About tunjio

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Ecuador: Living on $1100 a month:

$12-$15 a night for a decent budget hotel.. Look around for different ones. If you are in any of the big cities or popular tourist towns, then prices may be higher but not much more.. so its possible to have a decent budget hotel room for $360 a month with cable TV and Towels,soap and bedding..Maybe even $250 at a monthly rate discount. That right there should tell you that a long term apartment should be the same price range -and more spacious, being that it wont include daily house keeping... Only the big cities and towns in the short term or luxury tourist spots will be harder to find $360 a month.. If you can handle very simple living like the locals, you can rent something for $150 and even less if you really can do simple and rough.. Some places, $150 rent wont be rough at all... Shared house in some nice areas would be as cheap Food is easily $3 per meal eating out and thats about $300 a month eating 3 meals a day at local styled eateries... Market shopping to cook at home can be much cheaper or more expensive depending on what you pick and where you live.. Food and lodging is covered at $660 and even less ,and that leaves room for you to find a niche with $440 or more... Transport can be by bus, $2-$4 a day round trip in town unless you traverse all over town to multiple destinations.. But one round trip to and from a diverse area with much of what you need is good budgeting... then comes things like cell phone and internet.. A hotel for $360 a month would likely have free wifi... Medical was mentions in another post You could work it out to save around $200 a month even after medical.. I feel better about myself living simpler than my means and having money left over for unforeseen things or a future splurge to break up monotony in my life.. I lived on $800 or less a month in Ecuador and Peru... And that includes travel cost to cross the border and back and some outings where i spent extra on friends.... And did not include medical... I was only there for four months... Its possible to "survive" like the average local on $500 a month... If you really wanted to... I looked around at rental apartments in towns where i visited in peru and ecuador, and it was always between $150 and $400 for something small and livable.. I even compared Craigs list listings around the countries, and some decent and well priced places showed up especially in smaller cities and towns... The best deals don't advertise online, they put up street view signs and show a number to call. Speaking Spanish makes a huge difference in getting prices closer to that locals pay..

Brazil: Tell me about Brazil:

So I lived back and forth between US and philippines for two years.. Lived in Nicaragua for a year and lasted 4 months in Peru and all these places between 2010 and 2014.. I visited many neighboring countries from the countries i lived in around the world.. I lived in Africa long ago for a bit less than a decade and have been to about 17 countries by now including Every country from Canada down to Panama... Lived in only 4 for long stays... So i have experience with lesser qualities of life than my US home.. I don't plan on moving to Brazil but am open to living there for the full 6 month tourist allowance if they still allow that long for US citizens.. And my big issue with my travels and why I would rather live in US than bargain rate countries, is i always had physical problems with the filth and pollution when I travelled to cheap countries. 2 years in asia and i was always weak, lethargic and breathing issue episodes.. Nicaragua was always a struggle after eating even after a year there. It was hard to feel comfortable about eating because it more often came with side effects afterwards for an hour or more.. Peru also proved to be too polluted for my stamina.. All those crop field fires add to it.. Cheap proved to not be worth it over a long term even if i did save a boat load.. The boat load just helped me resettle back home in the US.. So, i never went to Brazil because i was doing all the cheapest places first, like Peru and Ecuador last year... I know brazil is not as cheap.. I don't want to waste my time coming to brazil if i cant live in basic comfort for $1200 or less a month.. Rent, bus/cab fare, food, miscellaneous... I have single man and simple going for me, small place will do.. Six months or less stay unless i find miracles there to lure me into residency.. I can get by rather comfortably with just over $1200 a month in the US.. Rent with all utilities included, eating healthy food form natural foods stores, riding buses with monthly passes and living in small cities that suit my simple ways.. So feel free to tell me anything about brazil and how I can get by with $1200 a month and if they still give 6 month tourist stays.. I don't care to stay in any of the big cities, i can go visit them during my stay elsewhere.. I was in the Peruvian Amazon ,so i think i could handle brazil side if its the right town or small city.. I don't mind being far from the Amazon side either.. I am open to anything that suits my simple style and not more expensive than i can do for basic living in US.. Thanks

Peru: Internet reliability in Peru:

internet in lima was as fast as it needs to be and from time to time it was down but not all day...Here in trujillo area niw its the same....I was in Iquitos in the amazon and the internet there was always painfully slow at any internet cafe i went to..it could be the older machines but i never had older machines go that slow for me in the past..Im talking in iquitos it would take an hour just to open to my web adress and then i would leave because it was taking the same to post my input even as a three word text...i tried daily and out of 2 weeks,i made only 2 painfully long internet post .....

