#1069 – The Expat Files: Nicaragua, Pandemic, and Building 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 up to play and now that 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 All right, as usual lots of things to talk about today first up as expected I got a slew of emails from people living in Nicaragua I figured as much since I press their buttons and once again reiterated that I do not recommend Nicaragua

[00:45] Nor have I ever as a great plan B destination not because I don't like the country It's beautiful country laid back very cheap great people low crime It's just that I don't feel like recommending a country that's ruled by a strong man socialist dictator Though why people would permit their country to turn into a place like Cuba, Venezuela Nicaragua and now Peru. Yep. Just a couple of weeks ago Peru voted in died in the wool Marxist in fact his party's name actually has the word Marxist in it So that must mean that the vast majority of people in Peru don't even know who Marx was Wow as they say never Underestimate the stupidity of the average voter then again the average US College or high school kid never learned to think about Marx either Anyway after last week's show and I once again laid out the reasons why I would not want to live in Nicaragua

[01:34] I got a slew of emails from gringos and expats living there who really do like the place and I got a slew of emails From people gringos and expats who escaped and are glad they did but as it turns out every last one of those positive Reviews were from gringos and expats living outside of Midnagua the capital and largest city So gringos and expats living out in the boonies in Nicaragua do like it there It's the gringos and gringas that lived in the cities that got the hell out Where as you well know and I've mentioned this in previous shows in autocratic third world countries that crack down on the rule of law mostly in the big cities Same thing with the covid it crisis the farther you live from the big cities the farther you are out in the boonies The more laid-back things are and the more lazy ass the bureaucratic slugs seem to be There is further proof of that in this email that just came in from Dave

[02:22] Yeah, another Dave though. He points out his middle name is Dave, but still a Dave and I'll paraphrase this email He says Johnny in case you don't want to read this Please send me the podcast links you mentioned where the inventor of the mRNA Vax technique calls out his own invention as dangerous to humans Then Dave says one of my kids got the jab by the way and keeps sending me What he seems to think is quote real data on why I absolutely need to get it though I know more than enough to at least wait four years to see what happens After we see the results of this global lab test and petri dish We've all been thrown into though It's nice to have the man himself who invented the mRNA Vax as a backup source personally filling us in again

[03:09] One of my kids got the jab and Millennials are difficult to argue with aside from that Johnny. You're correct Concerning gringos expats and wealthy latinos hopping Vax vacation flights to my jammy to get vexed in gringo landia You're right Johnny flights out of Managua Nicaragua are jam-packed full of upscale Nikas flying to my jammy to get their jabs Avianca Airlines says now two flights a day up from just twice a week Oh and a few weeks ago. I had to visit the hospital for stomach issues No, not that Montezuma kind, but I digress I don't know if you know this but a hospital called Vivian Bayez is the premier private hospital in Nicaragua And it is very very good Dave says if you need to see a specialist and what ails you you just walk right in and ask no referrals or waits

[03:58] While there I asked about co-vitiate cases the doctor's response Virtually none. He said they had a few sometimes after big celebrations and parties But nothing at all to be concerned about now remember This isn't a country where there's virtually no mass vaccines where the borders have never closed and no co-vitiate related lockdowns Alright me Johnny here just to throw a statistic at you according to the most recent local Nicaraguan Health Department data only about five percent of Nicaraguans have been vexed hmm. What's that tell you then he says the off brands of co-vitiate vax I guess that would be the Chinese AstraZeneca and the Russian Sputnik are now available He says here, but only for the elderly if you ask me He says there are some advantages to living in a country hated by the US government

[04:47] Then he says life here in the boonies off the gringo tourist trail on the Pacific Ocean coast has been great Three years ago when the student unrest here in Nicaragua began and all the gringos left We started a farm on some land. We purchased years ago mostly to keep some locals employed We hand dug a well cleared the place by machete and removed all the stumps by hand, etc, etc Now we are farmers producing most of the fruits and veggies we consume That'd be mangoes papayas pitaya guava passion fruit bananas coconuts watermelons citrus, etc, etc I can't even name some of the strange fruits that we're growing Funny thing is when you buy a plant or bush from a nursery here We are rarely absolutely sure of what it will finally produce

