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Ok lets try this again as the last one went off the rails. Thanks again to Moderator 2 for trying to keep things civil. After going through recommendations from the last post it seems we can benefit others with informative video productions on the Expat experience.

So I will be starting soon on creating videos of life in this region and gathering input from both Canadians and Americans on why they choose to move here, what hurdles they had to over come, what they love about the region, what advise they can give to future Expats that are looking for a better place to retire and so on.

Yes I realize this site provides this information in text format, but its not easy to find for one and does not give a visual in-depth experience to those that would like to consider this a future home. 

So if anyone would like to participate and share their experiences, please do.

Some of the things I will be covering are

  • Places of interest and daytrips 
  • Housing Design and features
  • hurdles faced and how to overcome them
  • Food and dining
  • Cost of living and affordability
  • Safety and security
  • Mexican People and culture
  • and others

This is intended to be about enjoying a better life in the area and help those back home that are interested get a better understanding, so I urge all those looking to turn this into some kind of political debate, please refrain. 

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This is going to be another video on YouTube so the poster can get more subscribers to his channel and therefore make more money at our expense.The last thing we need here is more people moving here. This afternoon it took me 35 mins from Dental Express to Walmart.

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Well Z4 while I agree that this will probably be at least version 4 by the latest videographer, who will get Lakesiders looking to get their face on the Internet and their 14 years here giddy to contribute their story, I doubt that it's going to affect your life here by ANY measurable amount.

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1 hour ago, TelsZ4 said:

This is going to be another video on YouTube so the poster can get more subscribers to his channel and therefore make more money at our expense.The last thing we need here is more people moving here. This afternoon it took me 35 mins from Dental Express to Walmart.

yeh no, to this, it will probably go on YouTube for hosting but monetization has been turn off. But as far as new people, well that is an eventuality, unless you plan on setting up road blocks. People will come regardless, but it would be better if they were informed.

As far as other videographers and version 4, I have no idea what the history is on that, all I can say is I am not considered nor have any desire to be a videographer, vlogger, influencer, or youtuber. The closest description would be Journalist but I think the last couple of years has left me thinking its time to do something else

The reality is this, I have the equipment that I dont want to sell or just sit around collecting dust and just because I dont want to do the news anymore doesn't mean I want to do nothing.  

I am also not going to say that if I can make money, that I wouldn't do it because that is just stupid, I just haven't figured out that part yet. So for now this is just a pet project to keep me busy.

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1 hour ago, Northtek said:

snip......

As far as other videographers and version 4, I have no idea what the history is on that, all I can say is I am not considered nor have any desire to be a videographer, vlogger, influencer, or youtuber. The closest description would be Journalist.....

OK, I'll enlighten you....  you won't be the first person who has decided that what the world needs is a video portraying ... "life at Lakeside; tell us your story; why did you move here; is it safe; how much to you spend on ?;  smile and say you've heard  that Lakeside has the second best climate in the world".  All the things you mentioned and more actually.

So what you are suggesting is not new, just someone else who has had the same exact idea and thinks it might be novel... or at least better than the others even if one didn't know that there have been others. But there surely have been.

Maybe I am a naysayer Kiko.... and Northtek. But I surely don't mean to suggest that you should not have fun being a "Journalist", if that is what you want to call yourself, and forge ahead. Just understand that it is not a novel idea. What your have proposed is actually 'old hat' here.... been done many times.  Maybe it will be a better product than the others that came before but it won't be 'new'... just newer.

Good Luck.

 

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44 minutes ago, RickS said:

OK, I'll enlighten you....  you won't be the first person who has decided that what the world needs is a video portraying ... "life at Lakeside; tell us your story; why did you move here; is it safe; how much to you spend on ?;  smile and say you've heard  that Lakeside has the second best climate in the world".  All the things you mentioned and more actually.

So what you are suggesting is not new, just someone else who has had the same exact idea and thinks it might be novel... or at least better than the others even if one didn't know that there have been others. But there surely have been.

Maybe I am a naysayer Kiko.... and Northtek. But I surely don't mean to suggest that you should not have fun being a "Journalist", if that is what you want to call yourself, and forge ahead. Just understand that it is not a novel idea. What your have proposed is actually 'old hat' here.... been done many times.  Maybe it will be a better product than the others that came before but it won't be 'new'... just newer.

Good Luck.

 

well I think being original in this day and age is a tall order, but I have been looking at this from many perspectives. I think having personal accounts is great but it only scratches the surface. the goal is to have a comprehensive look into the possibilities of life here and explore the people and culture that makes this part of the country unique. 

Plus things are not static, there are new developments that even the locals are not aware of. For instance I was talking to someone about Punto Sur or south point in Guadalajara and how good dinner was at one of the restaurants. They had no idea of the new malls and restaurants built there and how well it was designed. My wife loves it there and is now are go to place for a night out. Even friends back home were impressed by the video I sent back as they never thought Mexico was so well developed. 

So if your thinking I am only planning on interviewing expats to get their perspectives, well that is just a small fraction, as there is so much to experience here, the people, the places, the culture, the history, the entertainment, the architecture, and so much more.

As far as calling myself a journalist, its only because that was what I was basically, an investigative journalist, or at least that is the closest description. unfortunately that is a title I have abandoned  as it has been hijacked by you tubers and lost all meaning. Now I am just a guy with big toys planning to have fun with it as much as possible. 

