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| Lobster fishermen |
Don’t!
Unless you love adventure, living fearlessly,
and enjoy diversity.
When
we decided to retire to this little island in the Caribbean, we’d already had
some experience with Mexico.
I started holidaying in the mid-1960s on the western side of the country, Lynda a bit later. (Damn, we should have learned more Spanish than baños and cerveza!)
I started holidaying in the mid-1960s on the western side of the country, Lynda a bit later. (Damn, we should have learned more Spanish than baños and cerveza!)
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| Love that turquoise-coloured water |
We
chose Isla Mujeres for a number of reasons. The first hook was the amazing
turquoise water; ten years later, we are both still mesmerized by the ocean. Another
reason was the kind and friendly people. They are an intriguing mix of Mayan,
Spanish, and several other cultures.
Lynda
and I had previously lived on a small island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, and we knew it takes a certain mentality to flourish in a remote
community.
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| Colour and fun during Carnaval |
You have to be handy and inventive, as you can’t always call for help
anytime that you need it. Isla has lots of handymen, who are usually busy
doing jobs for other folks, and they will get around to you sooner or later, but
not always immediately. It isn’t laziness; it is because they are just too busy, but it is not polite in this culture to say ‘no’ to anyone. So they agree to
help out, mañana. But as the song says: “Mañana doesn’t mean tomorrow, it just
means not today.”
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| Cowboys waiting for their parade to start |
We
started with a new build, so everything worked for a while, then the salt and
humidity created problems.
Stupid little things started to go wrong, and I once again became Joe Handyman.
Light fixtures rusted. Light sockets corroded. Door locks seized. Door hinges stiffened.
Taps seized up with mineral deposits. It’s a never-ending job.
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| Dia de Independencia |
And
some other challenges with living in a foreign country:
The
first question our American friends ask is, “What do you do for Medical?” We’re
Canadian, and we had universal health care, back in Canada that we took for
granted. But after six months of being outside the country, we are no longer eligible
for coverage. We thought about health insurance but decided against it. Nobody
gets out of life alive. Just think of your grandparents; they didn’t have
insurance or health plans.
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| Revolution Day parade |
About
a month after moving, I developed a high fever and bronchitis. We called
the local doctor, who immediately came to our house, administered a shot, wrote
out a prescription for antibiotics, and advised bed rest for a few days. The bill
was five hundred pesos, which is not a lot of money for fast and caring service.
We haven’t met any zillionaire doctors in Mexico.
The
one thing we didn’t realize, until we left our country, was that the officials and
politicians would lose interest in helping us solve problems.
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| A Flowery Cross for the top of a new casa |
Yes, we get our
pensions directly deposited into our Canadian banks, but it is an ongoing war with
the bureaucrats. First, it was a withholding tax on my pensions, even though we
declare any and all income on our Canadian tax returns. Then it was an
eighteen-month wait for Lynda’s pensions to be processed because she had to
prove exactly what day we left Canada in 2008.
We drove 8500 kilometers from BC
to Isla Mujeres, and neither the American nor the Mexican border guards are
required to stamp our passports. We had to get personal friends (not family!)
and past employers to verify the date that we left the country.
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| Flowery Cross Day May 3rd |
Over
the years, we have discovered that a lot of expats don’t tell their respective
governments that they are living outside the country. They keep a mailing address
in their original country, and it simplifies everything. I guess I’m stupid. I
have this honest streak and went by the book. It has cost us dearly in time,
money, and frustration.
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| Another beautiful sunset |
But we still have the privilege of paying our Canadian income tax every year.
According to our American friends, they can still vote, but the ex-pats' votes are only counted in certain circumstances. Either way, it is odd.
Would
we make the same decision and retire to Mexico?
Hell yes! It is an amazing
country and culture. Just remember that you need that sense of adventure.
Your
family will always be family, and although you won’t be right next door, they
will still love you, and trust me – they will visit you.
Cheers, Lawrie
(Lynda’s
busy writing Tormenta Isla Book #3 of the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series)
There's Trouble on Isla, Big Trouble!
Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series
Book #1 Isla Mujeres Mystery series
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