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Mexico
Uruguay
Argentina
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Best Places to Retire - Mexico
Mexico is a country in North America, lying between the United States of America to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast. Its extensive coastlines include the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Mexico has nice and warm people, unique food, art and archeology, pyramids, museums, Haciendas, 6,000 miles of shores, superb architecture and cities, weather from snow mountains in the Sierras, to rainy jungles in the Southeast and desert in the Northwest, more than 50 golf courses, excellent fishing, world top destinations like Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Los Cabos, Patzcuaro, among others amenities. Mexico is ranked 8th major destination for foreigner visitors, according to WTO
Top Cities to visit in Mexico:
Mexico has many touristy cities; these are nine of the most traveled:
* Mexico City - Country capital, one of the largest cities in the world, find everything from parks, aztec ruins, colonial architecture, museums, nightlife and shopping.
* Acapulco - A beach destination in the state of Guerrero, is renowned for its warm climate and vibrant nightlife.
* Cancún - In the southern state of Quintana Roo, is famous for its turquoise color sea, warm climate year round and world-class nightlife.
* Cabo San Lucas - Beach destination in the Baja California peninsula, with a characteristic mediterranean weather.
* Guanajuato - World Heritage Site by UNESCO, a hilly colonial city home of cultural festivals.
* Mérida - Colonial city in the southern state of Yucatan. Startpoint to visit the mayan world.
* Puebla - World Heritage Site by UNESCO, colonial city famous for its cuisine and cultural sites.
* Puerto Vallarta - In the state of Jalisco, a favorite beach in the pacific for Americans.
* San Miguel de Allende - Located in central Mexico in the state of Guanajuato, a hilly colonial city home to thousands of foreigners.
The climate of Mexico:
Varies from desert-like regions on the northwest part of the country (cities like Hermosillo, Ciudad Juarez, or Los Cabos); and temperate in the northeastern part (cities like Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, Ciudad Acuña), but note that much of the northern Mexican territory gets very cold during the winter with average day time highs around 8C (39F) and 12C (59F), overnight lows avarage around -5C (24F) and snow is sometimes frequent in certain northern places like (Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and northern Tamaulipas) but can also occur at higher altittudes in the temperate forests in the central part of Mexico. Also, northern Mexico gets very hot during the summer with sudden violent storms in the afternoon, with heavy rain and hail, also an isolated tornado can occur with these storms but rarely, and the temperatures during the day can quickly exceed 39C (100F). The Bajio region is semiarid (cities like Aguascalientes, Leon and Zacatecas); and temperate forests in the central part of the country {Mexico City, Toluca}, and tropical rain forests in the south and southeast regions like (Chiapas, Cancun). During hurricane season, hurricanes are common in the coastal cities specially those near the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
The language of Mexico:
Spanish is the main language. You can get by with English in most top tourist destinations, but much of the country is monolingual. Mexico has one of the richest diversity of languages, more than 350 indigenous languages are spoken within the Mexico territory.
Mexican Spanish is slightly different from both the Castilian Spanish spoken in most of Spain and the Spanish spoken in South American countries. All three are mutually intelligible—it's about the same as the differences in English spoken in various countries—but you can expect some funny looks if you speak only Castilian. (In particular, unlike Castilian, the z and the soft c should be pronounced like an s.) Mexican Spanish is the variant most often taught in the United States of America, so if you learned Spanish there, you should be OK.
In some regions, native languages such as Mayan or Nahuatl are still widely spoken.
There are Spanish languages schools throughout Mexico. The city with the most schools is Cuernavaca, with more than 50 schools. Oaxaca, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato also offer a number schools to choose from. Prices vary, however, most schools are very reasonably priced. Many schools can arrange homestays with local Mexican families.
Work in Mexico:
Working may require a work visa, which is difficult to get if you just want to freelance for a short time.
Many important headquarters are located throughout the main cities of Mexico. Mexican top corporations like Televisa, Bimbo, Cemex, Telmex, Vitro, are often willing to hire professionals who speak English as their native language as most of the business scene is developed with North American corporations.
An excellent way to get to know and understand more of the country is to do some voluntary work. There are several organisations such as Travel to Teach that arrange work for international volunteers in Mexico and other countries in the region.
