Customer Reviews

Head for Mexico: The Renegade Guide

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you had your little heart set on another warm and fuzzy Living In Mexico On Umpty Five Dollars a Month treatise......"ya better ride on, partner, cuz this ain't it!". Don Adams just ain't that kind of writer and Head for Mexico is not the kind of book that will be irrelevant or out of date next month if the dollar/peso exchange rate fluctuates 15%.

What really gives Don Adams a leg up, and also makes this book somewhat unusual, is that he actually knows what he's writing about. Yes, he really lives permanently in Mexico and has for some time. In this day of quickie, formula written guides to almost everything, that's a pretty unique concept! Don has been visiting Mexico on a regular basis since the 1960s. Don has crossed the border more times than many of the restaurant workers in El Paso, TX. Don has personally dealt with Immigration, Customs, auto importation permits, permits for your pets, monthly government checks, banks, ATM cards, credit cards, travelers checks, doctors, hospitals, prescription drugs, Realtors, rental agents, grocery shopping, and, of course, the fine art of street corner taco stand dining al fresco. (Donnie's dining habits are a bit more adventurous than most of us.) He also tells you what you can bring, what you can't bring, what you don't need to bring, and a few things that maybe you should bring.

Having been a "Special Education" teacher back in real life, Uncle Donnie is well qualified, both professionally and psychologically to "splain" things to us expats and those desiring to join our ranks. As most of you already suspect, folks who willing entertain the idea of leaving their mother country, their families, their friends, and whatever other social support system they have in order to move to a foreign country with a different language, different customs, different culture, different laws, and where you are pretty much responsible for your own actions, are a little dingy anyway. Authorities generally agree that most of us are, at best, 4 or 5 degrees out of phase. Uncle Donnie has taken this into consideration and, realizing that most of us have serious learning disabilities and are attention span challenged, added a little humor.

Well, actually, he added a lot of humor. Reading Head for Mexico is the first time I have ever chuckled my way through instructions on dealing with Immigration or clearing Customs. Either activity can be a harrowing experience if you are not prepared, or don't have the proper attitude. Accept Uncle Donnie's Good Old Boy, Down Home humor for what it is; an initial inoculation necessary for your healthy survival in Mexico. It's his way of suggesting that if you are lacking in patience, or do not possess an active sense of humor, you just might consider moving to Sun City, AZ instead of Mexico. The Mexican people are warm, friendly, courteous, understanding, and very forgiving. However, Mexican Customs (Aduana) Officers or Immigration (Migra) officials do not always deal kindly with arrogance, deceit, rudeness, or pomposity.

Uncle Donnie's book is much more than just a beginner's guide on how to get to, and successfully cross into Mexico. Head for Mexico is a very complete manual that includes most every aspect of daily life you're likely to encounter here in Mexico once you settle in. Maybe, as a way of validating his own observations and experiences, Uncle Donnie enlisted the aid of a small cadre of other experienced expats to offer up their personal tales of passage to Paradise. This eclectic little band of unindicted co-conspirators is a pretty decent demographic representation of the Gringos living here in Mexico. These contributors include:
A single, divorced, middle aged, mother of two grown children, retired from a high pressure 80 hour a week job in California. She now writes and lectures on her time schedule and terms.
A retired business man and his wife from Texas who seem to having the time of their lives remodeling their new home and generally just enjoying themselves.
A single male who supports himself teaching English as a second language and tells you how you can do it too.
Another single woman who came down here 14 years ago, sick, depressed, confused and has somehow managed to support herself and build a new life. She recently returned from her High School reunion in a small town in Iowa. She couldn't wait to get back SOTB. She also writes for several local publications and a couple of online magazines.

Although, Head for Mexico is a complete guide in itself, Uncle Donnie included enough additional reference material to keep you busy for the rest of your natural life. Appendix I contains names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, websites, and or e-mail addresses for over 160 valuable resources for information about various aspects of visiting or living in Mexico. Most are free, a few are not.

Speaking of free or not, when you buy Head for Mexico, what you see, is what you get. Uncle Donnie ain't selling anything else here. He doesn't sell real estate. He isn't pimping for a monthly or quarterly "newsletter". The book doesn't ask you to buy additional "information packets". When you finally get to page 342, there is no pitch for you to send $19.95 to some pigeon drop P.O. Box in East Amboy, NJ for a poorly shot, amateurish video tape of beautiful Mexico. When you lay down your $23.95 USD for a copy of Head for Mexico, you get the whole enchilada. (Yes, pun intended.)

Oh, did I mention, it's a really funny book. I'm glad I got to read the manuscript. I only wish this book had been available a year ago when Patty and I first started to plan our move to Mexico. It could have saved us a lot of anguish and anxiety.

