# What keeps you in (or coming back to) Mexico?



## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Given my frustration with current threads which focus only on the violence and corruption in Mexico, I decided to be proactive and start a thread about the reasons people choose to remain living in Mexico (or returning on a regular basis, as I do, since I’m not yet retired). I think very few people living in Mexico for any length of time remain unaware of the huge sociopolitical problems the country faces. However, many choose to make this their home regardless. 

I’m very interested in knowing why. What is it about Mexico that has captured your heart?


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

My husband and I moved from CA to Mexico nearly 15 years ago. We lived in SMA for three years and moved to Ajijic in 2008. We have only been back to the U.S. once: four days for a family funeral. Cross my fingers, but we've had no crime problems and live in a mixed neighborhood downtown. People are friendly and helpful. We became involved in a local professional and charitable organization and have been well content with life. A minor thing, but our income goes much farther here than it would have in CA, so we've been able to afford a few "luxuries" as well as covering the necessities of an expat life. In short...we're here for the long haul and happy.

I'm well aware of the trouble that exists in various places in Mexico and do my best to avoid situations that could be dangerous. However, I lived in the big cities in CA and there is plenty of trouble there, too. In general, one can focus on the negatives...anywhere. Who needs that?


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Good post. I lived in San Diego for 33 years. I would not go back even though we own a condo there. I prefer Mexico for similar reasons you do plus my wife is from San Luis Potosi where we live.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

That last reason is a good one!!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

I like the lifestyle. I live in a neighborhood where I can walk one block to a mercado, two hardware stores, a several copy shops, several printers, several beer sellers. It is one block to half a dozen bus routes going all over the city. There is a shared bicycle system.

I have lots of friends, more than in the US, partly because I put more energy into finding friends here, but partly because of the different culture.

I like the climate. I grew up in Alaska. I know how to drive on ice and shovel snow, but I am happy not to have to. However, I note that it was hotter in Anchorage than Guadalajara last week, and until Monday the highs and lows are almost exactly the same.

I like the bright colors and the sounds: Steam whistles, cow bells, and all.

I like that I can walk from my house in the middle of a major metropolitan area out into the country side.

One aspect that appeals to me is the fact that it is a poorer country. Although there are many downsides to this, one upside is that there is less conspicuous consumption and "supersizing" of everything that seems to happen north of the border.

Finally, the cost of living is not a bad deal either, although what is it with the price of avocadoes lately?


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

We enjoy living in Mexico.. We like the aeas we have chosen to live in and thanks to the locals our lives have been enriched..Life down here is more family oriented and more basic and it is very refreshing. In San CCristobal we enjoy exactly what Tundra green enjoys, walking everywhere, walking to the markets, shopping for fresh food every day being in the middle of a cty and not having to drive is a luxury In Ajijic we enjoy the climate the garden and its vegetatin and the proximity to a large city if we want or need to go to one.. The amenties up here are very good.. not so great in Chiapas.. We enjoy the contrast between the two cultures and have no plan to ever live.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

TundraGreen said:


> I like the lifestyle. I live in a neighborhood where I can walk one block to a mercado, two hardware stores, a several copy shops, several printers, several beer sellers. It is one block to half a dozen bus routes going all over the city. There is a shared bicycle system.
> 
> I have lots of friends, more than in the US, partly because I put more energy into finding friends here, but partly because of the different culture.
> 
> ...


You lost me with that “poorer country” comment


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

GARYJ65 said:


> You lost me with that “poorer country” comment


There are several forms of poverty and perhaps TG should have been more specific. I stay here because I find that Mexico is richer in social and family relations, while the U.S. is relatively poor in that regard. Regarding economic poverty, there are several dimensions to that also. Fortunately Mexico doesn't exhibit widespread grinding misery found in the much of the world, but general economic prosperity isn't always the cure for that. I spent 25 years working not far from skid row in L.A., adjacent to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, and saw more human misery and wretched conditions than I've seen anywhere in Mexico. Anyway, mild poverty often has the effect of families pooling resources and prioritize purchases which can be a good counter to excessive consumerism which might be confused with prosperity on this or that index, but really isn't. Just compare what's collected on garbage day. Not that Mexicans are immune to loading up "stuff" (IMO the small wealthy class is even more ostentatious than its NOB counterpart) but I don't run into them much.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

