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Diane...Here ya go:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publication ... index.html

Originally Posted by Bajahowodd

Finally, I noted one post that mentioned travel to Guadalajara for complicated medical care. Don't want to hijack this "Baja" forum, but for those considering Mexico, and feel the need for available state of the art healthcare, the Guadalajara area should at least be considered. Many of you probably already know of the Lake Chapala area nearby, such places as Ajijic, with a huge gringo population. Weather is moderate and there is the lake. If you need a fix off salt water, the drive to Puerto Vallarta is easy enough to plan for weekends.
Just saying.

I was the one who mentioned Guadalajara, because I know of a couple of people whose La Paz doctors referred them there for diagnosis or treatment. The cases involved a complex heart condition and a rare form of cancer, not rapid response emergency situations. It's important as we age to have quality medical care available, but that doesn't mean choosing a retirement location solely on the grounds that a complicated situation or critical emergency might arise. How many people retire to Cleveland to be near the Cleveland Clinic? Guadalajara is almost as accessible from La Paz as from Lake Chapala. The major difference is having to fly there and back instead of drive.

Some expats apparently are quite happy in the Chapala area, but for others it would be too cool, rainy, expensive, full of Americans, or whatever. Not for everyone. And driving to the coast on weekends is nowhere near the same as living 500 meters from it and walking there in five minutes. So medical care is one concern, but not the only one. Personally speaking, if it gets to the point where it has to be, I'll move to Guadalajara. Or Cleveland. Just saying! :P

Thanks for the responses. Maybe it's just me, but somehow I bristle at the term third world as it is often used as a perjorative. I guess Mexico is somewhere just under so-called first world status. Just depends on which Mexico one refers to. I mentioned the dirt streets of Ensenada decades ago. I often contrast that to today as I drive past that mega mall South of town, containing the Walmart, Home Depot, Applebees, Ashley Furniture, etc. just down the block from the Costco, the Smart & Final, Blockbuster, and below the tract houses.

I think that terms like "third world" when referring to sovereign nations today is highly deceptive and rarely accurate. Adjusting to the growing global economy scenario is rewriting the books on that definition and is what is truly behind the current global economic slump. The difference this time around (IMHO) is that the planet is not going to recover equally in a global sense but regionally, bringing balance to the global market at the expense of the big players of the past 50-60 years.

Times they be a changin'....

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Gener ... d_def.html

Maybe I need to eschew speed reading but did I even see Mexico mentioned in the article? I've been to India and Egypt within the last ten years. India is truly a conundrum, what with high levels of education and technology along with abject poverty. Egypt, once perhaps the beacon in the Middle East has been backsliding for just about the entire "reign" of Mubarek. Maybe I'm just wearing my rose-colored Mexican glasses, but in all the time I've been treveling there, I've seen almost uninterrupted progress.

Oh. What is a Yugoslavia?

Kate- Cleveland?? Never. Try Minnesota for Mayo. Much finer social climate. And just for the record, driving from Ajijic to downtown Guadalajara is less than an hour. And maybe two gallons of gas. Can you fly from (your house) to there in such time?

Originally Posted by Bajahowodd

Maybe it's just me, but somehow I bristle at the term third world as it is often used as a perjorative.

Sorry I made you bristle!! I was simply quoting my 91-y/o mother; I knew she meant it to mean that she believed I/we couldn't get foods we were accustomed to, that's why I dragged her up & down every aisle in CCC pointing out Best Foods mayonnaise, Kraft, General Mills, Haagen Daz & most other brand names she's familiar with.

CCC stores have a wide selection, but they are not a big retail chain. Is Soriana's not in La Paz? Forget about Armaburo. He's the Donald Sterling of BCS.

Don't have a clue who Donald Sterling is....might you be mistaking me for a former Californian?

Yes there is a Soriana's. But the two CCC's in La Paz are THE ONLY place that carries imported dairy products. I don't like the taste of local milk, cottage cheese & sour cream. Also, CCC is the most consistent in the brands they do keep stocked on their shelves....you just need to be persistent to find where they put it this WEEK! In my experience, you buy something at Soriana's or Ley & return sometime in the future for the same item only to discover they don't stock it any longer. :(

Just for the record, Donald Sterling ia a major real estate investor and owns the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.

Don't want to belabor it, but I find it somewhat amazing and you somewhat lucky being able to locate the Norte Americano goods you prefer at CCC. Again, just based on what I know of them, in reality, a three store chain, it would seem to be the last place I'd look. Just for sake of comparision, The Comercial Mexicano/ Mega people have stores in the hundreds, all over MX. they are also the folks behind Mexico's K-Mart and Costco(Kirkland products). Walmart and Soriana are also all over MX. Just surprises me.

Interesting topic---really shows that Baja is very different for everyone---not better or worse, just different. Interesting to read about what everyone is looking for and what they find.

Longlegs, I love your story, but really, running over yourself just so you could move to La Paz is a little extreme. And you, Kate and others will NEVER convince me that La Paz is OK in the summer! Love that city in January.

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Just curious what the thought process was (if any - ha!) that you followed when you moved / bought down here?

What was on your top ten list of things to look for?

Did it match up with what you expected?

Has your criteria and/or location changed since?

Thought process None. Have traveled all of Mexico for years by bus and car, lived for a couple of years in Central America, but never seriously thought about buying and living part time in Mexico---well we did look at a place outside of San Miquel Allende.

