Category: home exchange

I have too much time, said nobody

by Stacy Ziegler, posted in Colombia, Early Retirement, home exchange, Lifestyle, Mexico, Riviera Maya

Well, I may have to rename this to, “annual update” blog. Sooooooo much has happened since the last entry, even then I kidded about needing to rename this the “Quarterly update.” Woops!

Since June of last year what have we done, where have we been? According to my Google timeline, we returned from our “Trip of a lifetime” in June 2023. That summer, we returned to Washington state to see friends and family. It was an extremely packed 4 week trip and we swore we would never try to pack that much in to such a short stay in Washington again. We came home and decided to treat ourselves to an actual vacation so we set off to Medellin, Colombia. That trip was magical! We have been to Cartagena and Santa Marta but never inland. I cannot emphasize enough how blown away we were by the entire area of Antioquia. Rio Negro (Where the airport is) and Guatape were equally as stunning. We took a few tours in Medellin as well as an all day tour out to Guatape that included climbing to the top of La Perla aka El Peñon. The height starts are roughly 7,000 feet and there are 750 stairs to the top. That’s right, you start of with the air already being so thin you can barely breathe and then you hoof it 750 steps, practically straight up to the top but it is so worth it.(You can also see this on season 36 episode 3 of The Amazing Race, we did it before it was cool 😂) Since we were on a tour, we didn’t have the luxury of really taking our time getting up, It took us about 30 minutes and what really kept us going was having these young moms passing us up while carrying a baby on their hip! Ok, ok, if they can do it, so can we!

When we moved to Mexico, we vowed to explore as much of it as we could. We love the country, the people, the culture and of course, the food. After our whirlwind trip to Colombia, we spent a week in San Miguel de Allende and another week in Guanajuato. We were able to utilize Home Exchange to do it so we really did get to take it all in and live like a local. We had a brief stop in Querétaro as that is the city we flew into. We took the Primera plus bus from SMA to Guanajuato and flew out from there back home the last day of October, just in time for Día de Muertos festivities around are neighborhood. The Primera plus bus was equal to flying business class. Very clean, comfortable and well organized.

Both neighborhoods are filled with charm, culture, museums and unfortunately, much like Oaxaca, fireworks at 5 am. We visited the mummy museum in Guanajuato and just happened to be lucky enough to visit overthe 51st annual Cervantino, an enormous arts festival!

Winter was filled with visitors from my kids to Lisa’s parents, a trip to ruin Ek Balam and a cenote called Coj Ha also known as “The Cathedral” which was the most stunning cenote I have ever seen. This was part of a Mayan cultural retreat where we met an herbalist for a reading and cleansing, a cocoa ceremony and a lot of soul searching. It was organized by Laura LaBrie, Maya Harmony. If you are interested in a real experience, very little glitter and gold, where you learn more about yourself, the Maya, and having a cleansing, definitely contact her. The winter also, unfortunately, included the passing of my Aunt, who was more like a mother, on Christmas day.

In February, I was honored to officiate my brother’s wedding so that involved a very quick trip back to the US. Pro tip, if flying from San Diego area to Cancun or vice versa, use the CBX (Cross border Express) inside the Tijuana airport. There are currently no direct flights from San Diego to Cancun but there are several from Tijuana. The CBX is INSIDE the airport. We landed in Tijuana, pulled out our passports and tickets for the bridge and walked 15 minutes and walked out of a terminal in the Otay Pacific are of San Diego where we rented a car and headed straight to In-n-Out. Tickets for the bridge start around $20 and can usually be purchased with your airline ticket.

In March(MARCH? It came in the blink of an eye) we set sail on a Celebrity cruise for Lisa’s birthday to the Grand Cayman, Aruba and Curacao with her dad and step mom. We did not like the Celebrity ship or process nearly as much as we enjoyed Princess but really, who is going to complain about that trip. We were able to spend time with her family and go snorkel some amazing reefs and a ship wreck. Our favorite island was, without a doubt, Curacao. Lovely little Dutch Caribbean island with stunning waters, Kokomo and adorable stores.

We made it back in time to head home for a few days to repack, and take a breath. Not a long one, just a few days before we headed off to attend Lisa’s niece’s destination wedding in Cancun. It was a beautiful few days filled with beautiful people. After the wedding, we continued on a road trip while our home was being occupied by family over spring break. This gave us a much needed push to get out and explore locally. We spent a night in Valladolid and then onto Merida for another Home Exchange. In my opinion, Merida is completed over rated. We saw some really cool things but I think after being in SMA/Oaxaca and Guanajuato, the bar was set fairly high. We stopped to see Chichén Itzá on our way to El Cuyo. I think we have figured out the trick to seeing the ruins without hoards of people is to go about 1:30 in the afternoon. By then the morning rush is gone and you have beat the afternoon tours. Chichén Itzá was really a magical place to visit. Coba might still be my favorite ruin in the area though. (Did I mention Coba already? I don’t think I did. Amazing ruin in the Riviera Maya where you can rent bikes to explore the massive grounds.)

