We are a different bunch of folks, those of us who have expatriated to Baja Sur, Southern Baja. It takes a certain kind of person to live here after living and working in the US. In my opinion, one must commit to embracing a new reality, and not being too idealistic. As Dorothy told her dog, Toto, “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Some are here for reasons they don’t care to discuss; they may be evading the law, taxes, or who knows what? The majority of us gringos are retirees, but there are younger people who don’t have an obvious income; they make their money trimming marijuana buds up norte—north of the border, in the US. They leave every year for the harvest, make a pile of money over the course of a few months, and return to a simple life of hanging out on the beach and surfing. But most of us are here because we are retirees who are sun and beach lovers, ready to slow our pace down.

 

Other lucky part-timers are the retirees or middle-aged sunbirds who own houses in more than one country. They work hard for the privilege to come and go as much as their jobs allow, usually missing the hot time of the year when the water, humidity and temperature numbers are lo mismo—the same. That is when it’s too damn hot and sweaty and you can’t get yourself into the kitchen to make a real meal because you can’t bear to be near a burner or an oven. After all, you are living in one! One woman I know confesses to only being able to make and eat ice cream in August. Are you thinking of moving here? If you can slow down, overlook lots of litter, do without paved roads, a legitimate police force, and other things that high taxes would pay for, you might be a candidate for residence here.

There are many wonderful things about living here, but make no mistake—challenges abound. Life here in Baja Sur can be so enigmatic. To get mail here, you must be willing to pay for what you used to get for free. Get out your wallet. Mailbox, Etc. in Todos Santos is what we use. We share our little box with three other people, and the annual fee for our portion is $175.00. Our delivery mailbox address is in California. After it is processed in the USA, the Mailbox, Etc. company loads their truck with mail and drives it to Cabo San Lucas. After it is processed in Cabo, it makes its way to Todos Santos, taking generally about two weeks from the time it is mailed to our box in California. Maybe it isn’t a truck they load our mail in; maybe it’s a donkey!

We can receive letters, bills, books (if they aren’t in too big a box) and magazines. No internet shopping for us anymore. Would you like to buy something as mundane as stainless steel screws? Have fun procuring them here in anything but a small package for a high price, if you can find them at all. Yes, there is a Costco in Cabo San Lucas; there is a Home Depot too. These establishments retain similarities to their counterparts in the States, but forget your expectations of true sameness.

If you are accustomed to buying anything and everything your little heart desires, don’t move here. Or be willing to have it shipped. Again, get out your wallet. The duty and shipping charges add another 30% to your purchase. My budget does not easily tolerate these expenditures. It is a lot like living on an island, because all the goods are trucked or shipped here, adding to the cost. Many items you may want are not in existence here.

This has been an eye-opener for us. We were naive when we dreamed of finding a cheaper cost of living by moving here. I recently spent six days in San Diego and had many experiences with friendly and helpful customer service—in Von’s grocery store, the US Bank, the CVS drug store, the Apple Store, Starbucks, Macy’s and Target. It was such a marked difference from what I have become accustomed to in The Baja in only four years, I felt shocked. When I lived in the US, I took all of this for granted.

For the most part, I cannot attest that customer service is part of the culture here. One exception: some restaurants here have satisfactory service. We frequent a small, outdoor restaurant in El Pescadero called Los Poblanos. They have the true spirit of extraordinary customer service. Their food is good, the prices are right, and the wait staff is friendly. Plus, they actually anticipate our needs. Another favorite of ours is in Todos Santos: La Casita, Tapas and Wine. The food is as good as anything we’ve ever had. You can expect good service too, but the prices equal the fabulous dishes they prepare, so it’s more of a special occasion restaurant for us.

In my short list of worthy places, it is only fair to include The Hotel California in Todos Santos. While the Eagles may not claim to have ever been there, and they say they didn’t write their song about it, it remains a big tourist attraction. I have to admit I did not expect the restaurant to be so wonderful. Their pear pizza (yes! pear!) is to die for. The hotel, restaurant and gift shop are worth the trip. I’m sad to report that excellent customer service is not the norm for most businesses here. Muchas gracias, Los Poblanos, La Casita and Hotel California!

One friend of mine says, “Sometimes Baja bites!” And that is definitely true. We have been robbed twice. Once we were only away from our house for an hour to have dinner at a friend’s house. One of the first people we met here told us, “Living here teaches you to let go—of your preconceived notions, prejudices, your possessions, and your money.” As for us, we are learning to navigate life here. Sometimes it is annoying. The arduous process to get a contract for an internet modem from Telcel is an example. I had to fill out two legal sized pages and get three letters of recommendations from other Telcel customers. All of this and they still require you to pay for the service ahead of time. It was news to me that there was never any intention of giving me service without prepay. That is fine, but why did we have to go to all that effort and time if you have to prepay for their service? The process took six grueling weeks.

From time to time we are saddened and disappointed. For instance, it is depressing to come home and find your house torn apart and everything of value gone. It is commonplace to find beer cans, plastic bottles, dirty diapers, and used condoms (seriously!) littering the beach. How discouraging!

 Other occasions feel like happy escapades. There is nothing like catching your first marlin in the waters so close to home, or coming across the tracks of a mother tortuga–turtle who has made a nest for her eggs and many weeks later coming back to find 70 newly hatched turtles and witnessing their arduous journey from nest to ocean.

I can sit on my deck and watch ballenas–whales– during their migration. The thrill of seeing a whale spouting, slapping its tail, or lifting completely out of the ocean and landing with a huge splash cannot be equaled. Continually during their time here in our local waters we are joyful spectators to their antics.

Taking it all into account, I believe that being here full-time takes stamina. Of course it helps to speak Spanish, or to be willing to learn the language.

In the States you may be accustomed to seeing signs in businesses that proudly announce, “Se habla español—We speak Spanish.” The converse is not true in Baja. There are no signs that say, “We speak English,” though many of the locals do speak English and they are always willing to help us. In fact, it has been hard to learn Spanish because there are so many people here who speak English. We have been a bit lazy as a result, though we did take classes for six months and know enough to muddle along. I promised myself to learn more and now I need to follow through.

You may feel like I’ve been doing a bit of whining. After all, nobody forced me to move here. How can I complain? While you may still be participating in the nine-to-five thing, I am retired. I live by the ocean, and get out of bed and go to sleep listening to the sound of waves crashing on the beach.

I am greeted most mornings with gorgeous sunrises.

Evenings reward me with some of the prettiest sunsets I’ve ever experienced. And I’ve seen the green flash numerous times!

I walk on the beach everyday and fritter my time away doing mostly what I want to do. I write, read, listen to music on my iPod, paint, take photos, swim, have dinner parties, and I do love my life. I am blessed, and I am grateful for the good (and the not-so-good). Mi vecino— my neighbor—puts it this way, “We all have good Mexico days, and bad Mexico days.” 

 My refrain is, “Let’s hope the good days outnumber the bad ones.” And they do!

We all make choices. Sometimes we don’t know enough about what we are getting ourselves into.This post is in response to the many who have asked me about living here. I figure most people already understand the paradise aspect. If I enlightened anyone about some of the challenges of existence here, I’ve fulfilled my commitment to be honest as I share my experiences.

What I’m after in my life is a balance. With an appreciation for reality—sweet and sour—I am keeping my dream alive.

Todo bien—it’s all good.