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Nicaragua: Food and Water Safety:
2bears is a new expat. She enjoys writing. She might step into answer your question which has already been covered here in the forum... the old expats usually ignore these types of questions as they expect you to do what most of us have done... researched in this forum, read all the posts in the forum from top to bottom and other places online and after doing so if you still have questions feel free to ask... or click on anything 2bears has written and chances are its been covered and covered well.
Nicaragua: How to Get Rid of Tarantulas:
When in Rome... one can do as the Romans or.... one can look the other way when said Roman uses toxic chemicals illegal in other parts of the globe....or one can speak up and create a divide and the result will be the Roman will still spray what works and works quick... or one can try to educate in a nice way even though it will not produce any result different than if they let the Roman do as Romans do... or one can speak up and run the risk of very bad feelings left between said outsider and said Roman...
Spray time is a good time to play tourist and take the Dog for a mini adventure of sightseeing, visiting other expats, villages, etc for a day or two... when in Rome the non Roman has many choices as to how to deal with, live with, accept all the Romans ways of doing things...
Nicaragua: Hot Climate Cut Refrigerator Bill In Half:
awesome idea! thank you for the share... if not renting this is a grand idea to try... never heard of it before now... makes logical sense.
Nicaragua: Hey,hello,I have a very important question:
I have spoken with several doctors, a few expats and the pharm concerning the tight grip on heavy duty pain killers... they do have the painkillers in the country and they are used... I had a full hysterectomy in Managua... needed the full ab incision... the morphine drip was removed shortly after surgery and I was not provided anything for pain... took me hours to get the painkillers... my question was why? narcotics are rigidly controlled by the government... tons of paperwork, tons of rigid requirements, and they are counted... every last pill... and every last pill is accounted for... One missing pill and its prison time... I was told the hospitals are given a certain number of pills per month... if they need more than their allotment then the patient is out of luck... was suggested to me the hospitals hoard the pills for in cases of train wrecks, disasters, etc... that information was given to me from an expat... when I asked my private doctor what the deal was, he replied the pills are extremely controlled, monitored and extremely hard to get... he also left me know in a nice way the pain tolerance of the average local is much higher than the average visitor... he also said the country has none of the issues of addictions to prescription meds as does the US... and he did prescribe meds which are not narcotic based which worked just as well without the side affects... He went on to explain the drugs he gave me are not available in the states... why? because one reason is they are less harmful to the body... second reason, the government and medical industry does not make profit from giving meds which work and does not create new health issues... more than one time I compared my meds of the States to the ones he prescribed me... and the reason often was the same... the US drugs were deemed to be unhealthy and to cause severe harm and were banned in Nicaragua... all the substitutes I was given were affective in their job and with less side effects and less harm to my body... Nicaragua is concerned with health and not with making a profit at the high expense of the patient... this was apparent time and time again in many of my conversations with my Nicaragua medical team... as I have stated before it is normal for the private doctor to use herbal treatments in addition to prescription drugs...
Nicaragua: Reliable water delivery:
not sure where you are as to suggestions... delivery in my parts is not reliable and in some areas there is no delivery... I use one of my taxi drivers to pick up my empty bottles and bring me back the new ones if I am not planning on going out myself to pick them up... I pay the fare of taxi driver and realize he will deliver the bottles sometime later that day... I never pin a taxi driver down to a time of delivery... as long as I get it before the day ends, I am happy... I send for refills as soon as I am down to one bottle left... I keep 4 bottles on hand for our family... we dont need the 4 bottles per say... one is kept in case of water shipment shortages to the local supplier due to natural disasters such as mudslides, volcanos, earthquakes etc. More than one time I was dismayed to find out the local water bottle supplier was sold out... Not anymore with my keeping a spare on hand... I tip my taxi drivers well. It helps in getting faster delivery if it is needed... I trust my drivers so have no issue with paying up front for the water... most if they had a busy day will collect the water cost when they deliver it... I pay the fare when it is delivered.
Nicaragua: Medicare in Nicaragua For Miami expats only:
been following this thread... thank you for the giggle! especially loved the thought of you being "shocked" at the various ways one can get around the normal standard procedures for doing things in the third world... smile... "corruption" can quite often benefit an expat, as well as be a negative... not saying it is politically correct, nor am I saying it is legally correct or even morally correct to do things outside the box of what is deemed legal... am going to say if the risk is low, the benefits high, I too will indulge when needed... I also enjoy the pleasure of watching the bootleg dvd's and their inexpensive cost... be prepared to be shocked quite often and do consider these types of things very "normal". It is also very easy to have an "address" legally in Florida by the way... full time rv'ers have been doing it for years in many different states... why? insurance rates are lower, lic for rigs is cheaper, taxes is cheaper, etc, in some states versus others... the drop mail boxes will email or forward your mail to where you are... its easy, inexpensive and cheap... and as far as I know you can open a box in any state and it be used as a legal address... homeless folks, snow birds and rv'ers do this quite often. Paying a second party to do a visa run is normal in some of the countries of Central America... legal its not... has it been done for years with out incident? yes... could things change and there be a crack down? yes... election years often bring a change as to what legal laws are being overlooked versus what laws are going to now be enforced... its a gamble to go outside the perimeters... one has to decide the risks and their personal moral code... did not know it was possible to do this medicare thing til now... since this is a public site... I would not be surprised if some folks sent you an email stating some things should not be posted giving names and addresses when it comes to what is being done outside the box and by whom... while this post of yours has been informative, I hope it does not cause officials to investigate and get anyone in trouble or cause negatives for those who obviously needed to use the services in order to get quality care at a cost they could afford... this is just my thoughts on the post and should be taken with a grain of salt...
