The universe is shifting.

Before I jump into this post, I just want to note that the post "How to find a rental and live cheaply in Mazatlan" has surprised me by being the most read post - 10 times more popular than any other post. Obviously, I have struck a cord of interest and various articles I have read in major media lately confirm that.  With Baby Boomers retiring en masse and wondering how the heck they are going to be able to do that in North America, they are looking at Mexico as a viable alternative.

I will probably write a follow-up post on that subject but I just want to mention now that some of the rules for becoming a resident of Mexico have changed and there are many places online you can go to get this information.  It's a little complicated, particularly if you want to bring down a vehicle, so I strongly recommend that you google "residency visas in Mexico" or something similar and inform yourself.

I have been a busy woman this summer.  After returning in June, I left again six weeks later to go up to Calgary where Mike started a new consulting job.  Our intention was to find somewhere to rent but instead we did something I never thought we would do again.  We bought a condo.  Real estate in Calgary is booming, unlike many other places, so the thought that we could actually buy something was astounding.  We moved in almost right away and rented for a month while the mortgage was processed.  That was a lot of work for me - our financial status was iffy given our struggles in the last two years, but I managed to pull off a miracle of shuffling money around to at least make it look like we were a good bet to the mortgage company.  They really have nothing to worry about, we have recovered quite well since Mike went to work for Chevron in 2013 but banks are nigglers.

So this is all part of the "shift".

First:  After about 5 years of Mike NOT working in Calgary, making my staying in Mazatlan during winter months make sense (I did visit him in various work sites like Sacramento and Houston), it now appears that Mike will be permanently located in Calgary.

Second: After more than 5 years of developing, pivoting, promoting, begging and struggling, Qtility Software has paying customers - oil and gas companies, government departments, and others.  That means I need to be there to help manage it until we find someone to replace me.  Mike is under contract to consult until the end of December and is walking a fine line between obligation to the consulting client, and being CEO of Qtility Software.  There is a blending there because the consulting client is the one who is selling our software to their clients.  We are working on some kind of partnership deal with them to make sure the blending is clear to prevent conflict of interest issues.

And so, I am going back again, less than a month after getting back here in Sept.  I have lined up a great couple for house/dog-sitting - they are world travelers with an active blog and travel business.  www.honeytrek.com   Very interesting story and I am sure they are going to love Mazatlan.

I have to come back in late November again in order to drive my Jeep back to the border to renew the sticker for another 6 months.  No getting around it.  After that, we'll see.  If I have to spend a winter in Calgary, I am very happy to do so if it means that I am helping to get us to the point when Mike and I are free to have adventures - together!

Catch-up long overdue

My friend, Gwen, and I had an road-trip adventure together in May.  The '98 Jeep parked in Houston since Mike left there in April needed to be driven down to Mazatlan.  I asked Gwen to meet me in Texas and play co-pilot and navigator.

Since it was to be my first time driving through Mexico, I wanted company.  And since she said enthusiastically agreed, we decided to add a few days to the trip and explored San Antonio, Texas first for a couple of days, then made stops in Eagle Pass on the border (for the night), Torreon, Mexico the second day (for the night), and then Durango, Mexico for two days.

We reached Mazatlan on June 1st, after getting a flat tire about 40 kilometers out.  It was fixed by a very nice Federal policeman (see picture) soon after it happened in 104 degree heat (phew).  We were slightly panicked by that time and yet, afterwards, we congratulated ourselves on our "most excellent adventure" that will be told and re-told to our (eventual, hopefully) grand-children. 

We rested up for a night then flew to Mexico City for two days.

This was all after nearly a month in Calgary and Vancouver, BC, catching up on business and personal stuff, and visiting my two sons, Tim and Simon.

It was a VERY busy month.

My house-sitters have gone on to the rest of their adventure, after admitting they had been bitten by the Mazatlan bug and had loved it here, even in the extreme heat.  They are somewhere in Europe now.  I am getting occasional emails.  They did a great job, and many people here have told me they spent time with them and found them to be a wonderful couple.

So, I've been back since June 4th and Mike will be here on June 28th for two weeks in between contracts.  The new contract is in Calgary!  No more Kuwait (or will there be?)

We may have some very big news on that front - coming soon!

I am flying up to Calgary on July 18th for two months.  No house-sitters this time - the girls are going to stay at their beach vacation home with my dog-sitter and their canine boyfriends.

Here are a few pictures from Gwen and Susan's Excellent Adventure:

New Durango Highway Bridge

Fellow travelers on the road.

Cathedral in Durango at night.

New Durango highway between Durango and Mazatlan

More on the House-sitters

Jen and Steve from Ontario, Canada are now here in town, staying in a nice place for a couple of weeks before taking up residence in my apartment May 1.  They will be house and dog sitting for a month.

