Airbnb - I'm a fan.

My second article published on www.mazatlanmycity.com

I love Airbnb!

Many people have likely heard of Airbnb by now and maybe 50% (I’m guessing) of you have tried it, either as a Guest or as a Host.  I am writing this for those who are curious and would like to know more about it from a first-hand experience basis.  I do not receive any compensation from Airbnb.

I have stayed in 10 or 12 different properties in 4 different countries, ranging from a room in a house to a full two-bedroom apartment.   Right now, I have listed our condo in Calgary on Airbnb for the rest of the year and will be experiencing what it is like to be a Host.  Since I will be in Mazatlan and my husband, Mike, is working on contract in Winnipeg, I thought I would try it and earn a little money from it.  I could just rent it out, furnished, in a normal way as I have done in the past with a house we owned, but using Airbnb as my middle-man gives me a good layer of protection and regulation.  Guests must have a profile on the site which Airbnb verifies as true.  If they have stayed in other Airbnb properties, the Hosts will have put up a review of that Guest that you can read.  You can decide to rent to only people who have good reviews if you wish.

However, Airbnb provides an insurance policy of sorts for any damage or theft done to the property by a Guest and acts as a mediator should any problems arise between the Host and the Guest.  So, even if they have had no reviews yet, a Host does have a certain comfort level from that.  Airbnb handles the payment from the Guest by charging a credit card after they have checked in – if the Guest does not contact Airbnb and say there is a problem upon arrival, then the funds are released to the Host in full.  It goes to your bank account electronically.  You can even specify that you charge a cleaning fee and a security deposit, extra charge for extra people, and Airbnb will collect that as well.

As an experienced Guest, I can say I have not yet been disappointed with any place I have stayed.  Hosts shoot for a 5 star review from you because it enhances their online image and they can begin to charge more and get return customers.  However, there was one host who thought it was acceptable to keep the cat litter-box right inside the entryway by the front door where you came in!

When you go to the www.airbnb.com, enter the city where you want to stay and the dates (it isn’t necessary to enter dates at first if you just wish to browse), and also check off criteria such as you want to share a room, have a private room, or rent the entire place.  You can also search by pet or children-friendly, among other things.  The appropriate listings will come up with pictures and a map where they are located.  The profiles of each property normally have a very detailed description and other information, as well as reviews by other guests and the star rating.  You can send an inquiry only if you wish to ask for more information.  Once you put your dates in and send off a request to book, the Host can either approve it, deny it, ask for more information from you.  You will see the total price of the booking when you make a request and if you wish you could send the Host a message and try to negotiate a lower price.  Usually, the Host has pricing by night, by week, and by month with discounts for longer stays.  But you can also ask for a special deal and if the Host agrees he/she sends you a “special deal” offer that you can accept or not.

I had an inquiry myself today for my condo and used the “special deal” feature to send to the potential Guest, but it was not accepted in the end.

Arrangements for your arrival at the property differ with each one.  At the very first one we stayed at in Dartmouth, NS, our instructions were to enter the back yard and get the key from under a can in the back shed!  The owners were just renting a room with bathroom to us in their house, but they were not going to be at home when we arrived.  So we let ourselves in.

At another, just recently in the UK, the instructions were to take a gate key off of a hidden part of the gate where the key was taped to it, then open the gate, and once inside the gate, open a box where the house-key was hidden and let myself in.  In this case, the studio apartment was in the back of a big Victorian house with a separate entrance and the people who lived above me were unrelated to the owners of the apartment.  It was self-serve all the way.  The owners were not even in the country.  They were in easy contact with me by texting and they did say there was a local person available if I had need of her.  I was quite happy with the apartment which was well-equipped with small kitchen completely outfitted with pots, pans, dishes utensils, a few spices, instant coffee, stove, fridge and even a clothes-washer.  I walked down the street to a small shop and bought a few eggs, milk, and bread for breakfast.  There was already some butter in the fridge.

One Host in Calgary had 3 bedrooms for rent in her house, one with an ensuite bath and the other two shared a bathroom.  She had coded electronic door locks on each bedroom with a chalkboard hung outside that had the code written on it.  You could then change the code for your stay.  She lived in the basement, but was rarely there.  I had let myself into the house with a key in the mailbox.

In Malaga, Spain, the owner of a two-bedroom apartment was also the owner of the restaurant it was above.  I arrived and found the owner in the restaurant and he showed me up to the apartment and left me with the keys.  My son, Tim and his friend Amanda arrived later at night after I was already in bed and the owner let them in.  If had any questions or issues, he was right downstairs.  He also gives a 10% discount on purchases in the restaurant for Guests.  We left when the restaurant was closed and so we were told to just leave the keys in the apartment.

At another apartment in Malaga, my flight arrived very late and I told the Host I would not be at the apartment until after midnight.  For an extra fee, she arranged for two nice Spanish ladies to meet me outside the apartment and let me in.  Otherwise, I would have picked up the key from a little café across the street.

I love the creativity and flexibility of this new “sharing economy” service!

When the Founders of Airbnb first got started in 2007, they were young and broke and decided to advertise on a blog that they had two air-mattresses for rent in their apartment.  They succeeded in renting them for $80 a month, which was the reason for the name Airbnb.  They went on to try to build a business out of it and created the first website but for months and months they only earned about $200 a month.  They went to a well-known VC for funding and were turned down.  The VC stated that he did not see any potential and that people would not be interested in allowing perfect strangers to stay in their homes.  Later, they were able to raise a first seed round of $600K in about 2010, after the drummer of Barry Manilow rented an entire house on Airbnb.  A year later, they raised several million more from several investors, including Ashton Kutcher.  Airbnb is now valued at $10 Billion.  Yes, with a B.

