuable in them the title and the proper paperwork are in the glove department But they're copies not the originals though. I've always got a couple hundred bucks in an envelope. That's get out of Dodge money

[03:07] I've got that wedged in the seam between one of the carpets and only I know where it is It's there just in case someday I need it or I run short now the day will come in the very near future when I get an electric car But it's gonna be a mini SUV cuz then it'll take all the holes in the so-called two milos You know the speed bumps. That's the only way to travel in Latin America You'd heard me talk about how unmarked road hazards and speed bumps will destroy many a cars suspension But SUVs and pickup trucks can handle that stuff with ease and I definitely want to go electric because I don't want to buy The gas but what about thieves targeting electric vehicles? Well, I've had that discussion with lots of people who have much more than a half a brain and they're all of the opinion that thieves Will not target electric cars in Latin America because they're so new and there's so few of them only an idiot would steal one thinking

[03:54] There's an aftermarket. How are they gonna find a buyer number two 95% of Latin Americans never even heard of an electric car Well, at least there's no talk about them. You never hear people bring them up number three There are only a few service centers in Latin America for electric cars So if a car is stolen and has a problem, well, you get the idea anyway in the near future I'll be breaking one of my cardinal rules and I will buy a brand new car. It will be electric However, I won't worry about it getting stolen But I'm sure I will be pissed off from time to time with all the dings bangs and scratches Even a brand new car ends up with within a couple months time But that's something that everyone has to deal with down here. No matter what car you drive. Oh and another thing I've been putting together some unofficial data doing some straw polls about people getting robbed down here and it looks like with the average Latino population anyway girls and ladies seem to get robbed about five times as much as the

[04:44] Average Latin guy for obvious reasons a guy doesn't want to confront another guy cuz he might fight back He might even have a knife or a gun but a woman a Latina woman I don't think I ever met a Latina over 20 who hasn't had her cell phone stolen at least once Oh and about self-defense. Well in all my years down here only once have I met a Latina who owned a gun She said an ex-boyfriend gave it to her, but she'd never shot it She doesn't even know how to load it another reason women down here get robbed so much more often than men is that Most of the time they're just not paying attention to their surroundings. You know that situational awareness thing You know the drill though You might not practice it that would be keeping an eye out for things that might be unusual or out of place Checking out the entrances and exits of the building or place you're in well women and lots of guys Of course are glued to their phones almost 24 7 and it's a hundred percent to at least here in Latin America that women

[05:35] Are much more addicted to their phones than men and I often see when I'm pulling up to a stop sign or stoplight Women with their windows rolled down, you know, I've asked around why do they do it? Well, the answer will surprise you It's because although every car these days has air conditioning about half of the cars Five years old or more and that's three-quarters of the cars down here have something wrong with the air conditioning unit And they don't get it fixed because it's an expensive item I remember last time I had to bring my own car in for some AC maintenance So it's something wrong with the compressor and the whole job cost me a couple hundred bucks almost a month's salary for the average Latin American Speaking of monthly income. It's so strange if someone up in the States makes 2,000 bucks a month you feel sorry for him because he's on the edge of homelessness Well down here in Latin America 2,000 bucks a month is a huge salary

[06:23] In fact, I popped this question in the working-class Latinos all the time just a couple days ago Carpenter and his crew were working next door and I popped the question I asked him what they would call the ideal salary for that kind of job What kind of salary would make them and their wives and family really happy realistically now and the answer came in at? 1,000 bucks a month that was the dream salary for your average guy who does rough carpentry down here And what are they really making? Well, these guys tell me they're making about 400 a month which brings us back to the millions of Latin American cars that have air conditioners that don't work So the choice is for many Latin Americans who own a crappy car Does the family eat this week or should we get the air conditioner fixed? Which brings me to another very interesting point that people just don't talk about

[07:09] I just read that the average stateside family spends about six percent of its disposable income every month on Food and they spend about three to four percent of their disposable income each month on Restaurants and eating out at fast food joints meaning a total of nine to ten percent of the average family income goes for food So what's that got to do with anything? Well, I'm getting to it But first you need this little piece of info turns out throughout Latin America the average Latino family spends about 40 Percent of their disposable income on food every month 40 percent now I got this email just the other day from Andres a listener in Germany He quotes this from a blog post from someone who's thinking about having a plan B But doesn't want to move to Central America because he's worried about food prices going up because of inflation and food shortages

