# Hello from a newbie



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

I've been reading and thinking about moving to Mexico for about 2 years now, and I've finally made the decision to do it by the end of next year. I have things to wrap up here, plus I want to save some money so I can take my time finding a place to settle. Sorry this is so long, but I figure, get the basics out of the way up front.

I'll probably make the Guadalajara area (outside the city in a less expensive village) my home base while I explore to see where I would like to live. While I'd love to live on a beach, I don't think my budget allows for that. I was looking maybe at something around Lake Cajititlan. I'll be living on about $1400 a month. 

In the next year, I'll be brushing up on my HS Spanish, saving money and learning as much as I can about the legalities/paperwork. I'll probably come down sometime next summer to scout things out and set things up as much as possible.

About me; I'm very laid back. I'm frugal to a fault, can really pinch a penny, so I think I'll be fine on the money I have. I don't drink, smoke, party or travel a lot, nor do I eat out or need fancy anything. I have a friend who lives down there on less, and she and I live pretty much the same lifestyle. I don't own a car, which is why I want to live somewhere sort of close to a city center. I'm not frou-frou, so riding a bus across bumpy roads to get where I want to go is fine. I'm not the most sociable person in the world, and I really want to experience the culture, so living around a bunch of American expats would not be my dream, although I do want to meet and make friends with fellow Americans there. I want to have a small home with a yard where I can grow some of my own food, and of course, beautiful flowers. 

I have a notebook, complete with dividers, that I'm using to organize all the information I can gather to make the transition as painless as possible. I hope to have my ducks in a row before I step a toe across the border, where all I have to do is set up my little casita and live happily ever after.

I'll be asking lots of questions, I'm sure.


----------



## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

Suggestion on research: check out his blog. My Life in Mexico for answers to many questions about the process, legalities, etc. Clear and very helpful.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

Thank you! That's a blog I missed.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

lagoloo said:


> Suggestion on research: check out his blog. My Life in Mexico for answers to many questions about the process, legalities, etc. Clear and very helpful.


Rolly Brook, the creator of this blog, passed away last year, and I don't know if anyone has kept the information in it up-to-date. Therefore, I would hesitate to rely on the information in it related to Mexican government rules and regs.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> Rolly Brook, the creator of this blog, passed away last year, and I don't know if anyone has kept the information in it up-to-date. Therefore, I would hesitate to rely on the information in it related to Mexican government rules and regs.


I noticed that the info was from 2015. I have been doing some up-to-date research on the legalities, so that's no concern.

What I want to know most is about finding a place to live, etc. For example, up here, a lot of places require first-last-deposit to move in. Does that also apply in Mexico? From what I hear, it doesn't, but it will help me know how much the total cost of moving would be.

I'll probably come with a suitcase at first, and stay for at least a year on a visitor visa to see if it suits me.


----------



## dichosalocura (Oct 31, 2013)

Have you ever been to Lake Cajititlan? It is a beautiful lake, I heard it said that it is a little deeper than Lake Chapala (where I live) hence, it _looks_ a little cleaner. The towns around the lake are extremely rustic, with just the bare essentials available in the stores there. I think the largest town is Cajititlan and I always thought it was a beautiful little (I mean very small) town with a malecón, and a few seafood restaurants. I haven´t been there in a couple years, but I hear that they have been beautifying their malecón and it is looking good now. I doubt you will come across many gringos there unless they are visiting from the Chapala area or from other areas. After living there for six months you might find yourself a little bored there, the good news is that Chapala and Guadalajara are close by. Financially, you should do just fine, considering the chance if you look really hard, it is possible to find small houses or apartments to rent under 200 dollars. I am not sure that $1400 a month will qualify you for a temporary visa though.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

dichosalocura said:


> Have you ever been to Lake Cajititlan? It is a beautiful lake, I heard it said that it is a little deeper than Lake Chapala (where I live) hence, it _looks_ a little cleaner. The towns around the lake are extremely rustic, with just the bare essentials available in the stores there. I think the largest town is Cajititlan and I always thought it was a beautiful little (I mean very small) town with a malecón, and a few seafood restaurants. I haven´t been there in a couple years, but I hear that they have been beautifying their malecón and it is looking good now. I doubt you will come across many gringos there unless they are visiting from the Chapala area or from other areas. After living there for six months you might find yourself a little bored there, the good news is that Chapala and Guadalajara are close by. Financially, you should do just fine, considering the chance if you look really hard, it is possible to find small houses or apartments to rent under 200 dollars. I am not sure that $1400 a month will qualify you for a temporary visa though.


I haven't been that area, but I've heard good things about it. I was talking to one person on a forum who said that he lives in a small village close to that lake, and told me a little about it. My main concern is not having a car, so I have to live somewhere where there is transportation available, so no tiny little remote villages, I don't think. 

I have more money in the states, so I can qualify for a temporary visa. I just want to live there on visitor visas for the first year so I can figure out where to settle. I can prove the $2500 a month if I have to to get the visa, I just need to keep it lower than that to stretch my savings out as long as possible. 

I also need to live in a place with decent internet, since I work online for some of my income, so no remote tiny villages with no broadband.

I doubt I'll get bored. I'm really a homebody who only goes out to occasionally visit friends or go shopping. I'm really sort of a loner. I enjoy my own company more than I do anyone else's, even my children (grown).


----------



## dichosalocura (Oct 31, 2013)

Many places here may also require first and last payment to rent, but with all things Mexico, it all depends on who you are dealing with. There are no set rules here for much of anything. The general rule is, the smaller the town and the further away from ****** areas, the cheaper the standard of living. Jalisco has many nice small towns. Some nicer than others. I always liked Ciudad Guzmán for its greenness, forested tall mountains, and attractive colonial streets and plaza, but just slightly big enough to have a Sam´s Club and Soriana. You will see no gringos there except for a few peace corps volunteers. The smallish towns in the Los Altos region has the prettiest colonial towns (example: Lagos de Moreno and Jalostitlan) but they are mostly high plains/semi-desert type of climate). Just explore around I am sure you will find the perfect place for you.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

dichosalocura said:


> Many places here may also require first and last payment to rent, but with all things Mexico, it all depends on who you are dealing with. There are no set rules here for much of anything. The general rule is, the smaller the town and the further away from ****** areas, the cheaper the standard of living. Jalisco has many nice small towns. Some nicer than others. I always liked Ciudad Guzmán for its greenness, forested tall mountains, and attractive colonial streets and plaza, but just slightly big enough to have a Sam´s Club and Soriana. You will see no gringos there except for a few peace corps volunteers. The smallish towns in the Los Altos region has the prettiest colonial towns (example: Lagos de Moreno and Jalostitlan) but they are mostly high plains/semi-desert type of climate). Just explore around I am sure you will find the perfect place for you.


Thanks. That's the plan. I know what amenities I'm looking for, so I'll know when I find it. When I asked around about where to live, Jalisco came up more often than any other place, so I figured I'd start there. I was a bit concerned about the Jalisco cartel, until I learned they actually aren't very active in Jalisco at all. Anyway, I don't do drugs, and I don't mess with drug dealers, so I think I'd be safe.