If you haven’t tried using Airbnb, I highly recommend it!

PS.  Our condo has now been rented through Airbnb until Aug. 31!  It is not the norm to rent for this long on Airbnb - short terms of a few days or weeks is what Airbnb was designed for, but since I am a beginner and don't have any reviews by Guests yet, I decided to do this mid-length rental and know that I have the solid income for that time period.

Adventures driving in Mexico with Big Red the Jeep

I recently drove with my most excellent house/dog-sitters, Anne and Mike Howard of www.honeytrek.com, who are globe-trotting travel bloggers of some renown, from Puerto Vallarta to Austin, Texas.  I needed to renew my permit for the Jeep for another six months, which means a trek to the border and re-entering with a new permit.

Anne and Mike had been staying at my apartment with the dogs for about 6 weeks while I was up in Calgary.  They fell in love with Mazatlan, my dogs, and apparently many people here returned the love.  They were very popular people, and for good reason.  They are young (both still in their 30's), energetic, engaging and friendly people with many fantastic stories of their travel adventures on an extended honeymoon.

I flew to Puerto Vallarta because flights were much less expensive to there from Calgary.  They drove down and picked me up at the airport - then we were on our way driving north.  We stopped in Tepic, Durango and Saltillo for a night each, then up to Austin where they had friends to stay with before flying back up to New York.

I planned to meet up with a fellow driver in Laredo, Texas, a border town, the next day to drive tandem with him back over the border and back to Mazatlan, 1060 kilometers.

However, my Jeep had other plans.  

I had experienced some signs that all was not well with the Jeep when we sat at the border crossing on the way up for over 2 hours in the heat, idling the motor.  But, after a some TLC at a Pep Boys after crossing, it seemed to be fine. 

I left the hotel at 5 am in Laredo to get to the border crossing, 4 kilometers away, at an early hour when it wouldn't be busy.  My travelling partner was driving behind me on the highway when the Jeep suddenly began back-firing and stuttering.  I pulled off and he followed me to a parking lot.  The Jeep died.  I told him to go on without me, I would have to get it towed to a Pep Boys for repair - and god knows what was wrong with it.  

He had it set in his mind that he was going to drive the entire distance in one day and so was not about to delay his travel - he left me in the dark in an empty parking lot in a border town.  I didn't know quite what I was going to do then.

As bad as that guy might be, another guy was great.  A man in a pickup pulled up near to me (I was a little nervous about that) and rolled down his window.  I rolled mine down a little.  He asked if I was okay - did I need help? What a lovely man - he was Mexican-American.  He drove to a Pep Boys to see if they were open (they weren't) and then came back and called a tow truck for me to get towed to the Pep Boys and wait for them to open.

They opened at 8.  I sat in the Jeep needing a bathroom but finally got in and explained the issue.  They took the Jeep in and said it was a blown distributor.  It was replaced and I was back on the road by noon - $500 lighter.  But it could have been worse.

Then I was faced with driving on my own across Mexico.  I debated with myself about it, but in the end I sucked it up and figured I had no choice - anyway, a lot of people do it every day and the toll-roads are excellent.  I actually decided to wear a black, loose-fitting shirt and no makeup or earrings to make myself as non-attention-grabbing as possible.  Anyway, a middle-aged woman with short grey hair, in a 1998 Jeep, isn't going to get much attention.

The first day, leaving around 1, I drove to Saltillo and stopped for the night before dark at 5ish.  About 300 kilometers, but with an hour of processing at the border for my visa and the car permit.

The next day, I was on the road at 9 am and drove the rest of the way, descending out of the mountain passes 30 kilometers from Mazatlan before dark.  The Jeep ran like a dream.

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!

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?

A great video on retiring and living in Mazatlan.

A great comprehensive video on retiring and living in Mazatlan.

Back in my happy place

Annie, Teddie and son Tim

Our lives are a continuing work in process.  The other day someone asked me, shaking his head, "How the heck do you keep everything straight?"  I looked him in the eye and said, "I'm a genius."  Then I laughed because that's not true, and sometimes I screw up.  Despite my desire to simplify life, it resists simplification. It may appear to many that I am a young retiree.  At best, I am semi-retired.  I choose to live in a place where I would retire to, because I can, but it is not without challenges.

On my recent trip up to Canada to take care of things there, such as visit elderly parents, see my doctor to reassure him I am still alive and taking my medications. (Well, not ALL of them that he has prescribed - we have an understanding - I don't blindly accept the medical and drug companies' recommendations, but he continues to try.  This time he finally told me that the protocols for cholesterol have been changed - statins are NOT necessary, and, in fact, studies have shown that although they lower cholesterol, that has made no difference in preventing heart attacks. I could have said I told you so but I didn't.)

I'll just drink red wine every day, thank you very much.

Along the way, many people inquired about my tan.  Had I just come back from vacation?  When I briefly described my lifestyle (it's rather distracting and surreal to be talking about it while my doctor performs a pelvic exam), invariably I got responses such as - oh, that sounds wonderful, I wish I could do that too but I have another four years to retirement - or, I want to do that but I have a house, cars, and stuff here, but boy I would be happy to have a hot-dog stand on the beach and live there instead of here right about now.

My answer to all of them, if I had responded with something more than a smile because I didn't have time for more, would have been - it just takes imagination.  You have to step back, look at what is and imagine (as in "image") something different.  What would it take?  Would waiting four more years to retire really make a difference?  Do you really need all your stuff?  If you sold it all, would that finance an early retirement in a relatively inexpensive place?  Take a first step - you don't have to make a huge decision all at once.  

