Catching Up
There was more going on in preparation for the trip than researching landing sites in Mexico. I must also prepare things in Indiana. I'll speak to that now, and hold off describing my trip to Cancun, Merida, Tulum, et. al. for a later post.
The Methodist district office needed to know in order to arrange for a replacement pastor. Besides the office only three others in Indiana knew of my plans. They had to be trustworthy. Not being able to be up front with my church family was hard enough--it would be worse if news of my departure came via the rumor mill rather than from me. That would cause considerable and unnecessary hurt and anger. I didn't want that to happen. Although it was hard to have to hold back and await the signal from the district--it was probably the best thing. So I trusted and waited.
Still, I needed to be able to talk to someone. It was simply too much for me to hold in secret. The three from Indiana would be discrete, I knew. I also told a friend from West Virginia, some friends in Wisconsin, and, of course, Kerry in Mexico.
Telling those in Wisconsin was tricky. I have an aunt and uncle I love and respect in their same town. I wanted to talk to Bill and Dorothy face to face and not impersonally via letter or phone call. As my friends lived close by my aunt and uncle I had to have their pledge of secrecy. This they did readily and I knew I could trust them.
It is not surprising that my confidants were somewhat taken aback. But all, save one, had known me for at least 25 years and knew my choices were not always what one might expect from a "normal" person.
Also not surprisingly each (except Kerry, of course) expressed concern for my safety. (I'll address "the safety issue" a bit later on.) Despite some doubts, to their credit, all respected, if not completely delighted, in my decision.
In late March I had my annual evaluation by the District Committee on Ministry. They were gracious and recommended me for re-appointment on my return. I was also given the O.K. to inform my church family. It was both a joy and a terror to have the time finally arrive. I could share my secret--but I had to live with the consequences!
Next: Telling my church family
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
News/Noticias
From what I had found thus far Ajijic was alone at the top of the leaderboard, but there was a lot of Mexico left to look over. I had immediately ruled out anywhere near a border (drug war territory) and the major tourist spots. I wanted to have a comfortable and peaceful year. I also wanted nothing to do with Mexico City (Mexico to the locals, as I have mentioned before) due to cost, congestion and pollution. At the same time I did want to be near good medical facilities, airport and water. That still left a lot of territory (all of Baja and the Sea of Cortez, for example) and at least one "tourista" destination, Cancun.
Why Cancun? Well, for just one reason . . . one of my best, if not my best friend on the entire planet lives there. Kerry moved there in 2006. It would be nice to have a familiar face to see occasionally. More than that, Kerry had been a trusted friend for a long, long time. I knew that even after I had searched all of Mexico there would be at least one trip to Cancun in the mix. It would be foolish not to visit and check things out.
With that in mind I went ahead with my investigation. It didn't take too long to rule out Baja and the Sea of Cortez, beautiful though they might be. (Here you may want to ask why I would think deserts are beautiful. Its a fair question and the answer is simple: I just do!) But, beautiful though they may be, they would be too hot, lack great medical facilities, have no discernable cost advantage, and, in this case, would be subject to hurricanes into the bargain. A no go.
I knew little about the Mexican mountain ranges but I soon found out that there are three major ranges: The Sierra Madre Occidental (western), Oriental (eastern) and del Sur (south). The Occidental runs south from Arizona, the Oriental from Texas and the del Sur begins south and a good deal west of Mexico (I'll be calling Mexico City, Mexico from now on) and runs along the west coast toward Salina Cruz.
In the Occidental there were no major cities--meaning no state of the art medical and no major airports. In the Oriental range Monterrey seemed to meet the medical and airport requirements, but a search revealed summer temps could reach 107 Fahrenheit (42 Celsius). Too hot and no water nearby.
In the del Sur range Oaxaca (wa-hoc-ah) was tempting. Situated in a valley in the mountains at about the same elevation as Ajijic, Oaxaca is an old colonial city a bit larger (250,000) than Ft. Wayne. It is surrounded by small towns and has a similar climate to Ajijic, albeit slightly warmer. It does have a U.S./Canadian ex-pat community though not so large as the Lake Chapala area. Cost of living is reasonably low and there is plenty to do. Photographs I found show it to be beautiful. The absence of a nearby lake was all that kept it from the top of the list. Wherever I was to end up, Oaxaca would be worth a visit while I was in country. You can check it out by going to utube and checking out. Click Here I think you'll like it, too.
