Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller delves into the multifaceted experiences of expats living and traveling in Latin America. The episode begins with an introduction to the show, acknowledging a recent delay in updates due to the time-consuming nature of seminars. Johnny then transitions into a discussion about class distinctions among motorcycle riders, noting how wealthy expats often avoid the stigma of wearing fluorescent vests with license numbers, while those on cheaper bikes face discrimination. He shares an email from an expat named Pete, who rides a smaller bike and has experienced frequent stops by police, but finds the interactions friendly and engaging.
The segment then shifts to an exploration of how expats and gringos are often scrutinized by local police due to their status as tourists. Johnny notes that while on the 'gringo tourist trail,' cops are more likely to check documents and impose fines or bribes. In contrast, when off the tourist trail, gringos receive preferential treatment. He also shares a humorous anecdote about Pete showing off his smartphone to Latinos, who mistakenly believe he owns it, highlighting the materialistic tendencies of some locals.
Johnny continues with a discussion on the cultural and economic practices of street vendors and local children, emphasizing the affordability of soda bags made from repurposed materials. He contrasts the habits of expats and gringos with those of local children, who can afford such items. He also touches on the social dynamics of owning appliances like a TV, where the display of wealth is a form of social status. Additionally, he provides insights into the leniency of traffic enforcement in Latin America, including the experience of a gringo friend who was pulled over multiple times in a single day, and the lack of technological infrastructure for verifying licenses and registrations.
The segment then focuses on the practicalities of driving in Latin America for expats, emphasizing the importance of carrying certified copies of documents like the driver's license and car registration ('circulation'). Johnny explains that the original documents are too valuable to carry in the car and that a certified copy, obtained from a lawyer, is sufficient for police checks. He shares a personal anecdote about being pulled over at a roadblock and how he managed to avoid trouble by having the documents hidden in his trunk. He also discusses the phenomenon of 'gringos' who have lived in Latin America for years, often losing their paperwork and integrating into local communities, and how some manage to continue driving without valid licenses by fabricating theft reports.
Finally, the episode concludes with a discussion on strategies for expats and gringos to avoid legal issues while living in Latin America. Johnny shares a story about a Michigan expat who uses a police report and a copy of his old driver's license as a 'get out of jail free card' when pulled over. He also highlights how expats can use cash and the lack of legal enforcement to stay off the radar. Johnny notes that while there is surveillance and technology, the lag time and distance from the tourist trail make it difficult for authorities to track long-term expats. The segment concludes with a call to action for listeners to email the Expat Files and visit expatwisdom.com for more information.
Topics
Introduction to The Expat Files, Delays in updating the show, Class distinctions among motorcycle riders, Expat experiences with police interactions, Expat experiences in Latin America, Cultural observations on materialism and showing off, Personal anecdotes and humor, Cultural and economic practices of street vendors and local children, Social dynamics of owning appliances in Latin America, Traffic enforcement and expat experiences, Driving in Latin America, Car registration and documents
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:32 Announcement of Show Updates 00:01:30 Discussion on Motorcycle Class Discrimination 00:03:40 Introduction of Expat Pete's Experience 00:05:53 Introduction to the Gringo Tourist Trail Experience 00:06:37 Transition to Pete's Email and Discussion on Smartphones 00:12:04 Affordable Soda Bags for Local Children 00:13:32 The Rodriguez Family's New TV 00:13:57 The Show and Social Status in Latin America 00:14:50 Pete's Experience with Roadblocks 00:16:15 Gringo Friend's Experience with Cop Stops 00:17:37 Traffic Enforcement and Lack of Technology 00:18:05 The Importance of Car Registration and Documents in Latin America 00:18:19 Understanding the Car Registration Process in Latin America 00:18:32 The Challenges of Car Registration and Document Security 00:19:05 The Risks of Carrying Original Documents in Your Car 00:19:15 The Cost and Importance of Certified Copies of Documents 00:19:25 Johnny's Personal Experience with a Roadblock 00:19:38 Storing Documents in a Secure Location 00:19:49 The Risks of Keeping Documents in Obvious Places 00:23:50 The Michigan Expat's 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' Strategy 00:24:28 Why Latin America is a Haven for Expats Looking to Disappear 00:25:37 Insurance Practices for Motorcycles in Latin America
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. Just a little announcement before we get started here. For all you gonabes and wannabes out there, who stream or download this show from my website expatwisdom.com or those of you who pick it up on Oversea Radio Network, we've been a little lax in keeping the shows up to date on those two sites due to the recent July seminar and all since every time I do one of those it kind of sets me back about a month. Seminars kind of wear me out there almost like having a real job again you know. It's not that I don't have a lot of fun doing them, I do.
