Advice for Moving to Ajijic

[Beverly]

I am looking for help on finding the best place to obtain advice on retiring to Ajijic.  My husband and I are in our 50's and are thinking about retiring full time in Ajijic.  We would like to leave the cars behind and live somewhere we can walk to shopping, socializing and entertainment.  Looking for all sorts of advice but the biggest question is regarding crime and safety.  Can we walk around town day and night with little concern?  Thank you! 

[Bontekoe]

YES YOU CAN! NO concern!

[lcscats]

Well if you want to walk by yourself in the middle of the night drunk well no I wouldn't do that but for pretty much anything else no problem.  It is so nice here in the morning that I get up early to enjoy.  You may find the same thing.  We lived without our cars for the first two years here but eventually we bought a small car.  We felt guilty about it (you don't need one you want one) so we give rides to folks to Costco/Guadalajara  who don't have cars. Problem solved. I think it best when you first move here to avoid cars until you get used to the rules. Hey you can always buy a car later like we did and help out folks who don't want or can't afford a car.  People do help each other here for the most part. 

 

Good Luck

[Mainecoons]

The weather is very conducive to walking day or night.

You will find the most availability of "walkable" attractions and services in either Chapala or Ajijic.  The latter is more "gringo" and the former is more Mexican.

When we contemplated moving here we did a lot of walking.  Amazing what you can see on foot that you miss otherwise.

You don't have to give up your car right away as you can get a TIP (temporary import permit) and you can have a U.S. car until you get a Permanente Visa.  The paperwork is a bit of a hassle on renewal but we have several local legal folks who can help you with that at reasonable cost.

By all means come on down, rent something, check out the amazing diversity of residential life styles here before you settle on something.  Don't be afraid to ask questions of this group, we were all newbies at one point and there are a lot of very knowledgeable and helpful folks here.

[Xena]

"You will find the most availability of "walkable" attractions and services in either Chapala or Ajijic.  The former is more "gringo" and the latter is more Mexican."

i disagree. Ajijic is far more gringo than Chapala. There are fewer foreigners in Chapala and we are more spread out. Ajijic is known as Gringolandia. Some people are more comfortable there.

[cstone]

There is no "one best place" to find information. Read anything and everything, take it all with the proverbial "grain of salt," and come see for yourselves several times at different seasons to see if it is what you want.

We made the decision to retire here based on our own specific wants and needs and found the place that had the majority of our priorities available. Start by writing down your must haves, want to haves, and wish we could haves and proceed from there.

We found it easier to frame our search by writing down questions and seeking answers to them, instead of trying to gather all the information in at once. It can easily become overwhelming.

We relocated from Tokyo, where you really can walk around at all hours of the day and night (except in certain areas !) and be safe. I feel perfectly comfortable walking around almost anywhere during the day. Common sense is your guide.

I do not recommend walking around most places at night because the sidewalks are treacherous, roads not well lit and drivers often inattentive to pedestrians. However in Chapala on the malecon and around the plaza is fine and well lit. I can walk my dog in the evenings in my neighborhood, chatting often with neighbors. Many fraccs have well lit streets.

I do not have a car, either, and do not ride the bus at night because it is so hard for me to see when I get off. For me, that is the biggest danger of the night !

We live in San Antonio and walk to get groceries, use cabs, ride the bus, etc. It keeps us moving.

We do have to rely on cabs, drivers and sometimes friends (Hey, Zed, call me next time you go to CostCo !) for rides from restaurants in the evenings, etc.

I do speak and read Spanish at a bit more than a minimal level and that has been a great help. Start learning some Spanish if you can . 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Come down and check it out.

 

[Mainecoons]

1 hour ago, Xena said:

"You will find the most availability of "walkable" attractions and services in either Chapala or Ajijic.  The former is more "gringo" and the latter is more Mexican."

i disagree. Ajijic is far more gringo than Chapala. There are fewer foreigners in Chapala and we are more spread out. Ajijic is known as Gringolandia. Some people are more comfortable there.

You're right, I accidentally got them backwards.  Thanks for the correction.

