October 2023

October Overview –

After having such an unusually warm September with no hurricanes, tropical storms, tropical depressions, heavy rain, moderate rain, light rain or even a tiny sprinkle of water for the whole entire month, we more than made up for it in October.

We had not one, not two, but three hurricanes that affected us in October.  The outer rainbands of Hurricane Lidia (Cat 4) passed by us October 10, bringing cooler temperatures along with on and off again rain showers, while it accelerated eastward making landfall in Puerto Vallarta.  Next was Hurricane Norma (Cat 4) headed straight for us on October 21, who thankfully downgraded to a Cat 1 as it made landfall just 25km northwest of us.  And of course, Hurricane Otis (Cat 5), now known as the strongest, most powerful hurricane ever to make landfall in the Eastern Pacific, totally decimating Acapulco on October 25. 

Although Hurricane Otis did not directly hit us, we still felt the impact of it.  Even though our community was still in the process of digging out from our own hurricane destruction, Los Cabos and the state of Baja California Sur went right into action setting up donation centres gathering items and money to send help and much needed supplies to the area.   My heart breaks for what those in the Acapulco area went through and for those who are still dealing with such a catastrophic aftermath.

So, in October, we not only more than made up for not having any storms in September, but we also made up for not having any rain that month.  Hurricane Norma dumped a boatload of rain on us that, along with the hurricane force winds, kept pounding on our windows and our walls till eventually we ended up with a small flood in our home office.  After moving desks, lifting battery backups, all the power bars, and all the cables off the floor, we were able to mop up all the water and then brought the floor fan in to help dry it out.  

And speaking of unwanted flooding…. Two days after Hurricane Norma (October 23) we woke up to our kitchen flooded from the dishwasher.  We contacted Angelina (our local “fixer”) to ask her to send a plumber but no one was available as everyone was still dealing with their own damage from Hurricane Norma.  She did manage to find someone to come Tuesday (October 24) and he fixed the problem (the drain hose came loose from the drain outlet) and things were back to normal…

That is until the following Sunday (October 29) when our kitchen sink did not drain anymore.  Lorne grabbed some extra powerful drain stuff from Home Depot and between that and a few pots of boiling water, he finally had it draining again, and things were back to normal…

That is until Monday (October 30) when the dishwasher decided to leak all over the kitchen again!  The plumber came back Wednesday (November 1) and spent three hours working on it then finally after many test runs, everything worked again, and things were back to normal…

That is until later that night when we loaded up the dishwasher to finally run a load of the massive number of dishes that have been waiting to be washed, and not even 10 minutes into the cycle… water all over the kitchen again.

We contacted the plumber yet again and he was able to come Thursday (November 2) but only after Lorne’s very unexpected yet totally necessary root canal appointment.  So, Thursday morning, with so many dishes lying around, I decided to fill the sink to hand wash the dishes.  After the third load of dishes, I pulled the plug to rinse and refill the sink when suddenly an ocean of water was pouring out from under the dishwasher…. Only this time I wasn’t running the dishwasher.  Instead of the sink draining out of our building, it decided to drain back into the dishwasher, causing yet another flood!  So now the plumber not only needed to fix the dishwasher drain but also clear whatever is now causing the sink to not drain properly. 

He arrived after Lorne returned from his root canal and, three hours later, and after many, many, many additional test runs, both Lorne and the plumber were confident the problem with the sink was cleared, and the dishwasher would not leak.  It has now been four days of being able to use the dishwasher without any leaks, so crossing our fingers things are back to normal…

Three Years

When I think back to just five years ago, we were both working full time in demanding jobs that left us totally exhausted in the evenings, then weekends were saved for running errands and prepping for the coming week.  Every day, week, month just melded into each other.  We lived for our vacations and usually had two booked at least a year in advance.  When work got even busier, we started booking longer vacations, as we needed the first week away just to disconnect, and the second week to enjoy ourselves.  Of course, when we returned, we had so much to catch up on we were exhausted all over again and then would start counting down the days until the next vacation so we could get away from it all, all over again.

September 29th marked our three-year anniversary of moving to Mexico and the slower paced, laid-back atmosphere we experience here is in sharp contrast to how our lives were back in 2018.

Our lives have changed SOOOO much since then.  On our living room wall is a framed saying – “Our goal was to create a life we didn’t need a vacation from” and living in Mexico we have done exactly that. 

So, what is it that makes it so different living here?  It’s the people, it’s the attitude and it’s the way of life.  It’s hard to explain exactly, but these are some things we have learned during the time we have lived here:

• When you wake up in the morning, it feels like there is some kind of peacefulness in the air. 