[07:57] He says I'm looking for a plan B if things head south here, but nothing has presented itself yet I was originally looking at Central America But I'm increasingly concerned with unrest that will come with inflation and agricultural and food shortages and mr A who wrote me this email who by the way has been to my expat insider seminar and he's visited many places in Latin America Well, he wrote back to the guy in the blog and said quote the inflation and food shortages You're talking about came to my mind as well in the last few days But if a country where most of the food I love to eat like pineapples grapefruits lemons coconuts, papaya, etc Etc. Does not fit in with your style of living in dietary plans Then tell me which place on earth might be a good hideout for the next three to six years

[08:46] Then he says, of course an alternative might be if you're obscenely rich like a billionaire Then you can buy anything anytime anywhere shortages or not, but to be mega wealthy Well, we all know how easy that route is You know Andreas has been to Latin America many times and like me he knows that everywhere you turn They've got gigantic markets that are just Overflowing with locally grown produce and food products And I'm absolutely sure short of a meteor Wiping out life on the planet that there will never be a shortage of food in most places in Central and South America Not in our lifetimes. Anyway, even to ponder that there might be a shortage of food here in Latin America It's almost impossible to imagine that in fact just yesterday I was taking a walk and it's mango season and within 20 minutes

[09:31] I must have passed 30 trees that were absolutely jam-packed with hundreds of mangoes And they weren't in closed off walled spaces either. They were drooping right over the sidewalks I'll tell you no one has to guard the food supplies down here There's just so much of it and so much goes to waste that said it's obvious that the guy who first wrote that blog saying He's worried about inflation and shortage of food in Central America. It's obvious He's never been down here before or maybe he's only been to resorts like Cancun and such Those gringo iced areas with wall-to-wall hotels and resorts where coconuts and avocados are two bucks a piece and up Just like in the States and one more thing, you know I've seen the caravans moving on up north trying to sneak into the States. Those people are not suffering from malnutrition

[10:19] There's a huge percentage of overweight not a shape people in those caravan lines. They're not starving nor clothed in rags either They've got their Yankee hats and knockoff Nike shoes. I love New York and thank you Joe Biden t-shirts Yep, I've seen a few of those where'd they come from and the smartphones man? Every one of them's got a smartphone but people starving and rail thin You just don't see that anyone giving you that argument has never had boots on the ground here in Latin America either That's not to say though There aren't some people in the cities begging for food and they look under nourished and skinny But that's just in the most dense parts of the big city where you have wall-to-wall concrete asphalt and buildings Thing is you just head to the boonies or just a couple of miles outside of any city and you'll never see begging

[11:05] Malnourished people because on the boonies fruits and vegetables are growing everywhere By the way, even in the Bible Jesus is quoted as saying the poor will always be with us Problem is for kids growing up in the boonies. They're always tempted by the big city the young people get very restless They see what's happening on their smartphones. Yep. They all got $50 smartphones the young people They don't want to be farmers like their moms and dads Adolescents and young adults say it doesn't pay to work the family farm you eat Well problem is in most cases it pays well below the minimum wage, which sucks anyway So they want to go to the big city make some money and buy all the things they see on their smartphones But in most of the big cities, especially the barrios that are old tattered and grungy looking where people coming in from the sticks

[11:51] They're most likely to live because the rents dirt cheap. Those places are asphalt jungles Nothing grows in a paved parking lot any mango or avocado trees You'll see in the big city are behind walls and in people's gardens So the choice for the mostly uneducated kids in the sticks is to remain with the folks in the boonies and live a farmer's Life and get fed with no hope of a leg up or end up in the city where the action is But live from day to day and hand them out Which brings us right back to the statistic that Americans spend six percent of their disposable income on food every month and four percent At fast food joints and Latinos 40% what that says is Americans have a huge amount of wiggle room when inflation and prices go up while Latinos could very quickly Run into some big trouble feeding the family

