San Carlos Unveiled: Tim Walker’s Expat Journey in Mexico

Expat Experience Ep. 7: Tim Walker

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[00:00:28] This podcast is your compass to navigating the exciting journey to San Carlos, Mexico living. Get ready to turn your relocation dreams into sun soaked reality.

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[00:00:51] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: Thank you, Rob. You know, it's, uh, fun to do. Thanks for inviting me. So,

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[00:01:10] Tell us a little bit of your, your backstory, if you could.

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[00:01:42] But a colleague of mine had moved to San Carlos and started a bible school for the Mexican community. And so being from Canada. And my work location being in Venezuela, uh, my [00:02:00] colleague Howard facilitated in between here in San Carlos, uh, location where I could continue on working with the native people of Venezuela.

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[00:02:19] Robert DeForge - Host: probably seen lots of changes. What, what kinds of things have you seen. That have changed.

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[00:02:34] Robert DeForge - Host: Well, it is a beautiful place, you have to admit, I know you've traveled throughout Latin America and San Carlos is, is very special. Uh, we have the mountains and we have the ocean. Beautiful beaches here. I feel like it's a very unique place, uh, regarding the, you know, the state of Mexico. There's a lot of beautiful places, but this is a very special place [00:03:00] and I think you probably feel the same way too.

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[00:03:08] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: Well, I have nothing to compare it to really in Mexico 'cause we haven't really explored the other parts of Mexico. But I will say that it is very unique in that it is a harmony between desert. Mountains and sea, and that creates a incredible physical landscape backdrop.

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[00:03:52] Robert DeForge - Host: Yeah. I've met people from, well, Canada, we have a big Canadian presence here. Also a lot of people from the [00:04:00] United States, but I've noticed that there are a lot more, uh, Mexican people from throughout the country that.

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[00:04:27] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: Yeah, I mean, the Mexican culture is. Just full of, uh, Fiesta. Like they love to party. They love to have fun.

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[00:05:04] Families will be, um, sitting eating food and young people will be dancing and everybody has their little, uh, spot of music. And so there's. And somehow they don't compete with each other. You walk from one to another and that's the one you hear. So it was a really fun experience.

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[00:05:33] It people show up from everywhere, selling goods and lots of food, different types of food. It's, it's really something to, uh, to see. Now I live in a g gated community here, and the people, they've come and rent homes in here, they have their own private parties, you know, within the community. So it, it becomes quite boisterous, but it, it's, uh, [00:06:00] with the Mexican culture, holidays and celebration are.

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[00:06:30] It seems like, you know, they're, they're everybody. Exactly. Everybody stops and enjoys life. And, uh, you know, it's a wonderful thing and it's one of the things that drew me to it's there, it's the sense of being present in your life and not delaying enjoying your life until you have that two week vacation or, or whatever's coming up in the future.

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[00:07:01] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: you, I'll tell you, coming from other Latin American cultures, that the Mexican culture, so what we're talking about is really an expression of the Mexican heart, which is another term for culture. And they are such a happy people, generally speaking.

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[00:07:42] Robert DeForge - Host: And the food, food is very important.

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[00:07:47] Robert DeForge - Host: Yeah. That's a, that's a central, uh, component. Tim, you and I have a mutual friend, Jorge, and when he gives us an invite to [00:08:00] come to his home, we know it's gonna be special, don't we?

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[00:08:10] It's right up at the top and yeah, you see that, you experience that.

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[00:08:29] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: 12 years? As far as changes? Um, well, the population has increased.

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[00:09:07] There's always a box full of surprise. It's not just one, but there's just a box full of new, uh, things that, that you connect with. Um, I love the fact that you can do so many things, whether, whether it's boating and fishing or beach life. Or, uh, nature or hiking or mountains? Uh, the estuary is incredible.

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[00:09:54] I mean, we didn't pick this place. We came here, like I said, because my colleague was here and it [00:10:00] provided a facility. But having lived here, we've grown to really appreciate all that it has to offer.

