Business Opportunities in CA and SA

[Zon]

I try to build multiple reasons for travel to any location.  One is business / investment - especially on the tourism side.  With that in mind, I seek to begin a discussion that describes the business landscape in CA and SA. 

Are there any very favorable locations?   

Are there any very problematic locations?

Can anyone offer a contribution that would be different or insightful that is not commonly seen on basic web pages ...

Thanks

Also, and on a separate note .... how often do AM find successful women who are not financially distressed?  Small business owners, professionals ...

[utopiacowboy]

My wife was not financially stressed at all. She is a chemical engineer and had a good job running various shops at the Coltejer textile plant in Itaqui. She owned her large apartment in a good area of Medellin outright and the place has appreciated big time just in the time that I have known her. She would have been quite content for me to live in Medellin with her.

[Jeff S]

My wife certainly wasn't financially distressed either. She was very well educated, had a small business, and came from quite a wealthy family - but she's not a Latina.

I have quite a bit of experience regarding manufacturing businesses in LA, but mostly Mexico, Brazil, a bit of Argentina and the Caribbean, but I'm guessing that's not what you're asking about. If so PM me.

[Zon]

Manufacturing is a heartache.  I am trying to simply and work smart.

More to the point were such things as
- American friendly;
- good exchange rates; and
- quality of life / standard of living.

Again I am hoping for a survey.  Costa Rica and Colombia are rather understood.

[Jeff S]

Belize is worth looking at. Very American friendly, English is the national language, low crime rate, nice amenities, excellent value for your dollar, but they mostly cater to tourists.

[Zon]

Anybody know anything about Argentina; Chile; Peru; Brazil?

I have been very, very surprised with how my ignorant perception does not fit reality as it relates to culture; ethnicity; etc...

Costa Rica and Belize are US South. 

The DR is a little bit more of a culture shock, but only a little. 

Colombia still cares the hell out of me  - but I'm getting over it.   

I have met business people from Argentina, who upon reflection were more European than anything else.

[utopiacowboy]

Even though I would have the protection of one of the armed groups that plague Colombia, I still would not consider Colombia. You piss off the wrong person and you're history. I am seriously looking into Uruguay. You may want to check out this site: http://www.uruguaydreaming.com/

[Zon]

Picking up on the above theme ... 

I really know a Colombian American whose mother was kidnapped and held for two months just 45 days ago.  It was a seriously f*uc*ed up story - real life and death.  AND HE AND HIS MOTHER ARE BORN COLOMBIANS!!!!!!!!!!!!  I don't think he intends to go back.  I can't wait to hear his voice when I finds out I am intending to visit the nice place.

I think I will go to Colombia (which can't say anything positive about my judgment), but I will keep a low profile and greatly curb my behavior.  My first trip will be Bogota only - since I value education and refinement.  I intend to not stick out and stay behind whatever walls I can find (which is not the way I like to travel.) But I consider this an extremely bad idea.

And so too ... I am interested in areas less traveled that do not have the infrastructure of agencies.  BUT HELL ... I am not banking on a unnatural handicap. If I could just go out and be myself, I am sure everything would be Ok. That may not be the case for Colombia.

[utopiacowboy]

The paisas would be highly insulted to think that a gringo considers the only Colombian city with education and refinement to be Bogota. I assure you that you would find education and refinement in Medellin.

My favorite place in Colombia is a dusty, noisy, dump of a city called Monteria. There is little education or refinement there but it's a lively place where a gringo is safe and the local women are as hot as the climate.

[Zon]

Obviously, I am not an expert ... and am a little cautious.

I thought the link UC supplied above was very interesting.  I will do a little research on ex pat living in South America

With regard to the lay  of the land in DR.  I will supply some intelligence:  The Punta Cana area is hot. Reall estate has appreciate 300% in the last 2 years.  It is an area staked out for speculation.  AND speculation can be dangerous.  Especially so, since the speculation comes from the Ultra Luxury market - Cap Cana and Rico Key.  The North Shore on the other hand is asleep.  It appeals to me more personally. Very beautiful.  The costs are obviously less than the US for normal living stuff.  But luxury consumption is very expensive - and gas was $ 6 a gallon.  There is a real divide between the haves and have nots that I did not detect in Costa Rica.

