Episode Summary
In this episode, Johnny Mueller discusses the concept of 'canasta' or 'basilica' in Latin America, which refers to the estimated monthly cost to feed, house, and clothe a family of four. He explains that while the canasta figure is a general estimate, it can vary significantly depending on location, with tourist areas like Cuenca being more expensive. Johnny also highlights the economic disparity in the region, noting that the minimum wage is often less than the canasta value, making it difficult for many families to afford basic necessities. He addresses the common confusion among expats and provides examples from countries like Ecuador and El Salvador to illustrate the issue. Johnny then shifts focus to the educational system in Latin America, noting that while universities are busy, they often have long graduation times and many degrees lack practical value in the job market.
Johnny continues by discussing the value of certain degrees and the challenges of finding well-paying jobs in specific fields. He argues that degrees in media and communications are often not useful, with only about 5% of graduates finding work in their chosen field. He contrasts this with his own experience, where he entered the radio industry without formal training, relying on luck and timing. He also highlights the disparity in job outcomes between different academic disciplines, noting that science and engineering majors tend to have better job prospects than those with liberal arts degrees. Additionally, he touches on the economic impact of expats in Latin America, noting how their presence has driven up the cost of living, particularly in places like Ecuador, where the Canasta bassica has seen significant inflation since the 2000s. Finally, he transitions into a personal anecdote about a dental experience in Guatemala, highlighting the differences in dental practices between the U.S. and other countries.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the differences in dental care between the United States and Latin America, focusing on the cost, treatment philosophy, and outcomes. In the U.S., a root canal on a bicuspide tooth typically costs around $3,000, including a crown, while in Latin America, the same procedure can cost as little as $80. Johnny shares his personal experience with a dentist in Guatemala City who opted for a less invasive approach, using a resin composite core instead of a crown, and notes that in Latin America, specialists often handle general dentistry as well. He also highlights the influence of insurance on dental decisions in the U.S., where coverage often dictates treatment plans, leading to more extensive procedures.
Johnny Mueller discusses the financial pressures faced by physicians and dentists in Latin America, comparing their practices to those in the United States. He highlights the high overhead costs, such as rent, which can be up to $10,000 a month in high-rise buildings, compared to $800 in the U.S. This financial burden leads to a more conservative approach to treatment in Latin America, where patients often lack insurance and have limited disposable income. In contrast, U.S. doctors may be more inclined to over-treat to meet financial targets. Johnny also mentions a personal anecdote about a doctor in Chicago who viewed patients in his waiting room as potential revenue, illustrating the different mindsets between the two regions. He concludes by promoting his revised Latin American health care report, emphasizing its unique, on-the-ground perspective and detailed content.
In this segment, Johnny Mueller discusses the topic of fencing and constructing borders on property, particularly in Latin America. He begins by referencing a property with a stunning view of a lake, which was purchased for a relatively low price, highlighting the affordability of real estate in the region. He then shifts focus to the practicalities of fencing, emphasizing the importance of security and aesthetics. Johnny outlines different fencing options, including concrete walls, chain-link fences, and the use of Borgen via bushes to enhance both security and visual appeal. He also touches on the maintenance and cost considerations of various fencing methods, suggesting that while concrete walls are durable, they require more upkeep, whereas chain-link fences are more cost-effective but less secure. He concludes by recommending a combination of chain-link fences with Borgen via bushes for both security and beauty.
This segment is a call to action from Johnny Mueller, inviting listeners to reach out for assistance with their Plan B, specifically in the context of expat life in Latin America. He offers one-on-one consultations via phone or Skype and invites them to join a waiting list for an upcoming expat insider seminar in Central America, promising a two to five-year head start on their Plan B.
