Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the complexities of expat life in Latin America, from the economic instability in Venezuela to the affordability of Central America. He shares personal anecdotes, discusses the prevalence of scams, and offers practical advice for expats navigating the region. Whether you're considering a move or planning a trip, this episode provides valuable insights into the opportunities and risks of living and traveling in Latin America.
Johnny highlights the difficulties of living in Venezuela, including economic instability, currency controls, and the black market. He recommends Central America as a more affordable option for expats, emphasizing the need to avoid tourist-heavy areas like Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, and Mexico. He also warns about the risks of scams and the importance of being cautious, especially in areas with a high concentration of expats.
He discusses the cost of living in Central American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and parts of El Salvador, noting that most goods are significantly cheaper than in the United States, except for fuel and electricity. He highlights the impact of multinational corporations setting up manufacturing plants in Latin America, which allows for the production of goods at lower costs. He uses the example of Kellogg's Cornflakes, which is now available at third-world prices in these countries, contrasting it with the higher prices that were common a few years ago due to import duties.
Johnny recounts his experiences as an expat in Venezuela, highlighting the challenges of dealing with economic instability, high prices, and the need for negotiation skills. He describes a situation where he successfully negotiated a better deal for a beer by using his knowledge of the black market exchange rate. He also discusses the broader context of crime in Latin America, comparing Venezuela and Mexico, and mentions his upcoming cruise trip as a potential opportunity for expats.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses a cruise experience he had in Latin America, emphasizing the unique cultural and linguistic aspects of the journey. He highlights the cruise line's all-inclusive nature, the diverse mix of passengers from various Latin American countries, and the language dynamics aboard the ship. Johnny also shares his personal experience of taking a shore excursion in Venezuela, despite warnings about the dangers, and mentions the overall value and appeal of the cruise as a vacation option for expats.
Johnny recounts his experience disembarking in Caracas, Venezuela, where he and other cruise passengers encountered gunshots early in the morning, which significantly impacted their comfort level. He highlights the contrast between the usual calm and clean ports of Latin America and the chaotic environment in Caracas. Johnny also discusses the safety concerns and cost differences of various tour options, emphasizing the importance of using the tourist information center to book tours at a lower price. He shares a personal anecdote about how he avoided being robbed by not dressing or acting like the typical upscale cruise passengers.
Johnny Mueller discusses the behavior and lifestyle of upscale Latin individuals, particularly those who take cruises. He highlights that only the upper one or two percent of the Latin population can afford such trips, and these individuals are known for their extravagant displays of wealth, including expensive clothing, jewelry, and accessories. He notes that these individuals often travel in style, with a classist attitude, and that they may not bring their usual entourage, such as bodyguards or maids, on cruises. Johnny also mentions that while they can get away with their behavior in certain parts of Latin countries, they may face more challenges in places like Venezuela, where crime is prevalent.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller recounts an anecdote about his experience in Venezuela, where he faced racial discrimination from a local man at an Apple store. The man, who was also an expat, shared his own experiences with theft and how he has learned to protect his iPad by intentionally damaging it. The man explains that stolen iPads with broken screens have little market value, which is why he keeps his iPad in a fractured state to deter thieves. The segment ends with a brief promotional message for The Expat Files podcast.
