A Dragon In Paraguay

Flying into Asunción, the largest and capital city of the country of Paraguay, you see nothing but green, jungle-like landscape as far as the horizon. Then you see this little city poking out from the middle of nowhere. “The middle of nowhere” is pretty apt. Deep into central South America, there is nothing out here, just the little city of Asunción.

As a future Paraguayan citizen, I’m here to get the residency process started and learn more about my new “home.” Being here has been an interesting experience to say the least.

Normally, as soon as I arrive in a new country/city, my immediate impressions regarding whether or not I will like it are pretty accurate. If I love it as soon as I see it, I’m probably going to love it even more after a week later when I leave. If I hate it, or at least consider it no big deal or boring as soon as I see it, that’s usually my opinion when I leave a week later. In other words, my experience of the city usually confirms my initial impressions.

But not with Asunción. I had to fly into the country late; I landed at around 11:30pm. I knew that Paraguay is damn near a third world country, so I prepared for the worst, and I got it. Foreigners from certain other nations have to purchase an entrance visa the first time they visit. It’s as much as $160 USD, and they only take twenty-dollar bills, and they only take certain kinds of twenty-dollar bills.

As always, I did all this research beforehand and was prepared. I arrived with a wallet jam-packed full of twenty-dollar bills, as well as hundred dollar bills, as well as Paraguayan currency (called guaraní). So I was prepared, but the desk clerk was not, nor were all the other idiot Americans and Canadians I was standing in line with.

Just about everyone in front of me in line had no idea they needed to have multiple 20-dollar bills to enter the country. (Sigh.) People were panicking, screaming, trying to borrow money from random strangers, calling other people on the phone, and so on. One woman, an over-33 American mother of two, was throwing a temper tantrum about how expensive it was and how it was insane that they only took twenty-dollar bills. (Then maybe you should have done your research before leaving the country, bitch.) All it did was waste everyone’s time, including mine, since the staff didn’t even speak much English.

Long story short, I sat in line for about 90 minutes at midnight waiting for idiots to clean up their own messes. It was late, I was tired, I had to get up early the next morning for an appointment with my immigration attorneys, and there was an additional two-hour time change meaning I’d be getting up really fucking early, and I hadn’t even left the airport yet.

Moreover, I had to listen to the friendly-but-talkative Canadian standing in line behind me bitch about Donald Trump as soon as I identified myself as an American. (As just a quick side note, why does every Canadian I meet in my international travels have to bitch and moan and crack jokes about Donald Trump? Yes, you fuckers, my country is a embarrassment, yes, I already know this, that’s why I’m here, getting the fuck out of the Collapsing USA. But Jesus, my country was also an embarrassment during Pussy Barack and Idiot Bush and Sociopathic Bill. This Trump bullshit isn’t anything new. Do you Canadians seriously think the USA was just fine before Tantrum Trump? Please, for the love of god, leave me alone about the fourth ridiculous president the mentally retarded voters in my collapsing country have elected in a row. Oh, and by the way, guess what happens to Canada when the USA finally goes down the shitter? Take three guesses, ay?)

So, irritated and very tired, eventually I got out of there and crashed to bed an hour or two later, way too late. Then I jumped up just a few hours later to make it on time for my appointment, still half asleep. Unsurprisingly, Paraguay has no Uber (there is a local app in Spanish but that wouldn’t help me), so I had to find a taxi, which isn’t always easy in Asunción. I finally found one, showed the Spanish address to the taxi driver (I had it in my phone ready to go; I’m always prepared), who thankfully could read it and knew where to go.

Taxi drivers in Asunción are very friendly and helpful, but they don’t use GPS at all, and have no concept that you can get there faster if you follow the roads the GPS tells you based on traffic conditions. (Or maybe they just don’t care.) So I’m watching Google Maps on my phone as the guy takes every wrong street with the most traffic. I try to explain this to him once, but he doesn’t speak English of course, which is my fault (since I could have learned Spanish before now), but it doesn’t help my mood.

After bouncing around on Los Angeles-like third-world roads, I finally arrive, easily 45 minutes late for my appointment and still half asleep. Thank goodness this is Paraguay, and everyone is always late, and the attorneys don’t even notice. Hilarious.

So my first arrival to Asunción wasn’t pleasant and my perception of the place wasn’t the best. But then my schedule calmed down, I was able to catch up on my sleep, and I was able to experience the city. And boy, did my opinion change!

