Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller provides an honest and unfiltered look at living, working, playing, and retiring in Latin America. He begins by introducing the podcast as a platform that contrasts the idealized versions of the region presented in travel magazines and websites with the real experiences of expats. He discusses a recent seminar he conducted in Guatemala, highlighting the unique experiences of expats living off the tourist trail, the safety of the region, and the affordability of living in Latin America. He also mentions the success of the seminar and his plans to conduct another one in the near future, emphasizing the importance of personal interaction in securing better hotel deals.
Johnny then delves into the cost-effectiveness of storage units and appliances in Latin America for expats. He highlights that storage units are often cheaper and similar to those in the U.S., with landlords preferring cash payments from expats. He also mentions that appliances and household goods are more affordable in Latin America, especially if they are locally produced, and that expats can find good deals by negotiating and paying in advance.
He further discusses the changing landscape of appliance and furniture quality in Latin America, noting that local brands have improved significantly over the years. He contrasts this with the perception of these products as second-rate, despite their affordability and comparable quality to Japanese and Korean goods. He emphasizes the importance of buying used items in Latin America, noting the availability of cheap, well-maintained second-hand goods and the cultural tendency of people to buy on payment plans.
Johnny also addresses the cultural norm in Latin America where people, regardless of class, often rely on payment plans for everyday expenses and are accustomed to borrowing small amounts of money from family members. He contrasts this with the American experience, where borrowing small amounts is considered unusual unless in emergencies. He explains that cell phones are widely used in Latin America, with most people using prepaid plans and buying minutes through scratch-off cards or direct recharge at gas stations. He recommends buying name-brand phones for better reception and sound quality, even though cheaper models can work well.
He then discusses the cost and practicality of using cell phone services in Latin America, particularly focusing on roaming charges and the benefits of purchasing local SIM cards. He explains that while roaming can be expensive, buying a new SIM card in the country you're visiting allows for cheaper service. He also highlights the availability of prepaid phone cards that offer triple, quadruple, or even sextuple minutes at a fraction of the usual cost. Additionally, he mentions the existence of frequent caller plans and public phones, emphasizing how these options make communication more affordable.
Finally, Johnny addresses the question of dialects in different Latin American countries, noting that while there are variations in Spanish, they are not a significant issue for communication. He uses examples like matches, soda, and meals to illustrate how regional and slang terms vary across countries, leading to potential confusion for expats and travelers. He explains how these terms reflect historical and cultural contexts, such as the use of 'phosphoros' for matches due to their phosphorous content. He draws parallels between Spanish and English slang, emphasizing that language in Latin America is as diverse and expressive as in English-speaking countries.
Topics
Introduction to the podcast, Expat experiences in Latin America, Safety and affordability in Latin America, Hotel deals and personal interaction, Plans for future seminars, Storage units in Latin America, Appliance costs and availability, Expats and landlord preferences, Appliance and furniture quality in Latin America, Used goods market in Latin America, Cultural and economic factors influencing consumer behavior, Cultural norms in Latin America (payment plans and borrowing habits)
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:24 Exploring the Real Experience of Living in Latin America 00:00:49 Affordability and Safety in Latin America 00:02:36 Plans for Future Seminars and Personal Interaction 00:05:01 Cost of Storage Units in Latin America 00:05:46 Comparing Storage Unit Costs Between the U.S. and Latin America 00:06:16 Advantages of Paying in Advance for Storage Units 00:08:41 Cost of Living Comparison Between Latin America and the U.S. 00:09:17 Affordability of Appliances and Household Goods in Latin America 00:10:07 Quality of Local Appliance Brands in Latin America 00:10:15 Improvement in Local Brands in Latin America 00:10:43 Quality and Affordability of Latin American Appliances 00:12:10 Recommendation for Selling and Buying Used Goods 00:14:56 The Payment Plan Culture in Latin America 00:15:58 The Perception of Prepaid Phones in the U.S. 00:19:02 The Necessity of Satellite Phones in Remote Areas 00:20:00 The Cost of Roaming in Latin America 00:20:02 The Role of International Phone Companies in Latin America 00:20:56 How to Get Cheap Service in a New Country 00:21:20 Prepaid Phone Cards and Minute Offers 00:24:35 Dialects in Latin American Spanish 00:24:49 Introduction to Language Differences in Latin America 00:24:55 Examples of Different Spanish Terms for the Same Things 00:25:01 Johnny's Take on Language Variations 00:25:05 Johnny's Experience with Language Confusion 00:25:09 Regional Terms for Soda and Carbonated Drinks 00:25:13 Examples of Regional Terms for Drinks 00:25:14 Johnny's Explanation of Regional Terms 00:25:18 Johnny's Discussion of 'agua' and Its Multiple Meanings
