Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the state of dental care in Latin America, discussing issues like lack of regulation, substandard training, and cultural factors influencing dental practices. He also compares first-world health insurance costs with more affordable options in Latin America and highlights the importance of evacuation insurance for expats in regions like Belize.
Johnny begins by discussing the state of dental care in Latin America, noting that dental associations function more as social clubs than regulatory bodies. He explains that many dentists in the region receive their training in substandard schools, leading to poor-quality dental care, especially among the indigenous and lower-class populations. He criticizes the practice of using cheap, unhygienic dental work, such as gold and silver fillings, as a form of superficial status display.
He also touches on the broader cultural issue of self-esteem tied to material possessions in Latin America, comparing it to high school culture in the U.S. Johnny then shifts focus to the cultural and social dynamics of expats in Latin America, emphasizing the importance of owning certain items like a phone or car as a marker of status. He contrasts this with the lower classes, particularly indigenous populations, who may not have the same material possessions but still maintain self-esteem through other means, such as dental work.
Johnny highlights the lack of governmental oversight in the dental profession, noting that many dentists operate without proper licenses or renewal fees, and that government oversight is often underfunded and ineffective. He advises expats to look for signs of quality in a dentist's office, such as modern equipment, cleanliness, and the use of protective gear, even though there is no governmental oversight.
He also notes the cost-effectiveness of dental care in Latin America, despite the lack of modern equipment and regulation. Johnny then discusses the state of dental care in Latin America, highlighting the lack of modern technology and safety measures. He notes that only a small percentage of dentists use advanced equipment, and many offices still use traditional x-ray machines without proper protective measures. He also points out that lead aprons, which protect patients from x-ray exposure, are rarely used, even though they are legally required in some regions.
Johnny suggests that expats can capitalize on this gap by establishing modern dental laboratories in Latin America, which would offer higher quality services and attract local dentists looking for better options. He also touches on the cost of orthodontic treatments in Latin America, noting that they are significantly cheaper than in the U.S., with costs ranging from $750 to $1,500 for children's braces.
He discusses the rise of HMO-style health insurance plans in the region, which offer expats more choices in healthcare coverage. Johnny then shifts focus to the cost of health insurance in the first world and compares it to the more affordable options available in Latin America. He highlights that private hospitals in Latin America offer first-world quality care at a fraction of the cost, often with modern facilities and professional staff. He also mentions the importance of attending his expat wisdom seminars to experience these medical facilities firsthand and to understand the various medical plans available.
Finally, Johnny addresses concerns about medical care in Belize, noting that while it can handle minor issues, serious medical problems require travel to neighboring countries like Guatemala or Honduras for first-world treatment. He references his doctor friend and a friend who owns a condo in the K's islands to illustrate the limited medical resources and the importance of evacuation insurance. He also warns against real estate pitches in the region, suggesting that many are motivated by commission rather than genuine interest in expat life.
Topics
Dental care in Latin America, Regulation of medical and dental professions, Cultural factors influencing dental practices, Self-esteem and material possessions in Latin America, Cultural dynamics of expats in Latin America, Social status and material possessions, Dental care and professional regulation, Government oversight and underfunding, Cost-effectiveness of healthcare in Latin America, Opportunities for expats in the dental industry, Cost of orthodontic treatments, Health insurance in Latin America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:50 Dental Associations in Latin America: More Social Clubs Than Regulatory Bodies 00:01:54 The Prevalence of Substandard Dental Work in Latin America 00:04:41 The Lack of Preventive Dentistry and Cultural Factors Influencing Dental Practices 00:05:37 Expats and Material Status in Latin America 00:06:34 Self-Esteem and Dental Work in Lower Classes 00:07:58 Lack of Regulation in the Dental Profession 00:09:37 Quality Control and Government Oversight 00:11:29 Dental Equipment and Cost-Effectiveness 00:13:21 Opportunities for Expats in the Dental Industry 00:14:29 Orthodontic Treatments and Costs in Latin America 00:16:34 Health Insurance in Latin America 00:17:01 Cost of Health Insurance in the First World 00:17:03 Affordable Health Insurance in Latin America 00:17:27 Quality of Medical Care in Latin America 00:18:28 Public vs. Private Medical Facilities in Latin America 00:19:20 Medical Plans and Language Barriers 00:21:13 Medical Care in Belize 00:23:02 Why International Companies Provide Health Insurance in Belize 00:23:59 The Economic and Medical Limitations of Belize 00:26:28 The Bottom Line: Belize is Not Ready for Retirees
