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The good and bad aspects of Lakeside living


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The weather is the best.. The amenities for a town/ area that size are excellent.We are close to the airport. We have better medical facilites that most areas the same size... It is too crowded, the traffic is getting worse and worse. The prices are up and up.. are close to a large city but not part of it yet..

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1 hour ago, El Menudo said:

Positives .. weather  .. negatives .... everything else.  And before some of you get all bent out of shape that is just how it is for me.  I’m sure many of you feel differently (including my spouse).  To each their own.

Maybe you should just move on...if not to save us from your negativity but as well as for your marriage. 

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The weather is great, lots of good restaurants

negative.   Dog shit on the sidewalk, lots of dogs running free

the streets and sidewalks are a walking accident waiting to happen 

the traffic can be bad, lots of potholes

if you are ok with that it is a great place to live

but getting to crowded

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“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

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2 hours ago, gringohombre said:

If you post here on a subject do you not expect others to post opinions to that?

Isn't he/she  entitled to post their opinion without being chastised for it? Can't a person have an opinion when asked for it by someone else, without you getting ugly? After all, someone else wanted his/her opinion and it does not have to agree with yours. EVER ! 

 

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One thing to keep in mind if you move here is 1. family  2. finances 3. your own health  We all have different situations. Finances for some are an issue. They come here because of the cost of living but that is starting to rise. Still better than US but when I first came re 11 yrs ago  Dr. visit was 200p -300p. Now it is generally 700-800p, one is 1200 p and these are not specialists. If you do not have insurance tests and hospitalization can be a real nasty problem. and Anyone on this board can attest to someone who suddenly and  inexpertly becomes ill , stroke, Diabetes, a fall. The frequent reply is "I will go back to the states and use Medicare. Don't count on that, you may not be able to get there physically even with an air flight program. So factor that in.  Family , unless you can afford to pay or assist someone to visit , it is not that cheap even staying with you. Some of your friends think the cartel is every where and are frightened about what they see and read. Now if your NOB family lives near each other ,or near the border like Texas  that is very helpful. Mine are in 4 different states, friends are more scattered. I am not saying it cannot be done but it can be costly. Many find that that is unexpected and get depressed. Those 7,-10 yr old's grow up. Not a whole lot for teens.

Like I said everyone one has their own situation, look at your career. Will you be able to do something here? How is your Spanish. Will you be able to practice your religion?  How much can you spend to rent?   I suggest you do what my son-in-law did. He was trying to decide if he should take a job. All you engineers will understand this. He wrote down every pro and con, that brought up new questions. When he was all done he added them up and the pro's won. Yes my daughter was part of this. Where will we live, school systems, her employment etc.

I know I went by way of China but I feel these are things that send some people back to NOB.  I'll let someone else speak to social and volunteering and house prices.

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3 hours ago, HookEmHorns said:

Isn't he/she  entitled to post their opinion without being chastised for it? Can't a person have an opinion when asked for it by someone else, without you getting ugly? After all, someone else wanted his/her opinion and it does not have to agree with yours. EVER ! 

 

Who is chastising who, and who is getting ugly?

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Living in Jocotepec is wonderful. Prices going up here also. I probably have about as many Mexican friends as expats. I know most of the small business owners. Always greeted well with smiles and helpfulness. My stepdaughter is now a Doctor. I remember her first day in school then going to all the school plays the other parents treated me no different than any other parent. 

Negatives, driving to Ajijic and Chapala. 

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6 hours ago, slainte39 said:

Someone has a negative opinion, that´s OK, but you are not allowed to have a negative opinion of a negative opinion.

Make sense?:D

This is a negative opinion directed at the person, not their opinion .  

Quote

Maybe you should just move on...if not to save us from your negativity but as well as for your marriage. 

Telling people to move on is not addressing or respecting their opinion.  I know personal attacks are SOP on TOB but not here.  Try and grasp that.