I started by coming to Mazatlan on vacation and talking to others who winter or live here full-time.  I scoped out the landscape of renting, transportation to and from Canada, all of details I felt I needed to know to take another step.  Then I took that step, then another, and another, until I had finally sold most of my stuff, including my house, and rented a year-round apartment. And I enjoyed myself in the process.

Of course, there are in-between lifestyles that don't include selling everything and renting year-round.  And some people wouldn't want to spend all of their time here - a month or two or three away from the deep freeze winter-time of their home is bliss enough.  But going all the way and making a place like this the home base certainly cuts living costs back dramatically, which is all it might take to be able to retire or semi-retire.

Even with lives as complicated as ours, Mike and I, it is workable.  And man, it is complicated.  And changeable.  A contract consultant has no security, no assurance that the client will continue with the contract he has (there is always a clause that allows both parties to end it with sometimes just a week's notice), or that the contract will be renewed.  On this contract, Mike can be sent to work in any of the client's locations around the world.  He, too, has to get up to Canada from time to time to visit his mother, see his doctor, and we have to make and take opportunities whenever we can to spend time together - either here or wherever Mike happens to be.  

We still have to maintain some kind of "residential" status in Canada, even if it's just a mailing address for now, to keep our health care there and for business purposes.  Then there is the Alberta-plated Nissan Versa currently in Houston that I have to drive back to Canada and find a place to park it.....maybe in April or May....  And the Jeep Grand Cherokee we just bought from a friend in Georgia that is being trucked to Houston and licenced/registered in North Dakota (no residency requirements) that I have to go up and drive back down here....maybe in March....

Yeah, it's complicated.  But if I can be here, in my happy place, I can handle it.

How to find a rental and live inexpensively in Mazatlan - Part 3

Probably the most-read posts here are the ones about the cost of living in Mazatlan so I thought I would do an update.  Is it still cheap to live in Mazatlan?

Yes.

I now live in a spacious two-bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in a secure building steps from the ocean.  Because it wasn't furnished, the rent for a one-year lease was 4,500 pesos per month - or about $350 Canadian or US. It isn't fancy.  It's a little rough around the edges.  The kitchen needs an overhaul, and the bathrooms an update.  But, it has a front patio with lush plants that were left by a previous tenant, a utility room off the kitchen for a washer and dryer (I only bought a washer - used - for about $300), a cement sink, the water heater and gas tank.  It is open-air - the back wall is a lattice of brick facing the back parking lot.  I'm on the ground floor so no stairs to climb but any patio furniture will have to be chained down because it would be easy to steal at street level, whereas my upstairs neighbours have a small deck but can leave their furniture out.

The gas tank costs about 400 pesos to fill - usually about every 2 or 3 months depending on usage.  It is used to heat the hot water tank and for the little second-hand gas stove in the kitchen.

I pay the landlord 100 pesos a month for water that comes from the tinacas (big water storage units) on the roof - that's water for the kitchen and bathrooms.  I buy bottled water for drinking - a cost of about another 100 pesos a month because I use the convenience of having the building maintenance guy bring the big water bottle to my door when I put an empty one out.

Electricity is normally only about 200 pesos a month but goes up to about 500 a month with using the air-conditioner in summer.

Megacable kind of rips me off for internet - I may look into switching to the only other service, Telmex. Megacable forces me to take a package that includes cable TV and phone in order to have internet which is 649 pesos a month.  I don't own a TV and probably won't.  I can't stand watching TV with commercials anymore and watch movies or TV series on Netflix instead.

So, all told, my monthly fixed costs add up to about $460 a month on average.

Food and entertainment.  Well, that is quite variable depending on how often I eat out (lots).  But, someone on a stricter budget could eat well at home for about $200 a month by mainly shopping at the Central Market.  Going out is a lot cheaper than in North America - a lot cheaper.  I was just up in Canada and the US and, particularly in Canada, eating out is a budget-buster.  Here you can still have a full meal for about $5.00 to $10.00 if you don't drink alcohol, and even then, the beer is cheap - about $1.50 a bottle, or less. Drinking wine is more expensive at about $4.00 to $5.00 a glass.  Mixed drinks might be somewhere in between unless you ask for an imported brand.  Mexico produces a brand of vodka and gin that is cheap but not great.  And, of course, there are plenty of brands of tequila.

The variety and quality of restaurants have increased in the last three years, with new ones popping up every year.  I must admit that it is a popular activity in my group to make the rounds and try them out, or to just hang out at one of the favourites.  Most of them are indoor-outdoor, and along the malecon in Olas Altas where I live, it is just wonderful to sit and watch the sun go down and all the people walking along the waterfront with a group of friends.

Going to the movies is refreshingly inexpensive.  There are several good multiplexes that run new releases in English for as little as $3.00 per ticket.  Even the popcorn and snacks are reasonably priced.

I also buy a travel health insurance policy for emergencies but for minor illness, I can see a doctor in a local clinic for about $30 and prescriptions for most common medicines like antibiotics are cheap.  I can see a specialist for just about anything the next day usually for about $40 to $50.  The best money-saver though is dentistry.  The dentist and endodontist I see are extremely professional, pain-free, and the prices are a fraction of what I would pay in Canada.  My husband recently needed two root canals and two crowns.  He was able to get everything done in 5 days with no prior appointment for about $1,200.  Can that even be done in that short a time in North America, let alone at that price?