As I write this, I am noticing that I do not have a deep affection or trust for the people I have met in the DR.  Trust, but verify.  Again, in Costa Rica, I felt the people were more kind and genuine.

I would not think living in the DR more than 3 -4 months a year would be enviable. 

[utopiacowboy]

"There is a real divide between the haves and have nots that I did not detect in Costa Rica."

Have you spent any time in Guanacaste on the Pacific coast near Nicaragua? Imagine West Virginia or Mississippi given a Latin flavor and moved to Costa Rica. My daughter (Peace Corps worker) lives in a tin shack similar to one where I used to keep goats on my ranch here. Actually I think my goats had it better.

[daytrader]

"There is a real divide between the haves and have nots that I did not detect in Costa Rica."

Have you spent any time in Guanacaste on the Pacific coast near Nicaragua? Imagine West Virginia or Mississippi given a Latin flavor and moved to Costa Rica. My daughter (Peace Corps worker) lives in a tin shack similar to one where I used to keep goats on my ranch here. Actually I think my goats had it better.

RIV is correct regarding the separation between have's and have nots;   I am sure they are speaking of the San Jose SMSA mostly - the roads, utilities, shopping centers are pretty good and you don't see the wide separation that is prevelent in Bogota or Cali. Like Cali and Bogota, there ain't any street signs and Garmin doesn't have a dang map!

Outside of the San Jose SMSA I am sure there is some 3rd world status in areas & mostly 2nd World- heck the roads are atrocious or non-existent in the rainy season in many areas. 

The differential is not that wide in semi-urban areas from what I have heard and read in many real estate forums and boards, can't vouch for it first hand however.    CR is coming out of 2nd world into the 1st world at a rapid pace, heck there is wireless high speed internet/cell phone service in semi-rural areas west of San Jose.  The USA doesn't have that in many areas!  San Jose/Heredia is 1st World. 

The country is starting to deregulate some monopolies - the giant Tel Mex will be upgrading the country's cell and internet backbone in the very near future.

Many have a cell phone (although adding a line takes forever), many people have cars - those that don't have cars use taxis to a much greater extent than buses (re: Bogota, Cali) and the taxi fare is not cheap.  I stay around the Cariari Golf Course area, comparable to any moderate high end community in any first world country.  Outside of  the urban areas I am sure the standard of living drops off some, but the 3rd World status is a much smaller slice of the pie. 

source:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2019.htm

After experiencing 7.9 % growth in 2006, the Costa Rican economy settled down to an estimated 6.5% in 2007. Compared with its Central American neighbors, Costa Rica has achieved a high standard of living, with a per capita income of about U.S. $5,100, and an unemployment rate of 4.6%. During 2007 the annual inflation rate rose to 11.5% as the Costa Rican Government sought to reduce its large fiscal deficit.

THE UNITED NATIONS RATES COSTA RICA AS THE 6TH FASTEST COUNTRY WORLDWIDE IN CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR

source:  (this is a pdf) see page 4
www.spp.nus.edu.sg/Handler.ashx?path=Data/Site/SiteDocuments/wp/2002/wp17.pdf

CR has a stable democracy where foreign business is encouraged even as the environment is protected. A country with near-universal health care and one of the highest literacy rates in the Western Hemisphere.


We're dealing in averages here (mean, median, mode)  anybody can find a bottom of the barrel..the question is, what % of the country resides in the bottom of the barrel.  In CR, it's pretty small, and getting smaller by the day.  CAFTA recently was ratified..this will accelerate growth even more, that's common knowledge among the entrepreneur and middle class people I speak to on a daily basis there. 

DayTrader

[Zon]

Pura Vida ... it comes across on almost everyone's face in Costa Rica.

I have only been once.  I should go again.  But my memory was of very kind people.

[raycjs]

Rivardco

I travel to Barranquilla every 4 to 6 weeks to be with my finace and soon to be new daughter i really like the city of Barranquilla. i am planning on buying a home there so when we travel i have a place to live. I have a very good friend from the board that is living there for the past 2 years and he and his wife are opening up a clothing store in town by one of the malls. I would also like to look into something in the Barranquilla area. I think that area is very stable and that is only my opinion.

