Month: August 2017

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Eternity in an Hour

I cannot believe how much has happened over the last couple of days. It feels like I’ve lived a week since Monday night.

The big news this week was Tropical Storm Franklin, which has just gotten upgraded to the first hurricane of the 2017 season and is battering gulf coastal Mexico from Campeche to Veracruz. Mérida and Progreso were on the outskirts of the path, so we really weren’t expecting much to happen. I still made sure Monday night to shut down with all my appliances fully charged so that if I woke up to no power and internet, as Franklin was supposed to roll in over night, I’d be set. I also arranged for a light work day.

Well, Franklin wound up being a dud here. I’m really glad I did not stress out about it!

But… 3:30 yesterday afternoon, I lost power.

It wasn’t until almost 8:00 that I realised that I was the only one on the block without power, clueing in when I saw the streetlights and my neighbours’ lights on. I called the solar guy and he said that all I could do was call CFE (the power company) and he gave me the emergency number and walked me through the steps.

The number has been down for a solid 24 hours. I never managed to reach CFE by phone. I tried the Progreso office this morning and the two times someone picked up, they let me say about three words before saying, “No hablo ingles,” and hanging up quite rudely. Wow.

I did, however, make contact with them via Twitter, of all things. Last contact was at 8:45 when they asked me for my service number.

I had a fitful night because the power would come on for about 30 seconds every few hours and it kept waking me up even though I had turned off most of the breakers. I didn’t want to shut them all in case the power did come back so that the fridge would turn on.

When I finally got up at 7:45, I saw a message from CFE at 7:00 saying that they had dispatched crews to my area.

I was sure I knew what the problem was. The house has new “smart” meters that have very low tolerance to low voltage situations, even if they’re not at brownout levels. Over a series of exchanges on Twitter, I learned that this was what was happening and that others with smart meters in my area were also affected. So I knew not to expect a work crew at the house.

Somehow, I got through a ridiculous amount of work today. I kept the phone and computer charged through the truck battery. Get this — TelCel had gifted me a whole GB of data, so I didn’t have to pay anything for the bandwidth that got me through last night and most of today! I’m pretty sure TelCel has my business for life at this point.

It was about 5:20 when the power started to come on for 30 seconds and then shut right off. This went on until about 5:45, literally as I submitted my final job for the day, and then the power finally seemed ready to stay on. I let it go for a bit, then turned on the AC in my suite. All seemed good. My UPS (uninterrupted power supply) for the computer is advises me of power issues and said that all was good so I eventually turned on the other units.

What was frustrating during this outage is that the property has a grid tied solar system that was useless to me. My friend Shane wrote a very informative bit about grid tied solar and why it is incompatible with batteries. I’ll post it in the comments for those who are interested. Thanks, Shane!

Needless to say, I needed a cold beer after this and was very grateful to have La Barca within walking distance. I had a really surprisingly good burger with XX Ambar that helped restore my mood immensely.

Now, while all of this has been going on over the last 48 hours, I’ve also been organising a marathon house viewing schedule tomorrow! I’m seeing three houses for sure, five very likely, and possibly six!

First up is a house in Montecarlo (seriously, I really am moving up in the world, LOL). The exterior made me realise that I need to add covered parking to my List and the location is probably too far northeast, but at $7,000 a month, it will be worth a look. It has one of the better kitchens I’ve seen, with tons of counter space, a double sink (!), and no grimy cabinets. It unfortunately has those floors and that wall colour throughout, which is doing nothing for it.

The agent for this one has two nicer houses to show me, but I don’t know if I’ll have time to fit them in before my next appointment. They are $10,000 a month each, so it would be interesting to see what the extra money will get me.

The next house is also up there price-wise at $9,000, but by far the best location so far, right by the main north-south street (Calle 60) and the northernmost edge of the neighbourhood is only 5KM from the heart of Centro. This is the first house that I’m going to see that I think could be my first hard consideration. It also suffers from unfortunate blandness, but has some nice built-ins.

I’m curious about the third house as there are no inside photos. The agent says that it has the layout I want, but is “small.” That might actually be a good thing. Many of the houses I’m looking at are way more house than I need! This one is in Campestre, which many Mexicans have told me should be where I would be happiest. I dismissed the neighbourhood last year as being too far north, but now it’s in the running. The outside looks cute and it’s only $6,500.

