Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

[Top_Gear_Biggest_Fan]

Y peor si estan viejitos.lolol, No chance with the young hot Tapatia's.

 

[The Chokey]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

For those of us that speak fluent Spanish, Guadalajara/Zapopan metropolitan area, with it's 100's of thousands of beautiful, young Tapatias, make for some of the best hunting grounds to be found in Mexico.
For those of you that speak no Spanish, I'm sorry to inform you that your chances of scoring in Guadalajara, range from slim... to none at all.

 

[lilylake]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

The "Tapatias" is what girls are called from Guadalajara ,are in my opinion the best looking chicas in Mexico % wise.
I had plenty of young cute Tapatia's talking (flirting with me)to me when i was there in 2004. I was 36 at the time, the Chicas were in the early 20's . Que suerte tengo:}

 

[nat]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

Muchas gracias, Senor.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

That's my personal opinion too, if you ever go to Guadalajara, check out Galerias Mall, you'll be hard pressed to find a single ugly gal.

 

[Rosemarie K]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

Can you tell us about the women of Guadalajara? I have never had the pleasure of visiting that city but I hear the women are the most beautiful in Mexico.

 

[daphne o]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

Excellent posts King TJ. I too am here mainly due to cultural considerations but at the same time I'm working at some business opportunities.

I gave up on trading my life for money in the USA. It's time to live. I thoroughly enjoy the lifestyle in TJ, or Mexico. My favorite place? Guadalajara. Then Monterrey, then Culiacan, then TJ.

Isn't there a "national health care" program that is available for cheap?

I'm paying $450 a month for 2500 sq ft in Los Pinos. I can't find anything better for the price in terms of space or location.

 

[Alpha Geek]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

Yes King TJ you wrote a super post about living in TJ, sure is very good info for those interested (like me). Also I noted that Monterrey suburb having all those Merc/BMWs, I thought those were only in Laguna Beach ! I must be one of those Americans who thinks America is the world

 

[Obseposse]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

Terrific info KT. It will help a lot of mongers. Thanks.

 

[Semper Fi]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

The main advaneforum.xxxe TJ has over Monterey, I would say is its proximity to SoCal.
I believe we locals, have the best of two worlds; the few things you can't get in TJ, you can always make the short drive to San Diego, something those living in Monterey, can't as easily do.
The beaches & beautiful year round weather is something those living in Monterey would also like to have, I'm sure.
I really was impressed with the wealth to be found in San Pedro Garza, never had I seen so many M.Benz, BMW's, Cayenes & such anywhere other than California; it made me go "hmmmm"

 

[Preggers]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

Thats true. You can't compare Crappy Tijuana to Monterrey. Monterrey is way better off.

 

[brandon m]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

"Tijuana is the wealthiest city in Mexico in just about any economic (other than infrastructure) way you would care to compare, e.g. per capita income. Tijuana has among the best infrastructures in Mexico second only to Mexico City."

My friends in Monterrey would strenuously disagree with these statements. A very large suburb of Monterrey, San Pedro Garza Garcia is not only the wealthiest city in Mexico but one of the wealthiest cities in all of Latin America.

 

[-- Distinee]

Who Lives in Mexico?
By "Mexico" Mike Nelson
I regularly give seminars at the Learning Annex in San Diego and Los Angeles. Most of my students are in their forties and fifties, with a smattering in their twenties and some in their sixties. One thing I've learned from my students is that there are many reasons for wanting to live in Mexico. The hundreds of emails I get each month fall along the same demographics. That's why I talk about "living" in Mexico and not "retiring" to Mexico. The people I address are proactive, no matter what their age. There are as many Canadians interested in living in Mexico as Americans.
Cost of living in Mexico

As a general rule of thumb, you can live in Mexico for roughly one half to three quarters of what you spend in the U.S. or Canada, and have a comparable lifestyle. In many ways, it will be a richer lifestyle, in terms of freedom and peace.
"Mexico" Mike Nelson is the author of a dozen books on Mexico and has been called an expert on Mexico by the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Dallas Morning News and many expats who have moved to Mexico after reading his book, Live Better South of the Border. The book is available on this web page. To order his newsletter, or just to learn more, visit his website at http://www.mexicomike.com/. This article has been adapted from Live Better South of the Border & Latin America Travel & Business Report newsletter. © 1999



Most foreigners live on $800-$1200 a month, and live comfortably. I know those who spend only $200 a month to live, but their lives are limited. These figures include the cost of housing, food, local transportation or gas for your car, insurance and occasionally eating out. At the higher figures, a maid/cook is included. Please do not believe those who tell you that you can like a king for $600 a month. You can live, but you would have to rule a very small country to consider your status kingly.

Buying a house, while, in no way compares to California real estate, is not as inexpensive as you may think. It all depends on where you want to live. If you live in a gringo town like San Miguel de Allende or Lake Chapala, you will pay premium prices – in the neighborhood of $80,000 to $200,000 for a house in a good neighborhood. If you live outside of these gringo havens, it is reasonable to expect to find a decent abode for $35,000 to $60,000. It all depends on what you want and what you are willing to give up.

In February, however, many prices fell – some to pre December prices For example, According to my Mazatlلn correspondent, Ms. Barbara McLaughlin, tomatoes dropped from 23 pesos a kilo to about 5, with occasional specials of 2.5 pesos a kilo. Fifty products were put on a "stabilization" list by the government. Prices go up and down with no rhyme or reason. So, if I published exact prices, they would be out-of-date next week. It kind of reminds me of computer prices in the States. One thing is predictable – gasoline. It always goes up a few centavos a month. In February unleaded cost 4.34 pesos a liter., or $1.66 a gallon.

In March, prices changed again. Tortillas, which had shot up as much as 50% in some places in January, have settled down to about 43% higher than they were in December (before the price controls were lifted) – from 3.5 pesos a kilo to 5 pesos a kilo. Gasoline and diesel go up about four centavos every month – but the Mexican Congress recently approved a 5% surcharge on diesel. Current unleaded gas costs 4.38 pesos a liter (16.64 pesos or $1.71 a gallon). Diesel is 3.63 pesos a liter or 13.8 pesos (US$1.43) a gallon (at 9.675 pesos/dollar). [ 20 March 1999 ]

Working in Mexico

You can work, or start a business in Mexico, but not without a lot of courage and fortitude. It can be done, and is done every day, but it takes persistence. I would guess that three quarters of the American and Canadian go-getters who move to Mexico to "do things right" leave in frustration. You need to learn patience, humility and develop non-linear thinking to make a living as a foreigner in Mexico – unless you want to sell time-shares. Then you are in another world anyway.

