When we meet people in the States and tell them that we are retired and living in Mexico, many begin immediately to salivate, then their eyes go soft as they conjure up images of their own perfect retirement fantasy. For many the idea of playing a faultless round of golf every morning and cocktails at […]
Continue ReadingAnyone you talk to in Baja with a roof over their head has a story or two to go with the roof. Jack Smith of Los Angeles Times, joyfully chronicled his home building adventures in his book, God and Mr. Gomez, Ben Hunter did the same in his book, The Baja Feeling. These gentlemen started […]
Continue ReadingHaving lived in Mexico for several years, I have met my share of out-of-town visitors arriving on flights into Mexico City. We’ve made the usual round of historical and architectural sights, as well as countless artesanias markets. But when my friend the Horse Person arrived, I had my first day at the races, Mexican style. […]
Continue ReadingLast month I compared the phases of cross-cultural love to being inside the head of John Malkovich. Forget Being John Malkovich – Being Amy Kirkcaldy This month, only 50 days away from my wedding, my perspective has changed; I don´t think being John Malkovich is crazy enough to describe what I am feeling right now! […]
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Continue ReadingTo live here, you have to learn to love it unconditionally. You have to stop trying to accept Mexico and let it accept you instead, or else you’ll never appreciate its beauty. Back in the summer of 2004, when I was a few years younger and a whole lot sillier, I met and fell head […]
Continue ReadingMexicans are world-class protesters. They bring it on with enthusiasm, deep determination, raw emotion. Sometimes they just march and chant and wave signs. Sometimes they strip naked to attract attention. Sometimes they block streets and build bonfires to emphasize a point of view. Sometimes they throw bottles and rocks and storm the front door of […]
Continue ReadingI parked my car on the US side of the border as I had no idea what to expect if I drove into Mexico. Will I need a passport? Some kind of international driver’s license? Better to be safe and walk across and scope it out. So I walk through the heavy, iron, bird-cage looking […]
Continue ReadingMy suegra (mother-in-law) decided that she wanted to sell vegetables from her front porch in rural Guerrero. I asked her how much profit she would like to make and we would work the numbers backward from there. “Fifty pesos per day would be great,” she says. So I do some back-of-the-envelope calculations taking into account the cost […]
Continue ReadingWe woke at 7 a.m. to the blaring horn of the propane truck ” beepbeeeeeepbeepbeeeeeeeeep ” and wonder if he will ever buy a muffler for that dang truck. We dress quickly so that we can get to the tiangis early. We aren’t sure what we want to buy, but we know that the best deals are […]
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