[05:33] You just stick it in the ground and it grows only our avocado trees are yet to produce by the way Plus we grow all the standard stuff to lettuce cherry tomatoes peppers onions eggplant cilantro The list goes on and on so naturally we start each morning with a big bowl of homegrown fresh fruit and always have way too much so we have enough to share with the few and ever-growing number of gringos and The needy in our little paradise all clean organic and excellent. So in the end Johnny, I guess I'm super glad you don't recommend Nicaragua That's about it for me Dave be well and keep doing what you do You have an amazing wealth of knowledge and I do appreciate all your podcasts If I can ever be of service to you, please do not hesitate to let me know signed Andrew D for Dave last name deleted

[06:19] Alright, thanks for that Andrew Dave, and I do know what you mean when you say you're glad I'm not recommending Nicaragua We all know what happens when the gringos start piling in all you have to do is look at your neighbor to the south Costa Rica It's been completely overrun by gringos and the people there thoroughly jaded by the gringo dollar All right. Let's get back to the subject of the Covid it crisis now I have to tell you tons of people have requested those YouTube links I mentioned last week one of them showing the inventor of the mRNA vax saying it's too dangerous for humans to take and the other YouTube spelling out exactly how to eliminate your risk of Covid and even if you do get it and have symptoms eliminated 100% of the time within five days using ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine along with a few other cheap supplements like

[07:06] Vitamin D zinc and quercetin now most of you listeners know all about that stuff And if you haven't seen those two podcasts yet Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com and I'll send them to you right away now Naturally ever since I mentioned that a week or so ago now every single day my email box is loaded up with requests for that Info, but also I'm getting pretty much an equal number of people complaining and lamenting They can't get ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine because their doctors just won't or can't prescribe it well. Here's the good news It's really great news too. They have an organization called America's frontline doctors Their website is all one word now America's with an S frontline Doctors.org. It's a place where anyone can go to the site get online and they will legally

[07:52] Prescribe both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine you pay for it online and they'll mail it right to your house So no matter where you live in the US or Canada There's no longer a barrier to getting it again Just go to America's frontline doctors all one word dot org and you'll be able to get a legal Prescription and have it delivered right to your house. Remember, it's a hundred percent legal and here's how it works Oh and once again, I have to state that I make not one cent off of this stuff It's just that there's such a demand for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin and doctors either won't can't or afraid to prescribe it Lest the axe falls they get cancelled or the Twitter mob goes after them Well a group of very smart doctors who've been using this stuff with fantastic success decided They're gonna make it available to anyone who wants it So anyway, you go to the site you click on the contact a physician button

[08:41] You fill out a form and pay 90 bucks The physician will call you within 24 to 48 hours after that phone appointment The pharmacy will contact you for your payment information and mailing address and they'll send the prescription right to you No matter where you are. Now, of course, there's a pharmacy phone number and email address But they're not going to answer any of your emails if they're about Insurance coverage they're doing this outside the insurance system Specifically because they say the insurance systems are trying to block people from obtaining those drugs After all insurance companies are an intricate part of the big pharma industrial complex So don't do the typically american thing send them an email asking if their insurance will pay it won't so clam up about it Cheapskate, you know that pisses me off

[09:26] It reminds me of people who say they don't want to get stem cells for three six or nine thousand dollars Because the insurance won't pay yet. They'll get a major operation a $30,000 knee or joint or hip replacement that pretty much permanently limits your motion You'll never be a hundred percent again, but if the insurance will pay well, let's go for it Oh, and by the way, if you're wondering how could this be legal? How could you do a little teleconference or phone conference with a doctor get a prescription for something big pharma? who bill gates and dr Falcie absolutely don't want you to use well, the fact is hydroxychloroquine ivermectin and other Covidiate meds can be attained by prescription in the u.s In almost every state so it's not illegal but certain forces and we know who would certainly like it that way and this group of doctors

[10:16] Called america's frontline doctors are available for those short consultations Which makes it legal for them to prescribe those medications for you So then why are they doing it risking the wrath of the who bill gates and dr Falcie because they've seen tens of thousands of patients completely recover and to make this all legal Those docs that'll call you will review your history on the phone with you. That's all that's necessary So then what will be the total cost? Well 90 bucks for the physician console the phone call and whatever the pharmacy charges for the prescription My guess is maybe 25 bucks So again, just go to the website americas frontline doctors.org Or send me an email the expert files at gmail.com and i'll send you the links Oh, and if you're wondering about this group of docs americas frontline doctors if they're legit Well the doc in charge of this group is a featured speaker in those youtube links with the inventor of the m rna vax

