# Tired of Lake Chapala - Where to Next?



## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

A thread has been cooking on one of the Lake Chapala forums posing this question and I have found the inquiry intriguing but, while the question posed has drawn some interesting responses, the Chapala forums are, nevertheless, a bit parochial in outlook with a limited audience so I thought it would be fun to pose the question here as well as this board has a wider readership with participants with more varied geographic and social backgrounds.

The basic question is, presuming the inquirer has tired of living in the North Lake Chapala community with its large expat community and wishes to move to another Mexican community with different characteristics less overwhelmed by such a large foreign influence tilted toward U.S. and Canadian retirees, where would readers suggest the inquirer move within Mexico. 

Lots of suggestions have been brought forward by members of the two Chapala forums but the suggestions seem mostly to have arisen from romantic notions of what characteristics may be exhibited by far-flung and romantically perceived places beyond a simple bus ride distant and cloaked in mystery to some degree.

The Lake Chapala expat retirement community centered in the Chapala and Jocotepec municipalities does become a bit tiresome after a while and I can understand the itch to ge the hell out of there which is why we moved to Chiapas much of each year but that solution does not suit everyone.

Whereever the reader may be, if a choice came up for a change of environment within a reasonable cost range, what place within Mexico would seem a pleasant alternative environment in which to set down roots?

We, a few years ago, in a serious need to get away from the dreaded Lake Chapala expat colony, looked about in places from Guadalajara to Mérida to Oaxaca City to Curenavaca to San Luis Potosí to Playa Del Carmen to Bacalar and finally settled on a second home at San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the Chiapas Highlands but that was just our choice and it ain´t for everyone.

Please entertain us with your ideas.


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## izzenhood (Jun 8, 2013)

Guanajuato!

My experience in Mx is limited, although I have been to Ajijic twice, Zoco, Zacatecas, San Miguel de Allende. 

Guanajuato is the only place that I want to go back to.

You hear the question: "Could you live there"?

When I visited in 2006 I was 55 and would have said no, but now I probably could.

It would be hard to give up outdoor adventure of Colorado, but I would.

But be warned. Guanajuato is a steep mountain town; nothing flat. Don't visit with a car. Period. Unless you are a walker/hiker, you will not like it.

Good luck in your search.


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## Anonimo (Apr 8, 2012)

I often muse that I would like to spend about 6 months living in one of the mellower colonias of Mexico City. Colonia Roma, Del Valle, Escandon, for example. This is an untested concept, as we have never spent more than 2 weeks at a time in el DF. Of course, we would do it without a private vehicle. We would also need a significant subsidy of dinero to meet the greater expenses.

Mexico City is the polar opposite of the tranquil, rural Michoacán rancho in which we have lived now for 7 years. A change of scene is stimulating, but too much stimulus could be negative.

For sure, our dining out expenditures would increase.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

We live in a city of 1.4 million. It is very modern and has everything. The weather is good 10 months of the year. Jan. and Feb. it gets darn cold at night, but during the day, most days at least, it is OK.

I would prefer a place that is more of a cosmopolitan city here if would could have another place to go for a few months like DF or Guadalajara and have a small apartment there.

As it stands when my wife retires in a couple of years we will be going to San Diego instead.

If that doesn't last we will look at DF first.

Going to a small place is not on our list.

Going to Puerto Vallarta on New Years for the last 3 years is OK because we have a snowbird couple´s place to stay there and spend most of the time in restaurants with them and driving around the area. Of course the pool and naps daily at the condo are nice.


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## conorkilleen (Apr 28, 2010)

anywhere on the coast of Oaxaca.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Interesting comments. Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí were places we considered briefly back in 2006 when we had determined that happiness was Chapala in the rear view mirror. Guanajuato is one attractive town with many great urban amenities but the topography of the place is challenging to say the least and the city´s location in a canyon with many steep and winding streets is a characteristic we found daunting as retirees approaching our 70s. We lived for a long time on a steep hill in San Francisco, a city noted for its hills, and we know how that characteristic can provide beautiful views but makes getting about difficult, especially when parking opportunities are limited. 