The Women

Oh, hell yes. For some reason I thought women in Paraguay would be average-looking like the Mexicans. Ohhhh no. Using my hot / cute / average / ugly scale, while hot women are rare (but they are here!) there are tons of cute women here, and the average ones are usually on the high-end of average.

Even better, the body types here are exactly what I like. Big, shapely asses, big boobs, wonderful hips, even on small, trim women. Heaven. Instead of the USA where big butts are unusual and small or flat butts are the norm, here it’s the exact opposite. Big asses are the norm, and it’s unusual to see a woman who has the typical white-girl small/flat butt. I’ve had a huge smile on my face the entire time I’ve been here.

I’m not saying the women are Asunción are particularly hot. I’m just saying that cute women are much more prevalent and that all women, attractive or otherwise, have the body type I like. Most of their faces are high-average with lots of cuties. I’ve seen very few actual hotties here but with so many cute women with amazing bodies, I don’t care.

The women here seem to be a mix of the darker-skinned Hispanics with the lighter-skinned Argentineans. Therefore, the skin tone of everyone here is much lighter than anywhere else I’ve been in the Latin world so far. The tone ranges from lighter-skinned but still darker-than-white Hispanics, to people who look full-on as white as I do but with one or two Hispanic features in their faces (noses, eyes, etc).

Thus, even with my white skin and blue eyes, I don’t look nearly as out of place here as I did in Mexico or even Panama. I know this because in those places no one expected me to speak Spanish, but here in Asunción they do, and are actually taken aback when they realize I only speak English (or Inglés, to be more regionally accurate). The further south you travel into South America, the whiter the people become, so if you’re white, the more they expect you to speak Spanish. I expect this to intensify when I go to Argentina next.

Second World

Surprisingly, I no longer consider Paraguay the third world, but it is certainly on the low-end of the second world, a notch or two lower than even Mexico. A few examples…

The bathrooms are shit. Even in nice hotels the shower, toilet, and sink are all in the same room, and there is no space to leave any toiletries.

Sidewalks are rare, and if you have them, often they are nothing more than rubble or dirt.

The roads are pretty bad. (But again, Los Angeles’ roads are worse.)

Drivers pretty much ignore signs, lights, and even lanes. They aren’t the suicidal maniacs that the Italians are, but pretty close.

My hotel was located in the nicer part of town, with two very impressive malls and some nice houses with some pools…

…but, there are plenty of barrio-type areas here as well, many I made sure to visit, where “homes” are simply wooden or plastic boards nailed together…

Traffic is absolutely dreadful. It often takes 20-30 minutes just to go less than 3-4 miles. The streets are way too narrow and have been constructed in a way where widening them is pretty much impossible. I already wrote an article about traffic once; it seems to be a blind spot in the human condition; not one civilization on Earth can seem to nail this problem. Even the Asians can’t figure it out. Weird.

Internet is slow-ish in most locations, however, I was able to find some spots where it worked surprisingly well and much better than in Mexico. The people here tell me that the entire country has internet and even distant farms in the middle of nowhere have at least 3G.

The Good Stuff

People in Paraguay are the nicest people I’ve encountered yet on this trip, and that’s saying a lot, since the Mexicans and Panamanians are very nice. But the Paraguayans are so nice they may even surpass the Canadians. Here’s a few examples…

I was in a mall buying some underwear. (Side Note; Blackdragon’s underwear travel system: I only pack half the underwear needed for a trip like this, make sure to only pack the oldest pairs of underwear I have, and throw each pair away every day while traveling, until I’m halfway into the trip when I buy new pairs. This prevents me from having to wash my underwear. Time management, baby.) I needed nine pairs and they only had three of the kind I liked. The lady, who could not speak English, offered to walk down the street to another store and get the other pairs for me. Of course I said that would be great, and she did so. Holy crap.

During one appointment with some immigration attorneys, when they were done giving me extremely valuable advice for 90 minutes, when I offered to pay them for their time, they seemed surprised and told me no, they would charge me if/when they actually got started on my project in January. One of them actually told me he thought I was making a joke when I offered to pay him.

Do you know any attorneys who would give you 90 minutes of free legal advice? I don’t.

I had a taxi driver drive me to a second location for free. Have you ever had a taxi driver offer to do this? I haven’t.

And so on. These people are so nice I just can’t believe it. These are the most laid-back Hispanics I’ve ever seen (and again, one could argue they’re only “half-Hispanic”). Walking down the main promenade on the river (the Costanera de Asunción), there are tons of people out but everything is quiet. No screaming, loud yelling, blasting music, or the other things I’ve come to associate with most Latin countries. Everyone’s just hanging out, relaxing, talking in quiet voices. It’s almost like being in Japan.

