New to the forum

Hola.  New here to the forum but have lived in Mexico full time for 11 years. I guess what put me off here was the fact only the big gringo hang outs are identified.
I live in Catemaco, Veracruz. How or where will I post a relevant idea or information given the 5 choices offered? Not even the state of Veracruz is mentioned. I mean, if it were not for Veracruz, Cortes would still be wandering around the Gulf of Mexico looking for land.

Hello tepetapan.

Welcome to Expat.com :)

Thanks.

Karen :)

You have a point. I'm in Campeche which is also not covered. I've been responding to general topics so I am actually on the forum infrequently. I suppose we could form a group called none of the above. How is it in Veracruze ?

people's idea of paradise are different. I thought living on the beach, listening to the waves break, would be perfect.  after living a block from the beach for about a year, I slowly realized it was not my paradise.
  Veracruz state is one of the largest states in Mexico and covers 2/3's or 3/4's of the Gulf of Mexico. From mountains like Orizaba, which Cortes first saw when sailing the Gulf, to beaches and jungle.
  I live in Catemaco, about 30 minutes from the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. We are located in the Los Tuxtlas mountains, not a tall mountain range but high enough to off set the extreme heat of sea level. Besides Catemaco being located on the northern most part of the rain forest, we are also home to the 2nd or 3rd, depending who writes the papers, largest fresh water lake in Mexico.
  Lakes, waterfalls by the dozen and lush surroundings, with the beach to visit only a half hour away makes this my paradise and home.
  I think adding regions of Mexico like " Pacific Coast, Gulf Coast, Yucatan and Highlands, etc." would be a great advantage to the forum.

It sounds like an interesting place. Perhaps I should take a trip that way to check it out in the coming months.
It is of course, hot here, with a dash of thunder storms. The really interesting thing about Campeche is that it, as you may know is a very old city. I spent the first two weeks here just taking photos. The heat will likely, like you, drive me in land. The plus side of that heat is that it is not an expat enclave. I know of only 3-4 people who would be considered expats and they do not live in special community.

sounds like Catemaco. Few exPats year round. A few come down for the winter season on a yearly basis, which is fun.
  i would guess 10 to 15 expats from north of the border, at most, full time, quite a few more European I would guess. The thing is you never see any of them for the most part. everyone here does their own thing and is part of the population.
  I do have a business here, since I am still a few years from retirement. a small RV park and 6 rental casitas. The RV season is fun usually, with some coming for the past 5 or 6 years. The casita side of things is a challenge since that is where I need to make money to feed the family.
   It is nice to see people who have become friends over the years and get my hands on some good, hard, cheddar cheese. Ha! And cranberries for Thanksgiving dinner that I do for everyone who is here. One couple (RVers) from Ohio stop every year for a week just to enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner. And his wife brings the best brownies I have ever eaten.

Yes,I wasn't looking for a gated Americaville either. I knew there was no expat community before I came here. That was one of the attractions. I've been here for a few months and have learned many valuable lessons like the Spanish here isn't the Spanish you would find at the border or in Spain. Due to the mix of Mayan and native tribes it's a little different and takes some getting used to. In a expat community that might not happen at all. I've read posts from Expat.coms that indicate some people have been in Mexico for a year or more and still speak no Spanish at all.I'm resurrecting the old high school Spanish and dusting it off as they say I'm getting mejor y mejor cada dia.
Many of the expats here are also European. Some Dutch, a Brit or two and some Russians traveling through. Then there are the Mennonites who don't associate with anyone unless it's for business.
It's a diverse environment.

The availability of products here was another lesson learned. It seems as you noted that some things are just not here. certain companies seem to have locked up some product, Colgate owns toothpaste,Johnson & Johnson is the to go to bug repellent etc. I did find Organic select and have them ship some products I flat out can't buy here. No hard Cheddar cheese though. I will have to make a trip back to the u.S. for some of those essentials.