Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller explores the cultural nuances of Latin America, focusing on the significance of public kissing and the social dynamics of cruise ship experiences. He begins by discussing the cultural norms around kissing, noting that casual kisses between family and friends are common, but kissing on the lips between strangers or non-couples is often seen as a sign of romantic or inappropriate behavior. He then transitions into a story about a cruise ship experience in South America, where he and another expat were lucky to avoid being picked for a dance contest, as Latin people are more willing to participate in such events than gringos. Johnny highlights the cultural differences in social behavior and the natural ease with which Latin people engage in such activities.
Johnny recounts an incident at a dance contest in Latin America where the MC kissed a winning contestant on the lips, causing a stir among the audience. The event highlights the cultural sensitivity around public displays of affection, particularly kissing on the lips, which is viewed as a serious matter in Latin cultures. Johnny explains that such an action is often interpreted as a sign of a romantic relationship, whether it's a married couple, boyfriend/girlfriend, or an affair. He contrasts this with the more casual approach to public kissing in the U.S., where it's common and not considered unusual. Johnny also discusses the broader cultural context of Latin America, including the conservative attitudes toward public affection and the societal norms around kissing, even within families. He then shifts to discussing the demographics of passengers on a cruise ship in Latin America, noting that most are well-educated professionals, including individuals in unconventional professions like sex therapy, which is still a sensitive topic in the region.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller reflects on his experience on a cruise where he observed the demographics of the passengers. He notes that most of the passengers were either self-made businesspeople or individuals with advanced degrees in science or engineering, indicating that these groups are the ones who can afford such a trip. Johnny also mentions that he did not meet any politicians on the cruise, possibly due to the presence of bodyguards or the risk of being harmed by working individuals. He further comments on the educational background of the typical Latin American passenger who could afford the cruise, suggesting that they are not typically liberal arts majors. Johnny also discusses the nightly shows on the cruise, which were in English but heavily accented, and notes that while the music was excellent, the singing was not well-received by gringos but was well-received by the Latin audience due to their lower standards for entertainment.
Johnny Mueller discusses his experience with stage shows on a cruise ship in Latin America, criticizing the poor quality of the performances and the lack of authenticity in the music. He highlights the popularity of classic rock music among the cruise passengers, despite the poor Spanish accents of the performers. He also comments on the prevalence of 'I love whatever' t-shirts among the passengers, which he finds tacky and cliché. He concludes by emphasizing the cultural dominance of gringo culture in Latin America, as evidenced by the widespread use of English-language t-shirts.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller humorously discusses the culture of tipping in Latin America and its impact on cruise lines. He mentions that Latin Americans are known for poor tipping habits, which has led cruise lines to implement a 12 to 15 percent service and tipping tax at the end of the cruise. He contrasts this with the U.S. cruise industry, where tip envelopes are left for different services. Johnny also talks about the cost of a cruise in Latin America, highlighting that it can be expensive due to the inclusion of all services, and mentions the type of beer served on the cruise, which is Stroh's Beer from the U.S., despite the cruise not going north of Panama. He speculates on the reasons for serving this beer, suggesting it might be due to logistics and the availability of duty-free zones in Panama.
Johnny Mueller discusses the benefits of a specific cruise line, highlighting the convenience and cost-effectiveness of the beer service. He contrasts the cruise line's approach with the typical experience of ordering beer from a tap, which often results in flat or overly foamy drinks. Johnny emphasizes that the cruise line provides cans of Strobes beer, which are free, and mentions that other brands are available for an extra cost. He also notes that the cost of beer in local ports like Aruba and Curaçao is significantly higher, making the cruise line a better value. Additionally, he promotes his Expat Wisdom seminar in Central America, encouraging listeners to visit expatwisdom.com for more information. Johnny acknowledges that while all cruise lines have had issues, this particular line has taken extra measures to ensure food hygiene and safety, which he personally appreciates.