Finally, there is a house that I may not be able to see until the weekend, but they’ll try to fit me in late tomorrow afternoon. So far in my house search, I’ve gotten butterflies in my belly twice, and this house is one of them. The first house that caused those butterflies is not available. This one is. I had a very definite idea in my head of what I wanted my first real Mexican home to look like and this house is the first I’ve seen that matches that vision, as evidenced by this room:

Look at those windows and doors! This is a house built for this climate.

It is way more house than I need (three bedrooms and two baths upstairs, maid’s room with bath and a study on the ground floor!) and $9,000 a month, but it speaks to me and I will not ignore it.

These houses all represent such a variety of prices, styles, and locations that I should feel ready after to make an educated decision and to start asking about things like internet service in the neighbourhood. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day, but I’m glad I’m going to fit in so many viewings!

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RIP Brutus

I got some very sad news from Haven yesterday, that Charles and Caroline’s beloved dog Brutus had, after a period of decline, finally crossed Rainbow Bridge.

Brutus is the dog who really converted me to dogs and made me think that one day, in the right place and at the right time, I would want such a personable and loyal companion. He was such a sweet soul and a grumpy old boy. I knew that when I cuddled him for the last time before leaving in April that it would be the last time. I’m glad that we got that final week together. It was so very special to get up in the morning and sit by the fire with him and Charles and have my coffee.

Here is Brutus in August 2014, when he was still in his prime.

Brutus, you were well loved and will be sorely missed. Thank you for making our lives a little brighter.

Charles and Caroline, I’m sending hugs across the vast distance that separates us. Far in body, close in spirit. Love you both.

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Location Dilemma

Wow, it’s been a long day and I have about three hours of work to do tonight due to a rush job coming in that I couldn’t turn down. Zzzzz.

I was up earlier than I would have liked and got to work making scrambled eggs for Puppy. I show him the egg in the shell and he gets super excited knowing what’s coming. He sits outside the door, nose pressed up against the glass, as I make them, then pop them in the fridge to cool down. I always get a nuzzle of thanks before he gobbles them down. I also had a treat this morning as I’d picked up a croissant yesterday, which I enjoyed with blackberry jam. For some reason, blackberry jam is easy to find here in plain old non-fancy store brands, but not raspberry. Maybe it’s because of the cooler name, zarzamora versus frambuesa? 🙂 I usually buy strawberry, but was sick of it, so blackberry was a welcome change.

Then, I thought I’d get some of that work done, but I ended up having to spend some time on the phone with my bank to figure out what was going on with an account-to-account transfer I’d made. Turns out, they’re having trouble with their systems, my money is safe, and while I don’t need to be accommodated, they would have found a way to do so if it was needed. My 25-year love affair with CIBC continues.

I then did only a teeny bit of the job because I  had a few chores to do before leaving at about eleven as I had a meeting just north of Centro at noon. Of course, this was the day that there was a massive accident on the short cut road to Mérida and I had to detour by way of Progreso.

Here’s a map of the day:

The meeting was at the Slow Food market. This market is part of an international movement where folks can show off local, organic, and fair trade fare. To my surprise, it was actually Google Maps-able and super easy to get to, with plenty of parking. I really can’t wait to go and spend some proper time there, but I was looking at several more hours in the city, so it didn’t make any sense to shop. I was only there to pick up a bag of books I found on the local garage sale site. I got all six for $650, which is a very good deal (Spanish books, like French, are super expensive so even used, they’re not a great bargain). I now have enough Spanish reading material to get me through the apocalypse. 🙂 Before anyone says anything, I prefer paper for Spanish because I take notes in the books as I read.

I had a bit of a poke around and popped into a shop right by my truck to look at purses. I love my leather tote, but it’s super heavy and the top doesn’t close. So I’ve been casually looking for another bag, but not willing to invest in one. This one caught my eye immediately, in a sturdy plasticky material (probably the same kind of thing used to cover outdoor furniture), but very lightweight. It had a zipper on top and a large pocket within. The sales lady said that the handles, pull tab, and top flap (which, frankly, I could do without) are real leather (a sniff test confirmed it). It’s handmade and has a “lifetime” guarantee. I had a look at the price tag and, as expected, the price was up there, $2,500. No… wait. there’s another zero and the decimal is actually here. “$250?” I asked the clerk. “Yes, since it only has very little leather.” SOLD. That’s 19CAD, or about 14USD!