San Luis Potosí has what I consider to be a very attractive historic center with many pedestrian friendly streets and the city is relatively flat but, as noted above, the high desert climate can be a bit bracing. San Luis Potosí State is an interesting place certainly worth a visit for those of you who have not been there.

Like Conorkilleen, we are big fans of the Oaxaca Coast all the way from the Chiapas State line to Guerrero and also like that Guerrero Coast from the Oaxaca State line to Acapulco much of which is known as the Costa Chica, a region with a unique population of people with mixed African and American indigenous heritage after many African slaves migrated there after escaping the slave ships in Veracruz. A fascinating, isolated place worth a visit if you have the time.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

This discussion, if seriously intended, belongs on the other web forum.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Just out of simple curiosity, which other web forum suits the subject better? I started it here because the subject was raised on a Chapala webboard with a very narrow demographic profile and I thought the subject regarding readers´personal experiences in different parts of Mexico was more appropriate to a wider audience experienced in living in other parts of the country and what better forum than one entitled "Expats in Mexico". 

I initiated the thread as a light amusement but also thought some might find the comments enlightening. I guess my insatiable curiosity about places I have yet to visit is not shared by all. Let´s just drop the subject. It is not important.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Hound Dog said:


> Just out of simple curiosity, which other web forum suits the subject better? I started it here because the subject was raised on a Chapala webboard with a very narrow demographic profile and I thought the subject regarding readers´personal experiences in different parts of Mexico was more appropriate to a wider audience experienced in living in other parts of the country and what better forum than one entitled "Expats in Mexico".
> 
> I initiated the thread as a light amusement but also thought some might find the comments enlightening. I guess my insatiable curiosity about places I have yet to visit is not shared by all. Let´s just drop the subject. It is not important.


 Hound Dog, your insatiable curiosity is one of the reasons why your posts are a welcome addition to the Mexico Forum. And armed with my recently-granted MOD POWERS, I can assure you that this thread is right where it belongs!


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

_


Isla Verde said:



Hound Dog, your insatiable curiosity is one of the reasons why your posts are a welcome addition to the Mexico Forum. And armed with my recently-granted MOD POWERS, I can assure you that this thread is right where it belongs!

Click to expand...

_Thank you Isla; I think my heading title was a bit misleading as I was trying to stimulate a conversation on the assets and liabilities of different places one might choose to live in Mexico. Sorry for the poorly worded heading.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

Longford said:


> This discussion, if seriously intended, belongs on the other web forum.


Maybe the man from Chicago meant it should have been placed on La Chatarreria.

I was going to say living in Antigua, Guatemala would be a great alternative to Lake Chapala but then I saw you mentioned in your opening post - another place in Mexico, and I know how people like to point out imperfections in others and did not want that!!!! Even though my wife and I are considering the school year in the distrito federal and school vacations in Antigua....


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## izzenhood (Jun 8, 2013)

I'm glad to see that this thread will be continued

In my post above I suggested Guanajuato as a possible choice as a place to settle.
Since climate is one of the biggest considerations for me I thought I should qualify my recommendation. I visited Guanajuato in January, which for me was a perfect year-round climate.
40-50f at night and maybe up to 70 during the day. I probably wouldn't care for it as much in the summer, although the city as a whole was very appealing to me.

I'm curious. Are there locales in Mexico that have pleasant temperature year round?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

izzenhood said:


> I'm glad to see that this thread will be continued
> 
> In my post above I suggested Guanajuato as a possible choice as a place to settle.
> Since climate is one of the biggest considerations for me I thought I should qualify my recommendation. I visited Guanajuato in January, which for me was a perfect year-round climate.
> ...


