Bubba2shoes
American expat in Mexico
Forum posts
48
Contacts
1
About me
American
Lives in San Crist贸bal de las Casa
Speaks English
Registration: 21 August 2018
future san miguel de allende resident by ricotipo
I planning to relocate to San Miguel de Allende and I want to make a visit to see and live the place. I am retired and I am NOT looking for a job I am fluent english and spanish My questions are: today november 2020 how safe is visit San Miguel de ...
I understand, Rob and these sorts of environmental changes from area to area are difficult, even impossible, to predict as your friend found out the hard way. At Lake Chapala and in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas we have not experienced these ... Read More
future san miguel de allende resident by ricotipo
I planning to relocate to San Miguel de Allende and I want to make a visit to see and live the place. I am retired and I am NOT looking for a job I am fluent english and spanish My questions are: today november 2020 how safe is visit San Miguel de ...
While we have often visited San Miguel, we live at Lake Chapala and in the Chiapas Highlands and have resided in those places for 20 years. Our two homes are approximately 1500 kilometers distant from one another and we often drive between them ... Read More
Internet High-Speed availability by jat50b
Hi there everyone!!! Coming from the NYC metropolitan area we've been living in the San Diego area for some time now and crossing into Tijuana for some time and also ventured a bit deeper to discover a lot more interesting country. Now want to ...
We retired to Mexico in 2001, first to the Lake Chapala area and then, 16 years ago to San Cristobal de Las Casas. Since that move 16 years ago, we have lived in both areas and are quite fond of each place for different reasons. Normally we spend ... Read More
Medication in Mexico by Lo茂c
Good morning everyone, Whether it's a simple cold or a chronic illness, medication and medicine use vary from country to country and culture to culture. When you are used to certain brands or types of drugs, being in a country like Mexico ...
We do not have any kids so I cannot address the issue of scarcity of children鈥檚 medications. Just for the record, the controlled drugs requiring prescriptions and, perhaps, shopping around, are generally narcotics or related drugs and most ... Read More
Wife and I are considering our options for retirement by terriandralph
We are both 58, and are considering retiring. Currently between the both of us, our retirement checks per month total about $3000. We would sell our house to put a little aside for a rainy day fund and to eliminate any bills we are currently paying ...
Interesting points. We have never been RV types so cannot address that issue except to say that we are not handyman types either and we need not be since here in Mexico handymen and women abound, do great work on short notice and are always ... Read More
buying property in Mexico by animabeya
Hello All, I currently live in the Bay area in California I am 26 years old and love to travel and would love to relocate I just know I dont want to stay in the US any longer. It is not for me. I no longer want to be a part of the life here. I ...
Several posters on these boards over time have suggested strongly that once you decide on Mexico as a place to live you rent for a while in the community or area you have tentatively chosen before buying to be certain that that area and that ... Read More
Banks by First Last
Need information and opinions re: MX banks National and international. I am a Residente Permanente Opening checking accounts / Debit Card/ Fees / Internet Accessibility / Websites / Acceptance of Card / Internet Transactions / Customer ...
My advice is to keep the bulk of your savings in foreign banks. In our case that means the U.S. and France which are our respective native lands. Read More
Banks by First Last
Need information and opinions re: MX banks National and international. I am a Residente Permanente Opening checking accounts / Debit Card/ Fees / Internet Accessibility / Websites / Acceptance of Card / Internet Transactions / Customer ...
We have banked with Charles Schwab since we lived in San Francisco before retiring to two disparate communities in Mexico some 20 years ago. Those communities are Ajijic, Jalisco and San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas. Two communities far ... Read More
moving to Rosarito permanently by Ktheurer
Hi. I鈥檝e made the decision to move to Rosarito permanently but know nothing about the logistics of making this happen. Can I get Mexican car Insurance comparable to what I have in the states? Is IMSS adequate medical insurance or should I plan ...
