Part ll - Mexico and Why You Want to Get Here Sooner Than Later - Recent PEW Study Indicates More People Are Moving to Mexico Than Leaving

Let me start with a bit of a story. When my girlfriend and I first moved to Mexico we were walking along the beach of Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico. We were looking for a place to eat. Off in the distance we saw a group of people preparing food along the beach, which is not uncommon as many of the restaurants are on the beach. As we walked  closer we realized that it was a family preparing dinner outside the gate of the home. As we walked by they noticed us looking at the food and they asked if we would like to join them. When was the last time that happened to you in the United States? 

ECONOMY: The first thing a person wants to do is open up a bank account which will bring with it a surprise. No fees. In addition, the current Treasury Bill rate in the US is 1.67% which hardly keeps up with inflation. A similar product in Mexico will pay you between 5% and 7-1/2%. Depending on how much money you have, you could basically live for free. Mexico has some of the largest Banks in the world. Lloyds of London, Santander, Scotia Bank, BanaMex ( a division of Citibank ), HSBC and many other smaller banks. Most Banks have an agreement with a US bank, which gets you a preferred exchange rate, which today is $18.10 Mx pesos to $1.00US. We have plenty of ATM machines, two at Walmart and 4 at Soriana, the other grocery store in town.

FOOD: Every town has what is called a Tiangus. Once a week local and some not so local farmers bring in fresh produce, everything you can imagine. You will leave with 4 bags of fruits and vegetables, and the cheese, home made, is outstanding and not pasteurized. 1/4 kilo of fresh string cheese is .20 pesos or a buck. Eggs are 1 and 1/2 cents. I  stopped at the canarciria on the way out of town returning to the beach. I ordered two 1-1/2  inch thick Rib Eye’s and 1/2 kilo of skirt steak. I went in with $200.00Mx and came out with $100.00Mx and some coins or about $8.46US. On the way to the beach they have speed bumps, my least favorite thing in Mexico but it gives vendors a place where cars slow down and they set up stands. I saw a sign 2 Pina Meil .25Mx. The Pina Meil is a sweet Pineapple that I have never seen imported into the US. Also offered were some fresh picked tangerines, a half dozen bananas, 6 yellow mangoes, which are great, 6 ears of corn, all for $130.00Mx or $7.00. I find the cost of living to be about one-fourth of that in the US.

Here is a site filled with real life images of life and the sights of Ajijic. Take a minute to sight see.

http://www.pbase.com/shmiller/ajijic&page=all

TRANSPORTATION:  Most people take the bus for two reasons; cost and comfort. I have been to many countries but the Mexican buses are by far the best., whether traveling down the block, to the next town or the next state. My 25 mile trip to the airport was .65US. All the long distance buses serve a snack and sandwich and a soda, along with TV and in some, even WiFi. It makes you wonder what is going on in the US that we don’t have these buses. MY PERSONAL FAVORITE, “THE GREEN ANGELS”.  They drive along the toll roads, and if you run out of gas, they come. Have an accident with no other car involved, they pay to fix your car. No, I am not making this up. If your car breaks down they get you to the nearest repair shop. All free.

MEDICAL:  Free if you choose to go to a IMSS ( State ) clinic. You can go to a specialist for $650.00Mx or $32.50. You can also purchase  a health Insurance plan which is a fraction of the the US cost. As I indicated earlier, the University of Guadalajara is one of the 5 best in the world.  My doctor charges $12.50 and when I fell and cut my hand open he came to my house and stitched me up. House calls are considered normal here.

Housing is so inexpensive you have to try and keep a straight face when talking to the Realtor. If you have the good fortune of renting directly from a Mexican the cost cold be almost half.

Now here is the serious stuff. You may or may not know that on February 21st the President signed an executive order placing the United States under a state of emergency. Then we had, probably the Isreali’s, fire missiles at Hawaii, and of course we shot them down.This enables the President to declare Martial Law as we are now under attack and the Martial Law provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act have been activated. In addition we are pending a revaluation of currency based on the assets of the Country. This may or may not be a problem, as the United States has massive gold reserves. The only problem is it is in the ground and, as I understand it, it is almost pure needing little refining. We also have the largest oil reserves in the world.

Regardless, I don’t want to be the victim of martial law.  Mexico is not the United States, and traffic tickets will be a vague memory. One more thing is do not believe the Fake News stories about Mexico and the crime. We here laugh about it and how we feel about the people that believe that narrative. No drugs and you will never be a victim of crime.The narrative is to keep all the money inside the US, it is just that simple. Do drug wars exist? Sure, with almost 89% of all drug deaths occurring in the border states.

Whatever your budget, you can afford to live in Mexico, especially if you are retired. Then you will have money to spare.

One of my favorite videos from the air of Ajijic.

I sold my home and business in 2006, and have lived in Mexico since 2008 and I am still alive. Two reasons? They have some of the best ribs I have ever tasted and I am not involved with the drug industry. If you don’t have to stay in the States for work I would say come and check it out, improve your standard of living, play volleyball 3 times a week, tennis twice a week. You have no idea how your life will change and your stress will vanish. Questions, just ask.