MexConnect.com Forums: General: Living, Working, Retiring: Length of time LIVING in Mexico: Page 3

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pickledtrout

Jan 5, 2010, 7:33 PM

Post #51 of 71 (19352 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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hola
I am looking at buying some lots in Isla Aguada and Sabancuy area . Does anyone know this area as Iam trying to work through the issues and can not get straight answers. Any help with permits ie SEMARNAT
thx

joannar

Jan 7, 2010, 5:11 PM

Post #52 of 71 (19241 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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I have been living in Mexico since February 1997. I met my husband here in July 1997, and have never lefts Chiapas since! Well, I did go visit my mom once and went home for a funeral once, too. I love small town life here, too. Although, Chiapa de Corzo doesn´t always feel so small anymore. I have had my school here since 1999, and love that my kids are growing up here. For those that are interested, tomorrow, January 8th is the official start of the Taditional Feria. It is not to be missed.

roni_smith

Jan 11, 2010, 8:23 PM

Post #53 of 71 (19153 views)

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Re: [Hound Dog] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Hound Dog is looking for coriander and caraway seeds

An acquaintance has found semillas de cilantro (coriander seeds) at a feed store in Merida, I recall.
------
Planning for Mexico Move Blog

nopogayle

Jan 11, 2010, 11:17 PM

Post #54 of 71 (19130 views)

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Re: [tashby] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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I agree! Sorry to be so late checking in with these posts but, gawdalmighty! they are cerrtainly entertaining!

See ya next year when I, still workin' like an idiot nob, will join y'all sob & can then post some incredible rant about where I've decided to live!!!

In the meantime ... I think you all are amazing 'pioneers' !!

y espero que tengan un prospero ano nuevo, mis amigos..,!

Gayle in Portland,Or

(This post was edited by nopogayle on Jan 11, 2010, 11:19 PM)

robt65

Jan 12, 2010, 7:24 PM

Post #55 of 71 (19074 views)

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Re: [tashby] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Hi Tashby!

boy you have that right . . . Thread Jacking !!!!! I love it and it is still going, abet not so strong! I have been back in Mexico now for about a month and I was delighted to still see responses to this thread. Still can't figure out what greens had to do with the original topic, but none the less it got people talking and that really is interesting . . . isn't it?

By the way Wendy Devlin, . . . . . . I think you ate the wrong end of the "skunk cabbage". I am originally Canadian and way up north (about 1500 miles north of the USA / Canadian border) in Ontario, I learned how to cook Skunk cabbage from the indians. Also the same from the Haida Indian Nations of the Queen Charlottes and that was to pull them from the swampy areas and cook the lower bulbous (sp?) part of the plant which had the taste somewhat of a potato, with a slight fibrous consistency. Oh well I guess it can also depends upon which end of the skunk you lifted first!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO

BTW we also drank "Sumak or Sumack Tea . . . . . ever hear of that one?

Robert

(This post was edited by robt65 on Jan 12, 2010, 7:28 PM)

MazDee

Jan 12, 2010, 8:41 PM

Post #56 of 71 (19058 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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I've been enjoying this ride, Robt, even tho it is going all over the place! I moved to Mazatlán over 7 years ago, when I retired. It is a wonderful town, and I probably never will leave it. But, I think about doing that every summer! I will never adjust to the humidity. I travel around the country every summer, looking for an ideal place where I can live comfortably year around. They exist, of course. Lake Chapala area has great weather, and I haven't even visited Cuernavaca with it's eternal spring. Patzcuaro is very appealing, and I love Puebla. (Yes, those places get chilly in winter when we are basking in the sun in Maz.) But, guess what? When it comes down to it, this is my home, it is where my friends live. For me, that is most important. Mazatlán has a rich cultural life, a gorgeous beachfront, a beautiful historic center, and just enough of an English-speaking community. And, the weather for 7 or 8 months a year is fabulous. So, for now at least, I will escape as often as possible during the summer to further explore the cooler climes, and gladly return here for the rest of the year. Now, your hero HD put down Mazatlán, as only he can do, on another thread. But, I doubt he has been here in the past 10 years, if ever! Ni modo. We patas saladas love it! Thanks for starting this thread. Diane

Hound Dog

Jan 14, 2010, 6:05 PM

Post #57 of 71 (18978 views)

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Re: [roni_smith] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Coriander seeds
Thanks, I just bought some at the tianguis in Ajijic. 3 pesos for a small bag.

robt65

Jan 19, 2010, 7:47 PM

Post #58 of 71 (18868 views)

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Re: [MazDee] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Hi MazDee,

I also have enjoyed the ride on this thread. I almost feel like having a wake for it. I haven't seen any additional stories for some time. I sure wish some of the more shy persons who I really think have some interesting history to share would do so. Some folks who are great contributors here have been reluctant to share, Sure wish I knew why. LaIsla you have a very interesting story and I really like your artwork. I also have a tri colored cat named "Tea". She is not computer literate though! (smiling) and she has short hair. She is about 14 now and really thinks she is the queen of the casa . . . . At least she keeps my Choc Lab and my Chesapeake Bay Retriever believing so! I wish I knew how to down load or up load or whatever, smaller size photos for you all. This darn thing keeps telling me that my photos are too large. Oh Well.