[12:36] So as inflation and resulting increased food prices press on more and more people here in Latin America At least we'll go back to the farm And you know It kills me to see pimple puss a-holes like Janet Yellen saying there's no inflation or it's only gonna be two percent Well lumber corn metals most foods and construction items Increased from 40 to a hundred percent just in the last year. I'll tell you there's no one I dislike more than government bureaucrats Even a thief is more honest and respectable than a government bureaucrat at least when they steal from you They're doing it face to face eye to eye and they tell you right out It's a holdup whereas a government bureaucrat will steal from you and pretend it didn't happen But about that food supply question just imagine by this time next year food prices increase further in double digits

[13:22] Well food prices here in Latin America are always half to a quarter what they are up in the states The point is if food prices doubled for you down here They still wouldn't be as expensive as food prices are right now for you in the United States and down here No shortage of fruits and vegetables. That's for sure. But as for the locals, they're already spending 40% of their income on food So then you might ask how are they gonna pull that off? How are they gonna handle it? Well, it's been reported that they're already spending less on fast food joints and junk food in general Which in the end is a good thing But it is worrisome because you don't want to see the population around you hurting for food But in the end it's gonna be much much worse for first world countries because they have those super long supply chains that are in Many cases a thousand miles long with some foods coming over oceans from tens of thousands of miles away

[14:09] Whereas here in Latin America at the big food markets I'd say about 80 to 90 percent comes from farms nearby and that means it's much more fresh than what you're getting up in the states too But I digress as usual we were talking about driving around in your car with your windows open because your AC doesn't work and unless You're a real tightwad. That shouldn't happen to you AC and your car is absolutely Necessary whether you're in the altiplano or at sea level though as far as your living quarters You don't need AC at all if you're in the altiplano But you absolutely will need it if you're at sea level or anywhere near it and believe me down here in Latin America If you do not have air conditioning in your car You will be driving with your windows down or you'll be sweating clear through to the seats Yep even in the altiplano where the temperatures, you know between 55 and 80 all year round that doesn't matter when you're in your car because

[14:57] The Sun is hotter and more Penetrating than it is up in the states for two main reasons one is you're closer to the equator So the angle is more perpendicular to the earth and that's more direct number two If you're up in the altiplano five or six thousand feet above sea level the air is thinner There is a mile less atmosphere for the Sun's rays to penetrate. So there's much less of a u-beef Atmospheric filtering effect the higher you are but you knew that already right that said let's talk about a new kind of robbery Scenario that seems to be taking place here in Latin America and catching on oddly enough It has to do with cars women and windows first little background I know a beautiful young Latina who's been robbed three times in the last year each time in the big city each time a snatch and grab The first time she was standing outside a big modern shopping mall

[15:44] She called an uber walked to the curb and waited for the guy and a motorcyclist came by ripped the purse right out of her hand She didn't have much money and the purse was a knockoff, but she lost her passport Big problem took her a good four months to get a new one because it's the age of covid it and all that and the Government offices are all well, they're on triple manana time now and they got the perfect excuse when you call them out on it on a kana On a kana covid it's so for her It was a hard-learned lesson number one never have your ID documents in your purse In fact never carry around your original ID documents at all unless you're traveling across borders or you have to go to a bank or something And then you keep it hidden in one of those passport pouches or something really well hidden and secure So for her lesson learned right wrong. She's latina remember flash ahead about four months

[16:33] She's driving a car has her window cracked because she's smoking a cigarette pulls up to a street corner Red light a lot of traffic Everyone stopped except the motorcycles who are reaving through the traffic as usual and running the red lights cops never stop You know suddenly a motorcycle pulls up stops for just a split second reaches in and grabs her phone There goes a $500 smartphone by the way I'd never have a $500 smartphone even for most latinas a $500 phone is sort of cheap though It probably is the single most expensive thing she owns Because down here people are judged by the value and model of their cell phone isn't that sad that means everyone desires the latest Greatest iPhone the new ones are around a grand and if you don't have the latest model man, it's wrist-slitting time So anyway after the second robbery lesson learned right well not so fast remember