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wonder My thoughts ever straight 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 so let's get started Now since I never seem to finish anything I start talking about today I'm gonna continue with health care health insurance and good old medical tourism and on my last show I did talk a little bit about dentistry down here And I'll add a few more tidbits on that subject too since I do get a lot of diverse questions about it
[00:50] So to answer one of those dentistry questions there is a dental association in every Latin American country They've got their own But it's kind of like the rotary club you just join and hang out with the guys and you go out to dinner every month Or so and talk about what's on your mind not much to do with dentistry probably you know Just basically a social club and the same thing goes for Latin medical associations though They do offer local members continuing education courses, which is very good But unlike the first world no medical or dental professional is required to take any continuing education courses to keep their medical or dental Licenses valid just know that these medical and dental Associations don't have any power over their members at all and let's talk more about dentists for a moment We'll get to the physicians later since dentists are kind of isolated little islands unto their own and physicians are always rubbing elbows
[01:41] With each other because they work in the same hospitals anyway as far as for example bringing a dentist up on Disciplinary charges for some crappy substandard work that he's done well Let me tell you if that actually did happen Three-quarters of the dentists in Latin America would have had their licenses revoked by now and that's because dentists get their training down here In Latin America at Latin American dental schools, which are always substandard compared to first world dental schools Though there are some specialists like and Adonis and periodontists who did receive their training up in the first world But you have to search a bit to find one But note it's a completely different story with medical doctors and specialists a good share of those guys Received their specialties up in the States or in Europe and all you have to do is check out their diplomas. It's that easy
[02:30] Anyway about the dentist how the hell do I know that more than half of them do crappy work? Well, I'll tell you if you could have a look at my personal collection of photos You'd see quite a few pictures of dental offices and dental labs that you wouldn't send your dog to if he had a bad tooth and like I mentioned before a lot of very bad dentistry and of course ultra cheap dentistry to is Performed on the indigenous population and the lower-class folks It seems that down here amongst the poor folks really bad dentistry is actually in big demand Because they seem to think that hunks of gold silver and who knows even lead when it's cemented or inlaid into their front teeth Must have some definite coolness factor in a market distinction and as on PC as this might sound it shows that they're low-class and uneducated Just like those snaggle-tooth rappers and gang boys up in the States
[03:17] I mean, let's face it. There are no physicists Mathematicians or rocket scientists with racks of gold front teeth now I could be wrong but body modification techniques like that do not put you on the short list for a management position Not usually unless you work for Snoop Dogg or Def Jam Records And I'm telling you you see just a ton of that horrible kind of dentistry down here The fact is every North American dentist that sees that kind of work will tell you it's not clean It's not hygienic. It's not good at all for whatever teeth you've got left in your mouth So who's installing that substandard crap Latin American dentists, of course And they know it's against everything they've been taught in dental school, but they still do it Why for the money, of course, and I should say that not all Latin American dentists will do that kind of crap work only
[04:05] about half of them and Those are the guys us expats want to stay away from at all costs. I mean, here's a society that doesn't floss They brush maybe once a day But very superficially and only go to the dentist when they're racked with pain Then they save their pennies to have nasty silver and gold-plated junk glued to their front teeth Even though I've been told by upscale dentists here in Latin America dentists who have the scruples not to do that stuff They say that the mostly indigenous folks who demand that kind of work have Minefields of cavities and decay going on in the rest of their mouth, but if it doesn't hurt it doesn't matter to them There's no such thing as checkups or preventive dentistry down here not with the middle and lower classes anyway But again, even with the lower classes, it's all about the show
[04:51] Remember what I said about Latin self-esteem in my earlier shows I said basically this for middle upper middle class and wealthy Latins Their self-esteem is directly tied to what they own in other words You are what you own and Latins look at the next guy that way too for them It's all about the car the jewelry the smartphone the clothes. It's a very superficial society In fact middle and upper class Latins remind me a lot of high school kids up in the States in order to be cool And to fit in they have to show off their gadgets their clothes and their cars Don't they and by the way you guys up in Cleveland there? What kind of smartphone do you have? And you know, I've seen a lot of proof of this Latin self-esteem problem I can't tell you how many times a Latin person has said to me Johnny
