10 Countries where Retirees are Living Large

[quote="johninajijic"]

Axixic wrote:Kenya, I believe.

Isn't that very hot?[/quote]

John,

When people say that Lake Chapala has the second best climate in the world, they are inferring that the best climate in the world is in Highland Kenya on the equator. Nairobi and environs, right on or near the equator but at around 7,000 feet, has an unexcelled climate of almost constant sunshine and dry cool breezes. A fabulous place where you can still find a beautiful home for less than you would pay at Lakeside and just about everybody speaks English. Great booze and ice cream as well and some fine East Indian cuisine.

Dawg tried to talk my wife into Africa as a retirement place but failed to succeed. That´s OK, because Mexico has been a great trip so far. Eleven years and counting. We won´t leave here unless compelled to do so.

My darlin´ wife, on the other hand, thinks we should consider Medellin, Colombia now that things have settled down there. Who knows.

Johninajijic
Why do you call Florida the armpits of the US, I have been in a lot worst places. They have some beautiful waters and beaches in some areas.

brigitte wrote:Ok Viajero, which places specifically?

Viet Nam maybe some parts of Thailand.

brigitte wrote:Johninajijic
Why do you call it the armpits of the US, I have been in a lot worst places. They have some beautiful waters and beaches in some areas.

Perhaps that was a little too strong. Yes. there are many worse places in the US. I said that mostly because of the heat and humidity. There beaches are very nice. I've been in much of FL twice in my life.

Ok Viajero, at least they have wonderful food there ...

John:

When are you going to learn that making assumptions or generalizations about something or someplace with which you have little or no experience just gets you in trouble? Instead of trying to act like you know all, you might find that people may respect your opinions more when you admit to not knowing something.

CheenaGringo wrote:John:

When are you going to learn that making assumptions or generalizations about something or someplace with which you have little or no experience just gets you in trouble? Instead of trying to act like you know all, you might find that people may respect your opinions more when you admit to not knowing something.

How many times have you visited FL and what areas did you visit?

brigitte wrote:Ok Viajero, at least they have wonderful food there ...

That and the scenery,culture and the fact they don't hold a grudge against us for the war and it's very economical,more so than Latin America.

"How many times have you visited FL and what areas did you visit?"

Have you ever read or heard where I have made sweeping comments about the State of Florida? While I have spent a fair amount of time in Florida going back about 15 to 20 years, I recognize the fact that places change over time so my information is dated. My opinions based on my limited experience are mine and I really don't have adequate knowledge to expound to the general public.

gringal wrote:IMO, the first thing anyone contemplating a move to anywhere should do is check out the year around temperatures. Friends of ours sold their San Carlos property and moved to lakeside because the heat in S.C. got to them.
We rejected out favorite kind of place....the beaches....because of the heat and/or humidity.

There's a good reason this area claims to be the "second best" climate in the world, and no matter what else is involved, you gotta live with the weather.

Us too. I'd live at the beach if it wasn't so damn hot there. Wasn't hard to pass on Kenya either.

Mainecoons wrote:

gringal wrote:IMO, the first thing anyone contemplating a move to anywhere should do is check out the year around temperatures. Friends of ours sold their San Carlos property and moved to lakeside because the heat in S.C. got to them.
We rejected out favorite kind of place....the beaches....because of the heat and/or humidity.

There's a good reason this area claims to be the "second best" climate in the world, and no matter what else is involved, you gotta live with the weather.

Us too. I'd live at the beach if it wasn't so damn hot there. Wasn't hard to pass on Kenya either.

The very FIRST THING I do is check year round temperatures and humidity. We were going to move to Temecula, CA, but winter time temps get down to 32 degrees. We rteally fell in love with Temecula. Actually lower temps than in NC, so we decided on NC. No one would visit us in CA. My friends family is in Mass, a short 2 day drive (700 mi). We have very good friends in CT and Toronto. We can visit there too and they will definitely visit us.

NC is humid in the summertime, but not as near humid as FL. Little to no snow in Charlotte area of NC and they have 4 seasons. Much cheaper cost of living than CA.

