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1.13.2008

Please Pass the Guacamole

For the past two or three weeks Nettl and I have been tossing around an idea to go to Mérida, Mexico for a year. Because housing is dirt cheap and the currency rate is about 10 cents to the peso, we could invest a little money here, then live in the Yucatan to allow it to grow. In a year's time our move to Vienna would be a lot easier. Besides that, it would give us a year to lay back and heal after all of the traumae and crises we've been through over the past decade.

Imagine lying in a hammock during siesta, shopping in the local mercados, dancing in the streets on Sunday and being only 45 minutes from Cancún. Imagine a house whose entire back wall opens to the scent of Jasmine, citrus and wisteria.

Imagine the knife sharpener who steers his pushcart through your street every week, telling you he's there by playing a penny whistle, and who sharpens your knives right outside your front door.

Imagine the feel of cool, hand-painted pasta tiles beneath your feet and of year-round average temperatures of 87º.

Imagine living in an 150 year-old Spanish Colonial with Cuban doors that allow air circulation when closed and shutters that keep out the heat while allowing filtered light to paint the stucco walls with the tropical light.

Imagine a culture that is a lazy blending of Mexican, Caribbean and European.

Imagine a place that is GLBT friendly, where we are not only tolerated but welcomed with open arms, a place that celebrates the arts (especially classical music) and claims a large enclave of expat artists. If you want to know more, watch House Hunters International on Monday the 21st at 10:00pm (CST) on HGTV.

Winter being my favorite season, I couldn't live in paradise forever, but a year wouldn't suck!

9 comments :

  1. Sounds like a wonderful place. Except for the fact that it is in Mexico. lol Just kidding. I'm going to try to catch that House Hunters episode. Thanks.

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  2. I'm gong to have to stop reading your blog... making me unhappy where I am considering where I could be! :-)

    How about Belize?

    I read the link and just love this on the first page...
    "...if you seek some familiarity, the Merida WalMart is well stocked and also has a food-court."

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  3. Betty: Oh, but the Yucatan isn't the arid Mexico, it's tropical.

    GLS: Yep, WalMart, Sam's, Sears... Kinda makes it a bit less intimidating. And Belize is next door.

    Monty: Consider yourself the owner of an open-ended pass.

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  4. Sea kayaking is wonderful near Cancun, too!

    I second your choice. I want to get out of this corrupt country in the worst way. I don't foresee anything improving here, even after the November election and I'm out of patience waiting for the U.S. to improve. (I'm also tired of waiting to find out if I still have a job and worrying about what will happen if I find out I don't, since Michigan has the highest unemployment rate and the lousiest job market in the nation.)

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  5. Hi Steph,
    As you are originally from Southern California as I am, why not move back to Solvang or to Ventura?
    You' have that mild Southern California climate and would feel home again.
    Of course, you wrote taht you want to sve money, but perhasp writing those romantic novels would help you sve up.
    I've been to your hometown of Solvang many times, and I lvoe it.
    It's not Vienna, but it has a very European ambiance, and it might be worth considering.
    Yours sincerely,
    Marti

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  6. Hi Steph,
    Hi again! I see above my comment the name "Mozart".
    How did I get that user name?
    I like it though, so please excuse me. :-)
    It must have happened when I registered with Google some years ago.
    I do have an e-mail address with Google with the name "Mozartist", and that was the name I gave here for my user name, but the name "Mozart" popped up, so "Mozart" it is.
    I have used that user name "Mozart" a lot for figure skating fan lists and for some music lists in German.
    Yours sincerely,
    Marti

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  7. Moving back to California would be more expensive than to go ahead and move to Vienna. The point is to let our money accrue for a year. Out there, it would be very hard to make that happen. Housing alone would kill us. I wish I could go back to my home state for a while, but... Besides, I learned years ago that bad things happen when I wove west. Sounds weird, I know, but for some reason it's true.

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  8. Best of luck, Steph!
    I saw the program last night about Merida on HGTV.
    Yes, it's a very attractive place.
    Yours sincerely,
    Marti

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