All right welcome back to the channel.
My wife and I have visited 14 different cities in Mexico over the past six months,
and in this video we're going to explain which of the cities
we've been to we think would be best for your personality.
Do you have a very creative or artistic personality?
Are you an extrovert? Are you an introvert?
Do you have more of an adventurous personality?
We've got the right city picked out for you to match up with
whatever personality or interests you have.
Let's get started!
Okay let's start with a city for those who are very creative.
Maybe you're very artistic you enjoy creating art.
Or maybe you enjoy admiring artwork other people have created.
Or maybe you're very musical.
In that case we're going to recommend San Miguel de Allende as the best.
First of all there are art galleries all around the city that you can check out
with paintings, sculptures and other types of artwork.
There are also beautiful murals and street art all around the city.
San Miguel de Allende has many art and music classes and schools that cater to expats.
The architecture of the city itself is, I think, worthy of being classified as a work of art.
And so we just think San Miguel de Allende is the perfect city for those who are creative.
Okay what if you have more of an academic personality?
You enjoy learning, you appreciate history, you want kind of just that intellectual atmosphere.
Then we're going to recommend Guanajuato.
First of all this is a university town so you will see college students.
And I don't know it just feels like there's a scholarly atmosphere here.
One of the classiest theaters is here in Guanajuato.
The outside of this theater has some interesting sculptures from Greek mythology.
And something else interesting about this city is that it was designed with pedestrians in mind,
and that's because many of the city streets are actually built in tunnels
under the city and that means there is more room for walking on the streets.
This is a genius idea that took a lot of planning.
The next place to live in Mexico is going to be for extroverts.
Let's say you prefer a large amount of social engagement with other people.
In that case we're going to recommend Ajijic and Chapala in the state of Jalisco.
Now if you learn Spanish you can socialize anywhere in the country,
and we definitely recommend learning some Spanish in integrating into the local society.
But if you're looking for a large
English-speaking community then Lake Chapala has your name written all over it.
There are literally thousands of people who have come from the US and Canada for retirement
and have decided to make this part of Mexico their home,
for many reasons: the great weather, the cost of living
although expensive for Mexico it's still cheaper than the US and Canada.
And of course one of the biggest things
that's attractive to retired expats here is the community.
One of the easiest ways to socialize and connect with people is to join the Lake Chapala Society.
There are all kinds of social groups here to suit your interests,
from exercise classes, athletic groups,
art classes, Spanish language classes, bridge and card games.
The number of activities organized by the Lake Chapala Society is enormous.
We took three different classes on cooking Mexican dishes.
We learned so much about the Mexican food but it was also a great way to connect with other expats.
And my wife Emily even took a class on Mexican manners where she learned
how to interact with the local people in a polite and culturally sensitive way.
Okay next is for those with a cosmopolitan personality
and what I mean by that is you love the big city lifestyle.
In other words you enjoy the fast pace, the busyness,
and the activity of a large metropolitan area.
We have three recommendations for you, one of course is going to be Mexico City.
Not only is this by far the biggest city in Mexico
but it's one of the biggest cities in the entire world.
It has the abundance of entertainment activities that you would expect from a large city.
It's got Chapultepec park which is one of the world's largest and best city parks.
The Mexico City metro system is very easy to use and extremely affordable,
one of the world's cheapest subway systems.
It's also surprisingly easy to find neighborhoods
that are relatively safe from crime in Mexico City.
Our second recommendation for big city life is Puebla.
This city is just a few hours away from Mexico City.
It's of course smaller than the capital but still offers many of the big city type conveniences,
but not quite as much traffic or air pollution.
Puebla has a lot going for it.
It's got a really pleasant zocolo area and some spectacular views of the surrounding volcanoes.
And the third city we're going to recommend is Guadalajara.
This is Mexico's seventh largest city.
The historical city center rivals that of the larger Mexican cities,
the transportation system is also adequate and easy to use,
and we personally had a great experience with the healthcare that is available in Guadalajara.
All right so we gave a recommendation for extroverts but what about introverts?
Or if you're looking to escape from people from the United States and Canada.
Really you could choose any non-touristy place in Mexico.
We recommend two such places, one of them being Villahermosa in the state of Tabasco.
This is a larger city and the city's main cathedral completely towers over the city.
It is enormous.
And I know there are some foreigners here but there
are not as many as other places we have mentioned so far in this video.
And our second recommendation is going to be Acayucan in the state of Veracruz.
This is a charming smaller town, it's got a beautiful central plaza especially at night,
and it's got some cultural diversity but you won't find many foreigners here.
Next we're going to recommend a couple of places for the party goer,
someone who really enjoys an act of nightlife or a really festive atmosphere,
and we're going to start with Campeche.
This city really seems to get going after dark,
maybe because it's hot during the day and starts to cool off after sundown.
There's one particular street in Campeche, Calle 59, that is the place to go for some night life.
The street is closed to traffic after dark
and there are a lot of bars and restaurants that get started after sunset.
There are also some nighttime shows.
A light show at the fort and then another light show on the malecon
involving fountains synchronized to music.
And our second recommendation for the party goer is of course going to be Cancun.
If you've ever heard anything about Mexico you know Cancun has one of the country's
biggest reputations for those coming to Mexico just to have a good time.
Plenty of bars and nightlife here.
Okay what if you have the personality of a nervous nelly
that is you might have some anxiety about coming to Mexico.
Maybe because of the reports of crime that you hear about,
then we're going to recommend Merida.
This city has a reputation for being the safest large city in Mexico.
We walked all around the city
day and night without any fears or worries about our safety or security.
In fact it's not only the safest city in Mexico but according to one statistic,
it is the second safest city in all of North and South America,
second only to Quebec City in Canada.
So if you really want to experience Mexico but are hesitant, Merida is the place for you.
Although I also want to mention that all of Mexico in general is probably safer than you think,
but the security situation anywhere in the world can change quickly,
so you always want to research the latest security information before going somewhere.
The next recommendation is going to be someone with a very adventurous personality.
You really like to get out there and have some outdoor adventures
or you're into adventure sports.
Then we think Bacalar hits the spot.
First of all you got to look at where we stayed when we went to Bacalar.
Our lodge was very rustic, very exotic, and we think a little bit adventurous.
But the outdoor activities here are numerous.
Bacalar is on a beautiful lagoon where there is kayaking if that floats your boat.
There are cenotes in the area which are giant
sinkholes filled with water where you can go swimming,
and some of the cenotes even have underwater caves
if your level of adventure is up to that magnitude.
And finally we want to recommend the city that we think is the best all-around place in Mexico,
the place we think has it all, and that is Oaxaca.
I could say so much about Oaxaca.
It's got great food,
it's home to Mexico's famous mole which are sauces made from some pretty exotic ingredients.
It's got some great archaeological sites, some of the best in Mexico in fact.
And it's got such friendly people, a great historical center with
beautiful churches, plenty of celebrations all around.
We suggest you check out the video we made just about Oaxaca
and you can see the link to that video on the screen there.
So there you have it folks.
Now I know you might be thinking that we missed some cities, and we did,
and that's because we only included cities that we actually
visited during the last six months here in Mexico.
But what other cities would you add to our list for specific personalities?
Please leave a comment below, I'm sure it would be helpful to others to hear your opinion too.
We have more videos from Mexico coming soon so be
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