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Convince the Better Half


Ray Parker

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The wife and I will be coming to Mexico to spend a few months in Chapala and Mazatlán. She wants the beach and I want the mountains, so we plan on renting for about a year in both areas after we move. We currently live in south Florida and I want to find a climate that is easier on the the old bones. I have heard many times that Chapala has the second best weather on the planet for lack of extremes. I have noticed that you get more days above 90 than in south Florida where I live. I would assume that you do not feel nearly as oppressive as we do because of the lower humidity. Any advice or incite would be appreciated! 

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Visit Chapala in April/May and then the coast in September/October to experience the hottest months of the year. After that you can make up your own minds. No one on this board can predict your individual tolerances for heat although if the south Florida humidity is tough you’ll probably feel the same about the coast of Mexico.

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Thanks for the response. I think I have her convinced and have agreed to rent a condo in Mazatlán in December, January and February. If we like Mexico we will most likely buy a small house or condo there.  We are making the move in two years due to the inability to live well in the US on our retirement and the horrendous state of healthcare here. We currently pay $1,000 per month just for coverage with a $5,000 deductible. I do plan on visiting both cities in the hottest part of the year, but also know that people have an idea of where they live and can offer advice that can only be obtained from experience. I posted on a Mazatlán site and one response was to the effect that he survived each summer in the hot as hell, Humid hell hole. I know that no one can offer advice on whether I will like it, but they can give their take on how much they love or hate it and why!  

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4 minutes ago, Ray Parker said:

Thanks for the response. I think I have her convinced and have agreed to rent a condo in Mazatlán in December, January and February. If we like Mexico we will most likely buy a small house or condo there.  We are making the move in two years due to the inability to live well in the US on our retirement and the horrendous state of healthcare here. We currently pay $1,000 per month just for coverage with a $5,000 deductible. I do plan on visiting both cities in the hottest part of the year, but also know that people have an idea of where they live and can offer advice that can only be obtained from experience. I posted on a Mazatlán site and one response was to the effect that he survived each summer in the hot as hell, Humid hell hole. I know that no one can offer advice on whether I will like it, but they can give their take on how much they love or hate it and why!  

You are not going to get a true picture of Mazatlan at that time of year . It's the tourist season for escapees from the freezing cold because of the fine weather and the rest of the year you get "the hot as hell humid hell hole". We have a snowbird season AND a sunbird season here when people from Florida[other southern states] and both coasts of Mexico come here to escape. I knew some people from Mazatlan that did that annually. You would feel right at home in Mazatlan during the hurricane season as well.

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I lived 9 years in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, 6 years on the Pacific coast in San Pancho, Nayarit and now 9 years here in Ajijic. The coast is HELL in the summertime even if you have air conditioning in your entire home and a pool. Most restaurants are NOT air conditioned either and many close during the hot season. Actually had to buy a car with an air conditioner so the butter wouldn't melt before I got home after shopping in Puerto Vallarta. If you are thinking of purchasing a home, do it here in the Lake Chapala area because, if and when you do go to the beach for the cool months of December and January, it will give you the option of renting it out. Whatever you do, rent for a year and make your choice to purchase carefully.  I'm leaving here feet first. Suerte!

 

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12 minutes ago, adolphsj said:

We are in PV for 10 days and even when not a cloud in the sky the humidity is either 98 or 99%.   Like that midMay to midOctober.....

Yup. And about a three degree swing between daytime and nightime temperatures. Steamy.

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This is exactly what I was wanting to show the wifey! She and many others have a mental picture of the coast, but the reality is far different. I do love the ocean, but only for a few months, and then would prefer the cool climate of the mountains. We lived in East Tennessee for 28 years and raised two children there. The only reason that we moved was to escape the winters which were gray, gloomy and cold for 6 months. Yes Knoxville does get cold enough to freeze you through without the snow of the Midwest.  I have seen spells of single digits at night and teens for highs for weeks straight. The biggest factor was the temperature swings like 30 at night and 80 to 90 in the afternoon. Many only visit in the spring or fall, like Mazatlán and never get a real taste for the climate. Knoxville gets colder than heck and hot and humid with no wind in the summer. Here is a forecast for the next week. Bear in mind this is only November.

1296279675_knoxvilleweather.JPG.d26f97498d9164f5a45d9ac732eb73c4.JPG  

In January and February it is not uncommon to see single digits, and no sun for weeks!

 

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Tell me about it. I'm Canadian from Ontario.

This is the 10 day forecast for our location...

https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/mx/ajijic/IJALISCO65?cm_ven=localwx_10day

The sky is blue, the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining and my solar system is producing electricity full tilt.

 

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I think it is more about lifestyle than weather.

