When Bill and I made the
decision to move to the Lake Chapala area of Mexico, we had three main reasons,
and after six years, they still remain as true today as they were then.
- Temperate
Climate: believe it or not, this
was our top reason. I thought Bill would want to move to Florida
(where he had lived previously) or Phoenix
(where his daughter lived). I knew I couldn’t exist in either place…I just
can’t take the heat or high humidity anymore. I figured he’d see me waving goodbye in his rearview
mirror!
The climate in Lake
Chapala is awesome.
We don’t need a furnace or an air conditioner. And, yes, it gets hot in
May…that’s our “sweltering” month because we haven’t had any significant rain
since September. The rainy season comes again in June, and we all look
forward to it like kids who can’t wait to jump into a puddle! However, a
couple of years ago when we finally adjusted to it being hot…we’re from
Kansas City - with its humidity, we’re used to being able to feel air…we
added a couple of extra ceiling fans and we’re just fine. And, you learn
to stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. Just sitting in
the shade feels about 20 degrees cooler because of the little or no
humidity here in the Lake
Chapala area.
One web site says it all: “Nestled along the shores of Lake Chapala at an
altitude of 5000 feet, the area’s idyllic climate has attracted retirees,
expatriates and bohemians for over 50 years and is the largest North
American colony outside the US and Canada."
I love having as many windows and doors open as I want all year long.
Fresh air…what a concept…not closed up because the air conditioner or
furnace is on. Did you know that many people up north spend up to 90
percent of their time indoors, often at home? That’s not the way to live
with all the persistent indoor pollutants and little or no way to get rid
of them. So, yes, temperate climate
was our first reason for moving to Ajijic.
- Cost
of living: you would have
thought this would have been our top reason because we were retiring on
Bill’s social security alone. However, Bill did the research as to the
cost of things in the Ajijic area, and we figured we could make it just
fine. We came in 2003, bought a house, and moved down here in February
2004, and we’ve never looked back. When we came here, the peso to dollar
ratio was about 10 to 1…now it’s about 13 to 1, so we’re living large,
and sometimes feel as if we won the lottery. Who wouldn’t when, among
other things, you can afford a maid and a gardener twice a week, get all
the rooms in your house painted for $4000 pesos (a little over $300 USD),
and get a kilo of large shrimp for around $11 USD? Life is definitely
better in Lake
Chapala, and we feel
very lucky to have found it when we did.
- Leaving
the Rat Race: Bill and I had
both worked since we were 16. And we both had the same retirement plan: we
were going to drop dead at our desks. Due to Life happening (you know…that
IF in Life you didn’t prepare for), we hadn’t made provisions for our old
age, and knew there was no way we could live on social security without
making some sharp cutbacks in our lifestyle. When we made the decision to
retire to Ajijic, we knew we would be okay, but we had no idea it would be
wonderful! There’s also no pressure here…we’re not running around, listening to
alarm clocks, keeping business schedules and going to interminable
meetings. We’ve adopted the Mexican way of life, working to live, not
living to work. All I can say is if this is you, get over it!
Life is much too short. Make
a list about the pros and cons of living where you are and living in the Lake Chapala
area of Mexico.
I’ll bet we’ll see you here at whole lot sooner than even you expected!
Karen McConnaughey:
Operations Manager for FocusOnMexico.
Focus On Mexico offers 8-Day
Educational Programs to Ajijic and Lake
Chapala, Mexico
(2nd Best Climate in the World). Join us on a Focus program and
learn why thousands of Americans and Canadians chose to retire in Lake Chapala.
Our programs offer
the perfect balance; a wonderful vacation and an insightful, educational
experience. Our expert speakers cover all topics: Health Care, Real
Estate, Legal System, Immigration, Bringing Pets, Cost of
Living, US Taxes
for Americans, Non-Residency for Canadians, Living on the Lakeside, Investing
in Mexico,
Mexican Economy and much more...
You’ll get
everything you need to help you decide if Lake
Chapala, Mexico is the place for you, plus have a lot of fun doing it.
Retiring in Mexico
couldn't be better.