When someone does a U-turn right in the middle of a crowded road (and the drivers do that shit here all the time), no one honks, no one gets mad. They just patiently wait and then continue on their way. Just imagine someone pulling that shit in Mexico! 15 drivers would lean on their horns in unison and scream “pendejo cabron!!!”

Moreover, the women here are happy. They are always walking around smiling, laughing, or joking around. It’s radically different than in the West where you have most women walking around with neutral expressions on their faces.

Things are SUPER cheap here. You can buy a good used car for $3000 USD and live in a livable apartment for just a few hundred dollars a month. The cost of living here is microscopically low, perhaps on par with Thailand and the Philippines but I can’t say for sure.

Other Aspects

A thing I’ve noticed both here and in Panama; people say hi to each other every time a new person enters an elevator. WTF? I don’t get it, just like I didn’t get how people in New Zealand always thanked the bus driver when they left the bus. It’s so strange how different cultures come up with these unusual, little customs.

Like other Latin countries, there are lots of police and security guards all over the place. They tell me here (and my research has shown) that there is very little violent crime in Asunción, just minor theft. That must be why everyone has guards all over the place. At one attorney’s office I visited, the small building had a locked gate and a metal fence all around it. When I asked why this was when there is no violent crime here, the attorney answered, “Well, we needed a fence, because there is no guard here at night.” Interesting. Having guards seems to be a required thing in the Latin world, whether actually needed or not.

The humidity here is, once again, a fucking problem. It’s about one notch less intense than Panama’s, but that’s still pretty bad. I’m able to tolerate it, but it’s extremely annoying. Granted, we’re headed into the southern hemisphere’s summer right now, and perhaps the humidity isn’t as strong during the fall and winter months here, but I’m not sure.

One last note. As I write this article while here in Paraguay, word has come via the US news that there has been yet another mass shooting in the US, something that appears to happen every week now.

They don’t have mass shootings in Paraguay.

They don’t have mass shootings in Panama.

They just don’t, guys. It’s just not a part of their culture. These cultures aren’t perfect, and some of them have dark pasts, but people in these places don’t walk around shooting mass amounts of other citizens because they disagree with them politically.

Americans like to look down their noses at other, “lesser” countries. I admit I’ve done this myself in the past. But as I’ve mentioned before, the further America slides into slow collapse, the more horrible things are going to happen in America that don’t happen in most other places. Mass shootings. Ultra-high taxes. Ultra-high regulation. Increased violence. Political unrest. Unhappy, stressed-out people.

Every time I see more bad news coming out of the USA while I’m visiting somewhere abroad where those same things aren’t happening, which is all the time now, I’m feel both sorry for my homeland and more safe and more sure in my lifestyle decisions, since I know my Alpha Male 2.0 international lifestyle removes me further away from this bullshit.

Just food for thought.

Anyway, after spending several days here, my opinion has done a complete 180 from when I first arrived. Paraguay and Asunción are, while a little rough around the edges, fucking great. What a wonderful little find! I will be here semi-regularly over the next several years to get my residency, and I can’t wait to come back. How cool is it that the two places I need to return to for my five flags plan (Panama and Paraguay) are two places I am most excited about visiting again regardless?

Next up, the pinnacle of this trip… a week in Buenos Aires! (And a little Montevideo too.)

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47 Comments
  • Gang
    Posted at 06:04 am, 22nd November 2018

    Big, shapely asses, big boobs, wonderful hips, even on small, trim women.

     

    The cost of living here is microscopically low, perhaps on par with Thailand and the Philippines but I can’t say for sure.

     

    Everyone’s just hanging out, relaxing, talking in quiet voices.

     

    Paraguay, I am coming!

  • Gang
    Posted at 06:07 am, 22nd November 2018

    Having guards seems to be a required thing in the Latin world, whether actually needed or not.

    Same thing in Philippines, which really feels more latin than asian.

  • Gang
    Posted at 06:18 am, 22nd November 2018

    Buenos Aries

    Buenos Aires

  • Gong
    Posted at 06:43 am, 22nd November 2018

    Hi Gang,

    You’re 100% an INTP.

  • Rational Jonny
    Posted at 07:32 am, 22nd November 2018

    As a future Paraguayan citizen

    Couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Of course you are, of course.

