why DO people leave?

OK, here are the cases that I can think of, that I personally know, of people who moved back NOB (or are wanting to) from Lakeside:
1) Older couple, very active and healthy, lived here for years, one of them took out Mexican citizenship and wrote (in Spanish) for a local newspaper.  One day the federales busted in thier neighbors' door while said neighbors were away, turned out to be a wrong address.  Couple immediately decided to leave, sold their home at a bargain price, severed all ties Lakeside, and moved NOB.
2) Met someone who moved her household and pets down here with her husband, who was descending into the mists of Alzheimer's.  After 3 weeks in Ajijic, she decided that the noise and the cobblestones were unbearable; and they are moving back NOB.  I don't know if she came for an exploratory visit, before making the move.
3) Talked with some friends yesterday who have lived here for years but plan to move NOB once their house sells.  A combination of being older now (70s) and worried about communicating in a Mexican hospital if necessary, since they don't speak Spanish PLUS wanting to move on to a new adventure.
4) Knew some folks who owned a charming home here, big on the cocktail circuit - they decided to move up to "little America" in Baja because of the close proximity to Veterans medical care in San Diego, coupled with "much better shopping".
5) Friends who own a home mountainside above Ajijic decided to rent a place in Texas for the winters to get away from the crowds and noise of high season.  They just finished a trip to look at possible rentals and have changed their minds - rentals are too costly in Texas.

My husband and I have lived here since we retired 5 years ago, after visiting Lakeside annually for a decade or so.  Our property manager asked us when we were moving back north, and the answer was:  "I am here until I am dead and they cremate me, and scatter my ashes on our horse pastures!" And in terms of medical care, we've turned down Medicare Part B, have taken out Mexican catastrophic health insurance policies, and plan to self-pay for the smaller items. In Mexico, of course.

The only person I've known who moved back NOB: In her seventies with two sons living in CA who wanted to make sure she was okay and have more time with her.
She moved into a retirement facility and the sons help with the fees.

I moved here almost 5 years ago at the age of 48. We will probably move back to Canada when/if we reach our mid 70's to be back on the socialized medical system and be with family during the final chapter. 25 years here will probably be enough.......although you never know.

Been here, in Mexico, 21 years last May 1st. When my husband passed away last year, everyone expected me to move back to Canada. I not only didn't, I bought a little house and it's not in a gated community. I'm very comfortable with my decision.
Yes, we could have moved back to the safety of socialized medicine but the chance of finding a primary care Doctor that accepts new patients and then the waiting for the specialists and then the waiting for the treatment would not have prolonged my husband's life one second...and the stress may have hastened his demise. Even when we think we can control things, we find that we cannot.
Anyway, will is done (here and there) and in the right hands. What will be will be. Some days are diamonds and some days are rocks.

Amen, Ferret. Amen.

So well put, ferret!
Sorry guys that I re-opened an old thread - I was searching for something, ran across this interesting thread, and posted a reply without looking at the dates. My bad!

CanuckBob wrote:I moved here almost 5 years ago at the age of 48. We will probably move back to Canada when/if we reach our mid 70's to be back on the socialized medical system and be with family during the final chapter. 25 years here will probably be enough.......although you never know.

After being here for that many years, I think that if I went back to Canada, I wouldn't even survive the first winter. I'd either freeze to death, or slip and fall on the ice and die from a skull fracture!
I told my family that when I moved here, they'd never see me again up there during the winter and spring seasons.......too damn cold!

holdrja wrote:So well put, ferret!
Sorry guys that I re-opened an old thread - I was searching for something, ran across this interesting thread, and posted a reply without looking at the dates.  My bad!

No problem. This is still a valid thread and might be of interest to those considering a move down here. 
I caravaned down with two old friends and their adult daughter. We all committed to giving it one year. Six months later they packed it up and returned to the states without really saying anything other than it was not working out for them. Later I heard there was some major financial problem they needed to work out. Eight years later I am still here and happier than ever.

Nice thread for someone like me, looking to move soon. I read all the posts, still coming lol

Aer- wrote:Nice thread for someone like me, looking to move soon. I read all the posts, still coming lol

I'll second that motion. I am coming down for 7 days on the 27th from California to make the first exploratory trip on possibly making the move. I am old but not in the way and looking for a change most likely permanently. This is a great thread.

I moved here from Marin, I miss the woods! You might too. :)
Bienvenido a México to you too, this is a nice place to live.
Be flexible, moveable, humorous, patient, and happy and you'll have a great time here.
Don't buy, rent. Rent in different pueblos, they are all different adventures.

Trailrunner wrote:I moved here from Marin, I miss the woods! You might too. :)
Bienvenido a México to you too, this is a nice place to live.
Be flexible, moveable, humorous, patient, and happy and you'll have a great time here.
Don't buy, rent. Rent in different pueblos, they are all different adventures.

Thanks. We will be able to return for visits when the need arises. Renting a good place is the plan and keeping our home in California for the time being. It will probably be a slow motion transition anyway as things get settled and I want to look for the right place for us. I plan to make several trips over the next 6 months or so and then bring my wife after I learn some areas and work on tuning up the Spanish.

Good plan.

Once I get sick of our B&B business we may even decide to explore other parts of Mexico. I know it's "hot in the summer" but I would like to try living on the beach too. We really like Barra De Navidad and the surrounding area.

A few years ago I was seated on a bench in the Ajijic plaza when a couple walked by and sat down beside me. We talked about small stuff for a bit and they told me that they had come down from Canada and paid up front for a 6 month lease on a rental property but after only two months they were leaving. When I asked them why they were leaving, the wife said "it's too rustic here".

hahaha Good story. What did YOU say then Papa Chango?

