The Expat Files: Living in Latin America

#1- Announcing Johnny’s August 2025 “Expat Insider Seminar”: #2- A world travelling listener chimes in by saying the occasionally disgusting Latin American bathrooms are nothing compared to the crap bathrooms she’s seen in certain parts of Europe#3- More very odd latin American personal names that will make you either laugh or cry: #4- More bad news for all you tattooed folks : #5- Our man in...

#1- The annoying “one upmanship” problem that certain expats and gringos seem to want to bring to the table: #2- Expats and their tired old “war stories”:Why do certain Expats blather on about what they used to own and what they lost in the divorce? Why do they still carry around old photos of that lost beach house and Range Rover? #3- Expats and gringos, be advised that no one wants to see...

#1- When you think your Spanish is better than it really is:A common gringo / expat delusion…#2- (Today by popular demand) The Guatemalan permanent Residency process described in great detail:#3- That weird and crazy “apostille” process:There are two types of “apostilles’ actually. If you apply for residency in any Latino country you will have to be familiar with both of them… #4- How to get...

#1- A word about those very big and nasty flying cucarachas: #2- Boots on the ground in Paraguay:How even smart, astute, Spanish speaking gringos get scammed in Paraguay... #3- Direct from the ER (Emergency Room):Some amazingly brutal Latin American motorcycle crash stats… #4- Bicycle riding in Latin America:Is it safe, enjoyable and recommended for gringos and expats? #5- How Latinos deal with...

#1- The strange phenomena of how certain absolutely talentless Latino males become super-popular, super-rich music DJ’s:Lets see now, they can’t sing, can’t write songs, can’t banter (not much can be done with a 20 word vocabulary) and they can’t play a single musical instrument… WTF? #2- When there’s always an Earthquake, fire or hurricane on the Latin American horizon- what’s the proper...

#1- “Hey Mommy… a Narco’s moved into the neighborhood”- Part 2 #2- Bad with money:How wealthy Latinos routinely waste their dough: #3- Too many houses:Why wealthy Guatemalans generally own three different beautiful homes but oddly enough, none are maintained to gringo standards… #4- A few words about owning a beach house in Latin America:It’s a dream of many. Problem is the maintenance is never...

#1- TP problems in Latin America:Don’t laugh… it’s a real situation… #2- Believe it or not, Latinos think a person is wealthy when they see the following item or items in his home… #3- The challenges of living in culture that has been continuously repaired by large gobs of silicone caulk:#4- What’s up with all the bare lightbulbs, and generally poor and crappy lighting in most all Latino homes?...

#1- Scammed again by a Mexican Timeshare company:Fresh green gringos are perfect targets… #2- Where do Mexican cartels get their drones, AK’s and RPG’s?Ask Zalensky… #3- DYK that because of a recent explosion in crime, both Peru and Ecuador are under martial law?Bottom line? Be careful when selecting your Plan B destination… #4- What are the chances you'll get stopped at customs with a shitload...

#1- Why you should be very careful using Whatsapp:You will be forced to use it in Latin America. Everyone uses it because its free (so they think) but beware…#2- Latin American vehicle insurance chaos is never ending: #3- Pay attention to the following car accident scenarios as described:If you drive long enough in Latin America, eventually one or more of these eventualities will happen to you…...

#1- Comfortably unreliable Latinos: #2- Sin Verguenza means “no shame”A term you will hear frequently in Latin America… #3- Gas station etiquette: #4- Negative gringo stereotypes: #5- When is “lag time” good? #6- Autistic kids in Latin America” #7- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT":the new edition for 2024 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest...