# Care to follow me ??



## 1happykamper (Nov 5, 2012)

So mañana I leave PHX airport..flight to Mazatlan and then a bus to Puerto Vallarta..one week in each city. Leave from Mazatlan.

My intention is to observe..look, listen and feel. I am trying to couch surf in Puerto Vallarta...no takers yet . These cities, like Valle de Bravo, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuoto are on my short list of places to look at with a view to living there.

If you have any particular observation that you would like me to convey to you...like the price of pea soup, or the availability of sushi...I will do my best to help us all 

Onwards...


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## edgeee (Jun 21, 2012)

Go for it.
I would love to take that trip with you, but i'll settle for what i can get.
I will gladly read any musings you want to share.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

edgeee said:


> Go for it.
> I would love to take that trip with you, but i'll settle for what i can get.
> I will gladly read any musings you want to share.


I'm all in for musings! I'm not and really never was a beach person and really hate the heat and humidity.
I'm pretty familiar with SMA & Guanajuato but if you get something on Valle de Bravo, it would be really interesting. It looks great and is called the Switzerland of Mexico but other than that as well as that it is a big DF getaway, I know very little.


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## 1happykamper (Nov 5, 2012)

conklinwh said:


> I'm all in for musings! I'm not and really never was a beach person and really hate the heat and humidity.
> I'm pretty familiar with SMA & Guanajuato but if you get something on Valle de Bravo, it would be really interesting. It looks great and is called the Switzerland of Mexico but other than that as well as that it is a big DF getaway, I know very little.


Holo! From the melicon in Mazatlan. Immigration was....interesting...it took 4 officers to figure out what to do with me and the temporary resident visa attached to my passport. Finally they let me in...with instructions to report to the local immigration office in the next three days all else. I THINK they were being conservative in this action...since I believe the law is 30 days, to get my actual Resident Card, from the day of entry. 

The taxi ride was a whopping 340 pesos...expensive!! Initial impressions are that I am in Mexico...  ...comparing it to other cities I have visited in this country. I'm always impressed with the children's school uniforms... Perhaps dirt poor and yet dress nice. 

Stay tuned..unless I'm boring the heck out of you...


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

1happykamper said:


> Holo! From the melicon in Mazatlan. Immigration was....interesting...it took 4 officers to figure out what to do with me and the temporary resident visa attached to my passport. Finally they let me in...with instructions to report to the local immigration office in the next three days all else. I THINK they were being conservative in this action...since I believe the law is 30 days, to get my actual Resident Card, from the day of entry.
> 
> The taxi ride was a whopping 340 pesos...expensive!! Initial impressions are that I am in Mexico...  ...comparing it to other cities I have visited in this country. I'm always impressed with the children's school uniforms... Perhaps dirt poor and yet dress nice.
> 
> Stay tuned..unless I'm boring the heck out of you...


No, 1st impressions are good. Expect that you mean Malecon.


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## 1happykamper (Nov 5, 2012)

conklinwh said:


> I'm all in for musings! I'm not and really never was a beach person and really hate the heat and humidity.
> I'm pretty familiar with SMA & Guanajuato but if you get something on Valle de Bravo, it would be really interesting. It looks great and is called the Switzerland of Mexico but other than that as well as that it is a big DF getaway, I know very little.


Actually my gut tells me I will like the State where you live much better. Most, or all?, of the places that I have lived on the coast..California...seem to attract a more casual bunch..no offense to readers of the coast..any coast...but generally it's not my cuppa tea. Oftentimes is way too casual, attracts party types...again..I'm not a big partier...so no no judgement here  ... And like you said...it can get bloody hot in these places. One thing I loved about Tucson is the DRY 110 degree heat! Seriously...even in that heat...add a slight breeze...plus shade...and it's quite comfy cozy. There is NO escaping humidity...even after being here 10.7 minutes the clothes in my luggage were twice as heavy as when I left Tucson...actually being the nerdy engineer type that I am, that would be a curiosity for me... A cup of water in weight added to my luggage? 

I must be here thought to at east explore and say "no" ..if that is indeed my thoughts. OK, back to my marlin stew at the Shrimp Bucket. VERY good soup/stew!


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

1happykamper said:


> Holo! From the melicon in Mazatlan. Immigration was....interesting...it took 4 officers to figure out what to do with me and the temporary resident visa attached to my passport. Finally they let me in...with instructions to report to the local immigration office in the next three days all else. I THINK they were being conservative in this action...since I believe the law is 30 days, to get my actual Resident Card, from the day of entry.
> 
> The taxi ride was a whopping 340 pesos...expensive!! Initial impressions are that I am in Mexico...  ...comparing it to other cities I have visited in this country. I'm always impressed with the children's school uniforms... Perhaps dirt poor and yet dress nice.
> 
> Stay tuned..unless I'm boring the heck out of you...


Hee on the school uniforms.

I once had a little boy in his uniform, carrying a backpack, try begging in what then passed as downtown Tulum. 

I gave him the mom look, asked (in English) if his mother knew what he was doing. Either his English was good enough, or the look and the tone of the question were translated, and he walked away.


