# Moving to Mexico



## slb1

Hello!

I am moving to mexico, nuevo vallarta next month for a job. Female, mid-twenties. Basically I wanted to join and post to this forum because at first I was very excited, but now I am getting SO NERVOUS. Everytime I tell someone I am going, all they talk about is how dangerous the country is. So I started googling more about it and I have become really paranoid that I am going to get kidnapped or something...

Anyways would love to hear from anyone living in the area your experiences...

Thank you so much


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## Hound Dog

slb1 said:


> Hello!
> 
> I am moving to mexico, nuevo vallarta next month for a job. Female, mid-twenties. Basically I wanted to join and post to this forum because at first I was very excited, but now I am getting SO NERVOUS. Everytime I tell someone I am going, all they talk about is how dangerous the country is. So I started googling more about it and I have become really paranoid that I am going to get kidnapped or something...
> 
> Anyways would love to hear from anyone living in the area your experiences...
> 
> Thank you so much


sib1:

Relax. 

While Nueva Vallarta is not one of my favorite places, it is a very safe place for a person fitting your profile or any other profile for that matter. It also makes sense that you would find employment opportunities in what is, essentially, a tourist mecca. Sincé you are young and, apparentlly, adventurous, you should look forward to your time in the Greater Puerto Vallarta área with its stunning beaches and fantastic and relatively safe bar/restaurant scene where you can (or cannot as you desire) meet all sorts of interesting young people .

Now, I´m an old geezer but have traveled extensively all over the world to many dangerous places over several decades. No equivocation on my part. Nuevo Vallarta will be a great place to live for you and a hell of a lot nicer and safer than most beach resorts NOB.

I grew up stacking beer cans on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama and later lived on the beaches of Southern California from Santa Monica to the Mexican border so I know my warm and welcoming beaches. You picked the right destination. 

Go for it.


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## sparks

If the job has anything to do with Time Share sales .... I'd be more afraid of the work environment


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## Hound Dog

_


sparks said:



If the job has anything to do with Time Share sales .... I'd be more afraid of the work environment

Click to expand...

_Well said, Sparks. It never occurred to me to ask what sort of job you have been offerred. Puerto Vallarta is crammed with sleezoids offering "opportunities" to naive Young foreigners which are meant to exploit their inexperience so beware of smiling thieves our to exploit the unaware. Hopefully, you have found reputable employment in a hustler´s town.


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## slb1

No no time shares for me.... the job is in nuevo vallarta and its for a tourism/adventure company which I think will be OK... more worried about being kidnapped than not liking my job.....!


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## citlali

I think the danger for Canadians seems to be falling off balconies more than kidnapping, stay off drugs ad alcohol and you should be ok. Kidnapping can happen but it is not something I would over worry about.
Enjoy your job you are moving to a nice area.


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## Hound Dog

slb1 said:


> No no time shares for me.... the job is in nuevo vallarta and its for a tourism/adventure company which I think will be OK... more worried about being kidnapped than not liking my job.....!


I would not worry if I were you, sib1. You are not only going to a very safe región but tourists normally attracted to Nueva Vallarta are not routinely attracted to adventure travel. Any adventure tourism around that área will be as dangerous as Richard Burton´s cinematic bus ride through Puerto Vallarta to Mismaloya Beach circa the 1960s with Liz Taylor in waiting in _The Night of The Iguana. _

A fun place, though. Have fun.


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## ktmarie

*Congrats!*

Congratulations on the new job and new adventure! 

Just wanted to normalize what you're going through. My husband and I are in Puebla for the year (and due to have our first baby in a week) and we had to listen to the same. Friends, family, the mailman...either the told us outright they've heard Mexico is dangerous or they insinuated as such by asking things like, "Umm..soo...is it saaaafe there?" Not one of them had actually lived in Puebla. Very few had even traveled to Mexico. I had to get good at ignoring it all. 

My parents visited this fall for a couple of weeks and after returning home, had to constantly respond to people asking if they felt safe. The good part of that is that they got to help educate friends and family members about what living in Mexico is actually like. But my dad did say that having that always be the first question started to annoy him! 

Better to chat with people from your area on this expat board, and then just take the same precautions you would take anywhere as a single woman (don't jog with headphones, don't walk alone at night, etc.).