 

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21 minutes ago, Dostortas said:

Northtek, with time and creativity on your side, I think you’ll find your niche.  Many here at lakeside have taken their past experiences, expertise and skills and turned them into a newfound passion.  Retirement is a reinvention.  Best wishes to you!

"Retirement is a reinvention" love it, that's exactly what I need to do, Thanks and all the best to you

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Before we left in April 2020, we enjoyed weekends in Guadalajara, at the Aloft Hotel and the Villa Ganz. The restaurant scene up to that point was vibrant, to say the least.  So many exciting chefs. Not sure how covid has impacted that scene the past 2 years.

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Here is an idea I have never seen on Youtube.   Interviewing Mexicans who live in the expat community.  Waiters, maids, drivers, gardeners, Mexican business owners. They probably have varies ideas, opinions about living with US and Canadian immigrants.  Just show the truth and don't go into it with a slant.

 

I would watch that.

 

 

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I have lived in Mexico over 18 years; here in lakeside for 14 of them.  We never went back to the U.S. for anything until 2010, when we attended a family funeral near Monterey, in California. We returned to Mexico after only a few days.  At that time, the change in attitudes and the higher stress level were so obvious that we were glad we'd made the decision to move to Mexico.  Life is good here, especially after one gets over "needing" products only available in the U.S. It's the same with "needing" U.S. medical care.  I've had better experiences here, with much more caring medical people. 

I've enjoyed the changes and have no desire to take yearly "shopping trips" to find things people can't find in Mexico.  In other words, the more people can adapt to "what is", the likelier they are to be content here.  

As for the increased traffic, I lived much of my life in the Los Angeles area, so I find that complaint is downright funny!  When we lived in Laguna Beach, it normally took my husband over two hours to commute to his job in central L.A.  It usually takes around 20 minutes to get from our house in Ajijic to Pancho's: 30 minutes when the traffic is bad.

I think more people are coming here lately because the Boomer generation has reached retirement age and the economics of living in the U.S. are getting more and more difficult for them. (They are probably going to give other reasons for the move rather than admit that😉).

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Agree gringal. On May 1st, I will have lived full time in Mexico for 27 years. You come for one set of reasons but you stay for another set of reasons. Traffic ain't one of 'em but it's nothing compared to the Don Valley Parking Lot in Toronto.

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Yes of course 'we' can find places all over the world where traffic.... and other things.... are atrocious. But IMO is kinda apples and oranges to compare those places with Lakeside. Paradise has been 'made' not-quite paradise by the traffic on the caraterra but it still is a paradise.  Northtek is going to publicize that here soon.

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IMO the fumes, noise and brake dust generated are the nastier components of the increased traffic.

I also shoot video as a hobby/interest but my lens is pointed down through a high powered microscope.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAa5NMFuTGQ&t=3s

I have had the advertising forced on me BTW and make no money from it and have tried fruitlessly to have it removed.

Regarding some of the video aficionados featuring life lakeside;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3vei4jUjtY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR0AePMyFx4

 

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6 hours ago, Toyhauler 4u said:

Here is an idea I have never seen on Youtube.   Interviewing Mexicans who live in the expat community.  Waiters, maids, drivers, gardeners, Mexican business owners. They probably have varies ideas, opinions about living with US and Canadian immigrants.  Just show the truth and don't go into it with a slant.

 

I would watch that.

 

 

This is one of the areas I will be showing as I am pretty much embebed as they say, as where I am is 100% locals, I am the only "gringo" around, in fact I haven't seen or spoke to anyone that wasn't a Mexican national. So I can tell you that I have had a lot of preconceptions lifted. Honestly I have been so welcomed and treaded so well here that I have come to appreciate the locals with a level of respect that I didn't expect. 

Mind you my wife is a local and her family is from here, so her mother refers to me as her "favorite gringo" which is funny to me. Also I am relearning to live life mexicana style and its great.

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7 hours ago, HoneyBee said:

And you could also interview the locals who have neighbors and family members never returning home. 😉

This is exactly one of the biggest questions so far, as many people as me about how I could move to a place with out family and friends and how the separation has affected things, its one of the first questions people face when making the decision to move abroad. So I do think its one that should be asked, from both perspectives, So Thanks Honey Bee. 

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Thanks everyone for your input, I will try and respond directly as soon as I can, but I am just happy to see we can engage on a topic that seems to be on a positive note as I think this type of conversations help this site as well. I know controversy sells and generates traffic, but I think we can unite just as well as divide and I think we already have enough things that divide us.

So thanks again and hopefully we can create something that brings excitement and we all can have fun with.

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1 hour ago, Northtek said:

Thanks everyone for your input, I will try and respond directly as soon as I can, but I am just happy to see we can engage on a topic that seems to be on a positive note as I think this type of conversations help this site as well. I know controversy sells and generates traffic, but I think we can unite just as well as divide and I think we already have enough things that divide us.

So thanks again and hopefully we can create something that brings excitement and we all can have fun with.

You should try going to LCS and offer your presentation at one of their Sunday morning do's. I have found that there are a bunch of people that I have never seen..maybe they are the Lakeside "A" list folks

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