Posted on 12/02/2013 7:35:24 AM PST by posterchild
LOS ANGELES — After 20 years in the US military, James Cummiskey was divorced and looking for a change. Relenting to his buddy's request, he flew to Medellín, Colombia, for a visit. He looked, he saw, and, by dinner time, he decided to stay. Permanently.
"After four to five hours, I was immediately captured by everything I saw," says the ex-marine, who has lived in 35 countries. He spent the next four months selling two homes, three vehicles, two motorcycles, and one airplane. He put the money aside and decided to retire early.
Now he lives in a posh section of the mountain city of 3.8 million, surrounded by lush vistas. He married a Colombian woman, started a coffee export business, and seems to get goose bumps every time he thinks about his new life. "I tell you honestly I have had more fun here in the past four years than in the previous 50," he says.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
“I’ve heard some of the attraction of going to some of these countries, for men, is the females.”
Too true, the women there have not been as ruined by feminist views as they have been in the US so they still actually act like women used to here in the 1950’s. Also you don’t have the risk of them divorcing you and taking you to the cleaners like guys do here in the US as the laws are still somewhat fair down there.
Ecuador is the country that has raised my interest. Probably because you can buy an ocean front condo for $100-150k. However, all I know about it is what I have seen on House Hunters International and read on the internet. What I do not see on the coastal houses there that I see in other places are BARS on the windows and houses that are surrounded by gates an high walls.
What can you tell me based on your visits?
I have friends who winter outside of Panama City, Panama and they just love it. As they are in the hill/mountain country, it is about 75F-85F most of the time, so it is not too hot. I am a little jealous as we have got a blizzard warning in effect here in Calgary! Three inches of a forecast 12 inches of fresh snow are on the ground, the temperature is 10F, dropping to -28F on Thursday night. Lows are to be less than zero for the next ten days.
There is apparently, an issue with Americans selling properties there, at great loss. According to this friend, the issue is that now, the IRS is operating in Panama and coming after ex-pat Americans, forcing them to sell their properties to pay taxes in the US. My friend cited an example of a neighbour of his in Panama, who built a $1.5 million house and had to sell for $400K to pay US taxes. Apparently, a lot of this is going on.
Yes, in Vietnam, in 1968-69 and 1971-72. I think we were worried about Russian or Chinese subs. I’m sure they patrolled for surface vessels, too!
Columbia? Pass.
How can anyone trust any bank in South America?
I work part time for a guy in the Music Business.
There is a Joke regarding Fender Guitars.
You can buy a Fender Guitar made in America by Mexicans, or you can buy a Fender Guitar made in Mexico by Mexicans.
Kind of like the Contractors here. The White Guy shows up twice, to give you an estimate and then to collect the money. The Mexicans show up and actually do the work.
If the dollar has a problem and you are in another country ....
In an alternate parallel universe, I’d have an Asian wife or GF. Heck, it’s an alternate universe, I can have both!
But not geologically.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_earthquakes_in_Chile
We’re looking at Panama and it seems safe, stable and beautiful.
It was a great visit.
This website helped us:
http://bestplacesintheworldtoretire.com/
Not even in”Colombia”!
A former mortgage broker friend of mine and his wife are building a small apartment complex in coastal Ecuador. They joke that dealing with the building department there is no worse, and in some ways more transparent than those they’ve dealt with in the US.
One can buy an AK-47 and enough ammo to feed it for a day or more at any local bazaar for about $100.
Problem solved.
I have relatives that have been living full-time in Chile for the past 40+ years.
Bred and raised 5 children there.
Nobody is in the mood to leave.
The most Americans seem to be going to Cuenca and Guayaquil.iCuenca is in the Andes and prices are rising due to the arrival of the Americans. The people in the country are quite nice. There is a crime problem in Quito.Check Ecuador retirement ABC news for a story about Americans moving south.
I recall the House Hunters International episode was in Salinas on the coast. Have you been in this area?
San Miguel claimed to be the largest ex-pat group of Americans in the world. I don’t know if it’s still true.
Panama and CR are nice but I would never go to SA. Just too weird the Sandinero Luminoso Maoists, the Che wannabes, Chavanistas.
There are more Maoists in SA than Red China.
I don’t blame them.
My wife is a Mexican National and there are places she won’t let me go.
I am thinking Chile. Great climate, right wing history, and a very European feel.
What part of Chile?
It is so long North to South. I am remembering the earthquake a few years back that leveled part of the country. I think this fault line runs up the west coast of South America. I was reading about Bahia in northern Ecuador that had some major damage from an earthquake ten to twenty years ago. I think it would be wise in any of these countries not to build on a sloping hillside or live in some high rise condo unless I was confident that the building was constructed to earthquake standards.
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