    Are you trying to get into the Guinness book of world records for most citizenships? Lol. You really have nothing else better to do… Hilarious 😀

  • Maldek
    Posted at 07:57 am, 22nd November 2018

    ” I will be here semi-regularly over the next several years to get my residency, and I can’t wait to come back”

    Very glad to read that. Now you are starting to understand why I have been living down here since 2009. And you didnt even mention the  ~12% annual ROI over this decade.

    Women are not only quite good looking (at least when below the age of 25) but there are in fact more than a few extremly hot women to be found here. International model level hot. And they are within reach of an slightly above average western guy – at least much easier (also cost wise) to maintain than their US (EU) counterparts.

    Saludos from a long time reader of your work!

  • David
    Posted at 08:10 am, 22nd November 2018

    Hi Caleb,

    What happened to the Dragon in Bogotá? I am curious.

  • Scott Day
    Posted at 08:23 am, 22nd November 2018

    Great blog and very interesting insight into Paraguay. I have the time and some income to travel. I don’t because I am still experimenting with mobility. I suffered a stroke  six years ago andwhilei can walk.its not a smooth gait, nor very fast furthermore most of my income is in the form of disability income which as I understand I could lose if I changed countries. Also my Medicaid. Sudden illness or disability is a real life changer. In what and how one can approach life. I prefer the warm humid weather as my last 36 years have been in SouthWest Florida. I am att3mpting to discover my new path to financial independence. But again the stroke has made my left hand unusable I don’t really have a question that you would find relative. But I would like to live life as you do. Even a disabled 60 year old has goals remaining to accomplish

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 08:47 am, 22nd November 2018

    Buenos Aires

    Fixed. I seriously misspell Buenos Aires more than any other name or word. My brain just doesn’t want to type it.

    What happened to the Dragon in Bogotá?

    Wait about two weeks and I’ll tell you.

    Even a disabled 60 year old has goals remaining to accomplish

    Absolutely. When I’m 60 I will still be working hard at my goals, even if I was disabled.

  • Kefka
    Posted at 08:58 am, 22nd November 2018

    Interesting to hear your insights, been looking forward to this post as someone who has lived in Asunción the past year and a half while I fully move my domicile over (territorial tax and no reporting requirements!!!)

    I’d say the women here are just slightly above average. The women can indeed be cute but the main issue is the prevalence of overweight people here, it’s easily comparable to a US city. Women that manage to stay lean are often very cute/hot, it’s just not often the case. But go to the gym and you’ll be blown away!

    In terms of cost, I definitely wouldn’t say things are cheap. I would say there is the opportunity to spend less for sure and have a low cost of living, but you’ll end up with a lower quality of life. In the area you stayed a 2 bedroom condo goes for $1.5-3k USD a month, the other nicer area by the other shopping centre is similarly priced. Sure you can get an apartment for a few hundred bucks a month but you’ll end up in a not so nice, less secure area susceptible to many more power cuts. Also things break down here CONSTANTLY, things are generally shoddily made. New, expensive apartments have cracks down the walls within months, can’t even imagine what it would be like in cheaper areas. Supermarket prices are the same if not more than in London (apart from beef prices, super cheap!!). I spend $2.5k USD a month here (2 people) for a good quality of life, nothing luxurious (but would be considered by Paraguayan standards).

    Security here is good in the nicer areas, I feel safe walking around with my iPhone out because of the armed security guards on every street. Theft is common I’ve heard in most most of the city, some armed robberies and car theft. One thing to consider about any crime statistics about this place (Such as Asunción is statistically the safest city in South America) is that police are extremely corrupt in general, and so crime goes underreported. For example, if your car gets stolen and you notify the police, they can find it within an hour in such a small city, but you’re not getting it back unless you pay a few thousand dollars in bribe money. So most people just don’t bother reporting.

    People are definitely calmer and quieter here compared to other Latin American countries as you noticed, very friendly but not so in your face loud friendly.

    Overall a super good “home” on paper, got my permanent residency and ID card in my hands within 6 months, my naturalisation lawyers say 5-6 years (depending on how much you bribe) from landing in the city to get a passport in your hands. But I’m not excited actually living here, leaving soon and don’t think I’ll miss it much.

    P.S. for anyone who speaks Spanish, Paraguayans speak the least clear Spanish in all of Latin America. People in the city tend to grow up speaking both Spanish and the native Guarani language, they often mix the two when speaking to each other, and when speaking solely in Spanish they retain the “naselliness” of Guarani while speaking very fast and not pronouncing many sounds. I arrived fluent in Spanish but it took me months to get used to.

