Great stuff. Some serious questions though if I may, and I know they may sound silly to you….
How do you get medical and dental care
I studied Spanish from third grade through a year of college. That was over forty years ago for me. I can understand a bit still if spoken slowly enough, but certainly am not close to conversational anymore. Do I need to be.
Can you drink the water. Seriously.
I only have second hand info on medical and dental. I can tell you that there seems to be a brisk business of attracting gringos into border towns with American trained doctors and dentists. I'm sure some are better than others, but have heard several reports of very well equipped offices with American style care at very affordable costs.
My Spanish speaking skills are pretty poor. I have a lifetime subscription to Rocket language study which is good, but only if you practice. Ensenada has a fairly low percentage of English speakers. Rosarito 40 miles north is extremely popular with gringos and has a much higher percentage of English speakers. Bottom line is you can get by with a few words and phrases that are fairly easy. A little effort goes a long way. Complex conversations are impossible for me. If I buy the incorrect part or tool at a store, no way would I even attempt to return it.
Water. The Mexican water system is not designed to deliver potable water. Some areas are better than others, but tap water should always be assumed to be non-potable. Ensenada is a desert area with a lot of people. Water here is pretty bad. Larger hotels have their own water treatment facilities. Imodium is your friend.
5-gal water jugs are easily available at grocery stores and OXXO stores (a 7-11 style convenience store). Swap is around 40-pesos ($2 USD), or you can go to an ice store which has purified water and refill for about 20-pesos ($1 USD). If you want to refill tanks on your boat, most likely will be bottled water.
As you can tell, being embedded in Mexico isn't all margaritas and tacos. They do not have the same investment in infrastructure the US or Canada has. Not uncommon to have lengthy electricity, internet, or water outages. Once in Playa del Carmen, cell service was out for a day. Not uncommon to approach a traffic light and all the lights are out. Sometimes for weeks.
It's not for everybody. I have several friends who view Mexico as a dangerous place full of people who mean them harm. When they go to a taco stand, they avoid any condiments on their taco for fear of water contamination - a plain taco is as interesting as a plain hamburger with no bun. These friends enjoy all-inclusive resort style placed that present a highly curated vacation experience. Occasionally they will venture out to a restaurant with stellar Trip Advisor reviews, but only cautiously (tip: eat at the place next door).
You have to have your mind in a certain place of acceptance to travel in Mexico. Most of the street food vendors have no electricity so no refrigeration. But when you see they are only open for a few hours and everything is cooked on-site with virtually no holding time, you realize it's all good. In cities with Saturday markets, it's an amazing experience. Whole hogs are brought in and butchered early in the morning and sold within a few hours. For folks who enjoy cooking, it's fascinating to see how different cultures butcher meat- Mexicans eat the entire animal. What's particularly interesting is there is very little variation in price (in the US, some cuts are prized, others are not).
Not for every taste. But if you have a cultural curiosity abiut travel and can accept the downsides, it's a great experience.
Peter