Since are you are planning to move to a town very close to the U.S. border, keep Medicare and forget any Mexican plans for medical care. We, on the other hand, live in deep Southern Mexico and use private medical insurance. To each his own but no ... Read More
Best dog parks by bereid710
Looking to retire in Mexico and wondered if anyone could point me to the best places with off-leash dog parks. I have a young, active puppy who needs daily exercise.
The experience one has letting dogs run free varies according to the community in which one lives. We live in the Ajijic Delegation of Chapala, Jalisco on Lake Chapala with endless kilometers of space along the lakeshore where dogs can and do run ... Read More
Recommend Credit/Debit Card w/no Foreign Transaction Fees by Rensar
I am planning on visiting San Miguel de Allende in June/July. Then, I will probably be moving there. I'd like some comments, opinions and/or recommendations on what credit/debit card is best (no foreign transaction fees on purchases or using ...
T is right.Schwab has no physical bank presence in Mexico and for 20 years I have banked there service charge free in Mexico where we live full time as citizens. Opened the account in San Francisco while still living there switching to an ... Read More
New members of the Mexico forum, introduce yourselves here - 2019 by Julien
Hi all, Newbie on the Mexico forum? Don't know how to start? This thread is for you ;) We invite you to introduce yourself on this topic, to share with us your expat story if you are already living in the country, or to tell us more on ...
Just for the record, we are retirees having lived as such in Mexico at Lake Chapala and in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas for almost 20 years, The reason we reside in those two high elevation locations (about 5,000 and 7,000 feet respectively) ... Read More
Cheapest cities in Mexico by Bhavna
Hello everyone, Budget is an important consideration when moving to Mexico. Ideally, expats would settle down in a city in Mexico where the cost of living is low but where they could also enjoy a decent quality of life. Would you be able to give ...
Well, juleed, I see you say you are from Baton Rouge and I am from the Mobile area having lived for some time on the shores of Mobile Bay just north of Dauphin Island. i spent my youth on the beaches of Alabama and Northwest Florida and I, ... Read More
Relocation within Mexico by dhynds2003
Hello, Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I have lived in San Cristobal De Las Casas for a couple years with my girl and 3 dogs (one small and 2 that are big). I'm a big fan of the place (and would be happy to answer any questions ...
Sorry, but no I don鈥檛 remember how we rented a truck in the Ajijic area to move some stuff to San Cristobal as that was some 13 years ago and I have yet to explore options in San Cristobal for The Yucatan but I am confident I will find ... Read More
Relocation within Mexico by dhynds2003
Hello, Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I have lived in San Cristobal De Las Casas for a couple years with my girl and 3 dogs (one small and 2 that are big). I'm a big fan of the place (and would be happy to answer any questions ...
We reside in San Cristobal (in Centro where a car is not needed) and Ajijic, Jalisco. ( where a car is far more important than in San Cristobal) Two very different places. San Cristobal for 13 years and Ajijic for 19 years. We are now considering ... Read More
Biggest Challenge in Moving to Mexico by ddfleming
Looking for some feedback: What was your biggest challenge in the process of relocating/moving to Mexico? How did you solve it? What worked/didn't work? Please comment on this thread or private message me if you don't want to post a public ...
More on driving down here whether with Mexican or foreign license plates. OK, so I鈥檝e driven extensively all over Mexico for over 19 years with, first, California and then Jalisco Mexico plates. For years, I did so with a California divers ... Read More
Biggest Challenge in Moving to Mexico by ddfleming
Looking for some feedback: What was your biggest challenge in the process of relocating/moving to Mexico? How did you solve it? What worked/didn't work? Please comment on this thread or private message me if you don't want to post a public ...
If I were you,, I would drive your NC plated car down here and keep those U.S. plates ,as long as you own that car even if the plates have expired. I drove my California plated car for a couple of years after those California plates had expired ... Read More
Biggest Challenge in Moving to Mexico by ddfleming
Looking for some feedback: What was your biggest challenge in the process of relocating/moving to Mexico? How did you solve it? What worked/didn't work? Please comment on this thread or private message me if you don't want to post a public ...