Reasons for living in Mexico

Many just want a warm, comfortable climate where the living is inexpensive and the people are friendly. An equally large number want more out of life than just existing in a nine-to-five job that they hate, they want to live, and work, where they will be able to enjoy their life.
Some work for companies that are sending them to Mexico to work for one of their branches. A few are authors or painters (or would like to become one) who want to take some time to explore their creative self and create a masterpiece.
.
And there is that special category of people (like me when I first moved to Mexico) who are simply at the end of their rope and need a safe place to get their head back together. Many of my attendees are women (and men) who have just escaped from a bad marriage and want a place to figure out what life means.

The Most Important Advice

No matter who you are, where you want to go or what your income, please go to Mexico and visit for a several months before you pack everything up and move
south.

Visit as a tourist for a couple of months, and if you like it, then try living in your chosen spot(s) for six months to a year before you decide it is for you. Believe me, I have been thanked for this advice more times than I can count in the past decade. That doesn't mean that nobody I gave it to ended up living in Latin America.

It simply means that some of them found out quickly that it wasn't for them and saved themselves a lot of unnecessary expense. Others found out that it was very much for them, but had a much better idea of what to expect when they finally made the move.

While living in Latin America is certainly less hectic than living in our urban or even rural society, it will require some effort to adapt to a different lifestyle and way of doing things.

Living in Latin America means choosing how you want to spend your time. One thing that people living abroad have consistently asked me is to dispel the myth that they are merely living out their lives and doing nothing. These are the most active people I have ever known.

While some do flee South, buy or rent a little house and spend the rest of their lives watching sunsets, they are the exception. There are so many social activities and civic projects for retirees to be involved in that they must learn to manage their time or they will find themselves "working" too hard.

For those who are younger, there is an attraction to living abroad that is hard to deny. I did it in my twenties and thirties and found it to be a life changing experience.

For some, moving to An American colony is exactly what they are after. This name is something of a misnomer. It does not mean that groups of Americans (and Canadians) are the only inhabitants of a town. It merely means that a large number of foreigners live in a community.

They generally live in close proximity to each other in exclusive subdivisions, but there are usually several members of the foreign community who live in less expensive housing among the Mexican residents of the town. That is great if that is where you are at and you will certainly find your place in the sun in Latin America.

For others, moving to a foreign culture means becoming immersed in it. Most people are somewhere in-between. They want to experience and learn about the foreign culture, but they also want to be able to keep in touch with other foreigners. I will show you how to do that, as well.

The stories in my book Live Better South of the Border, (and the articles in my newsletter, Latin America Travel & Business Report, will introduce you to the joys (and drawbacks) of living in Mexico. My purpose is not to encourage you to move there. I want to give you an honest evaluation of what living in Mexico is like. It may not be for you..

If you have to be concerned about every penny you will spend (and I am not putting you down – many people are on a very limited income and simply want the most for their money), then the only way to know what your own personal lifestyle will cost you is to go down and see. Excluding transportation, you should be able to make a trip to whichever country you choose and try it out for a little while without bankrupting yourself.

Go, enjoy. Live a little.

 

[Benjamin!]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

Home

Baja's Illegal Immigrants

By WILL CARLESS
Voice Staff Writer
voiceofsandiego.org
Monday, May 22, 2006

Russ Young wanted his own slice of paradise. In 1983, he found it: a small parcel of land in what was then the quaint enclave of Campo Torres, on the Pacific Coast about 20 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Young and his wife bought the land from another American, who assured them that the sale was a legitimate transfer of land. Because the house stood on federally owned property, the seller said, the Young's would simply need a federal concession -- a special document that would allow them to use the land. As part of the deal, the seller passed on his copy of that concession document to the Young's and they began building their dream beach house.

But almost a quarter century later a knock on the beach house door brought the Young's fantasy crashing down. Officials from the Mexican federal government had come to inspect their documentation to check that they were on the land legally. Russ Young had been working for years to try and get the Mexican government to recognize the legality of his concession, to no avail. The officials informed the Young's that they had no right to be on the property and, last April, gave them 15 days to apply for a legitimate concession.

The original concession that the Young's bought was deemed invalid, as a concession cannot be obtained by a foreigner. Therefore the Young's had effectively paid for a document that was worthless and for land that they were not legally entitled to own.

The same story has been playing out up and down the misty, ramshackle coast of Baja Norte.

As California's real estate fever has spilled across the border, the metal skeletons of new condo towers have sprung up every few miles along the picturesque toll road from Tijuana to Ensenada. Land values have spiraled skywards, and the various players in the real estate game have galvanized into action.

The federal government, spurred into action by leadership changes in Mexico City, has begun conducting a census of the federally owned coastal land and people like the Young's have found themselves caught in the middle of the tempest.

"We're between a rock and a hard place," Russ Young said. "We're kind of at a stand-off right now."

Mexican law states that coastal land 20 meters (66 feet) inland from the mean high-tide line is owned by the federal government. In essence, all land within the so-called Federal Zone is owned by the nation and cannot be bought and sold. Instead, Mexican nationals can arrange for a concession from the federal government, which is basically a document that allows them to use the land for their own purposes.

Non-Mexican nationals are not allowed to own any land in Baja. However, over time, a system has developed that allows foreigners to acquire de-facto ownership of Mexican property by entering into a trust with a Mexican bank. The Mexican bank purchases the land on their behalf and enters into a trust, or contract, with the foreign national. That trust allows the foreigner to use the land just as if they owned it.

However, many plots of land inhabited by foreigners lie partly in the Federal Zone and partly on private property owned by Mexicans. That's the problem for people like Russ Young and other residents who live on the stretch of beachfront property know as Campo Torres. The Young's have been renting the privately owned portion of their land from the Mexican owners, and never arranged to purchase that land using a bank trust.

Silvia Perez-Thompson, a real estate consultant based in Rosarito, said there are many people the same position as the Young's. She said hundreds of Americans paid for beachfront property in Baja in the 1970s and 1980s without realizing the technicalities involved with owning on federal land. Many people have also been leasing part of their land from private homeowners while most of their property is actually on federal land.