That's asking for a lot, depending on what you consider pleasant temperatures to be.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

Here ar some ideas on highland urban areasn in whitch to settle with splendid climates including impossasible to believe days of continuous sunshine and fine urban ambience:
Guadalajara
Oaxaca City
Morelia 
Cuernavaca
Puebla
Mexico City
Comitan

Fine places, Good times,


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Isla Verde said:


> Hound Dog, your insatiable curiosity is one of the reasons why your posts are a welcome addition to the Mexico Forum. And armed with my recently-granted MOD POWERS, I can assure you that this thread is right where it belongs!


The commentary by Hound Dog is about a forum other than this one. That was what I was refering to. Those comments belong there, on that forum, not here, IMO. As for the moderation here ... we're prohibited from commenting on that. Well, except if you're a moderator. ;-)


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## izzenhood (Jun 8, 2013)

Thanks Hound Dog. Hopefully I'll get a chance to visit some of those cities.

The January climate in Guanajuato is similar to the summer climate in Silverton, Colorado, which is where I spend a lot of time. I've heard that Real De Catorce is pleasant, but too far north. There are probably small mountain villages with cooler summer climates.

Good luck in your quest.


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

izzenhood said:


> I
> In my post above I suggested Guanajuato as a possible choice as a place to settle.
> Since climate is one of the biggest considerations for me I thought I should qualify my recommendation. I visited Guanajuato in January, which for me was a perfect year-round climate.
> 40-50f at night and maybe up to 70 during the day. I probably wouldn't care for it as much in the summer, although the city as a whole was very appealing to me.
> ...


Why do you think you might not care for it in summer – are you expecting it to be too hot? Summer isn’t the hottest season in central Mexico because it’s the rainy season. Hot weather reaches a peak around May, and then the rain and clouds moderate the temperature, making the rest of spring and all summer pleasant.

The place with the reputation of the closest to ideal temperatures is Cuernavaca – one of its nicknames is the place of eternal spring – but it _is_ mostly somewhat warmer than Guanajuato in winter.


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## mexikatz (Mar 16, 2013)

Guategringo said:


> Maybe the man from Chicago meant it should have been placed on La Chatarreria.
> 
> I was going to say living in Antigua, Guatemala would be a great alternative to Lake Chapala but then I saw you mentioned in your opening post - another place in Mexico, and I know how people like to point out imperfections in others and did not want that!!!! Even though my wife and I are considering the school year in the distrito federal and school vacations in Antigua....


I spent quite a bit of time in Guatemala in the late 70's early 80's. At the time there were armed soldiers on the roof tops in the city and they used the airport runways for marching exercises. The US had just closed its wallet.

At that time I believe there were 2 Antiguas. One Antigua actually had mummified bodies along the street from a volcanic eruption. Tepoztlan near Cuernavaca reminds me a lot of that town.

When I was living in Guatemala there was a very large lake, either Atitlan or Amatilan (sorry), way up in the mountains that had a very large expat community. That lake was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. At the time it was maybe a little remote.


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

_


mexikatz said:



I spent quite a bit of time in Guatemala in the late 70's early 80's. At the time there were armed soldiers on the roof tops in the city and they used the airport runways for marching exercises. The US had just closed its wallet.

At that time I believe there were 2 Antiguas. One Antigua actually had mummified bodies along the street from a volcanic eruption. Tepoztlan near Cuernavaca reminds me a lot of that town.

When I was living in Guatemala there was a very large lake, either Atitlan or Amatilan (sorry), way up in the mountains that had a very large expat community. That lake was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. At the time it was maybe a little remote.

Click to expand...

_The only Antigua I know of in Guatemala is close to Guatemala City and a very attractive community with a fine, sunny and mild climate at a good altitude. It was the national capital for a long time until one too many destructive earthquakes forced Guatemaltecos to move the capital to Guatemala City. A most pleasant town but a bit small and, I think, a bit too many extranjero retirees for the size of the place. I do not mean to put down extranjero retirees but when they overwhelm a community with their numbers no matter where they are from, they change its character whether for better or worse. That´s one reason we decided to get the hell out of Ajijic for a few months every year. 

