Day off with the girls - Komchen

Even though we have been a two car family for a few months now, I still feel that we only have one car. Real estate had been keeping us so busy that I just had to have my own car, there are times that we need it for clients, as they tend to come en mass, and times that I just wanted to run to the store by myself. I never dreamed that I wouldn't have my own car when we moved here. I bought my first car at 14 and have had one ever since. Things change when you move to Mexico! Many couples share a car, others don't have a car at all. Anyway Doug's truck has been in and out of the shop recently and he has been using my car. I was starting to get cabin fever and ready to have a little "me" time, when Marlene mentioned that she and Barbara Bell were going off to a little village to buy some plants. Boy was I in! We left Chelem around 9 am and headed off to Komchen. Komchen is a small village/puebla about 40 minutes from here down winding, narrow. back roads. It is a town so small that I didn't see a gas station or restaurant, just a few small tiendas and houses.

This is leaving Chelem and crossing the lagoon, it's always a great day in paradise when you see flamingos!

As we entered into Komchen there were flowers blooming everywhere.


The nursery was across the street from a small tienda, you had to walk through a field and hang a right. If you didn't know it was there you would never find it.

It was like walking through a jungle maze....


Marlene and the owner

My favorite! Barbara picked out a truckload literally, of plants, 3 royal palms that were probably 12 foot tall each, less than $15 each. We filled the back of the truck with a variety of different tropical plants for under $80.


Hot, thirsty and hungry we walked across the street to the tienda which we had heard served lunch.



Check out the homemade brooms and squeegies!

There were only 3 small tables so we ended up sharing with some very nice Mexican gentlemen. Barbara is so happy with all her plants, she just can't stop smiling.




Barbara and I each had a plateful of fried chicken, boneless breast, hammered and breaded, served with rice, salad, tortillas and a soft drink.

Marlene had meatballs in a some kind of soup with spaghetti noodles and fresh herbs. Total for all three of us, less than $12.


Time to load up the truck and head back to Chelem

Most of the way home there wasn't a lot to see, just jungle and narrow roads, but, we all thought these arches were kinda cool. I always wonder, who lived here, where are they now, what did they do?






We came to another little town as we were on our way home, I think it was Caucel, but don't quote me on that. This little boy was so cute, just sitting there all by his self, smiling, happy with the world.





A very common form of transportation here in the Yucatan. Maybe if I buy one of these, Doug won't be using it all the time!


Ahhhhhh as we cross back over to paradise and my own little world...... another pink flamingo.

What a great day! Everything here is about the journey, not the destination. Here we have time to stop and enjoy life. We live in such a beautiful place, full of wonderful people, how blessed I am! I talk to clients all the time, their world is hectic, it's getting cold, it's raining and snowing. Here it's snowing sunshine! Till next time, I'm just chillin' in Chelem.

WHY BUY PROPERTY IN THE YUCATAN?

Doug and I left the US a little over six years ago, off on the great adventure! We lived in Playa Del Carmen for 3 1/2 years and it was wonderful! The ocean is gorgeous, 5th Avenue was always exciting and fun with lots of shopping, restaurants and bars. However it grew faster than we did, we loved it when it was smaller and had a more close knit community, but being of the baby boomer generation we were looking for something slower, with a strong expat community, great medical care and a more laid back atmosphere. So.....we thought we would try out Cozumel. When we moved there I remember saying, "I'm living the American dream, everybody wants to live on an island." Sounds good doesn't it? Well believe me after awhile I had island fever, I wanted to be able to get in my car and drive, and not just in a circle, so back to Playa. But when we moved back we remembered why we had left, there were condos springing up on every corner, the rent was twice what it was when we left and driving into town and parking was a thing of the past. The cost of living was comparable to what we had left behind in the states, Playa had gotten too big, too fast. So while sitting around having a few cocktails we decided to try another country, how about Belize? It was still close to Mexico which we loved, they spoke English, and it's beautiful. We took a couple trips across the border and discovered Ambergris Caye, another island. Our first few months there were idyllic, no cars, only golf carts on the island. No problem with communication, wide beaches with swaying palm trees and magnificent rum. However we were still in the "honeymoon" stage. Soon we realized that when it rains, and it rains alot, golf carts get stuck, they throw mud all over you, every article of clothing I had was mud stained. The crime was much worse than Mexico, people were getting stabbed, robbed and raped on a regular basis. By the time we left I wouldn't even walk around after dark by myself.