That hasn't been a problem until fairly recently, Perez-Thompson said. The federal government has, from time to time, sent out agents to confront homeowners and to demand documentation, she said, but in the last few years enforcement really kicked up a gear. Perez-Thompson puts the upswing in activity down to an increase in the political will to collect the fees and a realization on behalf of the federal government that they are missing out on cashing in on the real estate boom by not charging people who live and run businesses in the Federal Zone for their concessions.

"The federal government finally is enforcing the laws and demanding that people get a concession because also they realize they will receive money this way," she said.

Only Mexican nationals may apply for a concession and doing so is a complicated process that has, until recently, been something of a haphazard legal nightmare, Perez-Thompson said. She and other real estate professionals in Baja tell stories of paperwork that has gone missing time and time again; of inept and corrupt officials and of applications that took, in some cases, more than a decade for the government to process.

Things improved at the federal level recently, Perez-Thompson said, and the concession application process seems to be running a lot more smoothly these days.

The application process varies from property to property, she explained, but foreign residents who live on the coast and whose property encroaches into the Federal Zone can basically be split into two groups: Those who have "bought" the privately owned part of their property through bank trusts and those who, like the Young's, have not.

Foreign residents who have set up bank trusts for the privately owned part of their land may apply for the concession through their bank. Basically, the bank applies for the concession on the foreigner's behalf.

For those who, like the Young's, have only been leasing the privately owned portion of their land, things are much more difficult. Perez-Thompson said people in that position are best advised to negotiate with the land owner who has been leasing to them. If they can convince the landowner to sell the land to them through a bank trust, they can then seek the concession through the bank. If they can't convince the landowner to part with the land, however, then they're basically stuck.

That's where Russ Young finds himself. After thinking for 23 years that he owned the property where his house sits, he and his wife now don't know what will happen to their property from day-to-day. For now, there's little he can do but wait and see whether the federal inspectors turn up again.

"We've been there a good number of years and it's our little piece of paradise," he said. "We still are quite nervous about it."

Some investors in Baja have negotiated the trap in which Young and his wife find themselves. In 1989, Bob Gee and his wife Pat bought a small hacienda, or guesthouse, in the small village of La Mision just north of the famous Hotel La Fonda, less than 40 south of the border.

Gee, like Young, bought his property from another foreigner and was assured that the concession for using the federal land was in place. When he went to renew the concession in the 1990s, however, he found the process to be a bureaucratic nightmare. He said he spent 12 years trying to renew the concession, to no avail. Then, one day, the federal government showed up at his door.

"I got a fine for $800, even though I had done all the work and it wasn't my fault," Gee said.

But Gee fought the fine and, after managing to arrange a bank trust for the section of his property that sat on private land, he was able to use the same bank to arrange for a federal concession for the part of his property that's in the Federal Zone.

Getting his ownership deemed legal took a long time, money and heartache, Gee said. But in the end it was worth it. As the building boom continues along the Baja coast, Gee said, foreign residents in Baja would be advised to start cleaning up their paperwork and to get their applications in early, because there are lots of people lining up to take advaneforum.xxxe of the hot commodity south of the border: beachfront land.

"They thought they had a place in heaven, but now it's getting to the point where it's just become too valuable," he said. "It's got to be solved, they're illegal there."

 

[kermit the hermit]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

Americans go gaga for Baja
Southward migration driven by housing prices along Mexico peninsula

By Michael Martinez
Tribune national correspondent
Published October 15, 2006
LA MISION, Mexico -- Every weekend, Carmen Tetelboin joins the Baja boom.

After work on Fridays, the Los Angeles resident drives four hours across the border to Baja California, where life is so good and living so cheap, it beats the other California, she contends.

Owning a condo on the coast, she and her husband are part of an American colony exploding during the past five years along 75 miles of pristine beaches, cliffs and towns south of Tijuana. What's drawing them are oceanfront homes at a fraction of the multimillion-dollar prices on the U.S. side.

A native of Chile who is bilingual and a U.S. citizen, Tetelboin jokingly calls this swath of Americans "gringolandia."

"I never speak more English than when I'm in Mexico," said Tetelboin, 51, an adviser to international students at UCLA.

Equivalent to a small city unto themselves, the Americans in Baja, who number about 250,000 according to one unofficial estimate, have created a curious twist on the U.S. immigration crisis bedeviling Congress and the White House.

"We complain about Mexicans illegally crossing the border for a $6-an-hour job ... in an attempt to take back the country, when in fact we're buying Mexico one lot at a time," said Patrick Osio, 68, of Chula Vista, Calif., a former consultant who leads conferences on Baja real estate.

Indeed, the high-rises and gated communities dotting the coast exude a United States ambience, advertising in big English signs--"Beachfront condos. Models open here"--with San Diego or U.S. toll-free phone numbers. Even traffic signs on the coastal toll road are in English.

Prices are appealing

Last October, Christine McCusker and her husband, John, bought on first sight a 2,800-square-foot house for $450,000 that's a one-minute walk to the beach in the Punta Piedra development. In Southern California, such a house would cost a few million dollars, she said.

"If I were to sit and think about a whole bunch of adjectives for Mexico, I have to think of beautiful, warm, I love it," said McCusker, 61, who with her husband and two daughters operates two private grade schools in Temecula, Calif. "It's not for everybody, believe me, but they have to get past that mentality of people on the street begging."

Mexico's Constitution forbids foreign ownership of land within 62 miles of the border and 31 miles of the coast, but Americans have been able to get around that ban thanks to the Mexican government's creation of real estate trusts in recent decades.

Designed to encourage foreign investment, the 50-year trusts are an agreement between a buyer, a Mexican bank and a seller. The bank trust holds the land and lists the foreigner as the beneficiary; they're renewable for an additional 50 years, after which they can be bequeathed.

But what's really ignited the Baja buying spree is money created by the recent U.S. home refinancing binge, experts said. As they near retirement age, Baby Boomers are leveraging cash from their homes and buying Baja properties as second or permanent homes.

Driving the boom south of the border are U.S. title insurance companies and U.S. mortgage companies, if the applicant has good credit, though many Baja properties are bought with cash, experts said.

Former Baja California Gov. Ernesto Ruffo said the two Californias are blending: "Actually, the region is one, economically speaking."

But rip-offs and risks abound, as they have since several Americans were defrauded out of retirement homes in San Antonio Shores south of Tijuana in the 1960s and later in 2000 when Mexican police evicted scores of American retirees in Punta Banda, near Ensenada, following a title dispute.

