Is Latin America Better Enjoyed like Wine Tasting?

What’s the better way to enjoy your time in Latin America?

Is it better to enjoy it like a bottle of rum of a particular brand that you are always fond of?

Becoming an expert in that bottle and all of the details about it?

Where it came from?

Its liquor content?

What are the best things to mix it with?

And all around a top expert in that specific bottle of rum.

Or is it better to experience Latin America like a free wine tasting event?

Where you show up and try the different types of wine.

And you ask yourself – “which tastes better? Argentine or Chilean or Bolivian wine?”

“I’m more of a Bolivian wine guy myself….”

Of course, much of this is written with a glass of rum and black tea sitting next to me.

I guess, technically speaking, I’ve answered the question already.

For the last 4 years, I’ve been sitting in Mexico and enjoying what this country has to offer.

In that case – both metaphorically and literally – I have been enjoying the rum.

Though when I first started living in Latin America, I quite enjoyed the wine.

And, being honest right now, I want some wine.

Granted, I don’t want actual wine.

Wine kinda sucks – a lot of juice with a lot of calories for little feel.

My rum and black tea combo works better for what I want.

But putting away the metaphor for a second so you don’t think this is just the rambling of a drunk Matt….

What I’m really saying here is this…

Is it better to become an “expert” in a particular Latin country and only live there for a very extended period of time?

Or is it better to move around like these “digital nomads” and experience different Latin American countries over time?

With a brief period in each of them.

Not quite being an expert on any of them but getting that broad experience in Latin America as a whole.

For me, as I said, I started out doing the latter by traveling around.

But then moved onto living in Mexico for about 4 years now.

And while I definitely want to settle down somewhere in Latin America long term with residency and citizenship…

At the moment, I’m thinking either Mexico or Chile.

The truth is that, before I do that, I’d like to travel around again like I did initially for a few more years before I settle down somewhere.

So…

In a way…

I guess you can argue I’m a rum and wine type of guy.

I don’t discriminate!

As long as you aren’t giving me cheap ass corona beer…

That I do protest!

Corona would be like going to Taco Bell.

Not exactly like going to Latin America…

Nonetheless, I do see arguments to both sides.

Let’s cover them briefly.

The Benefits to Latin Wine Tasting

There are plenty of benefits!

For example, did you know that red Argentine wine looks quite nice bouncing off the tits of a big boob Brazilian woman?

Wait, what the fuck am I saying?

Uhh, back to the topic!

Wine tasting!

Or moving around Latin America basically as a “digital nomad.”

Like I said, the benefits can be obvious.

When I think about my first two years traveling around Latin America…

Those two years were insanely fun.

I was younger though.

I’m not sure the “digital nomad” lifestyle is very fun traveling from place to place beyond a certain age.

Which is part of the reason why I want to travel around again before I get any older.

Though I have no desire to spend only a week in each place.

More like setting up base for a year in certain Latin countries and taking trips from that base.

With that said, doing so would allow me to get a deeper feel for certain regions of Latin America.

Because I’ve always seen Latin America as a whole to be divided into subregions.

You got the Andean region, the Gran Colombia region, Southern and Northern Brazil, Caribbean area, Central America, Patagonia region, etc.

That’s not a novel idea but obviously each subregion has its own unique characteristics.

I’m quite familiar with central Mexico.

But I’d like to expand that to spending a year in the DR, Colombia, Brazil and Peru.

From there, I see myself settling down.

But, like I said, you can get that broader feel for the region which can be quite nice for comparing and contrasting different parts of the region to each other.

And it is one thing I truly like a lot about Latin America – the intense diversity of the region.

Of course, there’s also benefits to the rum idea over wine tasting.

Rum with Black Tea

On the other hand, there are benefits to spending years or decades in a country that you don’t get by spending shorter periods of time in different areas.

You can develop more connections to that country.

More local friends.

Which, if you keep moving around, you will probably feel more lonely at times or have gaps of loneliness that are more common anyway.

Easier to have a real relationship and marry someone.

If you travel around forever, that’s not really possible unless you plan on breaking hearts often.

And getting your heart broken also to be fair.

Meanwhile, you can argue it is easier to make money.

Especially if you want to do local things to make money.

If your income is online, I feel it’s not as difficult to keep making good money online assuming you set up a base in a certain area for a year at a time.

It would be a problem though to focus if you choose to keep traveling constantly non-stop.

And, to a degree, you can gain a much greater appreciation of the country you are in.

Of its culture, history, the distinctions between different regions of the country, etc.

For example, over the years of living in Mexico City, I’ve grown a greater affinity for this specific city.

Not so much for the rest of the country outside of Chiapas.

But I have gained a greater appreciation for Chiapas and Mexico City that I wouldn’t have gained had I left in a few months of being here.

Where nowadays I’m more interested in learning about the history of different neighbourhoods of Mexico City.

And am thinking seriously of doing a blog series documenting well the different neighbourhoods of the city with as much extensive information as I can put together for each area.

Not something that I would do normally again if I wasn’t going to be here for very long.

So, in short, there are benefits to rum tasting.

And, personally, I feel rum tasting makes a lot more sense in the long run than wine tasting if you plan to never go back home.

Granted, for most gringos, they do tend to go back home eventually and that’s perfectly fine.

But if I ever want to settle down here with residency and citizenship, then rum tasting is better any day than wine tasting.

Final Verdict

So which is better?

Honestly, if you have plans of going back home, I’d go for wine tasting.

Just because of the greater exposure to the region more broadly.

And all of the more unique and amazing scenery you can see in the countryside.

From Bolivia to Argentina to Guatemala and more.

But, like I said, if you want to keep living down here and not go back, then you do need to do rum tasting in my opinion.

Get that residency and/or citizenship.

Because life will get lonely enough for you to want to do so.

And also as countries always look to make standards as to who gets residency higher each year…

Well, you’d want to get the job done eventually.

Especially as other incidents like Covid could happen again or whatever else that could randomly close up borders…

That has opened up my eyes a bit to the fact that the citizenship is necessary.

So that way you always have a legal right to go back to the country even if a worldwide event like that happened again.

Anyway, you know where I stand.

In the next few years, I plan to do some wine tasting but long term plan on going back to rum.

Got any thoughts yourself or questions?

Drop them below.

And enjoy this video below here of this dude blind tasting some vodka.

Not exactly rum but vodka is cool too.

And follow my Twitter here.

Thanks for reading.

Best regards,

Matt