taken from the Wealthy Boomer forum:

Date: 05-Aug-2000 - 7:43 AM
Subject:Mexico Bound - UPDATE-Aug.5
From: Jean Sutherland

It is now only one week to go and we are Mexico Bound. Do I have butterflies .. YES!!!! But this is going to be the start of a lifetime of adventure. It's really exciting. Ok, I promised info on car and health insurance, hospitals, doctors, vets and local conveniences.

CAR INSURANCE Why you must have Mexican car insurance. If you even attempt to drive at night you risk hitting a cow or a donkey. Very common occurance. The pavement heats up in the daytime and they sleep on it at night for the warmth. Very few Mexicans drive with car insurance. Also expect to find Mexicans that travel at night with no headlights or tail lights on. I kid you not. If you have an accident and no insurance the police will put you in jail until you pay up. If you have an accident and it is not your fault the police will take you to the jail and you will have to see a judge immediately. I have a 1999 Ford Taurus and got my new insurance policy from a firm in Arizona that specializes in Mexico. When you are in Mexico, Canadian and US car insurance is invalid. You MUST have Mexican Insurance. I put total coverage on my car and that even included roadside assistance and an attorney. I should also tell you that when you travel on the toll roads in Mexico you have automatic insurance coverage and if you have an accident the toll booth operator sends out and adjuster and an attorney immediately. Cost for my Mexican Insurance was $365 US.

HEALTH INSURANCE They have great hospitals with great doctors and you can even haggle over the bill. Now that is something that I can't wait to try. It is actually expected. Elective surgery can even be done at 10:00 p.m. This is unheard of in Canada. You will be covered on OHIP for the first 6 months that you are down there. You need not worry about the extra costs over and above what OHIP would pay since their costs are usually less than OHIP's rates. You can also get Mexican health insurance through the government for approximately $250 US. This takes a bit of time as there are only 4 months in the year that you can apply, it can take up to 6 to 9 months to process and it will not cover pre-existing conditions. You can also get private medical coverage for treatment in the US for approximately $2,000 US. The hospitals that I will be close to are in Guadalajara and are major teaching hospitals with very good reputations. Many Americans fly down to Mexico to have operations performed, as it is so inexpensive.

DOCTORS In the Lake Chapala area, some 60 miles long there are 3 minor hospitals all very well equipped and quite a few American doctors. There are also 4 plastic surgeons in a practice there. Numerous dentists. And the rates are very inexpensive.

PETS AND VETS This is one thing you must be careful about. Mexicans do not treat animals the way we do. If an animal is not doing anything productive then they see no reason to keep it. If your animal makes someone mad, it is not unusual to have your animal vanish. It happens, but rarely. You must also have proper health certificates to get your animals into the US and then again you will have to stop in the US to get the proper health certificates to get them into Mexico. Do not fly your animals down. It is very risky. There are no direct flights to Guadalajara and your animal could die in the heat of the plane or get lost in the transfers to other planes. If you fly with an animal do not go Toronto - Mexico City - Guadalajara. Try and go Toronto - Chicago - Guadalajara. It is much safer for the animals. There are numerous vets in the area as well as a local humane society and a couple of private people who run shelters that do not put dogs to sleep. The vets are very inexpensive also and very dedicated, even making house calls.

LOCAL CONVENIENCES You name it they have it!!! In Guadalajara they have a mall that has over 300 stores. Home Depot, Office Depot, Costco, Sam's Club and Price Club are all here. Locally there is everything you could want. Massage, chiropractors, tons of restaurants serving Canadian and American food at very cheap prices. Taxis, car repairs, numerous hotels, motels and B&B's. Most businesses open at 8:00 a.m. Since I am an early riser this will be very good. I hate having to wait till 10:00 a.m. for the stores to open in Toronto. There is so much to do in the community that you can go all day long and still have tons of activities that you have not even tried. The Lake Chapala Society offers all kinds of things from little theatre to dance classes. They even have a yearly Chapala Film Festival. They have an English library with over 20,000 books. There are even video stores in town, and of course everyone is on satellite and it is usually included with the house you buy or rent. Next week my update will come from Cybercafes that I check into along the way. I will tell you what it is like driving 2,500 miles with the significant other and the dog Suzie and the cat Coco. (The name for the cat may have to be changed going into Mexico...Coco is to close to cocaine :), and under no circumstances to you want to give them any reason to suspect drugs or guns in your car and do a 2 hours search of you and the car. Like I said…it's going to be an adventure. See you next week!!!

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Date: 21-Jan-2001 - 1:41 PM
Subject:Answers To Everyone's Questions
From: ashley

Q:ashley , it can't be that easy, don't you have to get a renewable visa?????

I renew my visa once a year. A tourist visa is only for 180 days. I have a resident visa.

Q:I do understand that there are some concerns about the lake drying up??