----------



## dichosalocura (Oct 31, 2013)

Well, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is pretty active but for the past couple of years they have been flying under the radar and things have gotten back to normal for the most part. You don´t hear about that many terrifying incidents as you did a few years ago. And when you do it mostly always involves gang on gang attacks and shoot outs if you hear about them, mostly occur up in the rough barrios. Not many shoot outs occur at malls, movie theaters, schools, post offices, and churches down here in Mexico. If you don't buy drugs and you don't associate with shady people, you most likely will feel safer here in Mexico than you did in any city of similar size in the USA. But still, always be on the look out, anything can happen at any given time, just like it can and does happen back home. In other words, don´t do like many people do when they come down here and act like they were in Disneyland.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

If you really want to live near the coast as you mentioned but discarded in your original post, I would not rule it out. If you stay away from the big tourist cities like Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Cancun, etc, it doesn't have to be that expensive. There are lots of former or present small fishing villages, connected by bus to larger places where you might find something fairly reasonable.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

dichosalocura said:


> Well, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is pretty active but for the past couple of years they have been flying under the radar and things have gotten back to normal for the most part. You don´t hear about that many terrifying incidents as you did a few years ago. And when you do it mostly always involves gang on gang attacks and shoot outs if you hear about them, mostly occur up in the rough barrios. Not many shoot outs occur at malls, movie theaters, schools, post offices, and churches down here in Mexico. If you don't buy drugs and you don't associate with shady people, you most likely will feel safer here in Mexico than you did in any city of similar size in the USA. But still, always be on the look out, anything can happen at any given time, just like it can and does happen back home. In other words, don´t do like many people do when they come down here and act like they were in Disneyland.


Good advice, dichosalocura. Have you actually met expats here who think they've arrived in Disneyland? I'll bet their stay was short and unpleasant!


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> If you really want to live near the coast as you mentioned but discarded in your original post, I would not rule it out. If you stay away from the big tourist cities like Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Cancun, etc, it doesn't have to be that expensive. There are lots of former or present small fishing villages, connected by bus to larger places where you might find something fairly reasonable.


A fishing village sounds lovely, that's for sure. Once I get there and start learning more about the various towns, I may indeed find something I like. The only problem I can see is that my friend says that in the summer, the beaches are very noisy, so I couldn't live beachfront, as I like my quiet. Maybe a few blocks off a beach would be nice, though, where I could walk there easily and see the water without having to have all the noise and such.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> Good advice, dichosalocura. Have you actually met expats here who think they've arrived in Disneyland? I'll bet their stay was short and unpleasant!


I've learned enough to know not to expect it to be anything like the U.S. For example, I know that a lot of places have to have water shipped in, and I also know that there is no a/c in most places, and if there is, it's expensive to run.

I'm sort of spoiled with my a/c, but to live in a beautiful place near the water for less than what I pay here, I think I could suffer a bit. I'd acclimate. I grew up in the South with no a/c, and while it wasn't pleasant, I didn't die from it.

ETA: As for safety, I'm very cautious. I lived flat out in the ghetto once, and nobody bothered me. It was a "you take care of us, we'll take care of you" kind of neighborhood. Stay to yourself, don't mess in anybody's business and you were fine.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

DebInFL said:


> A fishing village sounds lovely, that's for sure. Once I get there and start learning more about the various towns, I may indeed find something I like. The only problem I can see is that my friend says that in the summer, the beaches are very noisy, so I couldn't live beachfront, as I like my quiet. Maybe a few blocks off a beach would be nice, though, where I could walk there easily and see the water without having to have all the noise and such.


Another problem with a small fishing village is that it may not have easy access to the broadband internet connection you need for your work.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> Another problem with a small fishing village is that it may not have easy access to the broadband internet connection you need for your work.


That's definitely important to me. I do have a checklist of things I require and things I desire but can live without. One thing I cannot live without is an oven, so I may have to invest in a large countertop oven once I get into a permanent place. My kitchen is the heart of my home. I cook and bake a lot.


----------



## dichosalocura (Oct 31, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Good advice, dichosalocura. Have you actually met expats here who think they've arrived in Disneyland? I'll bet their stay was short and unpleasant!


Well, living in Chapala I frequently see expats that just moved here or maybe they live up in the gated communities and they rarely get out and walk around the towns, but you will pass them on the streets or in the plaza and they will just have that nervous bewildered look in their eyes and in their step, like they just got off the cruise ship or tour bus and they don´t know quite how to take the place yet.

And A/C, if you live on the coast it will be a necessity unless you get great sea breezes in your front windows to cool the place off. But for the rest of Jalisco or anywhere in central Mexico, the climate is mostly springlike year round. On the occasional hot stuffy evenings in the months of May and early June (once the rains kick in, it really cools off a lot) you can get by with just a ceiling or stand up fan. No A/C necessary for most of the central Mexico Highlands.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

DebInFL said:


> A fishing village sounds lovely, that's for sure. Once I get there and start learning more about the various towns, I may indeed find something I like. The only problem I can see is that my friend says that in the summer, the beaches are very noisy, so I couldn't live beachfront, as I like my quiet. Maybe a few blocks off a beach would be nice, though, where I could walk there easily and see the water without having to have all the noise and such.





DebInFL said:


> That's definitely important to me. I do have a checklist of things I require and things I desire but can live without. One thing I cannot live without is an oven, so I may have to invest in a large countertop oven once I get into a permanent place. My kitchen is the heart of my home. I cook and bake a lot.


The big tourist town beaches are noisy. I have spent several nights on a boat anchored off the beach in Cabo San Lucas and the hotels have bands and loudspeakers going until very late at night. In small towns none of that occurs. 

Most people in Mexico seem to use the oven as a storage location. I am like you, I like to bake and use my oven daily, roasting potatoes or baking bread mostly. Rentals frequently don't have a refrigerator, but I think they usually have a stove. If you are renting and there is no oven, you could always buy your own stove.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

dichosalocura said:


> Well, living in Chapala I frequently see expats that just moved here or maybe they live up in the gated communities and they rarely get out and walk around the towns, but you will pass them on the streets or in the plaza and they will just have that nervous bewildered look in their eyes and in their step, like they just got off the cruise ship or tour bus and they don´t know quite how to take the place yet.
> 
> And A/C, if you live on the coast it will be a necessity unless you get great sea breezes in your front windows to cool the place off. But for the rest of Jalisco or anywhere in central Mexico, the climate is mostly springlike year round. On the occasional hot stuffy evenings in the months of May and early June (once the rains kick in, it really cools off a lot) you can get by with just a ceiling or stand up fan. No A/C necessary for most of the central Mexico Highlands.


That sounds beautiful, and I think a lake would be just as good as the Gulf or the ocean for me. Right now in FL, we're in the late fall, and it's in teh 40s and 50s at night. I sleep with the windows open and the ceiling fan on and I'm fine. If I can have a fan, or open a window, I'm fine up in to the 70s at night. Once it gets into the 80s, I need a/c, though.

I actually love our rainy season here. Not only does it cool things off, but it gives me plenty of rainy days to read and relax.

It's very hot in the summer here, though. We didn't get over 100 this year, but we got to 98 a couple of days. The bad thing about where I live is that it's dead still this far inland -- no breeze most of the time at all.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> The big tourist town beaches are noisy. I have spent several nights on a boat anchored off the beach in Cabo San Lucas and the hotels have bands and loudspeakers going until very late at night. In small towns none of that occurs.
> 
> Most people in Mexico seem to use the oven as a storage location. I am like you, I like to bake and use my oven daily, roasting potatoes or baking bread mostly. Rentals frequently don't have a refrigerator, but I think they usually have a stove. If you are renting and there is no oven, you could always buy your own stove.


