By Paul Buchanan
Editor’s Note: Paul & Herma Buchanan came on Focus Program in Mach 2008. We’re delighted he’s written an article for our newsletter and only hope this is one of many! He lets you know why and how he came to live in Mexico and gives some good road tips for driving through Mexico. We’ve also added some additional road tips at the end of his article. Enjoy!
On Wednesday January 7, 2009, shortly after noon we arrived at our new home in Chula Vista Norte after six days of driving and many months of anticipation; and definitely ready to begin our retirement. Let me take you back to the beginning.
A couple of years ago my wife Herma and I began some long-term planning for retirement. We had a financial plan prepared and determined we could retire around 2010-2011. At this time we were living in Halton Hills, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. Herma was working in Georgetown, just a few miles from home while I was working in Toronto. I think we had already agreed that we would not retire in our then-current home in the country because we had very few neighbours and were too far from any social activities. We were thinking we would probably move to a small town in the Niagara Peninsula, close to all the wineries and lots of golf courses. Although we are not great golfers, we do enjoy the game and the social aspect to it.
Then in the Fall of 2007 Herma saw an advertisement for a half-day seminar entitled “Retirement 101,” so we attended just to listen. They talked about physical fitness, social changes when you retire and lose the “office life,” etc. Then one speaker stood up to the podium and asked the question – “who has ever thought of retiring to Mexico and coming to Canada only to visit?” After listening to some of the tax advantages and to some of his impressions of the Lake Chapala area we thought that this was worth a second look. Following that seminar we attended a two-day session in Toronto where we again were presented with all the good things going on in Mexico in general, and Lake Chapala in particular. We left with a good impression and decided it was worth further investigation.
Once you start looking for something, it’s amazing what you find. It seemed many people knew about Lake Chapala or knew someone who did. In fact a gentleman who rode the commuter trains with me to work had been looking at this area and had even visited it a few times. Upon further investigation, Herma found a web site for “FocusOnMexico.com,” so we signed up for a session in March/April 2008. Before our session, we spent many hours on the Focus on Mexico site in the Real Estate Listings’ section searching the real estate properties in the Chapala area to do our “Market Surveys.” When we arrived at the session, we already had a “web” perspective of what was available. What we didn’t know was whether we would like living in this area. So with an open mind we attended the session.
At the same time, we had to review our finances. Is this the right time to buy in Mexico and sell in Canada? We were suspicious that the Canadian Real Estate Market was about to take a major correction and we knew from past experience that the value of a country property like ours could drop as much as 50%. We also realized that the Canadian dollar was very high compared to the U.S. dollar so that made buying in Lake Chapala even more affordable. We decided that if we could sell before the market dropped and if we could buy with the Canadian dollar nearly at par with the U.S. dollar, then this would be the most affordable time for us to make a move. So we did.
The “Focus on Mexico” program gave us exactly what we were looking for. The program started with arrival on Saturday and by Wednesday evening we had decided that we would enjoy living in this area. It gave us the sense of community that we did not have living in the country in Canada. The people seemed to welcome us into their community, much more I must say then we offer to new arrivals in our own country. We decided that we could live here and enjoy going out and about.
During the Focus house tour we met Sara Arreola from Lloyds Realty and she offered amazing assistance in finding and buying our new home. Coincidently, when we went looking at homes on the private tour with Sara, two other couples on the Focus On Mexico program came along with us, and they actually offered very good opinions because they were all seeing different qualities in each home. So it was kind of a joint effort in choosing our home. When we walked into Ray abd Marie’s home for the final evening party, we had already bought our new home and were beginning to experience life in our new community. More on Sara later.
Now came the really interesting part. The new home was fully furnished so we no longer had need for all the furnishings in our home in Canada, and it had more than 4,000 sq. ft. finished living area. All the treasures collected from 30+ years of married life were not coming to Mexico. Well, we kept a few things. In the end we bought a 6’ x 10’ cargo trailer and pulled it to Mexico behind our SUV, knowing we would need a vehicle once we arrived. So that was our limit. 6’x10’x 6’high and a total cargo weight of 2,300 pounds.
Once you put your mind around something, everything starts to fall into place. Being a country house, we were not getting a lot of showings…so we decided to have our first of several garage sales. To make a long story shorter, we sold our house to a couple who came to that first sale. Between our children starting out on their own and needing things, a few more yards sales and finally giving paintings to charity fund raisers, we managed to pare our possessions down to what we really wanted to take.
We came down to Lake Chapala for the close of our home here in September. At that time we arranged house and car insurance, opened up a bank account and activated PC banking…this was important as it seems to take a few tries to get money transfers working correctly. We also brought our Garmin GPS with us and programmed Ajijic as our new home…(an invaluable tool for the drive down.)
We both retired on December 31, 2008 and after several farewell parties, we started our trip south on January 2nd. We decided to cross into the U.S. at Sarnia, which worked very well. After a ten-minute line-up and a very short conversation (they looked at a copy of the Manifest we had made for the Mexican consulate of the goods in the trailer), we were on our way “home.”