I recently went and looked at some alternative properties just to see what was out there.  I was considering renting a house instead of an apartment because I have the two dogs who might be better off with more access to the outdoors.  I am rather stuck on living in Old Centro though, and I love being so close to the waterfront, so my choices are limited.  There are many other areas to live though.  I did see a one-story home in Centro, but 8 blocks from the waterfront.  It was two-bedroom, one bathroom, very spacious with a modern kitchen, a washer AND dryer, two outdoor patios and a secure parking spot.  It was furnished too.  I could have rented it for about $450 to $500 a month if I committed to a one year lease, but the previous tenants had rented for 6 months for $600.  The big drawback for me?  The distance inland.  But it was closer to the Central Market and about equal distance to the main public square, Machado Square.  So, for now I have decided to stay where I am.  I hate moving anyway.

From New York to Mazatlan with an unexpected event.

Our new apartment building - the light green one.

Whew! Its good to get here and kick back and park myself and dogs for a few months.  I'm still living out of suitcases and carrying around my "portable office" - a large computer bag on wheels stuffed with files and papers.  But this is about to change, at least with respect to Mazatlan.

We have secured a two-bed, two-bath first floor apartment in a 4-story apartment building in Centro a half-block from the ocean and malecon.  This is to become our full-time residence where we can leave our Mazatlan things over the summer.  Several friends live in the same building year-round so we have built-in care-takers if needed.  The price? $340 a month plus utilities.  How could we not take it?  It's an older building and the kitchen is definitely of the mexican variety (no counters, no cupboards except a large shelved pantry) but this can be remedied easily with a few pieces of standing storage furniture and a table for a counter.  Even a big secured parking area in the back if we choose to keep a car down here.

So we have taken a new step in the direction of permanent residency in Mexico.  Maybe there will be another twist in the road sometime but for now this seems right for us.  Every winter we spend here makes us feel more and more at home - in fact, attached to the place.  We love coming down and meeting up with friends from last winter, catching up on all their summer doings and sharing in new developments for them.  Several of them have also found new places to rent full-time (and one couple bought an old, small mexican house last winter and are now in the midst of renovating - to be finished they hope by the end of December).

The patio with plants included!

Every winter there seems to be new shops and restaurants and art galleries to see.  The centro area has really become a mecca for artistic types.  Every month there is an "Art Walk" on a Friday evening when people can wander from gallery to gallery, having a glass of wine and and snacks in each one, taking a look around.

Life is both the same in many ways as living north of the border - we go food shopping, run errands, cook, do laundry, see the doctor or dentist, take our pets to the vet, pay our bills - and also very different.  The lifestyle is relaxed and easy-going, with so many more opportunities to casually meet up with friends for a drink or a meal or a show without having to drive for miles, find parking, or spend a lot of money.  We spend a lot of time outdoors, especially for meals.  We can sit for hours in a public square watching local families walking or sitting together, just out for an evening stroll.  We might catch random acts of fireworks, or folkloric dancing, or parades - these things seem to just pop up unexpectedly.  We can watch a world-class live performance or concert in a historic, beautiful old theatre for next to nothing.  And then there is the beach and ocean just steps away.  Where else can you live like this?

End the street just steps from the ocean and malecon.

So what is the unexpected event?  Well, Mike was not due to be down here until Dec. 22 but his work contract finished unexpectedly early in New Jersey so he has come down two weeks early and now has time to work on the software during weekday hours.  We decided to focus some time on getting things going while he has the chance and before everyone takes off for Christmas.  We have a new product that is very promising as an easy thing to sell, and now have two key phone meetings set up for next week.  Oh, that this goes somewhere finally and Mike can stop consulting and work on our own thing! From Mexico perhaps?

How to live inexpensively in Mazatlan - Part 2

Dining out often is something that anyone with a modest budget can do in Mazatlan - and we do!  Getting together with friends over a meal is a popular activity and big part of the reason the lifestyle here is so enjoyable.  I have found that the quality and variety of restaurant meals has improved quite a bit since 2009.  The prices have risen too, and yet it is still very reasonable.  The salad above is called the Citrus Salad at La Tramoya, an indoor/outdoor restaurant on Machado Square - one of many.  I believe the cost was 70 pesos, maybe 85.  At approximately 13 pesos to the Canadian dollar, you can do the math.  The ambiance of sitting out of the sidewalk under cheerful umbrellas on a sunny, warm day, while a random guy played clarinet just a few yards away, is free.

At the same restaurant in the evening, one can enjoy a delicious and excellently prepared steak in a red wine reduction and roasted onions for 180 pesos - about $15.  While this may not be "cheap", it sure isn't anywhere near what we would pay in north america.

The most expensive thing about this meal is the glass of white wine which was 55 pesos. Some places charge as much as 80 pesos per glass.  While the availability and choices of wine with meals has improved in the last three years, the price per glass is very close to north american prices.  It is much cheaper to be a beer drinker in Mazatlan.  You can, however, buy a decent bottle of Chilean wine at the supermarket for 70-80 pesos.  Mexico does make wine, but I'm afraid its not very good.

The range of choices and prices for meals is wide.  Of course, the least expensive way to go is to eat mexican food where the locals eat.  Taco stands are popular.  A corn tortilla filled with chicken, beef, pork or fish and lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes is a perfect lunch for 20 pesos (average) - and fairly nutritious.  Hot dog stands are also common, but you probably don't want to eat one too often if you value your health. Small kitchen restaurants with a few plastic tables and chairs will cook up tacos, quesedillas, and tostadas - all a variation on a theme - meat or fish and vegetables on or wrapped in tortillas, either soft or crispy.  They won't mind a bit if you grab a bottle of cold beer from the tienda next next door to drink.  They typically offer local beverages or soda, but not alcohol.  Some places may offer more variety on their menu, such as a fish or chicken filet with rice and vegetables for about 30 or 40 pesos.