Topics
Expat Life in Latin America, Economic Challenges in Venezuela, Budget-Friendly Expat Options in Central America, Scams and Con Artists in Latin America, Cost of living in Central America, Impact of multinational corporations in Latin America, Economic implications of factory relocation, Expatriate life and planning, Negotiation skills for expats, Crime rates in Latin America, Cruise travel opportunities for expats, Cruise experience in Latin America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:41 Venezuela: A Warning for Expat Travelers 00:01:06 South America's Rising Costs and Expat Options 00:02:27 The Gringo Advantage in Venezuela 00:03:01 Why Central America is a Better Option for Budget Expatting 00:03:45 The Risks of Scams in Popular Expat Destinations 00:05:11 Central America as the Best Option for Low Budget Expatting 00:05:36 Recommendations for Central American Countries 00:06:06 Multinational Corporations in Latin America 00:06:51 Affordable Goods and Local Production 00:10:48 The Economic Challenges in Venezuela and the Need for Negotiation Skills 00:12:29 The Broader Context of Crime in Latin America and the Comparison Between Venezuela and Mexico 00:14:47 The Potential Opportunity for Expats: The Best Cruise Deal in the World 00:15:32 Introduction to the Cruise Experience 00:15:44 Encouragement to Stay Tuned for the Cruise Report 00:16:34 Recommendation for the Cruise and Language Considerations 00:18:18 Interesting Details About the Cruise Itinerary 00:19:27 Personal Experience with Shore Excursion in Venezuela 00:19:45 Gunshots in Caracas: A Disturbing First Impression 00:20:16 Contrasting Port Experiences: Caracas vs. Other Latin American Destinations 00:20:34 Passenger Behavior and Safety Concerns in Caracas 00:23:39 The Upper 1-2% of Latin Population and Their Cruises 00:24:03 The Display of Wealth and Classist Attitudes 00:25:33 Crime in Venezuela and Its Impact on Tourists 00:26:38 Anecdote about Racial Discrimination in Venezuela 00:26:59 Expat's Experience with Theft and iPad Protection 00:27:30 Promotional Message for The Expat Files Podcast
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:14] Hello there all you expat 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. Okay folks, today, as with the last show, I'm recording in the beautiful people's paradise of Venezuela, a place you've probably figured out by now. I don't recommend expatting there at all or even visiting. I mean, for any but the most experienced and adventurous expat travelers and even if you do you better really know you're Spanish. Now just a warning, if you do. Try to be as inconspicuous as possible, which is tough because there are almost no gringo
[01:01] tourists down here anymore at all, thanks to Chavez's brand of socialism. Now for you gringo tourists, expats and guannabes and wannabes, let me tell you that South America is getting pretty damn expensive so if you're on a budget and all you've really got to live on let's say is a measly social security check of 1200 to 1500 a month, you could always count on really good pickings in Central America if you avoided Belize, Costa Rica and Panama, which of course are first world expensive and so gringoized, well you might as well stay in Miami. But you should realize that South America is getting pretty damn expensive and it looks like the only way you could swing a first world lifestyle on a social security check is in Paraguay for one and get this Venezuela. And why Venezuela?
[01:47] Because of the currency controls, the black market, the two tiered monetary system and the shortage of dollars down there. So if you can somehow get dollars into that country and change them for the local currency boulevards on the street, the so called black market or alternative market, instead of changing them for the government's crappy official rate at the bank. You really can live like a king or queen on a social security check but who knows how long that's going to last, I mean something is going to break there and it's going to be bad. And that means it's going to be better yet if you have dollars. But the trade off is commodity shortages and civil unrest so who needs that right? But note, you'll have a huge gringo advantage if you end up going down there. But man if you try to expat too or do business in Venezuela, you'll really have to
[02:36] keep your eyes open. Like I said it's not for the faint of heart. Now the fact is, you can still live a pretty decent first world lifestyle on a basic social security check in many other countries in South America but only if you do live outside a medium or large sized city. So if you don't mind living out in the booties, in a small town or quite a ways away from a big city, you can still pull it off. But why go that far when you can go to Honduras, Salvador, Guatemala or Nicaragua? If you're on a budget, especially a strict budget like a social security check, Central America is your best deal all around. Except again for Belize, Costa Rica and Panama. However if you have cash and money is not much of an object, you might think you could
[03:21] live a safe protected life anywhere. But that's not true, just look at Mexico. And Argentina for that matter. A country that's nowhere near as dangerous as Mexico but whose economy is in a shambles and it's crashing and burning right now. As you know, so there's nothing but uncertainty there so it's not recommended. And I never recommend Panama or Costa Rica either. Simply because there's no gringo advantage there anymore and people are jaded and contaminated by the gringo dollar as well as the fact that those places are now just loaded with crooks and con artists whose specialty is preying on and ripping off gringos. Especially those fresh newly arrived starry eyed gringos who let their guard down as soon as they get hit in the face with a tropical air as they get off the airplane.
[04:09] And I oughta know because 20 some years ago I was one of those starry eyed idiots too. Only back then there wasn't a sophisticated contingent of real estate and legal rip off artists. And here's one good rule to follow. Beware of anyone that warms up to you a bit too fast and tries to be your friend. That's pretty much a sure sign that you've been marked and there's a con coming. And you know the funny thing is I've met a lot of latin con men in my day always on the tourist trail and at first anyway they're very likeable guys and gals. But that's their gift and that's how they skin ya. So when on the tourist trail have your antenna up for that. Now when you're off the gringo tourist trail it's much different because well there's just not enough gringos around to develop scams like that.