Topics
Cultural norms around kissing in Latin America, Social behavior on cruise ships in Latin America, Cultural differences between Latin people and gringos, Cultural norms around public affection in Latin America, The significance of kissing on the lips in Latin cultures, Demographics of cruise passengers in Latin America, Societal attitudes toward professions like sex therapy in Latin America, Cruise demographics, Education and financial success in Latin America, Entertainment standards in Latin America, Cruise ship entertainment, Cultural dominance of gringo culture in Latin America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:01:03 Kissing in Latin America: A Cultural Norm or a Social Taboo? 00:02:11 A Cruise Ship Experience: Navigating Cultural Differences 00:05:12 The MC's Unexpected Kiss at the Dance Contest 00:05:35 The Audience's Reaction to the Kiss 00:06:48 Cultural Assumptions About Public Kissing 00:09:57 Johnny's Experience on the Cruise and the Lack of English Speakers 00:10:22 Who Were the Passengers on the Cruise and How Did They Afford It? 00:11:49 The Message About Liberal Arts Majors and Financial Success 00:12:38 The Nightly Shows on the Cruise and the Language Barrier 00:14:47 Introduction to the Cruise Ship Stage Shows 00:14:51 Criticism of the Stage Show Performers 00:14:56 Comment on the Music and Performers 00:15:02 Discussion of the Themed Shows 00:15:05 Johnny's Disappointment with the ABBA Show 00:15:09 Johnny's Decision Not to Attend Another Show 00:15:13 Introduction to the Rock and Roll Show 00:15:17 Johnny's Interest in the Rock and Roll Show 00:20:22 The Captain's Announcement and the Live for Today Attitude in Latin America 00:21:14 Cruise Ship Facts of Life in Latin America 00:24:39 Introduction to the Cruise Line's Beer Service 00:24:56 Free Beer and Extra Options 00:25:27 Strobes Beer as the Free Option 00:25:53 Cruise Line as a Great Deal 00:26:57 Cruise Line's Hygiene and Safety Measures
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 out to play And now that I wonder 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 Now, you know I get a lot of emails from all kinds of people asking me everything under the sun You wouldn't believe it Regarding Latin America and even regarding other places that have nothing to do with Latin America So I think maybe some people like to tune into my show just to hear my bad jokes
[00:48] Who knows? Anyway, I promised I'd tell you about what I consider to be the greatest cruise line deal in the world Or at least in the Americas But before I get into that and other things I like to mention one thing that gringos have to know about And that concerns the simple act of kissing And I don't mean kissing as in love kissing I mean just a quick kiss between Latin family members and friends upon greeting and departing So if you're down here you're gonna get pulled into that situation so get ready for it Now I mentioned something of this before But let me just point out One thing that really grabs a Latin person's attention is if they see someone kissing on the lips Even the tiniest little peck for a half a second I'm talking about people who aren't married or who aren't a known couple
[01:37] That said, in the minds of all Latin people that happen to see that It immediately signifies to them that there's some kind of hanky-panky going on An affair or a love interest or whatever Now I know I mentioned before that when Latin see Americans kissing on the lips in movies and TV and in public Often they're just shocked by that because they never do that themselves That is only reserved for married people and lovers And there is a difference, you know They often can be and are mutually exclusive But we won't get into that So why am I mentioning this again? Because a funny thing happened on the cruise ship This cruise trip that I'm on in South America has, like any good cruise ship, a very large auditorium And they have shows every night Fact is they have two shows a night because it only seats a thousand people
[02:26] Yeah right, only a thousand, meaning it's huge In fact there are two balconies And it's very plush and deluxe So anyway, during these shows Which are obviously put on by professional actors and comedians and dancers Anyway, if you've been on a cruise or to an all-inclusive kind of resort You probably know there's always an audience participation part You know, when the MC drags someone or a group of people up onto the stage and tries to make a fool of them And usually you'll find at these shows in Latin countries During the audience participation part They'll try to pick the handsomeest guys and the sexiest women out of the audience And you'll find that Latin people, unlike gringos, just love to participate They're almost never shy about getting up there
