Arrested Development - Ex-Pats Mexico

I spent a winter month in Patzcuaro where some mornings there was ice on the windshield. Come noon it was back to just a light shirt. Years seem to flash by here and if I don't like it I can move again. It's also 4.5 hours closer to much of central Mexico that I've only passed thru and would like to see more of

Gringal, I didn't mean this to be a 'my city is better than your city' pissing match. My apology if it came through that way, I can see how it would. The thing is, Sparks is not new to Mexico and doesn't need the training wheels so to speak that I see as the main attraction at Lake Chapala. I agree that weather is a personal thing but if I wanted to live in the highlands I can think of a lot more beautiful and interesting places frankly. Querétaro comes to mind right away. Or Guadalajara itself, it was on my short list of places I wanted to live. I just don't understand the suburb thing, especially a suburb full of gringos. Sorry, it didn't fit with my view of Sparks.

Nothing about Joco is any more suburbia than this dirty little beach town except more of the streets are paved and maybe twice the population. A drive to Manzanillo is not much longer than to civilization near the lake. They are building 1000 Infonavit homes here. We have a Bodega in this area. Ejido's are normalizing their land. Lowlands (delta) are being filled like crazy. Highways and bridges are being built. It's also expensive to buy or rent on the beach.

I also get a little tired of the tourist destination with people passing thru and the locals knowing it. Tourist buses, people you'll never see again, ATV rentals w/o mufflers ... kinda reminds me of Santa Cruz CA on weekends

We went through there yesterday on the way to the new Costco in Guad. The amount of Infonavit and other development in the last few months is astounding. I also noticed that they were ripping out the bicycle lane barrier, guessing it's about widening the road to include a passing lane. Since many of the workers who live in San Juan Cosala to Joco use bicycles to commute to jobs, it's going to be dangerous.

It's not going to be fun on the weekends when all those vacation homes are sold. The traffic...ouch. On the other hand, if I had to live and work in smog central in Guad.... a place by the lake might look very good.

The low income housing near the Barra cemetary has been shut down. The developer left town owing a lot of people a lot of money. That will take a long time too get sorted out.

What highways and bridges are you talking about? The bypass from Arroyo Seco to MX 80? The new overpass at the turnoff to the ZLO airport? The bypass around Cihua?

Yes those two sections ... and the bridge to bypass Cihuatlan will probably be forever since it's expensive and the states have to agree and share with the Feds. The Melaque bypass has been 3 years in the works. Still there is lots of speculation and growth and normalization of Jaluco is not a small thing. The sand hill from Aguacate is fast disappearing to fill the lowlands

My guess (just a guess) is the ditch along the highway towards Joco is sewer for the Infonavit houses. I assume they can't septic all those places that close to the lake. If it's a center passing lane it would be more dangerous than the 2 lanes they have now. Down here 2 lanes with a wide shoulder work quite well

You know a City like San Luis Potosi seems to have a lot going for it, although I have yet to visit. Beautiful Colonial core, with seven plazas, the first city in Latin America to have city wide, asthetically pleasing night light installed. A University town, and a state capital, lots of people who speak or are eagerly learning/practising English. The best part, is that if you are still close into outdoor recreation activities, like many in the Pacific Northwest are used to - you have high desert to the West, lush rivers and valleys to the east. At 6,000 feet, its just a little cooler than Guadalajara, but not as cool as Zacatecas. From what I can gather from the local realtors and newspaper, costs of both urban and country rentals/purchases are among the lowest in Mexico.

http://www.ourmexico.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155:mexico-mosaic-san-luis-potosi&catid=34&Itemid=81

The trouble is that as you get older, especially into the 60's and beyond, you begin to rely on and prefer your native language. Not just communication, but humor, culture, conversation, possibly even romance! This is the advantage of Lake Chapala - it is easier to seek out english speaking companionship, and for many - this is as important - or will become as important, as perpetual mild weather.

None Spanish speaking NOB emigrants into Mexico are a special breed.
Not only can they do without communication, humour, nob culture and romantic conversations to gain what they covet, they can also put total faith in someone else to read, understand and explain legal documentation, detailed retail documentation and non English online banking websites and as well take technical verbal advise from non English speaking tradespeople when it comes to repairing new autos and having home maintenance done.
They are a self-sufficent or trusting bunch.

Looking for furniture-- must be added..considering the termites.

I'm afraid you're carrying the idea a bit too far. Many NOB expats arrive and promptly attempt to learn Spanish. Many learn just enough to get by in most situations. I doubt that their deficiency has prevented them from enjoying humor, culture and romantic conversations (they often aren't looking for a new romance...they brought their own). Like most generalizations, it breaks down upon close examination. Maybe I missed your meaning, and you were referring to their missing out on Mexican culture and humor....not those things in general.

I've pointed this out before, but when we examine what people from other cultures do when they emigrate, we most often find that they head directly for their own cultural enclaves, where they may not learn to speak the new language well. This is especially true of older people, who sometimes live in the new country for the rest of their lives without learning the language well enough to get into "humor" or "romance."

As far as "trusting" is concerned.......whether we are fluent in the language or not, we end up nervously trusting those who are expert in the law, mechanical matters and many other fields. "Look lady, the problem is you need a new frammisss on your whatsit before your car will run well" is not an uncommon experience. And then, there's the doctor telling you what you need to do. Huh? And we "trust" that we will get the good information. Good luck to all of us.

There is another factor to consider: Many people emigrate to another country because they need to, not because they wouldn't rather stay where they are. This is true of most of our own ancestors. It is true now of those seeking employment heading NOB, and of those retirees in a financial crunch heading for Mexico, where they can live with dignity on whatever straitened means they have. Good for all of them, using the survival skills humans resort to.