[05:37] I can't believe you a gringo has one of those cheap throwaway phones. You don't have an iPhone How come and I usually reply Julio. I have no desire to get mugged Is that a good enough reason for you and you know, let's are plenty smart enough to have realized that but it still doesn't matter For them being cool and respected is worth the risk again down here You are what you own and by the way, if you're a low-profile gringo or expat You can dress way down and use a junky phone That's highly recommended and the Latins will still give you all the respect in the world because you've got that gringo advantage Which works just as well for you whether you've got an SUV or an iPhone or not So if for the middle and upper class Latins, you are what you own then for the lower classes and especially the indigenous
[06:26] population which in some countries like Peru Bolivia Guatemala and Ecuador make up over half of the country's people for them because they're Broke and don't own much their self-esteem has a lot to do with what kind of metal they've got plastered on their front teeth Does that make sense? Come on if dentists in the States did that kind of horrible work. They'd have had their licenses pulled a long time ago That's why down here in the poorer and lower class sections of town and especially in the indigenous communities You'll see a lot of hole-in-the-wall dental offices with hand-painted signs that say dentista or on dolo Which means the same thing and these are offices set up basically in a garage I'd say a quarter of the dentists in Latin America work out of garage fronts like that
[07:11] And I'd also venture to guess that a lot of these guys don't exactly have their dental licenses And if they do they just may not have paid the renewal fee on that license for years and years And by the way, some countries have no license renewal and others have fees from about 7 to 25 bucks And that could be good for up to 10 years And you know what as long as they're in a crappy neighborhood or in a small town just treating indigenous people or the working poor If a dentist sets up shop there and doesn't quite have his license or paperwork in order No one will ever be the wiser because Latin governments even though most of them have dental schools on their university campuses The fact is just like most things that are supposed to be under the watchful eye of government The department in charge like everything else is underfunded
[07:58] Undermanned and basically just lazy and operating on manana time and though this might sound a bit crazy to you most expats I know Hardly approve of that system not hardly Hardly so when it comes to medical doctors dentists and other professionals you're on your own to find a good one yourself Which is okay with me and all my expat friends. I'm telling you It's so much better than the other alternative which is massive big brother Overregulation and the Nazi jackboot tactics they use to get you to comply Like I said so many times before to find a good first world style medical doctor or dentist Just walk into an office and look at the diplomas have a good walk around and check out the place for cleanliness
[08:43] Make sure the equipment doesn't look like Soviet surplus or it's from the Frankenstein era and definitely when it comes to selecting a good dentist Find out a little about the dental lab the guy uses and keep this in mind since there's no government agency Really watching any of these guys they can pretty much do anything they want in their offices Basically run their little shop any way they wish but look if you find a dentist with reasonably modern equipment and the patient bathroom Is clean and has real paper towels not just one scummy dish towel on a hook and then you notice that the dentist Changes his gloves between every patient and doesn't answer the cell phone with those same gloves another very good sign and even better he uses eye protection or a flip-down spit shield as expat Eddie calls it and the
[09:30] Pista resistance if your dentist uses magnifier loops when he's checking your teeth Then you've really found the right guy Why because even though those sanitary and quality control measures are mandated up in the first world except for maybe the magnifier loops Some dentists down here will go the extra mile and use that stuff, too But the fact is since down here there is no governmental oversight not that I can see anyway So any dentist who consistently uses those measures I just mentioned is definitely concerned about quality because all that extra stuff cost money the gloves the loops the spit shield The disposables and all that and he knows he doesn't really have to do that because no one's watching But he does it anyway, so then you might ask isn't he gonna be more expensive well
[10:17] I say more expensive than what more expensive than the guy down the street working out of a you storage unit Well, I can guarantee you this if you're off the tourist trail and you find a really good dentist You're still gonna pay a quarter or less of what you'd pay for the same treatments up in the first world And sure you could get dental treatments for a fifth or a sixth of what you'd pay up in the states if you go to Those low-rent dentists that indigenous and poor people go to but I don't think you're coming down here to Latin America to get 1950s dentistry now are you oh and here's another thing I have to tell you that not even half the dentists in Latin America even have an x-ray machine Not even an old black bakelite ritter model direct from Frankenstein's lab So that's one easy way to separate the men from the boys If you walk into a dentist's office no matter how nice it looks or how many times he changes his gloves if he doesn't even