I have learned some more about them and their motivation to sell everything and quit their jobs in order to fulfill their desire to travel for a year more or less, depending on how long the money lasts.  They have been regular, normal people for 20-plus years, working and raising a family.  When the kids moved out (for the last time) about three years ago, the itch to do something radically different began to grow.  Some family members began to have life-threatening illnesses, and their own family doctor, a very healthy man who exercised and ate healthy foods his whole life, suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack.  The phrase, life is short, began to be a mantra for them.  They realized that working another 20 years with the idea of retiring and travelling THEN was something that life could simply not guarantee for them.  That was when they put their plans in motion.

Telling friends and family was at first greeted with great surprise and concern that they may have lost their minds, but, they say, most people came around and supported the idea eventually.  They know they will have to return to a "normal" life in about a year, and go back to working for the next 20 years in order to officially retire around 65, but taking this adventurous sabbatical will, I think, open their eyes and minds to many new possibilities and ideas for their future.  Already, in just a couple of days of being in Mazatlan and meeting expats and snowbirds and hearing their stories, I can just hear the wheels are turning in their minds.  Taking the plunge and doing what they are doing cannot NOT change them - forever.

I am very happy to be their first stop on this journey and I will try to help make it a great experience!

For those wondering - I found Jen and Steve on the website www.housecarers.com    There are three websites that I have used.  The housecarers one, www.trustedhousesitters.com and www.mindmyhouse.com

I, myself, have a profile on housecarers.com as a potential house-sitter.  I think it is a great way to travel the world inexpensively and uniquely.  Yes, there may be pets to take care of but not all of them have pets, and taking care of a cat or two is much easier than dogs.  So, if you have an adventurous streak and love to travel, check out these websites for yourselves.

Of course, one consideration for travelers should be emergency medical insurance.  My new portable business as a Skymed representative for Mexico now allows me to offer emergency medical evacuation services - something most people assume is a part of their travel/medical insurance policy, but if you read the fine print, being evacuated to your home city is something you will have to pay for upfront and claim back - if you qualify and meet the restrictions of the policy. It can cost many thousands of dollars upfront - who has that much room on their credit cards in an emergency? Skymed is a service offered to supplement your emergency medical policy and once approved you can never be cancelled for any reason.  You, your travel companion, your family, your vehicle, even your pets will be transported home at your request should you have a medical emergency while travelling, and you will not have to pay a dime upfront or file a claim, nor are there any deductibles.  I am very happy to be able to offer this valuable service.  For more information:

www.skymed.com/susanjessup

email: sjessupskymed@gmail.com

Upcoming story of another adventurous Canadian couple

Olas Altas Beach with son, Tim.

I will be writing more later about the Canadian couple, Jen and Steve, who I have found on www.housecarers.com, who will be my house/dog-sitters for the month of May.  I chose them over others because of their story.  Here is what I know so far:

They live(d) in Barrie, Ontario and recently sold their house and stored their belongings with a new life plan to retire and travel the world doing house-sitting.  Their first stop will be Mazatlan.  They have never been to Mexico. They don't speak any Spanish.  I admire their moxie, and am happy I can help like-minded adventurers get started on what will surely be an eventful and memorable time of their lives!

After a visit with their son in Edmonton, Alberta, they plan to fly down here in April, ahead of starting the house-sit for me so that I can spend some time familiarizing them to Mazatlan and my dogs.  They are very excited!

My plans are to fly to Houston on May 1st and meet up with Mike there when he returns from this last stint of two months in Kuwait.  From there we plan to drive our Canadian-plated Versa up to Las Vegas for an industry conference from the 5th to the 9th of May.  After that, Mike will fly back to Houston and possibly back to Kuwait again (we aren't sure of the length of time he will be in Houston this time) and I will carry on up to Calgary to return the Versa to it's legal home in Alberta.  I will have to find a parking spot for it but that shouldn't be a big problem.

I may also be spending some time there looking at possible house or apartment rentals again.  It is possible that after this contract ends in July, Mike will be taking a contract in Calgary for six months or more.  We are weighing all the pros and cons on this because Chevron has verbally stated they expect to keep him on after July until at least the end of 2014.  But will they guarantee that with a contract? That remains to be seen.

In the meantime, Mike has a contract offer in hand from July to December in Calgary.  Its a good feeling to have that much security.

After some time in Calgary, I will fly back to Houston and pick up a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee we bought recently from a friend and drive it back to Mazatlan.  I hope Mike will be around to drive with me, but if not, I have great instructions and recommendations for the drive through Mexico.  Many people do it frequently without a problem and with the new highway from Durango to Mazatlan, the trip time has been cut dramatically and made safer too.  There are places along the way I am tempted to stop and explore.

Road trip in Mexico anyone?

I think this a good thing...

Over the last 4 or 5 years, Mike and I have thought about selling our house in Alberta.  We've talked to real estate people, tried out the "sell it yourself" services and actually put a sign on the lawn a couple of years ago. We always ended up putting it off by renting it out for 6 months or so at a time  We didn't like the price we would get for it, based on comparables in the neighbourhood. 