Topics
Canasta and Basilica in Latin America, Economic disparity in Latin America, Minimum wage vs. canasta, Educational system in Latin America, Value of degrees in the job market, Value of degrees, Job market for media and communications graduates, Economic impact of expats in Latin America, Dental practices in Guatemala vs. the United States, Dental care in the U.S. vs. Latin America, Cost differences in dental procedures, Treatment philosophy and patient outcomes
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:32 Introducing the Canasta Concept 00:01:17 Understanding the Canasta in Practice 00:02:59 The Economic Conundrum of Canasta and Minimum Wage 00:03:51 Education in Latin America 00:05:18 Degrees with Little Job Market Value 00:06:01 The Value of Degrees and Job Prospects in Media and Communications 00:10:27 Personal Dental Experience in Guatemala and Differences in Dental Practices 00:12:04 Why Americans Opt for Crowns Immediately After Root Canals 00:13:03 Johnny's Experience with Dental Care in Latin America 00:16:23 Philosophical Differences in Medical and Dental Care Between the U.S. and Latin America 00:17:00 Financial Pressures on Medical Professionals in Latin America 00:17:51 Comparative Healthcare Practices: U.S. vs. Latin America 00:19:40 Promotion of Revised Health Care Report 00:22:51 Johnny's Take on Fencing and Walls 00:25:03 Combining Security and Aesthetics with Fencing 00:27:22 Cost and Maintenance Considerations of Fencing 00:27:30 Introduction to Plan B for Expat Life in Latin America 00:27:48 Upcoming Expat Insider Seminar in Central America
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 I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat 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 All right Here's something that needs to be discussed a thing called the canasta Basilica or canasta from the yard if you read Spanish or try to read Spanish You'll see that term pop up in magazine web articles and newspapers once in a while So naturally I get emails from gonna bees and wannabes asking about those two sort of odd and confusing economic terms
[00:53] They mean basically the same thing a fairly precise estimate of what it would cost to feed house and clothe a family of four In a given Latin American country So basically every single that country has its own value for the monthly canasta basilica or canasta familiar But here's the thing and what confuses many gringos expats gonna bees and wannabes It's strange and a bit confusing when you see that monthly figure for example. Let's take Ecuador And it's seven hundred and fifteen bucks for November 2019. Yep 715 bucks is what it would cost to keep a family of four in food housing clothing Transportation, etc. Now, of course, that's a general figure and if you live way out in the booties
[01:39] It's a little less and if you live in the gringified tourist areas like Cuenca, it's gonna be more Hell if you live in Cuenca and have a decent house for a family of four You might pay seven hundred bucks a month just for rent. That is if you like to live large Of course anywhere in Latin America except in certain gringo ice places like Costa Rica, Panama, etc 700 bucks a month will get you an awful nice place a kind of a place the average Latino citizen could never afford Why because the minimum wage is always less than the canasta basilica or canasta familiar Sometimes much less less than half. That's the real conundrum. That's why I get emails from people saying Johnny the canasta basilica or familiar in El Salvador, for example is
[02:24] $540 for the month of November. They say Johnny. I just don't get it. The minimum wage. There is $346 a month that would mean in this case for the average Salvadorian with a family of four They could never make ends meet same thing goes for the Ecuador example 715 bucks a month for the canasta basilica in November when the minimum wage in Ecuador is $400 a month. In fact, they just raised it to 400. It was slightly less than that and Considering throughout Latin America more than half the population makes minimum wage even less that would mean logically that more than half of Latin Americans with a family of four can't afford the basic necessities in life. That's the conundrum Somebody's got to be juggling the numbers are lying Well, the numbers are true. They don't lie, but it's a fact in practically every family and household
[03:14] You've got multiple people contributing to the household pot and that kicks up the total income and puts families over the edge In other words, for example in Ecuador, you got dad making let's say 460 bucks a month and mom making 280 working as a cleaning lady or in a clothing factory They've probably got their oldest kid 11 or 12 years old shining shoes down on the street with his little shoe shine box And he's bringing in 80 bucks a month add it all up They're certainly not living large, but they're in the black So that's how they pull it off down here every able body in the family chips in and works which brings us to the Educational system here in Latin America and the value that Latino families put on education Now as mentioned because here in Latin America everyone who's able to work goes out and works or does something there in money
