Expat Living In Mexico

[LTGTR]

I think most of the casual expat workers are English teachers in Argieland, sound familiar?

For Mexico:

The last I checked you get 6 months on a 6 month tourist card visa. But they don't have to give you 6 months, you have to ask for it. Then cross a border and start over. I don't know about different treatment on land vs. air. I do not think you can do that for years before they stop giving you the visa. My info isn't recent, check the Mexican forums (there are a bunch of them, not one dominant one like thaivisa).They get a lot of snowbirds but not as many young underground visa runners living there for years. They want you to do something official like start a small business.

Incorrect.6 months is granted on arrival any even the smallest int'l airport without asking.I have used 5 airports the past 2 years and never had to ask.You can do this in perpetuity,w/o issues.

[LTGTR]

We live in central Texas and hear about the thousands of murders along the Mexican side of the border with the U.S. carried out by the drug cartels. Actually, they call them crime cartels now since they have branched out into kidnapping, extortion, etc. as well as drugs. The Mexican government occasionally comes in to support the Mexican border town police departments but it has been a losing battle from what I have read. I have not heard that inland expat communities have been targeted but it may not be as safe to make a border run by car or bus as it is in Thailand. Texas law enforcement has been monitoring the problem but so far their violence has not spread into Texas, however some victims in Mexican border towns have been from the U.S.

There is a huge ex-pat community outside Guadalajara called Lake Chapala and Ajijic.I mean you'll see as many US/Canadian plates as local there.It's under an hour drive which makes it easy to connect to.Pleasant year round climate and cobblestone streets leading down to the largest lake around.

[LTGTR]

hmm not too worried about the dangers- i travelled solo in south america and was terrified at all the stories people told me beforehand, only to find it felt safer than thailand to me.

Hey Girlx,

You must be kidding me or haven't been through South America in a while

Just take Caracas, which used to be a wonderful place to enjoy, not so long ago: well right now you need to travel in an armoured car and body guards. People tend to regroup in protected compounds. That wasn't the case two years ago although one had to be careful at the time.

Back to Mexico: compared to other South American cities it is the safest but still dangerous, and I mean dangerous

So when you tell me that you have these cities safer than Bangkok allow me to raise an eyebrow

Of course when one is looking for trouble, one is sure that trouble will find them and if you stay away from grey areas that should do the trick, but please put it in perspective

As long as you stay in the well establised resorts the risks you'll get in trouble is minimised (but still exists)

I am sorry I cannot be of much help regarding the work side

What a crock!LaPaz and Merida are 2 of the most pleasant and PEACEFUL places on Earth,mich less Mexico.Sure there are laeless towns along the border,but don't let the fear mongers scare you away from this peaceful and beautiful country.I have been throughout the country on my motorcycle,in 28 of 32 states,and only seen security issues along the border in in the capital.

Actually,the "established resorts" offer more crime than ANY peaceful town.

[girlx]

Gotta be a wind-up, but what the heck....

why so rude, fnprop?

if you're looking for an alternative to Thailand and you speak some Spanish why not consider Spain ?

well the whole point of mexico is the cheap living and the easy access to the US, but where in spain would you recommend?

Edited February 15, 2009 by girlx

[shochu]

i can offer a little help with spain.

if ur looking for a beautiful place - san sebastion

if ur looking for a great place for everything u want - barcelona. if has an okay beach, better beaches on nearby islands. i think u would do well there even though spain will suffer a lot with the economy. i'm sure rent will be coming down. i'm sure u can find some kind of work there if u really try. great nightlife, great people. and some crime - but since u look like u could be spanish - no probs.

[girlx]

how would you know what i look like?!

anyway spain is really too expensive... so, back to mexico...

[shochu]

peaceblondie offers probably the most seasoned advice about mexico. he has written quite extensively about it in the past. just ask him some more direct questions and i am sure he will be helpful.

i used to go across the border when i was younger because my family used to have a place in south cali where i spent some summers. i also have friends and classmates from mexico city. the things i heard from them and my friends who have lived and spent much time there were not to be taken lightly. visiting there and living there r two different things. if u come under the radar then u will become a victim and things will get more difficult there in time.

but i wonder what is the reason for ur wanting to go there?