There's also the matter of establishing and maintaining legal residency. Cesar Romero, spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Chicago, acknowledged that many Americans live illegally in Mexico by not obtaining or letting lapse the retiree visa, which must be renewed annually. But he could provide no figure.

"I hear it's a very common practice," Romero said. "It's a problem there."

Crime remains a concern too, so American enclaves employ shotgun-toting armed Mexican guards, who patrol the grounds at such places as Playa del Mar Club Station, where Sandra Moffat, 58, lives year-round.

Formerly of San Diego, Moffat said she feels secure in the condo she bought 3 1/2 years ago, joined by her cocker spaniel Cindy. But panic-stricken U.S. friends often send her e-mails about Baja crime.

"I feel as safe here as in the States, and I have two hearing aids and I take them out at night and I'm completely deaf," Moffat said.

Ignoring the perils

Potential perils haven't stopped boosters from holding seminars throughout California on how to buy Baja property, including one at UCLA in September.

As an indicator of Baja activity, more than 16,000 condos, houses and lots are for sale in present or planned projects, representing $4.1 billion, in the 75 miles between Tijuana and Ensenada, said Gustavo Torres of RE/MAX Baja Realty. He estimates 250,000 Americans live in Baja, but experts say no reliable official census figures exist.

Up to 80 percent of Baja sales are to Americans, mostly as second homes, and 10 percent of them are retired or living there permanently, said Nathan Moeder, principal of the London Group Realty Advisors Inc. of San Diego.

So frenzied has been the buying that one real estate consultant, Tom Harkenrider, sold a $250,000 condo at Residences at Playa Blanca to a stranger next to him on a flight from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas last year.

The buyer, Arvin Sarroca, 36, of Chino Hills, Calif., said he liked the cost and the ability to rent out the condo when he can't visit it.

"I know there were problems," Sarroca, a day-spa owner, said of past real estate controversies. "But now they have a bank trust and I feel a lot more comfortable now. And the security title [company] is in the United States."

If there are any emerging downsides, it's that fast profits have diminished, such as flipping properties for gains amounting to 30 percent a year, experts say.

"The [profit] boom is over, but the market is strong," Moeder said.

Not everyone welcomes the newly arrived Americans, including some of the expats who have been living in Baja for decades. The mass migration will raise prices, they say.

"It's scary," said Maggi Wagner, 71, who moved to Rosarito 16 years ago. "A lot of people buy sight unseen. ... They don't know what they are getting into. You don't know the true ownership of the land. It gets tricky down here."

Many local Mexicans dislike how open beaches are now sealed off by the American communities, said Juan Manuel Higuera, 22, whose family has owned a beachfront house in Ensenada for 50 years and has rejected Americans' buyout offers.

"People say, `Oh, here's another new house, but it's the gringos,'" Higuera said. A cigar store clerk, he added that American dollars have been good for business, however.
- - -

Beware of pitfalls in buying across border

U.S. experts and Americans in Baja California warn of pitfalls in buying across the border:

Real estate agents: Look for a Mexican agent who is a member of La Asociacion Mexicana de Profesionales Inmobiliarios. Buyers can also use a U.S. broker/agent with expertise in Mexico and a work visa.

Titles: Get a title search and title insurance.

Financing: Many buyers pay cash, but U.S. mortgage companies are providing loans for 75 percent or more of purchase price under 15-, 20- and 30-year terms if you have a good credit rating. But a second home in Mexico may not be eligible for U.S. tax deductions.

Down payment: Place it in escrow if the home isn't built. Developers want to use it for construction costs; avoid this.

Trusts: To buy land within 62 miles of the border and 31 miles of the coast, Americans use a fideicomiso. The trust costs $400 to $500 a year, lasts 50 years and is renewable. The beneficiary can sell the land or bequeath the land.

Common sense: Don't believe a Mexican seller when he or she cuts corners because "we do business differently down here."

--Michael Martinez

 

[Andrew T]

The economics of living and or working in Mexico
I caution folks about impulsively starting a small business in México. If you are considering a small, retail or service related business, my advice is don't. Unless you have a product to manufacture or purchase for export your chances for success in Mexico are probably not very good. The business climate for maquiladoras (foreign owned manufacturing) is excellent due to cheaper production costs in Mexico. The average factory worker, on the U.S. side of the border, makes $1,600 dlls a month. The Mexicano Maquiladora worker makes $400.00 dlls a month. Profit margins in manufacturing or brokering products for export justify the extra hassles of doing business in Mexico.

For most retail or service oriented businesses the red tape and anti gringo bureaucrats are not worth the small profit margins. Consider how tough it is to succeed in a small, U.S. based business. It is tough enough when you understand the laws, language and culture. Now, imagine how rough it is to deal in a foreign
country and language, with different laws, a difficult to understand "non-system" and three times more bureaucrats in Mexico to get in your way than the stateside system. Call me for a free consultation and I will be happy to elaborate on why you would probably fail in a small, foreign owned, Mexican business. If you are suffering from RAPTURE OF BAJA you will most likely proceed against my advice but at least you will be forewarned.

Now lets talk about something that makes sense: living in Mexico as a retiree or residing close enough to the border to commute to work in the states. A third possibility, occurring with greater frequency, is running a global market business from your beach home in Mexico via fax, phone and modem. What kind of lifestyle can you enjoy and at what cost?

Cost of medical care in Mexico
I have researched, for a series of articles on medical care, the cost and quality of that medical care in comparison to the United States. What I learned is that medical insurance in mexico, prescription drugs, surgeries and dental procedures are one third the cost of comparable services in the U.S. . The reasons are: the lower income of medical service consumers, government cost controls on medicine, the scarcity of malpractice litigation in Mexico and the average earnings of health care professionals: medical doctors earn an average of $1,000.00 a month and nurses $500.00 monthly.

The quality of care I have received from my physician, other specialists and dentists in Mexico have been outstanding. I would not trade my "house calling" physician and state of the art dentist for any professional north of the border. Medical training and practices in Mexico are of the highest standards if your physician or hospital is offering services in the private medical sector. The socialized medical care, at the clinic level, leaves much to be desired. However, for major surgeries, this system also offers world class specialists and care.

