The Expat Files - 06/18/12

-Living in Argentina is just about first world expensive and is about to get about 14% more costly. On July first a new 14% tax goes into effect covering all imports from non-South American (Mercosur) countries. It a protectionist measure that they think will foil cheap Chinese and South Korean imports which have flooded the markets (sound familiar?) But it’s really just a desperate revenue measure from a boated, corrupt govt.

-And did you know that Santiago Chile is now about 20% more expensive the Buenos Aires? That’s what you get when third world govts try hard to follow the first world example (i.e. tax, spend and grow like cancer)

-Why do a tiny handful of backpackers never get sick? Do they have an iron stomach, an alien immune system, or do they have a secret we’d all like to know about?  Well here it is from the horse’s mouth, from certain immune travelers in Latin America on the cheap who should be regular victims; people who have never had Montezuma’s revenge, ever!

-When you think of machetes and Latin America, you automatically think working class gardeners and farmers. The machete is the ago-old outdoor working man’s basic tool. But guess what? Rural women are surprisingly adept at using them too! (Ouch)

-The truth about eggs, chickens and fertilizer in Latin America

-Now you can follow the link on the main page at www.expatwisdom.com to schedule a consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one.