We had a warehouse on East Ninth and had to go through East 4th .. that was many years ago but there are plenty of areas in Mexico city that are very similar.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

perropedorro said:


> There are several forms of poverty and perhaps TG should have been more specific. I stay here because I find that Mexico is richer in social and family relations, while the U.S. is relatively poor in that regard. Regarding economic poverty, there are several dimensions to that also. Fortunately Mexico doesn't exhibit widespread grinding misery found in the much of the world, but general economic prosperity isn't always the cure for that. I spent 25 years working not far from skid row in L.A., adjacent to some of the most expensive real estate in the world, and saw more human misery and wretched conditions than I've seen anywhere in Mexico. Anyway, mild poverty often has the effect of families pooling resources and prioritize purchases which can be a good counter to excessive consumerism which might be confused with prosperity on this or that index, but really isn't. Just compare what's collected on garbage day. Not that Mexicans are immune to loading up "stuff" (IMO the small wealthy class is even more ostentatious than its NOB counterpart) but I don't run into them much.


Thanks, Perro. I couldn't have said it better myself.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Ha ha I had an experience here in Chiapas I never had anywhere else ..talking about the wealthy and powerful.... We were meeting with various directors in the government.. Some of them came from very wealthy background..The 6 o clock meeting started at 8pm and in roll in a manucurist and one of the director had her nails done during the meeting.. Another time it was a shoe shine seccion... I was pretty amused and thought that maybe it was part of the culture here but the people I was with were from Guadaljara and they were appalled..I have to say that in my job I often met with very wealthy Europeans and US people and that I had never experienced that one.. I thought it was funny but my boss from Guadaljara was not amused..


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## alan-in-mexicali (Apr 26, 2018)

How about our US $$ goes father down here than in the US


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## alan-in-mexicali (Apr 26, 2018)

*Why am i living in mexico?*

WHY do I live in Mexico… that is an interesting question... Almost 50 years ago I came back from Viet Nam... and the war there.. and found I no longer "fit in" with people in the USA... I fully admit that I had some very serious problems that nether the Army or the medical people addressed at that time...I think you could say I was seriously F'ed up! I was "unsafe" to be around... So I spent a major portion of my life working OUTSIDE of the US... I took jobs in remote areas - away from cities, towns and people... over a period of years, I became "socially acceptable"...BUT with still unresolved issues buried inside of me... people - especially women whom I cared for were often afraid of me although I never resulted to violence.... I married frequently... until I married my LAST wife 38 years ago... who was originally a "blind date" arranged by a buddy in Mexico... YES, MY WIFE IS A MEXICAN CITIZEN.... She knew NOTHING about Viet Nam, the problems of ex-Army.... and slowly brought me down to being "completely safe and socially acceptable".... For this I will always be grateful... 
I returned to work in the USA, worked in China nd Korea, went back and worked in Canada for awhile...but I always returned to Mexico... when I retired officially from the US I went to Mexico... WHY?? you might ask...
1. THE PEOPLE....I was accepted, I had good, life long friends, I was welcomed!
2. NO CENSURE from being a combat veteran of Viet Nam [notice the OLD spelling of Vietnam?]
3. A sense of freedom that I did not have while in the USA... this is most likely ONLY in MY mind...
4. Affordable cost of living.... With a minuscule pension, I live FAR BETTER in Mexico than I could in the USA! 
5. FAMILY... I have a full and complete FAMILY in Mexico - my wife's family and our family... along with those of close friends..
.6. POLITICS don't' matter.. I can't vote so I don't really care... I don't worry or lose any sleep over Mexican politics!

Living in Mexico is NOT for every American [THANK GOD!] The customs and life style are truly "foreign" to Americans... but they can learn...IF they want to and have open minds... There are thousands of near every day things that are drastically different in Mexico that the USA... and IF you can not go with the flow... you will be unhappy...take the word MANANA which the dictionary means "tomorrow" REALLY means "not today"....until you understand this.. you will be upset and disappointed... and give Mexico a bad rap.
Over the past 38 years I have been married to this wonderful live-saving lady, Mexico has changed, grown and improved... sure, just like any other country in the world IT IS NOT PERFECT... but it is getting there!


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## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

ojosazules11 said:


> Given my frustration with current threads which focus only on the violence and corruption in Mexico, I decided to be proactive and start a thread about the reasons people choose to remain living in Mexico (or returning on a regular basis, as I do, since I’m not yet retired).


Here's Good News!!

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/quitana-roo-hoteliers-will-shuttle-guests-to-sargassum-free-beaches/


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

From the above article: 
“Conrad Bergwerf, chairman of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, revealed that occupancy levels of hotels in the region fell to 13.2 million room nights last year from 13.6 million in 2017.”

A drop of 3%. Tourists must be staying away in droves!

Certainly in Canada in February, seaweed becomes irrelevant when you look outside and all you see are grey skies and snow. (And in my experience in Playa del Carmen this spring, the hotel crews work hard to keep the beaches in front of the hotels fairly clear.)


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

alan-in-mexicali said:


> WHY do I live in Mexico… that is an interesting question... Almost 50 years ago I came back from Viet Nam... and the war there.. and found I no longer "fit in" with people in the USA... I fully admit that I had some very serious problems that nether the Army or the medical people addressed at that time...I think you could say I was seriously F'ed up! I was "unsafe" to be around... So I spent a major portion of my life working OUTSIDE of the US... I took jobs in remote areas - away from cities, towns and people... over a period of years, I became "socially acceptable"...BUT with still unresolved issues buried inside of me... people - especially women whom I cared for were often afraid of me although I never resulted to violence.... I married frequently... until I married my LAST wife 38 years ago... who was originally a "blind date" arranged by a buddy in Mexico... YES, MY WIFE IS A MEXICAN CITIZEN.... She knew NOTHING about Viet Nam, the problems of ex-Army.... and slowly brought me down to being "completely safe and socially acceptable".... For this I will always be grateful...
> I returned to work in the USA, worked in China nd Korea, went back and worked in Canada for awhile...but I always returned to Mexico... when I retired officially from the US I went to Mexico... WHY?? you might ask...
> 1. THE PEOPLE....I was accepted, I had good, life long friends, I was welcomed!
> 2. NO CENSURE from being a combat veteran of Viet Nam [notice the OLD spelling of Vietnam?]
> ...


I appreciate Mexico for many of the same reasons. You offer us a unique perspective, Alan, and thanks for your service-- however one might evaluate the Vietnam war itself-- and agree that the government was remiss in its obligation to heal you. I avoided the draft with a Junior High student deferment. Perhaps you've come across some of your fellow vets in Baja, and maybe a few who chose _not_ to become Vietnam vets. While Canada was better known for offering sanctuary to Americans avoiding conscription, a few went to Mexico. I ran into two in La Paz back in the 80's, and they seemed well adjusted, had Mexican wives, children, and indicated no desire to return permanently to the U.S. even after the amnesty of 1977.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

The seaweed comes in the summer months - June to Oct. Not all year.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

AlanMexicali said:


> The seaweed comes in the summer months - June to Oct. Not all year.


There was plenty of sargasso in March, and workers with rakes, shovels and even front-end loaders were scooping it up every day. We had to wade through some at the public beaches, but for us it was no big deal. If it’s worse in June to October, from a tourism perspective at least that is low season.