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:03] Hi everybody, I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America. The show that tells you what it's really like to live, work, play and or retire in Latin America. I tell it just like it is, not the version they give you in those glossy travel magazines or the picture they paint for you in those international traveler websites where they're only trying to sell you something. What's it really like for expats living in Latin America? Well if you stick around a while you'll find out. So, let's get started. You know by now it's been a little over two months since I gave my seminar down in Central America, namely Guatemala and places way off the tourist trail. Even though one of the places we went to, Antigua Guatemala, is considered by the locals down here to be on the tourist trail.
[00:49] But believe me, according to first world standards, it's what we'd call very low profile tourism. And yes, that little town does have a tourist based economy. How can it not? Some of its buildings are 400 years old and it's a world heritage site. But basically it's only visited by Latins, Europeans and Canadians. And they're the ecotourist backpacker types. Because the fact is only about one in a thousand US citizens has ever heard of the place. When you say Antigua to them they think it's the island of Antigua in the Caribbean, another place they'd never go to. Anyway, it was my idea to show my little group of 24 people what it's really like to live, work, play, do business or retire down here in Latin America. I showed the group the way me and some of my own personal expat friends live.
[01:38] And I showed them a few businesses some of my expat friends run. So what did the group see in general off the tourist trail? They saw there was no gringo overkill, no Disneyland atmosphere, not even close. There was no big brother and best of all, no gringo prices. Oh and surprise, surprise, all of my group felt absolutely safe. Which is in fact just the opposite of what the US State Department says about coming down here. And now that a few months have passed and a little dust has settled on that Latin American adventure. And it really was an adventure believe me. Some of our attendees were world travelers and others had never even been out of the country before. So we really had a great and terrific mix of people. Well it looks like the word has leaked out on just how really cool that seminar turned
[02:25] out. As a result I've been getting tons of emails lately asking me if I'm going to do another. You can twist my arm. I had such a great time myself that I'll do another one. Again with only 24 people no more. But I need all of you interested folks to send me a very short email at the expat files at gmail.com so I can organize my list. I'm thinking about doing it sometime in December or early January. So if you want the details send me an email at the expat files at gmail.com. Now on the last show I was talking about bringing your things down, going through the aduana and paying duty and general things you should know about shipping. Anyway when you get down here you'll surely be wondering where you should store your stuff.
[03:12] Well if you have a dozen bags or less you don't want to leave them in your hotel room while you're searching things out. Though hotels of course will put your stuff in a lock up. At least you're searching things out. Though hotels of course will put your stuff in a lock up. At least they say it's a lock up but most of the time you'll find it's just a closet and all the employees going in and out have the key or it doesn't have a key at all. Because they're probably using that room for toilet paper, light bulb storage and where they put the vacuum cleaners. But that's probably not the case if you stay in a 3 or 4 star hotel. Then they'll probably have a decent lock up but they'll only let you keep your stuff there for free while you're checked in plus or minus a day or two. But none of us really wants to pay 80 bucks to 125 a night for a high end hotel like that. One of the main reasons we're down here is to live like first world people on Latin American
[03:59] prices right? And your nest egg is not going to go very far if you stay at 4 and 5 star hotels. Of course that's your call and the fact is 3 and 4 star hotels down here can be 2 thirds or half the price of the very same hotel up in the first world. And again we're talking off the tourist trail now. But you will find Hilton's and Marriott's and Cladion's and Radisson's in all the medium and big cities in Latin America. Even in cities well off the tourist trail. And those hotels will usually be 2 thirds to a half of the price they are in the first world. And 2 thirds to a half of the price at those very same hotels when they're in tourist areas. But the thing is you won't get those prices by shopping on the internet. You have to do that in person or by phone yourself. Smart expats down here do that all the time.