No refrigerator? That's odd. Maybe I could buy a mini fridge somewhere. How do they get ice? Not sure I can live without ice. Must add that to my list. I imagine a refrigerator witih a freezer would run the electric bill up a bit, but well worth it to me.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

DebInFL said:


> No refrigerator? That's odd. Maybe I could buy a mini fridge somewhere. How do they get ice? Not sure I can live without ice. Must add that to my list. I imagine a refrigerator witih a freezer would run the electric bill up a bit, but well worth it to me.


It's very common for rentals in Mexico not to come with anything more than the bare essentials, and very often the bare essentials do not include a refrigerator, though they usually include a stove in the kitchen.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> It's very common for rentals in Mexico not to come with anything more than the bare essentials, and very often the bare essentials do not include a refrigerator, though they usually include a stove in the kitchen.


Good to know. I'll have to put the cost of a small fridge into my budget, then. My small 520 sf 1 BR apartment here is $567 a month with all appliances (no w/d), central heat and air, but utilities run me another $150 a month. I have a long, narrow concrete porch and an 11x14' courtyard, and this is considered cheap rent. My friend in Mexico pays $500 a month for a GORGEOUS 2 BR casa with a large yard and huge courtyard. No utilities included, but she says they are less than $75 a month. All total, that's less than just my rent, and I don't need anything that big. 

I just want a little 1 BR casita with a small yard. I'm sure I can find something for much less than I pay here, even if I do have to buy a fridge for it and get used to no a/c. I'm a tough old broad. I'll be fine.

I can hardly wait to shop in the plazas for fresh food. That kind of life is just so appealing to me, and the festivals too. I really could be so happy in Mexico.


----------



## lmontgom (Nov 16, 2016)

DebInFL said:


> Thanks. That's the plan. I know what amenities I'm looking for, so I'll know when I find it. When I asked around about where to live, Jalisco came up more often than any other place, so I figured I'd start there. I was a bit concerned about the Jalisco cartel, until I learned they actually aren't very active in Jalisco at all. Anyway, I don't do drugs, and I don't mess with drug dealers, so I think I'd be safe.


[Cut]

I will continue to follow this forum to learn the same kinds of information you are seeking. I, too, am leaving Florida because of cost (and corruption) and would like to live as you describe. I'd like to be near the coast (preferably Pacific but between Cancun and Chetumal sounds good, too) but don't want the bugs and excessive heat in summer. The Highlands mountains and eastern Sierra Madre, particularly Orizaba, Cordoba and Xalapa, interest me. 

It appears that summer rains in some areas are similar to S. Florida and that some (or all?) eastern mountain areas have winter drizzle (chipi chipi). 

Good luck in finding the perfect village. I want some English-speakers around as I improve my Spanish, but I don't want to live mainly around expats.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

lmontgom said:


> I get a lot of information from another forum, [Cut]
> I will continue to follow this forum to learn the same kinds of information you are seeking. I, too, am leaving Florida because of cost (and corruption) and would like to live as you describe. I'd like to be near the coast (preferably Pacific but between Cancun and Chetumal sounds good, too) but don't want the bugs and excessive heat in summer. The Highlands mountains and eastern Sierra Madre, particularly Orizaba, Cordoba and Xalapa, interest me.
> 
> It appears that summer rains in some areas are similar to S. Florida and that some (or all?) eastern mountain areas have winter drizzle (chipi chipi).
> ...


Hello fellow Floridian! Thanks for the info. [Cut]
Beware the beaches on the west coast of Baja if you don't like the cold. There is a cold water stream (much like our warm Gulf stream) that affects the temperature there. It can get very cold there. I came here to escape the cold, so I marked that area off of my map. I want something comparable to FL, but not as hot in the summer, and from all my research, Jalisco and that area have the best climate. That's probably why so many expats headed there. I don't mind the summer rains at all. Winter rain is o.k. occasionally. 

As far as learning Spanish, I do best with immersion. I have a Cuban friend here who is going to help me. I still have my HS Spanish books (46 years later - don't ask. LOL) and someone sent me a free digital course that is very good. I know the local dialect won't be pure Spanish, since there are actually over 100 languages and dialects in Mexico, but I look forward to learning more than my books can tell me.

PM me if you like. I'm sick to death of FL and all the BS that is this state. The climate is the only reason I stay. If I didn't live in a college town, I couldn't afford it, and I can barely afford it now, with prices going up every day, and I fear things are only going to get worse now, so let's chat and see if we can help each other while we still live here, if you like.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

" I, too, am leaving Florida because of cost (and corruption) and would like to live as you describe."

If you think Florida is corrupt , I am not sure you will like Mexico.. That sentence struck me as really funny, you are coming to Mexico to escape the corruption from Mexico?? You may want to reconsider your choicce of destination.


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

DebInFL said:


> A fishing village sounds lovely, that's for sure. Once I get there and start learning more about the various towns, I may indeed find something I like. The only problem I can see is that my friend says that in the summer, the beaches are very noisy, so I couldn't live beachfront, as I like my quiet. Maybe a few blocks off a beach would be nice, though, where I could walk there easily and see the water without having to have all the noise and such.


What a fast moving topic! Hello, DebInFL and welcome. I live in such a fishing village--well, many people fish here, but it's not done commercially--on the coast of Colima. Very little noise or tourism with the exception of Christmas and Semana Santa, although it tends to pick up every weekend when the folks from GDL occupy their weekend home. We (Mexican wife and myself) bought in nearly 20 years ago when a 50 x 160 foot beachfront lot was going for 4K dollars, built a small vacation house 5 years later, and finally moved last year when I took early retirement. Prices have gone up since then, but I'll bet it's still the cheapest village on the coast with some beachfront houses going for <$200K while the most expensive house in town on a triple lot is <$900K. Couple blocks from the beach, less than a fourth of that. As far as rentals, since serious tourism here is limited to 3 or 4 weeks a year and 90% of the rentals are vacant, you could negotiate something for 2000-4000 pesos/month. Still few NorthAm expats, but a couple more buy in every year. I've got decent internet from Telmex Infinitum, which is usually your only option outside big cities. At 390 pesos a month, it's as good and reliable as what I was paying 3x for in L.A. With access to both the libre and autopista, we've got regular bus service and a couple of runs a day go to 
GDL. Again, welcome and good luck on your research.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

perropedorro said:


> What a fast moving topic! Hello, DebInFL and welcome. I live in such a fishing village--well, many people fish here, but it's not done commercially--on the coast of Colima. Very little noise or tourism with the exception of Christmas and Semana Santa, although it tends to pick up every weekend when the folks from GDL occupy their weekend home. We (Mexican wife and myself) bought in nearly 20 years ago when a 50 x 160 foot beachfront lot was going for 4K dollars, built a small vacation house 5 years later, and finally moved last year when I took early retirement. Prices have gone up since then, but I'll bet it's still the cheapest village on the coast with some beachfront houses going for <$200K while the most expensive house in town on a triple lot is <$900K. Couple blocks from the beach, less than a fourth of that. As far as rentals, since serious tourism here is limited to 3 or 4 weeks a year and 90% of the rentals are vacant, you could negotiate something for 2000-4000 pesos/month. Still few NorthAm expats, but a couple more buy in every year. I've got decent internet from Telmex Infinitum, which is usually your only option outside big cities. At 390 pesos a month, it's as good and reliable as what I was paying 3x for in L.A. With access to both the libre and autopista, we've got regular bus service and a couple of runs a day go to
> GDL. Again, welcome and good luck on your research.