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## yamabob (May 23, 2018)

Not yet retired myself. I go as often as I can 4-5 times a year. I finally a year ago bought a condo in Tulum. Back here the big thing is the Jersey shore ( southern part not that crap near New York). While nice as I always enjoyed the ocean it just didn't press the right buttons. For us Tulum does. A little touristy but wife likes that interaction with the "going's on" but can still mingle with locals. Some say pricey but compared to where I live now it's way, way less. There is some great food to be found. A quick 5-10 bike ride and I'm on the beach. I can walk outside and hear the monkeys in the trees or when lucky catch the sight of toucan which is rare but spectacular. And the MotMots. And the food( I know I said that already). what keeps me coming back the most and the reason is the people. When I'm there and walking the street's I feel 2 things I don't get here. A feeling of peace and a feeling of home. Violence is everywhere. I won't let that cloud my mind.Just use the best judgement I can and enjoy a wonderful place and culture


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

Here's a small example of why I like living here: In the past two years, I've had the misfortune of needing two very short hospitalizations and have gone to one of the first class rated places in Guadalajara to have it done since that's where the doctors work who were treating me. When I arrived, my husband took care of the paperwork and I was taken to a private room that was as comfortable as one could wish for, complete with a safe for valuables. The nurses came within a few moments of being called. There was a 7 foot leather couch for my husband to sleep on and blankets and pillows were provided. There was an easy chair for daytime. This was a great comfort to me. Also, the doctors here don't act like elevated beings; they act like fellow humans.
I don't know about others, but I never received that kind of treatment in the U.S. and I truly appreciated it here. It's the little things that sometimes count the most.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

I agree, 100% with Lagoloo, and will add that I found the Mexican hospitals to be cleaner than those in the USA. In one of the many that I used, the cleaning lady even asked which aroma I would prefer that she use in the mop water! On top of that, the food in all of the Mexican hospitals I frequented was a lot better than all but one USA hospital, which used catering from a fine restaurant, and would even provide an extra meal for my wife, at no extra charge. In the Mexican hospitals, the food was simple Mexican fare, but the ladies took obvious pride in preparing it, and it arrived hot.


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

What are some things I love about Mexico? For starters . . . 

1. The incredible entrepreneurial spirit of the Mexican people. If you have a comal, you, too, can have a business. Or you can buy a 50-kilo bag of dog food and repackage it into 50 one-kilo bags. Got a juicer? You've got a busines! Got a washing machine? You've got a business! I love the hundreds of smaller-than-my-bedroom little tiendas, and men selling pineapples or melons from the back of their pickup. I frequently hear people complain about being annoyed by vendors trying to sell them things. But I think it's great. 

2. Closely related to #1: how hard people can work and still remain cheerful. Every day I see workers in the market that I know are putting in 10 and 12-hour days; and yet they are whistling or singing as they haul handcarts piled with 30 crates of tomatoes, or carry heavy bags of mortar on their backs. Young men joking around with each other as they unload the produce truck. (Yeah, I know there is another side to this: "I hired a contractor and he worked 5-hour days when he worked at all, blah blah blah.") But this is the other side of that complaint.

3. The strong sense of family. Entire families out strolling the city together at night. Teenagers walking down the street holding hands with their parents.

4. The heart-stopping beauty of some of the colonial cities. The colors, oh my, the colors!

5. The weight of history. The impossible blend of resignation and optimism. Perseverence in the face of adversity. 

6. The celebratory spirit; the willingness to declare a día de fiesta for any reason, or for no reason.

7. Women out sweeping and washing the sidewalks and streets in the morning.

8. No need for an alarm clock--something will wake you up long before the alarm goes off!

9. Those bolillos! Mole. Carnitas. Mounds of brightly colored vegetables everwhere you turn. Pan de elote. Avacado ice cream--seriously? Finding corn kernals embedded in my strawberry ice cream bar. 

There's plenty more, but those will do for now. And as for the reason I don't leave Mexico . . . I adopted a Mexican street cat (thrown out in the trash at three weeks of age) and she refuses to leave Mexico. Heck, she refuses to leave the window sill, let alone the country.

.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Best post ever!!! Thanks, Turtle. You hit it on the head with so many of your observations. “If you have a comal, you, too, can have a business.” So true! 

