Travelojos » Cuba

Ranking Government Corruption in Latin America

Steven Roll — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:00:20 +0000

The anti-corruption group Transparency International annually publishes a “corruption perceptions index,” which measures the level of government corruption in each country.

In the latest index, which was released in November, the majority of the 180 countries analyzed scored below five on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption).

The highest scorers in the 2009 CPI are New Zealand at 9.4, Denmark at 9.3, Singapore and Sweden tied at 9.2 and Switzerland at 9.0.

U.S. The United States was at 7.5, just below the the United Kingdom.

The countries in Latin America scored as follows:

Chile 6.7
Uruguay 6.7
Puerto Rico 5.8
Costa Rica 5.3
Cuba 4.4
Brazil 3.7
Colombia 3.7
Peru 3.7
El Salvador 3.4
Guatemala 3.4
Panama 3.4
Mexico 3.3
Dominican Republic 3.0
Argentina 2.9
Bolivia 2.7
Honduras 2.5
Nicaragua 2.5
Ecuador 2.2
Paraguay 2.1
Venezuela 1.9

I was surprised to see how poorly Argentina scored. For one thing, it has the second highest GDP in South America (behind Brazil).

A recent story in the New York Times about North Americans who are purchasing real estate in Nicaragua cited the country’s low CPI score. Referring “to incessant traffic shakedowns and bribery attempts performed on gringos by police patrolling the roads,” the story quoted one of the purchasers as saying “if you drive to Managua, it is very unlikely that you won’t be pulled over.”

How do these government corruption scores match up with your own experiences in these countries?

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Key to a Good 2010? Pack a Bag, Wear Red Undies

Steven Roll — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:01:22 +0000

By Jennifer Lubrani

I am not superstitious. I especially don’t follow all those silly New Year’s rituals that so many perform year after year. That is until one member from the Colombian side of my family turned me into a New Year’s superstition believer.

You see, in Colombia, there’s a tradition that when the clock strikes twelve, you take a packed bag and run around the block so that in the upcoming New Year, you will ensure being rewarded with lots of travel.

And since I love to travel, I decided to try my luck one year. I packed a small bag and took to the streets at midnight. And let me tell you, it worked! That year, I traveled to about 10 new destinations – some for business, other for pleasure.

So as 2009 comes to an end, you better believe I have my bags packed and am ready for my jaunt around the block at the stroke of midnight tonight.

For good measure, I’ve looked into other Latin American superstitions in hopes of additional wishes come true – more money, better health, or good luck all year.

Before I settle on another superstition to follow, I thought I’d share some with you:

Mexico

Traditionally, what you wear on New Year’s Eve is thought to influence your destiny during the next 12 months. Dressing in white from head to toe invites good vibrations and assures a good year spiritually. Wearing green can help you obtain a year of good health. And wearing red underwear is said to bring love, while yellow underwear brings wealth. In case you had any doubts about the state of Mexico’s economy, the New York Times Economix blog noted that yellow undies have been flying off the shelves as 2009 winds down.

Cuba

In Cuban there is tradition of throwing a bucket of water out of a window in order to get rid of bad spirits or ghosts.

Spain

There is a very popular ritual in Spain of eating 12 red grapes (saying a wish before eating each of them so that throughout the year, the wishes will be granted). This is one of the most popular New Year’s superstitions that stretches across several other Latin American countries like Mexico, Colombia and Cuba.

Argentina

If you are looking for good luck in 2010, make sure to wear pink underwear— as this is what they believe to be the color of luck on New Yea’s Eve.

Ecuador

“Ano Viejo” or “Old Year“ is celebrated by creating a scarecrow looking doll that is dressed and stuffed with old newspapers and firecrackers. The dummy is usually placed outside the home and represents something that happened during the last year. At midnight each family lights the scarecrow doll on fire. The symbolizes saying good bye to the past and letting the new year begin.

Colombia

While different Latin American countries believe certain colors represent luck, if you want to follow their tradition, make sure you wear yellow underwear inside out for good luck in the New Year. For Brazil, they believe it just has to be new.

Dominican Republic

You’ll draw luck if you wear red or yellow undies and dress in light colors.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter at @meningioma

Romancing Don Juan Part II: Goaaaal!

Steven Roll — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:12:54 +0000

By Nora Walsh

In this second installment of Nora’s two-part guest post, she shares three tips for becoming a heartbreaker, conquistadora, and puppet master during your next foray into the land of lustful Latinos.

She explains why speaking the same language is the key to attracting a Latino’s attention. But this goes beyond speaking espanol. It also requires fluency in the languages of dance and futbol.

