# Visiting Chapala



## lllinda (Oct 20, 2008)

RV ******...My husband and I are coming to Mexico for the sole reason to check out living in Lake Chapala. We have been researching for a long time and have a real sense of just knowing we have found our little bit of paradise, for our retirement, and can't wait to experience all it has to offer. This trip/vacation will be the deciding factor for us...if yes, then we will sell our home and be down there as soon as we can!!!!
I want to get involved in the art community and I hear there are quite a few artists there.
Perhaps we will bump into everyone, who belongs to this website, when we settle there.
lllinda


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Welcome and I hope you enjoy your trip. Now that you have focused on Mexico, why not post on the Mexico forum (just click next to the Mexican flag) instead of here on the General/Introductions page.
See you there & maybe in Chapala. Perhaps we can be of help if you have questions when you get here.


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## PieGrande (Nov 16, 2008)

I have been visiting Mexico since 1983. I have been heavily involved in one Mexico forum or another since 1997. One warning that every prospective expat needs to hear is the need to proceed with caution.

Data on expats is hard to find. However, it is generally believed that most (edited: non-business expats) return to North America within around two years. Disenchantment can set in within two weeks. For others, they are in love with their home and community, and one morning around two years later, wake up realizing they must 'go home.'

This is not a problem, except for those who have purchased expensive homes, which can be a real millstone when you want to go home. Most 'experts' recommend renting for at least two years. Some even recommend keeping your North American property for at least two years, so you have a place to go.

Chapala can be very exciting, especially when it is cold in the north. But, it is hard to live without friends, and the servants are usually not friends. Unless you are fluent in Spanish, it can be much harder to live anywhere in Mexico than you can imagine.

Some years ago, the top selling book on live in Mexico was LIVING EASY IN MEXICO. It was written after the couple left Mexico.

I do not intend to discourage anyone from moving to Mexico. I do urge to keep your bridges unburned. This is not a case where if you burn your bridges, you will try harder and more likely succeed. Nice poetry, but it takes a very adaptable person to move to an alien culture.


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## pedro (May 15, 2007)

although my espanol sucks[i can read it awright though, and trying to learn to speak it better], i will leave chapala in an urn[actually i have requested that it be thrown in the lake-SNORK!] and i have been here 2 1/2 years. i have made many mex aquaintances and some potential friends.
friday i was chauffered to a town on the south shore where i met 3 mayors and a congressman and really had a good time. my wife also likes it here but most of her new friends are ferners of which their are plenty in these parts.
we sold everything nob[because we chose this place to retire in after much research and visiting mexico since 1978] and won't wake up one morning wanting or needing to move back.
attitude,adaptability, assimilation,old chap!-the three "a's" and as we canadians would say [eh!] fer the fourth one!
i love this country and it's people and this is my home-so there!
next week-off ta the beach while the temp in alberta is minus something celsius.


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## PieGrande (Nov 16, 2008)

pedro said:


> although my espanol sucks[i can read it awright though, and trying to learn to speak it better], i will leave chapala in an urn[actually i have requested that it be thrown in the lake-SNORK!] and i have been here 2 1/2 years. i have made many mex aquaintances and some potential friends.
> friday i was chauffered to a town on the south shore where i met 3 mayors and a congressman and really had a good time. my wife also likes it here but most of her new friends are ferners of which their are plenty in these parts.
> we sold everything nob[because we chose this place to retire in after much research and visiting mexico since 1978] and won't wake up one morning wanting or needing to move back.
> attitude,adaptability, assimilation,old chap!-the three "a's" and as we canadians would say [eh!] fer the fourth one!
> ...


That visiting Mexico since 1978 certainly prepared you. I refer to those who visit a week or two once or twice, and they are plenty, then put hundreds of thousands into a big home, then they are screaming what a terrible place Mexico is. Good for you!

I tell people I would rather die in Mexico than live in the US.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Back in 2000, we visited on a bus tour and then drove down in our car and explored further. We fell in love with the area around Lake Chapala after considering other areas. Yes, we did buy a home in Ajijic, and in 2004 we sold it and purchased another in Chapala. We're also here 'forever'. Life is good.