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## quarfelburg (Dec 4, 2012)

Send me a message if you come to Valle and I'll be happy to show you around!


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

1happykamper said:


> Actually my gut tells me I will like the State where you live much better. Most, or all?, of the places that I have lived on the coast..California...seem to attract a more casual bunch..no offense to readers of the coast..any coast...but generally it's not my cuppa tea. Oftentimes is way too casual, attracts party types...again..I'm not a big partier...so no no judgement here  ... And like you said...it can get bloody hot in these places. One thing I loved about Tucson is the DRY 110 degree heat! Seriously...even in that heat...add a slight breeze...plus shade...and it's quite comfy cozy. There is NO escaping humidity...even after being here 10.7 minutes the clothes in my luggage were twice as heavy as when I left Tucson...actually being the nerdy engineer type that I am, that would be a curiosity for me... A cup of water in weight added to my luggage?
> 
> I must be here thought to at east explore and say "no" ..if that is indeed my thoughts. OK, back to my marlin stew at the Shrimp Bucket. VERY good soup/stew!


I agree about 110 in the dry heat and shade with a slight breeze is not at all hard to take as some people might not agree. Sweating in the desert actually evaporates so fast coming off your body it leaves you with a cooling effect. In Mexicali the afternoon humidity in the summer is usually between 11 and 16% the one thing novices don´t realize is you lose moisture when breathing also and sodium when sweating constantly even when in air conditioning at 11 to 16% humidity and lots of water and salt keep you sweating and feeeling cooler. I keep my house at about 83 degrees and use fans and go outside very often even if it is for only 15 minutes. This adaption to the long summers has made Mexicali a very enjoyable place to live all months of the year.

Here 90 miles from where Queretaro state begins is a whole different climate and has many oddities. One being the sun up here at 6000 ft. is hotter to be in than at the coast or Calif. desert. When I am out walking this time of year I go on the sunny side of the street to warm up and when in the shade it is noticably cool even when it "feels" quite warm in the sun. A sweater or light jacket is needed. The nighttime temps vary so much it can be cool and even a bit cold from one night to the next here, even in the summer months, except May or June when it usually is hot. Alan


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## jasavak (Nov 22, 2011)

AlanMexicali said:


> I agree about 110 in the dry heat and shade with a slight breeze is not at all hard to take as some people might not agree. Sweating in the desert actually evaporates so fast coming off your body it leaves you with a cooling effect. In Mexicali the afternoon humidity in the summer is usually between 11 and 16% the one thing novices don´t realize is you lose moisture when breathing also and sodium when sweating constantly even when in air conditioning at 11 to 16% humidity and lots of water and salt keep you sweating and feeeling cooler. I keep my house at about 83 degrees and use fans and go outside very often even if it is for only 15 minutes. This adaption to the long summers has made Mexicali a very enjoyable place to live all months of the year.
> 
> Here 90 miles from where Queretaro state begins is a whole different climate and has many oddities. One being the sun up here at 6000 ft. is hotter to be in than at the coast or Calif. desert. When I am out walking this time of year I go on the sunny side of the street to warm up and when in the shade it is noticably cool even when it "feels" quite warm in the sun. A sweater or light jacket is needed. The nighttime temps vary so much it can be cool and even a bit cold from one night to the next here, even in the summer months, except May or June when it usually is hot. Alan




Several years back when I lived in Southern California , I was working with a guy from Mexicali . One summer he decided to take a week's vacation to visit his mother in Mexicali . When he arrived , he found it too hot to sleep in the house , so he decided to lay some blankets in the back of his pickup to sleep outside . After a few hours he gave up and drove back home .


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

jasavak said:


> Several years back when I lived in Southern California , I was working with a guy from Mexicali . One summer he decided to take a week's vacation to visit his mother in Mexicali . When he arrived , he found it too hot to sleep in the house , so he decided to lay some blankets in the back of his pickup to sleep outside . After a few hours he gave up and drove back home .


I forgot to mention that when arriving in the desert from the coast in the summer it takes 24 to 72 hours for your body to climatize to the heat. People with uncontrolable high blood pressure have a very hard time in that type of heat also. 

What! The son who worked in the US didn´t buy his mom a couple of swamp coolers [$1,500.00 pesos each] for her house even? Doesn´t sound like many Mexican sons I hang out with in Mexicali. They like mom to be comfortable and well dressed.


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## jasavak (Nov 22, 2011)

AlanMexicali said:


> I forgot to mention that when arriving in the desert from the coast in the summer it takes 24 to 72 hours for your body to climatize to the heat. People with uncontrolable high blood pressure have a very hard time in that type of heat also.
> 
> What! The son who worked in the US didn´t buy his mom a couple of swamp coolers [$1,500.00 pesos each] for her house even? Doesn´t sound like many Mexican sons I hang out with in Mexicali. They like mom to be comfortable and well dressed.



It was 15 years ago and I never bothered to ask him about the A/C or evap cooler status of the home . I just thought it was funny how he grew up there and he couldn't stand the heat anymore to the point he had to cancel his stay with his own madre . 