You have brought up an interesting subject CaribeGal. We鈥檙e two old goobers who retired to Mexico about 19 years ago, one of us of French origin and one an historically accurate representation of the monolingual South Alabama language retard ... Read More
Recommend Credit/Debit Card w/no Foreign Transaction Fees by Rensar
I am planning on visiting San Miguel de Allende in June/July. Then, I will probably be moving there. I'd like some comments, opinions and/or recommendations on what credit/debit card is best (no foreign transaction fees on purchases or using ...
A good point about opening a Mexican bank account if you choose to reside here permanently as did we years ago. We have service charge free savings and checking accounts at both Bancomer and Citibanamex which are large nationally chartered Mexican ... Read More
Recommend Credit/Debit Card w/no Foreign Transaction Fees by Rensar
I am planning on visiting San Miguel de Allende in June/July. Then, I will probably be moving there. I'd like some comments, opinions and/or recommendations on what credit/debit card is best (no foreign transaction fees on purchases or using ...
Yes, Robin, in Mexico Schwab is hands-down the way to go with a Schwab One Account and attached debit card for access to substantial cash withdrawals at countless urban and rural ATM outlets all over the country. I opened our account while living ... Read More
Accessing Money from US by mejms
Moving from Boston to Queretaro in about a month and will continue to have income deposited into my US bank account. Would love to hear how people access their money. I will likely open a bank account in Mexico but am unsure whether I will ...
Our international health insurance is with AXA with unlimited international medical coverage after we cover the $30,000 Peso deductible. We, like you intend , cover minor health related costs, which are quite reasonable in Mexico, out of pocket ... Read More
Looking for friends by Helvig
My husband and I are in our 50's looking to meet some other expats for friendship and maybe doing activities together. Thanks ahead of time.
I don鈥檛 know that much about Cuernavaca but we do live in two dissimilar cities in Mexico and have for years. At Lake Chapala in an area abutting the lake known locally as 鈥淟akeside鈥�, where we live about 1/2 of each year, there are ... Read More
Accessing Money from US by mejms
Moving from Boston to Queretaro in about a month and will continue to have income deposited into my US bank account. Would love to hear how people access their money. I will likely open a bank account in Mexico but am unsure whether I will ...
We have had a Schwab One Account for years we opened while living in the U.S. When we retired to Mexico we stayed with Schwab after converting our Schwab One Account to international client status. For normal peso cash transactions up to $1,000USD ... Read More
Social Security Deposit February 2019
Our Social Security benefits came through on February Ist as anticipated since the third is a Sunday which is the date benefits are deposited if the third is a normal business day and not a holiday. The benefits were electronically deposited to our ... Read More
Best locations for expat family? by DrZaius
My wife and I and our two kids (age 3 and 9) are planning to spend the next year in Mexico and may move there permanently if all works out. I work remotely for a US based company. Our goals are to improve our quality of life while reducing cost and ...
So, Imarkus, you disdain Mexico in general and tout Southern Baja as the place for teaching family values. Remarkarkable. Cotton Candy Mexico with infamous corruption and blood lust. I personally recommend Metropolitan Tijuana so your kids will ... Read More
Best locations for expat family? by DrZaius
My wife and I and our two kids (age 3 and 9) are planning to spend the next year in Mexico and may move there permanently if all works out. I work remotely for a US based company. Our goals are to improve our quality of life while reducing cost and ...
Puebla city, Puebla. The Los Angeles Basin town transported south of the line by unscrupulous opportunists. A fine history in a region once critical to the Spanish Conquistadors determined to commit genocidld en-route from Veracruz to the Valley of ... Read More
San Miguel de Allende or Lake Chapala ?? by dennissira
Hi all, So what are folks thoughts on San Miguel vs Lake Chapala area? Which is cheaper or what other significant differences between them ?