• Life can be as busy or as laid back as you want it to be. 

• There is no need to “do” something every day – just being here is relaxing.

• People will greet you with good morning, good afternoon, good evening and will say excuse me, please, and thank you.

• There is a beautiful blend of tradition, community, and the belief that some things shouldn’t be rushed.

• Family and community always come first.  Mexicans love to celebrate anything and everything – holidays, birthdays, Tuesdays, or even the sunset.  You will hear laughing, singing and music late into the wee hours any random night of the week.

• Locals work hard, are paid little, but are happier than most.  Saturday afternoons are for some cervezas after a 6-day work week.  Then Sunday is all about family, the one day off together which is always cherished.

• People do not live by the clock; time in Mexico is fluid, and one is never late. 

• Social gatherings are come whenever you want and leave whenever you want.

• Strangers will say ¡Provecho! (enjoy your meal) as you enter a restaurant.

• At a restaurant, you don’t hurry.  You sit down, wait to be waited on, and wait for your food.  People are not rushed, and the service is slow.

• Eating out is not just a meal but a time to reflect on all things around you and enjoy the company you are with.  You are encouraged to enjoy yourself and spend as long as you want.

• The check is never left on the table, that’s considered rude.  You can sit and chat for hours and when you are ready, you can call for your check. 

• Patience is the most important thing to have living here. What was initially considered inefficient, is now considered relaxed.

• Things take time, sometimes twice as long as expected, sometimes months longer. 

• What can be done tomorrow will be done tomorrow (or tomorrow or tomorrow).  The heat also makes everything slower.

• People wait their turn patiently.  There is no pushing, shoving, or trying to jump the line.

• There aren’t as many rules in Mexico as elsewhere.  If you fall at the grocery store and break your arm, people will help you, but don’t expect compensation for having an accident on their property.  Or if you trip on one of the many uneven sidewalks or potholes, it’s your fault, not that of the government.  It is your responsibility to watch where you are going.  Common sense is everything!

Jimmy Buffett said it best when he sang “It’s those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same” and it really applies to moving here.  We have come to appreciate the people, their traditions, their sense of community and their way of doing things.

Life is simpler, the pace is slower, and we spend more time in the fresh air.  We no longer need to work our butts off to travel somewhere just to relax.  We are already here.

Renewing Phone Plans

Each year at the beginning of October, a reminder pops up on my phone letting me know it’s time to renew our Mexican cell phone plan.  This was not something we had to do in Canada, as our phone plan would just continue month to month at the same rate.  In fact, if our carrier offered a better plan, it was up to us to contact them to inquire about it and get the changes made.

In Canada we were with Rogers Wireless for our cell phone coverage.  We had a plan that covered both of us and we paid $150CAD per month which worked out to $75CAD each for their services.  This plan included unlimited Canada wide calling and 5GB of data each.   We never went over our data, in fact on average I used approximately 2GB of data per month and Lorne used 0.36GB of data (can you tell which one of us worked from home?!?!). 

In October 2020 after moving to Mexico we started researching cell phone plans and where to get one.  There was an AT&T Mexico store in the mall at the marina so decided to head down there to find out what options they had available.  We were in a bit of a hurry to get this done, as our Rogers plan was still active and they were charging us $12CAD per day (which was in addition to the usual $150 per month charges) for their “Roam Like Home” plan, and we had already racked up over $200 in additional roaming charges.

The staff at the AT&T Mexico store were friendly and accommodating and between their minimal English, and our almost non-existent Spanish (along with Google Translate, of course), they informed us of the plans they offered and what the cost would be.   It all seemed great, but then we ran into a small problem.  To sign up for a month-to-month plan, we had to be residents of Mexico, which we weren’t yet.  At that time, we were still waiting for Lorne’s appointment with Immigration to finalize his residency, so we were both still on tourist visas. 

We started to worry a bit about what we were going to do, when one of the employees mentioned we could still get a cell phone plan if we signed up for a year and prepaid the full amount.  We were a little worried about the cost of paying for a full year and quickly started calculating in our heads the cost based on our current Rogers plan, so a year would work out to be around $1,800CAD, which seemed like a lot to pay upfront. 

But when they told us the full year would be $2,743MXN each, we pulled out our phones to do the currency exchange and turned out a full year of cell phone coverage would be $175CAD each.  We were both in a bit of shock and had to ask them a couple of times to repeat the amount, which we repeatedly put into our currency exchange app, and it repeatedly gave us the same answer.  We looked at each other, looked at the AT&T guy and both said, “yes please!”.