The retired lifestyle on the coast is pretty active socially. People walk to restaurants and bars, meeting old friends or making new ones. This usually starts about 8 o clock at night, when things start to cool a little. That is the problem with the coast, as Ferret pointed out, there is little difference between daytime and night time temperature. We used to $3-$400 per month on electricity in Puerto Vallarta. But this was for an ancient, hard to insulate place. If you can find a condo with double pane insulated glass, and a dc inverter mini split and run it on dehumidify, you will be fine. It is tempting to live high up, with a beach view, but this will be very windy, and will disrupt your dehumidifying efforts. If a highrise, check on how the elevator is working. Nothing like walking up 15 flights to get home.

The lifestyle here is probably more like you might be used to living in suburban gated communities in the nice weather, but skyhigh prices, of the U.S.A. and Canada. Truly, an endless summer. Social interaction is more with neighbors, BBQs, Pool Parties, Potlucks, etc. There is a small, central social life in Ajijic, walking to restaurants etc. Everything else requires a car. Taxis do not work past 8, and Mexico has among the toughest drinking driving laws in the world.

There is one more lifestyle you haven't mentioned, and that is big city living, typically in old Colonial cities. Many interesting distractions, such as museums, architecture, cultural events, libraries, learning Spanish. A more conservative lifestyle. You won't see too many elderly  men walking around in shorts there. In the city in any case.

Well, there is half my guide book written, now on to publish!

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Actually one does not 'pay' for Part A.... it comes with Medicare..... only Part B is optional and has a fee. And just so Ray Parker is not mislead, Medicare does NOT cover one in Mexico except on an emergency while on 'vacation' and then only as a reimbursement.

As a kid I spent time in Florida in the summer but now only go sometimes in the winter. Summer there = Brutal. "Summer" on the coast in Mexico = similar Brutal. 

The worst 2 months at Lake Chapala are April and May... plus 2 weeks in June before the rainy season starts.... BUT the worst 2 months there are better than the best 2 months in many other places!  5000' and the 'lack' of humidity are the secret. Hardly ANYONE Lakeside owns an air conditioner nor anything other than a "space heater". Eternal Spring.  Being from Colorado I mostly wear shorts at Lakeside year-around. Once one lives there permanently, after a few years winter will 'seem' cool/cold but that's just our (old) bodies getting use to one climate.

I heartedly second the comment about renting for a year... anywhere.... before buying. Mexico is nice but the culture finally gets to some and they migrate back NOB. It's easy to buy a house but much harder to sell it. 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, CHILLIN said:

 

The lifestyle here is probably more like you might be used to living in suburban gated communities in the nice weather, but skyhigh prices, of the U.S.A. and Canada. Truly, an endless summer. Social interaction is more with neighbors, BBQs, Pool Parties, Potlucks, etc. There is a small, central social life in Ajijic, walking to restaurants etc. Everything else requires a car. Taxis do not work past 8, and Mexico has among the toughest drinking driving laws in the world.

There is one more lifestyle you haven't mentioned, and that is big city living, typically in old Colonial cities. Many interesting distractions, such as museums, architecture, cultural events, libraries, learning Spanish. A more conservative lifestyle. You won't see too many elderly  men walking around in shorts there. In the city in any case.

Well, there is half my guide book written, now on to publish!

Not my experience in the least. I have had an excellent social life in Chapala for 14 1/2 years. The social life here is what you make it and I have never been in to the suburban life style like my parents were in the 50's in Canada nor do I hang out with hardly any old farts like me. Oh and I have a very good taxi friend that I can count on 24/7 with advance notice

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Those 90 degree readings may be coming from GDL.  Even so, the climate here is different south of the carretera as opposed to the hillside.  The closer you get to the lake the less gap between high and low.

On a hot day in May as you walk towards the lake from El Torito the temperature change to cooler is noticeable.

This is a better climate by far than even Southern CA and a heckuva lot cheaper to live in.

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1 hour ago, happyjillin said:

Not my experience in the least. I have had an excellent social life in Chapala for 14 1/2 years. The social life here is what you make it and I have never been in to the suburban life style like my parents were in the 50's in Canada nor do I hang out with hardly any old farts like me. Oh and I have a very good taxi friend that I can count on 24/7 with advance notice

You sure remember different than I do. I remember Jeannie tried to start a petition to ban you from immigrating here, before you even arrived.  There goes the neighborhood, she exclaimed when you eventually arrived. Then she followed you, photos of you riding your motorbike without a helmet, and demanding that the police arrest you. People saying hateful, mean things to your wife. Certainly no Welcome Wagon of cookies and flowers for you!

Saying that, the community has generally treated the odd ducks, misfits, and obviously mentally ill people very well. Also very little racism, or homophobia.

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5 hours ago, Ferret said:

The coast is HELL in the summertime even if you have air conditioning in your entire home and a pool.

C'mon Ferret, that's a subjective, not objective, statement. I live in Sayulita, exactly the same weather as San Pancho, and I do not find the summers anywhere close to "hell". I don't have any AC or a pool. My house stays quite comfortable, as far as I'm concerned, with just my fans. I like the rainy, hot, humid summers. 