1) u fear problems in los

2) money issues when work slows

3) wanting to be near family

let me offer some advice

if things happen as i expect - u will want to avoid being in or near the u.s. as things will spill over the border. what r the chances. i am very pragmatic and i see a slightly more than 50% chance of things as i expect.

AND u don't remember me - what were all those things u whispered in my ear - sweet nothings?

[bruceboy]

From what I have read on the net, Mexico does seem like a rather dangerous place to live.

[Jingthing]

I think most of the casual expat workers are English teachers in Argieland, sound familiar?

For Mexico:

The last I checked you get 6 months on a 6 month tourist card visa. But they don't have to give you 6 months, you have to ask for it. Then cross a border and start over. I don't know about different treatment on land vs. air. I do not think you can do that for years before they stop giving you the visa. My info isn't recent, check the Mexican forums (there are a bunch of them, not one dominant one like thaivisa).They get a lot of snowbirds but not as many young underground visa runners living there for years. They want you to do something official like start a small business.

Incorrect.6 months is granted on arrival any even the smallest int'l airport without asking.I have used 5 airports the past 2 years and never had to ask.You can do this in perpetuity,w/o issues.

You are one person. As I said, I have heard reports of people being challenged when it becomes obvious they are living in Mexico on the tourist cards. It is no problem for seasonal snowbirds though but the OP is looking for a stable way to stay there. In any case, more and more negative news coming out of Mexico, it may be on the verge of a political explosion that makes Thailand's problems seem like child's play.

The other point on the tourist card stamps. It is not like Thailand. The officers there are not required to stamp 6 months or 1 month or 3 months. They can stamp what they want up to six months. The 6 months while commonly granted, yes even without asking, is not automatic.

Comment from a dated Mexico blog:

It used to be that living in Mexico could be done by coming in as a tourist and simply popping back across the border every six months for a new tourist visa, but Mexico patched that hole by passing a law against it and enforcing it with computers. They nail you when you try to leave the country.

Edited February 15, 2009 by Jingthing

[Monroe]

Millions of tourists flock to Mexico every year without a problem, but I wouldn't go so far as saying it's safer than Thailand.

There are definitely safer areas and areas you'll want to avoid, but that's not always easy on a tight budget. You might be street-smart, but sometimes, people are just unlucky.

http://projects.latimes.com/mexico-drug-wa...media-gallery/7

Maybe start by treading water rather than diving in head-first. Visit as a tourist, first, then decide if it's a place you'd like to live.

[keestha]

Interesting read, this thread. Once ever (1974), I spent 6 weeks in Mexico. During the 18 years I am living in Thailand, I never felt disliked by the people because I am a westerner, but in Mexico this was quite different. People calling me gringo all the time, and being rather unfriendly because they assumed I was an American. Soon I learned the magical phrase to soften them up: "Yo no soy Americano, yo soy Europeano" (I am not American, I am a European.) After Mexico I went down into Guatemala, and there the people were way friendlier.

Anybody having more recent reports about this situation?

[Jingthing]

Americans and Mexicans have a love/hate relationship. They are vastly different countries but each has greatly influenced each other. Large parts of the USA used to be Mexico and some feel are becoming Mexico again. If you are asking if Mexicans in general still have less baggage about Europeans than Americans, sure, that is true, unless you are Spaniard and the Mexican is an Indian.

Edited February 16, 2009 by Jingthing

[girlx]

thanks peaceblondie for the list of cities with airports, that will help for a start. and yes, i will go check it out as a tourist first. i don't plan on living there very long term, i just need a place to ride out the recession and mexico's similarities with thailand appeal to me, as well as the fact that i can just hop the border and get any old job in the US if i need to. i will look at belize too, and another friend here in koh chang where i am staying has just bought land in roatan in honduras and was trying to convince me to go there with him, but the list is getting too long(!!) and my whole point is to narrow it down to a place that has potential to start out looking in!

[PeaceBlondie]

hi girlx. I do not remember a list of airports, but I listed lots of places and they all have airports. I once flew from Tapachula, the southernmost airport, through Mex. City to Matamoros, a northern border airport. Domestic flight, got picked up by family in Matamoros, drove over the bridge, no immigration at all! Another time, I flew from Cancun to Miami and had to walk backwards throguh the line to get an immigration officer to stamp my FM3 or FM2 book! Which is to say that Mexico must have over a hundred airports, maybe 300.

