# Mexico



## Michael.

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## rkunsaw

I don't think visiting Mexico is a good idea these days. Even the resort areas are becoming dangerous.

You can go to Belize, Guatemala,and other places to see ancient Mayan, Aztec, and Inca sites.

I've never been to any of these places. I'm basing my opinion on news reports of attacks against tourists.


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## SifuPhil

I remember a book that came out in the '70's, titled something like "_How To Retire on $100 a Month_" - the author had retired to Mexico after living in the States his entire life, and was singing the praises of having a beautiful villa with a maid, a cook and a gardener for $100 a month. There was no mention at all about dangers aside from where to get fresh food and water, but that was over 40 years ago.

I think a lot has changed.


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## That Guy




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## SifuPhil

That Guy said:


>



Mexico was inundated by a _tsunami_?!?

I didn't hear a THING about it on the news ...  



Dang ... where will I get my Volkswagen Beetles now?


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## JustBonee

SifuPhil said:


> I remember a book that came out in the '70's, titled something like "_How To Retire on $100 a Month_" - the author had retired to Mexico after living in the States his entire life, and was singing the praises of having a beautiful villa with a maid, a cook and a gardener for $100 a month. There was no mention at all about dangers aside from where to get fresh food and water, but that was over 40 years ago.
> 
> I think a lot has changed.



I remember hearing all that stuff too.  That was long ago and far away ...like a fairy tale.  
Heard the same stuff about living in Belize.  It is just as bad there.


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## JustBonee

Chichen Itza ..... My husband slowly stepped his way to the top when we were there in 2009.   I took pictures from the base. 
Getting back down required more scooting then stepping, but he did it.

He died earlier this year, but he never missed a chance to try everything he could.


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## R. Zimm

Many tourists visit Mexico each year and come back with great memories. I don't plan to be one of them however.


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## SifuPhil

I was just in a discussion on another board concerning the cost of living in Costa Rica. It reminded me of this discussion.

The claim was made that a man was able to live in a hut on the beach for $25/month, price including a daily chicken. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I did a quick Google and discovered that Costa Rica is pretty much like any other "unknown paradise" - you can indeed live cheaply, but it's the equivalent of living in a cardboard box here in the States.

I found that studio and one-bedroom apartments, furnished and with all utilities, went for between $250-$2500 / mn, just like here. You can eat cheaply if you go to the weekly farmer's markets: a huge bunch of bananas is $0.40, a large pineapple $1.00, a large loaf of fresh French bread $1.00. 

But you can also go to their equivalent of Wal-Mart, with its air-conditioning and Muzak playing, and spend on average 30% MORE than you would in the States for familiar brands.

Crime, language barriers, political conditions, etc. are also important considerations. But man, the scenery!


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## That Guy

SifuPhil said:


> I was just in a discussion on another board concerning the cost of living in Costa Rica. It reminded me of this discussion.



Many of my surfing amigos travel the world in search of waves.  Long ago, they lamented it was too late for Costa Rica.  Once word gets around things go downhill pretty quickly...


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## SifuPhil

That Guy said:


> Many of my surfing amigos travel the world in search of waves.  Long ago, they lamented it was too late for Costa Rica.  Once word gets around things go downhill pretty quickly...



It _does_ seem that way, doesn't it? 

That's why being a contrarian works so well for me - even when I was a kid and my folks would take me to the beach, I'd leave the crowded section and go where no one else was. Of course, this was often due to red tide, medical waste or Great White Sharks, but it was a small price to pay for peace and quiet. 

When the crowd says buy, I sell. When they turn right I bear left. 

The only problem I have is when the rest of the crowd turns around and starts following _me_. I was an advocate for legalizing marijuana back when it was just a science fiction concept that even Frank Herbert wouldn't touch. Now more than half the country is clamoring for it.


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## R. Zimm

"I was an advocate for legalizing marijuana back when it was just a science fiction concept that even Frank Herbert wouldn't touch."

So now you expect the "senior discount" I bet, eh?


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## SifuPhil

R. Zimm said:


> "I was an advocate for legalizing marijuana back when it was just a science fiction concept that even Frank Herbert wouldn't touch."
> 
> So now you expect the "senior discount" I bet, eh?



Oh, now wouldn't THAT be sweet?!? 

They could even develop special strains just for the senior market - Mental Haze, Komfy Kushion, Wacky Wheelchair, and my fave, AbiliWeed - it increases the anti-depressive qualities of the weed itself.

Of course, ViaGreen would be a top-seller ... and for joint pain, CeleBrix. layful:


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## Happyflowerlady

View attachment 2059


SifuPhil said:


> I remember a book that came out in the '70's, titled something like "_How To Retire on $100 a Month_" - the author had retired to Mexico after living in the States his entire life, and was singing the praises of having a beautiful villa with a maid, a cook and a gardener for $100 a month. There was no mention at all about dangers aside from where to get fresh food and water, but that was over 40 years ago.
> 
> I think a lot has changed.



