The Expat Files: Living in Latin America

#1- When Gringo Expats in Latin America get bored with their lives:   #2- Tips concerning Electrical Appliances (you will thank me for later) when you finally go solar and get off the grid :   #3- How to instantly confirm that you have been stupid about your Amazon purchases:   #4- The two most dependable and available solar power inverter brand(s) I recommend for use in Latin America:   #5- Ever wonder how often Amazon stuff gets damaged in shipping once it lands in Latin America? After all, your stuff has been on a hell of a long trip and tossed around by many sets of brutish handlers…   #6- Some Aduana tips and hacks to avoid or reduce import taxes:   #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]  #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.  

#1- When an Expat in Latin America owns property, what happens to it when he or she dies?   #2- You won’t believe the strange peculiarities of Latino inheritance laws:   #3- “Point of use” tankless versus tank water heaters: A discussion of the only type of water heater you should consider for use in Latin America…   #4- The truth about solar power backup versus LP gas or diesel backup generators:   #5- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]  #6- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.  

Descriptions - EXPAT FILES SHOW #1506, FRI, MAY 08 (05-8-26):    #1- “Karens” in Latin America:   #2- Having a bad neighbor in Latin America:   #3- Don’t make this shortsighted Hybrid car mistake:   #4- Sorting out Latin American “cost of living” myths:   #5- What you need to know about Latin America salaries:   #6- What is really "middle class" in Latin America?   #7- How all classes of Latinos have learned to live in the moment:   #8- When Expats LIE to you, or put spin on the reasons they pack it in and throw in the towel:   #9- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]  #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.    

#1- Latina girls and a particular testy problem that arises when they are at work and when attending university:   #2- Churches, temples and mosques in Latin America:   #3- About those Muslim populations in Latin America:   #4- Using WAZE in Latin America:   #5- You need to know about power blackouts in Latin America:   #6- Backup generators in Latin America: Should you get one?   #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]    #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.  

#1- Common folk “credit plans” in Latin America   #2- Home mortgages in Latin America:   #3- My personal internet regrets:   #4- The surprising, somewhat amazing, Latin American birthrate and life expectancy dats:   #5- The fate of expired food and medicines in Latin America:   #6- Going off the grid -Part 3   #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]    #8- Be sure to pick up my newly updated, "LATIN AMERICAN HEALTHCARE REPORT": The new edition for 2026 (and beyond) is available now, including the latest "Stem Cell Clinic" info and data and my top picks for the best treatment centers for expats and gringos. Just go to www.ExpatPlanB.com and click on the "Latin American Healthcare Report”.  

#1- Buried in debt and credit is normal for Latinos: Yet, they are still the happiest people in the world…   #2- Living “off the utility grid” in Latin America:   #3- EV myths and hypocrisies:   #4- Rooftop solar water heaters- Why I changed my mind about them:   #5- The trouble with being troubled by not learning Spanish fast enough… and feeling like a dolt:   #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

EXPAT FILES SHOW #1502, FRI, APR 10 (04-10-26):   #1- Biometric fears in Mexico- PART 2:   #2- What you need to know about owning a cell phone in Latin America:   #3- Poor Latinos who are not poor by their own standards: Living well on 3 bucks a day out in the boonies…   #4- There’s an infertility epidemic in Latin America: Who would have thought this was possible…   #5- Amazon deliveries in Latin America: The company you love to hate…   #6- The worst commercial airlines in Latin America:   #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]     

Descriptions - EXPAT FILES SHOW #1501, FRI, APR 03 (04-03-26):    #1- Did you know that in Latin America there are a huge variety of Tacos you cannot eat:   #2- Gringo expats and their often stubborn music tastes :   #3- Latinos who actually think they are from New York or Mijami:   #4- A word about those slick teak farm investments so many trusting gringos get suckered into:   #5- The dope on travelling outside the USA if one has a felony on his record:   #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