  • Erik
    Posted at 09:10 am, 22nd November 2018

    “They just don’t, guys. It’s just not a part of their culture”

    those shooting are a majority FBI led.

     

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 09:29 am, 22nd November 2018

    territorial tax and no reporting requirements!!!

    I know. Fucking awesome.

    People in the city tend to grow up speaking both Spanish and the native Guarani language, they often mix the two when speaking to each other, and when speaking solely in Spanish they retain the “naselliness” of Guarani while speaking very fast and not pronouncing many sounds. I arrived fluent in Spanish but it took me months to get used to.

    Yes, I found the same thing. The Spanish they use is very strange.

  • C Lo
    Posted at 09:30 am, 22nd November 2018

    One thing to consider about any crime statistics about this place (Such as Asunción is statistically the safest city in South America) is that police are extremely corrupt in general, and so crime goes underreported. 

    I’ve done substantial  business in Mexico, as recently as a couple of years ago, and this graft and corruption is standard

    BD loves the low taxes, but the reality is they are going to transfer cost them back on to you one way or another.  If he can manage to escape the western taxes AND avoid the developing world graft that will be an impressive feat.

    Seems to have worked out for the Moonies!

    https://www.outsideonline.com/1913791/sun-myung-moons-lost-eco-utopia

     

  • JohnMurdoch
    Posted at 11:37 am, 22nd November 2018

    About mass shootings, I think it has to do with the victimization of bullied people in America. When bullied kids were just laughed at until they man upped or grown up to be sad losers on their owns, there were no shootings.

    Nowadays media, movies, parents, friends and schools all unite to tell bullied kids they are victims of these terrible criminal bullies, that do terrible things to them (basically what kids and teens have done to each other since mankind exists). People villainize the bullies in such a way that they basically say to the incels “you not responsible for your life, they are! they destroyed you and you never had a chance! you will never go anywhere, and it is because of them, poor victims!”

    So when the kids decide to revenge against the world, they feel like the have the right to do that.

    Plus when they turn on the tv they watch documentaries about the “sad childhood” of these other mass shooters being the reason of what they did. They identify with that and feel justified.

    It is all about this leftist thing of taking away the guilty from criminals and placing it on the criminals “conditions”.

    Dalrymple writes very well about that when it comes to organized crime, but it really also makes sense for mass shooters

  • sdafoiadsfjo
    Posted at 11:46 am, 22nd November 2018

    When I looked a Paraguayan citizenship, it didn’t really seem like a permanent citizenship, since if you don’t live in the country for 3 years, you lose it.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraguayan_nationality_law

    How are you planning to get around that or are all the wikipedia and other blog articles wrong somehow?

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 11:53 am, 22nd November 2018

    How are you planning to get around that or are all the wikipedia and other blog articles wrong somehow?

    Worst case scenario, you may have to visit Paraguay once every 20 months to keep things going. Fine with me.

    Don’t worry dude. I’ve spent a lot of time and money researching all the angles. I’ll be just fine.

  • Alex
    Posted at 04:40 pm, 22nd November 2018

    Hey! I’m Paraguayan and I just found your blog and I thought it was interesting and it was. I never imagine that someone could think so many nice things about my country!

    I’m so happy that you liked my country and Asuncion is just a little part of this country full of nice things to show up.

    I would like to know more about you and maybe try to do a tour with you in the capital city and cities near the capital.

    You can write me officialalexg@gmail.com, I would love to help you to know more about my country!

  • Michael
    Posted at 09:19 pm, 22nd November 2018

    ” I already know this, that’s why I’m here, getting the fuck out of the Collapsing USA.”

    You’re going to live in Paraguay because of “the Collapsing USA”? we actually have a saying for that in spanish: de Guatemala a Guatepeor.

  • Huytofu
    Posted at 04:56 am, 23rd November 2018

    Hi Caleb,

    Cool to know that you are considering Paraguay for a second residency (and perhaps even 2nd passport). I have similar thoughts about moving there in the near future to look for my second passport

    However there are 2 things that I am kept guessing still regarding the immigrantion process there, and the conflicting information i found on the Internet just make me more confused than ever

    1) Does the government /expect mandate you to forsake your original passport after you naturalize??

    2) I heard that there is a rule regarding not being away from the country for more than 3 years after naturalization, otherwise you will have your Paraguay passport revoked. Did your lawyer suggest to you any strategy regarding this?

