June 16, 2011:
"Kathleen, I received your latest e-mail with an article about Jules, the 89-year-old retiree. You discussed how he brought his coin collection into Belize with him and that the customs people valued the collection based on the face values of the various coins. However, the intrinsic value was much more.
"I will be retiring in Belize in a few years, and I am in a similar position as Jules. I want to bring my collection with me as well.
"Do you know for sure if customs values the coins at the face value, the amount stated on each coin? Or would they value them another way? As you can imagine, this is of huge concern to me."
--Scott Z., United States
Our logistics contact in Belize City confirms that, if you bring the coins in to the country as a collection, Belize Customs will charge duty on the collection value (that is, the face value).
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"Kathleen, I have Multiple Sclerosis and want to retire soon, with my wife, overseas at least part or full time. Outside of some MS mobility issues, I have good health and follow a good nutritional lifestyle. I get disability and SS now, but the disability stops in nine years at age 65. So if I can save money for my post-65 years by living overseas, it would be beneficial. My wife is 50; I am 56.
"Because of MS I cannot tolerate high heat like we see here in Orlando. I move about fairly well with a cane or scooter and drive and love the ocean or the mountains but need to be near some activity with a way to get around. I am also a vegan and use diet to treat my MS.
"I have been following your Belize information. Is there any place like Belize but with weather like San Diego?"
--Frank T., United States
I think you'd find all Belize too hot and humid. Consider Cuenca, Ecuador, or (my preference) Medellin, Colombia.Continue Reading:
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Wendy continues...
"It seems as if everyone who visits delightfully laid-back Laos falls in love with the place. Laos exudes mellow. While the rest of Southeast Asia seems to be changing and modernizing at break-neck speed, Laos ambles along, taking plenty of breaks along the way.
"When you fly into Vientiane from industrious Vietnam or busy Thailand, it's easy to mistake the day of your arrival for a national holiday. Chances are you have not arrived on a special day. This is Vientiane, the most relaxed capital city in Asia. Although Vientiane has perked up a bit in the past few years, businesses still shut down around mid-day, when the city closes her eyes for a few hours. Weekends are quiet, when many places close their doors. And weekends in Laos can extend well into the next week. No one is ever in a hurry, and almost anyone will take the time to chat with you.
"Laos is one of the least industrialized countries in the world. Towns are few and far between. There are few paved roads and even fewer bridges. A detour of 100 miles, in lieu of one well-placed bridge, is common here.
"Even the largest city in the country, the capital of Vientiane, feels like little more than a large town. With a population of about 740,000, including the surrounding suburbs, you'll find no skyscrapers, no global stock exchange (a Laotian stock-exchange did open this year for the first time in history, with a grand total of two stock listings), no malls, no hustle, no bustle, and no need to keep a tuxedo or formal gown in your closet.
"In Laos, U.S. dollars, Thai baht, Chinese yuan, and Vietnamese dong spend equally well, with Laotian kip being the least popular or useful of the common currencies. Until recently, the largest Laotian bill in circulation was worth about US$1. As people didn't want to carry duffel bags full of cash, it seemed easier to use higher value currencies from other countries, rather than going to the effort and expense of designing and printing up large denomination bills. More time, that way, to listen to the rice grow...
"This is not to say that Laotians are lazy. They're not. They are a practical people with a different set of priorities than their more industrialized neighbors. Kindness is more important than competition; fun more important than finance; harmony more important than willfulness. Life moves with the rhythm of the day and the seasons rather than the rigid strictures of the business cycle.
"Given the agrarian nature of the country, Vientiane is a town of surprising worldly grace. Due in part to the large presence of NGOs in the city, as well as being one of the only urban areas in the entire country, Vientiane has a lot to offer. There are outstandingly beautiful Buddhist temples, lively markets, frequent festivals and celebrations, and a fine assortment of local and international cuisines. In the city a scattering of older French-colonial buildings still stand, a reminder of a time not so long ago when Laos was a French colony.
"For someone looking for a truly rewarding and unique retirement, Vientiane and its surroundings have a lot to offer. Nestled in the nearby mountains, beautiful waterfalls, venerable temples, exotic wildlife, and remote hill-tribe villages await anyone who comes to Laos with the luxury of time to explore the less-traveled reaches of this area.
"If you're intrigued by what this unique country has to offer, my advice is to go now. See Laos today, before the boom that is engulfing the rest of the region crosses the border..."
Kathleen Peddicord
*** Important Reminder For Overseas Retirement Circle Members ***
If you're an Overseas Retirement Circle member, note that your members-only private Teleconference with Wendy Justice, who, with her husband David, co-wrote this month's report on Vientiane and took the stunning photos featured along with it, will take place Monday, June 27, at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.
Wendy and her husband have been living and traveling in Asia since 2005. They know all about the pleasures and the pitfalls of life in this exotic part of the world. This will be your chance to have all your living-in-Southeast Asia questions answered.
We'll be in touch directly, closer to the Teleconference date, with dial-in details and your password for participation.Continue Reading:
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May 26, 2011:
"Kathleen, I am English. I live in Panama. I am able to return to England for 90 days in any financial year. I have one or two question for you on the subject of an Irish passport.
"Firstly, my great grandmother was Irish. Would this qualify me for Irish citizenship? If I held an Irish passport, how would I use it? Would I leave Panama using my British one and then arrive in England showing the Irish one? If I was flying Continental and passing through Newark, which one would I show to the American authorities? Would using the Irish passport to arrive in England extend my stay?