Thank you. I will keep that in mind. How fast is that internet?


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

*BS in Florida?*

You are sick of the BS in Florida?? 
I just spent 2 days in jail after an accident was just told by the court that I really should not have gone there and that was the fault of the cop who was new..You have to sign a bunch of forms informing you of all your rights including to phone calls and of course being innocent until proven guilty. Tried to cal my husband several times and he did not answer so they took me to jail , took all my posessions . My room mate was in for assault there was a bunk bed of cement with no way to get to the upper level without climbing on the window sill and on up.. The place ws full of mosquitoes , you have to sleep on cement with a thin blanket .I ended up sleeping with the woman who had the flu so I go it as well.. The toilet was beyongd filthy with no toilet paper and no privacy. there was no water to wash hand. Your family or friends have to feed you or you get no food..
You family has to get a 15mn permit to come and visit every time they come or they leave the food with the guards.
When I got there I asked to make a phone call and they told me no phone call whule in jail..there was a phone booth in the courtyard but I had no money no card..
A friend of mine was in the car so she called another friend who came to bring me food..

My car has been inpounded for 2 weeks and I will have to pay to get it out and who knows how long it will take and you are sick of the BS in Florida..get serious.. you have no idea about real BS or corruption is, Florida is Kindergarden compared to wht you get here..


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

DebInFL said:


> Thank you. I will keep that in mind. How fast is that internet?


I pay for 10, basic package, get 6 down / 1 up. 389 pesos, phone landline included, which we don't use much but some banks and other businesses like to see a local number. Infinitum offers more if you've got the need. Like I said, outside the biggest cities in Mexico, it's usually the only game in town.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

citlali said:


> You are sick of the BS in Florida??
> I just spent 2 days in jail after an accident was just told by the court that I really should not have gone there and that was the fault of the cop who was new..You have to sign a bunch of forms informing you of all your rights including to phone calls and of course being innocent until proven guilty. Tried to cal my husband several times and he did not answer so they took me to jail , took all my posessions . My room mate was in for assault there was a bunk bed of cement with no way to get to the upper level without climbing on the window sill and on up.. The place ws full of mosquitoes , you have to sleep on cement with a thin blanket .I ended up sleeping with the woman who had the flu so I go it as well.. The toilet was beyongd filthy with no toilet paper and no privacy. there was no water to wash hand. Your family or friends have to feed you or you get no food..
> You family has to get a 15mn permit to come and visit every time they come or they leave the food with the guards.
> When I got there I asked to make a phone call and they told me no phone call whule in jail..there was a phone booth in the courtyard but I had no money no card..
> ...


I'm sorry for what happened to you, but I know that many, many people who live in Mexico have never been arrested. There has to be more to your story than you are telling. 

And if you don't think that same sort of thing happens here, you've never been a black or poor person in the wrong place at the wrong time in the good old U.S. of A. They don't bother to arrest you, they just shoot you. 

I used to live in a town in FL called North Port. We called it "the little communist state," and called the police "the gestapo." These cops were so corrupt that they were having sex and drug parties. One of the female cops got raped at one by a married cop, who killed himself when he was going to be sent to jail, and his partner, another female cop, is in jail because she helped hold the girl down so he could rape her, but she was already being investigated for corruption on about a dozen other charges. The bars all cleared out of all but the most hardcore partiers before 11 p.m., because that was when the officer came on that sat down the street waiting to arrest drunk drivers. In a town which at that time had fewer than 10,000 people, he had the most DUI arrests in the state. One of the police captains beat his girlfriend so badly that she was hospitalized, then went home and beat his wife and children. Their favorite thing to do was arrest teens for things that they should have just been sent home to their parents for and send them to juvie, because they got paid by the private prison owners for that. That is RAMPANT down here. Judges are dropping like flies after being found taking bribes to throw innocent people in prison for the smallest of offenses.

I used to have a d.j. show. Everyone in town knew who I was. This crazy midnight cowboy cop stopped me on the way home one night with my car loaded with equipment and wanted me to prove I owned it. He knew who I was. He knew where I worked. It was harrassment pure and simple for no reason at all, except maybe he hadn't made his quota of arrests for the night. He threatened to take me to jail, and I told him to be my guest, because my one call would be my friend, the newspaper reporter, because my teenage son was home alone and the world needed to know what he was doing. He let me go, but he routinely followed me home at night and sat in front of my house just to harrass me. I had done absolutely nothing to that man, or to any other policemen in that town.

I had to bail a friend out there because he had a flat tire in a bad part of town he had to drive through on his way home from work. The cop accused him of drug dealing and had his car towed to the impound, where they tore it apart looking for drugs and gave it back to him in pieces. He luckily had the money to hire a damned good lawyer who tore them a new ahole and got the charges completely dropped and the arrest expunged from his record. In the meantime, he lost his job because of it.

I was so damned happy to get out of that place, and that was a small town in Florida, not some inner city ghetto. 

So if you think this kind of stuff does not go on in 'Murica, you have led a very sheltered life. Having lived most of my life in the lower end of wage earners, I saw this all the time. And it's going to get worse with this administration, mark my words. People who have enough money will be insulated, but people like me will suffer. I'd rather suffer on the other side of that wall, thank you.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

perropedorro said:


> I pay for 10, basic package, get 6 down / 1 up. 389 pesos, phone landline included, which we don't use much but some banks and other businesses like to see a local number. Infinitum offers more if you've got the need. Like I said, outside the biggest cities in Mexico, it's usually the only game in town.


I checked them out. I pay for 50mb here, get about 32 down, 6 up. I pay $53 a month and have to renegotiate to get a decent price every year. Telmex's 50mb package is about USD $43, so not a great savings, but I could probably do with the 20mb package. I just need to be able to watch videos and stream for my job.

I'd heard of Telmex before, but it seemed they only have DSL in a lot of places. I'll have to keep that in mind and make sure they have the broadband wherever I end up.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Debbie

I was married in Alabama and lived and worked in the states for 30 years so I have a pretty good idea of what goes on there, I have also lived for 16 years i Mexico, speak Spanish and I am a Mexican citizen so I have pretty good idea of what goes on here as well. and no there is no more to my story I am sorry to say.

A dog ran in front of my cr in a 50 km n hour zone , I was doing 60 in a 6okm an hour zone , put on the breaks the van behind me swirved to the left lane and someone who was passing at 100 km an hour hit the van than went rolling. The van was smoking and upside down, I ran to help people out along with other people. I was not hit and did not hit anyone.

There wew 2 people injured in the van and I stayed with the kids.. the police took the 3 drivers to the station and we all went to jail that is what happens in Mexico when you are in an accident .
The implementation of the law has changed as of June 1 this year and now every one has to stay at the disposal of the ministerio publico for at lest 48 hours and up to 72 until they have a resolution called dictamen.

Your insurrance company cannot post bond until then. I have all insurrance required and legal aid and still had to remain in the cell for 2 days although I did not hit by anyone nor was hit by anyone..It is one of the reasons why there are so many hit and run in Mexico.

I know it is not credible to you therefore it did not happen....and could never happen to you but believe me it does happen here of course who would be stupid enough to be in an accident in Mexico.. Bury your head in the sand all you want , it is reality here.