[04:03] You'll find the university system is both public and private our balls to the wall busy at night and on weekends That is daytime attendance is much lower than evening and weekend school That's just the opposite of what you see at universities up in the states for one thing up in the states There's night school But there really is no such thing as weekend school like there is here in Latin America When by the way online schools have really not caught on at all here in Latin America yet Remember that lag time thing it's alive and well Just give them a time. It'll happen now because weekend university classes are so popular here in Latin America And since the weekend only has two days That's why the vast majority of Latin American and college students do not graduate in four years most of them take five six even seven years to do it and
[04:51] You know even though there are many private and public universities here in Latin America They're not cranking out big numbers of graduates as you might expect Turns out less than a quarter of the people that attend university end up graduating and it's been estimated that less than three percent Of adult Latin Americans have a bachelor's degree or better Whereas over one-third that's thirty three percent of us adults have a bachelor's degree or better with ninety percent of those being Useless dime a dozen dead-end degrees like drama journalism marketing psychology sociology business administration art art history gender studies african-american studies phys-ed and on and on Turns out it's totally un-pc to say this but I don't give a rat's ass the list of degrees that have virtually no demand in the
[05:40] Marketplace is endless though That's not to say those types of degrees and liberal arts degrees aren't useful in an academic sense to read the great books and the classics And the philosophers really does help to round out a person's knowledge But you don't need school for that you can do that stuff on your own if you've got the initiative And it's true any kind of education has some value But those kind of degrees will almost never get you a good paying job right out of the chute And if you have one of those dime a dozen degrees you're almost guaranteed not to get a job in your chosen field that is Unless daddy owns the company or you happen to be a very gifted Talented brilliant person in that field and it really shows and everyone notices or you get very lucky Right time right place that kind of thing in fact my particular situation is a perfect example of that people ask me all the time
[06:28] How'd you get into radio Johnny? Well guess what I never took a media Communications or radio TV broadcasting course for me. It was luck right place right time Meanwhile all the universities and colleges up in the first world are cranking out people with media and communication degrees Now the sad thing is if you were to tally those graduating students ten years later You'll find out that only five percent around five out of a hundred have a job in their chosen field The rest of them are working at banks Home Depot Walmart practically anywhere other than radio TV and internet broadcasting I mean look I have a couple of science and engineering degrees and a completely useless MBA I remember back in college. I used to watch the kids in the business and communication schools Sitting around the student union and the student lounge watching TV second down lattes yucking it up partying on weekends
[07:20] Even weeknights come into class with hangovers laughing and making fun of us engineering types And they'd say to me Johnny you engineering guys are way too serious Studying all the time hitting the labs in the books. Where's the fun in that? They'd say man, you're doing it all wrong going to college is all about socializing man having fun Come on. These are the best years of your life. Enjoy him. Yeah, right Meanwhile, we as engineers and science major types were the ones that got great jobs right out of the chute Meanwhile, you've got tons of people with liberal arts degrees working at Starbucks in Home Depot Yeah, unfortunately, it's like that here in Latin America to fully 90% of them take useless liberal arts degrees with a socialist slant Now what you find if you come down to Latin America And you see young people a young college graduates making good money almost all of them have done so because they started their own little internet
[08:10] Or other business and almost all of the rest of them the ones with liberal arts degrees working for the man They start off making more than minimum wage, but not a hell of a lot more Just ask any bank teller or call center supervisor with a college degree What he or she earns a month if it's over 600 a month US I'd be very surprised now note 600 a month's twice minimum wage in most Latin countries But it still won't cover the Canasta bassica for a family of four in a place like Ecuador By the way, if you're thinking that gringos and expats don't have an impact on that Canasta bassica Listen to this turns out in the year 2008 12 years ago now before Ecuador became a highly popular gringo and expat destination, especially Cuenca the Canasta bassica Or Canasta from the yard was 200 bucks a month. Yep, 200 bucks a month. And now it's