I think hands down the best inexpensive place to eat for lunch in historic centro is Paulina's Cocina (kitchen) on Sixto Osuna.  In 2009, it was a little "hole in the wall"with a limited menu.  This winter, their premises has been moved just down the street with more space inside and with tables and chairs outside on the sidewalk.  Every day, they offer a lunch special with two or three choices of main dish including salad or soup and dessert (usually home-made rice pudding or flan), along with a non-alcoholic beverage, for $60 pesos.  Come hungry.  They also have a great dinner menu with barbecued ribs to die for, and a full wine and drink list.

Of course, cooking your own meals is the least expensive way to go, particularly if you stick to locally grown fruits and vegetables and stay away from north american items which are much more expensive and treated like "specialty" foods.  Simple meals of fish, rice, tortillas and vegetables are best.  The big gringo grocery stores like Mega are reportedly more expensive than the ones frequented by the locals such as Soriana's.  Fresh fish and seafood can be purchased directly from the fishermen at a couple of spots near Centro.  Shrimp is usually about 80 pesos per kilo.  Dorado or Mahi-Mahi is the most common type of fish filets, and the most inexpensive.

It is possible to live and eat in Mazatlan on a very limited, fixed income such as Social Security.  I know of many people who do.  They don't spend a lot eating in restaurants however, and likely stick to the small local kitchens.  For a somewhat higher budget, life is still very affordable even eating out three or four times a week - something unthinkable for most of us in north america.  I know many retired couples (who are not wealthy by any means) who eat out every single day (at least for dinner) and don't consider it breaking the budget at all.  Mike and I did more dining out this past winter than ever before, but we did try to cook at home at least three or four times a week.  (Really - we did try!)  If we just didn't have the wine habit, and switched to drinking beer, we'd be much less lighter in the wallet!

How to find a rental and live inexpensively in Mazatlan- Part 1

This is the outside of the house we rented this past winter for seven months.  We found it by "walking around".  In the spring of 2011, in the last weeks of our stay in Mazatlan, we began looking around for somewhere to rent the following fall.  We walked by this house and saw that it had a little sign on the window.  It said that the house was for sale and listed a contact number and email address for someone in Canada.  On the spur of the moment I emailed the owner and asked if we could take a look at the house, not from an interest to buy, but from an interest to rent.  He replied and said he wasn't really intending to rent it out but we were welcome to look at it.  There was a local acting as live-in caretaker and all we had to do was pull the rope by the door to ring the cowbell (doorbell).  Well, long story short, we looked, we fell in love, we asked him to consider renting it to us in the fall.  After some back and forth over a couple of months, he agreed.  Houses in Mazatlan were not selling well and it was unlikely this one would sell anytime soon.  He said he would give us 3 months notice if and when someone bought it.  The house and two studio suites were fully furnished.

This house was not a "cheap" rental for us at $1000 a month, but we decided to go ahead because it was such a beautiful place and an extraordinary opportunity to experience living there.  We were able rent out our own house in Alberta for the winter, furnished, so in fact our monthly housing costs went down.

Finding a rental apartment or house in Mazatlan can be tricky.  It can be very difficult to discern what a place is really like from classified ads and the pricing tends to be out of whack sometimes.  It is really best if you go there in person to spend a few days to actually take a look at places you are interested in, or if you happen to know people living there, have them take a look.

I got lucky with my first rental, which I found on Craigslist.  It was a 2-bed, 2-bath apartment attached to a house owned by an American.  I really did not know a lot about the various areas of Mazatlan then and although there were pictures on the ad, I rented it sight-unseen over the internet.  It turned out to be a very nice apartment in a quiet mixed residential area called Sabalo Country, close to the beaches, bus line etc.  I paid $600 US for that.  Some people thought I was paying too much, and others thought it was a deal.  There are comparable apartments for less, but they are difficult to find unless you are okay with living farther from the beach and in what some people might consider less-than-desirable areas.  Having said that, I know a couple of single senior women who each rent and live full-time in totally mexican neighbourhoods without even paved roads, and they pay very low rent - something like $200 a month - and are very happy and safe there.

Here are some ways to find apartments and houses:

1. Craigslist
2. Kijiji (in Canada)
3. Several expat websites that have classified ads such as www.whatsupmaz.org or www.mazmessenger.com
4. Join Mazinfo - a bulletin board group on Yahoo.  Many of the members are long-time residents of Mazatlan and very helpful. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MazInfo/
5.  Search various Mazatlan real estate websites for rentals, such as http://mazatlan.homestead.com/ (they will find a place for you for a flat fee too) or www.mazatlanrealty.com
6.  Walking around

It is important to keep in mind that it is common for landlords to expect you to take care of any issues such as plumbing or electrical, appliances and other minor repairs or problems yourself.  Also, it is much less expensive to rent unfurnished if you are planning a long term rental.  It is relatively inexpensive and easy to buy used furnishings, usually from other expats.  A good rule of thumb, I think, is that the further inland (east) you go, the lower the rents.

There are several main "areas" of Mazatlan to consider, depending on what your preferences are:

Nuevo Mazatlan or Cerritos - this is the most northern and newest area, dominated by gated and other communities, and high-rise condos, all of which are either on the beach or close to it.  The buses do run out there but it takes about 45 minutes or more to go from there to Centro, which is the southern most area.

Marina - a little south of Cerritos but still dominated by high-rise condos and newer housing developments, all around a marina with inland canals.  Less of a beach area, more of a boating area.