[01:02] But have you ever tried to herd cats? Well that's what it's like sometimes. But anyway by now I think we should be back up to speed and all the shows should be in the right places on Expat Wisdom and Overseas Radio. Not to mention PRN is always up to date etc etc and in fact, soon enough we should have some very cool things up on the Expat Wisdom site. Along with some new free reports so be sure to check it out once and well. That's www.expatwisdom.com. Now if you remember a couple of shows ago I spoke a bit about motorcycles down here and how there actually is if you can believe it class discrimination among motorcycle owners. That is if you're a wealthy latin gringo wannabe and they all are and therefore can afford a very expensive motorcycle like a BMW Harley or Ducati then you don't have
[01:51] to look the fool by wearing a helmet with license place numbers stenciled on it like everyone else who drives a lesser common motorcycle. Not to mention if you're an upscale biker you won't have to wear an ugly fluorescent vest called a chaleco with your license numbers stenciled on the back either. Whereas the common man down here who can only afford a cheap Chinese or Indian rice burner he's instantly marked as lower class. If you want to take to the streets in a small motorcycle you'll end up looking like a circus clown. So much for the James Dean rebel without a cause look huh? The fact is if you happen to be a rice burning rebel without a fluorescent jacket eventually you'll get pulled over and fined. Now after I did that show talking about such things as you might imagine I got emails.
[02:39] Some asking me the usual stuff like what's the price for a driver's license down here? What do you have to go through and what paperwork do you need to get one? Can you drive both a motorcycle and a car on the same license etc? And more general questions like does your American driver's license work when you're driving a bike etc? Also questions about insurance and stuff like that. Anyway as well as those easy to answer questions about the technical stuff. I did get this interesting email from a new expat Gringo who's been down here in Central America for about a year and a half now I believe and he has some points of his own to make since he drives one of those smaller bikes himself. Not because he can't afford a Harley or anything bigger but he's just using it for pure transportation, testing the water and playing it low key.
[03:27] As it should be because down here there's no reason for any one of us to show off with a big expensive first world bike. No matter how much money you have that would instantly put you in the high profile category where you don't want to be. So anyway here are his comments on this subject. After experiencing the trials and tribulations of being a motorcyclist himself. Yep with that helmet and fluorescent jacket for almost a year now. And again I'll paraphrase this a bit. He starts out by saying Hi Johnny you just confirmed a theory. The purpose of the motorcycle vest is to prove that guys on motorcycles aren't as cool as corrupt political slugs in bulletproof luxury SUVs. Think about it. How distasteful would it be if someone in a $500 motorcycle
[04:15] seemed to be more cool than a scumbag politician and his ride. It's not at all different from the little maid outfits or the security guards that are dressed like French soldiers. Leave it to the Latin upper classes to dress people up in silly costumes as a way to reinforce class distinctions. Anyway they always pull me over on my motorcycle. I don't know if they really expect me to stop but being the well trained gringle that I am I usually slow down for the roadblocks and generally stop when they point at me. I think I've been stopped about eight times in the last 8,000 kilometers. Now it's my guess and it's me again. That would be about once a month. Then he goes on to say every time I politely say hi and tell the cops right away I'm giving
[05:02] them my license, registration, and tax number. I tell them what I'm giving them because they often hold my license upside down as they're trying to figure out what it is. Knock on wood but every single time me and the traffic cops end up having a brief conversation about how beautiful the mountains, volcanoes, the towns, or the lakes are. And finally when the small talk and the chatting is over they shake my hand and tell me how friendly and amiable I am. So there you have it and it's me Johnny again telling Pete's story and how he deals with the cops when he gets pulled over on his little motorcycle. Now for your information Pete is well off the gringle tourist trail. I'm sure some of you out there figure that out already and the obvious clue there is
[05:49] that the cops like he said often read his license upside down. Now you see when you're on the gringle tourist trail like for example Costa Rica cops have pulled over so many gringos that they're pretty adept at checking out our driver's licenses. And by the way contrary to the very superficial way cops scrutinize our documents off the gringo tourist trail like for example when you're in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, or Salvador. The fact is when you're on the gringo tourist trail the cops are just itching for a way to hit up a gringo for a fine or a bribe. That means the cops will not only be checking out your license rather closely they'll be checking the expiration date too. Meanwhile when you're off the gringo tourist trail you almost always get the favored visitor treatment otherwise known as
