Couple with their pickup, travel trailer, and two dogs headed down

Hello, and welcome to the forum!  I'd love to hear more about your journey and how living in Mexico is.  If you could post your blog, maybe I can follow along.  Bless!

Thanks, Schuttzie - our blog should be listed on my profile page, but it's at rollingdreams dot com.

It has been FUN and a definite adventure. It hasn't been perfect, and there's been obstacles along the way, but the experience of the culture, the sights, the sounds - they all make up for the minor inconveniences.

I looked on your profile and don't see it there but thank you, for posting it here.  I'll have to check it out

I agree, life is an adventure!

Hi there Ariznative,,,I am a Tennessee resident and looking to move to Nicaragua after coming April when I retire,,,I am excited for you and your family,,,,,I have 2 dog (children) also,,, a rottweiler and a little pit and I definitely plan on bringing the rott with me ( as my pit is getting very old and may not last that long),,I have never lived outside the states but I have determined that after a lifetime of working,,,,I need to establish a more relaxed and less expensive and a lot more fun lifestyle....I love the look and culture of Nicaragua,,,,I would love to hear more about your travels and adventures so am looking forward to hearing from you,,,,take care and have fun,,,,,Charlene

Charlene, there are several single ladies that have come to Nicaragua to check it out and have decided to and  are going to make their home here. One is Peggyjune on this site. She spent a couple of days with us when we were living in Poneloya which is close to Leon. We have moved to the mountains since. If you will write to her she can explain a lot about Nicaragua and give you more contacts on other single women that are doing just fine here. From our view, Nicaragua is a great place to live. It will first be a bit of culture shock but you get over that pretty fast if this is really where you want to be. My wife has traveled all over this country by herself and never any problems if this would be a concern to you. The people are friendly but you have to understand totally different culture. It will be you and not they that will need to do the changing. You will learn the true meaning of the word patients. The cost of living is great and how fancy you want to live is determined by you. Public medical is free even if you are here on a tourist visa. Some of the public facilities are nice and others not so nice.

Hi Majicjack,,thanks for the reply,,,I was so curious when I read about you and your wife and your great adventure,,,I will contact Peggyjune for advice and hope to stay in contact with you both.  I am living in Tennessee in a small cabin with 2 dogs and my adult son who is single and agreed to come and stay with me for a while.  I bought this property and decided to go organic and have raised 59 animals on it (just 2 acres) to prepare the soil and get it fertile enough to raise a garden. In the midst of my great going off the grid adventure,,my neighbor starts dealing drugs,,starts running a full time meth lab and suddenly my quiet little dead end dirt road turns in a non stop drug alley.  I reported and reported to the authorities and no response.  Then I find that he (the neighbor) is related to the law enforcement officer. That is when I asked my adult son to come and stay with me because the drug users running in and out just was too much.  I am old school and was very happy to have a calm and peaceful life here and all hopes of that have been dashed,,,I have until the coming April to retire and will have a steady moderate income.  I want to live off the grid,,stay organic and would love and so welcome the slower life...I love to grow my own food, sew,,can and preserve food and I do not require a shopping mall to stay alive !!  I desire another way of life than is offered here in America,,,I have worked since 16 and have owned only small bits and pieces of my time.  Now I am almost ready to retire and do not want to spend a moment standing in line at Wal-Mart !!!!  As many of the retirees here do,,,I do not wish to spend a beautiful afternoon on a lawn mower manicuring a lawn that gives me nothing back in return,,,,I want to grow food and flowers and be surrounded with the gifts that nature provides when cultivated properly.  I watch my neighborhood walking their lawns with their 5 gallon Round-Up sprayers poisoning everything in sight , Yes, I am ready for a different way of life,,,,and I like to hear from you and your wife and how is life on the mountain? What are your favorite parts of the culture and what are the not so favorite ???  Take care and write soon,,,,,Charlene

We are from a ranching background and kind of think what you are looking for. For the first 5 1/2 years here we lived near a large town and then on the beach. The last 6 months we have moved to the mountains and are much more relaxed and happy. With country living you give up a few things but in our way of thinking gain much more. If you are looking for material luxuries ( from your letter you are not) then Nicaragua may not be the place. If you are searching for friendly people, low cost of living and a live and let live environment then this may be the place. We have a three bedroom home, extremely large lot and the last house on the street in a very small barrio on the outskirts of Quilali, Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua. The people are very friendly, very low crime rate and for us a great place to live. The hospital here is small but very clean and well staffed if this makes a difference. We haven't been to a doctor since we have been here because we haven't needed one. If you want the rural environment you may want to check it out. Our rent on the beach in Poneloya was $700 a month. Here it is $150 and a lot of space. We like having gardens also. The ground here is very fertile because it is volcanic soil. Seeds that you plant in the USA that takes 60 days to produce fruit does it in 45 to 50 here.
If you meet the requirements for obtaining a resident card, it is the only way to go. It is not really that much trouble and the benefits are well worth it.
Quilali is the heart of the marijuana industry in Nicaragua but you will never see the drug dealers or growers. It is a live and let live attitude here and there is no violence with the growers or sellers. You do not see drug dealers peddling their wares on the street. Therefore for the people that live here it is a non problem. Being harassed by the police here is non existent. It is really a much different culture than in and around the big cities. Regardless of where you go you can find a thief in Nicaragua. This can be prevented with a few simple steps and precautions. Violent crime against expats is very rare. You will have someone on here say we know of this and that but one or two incidents in 5 years I would call rare. I feel safer walking down the streets at night in Managua than in Nashville or Houston Texas. There has never been a violent crime against gringos in Quilali and we can verify this because we are the only ones here. lol
There are a lot of good people on this site with very good information and a few with pure BS. You can spot these in a hurry. Most are honest band will willing share their experiences with you. You can pick out the real people and BS artist pretty fast. Many write very negative opinions but yet they continue to live here. Maybe they have no place else to go. There are some that give advice on here than don't even live here or have never been to Nicaragua. You seem to be the type person that will make good regardless of where you end up. Nicaragua needs good people. Ones that will come out of their sheltered prison like home and explore and see the real country and meet the real people. You can probably go form town to town and the culture will change in each. We are a three hour drive to Estili and go there once a month to shop at the super markets and the bank. Quilali has no bank. It has a western union and a Banpro ATM but you need a Banpro Account to use it.
If you retire here, and are drawing social security you can open a bank account with out a resident card with the bank of you choice and establish a direct deposit account through the American Embassy.
Peggy came down to visit and explore the country. This is a good plan. It doesn't cost that much and spending a couple of weeks here can give you a little knowledge of what the country is like. She must have liked it, she is coming back in August. My wife Pat has a MA ion English and gives free English lessons to who ever wants them. I dredge for gold and raise gamecocks. We never get bored because there is always something to do. Gardens can keep you busy also. Hope I haven't bored you to death and if any of the information has been helpful then good.
Take care and have a great day and good luck to you.
Gene and Pat