[11:08] All right enough said about that and on to the more popular topic or not Of building and construction techniques here in latin america actually a very popular subject with Expats who've been down in latin america for a while who decide to build or remodel now you've heard me say over and over again Traditional building construction techniques here in latin america are somewhat different than what you're used to up in the states in canada down here It's all about concrete cinder block and rebar whereas up in the states It's mostly pine two by four stick building they call it sheet rock slash drywall aluminum siding and asphalt shingles Now some 30 plus years ago when I first got down here to latin america There was no such thing as sheet rock or drywall at all You could go into a big hardware store or any building supply place and there'd be no drywall or sheet rock to be found

[11:56] And that was a good thing because here in latin america where you had a heavy six-month rainy season in very high humidity conditions On the coast in no time sheet rock which acts like a sponge would start deteriorating I'm talking about the regular standard type of drywall you find at home depot I know I know some of you more construction minded people out there know that there are other types of drywall More expensive and durable than regular drywall like for example a type of drywall known as green board. It's green It's much more water mildew and humidity resistant, but still should never be in direct contact with water high humidity Yes, but direct water contact. No, then there's durrock Which is 100 waterproof and used in many bathrooms. That stuff's really heavy. It looks like a cement board or panel

[12:42] It's very hard. You can't put a gouge in it easily like you can with regular drywall It's used all the time up north as a base for ceramic tile. Oh, and there's a kind of drywall or sheet rock That's yellow. It doesn't have that outer paper coating on it like regular sheet rock It's called densa glass or just sheet rock glass because it's made out of fiberglass and totally waterproof It can get wet so it can be used on outside walls though. It should be coated with a waterproof paint or plaster So why am I mentioning this because this stuff's all showing up here now at the hardware stores in latin americ? And of course an architect in good construction form and knows exactly when and where to use this stuff But unfortunately a regular handyman who's not working with a big construction outfit will buy regular drywall

[13:27] The cheap stuff and use it everywhere bad move especially during the rainy season now lately I've been seeing drywall used more and more a lot in commercial buildings for internal walls Which is okay because internal walls are protected from rain and humidity But i'm also seeing it used more and more in apartments and houses and that's just asking for trouble Especially during the rainy season and when you're near the coast or a beach though. There is one place I've got nothing against using it at all That's in false or dropped ceilings in bathrooms or decorative ceilings where you need to install a lot of recessed lighting Although concrete ceilings are the best they're super strong You're talking about a huge amount of work if you suddenly want to put in let's say a ceiling fan or a couple of recessed lights Then you got to get out the jackhammers So that's why it's become common practice in most new buildings here in latin america

[14:14] To have most of the building out of concrete and block even the ceilings But with an additional drop ceiling of drywall So that ceiling fans and decorative lights can be installed with ease In other words without having to bring out the jackhammer Now here's something that's been on a lot of people's minds lately Especially since the collapse of that miami apartment building now that building of course was made out of concrete and rebar And people especially regular people who don't know anything about construction They've always been under the impression that once you have a concrete and steel building it should last hundreds of years Look at the parthenon and anthans the roman colosseum and forum and all those massive concrete stone and mortar viaducts You see all over europe. Some of those are over 2 000 years old and still standing In fact if you come down to any one of the unesco world heritage sites in latin america like antigua, guatemala, granada, nikaragua

[15:05] chicha nicha, talum, tikal and guatemala, copan, honduras, etc There are dozens of unesco world heritage sites with two three and four hundred year old buildings and pre-columbian structures That are a thousand years old and they're still standing. We're talking about rock brick concrete and mortar Here's the thing the reason why they're still standing or parts of them are still standing is because ancient societies had not invented rebar yet You know steel reinforcement rods reinforcing concrete with steel rods only came about a little over 150 years ago Gustaf Ifa from the Eiffel tower fame. He was one of the first engineers to do it So then you might ask why would they do that when older buildings hundreds and hundreds of years old? Did quite well without any steel reinforcement at all. Well, the thing is when you see an ancient cathedral

[15:52] Let's say that's 600 years old and it's only three quarters intact. The rest is crumbled away Well, it's not because the concrete or the bricks or the mortar lost its strength It's usually because of an earthquake or two or ten and that's one of the two main reasons Architects and builders started using rebar when it became available They knew it would hold concrete together during an earthquake sure during an earthquake They might suffer cracks and fissures, but usually the structure itself would hold together The second reason for using rebar is you could add lots of stories to a building The fact is there could be many many hundreds even thousands of small cracks and fissures in a 10 or 20 story building And it'll still hold up just fine But a building over three or four stories without steel reinforcements Well, just take a trip through any of the old historic districts in europe and you'll see there are very few buildings over four or five