[04:44] The fact is when you walk into a nice 3 or 4 star first world hotel even ones with well known names like Marriott. If at the reception desk you see that the rack rate is like 125 bucks, unless there's a huge convention in town you could almost always negotiate that price down in person or over the phone to between 75 and 90 dollars. And you'll never be able to dicker over the internet unless you're dealing with a boutique or mom and pop hotel or you're negotiating a long term stay like 1 to 6 months. Then you can really get a steal. And though it may take a few phone calls and some emails, it's worth it. In fact I've done that a lot of times myself. Anyway just know that every small, medium and large city in Latin America has many of
[05:29] those used storage lock up units too, if you plan on bringing a lot of stuff down. And those used storage units are a perfect copy of the ones up in the states. In fact it looks like a lot of these places were shipped down from the states and assembled here. And like everything else in the third world, they're much cheaper. For example if you want a unit about 10 by 20 or 10 by 25 feet, the size you need to store a car, well up in the states it could cost you 150 to 200 bucks a month. Now I just checked out some used storage units in El Salvador that looked exactly like they came from the states. In fact if it hadn't I said mini bodega a seguradas on the company's sign which means small secure storage space in Spanish. If I would have blinked my eyes I would have thought I was in the states.
[06:16] Now to rent one of those in Salvador cost about $90 a month but again if you pay in advance in Latin America you always get a huge discount because almost no one does. And I'm talking cash not cheques, just watch the landlords eyes light up when you show them all that green. Or in the case of their funny money yellow blue or red. And why is that? Well as all you landlords know out there, one of the toughest jobs in the world is collecting that monthly rent. And collecting rents in Latin America is even worse, 10 times worse. I'm talking about collecting rents from Latin tenants. Because remember Latins are people who I've told you time and time again, are people who live from paycheck to paycheck and crisis to crisis. From the poor classes to the middle classes on up.
[07:03] And you can't get blood out of a stone. And it's generally known that the average Latin doesn't even have 200 bucks in the bank. So you can see the problem here. And that's why I always say to expats and expat wannabes, don't plan on being a landlord down here. Don't make that your career choice. You came down here to dump stress, not take more on. If you think being a landlord is tough in the states, you ain't seen nothing yet. Not a good career choice for gringos I'm telling you. But you see, landlords look at gringos and first worlders much differently than their own latin renters. We've got that gringo advantage going for us in that department too. We benefit from all those good first world stereotypes I've told you about. That's why landlords love to have gringos as tenants.
[07:51] We pay in advance and we always pay on time when we're on the monthly plan. Or I should say 95% of us do anyway. In fact if you're renting anything down here, if you're a gringo and you pay six months or a year in advance, not only do you get a huge discount, but you almost never have to pay a deposit. When your landlord sees you flash six months of rent in front of his eyes, I can tell you exactly what he's thinking. He's thinking, one less deadbeat to track down at the end of every month. So anyway, if you pay six months ahead for a garage size U-store unit, you're paying about 50 bucks a month. And that's what you pay for a 5x5 foot unit in the states, about 50 bucks a month. And a 5x5 unit's not even as big as a small closet. Just about enough for Tony Soprano to shove a few bodies in and maybe a surfboard.
