castaway$
Senior Nomad
Posts: 742
Registered: 7-31-2007
Location: Gold Hill, Oregon
Member Is Offline
Mood: Fish on!
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Baja or Mainland
First and foremost I love baja! However I ran into some people that told me the mainland is "Oh My God Cheaper" provided you are not in a resort or
tourist area. I love the Sea Of Cortez from Mulege south but know nothing of the mainland across from Baja. Is it worth a trip to see what is
available or should I stick to Baja where my comfort zone is.
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JZ
Select Nomad
Posts: 10605
Registered: 10-3-2003
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Read here to learn about one spot on the mainland: www.sancarlosmexico.com.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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There are many reasons to tour the mainland.
1. If you are interested in Pre Colombian archeology.
2. If you are interested in the tropics. The rainforests in the Chiapas area are fascinating if you are drawn by nature. These are 3 tiered canopied
rain forests, similar to the amazon.
3. The coral reefs and sea life in Yucatan are very different than baja and far richer.
4. The mainland gives you an opportunity to see native indian communities (go to their markets, etc.) that have changed little since white man came.
The Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Yucatan provinces are all good for that.
These are just 4 reasons I discovered in my travels. There must be dozens of others.
The mainland is less americanized. You need to be able to "let go" and accept things as they come.
Baja is more homogenous than the mainland. The mainland presents you with a greater variety of opportunities.
The mainland requires a greater expenditure of time and energy. You can't really do quick 4-day trips like baja unless you stay at resorts.
Much can be written on this topic. It's a big subject.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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Comparing Apples, Oranges, Tomatos, Bananas, Tomatillos, Mangos, Guiabinabas and on it goes. There are many Mexicos. Art, Culture, History, Food,
Customs, Traditions, all vary over the vast land that is Mexico. There are 56 distinct language groups in Mexico. These represent at least that many
distinct cultures. Only India has more languages and cultures/subcultures than Mexico.
Go to the mainland, visit the Colonial Cities, tour the pyramids, experience the jungles, see the cathederals, experienc the art, visit the state
parks and natural enviorments. there is way more to Mexico than beaches. Don't get me wrong, I love the Baja and will return, it is just that there is
so much to see and do on the mainland. Do it while you are young and have the energy if you are to really explore. I would recommend that your read
about Mexico. Try The People's Guide to Mexico, a great introduction to the variety to be found in Mexico.
Viva Mexico.
Iflyfish
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Eli
Super Nomad
Posts: 1471
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: L.B. Baja Sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: Some times Observing, sometimes Oblivious.
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I concur with Iflyfish and Skipjack, both sides of the sea in their own way have much to offer.
I cannot conceive of giving up one for the other. As I am not a fan of the summer heat of Southern Baja or the coast of Mexico anywhere for that
matter, I utilize this time of year to visit Southern Mexico.
I must admit, I am not one to move around much. To date I have only explored Oaxaca and Chiapas, with a few trips around the state's of Sonora,
Jalisco, Mexico and Guanajuato. There is still so much more I want to visit, hopefully, I still have a few more years in me to indulge in this path I
have taken.
As far as cost of living goes, in general it is less expensive in Chiapas than anywhere I have been so far. But really the cost of living is more
about your life style than where you are. For example; I find home (Baja) to cost me much less than my travels here on the mainland. The reason being
that there isn't a whole lot for me to buy back home. I own my home in Los Barriles. I seldom eat out and I stay away from Costco. Here on the
mainland, although they are of the budget variety, I live in hotels and most of my meals are eaten in restaurants, although I am pretty good at
finding the comida del día, which usually runs me around $35 to $60 pesos a meal. I Love Arte Popular, and when I travel I will buy until my money
runs out. Same with art supplies, there is a minimum I can obtain at home, here there are so many options, I wind up buying and shipping home all I
can to work in my home studio the rest of the year. If I had the funds, I could find a million more ways and reasons to spend it here or there or
anywhere, I expect.
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rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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cost of living...most definitely lower on the mainland. even in 'tourist areas' if you prefer those and are willing to search for reasonable year
round housing rather than hotels or buying a place to live. even heavily advertised and visited spots like San Miguel de Allende, where I lived for
a year and a half. I paid as little as 200/month for a nice apartment in a seedy but relatively safe barrio to 600 for even nicer, better located,
and housesat several palacial second homes (theft of unoccupied places being an acknowledged danger of owning there, something that is only recently
an issue here). food, clothing, dining out...on the economy or on the upscale path, transportation all significantly cheaper. an acquaintance from
Tripui recently returned from a visit there, and her first words on what impressed her, were 'things are so cheap there.' SMdA is an example, I have
had the same experience in San Carlos (admittedly ten years ago), Puerto Vallarte, and areas around Guanajuato, trips south and central, also towns
north to the Texas and AZ borders where I had to make the every six month to reimport the car runs.
I live in Baja now. I love the scenery and community but will continue to visit the mainland and would probably settle there if/when the time to
chose comes...I want to see how the changes play out here (Loreto area) over the next few years first.
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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