[11:06] Have an x-ray machine. Well, you're gonna be in trouble. Not that I have any great love for x-rays I don't but I'm sure you guys know by now that up in the states all good dentists now have x-ray machines that are Electronically enhanced you might have noticed these days when you have a dental x-ray that plastic thing you bite on has a wire Leading to a control panel and the actual x-ray exposure is almost negligible But down here in Latin America forget about it only about one in five hundred dentists might have one of those Why because they're so damn expensive only a large group dental practice could afford that So if you're looking for a dentist that uses that technology, you're gonna look long and hard Believe me. Oh and another more basic thing in most of the offices that do have traditional x-ray machines
[11:51] The dentist will routinely hold the film in your mouth with his finger Exposing himself to the x-rays who knows how many times a day? Oh and another thing that lead apron were so used to using at our dentist in the states Well, I'd say only about half the dentist with x-ray machines will protect their patients with one of those. Why? Because they're expensive too. And even though it's probably Legislated in a medical code down here somewhere again There's no oversight and no enforcement and you might ask does the general public complain about that? Don't make me laugh. What planet are you from people here at all? Socio-economic levels don't even read books. Oh sure Some of them read newspaper headlines the sports pages and their horoscopes, of course
[12:37] And by the way for such a Christian society, there's an awful lot of horoscopes being read Anyway, aside from that little bit of hypocrisy what old Latins know about x-ray exposure and lead aprons basically zero Which means no one ever complains So don't forget to add that to your wish list when you're hunting out a dentist Oh, and by the way as far as business opportunities for expats, like I said in my last show There's a dire need for good dental laboratories down here with first world modern very up-to-date porcelain Fabrication equipment, you know up in the states many upscale dentists buy the whole kitten caboodle themselves and they have their laboratory Right on the premises and that's the best of all worlds But down here no single dentist could possibly afford to do that So the business opportunity would be to come down here and start one of these first world labs
[13:27] Buy all the best and most modern equipment and of course you'd be the boss But you'd be training locals to do the real work and yes from the get-go You'd have to be a little bit more expensive than the other labs which basically turn out crap But I guarantee you you would steal all the business from these crappy labs if you just went to each dentist and made him An offer he couldn't refuse just do their first case for free No strings attached and you know the dentists that are not very good sloppy ones that don't care and do horse crap work Well, they won't bite because everything's about the bottom line for them and you'll be a bit higher But the quality dentists the ones that try hard they're gonna be your clients and you'll be famous in no time So you just locate yourself in a medium to large-sized city off the tourist trail, of course And you make sure you hire a guy with a motorcycle
[14:13] He'll be doing your pickups and deliveries for same day or next day service Which is also something you never see down here with traditional labs. Yep, the gringo advantage rides again Anyway, you get the idea. That's how expats really take off and make a killing in business down here now one more thing about dentistry Latin style a lot of people email me asking about the price of Orthodontics both for children and adults and like up in the states you see more and more adults with braces But you don't see adults with the fancy ceramic or colored brackets like you see up in the states nor do you hear about dentists offering? Hidden braces, you know the ones that cost a few grand more but are basically invisible The thing is down here where your self-esteem is tied into what you have or what you can buy a Latin person
[15:00] Just wouldn't have any bragging rights at all If when he smiled you couldn't see his braces heck no that wouldn't do it all well down here off the tourist trail Anyway, there's just no consumer demand for the hidden ones And that's why so many entitled young teenage girls strut around those high-end shopping malls Showing off the bandage from their recent nose job. It's the same effect when they flash the full metal braces at you in effect They're saying look at me. I'm important. I can afford to have these things just like kids in the first world So what do they cost? Well for children? You're talking about anywhere from $750 to maybe 1,500 and that's where your standard metal brackets of course whereas up in the states you're looking at from five to eight thousand And yes, a lot of general dentists will do that kind of work down here as well as orthodontist
[15:49] And yes, the trained orthodontist will charge a little bit more. They'll be closer to the $1,500 range and of course again I'm talking about off the tourist trail and on the tourist trail like in Chile and Costa Rica You can expect to pay double that still a hell of a deal in half the price of what should pay up in the states but why go on the tourist trail if you can save half again when you're in Bolivia Honduras or Guatemala and just to straighten you Out the cost for adult braces are about the same as for children's braces And if you have adult braces up in the states You're gonna pay 500 to $2,500 more than for children's braces because adults up there don't want a couple of years of metal mouth They almost always go for the more expensive invisible ones Okay, now let's move on to general health care You need to know there's been a virtual explosion of HMO style insurance health care plans down here in Latin America