We have lived as retirees in Mexico for about 18 years in both Ajijic on Lake Chapala and in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas. Very different communities. On the edge of town near the lake in Ajijic and in the historic center of the city in San ... Read More
VPN for watching US TV by Ladydi3328
I'm looking for recommendations for a VPN so I can at least get CNN here in Mexico. I'd like to get some of the programming from NBC as well (Stephen Colbert, etc) but I understand that is not possible, even with a VPN outside the ...
on receiving CNN and MSNBC and other news and information channels from around the world, in either of my residences in Mexico - at Lake Chapala or in the Chiapas Highlands, I now pick them up full time no problem free of charge on my computer ... Read More
Children in Rosarito by Inanna23
I see a lot of retired people moving to Rosarito, Baja, but I am wondering how is life for very young kids (2-5 years old). Activities, parks, other kids?
Well, your question about Rosarito Beach is noted but if you are bringing really young kids to Mexico, I wonder why you picked Rosarito - a place I visited a few times while a resident of Southern California. Mexico has countless kilometers of ... Read More
Need Mexican Address for Visa Permanente? by ellenbuikema
We will be traveling to Mexico, finding a long term rental, and then return to the USA to start the process for a permanent visa. Is it necessary to have an address in Mexico before starting the visa process? Thanks!
We are retirees having lived in Mexico for 17 years. I am a U.S. Citizen by birth and my wife is a French citizen by birth. Since 2014, we are also both Mexican citizens having lived here , starting in 2001 initially as temporary residents with ... Read More
Moving to Baja Norte! by Inanna23
Hello all! We are a young couple with a baby and two small dogs. We currently live in Montreal, Canada but are planning on moving to Playas de Rosarito in October 2019. Ultimately, we will be moving to San Diego when our son gets a bit older but for ...
Well, thanks, for the advice Travellight, I see you live in Campeche and I presume by that that you mean Campeche City but there are lots of good places to live in that state from the beach to the approaching highlands. When we are in San Cristobal ... Read More
Moving to Baja Norte! by Inanna23
Hello all! We are a young couple with a baby and two small dogs. We currently live in Montreal, Canada but are planning on moving to Playas de Rosarito in October 2019. Ultimately, we will be moving to San Diego when our son gets a bit older but for ...
By the way, if you have a beloved pet and decide to move to Mexico for work or retirement - by all means bring them with you and if you have accomplished the necessary pet health-related paperwork you should have no problem at the border and no ... Read More
Moving to Baja Norte! by Inanna23
Hello all! We are a young couple with a baby and two small dogs. We currently live in Montreal, Canada but are planning on moving to Playas de Rosarito in October 2019. Ultimately, we will be moving to San Diego when our son gets a bit older but for ...
Just a minor note. I can麓t speak for Tijuana麓s fleas and ticks and I when used to go (often enough) to Tijuana I was a young man having moved from South Alabama to close-by San Diego. On those excursions to TJ I was normally too looped ... Read More
looking around
San Miguel is a relatively expensive town for Mexico populated largley foreigners driving up prices. You will find, upon living in Mexico that there is no reason to settle in an expensive "Gringo" colony like that burg to succeed in your ... Read More
Moving to Baja Norte! by Inanna23
Hello all! We are a young couple with a baby and two small dogs. We currently live in Montreal, Canada but are planning on moving to Playas de Rosarito in October 2019. Ultimately, we will be moving to San Diego when our son gets a bit older but for ...
Well, Inanna, be comfortable with the thought of moving from Canada to anywhere in Mexico. We live in the Mexican highlands in both Jalisco and Chiapas where almost every day year around it is 70F. Sunshine and crystal days are normal weather ... Read More
Moving to Baja Norte! by Inanna23
Hello all! We are a young couple with a baby and two small dogs. We currently live in Montreal, Canada but are planning on moving to Playas de Rosarito in October 2019. Ultimately, we will be moving to San Diego when our son gets a bit older but for ...