Thats when we grew older and wiser, we had bought a house in Chelem years ago. Why keep paying rent and moving around? Lets put down roots, fix up our home and live a peaceful safe life. I want to give you a list of all the reasons why this is now my permanent home. I wish that I had someone that would have done this for me originally, I could have saved alot of time and money......So here goes:

It is safe here! The state of Yucatan has one of the lowest crime rates per capita in Mexico. Violent crime a rarity almost nonexistant. A sense of tranquility and safety pervades the community. I haven't seen or don't know anyone that owns a gun, except the police. Neighbors watch out for each other here, just as we used to do back home when I was growing up. There are nights that we forget and leave the keys in the car and the back door unlocked. We have never had a problem, nor have any of my friends.

The people- The Yucatean people embrace foreigners, they aren't like many of the locals in tourist areas that have learned to prey on Americans and Canadians. They are fascinated by us and want to learn our culture and want us to experience theirs.The Yucatan is that it is primarily a family and community oriented society and there is very little juvenile crime and delinquency. For example: on weekends, instead of the youth driving around, drinking and looking for trouble; they go to the town square with their parents and family. In Merida, you can see teenagers escorting their Grandparents and even dancing with them in the Zocolo.

There is a huge expat community here in Chelem and Chuburna, we have all moved here because it is a warm and welcoming place to call home.

Health Care- Merida is only 30 - 35 minutes from the beach,

DOES MERIDA HAVE GOOD MEDICAL AND DENTAL FACILITIES?

YES! Merida has numerous hospitals that are staffed by well trained physicians, most of whom were trained in the United States. The hospitals in MeridaMexico. Wonderful, inexpensive dental work is also available in Merida. Many Americans and Canadians have been taking advantage of this for years. Also within the past five years, a growing number of Americans and Canadians have been coming to Merida for plastic surgery. We would be more than happy to refer you to competent doctors, dentists and plastic surgeons in Merida. Also Progreso, just 10 minutes from us has a hospital, Centro Americana, as well as many doctors and dentists.

Culture - If you need to get away from the beach, go to Merida! It boasts of many malls and stores that you are familiar with, Sams Club, Home Depot, Costco, Bennigans, TGIFridays etc.

Merida today has about 950,000 residents and is a very cosmopolitan city with Mayan and Spanish descendants and is an extremely cultural city with many museums, libraries, theaters, numerous universities, etc. The economy that was once based on the henequen industry is now based on tourism, agriculture and fishing plus Merida´s export business is increasing every day. Some of the items exported are honey, sisal rope, petroleum products, hammocks, fine jewelry, concentrated orange juice, fish etc.

Residents call Merida "the Paris of the West" because of it´s tree lined boulevards, colonial mansions and estates of the henequen barons of the 1800¨s. There are many things to see in and around Merida. It is an easy drive from Merida to beaches, Mayan ruins, haciendas, etc. One of the nicest things about Merida is its people. The Yucatecan people are hospitable, honest, easygoing, hard working and make wonderful neighbors.

About 2 hours from the beach is one of the new 7 wonders of the world, Chichen Itza, there are many Mayan Ruins even closer.

Properties - buying a home here along the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico is much less expensive than buying back home. There is an increasing demand for beach living, baby boomers are moving to the area, whether to the beaches or to Merida "the Paris of the west." Americans are being priced out of US markets and are losing money on their homes, here the property value has gone up approximately 30% in the past year, but are still priced within reason. There is tremendous untapped potential in Mexico. Prices are very low compared to inflated US home prices. Even the heavily developed markets have areas with opportunity for strong appreciation. It is easy to buy here, we work with English speaking attorneys and walk you through every step of the process. We have a US phone line installed in our home, you can call us directly with any questions or concerns. If you are seriously interested in making a move give us a call, 302-200-0461. Check out our website: www.mayanliving.com . Take advantage of your opportunity to live in paradise before the prices get any higher.