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## slb1

Thanks everyone! It is nice to hear others experience, although I will say that the 'kidnapping can happen' comment has me a bit unnerved :S I guess I will just have to wait and see what it is like when I get there... It seems like it could be fine but I also hate to put myself in a risky situation... sigh


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## RVGRINGO

Why would someone want to kidnap you?


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## Justina

*Kidnapping*



slb1 said:


> Thanks everyone! It is nice to hear others experience, although I will say that the 'kidnapping can happen' comment has me a bit unnerved :S I guess I will just have to wait and see what it is like when I get there... It seems like it could be fine but I also hate to put myself in a risky situation... sigh


Re risky situation, use your common sense. If you need to take money out of a cash point, do it during the day, preferably in a mall with lots of people around you. 
If you are taking a taxi, look for the taxis de sitio. 
The kidnapping has gone on for many years, but as a 'worker', most unlikely to happen to you. 
There are a lot of twits that put themselves on Facebook saying, look at my new car and what have you and goodness, they are soon relieved of it.
Never drink so much that you lose your senses, that is for all over the world, not just Mexico.
Good luck.


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## sfmaestra

Just my experience:

I am a single female and have been living in México for the last year full time (been here many, many times before). I spent six months in Mexico City, three in Mérida, two in Oaxaca, and one on the Maya Riviera in several places. I live like a Mexican for the most part--sharing a house/apt, eating at home or in the mercado, and taking public transportation (buses, metro) or walking everywhere. In that entire time, I have felt in danger exactly ZERO times--nervous sometimes because, yes, I had to walk and take public transpo at night, but not because anyone was threatening me. 

I travel with most of my money/bank card inside a little zippered-cloth bag which is safety pinned to the inside of my pants. I pin an extra set of keys to the other side of my pants. I have a flashlight on my key ring. I try to carry only a very small cross-body bag which, if I lose, won't kill me. I carry a copy of my visa for i.d. purposes. My favorite app on my phone was the google map app. I got so turned around at times coming out of different metro stations! Couldn't use the sun as my guide--too smoggy--and I didn't want to appear as lost as I was. 

I only use bank atms to withdraw cash during the day. As soon as I finish withdrawing, I walk straight into the bank, sit down, count my money, stashing it away in my pants gizmo. Why do I do all of this? Mostly to make myself feel better and not have to be so wary in the street. I dress as much like a local as possible and try to blend in, wear only simple earrings and no other jewelry. 

At first, I think I resented having to spend the extra time and trouble to do the pinning and organizing. I don't anymore. It's just part of living here with much less worry--and I am queen of the worriers, btw. 

I repeat: I have never felt threatened or in danger--and I am in the street constantly. No guarantees, but I suggest you'll have a very different point of view about your safety within a very short time. Enjoy yourself and take the normal (ok, a little abnormal) precautions.

Jody


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## citlali

we have lived here 13 years and I have never felt threatened either. By the way I do not count the money unless I am at home. There is no point counting the money as the bank will not do anything about discrepency. If there is a discrepency you need to send a letter to your bank and they will follow up. The ATM´s have cameras and need to balance every night so any discrepency is reported and you end up getting it it back after you report it.


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## Isla Verde

I am a single older woman living alone in Mexico City and have lived and visited here many times before moving here permanently in 2007. I don't take as many precautions as Jody does, though I don't walk around my neighborhood or the city in general with more than $1000 in cash on me. I get around on foot and by using public transportation, mostly buses and occasionally the Metro. I can't recall ever feeling in danger, though it's true that I don't go out much at night by myself and avoid the less savory parts of town most of the time. The fact that I've lived here for quite a while and feel totally at home in this metropolis (well, most of the time) is probably one reason why I've never run into problems.


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## sfmaestra

I put my money away inside the bank so I have a safe, semi-private, comfortable place to do so and can use both hands--instead of trying to do it on a public street, balancing all of my stuff. I count it so I know how much I'm putting in the little bag. You're right about any discrepancy needing to be reported to one's own bank.