Monterey is cosmopolitan and huge, maybe 150 miles from Laredo, you could fly, take bus or drive easily. Big industrial/business area, very bustling place. There may be ten or twenty large towns right by the beach that are not touristy. Current peso/dollar ratio of 14 to 1 is weird, historically high.

[LTGTR]

I lived just across the border from San Diego in a small village called San Antonio Del Mar not far from Rossirito beach. I worked in the USA and commuted every other day or so. The food was good and inexpensive as was the Tequila and beer. I had a small A frame house on the edge of the cliff that I paid 250 dollars for a month. Life was good and the living was easy. This was in 1987-1992 though. The border since then has gotten very bad, 4-6 hours crossing is not unheard of now. Alot of the cheap housing in San Antonio Del Mar is gone because of taxes imposed on people living close to the beach. San Antonio now also has direct benefit of being close to a newish sewage treatment plant that TRYS to process Tijuana's population explosion but fails directly into the ocean and on to the beaches of San Antonio Del Mar.

It was a slice of heaven for a time but the time has past. I would not recommend Mexico now.

<deleted>,mexico has more coastline than america,one small area and you scratch the whole country off the list?very narrow minded

Just consider the source when you see ignorant statements.Narrow-minded indeed.

[LTGTR]

Interesting read, this thread. Once ever (1974), I spent 6 weeks in Mexico. During the 18 years I am living in Thailand, I never felt disliked by the people because I am a westerner, but in Mexico this was quite different. People calling me gringo all the time, and being rather unfriendly because they assumed I was an American. Soon I learned the magical phrase to soften them up: "Yo no soy Americano, yo soy Europeano" (I am not American, I am a European.) After Mexico I went down into Guatemala, and there the people were way friendlier.

Anybody having more recent reports about this situation?

So what's the difference if they call you gringo in Mexico and falang here?NONE!

[girlx]

anyone been to merida? a few people on the lonely planet site say this is the ideal place in mexico for me...

[Aswin]

I like Cancun but can be expensive. Matzatlan on the west coast is not expensive and beach is nice.

[cigar7]

If you like smaller towns, and are willing to eat local, no USA style restaurants or customs and want to do things cheaply here are some suggestions:

Tequisquiapan, near Queretaro, Zacatecas, Aquascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Patzcuaro, and San Cristobal de las Casas. My personal favorites are Tapalpa in Jalisco and Pozos de Mineral in Guanajuato.

If you want something closer to the beach, but still with a temperate climate, go for Colima, Comala, or Tepic near the Pacific coast, or Jalapa near the Gulf Coast. If you have limited funds, go for the Yucatan coast, or west to San Blas or Rincon de Guayabitos in the state of Nayarit, or to any small villages near Colima, like Cuyutlan.

I maybe going there in mid to late April. These suggestions came from International Living.

Merida is nice, with many of the comforts of USA, like Walmart. Prices have gone up because of all of the Americans moving in. It is close to the beach too, about 1.5 hours.

Edited February 17, 2009 by cigar7

[girlx]

hrm 1.5 hours from the beach is too far for me, so back to square one. i will check out some of those other suggestions though!

[arby]

hrm 1.5 hours from the beach is too far for me, so back to square one. i will check out some of those other suggestions though!

I lived in Mexico (on the coast) of and on for a number of years until 1989. That is when I moved down there full time. I lived there until 2000 when I started a round the world trip and ended up in Thailand. I had a business there (sorta of still do) . I own land in Mexico and still travel there to work (I am an architect and builder) every year for a few months. There are lots of places to live that fit your requirements.....lots.... I spent most of my time, and still do, in a town called Sayulita which is about 30 kilometers from an international airport in the famous town of Puerto Vallarta. I moved out of Mexico for various reasons; getting to expensive, crime, becoming to westernized. But if you are looking for a place to live until the economy returns, I would recommend this area of Mexico. There are lots of little towns nearby that are less expensive and they are on the beach. Check out the town of Melaque in Jalisco (or is it in Colima ?). It has some expats and it is fairly inexpensive and it is a beach town. If you like living around young folks and the surfing crowd, try Puerto Escondido. If $2,500 is what you are used to paying for living expenses than you should be able to get by there easily. Working is not really a major problem if you want to work in a bar or a tourist related business. I can give you lots of specific information if you need. You can email me ***email removed--please pm poster*** and I will give you my telephone number and you can contact me directly.