[tomgates]

Ajijic is the place to be. We are in our 50's, at least one of us! Walking is fine most of the time. Night is a bit of a problem with the uneven sidewalks and cobblestone streets. We have always had a car here, not only to go shopping locally, but to go to Costco in Guad or go to the beach. Also to go out for dinner. There are nice restaurants all over the place where a car is necessary. Yes, if you were in central Ajijic, there are a handful of restaurants you can walk to and from but you will tire of just going to them to the exclusion of all the others. Busses don't run much past 7pm and taxis are ok too. I guess if you consider the total cost of car ownership, you could realistically have a taxi on call 24/7. I just prefer my own car. 

Just ask yourself why you have cars NOB? Is it realistic to have cars where you are now and somehow by magic, do without one here? Just asking...

[stoneleigh]

We began our life here six years ago with a small rental in Ajijic on a pretty quiet street near the center of the village.  We have since moved to La Floresta just to the east of the village and love it.  We have no car and walk everywhere - from here it is easy to get to all of Ajijic as well as San Antonio.  I would recommend visiting for a few months in a centrally located rental and feeling  your way around.  Spend some time at the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) where you can find people to answer any questions.

[Yo1]

When you get further along in your investigation of Mexico as a place to live, check out rollybrook.com.  His blog can answer all the techinical and legal questions you probably didn't even know to ask.  He died last year but his blog is still active and helping hundreds of people.

[rvanparys]

The above suggestions are all excellent... To decide if this is the place for you a visit of 30 days or more is recommended... That was our story... Like yourselves we have lived internationally for a great number of years which made adapting to a new culture less intimidating.

We selected Ajijic because of the numerous expats... Yes it is a bit of Gringolandia but we found it an easy transition. We came with the intent of staying so we bought a home in West Ajijic which for convenience necessitates having a car...

Not having one requires a bit more planning and adapting to the local bus and taxi situation... Because of our involvement in various activities we have found that one car may not be enough... Many residents here make do without personal transportation and it is certainly possible and a dollar saver...

Again, along with others posted here encourage you to come down and see what living here is truly about....

 

[Beverly]

Wow, thank you very much for the feedback!  I certainly feel much better about the security situation.  It sounds like renting initially is best, get to know the area then buy.   Your comments and feedback highlight what a great community you have there and one we'd like to be a part of.   Thanks again! 

[RVGRINGO]

23 hours ago, Beverly said:

I am looking for help on finding the best place to obtain advice........ Can we walk around town day and night with little concern?

Not in most places in the USA, but we did in Ajijic and Chapala for over 13 years, and lived to tell about it.  We would not do that as freely here in Tucson, either, but it is also not conducive to walking anywhere; too much heat, crime and traffic.  You will love Chapala, no matter where you come from.

[lcscats]

23 hours ago, Yo1 said:

When you get further along in your investigation of Mexico as a place to live, check out rollybrook.com.  His blog can answer all the techinical and legal questions you probably didn't even know to ask.  He died last year but his blog is still active and helping hundreds of people.

Another vote for Rolly.   He was a savior when I first got here.  He emailed me once and asked if my pump pulled the water or pushed the water.  He was collecting information about pumps for us. He was a good moderator also.  I miss new stuff from Rolly.   Go read about him building a house. Very informative.

[jrod]

You will find many answers to questions we've all had at one time or another. We've all questioned cars, banking, insurance, moving processes, communication, packing and immigration issues. One takeaway I'd suggest you consider is that this IS NOT "back home" and things are done differently here--some much better and some more tedious, but it is how it is and going with the flow is helpful. There are no "one size fits all" answers, and many of us have changed our minds (live in the village or outside? pack it or leave it behind? Mexican bank or stateside? Medical, home and auto insurance?) during our time here merely because sometimes what we ultimately find we want or need is not what we anticipated, laws or processes changed, or we found out something that impacted our choices. So, my recommendations are broad-stroke, rather than details: Attitude is key; Visit and learn our seasonal changes, village quirks, and ask lots of questions when you come. Take your time making big decisions; don't do anything you can't (afford to) get out of. Stay legal; willingly cutting legal corners can lead to negative consequences, even if others successfully and willfully share that they do so. Make and bring duplicate copies of all documents you can (driver and marriage licenses, medical info and prescriptions [check pricing and availability on one of your trips here], insurance docs etc) before you leave home and make copies of all important papers and store on the Cloud or somewhere in case your docs are lost. Never throw out Mexican (paper) documents: many doctors here give you and expect you to retain your records, utilities are short-term storage...you will need whatever you discard, at some point. Being proactive will help you respond flexibly to the many changes living abroad brings. And, last, this life and lifestyle is not for everyone: despite the kindness and beauty you can experience here, for many the contrast is too different to be sufficiently viable long term. That, too, is OK.