Nicaragua: Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does.:
the medical treatments have been interesting for me to observe to say the least... when I literally was bleeding out and waiting on transport, funds to get an emergency hysterectomy on the mainland of Nic. I was told by the locals and my island doctor to drink Turtle Punch... but was cautioned to drink it sparingly as its a drink the islanders(corn island) use for the libido... smile... not going to go into the political correctness of turtle... however must say the punch blows our normal xmas egg nog out of the water... delish and oh so addicting... not sure if its the turtle, eggs, creme or the wonderful rum which makes it such a craving at times... grin... when hepatitis broke out among the children on the island, sugar was the official remedy for home cures... nothing I would explain could get the point across tons of candy, soda, fresh sugar cane by the yards and literal spoons of sugar would help cure their children... at times I truly felt sorry for the medical doctor who had to compete with the locals and their folk medicine... however, some of the herbs and fruits, such as noni, bitter orange etc. was amazing cures for my family at times during mild illness...
Nicaragua: Culture Shock: Neediness:
I cannot speak for anyone but myself... a good bit of what you wrote I had learned offline before coming to Central America... I spent hours and hours reading blogs, traveler, backpacker and expat blogs... googled all the advice I could get my hands on... and still I was not prepared... some things just have to be experienced and cannot be explained... you have been a breathe of fresh air in many ways here in the forum... it was also good to look back at my early days and remember all my learn it the hard way events... it was good to see how far I have come, I dont wear rose colored glasses anymore and this Dorothy figured out a long time ago I am not in Kansas anymore (okay, most days I am aware I am not in Kansas, occasionally I forget to my dismay)... it was nice to share what I could and read advice from others to you... starting a blog or journal is a great idea... its a good way to vent, process and calm yourself... and a good way to also honor your joys, success of adapting to a new life... pretty sure new folks to the forum will enjoy reading your past posts and will gain insight in their new lives as Nic Expats... I was blessed in all the places I lived to have expats and locals take me under their wing... so while I did not post much during my early days on here, I certainly asked a ton of questions, asked for advice from all within earshot of my casa... you have been pretty normal in your posts as a "newbie" from what I could read... was wondering though why you have not developed more of a support network where you are with the locals and expats? I truly encourage you to spend tons of time out of the casa, off the computer and develop relationships within your community... it will open doors, provide answers the forum cannot... plus it will give you a wonderful social life to add to your daily experiences... your spanish will broaden, your adventures, the tourist things you will see and do will be so much richer if you establish a good network of locals and expats... you will learn things unique to your area, your world will expand... silca packs by the way are the little packets inside of leather products, like shoes, pocket books... I brought mine with me after saving them up for a year prior to coming south... silca gel is also used for drying flowers and sold at all craft stores... throw some in a coffee filter, tie up and you are good to go... in the mean while be sure to sun and air your books when you can... double bag once dry in baggies to help keep the moisture damage to a low roar...
Nicaragua: Cistern water ... does it need treatment for hshld use?:
fungi, bacteria, parasites, air borne particles.... water allowed to stand in tanks and pipes?... not knowing how the system was installed, what materials was used, when and how it was maintained, filters etc?... also is there is an issue of the dry season which needs to be considered?... leaks, seals?... and I have discovered truth spoken is not always the same as my truth or my reality of what is safe when it comes to the locals point of view of health and safety... my point is: I would not rent a house which uses this system in a third world and I definitely would not use it untreated nor for dishes, cooking or bathing... there is plenty of casas for rent... take your time in looking for the perfect casa for you... ask everyone for leads... your housekeeper, taxi driver, the shop owner where you buy your groceries... expats in your area... by now you should have a small list of folks you know and do business with... your favorite waitress, etc... all great sources of information and guidance if you took the time to make friends with all you have come in contact with during the last several months... suggestion is to ask about the crime, life after dark (some areas look great in the day and become very open to theft after dark), who your neighbors will be, how the internet connection is... do ask several different folks these questions when investigating a new neighborhood, ask folks about the landlord to be, you will be surprised how honest folks will be in sharing information about the landlord, the neighborhood, etc... and do realize travel for groceries, supplies will add to your monthly cost... is the casa close to shopping, eating out, mingling with others, where is the closest medical clinic? stitches and broken bones do happen as well as the occasional fever or infection... realize moving may not lower your electric bill if you do not lower your usage. One casa was beautiful and the rent perfect... it also was in an area where when the sun went down it was not safe to go out and our casa got robbed while we slept in our beds... I now look for security in renting as a top priority... take your time, make a list of must have's in your casa and your lifestyle as far as shopping and being close to the shops, market, activities etc. Be open to moving more than once just in case your next dream casa has issues... be open to not renting long term til you decide after several months its perfect for you... one place was horrid with bugs, another not... one was located in the shade and another not... one casa was perfect during the dry season and flooded and mold, mildew invaded our beds, books, clothes during the rainy season look at the how your casa might be during the rainy season for you and your pups... check for mold, mildew... leaks thru the roof is another common... check for leaks, water damage... ask the expats at the local bar, coffee shop once you found the perfect place for inside information on the house you are interested in... oh, never pay a security deposit... you will never get it back... or if you do rent a place and pay a security deposit, know you will never get it back when you move.. happy casa hunting...
Nicaragua: Solar Panels:
I rented a casa which used solar for heating hot water... it was awesome... even during the rainy season it worked well... during the sunny days the water so hot it was scalding and would burn the skin if not tempered with some cold water... try the eco green sustainable resorts, farms for information on how/where to get solar, the cost and for help in set up... quite a few of the eco resorts/ sustainable farms will trade their knowledge and help for your help with one of their projects... you can google green sustainable farms or resorts Nicaragua for a list of places, phone numbers, contact information.
when I finally settle down to one location and buy our own land, solar will be a given... the cost will pay itself back... and not having issues with power failure another bonus... and its greener...
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