Retirement on hold.

[Jupiter]

(04-27-2020, 01:10 AM)Squirrel Wrote:

(04-27-2020, 12:06 AM)Jupiter Wrote:  Colombia has a democratic process much like U.S.A. but they are plagued with the cocaine business. It what the paramilitary and guerillas fight about ( it's always about the money). I don't think the "Pablo Escobar days" will ever come back to Colombia.
   British Columbia does have cougars along with grizzlies and wolves. While Colombia has Jaguars and Pumas(I think they are the same as cougars) sightings are rare. You are right about it getting a little tiring trekking up and down steep areas. Ontario is relatively flat but it is something I'll just have to get used to. Beauty comes with a price.
   I know I wouldn't have done this without my wife for sure. Her being Colombian and from another rural area she was able to relate to the locals. I could never have done this alone. At first when I was looking at a side of a mountain that was full of sawgrass I really didn't see her dream. I thought of the logistics of getting materials and workers out there. Little did I know the workers were next door.  But here we are now and I do like being there.

Is it possible to "snake proof" a house?? Or will they always find a way in, if they want one?

I could deal with scorpions, if their sting is just very painful. The dead can feel no pain!!

But venomous snakes too? And I bet the markings on their body help them to blend in with the land all too well.

That would be my biggest fear. I've had a few close encounters... in a group, the grizzly above the treeline in B.C.  In Ontario, camping in a tent in Algonquin Park, a black bear made an incision into the tent I was in because two foolish boys (not me, lol) didn't think that "gum" counted as food.... And I twice carried a wasps nest over my shoulder without realizing it. (lolol)

I'm guessing that there are no piranhas in the streams that you forgot to mention??  I know there's a rain forest there too, but not sure how widespread they are.

May your health endure so you can enjoy as much time in your new beautiful surroundings as possible!

There you have it. Every place has its dangers. Even in a safe haven like Toronto. Gangs in certain areas or you could be run over by a vehicle. The wasp story is interesting to me. My youngest son is deathly allergic to wasps. There are three basic climates in the mountain areas. The valleys where my wife is from. There it is extremely hot. That is where you will find caimans ( crocodiles) piranhas, more poisonous snakes than we have here in San Rafael. Where I live is more temperate. The temperature doesn't get so hot( not much more than 30° Celsius).  And higher up you have cooler temperatures. Different crops are grown ( carrots potatoes and cabbages). So while there is no piranhas in our stream they do exist in the lower valleys but mostly in the Amazon.
   As for snake proofing a house I think that's virtually impossible. They seem to be able to fit into any tiny hole. If you asked me a year or more ago if I really wanted to live in rural Colombia I would have answered no. But now that I've been there for two months I can see a potential for me to live there. I definitely can breathe better there. My apnea went away while I was there. Now it's back. So maybe just for my health I need to move to Colombia.