Ray

[jm21-2]

Also, and on a separate note .... how often do AM find successful women who are not financially distressed?  Small business owners, professionals ...

I was looking at www.introductionsbyconsuelo.com and the women seemed to have pretty good jobs. I almost wonder whether there's some lying going on. On the first page of their gallery - 4 actresses, 2 flight attendants, 3 students, administrator, manager, "international commerce." I'm sure the deck is a bit stacked, but still.

I think it wouldn't be hard to find a modestly successful woman (about 30+% of the population in most countries is middle class). One girl I chatted with a lot was a medical student from Brazil. Great girl, definitely not desperate. I remember I was talking about how polite and romantic guys are fairly common here, especially in the upper middle class, and she joked about coming to America to look for a husband someday.

There seems to be a lot of African influence in Northern Brazil, more European influence in the Sao Paolo area (with a dash of Japanese and Arab). The people I talked with a lot were media class 20ish year olds from Maceio (sp?) and didn't seem all that different from middle class Americans really, in many ways. There are goths, computer geeks playing dungeons and dragons, emo, sushi popular, they've watched a lot of the same shows/movies. A lot more dancing and partying though. BIG parties. Less diverse. More emphasis on education/academic achievement. Better educated. More emphasis on physical beauty. Not as cliquish. More racist/classist. guys have a lot less respect for girls and have the control in dating, girls are more conservative, dating is slower-paced and more formal in some ways.

[daytrader]

RIV,

I was initially impressed with Conseulo's agency online when I looked at it a year ago..then I read about what a "good date" is on their website....after I slept on it, I got the impression that the agency probably attracts it's fair share of 'gold diggers'.   

The major difference (I perceive) from Colombia and Brazil and other countries is that Colombia has a strong Christian/Catholic influence in their culture..if you are looking for a woman with strong family and morals, I would lean towards Colombia and Peru.  If you want a great party animal and terrific dancer, Brazil (I can vouch for the Brazil is great dancer scenario, wow!).  VZ and Brazilian women came across to me as Americanized, I'm sure there are some nice ones but the odds are you would find a non-Americanized one easier in Bogota. 

If you network in Bogota, you will be introduced to a lot of nice women - a fair share have US Visas and are bilingual or trilingual.  Don't take a date to one of the malls in the upper end (north side I think), your eyes will be distracted!  You will have to fight them off with a pitchfork by your third trip down there.  LOL

DayTrader

[jm21-2]

DT, where's the stuff you mentioned about a good date on their website, or did they change it? All I see is that you should expect to spend about the same on dinner as you would in America (I would assume that means $10-30 apiece+drinks?). I have no idea what spending 10-20% of your gross income means either....maybe that the entire process will cost about 10-20% of your annual gross income?

I had just came across the site recently (I forget how I stumbled on it), and don't see any recent info about it on the forum. Sounded promising to me.

I wonder if anyone who's been to Colombia and Peru can comment on which is more conservative. From the trip reports it seemed like Peru was.

[daytrader]

DT, where's the stuff you mentioned about a good date on their website, or did they change it? All I see is that you should expect to spend about the same on dinner as you would in America (I would assume that means $10-30 apiece+drinks?). I have no idea what spending 10-20% of your gross income means either....maybe that the entire process will cost about 10-20% of your annual gross income?

I had just came across the site recently (I forget how I stumbled on it), and don't see any recent info about it on the forum. Sounded promising to me.

I wonder if anyone who's been to Colombia and Peru can comment on which is more conservative. From the trip reports it seemed like Peru was.

her website has the same info as last year, only the presentation is a little nicer...the whole website really shows off the beauty of the Colombiana, but, to me, comes across as very materialistic and missing the warmth & nurturing of a latina. 

I would give Conseula a little of the 3rd degree - explain to her that I want a woman that is not as materialistic as an AW...otherwise I will just keep my $$ and not bother coming to Bogota.  I would tell her I find the 10-20% figure insulting..I'm not buying love...www.latinamericancupid.com is $75 for 6 months (plus multiple air fares, visa expense = maybe $5k or $10k total)  so far it has worked for me! 

