A Year in The Life

September 29th marked our first full year of living here in Cabo.  Much of this past year was spent figuring things out, but as time went on we managed to settle in quite nicely and are thoroughly enjoying our life here now.

Looking back, it’s interesting to see some of the differences between what our expectations may have been for living here and what reality actual had in store for us, and we have noticed quite a few differences between living in Vancouver and living here.  Here are some examples:

For the longest time, living here felt like we were on a constant vacation.  As many of our family and friends know, we love to vacation and we have been truly blessed to have been able to travel quite a bit over the years.  Here, we don’t seem to have that travel “itch” that we had living in Vancouver.  We used to have various vacations planned out at least a year in advance, but after being here a full year we haven’t even missed travelling.

We discovered we brought WAY too many clothes with us.  Back home, we had our work clothes, our weekend clothes, our going out clothes, and our vacation clothes.  We brought them all assuming we would need them here too.  But nope!  We wear shorts and tee-shirts every day and have a pair of pants and fancy shirt/top that we wear when going out somewhere nice.  All the extra clothes we brought are now just packed away in the back of our closet.

We found while going grocery shopping, not everything we used to eat back home was readily available here.  We had to learn to try new things and adjust our preferences.  At first, we didn’t think we could go without a few of our favourites, but turned out it was easier than we thought it would be and now we have a whole list of new favourites that we enjoy.

Shopping in general has been quite easy here as the shelf prices always include all taxes. So if something is $300 pesos, we don’t need to do the calculation in our head to add the 16% VAT.  Of course, back in Vancouver when something was CAD$20, we must calculate the 5% GST and only sometimes add in the additional 7% PST to get the actual “real” price of the item.  Here, the price showing is the price you pay for it.  So much easier!

We have found, however, that there are some drawbacks to living in a small town especially being at the very end of the very long Baja Peninsula.  For example, if Home Depot does not have something in stock, we cannot simply drive to another Home Depot in the next town like we used to back home.  There is no next town that has a Home Depot around here so we would have to order it and wait a few weeks for it to arrive.  As well, Cabo is a big tourist destination so there are not a lot of “home goods” stores to buy things from, so most of our shopping is done with Amazon Mexico, and we must wait a week or two for it to arrive.

Buying our new car was quite the experience here as Lorne found there is no haggling or negotiating at all over the sticker price.  The price you see is the price you pay (which also includes all taxes).  The only thing extra we paid for was to have a roof rack installed, and the price quoted included the roof rack, the labour, and of course taxes.

And one of the biggest things we have had to get used to while living here is the fact that we are now basically together 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Back home, we would each head out to work in the morning and then return in the evening to have dinner and catch up on our day.  Now we spend most days together in the office, Lorne working at his job and me working on things for us (planning projects and writing blog posts!).  We are usually both so busy with the tasks at hand that we hardly chat much while we are working.  It truly is the definition of “working together, but apart”.  But funny enough, even though we spend the entire day together, we still always manage to have something to talk about over dinner.

Here is a recap of what has been happening around here for the past year:

October 2020

• After we arrived here, the beginning of October was spent unpacking the seven suitcases we brought with and dealing with some of the more urgent things we needed to take care of. 

• We cleared out the middle bedroom and set up a temporary office space so that Lorne could start back to work.  

• We signed up for new cell phone plans.  AT&T had a plan that was CAD$175 per person for a full year, which included unlimited calls and text to Canada, USA and Mexico plus 4GB of data per month, which is more than enough for us.  This worked out to be just under CAD$15 per person, per month.

• We searched for a medical plan as our travel insurance would run out by the end of October.  We found a great plan for CAD$145 each per month that covers us for all emergencies and accidents.  We still need to pay for doctor visits and our prescriptions, but both of those are relatively inexpensive. 

• And of course, Lorne received his Temporary Residency which established that we were living here and we would then be able to do things like open a bank account and buy a vehicle.

November 2020

• With some of the more urgent things out of the way, we were finally able to establish more of a daily routine in November and it started to feel like we were really living here.

• Lorne opened a bank account at BBVA to start moving some of our money down from Canada.  We had a small issue at first, as the original company we were previously using in Vancouver to transfer money for our Mexico mortgage and property manager would no longer let us transfer money once we indicated we were now living in Mexico.  After much searching, we finally found a different company that allows us to transfer from our bank in Canada to our bank in Mexico.  We have also found out that it is nearly impossible to transfer money from Mexico back to Canada due to regulations around money laundering, so to work around this we still maintain our account in Canada and transfer down only what we need each month. 

• We also had a propane gas line installed to directly fuel our barbeque.  We have a large propane tank (170 liters) on the roof that feeds propane to our gas stove, dryer, and hot water heater.  Lorne had them run another line directly down to our gas barbeque so we (well, Lorne actually) would not need to keep getting our 20# propane tank refilled every week.  Lorne was very happy about this, as carrying the propane tank up and down two flights of stairs was not fun for him in the least.

December 2020

• December was a very busy month for us.  Besides enjoying our daily cocktail from our Advent Cocktail Calendar that we created, all our stuff that we shipped from Canada finally arrived, so we spent a lot of time unpacking and figuring out where everything should go. 