  #1- 1500 Expat Files Show milestone:   #2- When Expats get old and decrepit: What’s your plan on how to fade into the sunset? Do you even have a plan?   #3- Planning ahead is NOT part of the Latin American playbook:   #4- Unfettered capitalism is alive and well in Latin America (and Latin  governments and politicos absolutely hate that):   #5- How to instantly spot stupid gringos:   #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1- When gringos and expats obtain indigenous wives and girlfriends: #2- AI arrives in Latin America in a big and unexpected way…starting with the famous “Mercado Libre” buy and sell website eliminating10,000 white collar jobs (half of their support and marketing staff): #3- How’d 3 million folks of Japanese decent end up in Brazil and Peru? #4- About those gringo expats who prefer to have a driver or chofer on call: #5- Extreme gringo prices and the excessive gringo gouge… today’s shocking “boots on the ground” story: #6- What is the best Spanish language course or system for gringos and expats? #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1- When transit cops target gringos:   #2- The problem with gringo tourists:   #3- How Latinos can spot a gringo tourist a mile (or a kilometer) away: What about them spotting out us long term expats?   #4- Do Latinos mock or make fun of us gringos behind our backs (like we do them?):   #5- The use of glyphosate in Latin America:   #6- Why buying a “Hybrid” car is pretty stupid:   #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]   

#1- Do you have EFWS? (Expat Files Withdrawl Syndrome)   #2- TEN small ways Latin American repair guys will gouge and rip you off (and you probably won’t realize it):   #3- Those little piles of glass you occasionally see at street corners are NOT natural artifacts:   #4- Is it possible that Venezuelans are naturally more dishonest and scheming than Latin Americans from other countries?   #5- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1- A word about Mexico “Lindo”: Hate to say “I told ya so” but… I told ya so …   #2- Are there any places safe from the cartels in Mexico?   #3- Giving up on Air B&B’s:   #4- Why I don’t recommend Peru for your plan-B:   #5- I’m forever being asked about my pick for the best Latin American country for gringos and expats:   #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1- Should you bring your kids with you to live in Latin America? At first they will whine, kick and squirm….   #2- Don’t confuse nerds with intellectuals: I’ve met Latino nerds on the spectrum, but I’ve yet to meet any real Latino lintellectual…     #3- How Latinos rate you, versus how you rate yourself:   #4- Netflix is super popular in latin America: Note though that the Spanish version in Latin America is very different from the USA netflix you are accustomed to:   #5- Even wealthy educated Latinos believe in and brujas, witches, spells and multiple superstitions: DYK there’s a witch (bruja) on call in every neighborhood…   #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1- About those horses you occasionally see on the street and in the boonies in Latin America:   #2- How educated Latinos in Latin America are reacting to Bad Bunny’s Superbowl appearance: It’s not exactly what you might think…   #3- When Gringos attempt to apply for a Latin American driver’s license: A funny thing happened on the way to the driver testing station….   #4- New Whatsapp scams are appearing every day here in Latin America: Are they targeting Gringos and Expats?   #5- Hard water problems in Latin America and how to solve them… or not:   #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]   

#1-  Why have some Latin countries like Guatemala suddenly appeared on Trump’s new blocked travel VISA list while other Latin countries don’t:     #2- How Latinos use time-tested immigration scams to get legal USA 90 day travel visas,    #3- A funny thing happened on my way to the USA embassy:   #4- An update on taking Gold and Crypto assets across country borders:   #5- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1-  My personal history of being scammed in Latin America (by popular listener demand): Yes, we all get scammed in our lifetimes and have the scars to prove it, some more than others but hopefully we learn. There are bad people out there, though sometimes we're asking for it. We're just stupid , gullible, unlucky or ill-informed and thus become marks. Since no one is 100% immune from scams, before you start crying and whining about your own history of being clipped, you’ll want to hear this story…   #2- Beware!!! With silver at over 100 bucks an ounce and gold over 5000, if you are lucky enough to have some, what are you supposed to do with it?  It’s a dangerous time to buy, especially when there are tons of near perfect counterfeits out there on ebay and other online sites…   #3- Will Latin Americans ever accept self-driving cars and robots? Will the technology ever make it down to Latin America in a meaningful way?   #4- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1-  The best and worst case scenarios when one attempts to build or remodel a house or property in Latin America: Today we cite examples at both ends of the spectrum… a gringo house building project that went very smoothly and a project that became a complete disaster…   #2- When your Latino neighbors have bodyguards: How might it affect you and what are you to make of it? #3- Crazy Latin American floor patterns and abrupt staircase height changes are common: Be extra careful or someday you will surely trip and fall on your ass… #4- When a building contractor's verbal and implied warranties,