Cost of food in Mexico
I can buy a kilo (2+lbs.) of fresh shrimp for $16.00 dlls. We regularly eat lunch in a family restaurant, serving comida corrida (meal of the day), for thirty five pesos or $3.50 dlls. Tortillerias sell freshly made tortillas for 90 cents a kilo. Fresh rolls (birotes), that rival those made in Paris or San Francisco, cost 25 cents each and can be found in bakeries all over Mexico. Mexican desert pastries, that will satisfy any gourmet family's sweet tooth-about $2.00 a bag. Along with savings on our food bill we have the added advaneforum.xxxe of buying affordable abalone, lobster, mussels and clams fresh from local fishermen. In addition, door to door vendors offer wonderful selections of home made cheeses, deserts and olives. The olives are not the tasteless variety sold in U.S. supermarkets that are flavor extracted by a lye based, quick curing method. These olives are slowly cured in water filled clay crocks and taste the way olives should taste.

Transport and travel
Gasoline prices are higher in México but the real savings are in automotive repairs, particularly body shops with labor costs about 80-90% less than garages north of the border. General mechanics typically charge about 1/3 of what mechanics demand in the states. Taxi cabs "de ruta", which means they pick up multiple passengers over a constant route, will cost you about 55 cents to go from one end of town to the other. There is virtually no waiting for these cabs, given the enormous number that maintain a constant flow throughout all Mexican cities. Buses in Mexico, which have improved dramatically, in quality and comfort over the past five years, cost about 20% of what bus fares cost in the U.S.; the number of routes and bus departures are significantly greater than in the states.

Hotels are a real bargain in Mexico. My wife and I choose modest rooms that rarely cost more than $40.00 and most frequently are in the $30.00 range. These are not elegant rooms but always offer a clean environment with good mattresses and bed springs. Some freinds recently traveled Mexico in a motor home and found that the combined costs for the gas guzzler and hookup fees were costlier than staying in hotel rooms. As mentioned earlier, restaurants and entertainment are also significantly less expensive in México. A first run U.S. film with Spanish subtitles, for example, costs two dollars.

Affordable decadence
When asked about my religion I sometimes jokingly respond that I am an Orthodox Hedonist. Decadence is expensive in the states. Some comparisons: Premium dark roasted coffee (Starbuck quality) that I buy direct from the local roaster is $4.50 a pound. I also enjoy premium dark beers, good cabernet sauvignon, Spanish brandy and hand rolled 100% tobacco leaf cigars from the gulf port of Veracruz. My cigars that I pay 65 cents a piece for cost three to five dollars in the states. My Spanish brandy I buy for $6.00 a fifth in the duty free store and my Bohemia or Negra Modelo beer (selling for $7.00 a six pack in the U.S.) is priced at $4.50 here in Ensenada.

Hired help in Mexico
My secretary is paid two hundred dollars a week and my house servant who: cooks, cleans, washes and irons clothes is paid eighty five dollars a week. It is affordable help and greatly enhances our enjoyment of additional free time.

I don't live in Mexico to save money. I live in this country because my quality of life is better. However, a major contribution to that quality of life is that I can afford a little decadence and am able to avoid household chores that I neither like nor am good at performing. Viva Mexico and Viva the good life!.

On a Fixed Income in México You Need Not Eat PET FOOD.

As mentioned above housing and medical costs in Mexico, are a third of those in the United States. Recently, I was reminded, by an expatriate friend, how this economic advaneforum.xxxe translates into quality of life benefits.

At age 57 I am quickly approaching the receipt of Social Security benefits. Damn. How time flies. My friend at age 62 has preceeded me in qualifying for Social Security payments and his comments, regarding same, struck a responsive chord in me: "If I were living in the U. S., on Social Security benefits alone", I would be eating dog food like so many older American. Here in México, I have a damned decent life style on $ 1000.00 a month.

My friend owns a home in Ensenada. A 2,000 square foot abode with a great view of the city and bay, He pays approximately $150.00 a year for property taxes. The same home in the States would cost him thousands of dollars a year. Property taxes force many seniors in the U. S. to be uprooted from a home they have enjoyed for decades before retirement.

A market survey I recently conducted for a client, Travelers Investment Corporation, further underscores the economic advaneforum.xxxes of México for U S. citizens. Travelers Investment Corporation (T. I. C.) provides loans for elective medical procedures: cosmetic surgery, Radial Keratomy, dental implants and other services not covered by medical insurance.

T. I. C. makes these loans very accesible to patients via physicians, hospitals, clinics and dentists. The medical provider informs the patient about T. I. C. loans and offers assistance in completing a simple one page application that is faxed to T. I. C.. Within 24 hours of receiving the loan application the patient is accepted or told that a qualified cosigner is required.

Assuming T. I. C. approves the loan, the service provider is paid directly to perform the procedure. Everyone wins: the patient is treated, the provider gets paid and T. I. C. receives a fair interest rate.

T. I. C. asked us to verify what they believed was a burgeoning market of U. S. citizens, traveling to México for quality medical care at a savings of 50 to 70 percent of what they would pay in the U. S. I was amazed at our survey results. Medical and dental specialists in Ensenada, on average, estimate that U. S. patients represent 30% of their total practice and 50% of those U.S. residents are Hispanics.

As already stated, I am very impressed with the quality of medical and dental care I receive in Ensenada. I believe that care to be superior to the services I received when living in Northern California. Also, I enjoy substancial medical insurance savings. My medical premiums are $ 55.00 dollars a month for full coverage with a small deductible and I have my choice of of providers. An HMO, without the choice advaneforum.xxxe, would cost me three times more in California.

My decision to live in Baja Mexico, again repeating myself, has more to do with cultural considerations than economic reasoning. However, my quality of life owes a lot to economics.

A large tourism sector for Baja California are the thousands of U.S. citizens who travel here every month to take advaneforum.xxxe of elective surgeries and or medical treatments at savings of up to 75%. U.S. and Canadian citizens, who live in Baja California, quickly learn that they can receive better medical and dental care from private practicioers here compared to what they received when living in the States. House calls, twenty four hour emergency care and a doctor who spends time explaining treatment options often shocks foreign patients accustomed to indifferent and "too busy to talk" practitioners at home.

Medical and dental specialists in Ensenada report that an average of 30% of their patients are U.S. citizens; retirees, living in Ensenada, or folks that travel to Mexico from north of the border. At least one half of those U.S. patients are Hispanic.

Another benefit of being treated in Mexico is that some very effective medical modalities exist here but are not approved for use in the United States. RK surgery in Mexico for many folks who have extremely bad eyesight is not available in the United States because of a special laser not yet approved by the FDA but available in Mexico and Canada. Last year, an RK surgeon in Tijuana performed four million dollars worth of RK on U.S. patients referred to him by Scripps, UCSD hospitals and leading eye surgeons in San Diego unable to provide the surgery necessary.