Golden Zone - a little more south, this is primarily a tourist area with hotel resorts. shops and restaurants geared to tourists.  Apartments and homes can be found here in the residential areas just east of the main road.  This close to where I rented my apartment the first year (2009) - it was a little north of the core of the Golden Zone in Sabalo Country.  I liked it there, but I like Centro more.

Everything in between the Golden Zone and Centro - this is about a 10 mile stretch, fronted by the longest malecon in the world along the waterfront.  There are many condo buildings along here and houses and apartments just east of the main road.  There isn't very much in the way of restaurants or shopping, but the buses run down the along the malecon frequently between Centro and Cerritos.  It is about a 10 to 20 minute ride to Centro depending on how far north you live in this area.

Centro - This is my favorite place to live, but it isn't for everyone.  The core historic area consists of the Mercado (market) where you can buy all manner of fresh food, public squares such as The Machado which is ringed by sidewalk cafes and restaurants, the Cathedral, Olas Altas (High Waves) the waterfront section and end of the malecon, which is lined with more sidewalk cafes and restaurants, and blocks and blocks of narrow streets and architecturally beautiful buildings - some crumbling and just waiting for someone to restore them.  It seems no matter where you live in historical Centro, you will have to get used to noise, especially on weekends, and a certain amount of dirt and grime and smells.  Its' charm exceeds all that for me and I wear earplugs at night.

There is one other area a little bit south of Centro called Playa Sur (South Beach) which is a newer residential area, much quieter than Centro but walking distance to it.  It is mainly houses, but there are a few apartments.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive guide.  If any of my Mazatlan friends have anything to add (or correct) to this information, please feel free in the comments.

Next post: Eating inexpensively

Time to go

Today we fly out of here for the season.  We stayed the last couple of nights at Casa de Leyendes so that we could pack up the house and put it to bed for the summer for the owners, who will come down in October to open it up for us.

So, this is naturally a time to reflect on our feelings and thoughts about Mazatlan after our third winter.  One major aha stands out for me.

I have never really been someone who had a lot interest in things like "culture" and art.  I'm a left-brainy gal, not big on emotions and feelings.  But slowly over this particular winter, I became aware of just how much those types of things add to one's enjoyment of life and cause you to form an stronger attachment to places like this.  I had not known much about Jackie Peterson and the hard work she has done for many years to encourage the sharing of cultural events between the locals and the gringos.  I did not know until she died.  Her memorial service was an eye-opener.

We made many new friends this winter, and got to know some old ones better.  Back in Alberta, our circle of friends is tiny.  We have lived there for 9 years.  And we live in a relatively small town - about 20,000 people.  Still, life north of the border simply does not lend itself to the kind of social life we have here.  It's not just that most of the gringos here are retired and have more time to make and be friends, although that might be part of it.  For me, it has a lot to do with living in historic Centro which is like a small town onto itself, except one walks everywhere and that means you are apt to run into people you know all around town and spend a few minutes chatting, maybe even sit down and have a drink or a meal on the spur of the moment.  Going out with friends anywhere doesn't mean getting in your car, driving somewhere in heavy traffic, finding parking, and then repeat to go home.  And, if you want to enjoy a cocktail or two with dinner, well, you can't because one of you will have to drive home.  The entire experience in Mazatlan is completely easy and relaxed.  I love that.  I'm quite certain living here extends your life - and if not, you will enjoy it immensely while you are alive.

Just gotta write

My son Simon atop Deer Island

I have come to the conclusion lately that I am highly unemployable in any conventional sense.  Of course, I do "work" in and on our business and have been handling just about everything related to that administratively and financially.  I do it because we can't afford to pay someone else.  It's the type of work I have always done, whether for someone else or ourselves.  I'm the organizer, the manager, the detail person.  Yuck.

Recently I was toying with ideas for what kind of work I could do (or would do) now if I REALLY had to.  Sensible people might actually be thinking that I really should be working at my age, and using my income to more aggressively pay off debts and save.  I know my accountant thinks so.  So, I thought, well, what if I was to work just 6 months of the year in the summer - what would I do that would make it worthwhile.  A review of my work history is confusing quite frankly - I've done so many different types of jobs over the years, it is really very difficult to put me in a box and say "this is what she does".  I've never had a "career". I'd be a recruiter's nightmare. I actually thought I might try taking a self-taught course to write the test for getting certified as an insurance broker - something that might tie in with a lot of my other background and give it a focus.  Yeah, that might be good......and then a few minutes later, I am shuddering when I picture myself in a cubicle wearing office clothes with a phone to my ear.  NOOOOOOOOO!  Likewise, I think about taking a few computer courses with a particular focus, like document management systems......Mike could help me learn that shit.  But god, I just don't want to!  I'd have to work in big corporations downtown and commute on a train and sit in traffic for hours a day.  Please, never again.

No, it would seem that the only thing I am suited for now is writing, particularly if I want to continue to spend winters in Mazatlan, or travel to other places more.  I just have to find a way to get paid for it.  Luckily, this is the age of self-publishing e-books and social marketing.  I'm going to give it a try.  There, I said it and I want everyone who reads this to hold me accountable.  I'm a lazy so-and-so, and I MUCH prefer reading other people's writing than my own!

Oh, these Latin men..

Mike and I went to one of the ocean-front restaurants last night for some delicious fish and seafood.  (La Fonda).  As the youngish waiter served us, I caught a subtle look from him - a slightly flirtatious smile and glint in his eye that instantly made me feel good.  It hit me then that this happens all the time and it's not because I'm some hot bod young blonde - far from it - it's just because I am a woman.   The men here just seem to appreciate the femaleness of women, no matter what they weigh, their age, colour of hair, or body shape.