[08:39] That's it. Which is still more proof of just how low the cost of living is down here compared to up in the states. So if you do sell off most of your stuff up there, what do you do? Well, of course if you're buying new like TVs and washing machines and stuff, you'll find you'll pay first world prices when the stuff's imported from a non-Latin country. The exception being of course China, which always sells stuff a lot cheaper everywhere. And when it's Chinese, you certainly get what you pay for. But anyway, Latin America is such a huge place and there are so many manufacturing facilities that you can buy just about anything down here, much cheaper than in the first world, including appliances, furniture and household goods as long as it's produced in Latin America. For example, if you were to buy a washing machine made by Whirlpool or any of the big
[09:27] well-known brands except the ones that come out of Japan like Samsung, Panasonic, Sony and the ones out of Korea like LG, well you're going to find a lot of very inexpensive items. Not only are products like Whirlpool, GE, KitchenAid, Hotpoint and American Standard made down here in Latin America, big countries like Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia have their own appliance brand names. A lot of them you've never seen or even heard of in the States. The fact is there's such a huge market down here for cheaper appliances. Those appliance companies don't even need the first world as customers, not yet anyway. And the appliances themselves, though much cheaper, are actually pretty decent. They make some pretty good clones of the brand names that we're all familiar with. And many, many of us expats aren't ashamed at all to have them in our houses.
[10:15] Though 5 or 10 years ago those local brand names would have been below our standards for sure. But they're catching up with design and quality control just like China's starting to do. Though I think Latin America is way ahead of the game on that. For example, one brand name you've probably never heard of, which is all over Latin America, is called MABY, M-A-B-E, MABY. And they used to make some pretty horrific stoves, refrigerators and washing machines and dryers when I first got down here some 20 years ago. But these days their stuff can stand side by side with the Japanese and the Koreans, like LG and Samsung, at least in the control panel and the style and looks. Yet you'll pay about a quarter to a third less. And they even offer the very same guarantees and warranties as the Japanese and Korean
[11:00] items. Though I have to tell you that Latin people themselves put a higher psychological value on products coming from the United States, Europe, Japan and Korea. It's like no one's a hero in their hometown, right? So they look at appliances from Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Argentina as kind of second rate. But since people don't have much money at all down here, they buy a ton of that stuff. Because that stuff's not only cheaper but they can get it on a very long term payment plan. But really in a lot of ways the Latin made products are no different in quality from the Japanese or Korean ones, even though they can be much less expensive. I mean really, what's so high tech about a stove, refrigerator or a microwave oven? It's not rocket science, come on. Some of that stuff's been around for 50 even 100 years. Anyway with most appliances people buy them based on looks and price.
[11:47] Like I said before there's no consumer reports down here so it's not like people are buying these things based on efficiency or useful life. Customers are not very curious or sophisticated, they're just into price shopping. And in a way you can't blame them. I mean come on, as long as a refrigerator looks nice and the price is right, it's still gonna last 10 or 20 years for sure, they all do. Anyway, bottom line, as far as the stuff you have up north, sell it off. Have a huge rummage sale, get on Craigslist, come down here with as little as possible and little by little buy what you need. And down here you should know there's a huge market for used furniture and appliances. The fact is the repair guys down here can fix anything. They can make a washer, a dryer, a refrigerator last 30 even 40 years and they do it all the
[12:34] time. And the used stuff is really cheap. And the fact is every time you walk into a neighborhood mall or a big grocery store they have a bulletin board with loads of that stuff. There's always used appliances and furniture for sale. Posted it looks like by desperate sellers. Looks to me a lot of times that these are people on the payment plan who can't make those payments. And some of this stuff looks practically new, believe me. Especially this stuff on the bulletin boards in grocery stores. I don't know why that is but most of that stuff seems to be in pretty good shape. You can tell by the photos. As opposed to the furniture and appliance ads in a classified newspaper. A lot of that stuff you wouldn't burn for firewood. So I recommend bulletin boards at supermarkets and shopping malls above all else. That is when you're going for used stuff.