Next: Merida, Cancun, Tulum and environs
From what I had found thus far Ajijic was alone at the top of the leaderboard, but there was a lot of Mexico left to look over. I had immediately ruled out anywhere near a border (drug war territory) and the major tourist spots. I wanted to have a comfortable and peaceful year. I also wanted nothing to do with Mexico City (Mexico to the locals, as I have mentioned before) due to cost, congestion and pollution. At the same time I did want to be near good medical facilities, airport and water. That still left a lot of territory (all of Baja and the Sea of Cortez, for example) and at least one "tourista" destination, Cancun.
Why Cancun? Well, for just one reason . . . one of my best, if not my best friend on the entire planet lives there. Kerry moved there in 2006. It would be nice to have a familiar face to see occasionally. More than that, Kerry had been a trusted friend for a long, long time. I knew that even after I had searched all of Mexico there would be at least one trip to Cancun in the mix. It would be foolish not to visit and check things out.
With that in mind I went ahead with my investigation. It didn't take too long to rule out Baja and the Sea of Cortez, beautiful though they might be. (Here you may want to ask why I would think deserts are beautiful. Its a fair question and the answer is simple: I just do!) But, beautiful though they may be, they would be too hot, lack great medical facilities, have no discernable cost advantage, and, in this case, would be subject to hurricanes into the bargain. A no go.
I knew little about the Mexican mountain ranges but I soon found out that there are three major ranges: The Sierra Madre Occidental (western), Oriental (eastern) and del Sur (south). The Occidental runs south from Arizona, the Oriental from Texas and the del Sur begins south and a good deal west of Mexico (I'll be calling Mexico City, Mexico from now on) and runs along the west coast toward Salina Cruz.
In the Occidental there were no major cities--meaning no state of the art medical and no major airports. In the Oriental range Monterrey seemed to meet the medical and airport requirements, but a search revealed summer temps could reach 107 Fahrenheit (42 Celsius). Too hot and no water nearby.
In the del Sur range Oaxaca (wa-hoc-ah) was tempting. Situated in a valley in the mountains at about the same elevation as Ajijic, Oaxaca is an old colonial city a bit larger (250,000) than Ft. Wayne. It is surrounded by small towns and has a similar climate to Ajijic, albeit slightly warmer. It does have a U.S./Canadian ex-pat community though not so large as the Lake Chapala area. Cost of living is reasonably low and there is plenty to do. Photographs I found show it to be beautiful. The absence of a nearby lake was all that kept it from the top of the list. Wherever I was to end up, Oaxaca would be worth a visit while I was in country. You can check it out by going to utube and checking out. Click Here I think you'll like it, too.
Next: Merida, Cancun, Tulum and environs
Sunday, June 24, 2012
News/Noticias
I spent a lot of time browsing the Lake Chapala Society website, following links, reading ads and just nosing around in general. Frankly, it sounded too good to be true. Then in the classified section on the site I stumbled across an ad that began, "I love having guests so much that I commissioned a well known Mexican architect to build an eight bedroom casita (Little House) overlooking my lush tropical garden." At the end of the ad was an email address for contacting haroldskipwaggoner@hotmail.com. Harold Skip Waggoner sounded like a fellow gringo to me. Perhaps he might answer a few questions?I wrote an email asking if he would mind doing just that for a potential fellow emigre. On a whim, I included my phone number as well as my email address. I hoped for a response--any response really--but I didn't count on much more than a disinterested email, if anything. What a surprise when I answered my phone the next evening to find Skip himself on the other end of the call . . . all the way from Ajijic!
When I got over my astonishment he explained that he was calling via Vonage thru his computer--so no long distance fees! After mutual introductions I peppered him with questions. How long had he lived there? (twelve years); How was the weather? (Hottest in May, coolest in December; highs in the 90's, lows in the mid-forties); Cost of living? (You could get by nicely on about $1600 as a single, a bit more for couples--maybe more depending on how fancy you wanted to be); High speed internet? (Yes.); Cable TV? (Yes) Rent? ($300 and up); Heat and light (the houses don't have furnaces or central air--not needed--a fan for the hot days and space heater for the coolest would be enough); etc.