[16:39] Sure, there are hundreds of churches with steeples and cupolas that are much higher than that But remember they're hollow inside and use a different kind of arch buttress and flying wedge support bottom line concrete construction No longer lasts thousands of years because all modern concrete is poured around steel rebar Which gives it very good tensile strength But tiny cracks found in all concrete cause water to start rusting the steel which then expands cracking and weakening the concrete In fact photos of that building in my jammy that surfside building they call it Taken before the collapse show the steel rebar breaking all the way through concrete to the point that you could see it is fully exposed In the basement and very rusted and in that case it was even worse because it was exposed to salty humid florida air

[17:25] Now it's not to say you can't fix it once you start seeing the corrosion It's done all the time, but the standard fix involves taking a jackhammer blasting out the concrete to expose the steel again Sandblasting or brushing the steel to remove all the rust Usually adding more rebar as necessary than covering it all back up with a fresh batch of new concrete The thing is though since concrete fails from the inside up because you can't see all the tiny multiple cracks Where water might find its way in problem is concrete looks so solid and indestructible by the time you see obvious Crojan and staining appearing on a concrete column. Let's say it's most definitely not isolated to that one spot It's a tick and time bomb So then what's that got to do with expats and gringos living in latin america?

[18:12] Well, the thing is if you live in a concrete building, that's more than 50 years old I'd say it might be a good idea to have a structural engineer. Check it out Especially if you've got some persistent water leaks or drainage off the roof or discoloration coming through a concrete wall Though thankfully and this might sound strange since most of latin america is earthquake territory There are very few concrete structures over 50 years old that haven't been repaired replaced or remodeled and brought to current Anti-seism expects like one latino structural engineer told me recently He said periodic earthquakes as bad as they are do provide a sort of important service by exposing or washing out Poorly constructed edifices and when they're repaired or rebuilt they're always forced to bring it up to the current code

[18:58] Now you might think being that there's a terrible maintenance problem here in latin america maintenance is a four lever word Well, let me assure you after a big earthquake or hurricane has leveled a few buildings All eyes and inspectors are on the architect and project manager in charge of the cleanup repair and rebuilding So all you gringos and expats and going to bees and wannabes as long as you move into a house apartment complex a residential structure That's less than 20 or 30 years old You can pretty much count down the fact that it's built to code and will tolerate any extreme climate or earthquake event Because you know, they do have hurricanes and earthquakes here in latin america. I've been through a few myself They're no fun But what an adrenaline rush and now that we're on the subject of living in a safe space We've got this email from expat insider seminar repeat offender jen She says and i'll paraphrase here. Dear johnny

[19:45] So many people build homes and give absolutely no thought that one day God forbid they might find themselves in the hospital recovering from a stroke hip or knee replacement car motorcycle accident, etc, etc It's then they wonder how they're going to recover at home or get around She says the time to plan your home layout is before you ever enter the hospital Not while you're sitting in the hospital putting in a little extra thought when you build a remodel a home is like having car insurance You hope you'll never have to use it But you'll have it just the same then she says most of your listeners johnny from what I hear on your podcast are interested in Water filtration and solar panels, etc. Nothing wrong with that Although long-time listeners get a little peeved about hearing the same information over and over I hear almost no questions about how to prepare for earthquakes A must in certain parts of latin america or how to design a home to age well in as I said

[20:34] It's your podcast and I don't want to sound like i'm ordering you to do anything My only concern is to try to help people prevent what my mother had to go through When we had to put her in a nursing home because her apartment was just not accessible for someone who had a handicap All right, me johnny here throwing my two satoshis in you know jen's absolutely right about that The fact is the majority of gringles and expats who end up having a plan b in latin america are over I'd say 50 years old They've kind of done their thing in the states made their mark or are just absolutely sick of what's going on up there They've had their run in the states and now they're middle-aged and you know as well as I do Health-wise it's downhill from there. It's different. Of course when you're 20 or 30 something We're all invincible then and some of us don't even carry insurance because we're super men and women We're never gonna get sick, right? You know, I've seen that happen myself with my grandparents and my mother who's got a knee replacement

[21:24] I know she could never live in a two-story house too many trips up and down the stairs She couldn't take it But you know when she was 30 40 even 50 she never would have taken that into consideration In fact get this she turned one of her bedrooms on the first floor into a laundry room It used to be in the basement She spent something like 10 grand to have the bedroom plump for water and drainage So she didn't have to make that trip down the stairs to the basement like she did before So it's something everyone should be thinking about if they're building or remodeling Of course, if you're just running you don't have the option to do any changes like that But you could always move to a place that's more accessible and convenient for you Anyway, jen says here's a great resource that might help your listeners who are remodeling or building It's from the christopher and diana reave foundation, which is a really good website She says remember christopher reave for some the best movie superman

