the maid

We have a maid. I have not been pulling my weight for the last couple of months. We hired a fellow that in a short time was robbing us blind! But now we have a gem! Our new help brings us good food made at her house. Recipes to follow stay tuned!

Old Hippies

Here is our little Hippie table sitting on our deck in Pochutla, Oaxaca, Mexico. Back in the 70′s (as in 1900′s and 70′s) we were Hippies’. There are less and less of us Hippie types as time reduces. But, we that remain are far from forgetting our roots – which included that and the rest…

As the World Turns

This is a catch-all. The kind Kim (one of my favorite readers – and I his) kids me about. Bouncing between subjects is just part of my conversational nature – one topic leads to another and so on. We have been working daily on the new casa – many projects (read opportunities) there. The tile was…

No Shoe Zone

We are coming off of a week or so tiling project – with more to come. In many countries like Japan, Korea and Turkey it is considered a major faux pas to walk through a house with shoes on. In some schools in Sweden, children are even required to remove their shoes. In Japan, removing shoes has also…

Buying Land in La Punta or La Barra

One of the best real estate opportunities may also be a disastrous move. The gambler gets the pot but of course at a risk. Like any gamble there are odds – odds are if you play your cards right you can go away a winner. The Calypso Couple now owns two such gambling properties, or…

Suck it up

One of the hazards of beach living is the scorpion. Last year we had more than 15 during our 6 months here. So far things are a bit slower this year – maybe the more rain days? Or just blind luck. Our experience has led us to believe these ugly things have no interest in…

Malibu or Puerto It is Beachy

We live a few hundred yards from the same beach and ocean the folks in Malibu, California enjoy – the very same – just at the south end – next stop being Antarctica. Looking at the real estate market in Malibu, we notice many stars have been trying to unload their multi-million-dollar digs there. Actually they buy and sell Malibu property amongst themselves a lot.…

Season for Cost of Living Comparisons

The beginning of each year the Bloggers often write about cost of living issues as many of the annual fees come due or are paid. Couple that and the fact an increasing number of people are packing their stuff and heading to other countries where the cost of living is cheaper. It is no surprise that the number of expats is at record…

Because You Asked

A reader asks, “Is it feasible for a single English speaking N American with virtually no Spanish speaking ability to spend and enjoy extended time (couple months or longer) in Puerto? How easy or difficult would it be to function in a satisfactory manner? Certainly if I were to stay any longer I would desire…

Retire Abroad

This just in from Charles Schwab: As far as I can tell there is only ONE CHOICE if you want to drive. Pretty sure I do not want to live that close to China (Malaysia – apparently quite the bargain?). DO NOT LIKE many of Ecuador’s rules – a long way from the U.S. and…