slainte39 Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 Was that a mortal or a venial sin? I will, in the future, be far more careful. Maybe. Hey, it was no big deal. Just pointing out that your time frame of generations was a little confusing to at least a couple of us "old timers". Now if you want to go find a dead horse to beat......have at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 My wife and I are coming to Lakeside for an exploratory trip in November. I havent been able to find any info on whether Lakeside is growing these days, or shrinking? Any thoughts? I am also kind of getting the idea that currently wealthier expats are selecting San Miguel over Lakeside, whereas in the past the wealthy folks mostly chose Lakeside? Is that true, or is that just plain wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dichosalocura Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Well, I spoke with an immigration lawyer today while picking up my visa, I spoke with him in Spanish and asked him if he thought more expats were showing up in the area or less, and he seemed to think that more are coming here now than they were a few years ago. I understood him to say that they are doing around 15 new applicants a week, but it might have been that they are only doing about 15 renewals a week. Maybe our local lakeside lawyer Spencer can give us his opinion on this to set us straight. Garth, I'm sure you have already studied the major differences between Chapala and San Miguel de Allende. I have been to San Miguel's twin sister city, the beautiful colonial Guanajuato several times but never to San Miguel. They are both in the same area and same state, and are quite similar to each other on many fronts. Now comparing Chapala with SMA, many internet sources do cite that SMA gets the wealthier elite expats over Chapala. But the real differences are in topography, climate, and culture. SMA is in a very dry desert like region with an elevation higher than that of Chapala, so the climate there will be chillier to say the least. SMA is a cultural and colonial jewel, un pueblo magico. A city that attracts tourists from all around the world for its many attributes. Chapala is on the other hand an area made up of small fishing villages on a lake, it is very green and peaceful (just not during festival days), but does not have an overwhelming amount of colonial buildings or history. So it basically boils down to, do you want to live in a medium to small sized city, living in mostly compact houses surrounded by a maze of colonial streets in a dry dusty environment, or in a green village on a lake surrounded by green mountains and gardens and flowers all over the place. Owning a beautiful tropical garden as your back yard is one of the highlights of living in the Chapala area. Everything grows here except tomatoes (although, some people are even learning the secrets of how to grow them here too.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Fantastic answer Dichosalocura! We are in Cuenca Ecuador at an elevation of 8200 feet. We are finding it a little too chilly here. I love to garden and so it appers that SMA won't fit the bill for me as it is colder and drier than Lakeside. My wife enjoys being around English speakers, so it looks as if Lakeside will work great that way also! I have also been checking out houses in SMA versus Lakeside, and the lot sizes in SMA appear to be generally smaller than in Lakeside, as you would expect of a larger city. I want a large sized space to garden. I think you just ruled out SMA for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomgates Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Garth, there are some other differences between here and SMA. One is that we are 30 minutes from an international airport. SMA is a couple hours to a smaller one. We are an hour from central Guadalajara and all it offers (Costco, cultural, dining, shopping) and we are 3 1/2 hours from the beaches at Manzanilla and 5 hours (soon to be 3) to Puerta Vallerta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garth Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Tomgates, that is wonderful news that they are moving the beach at Puerto Vallarta closer to Lakeside! LOL! (I assume a new highway is being constructed?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 One of the biggest differences between San Miguel de Allende and the Ajijic/Chapala area is that San Miguel is a city of about 75,000 people, while Ajijic and Chapala are small rural towns with a much smaller combined population.I don't mean to snark, but I do find it interesting that a person who states that she has never been to San Miguel can speak so definitively about its characteristics. The colorful capital city of Guanajuato, where I have been many times, is in the same state as the colorful city of San Miguel de Allende, where I have also been many times. That's about as much as they have in common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomgates Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 New cuota to bypass a very slow Hwy 200 segment that goes thru the mountains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the walkers Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 In the last few years, I've met more and more couples in their 50s, and more couples with young kids... something very rare 10 years ago. we are seeing a lot more young couples with children visiting our restaurant. perhaps it's because there are more of the younger generation embracing vegetarianism and/or looking for healthy food that they gravitate towards us. most say that they have computer jobs that can be done anywhere....or have skills not common amoungst mexicans.the fact that our international airport is only half an hour away as compared to SMA's closest at Leon is an hour and a half and doesn't have good connectability, or Queretaro which is further away., is an important consideration for those with family or business up north... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afgh Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 we are seeing a lot more young couples with children visiting our restaurant. perhaps it's because there are more of the younger generation embracing vegetarianism and/or looking for healthy food that they gravitate towards us. most say that they have computer jobs that can be done anywhere....or have skills not common amoungst mexicans.the fact that our international airport is only half an hour away as compared to SMA's closest at Leon is an hour and a half and doesn't have good connectability, or Queretaro which is further away., is an important consideration for those with family or business up north... where is your restaurant? Do you have vegan items? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringal Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Fantastic answer Dichosalocura! We are in Cuenca Ecuador at an elevation of 8200 feet. We are finding it a little too chilly here. I love to garden and so it appers that SMA won't fit the bill for me as it is colder and drier than Lakeside. My wife enjoys being around English speakers, so it looks as if Lakeside will work great that way also! I have also been checking out houses in SMA versus Lakeside, and the lot sizes in SMA appear to be generally smaller than in Lakeside, as you would expect of a larger city. I want a large sized space to garden. I think you just ruled out SMA for us! I first moved to San Miguel de Allende, owned a home and stayed there for three years before visiting the Lakeside area and deciding to move here, where I've spent the last 8 plus years, so I'm probably in a good position to cite the differences. Yes, San Miguel is a beautiful colonial city, a "pueble magica" because of it. It is also a weekend tourist destination for people from Mexico City as well as for vacationing tourists from all over the world. It has many stores catering to the visitors. Restaurants are excellent and expensive. Property in the centro area is extremely expensive but not so much so in the primarily Mexican barrios in the surrounding hills. In the winter, the temperatures are much colder than here and plants often freeze. Summer temps are as high as they are here. The air is more polluted for various reasons; probably from the downtown traffic. Yes, there are many visiting cultural events. The population of expats I'll not comment upon, except to say that this is a more "welcoming" and down to earth community, IMO. Of course, it all depends on your personal financial situation, your expectations for day to day living and climate preferences. If you are interested in finding a large property at a livable price where you can have a garden......this is better. Anything and everything blooms......all year. A plus is that it's a four hour (or less, depending on speed) easy drive on a good cuota (highway) to the nearest beach. You can wave at a fine active volcano on the way. I'd suggest investing in a month in both places before making a commitment. I wish I had. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Saltos Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 IMHO there is NO similarity between SMA and GTO. SMA is colonial and pretty and the gringo scene reminds me of Aspen or Vail. GTO, is gorgeous, has an Opera House that was opened by Arturo Toscanini and a public market whose roof and cupola were designed by Gustave Eiffel. It also has the Alhondiga where the first battle of Independencia was fought which is now a fabulous museum of Independencia. There is also the Museo de Momias. Further, it also has virtually NO gringos. SMA has nothing to compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringal Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 IMHO there is NO similarity between SMA and GTO. SMA is colonial and pretty and the gringo scene reminds me of Aspen or Vail. GTO, is gorgeous, has an Opera House that was opened by Arturo Toscanini and a public market whose roof and cupola were designed by Gustave Eiffel. It also has the Alhondiga where the first battle of Independencia was fought which is now a fabulous museum of Independencia. There is also the Museo de Momias. Further, it also has virtually NO gringos. SMA has nothing to compare. GTO: Yes, interesting and a beautiful city. Higher altitude than SMA and really cold in winter. As you said, no comparison with SMA, but a must to visit and spend some time seeing it all. I could live without having seen the mummias museum, though. Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcscats Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 I don't need to go to SMA to know it is too cold for us. I couldn't live in San Cristobal de Casas in Chiapis (7500ft) either. The weather in SMA is a deal breaker for me. I need to be warm but not hot which Lakeside is perfect. We should point out we do get a weeks worth of cold weather in winter and most of us use propane Catalytic heaters which we move around the house to stay warm during these few cold days. If you move here buy a gas heater and don't even think of buying a electric heater as we are on the highest electrical rates in Mexico. Electrical rates in Mexico are determined by whether you need heating or AC. We need neither for most folks here other than a little propane. I burned 15 gallons/60 liters last winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the walkers Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 where is your restaurant? Do you have vegan items? our restaurant, Jasmine's Classic India is located on the southside of the Ajijic plaza. our basic menu is vegan with vegetarian and meat dishes too. there is something on the menu that can be enjoyed by everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbviajero Posted October 4, 2015 Report Share Posted October 4, 2015 Truly a great museum. Lots of history there. Sorry,I screwed up the quote function,I was referring to El Salto's comment about La Ahondiga. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathlaur Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 My mom started coming to the area in her early 60's she is now late 70's and lives there full time. I have been coming down for a few weeks in the winter to visit her for years. My husband and I came for a month last Feb and rented 48 and 49. We are back for the month of Feb this year and bringing some friends who will stay in a B&B. We come to see my mom and we love the area. We are lucky to be able to get a month off work each year. So I guess we are a new generation who love the area. This year I celebrate my 50th in Ajijic. What a perfect way to celebrate don't you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhite1948 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Lots and lots of price reductions the past few weeks in the MLS. One notable one went from $399,900 to $210,000. Maybe the seller was fishing for suckers at their original asking price, or maybe they are now desperate to sell. Maybe it is a bargain now, or maybe it is still horribly over-priced. Quien sabe. Either way, it's not a good sign for newbies who come down here thinking the real estate market here resembles the real estate market where they come from. There are few if any 'comparables' here such as one would find in most US and CDN areas. Caveat emptor! Today, this same property has been reduced to $145,900. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
congodog Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 My mom started coming to the area in her early 60's she is now late 70's and lives there full time. I have been coming down for a few weeks in the winter to visit her for years. My husband and I came for a month last Feb and rented 48 and 49. We are back for the month of Feb this year and bringing some friends who will stay in a B&B. We come to see my mom and we love the area. We are lucky to be able to get a month off work each year. So I guess we are a new generation who love the area. This year I celebrate my 50th in Ajijic. What a perfect way to celebrate don't you think? I would have loved to have known about this place when I was 50. It's a perfect 50th birthday celebration place. I'm glad I eventually found it and even more happy that I now live here full time. I hope you have an absolutely fabulous 50th party here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Today, this same property has been reduced to $145,900. Wow where is it? Got an MLS number? Just as crazy is the price a GDL couple two doors down from me paid for a house needing serious work that had been on the market for over 7 years. Almost $400K, big but very little property and no pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pappysmarket Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 I am not challenging you but am wondering how you would know what they paid. Most people don't walk around telling others and I suspect if it came from a realtor..........well......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Well I won't disclose the source. And if you think that Realtors don't share price information....well..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pappysmarket Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 OK, asked and answered. But it's not that I don't think they share information but rather the honesty of that information. You know, the old fish story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 I think the source is good and the seller was pretty stubborn. Seven years is pretty long even for here. Very little for sale here in this corner of Ajijic now. That's definitely a first for some years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puro guero Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Mainecoons: 399,000 reduced to 145,900 is in Upper Chula Vista. http://www.chapalamls.net/properties/residencial/kerstetter-hanson-114 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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