[17:21] She's latina and she's no dummy in most ways. She's smarter than a lot of guys I know except it appears to me at least after being down here so many years and seeing this in action Even the smartest of latinas and latinos get robbed because they just have to put on the dog display their bling, etc There's just a huge amount of materialistic competition down here both with the guys and the gals But mostly with the girls the thing is they just can't help it. That's the way the society is anyway Just this weekend. She got robbed again But it was a new kind of snatch and grab when I have to tell you almost all robberies here in Latin America occur in iffy Neighborhoods, you know once it looks scruffy and rough around the edges The odd thing is many scruffy areas have very safe and nice shopping centers However, it's when you get off the premises that the trouble just might begin Especially if you're blinged out or flashing that upscale cell phone, so then how did robbery number three go well

[18:11] She pulled into a gas station that was on a busy street in one of the scruffier neighborhoods Even scruffy neighborhoods can be very safe during the day The fact is you can walk around pretty much anywhere in Latin America during the day anyway She buys 10 bucks for the gas and the local funny money She's sitting in the driver's seat window down like you do when you're getting gas well The guy gets done pumping he puts the nozzle Back where it belongs and suddenly a motorcycle with two guys on it glides between the pump station in the car her windows down naturally The guy on the back seat of the motorcycle stuck his hand in the window grabbed her purse and they were gone Unfortunately, she said she had around 600 US dollars in that purse and her driver's license so lesson learned, right? Well, probably not I predict soon enough. It'll happen again. That's just the way it is in crowded big city spaces here in Latin America

[18:59] You know, it seems like city folks are so accustomed to getting their purses and cell phones snatched They're almost used to it. It's a problem easily solved, but they won't go for it Because it would entail not wearing bling dressing down and not flashing a cell phone Though luckily for us cringles and expats 80 to 90 percent of that stuff only happens in scruffy neighborhoods and places We don't frequent much or choose to live in for one thing in nice high-end neighborhoods There are hardly any motorcycles at all There's sort of a general equation the more Motorcyclists you see the crappier the neighborhood why because in low-income neighborhoods that can't afford cars Oh and one more thing about that gas station She went to there are nice shell Chevron Texaco and other brand-name gas stations and they're very safe But as for me unless it's an emergency I keep away from gas stations that have a half dozen or so

[19:47] Motorcyclists just loitering around don't remember in higher-end neighborhoods There won't be many motorcyclists putting around at all at gas stations either So the lessons learned here should be get gas in a decent neighborhood and definitely pull close to the pump close enough So that a motorcycle has no room to squeeze through. Oh, and by the way, the young Latina victim Didn't own up to the problem at all She said it was her boyfriend's fault if only my boyfriend would have bought the gas that never would have happened That's what she said to me. Of course. She said that to him, too I was there so now he was on the hook for buying the gas for the both of them forever So anyway, there you have it Just a few pointers on how not to be a victim of a snatching grab Alright moving on by the way If you're not somewhere along in your plan B to get the hell out of Dodge The question is how many more reasons do you need there are hundreds of them now and the latest one

[20:36] I was just made aware of yesterday when the United States District Court on April 9th approved warrantless searches by the FBI who now have authority to access any privately owned computer without owners knowledge or consent and They can delete your software, too I'm reading this right from the market watch newsletter, of course They say it's part of a government measure to contain continuing cyber attacks on individuals and corporations But really it's just another loss of liberty and an unprecedented intrusion into your public and private life So this is the part you have to remember the computer fraud and abuse act Was passed some years ago to make it illegal to access a computer without authorization this law now though No longer applies to the government and what makes this intuition ever more ridiculous is the fact that government

[21:24] Computers themselves are not at all secure. They get hacked all the time. They can't even clean up their own house I mean have you seen the latest story about a group that hacked into the Washington DC police system and right now as I record This show the hackers are asking for a large payment or they're gonna leak personal information of police officers Including the details of all Washington DC officers past drug and alcohol abuse their finances job performance reviews disciplinary reports and names of undercover cops as well as their so-called secret Informants and to prove they were serious the hacking group posted screenshots of the data it held including detailed Disciplinary files on police officers. So the hackers named their price and our Negotiations right now overpayment Meanwhile the FBI has access to all your computer data and does not have to advise you if they're snooping within your own

