A Move To Mexico: Introduction
We’ve been getting super excited about the next chapter in our nomadic lifestyle. It seems to be bridging a gap between setting out and settling down.
Sure, we’re hopping on a plane and flying to Mexico, but our intent - and in fact what we’ve been limited to - is to find a place we really like and have a go at life there. The thought of living in a little Mexican town (or perhaps smallish Mexican city) is romantic, to us anyway.
Our previous jaunts south of the border have only given us a taste of what life in a Mexican town is like. Sure, we’ve been to a LOT of them, but mostly just for a few days at the most. Soon enough we’d find ourselves moving on, back into the woods, or parked along the shores of a reservoir somewhere. Aside from our month stay in Mexico city (when Braden was deathly ill with Lyme Disease), we’d never spent more than two or three days in a town.
Living in a Mexican town seems so much more intimate than living in one of their Canadian counterparts. First of all, there’s a LOT more walking involved. Instead of hopping in the car and heading to (insert local supermarket name here) you’re more apt to walk a few blocks to the fruteria, and then another to the carneceria, and maybe three more to pick up your tortillas at (you guessed it) the tortiarilla. Along the way, you might buy some roses from the woman selling them by the dozen for $80MXP (that’s $5 Canadian dollars, by the way), or some home made cheese from the little kids who’ve been sent out for an honest day’s work peddling their mother’s tasty spirals of Queso Oaxaca.
Of course, there ARE one-stop-shops in Mexico. Every large enough town has a Walmart, or at least a supermercado where you can go and buy nearly everything you need. But UNLIKE Canada, the grocery stores are MORE expensive than the farmers’ markets that pop up weekly on a side street, or the individual stores where you can go to get tonight’s dinner ingredients. In one aspect alone are the Canadian and Mexican markets similar: the food and produce is ALWAYS better there than it is in the store.
Needless to say, we’re eager to become a part of the culture in a deeper way than just passing through. We look forward to making friends, becoming proficient with the language (Espanol), exploring the attractions our new home will have on offer, and contributing to the warmth and generousity endemic in Mexican culture.
We’ve gotta GET THERE first though, right? So, we’ve been jumping through all the hoops. Our tickets are purchased. We fly out on the 16th from Calgary. Calgary?! It’s a pain in the ass. To our dismay, we discovered that tickets to Mexico City from Calgary are HALF THE PRICE of tickets from Vancouver to Mexico City, never mind that our flight from Calgary stops IN VANCOUVER, at which point we have to make a connection for our flight to Mexico. Blah. Braden’s parents have kindly offered to drive us to Calgary.
To get on the flight, we require each a negative PCR Covid test. I’ve never had one of those terrifying looking six inch long swabs stuck up in my blood-brain barrier, nor am I looking forward to it. But drastic times call for drastic measures, and if we’re gonna go south, our hands are tied. Still, I think I’d rather have a rectal exam. The stress of being tested for something I might not even know I have is pretty high. I mean, I eat well, I exercise, I’m (knock on wood) healthy as a horse, but what if one of our tests come back POSITIVE? Then what?! Our $880 tickets down the drain? I don’t even want to think about it. In the meantime, I’m laying low, taking all kinds of Vitamin C, Zinc, oil of Oregano, drinking LOTS of water and almost no booze. I’m literally on my best behaviour.
The fun can commence once we get there.
Add to that the need to find storage for the van. We’re so incredibly sad to be leaving behind our Most Valuable Player. The Savana has been a beast, not to mention our home for years now. It’s gonna feel real weird going somewhere without her. A friend of ours, who also owns a campervan, has generously agreed to let us park our van on her property for the winter. And that’s GREAT. But what if we’re there for LONGER than the winter? Or, maybe it’s best for Savana to be stored indoors, where mice might not be tempted to make a cozy warm home out of her (and our blankets, clothing, wiring, etc.). We’ve got less than two weeks to make a move, and as crazy as it sounds, it feels like we’re leaving our child behind (or at least the beloved family dog; loyal and reliable as it is).
Our next step is to find a place to stay. And I’m not just talking about an apartment (although that will be necessary), but also WHERE in Mexico we’ll put down roots. The choices are endless. We’ve narrowed it down to a few, but every once in a while we get a bead on a cool new place that might be worth checking out. So far, we’re thinking: San Cristobal de Las Casas; Taxco; Puebla or Cholula (which are essentially connected); or Guanajuato. BUT, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas are also pretty cool places.
So, from here on out, we’ll be changing the pace of our blog (from glacial to warmed molasses?…ha ha). Instead of hot spring guides and ruminations about vanlife, we’re gonna explore all the necessary steps that go into moving from one country to another. I figure it’ll be as much of a cathartic journaling experience for us as it is an insight into moving to Mexico and what life’s like there for you (our ten readers). You’ll be able to read our first hand accounts of all the headaches and the successes. And once we get there, we’ll detail how to navigate life in Mexico. How to find an apartment, where to get your groceries, how to set up a cell phone plan, maybe even how to buy and sell a “motobicicleta” (our likely mode of transportation while we’re there).
I’m pumped for the new challenge, and can’t wait to share our experiences. In the meantime, to get into the mood, I’m gonna to put on some Cumbia music and make some Mole Poblano.
Hasta luego!