This AT&T plan gave us each 3GB of data, plus unlimited North America calling.  This meant no more “Roam Like Home” charges whenever we travelled through Mexico, US, or Canada. And… we got all this for what worked out to be $14.58CAD each per month.  That’s a savings of $60CAD each compared to our Rogers plan – a total savings of $1,440CAD per year between the both of us!  And don’t forget the extra perk of a one and done payment – paying for the full year up front meant no monthly cell phone bills to check over and pay.

The following year in 2021, we both had our Mexican residency, so we qualified for the monthly cell phone plan.  We thought about it for a bit and decided we still preferred paying for the year up front and then we didn’t have to worry about it for another year.  And that’s what we have continued to do since then. 

And this October was no different.  My reminder popped up and we started looking online to see what deals were available.  Now we can do it all online and by doing it online, we can also take advantage of different promotions offered, like lower prices and extra GB on top of what is offered for the plan. 

This year we renewed for $2,232MXN each.  The cost was lower than previous years as we reduced our data from 3GB to 1.5GB and took advantage of their online promotion of triple GB for the base GB price, which means we now have 4.5GB for the lower price.  However, with the peso being stronger right now, this worked out to be $172CAD each for the year or $14.33CAD per month.   Once converted to Canadian Dollars it didn’t look like much of a savings over previous years, but we still think it’s a steal of a deal!

Hurricane Lidia

On October 1, a large area of thunderstorms located off the coast of southwestern Mexico became increasingly concentrated around a developing area of low pressure.  The low pressure further organized into a tropical storm and on October 3 was named Lidia.  The path of the storm was tracked west-northwestward for the next few days, and gradually strengthened along the way.  On October 7, she began to meander north-northwestward, then on October 8 she turned northward, well away from the western coast of Mexico.

In the early hours of October 9, Lidia rounded the edge of a subtropical ridge and made an unusual 180 degree turn to the northeast.  Now going in the complete opposite direction towards the coast of Mexico, Lidia explosively intensified into a Cat 4 strength on October 10 and accelerated on her now northeastward path.

Lidia made landfall as an “extremely dangerous” Cat 4 storm October 10 in the state of Jalisco, just south of Puerto Vallarta with sustained winds of 140mph (220km/h) making it the fourth strongest landfalling Pacific Hurricane.  Lidia rapidly weakened over the mountains and dissipated the following morning.

Hurricane Lidia literally surprised everyone since it seemed like she would simply continue to the west, well out to sea, but instead suddenly did a complete 180 and headed straight toward the coast of Mexico.  She was approximately 300mi (540km) south of Cabo when she approached Puerto Vallarta.  Locally here in Cabo we felt her outer rainbands which caused our temperatures to drop approximately 5C (10F) and we had rain off and on for most of the day.

Hurricane Norma

On October 15, an area of low pressure formed near the south coast of Mexico, with disorganized showers and thundershowers.  The disturbance gradually became better organized as it moved parallel with the southwestern coast of Mexico, and by October 17, had developed into a tropical storm and was named Norma.  Norma quickly intensified and the following morning a ragged eye emerged.  During the next 24 hours, Norma rapidly intensified from a tropical storm into a Cat 4 hurricane, with its maximum sustained winds rising from 70mph (115km/h) to 130mph (210km/h). 

On October 21, the system gradually weakened below major hurricane strength as it approached the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula.  Shortly around 1pm, the storm made landfall as a Cat 1 hurricane about 15mi (25km) west-northwest of Cabo.  Several hours later, Norma weakened to a tropical storm and moved offshore over the Gulf of California.  The storm then weakened further into a tropical depression as it approached the mainland of Mexico.  The storm made its second landfall on October 23 in the state of Sinaloa, and soon dissipated after that.

Norma brought large waves and high winds to Baja California Sur.  Multiple wind gusts of more than 90mph (140km/h) with peak gusts of 107mph (172km/h) were recorded at the local weather station.  Torrential rainfall led to extreme flooding, with peak accumulations of nearly 480mm (19in) in some areas. Numerous trees, homes and boats were damaged in Los Cabos and also La Paz as the storm passed through.  Due to the impact of the roads and other public infrastructure, the governor of Baja California Sur issued a disaster declaration.  Total damage from the storm has yet to be released.  Norma also dumped heavy rains and caused widespread power outages in Sinaloa as a tropical depression.  Three people died in that state, two in vehicle related accidents, and a 3-year-old child due to electrocution. 