[09:00] 715 that's something like 350% inflation in just 12 years a Disastrous amount of inflation for the average guy with a family of four but get this in the previous 10 years from 1998 to 2008 that can ask the bassica figure of 200 bucks did not budge Isn't it funny? The prices jacked way up as soon as the gringo started appearing as soon as international living Began town in the place as the perfect place for expat retirees Then from 2008 to 2014 it increased to 340 bucks. So six years ago was 340 bucks a month and now it's 715 that's about a hundred percent inflation in six years again directly correlating to the influx of gringos
[09:46] Didn't that funny? But the good news for gringos and expats is that even at seven hundred fifteen dollars a month for a family of four That's about twice the average social security check So extrapolating that you could make the case that for example a single gringo pulling down a measly social security check Should technically be able to support a family of eight in Ecuador So if you're up there in Cleveland living on a social security check Think about that when you're trying to decide is it tuna this week or cat food? So still even when you're on the tourist trail here in Latin America the gringos have the advantage Bottom line when we pile in we certainly drive up the prices though in some places much more than others Alright, let's switch gears and talk about a little boots on the ground adventure in health care that I got personally
[10:33] Sucked into this week. This should prove very enlightening to a lot of you out there. So pay attention. There'll be a quiz Just a little background first about four years ago. I had a pain in my upper right bicuspid So I went to my favorite dentist in Guatemala City He took an x-ray and showed me there was a very deep old filling in there that was leaking So he went in there took the filling out man. It was so deep There was some residual decay right into the nerve So when he took out all the decay it started bleeding. He was into the nerve now Normally, I know this for a fact because my sisters are dentists you hit the nerve in the United States and it starts bleeding, man You do a root canal right away because normally the nerve will not recover from the insult Usually within a couple of days a week a month It'll act up and you'll end up with a root canal. Anyway, that's the traditional wisdom from up in the states
[11:22] So generally the dentist goes ahead and does it right then and there or within a day or two Nothing fun about that. But hey, it's got to be done And then after you've had a root canal normally you'll need what they call a post and core. They'll stick a Titanium post in the tooth build it up to a manageable size Then do the crown because you know when you have a root canal The dentist will tell you a tooth with a root canal will eventually dry out Because there's no living material inside of it anymore over time They get brittle and will fracture without a crown and if it fractures in the wrong way Let's say vertically you'll end up losing the tooth and then you end up having it extracted You want to fill the hole so you have a bridge or an implant In other words a lot more time money effort and pain Which is why most Americans when faced with that will up for the crown right away
[12:08] So let me repeat the normal dental routine up in the states is this if the cavity goes down to the nerve and they hit it while they're excavating and it bleeds you end up with a root canal and if it's a Bicuspid tooth like the tooth I was having a problem with It's got two canals not one like a front tooth or three like a molar Average cost in the states for a root canal on that kind of tooth around a thousand bucks Then after that I mentioned a post and core that it's a titanium post with a build-up to make the tooth stronger That's another 300 bucks And after that to protect the whole tooth a crown on top of it and a nice high-tech porcelain crown of the states around 1500 bucks. I'm talking about the ones that look absolutely natural and not like a chick with so let's add this up Root canal thousand bucks post and core 300 crown
[12:56] 1500 total cost for a problem by cuspid tooth like mine up in the states close to 3,000 bucks But that's the states. Let's talk about what happened to me here in Latin America So about four years ago, I had a problem tooth went to my dentist in Guatemala City He's actually an oral surgeon trained in the US came back down because he has family and friends down here So right in Guatemala City has a very high level first world dentistry practice is the dentist by the way I always recommend to people who come down to my expat insider seminars and need some dental work In fact, many people who come to my seminar take a couple extra days just to go to the dentist That's very easily arranged and we help you do that. Anyway, I had a painful tooth went to the dentist He said you got a huge filling in there. We're gonna take it out and see what's under it It was leaky it had residual decay down to the nerve it bled