And this year, the nights stayed cool right through to the end of June, lots of people were commenting on it. And there were only a handful of nights all summer that I'd consider "steamy" and hot.

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16 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

C'mon Ferret, that's a subjective, not objective, statement. I live in Sayulita, exactly the same weather as San Pancho, and I do not find the summers anywhere close to "hell". I don't have any AC or a pool. My house stays quite comfortable, as far as I'm concerned, with just my fans. I like the rainy, hot, humid summers. 

And this year, the nights stayed cool right through to the end of June, lots of people were commenting on it. And there were only a handful of nights all summer that I'd consider "steamy" and hot.

Ferret really did go through hell, when the only bridge into San Pancho collapsed in a storm. The emergency workers started like a zipline, taking people across the swollen river one at a time, including pregnant ladies. I think it was six months until they built a Bailey bridge. Then Ferret and Hubby could get gas for the generator. Full power stress.

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23 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

C'mon Ferret, that's a subjective, not objective, statement. I live in Sayulita, exactly the same weather as San Pancho, and I do not find the summers anywhere close to "hell". I don't have any AC or a pool. My house stays quite comfortable, as far as I'm concerned, with just my fans. I like the rainy, hot, humid summers. 

And this year, the nights stayed cool right through to the end of June, lots of people were commenting on it. And there were only a handful of nights all summer that I'd consider "steamy" and hot.

I've observed that if you live on the Pacific coast itself, instead of on one of the bays the sea breezes are longer and stronger and it is less hot.  Having said that I'd still want AC there.  I find the humidity to be the bigger issue personally.

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Each to his/her own. I hate humidity. period. When the wind was onshore, it was reasonable. Once the wind shifted and became offshore, it was like being smothered with a hot wet blanket.

LOL! Chillin' you could walk a cylinder of propane or a container of gasoline across a two plank wooden "bridge" about two weeks after the washout. The electricity never did go out if I remember correctly. It also happened in September of 2010 and by the middle of October, the water level in the river had dropped significantly. Big hunks of concrete were arranged so that you could ford the river slowly and the water was only about half way up your wheels. My biggest panic was if a medical emergency occurred with my hubby. I won't forget the experience and was grateful when we sold the house and moved back inland.

 

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4 hours ago, CHILLIN said:

Ferret really did go through hell, when the only bridge into San Pancho collapsed in a storm. The emergency workers started like a zipline, taking people across the swollen river one at a time, including pregnant ladies. I think it was six months until they built a Bailey bridge. Then Ferret and Hubby could get gas for the generator. Full power stress.

I remember when that bridge washed out. The Sayulita bridge washed out as well. Luckily it wasn't the only way out of town, as was the case in San Pancho. And one side of the Rio Ameca bridge into PV collapsed at about 3 AM. My friend had just picked me up from the airport about 6 hours earlier and we went over that bridge. Glad I didn't have a red-eye flight 🙂

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11 hours ago, Ray Parker said:

I have noticed that you get more days above 90 than in south Florida where I live.

As MaineCoons mentioned, you may be looking at the Guad weather.    

1 - check the true and really well done local weather page here:     ajijicweather.com

2 - IMHO, the closest (not really but closest approx) Florida weather to Chapala / Ajijic would be north central FL, like Ocala area.   But Chapala is much drier and with bigger day to night temp shifts, so you have cooler nights, from Feb to June.

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I live in the countryside, a 5 minute drive from the center of town. I'm 2 kms from the ocean and there are hills between me and there, so I don't get sea breezes, altho I can hear the ocean some nights, but I'm right by the arroyo. Dirt roads out around my place. So I'm not surrounded by concrete, which absorbs so much heat all day and and makes the nights hotter. It's almost always cooler out my way than in town.

I also designed my house so there are no big windows on the south or west sides and my yard is densely planted, like a jungle. All that helps. When I bought the land, it was a empty lot covered in weeds, baking in the hot sun all day. 

The other advantage I find with a hot, humid climate is that my joints don't ache at all, like they do when I'm cold or in a dry climate.

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6 hours ago, CHILLIN said:

You sure remember different than I do. I remember Jeannie tried to start a petition to ban you from immigrating here, before you even arrived.  There goes the neighborhood, she exclaimed when you eventually arrived. Then she followed you, photos of you riding your motorbike without a helmet, and demanding that the police arrest you. People saying hateful, mean things to your wife. Certainly no Welcome Wagon of cookies and flowers for you!

Saying that, the community has generally treated the odd ducks, misfits, and obviously mentally ill people very well. Also very little racism, or homophobia.

Yet here I am after 14 1/2 years with many friends, a fun good life, service to the community and having newbies and wannbies to my home, which are somethings that  you don't seem to have enjoyed experiencing.

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cruz roja polar bear swim,2013.jpg

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