We’re Living In Mexico

Video Living In Mexico

A while ago I wrote about Dave and I being in Mainland Mexico in this post.

Well, we decided to do a video talking about where we are and little bit about why and what it’s like here. It’s the first of many videos in which we’ll be sharing things about life in Mexico.

  • We’re in the Mexican State of Jalisco.
  • The population of Jalisco is 8.25 million
  • Jalisco is in central, western Mexico.
  • The Capital of the state is Guadalajara – which is about 40 miles from where we’re living. Guadalajara is the second-largest city in Mexico with the metro area having just over 5 million people.
  • We are living on the shores of Lake Chapala which is surrounded by several small communities.
  • Lake Chapala is the largest freshwater lake in Mexico. It covers 420 square miles. It’s a shallow lake with a maximum depth of only 34 feet.
  • The surface of the lake is 5000 feet above sea level.
  • The place we are living in is approximately 977 miles from our property in Texas.
  • We’re about 683 miles from the Texas border.
  • This area is at the same latitude as Hawaii & the same altitude as Denver, Colorado.
  • It has a semi-arid, semi-tropical climate that is protected and moderated by the huge lake and the stunning mountain ranges that surround it.

CLIMATE DATA FOR LAKE CHAPALA AREA

MonthJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
Average High F7275.680.284.286.283.179.378.677.977.575.672.5
Average Low F52.553.656.559.762.26361.761.761.559.556.153.4
Average Rainfall inches0.50.20.2.020.96.997.7620.60.4
Average # of Rainy Days1.80.90.60.82.813.718.516.913.85.31.31.6
source weatherbase

Weather

One of the things we looked at while researching where in Mexico we wanted to live was the weather. I searched the internet for “perfect weather in Mexico” and this region was mentioned a lot. So, after mulling additional factors, we decided on this area.

Currently, it’s the rainy season. The landscape is lush and green. The rains come almost every night. The days are partly sunny and pleasantly warm. Nights are cool. Perfect sleeping weather.

The ability of fine weather to uplift the spirits can’t be overstated!


When & Why & Such

We drove down from Texas in the middle of June. The trip was fairly uneventful. The roads were good. We’ll create a video about that soon.

When we arrived we were a bit stressed out. For starters, before we left Texas things had not been going good. Dave wasn’t feeling well. This due to his inability to get help from medical professionals. That ongoing situation is huge and life-altering. It is the single biggest influence driving the choices we’re making and the course of our lives. It truly deserves its own video and blog post. We tried to remain positive, but our spirits were down.

Secondly….Pandemic! We were traveling and crossing an international border during a time when I think we can all agree life is not exactly the normal show. Of course, I’d done research into the current situation. Based on that, our expectations were that we wouldn’t have a problem, but these are uncertain times and things can change. We weren’t even sure the town where we were headed was going to let us in….there had been rumors of roadblocks. Thankfully, we made it with no trouble.

Thirdly….starting from a baseline of already being emotionally taxed, we were traveling into new territory. That’s always a bit nerve-wracking. Also, we had an Airbnb rented for a week, but no other housing lined up. I’d looked online at the rental situation in the area and felt comfortable about our prospects of find something. But until you get that sorted out, it’s hard to settle in and relax. So it was a big relief when we found a great place in our budget right away.

Now we’ve been here for about two months. I’m happy to report we’re feeling much improved. The stress levels have gone WAAAAY down. We’re on Mexico Time now! We’ve gotten into a good routine and it feels like home. Dave is able to get the medical treatment that makes it possible for him to have a better quality of life. I, Sandra, am so relieved about that. We’re both feeling healthier.

We’re loving Mexico. Seriously, if you’ve gotten a bad impression about this place, I am here to tell you emphatically that it’s just not true. There’s no perfect place. Where there are people, there are those who do “bad” things. But the (vast) majority of Mexicans are warm, friendly people, enjoying their lives. The culture is abundant and vibrant. The food is terrific. The landscape is gorgeous. There’s a kind of freedom here that does not exist in the USA. It’s pretty amazing actually. Thank you, Mexico for welcoming us.

SOME of the Ideas We Have For Future Videos

  • Cost of living
  • Towns around Lake Chapala
  • Paying Bills While In Mexico
  • Beginner Spanish That Will Help A LOT
  • Things to Do in Guadalajara
  • Daily Life Vlogs
  • Getting Permanent Residency
  • Expat Community
  • Renting a house in Mexico
  • Why HERE
  • Learning Spanish

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4 thoughts on “We’re Living In Mexico”

  1. Tangerine Travels is a YouTube channel that is hosted by a young American couple from Arizona who have been traveling in Mexico
    for over two years and currently live in Puerto Morales near Cancun. Lots of useful videos on issues faced by newcomers. They have visited the Lake Chapala
    and Ajijic area and have lots of spots they visited and recommend.

    Reply

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