. . . . . . . And Rolly . . . . . . . what's with the "Bama" under your name? Anything to do with football?

Robert

Rolly

Jan 19, 2010, 7:59 PM

Post #59 of 71 (18863 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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My LSU loving cousin had a fit thinking I was thinking football. He was also a wingnut, so he was not much happier when I told him it was in honor of OBama.

Rolly Pirate

La Isla

Jan 19, 2010, 9:34 PM

Post #60 of 71 (18843 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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In Reply To

I also have enjoyed the ride on this thread. I almost feel like having a wake for it.... LaIsla you have a very interesting story and I really like your artwork.
Robert

I don´t photograph well (that´s why I'm usually behind the camera lens instead of in front of it), so to serve as my avatar I chose a work by one of my favorite Mexican artists, Rodolfo Morales, called "El ave fénix en la mente". Glad you like it!

robt65

Jan 20, 2010, 8:46 PM

Post #61 of 71 (18759 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Rolly,

Fairly often you provide me with a good chuckle . . . . . . You have succeeded again . . . . . and I concur !

Robert

robt65

Jan 20, 2010, 8:53 PM

Post #62 of 71 (18757 views)

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Re: [La Isla] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Hi Again La Isla,

I like you don't have many photos of me, as I also prefer to be behind the camera and not in front of it. I still can't figure out this . . . . . . . getting the photos small enough to post a few here now and again. Can anyone help me with this problem?

Robert

robt65

Jan 20, 2010, 9:59 PM

Post #63 of 71 (18744 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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OK Y'all,

Just thought about a few people who have posted on this thread and others, and many others that I have not named here that I would really like to know why you moved to Mexico. I am sure that while some of the reasons are the same we all seem to have a reason that is unique in it's own right. Plus it really gives us all a chance to understand each other more and maybe see some reasons for ourselves on why we moved here that we never understood in the first place. Maybe we should all have a "company picnic" once a year that rotates to different cities and can get to know one another more. Now there's a thought! (smiling)

So I have listed here a few of the many I would like to hear from on this thread. If I have left anyone out, please do not be offended. Jump in, don't be shy, and share with us why you decided to move to Mexico. Gosh there are thousands that read these threads and forums. Everyone has a story.

tonynico , Zorba , Linda in Morelia, Jim Scherrer, babycakes, Starcradle, richmx2, frito, oldjack, husker, Yaxchibonam, MexicanRose, kgrobman, Geos, gsherwin, margojean, Gringal, yucatandreamer, hammoncm, Huchepo, karenarch, Carron, arbon, homeless_vagabond, Marlene, chinagringo, Camille, mcm, cookj5, robbers, RickS, Glenn, pickledtrout, roni_smith, among others?
Robert

chinagringo

Jan 21, 2010, 6:46 AM

Post #64 of 71 (18718 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Robert:

As per your request: We don't live in Mexico but rather New Mexico. We did own a home in the Lake Chapala area that was initially a vacation home with the long term plan that it would become a retirement home down the road. But as with many things in life, plans/ideas change and we sold the home in 2006. Since then, we have expanded our horizons by traveling other areas of Mexico and we plan to continue doing so. Very hard to say whether or not we will buy another home in Mexico but we will continue to travel there.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

jerezano

Jan 21, 2010, 8:02 AM

Post #65 of 71 (18699 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Hello Robert,

One of the things you haven't really considered as an incentive to move to Mexico is that most of us who moved have been footloose and fancy free. And maybe just a bit bored.

By footloose and fancy free I mean that most of us had no real obligations to remain in the United States. Our kids had grown up and were out on their own, our family ties while remaining forever strong no longer required our continued presence, our financial affairs had been arranged and we could do what we want.

By just a bit bored I mean now that we could do what we want, the immediate question was what do we want to do?

We can opt for a life of study and return to a University. We can devote ourselves to a long established hobby. We can start a new hobby. We can dedicate ourselves to charity work. We can do whatever we want to do.

In my particular case I decided to study Spanish. That led quickly to a desire to move to a Spanish speaking country. And what Spanish speaking country is easily available? Mexico, of course.