Global Expat Forum: Safest & least expensive country to live:

I did a year last year in nicaragua and in july i left,im in peru now and its costing me the same here with much better options in peru,lots more foreigners i see in peru....i did 2 years in philippines,nor as safe and crowded bad... I visited belize, and its expensive but yes nice and fresh ,.i explored every country from mexico to panama and guatemala can be as cheap as honduras and nicaragua....lots of people are eventually changeing over to peru and ecuador region because its still cheap in many places with many climate options from amazon to desert and hot desert to cold desert or mild tropical forest or at least much vegetation....i like peru food diversity far beyond central america,with better prices or quality,central america is so hot that fresh foods dont last in the market....peru markets stay fresh longer,not as hot....serve bigger portion with more variety of edibles in one plate....rice and beans in central america is limited to few kinds of beans..peru is more type if beans i can count on all fingers and toes plus two fingers borrowed from the john here...variety of potatos in the hundreds,and grains vary more than is common in USA by my experience,,,fruit is abundant and we have cold climate fruits apples in variety,peaches,grapes...and all the same fruit options al tropical as central america......if you are gonna live cheap,you get what you pay fot and that is cheap style and manners.....i decided the variety in peru adds a tremendous value to me being cheap where food is life and climate is the skin i crawl in....its as cheap in peru with more value by variety than central america,and that stays true for those coming to live here and not just experience it from a narrow inflated price tourist track/trap...sure the airfare is few hundred more,but.....it was worth it for me and i hate the mosqutp fumigation all over nicaragua,it is bad and gets in the food and water supply,always constant mass fumigation as was outlawed in USA in the 1950s....i live now in cool semi desert area of peru with no mosquito issues and no fumigation...every hot non desert in latin america including central,is subject to this fumigation practice against dengue fever...i hope more people dont die in future from aftermath of it than die from the dengue they are poisioning the place for

Peru: Beach Properties in Northern Peru - Frustration:

So many not for sale signs in huanchaco on properties that look unkept or cheap,its as if theres lots of pressure on property here...also a lot of "in legal dispute " signs here,as a sign of how messy the property claim system is......This i huanchaco im talking about,a gated beach tourism town outside a major metro city...Its a hot spot for local and foriegn vacationers,rich and poor....any other place in northern peru is more rural and probably more messy in the property claim system of the municipality.....its a hopeful sign that i see caldwell bankers agents signs on buildings,but sure to be pricey ,yet without the right representation,it could be expensive as total loss of everything you paid for........I dont trust too much here but i stand by comeing to peru and going around to see areas worth living in and following leads on signs and asking people who live nearby,then i would make no move on anything that i could not see the public records for to show its owned by who is selling it to me......as much property dispute services i see here,i know its possible to pay someone in that business/lawyer to search out the clear titles if any title exist at all on the property.....good luck,its possible to find and sings every where here...i search rentals and hotels on line for here,and when i get here ,there is a vast stock far beyond anything i saw online;not to mention many pictures online didnt show or edited out what filth or messyness surrounds the place

Peru: Thanksgiving Celebrations in Peru:

i made it to trujillo before thanksgiving..made it out of iquitos alive and thats what im giving thanks for and also the happy medium between lima life and out in the jungle,yes its life in trujillo area...........No thanksgiving gathering for me but they sure do have big turkeys here (judgeing by the wing tip cutlets i see in the meat section of tottus grocery at the mall in trujillo) turkey every day if you like......I have a funny feeling that i pass far to often as a non american but USA passport is all i carry/have right now...........PS; are those sardines swarming in the millions along the beach in huanchaco since december 1st? the whole beach front smelled like fish by december 3rd and by now they are dwindling down....The tide has been really low the past 5 days....