[22:16] System they can even delete and change your software and your files So I have to say if you aren't making your plans right now to get the hell out of dodge Then maybe you really deserve to be controlled and lose your freedoms Oh, and did you see that major ransomware attack on an oil pipeline that affected a big part of the u.s Fuel supply don't you know fuel prices are gonna go up big time because of that whether they really have to or not because you know That kind of news spooks the markets. Believe me. There's more to come and that's why you should really think about going solar and get The hell off the grid too cuz then bad news like that won't affect you at all Especially if you've got an electric car. Are you thinking that far ahead? I hope some of you are Oh and for all you listeners out there who are off-grid or have an electric card Do send me an email the expat files at gmail.com. I'd like to hear about it. All right one last email

[23:04] This is from one of the many Dave's it says Johnny. I may regret asking this You're extremely generous with your time and resources and this may be asking to drink from a fire hose, too But here goes I've started buying some Bitcoin in a theory of myself lately and I'm interested in what? Resources you follow and information you keep up with on the topic. Thanks in advance signed yet another Dave Thanks, Dave. You know, you're on a long list of people who've been asking me that same question So I'll tell you exactly which youtubers and such I listen to because you know There are hundreds of crypto youtubers out there and influencers And most of them are just hacks and setting you up for clickbait if I told you that names in the sights of the people I think are fools. We'd be talking for hours But over the years I've honed in on three or four particular crypto youtubers that really know their stuff

[23:53] They're not clickbait or BS kind of guys that are trying to make money off you They have great track records and have been through all the twists and turns So again, I listen to three or four YouTube shows a day Each one's only about ten minutes or so you can listen to them while you're doing other stuff So it doesn't waste your time. Oh, and I listen to him at one and a half or double speed I like to suck up information quickly Anyway, the first daily crypto podcast. I listen to is called Ivan on tech He's a Russian guy speaks really good English and he's broadcasting out of Stockholm, Sweden I also listen to a youtuber called crypto zombie then there's one called that Martini guy, you know like the drink Martini that Martini guy and finally I listen to a guy named Lark Davis La RK Davis, that's the name of his YouTube channel to Lark Davis

[24:40] And I'll tell you this if you listen to these guys for a while and follow the recommendations You just can't help but make money and it's true There are lots of other good crypto broadcasts out there on YouTube But I found these four guys really have it together now lately It seems all the crypto influencers and youtubers are talking a lot about this DeFi thing that stands for decentralized finance systems In other words our whole crypto systems set up now and being used for doing everything and anything a bank can do It really is a revolutionary system Just imagine being able to take advantage of any service a bank offers without a bank They cut the bank middleman out completely because they know banks gouge you any which way they can and by eliminating banks completely That's changing the whole world of finance and those DeFi systems run mainly on aetherium and cardano and some others

[25:31] Often referred to as the top of the heap shit coins, but all shit coins are not a light 95% of all shit coins pop up explode and then die Good example dogecoin, you know the one everybody talks about on the internet and Elon Musk is tweeting about it It's a coin that has absolutely no use at all It's just a meme started as a joke But the tick tockers and Instagrammers have latched on to it though I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole now if you watch those youtubers I mentioned they're into long-term holding called hodling and Daily trading and the day traders make tons of money buying and selling shit coins because they are so explosive They could go up 20 30 40 50 a hundred percent in one day and fall down just as fast But you see when you trade you can make money on both ends going up and down

[26:17] So when you first tune into these guys You'll hear a lot about those alternative shit coins because on a daily basis They're much more volatile than Bitcoin, which is everyone's crypto gold standard and personally I'm not involved in the shit coin frenzy at all But I like to watch what's going on But I'll tell you what I've noticed and what all the good crypto youtubers say as soon as you make some profit in Shitcoins, you should immediately switch those profits to Bitcoin because you want to hold your Bitcoin Long-term and the shit coins they're used for day-to-day trading and making quick profits and it is true You can make a very good living trading shit coins on a day-to-day basis while Bitcoin should basically be your savings account Held as a long-term investment. So go ahead check those guys out You'll learn a lot you may even become really good day traders yourself In fact, if I was just starting out and I moved to Latin America right now

[27:05] And I needed eventually to make some money That's what I do because not only does it offer spectacular returns with very little investment up front You could start with a grand and it's totally portable You can live anywhere and do it now if you're confused and don't know much about crypto remember I always recommend Captain Mango's crypto course for beginners the people who have done so are very happy they did Then when you're up to speed listen to those youtubers I mentioned daily, but do hook up with Captain Mango first 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

[27:50] Where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan B Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com