Sara Alexander

Status: Single

Employed or Retired: Retired

Where did you live previously: S.F. Bay Area

When did you move to Vallarta: I lived here for a year in 2006. Came back for another year in 2008. And moved here perminently in 2010.

Area of town you live in: I bought a home in colonia Buenos Aires.

Why did you decide to move: About 10 years ago on a vacation to the Yucatan I got off the plane and was immediately hit by the heat, humidity and smell of Fabulosa. Everyone else on the plane groaned at that. The thought that went throught my mind was, “I’m home.” I’d taken many trips to Mexico, but now decided to put spending a year here on my bucket list. About 10 years later, I wanted to have the Huichol do some custom bead work for me, so I flew to Vallarta and took the bus north and found some Huichol who would attempt to create the special bracelets for me. I had several weeks left on my trip and explored the area from Santiago Ixcuintla to Barra de Navidad. Fell in love with Vallarta.

Where else did you consider: I wanted to live near the ocean and in a tropical climate. I used to have an interior plant leasing business and all the plants that I used were growing wild here. I loved it. I ruled out the eastern coast of Mexico. Too long a plane flight from the Bay Area (where my children live), too many time zones, and too many hurricanes. So that left the western coast of Mexico. Things don’t start to get really tropical until after Tepic, so to be near a major city that left either PV or Acapulco. I never even checked out Acapulco. I heard too many negative things said about it. So I decided to try it out for a year and living here was everything I had hoped for and more.

I have pets. Two dogs and a cat then. The airlines only accept 2 pets so I had to drive them down. The autopista was better than the freeways in Calif. There was also the excellent health care with low costs and little waiting time. With the airport, I can fly to see my children in 3 hours. Plus the things from back home- English movies, shopping at Wal-Mart

What was the main reason(s) you moved here: After my first year of living here, when I went back to California, all I could think about was coming back to Vallarta.

What are the top (3) things you have learned that you think might help someone moving to Vallarta now?

• Notify your bank and credit card companies that there will be charges from Mexico so you don’t have frozen accounts because there are strange charges from a foreign country. Also get non 800 phone numbers for all of them. You cannot make calls to an 800 or 888 number in the States from land lines or cells here. I rarely use credit cards, perferring to withdraw the maximum (6000 pesos) and pay in cash. I will use them in the grocery stores, Costco, Home Depot and for medical expenses. I’ve heard too many tales of extra charges when a credit card is used in a restaurant, golf course or out of your sight.
• Learn the language. Bring a pocket dictionary down and use it. You already have a large number of Spanish words in your vocabulary. Pronounce them in Spanish. For instance, Cuba is pronounced KOO-bah. Peru is PAIR-roo. And please pronounce our city’s name correctly. Puerto Vallarta is not pronounced Porto, it’s Pooh-AIR-tow.
• Manners. Start every conversation with a greeting. “Buenos dias.” “Buenos tardes.” And “Gracias” goes a long way. And don’t be miserly with tipping. Many people earn the bulk of their income from tips. Expect the best from those you meet and most of the time you won’t be disappointed.