Our plan was to travel during daylight hours only and, for the most part, that is what we did. We crossed into Mexico at Laredo, were we were lucky enough to get a green light.
Finding the place to register the vehicle was a little tricky; had we looked at the map given to us by the hotel, we would have had an easier time…but even this really did not take more than half an hour. Driving through the mountains was a little taxing on the SUV; with the weight of the trailer, we would be pulled down from 100 KM to 65 KM…In general the vast majority of the roads were in good condition. We did one overnight in San Luis Potosi. This turned out to be the perfect spot; a long first day, but you get to the windy road beyond San Luis Potosi when you are freshest in the morning. For this overnight, we needed a hotel with good security and found the Real de Minas excellent. www.realdeminasdesanluis.com.
Caution: gas stations can be 100 miles apart, so don’t let the gauge go below half.
We promised more on Sara, and we can not really say enough about our real estate agent. Since we arrived, she has helped with so many things. First, she arranged to get us help moving heavy items into the house. She explained and took us to pay the property taxes, water bill, phone and gated community fees. Sara has smoothed the way in getting small things fixed in the house and is helping us find a housekeeper. Truly…she is a gold-star performer and we owe her many thanks.
Advice for participants on Focus on Mexico…
The instruction is invaluable; the information given should be read and reread many times over. Bring your binder back with you when you come to stay, you will need it. And keep in touch with Focus, because when they launch the Focus Alumni section on their website, it is going to be invaluable for finding everything you need for day-to-day living and recommended contacts as well.
For the drive, we had the GPS AND a map just for comfort; we kept a cooler on the seat behind us where we had snacks and soft drinks including juices, water and pop all in screw-on caps. We had two thermos cups for hot or cold beverages. We also kept a small blanket with us because sometimes the passenger would get cool when tired. Every morning I checked the tire pressure on the truck and trailer because since we drove from a sub-zero Canadian winter into warmer weather, we needed to let some air out some days. Also I kept a spare tire for the trailer even though I didn’t need it and also carried a five-pound fire extinguisher, just in case (I thought it could also work as a club or sprayer in the event we met up with some unwanted guests along the road). But in both cases, there was no need for the spare tire nor fire extinguisher.
Our next adventure is just beginning.
Paul & Herma Buchanan
More Road Tips to Think About:
Bring your health insurance information.
Never drive at night. No…it’s not the banditos…It's cars without headlights, loose livestock, killer speed bumps with no advance warning and bicyclists coming home after a full day of work.
Cuota means toll road. Any toll road is the best way to travel, and well worth the cost.
Road hazards are sometimes marked with piles of rocks or a cloth on a stick. A driver flashing headlights at you can indicate a hazard ahead.
Roadside signs with speed limits and distances are listed in kilometers, not miles.
Practice changing a flat tire before you leave home: If you haven’t changed a tire on your current car before, it might be a good thing for you to practice before you leave home. Our first road trip in our used Honda gave us the opportunity to learn that we did not a tire tool to remove the lug nuts.
Look up and bring hotel or motel information along the route (there’s not a hotel or motel every two minutes in Mexico as there is in the U.S. You should be prepared to know where you’re going to stay overnight).
Bring copies of passports, driver's licenses, immigration papers, car documents
Some Emergency Tip Ideas to bring in your car: (For those of you who have made the trek, feel free to suggest others to our readers that will make their lives easier!)
Paper and pen
Flares or highway triangle warning signs
First Aid kit
Aerosol can to seal and refill flat tires
Old blanket or rug for protection from the ground for changing a tire or checking under your vehicle.
Spanish phrasebook (and magnifying glass)
Maps (and magnifying glass!)
Mexican phone card, U.S. or Canada calling card
You will need a credit card, not a debit card, to obtain car papers as you enter Mexico. The credit card should be in the name of the person importing the vehicle.
Toilet paper…even though conditions have gotten better, you can’t always find T.P. at all the public conveniences along the way. Try to have 1 and 2 peso change for those restrooms with an attendant.
Liquid hand soap
Mexico is a cash society; get pesos before you cross the border. We suggest about $1000 pesos for tolls and the same for gas.
Emergency information
Call 01 (555) 250-0123, 250-0213 or 250-8555 ext. 314 to access the Mexican Ministry of Tourism's 24-hour hotline and the Ministry's fleet of roving mechanics, the Green Angels. The Green Angels cover every mile of Mexican highway at least once every 24 hours, offering mechanical assistance to stranded drivers. They are well trained mechanics and carry a good supply of commonly needed small parts. Their service is free, but there may be a fee for the parts, gas, oil or other fluids they need to get you moving again.
The Ministry of Tourism also maintains two toll-free numbers:
Within Mexico, call 01 (800) 903-9200
From the U.S., call 1 (800) 482-9832
These hotlines are to provide immediate assistance but you can also get general, non-emergency guidance either at these phone numbers or from the Green Angels.
In Mexico, call 066 or 080 in place of 911 to summon the police, fire department or ambulance. Be sure to keep these numbers in your car at all times.
Safe Traveling!