[13:44] I said, uh-oh guess I'm in for a root canal and he said Johnny. No, it's really not necessary. Not right now I said what up in the states it probably do it right away. Wouldn't they I've been through that before He said maybe but that's not how we do it here. I said, well, what do you do here? He says well We have this stuff that can calm the nerve and many times heal it and in the majority of cases As long as the nerves still alive and not dead putrid He said chances are the tooth will calm down and maybe you'll never have to have it worked on again Depends how your body reacts who knows you might need a root canal down the line But it's worth a try and we do it all the time I said fine fine go for it and guess what it worked at least for the next four years And then just last week that dude started hurting again, but this time I was traveling
[14:29] I wasn't in Guatemala. I was in Panama with a stop in Dominican Republic So I did my sleuthing found a specialist a lady dentist who happens to be a periodontist to that's gum specialist Now the funny thing is in Latin America You could be a dental specialist like an oral surgeon or periodontist and still do regular dentistry So in Latin America, most specialists do regular dentistry, too Why because the general population doesn't know the difference between dental specialties So specialists do both their specialty and general dentistry whereas in the States For example, if you're an endodontist or periodontist you stick to your specialty only Well, it's not like that here in Latin America because if you're a specialist here Depending only on referrals for patients. You're probably starved. So you do everything and your specialists work, too
[15:16] Confused yet. Well, you should be so anyway, I did my sleuthing and found a very good dentist a specialist She opened up the tooth Saw that the nerve was truly shot did the root canal She put a very strong resin composite core in there and said I wouldn't need a crown I thought hell that's good news. It was the kind of news. I wasn't expecting However, I know in the US being that I've got dentists in the family Once a root canal is done the dentist will almost always suggest putting a crown on it By the way that root canal that would have sent me back a thousand bucks in the States My new lady dentist a specialist charged me you ready? 80 bucks. No, not eight hundred eighty bucks Yep And she had all the latest greatest equipment first world office first world technology
[16:04] Digital x-ray machine the works and when I said to her after the treatment, are we done? What's next crown? She said no, I don't think so We'll just keep an eye on it. See what happens if in the future it needs anything else We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. So bottom line. What are you supposed to take away from all this? Well, there's the fact that there's a different kind of philosophy going on here in Latin America when it comes to medical and dental Care in the States as it turns out if you've got insurance coverage And most people do the dentist will say my sister included. Well, you're here So we should start to crown right now the insurance will cover 80% whatever now That's what you call Cadillac dentistry and the patient will almost always agree when insurance will pay most of it In other words the decision though it the end it comes down to the patient and the doc
[16:52] It's always guided or influenced by what the insurance will pay and when you think about it There's something fishy about that And on the subject of excessive or overtreatment my sister tells me that in her office she has to make at least $3,000 a day to pay her help pay all the office overhead, etc. That's stress. That's a heavy burden She tells me her office rent alone is get this 10,000 bucks a month that's crazy since most dentists in high-rise first world style buildings here in Latin America Pay five to at most 800 a month So naturally all Physicians and dentists no matter where they are have to make their nut They have to make a certain amount of money each day to stay open with my sister It's three grand a day with the average dentist in Latin America about 200 bucks a day
[17:41] That's a huge difference in amount of stress and pressure you have to make your daily nut Which is why when you look at both sides of the coin how they do work down here in Latin America versus up in the States it would seem that every physician and dentist up in the States would have a propensity to over-treat just to make that nut Think about the story I just told you fact is in a Nueva York or Cleveland second I would have accepted my doctor's advice if she would have said look Johnny We have to do a post in the core and do a crown on this thing right away up in the States For any patient that had insurance that would have been the routine line now some might say that's excessive. It's over treatment It's too aggressive that certainly would be the case as compared to here in Latin America Where most patients don't have any kind of insurance at all and because people here in Latin America don't have insurance and don't have much
