Expat Living In Mexico

[girlx]

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.

this is a good point to take into consideration almost anywhere these days... but curious, i was under the impression that the escalated violence in mexico was more between drug gangs and the like rather than involving normal citizens and tourists... am i wrong about that? is it difficult to avoid?

Edited February 21, 2009 by girlx

[submaniac]

Well, in California I am getting the trickle down news from Mexico, and I have colleagues at work from Mexico, and friends from college living in Mexico (they are mexican nationals who went to school in the states) and all the news I am getting is that Mexico just is not safe right now. On the news, there are just constant reports of bodies being found and what not. Yes, the violence originated from the drug gangs, but it is not confined to the drug gangs either, and is spilling over to everyone. I was going to take my car into mexico just to get the leather seats fixed, but everyone was telling me not to. Love it or hate it, Thailand is not being run by organized drug gangs and drug money is not fueling life in Thailand like it is in Mexico.

[girlx]

... well in some parts of thailand maybe... but you do make me reconsider mexico... is tourism dropping there then?

[girlx]

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!

p.s. here is the very depressing article i was referencing earlier and why i am scared i am gonna run out of work and be floundering in thailand!

Wanted: Lousy job, low pay

[Jingthing]

That young blonde gringa women I was telling you about said the violence was definitely bleeding into daily life. In fact, her own apartment was violently raided by the police in Guadalajara (for no reason). She specifically told me to avoid Mazatlan, known to be a center of the gangs.

Edited February 21, 2009 by Jingthing

[RAZZELL]

Heard good reports about Tulum.

RAZZ

[girlx]

hrmmm ...that much violence eh... maybe i will have to do like nancy on 'weeds' and look for the mafia kingpin to hook up with and get me some protection. (idealistic much, girlx?)

Edited February 21, 2009 by girlx

[Foreverford]

hrmmm ...that much violence eh... maybe i will have to do like nancy on 'weeds' and look for the mafia kingpin to hook up with and get me some protection. (idealistic much, girlx?)

Yeah right have you ever seen what happens to some of them. I remember one that survived and she was sporting all new (poor looking) ivory in her gums as the f'er who was doing all the drugs with her got tired with her like everything else in his life that made him choose the profession that he is in and just up and kicked all her teeth in for sport and then told her she wasn't pretty enough for him to protect anymore. Fine woman at one time, nearly 6 feet tall, all of her and black as the night. "Sorry baby you don't intrigue me anymore so let's make sport of you". Heck at least it's better than a bullet in the ear and throw you off the cliff or as they have been doing in Tijuana is just cutting the heads off for artistic value and dumping them at the local elementary schools for their morning lessons. Don't make a joke of the reality that too many unfortunate folks have put themselves in or are stuck living in due to their unfortunate birth in a nation of sub-human creatures. Mexico has gotten much too too ugkly. I used to tell people that were being ruled by African despots that they were still living in a near paradise as the corruption in their country was like 1st grade grammar school compared to the stuff I've seen going on in Mexico, That was nearly 20 years ago when things were somewhat civil and normal in Mexico. Now it is a Hollywood movie and you can write any script that yu want as it has already been done and it won't surprise anyone.

[girlx]

yeah....er... i was kidding... had enough contact with "baby mafia" in thailand that i know to keep my distance from real drug mafias in mexico etc.

is it so bad outside of the border areas though? surely tourists would stop going if that were the case?

[Foreverford]

yeah....er... i was kidding... had enough contact with "baby mafia" in thailand that i know to keep my distance from real drug mafias in mexico etc.

is it so bad outside of the border areas though? surely tourists would stop going if that were the case?

Unfortunately it is so and really nowhere in general (and you can find the exceptions Todos Santos is much better than Pescadero just 7 kilometers away) is anywhere near as safe as it was nad theft has and is endemic on a large scale as everybody is constantly being ripped off by friends family and any one else that can get in on it. This is what political corruption breeds along with a police force that is not paid a living wage. Mexico was a truly delightful place 30 years ago and again still very nice up to 20 and 15 years ago but they obliterated the Agrica- Reforma laws sometime thereafter and allowed everybody to own and sell all the agricultural land and small farming villages that were acquired and then distributed back to the common folks during the revolution of Juarez, Zapata and Villa. That along with a bunch of other stuff that ai'm too lazy to write (the US banking policy and the foolish US land investments and the continued additcion to cocaine in the US) caused a new cycle to emerge into which the AMexico hassn't hit the bottom and the newest President has been somewhat completely unable to fight the corruption that is everywhere and turning more and more violent. The borders are definitely the worse unless you get to the big cities and Mexico city was a place to stay away from 20 years ago at that so I still think you are ill-informed if somewone telss tyou that mexico is the place you want to go to possible spend the next ten years or the rest of your life. I would say take a trip to the tip of Baja and just enjoy the scenery and check out LaPaz Todos Santos and San jose