[03:14] Even if they know they're going to be made a fool of And those kind of inhibitions are all part of that natural casual Latin attitude You know, that innate happiness that many gringos just don't have Or just don't understand Now of course these free and easy inhibitions apply when Latins are dealing with Latins, not with gringos As I've mentioned in past shows Especially when you're off the gringo tourist trail So few Latins have ever spoken to a gringo that often they're very timid around us Until we break the ice Anyway, let me tell you a little incident that happened during one of those shows One night they brought some people on stage for a dance contest So believe me, the fact that there were only two gringos on that 3,000 person cruise ship was a blessing I mean, come on, what are the chances that the MC would be able to find one of us two gringos
[04:02] And make total dance floor asses out of us Believe me, if they would have somehow forced one of us up on stage It would have been a slaughter of the gringo lambs So what did I do? I hid under the seat, of course Don't fool yourself, even gringos who think they can cut a pretty good rug Compared to even a mediocre Latin Were at best an embarrassment and at worst spastically challenged Lucky for us Latins know that, and they never rub it in However, if you ever have a Latin girlfriend, boyfriend, husband or wife You'll find they're always trying to teach you moves or to get you to a dance class In other words, they insinuate that you suck, but they never tell you to your face Which can be a little unnerving, but that's the way it is So anyway, in that case, us two gringos on the ship got lucky They didn't find us So as usual, the MC played it safe
[04:50] He happened to drag three handsome Latin guys and three beautiful young Latin girls on the stage to do that contest And in the end, when they picked the winning couple and the other contestants were eliminated It was obvious that the MC, who had some little fame on the crew since he MC'd the shows every night And could be seen by day, promenading around the pool and looking studly and all Anyway, it seemed kind of obvious that he was taking a special interest in one of the particularly beautiful Latin girls in the dance contest In fact, she actually won Now, get this In the end, when the MC congratulated the winning couple and shook hands with the guy And started doing the usual Latin peck on the cheek to the girl He happened to slip and catch her on the lips
[05:35] And at that, the whole audience of maybe 800 people quieted to a hush And you could even hear a muffled gasp or two And I heard some of the older ladies sitting around by me saying, did you see that? He kissed her on the lips And I'm telling you, in that moment, everyone but everyone had the same thoughts Except us two gringos on board, of course And when that girl walked off the stage back to her seat Her boyfriend or husband, or whoever she was sitting with Bolted up half out of his chair And said something pretty nasty to her The whole crowd could see it because the spotlight followed her back to her chair Now, you know, if something like that happened in the States, it would have been a total non-event Nothing to talk about at all
[06:21] Less than no big deal And then, for the next few days, every time you spotted this couple Prominating around the decks or in the restaurants or bars People turned their heads and slightly elbowed each other and whispered And tried not to seem obvious when they said, look, it's that couple That's the girl that kissed the MC on the lips So, with that example, just remember that if you ever kiss anyone on the lips in Latin America And someone sees you do it Latins will always assume you were either married, boyfriend or girlfriend Just starting a relationship or having an affair And I know all of that sounds a little crazy Because it's really a kissy and huggy society There's a hundred times more kissing going on in public Compared to up in the States Which always tends to make us gringos and expats a bit uneasy at first
[07:10] Especially when you realize that almost every female that you meet Will make a move to bend in and give you the cheek peck And as you folks from Chicago and Cleveland know That almost never happens to you up in the States Unless, of course, you're in the artsy fartsy crowd up there Or you've just seen a foreign flick and are feeling continental Now, I know if you've got gay friends A little cheek peck can be a standard greeting And it's all in vogue with the plastic folks in Hollywood too But down here in Latin America, there are some rigid rules Down here, a kiss on the lips is sacred In fact, in many cases, when respectable Latin girls go out on dates The first couple of times the guy brings her home He still gets the cheek peck It can take a few dates to get some lip action Now note I'm talking off the tourist trail