[04:54] When there's so few gringos it just doesn't pay. So then what about low budget expatting and retiring in latin america? What's it looking like these days? Well after weighing out the pros and cons of the 20 latin american countries. I have to say if you're not mister and miss' money bags central america is the way to go. In central america if you remain off the tourist trail that is avoid panama, Costa Rica, Belize and of course Mexico. And by the way Mexico is not central america. Look it up it's considered part of North America. Actually it should be considered part of the Southwestern United States don't you think? But that's another sad story you won't get into right now. You know what I'm talking about. So anyway in the countries I recommend in central america that is
[05:39] Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and parts of Salvador. In those countries everything you buy is about a third of what it is up in the states except for fuel and electricity. And most stuff imported from the first world. Notice I said here imported from the first world. And you know when I mention that to people they say oh man but everything cools imported from the first world. Well I beg to differ. Nearly every big first world conglomerate and international corporation has now set up manufacturing plants throughout Latin America. And that's why these days and here's a good example. You could buy something first world like Kellogg's Cornflakes at third world Latin prices. Whereas just a few years back you'd pay first world prices or even a little more.
[06:28] Why? Because they had to be imported from the states. Now I'm not advocating Kellogg's Cornflakes but when you go into the grocery store you'll find various brands of cornflakes. Kellogg's Cornflakes and a couple of local brands of cornflakes that are just as good or bad depending how educated you are about processed foods. Anyway you'll get a lot of brands and a lot of variety these days. All of them at very cheap third world prices. Even the Kellogg's brand. Now five or six years ago the Kellogg's brand would have been twice the price. More than first world prices due to import duties. But Kellogg's is all over Latin America now so they produce virtually the same product with very cheap third world labor. I mean when you can pay your workers minimum wage which is about 250 to 300 bucks a month
[07:18] you can sell your products at third world prices. Isn't that why all the big factories left the USA? To get out from under unions and high labor costs? Now I'm not making a value judgment here it's just the way it is. Before I get on with some more wild and crazy stories from my experiences here in Venezuela. And by the way next stop Colombia. Let me remind you again that you can go to expatwisdom.com and click on the latin seminar link to sign up for my expat wisdom off the tourist trail seminar. That'll be taking place in July about almost two months from now. So head on over to expatwisdom.com for full details you won't regret it. And again the seminar will be in Central America off the gringo tourist trail.
[08:03] In and around a number of places I highly recommend if you plan on becoming an expat. And not surprisingly a good percentage of my previous seminar attendees are actually living down here now. Surprise surprise they really must have liked it huh? Which means of course if you come down to my next seminar you're going to meet some of these people and can talk to them personally. So get off the fence and make some plans to come down here and see what the gringo advantage is all about. Okay now again since I'm in Venezuela I have to warn you. The equipment is not off the snuff and sometimes I might sound like I'm lisping. Meaning occasionally there's some kind of unintended audio clipping going on which I can't control so just bear with me. Anyway last show I left off by telling you that the tour guide on the tour bus in Caracas
[08:51] that took us up to that cool Swiss made tram ride that took you up to that spectacular mountain site. Well when we got to the parking lot where the tram began before we even got off the bus the tour guide proceeded to rip each and every one of us foreigners off for a couple of bucks. All 25 of us being foreigners from other Latin countries except for me of course the sole gringo. The tour guide ripped us off on the admission ticket to the tram and since there were about 25 of us that's 80 to 100 bucks or two months salary at the minimum wage and there are only two people in that bus the driver and the tour guide to split that extra dough. So the way it shakes out for them every time they take a group of foreigners up to that ride
[09:37] they each get to skim an extra month's wages. Pretty good pickings huh? And if you recall from the last show I mentioned that I found out they were skimming from us because I went up to the ticket booth myself and asked the price of a ticket. It was a hundred boulevards about a buck and a half yet they charged us five bucks each in the tour bus while we were still in the parking lot. They kept us all rounded up in the bus around the parking lot so we wouldn't go up to the ticket counter ourselves which was about a block away. Of course we didn't know it was a ploy then but we know it now. Then when our little group got out of the bus they never let us pass the ticket taker. We were directed in the opposite direction to the tram ride itself. The object was never to let us see the posted price
[10:24] but because I was born nosy I ran up to the ticket counter and checked. I was the only one to do that. So after I found out that information I went back to the little group and confronted that tour guide lady and I said you know you ripped us all off it's only a hundred boulevards to take that ride. With that she gave me a doe-eyed look of innocence and shrugged and with a kind of a nervous surprise in her voice she said oh really I wasn't aware of that as if it was breaking news to her. Total BS of course and I said it loud enough so that quite a few people on the tour heard me. They just looked at me and shrugged they didn't like it but like one guy from Brazil said a ride like this in Brazil would cost 20 bucks not five so to him it was a good deal.
