So we were originally thinking we were going to take up residence in the central highlands near a lake. This is because we both love the water and I hate the heat. And the humidity. Really, really, really hate it. In the summer here I get fussy and a little hard to live with, and I tend to hide in the air-conditioned indoors as much as humanly possible. It can take a crowbar to get me out of the house. There are many problems with this, but the biggest is that I like being outside.
Being pragmatic, we had eventually focused on an area south of Guadalajara. The weather is great, there are a couple of lakes, the area is fairly densely populated and has all the benefits that come with that - improved infrastructure, high speed internet access, quality medical care, choices in shopping, choices in housing, good restaurants, culture, and social opportunities. Oh, and importantly, a good potential customer pool.
We’re both aces at research and we set about intelligence gathering like we go about any other project - like starving dogs who just found a box of Ritz crackers. We felt we were starting to get a pretty good handle on the situation and figuring out which things we needed to investigate in person.
I know Chuck wanted to live at the beach. I mean, what else do you picture when a person says, “we’re running away to Mexico” except sitting on the beach, lazing away, drinking a Pacifico, and watching the sunset? (In my case, add a laptop to that beach scene.) His family always rented a beach place in Corpus every summer, and I know he was imagining sand between his toes and deep sea fishing. He reconciled himself to trips to the beach, which isn’t really all that far away from our chosen spot, on weekends and vacations. In short, he loves me and wants me to be happy.
Imagine his surprise when he came home the other day and I said, “I did some checking on the property prices in Acapulco. They’re not bad.” If he had been my dog, the tips of his ears would have shot up in the air. He quickly put his things away, opened his laptop, and started Googleing “Mexico Pacific Coast”. He did ask me why I was considering other places. I gave him a list of practical reasons, but it all pretty much boils down to I want to live at the beach, too. Practicality be damned. If we’re running away to a foreign country to live and work, it may as well be paradise.
After another flurry of research, we are now targeting Mazatlan. It is a relaxed community with all of the practical benefits we are looking for. And its on the beach.
Overcast 63 oF • 17 oC