[07:57] And girls from conservative middle class families In fact, with all classes of Latin folks Mothers and fathers don't even kiss their own babies and children on the lips So there is another little piece of the Latin culture puzzle for you Okay, now let's get back to those nightly shows the cruise line puts on If you remember, I mentioned on the last show That almost none of the passengers on this ship that holds 3,000 speaks English At least they don't speak it well enough to come right out and start conversing in English with you It's a matter of confidence really Remember, taking a cruise in Latin America is way beyond the means of at least 95% of the population So you can be sure there are mostly business people and high earners on board In fact, out of five guys I spoke to on the trip
[08:42] Who happened to speak a little English Three of them were engineers One was a university professor And get this One was a sex therapist Who was on the cruise with his wife Who was also a sex therapist And both of them were from Brazil Now, you know me, I couldn't let that lie Knowing Latin America is such a Catholic and Christian society I just had to sit down with them for a while And one of the things I asked them was How do people react to them when they find out what their profession is? And the woman told me A long long time ago they just quit mentioning it in public and at parties and stuff She said it was a sure way to damper the conversation and kill a party And I believe her because the people in our dinner party when they heard that
[09:27] They all clammed up But not me of course because first world gringos Have an interest and curiosity about all kinds of subjects Up in the States talking about sex and sex therapy is not a taboo But down here it is, believe me We're talking about a 10 or 20 year lag time when it comes to that So what did we end up talking about? Now wouldn't you like to know? I'll get to it in another show, I promise Anyway, as I started saying Most of the passengers on the ship are university educated And so they did take some English However, since no one has a native English speaker to practice it with They're timid and don't have the confidence to start a conversation So basically, my whole few weeks on the cruise I didn't speak a word of English Oh and right here I really should mention this
[10:15] Like I said, only the smallest percentage of Latins could afford a cruise like this Even though to gringos it's dirt cheap So what kind of people were on this cruise and how did they get their money? Well, as it turns out it seems like everyone on board either had their own business Or they were science majors, engineers, medical doctors, chemists, geologists, etc In fact, except for those sex therapists, and one of them was a medical doctor I met practically no liberal arts flunkies No psychology, art, history or philosophy majors No communications or business administration majors Everyone there who could obviously afford to pay for that cruise Was either a self-made business person Or a hardcore science or engineering type
[11:03] Which tells you a lot about who's making the money in Latin America And I mean actually making their money with their brains Not stealing it like politicians do And speaking of politicians, luckily I didn't meet one on the cruise Probably because the bodyguard thing would be a little excessive Not to mention, there is always the risk of being shoved overboard By legit folks who actually work for a living And you know, in situations like that I'm always glad to lend a hand too Anyway, it is nice when there are no political ass wipes on board that I could see Which in fact allowed me to enjoy the experience all the more So again, it's worth repeating The typical Latin person who was able to afford that cruise Was not a history, art, psychology, communications or business major
[11:49] So what's the message here? Mothers don't let your children grow up to be liberal arts majors I think Willie Nelson had a song along those lines, didn't he? But that's not to say if you're brilliant or really talented And have a tremendous and unusual desire to excel in a liberal arts field You shouldn't go into it In that case you definitely should You know, follow your dream Then you'll do fine But if you're just doing it because it's fun and easy and there's not much homework Be prepared to have a pretty tough life financially And maybe put a lot of long hours in waiting tables at Starbucks But I digress as usual Okay, now let me tell you a little bit about those nightly shows On the cruise ship