Jack Wolfe
jmwolfe@mexconnect.com

Thinking about the move to Mexico, I saw this book recommended in more than a few places on the internet. What an awesome recommendation it was!

Don's writing style is frequently irreverent, yet always helpful. He's not selling anyone on moving south of the border. In fact, he seems more than willing to scare off those who may not be well suited for the move.

His descriptions of the places of Mexico, and the process of getting to them, could be described as adventurous and fun or downright scary, depending on the point of view the reader brings to the book. Anectotal and funny, yet never skimping on information. He provides tons of it in his book, and directs you to more much more of it thru organizations, the internet, or other publications. The appendixes alone are worth the price of the book, if information is all you're looking for. But the playful style in which he writes will encourage you to swallow a lot of that info all at once. You won't want to put it down.

I still think I want to retire in Mexico. Perhaps more than ever.

I had to comment on Don's book for two reasons. First, his cantankerous style is laugh-out-loud funny and will end up making you feel better for having read his book. Secondly, Don was very kind in responding to an email I sent him, as a fellow expat, that was helpful in a time of great personal need. He is a star in my book and I want you to buy ten copies each of his for Christmas presents!

Doug Bower
Author--The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico

I found this book to be incredibily helpful. It is packed with online resources that would take many months to find. But most of all, it makes you take a long hard look at WHY MEXICO on a personal level. There are several testimonies of brave souls who have made the leap and survived to share their experiences.
Maybe, just maybe, your expectations and motivations for living in Mexico are NOT well thought and well founded! This book makes you look long and hard at who you are, and what you will find once you get there. Additionally, Mr. Adams wonderful sense of humor makes the information fun to read. If you are thinking about heading for Mexico. . .this one is a must!!

I'll admit that when I started reading this book I didn't think I was going to like it. After a while though I really got into it and couldn't wait to get a chance to read it. It's funny and packed full of information on all things Mexican an expat should be concerned with. All of this information is woven in deeply into the chapters, paragraphs, and words that you'll end up dog-earing and highlighting all over the place. I wish some of this information was in a supplemental appendix and in a different format so that it would be easier to find. With the way the book is written you'll have to read it thoroughly and make notes and mark pages to be able to later find the information you're looking for.
Overall this is a great book and I highly recommend it.

I have been doing a little bit of research on moving to mexico and in my research I found several references to Don Adams Guide. I was so excited about reading the Renegade Guide after hearing all the good reviews. While the book was comprehensive and entertaining, it was a tad bit elementary. If you've traveled to Mexico more than once in your lifetime, you probably already know much of the information that was provided in the Guide. I was hoping for a more in-depth and enlightening book. This book is more geared towards those who are not familiar with Mexico at all, and for those who are considering retiring there...not relocating with a family of 4.

Hola, I loved this book and have learned so much about living in Mexico that I feel like I have already been living there for a year!! Don Adams' writing is like you are right there talking with him and he doesn't mince words about anything and everything. An honest in your face book that covers every single thing you could ever want to know and a whole a lot more that you didn't know you needed to know. Some things will shock you and I am so glad I know about them. Written in a style that is so easy to read and keeps you laughing, too. Fabulous - you don't want to put it down. You will love this book and will want to keep it forever. This is the best book on living in Mexico that I have ever read - you don't need to buy any more books about this subject - just this one! And I will be moving either to Ajijic in the Lake Chapala area or San Miguel de Allende very soon. Tough choice as both towns in the mountains are marvellous! Thanks Don Adams! Adios

Don't go to Mexico before you read this book!
Lots of needed information provided in a humorous manner. Mr. Adams provides needed insight into the culture of the Mexican people, because it is so important if you plan to live among them. Detailed info about all the legal issues, necessary paperwork, etc, is included with websites listed for those who have other questions. For every area of interest, there are websites and phone numbers listed. This makes his book timeless because information can be easily located, and that's why you buy a book like this - to find information that otherwise is very difficult to find.

While there may be a few facts of interest or use in this book, for the most part anyone who has travelled in Mexico or done any research on moving there will probably already know most of the contents of this book. What bothered me most about it was the fact that the author is sexist, always addressing the reader as if he were male and not possibly a female ('you and the missus', 'sweet cheeks' referring to one's female mate, etc...). Also, much of the information is out-of-date (e.g. the author states that paying $600/month rent is far too much). If you buy this book, be prepared to wade through most of it in search of information relevant to you.

This is an excellent, detailed, and humourous nuts-and-bolts instruction manual for anyone in the USA or Canada planning to move to Mexico. Don't leave home without it!