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Nicaragua: Expat Happy Hours:
Your best bet is to contact Ralph Hewitt who organizes such get together in San Juan del Sur. If you join such meetings he may be to answer many questions about the country. If yu do a search on Facebook you may be able to reach him and find out when the next meeting will be.. Getting information on these forums are good but sometimes its better to communicate face to face than with someone who hides behind an anonymous handle .Sometimes it degenerate to heated exchanges and destroys the purpose these forums were intended.
Nicaragua: what is it like:
You get interested in people and before you know it you will have lots of friends. Just be careful of the scam artists who may want to take advantage of you at every opportunity
Nicaragua: Visiting Nica in Feb.:
A place to read about is to visit "Nica Nuggets", a blog started by Darrell and his wife, Amy. They have been in Nicaragua for about ten years living in Granada .
My preference is San Juan del Sur. properties cost more but the town offers more of the convenience you would expect in a typical us city. However for any major activity like visiting the US Embassy, Walmart , major hospital or visiting your typical equivalentof Home Depot or Costco you need to travel 2 hours as in my case. Opening a bank account is also quite quite easy even though you are not a citizen or resident yet. However this is not applied evenly. You need to check with the Bank first. I bank with Banco Lafise. Dont expect to get a job easily unless you are exceptionally qualifieid or has a marketable skill. Remember you will be coming to a country that is generally poor so having sufficient funds to establish yourself initially is a good idea even though cost of living is low compared to the US.
Nicaragua: Nicaragua, a place to live?:
In my opinion , Nicaragua is preferable to Panama. If you are familier to Panama, it is still owned by the Capitalist Oligopoly and will be no diffrence to the other countries you mentioned. If you are willing to give of your talents there is no reason why Nicaragua can become your paradise. For those who focus themselves to simply get a job or who does not have any useable skills, Nicaragua can be a hell hole. Come for a short stay like many has recommended and you will find the answer.
Nicaragua: Border crossing:
Although I travelled to Nicaragua several times last year on my business trips most of the time i arrive in Managua airport which is 2 hours by road to my destination to San Juan del sur.
So last week i tried an alternative route arriving at Liberia airport, Costa Rica and made the border crossing at Penas Blancas to San Juan del Sur.
Here are the results of trip.
Round trip direct flight from Newark airport to Liberia airport was at least $100 cheaper than flying into Managua for most flights. Very tempting ! Also the direct flight arrives around 1.00pm not two AM in the morning, past midnight on budget flights e.g Spirit which stops in Miami or Fort Lauderdal for several hours.
Liberia airport is modern and clean.
Great so far,
There is no public transportation from airport to the City of Liberia or the border.
so the cab ride to the border is 40.00 per person.
You pay an exit tax at the Costa Rico side and then an entry tax at the Nicaraguan side for total of US20.00.
An expeditor assisted us with the paper work because of the long lines from the buses also crossing the border. Again he needed a tip for helping us. After crossing we could have then taken a bus from the border to Rivas and than change to another bus to San Juan del Sur which could save us some money but instead our cab ride cost us $40.00.
All in all we arrived at our destination 4 hours later.
Was it worth the hassle ? In my opinion, NO unless you also wish to spend time in Costa Rico.
Depending on where you go, the late arrival in Managua will always mean you need to check in at a hotel for the night and continue on your destination the following day or go on the more expensive flights that gets in early and you can continue on your journey. Most public transportation ceases after sunset in Nicaragua.
So depending on you destination flying into Managua is still preferable.
In my case I use a contact who picks me up at the airport puts me in his house and sends me off to the bus stop. He charges me 35.00 for me and my wife.
On our return we go through the same hassle but we left a day earlier so as not to miss our return flight .
We selected Playa Hermosa as our overnight stay since it was the closest to the airport. Cab ride was 20.00 to the borde from San Juan del Sur. On the Costa rica side cab ride was $70.00 to Playa Hermosa and $50.00 the next morning to the airport. Hotel was $100 for one night.
So unless you plan to spend time in Costa Rico , the Liberia airport route is not recommended. The airlines know this and thats why they jack the fare as high as they can for going to Managua.
Nicaragua: bringing in vehicles over 10 years old:
Yes, I also have the same question.
am converting my 1971 vw to run on a electric motor and lithium batteries. It will get its energy from the solar system or grid of the house . I should be able to get about 160km per full charge.
Do you think I will have a problem bringing it down to NICA ?
There are lots of old vw or kombis still running in c. america which are ideal for conversion. It will be great if more people can move away from fossil fuel. The technology is here and affrodable compared to five years ago.
Nicaragua: Honest Builders:
Its obviously ou had some bad experience. If you can be more specific and how tell us what was it these individuals did to cause you such unsatisfaction and pain. There are many new future home owners who will be seeking architects and builders to build in Nicaragua. Your comments will definitely l guide us in our selection. I must believe there are also many honest builders who will do work as expected. They will be the ones sought after from those who have used them.
Send me a private message if you feel you do not want to expose them at this time.
Nicaragua: airport near SJDS:
In a previous post some mentioned an airport in Tolas in Rivas. Does anyone know weather its functioning yet and open for business ? Last I heard it will be officialyl open in July. Is this information still valid ? Thanks for any news available
Nicaragua: Retired Expat Medical Insurance:
For those who are concerned about medical insurance and have Medicare or any other US Insurance. I would suggest buying the US insurance (excl medicare) with the highest possible deductible to reduce premiums.
Dont forget the US is only 2.5 hrs away should you need major medical in Houston or Miami.
For general attention, the medical establishment should handle most of your needs in Managua.
Dont forget as far as regarding the quality of care, the US ranks near the bottom of the list in the world even though it has the best medical technology in the world. From my own experience i had to spend more than 12 hours with a relative before she can get treated or go to triage at a major hospital in NYC.It is a money driven society.
Just be careful enrolling in some health establishments which operates in Miami which bills your insurance while you are resident in Nicaragua. There has been several indictments with such fraudulent billing.
Medicare does provides first 6 months of foreign care under their Part F option when you are out of the country. Look for this option when you buy the US insurance.
I also buy the supplemental insurance which will cover the remaining 20% which medicare does not cover.
If all the above cannot meet your needs due to affordability or other reasons than go with whatever plan is available locally that suits you. I t would still be cheaper than any US plan available.
Cheers to your good health !
Nicaragua: Hola y Mucho Gusto:
Hello Bruce and Russ,
That is very useful information. I was also planning to get some clarification regarding such matter .
I believe I also fall into this category .
Thanks !
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