Off I went then to the iShop at Altabrisas to pick up my new iPhone 5C! There, I got help setting it up and taking the chip out of my 6 to make sure the 5C could register it. Except for the serial number, the new one is identical. It has a 90-day guarantee. Doesn’t this one look a tad healthier? 🙂

I then went back across town to the Francisco de Montejo neighbourhood. By this point, I was getting faint from hunger, but I didn’t have time to eat. So I was happy when I got a text from the property manager asking if we could delay the meeting by 30 minutes. This way, I was able to find the house, drive around a bit, and pop into a cocina economica (mom and pop inexpensive restaurant with a set menu) for a restorative meal of yummy breaded turkey breast filets and some much needed advice…

I’m really torn about where I want to live in Mérida. Right in Centro is out for a number of reasons — it’s too loud and I need quiet for work. Expats have taken over the best parts and driven prices up all over. Driving and parking is a nightmare. But it has the central market, museums, theatres, touristy stuff. So really thought that I was going to do what my legwork last year told me to do and live in one of the neighbourhoods just north of Centro to have easy access to it.

However, the more neighbourhoods I explore, the more I’m seeing that what I’m seeking, to live in a walkable neighbourhood with all the services I need for daily living, I have to go way further north, west, or east of Centro — that gives me access to both mom & pop establishments and big box stores while living in a peaceful neighbourhood. That also means I’m too far from Centro to make getting there by taxi affordable with the bus network not being great, I’d be way more reliant on my truck than I wanted. I’d also be in a much less desirable neighbourhood for guests.

I recognise that I’m reasonably young, looking to rent rather than buy (so keeping my mobility), and that I’m just starting my Mexican life. Living in a centro histórico might not be the right move right now in my life, but it could be in a few years when I’m not working so much. Plus, by that point, I’ll hopefully have found one in another city that other expats haven’t gentrified the best parts of. So I think I’m okay with not living with easy access to centro here for this first year as long as, again, I’m living in a city-within-a-city type of neighbourhood that fulfills most of my needs and going to Centro would be a treat.

So I asked the lady at the restaurant today if she had time to chat and she certainly did. I spoke about what I was looking for and how I live and what I need. She said that I’m overestimating how far Centro is outside of rush hour and that it would take me only a very short time to figure out the most strategic place to drop my truck to bus and/or taxi the rest of the way there. She agrees that it’s not a great tourist neighbourhood, but it is very close to the Museo del Mundo Mayo and Calle 60, from which it’s easy to get a bus north to Progreso or south to Centro.

Other Mexicans I’ve spoken to, including my neighbours across the street here, agree with her, saying that I’ll have a better quality of life in one of the quieter suburbs. They say that expats come here wanting the excitement of Centro, but usually move away because it’s just too loud and busy. Expat testimonials concur — I don’t know how many expats I’ve met who started in Centro and then headed into northern neighbourhoods or even out to the beach. Plus, there are major infrastructure problems in the older neighbourhoods, like crumbling structures and flooding.

So that’s how I’ve come to decide that for the right house, I’m willing to be nowhere near Centro. But the house I was looking at today was really on the edge of Francisco de Montejo, really out there. Being that far north was one thing, but that far west as well? The house was just off Calle 50, a main street in the neighbourhood and while I couldn’t go right out the door and across the street to buy beer, I only had to walk about three blocks to get there. For me, it would be very comfortable. But would folks coming to visit want to be there? Not likely.

The house wound up being quite decent. Had it been further east or south, it would have been a very strong contender as it was a lot of house for the money. I loved the huge echoey room upstairs that opened up to the covered porch that would have been an awesome secondary office. A fresh coat of white paint looked good against the grey and slate blue tile floors, but the bathrooms and kitchen were much dingier than expected. A huge bonus was that the house came with a stove (Mabe, of course), fridge, and microwave, but the kitchen was incredibly small considering the cavernous size of the other rooms. So the house didn’t scream to me, “I’ll make it worth it for you to live out here!”

And so, the search continues.

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Next House!

It’s getting busy over here as house hunting is becoming a second job. I’m on schedule financially and slacking a bit to give myself time to make trips into town. Unfortunately, I have to use my truck for that (was hoping to use public transportation), which is very expensive, but it is what it is. I’m also having only so-so luck consolidating trips.