[06:37] the gringo advantage. Anyway then our emailer Pete changes the subject to cell phones and here's what he says. I also by the way have a guilty confession to make. I love telling Latinos who are carrying a fancy smartphone that I also have a fancy smartphone at home but I almost never use it and instead I carry a $15 dumb phone around because I don't care if it gets lost wet or stolen. Of course they believe that I own the smartphone because I'm a gringo but they are completely confused. Believe me the look you get from them when you explain it that way is absolutely priceless. They just don't get it. Anyway wish you all the best and thanks as always for the show
[07:23] Pete. And here's more or less what I wrote back to him. Kudos you figured out how really simple minded and materialistic latins of all classes are. That is except for the poor hard-working stiffs unconcerned about keeping up with the Joneses or I should say the Torres's next door. Because for that huge section of the population it's hard enough to put food on the table every day. Much less fork out the cash for a smartphone. Though I have to admit that when I was in my late teens and early 20s back in Chicago I was a hopelessly materialistic sap too and I bought all kinds of useless things that made me feel good and important and hip for about 20 minutes. But thankfully I grew out of that stage fast but unfortunately most latins never do.
[08:11] So anyway that was Pete's email and what I had to say about it. And believe me I'm not kidding at all when I say that latins of all classes are out to impress gringos and their own latin friends and neighbors too at any cost. Again the exception being those hard-working salt of the earth day laborer types and maids and gardeners etc who are just trying to happily get through the day and put food on the table. Now if you think that's too much of a generalization get this. Occasionally in my travels I drive through a very middle class neighborhood where people make on the average about five to seven hundred bucks a month. And since I own a cheap fifteen dollar dumb phone myself the anonymous type where you recharge it with minutes usually
[08:56] by going to a hole-in-the-wall convenience store and paying the person at the counter five or ten bucks to punch in his code and plug in the minutes for you. Anyway one day a few weeks ago I was standing outside of one of those tiendas those little convenience stores waiting for the guy behind the counter to plug in my minutes. That's when I saw something happen that proved one of my pet theories about latins too. And by the way as I think I mentioned on a past show when you hand your money over to one of those guys behind the counter make sure you wait around for one to five minutes whatever it takes to get the text message that verifies your minutes have been credited to your phone because sometimes that text will never arrive. Meaning if you leave right away and assume it's been credited later in the day you just
[09:42] might find out that it never happened and what are you going to do then? It's happened to me more than once and everyone else I know too. I guess I'm a slow learner. So bottom line hang around a few minutes and wait for that text message. Anyway I was standing around waiting for that text message and I saw some kind of commotion going down at the house next door. You see the garbage truck had just pulled up and the garbage man walked up to the porch and grabbed a few bags of trash and a skinny long empty box. Now that house and porch were very close to where I was standing and I instantly saw that that long skinny box had once held a 42 inch flat screen tv. Those tv boxes are pretty much unmistakable right? Anyway the garbage man dragged
[10:28] all that stuff to the curb and started putting it in the garbage truck and this is the crazy part. Suddenly the lady of the house ran out and started yelling not that box you can't have it bring it back in spanish of course. So she grabbed it and hauled it back up on the front porch. Then I heard her yelling at her kid who was about 12 or 13 years old who was standing by the front door. She was mad at him but I couldn't really make out what she was saying. So I turned to the man behind the counter who was charging up my cell phone minutes and I said what's going on over there? Then he looked at me with a straight face and said that the family had bought a flat screen tv about a month and a half earlier and that was the box. It had been propped up on the porch ever since then. Then I said stupidly duh then why doesn't she let the