    Are you keen to help me shed light on the 2 questions above if you know the answer?  Muchas gracias  brother! 😀

    P/s: Btw it’s cool to know that there are many cute women there in Asuncion. From your article, it doesn’t sound like a bad place to live in. You should try learning Spanish man, it’s a great language and you can enjoy visiting the entire South America much more once you do. You can try Duolingo, it’s a great app.

     

  • Mago
    Posted at 07:28 am, 23rd November 2018

    This post made me want to visit Paraguay.

    I can’t wait to read about your visit to Argentina.

  • David
    Posted at 08:18 am, 23rd November 2018

    I think theres a strong argument that mass shootings are all copycat scenarios.  Mentally ill people wanting their 15 minutes on the news.  Hell that Cruze kid is receiving fan mail from dozens of chicks.   In latin america, the gangs and sometimes the municipalities pay the news stations NOT to report on the crimes because tourism is so important.  I was in a bar in the hood in puerto vallarta where an american was shot one night previously, but i only knew because i understood what the servers were saying.  The local newspaper and news station didnt make a big spectacle like US news would have.

     

    Im interested in the argentinian report the most.  Farthest south i ever went was peru.

  • JohnMurdoch
    Posted at 09:28 am, 23rd November 2018

    In latin america, the gangs and sometimes the municipalities pay the news stations NOT to report on the crimes because tourism is so important.

    Yeah not exactly like that, maybe there are just so much crime that you will not have as much coverage as you’d have in the US.  The news where I live is just non stop violent crimes everyday, only a few of them reach national news.

    Problem with mass shooting is that mentally ill people always existed but those things didnt happen. Nowadays the media circus convince this incels that every person on the planet is guilty for their failures except themselves, propelling them to seek revenge IMO

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 10:12 am, 23rd November 2018

    You’re going to live in Paraguay because of “the Collapsing USA”?

    No. Read this.

    Does the government /expect mandate you to forsake your original passport after you naturalize??

    Panama yes, Paraguay not really, but in neither case do they enforce this nor care.

    I heard that there is a rule regarding not being away from the country for more than 3 years after naturalization, otherwise you will have your Paraguay passport revoked. Did your lawyer suggest to you any strategy regarding this?

    I already answered that in my comment above yours.

    You should try learning Spanish man

    I am going to learn Spanish. It’s required for this stuff. (Particularly Panama.)

    I think theres a strong argument that mass shootings are all copycat scenarios.

    As always, why a thing happens isn’t very important to me. It happens. That’s what’s important.

  • Gang
    Posted at 12:13 pm, 23rd November 2018

    Gong says
    November 22, 2018 at 6:43 am

    Hi Gang,
    You’re 100% an INTP.

     

    Yes, I totally am. But I don’t get how you deduced that from these comments?

  • Jagger PUA
    Posted at 02:12 pm, 23rd November 2018

    Hey BD,

    Suggestion for a fun blog post RE online dating.

    Female law professor writes op ed in Washington saying it should be illegal for men to lie on online dating sites.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-case-for-cracking-down-on-tinder-lies/2018/11/16/d3eb0b98-e2de-11e8-b759-3d88a5ce9e19_story.html?utm_term=.abb254c1d9e6

  • American
    Posted at 05:56 pm, 23rd November 2018

    Sorry BD I have lost track.  Is Paraguay your Country A?

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 06:01 pm, 23rd November 2018

    Is Paraguay your Country A?

    No. One of several Country Bs.

  • Vanilla Boy
    Posted at 06:14 pm, 23rd November 2018

    Hmm. Drifting off topic a bit, but a friend has his own … three flags program. He wants unrestricted travel and residence in the Euro zone. After much research, he decided Portugal was the cheapest and easiest place to acquire a passport. He has to buy property worth at least 400k dollars. He’s buying something with excellent short term rental possibilities and learning Portuguese to make it happen.

    Anyone got any opinions about Portugal?

  • Gang
    Posted at 01:20 am, 24th November 2018

     

    No. One of several Country Bs.

     

    Ok, now I am confused. You mean one of several potential country Bs. And later you are going to choose one of them to be the one (or at least the first of a sequence) country B where you do the whole process in order to obtain citizenship and one passport. Or you are really going to do the whole process in all these countries simultaneously?

     

    The Five Flags

     
    1. You live in country A, preferably a tax haven that allows long visa stays (6 months or more).
    2. You have your citizenship and passport in country B, preferably one that doesn’t tax international income.
    3. Your business is based in country C, preferably another tax haven.
    4. Your investments are in country D, preferably a place with no capital gains taxes.
    5. You buy most of your personal stuff (clothing, toys, etc.) in country E, preferably a place with little or no sales tax or VAT taxes.