Way too many people pack up and move to Mexico without ever being here before, knowing ANYTHING about the country, it's food, culture, language, or customs and then can't figure out why they're so miserable. I think they get what they deserve.

CanuckBob wrote:Once I get sick of our B&B business we may even decide to explore other parts of Mexico. I know it's "hot in the summer" but I would like to try living on the beach too. We really like Barra De Navidad and the surrounding area.

A few years ago I moved to Sayulita from here. I lasted one year exactly. It was fun and I loved it but the heat caused me to live indoors under the fans/AC way more than I like to and I came back.

The other thing about living at the beach is there is only one culture - beach. I missed all the Mexican culture of the Central Highlands.

Trailrunner wrote:hahaha Good story. What did YOU say then Papa Chango?

Way too many people pack up and move to Mexico without ever being here before, knowing ANYTHING about the country, it's food, culture, language, or customs and then can't figure out why they're so miserable. I think they get what they deserve.

I can't remember exactly what I said but I know for sure that I didn't try to encourage them to stay and give it more time. It was obvious they didn't really belong here.

Trailrunner wrote:

CanuckBob wrote:Once I get sick of our B&B business we may even decide to explore other parts of Mexico. I know it's "hot in the summer" but I would like to try living on the beach too. We really like Barra De Navidad and the surrounding area.

A few years ago I moved to Sayulita from here. I lasted one year exactly. It was fun and I loved it but the heat caused me to live indoors under the fans/AC way more than I like to and I came back.

The other thing about living at the beach is there is only one culture - beach. I missed all the Mexican culture of the Central Highlands.

Lots of people living at the beach. They all have their spin as to why they don't live here.......jaja.

When I was trading stocks, I realized that there was only one reason to buy a stock, a hope that it would go up.

However, there are a million reasons to sell a stock. Think it will go down, need cash for something etc.

I think the better question is "Why do people come here?"

I'm here on a quirk. I saw the housing folding in ABQ, decided to sell my house for a good profit and go to MX for a year of vacation. That was January 2008 and I'm still here.

I can't find a reason to leave or anywhere else better to go. I'm not going back to the US unless it by UPS in a cardboard box.

I don't speak much Spanish (Remember, I'm just on vacation) but get along just fine.

Sometimes I think I'm just too dumb to worry about the things that scare Gringos here.

CanuckBob wrote:

Trailrunner wrote:

CanuckBob wrote:Once I get sick of our B&B business we may even decide to explore other parts of Mexico. I know it's "hot in the summer" but I would like to try living on the beach too. We really like Barra De Navidad and the surrounding area.

A few years ago I moved to Sayulita from here. I lasted one year exactly. It was fun and I loved it but the heat caused me to live indoors under the fans/AC way more than I like to and I came back.

The other thing about living at the beach is there is only one culture - beach. I missed all the Mexican culture of the Central Highlands.

Lots of people living at the beach. They all have their spin as to why they don't live here.......jaja.

I'm not saying nobody should live at the beach and should they should all live here! Loved living at the beach. Just too hot for ME.

Trailrunner wrote:

CanuckBob wrote:Once I get sick of our B&B business we may even decide to explore other parts of Mexico. I know it's "hot in the summer" but I would like to try living on the beach too. We really like Barra De Navidad and the surrounding area.

A few years ago I moved to Sayulita from here. I lasted one year exactly. It was fun and I loved it but the heat caused me to live indoors under the fans/AC way more than I like to and I came back.

The other thing about living at the beach is there is only one culture - beach. I missed all the Mexican culture of the Central Highlands.

You apparently have not been to Mazatlan lately! It is a lot more than just a beach. We have a beautifully restored theater from the mid-1800's, which offers symphony, opera, dance, something for every taste. The theater season runs from October through June, and I attend 2 or 3 times a month. We have a vibrant art scene, with an open studio tour once a month, a beautiful centro historico and much more. Fishing and shrimping are bigger industries than tourism. The summer humidity brings me here to the Lake for a couple of months each year, but Mazatlan will always be home. (Have lived there for over 14 years.)

Yes. I am aware of that and Maz is wonderful. We were talking about Sayulita and Barra.

Barra actually reminds me of a smaller Ajijic except on the ocean.

You know Sparks, right?

I don't usually get involved in the forum discussions but this one hit me right where I live.

First is why I left California. We lived in the Sierra foothills in between Tahoe and Yosemite surrounded by about one hundred wineries with a beautiful home on an acre with a 180 view.

BuT after sixty five years of living in California we decided we were bored and needed one last adventure. So we pondered where we might move to and my wife suggested Mexico. We googled retiring in Mexico and up jumped the Focus on Mexico site. We came for the one week seminar and also came back three months later for a visit on our own. We saw lots of flaws with Ajijic such as trash, stray dogs poorly maintained streets and crazy drivers but we thought this would be part of the adventure. We decided to give Ajijic a whirl and sold the house and all possessions and headed out.

Fast forward five years and the trash, stray dogs, bad streets and crazy drivers have lost there charm . As it turns out the grass is not greener. The fact that some things are cheaper here was never part of the equation.

We have travelled to virtually every city in Mexico in the past five years from colonial to coastal and no where have we seen conditions like they are in Ajijic. So, I am not anti Mexico but have become less enchanted with Ajijic. We have a lovely home here and a broad circle of friends but still find it difficult to overlook the things that have not gotten any better in five years and in many ways worse.

So given the chance to recreate what I had in California I probably would go back or more likely would ( will ) go elsewhere in Mexico.