[11:19] garbage man take the box? And then he said she leaves it out there so everyone who walks by and everyone in the neighborhood knows that they have a new flat screen tv. Then I said to him lamely again you mean people do that? And he said yeah new tv, refrigerator, microwave, whatever. Those empty boxes end up on porches a long long time. And just then a little kid about eight years old sucking on a soda pop that was poured into a plastic glad bag he started saying something to me and the guy behind the counter. Oh and by the way down here with the kids of the poor and middle classes you'll see a lot of them on occasion drinking soda from a straw that's stuck into a clear plastic bag. And surprisingly enough though they look rather
[12:04] fragile to me they don't seem to leak or break. The kids know exactly how to handle them to which us gringos and expats say what's up with that? Well it's because doing it that way is very cheap. Kids can actually buy five or six ounces of soda poured into a little plastic glad bag or sandwich bag that originally came from a two liter soda bottle. That for 10 or 20 cents as opposed to paying 50 cents or more for a regular sized can or bottle which the average middle or lower class kids certainly couldn't afford. So you'll see store owners or vendors on the street selling soda bags with straw sticking out of them. So in effect a two liter bottle makes for 10 servings that the poor little kids on the streets can afford once in a while anyway. Now you won't see
[12:53] gringos and expats sucking on little bags like that. For one thing they're sloppy, fragile, and inconvenient at best. Though I bet a few low rent backpackers have given it a whirl. But to the neighborhood kids they're a real treat. Now where was I? Oh yeah. So that little kid who was sucking on that soda bag in the store was trying to tell us something. And as it turned out he was listening to our conversation and he was trying to tell us that the Rodriguez family about two blocks down the street were also the proud owners of a brand new TV. Not to mention a few months ago they got a new washing machine too. And he said if we wanted we could go over there and look at the boxes on the porch. So folks there you have it.
[13:39] As far as that next door neighbor lady who chased down the garbage man for that empty box, she'll probably have that empty box out on the front porch until it rots. Because you see in neighborhoods like these, half of the pleasure and joy of having a flat screen TV is in the watching and the other half is in knowing that your neighbors know you can afford to have one. Now if that doesn't prove that down here in Latin America it's all about the show then you explain things like that to me. Now that's not to say I haven't known gringos and expats who are all about the show too. But whereas up in the States you do see signs and symptoms of it down here it's basically an epidemic. Oh and by the way just one more thing about Pete's email. If you noticed he says he's been pulled over quite a few times at those
[14:24] transit roadblocks. That's where the cops just standing alongside the road and he points at you and you're supposed to pull over. Now if you remember when I talked about roadblocks like that in previous shows I mentioned unless you're a motorcyclist with a very heavy load. Like for example you've got four on a bike which is common down here. Anyway most Latin motorcyclists will never stop. They'll just buzz right through or make a u-turn before they get to the roadblock. But now as you've heard Pete like a good gringo when pointed out by the cops would obey the rules and always stop. Now as far as my recommendation on that if you happen to live in a neighborhood or near a busy street where the transit cops do have an occasional roadblock set up and you know that sometimes one will just pop up there overnight. It's a good idea that you stop when
[15:13] they point at you because if you happen to be forced to drive past that roadblock a couple of times a week let's say you can't just keep on avoiding it forever. If it is a place you have to drive by occasionally do stop when pointed out and like Pete says it's only a small inconvenience and nothing really happens. Oh and just one more thing before we conclude this topic. Just to show you how really lax and laid back the traffic cops are down here. Not to mention the regular civil cops. Now I'm specifically talking about off the gringo tourist trail. Anyway the other day one of my gringo friends told me that he was singled out at one of those cop stops which slowed him down by about five or ten minutes and he was on his way. Then later that day in a different part of town and we're talking about the city of San
[15:59] Salvador now which has about a half million people or so. He was fingered again at one of those roadblocks by another set of cops. So he got pulled over twice on the same day and this time he was pissed off he didn't play the dumb gringo act. Instead he said in perfect Spanish though exasperated Spanish oh come on you guys not again and then he explained to the cop that he'd just been pulled over like 45 minutes earlier in a different part of town and guess what the cop just said okay and waved him on which believe me is something that could only be attributed to the gringo advantage because a Latin person driving a car could never get away with that and come to think of it that brings up interesting possibilities if you get pulled over.