For instance, I had to meet someone in Progreso about a cooler she had for sale, but she would not agree to meet me tomorrow on my way to Mérida (where I have three commitments), only at 11:30 today. At least, she did concede to meeting up in the Bodega parking lot, saving me a bit of time. I was mercifully able to finish my pressing work for the day by 11:00 and dash out to meet her. The cooler was smaller than what I’d hoped she had, but good enough for the price so I bought it.

Then, since I was there anyway, I went into Bodega to get some of their “famous” (expats rave about it) fried chicken for lunch and to get a few things household things. One of those was a set of plastic drawers for storing office supplies (especially writing implements), which I haven’t been able to find in a pleasing colour or the right size. So when I saw this, which is exactly what I wanted, on offer for $80 I was quick to snag it:

I also wanted a bucket like the pink one I use as a trash can in the office to store the parts for my stick blender, but Bodega was out of them. So I decided to buy the office a new (purple) trash can and move the bucket to the kitchen!

I also bought myself a two burner hot plate. I cook daily and am having trouble keeping the stove here looking pristine. Mexican stoves, even expensive ones, just can’t seem to handle heavy scrubbing or being used with cast iron without the finish coming off. I always get hives about having to maintain other people’s stoves and three months here was my limit of dealing with that stress. The hot plate will keep the pressure off when I get my house since I won’t be desperate for a stove. I’m using my crockpot, ricer cooker, and the toaster oven here a lot and actually wondering if I need a stove. It’s amazing how one’s worldview changes after a couple of years of living in other people’s kitchens.

It was a super quick trip and I was home by one and absolutely ravenous. My lunch was good, and I’m pretty sure that was my first time ever having fried chicken, but it’s definitely not something I’d be keen to repeat regularly (I’ll stick to the roasted birds). But it was definitely a nice Friday treat!

Now, as for house hunting, I’m starting to feel like I’m on an episode of House Hunters International… 😀

I have an appointment at 2:00 tomorrow to see a house located in the northwesternmost part of Mérida, in the Francisco de Montejo neighbourhood that has been dubbed a city within a city.

This would put me about 3KM walking distance to Chedraui, Costco, and the Galerias (which has Scotiabank, sushi, and a cinema) and according to Google, there’s quite a bit in the heart of the neighbourhood, but it’s hard to gauge what there is on the outskirts, where this house is. It appears to be a quiet residential neighbourhood with a good economic mix.

Part of me still wishes I was looking in Centro, but I have to be sensible — my line of work is not conducive to living downtown!

The location right off the Periférico would be very convenient for going back and forth in October. So while I’m not immediately going OOH at the location, I think it has potential.

Now, the house.

The exterior is inoffensive. The neighbouring houses are much prettier, but this isn’t too hard on the eyes. I just don’t know if my truck would fit in the driveway (which would be nice because it would be out of the sun):

The kitchen appears to be one of the better ones with cabinets that I’ve seen:

The house here only has a long counter with stools to eat at and I like it. I wouldn’t have any pressure to get a kitchen and chairs for a bit, just some stools.

The stairs have a handrail!

Both bathrooms appear to have been recently redone and this one (which I think would be the guest suite’s) even has storage:

At least one of the bedrooms has built-in storage:

The master bath has what appears to be a very clean Jacuzzi tub. I have yet to see outside of the super huge compounds a pool that is big enough for doing laps. So a tub like this would equal a pool and be less maintenance:

The red would absolutely have to go. I could learn to live with those floors. They appear to be grey or blue, not black, so they would work well with the pink/purple/green/orange things I’ve accumulated. I really don’t like them, but between them and the beige or white floors that I’m seeing too much of, they are fine.

Another bedroom, but without a closet organiser:

This house has three things that you can’t see in the pictures that make it an extra special candidate:

1) The huge covered upstairs deck that would be a dream backup office for extra hot days;

2) The fact that the house has FOUR bedrooms. FOUR. Two on the ground floor sharing a bath and two on the upper floor sharing a bath. FOUR.

3) And all this for a mere $6,000 a month. That makes a not particularly aesthetically pretty or interesting house a bit out of the way very attractive. The fourth bedroom could be a den or a craft room or even a second guest bedroom should my Airbnb idea get off the ground.

The house also has a back garden.

I’m really excited to see this house tomorrow as it is presenting quite well in photos (ugly paint job not withstanding).

