Writing in Mexico?

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KansasWriter

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Hey all,

Has anyone spent a little time renting a place down in Mexico? Maybe an apartment with internet for a couple months? I was looking for a safe, mid-sized town to do some writing in for a while.

Thanks,
KW
 

DamaNegra

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I live in Mexico. In fact, I've lived here all my life.

I'm wondering why on earth you'd want to come here to write?
 

SpookyWriter

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Burritos aren't even real Mexican food. They're a chicano invention.
Sorry, I meant.


croppedpartner%20burros_300.JPG
 

WerenCole

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Think about it like this: Tequila, a beach, a shack, a notebook and a series of pens. Couple shirts and shorts. . . Write long hand. Be a recluse, run away from the world and write your manifesto. Hemingway wrote in Cuba with all of the above mentioned items (except for replacing the tequila with whiskey) and he seemed to do okay. Right?
 

KansasWriter

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Hi,

I think WerenCole just about nailed it. Basically, I work from my computer and due to (VERY LONG REASON) I can spend, oh, from about April 15th to June 15th south of the border. Actually, since I'm from Canada that's south of two borders. And before anyone says anything, yes, I could go to Cuba without a problem, but I hear their internet connections are no good; I wouldn't be able to freelance.

So Melanie, I would LOVE some advice on where to go. I'm just looking for a cheap apartment near nice people and with some kind of internet connection. Ideally it would be near artists/writers but that might be asking too much. Any thoughts? Anything near you and your husband?


And if anyone wants to chime in with, "No, you should really go to Nicaragua, Brazil..etc" I'd love to hear the arguments!

KW
 

DamaNegra

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For artists/writers plus internet connection you'd have to try Mexico City.... if you don't mind going insane. The sad truth is, Mexico isn't very big on art producing.

But where would you like to go? Tropical jungle, beach, urban zone, desert, etc, etc? I know of a beautiful place in San Luis Potosí called Xilitla, my ultimate writing dream is going there for a month and writing. It is located in the middle of a jungle, in a mountain, and it is such a magical place. There are also a number of cool, awe-inspiring, creativity-boosting atractinos nearby, such as the giant surrealist concrete statues and a cave full of birds (golondrinas? anyone?) And I know for a fact there is at least some internet in the town, although I'm not sure about speed. Most of Mexico still uses dial-up for everyday internet.

Here, pretty picture of the concrete statues in Xilitla:
114198.jpg


And, well, they get a lot of foreigners, so I think you should be fine. If you don't speak any Spanish I suggest you stick to the big cities and/or frequent tourist spots. But really, what kind of climate do you want?

If it's a beach you want maybe you'd want to consider Mazatlan, Zihuatanejo (that's where Melaniehoo is), Cancun, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta or Los Cabos. If you like tropical but not really beach then I can recommend Ixtapan de la Sal or Valle de Bravo. They're big tourist places so you'd get English-speaking people, and they're all beautiful places.
 
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melaniehoo

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What Dama said. Another place with a lot of transplants/ex-pats is Lake Chapala near Guadalajara. As Dama said there isn't exactly an abundance of artists here so I'd focus on the area and people. Any larger city should have internet.

Keep in mind that the further south you go the hotter it gets for the time you're talking. By June in Zihuatanejo it's almost 100 every day. We didn't have air last summer and I almost lost my mind.
 

DamaNegra

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Michoacán also has some very pretty lakes that are worth seeing :)

I'd be wary of the temperatures, too. I don't know Farenheit because I use Celsius, but in the nort of Mexico temperatures in summer often reach 40+ degrees celsius. The same thing happens on the south, although there is a difference between the humid heat in the south and the dry heat up north, depends on which you find more bearable.
 
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