[13:21] And if you're one of those people that's opposed to buying used stuff I understand that. But think of this. What if you could get a washer and a dryer at half price or less just because it's a little dinged up. I mean who cares what your washing machine looks like. It's sitting in the laundry room next to where the dog sleeps for god's sakes. And remember this. The nicer the area of town the nicer the furniture is going to be. So be sure to check those supermarket bulletin boards in those sections of town. And they'll almost always have nice color photos on the bulletin boards. Whereas if it's in the newspaper classifieds it's too expensive to put a photo in there. And another thing. If it's in the classified newspaper section it always says the items in good or great condition and they use the word nitido, n-i-t-i-d-o which means great condition.
[14:07] Or like new. But they're always lying about that. Remember this is the third world and they've got third world standards. What's good and light new to them can look like crap to us. But because nearly everyone's on the payment plan and they're always defaulting there's a lot of really good stuff out there for cheap. And that's where you can get even for the guys that lowballed you at your rummage sale back in the states. Now it's your turn to clean up. Just offer them a half or three quarters of what they want. Show them the green and a lot of times they'll take it. I've seen it happen a number of times. I've done it myself. Because the fact is it's a cash poor society. No one's a saver. You've never seen so many TVs, bookcases and sofas and beds on the payment plan in your life.
[14:53] You know, no money down 10 bucks a month for 4 or 5 years? That's how the average Latin American gets through life. And it's not just middle class Latins either. It's the upper middle and even the wealthy classes too. Everybody's paying for everything on the payment plan. That's why if you're having a relationship with a middle class guy or gal eventually family members when they get up the nerve are gonna start hitting you up for small loans. And I mean small. The usual number is 10, 20 or even 25 bucks. Now I don't know about you but even 20 or so years ago when I was back up in the states people wouldn't borrow 10, 15, 20, 25 bucks from you unless they were at lunch and actually forgot their wallet or something. But to actually grovel for 20 or 25 bucks? That would be way too embarrassing. No adult I knew back then was in that dire of straits.
[15:41] Except maybe Eddie. But most of Latin America runs like that. From paycheck to paycheck from week to week. Now correct me if I'm wrong but middle class Americans that I know don't buy TVs, radios and bookcases on the $10 a month payment plan. That's strictly white trash isn't it? Though I don't know because I've been out of the states some 20 years. For all I know half America's in the same boat. But down here? That's life. Now let me get to question number three on the email. You do remember that this is a continuation of that email I had last week and never finished don't ya? Anyway here's question number three. He says Johnny what's the best way to communicate back to the states by phone when you're there? How is cell phone reception?
[16:27] Do I need a satellite phone? What works for you? What works when you travel from country to country? Well to answer that concisely like I said in past shows everybody and I mean everyone has a cell phone and about 80% of those cell phones are not on any fixed plan. They're of the prepaid kind and you buy the scratch off cards at gas stations and food markets and vendors selling them on the street. The cheapest card by the way being about 50 cents and the most expensive around $15. And by the way those scratch off cards used to be the thing for the last 5 years or so but now you don't even have to do that anymore. You just go into a gas station, tell them you want minutes in your phone, they call it a recarga which means recharge. You pay the guy for how much time you want and give him your number and he charges your
[17:15] phone up instantly through his official phone which has a code for that gas station or food store or whatever. And the minutes get charged into your phone instantly and you receive an instant text message to that effect. And how is the reception on those phones? Well because there's anywhere between 3 to 5 cell phone companies running things in any Latin American country, some of the phones will have much better reception than others and at each cell phone company store they offer at least 10 or 15 models you can choose from different brand names anywhere from $12 or $15 for the lowest end model up to $5, $6, $7, even $800 for the latest smartphone and iPad stuff. And it really doesn't matter how much you pay for a phone, you can buy the cheapest garbagey phone for $15 and it'll sound terrific.
