Lessons Learned after Five Months on the Road

So far our retirement travels have been enlightening. We have been on the road for over five months and have learned a lot about what we want moving forward. The process is by no means over, but lessons learned so far will certainly help direct our path forward.

Lesson one: When “trying on” a location to see if it “fits” you definitely need three or four months. When you are only somewhere for a week or three you are still on “vacation.” There is no time to get tired of the heat, to hate the humidity, or to get annoyed by the noise or the garbage in the streets. You do not notice the day to day difficulties of getting around – because when you are somewhere for a short while you tend to take taxis and eat out. Even a month is not long enough because it is just not enough time to make a place your own, or to get to know the community. It is possible we could learn to like Playa del Carmen, but because we are only here for a month, it is too short of a time to get “plugged in” and it is too short of a time to justify buying the things we need to make our stay comfortable. For example, in Bucerias, because we were there for three months, it was worth it to buy some Tupperware, a strainer and a cheese grater, it was worth it to pick up some blankets and to plant a few herbs…all things that made our time there better. I rearranged the furniture and made the place my own. Here, we feel like we are camping. The place is not well equipped, but because we are only here a short while it just makes no sense to buy a bunch of stuff.( We finally broke down and bought two good beach chairs and a beach umbrella – cost us $120. We figured we could use them here and then ship them back to Bucerias for when we go back there. Not! Turns out FedX wanted $300+ to ship them so now we will have to leave them behind.)

Lesson two: Playa del Carmen is a very touristy city with a large expat community, and many charming neighbourhoods.

We chose to stay in a non-tourist neighbourhood where there are very few xpats. Unless you speak very good Spanish, I do not think this is a very good idea and I will not do it again. We speak Spanish well enough to get by and to ask for what we need – but it is near impossible to make friends. A friendly hello on the street is nice – but we are missing interaction with people we can communicate well with. In general, I like to avoid areas that are very touristy, which is why we are here, however, I have learned that community is an important part of a happy and healthy retirement, and we just do not fit in here in Colosio. The disparity is too obvious. We are too rich. People here are very poor, they live in hovels, and they work around the clock to squeak out a miserable living. We just do not have enough in common with them to be able to make friends.

Lesson three: In the poor neighbourhoods, where few foreigners go, there is little to no “Mexican charm.” Mexican charm is a construct of the rich. It exists only where people have money. In poor areas there are limited government services like garbage pick up, so everywhere we walk (outside of the well-designed fifth ave walkway) we are stepping over dirty diapers, dog shit, and filth.

Lesson four: Be careful when people say you can live in Mexico for $1000 month. It is true that you can live on very little, but you are not going to get an area where the houses look like the yellow house above. Nope. The only kind of neighbourhoods you will find where you can rent a flat for $500 a month and eat a meal with chicken, rice, beans, tortillas, soup and water for 25 pesos (about $2 CAD, less than what you will pay for a beer in the tourist area), will look like this:

Truly, if you want Mexican charm, safety, and garbage pickup – and to go to restaurants where the workers have a sink in which they can wash their hands, it is not happening for the small amounts International Living magazine might lead you to believe, unless you are far inland, away from tourist spots, nice beaches, and international airports.

Lesson five: There are all kinds of things that I have back home that I do not need or miss. I don’t miss a varied wardrobe, hairdressers, or a car. I don’t miss boots, winter coats and furnaces. However, there are definitely things I have learned that I don’t want to live without: things that make my life easier and happier. These things will vary from person to person – so it is good to go through this process to learn what they are. For me, I miss, and now know I don't want to be without, a decent kitchen with proper kitchen tools. I love to cook so dull knives and crappy pots really bother me. I also need a decent bed and pillow. It is a must. For Stephane, he really misses having a big TV and decent internet. We watch movies and TV series a lot in the evenings, and he wishes we were watching on a big screen instead of my small laptop. And it would sure be nice to not have the show stop several times as the internet goes in and out.

I know I have many more lessons to learn, but for now, I have an overwhelming appreciation for all I have back home. Family. Good friends. Clean streets. A quality mattress. An functional kitchen. A decent TV.
There is more to life than good weather and nice beaches.