  • Gang
    Posted at 01:46 am, 24th November 2018

    I read in your Caleb Jones blog:

    Dominican Republic. Just put $5000 in a savings account there, hang out there a few weeks a year, and in just two years a passport is yours if you want it. Very nice. The passport isn’t as good as Argentina’s though.
    […]
    Paraguay. Like the Dominican Republic, except that you don’t need to put $5000 in an account, but you have to wait three years instead of two.

    So what do you have to do exactly to get Paraguay passport: you file some paperwork, then you go spend few weeks/months in Paraguay per years during 3 years. Then how do you get the nationality and passport and how much does it cost?

    Any link or resource to share? It sounds incredibly easy.

  • Gang
    Posted at 01:53 am, 24th November 2018

    I love to spend time in Thailand but it’s a bit of a pain in the ass to stay more than 30 days with my european passport (maximum once every 6 sliding months period I can get 90 days with a 60 days visa+30days visa extension).

    Whereas passport from Korea, Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Chile get 90 days visa exemption stamp in both airport and land border.

  • Gang
    Posted at 02:02 am, 24th November 2018

    @BD and anyone who lives or has lived Asuncion, do these figure seem accurate to you? Mostly the various accommodation costs for one person and the overal cost living lifestyle for the “expat” and “local” lifestyles. My lifestyle costs usually falls in between these two lifestyle costs.
    Source
    https://nomadlist.com/cost-of-living/asuncion

    Cost of Living

    💵 Nomad Cost™
    $1,110 / month
    PYG 6,579,852 / month

    💵 Cost of living for expat
    $916 / month
    PYG 5,428,240 / month

    💵 Cost of living for family
    $2,130 / month
    PYG 12,622,401 / month

    💵 Cost of living for local
    $609 / month
    PYG 3,606,400 / month

    🏠 1br studio rent in center
    $400 / month
    PYG 2,368,882 / month

    🏢 Coworking
    $246 / month
    PYG 1,457,666 / month

    🏨 Hotel
    $180 / month
    PYG 1,067,500 / month

    🏨 Hotel
    $8 / night
    PYG 50,000 / night

    🍝 Dinner
    $3.48
    PYG 20611.33

    🍹 Coca-Cola (0.3L)
    $0.74
    PYG 4396.28

    🍺 Beer (0.5L)
    $2.72
    PYG 16107.51

    ☕️ Coffee
    $2.44
    PYG 14434.53

     

  • Gang
    Posted at 02:28 am, 24th November 2018

    Nomad Capitalist dresses a very bleak impression of getting a passport in Paraguay:

    http://nomadcapitalist.com/2017/01/30/paraguay-citizenship-residency-2017/

     

    Quite frankly, anyone still pushing Paraguay in 2016, 2017 and onwards is either uninformed or unscrupulous…or both. The last time Paraguay was a sensible option was 2015.

     

    No clue if this article is on point or just trying to discredit Paraguay process to get passport in favour of selling services to obtain some other countries’ passport.

  • Gang
    Posted at 02:39 am, 24th November 2018

    This article also states that it’s more complicated and takes longer than it may seem.

    https://flagtheory.com/residency-in-paraguay/

  • Kevin
    Posted at 05:20 am, 24th November 2018

    BD,comparing Asuncion to London.Are the girls from Asuncion hotter than the girls from London?
    And when you say cute,do you reffer to a hb 7 or hb 8?

  • Anon
    Posted at 06:08 am, 24th November 2018

    Anyone got any opinions about Portugal?

    Their passport is excellent in terms of visa-free travel, tied for 3rd or 4th depending on who you ask. And who cares what kind of country Portugal is if your friend is looking to live elsewhere in the EU?

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 01:37 pm, 24th November 2018

    Ok, now I am confused. You mean one of several potential country Bs. And later you are going to choose one of them to be the one (or at least the first of a sequence) country B where you do the whole process in order to obtain citizenship and one passport. Or you are really going to do the whole process in all these countries simultaneously?

    All these countries simultaneously, just in case one or more don’t work out.

    I plan on ending up with a total of 3 passports in 10 years (or so) when I’m all done; my American one and two more.

    So what do you have to do exactly to get Paraguay passport: you file some paperwork, then you go spend few weeks/months in Paraguay per years during 3 years. Then how do you get the nationality and passport and how much does it cost?