After 2 weeks of exploring the Yucatan peninsula, we made it home the beginning of April and were happy to go NOWHERE for several weeks. A friend of ours invited us out to Isla Mujeres and we almost declined as we were so tired from traveling but how do you say no to that? Isla has been on Lisa’s bucket list for awhile and I have used me seasickness as a reason not to get on the ferry. Our friend has her own boat so it was impossible to turn down and I am glad that we went. I don’t think we have ever seen water that color, even in Aruba. We did not go ashore so I can’t speak to that but it looked really crowded, even from off shore during off season so if you are planning a trip, be prepared for that. The snorkeling was amazing and we saw several species of fish, rays, and eels that we don’t see at home.

I am certain I have left things out. I really do need to get back to trying to keep this updated on more than annual basis. Our next big trip starts next week. We are spending 2 weeks driving through Mexico before visiting family in Arizona and California then spending the summer in Washington (Thank you Home Exchange and Trusted House Sitters for making another amazing trip possible. (more on that later) Our trip back home involves a trip to Yosemite, Zion, Bryce Canyon and ?? Still wondering about Home Exchange? It has made most of these once in a lifetime experiences a reality, check it out here!

Till next time-

Stacy

That happened…again

by Stacy Ziegler, posted in Early Retirement, Empty nest, home exchange, Inspirational, Lifestyle, Mexico, Travel

Months have passed since the last entry, I am beginning to think I should rename this my quarterly blog site.

The events since October have been continuous. We have had a steady stream of visitors; my kids, my coworkers and my friends have all made the trip down with Lisa’s niece (and her family), mother/step father, sister (and her family) One of our most memorable guests was my best friend who came down (with her family) and her husband in mid October to celebrate their 25 year wedding anniversary. Lisa performed the ceremony and we honored the local culture with offerings and Copal, it was magical. Lisa’s dad and step mom are coming next week though they are treating themselves to a week at an all inclusive resort in Playacar before they stay with us for a few nights. My youngest son came down in November and we flew back to Washington with him in December due to a sudden tragic loss of my other best friend’s daughter.

We completed our first Home Exchange in NYC over the holidays, which was really living out a life dream of mine. Despite the absolutely awful, freezing cold wind directed directly into our eyes, we managed to make it to the Christmas Eve showing of The Rockettes, “Christmas Spectacular” and spectacular it was! It felt surreal and dreamlike, as if we were in a movie. We also went out to Coney Island on New Years day to grab a hot dog and people watch those who were crazy enough to participate in the polar bear plunge. We dined at several places but our favorite had to be Pig Heaven, where we had Christmas Dinner. Their ribs…no words to do them justice. They were so tender, flavorful, finger licking sticky, pieces of deliciousness. We were lucky enough to be within a few blocks of everything, including the subway. We were just a block down from an actual speakeasy, the concoctions were impressive! We spent a fair amount of time in the apartment, enjoying the breathtaking view from the corner apartment, snacking on charcutier trays, and delighting in foods we cannot get here. After meandering through numerous parks, ferry landings, subways, burrows, etc. we wrapped up our trip by visiting Summit One Vanderbilt. If you go, you should book well in advance if you are aiming for sunset or a night time visit.

Rockefeller Center Tree/ Drinks at the UES / Vanderbilt One

I have spent endless hours planning ,messaging, and prepping for our next big adventure. The ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME! Really, it is. I have planned this for months and I know the odds of ever being able to do it again are slim. When we retired, our goal was to travel. The big question became how to do that on a sustainable level where we were not just blowing through our savings. Through Home Exchange, we have found many others, like ourselves, who want to reasonably travel. Our first exchange in NY was perfect. It was beyond perfect really, we have friends in NY now and we plan on exchange with them again in the future. I don’t expect all of our exchanges to go that well but being able to text, call or video chat with our incoming guests have made this a much more comfortable experience for all. We have 87 days of travel ahead of us. 15 of those days will be on a cruise across the Atlantic. From there, we have reciprocal exchanges lined up for Montpellier, Marseille and Florence. We are allowing other Home Exchangers to use our home for guest points, which act as currency. In return, we had enough guest points to cover our stays in Barcelona ,Paris, Rome and Santorini. We are planning a minimum of a week per city and almost 2 weeks in Rome as we want to use it as a base to explore Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, etc. We are only paying for accommodations for 6 out of those 87 days. A highlight of Home Exchange is being able to “live like a local.” Hosts are happy to provide information on where to eat, visit, etc. that can’t be found in a travel guide 😉

As for life in Mexico, it is still just as great and full of surprises and adventures as it has ever been. Lisa had to see a dermatologist for a suspicious mole. She was able to be seen in 3 days, it cost 1300 pesos (65 dollars) and the doctor was fantastic. She took Lisa’s medical history herself and spent about 45 minutes with us discussing concerns and what to look out for. She even had me look through her dermascope so I could see for myself what she was seeing. We also had to go through a process of changing out our license plates and registering the car for this year. It was not hard to do but one does question the logic behind making everyone change their plates every 3 years, at the same time. The lines in some places were hours long, I lucked out on a rainy day at a satellite office where it only took me 20 minutes.

