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Originally Posted by soltero
Yes, mostly. But if you go really rural, you'll want to learn Spanish anyway -- and TV is a great learning device. I recommend the novelas. :-)
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Well, there is learning Spanish and ..
I suppose it's pretty much like my Thai. I can get by, but meaningful conversations that go beyond pleasantries.. nah!
Actually, I speak just a tiny bit of Spanish from my many years in S. California. So when the Thais get a bit too uppity about how poor my Thai is, I start speaking to them in Spanish. Even worse is when I speak English and purposely exaggerate by Southwestern US accent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by soltero
As far as the comment about the road to El Valle: He's right, but I think driving anywhere in Panama is an adventure, not for the faint-of heart. Even on the "superhighway" (the Transamerica or Panamerica), Panamanians' driving style is alternately aggressive and uncaring. My favorite: the busses. I'm convinced Panama eases prison crowding by putting all the homicidal maniacs behind the wheels of devil-may-care, hell-in-a-handbasket busses...
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It sounds like they learned to drive from the "orange crush" bus drivers in Thailand..
I "do" avoid expat enclaves no matter where I live. I like living close enough to the locals to interact on a daily basis .. although not with packs of dogs.
Because I'm old and single and lazy, I prefer to walk to a small cafe and take my meals, linger over my coffee and watch life around the neighborhood.
I have traveled to all but 1 province in Thailand and will probably do the same in my next country.
One problem that I have always faced in Thailand is finding a place to rent *except" in the expat enclaves or heavily touristed areas.
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I'm also looking at Ecuador and Northern Chile. Chile seems a bit more expensive and Ecuador has been a bit harder to research. Good research may not tell me where I want to live, but if I do it right, it will give me a good starting point and plan of attack.
I have seen many come to Thailand and *buy* a house in the first spot that caught their fancy, then after traveling around a bit wished they had waited.