[girlx]

I spent most of my time, and still do, in a town called Sayulita which is about 30 kilometers from an international airport in the famous town of Puerto Vallarta.

funny that you recommended this as i just two minutes ago received an email from my friend who is there and sent me pictures etc. saying it was perfect for me. thanks for your contact info, i will drop you a line soon.

Edited February 20, 2009 by girlx

[PeaceBlondie]

If you want the Caribe, did I mention Isla de Mujeres? An island right off of Cancun.

San Cristobal had a great Domino's Pizza right on the main square, and I was well known for eating Italian sausage pizza there. Likewise, 25 km from the Pacific, at a Domino's in Tapachula. So you can get gringo food there; I bought Skippy crunchy peanut butter in Tapachula.

[guruofvinyl]

I have lived in Thailand, Mexico, and India. In fact odd to see the name Sayulita in this thread for I spent months in this place. For me Mexico is just too close to the USA in culture and the violence is much worse than it was only a few years ago. Thailand is still one of the best places to live because of cost of living and style of life, plus there is the historical influence of Chinese and Indian culture. Small towns in Thailand are still decent places to live. But now let me throw out something that will cause many people to groan---India. Since you are female I will assume you don't need an endless stream of bars and bargirls to make your life livable. India has beaches and beaches, the longest history in the world and very liberal visa policies. I have a 10 year visa that cost me 150$. This visa allows me to enter the country for 10 years and stay six months at a time. Visa runs to Nepal or Sri Lanka are easy and common. The cost of living is about the same as small town Thailand and English is spoken and used everywhere, especially in the south. Internet places and good food are found everywhere. The culture is not as westernized but it is civilized. Violence is not of the gangster type but more political with little effect on foreigners. There are expats but they are usually people with some interest in the culture like music, dance, yoga etc. There are many women doing this also. Try to keep an open mind and check out a user friendly place like Mahabalipuram or some of the western beaches south of Goa for starters.

[girlx]

For me Mexico is just too close to the USA in culture and the violence is much worse than it was only a few years ago.

hrm that doesn't sound nice at all and to be honest even though sometimes i feel like i hate thailand and want to get out of here, when it comes to actually doing it i remember how much i love it here and don't want to go! and i am not someone who usually sticks around a place for very long, thailand is the only place in the world i have spent more than one consecutive year in!!!!

BUT, if i run out of work in thailand, i have no options other than teaching english really, and i would sooner die than do that. my reason for choosing mexico as a possiblity is really it's proximity to the States so i can make a run for the border if i need work- though i read today that even crappy jobs in the US like housekeeping and waitressing are getting hundreds of applicants nowadays, and are hard to get! so who knows. maybe better to be poor and homeless here? maybe i suck it up and teach?

But now let me throw out something that will cause many people to groan---India.

as much as i wanted to like india, i really did not. i went there expecting to spend at least 3 months and made a run for nepal after 11 days. i don't think i could handle living there at all. i still would like to take another trip back and see if it rubs me the right way this time, but on my first trip there i just found it so revolting and maddening... not sure that will have changed even though i am older and wiser.

[johnefallis]

too tired to really address the danger issue, but every place in the world can be dangerous, and i am pretty street smart. i am not worried too much about that. i have travelled half the world solo.

i work for US companies via the internet so work is not really an issue unless all my projects dry up, and $2500 a month is about what i spend in BKK so it seems like mexico and thailand are comparable as far as cost of living goes.

i will most likely (if i decide to) fly over after songkran here and stay in a hotel for a couple weeks to feel out the place/find longer term accomodation. i just don't know really where to start out from. i don't want to live in a super touristy area. prefer a very laid back beach town not too far from a big city. no interest at all in living in a border town, but do wonder how and where i would do visa runs? trying to think what borders mexico besides the US, but again, too tired now.

so tips on places to start out looking would be great! again, here are my requirements:

near the beach, with a good mix of expats and locals, with public transportation, good infrastructure (need internet connection to work), and that is generally safe for an american female? should also be near a large city with an international airport and cosmopolitan lifestyle

Guadalajara or, my choice, Baja. Visa? We don't need no stinking visa, haha. $2500 is more than enough to live away from the tourist traps.