[16:46] What if you were to get exasperated and say oh come on I just got pulled over not 45 minutes ago just a thought which reminds me and I hope I'm not repeating myself here. I'm sure you guys will email me if I am. Anyway the other day I was on my way to the dump and my car was just filled with all kinds of junk. Plastic bags, boxes, sacks, packing foam, styrofoam peanuts and stuff and I was driving down a fairly busy street and all of a sudden there was one of those police stops and this time I just couldn't pull any tricks to get out of it and since it was very slow moving traffic when the guy picked me out of the line I knew that even the clueless wave and the stupid gringo act wasn't going to work. Naturally he asked for my license and registration
[17:32] which by the way is a bit different than when it happens up in the first world. For one thing the cops have no communication back to the central database, no radio or even internet connection to check your license or registration to see if they're real or not. They can't even check to see if you're wanted, you're a felon or even a mass murderer. When you're off the tourist trail anyway there's none of that. Instead when you hand them your license and registration they write some of that data on a clipboard believe it or not and like Pete says when you hand them your license and it's a foreign license they'll have to time read it upside down and that's when you might have to help them out when they ask you a few questions about where you come from and I'll ask for the car registration which is called the circulation down here
[18:19] spelled just like the word circulation in English only pronounced circulation almost the same and that's a plastic credit card like thing that's usually got a barcode and a chip in it that normally can't be scanned because it just doesn't work. I mean after all this is Latin America right but you don't carry around that original plastic card you carry a certified copy of it that's enough for the cops you show them that and you're a okay so again you never carry that plastic original in your car because if someone steals your car and it's there in the glove box it's almost as good as carrying around the original title and you don't want someone else to get a hold of that thing so you keep the original in a very good place not in your car because if you
[19:05] misplace it or it gets stolen it could take weeks if not months to get a replacement and that will involve a lot of trips to your lawyer's office that's why you carry a certified copy of that thing in your car certified of course by your lawyer which will set you back like 10 bucks. Anyway in my case when the cops pulled me over at that roadblock I just got out of my car opened up the trunk and started unloading the bags and boxes and packing peanuts because I always store a certified copy of my license and my circulation document in a little plastic pouch hidden underneath the spare tire in the trunk of my car now most everyone I know keeps that stuff in their glove compartment but believe me if your car ever gets stolen or broken into you'll regret keeping your paperwork in such an obvious place and you know if you drive the type of cars that I always recommend
[19:55] that won't happen to you but anyway if your car does get broken into or stolen the first place they're going to rifle through is your glove compartment and if the bad guys get a hold of even those copies they'll still be able to drive that car around and even if they're pulled over the cops won't be the wiser now the bad guys won't be able to sell it legally or clandestinely get it across the border but with that paperwork in their hands they'll be able to drive it around seemingly legal for quite a while in the country they stole it in and I know that doesn't make a lot of sense but that's because police cars aren't connected to a main database like I said before so they have no way to instantly look up the status but back to my story so anyway I'm slowly digging through my trunk it's packed with junk and the cop comes over to me and he says
[20:44] you know what don't worry about it you can go and there you have the gringo advantage again that would never happen to a latin person he just figured it was beyond the call of duty to make this pleasant gringo take all that junk out of his car just to find the paperwork so he just smiled waved me on and said go ahead get out of here which like I said would never happen to a latin driver oh and that reminds me here's something that's really gonna blow your mind now occasionally I run into gringos who happen to be on the run from creditors or alimony chattel support or bankruptcy whatever up in the states in other words they could go back but they'd be in a heap of financial trouble and a lot of these guys after being down here a long time have gone native or partially native and I'll tell you it's not so hard to spot them either
[21:30] both on and off the gringo tours trail they're the guys that look kind of like vagabonds not quite skid row bums but seedy enough that you wonder how they're getting by now a lot of these guys have been down here for dozens of years even before 9-11 and thus their paperwork is not at all in order and since latin america is such a big place and easy place to get lost in a lot of these guys and gals just hook up with a latin girl or guy and live happily ever after or somewhat happily ever after often living a middle class or lower middle class life latin style which believe me is not up to first world standards but not a terrible or horrible life either and the funny thing is a lot of these guys drive cars even though they don't have current
