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| White sand beach, original lighthouse |
Most
of us like to dream about a holiday away, somewhere different than
our hometown or city, perhaps someplace warm to break up the chill
of the winter months.
Dreaming costs money!
Until
a month ago, our number three spot in readership was held by Russia,
just behind the USA and Mexico. Now, with the ruble in a free fall
against the American dollar and other world currencies, they barely
register anymore on our daily and weekly totals. I guess their
vacation dreams have been dashed by the economic downturn.
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| Tarzan's on the Beach |
On
the other hand, until a few weeks ago, when France was attacked by
terrorists, we had very few followers of this blog from that country.
Suddenly, the French readership has increased dramatically. You
would think that they would be hunkering down at home, instead of
dreaming of vacations in the Caribbean.
 |
| Harbour with Navy boats, and a car ferry |
Scratching
our heads over the sudden shift in readership, we compared, via
various internet sites, wages and cost of living in Mexico and
France. The average monthly wage, after taxes, in France is around
$2700.00 (USD), but everything except the nationally
protected French wine and bread is much more expensive than in Mexico.
 |
| Kite surfing at Playa Norte |
Then,
when we compared the basic cost of living in either Mexico or Russia, a few surprising details stood out. First, the average monthly salary
for workers in both countries was very similar, hitting around
$700.00 (USD). The basic foods such as vegetables, meat, eggs, and
bread are similar in prices, but the Russians pay much more for
rental accommodation, entertainment, restaurant meals, clothing and
utilities. If that's the case, there is very little money available
for vacations.
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| Public walkway on south-east side of Isla |
Looking
at our readership numbers again caused a bit more head scratching;
the Czech Republic followers have also increased substantially in recent weeks. So, once again, we compared the basic average wages and
cost of living. The average worker in the Czech Republic earns
around $1000.00 USD, but their expenses are slightly higher than in
Mexico. It's pretty much evens out.
 |
| Sand and sun and surf - Playa Norte |
Figuring
out why the sudden decline in Russian readership was easy. They have
less money to spend on non-essentials. But deciphering why the
followers in France and the Czech Republic have dramatically
increased…not a clue! I guess they finally discovered this
part of Mexico, this little island paradise.
 |
| Beautiful gate painted tropical orange |
Weekly, we write about living in paradise on a tropical island, and we love
it here, but it is not about a place so much as it is about an
individual paradise. Whether your paradise is spending time with
family, friends, your favourite critter, a great glass of wine, or
just relaxing, life is meant to be enjoyed.
Wherever you live, keep dreaming! Eventually, your dreams will
materialize. We all have our personal notes from paradise.
Hasta luego, Lawrie, Lynda, Sparky, and Thomas the Cat
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3 comments:
Really interesting statistics and trends to ponder this week...something to think about. Fascinating...many thanks!
Good morning Gail - it's always interesting for Lawrie and I to see where our readers are from. With the big increase in French and Czech the local shop keepers might have to learn a few words in those languages as well ..... I can speak Fra-Spang-Lish!
A note from one of our readers:
"Very interesting blog this week. Thank you.
My office mate, who sits next to me, is Russian. She tells me that it is not that their currency has decreased that is causing them not to travel, but that the political instability is. They go to work each day hoping that their company is still around. They don’t want to venture too far from home in case something happens. They are playing the waiting game right now."
How very difficult for people to deal with that situation. Thank you for updating us. Cheers L
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