 

[Travis]

My best advice is to re-read jrod's post entirely, more than once, and really let it sink in.  Moving here from anywhere else, we all carry our bag of expectations of how things will likely be, then find ourselves going through adjustments. The better prepared you are to adjust, whether mentally or logistically, the better off you'll be.

The second best piece of advice I I have is: Don't believe anything anyone tells you, either on the internet or in person once you're here. Wait until you hear something repeated at least three times by three different people before you give it any credence. There is a lot of inaccurate or just plain bad information distributed locally. Mostly due to simple misunderstanding. Vet everything.

Lastly, have fun! 

 

[CHILLIN]

One thing - if you are used living suburban style, you're going to experience a lot of NOISE in Chapala or Ajijic.The suburbs that I have visited here are extremely quiet, just hundreds of birds and butterflies. The older fracs have big lots for gardening in a climate which has never had frost (hmmm - maybe in the ice age). You would need car to access the most popular fracs.. People are mostly welcoming, and often get together for social functions. If you are interested in this, don't get mislead by the term "condo" here. In Mexico it is not a stucco box but a legal term. We live in a condo, in group of 16 large houses, a giant common garden, and a giant swimming pool. It is a ring of houses with no road access within the ring. We all look after each other - there are four people in their mid-90's living here. Just remember with no stress, excellent medical, nutrition and exercise that a long life expectancy is very possible here - plan for it.

[Beverly]

Thanks again for all this feedback!  No doubt this is a huge commitment and we are doing alot of soul searching.  We think we are ready for retirement in our 50's and ask ourselves if we think we can stay busy and be fullfilled in Ajijic.   It sounds like there is plenty to do and with mild weather we can be outdoors most of the year.  I appreciate the feedback about accepting that Mexico is different and if we can't relax and go with the flow, reconsider. 

What is considered the center of Ajijic?  The main drag?  Where all the noise is?   We were considering living (renting at first) between the center of the village and Walmart (since we won't have wheels).

[dichosalocura]

My first question is, have you ever visited here before or anywhere else in Mexico?  The weather here is definitely very mild, and you can be comfortably outside year round.  And if you are an active person, you shouldn't get bored either here with so much to do and see.  

Ok, the noise thing.  Where does the noise come from?  If you live within any of the villages or small towns, you will be bombarded with a cacophony of noise on a daily basis coming from all types of sources:  from the neighbor that parks his car in front of your house blasting rap or banda music at 6 am, the water guy going door to door selling giant jugs of water as he is screaming out AGUA!  AGUA!, then comes the zeta gas truck blasting their little jingle several times a day.  Then the fruit truck will drive past with speakers announcing very loudly their sales.  Then the sweet potato camote guy pushing his cart with that ear deafening whistle will walk past.  An hour later a group of people dressed in indian attire with drums and whistles will come by hoping that if they play really loudly outside your door you will be delighted and hand over a few pesos.  Then, by mid day you will have people coming door to door beating loudly on your gate wanting to sell you pots and pans or an old grandmother who needs surgery for her grandson and thinks you might like to donate will knock loudly on your gate.  That night your next door neighbors will decide to throw a really cool awesome birthday party for Grandpa, and they arranged for an entire mariachi quartet to arrive at 2am to kick off the party.  Yes, life in any village or city of Mexico is full of daily music and always full of excitement coming at you in all directions, but don't get me wrong, life is good here (I live in the center of Chapala), you will soon decide to build nice tall walls in front of your house and you will just learn to live with it and soon you won't even notice the daily commotion any more, it will feel like home.  The good thing is that everything is very close to everything when you are in the villages.  Chapala, the largest town, you can easily walk from one end of town to the other in under 20 mins or less.  Heck, from Ajijic you can walk to the entirely next town over of San Antonio Tlayacapan where the Walmart is in 15 minutes or so.  You can even walk to Chapala from Ajijic in maybe an hour, more or less (never done it but see people doing it everyday.)  My advice is to come down and check it out, rent for 6 months then find another house in a different type of location in the area, try living in several different places to find out what feels good for you.  The suburbs or fraccionamientos or fracs as some people call them are private, sometimes gated communities that are outside the different towns.  Some are further out than others, but many will require the use of a car to make life easier.  If you are considering living between the village and Walmart, that would be the La Floresta area, which is a very beautiful area in my opinion.  Good Luck!