Mid-afternoon the winds subsided a bit, and we were able to go outside to check on things.  There was some minor damage to some trees and things that people left out, but for the most part our complex seemed to have weathered the storm well.  For the rest of the day and into the early evening as the last rain bands of Norma passed by us, it was still windy and raining off and on. 

Our power remained out for the rest of the day, but finally restored around 7:30pm, so a total of 16 hours we were without power.  The power company (CFE) reported that due to the storm 109 thousand homes were without electricity in Los Cabos.  They had most areas back up and running that night, however there were still a few communities without power for three additional days.    

Hurricane Otis

On October 18 a low-pressure system formed 500mi (805km) south-southeast of Acapulco Mexico and drifted for a few days before becoming a tropical depression the morning of October 22.  That afternoon, it strengthened into a tropical storm and was named Otis.  On October 24, Otis unexpectedly underwent a 12-hour “explosive intensification” and by 10pm local time, grew into a Cat 5 hurricane, located 55mi (90km) southeast of Acapulco. 

Less than four hours later, Hurricane Otis made landfall on October 25 at 1:25am, just south of Acapulco at peak intensity, with winds of 165mph (270km/h) and gusts reported at 205mi (330km/h).  Otis weakened inland, downgraded to a tropical storm just hours later and dissipated soon thereafter.

The rate of Hurricane Otis’ explosive intensification was among the fastest ever observed in the satellite-era and was due to sea surface temperatures being above average for this time of year.  The high temperatures resulted from a combination of a record-warm September for Mexico, the current El Nino weather pattern, and the influence of Global Warming.  Immense lightning activity occurred throughout the intensification phase, with approximately 26,000 strikes in 24 hours, the greatest activity taking place in the 35 minutes leading up to landfall.

Forecast Issues

It is important to mention that Hurricane Otis was one of the most poorly forecasted and underestimated storms in recent years.  Due to a lack of data, weather prediction models failed to capture the magnitude of the explosive intensification that occurred.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that there are very few instruments – such as ocean buoys or radar – available for evaluating hurricane strength in the Eastern Pacific, leaving forecasters to rely only on satellite data. 

Upon the formation of Otis on October 22, the original forecast indicated there was not much to be concerned about.  In their first advisory, the NHC forecasted a peak intensity of just 45mph (75km/h) and the system would be moving away from the Mexican coastline.  Many models showed the storm outright dissipating within five days.

Early on October 23, it was found that models were incorrectly diagnosing conditions and the forecast was adjusted to show a faster motion that would now bring the hurricane toward the Mexican coastline on October 26 (a day later than it did arrive). 

Forecasters then noted a substantial disparity in the models showing how the storm would become or not become.  Conditions for a more potent storm only became apparent during the overnight hours of October 23-24. 

At 4am on October 24, less than 24 hours before making landfall, the NHC expected Hurricane Otis to intensify into a Cat 1 hurricane as it moved ashore.  Sixteen hours before making landfall, the system was forecast to arrive five hours later than it did.  The dramatic intensification of the storm was not apparent during the afternoon of October 24 and only six hours before Otis made landfall, the NHC upgraded Otis to a Cat 4 hurricane, with a warning that it may become a Cat 5 hurricane before making landfall. 

Twenty-four hours before Hurricane Otis would arrive, the area was busy preparing for a possible Cat 1 hurricane, and the state went into action to close the airport, marine port, and schools, open shelters, and people prepared to hunker down.  Three hours and 25 minutes before making landfall, the NHC described the situation as a “nightmare scenario” and warned “This is an extremely serious situation for the Acapulco area with the core of the destructive hurricane likely to come near or over that large city early Wednesday.  There are no hurricanes on record even close to this intensity for this part of Mexico.”   People were told that “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion” only a few hours before the area would be bombarded with the strongest landfalling Pacific Hurricane on record. 

Aftermath

Otis’s powerful winds severely damaged the infrastructure of the area.  Landslides and flooding resulted from heavy rain.  Communication was cut off, initially leaving information about the hurricane’s impact largely unknown.  In addition, 47 municipalities were declared disaster areas with no drinking water, and most people were without power. 

The state and federal government mobilized thousands of military members to aid survivors as well as assist with recovery efforts.  To date, the hurricane has caused more than 48 deaths, with 58 still missing, and damages already estimated at well over >$1 billion USD.

ps…  Don’t forget to check out the latest Snippets!