Mexico has its pros and cons. About 15 years ago I was interested enough in retiring there I read a few books and more importantly, took 5 different trips, each of several weeks, seeing everything including retirement meccas. In the end, I decided against, but that only means "for the present time." Residency is relatively easy to get. O…
Mexico has its pros and cons. About 15 years ago I was interested enough in retiring there I read a few books and more importantly, took 5 different trips, each of several weeks, seeing everything including retirement meccas. In the end, I decided against, but that only means "for the present time." Residency is relatively easy to get. Or if you can't be bothered there are alternatives. One expat I interviewed found it easier to hire a local to take his passport down to the Honduran border and get it stamped every six months. 😁 That's another point to consider: you'd have to learn the more, ah, "informal" nature of government down there. Money talks, bribery is common. This might be good training for what a future America may be like, as our government slowly atrophies.
We thought long and hard about a move, just last year. We thoroughly researched Baja, including the "hidden gem of a town", Mulege (too humid, water getting stagnant) and Todos Santos (getting way too expensive, built up and touristy, filling up with rich American yuppies, Cabo encroaches, and we don't want to be part of the problem) and oh just about every little town. Friends have just up and moved to Mazatlan, they love it there. There are pros and cons. The cheap medical, ditto cost of living, even veterinary care. But then the gang wars are bad right now, everywhere. No different from many American cities, I hear you. I read the Mexico News Daily, the main newspaper for expats, to keep on top of things. Actually we are buried away in a sort of third world country in the wilds of NorCal, and we've planned a move to Texas for a long time. But despite the many, many yucky things about California, we are doing okay where we are, a huge house and garden with cheap rent by the grace of God, my work is rewarding, we have good ties in a tiny and very tight-knit community where, even if most don't share our conservative views and we have few real friends these days, people always pull together and help each other out when things get tough. We're here for the now. Much depends on the midterms, and the 2024 election. Should things get really bad, we will skedaddle, maybe to Mexico after all.
Another news source for expats is the Guadalajara Reporter, which many people in the Chapala / Ajijic area read.
An option I've considered is SE Alaska, specifically Prince of Wales Island. Very remote and you can buy land there with no government rent (a.k.a. property tax), much of it waterfront only accessible via boat.
Friends have a hunting/fishing camp there that is completely off-grid. Solar can be an issue given the cloud cover, but they have a year-round creek that provides not only fresh water but also hydro, so it is habitable year-round. Wind can also be a good option depending on the exposure.
Getting there and getting set up is definitely a chore, but the place is just spectacular, especially if you love crab, halibut, salmon and too many others to list.
It sounds just incredible, and I could easily live on seafood. And the sea is my natural habitat. My man loves Alaska, too - spent his army years in Homer, then did lots of bush piloting all over. He considered living there. Realistically, though, I just don't think I could stand the weather, I'm still too much of a tropical flower - maybe a couple months of the year if the black flies and hummingbird-sized mosquitoes cooperated. I wish I could divide my life into time there, back home in Hawai'i and maybe somewhere in the southern hemisphere (Costa Rica? El Salvadore?). A plane would be nice, but a pilot friend says the cost of jet fuel has him on the verge of retiring. Keep us posted if you strike out for the North.
My grandparents homesteaded the Kenai after WWII and I spent a large part of my childhood there. My father was a bush pilot and hunter/guide. He flew with Don Johnson. Perhaps that will ring a bell with your man. A gigantic Kodiak he bagged is still in the Kenai Municipal Airport.
Alaska is in my soul.
I love Hawai'i as well. In the dead of winter, when it was 40 below and dark for 21 hours, we would head to Maui, or my favorite, Kauai. The North Shore for me was as close to paradise as one could get. although the (old) Road to Hana is right up there.
Such a beautiful world.
If only we could be rid of the fly in the ointment.
Almost ANYWHERE can be heavenly if you live within your means and can quietly manage/work 'the system' to your benefit. There are good people everywhere, even in crusty industrial American towns full of boarded up strip malls and not much else. Look for the good and keep sharing some of your own!
A relaxed bribery sounds inviting as opposed to the formal confiscatory thievery we have here. What would an informal 1984 look like? Would O’Brien find employment teaching math?
We did, the gangs are not interested in gringos. Worth touring around IMHO. I posted a quick guide elsewhere on this thread, mainly about how they reacted with masks/policies.