[johnefallis]

too tired to really address the danger issue, but every place in the world can be dangerous, and i am pretty street smart. i am not worried too much about that. i have travelled half the world solo.

i work for US companies via the internet so work is not really an issue unless all my projects dry up, and $2500 a month is about what i spend in BKK so it seems like mexico and thailand are comparable as far as cost of living goes.

i will most likely (if i decide to) fly over after songkran here and stay in a hotel for a couple weeks to feel out the place/find longer term accomodation. i just don't know really where to start out from. i don't want to live in a super touristy area. prefer a very laid back beach town not too far from a big city. no interest at all in living in a border town, but do wonder how and where i would do visa runs? trying to think what borders mexico besides the US, but again, too tired now.

so tips on places to start out looking would be great! again, here are my requirements:

near the beach, with a good mix of expats and locals, with public transportation, good infrastructure (need internet connection to work), and that is generally safe for an american female? should also be near a large city with an international airport and cosmopolitan lifestyle

Visa info for you, direct from www.state.gov/travel

...Travelers entering Mexico for purposes other than tourism or business or for stays of longer than 180 days require a visa and must carry a valid U.S. passport. U.S. citizens planning to work or live in Mexico should apply for the appropriate Mexican visa at the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C., or nearest Mexican consulate in the United States.

All you need is a tourist card.

As it says here;

ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: For the latest entry requirements, contact the Embassy of Mexico web site at http://portal.sre.gob.mx/usa/ or contact the Embassy of Mexico at 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006, telephone (202) 736-1000 or any Mexican consulate in the United States for the most current information.

All Americans traveling by air outside the United States are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States. This requirement will be extended to sea travel (except closed loop cruises), including ferry service, by the summer of 2009. Until then, U.S. citizens traveling by sea must have government-issued photo identification and a document showing their U.S. citizenship (for example, a birth certificate or certificate of nationalization), or other Western Hemisphere Travel initiative (WHTI) compliant document such as a passport card for entry or re-entry to the U.S. Sea travelers should also check with their cruise line and countries of destination for any foreign entry requirements.

The new U.S. Passport Card is now being issued. The card may not be used to travel by air and is available only to U.S. citizens. Further information is available at http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html and upcoming changes to U.S. passport policy can be found on the Bureau of Consular Affairs web site at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html. We strongly encourage all American citizen travelers to apply for a U.S. passport well in advance of anticipated travel. American citizens can visit travel.state.gov or call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778) for information on how to apply for their passports.

Land travelers must have a valid U.S. passport or a U.S. citizenship document accompanied by acceptable photo identification, such as a state or military issued ID. U.S. legal permanent residents in possession of their I-551 Permanent Resident card may board flights to the U.S. from Mexico.

Hope this helps... oh yeah, Baja...

[PeaceBlondie]

girlx, it is a monstrously huge country, where even places in central Mexico may take many hours to fly to Houston or San Antonio or San Diego. Like Thailand, serious medical care is only available in the biggest cities. But it is not USA, it is a still-developing country with all socio-economic classes, with racism just below the surface. You 'fit in' more easily there than in Thailand. But it will test your patience and tolerance.

[Foreverford]

For me Mexico is just too close to the USA in culture and the violence is much worse than it was only a few years ago.

hrm that doesn't sound nice at all and to be honest even though sometimes i feel like i hate thailand and want to get out of here, when it comes to actually doing it i remember how much i love it here and don't want to go! and i am not someone who usually sticks around a place for very long, thailand is the only place in the world i have spent more than one consecutive year in!!!!

BUT, if i run out of work in thailand, i have no options other than teaching english really, and i would sooner die than do that. my reason for choosing mexico as a possiblity is really it's proximity to the States so i can make a run for the border if i need work- though i read today that even crappy jobs in the US like housekeeping and waitressing are getting hundreds of applicants nowadays, and are hard to get! so who knows. maybe better to be poor and homeless here? maybe i suck it up and teach?

But now let me throw out something that will cause many people to groan---India.

as much as i wanted to like india, i really did not. i went there expecting to spend at least 3 months and made a run for nepal after 11 days. i don't think i could handle living there at all. i still would like to take another trip back and see if it rubs me the right way this time, but on my first trip there i just found it so revolting and maddening... not sure that will have changed even though i am older and wiser.

