Email to the US Embassy - Managua, Nicaragua

Dear US Embassy, Managua

I am a 30 year plus employee of the US Fish and Widllife Service and now eligible to retire and move on to something more challenging and enjoyable than the Bush Administrations concept of governance. Because of my disgust with the direction this country is taking with Bush in office I am giving serious thought to leaving the US and moving to a country that understands about not illegally invading and occupying countries that never did a thing to threaten the United States. Because of my love of Central America I am giving considerable thought to retiring Nicaragua.

I went to your website and clicked on the "living in nicarague" link but it led me to a vacant page so I am writing to you with a couple questions.

Given your experience in Nicaragua, what would you estimate is the mean/average amount of money per month that an expatriated American could live on comfortably in the country - things like rent, food, utilities, transportation? I'm thinking strongly about San Juan Del Sur as a place to park because it most closely falls into my lifestyle desires.How much would it cost (on avearage) to be there? I'm not a Republican so I dont have outlandish BMW-like lifestyle requirements. Just a safe secure apartment with A/c, local food, beer, utilities and internet access.

Secondly would you please give me an assessment of the quality of health care in Nicaragua? I have a heart issue that requires that I be on a certain medication 3x per day for the rest of my life so I need to know if that medicine is available. But aside from that, has Nicaragua moved beyond the United States and does it provide universal health care so we aren't stuck with hugely inflated costs to fund big pharma and Kaiser Permanente there as well?

Thanks much for any and all assistance you can provide. I look forward to hearing from you. And before I move down I will of course make an exploratory trip. I've not been back in Nicaragua since the days when Ollie North was making deals and acting like a hero, so it will be interesting to see how much the countryside has changed.

Thanks again.

Craig Faanes
Falls Church, Virginia

I wonder if they will write back?? My experience says that they will not.