[22:12] I thought he was a great superman too But I like the new guy better and that for me is probably because in the new superman movies The villains are really not cartoon cutouts like they were in the christopher reave movies Come on, richard prior as a villain, but I digress as usual Anyway, jen says you go to the christopher and diana reave foundation That's christopher reave all one word dot org christopher reave dot org Where they have a complete checklist of things to consider when building or modifying a home if someone in the family Has trouble getting around or has a disability and though that might not be you or I right now You can bet we're going to get there sooner or later And finally jen says i'm doing my best to stay unvaxed, but it's becoming harder and harder the new york times a former real newspaper Just had an op-ed piece suggesting that once the vaccines become fda approved mandatory vaccinations will follow

[23:03] Yikes Also, your listeners might be interested in a form from solari.com s o l a r i Hmm. I believe that's katherine austin fits's website, right? She's a great resource Anyway, you can download the form there that people can give to their employers or schools that are requiring mandatory vaccinations I guess it's a form telling them to f off and then jen supplies the link here So if you want that link send me an email the expat files at gmail.com All right. Thanks for that. Jen. Very good information And thanks for telling me you're sick of hearing about water filtration and solar panels Yeah, I guess sometimes we go overboard on that stuff or not. What do you think? Do you want me to quit talking about water filtration and solar stuff? Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com. All right now Let's talk about retirement people are always asking me how much do I need to retire johnny?

[23:52] In other words, how big a nest egg do you need to live first world style here in latin america? And of course i've heard people say over and over again How much will my personal nest egg last if I move to let's say nicaragua or costa rica, guatemala, bolivia, whatever Seems like retirement magazines and rags always focus on a million dollars as a retirement nest egg I guess because it's a round number, but it's not often realistic. So what if it's less? Let's say a half a mil which still might be unrealistic for some of your listeners out there But we'll use 500 grand as a nest egg to do some calculations here Now there's a report that came out from market watch Talking about how many years a person could live on a 500 000 nest egg They're talking about someone who's 60 years or older So at that age you can assume a few things for example

[24:39] That person is not out disco-ing till four in the morning. That's for sure or maybe so who knows but for our purposes Let's just talk about a person with a normal personal lifestyle and let's include groceries housing utilities transportation and health care The usual suspects now remember a person over 60 years old generally does not have a house payment or a car payment Though they could be renting it could be that's why they have 500 grand in the bank because they sold their main residents Anyway, according to this latest retirement study last updated on june 21st 2021 So for a single person with a 500 000 nest egg If he was living in hawaii that amount would last you five years and two months in hawaii The average annual retirement expenditure is 95 500 bucks Naturally, many people would love to have their golden years in hawaii, but it's way too expensive. So let's get a little bit more real

[25:32] Let's talk about massachusetts then 500k would last you seven years 11 months annual projected expenditure for a single retired person 62 grand how about alaska 500k would last you eight years and one month annual retirement expenditure there 61k same as new jersey Will last you around eight years in nevada 500k will last you nine years and six months average expenditure for a retired person 52 000 bucks with colorado 500k would last you nine years and 11 months with average annual retirement expenditure 50 grand How about arizona 500k will last you 10 years and three months average annual retirement expenditure 48 000 bucks montana? 500k will last you 10 years five months annual expenditure for a retired person 47 800 bucks

[26:21] texas with a 500k nest egg it'll last you 11 years three months annual retirement expenditure for one person 44 200 bucks now for mississippi the cheapest state of all to retire in 500k will last you 12 years and three months with an average expenditure of 40 600 bucks So up in the states 40k a year is rock bottom for a retirement expenditure Meanwhile here in latin america. I could sit down and make a list of 50 100 different people living an absolute first world life for between 15 and 20 000 bucks a year that's less than half of the rock bottom annual retirement expenditure In that cheapest of retirement states mississippi, of course We're talking about right now and inflation is really heating up. So within a year

[27:08] I'm sure all those numbers will have changed for the worse Of course, the point is if you're living down here in latin america and you don't want to work You're just living off a nest egg It'll cost you half or less than half compared to retiring in any us state though Of course, if you choose to live on the tourist trail like in costa rica talum playa del carmin rio, etc You will be paying a lot more, but you knew that already and now a word about water filtration and solar panels 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. Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com

[27:57] nos vemos