Warm breezes and cold beers coming at ya!

Books and Reading in Paradise

As of all you that know me know, I am an avid reader, I'll read most anything, cereal boxes, spanish newspapers whatever. Whenever I have friends coming to visit I always beg for books. It is really hard here to find current books in English and I bemoan the fact to my poor husband daily. I have been under the weather since Sunday, bedbound and down, this isn't supposed to happen in Paradise! Being able to do nothing but sleep and read I have now gone through every book I have thats worth a darn. When my friend First Mate Mary was here she showed me an amazing new device. Amazing at least to those of us who have been in Mexico for the past 6 years. It's called an Amazon Kindle, it allows you to download and read books of your choice whenever you want. If you are in the US it is all done wireless, here in Mexico you need to download to your computer and then to your Kindle. It automatically saves your place when you quit and is the same size or smaller than a normal paperback. You simply touch a button and it turns the "page." Wow, I think I have to have one. Unfortunately the price is bit prohibitive for those of us who live on pesos, about $359. But I will start saving up and then I'll never be without books again. I have posted a link on my blog if you are interested in buying one, if you buy it from my link it will give me a few bucks to save up for the purchase of mine and it is the same price as buying it from Amazon. In the meantime a friend of mine sent me a link to download and read the Twilight series on my laptop, if you are interested here it is:
http://janmckingley.googlepages.com/twilightmoviesandbookseriesebook2

Meanwhile here in the Yucatan, the place is jumping! The Easter week celebration is going on like crazy according to Doug. Remember, I haven't been out of the house all week to see it. Doug went in town this afternoon to try to catch up with the owner of a house that we sold a couple of weeks ago, it is getting ready to go to closing and the new owner is anxious to get some furniture moved in since they are coming down soon . The normal timeframe for a trip into town is about 2 minutes, Doug was gone over an hour, he said that traffic was bumper to bumper, the town square was full of venders, selling food, shoes, shirts, leather goods and more. There is a circus in Progreso and Doug saw 9 trucks go by full of white Bengal tigers, camel, lions etc. The rodeo is in full force and there is dancing in the streets. People are decked out in their finest local costumes and having a great time. Across the street at the little nine room hotel, we had a car count today of 23. What has happened to my quiet little village? But it will all be over on the 20th and peace and quiet will reign again! Will try to get some pictures of the festivities to you all soon, enjoy the holidays! Warm breezes and cold beers coming at ya from the sunny Yucatan!

Everyday Life in the Yucatan, and How Safe is it Really?

Before I get started on crime and everyday life here in the Yucatan I want to wish my son Justin, a very Happy Birthday! This time 25 years ago he came into my life and changed it forever. I am a bit sad today, wishing that I could be with him. What a wonderful son he is....love you Justin! This is my handsome son with his girl, Chrissy!


Now on to the meat of the matter! I am getting more and more questions and emails about the safety here in Chelem. I guess that it is being blasted all over the news back in the states and Canada that Mexico is crime ridden and land of the drug cartel. Mexico certainly does have it's problems as do all countries, but the Yucatan is the safest state in Mexico. Last year there were only 2 murders in the entire state. The Yucatan is very different than the border towns where violence is rampant. Here we walk the streets and beaches after dark with no fears, we don't always lock our doors and never lock our windows. Many nights I have left the keys in the car and never remembered until morning. I have absolutely never heard of rape, murder or armed robbery in my area. People please remember that there are good places and bad places everywhere, I have found one of the good ones! We are in a small town with no industry except fishing and construction, the people here are good hearted and happy with the little things in life. Here is a map to show you where Chelem is:


Here is a map of Mexico, do you see how far away the Yucatan is from the border towns?

Okay, I'll get down off my bandstand now, originally I was going to show you what I see when I take a morning walk, so here goes:

An amaryllis blooming this morning in my garden


A sea bird sunning himself on some rocks. Is this a Blue Heron?


View of the harbor from the new bridge connecting Chelem and Progreso.



And finally a sight that always makes me smile, my dog Julio after a swim and a roll in the sand!