When I lived in the desert I always praised my evaporative cooler , but people who knew nothing about it would laugh and tell me " those things don't work "


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

jasavak said:


> It was 15 years ago and I never bothered to ask him about the A/C or evap cooler status of the home . I just thought it was funny how he grew up there and he couldn't stand the heat anymore to the point he had to cancel his stay with his own madre .
> 
> When I lived in the desert I always praised my evaporative cooler , but people who knew nothing about it would laugh and tell me " those things don't work "


We had a swamp cooler in Oklahoma when I lived there for awhile in the late 60s. 

If my memory is correct, swamp coolers were suspected in the outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease that occurred in 1976. However, I couldn't find any discussion of that connection on the web.


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## jasavak (Nov 22, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> We had a swamp cooler in Oklahoma when I lived there for awhile in the late 60s.
> 
> If my memory is correct, swamp coolers were suspected in the outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease that occurred in 1976. However, I couldn't find any discussion of that connection on the web.




No real connection unless your water is contaminated with bacteria. I had a state of the art system that flushed itself every 5 hours with an excellent water source . I did however get rid of my aluminum pots and pans because of the Alzheimer's scare .


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## 1happykamper (Nov 5, 2012)

Hola my Amiga and amigos! Well, I am now back in Mazatlan. Having tasted one beach town and one colonial city. 

Mazatlan has a very diversified economy and supposedly fewer expats per capita. San Miguel is very much a tourist town and from what I experienced fewer gringos in any one area. According to the statistics I should have seen more Americans and Canadians in SMA and yet the beach area of Mazatlan in Olas Atlas and especially the Golden Zone has more concentrations of expats. If I walked into the Starbucks in SMA it was about 50/50 on 3 occasions.

My preference is SMA. I will use this as a home base for however long...3 months? This will allow me to look at other choices of towns and homes tomrent and decide on a more permanent location. The people in SMA are wonderful...a very happy bunch to put it mildly. I was there for the Christmas tree lighting and the warmth and excitement of the people was palpable. A fantastic experience! In SMA I stayed at Hotel Ana Catalina...just $41 a night and a GREAT room for the location. In Mazatlan I stayed at the La Siesta...another nice room...beach view for $32 a night ...both plus tax. As a tourist I found meals to be a tad cheaper in San Miguel! A big surprise for me!

I liked SMA a lot and it was with trepidation that I contemplated the thought of living here...after all I led to believe that it was "too expensive" and "too many expats". From my percepective neither one of those statements are true. I intend to rent here and saw several $500-$700 apartments fully inclusive of utilities and even furniture for above $600. 

I used Premara Plus for travel between Mazatlan to guadaljara, overnight stay and then on to SMA. The total cost was about $850 pesos in each direction. the busesvare GREAT...wifi on some and a snack is handed to you as you board. Traveling on a Sunday was not a great idea...MUCH busier than the weekday I headed East. On my way back to Mazatlan I decided to not stay over and spent 12 hours in the bus with an hour rest in Guadalajara. My rear end was a little achy but the seats are MUCH better than any coach airline seat. The hotel I used in GDL was right next to the bus station...$33 usd at the Vista Junior...adequate for a place to sleep.

Safety has been in the back of my mind as it is wherever I travel. At nompointvdidninfeel any that to my valuables or myself. A few taxis have overcharged me a few pesos..but no big deal. 

Now on to a PROBLEM I have here in mazatlan s immigration office. O know...surprise surprise. !!

I have applied for my temporary resident card and as of today it is still not ready. I was offered a "permit" to leave Mexico ..yep..to LEAVE...for about $350 pesos. This is she cause of my status...when I pointed out I am still without a resident card that was to no avail...I must pay to leave. As I seeit I have the following options:

1. Leave via my scheduled flight back to Phoenix in 2 days and act like I'm good to leave..ignorance is bliss...

2. Get the permit to leave.

The QUESTIONS have along with choices are :

1. I have already paid mucho pesos...thousands... In applying for my Temporary Resident Card. If I leave Mazatlan with or without the permission slip will I have to start the process again..and pay again?

2. If I want to continue the current application process will I forfeit money and time if I return directly to the SMA immigration office...assuming they have one .

3. I wonder what the implications are if I just..if I can...forget the whole resident card process and return via a normal 6 month tourist visa...Sorta let the dust settle approach...which in hind sight may have been best. 

Mexico will be a nice place to live. Just like the USA..it has its issues. I am not leaving the USA because I dislike living there anymore ...a new country for me is a great way to begin a new chapter in my life. As i strolled through Phoenix airport 2 weeks ago it felt GREAT to have a backpack on for the first time in 20 years. Being here in Mexico for me is about a new adventure and all it's challenges and opportunities. 

Whew...a beer on the beach is in order right now. Gracias for any help offered on the immigration thing. 

Cheers!


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## 1happykamper (Nov 5, 2012)

Good grief! I really dislike typing on my ipad...my typing gives the impression I am drunk or 4 years old!! Sorry about that.


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