Second Choice ....

It's a long trip down to Baja from Canada....and I love going south more than returning north at the end of a Baja trip.....

Last week a friend who lives in Thailand and who I hear from once every two years wrote and asked, "Are you in Canada or Mexico"....I replied, "I am in Canada wishing I was in Mexico..."

But.....when not enjoying Baja, Canada (BC especially ) is a good place to hang out....

https://media.beam.usnews.com/ce/e7/fdca61cb496da027ab53bef37a24/171110-best-countries-overall-rankings-2018.pdf

That list seems it should be the WORST.

1 thru 10 with the exception of OZ (well oz on the expensive side) are over priced over governed cold pos to live. Been to all of them many times and wouldn´t even cosider living there. Nice places to visit though.

[Edited on 1-24-2018 by chippy]

Hook,
Canadian health care isn't free.....
And winters south are better than staying home if only for warmer weather....pretty much same reason Yanks go south....

And where do you get this sunshine stat?

Have you ever been to Canada? You might like it and form your own opinion...

No, it certainly isnt free. Canadians are reminded of that with every purchase they make up there. BC has TWO types of sales tax on goods, don't they? Highest in the nation? Or close to Ottawa?

What are you paying now, about 90.00/month for health care? That's the figure I recall the Canadians I know, quoting me within the last two years. That's very reasonable, compared to the States.

My wife and I are paying about 1400.00/month on a COBRA plan through her part-time work with a Federal agency. I will drop off in August when I hit Medicare age.

Paying on the open market would be about the same, but with a deductible of around 5000.00.

I have been to Canada probably a dozen times. Always in the summer or fall. Exclusively BC and Alberta. Beautiful country. I fished out of Port Hardy for 10 days last summer. Early August. I think I saw the sun a couple times. Not representative of all of Canada, of course.

Never been to Canada later than the first week in September. I remember temps in Rocky Mountain House already being in the mid 20s F at night around Labor Day. Wow!

Been to Vancouver about five times. I'd say it has rained about 60% of the time I have been there. I tend to go during the "dry season".

For me, climate is an extremely important component of "quality of life". Apparently for a lot of Canadians, too. But not, apparently, for this rating.

I have many Canadian friends down here in Mexico. Almost all from BC. The main reason they come down, according to them, is not just the weather but the high cost of living in Canada. Higher even than the US. The cost of alcohol may figure prominently in that. Unbelievable prices, really. Can't say I blame them.

The cost of living must not be a very large component in the "quality of life" category in this rating.

And certainly the long waits for health care deemed non-life threatening are minimized in this rating. I've known a few Canadians living with pretty severe pain or life threatening heart conditions that have waited for months for treatment. Some have just thrown in the towel and paid for treatment in Mexico.

The waits can be long. Canadians joke that the long waits are a way of intentionally reducing case loads, as old people die off. Just cynicism on their part.........I would hope.

That's the opinion I have formed, based on the Canadians I know who come down for six months or more EVERY YEAR, and the trips I have taken. I probably know close to a hundred down here, now. I don't know ANY full-time Canadians. But that is a function of meeting them down here first. There must be SOME, right?

How far off am I?

I am not dismissing Canada as something other than a great country with great people. It is. Just pointing out that this rating's "greatness" quotient is askew if there are factors that cause so many Canadians to be gone from this "greatness" for so long, each year.

In many ex-pat communities in Mexico, they are becoming THE majority foreigner; replacing Americans. I think that might be the case even where I live, so close to the border, based on license plate count. From Mazatlan south, it is definitely the case. I am astounded at the number of RV parks from PV south that are filled with Canadians from Quebec (although many of my Western Canadian friends would argue those aren't REALLY Canadians ). Man, that's a long way to drive an RV!

I wonder how many would if fuel prices were the same in the US as they are in Canada.........

Baja, I would assume, is still predominately Americans.



[Edited on 1-24-2018 by Hook]

Hook,
Thanks for the thoughtful reply/comments. I can't disagree with your observations....close enough to the mark

I am a desert nut, so anytime I can be in such environments I jump at the chance....and Baja is perfect for those inclinations....worth the 3-day drive....

Yes, cost of living is high....living inexpensively draws a lot of folks away south in winter months....Canucks and Yanks.

I pay $75 monthly for provincial health care coverage (single male 66 yrs)....my federal and provincial taxes also contribute to health care.....my Blue Cross "extended" health plan costs about $75 a month and is a fairly sh#tty plan....as are most of such secondary health cost insurance plans.

Climate is important for me as well....I much prefer sun and heat to snow/rain/cold....

Sounds like you have had some good Canadian trip experiences and am glad for that....BC coastal areas are....well.... rainforests...and the wet comes with the territory

The point of my post originally was to bask in the warmth (short-lived as it might be) of the "validation" of my personal preference to enjoy my two BC's....

Good luck with your next fishing trip (Port Hardy)....Kamloops and area is known for its trout....and some steelhead nearby (Spences Bridge).

Quote: Originally posted by motoged

Hook, Canadian health care isn't free..... And winters south are better than staying home if only for warmer weather....pretty much same reason Yanks go south.... And where do you get this sunshine stat? Have you ever been to Canada? You might like it and form your own opinion...

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy

....Salt Spring island was my favourite, but Baja won out for the winters

Sounds like a sensible plan.....the Islands have a certain cachet...no doubt about that

Kamloops is at the northern-most tip of Sonoran desert (some say it stops at Osoyoos)....high desert features ....great for 8 months of the years...

So Ged....you are saying that Canada is a great place to be from?

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo

So Ged....you are saying that Canada is a great place to be from?

Sort of.... I grew up in Winnipeg....a good city to be from.....45 years ago....BC is a good place to live ....and to go to Baja from ....

Say hola to Bailey for me