[11:10] Anyway you get what I mean everyone in Venezuela is trying to gouge you not because they're innately criminals it's because they have to eat. Now remember with a minimum wage of about 50 bucks a month and 90% of the population earning that there's a lot of scamming and scrabbling going on I can tell you that. For example when we got to the top of the mountain they have a couple of nice little restaurants and tourist shops and kiosks and I walked up to one of the kiosks and saw that the sign said 30 boulevards for a beer and I said to the guy how much for a beer in dollars I don't have any boulevards and he looked around to make sure that no one in uniform was standing there and he said one dollar and then I said in my pretty good Spanish tell you what give me two beers and I'll give you a buck
[11:57] and he handed me two beers without asking a question. No arguments from that guy he just wanted one of those rare US dollars so he tried to gouge me but I beat him to the game and you know what at half of what he tried to nick me for he still made money. Because you see the going rate for a beer was 30 boulevards and I bought two so that's 60 boulevards right? And the street black market conversion rate for a dollar is 70 boulevards so he made an extra 10 boulevards on the deal. In other words he made a reasonable 12 or 13 percent profit on the deal. You get it? Well if you don't just have to take my word for it. Now I could give you a thousand and one reasons why it's not a good idea to become an expat in Venezuela. However you can make a ton of money if you're astute but it's really like another world
[12:43] so if you're not prepared and you don't know your Spanish forget about it. Now you know people talk about crime in Latin America and how terrible it is in Mexico I talk about that too and how in many big cities in Latin America there are sections you'd never want to walk through day or night well just like Chicago and Cleveland I guess. And by the way short they'll be doing a whole show on crime in Latin America so stay tuned for that. And in that vein here's a little food for thought. It should be no news to you that Mexico as a country has the worst crime statistics when it comes to tourists and expats and gringos and anyone else who's got a dime to scratch together and that includes crime statistics for locals too. That said Venezuela specifically Caracas the capital
[13:28] comes in second. So all of you guys and girls out there who may have read that the biggest crime rates are in San Salvador or Tagusi Galpa or San Pedro Sula Honduras or even Guatemala City well yes those are big cities with a lot of crime too much crime though remember only certain districts within those cities have high crime rates. There are a lot of safe neighborhoods in very first world sections too but you knew that already right? Now when you talk about the countryside of Honduras and El Salvador then the crime rates are rather low so what I'm saying is you can't mix the city-wide crime rates with the country-wide crime rates. That's apples and oranges except when it comes to Mexico and Venezuela.
[14:15] Now with this my most recent trip to South America for part of the trip I took a cruise and don't worry I'm gonna devote a show or two just to this cruise because I think it's one of the best deals you'll ever find in the world on a cruise and in this case it's a Spanish cruise line and if you remember a year or two ago I gave you some details on that all-inclusive decameron hotel chain that I really believe in can prove it's the best all-inclusive deal in the world. Now I'm here to tell you that this cruise line is the best cruise deal in the world however it's a Spanish cruise line and everybody speaks Spanish though they try to translate things into English. Now like I said I've got a lot to say about this cruise line
[15:00] and I'll be talking about this later. That said here's a little teaser you know all cruise lines have entertainment and shows nightclubs and ballrooms and casinos you know the score. Well on our first cruise day at the big show at 7 30 at night the cruise director made an announcement mentioning all the different countries that were represented by passengers on the ship. Now there were 3,000 people on that ship and you know how many gringos from North America? A total of get this 2 that's T-W-O 2 and because of that I experienced the most powerful gringo advantage I'd seen in years. So that said do make it a special effort to stay tuned
[15:47] when I start talking about my cruise experience because after you hear what I've got to say about it you're gonna want to jump on board this one if it's the last vacation you ever take. And let me tell you not to worry if you don't speak any Spanish because being that nearly everyone taking the cruise was an upscale Latin obviously because they're the only ones that can afford a trip like that even though to us gringos it seems dirt cheap but I digress. Anyway that meant many of them were educated professionals who spoke some English though most of them were pretty rusty because they never got to practice it. So guess who they'd practice on? Why yours truly of course and certainly the other gringo on board who I never did get to meet.