[18:02] And you can buy one for $50 or $100 and it won't sound half as good. The trick is to buy a name brand like Samsung or LG or Nikoya and not some off brand that you've never heard of. And yes those known brands like Samsung and Nikoya do sell those cheap $15 phones too. And about calling up to the states, well I've used my crummy $15 Samsung phone to call up to the states a hundred times and the sound is crystal clear. And that particular junky phone has a battery that holds its charge for about 5 days too. And yet I've got a smartphone too that I don't like that much. And though it does have pretty good sound and cost me about $125, the battery doesn't stay charged for more than a day and a half. And sometimes I'll get a call on my cheap junky phone and someone will say, Johnny I've
[18:51] been trying to call you on your other phone but you don't answer. Some smartphone huh? It actually screens my calls, even though I don't want it to. And by the way, it's a Samsung. So bottom line folks, you do not need a satellite phone unless you're living way out in the mountains or the boonies. Because there are cell phone towers practically everywhere, except of course in the most remote unpopulated sections. And there's very good fast internet here too, in the smallest town to the biggest cities. In fact, Skype is tremendously popular down here now. Ever since latin's found out it's free if you sign up for the service that's computer to computer. And for others that don't use Skype, the only reason they don't use it now is because they think it costs to sign up, but it doesn't.
[19:38] Oh yeah, and I have to qualify that business about Skype being very popular down here. It's popular with the people that have an internet connection and less than 15% of latin american households have internet at home. But what about when you travel from country to country? That's the other question. Well of course every cell phone company does let you sign up for roaming, but that's very expensive. Have you ever tried it? But the neat thing is that down here in latin america, these big international phone companies that have invaded, they're not just in one or two countries, the same companies are in dozens of countries. For example they have a company called Mobistar and Telefónica and there's Clado, but since you buy that cell phone service within a given latin country, that's where you're programmed
[20:23] to make calls in and out of. So for example if you buy your cell phone service in Nicaragua and you take a trip to Honduras, even though your service provider might be Clado, which is in both countries, your Clado phone bought in Nicaragua won't work in Honduras unless you select roaming, which is very expensive. However to get that phone to work cheaply in Honduras, just like it did in Nicaragua, there is a very simple way to do that. All you have to do is go to any Clado kiosk once you get to Honduras and buy a SIM card for about 6 to 10 bucks, and once you take the old one out and slip the new one in your Clado phone, now you have service in that country, cheap, just like the locals pay. And if you want to dial back to your friends and family in Nicaragua, all you have to do is dial 00 and the area code, dial the number, and you can talk to them at about twice the
[21:12] rate of a local call, but still it's very cheap, especially if you play that little game the locals always do, including expats. Like I mentioned on the show a long long time ago, cell phone companies are in stiff competition against each other, so they offer deals all the time. Every few days, all the big phone companies, their prepaid scratch-off card customers can automatically triple their minutes, if they buy a card on a certain day, and of course on those days which come about once or twice a week for every carrier, people just rush out in hordes to buy those cards and get their triple minutes. So if you normally make a long distance call to the states every once in a while, with one of these prepaid phones, and the normal rate is 20 cents a minute, if you buy your
[21:58] prepaid card on one of those days you get triple minutes, you're only paying a little less than 7 cents a minute to dial the US or another Latin country. And the real amazing news is that some of these carriers like Movistar, will occasionally every couple of weeks or so, offer 4, 5, even 6 times as many minutes if you buy their prepaid card on a certain day. In other words, if you buy a 100 minute card for 12 bucks, for example, you get 600 minutes, not just 100, when you buy on a certain day. And when there's a 6 for 1 offer like that, that means you pay 3 cents a minute to the US or other Latin countries. Now that's a deal. Man, I remember when I first got down to Latin America, you'd pay 3 to 5 bucks a minute to call the US. Of course that was when governments owned all the phone companies before cell phones.
[22:47] And about those double, triple and sextuple minute offers, you don't have to use those triple minutes or sextuple minutes on the day you buy them. Depending how many minutes and what denomination card you bought, those minutes will be stored in your phone anywhere from 3 days to 3 months. The larger the denomination of prepaid card you buy, the longer they'll store those minutes for you. So, for example, if you buy a card on a triple minute day and you only spend 50 cents, which would normally be 5 minutes, but on a triple day, 15 minutes, you might only have 3 days to use those minutes. And yes, you can actually pay 50 cents and get a prepaid card for 5 minutes. Man, isn't that wild. Oh, and by the way, they still have public phones down here. You know where you shove in coins? And guess what? In some countries, you can make a 3-minute phone call for 5 cents.
