I asked myself: Where in the world will I retire?
Rambling Roy Nolan
It was on a rainy day in January of 2003, back in Vallejo, California. I was paying our bills. Property taxes, medical insurance, auto insurance, mortgage payment, auto maintenance, garbage collection, telephone, water and electric bills, the list went on and on…
I could see that this was going to be an ongoing problem and we would have to work the rest of our lives to support this lifestyle, so Margarita and I decided that we would have to make a change.
On the road in Central America
The Old Home
We sold the house, packed up what we wanted to keep, bought a pick-up truck and a cabover camper, and hit the road, headed south into more affordable territory looking for our new home.
In Panama
Chichen Itza, Mexico
We didn’t look back as we crisscrossed from coast to coast through Mexico and all of the countries in Central America all the way to Panama for ten months, of unforgettable adventure.
Guanajuato, Mexico
One of the tunnels in Guanajuato
Still undecided we headed north again, stopping to visit some friends in Guanajuato, Mexico. We liked the place so much that we decided to live there. It’s an old mining town. A lovely cultural city set in a canyon with many underground streets that used to be mine shafts. We found a property with a fantastic view overlooking the city and were about to buy it.
Then, while having dinner with a friend that night, he commented, “I thought you wanted to live near water, on the coast. This is the high desert. Not much water here.”
We thought about that, during that sleepless night and next morning called the real estate agent and told her to stop the purchase. Feeling very relieved, we immediately headed for the west coast. This was in April/May, the hottest time of the year in Mexico.
Costa Rica
On the beach
On our travels, we had spent quite a bit of time on various parts, of both coasts, so we knew that it does get very hot and humid there at this time, of the year.
Mt. Garcia, Lake Chapala, Mexico
Ajijic Plaza
On the way, we stopped in Ajijic, to spend the night, on the shore, of Lake Chapala, very pleasant! Realization set in! Lake Chapala was a much better place to live all year round.
Authentic Mexican food
Mexican girl at Carnaval
Lake Chapala, located high, in the central highlands, is the largest lake, in Mexico. It has the best all year round climate on earth and some of the friendliest people that you will ever meet.
Lake Chapala Society
And the lake shore is home to the largest American/Canadian expat community, in the world, so we feel right at home here.
A house in Ajijic
At the market
It features a very interesting, comfortable and affordable lifestyle, with great health care. That’s very important to folks like you and me, who mostly live on social security incomes.
Downtown Guadalajara
Guadalajara shopping
And we are only about an hour away from the very beautiful cosmopolitan city of Guadalajara, with all of the modern conveniences that we are accustomed to back in the States. It’s international airport is less than an hour away, so it’s easy to get in and out of here.
The Malecón in Ajijic
Mt. Garcia
Wow! What a find! The lake shore was just what we were looking for. We decided to make this our home and here we are.
To sum it all up, there are many interesting and lovely places to visit in Mexico and other parts of the world, but in my opinion, the best place to call home is here, on the shores of Lake Chapala.