I mentioned this to Mike, trying not to alarm him or make him jealous, but just as an observation - something I had been experiencing and observing all along but it hadn't really crystallized until that moment.  He says North American men certainly do appreciate women in the same way, they just feel they should suppress any expression of it - kind of a "PC" thing - in public. I disagree.

I think North American men have been programmed more by the media and society in general to place far more value on the young, the slim, the blonde (not necessarily but more than other hair colours), the buxom, and that a woman like me becomes "invisible" after a certain age.  A youngish waiter in a restaurant in Calgary would NEVER lightly flirt with me.

The kind of flirting I'm talking about is totally harmless.  It just sends a little message - I am a man and I see you and appreciate your presence.  That's it.  It's lovely.  There's no leering, no "pervy-ness" (Mike's word).

It's a kind of payback to all the mature women in this place for the fact that the young mazatlan women here are extraordinarily beautiful, and the expat men do a fair amount of drooling over them - some quite overtly. We just roll our eyes.  Meanwhile, the youngish waiter is giving us secret little looks and smiles and we remember we are women.

Another reason I love Mazatlan.

What about the software business?

Okay, so as I posted last January, I reached a burn-out point and basically refused to even talk about software, or invest any more money it.  And we haven't.  Well, maybe a little.  But our focus (well, my focus) has been on getting finances under control and paying down debt.  Mike has been a good boy and did not start any new initiatives on the software.  Andy was also busy working full-time as a consultant, which actually made us money as opposed to paying it out to him.  I began to breathe a little easier.

Until recently.

Now, I'm not saying I'm freaking out or anything.  So far, there have been no large requests for funds (a couple of small ones).  But I'm also very skeptical.  I've earned my skepticism.  I'm not being discouraging either.  

I am being told that Andy, using existing code, has created a new, deceptively simple application that actually works and can be sold for easy download to a market with a demand for it.  He did it in three days.  While on the road in his camper.  What is it?  It's not something a lay-person would understand or need so I'm not going to try to explain it - even I barely understand it.  Doesn't matter.  It does something cool and necessary for those enterprise document management people, and several immediately offered to beta test it.

Mike won't be quitting his consulting jobs anytime soon, but let's see what happens shall we?

More about The House in Mazatlan

I capitalized The House because it is so special.  The original building is from the 1860's - one of many huge homes built by wealthy German immigrant families.  It was a complete wreck when the current owner bought it about 12 years ago, and was also much larger.  He divided up the building into three and sold off two.  Then he restored the house to historical standards for this old city area of Mazatlan.  The red tile floor you see here is original and extends throughout the house and patio.

The main house itself is spacious and open, with 25 foot ceilings.  It really has only one bedroom, but there is a loft bedroom too, with a small spiral staircase up to it.  Kitchen, dining, living, bathrooms, bedroom all lie in a row facing out to the patio and courtyard.  Across the courtyard (and I'm not sure this is an original building) is a two-story building with a full studio apartment on each floor (called casitas) and a roof-top patio above.  But the main attraction of this place is the courtyard with its many and varied tropical plants and trees and vines.  There is a fountain in the center which is not functioning now but still adds to the ambiance.

The patio and courtyard are wonderful for entertaining. Three huge iron doors (seen in the picture) open the house up fully onto the covered patio and courtyard, providing total easy flow between them.  We have hosted several cocktail parties and potluck suppers over the winter and it never fails that everyone enjoys themselves immensely and comments on the relaxed and beautiful old world atmosphere.  The house is truly the envy of many expats.  How lucky we were to be able to rent it, and at a reasonable price.  We have reserved it again for next winter.

This winter, my husband, Mike, has been able to work remotely from here on a consulting contract for a company back in Canada.  He uses one of the casitas to work from.  How wonderful the opportunity to do that has been for him.  I hope it can be arranged again for next winter!  I remember my first winter here (see my first post in the blog).  I spent most of the winter by myself that time, and it was a good experience for me.  But part of my motivation to do it was to lay the groundwork for future winters here, hoping that we could eventually design our lives to be: exactly what they were this winter.

A ride in a '60 T-Bird

Yesterday was the expat yakfest at Las Flores Hotel on the deck by the ocean.  A good turnout given the end of the winter season.  A few people there have been reading my blog, which is great.  I noticed that the waiter kept refilling our popcorn and salty nuts - they don't do that usually.  I think someone told them it makes us drink more!

There was a new face (to me) there who was driving a white '60's T-Bird that he was having restored in Mazatlan - he had brought the parts down with him since those are hard to find here, but the labour is dirt cheap. After things wrapped up at Las Flores, he invited 3 of us to ride in the car down the malecon to another popular sea-side place called PV's (Puerto Viejo).  Since I was going with my good friends Dan and Gail in the car, I went along.  What can I say?  It was fun.  Lots of waves and nods of approval from people as we drove by - like we were celebrities!  At PV's I sat back and did my "quietly observe" thing while sipping a Pacifico beer.  There were a few interesting characters that I've never met at our table so I find it much more fun to watch than participate.  Mr. T-Bird impulsively stopped the girl selling roses when she walked by and bought 3 roses.  The first one he gave to Dan who accepted it with a confused/horrified look on his face.  I could just hear him thinking "WTF?"  Then T-Bird gave one to Gail and me (the only women at the table) and explained - the last time he bought a rose for some other guys wife, the guy got a little upset, so he decided he would buy one for the guy too.  We laughed, and Dan said, "Whew!  You had me worried there.  But I won't be riding in your T-Bird with you again!"