The problem for patients who want to take advaneforum.xxxe of the benefits of being treated in Mexico is that they do not know where to go for a decent referral.
The best resource for quality medical care are the retirees in the region of Mexico you are interested in. Talk with them and you will soon hear a list of names repeated. Talk to those profesionnals; if you feel comfortable with them ask them to refer you to other specialists who are bi lingual. Mexican surgeons are famous throughout.
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[FlaChic]

Choices on the Border: A Family Trying to Survive in TijuanaBy Colleen Boyle Abstract:

This case is set in Tijuana, Mexico as a family attempts to make a decision about immigrating to
the United States. The case presents readers with problems facing residents in Tijuana who work
in the maquiladoras. The purpose of the case is to get readers to think about the reasons why
people immigrate to the United States and the difficulties they face in making that decision and
in immigrating. The purpose is also to get readers to make connections between political and
economic developments in the United States and the living and working conditions of people in
Mexico. The case also presents examples of local organizing in the maquiladoras and the
colonias where maquiladora workers live. Participants in a role play take the positions of
different friends and family members in a discussion about immigrating to the United States.Scene: Friday, Tijuana, Mexico
Characters:
Odeliais a thirty-two year old mother of three- Pedro (age 7), Manuel (age 4), Julia (age 3)- living in Tijuana, Mexico. Her husband, Jaime, has recently been laid off
from his job in one of the many maquiladoras in Tijuana. Odelia is trying to figure
out how her family is going to survive now that her husband has lost his job. She is
active in several community organizations including a women’s group and Esperanza
Internacional.

Jaimeis Odelia’s husband. He lost his job because he was working on organizing an independent union in the maquiladora. Odelia and Jaime migrated to Tijuana about
ten years ago from central Mexico to find work. Now, Jaime wants to leave Mexico
and join his brother Jose in Los Angeles and try to make a better life for his family
there.

Mariais Odelia and Jamie’s neighbor in the colonia, an unincorporated area of land near the maquiladoras. When people began moving to Tijuana to work in the
maquiladoras a lack of housing forced people to set up build houses with whatever
materials they could find without water or electricity services on vacant land. Now
the colonias and the people living in them are often suffering from the environmental
damages caused by pollution from the maquiladoras. These colonias have now
grown to house thousands of workers and their families and people living in them
are beginning to organize to get access to public services. Maria is working with
Esperanza Internacional, an organization that is helping families build homes and
working to create political consciousness and power within the maquiladora
communities through weekly meetings. 2Friday AfternoonOdelia waits for her husband Jaime to come home. On Wednesday, the maquiladora factory that Jaime worked for announced the layoff of 15 employees. Many of the employees laid off were the ones trying to organize an independent union or were employees sympathetic to the organizing effort. In Mexico the major labor organization is an arm of the government and works essentially like a company union--in other words, it doesn‘t provide benefits or an independent voice for workers. While the Mexican constitution is one of the best in the world in providing for labor rights, in reality no rights or laws are enforced and companies are free to do what they want to labor organizers, particularly those working with independent unions. Jaime has been working with the Center for Information for Female and Male Workers (CIPTT) which formed in 1993 to help workers form independent unions and publicize injustices occurring in the maquiladoras. Jaime spent Thursday looking for a new job, but he found it impossible--the maquiladoras have a practice of blacklisting within the industry or even within an entire city. Because of the low wages Jaime was paid they do not have a large savings--even working 60 hours a week and supplemented by the small income Odelia earns selling candy at the local street markets that are a common source of income for families in the colonias, especially for women with young children. Jaime earned $55 a week at the maquiladora, while a living wage (including “luxuries” such as health insurance) would equal at least $175 a week.1Jaime has nevertheless been saving what he can in the hopes that someday his family will be able to go to the United States, which, because of the near impossibility of obtaining legal documents to immigrate, will require money to buy documents and/or pay a coyote, or guide, for transportation and, hopefully, protection across the dangerous border. Jaime is pushing for the family to make the move to the U.S. where he hopes to find better job opportunities and a better life for their three children. In Mexico, the minimum wage is $3.40 a day, although the wages in many of the manufacturing factories in Tijuana average about $1 an hour for ten-twelve hours of work. Jaime knows that in the U.S. the minimum wage 3is $5.15 an hour. Odelia, however, can hear the United States Border Patrol (USBP) helicopters patrolling every night from her home, and is concerned about the dangers of traveling across the border. Her friend, Gloria, recently tried to cross the border with her family but was picked up and returned to Mexico by the USBP after being abandoned by their coyote, a guide hired by people attempting to cross the border into the United States. However, others from her colonia have successfully migrated to the United States and Gloria’s husband plans on trying again by himself. Since 1994, the USBP has built a wall stretching from the Pacific Ocean seventeen miles inland along the border. Because of the increased Border Patrol presence in the Tijuana area, crossing the border now requires traveling through treacherous mountainous or desert regions further east, a task not easy without a coyote, a paid guide, and even harder with children. Crossing the Otay or Tecate Mountains involves scaling peaks up to 6000 feet high in below freezing temperatures during the winter months. The other option, crossing through at least ten miles of the Imperial Desert, creates a high risk of death due to dehydration and exposure.2Still, from her house built on the side of one of the many hills surrounding Tijuana out of cardboard and various other discarded materials, Odelia can see the border wall illuminated by the lighting systems used to help the USBP hunt immigrants. Seeing the green hills on the U.S. side from her home that is without water or a sewage system and that sits on a dirt road crowded with other homes just like her own is a powerful pull on Odelia, and she knows it is for Jaime as well. In the afternoon Odelia talks with her neighbor, Maria: Odelia: I don’t know what I’m going to do with Jaime, he is really pushing to go to
the United States.

Maria: What do you want to do?

Odelia: I don’t know. In the U.S. we will still have trouble finding good jobs and I
don’t know how we will find a place to live, although maybe we will at least have a
toilet and running water in the U.S. and our children will have better opportunities
for education and better futures. Here the kids may finish middle school but there is 4no high school for our colonia.

Maria: But, Odelia, some very good things are happening here now. You know that
Esperanza Internacional is providing people with homes and you know that you will
get a better home eventually too. People are finally organizing here for themselves.
Through their work with Esperanza Internacional people are starting to realize the
power they have and that we can make a difference here. Do you want to give up the
work you have been doing? We have a real chance to make a difference and force
the government to provide what it was supposed to be providing. Staying here you
can make a real difference in the community.