Of course there were more things to ask, and I did. He told my I could get by with little or no Spanish because a great many of the locals, particularly in businesses, spoke some English, but that I would enjoy life more if I learned to speak at least rudimentary Spanish; that his health had improved since he had arrived; crime was low, people were pleasant, etc. I told him I planned to bring some books, clothes, computer, the dog's essentials and asked what, if anything, I would absolutely have to bring from the states if it was essential to my comfort? He said if I liked soft mattresses to bring one of those. Since I like hard mattresses there was no problem there. One other thing, he said: "Snow. We don't have any of that," and he laughed.
I spoke with him about other things, then after I had hung up I sat there amazed at how nice of him it was to call, and how patiently he had answered my questions. Ajijic certainly sounded like a great place to live and I couldn't wait to learn more.
Ajijic (Remember?, ah ha heek) is located about 30 or so miles (48 kilometers) from Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city. (You can find Guadalajara on the map in my earlier post--just look toward the SW of the country just over halfway down the map). It sits at an elevation of about one mile (same as Denver, Colorado) and along the same latitude as Hawaii and is almost due east of the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta. As of the moment Ajijic was in the hunt. Next: Other potential places.
I spent a lot of time browsing the Lake Chapala Society website, following links, reading ads and just nosing around in general. Frankly, it sounded too good to be true. Then in the classified section on the site I stumbled across an ad that began, "I love having guests so much that I commissioned a well known Mexican architect to build an eight bedroom casita (Little House) overlooking my lush tropical garden." At the end of the ad was an email address for contacting haroldskipwaggoner@hotmail.com. Harold Skip Waggoner sounded like a fellow gringo to me. Perhaps he might answer a few questions?I wrote an email asking if he would mind doing just that for a potential fellow emigre. On a whim, I included my phone number as well as my email address. I hoped for a response--any response really--but I didn't count on much more than a disinterested email, if anything. What a surprise when I answered my phone the next evening to find Skip himself on the other end of the call . . . all the way from Ajijic!
When I got over my astonishment he explained that he was calling via Vonage thru his computer--so no long distance fees! After mutual introductions I peppered him with questions. How long had he lived there? (twelve years); How was the weather? (Hottest in May, coolest in December; highs in the 90's, lows in the mid-forties); Cost of living? (You could get by nicely on about $1600 as a single, a bit more for couples--maybe more depending on how fancy you wanted to be); High speed internet? (Yes.); Cable TV? (Yes) Rent? ($300 and up); Heat and light (the houses don't have furnaces or central air--not needed--a fan for the hot days and space heater for the coolest would be enough); etc.
Of course there were more things to ask, and I did. He told my I could get by with little or no Spanish because a great many of the locals, particularly in businesses, spoke some English, but that I would enjoy life more if I learned to speak at least rudimentary Spanish; that his health had improved since he had arrived; crime was low, people were pleasant, etc. I told him I planned to bring some books, clothes, computer, the dog's essentials and asked what, if anything, I would absolutely have to bring from the states if it was essential to my comfort? He said if I liked soft mattresses to bring one of those. Since I like hard mattresses there was no problem there. One other thing, he said: "Snow. We don't have any of that," and he laughed.
I spoke with him about other things, then after I had hung up I sat there amazed at how nice of him it was to call, and how patiently he had answered my questions. Ajijic certainly sounded like a great place to live and I couldn't wait to learn more.
Ajijic (Remember?, ah ha heek) is located about 30 or so miles (48 kilometers) from Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city. (You can find Guadalajara on the map in my earlier post--just look toward the SW of the country just over halfway down the map). It sits at an elevation of about one mile (same as Denver, Colorado) and along the same latitude as Hawaii and is almost due east of the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta. As of the moment Ajijic was in the hunt. Next: Other potential places.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
News/Noticias
Picking a spot
If you are thinking about retiring on a small island you don't have to worry about differing climates; what you see in one part of the island is what you get all over. Not so in Mexico. Mexico is a big country with mountains as high as 18,000 feet and coastal communities right at sea level. There are deserts, farmland, forest/jungle, etc. I had to decide what I wanted and then look to see where I might find it.
