Mohr Central

Time zones and Culture

Since we clearly changed time zones on US side I imagined we changed per Mexican practice as well. Translating money, language and time was grueling. The time only matters when we're catching a bus or getting in a museum or show. Speaking of time we did notice patterns of culture in timing. You go to a restaurant and hang out before and after. The waiter will get to you in their own good time. Dinner seems to be served late but it wasn't clear how late. No breakfast place in our Colonia Americana neighborhood was open before 9am. Food carts were out in the streets late until 9 or 10. Rudimentary English was spoken everywhere.

Grilling delicious meat I was struggling figuring out expenses during each meal. We had to use the MacBook calculator to convert pesos to dollars. I believe our individual meals worked out to less than 200 pesos per meal per person which is about $10.So that's about $60 a day for the two of us. 10 days would be $600 for food. Most of the food was excellent. Some, like the sushi was terrible. FAVGDL2607_0472square.jpeg

Choosing to visit PV because it saved us $500 in airfare over a direct flight. We paid $580 each for airfare to Puerto Vallarta. Airfare directly to Guadalajara was $830 or so each. We were drawn to Guadalajara because the climate was comfortable all year. It's also near Lake Chapala/Ajijic where a friend lives. We had two friends in PV, but upon experiencing the heat and humidity we love GDL. But if we can save money flying in to PV we will. It was interesting that we could do a local flight from PV to GDL for the same rate as a bus ride but the plane is more complicated and we have to pay a baggage fee. The bus ride is about 4 hours; plane ride 1 hour.

Dia de Muertos

Base: White or pale face paint representing a skull (calavera).
Eyes: Large, dark circles outlined with painted flower petals, rhinestones, or colorful swirls.
Nose: An inverted black heart or triangle shape on the tip of the nose.
Mouth: Stitched or lined vertical marks across the lips to mimic a skeletal grin.
Accents: Bright acrylic or water-based pigments featuring marigolds (cempasuchil, spiderwebs, and delicate dots.

The Skull Shape: Painting the eye sockets and nose black represents the skull. It strips away material status, wealth, and ego to show that everyone is equal in death.
Bright Colors: Vibrant shades replace mourning black with joy. Yellow and orange (marigolds) guide souls, red honors the blood of life, and purple signifies grief turned into peace.
Floral Embellishments: Flowers like marigolds (cempasuchil) painted around the eyes or worn as crowns represent the fragility of life and the blooming renewal of the earth's continuous cycle.

If you are planning to participate in the local festivities in Guadalajara or want a specific design breakdown, let me know if you would like to explore symbolic color meanings or how to style a respectful look.

Time zones Since we clearly changed time zones on US side I imagined we changed per Mexican practice as well. Translating money, language and time was grueling. The time only matters when we're catching a bus or getting in a museum or show. Speaking of time we did notice patterns of culture in timing. You go to a restaurant and hang out before and after. The waiter will get to you in their own good time. Dinner seems to be served late but it wasn't clear how late. No breakfast place in our Colonia Americana neighborhood was open before 9am. Food carts were out in the streets late until 9 or 10. Rudimentary English was spoken everywhere. - FAVGDL2607_0461Ajijic

Bus to Ajijic A friend lives in a town an hour away from where we were staying in Guadalajara so we decided to take the regional bus to his town. You can't get tickets online or in advance for local bus tickets. You show up and get in the next bus. We went to the counter asking about tickets and the lady said something excitedly waving her hands as a bus was backing out. I ran up to the bus waving my hands. The driver stopped. I asked if he goes to Ajijic and he said yes. I got out 200 pesos and told him I wanted 2 tickets. He was clearly in a rush, but returned some change so the price was about $8 for two of us. The bus turned out to be the directo which meant we didn't have to stop as much.

At the end of our visit with Dave we were walking to the Namaste community and we saw a bus departing. Dave ran over and asked them to stop. I jumped on and handed over the money and said Guadalajara. We were able to get going at a decent time. This turned out to be the local version of the busline that stops everywhere. It took twice as long. Again, no online or advance purchase option. It's quite a pain to get to know the system. I wasn't sure what the Ajijic bus terminal looked like to jump off and I didn't remember what the Guadalajara bus terminal looked like at the other end. At Ajijic our friend was watching which made it easy. We also used our phone map to track our progress which really helped. T-mobiles phone plan includes Canada and Mexico so the cell data provides mapping. Returning to Guadalajara the GDL terminal is huge and they actually pull into a terminal building parking lot. They don't announce stops either. This system is designed for locals. I didn't see a way to advise the driver you want to get off

Vertical panoramic camera view scanning from bottom to top. FAVGDL2607_0460Ajijic.jpeg

This story may be boring to some. The story is focused on us older folks in the US who are concerned about being able to afford retirement. Please don't leave. Skip this story and enjoy the rest.

We were supposed to go to Albania. We had planned a trip to a retirement option - Albania. It sounds fantastic. Visa on arrival for a year, cheap cost of living, lots of resort options on the Mediterranean, near the center of Europe. After studying and researching this looked like a top option. We had eliminated so many places that have high financial investment options or they're too hot of cold. We knew in old age we wouldn't be able to travel far as easily. We want to be near family.

Ultimately, when we sorted it out, we realized that Thailand travel is too much. In so many ways it's ideal, but the travel requirement would minimize options. Even Albania took 20 hours easily because there are no direct flights. Our trip in July 2026 to Guadalajara took 15-20 hours. That's a stretch as well. But that's more doable. Albania could take longer. Mexico could be shorter.

Of course medical care is another primary factor. Mexico comes in high on that list. America is comparable because of the high cost. Mexico is low cost for very good care. US is very good care at a high cost.