Odelia: That’s true, but I don’t have time to work in the community and earn money
too.

Maria: Jaime can work in the community. I know of a lawyers’ group, Yeuani.
They are doing work in the communities. Yeuani is taking the maquiladora owners
to court for violations of the labor provisions of the Mexican constitution. Instead of
settling outside of court as most companies try to do, Yeuani insists on getting court
verdicts, hoping to make the courts enforce the laws that already exist and set
precedents that will help workers in the future. Maybe they can help Jaime fight the
maquiladora and give him work. They need organizers and case workers.

Odelia: Maybe, I’ll have to talk to Jaime, but then there will be no one to take care
of the children. Odelia does not want to leave Mexico and she has hope that the working and living conditions in Tijuana will improve. She knows that her family is better off in Tijuana than many families are in other regions of Mexico, and she is less hopeful than Jaime about their chances in the United States. In order for her family to survive in Tijuana she will have to find a way to make money. New and existing maquiladoras are almost always hiring. Maquiladoras are factories set up in Mexico by foreign companies. In 1965, the Border Industrialization Program created an export processing zone along the U.S.-Mexico border, now extended throughout Mexico. U.S. companies are attracted to the low wages and lack of enforcement of labor and environmental protections in Mexico.3In Tijuana, approximately 217,000 workers are employed in maquiladoras.4But companies use a variety of strategies to enforce their power over employees and to avoid Mexican labor laws regarding benefits and seniority. Companies sign contracts with employees for only one or two months and then after that month or two can sign a 5new contract or not hire that employee again. The nature of many of the industries, particularly textiles -- in which production is volatile and seasonal -- means that factories sometimes close down for a period of time and then reopen and rehire all of their original workers as if they were new employees. These practices of “induced turnovers,” and the poor conditions that cause many to leave their jobs, means that factories are constantly hiring.5Odelia knows she can go to work in one of the maquiladoras. She worked for an electronics manufacturer about ten years ago but left because the conditions were too bad: low wages, long hours, no overtime, no time off, sexual harassment, and health hazards. After 700 workers got sick and two died from bad food served in the massageplaneteteria, Odelia decided to leave and never go back unless she absolutely had to. Now she feels she may have no other choice, although she is also worried about having to leave her kids while she is at work for 10-12 hours a day. Pedro is in school during part of the day, but Manuel and Julia are too young for school and there are no day care services. Jaime will be spending most of his day looking for a job or doing activist work and will not want to take care of the kids all day. Plus, if Odelia goes back to work she will probably have to give up the work she has been doing with a local women’s group and Esperanza Internacional. Friday EveningJaime returns home late Friday evening after the children are in bed. Odelia is afraid that he has been speaking with people about crossing the border, especially since yesterday he showed her a letter from his brother in Los Angeles: Dear Jaime,

Things are really working out for us now. We just moved into our own apartment
after living with Carmela’s cousin for the last five months. Carmela found a job
housekeeping at a hotel and I am working in a clothing factory. Our apartment is
small but if you want to come your family can stay with us as long as you have to.

Your brother, 6Jose Odelia: Any luck?

Jaime: No, they all have my name and won’t hire me. I got chased away by the
security guards at one place.

Odelia: Where have you been?

Jaime: Talking to people.

Odelia: What people?

Jaime: I got the name of someone who can cross us and get me papers for $500.

Odelia: That is almost all of our savings, what will we do then?

Jaime: We can meet my brother in Los Angeles.

Odelia: You know they don’t have room for all five of us and what will we do in
Los Angeles.

Jaime: It will only be a little while, then we’ll have a place of our own.

Odelia: It took your brother five months to get his own apartment and we don’t
speak English. How are we going to get jobs or an apartment? Jose works in a
clothing factory, I can do that here. If we stay here we can have our own home
eventually and we can help others here build their own homes too.

Jaime: What about work?

Odelia: I can go back to the maquiladora. At least I know I can get a job there and
that there will always be jobs here. We don’t know of any jobs in Los Angeles and
we’ll have no savings to fall back on.

Jaime: Jose can help me and you hate the maquiladoras. You know how they treat
you. We can make a better life in Los Angeles. The jobs there are better and so are
the wages. Jose says that there are always jobs for immigrants.

Odelia: What if we get deported? We’ll be back here with no money and we’ll
have to start all over again. And what about the children--is it safe to bring them
across the border? There is a group here called Yeuani. They are fighting for
workers. They can help you get your job back, you want to fight them right? They
may be able to get you work, they need more organizers. This is our chance to do 7something positive here.

Jaime: Maybe. I can look into it but that still isn’t making any money. And I’m
already involved in fighting the companies and we’re not getting anywhere. We
can make a fresh start in Los Angeles and make a better life for our children. Friday, Late in the NightOdelia couldn’t sleep Friday night. As she lay in bed she thought about the family’s possibilities: How can we go to the United States? Carmela and Jose already knew some English before going. I don’t know any English and Jaime knows only a little. Getting a job will be difficult and the jobs are as bad in the U.S. as they are in Tijuana. Jose is working in a clothing factory and I can do that here. I want my children to have better opportunities than they have here but how will they do in school not being able to speak English and what will happen to them if we can’t get jobs and have no place to live? We could lose all of our money or get deported! Our colonia is horrible. No water, no sewage, no electricity. But Maria is right, things are improving and people are working together now. We will have a good home someday if we stay, and we can help others. And if Jaime can work with Yeuani or find work with the independent unions that are organizing, than we will really be doing well here. Mexico is changing and we should stay and fight, but change is happening so slowly. But in Mexico I know what my options are, and I know what I can do and how to do things. I won’t know how to do anything in the United States: how to get a job, how to get the kids in school, or how to get food. And how can I risk the safety of my children taking them across the border? I’ve got things happening here. All of my friends and family are here. I am doing good work in the community. How I can leave? But maybe Jaime is right and things will be better in the United States. It is still dangerous here for Jaime. Other labor organizers were attacked and beaten a few weeks ago and others have been killed. The economic situation in Mexico has not been 8improving recently and wages are going down in the maquiladoras. In the U.S. we may have better wages and jobs and better access to schools and health care. I don’t know what to do. Should we stay in Mexico or try to get to the United States and start over there? 9References:
California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. “Operation Gatekeeper Fact Sheet.” 2001.
http://www.stopgatekeeper.org/English/index.html.