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## regwill

Isla Verde said:


> I am a single older woman living alone in Mexico City and have lived and visited here many times before moving here permanently in 2007. I don't take as many precautions as Jody does, though I don't walk around my neighborhood or the city in general with more than $1000 in cash on me. I get around on foot and by using public transportation, mostly buses and occasionally the Metro. I can't recall ever feeling in danger, though it's true that I don't go out much at night by myself and avoid the less savory parts of town most of the time. The fact that I've lived here for quite a while and feel totally at home in this metropolis (well, most of the time) is probably one reason why I've never run into problems.


For the young lady NOB , Isla means 1000 pesos , which is a huge difference from 1000 U.S. dollars or 1000 Canadian dollars . Isla , I hope that is okay for me to point out .


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## The Largisimo

slb1, I would like to add some context to some of the answers you are receiving. You are very new and you should know that many of the regulars here are VERY elderly. There is a very small core group of old folks that offer lots of advice. A really old couple post here and both have made more than one post to you in this thread, one claiming "we have lived here 13 years and I have never felt threatened either." This is slightly at odds with previous claims made by this couple about a single car accident they were involved in in rural Chiapas. Do a search for Tapachula and you will find the story of them (told by them) of being robbed by two different pairs of police from two different agencies as a result of the accident to the extent that the second group of cops took them to the bank to get more money since the first pair cleaned them out. The woman claims the police used intimidation and she was nervous, stating - "Actually I do not know how many people "try" to bribe cops in Mexico. I have never offered money to cops but I have been asked for money, first nicely and then intimiditated into giving them money. They know every trick in the book to scare you and I am no scary cat or a shrinking vilet.t..It is easy to be self rightous if you are in a city and have people around but not so easy not to be nevcous if you are on a lonely road, two of them are after money." 

This is a little different from "never felt threatened". You are probably being offered sincere advice but it would not hurt to search out other sources too to get a more comprehensive view. It is wise to be concerned about crime but NEVER forget the police are some of the biggest criminals in Mexico or as the husband in the above duo has stated "Total and absolute corruption from the local to the state to the federal level. I have lived full time in Mexico for 12 years and love this country but corruption is absolute and all-pervasive. Iif you can adjust to it, you can live with it and damn well enjoy it here but sanctimony wil get you nowhere." 


Enjoy your adventure.


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## Isla Verde

The Largisimo said:


> slb1, I would like to add some context to some of the answers you are receiving. You are very new and you should know that many of the regulars here are VERY elderly. There is a very small core group of old folks that offer lots of advice. A really old couple post here and both have made more than one post to you in this thread, one claiming "we have lived here 13 years and I have never felt threatened either." . . .


I am a regular poster here. I am 69 years old. I do not consider myself to be "VERY elderly". Discounting the advice of long-term expats just because they have been on this earth longer than you have is foolish, and condescending. How old are you, by the way?


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## The Largisimo

You are two years older than my mother. (But she got a VERY early start! I am 52)


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## The Largisimo

Isla Verde said:


> I am a regular poster here. I am 69 years old. I do not consider myself to be "VERY elderly". How old are you, by the way?


At what point do you believe a person passes from "elderly" to "VERY elderly"?


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## Isla Verde

The Largisimo said:


> At what point do you believe a person passes from "elderly" to "VERY elderly"?


Why do you feel the need to look down on people who are older than you? I am neither elderly or very elderly, thank you very much!


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## Isla Verde

The Largisimo said:


> You are two years older than my mother.


Oh, wow. So I'm older than your mother. I suppose you think that means that I'm living on the cusp of senility and will soon be moving to a nursing home.  Boy, are you ever wrong about me and other expats of my generation, young man.


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## The Largisimo

Isla Verde said:


> [/QUOTE=The Largisimo;6071794]At what point do you believe a person passes from "elderly" to "VERY elderly"?[/QUOTE
> 
> Why do you feel the need to look down on people who are older than you? I am neither elderly or very elderly, thank you very much!


You are in error. I am looking down on nobody. It is one of my most cherished goals to become VERY elderly. The OP is very early 20's. Her peers or people closer to her age might be able to offer useful advice. And yes you are elderly. My mother was robbed in Florida when she was 60 years old. She was driving when a woman pointed at her car indicating something was wrong with it. She pulled over to look and the woman grabbed her purse and ran. An article about it was published in the local paper referring to her as an "elderly" victim. She was more distressed about being referred to as elderly than having her purse stolen. So lighten up and quit telling the kids to stay off your grass.