It reminds me of a couple of phrases in Spanish that I can never quite fully express in English:

*“Se la ingenia”* referring to someone figuring out a way to do something even if they don’t have the right circumstances, tools, resources. Kind of like MacGyver (people often call my husband a “Mexican MacGyver” because he’s a master at “ingeniárselas”.)

*“Échale ganas” *Kind of like doing your best, with enthusiasm, hard work, putting your best foot forward.


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## bdesj (Nov 4, 2015)

perropedorro said:


> ...which can be a good counter to excessive consumerism which might be confused with prosperity on this or that index, but really isn't.


Thank you for that reminder!



TurtleToo said:


> 5. The weight of history.


I'm not quite sure just what you mean by that, but I have often felt that history somehow feels more alive in Mexico. From putting my hand against the wall of an ancient ruined temple whose builders died dozens of generations ago to walking down a Guanajuato street with the same houses on either side of me that Hidalgo and Allende marched between 200 years ago, likely on some of the same cobblestones, it just feels like the past is right there with me. I feel that way frequently throughout Mexico, have never felt it elsewhere. Granted, I was very young when I visited the corresponding areas of my own country (Boston area, Philidelphia, Washington DC) and foolishly wasted the short time I was stationed in Europe, mostly drunk. Anyway, yes- a lot of weight in Mexico's history.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

One of the myriad of things that I love about Mexico is colour, vibrant colour in both the natural environment as well as the colours people choose for their houses, their clothing, & public spaces. Yesterday I was strolling through a Home Depot in Toronto and this display in the paint department caught my eye. It is labeled “Canada’s Most Popular Colours”. If you can’t see the photo well, the palette is all whites and greys, with a bit of beige and brown thrown in. As if we don’t get enough white, grey and brown through our interminable winters. ¡Ay, por Dios! 











Contrast that with these pictures of the backside of a row of houses which are beside a stream across from the market in Yautepec, Morelos. Vibrant blue, pink, yellow, green, purple and red brighten the view from the market fondita where we were eating. _En gustos hay de todo_, to each their own, but I’m definitely more Mexican in my tastes when it comes to colour.


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

The "popular in Canada" chart gave me a good chuckle this morning.
Back in more colorful CA, I would have hesitated to paint the patio walls in magenta, light purple, gold and bright blue......but no problema here and I am thoroughly enjoying them!


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## xolo (May 25, 2014)

Colors of Canada. hahaha, nice one.
Most of the comments seem to be about the mestizo mainstream, which is very nationalistic. Mexico is extremely diverse with dozens of cultures. Mexico is still in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which it signed in 1948, but things are slowly improving.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

ojosazules11 said:


> One of the myriad of things that I love about Mexico is colour, vibrant colour in both the natural environment as well as the colours people choose for their houses, their clothing, & public spaces. Yesterday I was strolling through a Home Depot in Toronto and this display in the paint department caught my eye. It is labeled “Canada’s Most Popular Colours”. If you can’t see the photo well, the palette is all whites and greys, with a bit of beige and brown thrown in. As if we don’t get enough white, grey and brown through our interminable winters. ¡Ay, por Dios!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just try painting the outside of your house magenta or bright pink or bright turquoise in Canada- you'll get a notice from the city that you're violating some kind of bylaw (and of course multiple neighbors will have complained).

I had a wonderful little book for my kids when they were little- it was called the Big Orange Splot. The main character accidentally got a big splot of orange paint on his house, so decided to just paint the whole house crazy colors. All the neighbors came over to complain. But he would say "My house is me and I am it and it looks like all my dreams." So the neighbors would go home, and then paint their houses up to reflect their dreams.

One thing I love about living in Mexico is that everything doesn't have "rules" attached.