Nicaragua: a great place to visit, but do I really want to live there?:

Do i really wanna live there is the question i asked and followed up on, and after a year in NICARAGUA AND VISITING PANAMA,COSTARICA AND EVEN SHORT VISIT IN HONDURAS,i said no and never again...and to satisfy that question,i came from philipppines before and visited thailand and now ended up in peru...i researched em all before going and then went in person AND LEARNED MORE...CHEAP IS ALWAYS GREAT BUT THE CENTRAL AMERICAN HEAT WAS NOT MY THING ALONG WITH A FEW OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE TOXICITY OF FOOD AND AIR....I ROUNDED UP WHAT I DIDNT LIKE AND RESEARCHED WEATHER IN SOUTH AMERICA AND OTHER PLACES...PERU TURNS OUT TO HAVE DESERT AND JUNGLE AND HOT AND COLD AND COOL INBETWEENS WITH ALTITUDES AND COSTAL LOW LANDS...I AM OK WITH GOING TO A DIFFERENT PLACE EVERY ROUND BUT I DECIDED I MUST LIVE A YEAR IN ANY PLACE AND ASK IF I WANNA LIVE THERE AFTER A YEAR OF RENTING EVEN WITH MOVING AROUND TO TRY DIFFERENT AREAS LIKE I DID IN NICAragua and philippines....rent is a good idea (no need to sign a time bound lease either,do just month to month agreements as its common in nicaragua and so are share houses with other tourist/expats) and get aROUND THE COUNTRY TO SEE DIFFERENT CLIMATES AND STYLES AND DO A full year to see all the seasons come and go and then ask if to live there or not....i always got good info off the comments here and other sites but the best was my year in adventure to answer if i would live there and it came out as no,never again.....I always hope though,because i am still out there(in peru now) imagineing if i would live here or even another place out there...

Peru: international flight baggage restrictions?:

so my airline is showing a special rate for peru at $70 per 2nd bag instead of the usual $40...not bad considering the extra distance...but then i lose trak of my rationale when i see that peru baggage is limited to 70lbs even at the most extensive range of over weight baggage,it says brazil flights will charge $400 for its ultimate limit of over size/weight baggage and accepts 100 lbs bags.........is it peru customs to limit the size/ weight and not the airline and does any one know of any other unusual limits to number of baggage and contents??? I¨ve flown several different international routes and seen a uniform standard except for peru...Whats up? i am worried i may have problems in the future whe trying to bring in music equipment where i have to buy smaller than needed to meet weight restrictions but then have to buy a second music unit to make up what i sacrificed in buying the smaller/lighter one....buy 2 smaller units to avoid one big one only to find out they only allow one unit and restricted weight/size...the unit keyboard makes the weight,so i buy the small key board but with the same electronic hardware and then buy a seperate big keyboard that is light because it doesnt invest in real electronic hardware other than whats neede to USB interface with devices that have the hardware to be driven by its keyboard..............the technical solution was to be the hard part and i got solutions but it seems the customs of peru may be designed to foil any possible chance for me to have advanced developments working for me........i will search on for details about peru customs and hope the inconsistencies in their lawfulness may have aloophole for me....

Nicaragua: New Canal:

its all good for slim pickings of earning opportunities in these parts and that less fuel will be spent by ships going down to panama only to round back up past nicas atlantic side and onwards northwards,but the terms of the investors and builders invitation is very concerning when it says they can choose the best route to use with nothing said about encroachments on nature and homesteads...also the controling rights to whatever areas they declare part of canal operations which could include tracks of land along side and arrayed out from the canals path,also special land highways...lets not forget lake nicaragua a jewel of fresh water in a world of nations struggling for perpetual fresh water supply,lake nicaragua polluted by shipping neglegence is like running a sewage sump right next to a drinking well...Even areas of the world with tough regulations on ships,cannot stop the oil spills and sewage dumps that come about often where the wide ocean absorbs the full extent,imagine a big spill or a build up of many small spills unnoticed in the confined lake area........Well i guess i should be happy to be allowed as a guest here for the past 1 year,i will be moveing on to other countries before 2013 is over