Del Cabo. They are very close and convenient to visit with the most beautiful coast lines of anywhere on earth (bot the ocean and gulf sides) but I couldn't recommend livingf there unless you said you were forced to have to be living in Mexico

Choke Dee and a little buenos suerte tambien. Adios mi ninita

[Pakeha]

Just saw a report saying Mexico is more violent and dangerous than Iraq

And the American government thinks the Mexican economy and government may collapse soon

Be careful girlx

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

After reading the comments about Mexico, Zimbabwe is starting to sound good in comparison.

[girlx]

Colleges Warn Students Not to Travel in Mexico

[PeaceBlondie]

In less than 8 months, the peso exchange rate has skyrocketed, and just hit 15:1. I left when it was roughly 10:1.

The latest article is on Yahoo News, and is a bit scary, but exaggerated. Girlx, the areas you are considering may not be that dangerous. Are you still considering a move from Thailand to Mexico?

[girlx]

Well as usual, I have a list of about 5 places I am still trying to decide amongst to go to, and it really depends on my job situation by the end of March... but yeah I am not too daunted by all these reports of violence... I remember how out of proportion the media blew things after 9-11 in NY and that taught me a bit of a lesson, so Mexico is still one of the 5 options... I appreciate all the info you and others have given me on this thread, at least I know to stay on my toes if I end up there!

[ukrules]

From what I've heard it's pretty cheap in Lima, Peru. This is on my list of places to check out at some point in the future. Overstaying isn't a problem, I think there is a $1 a day fine and you can stay as long as you like, it was either three or six month stamp on arrival and they don't care how long you stay.

There's a forum very similar to Thaivisa for Peru as well, http://forum.livinginperu.com it looks suspiciously similar.

[LTGTR]

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.

Gee-how about visiting Aeromexico and Mexicana websites for a clue to where they fly.

[LTGTR]

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

Do you read ANY of these responses to the thread you started?I just moved here from Merida.Amazing.

[LTGTR]

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.

More bad info-Merida is a mere 18 minutes to the beach in Progreso via a new 8 lane freeway.

[Jingthing]

From what I've heard it's pretty cheap in Lima, Peru. This is on my list of places to check out at some point in the future. Overstaying isn't a problem, I think there is a $1 a day fine and you can stay as long as you like, it was either three or six month stamp on arrival and they don't care how long you stay.

There's a forum very similar to Thaivisa for Peru as well, http://forum.livinginperu.com it looks suspiciously similar.

I checked this place out. My impressions:

- high crime, there are only a few urban neighborhoods an expat could safely live in, however, even those aren't very expensive

- yes you could live on visa runs

- the weather is strange most of the year (certainly not a tropical climate)

- its like going backwards in time compared to the west or Thailand

- the Peruvian-Chinese food is awful, in general poor variety of good food other than Peruvian

- the beach in the city, very sucky, and dirty

- the Peruvian food is fantastic and you can spice it up with chilies

- you need to learn Spanish, people there realize Spanish is not that hard to learn so most things are not translated into English

- the people are very friendly

- great discos, great Latin music

- most people have Indian blood or are full Indian (compare to European Argentina)

- internet cafes everywhere

Overall, OK, but the expats I met weren't exactly waxing poetic about living there.

Bottom line, unless you have a special interest/connection with Peruvian people/culture I think most people can safely pass on an exploratory trip to Lima.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Jingthing

[bf2002]

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.

How difficult is it for a Thai national (lady) to get a tourist visa to Mexico, if she had a return ticket? Do you have any knowledge on that? or even better, first hand knowledge?

[bf2002]

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.

How difficult is it for a Thai national (lady) to get a tourist visa to Mexico, if she had a return ticket? Do you have any knowledge on that? or even better, first hand knowledge?

[Jingthing]

How difficult is it for a Thai national (lady) to get a tourist visa to Mexico, if she had a return ticket? Do you have any knowledge on that? or even better, first hand knowledge?

No real knowledge except that I am sure she would need to apply for a tourist visa. Here is the application info, sounds straightforward enough but there are employment and financial requirements:

http://portal.sre.gob.mx/tailandia/popups/...window.php?id=5

http://www.sre.gob.mx/tailandia/

Edited March 4, 2009 by Jingthing