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## verdeva (Sep 18, 2008)

lllinda said:


> RV ******...My husband and I are coming to Mexico for the sole reason to check out living in Lake Chapala. We have been researching for a long time and have a real sense of just knowing we have found our little bit of paradise, for our retirement, and can't wait to experience all it has to offer. This trip/vacation will be the deciding factor for us...if yes, then we will sell our home and be down there as soon as we can!!!!
> I want to get involved in the art community and I hear there are quite a few artists there.
> Perhaps we will bump into everyone, who belongs to this website, when we settle there.
> lllinda


Howdy Lllinda from Lake Chapala. The wife and I have lived here for 2 years, 5 months and 15 days. We too, along with RV and Snork (aka Pedro) are pretty much lifers here. I too recommend renting for at least the first year and maybe longer. My recommendation is worth every penny you paid for it. 

In our short time here we have met several couples who purchased the perfect house, right in the middle of heaven and then for whatever reason ended up moving back north. Sometimes it's family, children, grandchildren or friends. Other times it is just that you can't easily find a decent hamburger or pizza. Whatever the reason, the rate of return is a lot higher than you are likely to believe. Many a doe-eyed person, in love with the beauty and climate has fallen out of love with Mexico.

Okay, so that's the warning. The flip side is that if one is adaptable and takes Mexico both with its beauty and numerous warts, it can be a successful relationship. Chula Vista (suburb of Ajijic-Chapala) may seem like San Diego, California, but this really is Mexico down here. Things are different, it ain't Kansas. There is a learning curve which is expedited if you take the time to learn Spanish. Search the Internet and watch especially for repetitive information; it is likely the most reliable. There are check lists on the Net that can be very helpful; covering such diverse things as your Visa, Auto Importation, Importation of Personal Effects (furniture and the such), Insurance and much, much more.

Hope all your dreams of Mexico come true!
VerdeVa


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

In general, something like 90 per cent of people who move to a foreign country give up and return home within five years. This is true of almost every country except those where people are moving to vastly improve their economic opportunities or to escape persecution. It is much harder to adapt, and much harder to be away from your country, your friends, and your family than you expect.

In general, it's best to rent for at least a year, until you have been through all the seasons, and until you get a good idea of the housing market. A lot of people get trapped because they buy a house that is amazingly cheap by their standards, only to discover they have vastly overpaid and the only way to recoup their money is to buy from another gullible new expat. If for any reason the flow of expats stops, or their area becomes unfashionable, they are stuck.

Most people will last less than two years. The more you think you are moving to paradise, the more likely you are to return home.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Here in Mexico, that does not seem to be the case and most expats stay here for a number of reasons that may be unique to this country. The climate and the lifestyle are great attractions, to be sure, but the sense of isolation or the expense of traveling great distances to visit family are missing. Here, we can hop in a car and drive to the USA in a day or two, enjoying great scenery along the way. Lake Chapala is only half an hour from Guadalajara's international airport with connections to anywhere in the world. Plus, Guadalajara is a wonderful city and one need not lack for anything.


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## pedro (May 15, 2007)

there is no such thing as paradise anywhere. if you can get the paradise thing out of your mindset-you should be more inclined to stay in this or any other new country or culture that you move to.
remember that real estate companies will always call this paradise-i don't, but i am extatic to be here anyway.


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## Guest (Nov 18, 2008)

*Another Point Of View*



PieGrande said:


> I have been visiting Mexico since 1983. I have been heavily involved in one Mexico forum or another since 1997. One warning that every prospective expat needs to hear is the need to proceed with caution.
> 
> Data on expats is hard to find. However, it is generally believed that most (edited: non-business expats) return to North America within around two years. Disenchantment can set in within two weeks. For others, they are in love with their home and community, and one morning around two years later, wake up realizing they must 'go home.'
> 
> ...


If you are flexible and independent you will not have a problem. It is better to rent for 3 to 6 months to see if this is the right place for you. Here in the Chapala/Ajijic area there are lots of gringos and there is a thriving artsy/craftsy contingent to enjoy. Unfortunately, this area is getting more and more gringoized. A Walmart just opened and a Burger King is on the way.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Welcome to the Expat Forum, Daque. I hope you enjoy it over here and will continue to post after checking the rules, which are a bit different than on some of the other forums in an effort to make this forum a true source of useful information, rather than a 'chat board'.
On the topic at hand; I have observed that the most adaptable expats here at Lake Chapala, and probably anywhere, are those who have lived and worked elsewhere in the world in prior years. Those who have traveled abroad as tourists may, or may not, adapt quite as well. Those who move without much 'homework' seem to be the least happy.


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