[12:35] Most all of them are based on some kind of popular theme And most all of them are in English Heavily accented and broken English but nevertheless English Sort of anyway And that came as a big surprise to me since 95% or more of the people Don't understand English enough to actually pick up on the dialogue For example, one night They actually put on an hour long version of that Broadway stage play Mamma Mia! It's all about the music of ABBA And was a hit some years ago, remember? Hollywood even made a bad musical of it Now I have to say as usual The music itself was excellent Latin musicians are fabulous However, if you recall ABBA is a famous Swedish group
[13:21] That sang all of their hit songs in English Now I ask you, how would you like to hear all of those songs Beautifully played note per note But sung in English With bad Spanish accents So I sat back Marveling at the precision of the music While thinking at the time as far as the vocals went That it would be a great Saturday Night Live skit I can see putting a snippet of this show on the comedy channel up north And people laughing their asses off But no one at the show except me Laughed In fact, the crowd absolutely loved it How do you explain that? Because Latins have noticeably lower standards When it comes to entertainment than most gringos Or you just might say they're much more forgiving and less critical And we gringos are the jaded ones
[14:08] Meanwhile, back at the show, as Latins like to do Whether they're in tune or not, and usually they're not They sang along loudly to the two famous ABBA songs That were actually somewhat translated into Spanish One song being that old classic hit Chiquitita Remember that one? In fact, down here, parents still sing that to their little kids It's turned into a kind of a nursery rhyme down here Chiquitita Which in English means little girl And then there's that famous song about Fernando Which we've all heard a million and one times And probably hate by now With that one, the whole crowd pitched in with their out of tune voices too Now, as for the other 12 or 13 songs they presented Well, it's probably like a white bread waspy guy
[14:56] You can dance to it alright, but who knows what the so called singer or front man is blathering about Now, like I said, every night, the show was based on the theme And after having more than my fill of their attempt at ABBA I didn't have the heart or the stomach to attend another show But when I saw that the theme for the next night's show was called Rock and Roll Never Dies Well, I just had to see what kind of Latin spin they were going to put on that And this time it was an hour long extravaganza depicting the history of Rock and Roll All the way back from Bill Haley in the Comets through Elvis Presley The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and even Jimi Hendrix Not to mention, Kiss, Queen Bon Jovi, Axl Rose All the way up through Nirvana and Grunge
[15:43] And again, the stage performers were impeccable The band was terrific and every song made me want to cry Because I'm the kind of guy who just can't stand Elvis or The Beatles or The Doors or Freddie Mercury or Axl Rose Sung with a bad Spanish accent But again, the crowd didn't know any difference Because for one thing, they do remember all those songs Since listening to classic Rock English stations is considered upscale and trendy down here That's why you'll sometimes hear those stations and music like that In upscale office buildings, first world hospitals, doctor's offices, and malls Classic English oldies are very popular down here Even though no one has any idea what this singer is talking about So anyway, here's my analysis of what they're trying to do at the stage shows on the cruise ship
[16:34] You see, famous gringo stage shows, Broadway and otherwise And first world spectacles like Rock and Roll, etc. are considered high culture and upscale I mean, let's face it, practically everyone on that ship was a gringo wannabe In fact, all you had to do is have a look at the t-shirts all these folks were wearing Everyone at some time or another had a t-shirt on Nearly all of them were in English Depicting some U.S. university or sports team or Disney World or Disneyland As well as all the usual kitschy tourist destinations like Vegas And by the way, I saw an absolute landslide of I love New York t-shirts too Including I love Boston, I love Chicago, etc. etc. And if you're wondering, as for I love Cleveland, well, I've never seen one of those
[17:20] Oh, and of course, there's one extremely famous t-shirt down here in Latin America And it says, I love Miami Surprise, surprise, huh? Yuck, I sure don't And you know, I don't really get this I love whatever t-shirt stuff You know, the t-shirts with the eye, then the heart, then the fill in the blank city Oh, so clever and cute, huh? They used to be all the rage up in the States some years ago, but now they're just tacky So anyway, if you've got an I love Miami t-shirt, just line the doghouse with it He'll still love you, he won't know it's tacky Anyway, down here in Latin America, the people are just in love with those I love whatever t-shirts They have an extremely high coolness factor down here In fact, I was thinking of having an I love Miami not t-shirt made up
