A Question for the people who moved to SA

[JimmySTLOUIS]

Hi
I know some of you live in SA and I was wondering.

When you moved there did you just take your personal stuff on the plane? Did anyone bring a car and household stuff?

I have a fair amount of tools (I am an electrician-contractor) and I think they would be very hard to replace in SA (no Home Depot).

Its hard to find information of the internet about this. The price of cars in Peru seens to be pretty high. Would importing a car make more sense? I was also thinking about buying a bus or a truck. I know they have some taxes on autos and stuff.

I know some of you think these questions are putting the cart before the horse but I really want to learn about this.

Any other forums or websites for people moving to SA or Peru?

I am sick of the cold here and I am selling some commercial property....so..........

Te Amo Peru!

jim

[QuitoMan]

... in response to A Question for the people who moved to S..., posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Dec 17, 2003

Hi Jimmy,

 I came to Quito with 4 suitcases - 2 as personal baggage and 2 as freight. Big mistake. I thought I was saving money.
BUt $400 of custom charges and a week later I finally retrieved the 2 additional suitcases. I had to pay customs on my clothes and books - my PERSONAL possessions!

Customs are corrupt in Ecuador or at least many of them are - many many stories to be heard. While I was in customs I got talking to this sorry looking guy from Oregon carrying a helmut. It was his 6th day in customs trying to retrieve his motorbike that he hoped to ride from Oregon to Tierra del Fuego. He'd put it on the plane in Panama to avoid the Darien Gap and Colombia.

My advice if Peru is anything like Ecuador. travel light and buy when you get here. You'll pay loads more for a car.
taxes and customs duties are real high. You'll pay more for your tools but you should be able to find good quality in a city the size of Lima ( Quito is much smaller but has everything).

 Lima does have a bad reputation for weather in comparison to other SA cities - those grey skies etc but not so cold as a Missouri winter thats for sure. Other places in Peru have much better climate from what i've heard.

[JimmySTLOUIS]

... in response to go slowly and light, posted by QuitoMan on Dec 19, 2003

Thanks for the advice.

I guess its hard to understand how the "system" works down there when you are used to being in the land of the free.

I can import from China here and do next to nothing. I am an electrician that had quite a few other buisiness ventures over the years. Importing from China was a snap.
I am afraid I might have to learn the hard way on a few things (about SA).

About climate, I know Lima can be crummy. How much worse could it be than 10 degree F weather and the sun setting at 4:45 p.m?

My girl has family and was born in Pisco Peru. Its about 3 hours south of Lima and its always sunny there. There is family there so there is always a place to stay and someone to cook for my fat a*s

Te Amo Peru!

jim

[cancunhound]

... in response to A Question for the people who moved to S..., posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Dec 17, 2003

1st I would 2nd DenverMike's advice - try it before you buy it!  I think that if I were ever able to move there permanently my suitcase would be no more packed than my normal visits - basically the clothes on my back.  I'd also still probably maintain a small residence in the states.  

As for Home Depot, a couple of years ago they had quite a few stores in SA - but I believe they sold 'em all and are just sticking to Mexico.  I always add a tool or two to my arsenal when down in Cali - I have yet to have a problem finding what I needed and typically it's better quality than can be had in a Home Depot.  In Cali, for example - there's a huge hardware store located in the basement of La 14 in the south.  Construction is interesting, at least in Cali.  When we remodeled our kitchen our contractor would show up in his truck (a mule pulling a wooden cart), then whip out a state of the art electric router and get to work.

[denvermike]

... in response to A Question for the people who moved to S..., posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Dec 17, 2003

You will find moving to SA a bit complicated.  You should first investigate what kind of permanent visa you will need and what kind of requirements it takes.  

You should contact the Peruvian Embassey where ever it is and find out all the paperwork you will need if you plan on working while in country.  You may find it very hard to get a visa so you can work legally. You will likely find the tax system complicated and confusing just like the USA.

I no of nobody who has attemped bringing a car into SA.  You would certainly have to pay high import taxes and duties just as if you bought the thing in Peru.  I think you would be better of just buying a car in country, high price and all. The paperwork associated with importing a car I am sure it be beyound belief.  SA countries love paperwork.  

I have had a work visa in Peru in years past.  My company had to make all kinds of commitments saying that if I left the country and if I owed taxes or bills or whatever, that the company would pay.  I think you will find this issue a bit complicated if you are self-employed.

In general, what you are considering will be difficult at best.

On a personal note, are you SURE you want to move to Lima of all places??  The weather in Lima is terrible most of the time, grey and grim in my opinion, if the weather is an important factor in your decision.

Just another piece of advice for what it is worth, you are in the "I love this place" phase, or tourist phase or whatever you want to call it.  Believe me, this feeling will wear off, and the old culture shock will set in, it happens to everybody. It will be strong in Lima, believe me.

You would be smart to try it for six months before you make the plunge into the deep end.

mike

[Georgina]

... in response to Re: A Question for the people who moved ..., posted by denvermike on Dec 18, 2003

Lima is pretty sunny mostly from middle of December to almost the end of April.

[denvermike]

... in response to Re: Re: A Question for the people who mo..., posted by Georgina on Dec 18, 2003

I´m sure you know better than me, I have only been there 10 or 15 times over the years, so I must have always been there at wrong time of year.

[Red Clay]

... in response to Re: Re: A Question for the people who mo..., posted by Georgina on Dec 18, 2003

Took the words right off my fingers.

[Red Clay]

... in response to A Question for the people who moved to S..., posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Dec 17, 2003

I have seen an Ace Hardware in Lima near the mall, but the selection and inventory was small compared to here. If you move there, I would take my tools with me. I couldn't live with the Taiwan stuff, gotta be Craftsman or better. My wife doesn't know any other places to buy tools there, but the auto mechanics at the nice dealerships must have a source. Or maybe they use el cheapo, not sure.

No way I would take a decent car from here to there for reasons you have seen while you were there.

[Bueller]

... in response to A Question for the people who moved to S..., posted by JimmySTLOUIS on Dec 17, 2003

Lonelyplanet.com has a bulletin board called Thorn Tree which is good for this sort of thing.

You probably don't want to bring a vehicle with you, as registering it could be very difficult or impossible. Most household stuff should be cheap enough in LA that hauling it with you isn't worth it. Tools, don't know...there is the issue of using 220v. here.

 If you do decide to send stuff down on a ship, you can use a freight consolidator so you don't have to rent a whole container. Just keep very careful records about what is in each box and how much it's worth (for customs purposes, not insurance purposes) ;-) .

 Just do careful research on whether you'd be able to make a decent living. Manual labor is proportionately much cheaper in LA, so if you perform manual labor, do your homework before taking the plunge.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: A Question for the people who moved ..., posted by Bueller on Dec 17, 2003

My understanding is you can only bring in a new vehicle.