    Keep watching my other blog. I’ll discuss it more over there.

    It sounds incredibly easy.

    It is not easy. It’s complicated and time consuming. Five flags is definitely not for everyone.

    Nomad Capitalist dresses a very bleak impression of getting a passport in Paraguay

    That’s exactly why I’m going after 4 passports instead of just one (Panama, Paraguay, Italy, and possibly Antigua). Never put all of your eggs in one basket. Never.

    BD,comparing Asuncion to London.Are the girls from Asuncion hotter than the girls from London?

    Holy shit, yes, by FAR. London is one of the ugliest cities for women I’ve ever visited.

    And when you say cute,do you reffer to a hb 7 or hb 8?

    I don’t use the 1 to 10 scale because it’s bullshit.

  • C Lo
    Posted at 03:16 pm, 24th November 2018

    There’s a Tina Fey movie WTF where they make this joke about 4-10-4 where every 4 in Omaha is a 10 in theater and she turns back into a 4 stateside.

    Having lived in SoCal for a decade, I realized that first hand when work sent me to Columbus Ohio for two weeks.  The women were insanely nice but the hottest lady I saw there was an LA 4 at best, and the men I was around were just drooling over her.

    Its all relative I guess.

  • BeijaFlor
    Posted at 04:38 pm, 24th November 2018

    You can get a visa at the airport now? I had to go to the Paraguayan embassy to get mine … one official trip with the US Embassy (Milgroup), three more trips for vacations…. That was back in the last decade, before I retired.

    The Paraguayitas are certainly a lot of fun. But the trip from the USA was a buns-buster!

    Incidentally, you might want to look into Uruguay as one of your “B list” countries.

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 06:16 pm, 24th November 2018

    You can get a visa at the airport now?

    Yes, you can. It’s new. And the entrance visa lasts 10 years, so I never need to go through that crap again next time I go. Nice.

  • JJ
    Posted at 06:30 am, 25th November 2018

    only benn there once for 4 days

    met a cute local girl on my first night and spent the next 3 days banging her

    happy days

    As for Argentina i used to live there. any questions let me know.

    ps everyone in bsas speaks english

  • Antekirtt
    Posted at 12:53 pm, 25th November 2018

    @JJ: yes I’d like as much info as possible about Argentina if you’d be so kind. I only remember you saying that the food choices are limited (pizza and tortillas or sthg like that), though I assume this is for restaurants alone. But any info would be welcome.
    Mostly: on the girls, on residency and citizenship, how easy it is to get a yearly 6-month stay, what jobs are easily available to non-citizens, is there too much traditionalist or PC culture or do people you date not give a shit about politics – preferable to me – , is the weather too hot or humid especially in May-September, is healthcare good and can you just individually take care of yourself or is there some kind of taxation/paperwork hassle involved – I’m young but am thinking long term, presumably when that aspect becomes more relevant; etc.

  • Johnson
    Posted at 02:31 am, 26th November 2018

    Is there actually anything worth seeing in this country?

    Sightseeing I mean.

    Is there?

     

  • Jack Outside the Box
    Posted at 03:36 am, 26th November 2018

    I think theres a strong argument that mass shootings are all copycat scenarios.  Mentally ill people wanting their 15 minutes on the news.

    There is no such thing as mental illness.

    Mass school shootings (at least those that aren’t false flags designed to repeal our 2nd Amendment rights) are caused by one of two things:

    1. Psychiatric poisoning.

    2. Lack of sex.

    Here is the red pill truth about the underlying causes of mass shootings:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZJoCfgAEuE

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaF6ZD0TweA

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lad26hfccS4

     

  • JohnMurdoch
    Posted at 04:08 am, 26th November 2018

    I only remember you saying that the food choices are limited (pizza and tortillas or sthg like that), though I assume this is for restaurants alone

    Argentina has some of the best steakhouses in the world. The traditional food there is beef. Meatlovers will have a blast over there. Going to a good parrilla and having Asado de Tira or Ojo de Bife is priceless

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 10:06 am, 26th November 2018

    Is there actually anything worth seeing in this country?

    Sightseeing I mean.

    Is there?

    Fuck yes, as just an example:

    https://twistedsifter.com/2010/03/iguazu-falls-10-incredible-facts/

  • Ronal
    Posted at 03:40 am, 29th November 2018

    Blackdragon I am Paraguayan and I believe you are right on point about Asunción, Paraguay in general and it´s culture.

    Write me an email when you come by again so we meet up.

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