January 25, 2007 — A reader wrote to me:

I am interested in finding out how you like/dislike being retired to Mexico?? how did you decide where to retire to? what do you like most/least? and how you came to be in Mexico??

I like being in Mexico but I also do miss the United States at times, things like easy access to bookstores in English, my friends and family, and the ability to speak to anyone in my native tongue. I’m not retired, but as a writer I can live anywhere I want!

As for dislikes, each person is different. I guess the noisiness at times and my struggles with the language are issues, and sometimes I get overwhelmed by the hectic traffic. That happens to me in the US too, but more here. Oh yeah, the smell of plastic household trash being burned is on that dislikes list.

We decided to live in the Lake Chapala area because we appreciate the climate and stumbled upon our sweet little house for sale. There are a lot of Americans and Canadians here, and we find that is pleasant at times and a bit much at times. The longer we live here, the more we make friends with a lot of wonderful people, both Mexican and foreign.

That’s the short answer. The longer one would include many other trips to Mexico and explorations of places to live. Look around the website for a lot more. And that would answer your last question as well!