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## Orfin (Sep 26, 2016)

I came to Mexico first time in 1999 and that was before it had as much fright factor as these days.
So the sentiment of a long lost era still lives in me. 
A lot has changed, not just the violence. The quiet beach fishing villages i knew back then, have turned into dense tourist machines, but roads have gotten better and the information age is as live in Mexico as anywhere else.
I have travelled to 23 countries so far, lived in several for a year or more, and have two new countries booked for August -or in a few weeks i will be up to 25 countries.
I do part time stays with 6 months in one place and 6 in another or in countries with 90 day stay only, i do 90 days there and 90 days in the nearest worthwhile country. Right now in Colombia and i usually do Colombia+Ecuador but this year is Colombia+Suriname+Guyana.
I travel based on climate timing. I travel first to escape the winter cold and escape the summer heat, then i factor in which places would offer the best experience, and affordable tropical beach options always win after weather conditions. 


Mexico has been the Winter beach spot for me, and an easy full six month stay is no problem.
Sure i like Colombia and Ecuador, but Mexico is a place i can bring my car and pack it full of goodies and toys. It makes the time there so much more easy going. 
Also the shopping options in Mexico, for groceries and the type of stores i recognize from USA. And that i can get a number of USA brands easily.
Colombia has nice modern malls and even USA fast food options, but i am not about the fast food.
Colombia groceries are modern but none of the Walmart familiarity that i get in USA and Mexico.

Mexico just may be the beach capitol of the world. I have been to lots of countries and nothing appeals to me like Mexican beaches and Mexican winters on the beach. 
The climate and beach option combination is world class. 
Big blue sky sunshine all day every day throughout the winter, is not as easy to find in other countries. Maybe some other countries do have that but not with the climate niche, affordability and drivable road connection from USA.

In Colombia, i find cheaper housing per quality offered. High rise condos in colombia are common fare for common people and not a niche primarily reserved for tourists hotspots as we find in Mexico. 
So i may not be at the beach in Colombia today, but that is because it is too hot in Mexico right now, and better here in Colombia in the cool weather mountains with 3-bedroom condo fully furnished TV+Wifi, for $450(all utilities), on the 14th floor and walking distance to the modern malls and groceries and still options for the rural roadside fruit and food vendors along the way. Food here is cheap compared to Mexico. 
And all this in a small town with low traffic and fresh air. 

But Mexico at the beach will be on my schedule again, inevitably with its special niche made of a perfect blend of natural qualities. Beach options in Colombia are slim and packed full with high prices to go along. Ecuador also has beaches but not quite as appealing to me as Mexico.

I doubt i will be back to Mexico until after 2020 or late 2020 earliest, because i have a busy travel schedule in mind for this year and next. South America, Europe, Africa and likely end it all in Hawaii where i have business to handle. 
And if Hawaii gets too involved, i may not make it back to Mexico until late 2021 ~if the world has not ended by then~.

But yes, amid all my travel and destinations, Mexico seems destined to bring me back.
No other place lets me drive my car across USA and into Mexico and then do the winter at the beach with blue sky sunshine all day everyday until the end of winter, when i would be thrilled to get back to see the Spring bloom at home up north.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

It is too hot in Mexico now?? We have a fire going in the fireplace because it is cold..right now high up in the mountains..


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

citlali said:


> It is too hot in Mexico now?? We have a fire going in the fireplace because it is cold..right now high up in the mountains..


I definitely don't have a fire going or know of anyone who even has a fireplace on the tropical coast. Lately it's been 80-90F, and about the same numbers for humidity. Miserable. But come late October or so the hurricanes are gone, humidity goes down, and it's beach paradise for the winter months. Mexico has many climate regions, it all depends on where you are.


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## alan-in-mexicali (Apr 26, 2018)

VERY WELL SAID! You did an outstanding job of putting your heart's feelings into words!


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

perropedorro said:


> I definitely don't have a fire going or know of anyone who even has a fireplace on the tropical coast. Lately it's been 80-90F, and about the same numbers for humidity. Miserable. But come late October or so the hurricanes are gone, humidity goes down, and it's beach paradise for the winter months. Mexico has many climate regions, it all depends on where you are.


Hey, I was really happy to come back to what you call "miserable" after spending July in coastal British Columbia  It was so cold! It's not just that I'm aclimatized to hot weather- everyone up there thought it was outrageously cold as well. One night it went down to 48F. In the third week of July.


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