Hola

I've read all the posts briefly and they hit a bunch of points. I've been here in

Thailand for 6 years 8 years before in US (uggh) and 5 years before in Kenya and 5 years previous in Baja Mexico. First traveled the Baja 40 years ago and have owned a house and a farm for about 25 years in Pescadero about 40 miles noth of Cabo San Lucas. If you want accessibility to the US then the tip of Baja is about the easiet place to get to the US from Mexico with probaly nearly 50 flights a day possibly. Don't quote me, but there were 270 some odd flights coming into the Cabo airport daily one time a few years ago when i returned to visit.

Cabo was a small couple of hundred people fishing town when i first went now there are probably a couple of hundred thousand there at times. with this has come the problems associated with it. Unfortunately recently things have escalated quite drastically and the amount of crime, serious crime, has increased big time. I have extended Mexican families down there and know the ex-govenors and plenty of people and have 40 years of my life invested down there to tell you that what I say, it isn't just off the cuff info. My good friend that I've known for 40 years and is 45 years old has his doctorate in accounting and i chose to stay at his house in San Jose Del Cabo last year when i visited and he didn't have a lot of good news to say about conditions of the Baja, and our small farm town of Pescadero where he grew up and i have my farms is in a very bad way as the people are into the rampant use of drugs and there are many many more incidents of violent crime there in this small farming town than there ever was in the entire Baja. So the problems are not isolated to the big tourist trap areas. Just north of that seaside town is Todos Santos with a huge ex-pat artist community that is world reknowned and the town is a bit safer in the over-all picture.

Soooo if you want to live in Mexico and you want the ability to run quick to the US and you want a good blend of Mexicans and ex-pats with all the modern conveniences then I would consider thinking about La Paz on the other side of the peninsula but on the beautiful Gulf of California. But with that said be advised that it is feeling growing pains and water has been a critical issue there recently. It is probably one of the safest big cities in Mexico if there is one (I've heard guadalajara is very nice but doesn't meet your criterion of Beach). I've been through Tijuana literally at least 100 times and I wouldn't want to even fly too close over it now as it is a war zone and don't get anywhere near it. Todos Santos might work for you so there are my two coastside recommendations along with a slight recommendation for San Jose Del Cabo but too much traffic and tourist influence makes it the third place choice down there.

Obviously you will have to go down and have a look and that is part of the fun of discovering a new "home" and i doing this you can't go wrong by visiting the tip of the Baja as it is one of the most beautiful geographical settings on the ocean anywhere in the entire world. It is considered to be what they call a tropical thorn forest and it meets the ocean and the gulf in all it's magnificent glory.

Another huge thought is the fact that the economic crisis is going to hit Mexico in exponetial form as the money that built the massive resorts and vacation land of the Baja and all of Mexico in general came from residential real estate and funny bank proceedures in the Us. everyone took out second loans and bought property and built down there and there is going to be a huge vacuum because all that money has gone away and won't return, the average vacationer won't be returning as they will have no money and you will be finding a lot of desperate people in and around that country. Mexico has always somewhat revelled in it's cowboy old west lawlessness image and it isn't a myth as I have been in and out of it all my life and it isn't easy for the right person iin the wrong place. i really don't think it is anything like it used to be I'll be categoric, i know, it isn't anything like it used to be and i really don't recommend it at all to anyone unless they are an old and wisened veteran of down there. It is just too too much trouble and violence now. This isn't a rookie speaking as i do have 40 years of love, life and blood in that country and I have physically dug graves and buried a few folks down there, very very good friends included. It was a paradise at one time and it is very very difficult to meet all your criterion and feel comfortable. bangkok is a walk in the park at midnight compared to most other cities down there of 1/10th the size. If I din't own property down there i would never return. Buenos suerte con todo. If you need any more info feel free to PM me if you wish more info or have questions.

[Jingthing]

Another development down there is that a good portion of the illegal Mexicans in the US are now voluntarily coming back to Mexico. Coming back to what? Tells you more about how bad things have gotten in the US, no longer such a great immigration magnet.

Also the current US administration has rated the two countries most likely to explode politically in the near future: Pakistan and Mexico. I have an old friend who knew a lot of long term expats in Oaxaca. She tells me over half the expats she knew there have bailed. Too much violence and also no longer cheap enough.

Edited February 21, 2009 by Jingthing