I have always enjoyed being around water. It is relaxing, cooling and (most often) peaceful, and that is why I found islands so appealing. Mexico has some well known oceanside towns: Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco and more. It made sense to check them out first so I did, but while browsing the net I stumbled upon Lake Chapala--the largest lake in Mexico. At ten miles wide and fifty long it is plenty big enough, and at an elevation of about one mile above sea level it is quite a bit cooler than the coastlands; National Geographic rated it one of the healthiest climates in the world! It sounded intriguing so I dug in and checked it out in earnest. Here is what I found . . .
There are a number of small towns along the northern edge of the lake (Chapala, Ajijic and San Juan Cosala, etc.) that together have a large ex-pat community. Most estimates give 3,000-4,000 as the number of U.S. citizens living there full time. So many live there that they have formed the Lake Chapala Society which provides a multitude of services and activities for members. Visit click here to check it out. You'll be impressed with all that is available.
There are also MANY utube videos: just search Lake Chapala Mexico and you can watch until your eyes glaze over. Here is one link to get started ... click here, and another . . . click here. By all means visit , the site mentioned in the second video for a wealth of information on Ajijic (pronounced Ah-ha-heek). click here
To make a long story short--I thought the area sounded terrific and that I needed to dig even deeper. I'll cover some more of that process and list a few more links in the next post.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Something extra/Algo extra
News/Noticias
Where to live in Mexico?
Most U.S. residents know very little about Mexico, our nearest neighbor to the south. Its government is not set up much differently than our own. There is a central government: president, congress, court system, etc. The country is divided into 31 states and a federal district, Mexico City, which Mexican citizens know as "Mexico." Each state has its own constitution and laws as well as its own officials, just as in the U.S. Most officials are democratically elected--also like the U.S.
Here is a map: (Source: Yahoo.com)
The driving distance from Tijuana in the extreme NW to Chetumal in the extreme SE (not shown on the map, but is located at the southern tip of the peninsula by Belize) is approximately 2530 miles--or 4073 kilometers--the measure used in Mexico. The driving distance from Cancun in the east to Puerto Vallarta in the west is approximately 1485/2390 miles/kilometers. (Source: Globefeed.com)
Where to live in Mexico?
Most U.S. residents know very little about Mexico, our nearest neighbor to the south. Its government is not set up much differently than our own. There is a central government: president, congress, court system, etc. The country is divided into 31 states and a federal district, Mexico City, which Mexican citizens know as "Mexico." Each state has its own constitution and laws as well as its own officials, just as in the U.S. Most officials are democratically elected--also like the U.S.
Here is a map: (Source: Yahoo.com)
The driving distance from Tijuana in the extreme NW to Chetumal in the extreme SE (not shown on the map, but is located at the southern tip of the peninsula by Belize) is approximately 2530 miles--or 4073 kilometers--the measure used in Mexico. The driving distance from Cancun in the east to Puerto Vallarta in the west is approximately 1485/2390 miles/kilometers. (Source: Globefeed.com)
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
News/Noticias
Picking and Choosing
Once I had decided that I would take a leave from ministry and pursue my long-delayed dream of living outside of the U.S., I went online to search out and revisit areas I had especially enjoyed while traveling years ago. I hadn't left the country since 1993 so there was little doubt that much had changed. It had.
At first I concentrated my search in St. Martin, Belize and Costa Rica. As I mentioned before, St. Martin was my first choice. But the cost of living in St. Martin and Costa Rica had risen until they were higher than I thought I could handle. Costs in Belize had risen, too, but perhaps not so much. After speaking with some others familiar with Belize today, I became discouraged by their feelings that crime targeted at U.S. residents was not vigorously investigated by the local police. That made Belize less attractive and I struck it from my list.
About that time I stumbled on an article on my Yahoo home page about the "Ten Best Places to Retire Abroad." I eliminated countries with cold winters immediately, as well as those in Asia. I knew I wanted to stay closer to the states. After culling the list I was left with Mexico, Ecuador and Panama as the most likely choices.
International Living magazine and it's website had an enormous amount of information and was very helpful to me. What I learned there (and in other searches) convinced me that any of those three countries would meet my needs and my budget. Panama offered the most attractive benefits to seniors, with discounted travel, entertainment and ultilities among other temptations. But I knew the climate in Panama was both hot and humid and I didn't want to live in the highlands, so Panama fell from the list, leaving Mexico and Ecuador as the most likely candidates.