[22:15] driver's license in fact some are sporting driver's licenses that are so old they're still in black and white in fact one guy I know has an old Michigan driver's license that expired about 12 years ago yet he drives every day so you wonder how does he get away with it doesn't he get pulled over at least once in a while well yes he does and he still gets away with it and no not by paying bribes either well this particular guy's got that angle covered now you might think he'd send away every couple years for an international driver's license but he doesn't bother even though having an idl that's an international driver's license would be a very easy way to drive legally down here or at least legal enough instead here's what he's done
[23:00] now I'm not recommending this but let me tell you it's working for him and I bet it'll work practically anywhere in Latin America off the gringo tourist trail and here's what he's done he has a copy of his Michigan driver's license and I don't know if he's photoshopped the dates or not I kind of doubt it he's not the very technical sort he doesn't know which end of a screwdriver to stick in the slot if you know what I mean anyway since he's been down here a long time and speaks Spanish rather well he told me that about once every year or so he goes down to a police station always a different one and he does that in a different city each time which is easy enough to do and he reports that he's been robbed that his wallet with his driver's license in it has been stolen then he produces a copy of his driver's license and on the police report they put down that the wallet and its contents have been stolen including his
[23:50] Michigan driver's license so-and-so number etc and from then on he carries that official police report around with him in his pocket that along with a copy of his ancient driver's license anytime he gets pulled over he just pulls out that paper and they wave them right through he calls it his get out of jail free card and believe me it is then I asked him why don't you just buy one of those international drivers licenses on the internet for 50 bucks or whatever and you won't have to go through all that stuff and he says why should I pay 50 bucks when a police report is free so there you have it like that guy if you really want to be off the radar Latin America is the place to be and like he says there's so many ways to wiggle and finagle the system down here that even if all else fails you just pull out a 50 or a hundred dollar bill
[24:39] which is generally more than a week's wages for the average guy and the skids get greased so I can't tell you how many gringos and expats are hiding down here from something nasty up in the states but over the years I've met enough of them to know even with all that first world NSA spying technology and drones and such with the lag time effect especially off the gringo tourist trail those long time off the radar gringos just don't seem to be worried much and you know as that long term expat from Michigan told me he believes that Latin America is just about the only place left on earth where you can disappear like that so ladies and gentlemen and kids of all ages don't try this at home I'm just informing you that people do come down here and do that kind
[25:26] of stuff and get away with it oops I forgot to mention a few more things about some emails I received earlier in answering you guys who wanted to know about ensuring your motorcycles let me point out that the only people down here who have insurance on their bikes are people with the very expensive ones like Harleys and BMWs and Ducatis who buy insurance voluntarily and people who are forced to because they bought new bikes on time and are paying with monthly payments they're called pagos down here payments are called pagos p-a-g-o-s so anyway just like if you buy a car on payments down here part of your payments will include insurance because of course the agency or bank making the loan want to make sure that if you wreck it or get it stolen
[26:12] before you've paid it all off they get reimbursed but as for everyone else on the road like about 95 percent of all motorcycles none of those guys has insurance of any kind so if you hit one of them you'll never collect though there is that one little exception when gringos buy motorcycles whether big BMWs and Harleys or 200 cc rice burners nearly always first world people buy insurance the fact is having insurance is so ingrained into our gringo mentality that we just seem to be nervous wrecks if we don't carry some in fact i'd bet a hundred to one that pete our emailer has insurance on his bike nothing wrong with that and i do recommend it if you have a motorcycle or a car and that's why by the way when gringos and expats rent and buy
[27:00] houses down here they're almost always genuinely shocked when they find out that almost no one carries umbrella insurance policies for their homes and properties either and they're even more astounded when they find out that doctors don't carry malpractice insurance and businesses don't carry liability coverage either now of course there are plenty of insurance companies down here and you can get liability insurance if you like but you'll probably be the only one in the neighborhood with coverage note when latin's fall down in parking lots or stub their toes in an elevator they don't sue 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 the expat files at gmail.com
[27:47] 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