E-raq wrote:

bobnliz wrote:San Carlos has it down for accessibility, I think. Three hundred miles south of Tucson. Not a bad drive, and we have a vehicle and our bikes.
It's a thousand miles from our summer digs... quick trip, even meandering along the way we do. Lizzy

It may be accessible, however I have spent quite a bit of time there in both summer and winter. The closest store of any reasonable description was in Guaymas. After 11 a.m. you couldn't go out in the summer. The houses up on the Caracol were built with salt water in the cement. People deny this but friends owned a factory (maquiladora) there and swore up and down it was true. Everything rusted in nanoseconds. There was one guy who did a border run for veggies and Costco stuff, once he was sold out you were toast. Maybe things have changed, but it sure wouldn't be on my list. Nice sailing though.

That musta been a while back. There's a Ley Extra, a Santa Fe and Santa Rosa markets in San Carlos and 16km to El Vigia Mall and a full sized Ley, plus several Sorianas, one with underground parking and a restaurant and of course, a WalMart. Lizzy

CanuckBob wrote:Now what about Cuba. Let's hear about that as I imagine it will break wide open within the forseeable future. The Copa Cabana will rise once again.....

For us Cuba is too expensive. You trade your loonies/dollars in at a discount when you go there and when you leave you convert back at a
discount. Cuba is a little bit greedy for me in its currency trading.

Z

bobnliz wrote:

E-raq wrote:

bobnliz wrote:San Carlos has it down for accessibility, I think. Three hundred miles south of Tucson. Not a bad drive, and we have a vehicle and our bikes.
It's a thousand miles from our summer digs... quick trip, even meandering along the way we do. Lizzy

It may be accessible, however I have spent quite a bit of time there in both summer and winter. The closest store of any reasonable description was in Guaymas. After 11 a.m. you couldn't go out in the summer. The houses up on the Caracol were built with salt water in the cement. People deny this but friends owned a factory (maquiladora) there and swore up and down it was true. Everything rusted in nanoseconds. There was one guy who did a border run for veggies and Costco stuff, once he was sold out you were toast. Maybe things have changed, but it sure wouldn't be on my list. Nice sailing though.

That musta been a while back. There's a Ley Extra, a Santa Fe and Santa Rosa markets in San Carlos and 16km to El Vigia Mall and a full sized Ley, plus several Sorianas, one with underground parking and a restaurant and of course, a WalMart. Lizzy

In San Carlos proper? Well, you're right it was about 9 or 10 years ago. My friend died around then and her husband left the area, so we haven't been back.

I noticed the mention of Medellín on the board and thought I might share some recent experience. I lived for quite a few years at lakeside during the late 70’s, for six years in Oaxaca starting in 1998 and for a year in San Jose, CR in 2005. I had visited Colombia from time to time during those years and often thought I would return and try living there full time. Medellín seemed like a good compromise between the chill and congestion of Bogotá and the heat and humidity in the coastal cities. I moved here about a year ago.

As with all places there are pros and cons. On the plus side I’ve found the temperature here to be consistently comfortable, lows around 65 and highs low eighties day in and day out. Somewhat more rain than I like but it does keep things lush and green, and very few days are without sun at least part of the day. The city is well laid out with numbered carreteras running one direction and numbered calles the other. It’s hard to get lost. Lot’s of green space…parks, linear parks all over, tree shaded streets and clean air. Lot’s of street life…a great city to walk in. Good public transportation…cheap, fast metro, 25,000 cheap taxis, buses all over…no need for a car. Living in the city is pretty much vertical…high rise apartments work best. Modern and inexpensive. I pay less than US$600 including utilities for a small, furnished penthouse with a great city view…completely secure. I get 10mgb internet through Telmex and the lights have never gone off…so far. Food costs are about on a par with Mexico, restaurants are much cheaper although Colombian food is not that appealing…at least to me. There are plenty of restaurant options for other types of food. People here, the Paisas, are just plain nice. The women are flat out the best looking in the world as a group. Everyone I’ve dealt with has been friendly and helpful. Sports and fitness are a big, big deal here. A huge sports complex, Estadio Girardot, offers about any sport one can imagine. I play tennis there a few days a week on good clay courts…pay US$50 month for unlimited use, excellent coach is $10 per hour and ballboys $2. A cyclovia takes place on closed streets on Sundays and holidays and literally thousands of Paisas are out cycling, jogging or walking. Health care is readily available and affordable. Tits and teeth are a big deal here…plastic surgery and dental work is good and cheap. I self insure and pay less than $50 for an extended office visit and treatment with a specialist like a dermatologist. Drugs are not cheap but one does not need a prescription and everything I’ve needed has been readily available.