Now when I mentioned footloose and fancy free, none of us are really that free. Again in my own case I have a medical problem with medications not available in Mexico. So there remained the necessity to work something out about medication supply. Too, at the time I moved I still had two open mortgages. That requred quick access to the United States. When I moved the internet was in its infancy and on-line banking had not yet been thought of. That too, required a solution.

So my solution was to move to a place in Mexico from which I could access my doctors and my bank within a day's drive from the border.

Did everything work out? Yep. Fine.

But if I were moving now with the modern conveniences of the internet, etc., would I pick the same location? Probably not. Those immediate ties to the USA would not be so necessary. I think now I would be living in Tepic rather than in Jerez, Zacatecas.

No matter. I am now a 22 year resident in Mexico and I have been very happy those 22 years and I am still studying Spanish.

Thanks for starting this thread Robert. I have really enjoyed reading about my fellow expats and have learned a lot.

Hasta luego. jerezano.

yucatandreamer

Jan 21, 2010, 8:39 AM

Post #66 of 71 (18690 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Seven years ago my parents passed on and left me enough money to quit a job that I hated and retire. I was at that time already in my late fifties. My husband and I looked at our options which consisted of remaining in the Vancouver, British Columbia area with him continuing to work or selling everything and moving to Mexico. We had daydreamed about moving to Mexico and searched the websites for information. Merida had great Real Estate websites and we had visited here at least four times for two or three week vacations since the 1980s.
We started out reading books and websites such as Mexconnect and Rolly(I didn’t understand how forums worked at the time and was too shy to ask any questions so I just read) . We knew that we felt comfortable in Merida and we revisited our other favorite place, Oaxaca City but did not feel the same ”at home” feeling in that city.
We discovered that we could buy a house that was livable in Merida for forty thousand dollars and we sent half of that to an unknown, at the time, Mexican real estate agent to hold the house until we could see it. (We have since put in a whole lot more money into that house in order to make it truly livable) My husband flew here and we finalized the deal. This worked out for us but I would never ever recommend that anyone follow in our footsteps. After we sent off the money we basically went about getting our papers in order and selling our house in Canada. We drove here with a trailer full of stuff and two dogs.
We arrived in Merida approximately a year before the insane real estate boom with many people buying homes while they were on vacation and with no research. Some of those folks have settled in and some have returned to the U.S. or Canada.
We moved to Mexico for economic reasons and because it seemed like a fine adventure. We chose Merida because we felt comfortable here with the Yucatecan people, we could discover a good bit about the place through the very fine Real Estate sites on line and it had an English Library, internet available an international airport and good health care.
On reflection I do not know if I would do the same thing again but we have made a good life here and we live here happily day to day. If I had to do it again I would probably check out more places in Mexico, those places that were bigger, less provincial and had a better climate. I miss trees and camping in the beautiful woods that we had in the northwest, I miss the cold lonely rocky beaches as opposed to the gulf beaches. I miss traveling to interesting towns with antique stores. I really miss certain stores, delis and restaurants. I hate the bugs, roaches, scorpions, mosquitoes, termites and ticks.
I love the fact that we can afford to hold season tickets to the symphony and the local baseball team. I like the fact that we rarely have those discussions on whether or not we can afford it. I like the handful of good friends that we have made here. I like travelling to the archeological sites. I still like the Yucatecan people even though they are not quite as nice as I had romanticized them to be.

robt65

Jan 21, 2010, 10:24 AM

Post #67 of 71 (18662 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Hi Chinagringo,

Thanks for writing a little about yourself and your circumstances. Reminds me of the old saying . . . the only thing certain about life is that nothing is certain in life. I a still beside myself about whether to buy or continue renting. On the one hand no responsibilities when renting but sure hate in invest time and money when at anytime a landlord here for any reason can up and take that home back. Especially after putting an amount of sweat equity and $ into the place.

Robert

chinagringo

Jan 21, 2010, 10:39 AM

Post #68 of 71 (18653 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Robert:

When we did have the home, we were living on the Oregon Coast and REALLY needed a getaway point from the weather and the Guadalajara/ Lake Chapala area was easy because of the airport. After moving to Albuquerque in 2004 and realizing that the weather here was more to our liking, we had less motivation to run to our house in MX.

The real plus to selling the house and its time responsibilities, is that we have been able to see far more of MX and what it has to offer. We still enjoy Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque and Tonala but are much less inclined to spend much time at the Lake.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

robt65

Jan 21, 2010, 11:00 AM

Post #69 of 71 (18649 views)

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Re: [jerezano] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Hello Back Jerezano,

I am really happy that you responded. Seems that you and I have many of the same reasons for moving to Mexico. I certainly agree with your "immediate question" . . . . "what do we want to do?". I find retirement provides some withdrawal symptoms" I didn't plan on and I have to find some activity that I can throw myself into.