As for climate, if one is fond of mild temperatures and mostly sunlit days. the Latin American highlands can´t be beat in the Americas from Mexico to Columbia and other such places approaching the equator but one must always be aware of other climatalogical factors when choosing a place to live in retirement. For instance, both Lake Chapala and Guadalajara are, at about 5,000 feet, blessed with fine climates and the same can be said of San Cristóbal de Las Casas at about 7,000 feet but the Chiapas Highlands are more effected by moist air from the Gulf of Mexico which results in more ovrecast, high fog and chilly weather.

One must be cautious about where one choses to live. If one wants assurance that one has chosen a great spot for human comfort , then I would choose one of these places: in Mexico:
Lake Chapala
Cuernavaca 
Guadalajara
Puebla
Morelia and environs
Oaxaca City
Queretaro
San Miguel de Allende
Guanajuato
Comitan

And a few more but, what the hell, pick your own place.


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## Guategringo (Nov 9, 2012)

mexikatz said:


> I spent quite a bit of time in Guatemala in the late 70's early 80's. At the time there were armed soldiers on the roof tops in the city and they used the airport runways for marching exercises. The US had just closed its wallet.
> 
> At that time I believe there were 2 Antiguas. One Antigua actually had mummified bodies along the street from a volcanic eruption. Tepoztlan near Cuernavaca reminds me a lot of that town.
> 
> When I was living in Guatemala there was a very large lake, either Atitlan or Amatilan (sorry), way up in the mountains that had a very large expat community. That lake was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. At the time it was maybe a little remote.


As Dawg mentioned before Antigua is a pleasant town about 30kms from Guatemala City. Antigua was the capital of the country once where Ciudad Vieja now stands but an eruption from Volcan Agua flooded the town and they moved it to current down Antigua until a few years later when another eruption and earthquakes forced them to move it to the Ermita Valley where it currently is in Guatemala City. 

Lake Amatitlan is about a 30 minute drive from Guatemala City and used to be a weekend getaway for the rich, but the entire lake is contaminated. Lake Atitlan is about a two hour drive from Guatemala City in the western highlands surrounded by three volcanoes and once called by the British writer Aldous Huxley, the most beautiful high mountain lake in the world. NO LONGER though, as it too has had problems recently with algae and other things, although its is still beautiful and has the mystical folklore of xocomil, the winds that come up every afternoon that turn the lake to white caps. 

Antigua has many expats but still no where the amount of some destinations in Mexico. I would say between 2,000 and 2,500 in all but no more. BUT a great combination for a small town feel between October and Januaryand then D.F. from February to September.


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## mexikatz (Mar 16, 2013)

Guategringo said:


> As Dawg mentioned before Antigua is a pleasant town about 30kms from Guatemala City. Antigua was the capital of the country once where Ciudad Vieja now stands but an eruption from Volcan Agua flooded the town and they moved it to current down Antigua until a few years later when another eruption and earthquakes forced them to move it to the Ermita Valley where it currently is in Guatemala City.
> 
> Lake Amatitlan is about a 30 minute drive from Guatemala City and used to be a weekend getaway for the rich, but the entire lake is contaminated. Lake Atitlan is about a two hour drive from Guatemala City in the western highlands surrounded by three volcanoes and once called by the British writer Aldous Huxley, the most beautiful high mountain lake in the world. NO LONGER though, as it too has had problems recently with algae and other things, although its is still beautiful and has the mystical folklore of xocomil, the winds that come up every afternoon that turn the lake to white caps.
> 
> Antigua has many expats but still no where the amount of some destinations in Mexico. I would say between 2,000 and 2,500 in all but no more. BUT a great combination for a small town feel between October and Januaryand then D.F. from February to September.


So then my recollection of an 'old' and a 'new' Antigua is correct.