[virgogirl]

I absolutely love that last post! Not to forget roosters, barking dogs, and car alarms. And in one place I lived the little kid standing up on the roof shouting "Viva Mexico" over and over until the padres told him to shut it!! Years ago I was complaining to a Mexican co-worker about some kind of noise and she said that after i leave I will miss it and she is right. I miss the roosters, and oh yes, the fireworks, lots and lots of fireworks. 

[Lost Dog]

So for those who are seeking a relatively quieter area to live, the "suburbs" on the mountain side of the main road in Ajijic would be a good place to look? In our case we would need at least one vehicle anyway.

[jrod]

We apparently all forgot to mention the evento centers and free music that carries us off to sleep. (I actually love that, except for the one off-key guy who does his Beach Boys set around midnight...we just laugh and laugh when we recognize his voice coming up the hill.)

 

[dichosalocura]

Yes, if you are lucky enough to have roosters and chickens living next door like we do, they do not only crow at dawn like one would expect, but all night, and all day.  Also, everybody has a dog and some neighbors love to collect them, and yes they bark all night long!  Mexicans love musica played all day long, you will get a wide assortment of varieties, in my neighborhood it goes from the Bee gees to banda, to Spanish rap, to classic rock and to Mexican 80's hits to modern English and Spanish Pop all played very loudly from early in the morning till super late at night, so everyone can enjoy their wonderful ecliptic taste in music!  All throughout the day you will hear trucks with very loud loudspeakers slowly traveling around the neighborhoods selling their wares.  My favorite is the elote tamales truck that comes by like clockwork every night by 8 pm, it screams out:  Lady, SIR OR CHILD, PLEASE APPROACH OUR TRUCK OR GIVE A HAND GESTURE, TAMALES DE ELOTE VERY TENDER, MADE BY HAND......ETC ETC.  It is accompanied by a wonderful invigorating song that will make you turn up the volume on the TV to better hear the movie you are trying to watch.  After a few years you will begin to memorize the sounds and jingles, and later you will stop even noticing them.  It will become home!

Oh, and I forgot to mention the window vibrating explosions you will hear throughout the year, occurring repeatedly for hours every 2 minutes, sometimes.  They are called cohetes, every Mexican celebration which happens on the Catholic religious calendar requires rockets to be fired, and often times fireworks, in antiquity it was used to scare away the evil spirits, today it is mostly accompanied with lots of tequila.  Often times they can began at 6 am, and go to 7:30 am and later every couple hours throughout the day until 2 am.  You will hear brief periods of intense bombardments, and no, the drug cartels have not attacked the town, and no, you did not just wake up in Baghdad, the reason for these terrifying and nerve wrecking sounds of hell  is just to add to the celebratory mood of the town and to make everybody feel happy!  And soon these sounds too will make you feel like you are home!

[Hobgoblin238]

I was 34 when I moved to Ajijic with my mother.  She tried really hard to fit in with the expats there.  They are VERY cliquish and do not welcome new americans.  I felt as if I were in an old folks home being there.  I felt so isolated.  Walmart was not there as yet...They had nothing there.  Nothing.  the town was so boring.  I moved away and settled in Saltillo.  it is a much better fit for me.  

 

 

[CHILLIN]

I know this is controversial, but please think carefully before you react. Noise is the sound of poverty, quiet is the domain of the wealthy - and this is true all over the world. Chapala and Ajijic are poor towns, nowhere near enough jobs, nowhere near enough tax base, many Mexican young people are kind of stuck here, living with mom & dad, not brave or lucky enough to move away to a job in the city. After a working lifetime in the heat, noise, dirt, and crime of the big city, many Mexicans look forward to the day when they can retire into a quiet, peaceful and hopefully painless life. Time to appreciate the unexpected gift of guiding an old dog or cat to their final days. The unexpected gift of discovering the truly inspiring, and delightfully interesting life stories from people much older than you. Not even realizing that with a great deal of luck, and maybe some sacrifices, that you and those you love will end up on the same path. Your duty is then clear - make your life interesting, so that you too will have a story to tell.