When we returned from NYC, we did talk about possibly buying another home back in the States but then we were reminded of all the reasons we left. Sometimes it feels like we are on perpetual vacation and coming back from NY felt like we were coming back to a vacation house and not a home but that is exactly what we need it to be for the next few years. Who knows what the future will bring. Especially in regards to taking care of parents, helping out with grandkids (one day, I hope!!) or other unknowns but until then, we are going to travel travel travel and continue living our best lives!

Time flies……

by Stacy Ziegler, posted in Early Retirement, Empty nest, Ex pat, home exchange, Inspirational, Lifestyle, Mexico, Moving abroad, Travel

I can’t believe we have been here 5 months. I also can’t believe that I haven’t managed a blog post since June, but….. here we are.

Our first month or two just felt like we were on an extended vacation and month 3 started to feel like groundhogs day. I decided to pick up some piece work to give me more to do while Lisa is contently working on her puzzle or living her best life in the Ocean. We did not start having guests until August so we had plenty of time to settle in. Since then, we have had either friends or family down on a pretty regular basis. First my my 3rd oldest son and his friend, then Lisa’s niece and her family came, then my second youngest and his girlfriend, then my best friend and her children (though they stayed at a resort up the road) but Lisa and I happily hosted their 25th wedding vow renewal at our house, at sunset, under the palapa-it was magical! I have my friends and work colleagues coming in tomorrow for a week, I am sure there will be work done, for tax purposes 😉 next up is my sister in law and her son, then my youngest will arrive the last week of November. Tired yet? My oldest son will make the trip at some point. We are going back to Washington to spend a month next summer so it may be until then that I see him but he calls me frequently so I am not complaining.

So what’s it been like? It has been great! I feel like I know the Cancun airport, Playa del Carmen and all the local cenotes like the back of my hand. It took me FOR EVER to get an RFC (tax ID) number to open a checking account but I finally got that done last month. It was a challenging experience since I have limited Spanish reading skills but the employees at the SAT office were helpful and patient. There was a local man there who could not read sitting next to me while we were filling out forms and he asked me what his paper said, I can’t describe the feeling that left me with. There is very much a class system in place here and dare I say that the original settlers of this land are treated the worst. You could draw parallels from the Mayans to the Native Americans except that here, the Mayans don’t have much protection from exploitations. Work environments, tools, etc. are very archaic and that is the typical job for a Mayan, a laborer. Watching a man at work with a pix axe-going at limestone- in 90 degree weather makes my work ethic look questionable, if not almost embarrassing. When we hired a local contractor to install a pergola for our car, this is exactly what I witnessed as well as several workers, sitting on the supporting beams of the pergola, nailing in sticks of wood by hand in the middle of a thunderstorm. A power tool was used once… Even for workers who are paid legally, the Mexican minimum wage is 172 pesos per day (about 8 usd) and I can tell you that the cost of food and gas down here is only slightly less expensive than in the States because we live in a tourist state but that doesn’t mean they get paid more. One more before I get off my soapbox, in Mexico, it is very common to have a housekeeper and for her to come several times a week (Once is good for us). The pay is more than the minimum wage (usually) but not by much. My neighbors maid offered to clean our house when our housekeeper was away once and we took her up on it. She showed up with her 12 year old daughter as she was her apprentice, she was teaching her how to correctly clean houses, make the beds, etc.. I know not all kids go to high school here (and by here, I mean Mexico, not this privileged little community that I live in), some stop at 6th grade so they can work and help support their families but to see what that looks like left me extremely humbled and full of guilt. It is, after all, only a fluke that I was born in the States and yes, white privilege is real, even here.

If you look closely, you can see two extension cords strung together behind the man

Going to the store, out to eat, driving, shopping etc. has all become very normal. When we first moved down, I was hypervigilant about everything, now I am only hypervigilant about some things. We have the water delivery schedule down as well as the Gas guy (Propane home) and it feels….like home!

We went to Oaxaca in July for my birthday, it was truly a unique experience. We were lucky enough to go during Guelaguetza! This is a celebration of traditions and culture from the surrounding communities. Let me tell you, Oaxacans are some amazing and proud people and they now how to party! The food, the historical tours, the food, the mezcal, the food, the cooking class, the food, the ruins of Monte Alban, the food…Yes, it was amazing! We had no idea the parade route would turn right in front of our hotel, Casa de Siete Balcones. The hotel purveyors set up the rooftop for us so we could watch. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

The prices of food and items in Oaxaca were close to half of what they are in Quintana Roo. We are very much looking forward to traveling throughout Mexico and hope to do so next year. As for now, we have set up our home here on a few different home exchange sites and have several upcoming trips. We are exchanging homes over Christmas/New Years with a couple from Manhattan and next spring, we have exchanges set up in Spain, France and Italy! So far this, BBYODO thing is really panning out 🙂

TTFN!