Make sense?  Let's focus on giving the OP what they asked for and that is your personal opinion, not your personal opinion of other people whom you disagree with.

 

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NJ expat makes a lot of good points about the cost of living.  However one should compare that not with the U.S. coasts where it is a great deal higher than it it in the interior.  For example we have found our COL here to be similar to our "fall back" city of Las Cruces, NM.  Cost of housing is almost identical assuming a mild downsizing from current residence.  Medical would be cheaper because we can take full advantage of our Medicare and supplemental. 

Gasoline is almost half the price but we would use more.  Utilities are similar when you factor in the cost of treating the supplied water here and the utility of solar there, very similar to here.  Electricity is far cheaper as is natural gas but you would use more of the latter.

Climate:  No contest, this is probably one of the very best in the world.  Our visitors marvel at how we live outdoors more than in and are able to walk to so much without bundling up like polar bears or panting from the heat. 

 

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31 minutes ago, Mainecoons said:

NJ expat makes a lot of good points about the cost of living.  However one should compare that not with the U.S. coasts where it is a great deal higher than it it in the interior.  For example we have found our COL here to be similar to our "fall back" city of Las Cruces, NM.  Cost of housing is almost identical assuming a mild downsizing from current residence.  Medical would be cheaper because we can take full advantage of our Medicare and supplemental. 

Gasoline is almost half the price but we would use more.  Utilities are similar when you factor in the cost of treating the supplied water here and the utility of solar there, very similar to here.  Electricity is far cheaper as is natural gas but you would use more of the latter.

Climate:  No contest, this is probably one of the very best in the world.  Our visitors marvel at how we live outdoors more than in and are able to walk to so much without bundling up like polar bears or panting from the heat. 

 

Our widows and doors are open 365 except temporarily when rain blows in which is infrequent.

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11 hours ago, gringohombre said:

If you post here on a subject do you not expect others to post opinions to that?

When "your opinion" is telling someone else how to "live their life" it tends to look "personal" and thus not allowed here. If one wishes to make that kind of point, there are ways to do that by "flying under the radar" a little bit. Expand your mind and learn new ways to say things. Kinda like down South in the US you can get away with calling someone just about anything as long as you end your rant with "Bless his heart".

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I prefer to avoid the places that cater primarily to expats, where you are looked at strangely should you speak to anyone in <gasp> Spanish. Doing so, I find life here quite enjoyable amongst Natives. The Mexican people are genuinely friendly and when they come to see that you are making an attempt to assimilate by speaking the language and going with their customs and traditions rather than attempting to force yours on them, you gain their respect and friendships blossom.

What don't I like? Rising prices for virtually everything. I thank my lucky stars we bought a house or we wouldn't be able to afford life here. Traffic and some really unsafe driving by Mexicans in too big of a hurry and people- expats mainly- who should hang up their keys before they kill themselves or someone else. Trash and the habit of dumping it any old place you please. Loose animals, including dogs, cats, goats, cattle, and horses. I rarely drive at night for fear of hitting  them, but yesterday at noon there were two cows on the carretera just above Chapala. You must be alert at all times. And last but not least, I find the nasty, grumpy, demanding, over-critical demeanor of many expats- mainly male in gender- to be a real turn off. Witness the way this thread has turned into a free-for-all to get a taste of what I'm talking about. It is far from limited to this forum and goes on in public places as well. When I see or hear this sort of negativity, I walk away. Speaking of which...  

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There is so much to be said about this area.  The big issue is people do not always move for the right reasons and that becomes the issue.  I know 2 different couples who moved here and bought houses.  The problem was they hated everything and everybody.  Nothing was right.  I had long conversations with with each couple.  They listed what they liked and did not like.  We agreed it would probably be best for their physical and mental health to move back.  It was their best de decision.   Now everyone is happy.  
 

sometimes hard decisions must be made.  Let’s not throw stones at each other 

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