[16:40] You better believe I've been getting a lot of emails on that stuff, too I mentioned before that if you're off the tourist trail up till about two years ago Gringo's and expats down here didn't have much choice when it came to getting on a health care insurance plan sure there are International plans that give you coverage everywhere offered by the usual first world health care giants And depending on your coverage and deductible they'll cost a single person about 50 years old anywhere from 500 to a thousand bucks a month and Much more if you have a family first world prices all the way and always going up never down But why pay that crazy amount of dough when you can come down here to Latin America and get an equivalent or even better Plan for 50 to 100 bucks a month We're talking about an eighth to a tenth of what you'd pay for the same thing up in the first world
[17:27] And I know what your next question is gonna be are they really the same as first world plans in a word yes And sometimes even better as a matter of fact on my last expat wisdom seminar I brought my group of people to just that kind of hospital And I had one of the residents who spoke perfect English give us a tour through the whole place and Every last first worlder in my group who came through that hospital was quite amazed Not just that the place was loaded with first world equipment or that the people were very professional The place was organized clean in fact spic and span You see the most amazing thing for my group was that they just couldn't believe there was only one Person sitting in the emergency room because they were all thinking about what emergency rooms are like up in the first world
[18:12] you know a certain amount of chaos and stressed out doctors and nurses and balls to the wall with people and The people in my expat wisdom group kept asking why only one person in the emergency room Well the answer is simple only people who can afford it or have medical insurance Can go to private hospitals the rest of the public the 90 to 95 percent of the common and poor people are forced to go to the government Funded public hospitals which are understaffed underfunded the equipment is junk And they're short of all the basic resources like gloves paper products syringes and other disposables, but you know that story I've talked about it before anyway the private hospitals in Latin America are for that scant 5% of the population that can afford to go and by the way if you want to go on a personal tour of one of these
[19:00] Flying hospitals meet the doctors see the equipment talk to the GPs the nurses the specialists and see exactly what I'm talking about You'll have to come down to one of my expat wisdom seminars because we spend a day doing a hospital and medical tour and visit Hospitals and medical buildings that I recommend and also talk in detail about the various medical plans Gringos and expats can sign up for but unfortunately you see all the plans are in Spanish So you have to come down to one of my expat wisdom seminars where we do the whole trip in English That way you have everything you need to know and by the way on that hospital Medical tour I took my group to a medical specialty building where you can find the offices of 300 plus medical specialists and at least
[19:46] 25% of those did their training in the first world and if you're wondering how up-to-date and modern this professional building is well Let me just mention that it's about five years old 20 stories high and has a heliport on the roof So if you want a handheld private tour come down to one of my seminars And I'll show you how to get first world care and save five to ten thousand bucks a year on your health care insurance You really have to come down and see for yourself and the fact is expat wannabes worry about having access to first world health Care, it's one of the things that stops many of them from making the move So they have this fear that when medical problems set in they'll be stuck in a third world country with cheap But substandard third world medical care too, which is absolutely not true And that's why I get so many emails about it
[20:33] It doesn't matter how much I talk about it how much proof I can give you to alleviate your fears still There's always those nagging doubts and the only way you're gonna experience for yourself What it's really like face-to-face and see that what I'm saying is 100% true is to come down here to one of my seminars And let me take you by the hand and walk you along on my health care tour The fact is I not only guarantee you'll be duly impressed But I bet when you go back home, you'll tell all your friends about it. And how do I know that? well, that's because people who have taken on the tour have said as much and By the way just as an aside here I get a lot of emails from people asking me why I don't recommend Belize Except of course if you move to the Belize case which are first world expensive to me Belize is just flat
[21:20] Humid hot and quite boring actually, but some people like boring, you know The thing is most expats are gonna come down here and live permanently They're gonna retire and live as long and as happily as they possibly can And to do that, you need a few basic things You need a good organic diet and you need low stress and you can have all that in Belize But there's one thing you can't have and that's first world modern high-tech medical care Now a friend of mine who's a doctor up in Chicago has been on many volunteer medical trips to places in Latin America including Belize Anyway, this is what he says about Belize He says if you live there the doctors can handle almost every minor problem that you can have including fractures and infections and