The jails are filthy and will violate your rights in a second.. I could not reach my husband, signed a paper showing me my rights and when I was in jail I was told to gorget it.. hard to believe but it is reality here

People in the states are d protected and they do not even know it,,


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

DebInFL said:


> As far as learning Spanish, I do best with immersion. I have a Cuban friend here who is going to help me. I still have my HS Spanish books (46 years later - don't ask. LOL) and someone sent me a free digital course that is very good. I know the local dialect won't be pure Spanish, since there are actually over 100 languages and dialects in Mexico, but I look forward to learning more than my books can tell me.


I'd be leery of having your Cuban friend help you with speaking Spanish since Cuban pronunciation is quite different from Mexican pronunciation, much, much faster with careless pronunciation of the ends of words. Not sure what you mean by "pure Spanish". The "100 languages and dialects" you mention probably refer to indigenous languages, not usually spoken widely in any place you're going to end up, so I wouldn't worry about having to deal with them.


----------



## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

We who follow a very local forum in the area she lives have heard Citlali's story in great detail. She's telling the truth about the conditions for anyone who is jailed. It's a horror story, and I've heard similar stories from others here who have had the misfortune of being involved in an auto accident where there were any injuries. I've been both cautious and lucky, and haven't had the experience. Yet.

If you are hoping to escape corruption, I'm afraid you've picked the wrong destination. Jalisco state is one of the better ones on that score. It may be time to somewhat lower your expectations.

For learning Spanish, I recommend Visual Link Spanish. There is also "Duolingo", which is free.


----------



## lmontgom (Nov 16, 2016)

citlali said:


> " I, too, am leaving Florida because of cost (and corruption) and would like to live as you describe."
> 
> If you think Florida is corrupt , I am not sure you will like Mexico.. That sentence struck me as really funny, you are coming to Mexico to escape the corruption from Mexico?? You may want to reconsider your choicce of destination.


The difference is that I will not (may not, by law) be involved in politics in Mexico. I am familiar with Mexican corruption; I think it's less hypocritical than US political corruption. 

I am finished with politics. 

I have been going to Mexico for 60 years and shied away somewhat while the US drug market distorted Mexican (and other Latin American) life so much. 

I am more interested in birds and other aspects of nature, home-grown vegetables that aren't sprayed and fertilized, a simple life.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Cuban Spanish is way different from Mexican Spanish .. I wonder where you can find pure Spanish..ha ha.. Mexican Spanish incorporates quite a few Nahuatl words but if is prety pure Spanish.
Unless you live in an area heavily populated by indigenous you probably will not ever have to deal with indigenous languages. 

It can take efforts to understand Spanish from another Spanish speaking country so I sure would stay away from Cuban Spanish if I came to Mexico .
Just got back from 2 weeks in Peru and I could not believe ow many words I did not understand.. Ijkept asking what does this mean and this and that,, and I have zero problems here speaking or understanding all kinds of Spansih..
Learn Mexican Spanish if you are going to live in Mexico.


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

lmontgom said:


> The difference is that I will not (may not, by law) be involved in politics in Mexico. I am familiar with Mexican corruption; I think it's less hypocritical than US political corruption.
> 
> I am finished with politics.
> 
> ...


Florida is a very very big state. It is almost a small country. A person could find just about anything they are looking for in Florida - or NOT find something they were not looking for.


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

citlali said:


> You are sick of the BS in Florida??
> I just spent 2 days in jail after an accident was just told by the court that I really should not have gone there and that was the fault of the cop who was new..You have to sign a bunch of forms informing you of all your rights including to phone calls and of course being innocent until proven guilty. Tried to cal my husband several times and he did not answer so they took me to jail , took all my posessions . My room mate was in for assault there was a bunk bed of cement with no way to get to the upper level without climbing on the window sill and on up.. The place ws full of mosquitoes , you have to sleep on cement with a thin blanket .I ended up sleeping with the woman who had the flu so I go it as well.. The toilet was beyongd filthy with no toilet paper and no privacy. there was no water to wash hand. Your family or friends have to feed you or you get no food..
> You family has to get a 15mn permit to come and visit every time they come or they leave the food with the guards.
> When I got there I asked to make a phone call and they told me no phone call whule in jail..there was a phone booth in the courtyard but I had no money no card..
> ...


 Wow. I've never benefited from the _learning experience_ of two days in jail, but I've never been to Florida either. In my visits to Mexico though, especially when I was younger, less disciplined and sassier with cops (I might have been shot in L.A.), I had the cuffs slapped on a few times and was tossed into the back of a pickup truck for things like going through a stop sign that wasn't there. Every time it turned out to be their opening bid for a little _mordida_, of which they got, a reasonable amount. If they asked for too much, I always responded "Bueno, take me to jail, but there I'll just have to pay off the Capitán and you guys won't get anything" Never failed to lower their price. In Mexico, unless it's something fairly big; drugs, larger quantities of weed, DUI or running over a pedestrian; you'll probably end up paying a formal or informal fine rather than being jailed. Far as your vehicle being impounded, just watch where you park in any big city where municipal towtrucks are only 2 minutes behind the _cuico_ who tickets your car. That happened to me once in GDL. Spent 3 days in lines while the _burro_crats were playing ping-pong with me and figuring out where they put it.


----------



## lmontgom (Nov 16, 2016)

Gatos said:


> Florida is a very very big state. It is almost a small country. A person could find just about anything they are looking for in Florida - or NOT find something they were not looking for.


I have lived in Miami, Fort Lauderdal, Ormond Beach, Gainesville, Haines City, Steinhachee, Pensacola and Tallahassee.


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

lagoloo said:


> We who follow a very local forum in the area she lives have heard Citlali's story in great detail. She's telling the truth about the conditions for anyone who is jailed. It's a horror story, and I've heard similar stories from others here who have had the misfortune of being involved in an auto accident where there were any injuries. I've been both cautious and lucky, and haven't had the experience. Yet.
> 
> If you are hoping to escape corruption, I'm afraid you've picked the wrong destination. Jalisco state is one of the better ones on that score. It may be time to somewhat lower your expectations.
> 
> For learning Spanish, I recommend Visual Link Spanish. There is also "Duolingo", which is free.


After having a 'situation' in Guerro a few years back we keep a list of emergency phone numbers in the glove box (lawyers, notaries, well-connected Mexican friends).

Duolingo is good. As is Memrise (also free) - although it is heavy on Spanish from Spain not Mexico - but you can choose to ignore things you are not interested in and it will not go there again.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

citlali said:


> Debbie
> 
> I was married in Alabama and lived and worked in the states for 30 years so I have a pretty good idea of what goes on there, I have also lived for 16 years i Mexico, speak Spanish and I am a Mexican citizen so I have pretty good idea of what goes on here as well. and no there is no more to my story I am sorry to say.
> 
> ...


I don't know why you are attacking me. I appreciate the information, and never said it wasn't credible.

Things have changed considerably as to law and order in the states in the last 16 years. I don't even recognize this state anymore as the place I dreamed of living for 20 years of my life. I've been here over 20 years now, and I've had enough. They just passed a law here making it illegal to feed the homeless. A 90+ year old man was arrested for giving out sandwiches on the street and that was here, in a very liberal city. I can't imagine what it is going to be like for those of us who are already struggling. I'm terrified they are going to take my SS away, and that is half my income, so I really don't have a choice but to move to some place where I can support myself, not in great style but reaonably, on what I can earn. I don't want to be too very far away from my children, so Mexico it is.