[18:28] Disposable income dentists and physicians are conservative in their treatment modalities They have to be because traditionally middle-class patients here in Latin America have very small incomes and crap credit, too So unlike up in the States doctors make a real effort to do what's only reasonable and necessary They're not guided by insurance companies, but by people's ability to pay It's a whole different mindset and makes for a much nicer doctor patient relationship all around Fact is I'll never forget a certain little incident that happened to me when I was back in the States many years ago And it's got to be much worse now You see I was in my brother-in-law's office and MD in Chicago, and it was around lunchtime We were shooting the breeze and when the clock struck one he whispered come here Johnny I want you to see something and he opened his office door a crack
[19:15] Then he said have a look at my patients in the waiting room. I'll never forget it every chair was filled Then he whispered, you know, there's $2,000 sitting there right now Then I thought that's not right. What a dickhead Like I said, he's my former brother-in-law, but hey if I had one of those guys in my own family Imagine how many jerk doctors out there right now looking at their waiting rooms and thinking the same thing You know what I say three cheers for Latin American lag time. Oh and speaking of health care I've got a pleasant surprise for you in the last few days I've been going over modifying and completely Revising my Latin American health care report now You've heard me talk about that report before and I first put it together around four years ago But as of right now my first show of January 2020
[20:02] It's completely up-to-date and revised including all the new stem cell stuff So in whatever stage of your plan be you might be even if you're just thinking about it. You really need this report It's well over a hundred pages, too. I'm certain it's the only boots on the ground health care report of its kind How do I know that? Well, I searched the internet high and low for this kind of material and some of it's out there But it's always coming from a viewpoint or a writer who's never been down here and been through the medical systems himself All the reports I've ever seen on medical tourism and such are written by people up in the states who've gathered All their information from the net and my report Totally based on a hundred percent boots on the ground experiences with photos to prove it and remember I'm not just a radio podcast guy who threw a report together. I have a degree in
[20:51] Biomedical engineering that means I'm an expert in medical devices medical machinery and medical Instrumentation I'm just a little bit more well-informed and discriminating than the average slug. At least I like to think that So bottom line my completely revised hundred page plus Latin American health care report for gringos and expats is now available You can pick up a copy. That is get a PDF download by going to www.theexpatfiles.com Then click on Johnny's health care report. All right, let's take an email from Chris. He says hi Johnny Hope you're doing well and had a great Christmas Here's my situation one of the projects. I'm considering for my lake at etlan Guatemala property is a boundary wall and or fence for privacy and security
[21:37] I've got some long-ass property lines. The property is about one and a quarter acres right now I'm just considering my options before I get the quote from my builders The question is is a masonry block wall or poured concrete the most cost-effective I know a stone wall would cost the most I think the wall in front of my house is a combination of poured concrete And block I've thought about using fencing on the back of my property where it wouldn't be quite so visible And I don't want to skimp on the security just to save a few bucks I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, please Especially if you have some price per unit costs. I've never heard you talk about that on your show before Thanks a lot Johnny Chris Austin, Texas a guy who just bought a property in Lake Atard land the most beautiful lake in the world Oh and he sent me a video of the property. It's Fantastic. It's got two houses on it ten million dollar view of the lake over an acre and I believe he paid like
[22:27] 140,000 for the whole thing man. It doesn't seem possible in today's world, huh? But it is remember we're south of the border in plain B territory. Anyway, Chris has brought up a very good point I don't think I've ever talked about fencing or constructing some kind of border on your property Which is something you should really consider if you've got a yard garden or pets anywhere in the world now your long-time List just probably know I have built something like 13 houses and offices here in Latin America So I know more than a little bit about fencing and walls because I've built a couple of them and here's my take on It if you're in a nice ecological beautiful area like Lake Atard land Have lots of foliage and forest and trees around you It's a tough decision to screw up that view by putting up a kind of an institutional block or concrete wall Though they are solid and will probably outlast you on as far as a poured concrete wall