What was on your top ten list of things to look for?---nothing because we were not looking. We did know, however, that we never wanted to live in a Gringo enclave in any foreign country. Some love it.

Also, having survived living in Calexico for 5 years, we sure knew that anywhere we lived was not going grossly hot. When we retired from there, we moved our primary residence to one of our properties in Imperial Beach and did some traveling with no intention of buying another home.

Did it match up with what you expected? It was better---but our expectations only came about AFTER we made the decision. There have been a few bumps in our expectations, but we have learned to ignore those.

Has your criteria and/or location changed since

No, but a lot has changed in a couple of years---lot more gringos showing up.

So, what happened. We were on a vacation in Baja and for the first time, we visitied Bahia Asuncion. We just really liked the place, and there was a lonely little house and construction had stopped. It just felt right.

It was away from any big city, it was on the Pacific side so it does not ever get that hot, it was a great opportunity, and it was a place where our interactions would almost exclusively be with the local population---another cultural experience. While we love all the beauty, isolation and other things about Baja, for us, it really is all about the people and the people in Bahia Asuncion have been great. We have made a number of really great friends. And there is nothing like living in a place to really learn about the reality of a place.

For us, it is another part of our journey on this earth and while we will move on, we hope to keep our stake in Bahia Asuncion as our retreat.

When I say we will continue to move, it is because our basic philosophy of life is that change prevents the mind from from becoming moldy.

Diane

Originally Posted by DianaT

When I say we will continue to move, it is because our basic philosophy of life is that change prevents the mind from from becoming moldy.

Diane

I knew there was a some good reason why I kept moving around all these years!!!

I'm not into writing a book so will just say I concur with legs & Kate.

Originally Posted by mycomitan

I'm not into writing a book so will just say I concur with legs & Kate.

I think all you year round La Paz people have very thin blood. You and Longlegs have tried to convince me it is not THAT hot there in the summer.

But I do hope the next time you are in Bahia Asuncion it is warmer.

Diane

Just curious what the thought process was (if any - ha!) that you followed when you moved / bought down here?
Not much thought involved- we got good waves, loved the weather and thought we'd died and gone to heaven surfing on the East Cape so we plunked down some money for a lot between Cabo and San Jose.


What was on your top ten list of things to look for?
We weren't really looking back then. But if we had criteria it would be: waves, not crowded, warm water and temps, wide open spaces, safe feeling.


Did it match up with what you expected?
Not that first property. Too far to drive to go surfing and the neighbors were beginning to build megamansions where we just wanted and place for a palapa.


Has your criteria and/or location changed since?
The criteria is the same.

We were chased out of Brisa del mar rv park in San Jose by a hurricane one year and stopped by San Juanico. Once again thought we'd died and gone to heaven. We sold the Cabo corridor lot and bought a couple lots on the gringo hill outside the town of San Juanico where we stayed for 12 years. We sold those in '05 and moved a couple miles away out to Punta Pequeña. This will be our final Baja resting place and will become our full time residence in a couple of months.

But we visited Huatulco last fall, and you guessed it - thought we'd died and blah blah blah....
So the saga may not be over.

Originally Posted by oladulce

But we visited Huatulco last fall, and you guessed it - thought we'd died and blah blah blah....
So the saga may not be over.

Went there on a trip to Puerto Escondido years back when I was working in el DF. It was in April as I recall and I loved it. Went back in August and thought I was going to die.

:?

I don't do well in extremely hot / high humidity.

If I can find some of my photos I'll post them...

The Southern Mexican Riviera is not conducive to summer survival. That's what you get when you leave the 7000 ft. environment of DF and head to sea level mid-summer. I've traveled extensively on several continents, and have been in such places as Egypt in summer. But the absolute most intolerably hot and humid weather I've encountered was Acapulco in late July.

Originally Posted by oladulce

Not much thought involved- we got good waves, loved the weather and thought we'd died and gone to heaven surfing on the East Cape so we plunked down some money for a lot between Cabo and San Jose.......

We weren't really looking back then. But if we had criteria it would be: waves, not crowded, warm water and temps, wide open spaces, safe feeling.......

Not that first property. Too far to drive to go surfing and the neighbors were beginning to build megamansions where we just wanted and place for a palapa.......

We were chased out of Brisa del mar rv park in San Jose by a hurricane one year and stopped by San Juanico. Once again thought we'd died and gone to heaven. We sold the Cabo corridor lot and bought a couple lots on the gringo hill outside the town of San Juanico where we stayed for 12 years. We sold those in '05 and moved a couple miles away out to Punta Pequeña. This will be our final Baja resting place and will become our full time residence in a couple of months.

But we visited Huatulco last fall, and you guessed it - thought we'd died and blah blah blah....
So the saga may not be over.......

ROFLMAO!! You're learning! Never say never! My first place in Comitan was the only place I ever expected to build! Then casa #2 construction became the last casa I ever planned to build! Now, being in the prolonged finish detail stages of casa #3 frequently brings forth, "When are you going to start the NEXT one?" So now I've changed my response to "Not until after this one is totally finished!"

Spontaneity & flexibility are wonderful character traits to possess! ;)

Originally Posted by oladulce

...you guessed it - thought we'd died and blah blah blah...

Had some decent surf, did you? :mrgreen:

[youtube:2grefzk9]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHT_H5BQGmc[/youtube:2grefzk9]