"As you can tell I have little idea how this would work in practice. Thanks very much for any insights you can offer."
--Jack G., Panama
In fact, no, you won't be able to acquire Irish citizenship based on your great-grandmother having been born in Ireland. One of your parents would have to have obtained Irish citizenship using your great-grandmother. Then you could acquire citizenship through them.
I can put you in touch with our attorney in Ireland if you'd like to pursue the question a bit further to confirm your eligibility.
Regarding travel logistics, if you have more than one passport, you'd leave Panama on whichever one you used to enter Panama.
Then, when you arrive in your destination country, you'd show whichever passport you wanted them to use to register your visit. Arriving in the U.K., for example, I'd imagine you'd show your Irish passport.
Note, though, that Ireland and the U.K. have complimentary immigration and tax laws. It's quite possible that, even if you were to obtain an Irish passport, that status wouldn't help with the 90-day physical presence restriction for tax purposes in the U.K.
As for transiting the United States, I don't think it would matter if you were to use your Irish or your British passport. Both are U.S. visa-waiver countries. Remember that you must register on some website with U.S. immigration before flying to the States to take advantage of the visa waiver program, and it may be that you can register only one passport/country. You'd have to check.Continue Reading:
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May 26, 2011:
"Good to hear from you," responded a friend in Waterford, Ireland, when I wrote this week to let him know that we're planning a visit to his city this summer and are looking forward to seeing him.
"You should plan your Irish holiday for the Tall Ships weekend (June 30 to July 3)," he continued.
"I can't remember if you were here for the last Tall Ships visit, but it is a fantastic occasion with the quays closed to traffic, all the streets pedestrianized, and stalls and markets set up along the harbor.
"The best part is the ships themselves lining the quays, which is a reminder of what this city was like in its heyday, when it was a busy, bustling trading port importing and exporting to France, Spain, etc.
"You can see more about the event here.
"We are still recovering from the excitement of visits from the Queen and Mr. O'Bama (Irish roots). They were both offered pints of Guinness, but only one of them drank it (and paid). I guess you've heard which one.
"For a few brief moments we forgot we are a small country tottering on the brink of...
"The Queen's visit in particular caught everyone by surprise. It was a moving and dignified event, the final stage, in fact, of the Peace Process. She visited the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin, where she honored those who were killed in the struggle for Independence."Continue Reading:
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"We're enjoying a lifestyle that I describe as 'living like royalty.'
"For us, this means that we prepare very few meals at home (although we do have delicious Vietnamese coffee every morning before we leave for breakfast), choosing instead to enjoy most meals out. There are so many attractive and clean Vietnamese and Western restaurants to choose from.
"We have a fully furnished luxury one-bedroom apartment just a five-minute walk from the beach, in a nice, quiet, central location with friendly neighbors. Our rent includes Internet, cable TV, and a wonderful housekeeper who comes twice a week (meaning I do little cleaning and few household chores).
"Here's what our monthly budget looks like (in U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate):
- Rent: US$350
- Dining out (breakfast and dinner almost every day for two people): US$300
- Electricity (running air conditioning at night and occasionally during the day): US$40
- Groceries: US$25
- Motorbike rental: US$45
- Private Vietnamese language tutor (six hours per week): US$60
- Gas, entertainment, miscellaneous: US$40
"That's a total monthly budget of US$860.
"As I explained, I'd say that we live extraordinarily well on this budget. You could live comfortably for less.
"We have friends here who walk or take taxis everywhere (meaning no vehicle expenses), who pay less rent than we do, and who do most of their own cooking, eating out only two or three times a week. They are spending around US$500 to US$600 per month, and they'd also describe their lifestyle as very well appointed.
"It all depends on how you want to live. It is possible here for two people to live comfortably in this part of the world on even less than US$600 per month. You could cut your food expenses to as little as, say, US$120 per month by eating at the many super-inexpensive Vietnamese street stalls and restaurants. That'd be for two people eating every breakfast and dinner out.
"You could walk instead of renting a vehicle, as we do. Maybe you don't need or want language lessons (almost everyone speaks at least some English, and many Vietnamese in this region are fluent).
"When we first moved to Nha Trang, we were paying a mere US$125 per month for our share of a big five-bedroom house (the entire house rented for US$350). That's a great price but not exceptional for around here. We moved because we didn't have air conditioning . You don't need it in the winter, but it's warmer now. Some people find that they can get by with open windows to catch the sea breezes and a fan when it is in the mid-80s to low 90s during the day. You can definitely spend less if you can live without air conditioning.
"We find that Nha Trang has everything we want--a gorgeous ocean, plenty of excellent restaurants, gracious and welcoming locals, and a large community of foreign residents. For us, the lifestyle here is the real attraction; the super-low cost of living is a bonus.
"We have concerns about returning to the United States, where we know that our expenses will triple or worse. The days of eating out, having a housekeeper, and relaxing at the beach will be over. We'll need to pay for insurance for our car, our home, and ourselves. Those expenses alone will more than exceed our total monthly budget here.
"In Nha Trang, an office visit to see a doctor costs about US$2. That's without insurance. Gas costs about the same as in the States, but a tank of gas (about a gallon to fill our 110 cc motorbike) lasts us more than a week.
"We spend US$2.50 per hour for our private language tutor, and you can get an expert massage for less than that.
"And, because Vietnam pegs its currency against the U.S. dollar and our income is based in U.S. dollars, we aren't subject to currency risk here. This makes Vietnam the least expensive country in all Southeast Asia right now."
Kathleen PeddicordContinue Reading:
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