#1. SPEAK THE LANGUAGE AS BEST YOU CAN

Enlist in a course at the local university. It’s the best way to meet other people your age and get local advice from a trustworthy source. Find an intercambio, a local student who wants to practice his English in exchange for practicing your Spanish. They are also a great resource for idioms and slang.

#2. MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION BY LEARNING TO DANCE BEFORE YOU GO

Learn to salsa, cumbia, samba, tango or at the very least, learn how to follow someone who can. I suggest taking some lessons. If its salsa, enlist a Cuban male instructor. You will be dumbfounded by his ability to simultaneously gyrate both the upper and lower body seemingly independent of one another. Dancing (or following) your instructor will instill the confidence to take on any man on the dance floor. Also, being a gringa and able to keep up, or even show off, will bring most Latin men to their knees.

If you don’t have the budget to take lessons, don’t worry, most Latin men having been dancing all their lives and are strong leaders. Let go of wanting to get the steps right, finding your rhythm and being comfortable and fluid are much more important than the mechanics.

Dancing is sensual activity; it’s close, rhythmic and gets your endorphins going. Mix that with a little sweat and alcohol and it can get tricky. If you are not interested in your partner beyond the dance floor, thank him for the wonderful time (two dances at most) and move on.

Make sure he sees you interacting with other men in the vicinity. You can always return for another dance if you desire, but if you are not clear right from the get-go that you are not his “date for the night”, you will have a hard time losing him for the rest of the evening. If you are interested, by all means, dance your little heart out, have him buy most your drinks (make sure you see where they come from if you don’t have a trustful wing woman, think roofies women!), and it’s pretty clear he may not be leaving the disco alone tonight.

#3 LEAVE IT ALL ON THE FIELD

Learn the basic rules of futbol (if I have to explain to you what futbol is, you are way behind the eight ball, get on Wikipedia right now). If you were to ask a Latino to rate all sports on a scale of one to 10, he will tell you that futbol is 1-10, all the rest come after.

When you are talking to your girlfriend about love, your potential Latin lover is talking just as passionately to his friend about futbol. When your heart bleeds over a lost love, a love that makes you painfully ache in every cell of your being, this is how your Latino feels when disappointed by his beloved team. To win his respect, you must pay homage to his steadfast, unyielding commitment to his squad, and knowing a little bit about the game never hurts.

Know who won the World Cup in 2006 (Italy), who they beat (France) and have an opinion about it. Next World Cup is 2010 in South Africa, have a favorite.

Attending futbol games are one of the biggest highlights in Latin America. Stadiums are big, fans are vocal, and it has more energy packed in one space than an atom bomb. I recommend seeing one in every Latin (and Spain!) country you visit. Knowing the jersey colors that are running to through the veins of your prospective suitor will skyrocket you to an entirely new plane of existence in his eyes, and it most certainly makes for great small talk when you meet one that catches your attention. I tell you this from experience.

Here’s a quick reference guide to get you started:

Spain
Teams to know: Barca; players: Lionel Messi (Argentine) Carles Puyol (Catalan) and Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
Barca Rival: Real Madrid; players: Raul Gonzalez (Spanish)
World Cup titles: 0
Claim to fame: Barca is considered one of the best cubs in the world right now

Argentina
Teams to know: River (the Argentine equivalent to the Yankees)
River Rival: Boca (the Argentine equivalent to the Mets and Maradona’s legacy)
World Cup titles: 2
Claim to fame: Diego Maradona=God in Argentina; know it, live it, breathe it because they do.

Brazil
Teams to know: Botafogo, Flamingo, Fluminese, Vasco da Gama
Players: Ronaldinho (Plays for Milan), Ricardo Kaká (Plays for Milan)
World Cup titles: 5
Claim to fame: Pele (There is a long standing argument over who is the best player in the history of futbol. For pure skill and achievement, there is a fair argument for either player, this makes for an impassioned rivalry between the two countries. I recommend you have fun with it.)

Cuba
Baseball is their drug of choice. Seeing as it is an American pastime, I trust you are all up to speed on this one.

With these helpful nuggets of advice I send you armed and on your way. May the force be with you ladies, and may you be the heartbreaker, the conquistadora, and the puppet master during your foray into the land of lustful Latinos.

Bio: At a very young age, Nora Walsh recognized a desire to travel the world. In college she backpacked Europe for a summer and was bitten by the travel bug, to which she has never recovered. Nora has an affinity for all things Latin and is fluent in Spanish. She has lived in Spain, Costa Rica and Argentina, and backpacked much of South America, Southeast Asia and Mexico. Nora resides in New York City and works in the travel industry. She contributes to her travel blog weekly at http://www.herfuture.com/group/noratheexplora. She anxiously awaits her next travel adventure.

Photo by vivodefutbol (Via Creative Commons)