This is true but the government is now looking into the problem and looking for remedies. Too bad California did not look into their electric power drying up.

Q:I can't believe you don't miss Toronto! To some people the whole notion of Canada starts and ends with this great city.

I have everything here that I want, the same as I had in Toronto. Just better weather and better living conditions and cheaper costs.

Q:How about some $$ specifics? How much does it cost to live where you live: housing--rental or buying--food, utilities, etc?

Total living expenses for two adults is approx. $1,500 Canadian a month.

Q:How about health and security?

OHIP will cover me for 2 1/2 years and the Mexican insurance is better than the Canadian. I also have a Canadian doctor and I can see a specialist within a couple of days. Medications are much cheaper and usually over the counter. We have world famous hospitals 30 minutes from here and helicopter service into Guadalajara for emergencies.

Security - what makes you think you are so secure in Canada?? Security is actually better here and if you take proper precautions you don't have any problems. 10,000 Canadians and Americans live here, so if there were security problems they would have left long ago.

Q:Can you manage your Canadian affairs from Mexico?

What affairs?? I have a Canadian bank account and I handle it online.

Q:Do you feel like you are living in a kind of white guy reserve?

Absolutely not. I live in a Mexican neighbourhood and we intergrate pretty well.

Q:What are the three worst and best things about living in Mexico?

Dead animals on roads, expensive peanut butter and crazy drivers.

Sun, fresh air and better health.

Q:Apparently, you also can only rent property not own it unless you're a citizen of Mexico. Some American retirees were booted off of their leases in a property dispute last year.

NOT TRUE. Anyone can buy property here as long as it is 35 miles from the ocean and it is not Ejido land. Even then you can still buy as long as it is approved by the government.

There was a property dispute last year and a Canadian woman was arrested for selling property that was on Ejido land. She had a very bad lawyer from what I can tell.

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Date: 10-May-2001 - 8:35 AM
Subject:Mexico Bound - UPDATE-May 11
From: Jean Sutherland

Jean is still alive!!! As for the Mexican mafia they did not rob my bank, but picked one of the most difficult banks in town (actually the only one). It was quite comical actually. They called in false calls to the police, who then took off for another town, and while ALL the police where out there, they robbed the local bank. Now, unfortunately they did not plan it well. They attempted the robbery on a Saturday morning, busy day in town, with a bank that is on a one way street. After robbing the bank they jumped in their truck and took off down the street, only to be stopped by an old gringo trying to parellel park. It was quite the panic situation, but they finally took the gringos car, left it at the local mall and made their getaway.

Actually life is pretty great here. We have an excellent winter with only one week where we had to put on socks and track pants due to the cold. We have no heat or air conditioning here.

We did get snow over in Colima and they had to close the National Park as there were thousands of visitors who came to see the snow. We are now managing to live on $1000 a month and you would not believe all the fresh fruit and vegetable we have here.

The other day I bought 10 pounds of oranges, 2 pinapples and a watermelon, all for $3. Huge difference from Canada. Next time you go to the grocery store look and see how many fruits and vegetables come from Mexico.

We get very little news from Canada and really have no idea what is going on back there. Most Canadians here just do not care.

We had a HUGE influx of people from Ontario this winter. The cars and vans from Ontario outnumbered all of the US state license plates.

I broke my arm this winter and received excellent care at the hospital. Within 45 minutes I had seen a specialist, got xrays and had cast put on. No way would that have happened in Ontario.

My SO was in the hospital for 4 days with an absess and he received excellent care. I was truly amazed.

We are now on the Mexican Health Insurance system. It covers most drugs and some dental work as well as health insurance.

Will I ever move back?? Not in a million years. I am here for the duration.

Jean

Chapala Update

Date: 16-Mar-2003 - 7:48 PM
Subjec:Re: Mexico Bound-UPDATE-March 2003
From: ashley3471

Well folks, its been 2 1/2 years in Mexico and althought it's been a blast and a really great adventure, there comes a time when quaint gets old and the little things start to add up.

We are moving back to Canada.

The health care here is scary as hell, especially when you have been used to the Canadian health care system. Sure makes OHIP look good.

The horrible animal situation here is beyond belief and if you're an animal lover, Mexico is not for you.

There is and American/Canadian silent war going on here that is quite disturbing. The population is about 50/50 for each side.

Lake Chapala is dying and it will be an ecological and financial disater for this area if it is allowed to die.

The poverty is another factor that is quite disturbing and I have found that the Mexicans do not want us here. I don't blame them after some of the things I have seen. The way some "gringos" treat them is beyond description.

But there will be many things I miss. It's been a great adventure and one I highly recommend.

We will be going to BC. After the nice weather here I can't imagine ever seeing snow again.

Just wanted to give you all an update. I have written an article for 50+ magazine about the area and it should be out sometime this summer.

Hasta Luego Mexico...