Once again, we moved from San Francisco to Chiapas with three dogs and two cats. We also live at Lake Chapala in Jalisco State- a region infamous for scorpions to say nothing of Black Widows many of whom have invaded our home in Jalisco (at 5000 ... Read More
Moving to Baja Norte! by Inanna23
Hello all! We are a young couple with a baby and two small dogs. We currently live in Montreal, Canada but are planning on moving to Playas de Rosarito in October 2019. Ultimately, we will be moving to San Diego when our son gets a bit older but for ...
By the way, we moved to Mexico from California with three dogs and two cats. 17 years ago. No problem. Read More
Moving to Baja Norte! by Inanna23
Hello all! We are a young couple with a baby and two small dogs. We currently live in Montreal, Canada but are planning on moving to Playas de Rosarito in October 2019. Ultimately, we will be moving to San Diego when our son gets a bit older but for ...
Just a thought. You can now communicate effectively with the U.S. and Europe as well as the rest of most of the world from almost anywhere in Mexico and make your living on the internet trouble-free. We live in Chiapas - Mexico鈥檚 poorest ... Read More
Language barriers in Mexico by Priscilla
Hello, Learning a new language is a part of the expat process. Let's find out how crucial it is to know the language in Mexico. What is the official language in Mexico, and what are the other popular spoken languages? Is it possible to live ...
In the Walmart type store in San Cristobal and environs, local indigenous folks send representatives to shop for bargains at the discount emporiums and the language they speak is often indiscernable to store clerks and other shoppers. Actually, the ... Read More
Language barriers in Mexico by Priscilla
Hello, Learning a new language is a part of the expat process. Let's find out how crucial it is to know the language in Mexico. What is the official language in Mexico, and what are the other popular spoken languages? Is it possible to live ...
Travellight鈥檚 comment about speaking Spanish is interesting. We live in Ajijic where English is practically the second language and in the Chiapas Highlands where virtually no one speaks English. i ,speak only rudimentary Spanish. No problem ... Read More
Language barriers in Mexico by Priscilla
Hello, Learning a new language is a part of the expat process. Let's find out how crucial it is to know the language in Mexico. What is the official language in Mexico, and what are the other popular spoken languages? Is it possible to live ...
Ah, yes. I understand very well, grapenut. My wife and I have lived in Mexico for 17 years at both Lake Chapala (Ajijic) and in the Chiapas Highlands (San Cristobal de Las Casas) and, while I only speak marginal Spanish at best, she is fluent in ... Read More
Finding your bearings in Mexico by Priscilla
Hello, While technology has definitely helped us navigate ourselves more easily in most countries, it's not the case everywhere. How do you get to your destinations and navigate yourself in Mexico? Do you use gps systems such as google/apple ...
Yeah, Troy, I fully understand this story about seeking directions in Latin America. A few years ago we were driving to Guatemala麓s Lake Atitlan from Santa Cruz del Quiche and found ourselves lost in nearby Solola driving about town streets ... Read More
Introduction
Hi, jimreno. While I am a native Alabamian, liived in Nortthern California for many years (San Francisco and Sonoma Cont) so I am, in ways, a soull brother. We left California for retirement in both Jalisco at Lake Chapala and in Chiapas in ... Read More
Bank loans in Mexico by Priscilla
Hello, Finances and banking can sometimes be a headache for many expats, especially when it comes to taking out bank loans. Is it difficult for an expat to get approved for a bank loan in Mexico? What are the types of bank loans available ...
Thanks, grapenut but I fear there is some misinformation in your post. The OP was writing about borrowing money from a Mexican Bank not opening an account. Opening an account, whether checking, savings or time sensitive certificates of deposit ... Read More
Cockroaches - Alabama versus Mexico
We reside in both Highland Chiapas (SanCristobal de Las Casas) and at Lake Chapala (Ajijic, Jalisco). I was born and raised in Coastal Alabama and that is where I married my native French spouse who had only recently moved temporarily to Mobile to ... Read More