I live a very quiet life, and don't bother anyone, and still, they are coming after my livelihood more every year. I haven't been able to afford health insurance since I lost my job in 2008, when I also lost everything I owned, including my house, car and savings (trying to save my house). If you have all those things, you are blessed. I don't, so I have to leave the country of my birth and go someplace where I can hopefully survive. 

Again, I'm sorry for your arrest. That must have been horrible, but please don't judge me. You have no idea the hell I've been through since I did nothing but get pushed out of my job so they could hire teenagers who would work part-time at a lower wage with no benefits. I've moved 7 times in 6 years. This is the first place I've been able to stay for more than a year, and if they cut my SS, I won't be able to afford this. 

It's easy to judge others from afar without knowing their story, but trust me, if 2 days in a Mexican jail with friends to support you throws you like this, you wouldn't have survived the last 5 years of my life. I almost didn't.

Let's not be enemies, o.k.?


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

lmontgom said:


> The difference is that I will not (may not, by law) be involved in politics in Mexico. I am familiar with Mexican corruption; I think it's less hypocritical than US political corruption.
> 
> I am finished with politics.
> 
> ...


Yes! I want to raise vegetables and tropical fruits and be in nature. That's all I need, and a semi-decent place to live.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> I'd be leery of having your Cuban friend help you with speaking Spanish since Cuban pronunciation is quite different from Mexican pronunciation, much, much faster with careless pronunciation of the ends of words. Not sure what you mean by "pure Spanish". The "100 languages and dialects" you mention probably refer to indigenous languages, not usually spoken widely in any place you're going to end up, so I wouldn't worry about having to deal with them.


Thank you.


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

lmontgom said:


> I have lived in Miami, Fort Lauderdal, Ormond Beach, Gainesville, Haines City, Steinhachee, Pensacola and Tallahassee.


That leaves the keys, Destin, St George Island, Apopka, Orlando, Melbourne, Jupiter Island, Fort Myers, Odessa, Naples, Sanibel/Captiva and many other places. Even to say you have lived in Fort Lauderdale - a person could live many different types of life within a half hour's drive of the Ft Lauderdale airport.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

lagoloo said:


> We who follow a very local forum in the area she lives have heard Citlali's story in great detail. She's telling the truth about the conditions for anyone who is jailed. It's a horror story, and I've heard similar stories from others here who have had the misfortune of being involved in an auto accident where there were any injuries. I've been both cautious and lucky, and haven't had the experience. Yet.
> 
> If you are hoping to escape corruption, I'm afraid you've picked the wrong destination. Jalisco state is one of the better ones on that score. It may be time to somewhat lower your expectations.
> 
> For learning Spanish, I recommend Visual Link Spanish. There is also "Duolingo", which is free.


I know about Mexican corruption. I'm not living in a glass bubble, but I don't think calling me names and denigrating me is helping anyone.

No, I haven't had to deal with it yet, but I'm sure I will, even if it's paying way too much for something I shouldn't have to, but I can deal with that. I haven't led a middle-class sheltered life. I've been in the lower echelons of income since I was born, but that doesn't make me stupid. In fact, I've had to develop survival skills that most wealthier people have not, so that actually makes me better equipped to handle what I run up against in Mexico or anywhere. Well, unless it's the drug cartels, but hopefully, I won't have to deal with them.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

Gatos said:


> Florida is a very very big state. It is almost a small country. A person could find just about anything they are looking for in Florida - or NOT find something they were not looking for.


Florida is changing rapidly as it is taken over more and more by the Tea Party Republicans. It is not friendly to anyone outside the top 10% anymore. The rules and regulations on property have gotten so strict, and the land so ridiculously high-priced that anyone who wants to live a simple, quiet life is unable to. My friend, who just moved out of FL, had 20 acres of land for 20 years, and last year, they forced her to either pay $25,000 to have an electric pole run from the main road or they would take her land from her. One town I lived in forced everyone on septic to tie into a new sewer system, which cost every one of them $5,000 each. It was a "good ole' boy" deal with the relative of the person who was building the sewer system, not because septic was in any way not as good.

This town has an ordinance that the homeless cannot sleep on any paved area. There was a small, unpaved area in the town square that had a few shrubs and mulch. Because the rich university supporters complained about the homeless in the plaza, they paved the entire thing at great expense to the city, but they can't afford to give money to the homeless shelters in the city. Again, nepotism at work, as it was a relative of a city official who paved the remaining parts of the plaza.

Florida has become a haven for the rich and hell for the poor. I hate it and can't wait to be out of it.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

Gatos said:


> That leaves the keys, Destin, St George Island, Apopka, Orlando, Melbourne, Jupiter Island, Fort Myers, Odessa, Naples, Sanibel/Captiva and many other places. Even to say you have lived in Fort Lauderdale - a person could live many different types of life within a half hour's drive of the Ft Lauderdale airport.


You obviously have not lived in FL since the Tea Party took over in 2010.


----------



## DebInFL (Dec 1, 2016)

I'm going to leave this thread now. I appreciate your help, but now I'm feeling very much attacked, so thanks and I'll come back if I have anymore questions.


----------



## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

DebInFL said:


> I know about Mexican corruption. I'm not living in a glass bubble, but I don't think calling me names and denigrating me is helping anyone.
> 
> No, I haven't had to deal with it yet, but I'm sure I will, even if it's paying way too much for something I shouldn't have to, but I can deal with that. I haven't led a middle-class sheltered life. I've been in the lower echelons of income since I was born, but that doesn't make me stupid. In fact, I've had to develop survival skills that most wealthier people have not, so that actually makes me better equipped to handle what I run up against in Mexico or anywhere. Well, unless it's the drug cartels, but hopefully, I won't have to deal with them.


Who called you names? I didn't read any of that. 
I think people are just being honest about the way things are in Mexico. No one is treating you as though you are stupid, either. You are unaware of the way things are in Mexico since you haven't lived here yet, but that is to be expected of anyone who hasn't. Many of us grew up in less than middle class circumstances, and many of us have experienced unfairness in treatment from government entities who have power over us. Relax. If anyone asks questions, they may get answers they aren't either expecting or are pleased with. However, you are welcome here. I love Mexico, warts and all, but I do see the warts.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

DebInFL said:


> I'm sorry for what happened to you, but I know that many, many people who live in Mexico have never been arrested. There has to be more to your story than you are telling.


I've lived in Mexico for over nine years and have never been arrested, but that doesn't mean that I think there is more to citlali's story than she posted here. Why did you say that in the first place?


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> I've lived in Mexico for over nine years and have never been arrested, but that doesn't mean that I think there is more to citlali's story than she posted here. Why did you say that in the first place?


But I don't think you drive your own car either ?? I'll bet that doubles the chances of getting arrested in Mexico - particularly if you are driving an out-of-state vehicle.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

DebInFL said:


> Florida is changing rapidly as it is taken over more and more by the Tea Party Republicans. It is not friendly to anyone outside the top 10% anymore. The rules and regulations on property have gotten so strict, and the land so ridiculously high-priced that anyone who wants to live a simple, quiet life is unable to. My friend, who just moved out of FL, had 20 acres of land for 20 years, and last year, they forced her to either pay $25,000 to have an electric pole run from the main road or they would take her land from her. One town I lived in forced everyone on septic to tie into a new sewer system, which cost every one of them $5,000 each. It was a "good ole' boy" deal with the relative of the person who was building the sewer system, not because septic was in any way not as good.
> 
> This town has an ordinance that the homeless cannot sleep on any paved area. There was a small, unpaved area in the town square that had a few shrubs and mulch. Because the rich university supporters complained about the homeless in the plaza, they paved the entire thing at great expense to the city, but they can't afford to give money to the homeless shelters in the city. Again, nepotism at work, as it was a relative of a city official who paved the remaining parts of the plaza.
> 
> Florida has become a haven for the rich and hell for the poor. I hate it and can't wait to be out of it.