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[00:10:10] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: Well, you're asking the wrong person because I'm, uh, um, a loyal tennis player and, oh, what's that?

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[00:10:46] And so. So you're more of a tennis player

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[00:10:51] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: Yep. I play tennis, yes.

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[00:10:59] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: a, [00:11:00] there's a court at the athletic club. There's a nice court out at the Condominios. Bilad and there are a few other private courts. Um, in San Carlos is enough for somebody like me to be playing tennis pretty much as often as I can.

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[00:11:40] Now, would you visit, how, how many months a year are you here, Tim? Typically five. Okay. The other part of the year. Where are you?

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[00:12:02] We have a home in Canada. I'm Canadian born. Okay. Yeah.

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[00:12:15] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: Yeah, you can always find a place to rent, but as you, as you rent, uh, you obviously you have preferences and so the closer you get at finding something within your budget that suits your needs, then you just book it in advance and you hold onto it.

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[00:12:33] Robert DeForge - Host: noticed that rents have been increasing primarily with the waterfront, uh, homes and condominiums. But it seems like if you get away from the beach a block or so, the prices are still very reasonable. You mentioned, uh, living down here being like, uh, it's like going back to the good old days when you have more personal freedoms to do things and there are a lot of differences between north of the [00:13:00] border, Canada, the United States, and down here.

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[00:13:07] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: We enjoy the fact that it is a little bit more organic and old fashioned. And so those things are things that we overlook for the reward of just having that kind of freedom of life. Right.

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[00:13:26] 'cause I travel to the states quite a bit and it feels. Very sanitized and yeah, sort of prepackaged, uh, to try to attain, I don't know, some sort of perfection or an ideal of perfection, you know, perfect manicured everything, everywhere you go. And, and that's not Mexico. You can have, for instance, there's a house across the street that's a million dollar house and you know, then you have.

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[00:14:19] You know, just all of those traffic monitoring and things like that. It's, it's, it's a much different lifestyle. I had a phone call yesterday from a gentleman in Austin, Texas, and you're. Probably familiar with what happened there. Post COVID, that city exploded, and he called me, he's about 50 years old, and he said, I'm, I'm just tired of all the, everything.

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[00:15:08] That's one of the big things that drew me here is that the constant increase in government oversight and regulation. Yeah. And it just, people don't realize it. There's different descriptions of freedom. And it feels to me that north of the border, it's been a consistent creeping of taxation and permitting and et cetera, et cetera, and it just keeps growing and growing.

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[00:15:57] And I said, no, [00:16:00] that's in the United States. And I dealt with that. When I would, I would have my boat in front of my house and my neighbors would come out, you know, what, what are you doing? You know, and Mexicans are, are. Live and let live sometimes to the extreme. But overall, I think people are, are pretty courteous and, and, you know, respect people.

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[00:16:49] And he said, I don't know. And the, and the guy opened the hood and he figured out what it was, and they got the car back to the gentleman's house and he fixed a car. And then his wife [00:17:00] took everybody in the car inside. Fed them and he said that they were there for three and a half hours enjoying a meal with this family.

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[00:17:21] Tim Walker - San Carlos Expat: So it's a, and again, it's uh, you know, to the point of the Mexican culture, very high values in food and family and friendship.

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[00:17:56] Fantastic people. I love it. That's what I love. Yeah. One of the [00:18:00] things I love about Mexico.

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[00:18:03] Robert DeForge - Host: Well, Tim, is there anything else that you'd like to share? I don't wanna take up too much of your time.

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[00:18:18] I'm glad to, like I got all the time you need.

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[00:18:37] Narrator: We appreciate you joining us. Visit expat Experience podcast.com for more practical tips and insights on making your move to paradise. We are here to help navigate the process of relocating to San Carlos every step of the way. Start your journey toward living the dream in [00:19:00] Mexico.