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## The Largisimo

Isla Verde said:


> Oh, wow. So I'm older than your mother. I suppose you think that means that I'm living on the cusp of senility and will soon be moving to a nursing home.  Boy, are you ever wrong about me and other expats of my generation, young man.


All jokes and comments aside, I do respect you very much for living alone in Mexico City. You seem to be living a very satisfying life in a vibrant place. Most from NOB would be too afraid to live the life you are.


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## Isla Verde

The Largisimo said:


> [/QUOTE=Isla Verde;6071802]
> 
> You are in error. I am looking down on nobody. It is one of my most cherished goals to become VERY elderly. The OP is very early 20's. Her peers or people closer to her age might be able to offer useful advice. And yes you are elderly. My mother was robbed in Florida when she was 60 years old. She was driving when a woman pointed at her car indicating something was wrong with it. She pulled over to look and the woman grabbed her purse and ran. An article about it was published in the local paper referring to her as an "elderly" victim. She was more distressed about being referred to as elderly than having her purse stolen. So lighten up and quit telling the kids to stay off your grass.


I'm not telling anyone to stay off my grass (a quaint expression from one so young). You seem to be saying that advice offered by anyone older than you and the OP is of limited value. And your mother was right to be offended at being called elderly by her local newspaper - no doubt the story was written by a reporter barely out of his or her teens!


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## Isla Verde

The Largisimo said:


> All jokes and comments aside, I do respect you very much for living alone in Mexico City. You seem to be living a very satisfying life in a vibrant place. Most from NOB would be too afraid to live the life you are.


We'd better stop our little spat, or I may find myself dismissed from my volunteer position as a forum moderator!

I don't find living in Mexico City all that daunting perhaps I've spent most of my adult life in large, somewhat insane, urban centers in several countries, but thanks for the compliment.


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## citlali

I am the woman who had an accident in rural Chiapas. I am 68 this was a few years ago if you consider me elderly be my guest. So I could be your mother be it. My mother was still working at 85 in a synphony orchestra with people who could have been her great grand-children and accomplishing more than most people I know of any age.
Some people are born old .

I do things I should not be doing sometimes because I do what I want to do and I am not driven by fear of getting in trouble. I was in a plce I should not have been, I went out on a road I should not have gone at the time of the night. 
My life was never threatened in that incident . Yes the cops can be scary and are scary escpecially in the middle of the night on a deserted road on the border with Guatemala.

I should have no gone there and also I should not have drunk the coffee or eaten the food there either as I ended up sick for a month after that. So the bugs there were more dangerous than the police.

Despite the fact that I was in a basically iffy area in the middle of night I came back from it and my life was not endangered except by the accident.
I still travel back roads a lot usually by collectivos alone and I have never been physically threatened.

I repeat I would not think twice about moving to Nuevo Vallarta alone. As long as you do not put yourself in bad situation you are safe. 

I should have said I never have felt threatened in a normal situation. I do not drive after dark on lonely roads anymore. I was lucky we met with the cops rather than a bunch of armed guys wanting the car. Then I would have been scared and felt threatened for sure.

Give Vallarta a try if you do not like it or feel comfortable go back to the US, there are very few situations that do not allow you to change your mind.


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## Longford

citlali said:


> I repeat I would not think twice about moving to Nuevo Vallarta alone. ... there are very few situations that do not allow you to change your mind.


:clap2:


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## citlali

Since we are talking about young people, Nuevo Vallarta has a lot of young people so the OP will have plenty of people to relate to.
Being nervous about moving to a foreign country is a pretty normal thing at any age , usually the fear disappeasr once you are there. You may love it or hate it but since you are young it is a great ime to find out if living abroad is for you or not, you can always go back.
When I was 18 I told my mother I was moving abroad and she told me " you will be back soon!" I am now 68 and never did go back for anything but short visits. I will go back for a month for a month this year to see my mother who is now 93 and elderly or very elderly..whatever your persective is.


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## TundraGreen

The Largisimo said:


> At what point do you believe a person passes from "elderly" to "VERY elderly"?


Also, at what point does a person become "elderly". 