I think you will do well in Peru or Colombia - but in the major cities you will find a more materialistic bent...you just have to sort them out.  That's the fun part, it costs time and money...  to me, www.latinamericancupid.com sorts though this very fast for me. 

Anybody traveled around Peru a lot?  RIV is looking for input...

DayTrader

[Zon]

I have ALREADY been in contact with Consuelo.  Very nice lady. Very responsive.  And yes the deck is stacked. the best are on the first several pages.

I saw 3 girls that I would be honored to meet.  That is all that means.

I did not see 20% of anything. But I am new to the process and have not spent a dime.

But, I have seen enough already to make to claims.  The South American market is responsive.  And the Culture is bridgeable.  With these two facts, agencies offer less of an unique value proposition.  I think it is easy to meet fine ladies on any number of online dating sites.  It is easy to make acquaintances with model agencies and universities too (yes - I plan to offer seminars in the modern use of Slang English).

At the risk of starting a debate .... I don't think it is possible to separate materialism/ambition from this search.  I am not looking for a monk!  I don't mind a little competition from other admirers. I like a woman that will make me fight for it.  These are human elements of attraction and mating. 

I look at it the other way.  A woman can inspire a man to do whatever.  It can be a good inspiration (buy a sailboat and travel the Caribbean for a whole year); or a bad inspiration (work 80+ hours a week, so we can buy a house as big as my sisters. 

Again ... this should be the fun part. Life has a way of flattening out the edges fast enough.

[jm21-2]

DT,

If the average-earning middle aged guy (which probably describes most of her clients) spent $5-10k over a year period to find his wife, that would be about 10-20% of his gross income.

I have actually been very surprised at the materialism of foreign women in general. When I think about their material desires compared to what they earn, it's really amazing. I mean, I've talked with girls who are fine spending half or more of their monthly income on an mp3 player or a pair of jeans or a cell phone, to show off to her friends. Have you ever heard of an AW who, say, makes $2000 per month and buys a $1000 cell phone to show off to her friends, and all her friends were madly envious of her? I bet you if the typical AW did that her friends would look at her like she was a nutjob.

[daytrader]

DT,

If the average-earning middle aged guy (which probably describes most of her clients) spent $5-10k over a year period to find his wife, that would be about 10-20% of his gross income.

I have actually been very surprised at the materialism of foreign women in general. When I think about their material desires compared to what they earn, it's really amazing. I mean, I've talked with girls who are fine spending half or more of their monthly income on an mp3 player or a pair of jeans or a cell phone, to show off to her friends. Have you ever heard of an AW who, say, makes $2000 per month and buys a $1000 cell phone to show off to her friends, and all her friends were madly envious of her? I bet you if the typical AW did that her friends would look at her like she was a nutjob.

I think guys visiting Colombia or Peru (or CR) can sense those women ($1000 cell phone) from a mile away (or at least before he buys a plane ticket).  I've probably dated 20 women overseas and 5 FW in the States (all from Colombia or Peru, 2 from CR) and I never caught a whiff of any of that materialism or saw it anywhere in Cali or Bogota.  People in Bogota spend their money on private security, armored SUV's, gated homes, etc. 

AW women ruin your credit, throw you in jail as a (false) spouse abuser and bad mouth your name everywhere in the State.

I think the most a FW will typically cost a guy is 10% of  one year's income over two years (if he doesn't engage a immigration lawyer).  Net would be 5% of two year's income.  Deduct the $ you would normally spend on a vacation from this total to arrive at the net percentage.  Now guys that want to fly across the universe to China, Philippines etc..yeah, the cost goes way up. 

DayTrader

[Tristan]

I bought some Spanish colonial houses in Granada, Nicaragua and renovated them earlier this decade.  That city along with San Juan Del Sur are the two most popular places for foreign investment in real estate in Nicaragua.  Prices surely have appreciated but I don't have any accurate statistics.  The election of Ortega has, based on my observations, restrained price appreciation and made investors more cautious, not so much because of his past, but because of the present, i.e. he's just another lazy, stupid and corrupt country president who is not really doing anything to help advance the country.

Utopiacowboy: I've got the chemical engineer thing going with my zhena, too.

[utopiacowboy]

"I've got the chemical engineer thing going with my zhena, too."

You're a lucky guy, dude!