[23:15] That's kind of ridiculous and way too expensive and big overkill Very few people do that what people usually do when they want a big solid wall is they'll pour a footing and build a black Wall and then surface it with a concrete mud kind of plaster finish or just leave the bare porous black surface Which I don't recommend because the water penetrates it gets green moldy and crappy That's why most people at least people with class will plant some kind of clingy vines that will eventually Cover the surface inside and out and they'll look really fantastic in a couple of years Except having plants clinging to your walls will invite many many bugs and insects. So be prepared for that So if you've got such a wall and it's attached to your house or garage You're gonna have to watch out for periodic bug and ant invasions though
[24:00] If you've got a gardener or maintenance guy that can be kept well under control Of course You want that wall for a couple of things privacy and keeping out intruders that just might see stuff you have and want to Take it and happens anywhere and block and cement walls are a very good deterrent and since labor is cheap I mean really cheap You could do an eight-foot block wall with concrete footings for a third or even a quarter of what it would cost you to do Went up in the states. For example on a property. I worked on that sound about a half-acre I had an eight-foot block wall a perimeter wall estimated out by contractors It was gonna cost me something like six thousand bucks Instead I elected to go with a cyclone or chain link fence which priced out at less than half of that I think it was two thousand something and as you know chain link or cyclone fences aren't that secure
[24:46] You can see right through them and a guy with a wire cutters could snip them and come through at any time Unless of course you've got a toberman or a rottweiler. They are the best deterrence You know if you've got one of those no outsiders would ever attempt to come in your yard Anyway, here's the trick if you want to save a lot of money have really good security Put up an eight-foot cyclone or chain-link fence with some razor wire on top Of course, it'll look tackier ugly at first, but wait hear me out now here in Latin America You could buy a baby Borgen via bush for around three bucks The key is to plant one right next to every fence post with the post being around eight foot apart So let's imagine you have a square acre that would make your plot around 200 feet on the side Or about 25 fence posts on the side if you're using eight foot as the distance between each post times four that makes
[25:34] 100 fence posts or a hundred little Borgen via bushes to plant at let's say three bucks apiece That's 300 bucks Now the thing is it'll take about two years before they completely cover and infiltrate the weavings between The metal spaces in the cyclone or chain-link fence, but man in the end when they flower They'll look absolutely beautiful But that's not the real reason you put them there The thing is Borgen via bushes whose flowers come in I think three or four colors They have some massive inch-long thorns that will certainly deter man or beast from ever trying to get through them And they're strong and thick Believe me if you stick your hand in or get in a tussle with one of those Morgan via bushes You will pay for it dearly and come out with some pretty nasty wounds Now I've used that particular method of fencing in a few of the various places
[26:22] I've lived in and I never had anyone attempt to home invasion not through the Borgen via. That's for sure However, that means for the first two years You'll have to keep an eye out because you'll be able to see through that fence And so will people on the other side of it that is until your Borgen via takes off and starts thickening up By the way, there's another kind of security fence people are building here in Latin America It's got prefab concrete posts instead of metal ones like a chain link or a cyclone fence would have Then you have precast two foot by six or eight foot sections that slide into those posts which have a groove in them So when you're done It looks just like a solid concrete wall with a sort of fake brick pattern on it and when you first install the things They can look nice But after a couple of years they look pretty white trash and tacky Because eventually a post shift a little bit and the sections don't quite line up properly
[27:12] Start warping a little bit under their own weight because they absorb water when it rains but it is an alternative a lot cheaper than a block wall and just a little more expensive than a Cyclone or chain link fence wall. Oh, and remember if you have a block wall, it's gonna look nice for a long time But there will be a lot of maintenance involved if you want to keep it looking nice Especially if you end up painting it south you've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America If you need some help with your own plan B We can schedule a one-on-one phone or Skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at Gmail dot com And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week-long expat Insider seminar in Central America where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan B Send me an email the expat files at Gmail dot com. No spamos