I will turn 70 in a few months. I still run a marathon every year, walk several hundred kilometers with a backpack once or twice a year often camping out, hitch hike around rural Mexico when the mood strikes, and generally do whatever I damn well please.. Some people think I'm crazy, but no one calls me "elderly", at least not in my hearing. :smile:


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## Isla Verde

TundraGreen said:


> Also, at what point does a person become "elderly".
> 
> I will turn 70 in a few months. I still run a marathon every year, walk several hundred kilometers with a backpack once or twice a year often camping out, hitch hike around rural Mexico when the mood strikes, and generally do whatever I damn well please.. Some people think I'm crazy, but no one calls me "elderly", at least not in my hearing. :smile:


I don't run marathons, though I do live on the third floor of a building without an elevator, so I get my exercise walking up and down the stairs several times a day., which my doctor assures me is a great way to stay in shape. Most of my friends here are quite a bit younger than me, but none of them thinks of me as "old", since we share the same interests and love of life. If I asked them if I were "elderly", they would poo-poo that idea for sure!


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## Isla Verde

TundraGreen said:


> . . . Some people think I'm crazy, but no one calls me "elderly", at least not in my hearing. :smile:


When I bother to think of myself in terms of age, which isn't that often, I like to say I'm in my very late middle years.


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## Justina

Some people are born elderly, I have known several over the years. I only see myself as elderly when I look in the mirror but then my eyes tend to glaze over, so I put my make up on without really seeing myself. Fortunately, the rest of the body seems to be in working order, so far so good.
Did any of you see the piccies of the very elderly ladies in New York, dressed in the most eccentric styles? 
Off subject of course, but yes, in a young town the girl will meet lots of people, probably have a splendid time, and as long as she keeps her wits about her, will have no problems. My one word of warning apart from what I wrote before is that if she happens to be a pot smoker, many people, both old and young like their smokes, but she should be careful about who is offering it. And never give out too much info on who you are and where you come from unless you know to whom you are talking. Once again, it just seems common sense.


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## citlali

My indigenous friends think of me as old and call me abuela or give me a title reserved for the virgin and old ladies which means I am old and wise and I am being asked to mediate conflicts, being ask my opinion on many things, I think it is a fine position to be in . 
Also the officials make me go in front of everyone. When I applied for my IFE I was made to cut the line in front of everyone else, which embarrassed the heck out of me and then I realized they did that for over 60 year old people and I enjoy the heck out of that!
They all tell me I look younger than theri mother or grand-mother, I always tell them the outside maybe ok but the inside needs a serious remodelling!
You also get a seat on crowded buses!
Every age has its plus and minuses and it is up to each one of us to enjoy each age.


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## TundraGreen

Justina said:


> Some people are born elderly, I have known several over the years. I only see myself as elderly when I look in the mirror but then my eyes tend to glaze over, so I put my make up on without really seeing myself. Fortunately, the rest of the body seems to be in working order, so far so good.
> Did any of you see the piccies of the very elderly ladies in New York, dressed in the most eccentric styles?
> Off subject of course, but yes, in a young town the girl will meet lots of people, probably have a splendid time, and as long as she keeps her wits about her, will have no problems. My one word of warning apart from what I wrote before is that if she happens to be a pot smoker, many people, both old and young like their smokes, but she should be careful about who is offering it. And never give out too much info on who you are and where you come from unless you know to whom you are talking. Once again, it just seems common sense.


I would put it more strongly than that. I would advise avoiding illegal drugs in Mexico, even pot. Lots of things that locals do are probably not a very good idea for foreigners, especially newcomers or those with limited command of the language (not impugning the OP's Spanish. I don't remember if she said she whether she spoke Spanish.) I believe possession of small quantities of marijuana is legal in the State of Mexico, but it is not in the State of Jalisco which is where Nuevo Vallarta is located.


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## TundraGreen

citlali said:


> My indigenous friends think of me as old and call me abuela or give me a title reserved for the virgin and old ladies which means I am old and wise and I am being asked to mediate conflicts, being ask my opinion on many things, I think it is a fine position to be in .
> Also the officials make me go in front of everyone. When I applied for my IFE I was made to cut the line in front of everyone else, which embarrassed the heck out of me and then I realized they did that for over 60 year old people and I enjoy the heck out of that!
> They all tell me I look younger than theri mother or grand-mother, I always tell them the outside maybe ok but the inside needs a serious remodelling!
> You also get a seat on crowded buses!
> Every age has its plus and minuses and it is up to each one of us to enjoy each age.