Security is generally quite good. Police, private security and sometimes military are everywhere and they don’t seem to have their hands out for a bribe. Haven’t driven here so don’t know about the transito guys. I've never felt threatened here. There is some gang warfare and violence in a few of the poorer communas and some street crime, of course. As with anywhere one has maintain a fairly high degree of situational awareness. Some heavy duty violence between the FARC and the Govt still happens in the hills and the pueblos…I don’t go there. Living here feels much more safe to me than in Mexico or CR. There is more good stuff but that will give anyone interested an idea. I mostly wish I had discovered Medellín when I was 20 years younger. Really great night life and events of all kinds every week. Getting older I no longer feel like taking advantage of a lot of the options available.

On the downside, and of course there is one, Medellín is a long way from the States. Usually a 12 hour, $1,200 trip. Aside from some scattered gringo English teachers. a few aging chica chasers, and the occasional guy who has married a colombiana and settled here I, at least, have not found much of an expat community. Might be here somewhere, but not around where I live. Nor, have I found a lot of English speakers at all. A lot of Paisas have a little English but I rarely, make that almost never run in to anyone with whom I can carry on an extended, intelligent, interesting conversation in english. But then, I’m not very social. Others experiences might be quite different. I do feel the lack here of a social safety net, people who would come to my aid if I was incapacitated and needed help, hospitalization etc. Family usually does this in latin societies and what’s left of mine is a long way off. Without a circle of expat friends I’m pretty much on my own…not always a great feeling. I could imagine language being a problem for many gringos. My Spanish is quite good but the paisa dialect is like learning an entirely different language and the accent can be challenging. After a year I’m finally just starting to understand them most of the time. I would not want to be here at all if I was not comfortable with Spanish and it’s a stretch even for me. Not much else I don’t like about Medellín…lack of an extended expat community, not too accessible from the U.S., not much of a safety net if one chooses to live alone, more rain than I really enjoy…those are my main issues with the place. Just enough to keep me open to other possibilities.

I’m going to head up your way in August and spend a few months in Jalisco…see if I might, on balance, like living there again a little better. Haven’t spent any time in the area for years and know things have changed a lot. We’ll see. I would not be surprised if I find myself back here in Medellín again by the 1st of the year.

Please excuse the long post. Hope someone finds this info useful…

Wow, what a fantastic post. Enjoyed every word. Thank you!

Me too!!!! Welcome to the board CharlieG. I hope to see many more posts of your experiences in Columbia.

E-raq wrote:

bobnliz wrote:

E-raq wrote:

bobnliz wrote:San Carlos has it down for accessibility, I think. Three hundred miles south of Tucson. Not a bad drive, and we have a vehicle and our bikes.
It's a thousand miles from our summer digs... quick trip, even meandering along the way we do. Lizzy

It may be accessible, however I have spent quite a bit of time there in both summer and winter. The closest store of any reasonable description was in Guaymas. After 11 a.m. you couldn't go out in the summer. The houses up on the Caracol were built with salt water in the cement. People deny this but friends owned a factory (maquiladora) there and swore up and down it was true. Everything rusted in nanoseconds. There was one guy who did a border run for veggies and Costco stuff, once he was sold out you were toast. Maybe things have changed, but it sure wouldn't be on my list. Nice sailing though.

That musta been a while back. There's a Ley Extra, a Santa Fe and Santa Rosa markets in San Carlos and 16km to El Vigia Mall and a full sized Ley, plus several Sorianas, one with underground parking and a restaurant and of course, a WalMart. Lizzy

In San Carlos proper? Well, you're right it was about 9 or 10 years ago. My friend died around then and her husband left the area, so we haven't been back.

Yup... San Carlos proper. Lizzy

San Carlos. Tucson Beach. As Mexican as Imperial Beach with tunnels.

What a nice post, CharlieG, thanks for your time and energy. Loved it. Medellin sounds amazing.

One thing we have here is expat community and support. I understand what you're saying, I felt that way when I lived at the beach.

I'll be very interested in your observations while here at the lake. Hope you continue to post on this board.

What do you know about Nicaragua?

CharlieG I loved your post. Tell us more about Medellin!

I love the community here as much as the climate. It took a while for me to find a good network of friends but there is a great expat community here.

hound dog wrote:San Carlos. Tucson Beach. As Mexican as Imperial Beach with tunnels.

Why, Dawg... I'm sure all those Mex'cans that make their homes in San Carlos will be disappointed to hear
of your rather unkind and insensitive assessment of their village. Lizzy