[16:34] So what I'm saying is I highly recommend this cruise and don't be afraid to take it even though your Spanish sucks and you're worried you won't run into any gringos to hang with which to me is always a great plus because then I know I'm well off the gringo tourist trail. So even though no one around you is speaking intelligible English you won't be lost. And all the signs and bulletins and menus etc are in English, Spanish and Portuguese because the cruise line goes from the Panama Canal that's where you get on and you go all the way down to Brazil. So in effect a third of the people on board were Brazilians a third of whom were Venezuelans a quarter of them Colombians and the rest a smattering of Latins from other parts. And get this unlike those big American cruise lines
[17:22] like Carnival or Royal Caribbean. This Spanish cruise line is a 100% all inclusive all you can eat and drink all the time. Anyway stay tuned for that report because it'll both delight and amaze you. And for all you guys and gals coming down to my expat wisdom seminar in July you'll really get the inside track and you'll get to see my personal photos. And then I'll tell you exactly how when and where to hook up with that line and get the very best deal at Latin prices not gringo prices and the cost like I said you'll be amazed. Now I don't make a dime or a commission or anything off telling you these things because this show the expat files living in Latin America is all about how gringos can come down here live a first world life in Latin America
[18:07] at third world prices. Of course you knew that already and you know as I stumble into these things you're going to find out all about them. Now I've said about that let's get back to Venezuela and by the way here's another thing that's very interesting about that cruise you don't have to get on at Panama you can get on at any one of the stops all the way down to Brazil and you just don't have to get off for a day or two. When you book your passage you can arrange your itinerary so you can stay on in a country as long as you want because that boat makes a circle and comes around every week or two. Now I will get to explaining all that later so hang on for that. Anyway let me just mention that when the cruise ship finally pulled up to Caracas or the port that's about 20 miles from Caracas
[18:53] Venezuela of course the gossip going around the ship that day and the night before was that it really wasn't a good idea to take a shore excursion. Just too dangerous they said. In fact when I booked the cruise at the travel agency that's exactly what they told me there too. They said the ship will stop in Venezuela but we don't recommend you get off. It's too dangerous and for me well since I'd been shot at in Venezuela the last time I was there I figured hell what else is new and like when a parent tells a kid not to do something well he wants to do it all the more so I went on that shore excursion and I'm still here. Anyway as soon as the ship pulled into port at about 7 30 in the morning as many passengers started rushing outside to the railings
[19:39] to check out what the port and the landscape look like well it didn't take more than five or ten minutes and we started hearing gunshots. Now they didn't sound nearby they were probably a couple of miles away but let me tell you that does do something to your comfort level when you first get into town you know and it's not like I haven't heard gunshots before in big cities in Latin America even in Chicago but that was the very first time I heard random gunshots at 7 30 in the morning you know. That is apart from Brazil seems like every time I took a cab ride there I'd hear distant gunshots day or night. So anyway unlike most of our port destinations where the boat practically empties out and everybody goes ashore for their excursions and the ports nice and clean and calm
[20:27] and pretty much first world like for example the one in Cartagena, Colombia or for example in Roatan, Honduras. Anyway as for passengers disembarking in Caracas, Venezuela of the maybe 400 adventurous passengers that actually booked excursions to Caracas well as you might expect after hearing that early volley of gunshots the shore leave crowd dwindled down to about half 200 maybe 90% of which had already booked nice safe bus tours through the cruise line at about 60 to 80 bucks a pop. Now I knew they were getting raked over the coals at that price so what I did was I walked onto the dot to the tourist information center and I told the guy that I wanted a tour
[21:13] and I wanted to pay 20 bucks because I already found out way in advance that that's what the real price is if you don't book through the cruise line. So for 20 bucks you get the very same tour with the very same people and the very same tour agency with the very same fleet of buses the trick is you just don't book it in the cruise ship you do it when you hit port at the tourist information desk and that tourist information desk is your best bet every time and if you're worried about safety it's contained in a 100% safe area within the port dock itself usually no more than a block away from when your feet first touch down on land and no unauthorized persons from the city streets on the other side of the dock can ever get back into that restricted area