I had visited Mexico previously so I began to look at Ecuador. There were some obvious advantages: low cost of living, great climate (almost a dial-a-temperature climate, depending on altitude), decent medical care and a stable government. I could choose from some terrific options; oceanside, or mountainside--maybe even both! But I ran into two obstacles. The first was distance from the states; doable, but likely expensive. The second was my good friend, Duke, whom I now introduce . . .
Duke is, at the time of this writing, a 21 month old boxer. Leaving Duke behind was not an option. I knew I would never crate him and turn him over to an airline. I had heard far too many horror stories about pet deaths in transit. Ecuador was simply too far to drive. The mere thought of navigating the all the different regulations for transporting pets through each country we would have to pass was the decider. Ecuador was out--despite all its obvious benefits. So it was time to revisit Mexico.
Despite having been in Mexico several times I knew less about it than other places I had gone. In other places I had not gone as a tourist, but as a potential future resident and so sought out information on living conditions. But my trips to Mexico were strictly tourista oriented. I had been to Tijuana in my younger years and to Cancun and Chetumal, but only to party. My best Spanish was limited to "Uno mas cerveza, por favor. Muy frio," and "donde esta banyo." Hardly enough knowledge to use as basis for a decision. It was time to begin digging deeply.
Next: Where to live in Mexico? A Pleasant Surprise.
Picking and Choosing
Once I had decided that I would take a leave from ministry and pursue my long-delayed dream of living outside of the U.S., I went online to search out and revisit areas I had especially enjoyed while traveling years ago. I hadn't left the country since 1993 so there was little doubt that much had changed. It had.
At first I concentrated my search in St. Martin, Belize and Costa Rica. As I mentioned before, St. Martin was my first choice. But the cost of living in St. Martin and Costa Rica had risen until they were higher than I thought I could handle. Costs in Belize had risen, too, but perhaps not so much. After speaking with some others familiar with Belize today, I became discouraged by their feelings that crime targeted at U.S. residents was not vigorously investigated by the local police. That made Belize less attractive and I struck it from my list.
About that time I stumbled on an article on my Yahoo home page about the "Ten Best Places to Retire Abroad." I eliminated countries with cold winters immediately, as well as those in Asia. I knew I wanted to stay closer to the states. After culling the list I was left with Mexico, Ecuador and Panama as the most likely choices.
International Living magazine and it's website had an enormous amount of information and was very helpful to me. What I learned there (and in other searches) convinced me that any of those three countries would meet my needs and my budget. Panama offered the most attractive benefits to seniors, with discounted travel, entertainment and ultilities among other temptations. But I knew the climate in Panama was both hot and humid and I didn't want to live in the highlands, so Panama fell from the list, leaving Mexico and Ecuador as the most likely candidates.
I had visited Mexico previously so I began to look at Ecuador. There were some obvious advantages: low cost of living, great climate (almost a dial-a-temperature climate, depending on altitude), decent medical care and a stable government. I could choose from some terrific options; oceanside, or mountainside--maybe even both! But I ran into two obstacles. The first was distance from the states; doable, but likely expensive. The second was my good friend, Duke, whom I now introduce . . . Duke is, at the time of this writing, a 21 month old boxer. Leaving Duke behind was not an option. I knew I would never crate him and turn him over to an airline. I had heard far too many horror stories about pet deaths in transit. Ecuador was simply too far to drive. The mere thought of navigating the all the different regulations for transporting pets through each country we would have to pass was the decider. Ecuador was out--despite all its obvious benefits. So it was time to revisit Mexico.
Despite having been in Mexico several times I knew less about it than other places I had gone. In other places I had not gone as a tourist, but as a potential future resident and so sought out information on living conditions. But my trips to Mexico were strictly tourista oriented. I had been to Tijuana in my younger years and to Cancun and Chetumal, but only to party. My best Spanish was limited to "Uno mas cerveza, por favor. Muy frio," and "donde esta banyo." Hardly enough knowledge to use as basis for a decision. It was time to begin digging deeply.
Next: Where to live in Mexico? A Pleasant Surprise.
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