Descriptions - EXPAT FILES SHOW #1490, FRI, JAN 16 (01-16-26):    #1- What Latin American Spanish rags are saying about the Maduro capture: Here’s what 1st world captured media won’t tell you…   #2- The “macho” culture restaurant effect- in reverse: Why does the lone gringo at the table so often get guilted into picking up the check?   #3- Crazy Latin American relationship facts- PART 2: A continued rant on why so many beautiful Latina women have unattractive, low-value husbands, boyfriends and errant kids…   #4- How to kill a formerly nice, popular gringo tourist spot: Might decapitating five or six locals and mounting their heads on poles at the beach do the trick?   #5- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1- The Maduro capture and after effects in a few words:   #2- Gringos looking for love in Latin America:   #3- Why do so many beautiful Latina women have unattractive, low-value husbands and boyfriends?   #4- How to lose 2 points on your gringo attractiveness scale:     #5- Those ultra, ultra, super cheap gringos and expats who make all of us look bad:    #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

Descriptions - EXPAT FILES SHOW #1488, FRI, JAN 02 (01-02-26):    #1- What expats need to know about Chat GPT and other AI platforms:   #2- Expat Insider seminar stories that will amaze you:   #3- When the will to “get out of dodge” diminishes with time:   #4- Will your wife or significant other thwarts your Plan B efforts:     #5- No good deed goes unpunished (that goes for Latin America too):    #6- 10 most dangerous jobs:   #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected] 

#1- The ins and outs and proper steps to having your SS check deposited in your Latin American Bank Account:   #2- Why despite your natural resistance and repusion to brain numbing USA buerocracy …you really need to set up a personal account on the US Social Security website: Setting up a personal account on the SS  website will eliminate a lot of headaches when things go wrong (and they will go wrong eventually)   #3- DYK that in order to get residency in certain Latin American countries, there are multiple dreaded vaccine requirements? Yes, this is bad news, but some countries like Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador don’t enforce those rules at all….   #4- Disgusting Latin American culinary surprises you will encounter:     #5- Tips for gringos and expats who are able to buy Latin American properties with CASH:    #6- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at:

#1- 3rd world optimism versus reality:   #2- Why 3rd world countries remain 3rd world as 1st world countries slwly slip into 3rd world status:   #3- How Latinos score on the big 5 personality traits as compared to gringos and expats:     #4- Getting the Nobel piece (of shit) prize:     #5- Latin Americans have a certain idea of what your previous life in the USA was like…. and it is all wrong:   #6- Latin American party etiquite:       #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]   

#1- Expat landlords in Latin America: Is being a landlord worth the hassle? #2- 3rd world landlord rental property dilemmas you won’t encounter in the 1st world:   #3- Why Latin American real estate deals don’t seem to make sense to gingos and expats: You need to look beyond the obvious. Chances are you're not analyzing the secondary factors...   #4- Yo must get it into your head that Latin America is a “renter’s” market:     #5- How smart Latin American real estate owner’s low-ball their property tax bills:   #6- Why it's true that for most Latinos owning a home is practically the only way to beat inflation:       #7- Our own Expat Captain Mango has developed a unique one-on-one Crypto consulting and training service (he’s been deep into crypto since 2013). To get started, email him at: [email protected]