I have been to Jo berg twice. The last time being 3-years ago. Each visit was not pleasant as being in the city reminded me of being in Northern Ireland in the early 1980’s. I was in the British military and engaged in various bits and bobs in the most dangerous village in the country (based upon the number of security forces who lost there lives there). The reason I mention this is the ‘vibe’ in Jo Berg is exactly the same as it was in Northern Ireland’s ‘murder central’. The only exception is i was walking around without the comfort of a weapon in my hands and three other desperados backing me up (we operated in 4 man teams). I have had a look at the ‘scores’ section on Jo Berg and it is in no way representative of the situation on the ground. Whether you are an expat nomad or a whatever please understand that Jo Berg is not a place to go ‘sight seeing’ in unless you have a couple SUV’s rammed with black water personnel following you. Joking aside there are better places to live in Southern Africa.
Pros and Cons of Living in Guadalajara, Mexico
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Pros of Living in Guadalajara
Affordable to live Warm now Warm all year round Good air quality on average Nomad List members liked going here a lot Many Nomad List members here all year round Very easy to make friends Easy to do business Roads are pretty safe Democratic Safe for women Very friendly to LGBTQ+ Not many people smoke tobacco
Cons of Living in Guadalajara
No freedom of speech Not very safe Pretty slow internet Not much to do Feels crowded Quality of education is low Hospitals are not that great People don't speak English well Not family friendly -
Guadalajara did seem like a great city with beautiful statues and cathedrals amazing food, very nice people. Unfortunately my trip was cut short, I only stayed half a week. On day 3 of my stay I was mugged at knife point on Av Miguel five blocks from Av Chapultepec, thankfully they only stole my phone and I was left unharmed. Nevertheless this shook me a little bit and, along with the Nov 18 security advisory for Guadalajara and the recent cartel activity in Cancun, had me decide to cut my losses and leave. I will definitely be back in a year or two when things calmed down a bit though.
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No... I feel very safe in Guadalajara. Have you been watching Narcos on Netflix?
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Spent one month living and discovering Guad and area. Walked bussed and Uber when necessary. NEVER felt unsafe. My Spanish is very basic and yet was able to communicate. Friendly and helpful people! Amazing for such a large city!
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I spent ten months in Guadalajara from roughly December 2020 to September 2021. By the end I personally had enough of being in a city, but it was nothing particular to Guadalajara compared to any other city of a comparable size. I really appreciated the cost of living here and the great vegan/vegetarian options for eating. I also greatly enjoyed the vast amounts of cheap fresh ripe fruit here like pitaya, en español “ tunas” a cactus fruit, coconuts, and mango. If you have access to a car, there are some beautiful canyons north of the city about 30 minutes. They’re especially beautiful during the rainy months. It’s also about 6 hours in a BlaBlaCar and less than 50 to go to puerto Vallarta or San Francisco on the beach. (second more recommended). If you stay in the northern/eastern parts of the city and the more well off areas, safety is never really a problem. The most I was wary of is getting my phone grabbed which happened to some friends while I was there. The basic rule of thumb is to not have valuables out in crowded areas and when using your phone, hold it with two hands close to your chest away from the street edges. I never felt like I was in physical danger or heard stories of any of my friends feeling like that. It is advisable to not go walking at night especially as a women. But I didn’t get the sense that it was especially dangerous to do so. Just generally a good idea. Talpalpa is a mountainous town outside of the city which was my favorite place to go to be in nature. It costs about 50 usd to hire a driver to go there. Flights around Mexico usually cost less than 100 usd. If you ever want to go to San Diego to or from, a tip is to head into tiajuana as it’s half the price in my experience. Beyond that, the yoga scene is surprisingly strong and there are an abundance of studios. There are some parks and a lot of the streets in the richer areas are lined with very old trees, but I personally felt a bit lacking in the nature area since I didn’t have access to a car. There is a strong expat community there. Check out the Mexpats group on Facebook to connect. Clubs are decent. Music scene is also decent.
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Great place. My fifth time here. Nice weather all year around and good food. Prices are good as well and internet has been consistently fast. Before you go look up the neighbourhood as some places aren't safe.
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Lived here for 4 months and counting in Americana near Chapultepec. Of course this isn't representative of the entire city of Guadalajara. There are some places you definitely should not go as a tourist or nomad. But my experience living in this part of town has been pretty amazing overall. Very walkable, tons of nomad-friendly cafes everywhere, great restaurants and unique bars on every block. It seems like an underrated place for DNs. Downtown Tlaquepaque is a cool spot to go out, and there are several big shopping malls in nicer areas of the city.
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Is it like cartel everywhere?
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I have lived all over the world the past 12 years and i have to say that Guadalajara or Zapopan where i live is my biggest favorite so far of all places. I have lived in Sweden Gibraltar, Mauritius, Dubai, Australia, Spain, Panama, Costa Rica, Serbia, Montenegro and the US and now recently moved to Mexico and love this city more than Mexico City and Monterrey which i also tried before Guadalajara. Its a modern and bustling metropolitan city with the feel of a small town charm and has everything you need and friendly people that give first class service and even try to speak english. Go check it out you wont regret it!!
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