This sounds awful! No wonder you want to move to Mexico. I just hope that the usual problems and cultural misunderstandings you will encounter here won't get in the way of your making a new life for yourself.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Gatos said:


> Duolingo is good. As is Memrise (also free) - although it is heavy on Spanish from Spain not Mexico - but you can choose to ignore things you are not interested in and it will not go there again.


I would avoid any language-learning programs that focus on Spanish from Spain, or you could end up using the "vosotros" verb forms, which will not make you any friends in Mexico.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Gatos said:


> But I don't think you drive your own car either ?? I'll bet that doubles the chances of getting arrested in Mexico - particularly if you are driving an out-of-state vehicle.


That's right. I haven't owned a car since 1970! I'm sure that has something to do with my blemish-free Mexican arrest record.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Every place is changing quickly and just about everywhere the rich are getting richer and the middle class poorer. The ones that have nothing get help in the States or Europe but many who used to be middle class are falling into poverty and that is happening everywhere.

In Mexico , in some place poverty can be extreme.. I help indigenous get help for their business such as they are and to be considered for many programs you have to be extremely poor by our standards. and then you may get 1000 pesos ever two months after you stand in line for ever..
You get to fill out 9 page forms who ask you if you have electricity how many light bubs do you have if you have dirt of cement floors, hown cracks in the roof, it is plastic lamina or tile, how many cracks in the walls.. if you have an iron you are excluded from the program, depending on how many days in a week you eat eggs or chicken or ther meats you may be excluded and so on.. 

Of course everyone lies but poverty here is way different from poverty in the states and life for the poor here is very difficult and people have way lower is very expectations. 

Sorry unless you brush with the corruption or poverty here you do not know how bad it can get.

I can assure you than poor people in Mexico do not go on forum asking about internet speed..

Mexico can be a wonderful place to live and it can be a horrible place to live just like Florida or Paris for that matter
Hopefully you can find the wonderful spot where you are looking for . Wishing you the best.


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

citlali said:


> I can assure you than poor people in Mexico do not go on forum asking about internet speed..


But you know - I have to smile when we go to (places like) IMSS and we see all these little 3 year olds whose hands are the size of my thumb and they are clicking away on their cell phones


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Yes I love the indigenous women with their beautiful clothes in San Cristobal drinking expresso while texting.. of course those are not the ones I was talking about..


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> That's right. I haven't owned a car since 1970! I'm sure that has something to do with my blemish-free Mexican arrest record.


Good for you. IMOH, Cd. Mx is a place where the need for a car is minimal. Only things you're missing out on are expense, stress and migraines. :dizzy:


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

perropedorro said:


> Good for you. IMOH, Cd. Mx is a place where the need for a car is minimal. Only things you're missing out on are expense, stress and migraines. :dizzy:


I've only had one car in my life, and I bought it to get to a new job. When I quit that job, I got rid of the car. Since then, I've always moved to places, in the US and elsewhere, where I could use public transportation to get around. The CDMX is like NYC (where I lived for over 13 years) in that no sane person living there wants to (or needs to) own and drive a car.


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

perropedorro said:


> Good for you. IMOH, Cd. Mx is a place where the need for a car is minimal. Only things you're missing out on are expense, stress and migraines. :dizzy:


When we visit DF (which is perhaps 8-10 times per year) we take the executive bus. I think it costs us $8 USD a piece (INAPAM). Then depending on our mood we either take a taxi or the metro to the Angel. I _always_ get all tangled up when I drive in the city.

Is it Christmas yet in Mexico City ? We would like to take a short trip in to see the lights.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Gatos said:


> When we visit DF (which is perhaps 8-10 times per year) we take the executive bus. I think it costs us $8 USD a piece (INAPAM). Then depending on our mood we either take a taxi or the metro to the Angel. I _always_ get all tangled up when I drive in the city.
> 
> Is it Christmas yet in Mexico City ? We would like to take a short trip in to see the lights.


The next time you're here, let me know and we can get together for coffee. It's always (well, usually ) fun to meet Forum friends in person.

I don't think the lights are up yet. I'll yet you know when they are. :tree:


----------



## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

perropedorro said:


> Good for you. IMOH, Cd. Mx is a place where the need for a car is minimal. Only things you're missing out on are expense, stress and migraines. :dizzy:


The only problem with public transportation is getting on and off the bus for those with back, knee or foot problems. Most of the time that little extra step isn't out at all.
Ouch.


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> The next time you're here, let me know and we can get together for coffee. It's always (well, usually ) fun to meet Forum friends in person.
> 
> I don't think the lights are up yet. I'll yet you know when they are. :tree:


Will do. Perhaps not the next time, but some time.

Round here - the neighbors who live here 7 days a week already have their houses all decked-out.

At some point TuriBus runs special holiday light routes...


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Gatos said:


> Will do. Perhaps not the next time, but some time.
> 
> Round here - the neighbors who live here 7 days a week already have their houses all decked-out.
> 
> At some point TuriBus runs special holiday light routes...


Some time would be nice.

Mexican neighbors?

I've never taken the TuriBus.


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

Isla Verde said:


> Some time would be nice.
> 
> Mexican neighbors?
> 
> I've never taken the TuriBus.


Yes - all of our 44 neighbors are Mexican families (well 43 excluding us). And some of the displays are rather elaborate. Many put up ornaments for several holidays throughout the year.

We've taken Turibus a few times now. Once to the piramdes/cathedral and a couple times just to sit up top and take tours of various circuits through the city. Perhaps a little touristy - but what the heck. You get a different view than from a taxi/metro/walking. (They also offer a 50% discount for INAPAM - normally). You can catch them right at the Angel.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Xmas celebrations start after the the Virgin de la Guadalupe..not before, one thing at a time and then the posadas will start..
44 neighbors? Who knows how many neighbors they have?? I would not know how many neighbors we have and frankly do not care either..


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

citlali said:


> Xmas celebrations start after the the Virgin de la Guadalupe..not before, one thing at a time and then the posadas will start..
> 44 neighbors? Who knows how many neighbors they have?? I would not know how many neighbors we have and frankly do not care either..


Hmm - in a bit of a sour mood are we ? We happen to live in a community with 44 properties. Does that bother you for some reason ?


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

No it does not bother me, just thought it was strange to announce how many neighbors you have..like if it made any difference. I live in a village and in a town..and I do not consider everyone in the barrio , the village or the town my neighbor..that ´s all..

There are few Christmas decorations up, lots for sale in the stores and on the side of the road but I have not noticed many houses with Christmas decorations.. Soon the altars with hte virgins will go up because that is the next holiday not Christmas.


----------



## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

citlali said:


> No it does not bother me, just thought it was strange to announce how many neighbors you have..like if it made any difference. I live in a village and in a town..and I do not consider everyone in the barrio , the village or the town my neighbor..that ´s all..
> 
> There are few Christmas decorations up, lots for sale in the stores and on the side of the road but I have not noticed many houses with Christmas decorations.. Soon the altars with hte virgins will go up because that is the next holiday not Christmas.