It is a shame about Atitlan. It truely was awesome. I remember driving and driving for a long time and coming up over a ridge looking down at this beautiful lake. It wasn't so much an expat enclave as a 'hippie'  enclave.


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## bynx1976 (Nov 29, 2010)

AlanMexicali said:


> We live in a city of 1.4 million. It is very modern and has everything. The weather is good 10 months of the year. Jan. and Feb. it gets darn cold at night, but during the day, most days at least, it is OK.
> 
> I would prefer a place that is more of a cosmopolitan city here if would could have another place to go for a few months like DF or Guadalajara and have a small apartment there.
> 
> ...


Interesting conversation starter, thank you Hound Dog. As an ex-pat Canadian who spent more than 2 months travelling and touring with a holiday trailer in Mexico on what I thought was going to be a move to Belize, I discovered many very beautiful and interesting locations I plan to return to eventually. But I am surprised that there is hardly ever a mention of Chetumal. I have been living here for the past 2 1/2 years now and couldn't be happier. As the capital city of Q, Roo. there is little I could want for. Good museums, major zoo, shopping and close proximity to free zone, Bacalar Lagoon and several archeological sites, Cost of living is very reasonable(rent for a new 2 bedroom house on 3 fenced lots including utilities, sat. T.V. & internet- $354.00/mth) As for crime rate I have never had a problem and can definitley say my neighbors look out for me even though I am the only non Mexican in the community. As it is close to Belize language has never been an issue though they appreciate my feable attempts at speaking espanol


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## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

[_QUOTE=Longford;1198598]The commentary by Hound Dog is about a forum other than this one. That was what I was refering to. Those comments belong there, on that forum, not here, IMO. As for the moderation here ... we're prohibited from commenting on that. Well, except if you're a moderator. ;-)[/QUOTE]_

I understand your comment Longford. I endeavored to bring the discussion here from a Lake Chapala forum where the subject was brought up because I wanted to hear from a wider audience since most of the readers and contributors to the Chapala English language forums are older folks (as am I )sort of set in our ways and used to living in an expat colony characterized largely by insular enclaves of foreigners mostlly from the U.S. and Canada, a large number of whom speak little or no Spanish That description of the English speaking expat colony at Lake Chapala is not meant as a criticism since I am one of those old goobers myself to some degree, just to explain my reasoning for trying to move the discussion here as well.

Lake Chapala is a great place to live with a splendid year around springlike climate but living here all the time can be a trial. After we bought a home in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas and lived down there for a while we decided we could not leave the shores of Lake Chapala for good for several reasons so we spend winters in Chiapas and summers at the Lake. Beats living in Detroit. Life is full of trade-offs.


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## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

bynx1976 said:


> Interesting conversation starter, thank you Hound Dog. As an ex-pat Canadian who spent more than 2 months travelling and touring with a holiday trailer in Mexico on what I thought was going to be a move to Belize, I discovered many very beautiful and interesting locations I plan to return to eventually. But I am surprised that there is hardly ever a mention of Chetumal. I have been living here for the past 2 1/2 years now and couldn't be happier. As the capital city of Q, Roo. there is little I could want for. Good museums, major zoo, shopping and close proximity to free zone, Bacalar Lagoon and several archeological sites, Cost of living is very reasonable(rent for a new 2 bedroom house on 3 fenced lots including utilities, sat. T.V. & internet- $354.00/mth) As for crime rate I have never had a problem and can definitley say my neighbors look out for me even though I am the only non Mexican in the community. As it is close to Belize language has never been an issue though they appreciate my feable attempts at speaking espanol


I've read in the tourist zones of Cancun, Playa del Carmen, etc that English speaking Mexicans are common. Safe to say that about Chetumal due, as you said, to proximity to Belize? My fiancée loves beaches but hates heat+humidity. I agree, having grown up in Florida and she in New Orleans. But sounds like a reasonable tradeoff there.


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