Then one real estate agent said something to me when I told her we had bought it new with no money down, and  taken a big line of credit on the equity of the house a year after we bought it, when the value of the house had jumped from $255K to $425K in one year (I know, astounding - and the value now is about $350K).  We had taken it to invest in the software company and consolidate debt.  She said, "You have already benefited and profited from this house - why wait?  What more do you want?"  It made me look at things differently.

So when the present tenants (they moved in March 15) made us an offer - which we thought was a great deal - for them - but meant we wouldn't have do anything except move out our accumulated "stuff" that was already in boxes and stored in the basement - we took it.

After a terribly trying winter with no income (but hey, we were in Mazatlan - can't complain TOO loudly), Mike is now in Houston on a great consulting contract that is supposed to be long term - as in a year or two. He is staying in a one-bedroom apartment in a great complex with lots of lush gardens and walkways and swimming pools - which is good because Houston is got to be one of the most boring cities in the world. 

I've been there with him on and off.  We are beginning to catch up on debts and bills.  The proceeds from the house will go toward that filling that hole too.  It won't completely wipe them out by a long shot, but its a good start.

All our stuff fits in a 10 X 15 storage unit.  And I don't really think we would want to keep half of it.

My 1999 Toyota Sienna van here in Alberta needs $3000 work on it to be able to be driven long-distance - and the AC just conked.  I had an offer of $1500 for it and although it was handy to have here to drive around in May when we were here for a week, and this trip up for two weeks, I think I should sell it.  I've been lucky that nothing else conked - like the timing belt which needs replacing.

And so it goes - a lot less possessions and a little more freedom.

I return to Mazatlan Sept. 12 - earlier than I planned but my excellent house and dog-sitters asked for it so that they can go explore a few more places in Mexico before returning to their home in Belize.

What happens from then on?

Mike in Houston, me and the girls in Mazatlan?  Or will something else happen to change all that? 

Stay tuned...

My new career in house-sitting

Some people might think I can't stay still.  Others say I'm the most grounded person they know.  All I know is - I want to see more of the world before I die, or succumb to a debilitating disease such as Alzheimer's (and I have a pretty good chance of that given my genetics).


So, I've been cruising the various house-sitting website as a voyeur, drooling over assignments in places like France, Italy, Greece, Costa Rica, and I happened to see a very new one for 12 days in Lake Chapala in September.  Hmmm.  I'm back in our house in Alberta, kinda settled down, I'll be pretty bored by late September, and I have no idea where Mike will be then.  He could be off to some exotic place like Columbus, Ohio leaving me here all by myself.  So I applied.  The home-owner was surprised at how quickly she got a response - she literally had posted it less than 15 minutes before my email.


Here it is: http://www.vacationhomerentals.com/vacation-rentals/Lake-Chapala-Mexico-vacation-rental-cottage-proID-50810.html


Yes, it is a casita on a property with a house where the owner lives, and it is normally for rent. My "charges" are these two:

Don't they look adorable?

I have been wanting to check out Lake Chapala area and now I can.  I even have a vehicle to drive.  Sweet!

Of course, Mike may accompany me if he has work he can do from there.  I'll let him. ;)

Doing things differently to save money while travelling

Mike and I going to Halifax (to see Mike's mom) and Toronto (to see my mom and dad - and Mike's son Matthew) for the first 2 weeks of July.  Our house is still occupied until then and our stay in Canmore is up.  We weren't too sure about spending money unnecessarily right now since Mike is between contracts and we really don't know when the next paycheck is coming in.  But he does have a part-time contract that he can do from anywhere, and we really need to go and see our folks sometime this summer.

So I began looking for inexpensive accommodations, particularly in Halifax where we definitely can't stay with Mike's mom in her tiny assisted living apartment - and we need a car while there, so going to Halifax is not an inexpensive trip for us.  We can stay at my dad's house if necessary, and don't really need a car, so Toronto is a secondary concern.

Here's what I found for our first 2 nights in Halifax for an incredible $50 a night:

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/551868


The owner wrote to me after I booked it and said we will have the house to ourselves because they are going camping for the Canada Day (July 1) long weekend and would it be okay with me if he just left the key somewhere secret and we let ourselves in!

Airbnb is a very libertarian idea (in my opinion).  Anyone with a spare room or two can list it on this website, charge what they want (without tax) and make a little money without actually starting a B&B business etc.  The prices vary, but the average charge I've seen for Halifax in a modest room is $35.  Some even give you breakfast for that too.

Here is what I found for our next 5 nights in Halifax for $35 a night:

http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/468304

Incredible, isn't it?

Another idea I've been exploring for the future is house sitting.  I joined a couple of website services recently and I am amazed at the opportunities out there to live FREE in someone else's home all over the world.  

Check it out:  www.mindmyhouse.com

and:www.housecarers.com

We are planning to put our house up for sale this summer.  Our plan after that is to try to find a suitable house-sitting gig in the Calgary/Edmonton area for at least 6 months.  It looks likely that Mike will need to be around here this winter, particularly if things kick into gear with the legal software app and we get funding for further development.  But if not - there are house-sitting jobs in Mexico!