I , as a Vietnam vet also have some medical problems that I deal with and some of my medications not available in Mexico either. So for me there remained the necessity to work something about the closest V.A. Hospital if necessary, and for my medication supply also. I have opted for a membership in "Sky Med", what appears to be a very good medical evacuation program based out of Arizona, which can move me (both land and air) immediately to the V.A. of my choice in the USA. If I can drive to the USA there is a good VA clinic near McAllen and a really good regional V.A. Hospital affiliated with the University of Texas in San Antonio. I get my meds in 90 day supplies, so once every three months I go north to get them and to have any medical appointments that I may have to contend with. This also is going to give me a chance to go to an American Wal Mart or other USA stores and get some of the food stuffs that I find I really do miss a lot, get a few books or a tool or two and listen to the American television news at a hotel for a couple of nights.

Again, like you, I also had two mortgages, one in the USA and one in Canada. I was lucky to get out of the one in Canada, without a great loss, last year. I am still trying to sell my house n Kentucky in the country not far from Lexington. I really want to do that soon but I don't know how much of a hit I am willing to take. Sure wish I had completed all my renovations on that house before moving here. That is a regret! I also have to deal with being a landed immigrant in the USA (from Canada) for many years. I have to be careful not to let my permanent residence lapse. I need to find a small apt in Brownsville or at least Southeast Texas, not far from the border, to buy or rent so I can have a USA address when I sell my home.

Your right about the Internet being a great help; I don't know if I could have been as brave about such a move without it.

I had the opportunity to go through Tepic last year and liked that area a lot. Didn't really stay but overnight, but I was sure impressed about the terrain and the landscape. Not really far from the beaches either. Just one heck of a winding drive down to the shore, but beautiful. How is the weather there year round . . . do you know?

Jerezano, I also have enjoyed reading about my fellow expats for sure. I guess when we come down to it there is something i all of us that make us somewhat interesting and probably a bit of a character in all of us that makes us, maybe a little interesting . . . . . . Maybe in our own minds! (Smiling) Maybe when I get out that way again, I will write you (if you don’t mind) and we can share some stories. I would like to take my wife and little one out that way someday to see the Western side of Mexico. Before we met she had never been farther west than Monterrey.

Have a good day and thanks for sharing, Jerezano.

Robert

robt65

Jan 21, 2010, 11:24 AM

Post #70 of 71 (18639 views)

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Re: [yucatandreamer] Length of time LIVING in Mexico

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Hi there Charlotte!

Always wondered who was behind that original icon! (smiling) Being a born Canadian myself I returned back to Canada for several years to see what I had not really known when I was nine years old and my father and mother said get i the car we are moving to the USA. I returned to teach for a few years and lived in "North Van" for a while. Then moved north and lived in the arm pit of Canada (Prince George) for one teaching stint, then on to Prince Rupert, where I really enjoyed the Charlottes and especially the lodge at Sandspit. Learning first hand about the Haida Nation people, history and culture was a real treat. Never really knew what a "grease trail" until I tried some of that "grease". I sure didn't like it! UGH!

Surely you remember that Vancouver and the nearby woods do have mosquitoes and ticks! (smiling) The Black flies up north were really terrible! I sure don't miss them either! I still get two food products from Canada every time I get the chance. One is Canadian Red Rose Tea and the other is Habitat Pea Soup. Did you ever have that pea soup? If you did you would probably remember your mom telling you if you got the only "Black Pea" you would have good luck. I got the Black Pea a lot but I don’t remember much luck! I also miss the trees and the mountains. I have found one Deli in Morelia (Trico) that has a really good selection of deli products. Not the same and different for sure but none the less a really good deli. I know they have many other locations in Mexico such as Guadalajara and Tampico as well as, Queretaro and Mexico City, but none with the selection of the one in Morelia.

Nice to hear from you Charlotte. If you are ever coming up this way to Queretaro or San Juan del Rio, drop by and let’s have a cup of good tea!

Robert

cynthrod

Jan 25, 2010, 10:46 AM

Post #71 of 71 (18549 views)

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Re: [robt65] Length of time LIVING in Mexico-posting photos

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Hi robt65,
I have loved this thread!
regarding photos, I recommend you invest in Photoshop Elements... then you can easily re-size photos... you want to make them 72dpi and maybe 3x5 inches... experiment... on the top menu, go to image, then image size...
I am so happy I have heard how people love "their little place in paradise".. makes me want to see the whole country... I'll be in Guadalajara for 2 weeks at language school and spend weekends looking around the lake area and who knows where else... hope to make my move this summer...
Cynthia

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