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Jim & Carole's Mexico Adventure

 
 
 
  (Jalisco)
247 Visits
A photojournal of our travels and adventures in Mexico's Western Highlands, and our life in Ajijic at Lake Chapala. Everything from fiestas to wildlife, ancient ruins to life in a Mexican village...and much more.
tags: Ancient ruins, Hiking, Mexican fiestas, Mexican village life, Spanish colonial cities
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by: cookj5
My wife and I decided to move to Mexico when I decided to retire early. It was basically an economic decision: we are health care refugees from the US. However, we both have wanted to travel and find adventure in other countries and Mexico seemed a relatively close and easy jump to make from Oregon. Mexico has exceeded all our expectations so far, and neither of us can find any good reason to go back to the US. Cost of living is about 1/2 of our US expenses, and health care is good to excellent and laughably cheap compared to the US. We love the people we have met, both expats and local Mexicans, and there are countless fascinating places to visit.

Latest posts on Jim & Carole's Mexico Adventure


San Cristóbal's 18th Century Catedral occupies one side of the city's Zocalo. The Zocalo, also known as Plaza Mayor or Plaza 31 de Marzo, is filled with activity from the...   Read more

My hiking friends Peter (rt) and Alfredo (lt), on the way to the peak of Cerro Chupinaya. The mountains surrounding Lake Chapala are a hiker’s delight. This is particularly true of...   Read more

This beautiful bracelet of copper bells was crafted by the ancient people of the Costa Grande. Copper bells and other items of personal ornamentation were among the earliest uses of this...   Read more

Statue of Huehueteotl, the "Old, Old Fire God," was found at Xihuacán. Huehueteotl is shown in his typical posture: seated, with the hunched shoulders and face of an old...   Read more

Bust of a woman in the Teotihuacan style, found at the ruins of Xihuacán. The ancient sculptor who crafted this bust perfectly captured a wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression of...   Read more

The seemingly endless beach at Barra de Potosi was almost empty when we visited. Barra de Potosi is a tiny fishing village at the south end of a long, gently curving bay. The northern tip...   Read more

El Pescador is one of many statues along the malecon of Playa Municipal. El Pescador ("The Fisherman") acknowledges Zihuatanejo's hard-working fishing community. Fishing has...   Read more
Zihuatanejo Part 2: Playa Madera Posted on 10/02/2013

Bronze sculpture of a beautiful girl basking on a rock along Playa Madera. This is one of seven statues of indigenous women along Playa Madera and Playa Municipal. The bronze statues, each...   Read more

View of Zihuatanejo looking northeast. After our stop at Patzcuaro to see the ancient Tarascan ruins at Ihuatzio (see previous posting), we continued on through Michoacan to the Pacific...   Read more

One of Ihuatzio's twin pryamids broods silently as rugged mountains rise to the east. The two pyramids at Ihuatzio are among the major features of the site, which is located near the...   Read more
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Comments

Comments


  • Keep up your great blogs and your photo's are, as they say worth a thousand words.
    I really appreciate all the information. I have lived in Texas for 35 of my 68 years and Mexico makes sense
    but it really helps to get real life details about all the pros and cons. My military background makes me want to gather all the intel
    I can before moving to another country and culture. I get so much negative here and I know that is just half of the reality.
    Sincerely Wild Bill Holloway. Former Naval Special Warfare (Frogman) bjhfrog@gmail.com
    wild1326
    By wild1326 2013-01-14, 19h05
      Reply  
    • Jim: I forgot adding my e-mail address! pato_zamudio@hotmail.com Thanks!
      By Queretano 2009-11-19, 22h14
        Reply  
      • Hi Jim:

        I am Cesar and I have been checking your Blog guys, I love it! My wife Jen and I have a dream, we would like to open a Non-Profit Organization (community Center) in Ajijic, Jalisco. It is grat project, we do not have the money yet JAJA but what we want to do is already set. Since you and Carole live down there,I would like to know if this sound like a good idea to you. We live in Montreal Canada. My wife is from Trenton, Michigan and I was born and raised in Queretaro, Mexico.

        Thank you!!

        By Queretano 2009-11-19, 17h43
          Reply  
        • please email the expenses to ove to mexico. i would like to retire ther but need dollar figures to help me make up my mind. ptaz42@windstream.net
          By ptaz 2009-10-23, 04h01
            Reply  
          • Susan- I didn't have your email or I would have responded directly. Answers to your questions:
            1) Yes, we did visit for a week about a year before we actually moved down. We had done a great deal of research beforehand, so the visit was to confirm our information and get the feel of the place. I would strongly advise visiting before you make any commitment to move. You may want to visit several places in addition to Lake Chapala.
            2) If you can afford it and get the free time, it would be worth while coming down for several weeks or even a couple of months. Depending on what your timeframe is, you might want to visit in a couple of different times of year. October-March is "the season" when the weather is nearly perfect, no rain, warm sun with cool breezes. It is also the most crowded season and most expensive in terms of rents, since we get loads of Canadian and US "snowbirds". April and May are the hot, dry season (95 degrees F. in the afternoon with cooler mornings and balmy evenings). Best time to rent because the snow birds all pull out and the landlords are desperate to find renters. June-Sept. are the rainy season, but it generally only rains at night with cool cloudy mornings and warm sunny afternoons. We actually like this season a lot because it is quieter and, despite the late night rain storms, it is actually quite pleasant.
            3) Both expats and Mexicans are very laid back and friendly. People tend to be very helpful with advice to newcomers and visitors.
            4) Google up the Lake Chapala Society, Ajijic. The LCS is a volunteer organization of expats with about 3000+ members. Many, many activities, clubs, classes and great facilities. They also great much good will in the Mexican community for the fundraising and volunteer work to help children and the poor.
            5) Also Google up Judy King's website "Living at Lake Chapala" where you can get detailed info about living here, issues around moving to Mexico, and much more.
            By Jim Cook 2008-08-05, 23h35
              Reply  
            • Enjoyed reading your story. Did you visit prior to your move? Can you give an idea as to how long a person would have to visit to get a reasonable idea of your area, ie week, month etc?

              Also did you have trouble getting to know people? I have heard that there are clubs or social groups you can join for activities. Can you confirm.

              I am a little older than you, but am also looking for retirement relief in the future. I am still working, but plan to retire within the next 6 months.

              I have heard the weather is very good in the Lake Chapala area, but probably drier and warmer than Oregon. I am in Okla and it is currently 105 here today. Another need for relief.

              Thanks in advance for any input and would love to hear from you all.

              Susan Ott
              By susan ott 2008-08-05, 00h12
                Reply  

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