Now, back to work I go. I was supposed to take the weekend off, but, of course, that’s not going to happen. I’m going to have a very long day Sunday as I’m sure I won’t work a bit tomorrow.

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House Hunting Considerations

I thought some of you might be interested in my house hunting considerations. There is a lot to consider and I know that my first place won’t be “perfect,” but I at least want to be comfortable for the first year!

Location

Where I know for sure I don’t want to live:

  • Where other expats congregate, like the Santiago neighbourhood in Centro. Expats drive up rental rates and attract businesses and services with inflated prices. Plus, I came here to live in Mexico!
  • To live in one of the gated American-style car-oriented suburbs north of the Periférico, like La Ceiba (was shocked to learn I could afford to rent there) or Las Americas or in one of the newer subdivisions within the Periférico, like Gran Santa Fe.

I would consider living in any neighbourhood that:

  • Is within the Periférico.
  • Is easy to drive in and find parking (pretty much excludes Centro).
  • Can let me walk to (in no particular order): a tortillería, pollería (chicken stand), produce stand, small grocery store, beer store, larger supermarket, a wide range of restaurants, a bank that would have me as a client, and a cinema. A mall with a Chedraui or other hypermarket, an Office Depot, and other big box stores (like Las Americas, Macroplaza, City Center, or Gran Plaza) within walking distance would be a bonus.
  • Has good bus service.
  • Is economically diverse.
  • Is not near a nightclub or party hall.
  • Is not near the airport (pretty much eliminates anything south of Centro).

Neighbourhoods that I have looked at and like, but are in no way the finite list are: Las Haciendas, Las Fuentes/Pensiones, Itzimná, México, Chuburna de Hidalgo, Altabrisas.

The House

Must-haves:

  • At least three bedrooms and two full baths, ideally with one bedroom and bath being on the ground floor for guests and the other two upstairs.
  • Private outdoor space.
  • Older house built for this climate that will stay comfortable (to a point) without AC.
  • A non-scary electrical panel.
  • AC units in all the bedrooms (window or mini-split doesn’t matter).
  • Working doorbell if I have a front gate.

Would be nice:

  • Two stories.
  • A half-bath for visitors.
  • A pool.
  • Rejas (bars on doors and windows) and/or fully enclosed house (not worried about my personal safety, but I had bars on the windows of the houses in Mazatlán and Almería and loved that I could go out for the day and keep the air circulating).
  • Built-in closets with organisers (super common!).
  • Traditional Mexican kitchen with only a ceramic countertop and maybe a few shelves — I’ve yet to see a single house with cabinets where the cabinets are logically installed. I’d rather design my own European-style kitchen with freestanding furniture.
  • Window screens.
  • A bright exterior colour or other distinguishing feature that would make my house stand out on the street and easy to find.
  • Intercom if the front door is a mile from the front gate if I have a front gate.

Things that I’m flexible on:

  • The neighbourhood.
  • Having gas in the house. I’m shocked to say this, but I would now be okay with not having a gas stove as long as my electric range is the kind with the glass/ceramic top, but with manual controls. My parents have one of those and they make cleaning so much easier!
  • Aesthetics — I would like a house with some architectural charm, like colourful tiles and dark wooden doors, but am ready to rely on paint to add personality.
  • The layout of the bedrooms so long as the guests are separate from me. I rejected a house where my office would have had to be on the ground floor because of the lack of light and limited air circulation, but that might not be a problem in another house.

Not quite deal breakers, but will give me pause:

  • Brand new construction that looks good but isn’t designed for this climate/will require AC to be comfortable.
  • Houses with laminate cabinets (kitchen, bathrooms, closets).
  • Super grungy tile grout (for some reason, grout is rarely sealed in Mexico and with there being so much tile in most houses, cleaning or replacing grout would be a huge undertaking).
  • Very dark ground floor (problem with the closed in houses).
  • Scary electrical panel.

Price:

I literally have not found a house I would want to live in that I couldn’t afford, other than the huge colonial mansions that would require a staff to maintain. So price is really not much of a concern. Based on what I’ve looked at so far, I expect to pay $5,000 to $7,000 a month. Less than $5,000 would mean I got a hell of a bargain and more than $7,000 would mean that I found a really special place worth splurging on.

Lease length:

At least one year, but since it costs so much to set up housekeeping and and it takes at least six months to get to know an area, I’d be willing to consider a two-year lease if I got a deal on the rent.