Out of curiosity, what title is reserved for the "virgin and old ladies", abuelita or viejita or ??? I often refer to anyone younger than me as "joven" whether they be 18 or 68.


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## Longford

TundraGreen said:


> ... but it is not in the State of Jalisco which is where Nuevo Vallarta is located.


Not wanting to be picky, but the state of Nayarit probably wants to be credited with having Nuevo Vallarta situated within it's boundaries.


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## citlali

I believe tha Nuevo Vallarta is in Nayarit not Jaliscnce you cross the bridge from Vallarta to Nuevo Vallarta you change state and time zone.


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## TundraGreen

citlali said:


> I believe tha Nuevo Vallarta is in Nayarit not Jaliscnce you cross the bridge from Vallarta to Nuevo Vallarta you change state and time zone.





Longford said:


> Not wanting to be picky, but the state of Nayarit probably wants to be credited with having Nuevo Vallarta situated within it's boundaries.


Good catch. I never realized the border went between Nuevo and Viejo Vallarta. 

Well, Nayarit is welcome to it. We got the best of a bad deal.


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## Isla Verde

TundraGreen said:


> Good catch. I never realized the border went between Nuevo and Viejo Vallarta.
> 
> Well, Nayarit is welcome to it. We got the best of a bad deal.


I've never been to either place. What's so bad about them?


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## RVGRINGO

With youth comes recklessness and arrogance. With age, comes experience and resulting wisdom. This is recognized in Mexico and the mature and elderly are respected and listened to when they give advice.
Generally speaking, I find many of the younger folks lacking in knowledge of the world and many are even semi-literate.
Now, please don‘t shout back at me as I just got my first set of hearing aids today.


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## TundraGreen

Isla Verde said:


> I've never been to either place. What's so bad about them?


I was being a little facetious for effect.

All of Puerto Vallarta is very touristy like many large coastal cities in Mexico. There are lots of tourists and lots of foreigners living there all or part of the year, particularly Canadians. Not that that is necessarily bad, but it does change the ambiance of a place making it quite different from places with less foreign influence. Prices are often in dollars instead, many people speak English. It is just different, not necessarily bad but definitely different.

The old part of Puerto Vallarta, sometimes referred to as Viejo Vallarta is a little like the center of a typical city, lots of restaurants, bars and very walkable. Nuevo Vallarta has more of a car culture. I don't really know either of them very well, just a few visits.

I did take a wrong bus one time and ended up in a residential neighborhood far from the beach. It was a very typical Mexican part of town. What struck me most was how dusty the unpaved streets were and how clean all of the residents managed to stay in the white uniforms apparently required for their jobs.


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## TundraGreen

RVGRINGO said:


> With youth comes recklessness and arrogance. With age, comes experience and resulting wisdom. This is recognized in Mexico and the mature and elderly are respected and listened to when they give advice.
> Generally speaking, I find many of the younger folks lacking in knowledge of the world and many are even semi-literate.
> Now, please don‘t shout back at me as I just got my first set of hearing aids today.


Or… With youth comes hope, energy and enthusiasm. With age comes cynicism, resignation and acceptance. 

If we are lucky we get to experience both aspects of life and choose hope, energy, enthusiasm, cynicism, resignation and acceptance in good measure as we choose.


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## citlali

Metik for the Virgin and wise old ladies . Meme for the grand mother.

Nuevo Vallarta and Vallarta are very different. Because of currants Nuevo and maybe other factors the ocean and the beaches are way cleaner than in Vallara or south of Vallarta.
The difference between Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta is not unlike Ixapa and Zihuatanejo, one has an old town with quaint buildings , lots of busineeses and restaurant and is a walkable town the other is a new town more for cars with less personality.
Many of the beach goers who like chain hotels and time shares love Nuevo Vallarta. I personally cannot stand it and do not stay there. I much prefer Vallarta or the coast south of Vallarta which is mch more beautiful but also has pretty poluted water I was shoked when I read the statistic after renting a place in Mismaloya. Which ever cove has a river also has polluted water.