When the glorious sunset was over, I stepped out to the sidewalk and caught the Sabalo/Centro bus home, smiling.

So - What is life like in Mazatlan?

I don't seem to have a "typical" day here.  That's something I love about it - I decide minute to minute what I'm going to do next.  But nearly every day includes most of these things:

I wake and rise when I feel like it.  I'm not an early riser but its usually before 9.  I know I should be more ambitious and get up to trot down to the beach for walk at dawn, but I don't seem to be able to.

I check my email and messages.  I try to drink a glass of water with the juice of 2 fresh limes before having coffee. I open my patio door and let in the sound of a multitude of birds and the sultry morning air.  I skype Mike if he is online while drinking coffee.  I respond to emails and messages. I work a little online. I think about breakfast.  Maybe I'll scramble a couple of eggs with chopped cactus leaf.  Maybe I'll just stir some vanilla protein powder into my coffee.

At some point in the day, I put on my bathing suit and beach cover-up, pack my beach bag with requisite items such as sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, money, book or Kindle, towel, and walk to the beach.  Its a pleasant walk through a nice neighbourhood, a mix of expats and locals.  I walk past a very nice RV park which is now 2/3's empty - the snowbird RVers have begun the migration home.  There are lots of lovely flowers, bougainvillia bushes, cactus, ficus trees shaped like animals or just in a box shape.  As I near the corner where the local 7-11 type shop is (called Oxxo), I note that the homeless guy is back on his spot on the sidewalk where he sits and puts out a hand as you go by.  There is his blackened tin can on top of a few old coals where he heats up water or food.  He doesn't seem unhappy, really.  Sometimes, he is across the street lying in the shade of a ficus tree.  I give him a few pesos once in a while but not every day.  Sometimes, he isn't there for weeks - maybe he gets rounded up and sent on his way.

I cross the busy street dodging buses and pulmonia taxies, cars, motorcycles.  Through the walkway beside a beachside apartmentment building/hotel and onto the beach.  I decide whether to park myself on the beach for a swim in the ocean (is it too rough today?) or walk down the beach to one of the hotel beachside pools.  Either way, I will likely buy a fresh, cold coconut from the local vendor at some point.  He cuts a hole in the top and puts a straw in.  It is cold and delicious.  When I'm done drinking the water, he takes it back, hacks its open and scoops out the meat into a bowl, adds fresh lime and chili powder, and hands it back to me with a toothpick for spearing and eating the pieces of mouth-watering coconut meat.

After a couple of hours at the beach, I walk back home and check email and messages.  I shower, make lunch, do a little laundry, wash a few dishes, work a little online.  Is today a social event day?  I go to two or three per week.  Two of them are happy hour get-togethers with other expats at local watering holes from 4-6. (The other is a ladies lunch on Wed.) We drink local beer, michiladas (beer with lime juice), wine (more expensive than anything else), margueritas.  Everyone has their regular.  Some drink agua mineral with lime (mineral water).  We shoot the breeze and marvel at how lucky we all are to be sitting there by the ocean, waiting for yet another gorgeous sunset.  Sometimes a smaller group of us will go on from there to have dinner at one of our favourite and cheap eateries.  Fresh fish, shrimp, tacos, guacamole, chicken in mango sauce, the choices are endless and delicious.  On some occasions, we carry on from there to another local watering hole for tequila and kareoke - semi-outdoors, by the ocean, by the busy road with buses, cars and taxis passing by, and pelicans flying in formation overhead and skimming along the tops of cresting waves with the gorgeous sunset in the background.  Another grand day in Mazatlan.  I hop a local bus home.

Why Cliffjumpers - my first post

I re-read a couple of old blogs today from 2003-2005. I want to start a new blog. The old ones are still out there but are anonymous. Sometimes the ups and downs of this roller-coaster we are on get to me. I read back to 2003 and realize how much we have struggled and for how long. It all goes back much farther too. To 1996 actually. Why do we do it? Can't help ourselves really. There is always just enough good happening to keep us going.

Like right now. I am writing this as I sit at a hand-made mexican wood desk in an apartment condo in Mazatlan. Outside the patio door, birds are singing, church bells are ringing and the sun is hot at high noon. We rented this place for the winter. It has always been a dream of mine to do this - live for several months in a tropical place. Not just vacation, but to experience living there for an extended period of time. This year, we jumped off a cliff and did it.

We came to Mazatlan for a vacation last winter. I loved it so much that I came back again by myself a couple of months later (I tend to do those sorts of things - Mike understands). I spent 2 more weeks here getting dental work done (very cheap) (another supposedly risky thing to do - but in reality it's not) and meeting some of the local expats from Canada and the US. I found out how little it can cost to live here for the winter and decided that if at all possible we should try doing just that next winter. That's this winter. Last summer, I looked for rentals online and found this great little place with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, ground floor, 3 blocks from the beach, buses, shops and restaurants. It was great price and I booked it from Oct. to May, not really knowing for sure if we would be able to make the rent on it each month, but trusting that we would. And we have.

It's now April. I have been back and forth from home to here 3 times over the winter - Mike too. I chose Mazatlan specifically because there are cheap direct flights from Calgary to here, 4 hours. And it is the same time zone. I have great internet and can work online and communicate with Mike by Skype. My boys, Tim and Simon, have been down to visit, and a friend staying with me for 10 days to get much needed dental work done here for far less than she was being asked to pay back home. Mike will be here again in a couple of weeks and maybe the boys again too. All in all, it has worked out beautifully and I am thrilled to have jumped off this particular cliff! More about Mazatlan in the next post.