[23:34] Man, talk about lag time. Phone calls in the States haven't been a nickel since the 1950s. Anyway, we're talking about buying those prepaid phone cards with triple and quadruple and sextuple minutes. For example, if you buy a 100-minute card for 10 or 12 bucks, and it's a triple day so you get 300 minutes, you'll be able to use those stored minutes for a month or more, depending on the carrier and the type of offer they're giving. And by the way, just like in the United States, they have frequent caller plans too. So for example, if you have a prepaid phone with a scratch-off card, you can go down to a company like Telefonica or Clado and tell them that you have 3 favorite numbers, and they'll sign you up for a plan that costs maybe $5 or $6 a month where you can talk to those 3 people for unlimited amounts of time.
[24:19] As long as they all are using the same phone company, like for example, to be in a friend plan like that, everybody has to have the same cell phone provider, whether Clado, Telefonica, Movistar, or whatever. And these plans are extremely popular, believe me, especially with the ladies. Now as a final question, our emailer asks, have you found it's true that there are different dialects in different Latin American countries? And if so, are these dialects an issue? I asked this because I worked in a convenience store in the States, and I tried to speak Spanish to many of the customers, and sometimes there were mistranslations for the same things. For example, matches were sometimes called cajillos and sometimes called phosphoros. What's your take on different Spanish names for the same things? Well to answer that, I found out right away when I got down to Latin America that in different
[25:09] countries there were different names for soda and carbonated drinks, which at first were sometimes confusing. For example, some Latin countries use the word bibida, which means drink. Others use gazillosa, which means carbonated drink, you know, gas. And some of them use the word rifresco, which means refreshment. And others use the word agua or aguas, which technically means water. For example, in Salvador, you go to a cheap little restaurant and they'll have a luncheon menu called an executive menu, which means everything's included. And something like that costs anywhere from 3 to 7 bucks. Depending how nice, clean, and orderly the place is, you know? Or not. Anyway, with the executive menu, you'll get your salad and salada, your soup, sopa, your
[25:54] main dish, which is plato forte, which means strong dish, your pastel, which means paste to your dessert, and your agua, which could mean water or mineral water, or orange juice or lemonade or something called tamarindo, coke, or Pepsi, or Sprite, or 7Up. Anyway, when aguas are included in the meal, that could mean 7Up, or any number of liquid refreshments included in the price of the meal. But to the simple gringo traveler who knows just a little Spanish, when he hears that aguas included, he thinks it's just water. But it's not. Unless, of course, he really does want water. And when our email writer says that some of his Spanish clients that came into the convenience store would either call matches cajillos or phosphoros, cajillos is loosely translated into a tiny box, you know, box of matches.
[26:41] Whereas phosphoros is a very old term, but still used. Because you see, 50 years or so ago, matches were actually made with some phosphorous in them, thus phosphoros. Are you kind of getting it now? Latins have regional terms, even slang terms, for various things, just like we do. We might call a beer a cold one, or a brew, or a brewski, just like our slang terms for money. We've got dough, bucks, mula, bread. And in Spanish, depending what Latin country you're in, they'll say dinero, pisto, moneda, and plata. And plata to me is the only logical one, which means silver in Spanish. You know, when coins were real money. And years ago, all real money in the world was either gold or silver, even in Latin America. And now of course it's not.
[27:28] And that's why their money is just as worthless in real terms as ours is. You've been listening to The Expat Files, living in Latin America, coming to you each week from somewhere south of the border. And don't forget you can email me on anything at all about Latin America, theexpatfiles at gmail.com. Once again, theexpatfiles at gmail.com. See you next time. Nos vemos.