I remember reading about how cheap it was to live in Mexico, too,and the reports made it sound really good !  You could have a nice little hacienda with a courtyard, and room for some chickens and a milk goat; and probably even have a housekeeper to come in and clean house if you wanted one .

You don't hear those stories anymore. Now it is all about the drug lords, and Chupacabras eating the sheep, or maybe the goats. 

I also think that you have to be willing to worship the Temple Cat God, he is said to be very powerful, so that is an important consideration if you visit Mexico.


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## Diwundrin

OMG, there was one of those cat statuettes in a local restaurant!  But they didn't sell Tortillas and I could have sworn they were Chinese. 

 



Bali is our Mexico.  Tourist traps, bent cops, and drinks spiked with ethanol in cheap bars risking killing the occasional tourist to make an extra cent on the booze markup.  
Not to mention terrorist attacks, murders, rapes, muggings,  STDs, 'Bali belly' bugs, you know, all those romantic South Seas fantasies. 
 Oooo yeah, great holiday spot, Sex, Drugs and Ethanol.  

Plenty of weed available there too I'm told (no, I've never been there, nor likely to) but you can't bring your own.  We've got 9 runners on death row there and at least one other in for 20 years for trying to get it through their customs.  Doh!  Apparently they believe in supporting local producers only.


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## JustBonee

Years ago, (60-70's) there was a town in Mexico that Americans were going to ... wish I could remember the name!!  
Advertised as a super retirement haven .... 30, 40 thousand Americans were there. 
For a long time it was a nice inexpensive town for retirees.  They built (nice) homes cheaply  and enjoyed life.  
Then the  violence started  getting out of hand.  They had to scramble to sell, if they could even do that,  and get the heck out of there with their lives!



> ..Not to mention terrorist attacks, murders, rapes, muggings ...


... yeah, that became their life there too Di.


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## Happyflowerlady

I was looking a little more to see if there was still the possibility of living cheaply in Mexico, as was done by so many people back in the 70s when all the stories came out about living there.
So, what I am reading, is that it is still possible, but you have to choose where you move to. The people that are coming here illegally, are not the older people as much as the younger ones that want to come and work here. But if a person has a reliable source of income, then it seems to me that they could still live there and do okay. 
Here is a link to an article about living cheaply in Mexico.
I think that living close enough to the ocean, or even a nice lake, where a person could swim, might make a great retirement.

http://www.frugal-retirement-living.com/retiring-to-mexico.html


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## JustBonee

Happyflowerlady, I came across that website when I was searching for that all-American town in Mexico I was trying to remember above.. 
From your link:


> [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I understand that I’ll be receiving the most recently-updated version of *Mexico: The Owner’s Manual*.This was last updated in 2011.[/FONT]


2011 ... they quit promoting.   
There is just too much trouble down there ... it's bad enough on this side of the border.  JMO


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## SifuPhil

Happyflowerlady said:


> * Phil the Lucky Temple Cat-God *



OMG I didn't even see this until just now - excellent!

If I can have your permission I'd like to use that image for the cover of my forthcoming book - _Chariots of the Cat-Gods_. layful:



> I also think that you have to be willing to worship the Temple Cat God, he is said to be very powerful, so that is an important consideration if you visit Mexico.



There are far worse things that could be worshiped - politicians and sports figures, for example ...


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## SifuPhil

Boo's Mom said:


> 2011 ... they quit promoting.
> There is just too much trouble down there ... it's bad enough on this side of the border.  JMO



The majority of sites and books I'm seeing concerning retiring to Mexico are 2011 at he _latest_ - most are '70's-'90's - and you're right that there just seems to be an abundance of trouble down there.



> Obviously Kyle was naive but his heart was in the right place when it came to his relationships with people.



~ In reply to the story of *Kyle Kester*, 38, who had fallen in love with Mexican culture so much that he moved there and began having his dream home built in a remote area, only to be murdered in the home just before its completion by 2 Mexican teens and a 21-year-old who "could face several years in prison if convicted". :crushed:

I can't remember the name of that American "settlement" either but I know there were several advertised. My thoughts are that if you have to move into a enclave of fellow ex-pats perhaps you shouldn't have moved in the first place ... I understand the language barrier and common homeland references, but that's all part of fitting yourself into a new culture. You don't hold onto YOUR ways - you adapt and adopt to the _new_ ones.

... a lesson, by the way, that has rarely been remembered by the modern immigrants to THIS country. 



Obviously , Kyle was naive but his heart was in the right place when it came to his relationships with people.O

Obviously , Kyle was naive but his heart was in the right place when it came to his relationships with people.


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## Pappy

This is the part of Mexico that looks good to me.


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