[18:08] But on second thought, since I'm almost always off the gringo tourist trail, no one would actually understand what the words meant Which is fine by me In fact, it's reason 2476 why I'm down here So be prepared to see all the badly cliched t-shirts down here that you threw away back up in the States years ago I'm talking KISS, ACDC, Zeppelin, Metallica and millions of BG t-shirts too So, bottom line, if what expat Eddie says is true That is, you can learn a lot about a person by the t-shirt he or she continues to wear over and over again Well then, which Latin guy would you rather hire to be your maintenance man? The guy with the Aussie or the BG's t-shirt? Yuck
[18:55] Now since I'm speaking about this South American cruise on an all Spanish cruise line I can honestly say I didn't see a single t-shirt or sweatshirt that had any Spanish lettering or slogans on it at all Except for the occasional obligatory soccer t-shirt that's football down here because you know it is World Cup season So you do see a lot of team shirts with the name and number of the favorite players stenciled on the back Which is also, to guys like me anyway, nothing more than a stupid cliche too So, bottom line, all throughout Latin America now, including on this cruise ship Everyone's got t-shirts with English sayings on them And for the uninitiated, if you have any doubts as to the validity of my pet phrase, the gringo advantage
[19:42] And the sheer power of the gringo wannabe effect All you have to do is come down to Latin America and have a look at the t-shirts Even if you don't know any Spanish at all, there will be no lack of gringo wisms to catch your eye and sometimes make you laugh And by the way, for you guys and gals up there in Chicago, Cleveland and Boston In your entire lifetime, how many t-shirts have you seen stenciled in Spanish? I bet, none Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing the people on the cruise There were a great bunch and everyone's having a fantastic time Latins really know how to party and I don't mean drunk and slobbering and vomiting and stuff I mean, they just are having a great old time In fact, I bet if the captain would have made an announcement that said I've got good news and bad news
[20:27] The good news is that we're going to give you an extra week free on the cruise And the bad news is, I've just been informed that a giant meteor is going to hit the earth and it's going to end life as we know it This is your captain, have a nice day Well, that said, believe it or not And I'm not exaggerating here Not much anyway I bet this cruise ship wouldn't miss a beat It would still be rocking to the bitter end Everyone doing the merengue and the salsa And just having a good old time Because you know, one of the themes that I see that runs through all Latin America Is a definite live for today attitude People just don't seem to worry too much about what's going to happen next week And you know, in a way, I wish I had some of that, but You're born what you are and I are a gringo Wait a minute How about that for a t-shirt?
[21:13] Might catch on Okay, it's time to talk about the cruise ship facts of life in Latin America Number one Every one of the workers and crew on the cruise line Knows that Latins are crappy tippers Hotel staffs in Latin America know that too In fact, I understand that Latins tip almost as poorly as German and French tourists But no general group tips as badly as the Arabs At least that's what Latin hotel porters have told me Now, as you probably know The word's out all over the place that gringos are good tippers And most of us are However, since there's almost no gringos on Spanish cruise lines And Latins tip so poorly That the Latin cruise lines have resorted to hitting each passenger With a 12 to 15 percent service and tipping tax
[22:01] At the end of your cruise Now, I remember way back when up in the States With cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival There'd be three tip envelopes left in your cabin The night before your cruise ended Along with a little sheet of paper with recommended tips One envelope was your tip for the maid Another tips for food service and waiters And another for porters and such Well, I found out that kind of system never existed with Spanish cruise lines Because, well, like I said Latins tip like feces So this is how it works If you take a seven day cruise This might shock you But it's only going to cost you for the cruise itself About a hundred dollars per person per day Figure 1,400 bucks for a double Unbelievable, because everything's included, like I said
