Hello Querétaro--anyone there?

[cabocathie]

Originally Posted by El Faro

The reason you don't hear more about Queretaro is that it is Mexico's best kept secret.
The relatively few ex-pats here are scared to death that the rest of the world will find out about it. It is a fairly large city and growing but has a large Centro Historico which is the only area I personally would want to live.
In my opinion it is the cleanest and safest city in Mexico with many cultural events and activities, has an excellent year round climate, Colonial charm and architecture, and at the same time offers 21st century conveniences.
I would not settle anywhere else without first checking it out.

I am in charge of planning a seminar in Querétaro this fall/winter. I am told there is no English newspaper there. I hope members of this site can help me with suggestions of various ways to get the word out. Any help the Querétaro residents can give me is greatly appreciated!

[Queretaro]

What kind of Seminar is it?

There is a new forum for the expats in Querétaro (relatively new). You can try to post there. Just do a google search for queretaro forums and it should come up.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by cabocathie

I am in charge of planning a seminar in Querétaro this fall/winter. I am told there is no English newspaper there. I hope members of this site can help me with suggestions of various ways to get the word out. Any help the Querétaro residents can give me is greatly appreciated!

[cabocathie]

Originally Posted by Queretaro

What kind of Seminar is it?

There is a new forum for the expats in Querétaro (relatively new). You can try to post there. Just do a google search for queretaro forums and it should come up.

Hope this helps.

Thanks! I will go there! it will be held in the top floor conference room at the new MédicaTec100 for the SkyMed emergency air evacuation program for Americans & Canadians. We met with the owner of the hospital & he understands that for insurance reasons, some people need to go home. That hospital is state-of-the-art so it is not a matter of inadequate medical care. I am traveling at the moment but will be home the end of the week and am going to become a Premium sponsor on this site as it seems to have a lot of activity.

[RVGRINGO]

Please give Cabocathie time to get her Premium Membership up and running, so that you will be able to respond to the contact information in the advertisements.
We can't get 'commercial' on the forum postings and overt advertising here would result in the thread being eliminated. I have let it go this far, as it is potentially useful to some and of interest to many.
Thanks to all for your understanding.

All commercial entities should definitely take a Premium Membership, rather than try to fish for business on an open forum.

[cabocathie]

Originally Posted by RVGRINGO

Please give Cabocathie time to get her Premium Membership up and running, so that you will be able to respond to the contact information in the advertisements.
We can't get 'commercial' on the forum postings and overt advertising here would result in the thread being eliminated. I have let it go this far, as it is potentially useful to some and of interest to many.
Thanks to all for your understanding.

All commercial entities should definitely take a Premium Membership, rather than try to fish for business on an open forum.

Thanks, RVGringo, i will go ahead and do that now; i went there and it referred to graphics that i don't have because i am traveling, so i thought i would wait till i got home to my "big" computer. in these comments, is it okay to refer someone to a paid ad?

[RVGRINGO]

Once you have a Premium Membership, I think that you will have several options. I haven't explored all the details, but I think you can advertise by banner, in the classified section and even have a reference as a 'signature line' that will appear with any of your posts. You just have to avoid actual advertising in the text of a post. Note the 'signature line' below, for example.

[cabocathie]

Originally Posted by RVGRINGO

Once you have a Premium Membership, I think that you will have several options. I haven't explored all the details, but I think you can advertise by banner, in the classified section and even have a reference as a 'signature line' that will appear with any of your posts. You just have to avoid actual advertising in the text of a post. Note the 'signature line' below, for example.

thanks! i stated to do it and decided again to wait till i get home to get the right banner that links to my own skymed page from headquarters. the signature is a great feature as well as advertising. thanks again, best regards, cathie

[BethJ]

hello all - my first post although have done a lot of reading.
My partner and I are looking to retire in about a year, find a place in MX that looks like it will meet our needs and following all the advice, rent for a year before commiting.buying.
Our wants/needs - in order of importance are 1. temperate weather - not too much humidity - lived in atlanta and couldn't stand the humidity 2. not too big or too small 3. would like some other gringos around, but don't need the big organized thing like the Lake Chapala Society. 4 ability to buy or build on a 10,000 + sq foot lot (we need room for our dogs, RV storage and hopefully fruit trees, garden, pool ect)
We are planning our first exporatory trip by RV for a two week period in April or May. Here's the places we think we want to check out - we'll only have 12 days which includes the travel time from Phoenix - Jocotepec, Morelia, Ciudad Guzman & Patzcuaro.
If anyone has thought/opinions on any of the above in relation to our criteria or their own criteria would appreciate any and all feedback. Would also be willing to consider other locations as well Our only Mexico experience has been two drives to Ensenada and a couple cruises that hit the tourist ports.
Thanks much
Beth

[jimgkiss]

another one we're looking at is Tequisquiapan, about 75 mi N. of Mex City and 30-40 mi from Queretaro.

[RVGRINGO]

Welcome, Beth.
If this is your first time driving an RV in the interior of Mexico, be prepared to be cautious about 'topes' (speed bumps - often nearly invisible), narrower roads without shoulders and sneaky branches or signs that stick out into your path. You may also encounter overheads without height indications, low and tight entrances to towns/campgrounds or parking areas. Do carry a tower fan and don't plan on having enough amperage for air conditioning in the typical campground.
To avoid heat and humidity, an elevation of about 5000 feet (~1500 Meters) will achieve that without being too cold in the winter.
The amount of land you seek is getting more and more difficult to find, though it can be found at a price. Land is expensive in Mexico and much of Mexico's more rural land is 'ejido' and is unavailable for purchase. A secondary problem is having access to your property by RV. We have the size you seek, but the streets are too narrow to enter the property with an RV, even if we created overhead clearance. That would restrict you to finding more remote property (not always advisable) or an urban corner property with a large, RV compatible entrance at 45 degrees on the intersection. Such properties do exist, but are hard to find. Of course, there are opportunities, in some of the newer subdivisions, to purchase lots with good access and the freedom to build as you like, as long as you can deal with homeowner's associations and other unique arrangements.
Your twelve day trip isn't going to give you time to see or investigate much, I'm afraid. You'll just get a quick sightseeing trip. By the way, about two thirds of the folks in the Lake Chapala area may have never set foot at the Lake Chapala Society, so I'm not sure what you meant by 'big and organized'. If you aren't interested in gardens, large English library, lecture series, computer clubs and video rentals, etc., etc., you need never join. I guess it is much like never having to visit Super Lake because of a lack of interest in a wide variety of exotic imported groceries, or joining Lakeside Little Theater to attend excellent live plays in English, etc.
Do try to visit for a longer period and at different seasons. That will go a long way toward helping you to choose an area to call home. Otherwise, you might just make Roca Azul RV Park your 'headquarters' for a few years and explore from there, once you have retired.