[22:06] Appendicitis stuff like that and he says they have a few basic but good hospitals But only in a handful of the bigger cities, but he said and listen to this all of these hospitals and clinics are many years Behind first world standards. They all lack the first world facilities like we're used to in the US and in the neighboring Latin countries of Guatemala Honduras and Mexico where they do have 100% first world facilities But he says if you have any serious medical problems you just have to get out of Belize right away and go to a neighboring country like Honduras or Guatemala and get real first world treatment there and according to my doctor friend who says that expats who work for international corporations like Siemens and Nestle's for example, the company gives them international health care insurance coverage naturally and
[22:57] evacuation coverage to a first world facility Outside of Belize now Why do you think international companies provide that service because the Belize medical system is not equipped to handle certain emergencies? And here's another thing, you know, Belize does not have a medical school It's such a small country that all the doctors they have there have been imported from Guatemala or Cuba Or Mexico and you know, if you don't have a medical school in your country There's no place to go for advanced continuing education And since doctors and beliefs are not wealthy by any means they don't fly to medical conventions in Cancun or Panama City That's just out of the question financially So bottom line police could be a nice choice to retire in if you like hot muggy and a kind of Mayberry lifestyle
[23:43] But you won't get true first world style medical care even in Belize City Which only has a population of 60,000 people Now compare that to a city of that size in the States which will certainly have one or two good hospitals Equipped to handle almost anything But remember Belize is a third world country and 90 to 95 percent of the population is so poor They could never afford a private hospital So in effect a town like Belize City has maybe five thousand people total that can afford a private hospital Now picture a town in the States that has five thousand people So basically like my doctor friend in Chicago says in his opinion the private hospitals and clinics in Belize City the largest city in the country offer about the same level of care as a
[24:30] hospital or clinic in a US town of about five or six thousand people Like he said it's not a place you want to be if you had a heart attack or a stroke or needed a liver operation or kidney dialysis Any kind of moderate to severe chronic problem and you don't want to be in Belize not even Belize City And you know, there's nothing wrong with the doctors and the hospital and the clinics there It's just that they don't have the money nor the volume of people to support any decent level of first world technology And if that doesn't convince you that Belize is not a good place if you've got any kind of chronic medical condition that requires extra care or uncommon treatments or medications did you know that there's not one board certified oncologist in all of Belize and
[25:15] Belize has no facility for radiation therapy either which I'm totally against anyway And I would choose alternative therapies every time but still you have to have a choice Right and though medical care is very cheap in Belize if it has anything to do with cancer It's gonna cost you an arm and a leg even something as simple as a biopsy can cost Thousands of bucks since samples must be sent out of the country and the waiting period to get results can be two weeks to a Month. So what about those famous K's the islands where they have those first world condos all over the place and high-rises Well, according to one friend of mine who's got a condo and hamburgers K The largest and most famous of the islands and still it's only got 13,000 people Well, here's what my friend says about the medical care there
[26:01] He says if you live there, you really need to have evacuation insurance to get you to a first world style hospital He told me if he had a heart attack or a stroke He would surely die before he got any good medical attention at all Though he did say there were some very good first world doctors on the island first world doctors that own townhouses and condos down there So like he said if you're gonna have a medical emergency, make sure you have it when one of those guys is down on vacation So the bottom line is this if someone tries to sell you on Belize someone who's been living as an expat They're a long time Just make sure you'd ask them what they do if they happen to have a heart attack or a stroke would they have that first world? Evacuation insurance at a ridiculous first world price Well, I'd say for older expats who plan on retiring police is not yet ready for prime time. Sorry
[26:51] Oh and just another thing if someone tries to sell you on Belize or any place in Latin America If they're giving you a real estate pitch I'd be awful leery because remember I've been down here more than 20 years and personally I don't take much stock in gringos or locals that are all excited about ground floor opportunities Usually their agenda is to sell some real estate Get a nice fat commission from a starry-eyed gringo and locals with money who've been around here a lot longer than we have Are even more clueless than starry-eyed gringos They put their money into sinkholes all the time and my advice rent don't buy there's a bubble here, too And it's gonna burst so rent You've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America
[27:41] Coming to you each week from somewhere south of the border and don't forget you can email me on anything at all about Latin America The expat files at gmail.com. See you next time