Nicaragua: finding good food:

been in nicaragua over 9 months now...i am putting a cap on my time here after 1 year and no long term stay for me again in the future.....I moved months ago from the cool mountain towns in north nicaragua..Now im in managua and just about handling the heat better than i thought......I havent had any horrific food experiences here....If you eat cheap of the roadside grills it can be cold,taste like lighterfluid and the plastic bag burning with the coals it carried into the fire to cook the food,and the meat is most often under cooked...That was the description of the cheapest places to eat.....i dont eat there any more.....so on to nice restuarants by nicaraguan standards,twice the price 5 to 10 dollars US just about any where in managua and they can get more expensive as they get fancy.......i remeber up north a bit cheaper in nice restuarants but not that many,maby one or 2 in jinotega and a few more than that in matagalpa and even more in esteli...i always dreaded the days that i would be surprised by bouts of 2 to 3 hour malaise after eating any where in town in jinotegs,this was weekly around the town wide fumugation and it would taint the food supply every where for the whole week,and then the fumigation would return the next week........managua has been better with less fumigation and no in house fumigation where i have stayed..its house to house in jinotega small town...in managua it would use too much money to be that thorough and so i am glad....I have more choices to eat in managua but have had to cut places out as i discover which places leave me feeling malaise for few hours after eating....i dont like the common greasy fatty foods at the USA fast foods counters here at the malls,but i go now every night to eat at the mall and go to the local foods counter which serves the same street side grill foods but done without lighter fluid and no plastic bags in the fire while the meat cooks.....i go to the market for fruits for breakfast and i dont have problems because i wash and prepare it all myself and choose the better produce......I live by a LA Union grocery here owned by Wal-Mart as i hear,and they do carry best value label as in USA but only select few with prices that beat even nicaraguan proccessed food prices....i bought some canned tuna at the very modern grocery as it was on sale,i got 4 flavours of it as they do here in central america...i whipped up some spinach,potato,tuna stew with herbs and spices....i got hours malaise right down to the last can of TUNA...i dont buy any more canned foods made i central america...some may be fine but i dont want to even find out which ones -the hard way........I buy imported olive oil and the first brand was not that malaise free,the second brand was basically much more expesive and i am much better feeling with it now......the mall food courts have proven to make food that dont have side effects on me.........i read about stories of farm worker families suffering in chinandega area of nicaragua,thats suffering due to working years or lifetime in the tainted agriculture fields here with the misuse of pesticides and what else,people in general here have very little concern or make little effort to avert contamination (throw a bag of coals with the plastic bag still on)into the grill fire to grill the customers meats every night almost every where...no one speaks about it,it can be tatsed,i spoke to one grill lady who made friends with me and she looked at me as if i had to learn how do do things right as in her way,and that was it,no change and no more conversation of it........i am able to eat here an enjoy foods,but the reality is that i have had to map a tight corridor of options where i maneuver so as not to waste precious time wallowing in malaise...long term stay here in the future is out of the question because i understand the plight of the chinandega farmers who are suffering bad illness due to lifetime of exposure of shoddy toxic practices,and i know they are mostly being unheard and the practices probably go uncompromised to save production and jobs.........To good health and making a living to live ,and not to die ill from making a living........I have to admit that i am more sensitive to what comes in my body than many people i know but i am not mistaken about it when i feel it going wrong......years ago before i started traveling constantly,i was sitting at a beach and packed up to leave as soon as i got there,my friend asked me what was up as he smoked, isaid the volcano smoke was coming,and he looked up and said no there is none..i told him i could feel it (a bit dizzy and weak) as i walked away,i stopped to chat with another friend and when we were 5 minutes later done,i looked up and the haze of the volcano smoke had filled the air and was obvious......i was in philippines for 2 years before central america and it was really bad for me there,every day of it and every place i ate or stayed.....its much better in nicaragua than philippines for me,but i have been to costa rica and panama and going later to peru and ecuador to keep up traveling and i know in USA i can by the cheapest generic product with shady reputation and not feel as malaised as i do in nicaragua with too many products............thansk for letting me post my story and hope it informs someone interested

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12/8/2011

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