Mexico has its pros and cons. About 15 years ago I was interested enough in retiring there I read a few books and more importantly, took 5 different trips, each of several weeks, seeing everything including retirement meccas. In the end, I decided against, but that only means "for the present time." Residency is relatively easy to get. Or if you can't be bothered there are alternatives. One expat I interviewed found it easier to hire a local to take his passport down to the Honduran border and get it stamped every six months. 😁 That's another point to consider: you'd have to learn the more, ah, "informal" nature of government down there. Money talks, bribery is common. This might be good training for what a future America may be like, as our government slowly atrophies.
I spend a substantial amount of time down in the Lake Chapala area, and I find Mexico to be freer than the States in many respects.
Also, you can buy a large hacienda for what a small condo would cost you in Cali.
Down there, the bribery is called mordidas and is, as you say, "informal". As opposed to the U.S., where the bribery is legal and institutionalized.
There, everyone knows the government is a scam and its minions are on the take. Here, not so much.
I find Mexico an excellent option should events necessitate an involuntary relocation.
We thought long and hard about a move, just last year. We thoroughly researched Baja, including the "hidden gem of a town", Mulege (too humid, water getting stagnant) and Todos Santos (getting way too expensive, built up and touristy, filling up with rich American yuppies, Cabo encroaches, and we don't want to be part of the problem) and oh just about every little town. Friends have just up and moved to Mazatlan, they love it there. There are pros and cons. The cheap medical, ditto cost of living, even veterinary care. But then the gang wars are bad right now, everywhere. No different from many American cities, I hear you. I read the Mexico News Daily, the main newspaper for expats, to keep on top of things. Actually we are buried away in a sort of third world country in the wilds of NorCal, and we've planned a move to Texas for a long time. But despite the many, many yucky things about California, we are doing okay where we are, a huge house and garden with cheap rent by the grace of God, my work is rewarding, we have good ties in a tiny and very tight-knit community where, even if most don't share our conservative views and we have few real friends these days, people always pull together and help each other out when things get tough. We're here for the now. Much depends on the midterms, and the 2024 election. Should things get really bad, we will skedaddle, maybe to Mexico after all.
Another news source for expats is the Guadalajara Reporter, which many people in the Chapala / Ajijic area read.
An option I've considered is SE Alaska, specifically Prince of Wales Island. Very remote and you can buy land there with no government rent (a.k.a. property tax), much of it waterfront only accessible via boat.
Friends have a hunting/fishing camp there that is completely off-grid. Solar can be an issue given the cloud cover, but they have a year-round creek that provides not only fresh water but also hydro, so it is habitable year-round. Wind can also be a good option depending on the exposure.
Getting there and getting set up is definitely a chore, but the place is just spectacular, especially if you love crab, halibut, salmon and too many others to list.
It sounds just incredible, and I could easily live on seafood. And the sea is my natural habitat. My man loves Alaska, too - spent his army years in Homer, then did lots of bush piloting all over. He considered living there. Realistically, though, I just don't think I could stand the weather, I'm still too much of a tropical flower - maybe a couple months of the year if the black flies and hummingbird-sized mosquitoes cooperated. I wish I could divide my life into time there, back home in Hawai'i and maybe somewhere in the southern hemisphere (Costa Rica? El Salvadore?). A plane would be nice, but a pilot friend says the cost of jet fuel has him on the verge of retiring. Keep us posted if you strike out for the North.
Homer... That is my country.
My grandparents homesteaded the Kenai after WWII and I spent a large part of my childhood there. My father was a bush pilot and hunter/guide. He flew with Don Johnson. Perhaps that will ring a bell with your man. A gigantic Kodiak he bagged is still in the Kenai Municipal Airport.
Alaska is in my soul.
I love Hawai'i as well. In the dead of winter, when it was 40 below and dark for 21 hours, we would head to Maui, or my favorite, Kauai. The North Shore for me was as close to paradise as one could get. although the (old) Road to Hana is right up there.
Such a beautiful world.
If only we could be rid of the fly in the ointment.
I looked at pictures of POW, it is truly a stunning landscape. You're a sourdough from way back so I think you'd do fine there. More than fine.
Almost ANYWHERE can be heavenly if you live within your means and can quietly manage/work 'the system' to your benefit. There are good people everywhere, even in crusty industrial American towns full of boarded up strip malls and not much else. Look for the good and keep sharing some of your own!
Beautiful attitude and advice!
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A relaxed bribery sounds inviting as opposed to the formal confiscatory thievery we have here. What would an informal 1984 look like? Would O’Brien find employment teaching math?
Do you feel safe in MX? Are you allowed to bear arms?
We did, the gangs are not interested in gringos. Worth touring around IMHO. I posted a quick guide elsewhere on this thread, mainly about how they reacted with masks/policies.