HEAD FOR MEXICO
The Renegade Guide
By Don Adams
Tafford Publishing Co. 340 pages $23.95 US, $34.00 Can.
Book Review by Alice Hathaway
The
author of this guidebook for people thinking of retiring in Mexico,
is determined to tell it like it is. Don has lived in various towns
and cities where North Americans have settled, or have tried it and
moved back to US or to Canada. His writing style is easy and conversational,
with a definite Texas accent.
Of
the many books written about living SoB (his abbreviation for South
of the Border; NoB is North of the Border), this is by far the best
one I have ever seen. It contains many useful Internet sites and other
locations where additional information may be obtained. Throughout the
book, you will find advice, warnings and solutions. The text is salted
with humor and spiced with anecdotes.
I
love the book’s amusing illustrations of Mexicans at work and
play. These are reproductions of prints designed by the late William
Gentes, an artist who resided for many years in the Chapala area, where
he delighted in the laid-back Mexican ambiance.
Buyers
of Head For Mexico will want to keep it on a handy shelf if
they decide this is the place where they could live in comfortable retirement.
When something goes wrong–and it will—they will find a possible
solution by checking the table of contents. It lists not only the chapter
titles but also the paragraph subjects covered in each chapter. For
instance, Chapter 8: “Driving and Other Daring Pursuits,”
covers such topics as toll roads, topes, spare parts, road
signs, pit stops, nighttime road hazards, accidents, parking and “Big
Damn Cars on Little Damn Streets.” It’s a great source of
information, complete with advice and suggestions for getting along
well in a foreign culture. And it’s easy to locate the page where
you’ll find what you need to know. This book isn’t just
for snowbirds. I find it useful–and I’ve lived here 20 years.
Don
Adams, “the Renegade Guide” who wrote Head For Mexico,
has collected stories from other NoB transplants SoB, told in their
own words. Judy King describes her testing and finding a healthy lifestyle
in her adopted country. Mark Farley found teaching English language
to Mexicans a rewarding experience. Ron and Georgina Russell chose warm
retirement far away from the isolation and winter chill they had experienced
on the Bruce Peninsula in Western Ontario. “We are still Canadian
citizens,” she writes, “and carry Canadian passports, but
since we do not live in Canada and have carefully cut the major ties,
we are deemed non-resident Canadians for tax purposes…Our misgivings
and reservations behind us at last, we look forward to the best years
of our lives in our wonderful, adopted country.”
The
most commendable thing about this guide is the amount of research that
has gone into assembling its facts and figures. You’ll learn Colima
is probably the cleanest city, though you would need a working knowledge
of Spanish to settle into that college town with its steaming volcano
in the background. You’ll know that time-shares are hawked in
Manzanillo, and where to look for lists of rentals in Puerto Vallarta.
There’s much to be learned about many towns you may never have
heard of, where you might want to visit or settle.
Before
you make a move, you’ll want to do your own research. Head
For Mexico, The Renegade Guide, by Don Adams, is a great place
to start. Or you could read it just for fun!