Real Estate Listing of the Week

Check out this blue beauty, located in Chelem, along the shores of the Yucatan, Mexico.





Are you looking for a nice beachfront vacation home that is ready to move in to? This may be just the one for you! This nice Canadian owned house sits on a deep 76 by 8 meter lot that goes all the way from the road to the beach. It has a great 12' seawall that not only protects you from any storm surge but also keeps the sand from blowing into your house. This 2 bedroom, 2 bath home is loaded with features: a large partially covered ocean front terrace, heated and filtered 9 by 18 pool (beachfront), full size appliances (1 year old), hot water, new tinted aluminum windows, mini split ac in the master bedroom, laundry room, internet and phone services, satellite TV, modern wiring w/100 amp sevice, city and well water, a new tinaco and new roof in 2008. This home is ready and waiting for you to come and enjoy the beach life in the Yucatan. No shoes, no shirt, no problems! This great home is listed at $165,000 USD. It is just one of the many great properties that we have listed on our website: www.mayanliving.com .For more information feel free to call my husband, Doug or myself on our US direct phone number: 302-200-0461













Come on down and enjoy the good life south of the border!

Trip to Ticul

Doug and I have been so busy with real estate lately that we almost forgot to take some time for ourselves and enjoy paradise! So....Thursday we got up early and headed to Ticul. Ticul is village about an hour away from Merida, the capitol of the Yucatan. It is known for it's handmade pottery and shoes. Now since I've moved to Mexico I don't have much use for shoes anymore, flip flops are normally on my feet, but pottery, I can never have enough of that. It took us a couple of hours to get there, we didn't really know where we were going and Mexican maps leave a little to be desired. But it was a great trip, didn't get lost at all and saw alot of the Mexican countryside instead of the beach which is the norm for us. When we arrived, of course we didn't know where to go and I had forgotten to look up how to say "pottery" in Spanish. So we ended up at the market, very cool, lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and delicious blender drinks but no pottery! Then I decide in my infinite wisdom that they must be selling the pottery in the town centre, good idea, but no pottery. Finally we had a young Mexican man take pity on us, he jumped in our truck and took us to the street that had all the pottery shops on it. There was shop after shop, filled to the limit with handcrafted pots, figures, and everything imaginable that could be made of clay. We stayed as long as we could, our truck wouldn't hold another pot and then headed back to the beaches of Chelem. Hope you enjoy the pictures of our trip and all the goodies that Ticul offers!

Real Estate in the Yucatan

think that I've mentioned that my husband and I sell real estate here in Mexico. We work for a company called www.mayanliving.com. It is owned by an American and has been in business for the past 8 1/2 years, mainly selling homes in Merida However in the past two years the place has started to explode. Merida and the beaches of the Yucatan have been voted "Retirement Haven of the World" by International Living. This is due to many factors, the excellent health care in Merida, the beautiful beaches, and cost of living. Unlike our neighbors to the south in Central and South America the Yucatan has virtually no crime. Here it is still possible to buy your dream home at a reasonable price. The economic uncertainity world wide has in no way slowed down the market here, in fact more and more people are turning to Mexico to stretch their retirement dollars. Over and over we hear people say, " We wish we had bought 10 years ago in Playa Del Carmen"......fill in the blank with whatever place, we all have one! Well now is the time to buy here, the secret is a secret no longer. Invest in the Yucatan while it is still affordable! Check out todays featured listing! Only $225,000 USD

Living the Dream

This is the first post and a trial effort at making a blog for fun, information and a little money. After nearly 50 years of living and working in the US we decided it was time to pack up and spend the rest of our lives where it is warm and sunny, the people are nice and the rum flows freely. Sort of living the life that Jimmy Buffett sings about! We started out in Playa Del Carmen, moved over to the island of Cozumel and then to San Pedro, Belize. Finally we settled on a small village on the Gulf of Mexico called Chelem. This is a small fishing village of about 5200 people, full of local flavor, outdoor seafood restaurants, fresh fruit and vegetable markets and a laid back lifestyle. It is a place that seems to have been untouched by the hands of time. Stay tuned in to learn more about living the good life, what to expect if you move, cultural differences and making money in a foreign country.