[22:48] That is, unless you like your top shelf or brand name liquors Then you'll be charged for that stuff For me, it doesn't make much difference All booze tastes the same Bad, so I don't drink it Speaking of alcohol, here's something that cracked me up When it comes to an all-inclusive anything, including a cruise You can drink yourself into a coma if you want But, like I said, on this cruise line I never saw anyone really drunk, just happy Anyway, this made me laugh The beer that they serve on board Is, get this, Stroh's Beer S-T-R-O-H-S Which is imported from the United States Owned by the Paps and the Miller folks Which made me wonder why a boat that never gets north of Panama Would end up with beer that's brewed in Milwaukee, Illinois, and other parts north
[23:35] And I mean way north Why not serve a more local beer? Takati or Corona Port Royal from Honduras Or even Balboa or Atlas Beer from Panama itself I mean, logistics and cheaper Latin beer in general Shouldn't make that a no-brainer It's still a mystery to me But I'm assuming that one of the reasons They can serve a first-world beer like that In an all-inclusive atmosphere And charge such low prices for the trip itself Is because such huge volumes Of all kinds of products from all over the world Go through the Panama Canal And the cruise ship dock Just happens to be three blocks away From one of the world's largest duty-free zones And that's in the port of Cologne, Panama Which I mentioned on the last show
[24:20] In fact, practically every time I come to Panama I go to that duty-free zone Because things are such a steal Note that the shopping there And the all-inclusive deal Offered at the Hard Rock in Panama City Are about the only two things I like about Panama But I digress again And another thing you gotta love about this cruise line When you order a beer They just don't take it from the tap And give you a glass or a plastic cup And you know how that goes When it's out of a keg or dispenser It's often flat or with way too much foam Or none at all Well, I assure you That never happens on this cruise line They actually give you a can of strobe's beer Or two or five or ten or a hundred if you want I mean, hell, it's all inclusive, right? And by the way, if you don't like strobes
[25:06] And all beer tastes the same to me You can have Pabst and Bud and Corona And Heineken, etc. But you're gonna pay extra for it Like I said, if you wanna pick your labels Or you're just a picky gringo in general Then you can pick your poison But you'll probably pay Whoa, try saying that ten times in a row So understand on this cruise anyway Strobes is the beer you're gonna get for free But who cares? I don't, I'm just happy I don't have to pay for anything Because when you pull into those ports Like for example Aruba or Curaçao Which were also on the agenda A bottle of beer there, even a local beer Was around seven or eight bucks With two or three dollars for tax and tip Meaning ten bucks a beer That's right, ten bucks for a beer
[25:51] Which is all the more reason Why this cruise is a terrific deal And I haven't even told you about the food yet But let's wait on that You know I'm getting pretty far into the show now And I have to mention one more time That if you're interested in coming to my Expat Wisdom seminar In Central America in July this year Just go to expatwisdom.com And click on the Latin seminar link up at the top of the page And get the full details Come on down and meet my little Expat Wisdom group And we'll show you exactly what it's like To live first world style on a third world budget With an emphasis on how to live the good life As a proper Expat off the gringo tourist trail Of course if you're loaded with dough Or have a heavy pension coming in You can go to Costa Rica or Panama or Cancun
[26:37] Pay first world prices and fight it out With all the other gringos Packed wall to wall down there But with me you'll find out what that gringo advantage is all about That I can guarantee So just go to expatwisdom.com And click on the Latin seminar link And see what it's all about Now back to the Latin cruise line I know there's been a lot of bad publicity lately about cruise lines Having to do with crashes and wrecks Missing persons, people falling overboard and such Not to mention food, hygiene and contamination issues Well if you look it up, every cruise line has had its problems But let me tell you with this cruise line They seem to have gone overboard Pun intended On the food hygiene and safety stuff And you know me, I'm always picky on those issues
[27:23] And they really do get above average marks from me on hygiene and cleanliness But as always I still brought along my Sawyer water filter and made my own 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