[21:59] and make contact with you or anyone else from the cruise ship without passing through a guard checkpoint and you'll have to go through that guard checkpoint to get out to the street too and then you're on your own or if you're like me and you hooked up with a tour you'll be driving past the guard checkpoint in a nice safe bus now I understand there were about 20 people from the cruise line who did neither they decided to wing it meaning no tour no bus that is hire their own private taxi or limousine as they hit the street and take off and just check the city out which by the way in Caracas is a very very cheap way to do it that'll cost you about five bucks for the whole day why? because like I said in the last show an entire tank of gas down here is about 10 cents US
[22:45] 10 cents and I know you think I'm nuts and you think I've got to be wrong about that but believe me it's true so basically you're a bus driver or taxi driver or whoever has no overhead except the vehicle now about those 20 people mostly couples who took private taxis well guess what within a half an hour after disembarking the ship two of them were robbed on the street at gunpoint oh what great travel memories huh now I'm not bragging but I don't think that would have happened to me reason? you know the reason I do not dress or act like the rest of the people on that cruise ship remember I told you that to take a cruise down here in Latin America you got to be a pretty upscale Latin even though when you hear about the prices you won't believe it any gringle up in the States
[23:30] would think by the price it was a tramp steamer or a tugboat but believe me it's not anyway like I said upscale Latins take cruises we're talking about the upper one or two percent of the Latin population that can actually afford one and like I've said so many times before Latin folks are all about the show so you better believe that on this cruise ship there were a lot of strutters I'm talking about men with their real Nike and Reebok tennis shoes which are very expensive down here average Latin guys certainly can't afford that stuff I'm talking about young and old macho guys loaded up with their own bling you know Rolexes and rings and gold jewelry real or otherwise I sure can't tell anymore by looking anyway you get the picture and the Latin women
[24:17] they're all decked out in Guess, Jordache and real Gloria Vanderbilt jeans the obviously expensive stuff along with the bling too and naturally when they disembark the rest of the sweaty masses can spot them a mile away and I always think what's wrong with these people they have to know better than that but one of the things I did find out that many of the people on these ships have bodyguards at home that is and they don't bring bodyguards on cruise ships that would be way too gauche and of course they don't drag their maids and cleaning ladies along with them either so what you've got is a lot of upscale Latins putting on a show with none of their usual entourage along to scare off would-be-bad guys or to run interference for them when they're out on the town so they disembark the boat
[25:03] in casual but high style with the usual classist attitude and dangling jewelry to match in the same way they're accustomed to going out at home Tigers don't change their stripes you know and of course they can get away with that all day long on their own turf but now they're cruising in another country a country they've probably never been in before now that's a universal game that Latins love to play and in the nice sections of most Latin countries and towns they can get away with it but you do that in Caracas you're really asking for trouble for one thing there just aren't very many nice sections of town at all oh sure they've got some islands of prosperity where their first world hotels are all located but believe me it's not like the rest of Latin America not in a country
[25:48] where the minimum wage is 50 or 60 bucks a month sure in a country like that you have to expect that the average tourist is going to get nicked once in a while so then you might ask just how bad is crime in Venezuela for the average folks living there well here's another little incident I witnessed firsthand I mentioned that tram built by the Swiss the one that takes you up the mountainside a great trip anyway it holds six people and on the way up in my particular car there were two people from Brazil and two homegrown natives from Venezuela and naturally on the way up the view is spectacular so people are snapping pictures and there was a guy there with an iPad a local Venezuelan guy and I noticed right away that the screen was completely fractured yet the thing worked
[26:34] it had maybe 50 shatter lines in it but it was still intact so I said to the guy had some bad luck huh out of parts at the Apple store too and he just laughed and said you're a gringo huh and believe me in Venezuela I wish I had a boulevard for every time someone pointed me out like that in fact people walk right up to you smile and say gringo huh anyway you're not gonna believe this the guy said to me these days when you buy an iPad the best thing you could do is wrap the screen with a piece of metal and fracture it a bit then it won't get stolen and I said what then he said it was his third iPad the first tool got stolen and he's had this one for well over a year it's fractured and he's keeping it that way he said in the last year
[27:20] he'd been shaken down twice while walking through the park and the bad guys didn't bother to take his iPad because there's no market for stolen iPads with broken screens more about that on the next show you've been listening to The Expat Files living in Latin America coming to you twice a week from somewhere south of the border email me theexpatfiles at gmail.com and don't forget to check out expatwisdom.com to sign up for your free reports on Latin America see you next time nos vemos