Well apparently things work a little differently where we live and where you live - not surprising. 

(I think it is the stress from being incarcerated - you and your husband should take a weekend trip somewhere pleasant).


----------



## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

It's hard to take a trip if your car has been impounded and isn't out yet. Is it back in your possession yet, Citlali? Hope so.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Thank you for the suggestion but I am speaking at a conference on Monday in Guadalajara so I am not free to leave anytime I feel like it..
Yes not easy to leave when I am still at the mercy of the car and the MP where I have to appear on Wednesday..

Gatos..If I really want to relax I do not go with my husband I go my lover ..Someone has to watch the pets.


----------



## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

We get ice at a tienda de abarrotes, when we head home from shopping. We carry ice chests in our van for contingencies.


----------



## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

*Where's there's hope, there's Internet*



Isla Verde said:


> Another problem with a small fishing village is that it may not have easy access to the broadband internet connection you need for your work.


We live in an out of the way rural area, but we have had Internet since Day One, 11 years ago. It's done with microwave antennas. Just don't expect high speed connections. But now, after an equipment upgrade, we can watch streaming videos.


----------



## Orfin (Sep 26, 2016)

You can be on a beach in a small town or inland in the cooler climate at altitude. With $1400 a month and a tolerance for the mexican way of life, you will be very well off. You can get a dirt cheap rental place and clean it up, fix it up and add furnishings. You can fit it with AC, wifi, cable tv and whatever. Carve out a niche in any area. 
Mexico city has cheap options and thats the yard stick to go by in determining if you can afford anywhere else(If you can afford New york city, few places in the rest if the country will be out of your range). 
$1400 a month will afford any town or city in Mexico and do it well for a simple person. The real question is what part of town can you afford. 
Best time to find a rental in beach or vacation towns is in the off season when vacancies mount up and bring prices down and choices up. Usually when it is too hot.
Desert beach areas around mazatlan and northhward will have less bug pestering. Once you get to the well forested area, it is standard tropical fare with daily itchy bug bites and all ,except less in bigger towns or cities. 
Puerto vallarta area is nice and you can find small beach towns all the way up to San Blas or all the way down to Manzanillo and still be a short day trip away from a significant city for major shopping outlets or other things.
Closer to SanBlas is Tepic city with some mountain coolness to offer and still cheap. Closer to Sayulita is puerto vallarta but sayulita is turned to a ****** playground that gets overcrowded at the best times. But there are other small coastal towns all along the way.
$1400? I could get a place right now in a beach town for $300 max. Buy a new AC for $200, buy a small washing machine for $130, instal home wifi for $50 + installation cost and spend $200 for home cooking and drinks. Maybe $35 for high end hygeine and cleaning supplies. I am still under $1000 with all i listed.
The extra $400 can buy furniture if needed and fix the place up if you got a dump for $150 a month(then you would have $550 left to fix and furnish it). 
The first month $1400 to go all out and then the next month you will not be able to easily spend more than $700 a month or less(based on your simplistic style).
I am not researching this or making it up. I did this, am doing it now and my duena has some unrented dumps that need work but are good places waiting to happen. Probably move you in for $100 and let you do the rehab(easy for a rustic studio) . Maybe not your style but i had to mention the extent of options. I do rental and fixer upper work back in USA. Move into my rental to fix it up and then move out when done and in shape to rent. 

Your issues to watch will be loud music joints nearby(my windows rattling right now from across the street- party in a small town)during holiday season, also climate at worst times and bugs. I watch out for pollution myself and love ocean side small town air but still run a hepa filter here. 
****** havens will always get you unless you are rich, invested in them or want to be in mexico but apart from the mexican's mexico. 
I remain invested in USA and enjoy mexico so far(partime as winter escape). I am simple and became a very small town person after 10 years living in a very small beach town in USA. 

$1400 a month is plenty and huge in most mexico places. At today's exchange rate, you can pay daily hotel bills all month long ($25 a night) eat out and have wifi at the hotel. This means you can wander to several towns a month or a new town every month.
The best way to know for sure where you want to be. $1400 a month will do that and maybe an extra $500 savings padding for if you decide to pay transport cost every few days or end up in an unexpected higher priced hotel if vacancy issues in cheap places. I even stayed 3 days in a Mazatlan beach side area hotel with a full ensuite kitchen and dinning~ $23 a night and a fine hotel i must say. Wifi and all. So even- supposedly expensive resort cities like Puerto vallarta can be comfortably affordable with $1400 a month. 

Even with exceeding the minimum income required for expat residency. I find mexico appealing enough to not even feel the need to live a lifestyle requiring half the required amount. People who spend more are most often trying to sustain the American dream but in Mexico. I guess its easy to spend more by keeping up a car and good medical coverage(older or sensitive people find it a must have and not a luxury). 
I brought my own car and still don't need more than $700 with gas money included. I hardly drive. Twice a week at most and one of the drives is barely a mile long to buy bulky items i cannot carry and keep the car battery up, unless i get bored and drive 2 miles(across the small town twice *haha). The other trip is to the city and some weeks i don't even go there. Any major car work could put me closer to $1400 but only for that month. $700 in car work can get you a lot done here. 

Any way, the point is clear. Any stories on the forum leaving room for you to doubt how well off you will be here as a simple person with $1400 and tolerance for the mexican's mexico, are not filling you in on enough details. Same in USA, some people never had to live on $1400 a month and think it can't be done. I have done it there. I have also done $650 a month in Mexico with AC that i had to bring for myself. Some people have never done that in Mexico or looked at hotels that were not best-westerns or international resort brochure bookings. Some go straight to gated communities to be sterilized from the mexican's mexico and stay relatively oblivious to what it's really like.
There are wealthy americans living in small towns where there are no gated communites or resorts and they appear on the streets like an average person except they have a huge house and land and all kinds of stuff back home.
I was in Sayulita running around in year 2000 and a young US multimillionaire just running around among us and the rest of the town- even up to the really rustic huichol hill camps with dirt floors. No one would know by looking except those he just handed tens of thousands of dollars to in random gestures. He even got publicly slapped by an old mexican lady once and took it no different than her son would or should.
Anyway, you decide what mexico you live in by what type of person you are and not what $ you have. Some have tons of $ and are miserable fugitives. Some come because it's cheaper to be drunk and on drugs. Adventure or just not being outpriced in a bid to live a simple life. No matter where i live, i try to save more than i spend on day to day living. So if it's about being cheap, i do that every where and have lived in several countries that way, each for a year or longer.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I have a friend in San Cristobal who rents a small 2 bed one bath, a little yard storage at the back for 90 dollars a month . The kitchen has one sink no stove and no fridge and the place is unfurnished but you can live pretty cheap once you fix it up a little..It is not a bad place..


----------



## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

That was a great contribution, Orfin! Thank you!


----------



## Lawgrrl (Apr 24, 2015)

DebInFL, welcome! Let me suggest "Destinos" as a way to brush up on your Spanish AND to recognize different accents. It is a "telenovela" (soap opera) developed by the University of Illinois. Search for "destinos," watch the videos and try the interactive quizzes. Fun, and FREE!
And keep up the notebook - My binder was grafted to me when we moved from Oregon to British Columbia! I'll need another to move to Mexico (maybe soon).


----------