Comité Fronterizo de Obreras, “Six Years of NAFTA: A View from Inside the
Maquiladoras,” 1999.

Corporate Watch. “La Linea: Gender, Labor, and Environmental Justice on the US-Mexico
Border.” http://www.igc.org/trac/feature/border/mapfacts.html#map.

Rodrيguez, Victoria E. and Peter M. Ward. Political Change in Baja California: Democracy
in the Making? San Diego: The Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, 1994.

Ruiz, Ramَn Eduardo. On the Rim of Mexico: Encounters of the Rich and Poor. Boulder,
Colorado: Westview Press, 1998.

Tiano, Susan. Patriarchy on the Line: Labor, Gender, and Ideology in the Mexican Maquila
Industry. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1994.

Urrea, Luis Alberto. Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border. New
York: Anchor Books, 1993.


Organizations/For More Information:
Esperanza Internacional (Foundation for International Hope)
Josefina Pateki
Tel: 0115266-36-27-42
Fax: 0115266-36-27-44
[email protected]

Tony Pobles
El Poder es La Gente
Calle Fresa, 2860
Fracc. Las Huertas 1 era Seccion
Tijuana, BC 22640
Tel: 011-52-66-36-27-42
[email protected]

Yeuani-Los que luchan (Those who Fight)
Ave. Los Olivos 3260
Fracciَn Nedehart
Tijuana, Baja California 10Tel/Fax: 0115266-86-68-55
[email protected]
1Corporate Watch, “La Linea: Gender, Labor, and Environmental Justice on the US-Mexico Border,” http://www.igc.org/trac/feature/border/factsheet.html#map, and information provided by Tony Pobles of El Poder es La Gente.2California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Operation Gatekeeper Fact Sheet, 2001, http://www.stopgatekeeper.org/English/index.html.3Susan Tiano, Patriarchy on the Line: Labor, Gender, and Ideology in the Mexican Maquila Industry (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1994) 18.4Corporate Watch, “La Linea: Gender, Labor, and Environmental Justice on the US-Mexico Border,” http://www.igc.org/trac/feature/border/mapfacts.html#map.5Comité Fronterizo de Obreras, “Six Years of NAFTA: A View from Inside the Maquiladoras,” 1999.

 

[Asche]

Retiring & living in Tijuana guide

it depends were in Tj you want to live and how much rent you want to pay.1200 dlls a month would do.Rents are defenetly much cheaper than the US, you can rent a beautifull 2000 sq feet new house in a great area for 900 dlls.


There are many retired gringo cominities arounduerto Nuevo, cantamar, Real del Mar, San Antonio, all these in front of the sea. My dad has a ranch in Puerto Nuevo and it is Packed with retired gringos.
My ant rents her incredibly huge and beautiful ranch house to a retired
Fireman for 800 dlls.

On the cheaper side there are studios that rent like for 200 dlls, the movies are less than 7 dlls, groceries are cheaper. And EVERYBODY speaks english, and if you miss the sates there are tunds of Home depots, wallmarts, Mc donalds, etc.
Get a sentri port pass to cross the border in minutes.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060822104127AA74F6r

 

[thatswhatshesaid22]

RETIRING AND LIVING AROUND TIJUANA
Mexico Connect Forum Discussion Threads
Posted by Mack on Abril 24, 2000

I'm looking for information on living in Tijuana or nearby for the winter moths at first. Need any info I can get please. Rents ....whatever. Thank you

Posted by alex in TJ on Abril 24, 2000

There are two nice areas of Tijuana. Playas de Tijuana is the little strip between the Ensenada toll road and the ocean. The other is near the American Consulate north of Aguas Calientes and is more centrally located. Rents run $350 to $400 per month, so a US income is necessary to live comfortably, US style (a $60 per week job is considered very good in Tijuana, minimum wage is about $4.50 per DAY). You will probably have to rent some cheaper place first as the good rentals are not that common. Renting can be tough if you go through an agency as they require a confiador, that is, a co-signer that is a business owner that is willing to be financially responsible. Just another kink to work around.
Alex

Posted by alex in TJ on Abril 24, 2000

While you are here investigating, take a trip east of TJ to Tecate. If you are not into the intensity of the big city it is a good choice. There is a border crossing that connects with the 94 to San Diego. Also consider the area south of TJ on the way to Ensenada. There are an estimated 45,000 expats living in this region.
Suerte, Alex

Posted by Bill on Abril 24, 2000

Why would you want to live around TJ???

Posted by Braulio in Mexicali on Abril 26, 2000

Bill and Alex -

Silly me - I assumed he was some sort of entomologist. As to being a snowbird, he did add an "at first" so who knows what his long-term intentions are. Actually retirement living near TJ might not be so far-fetched:

Tijuana is the wealthiest city in Mexico in just about any economic (other than infrastructure) way you would care to compare, e.g. per capita income. Tijuana has among the best infrastructures in Mexico second only to Mexico City. This despite an extremely transient and increasing population and state/municipal leadership from an opposition party. The point here being that Tijuana functions very well in terms of city services. There's no other Mexican border town that is so close to a first rate U.S. city - apologies to El Paso - for those who need to come up for air frequently. The Playas de TJ - Ensenada corridor offers spectacular coastline and a myriad of RV parks and short term rental situations. In addition, Alex lives there - he can show him where to get the best deals on logging chain. I could go on but for some people TJ might be just the ticket for the first introduction to living in Mexico.
Best regards - Braulio

Posted by alex in TJ on Abril 25, 2000

You can have a high profile job in high tech in San Diego during the day and spend nights and weekends in Mexico. Judging by the number of folks that go to TJ nights and weekends, it must have some desirable characteristics, no?
Alex

Posted by Bill on Abril 25, 2000

I don't disagree with your comment. However, the original post I responded to said that he was going to relocate to the TJ area in the Winter, to get away from where he was now. With all due respect to those in TJ, I don't think the town is seen as your "typical" snowbird retreat.

Posted by Brian on Abril 24, 2000

Why live near Tijuana? Year round temperate climate. Proximity to shopping and medical care in San Diego. Being understood in English while learning Spanish. Convenience for visitors from the US. I am sure there are others on this board who can contribute more reasons to live in this exciting region.

Posted by Val on Abril 24, 2000

I for one am considering the area (although not Tijuana, more likely Ensenada) because it means I will be close to my family who lives in southern Cal. There is also the convenience of renewing tourist visas easily, a problem frequently mentioned on this board by folks who run out of time when days away from a border.



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