Expat Files - "Certificado de Manipulacion" - 01/27/13

-The state of the Latin car insurance industry and some novel car theft prevention ideas for both the first and the third world

-What if your car gets the “boot” somewhere on the streets of Latin America? Yup, they have the Denver Boot down here too, but they’re called “Cepos”. Here’s what you need to know and do if one gets slapped on your vehicle.

-Can persnickety first world expat wanabees come down to Latin America and feel comfortable knowing the sanitary standards are not nearly as strict as back in Cleveland? Will clean freak expats be forced to live in a bubble while they gag at everything they see? Well here’s the scoop on that…

-If you have a maid, cleaning lady, or own a restaurant, disco or bar you will want your help to have taken a course in basic hygiene and food handling. There is actually a short 3-4 hr food hygiene course offered by most Latin governments. Attendees who sit through it get a nice diploma that says, “Certificado de Manipulacion”. (Latins are nuts about framed diplomas and awards). But there is a slight problem.. if one has 20 or 25 bucks, he can skip the course and buy a diploma on the gray market. Luckily, about 80% of people who need diplomas actually take the course since they don’t have the dough to buy one outright. But do they really learn anything at one short, government sponsored hygiene course? Here’s the real story...

-Follow the link on the main page at www.ExpatWisdom.com to schedule a consultation with me. If you want to discuss the details of living, working, playing, doing business and/or retiring in Latin America, now you and I can talk about your situation one on one