Native English speakers can pick up work, as always, as English teachers. The upside is that English speakers with no knowledge of Spanish are sought after, because they will force their students to practice English. The downside is that salaries are somewhat low.
Stay safe in Mexico
In most of the cities, location is very important as security changes from place to place. Areas close to downtown (centro) are safer to walk at night, especially on the "Plaza", "Zocalo" or "Jardin" (main square) and areas nearby. Stay in populated areas, avoid poor neighborhoods, especially at night, and don't walk there at any time if you are alone.
Some Mexican border towns could be dangerous for someone who is unaware, especially at night. In contrast, Mexican northern non-border cities are very safe; such as Monterrey, Saltillo, Chihuahua, etc.
Never drive above the speed limit or run stop signs/red lights as Mexican police will use any excuse to pull over tourists and give you a ticket. If pulled over by a police officer soliciting a bribe, do not pay the amount requested, but pull out USD$30 or MXN$300 pesos, and explain that it is all you have. This technique has worked in the past (it does not work in Mexico city) , but is corruption. The fine for speeding could be as much as US$100, depending on the city.
When in major cities – especially Mexico City – play it safe with taxis. Never pick up a cab in the street unless the locals have told you they can be trusted; always request that your hotel or restaurant call a taxi for you.
Carry money in multiple locations, especially when driving a car. As in any city, do not wave cash or credit cards around. Use them discreetly and put them away as quickly as possible.
The Mexican legal system is under Napoleonic code, meaning suspects can be considered guilty until proven innocent (the reverse of the USA). Keep that in mind before contemplating flouting the law.
Beggars are not usually a threat but you will find lots in urban areas. Avoid being surrounded by them as some can pickpocket your goods. Giving away two pesos quickly can get you out of such troubles. If driving you will mostly find beggars and windshield cleaners at any red light; have your windows closed at all times. The windshield cleaners will try to clean yours in spite of any negative- a strong and firm "NO" is suggested.
If driving in from the USA, always purchase Mexican liability insurance before crossing the border. Even if your American (or Canadian, etc.) insurance covers your vehicle in Mexico, it cannot (by Mexican law) cover liability (i.e. hitting something or injuring someone). You will probably spend time in a Mexican jail if you have an accident without it. And even if your own insurance does (in theory) provide liability coverage in Mexico -- you'll be filing your claim from behind bars! Don't risk it, get Mexican auto insurance.
Jellyfish stings: vinegar or mustard on the skin, take some to the beach with you.
Stingray stings: water as hot as you can bear - the heat deactivates the poison.
Stay healthy in Mexico
Mexico is so notorious for traveler's diarrhea that it is often called "Montezuma's Revenge" (Venganza de Moctezuma). The reason for this is not so much the spicy food but the contamination of the water supply. In most cities, only the poorest Mexicans will drink tap water. Drinking water out of the tap is generally a bad idea. The best policy is to only drink bottled or purified water, both of which are readily available. In most restaurants, the only water that will be served to you comes from large jugs of purified water. Mexico is one of the main bottled water consumers in the world so its recommended to buy some whenever it's possible.
Likewise, avoid raw vegetables and fruits unless they have been washed in an iodine or other disinfecting solution. In addition to diseases that could be picked up from the soil where they are grown, some of the pesticides in use in Mexico are considered unsafe. If your body is not used to these chemicals, it will rebel.
If you start to show symptoms of food poisoning, visit a doctor as soon as possible. There is medicine available that will counter the bacteria and save you much suffering.
Medicine in urban areas is highly developed, public hospitals are ok, but they are allways full, it's recommended going to private hospitals for faster service.
In remote areas consider carring a first aid kit, syringes and other related itemas are sold without medical prescription.
Best Places around the World:
Lake ChapalaSan Miguel
Belize
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Cyprus
Bahamas
Barbados
Malaysia
Cayman Islands
Italy
Greece
Best Places in the US:
St. George, UtahBellingham, Washington
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Savannah, Georgia
Largo, Florida
Franklin, Tennessee
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Fort Collins, Colorado
Portland, Oregon
McCormick, South Carolina
Seneca, South Carolina
Sumter, South Carolina