Nuevo Valarta is flat, the coast south of Vallarta has mountains covered with houses in a jungle dropping into the sea.
Again it is a question of preferrences but many young people I know prefer Nuevo Vallarta and many gay friends old and young prefer Vallarta and the coast south of it.


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## citlali

Age perception varies also according to the culture. In Chiapas where it was common for indigenous women to have children by the time they are 15 the grand mothers are in their 40´s and the great grand mother in their 60´s
The grand-mothers are still very active and usually in charge of the family but the great grand mothers have a tendency to take it very easy and not to do much any longer.

Most of the women I deal with are in their 30´s up till 50´s but the women my age and I have nothing in common. There are exceptions but not many. I can think of one woman who is 76 and still very active, I am sure there are more but I do not know of any.
I think the old ladies look forwards to being taken care of and not have any responsabilities any longer and have the respect of the all family, it is time for them to enjoy retirement and be served by the young women.
Men must die a whole ot younger because I do not know of any my age.


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## slb1

Thank you everyone for your responses... although I see it has gotten a little off topic with a new ageism theme strangely...

Anyways it is not that I am nervous to be in a new place, I have lived in 4 different countries already including Dominican Republic which is likely more third world than Mexico.

I will not be doing drugs or getting drunk and running around the streets at night. I will be going to work everyday and to the beaches on my days off and to the grocery store and living a fairly quiet life. 

I just wanted to know really whats going on over there because the news is very scary, like people are getting continuously kidnapped or murdered in Mexico, and obviously I dont want to put myself in a situation where this is happening around me!


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## citlali

My sister spent time with us a couple of weeks ago. She visited many places in Mexico and she told me she feels safe in Mexico and does not in the Dominican Republic. She is the adventurous type and likes to go everywhere and not stick to resorts.


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## coondawg

citlali said:


> My sister spent time with us a couple of weeks ago. She visited many places in Mexico and she told me she feels safe in Mexico and does not in the Dominican Republic. She is the adventurous type and likes to go everywhere and not stick to resorts.


Certainly many countries have lots of areas where visitors can feel safe and comfortable. Also, areas where these visitors do not go that would strike fear into their hearts. The time chosen for the visit can also play a role. Most of us who have lived in Mexico for any length of time know many of both of these areas and do not hesitate to inform visitors if we feel they are venturing off into a "gray" area.


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## citlali

For the people who know the Nuevo Vallarta area where are the bad and gray areas there? are there any?


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## Dperado1947

*Age?*



TundraGreen said:


> Or… With youth comes hope, energy and enthusiasm. With age comes cynicism, resignation and acceptance.
> 
> If we are lucky we get to experience both aspects of life and choose hope, energy, enthusiasm, cynicism, resignation and acceptance in good measure as we choose.


Well spoken by both of you.
Age and skullduggery will overcome youth and vitality every time.
Wish I could remember where I first heard that.


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## andi_correa

This seems to be such a common occurrence. I too find myself up against the same negativity. I am looking to relocate in a month or two and it's gotten to the point that I don't tell anyone where I am looking into because all I hear is how dangerous it is, how the drugs, gangs, and violence is out of control. I live in Northern CA and I'm freaked out about driving over the damn border to Mexico. This is ridiculous. Then I started telling people that there are places in the US that when considering it, I wouldn't go if given the choice. These are places that I've lived either in or next too for many years! So if the drugs, gangs and violence are anything like some of the major cities here in the US, I should be fine. 

Slb1, I originally joined this site for the same reasons; I'm looking for assurance from those currently living there that I will be fine. 

Luckily for me, I have the freedom and flexibility to move anywhere, given it's reasonably priced (i.e., I have no children in tow and I'm a writer so I can work anywhere). Now I just have to decide where, lol

Best of luck to you!

~andi~


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## chrisallan

Helli, I went to Mexico City myself not long ago. I was nervous at first but quickly settled down and had no problems whatsoever. I wandered around the city, took the subway, ans actually met some nice people. But learn some Spanish first, it really helps. And dont go in a taxi that you didnt call for, just to be safe.


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## citlali

I hail taxis in Mexico city as long as they are real taxis there is no probem.


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## Isla Verde

citlali said:


> I hail taxis in Mexico city as long as they are real taxis there is no probem.


I have never had a problem with hailing taxis on the street in Mexico City, and I've lived here for almost 8 years.


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