• Lorne received his Mexico driver’s license, and we were finally able to buy our new car (2021 Kia Seltos). 

• Lorne also needed to navigate the local medical system to get an appointment with an endocrinologist for renewing his diabetes prescriptions.  It was very cool that he could get an appointment with a specialist the very next day and was able to get his blood work done right there.  The results were ready in one day, and he was able to go back right away and pick up the prescriptions in order to get them filled. 

• Christmas was very quiet for us as travel was still mostly restricted due to COVID, so we could not be with our family, but we spent the day “zooming” with those we could not be with.  

• The end of December also marked our 20 year wedding anniversary.  We celebrated with a fabulous dinner out at Edith’s, one of our favourite restaurants here.

January 2021

• January was much cooler than the other months had been so far, and our evening and early morning temperatures were only around 16C (60F).  We were surprised to find we needed to pull out our hoodies that had been packed away to keep the chill off us.  Of course, we were used to colder winters in Canada, but somehow 16C had now become quite chilly for us. 

• Lorne had to find an optometrist to get new glasses (he had broken them before we moved here) and was totally impressed with the optical department here at Costco.  He found them to be very thorough with state-of-the-art instruments, and a new pair of glasses with all the bells and whistles was only CAD$324.

• The second wave of COVID arrive here in January, so additional restrictions were put into place.  Persons older than 60, under 18, and pregnant women were not allowed to enter any business and as well, only one person per family could enter a store to shop.  This meant I had to stay home, and Lorne had to do all our errands and shopping.

February 2021

• The first couple of weeks of February were a blur for me as I had been dealing with a sinus issue since the end of January which developed into a full on cold.  I was pretty much off my feet during that time, just chilling in the living room watching Netflix and napping. 

• The second half of February was also a bit of a blur as that’s when our kitchen reno started.  We had to set up a mini kitchen in our bathroom to cook while our kitchen was torn apart and our days were spent in the office.  It was fun though to see the progress each day after they left, and we kept counting down the days until we would be able to cook in our new kitchen. 

• The end of February was very exciting for me as I was finally granted my Temporary Residency.  It took much longer for mine as I had many more documents to gather from various places to show the progression of my name changes throughout the years.  But everything came together, and I finally had my “Residencia Temporal” in hand.

March 2021

• March was pretty much filled with our ongoing kitchen reno, and all the days seemed to blend into each other, still cooking in our mini kitchen in the bathroom and hanging out in the office all day.  The crew did not work Sundays or Mondays, so we had a bit of a reprieve from the dust and noise for a couple days until they would start up again the following week. 

• March also saw Cabo’s COVID cases start to decline and the restrictions they put into place in January were lifted for those 60 and older.  Still, children and pregnant women were not allowed to enter stores.

April 2021

• April saw the completion of our kitchen reno and Lorne took a week off near the end of the month for us to unpack all our kitchen items and organize our new kitchen.  The kitchen turned out perfect and we still love it to this day. 

• We decided that with some of the money we saved between our reno budget and the final reno cost we would order a new fridge.  The one we wanted had to be ordered in from the US, so we ordered it mid-April and had to wait patiently six weeks for it to arrive.

• We also asked our contractor if they could build us some new doors for the laundry room.  The original doors were nine-foot-tall tri-fold doors that were the most awkward things to open and close.  We felt some sliding barn doors would be a better fit.   They agreed with our idea and promised delivery also within six weeks. 

May 2021

• Our new fridge arrived a week earlier than expected and we were so happy we paid for delivery, so we didn’t have to be the ones to carry it up the stairs to the third floor!  We moved the old fridge into the living room to keep our food cold until the new one was cold enough to transfer everything.  However later that night when we checked, the new fridge wasn’t even slightly cool.  The next morning, it still wasn’t cold inside, in fact the temperature inside was 35C (90F)!  We called the appliance store, and they sent the guys back to look at it.  They determined there was no refrigerant gas in the system so they would need to return Monday and recharge it with the gas.  Monday came but they still could not get it to start cooling.  We called the appliance store again and they advised they would need to bring in a replacement for us, as something was clearly wrong with this one.  We decided then to change the model of fridge (from a side by side to a French door) and they ordered our new fridge, and we would have to wait once again for it to be shipped in from the US.  The delivery guys were seriously not happy that they had to then carry this unusable fridge down again from the third floor!

• At the end of May our new sliding barn doors for our laundry room arrived and they were exactly what we wanted and are so much easier to use. 

• Also, at the end of May, we ordered our new washer and dryer with delivery being (again) in six weeks.

June 2021

• Cabo started into the third wave of COVID as case numbers started climbing higher than ever before.  Being in Level Red (maximum risk), meant more restrictions were put into place, including no sale of alcohol after 6pm daily.

• The temperatures also started climbing higher as well, reaching up to 35C (95F) many days.  It would be hot for maybe 4-5 days then we would have a couple of cooler days, then the cycle would start over again.

• We received our first COVID vaccine in June.  It took a while for us to navigate the process of where/how to register as everything was in Spanish.  The actual process of getting the vaccine was super-efficient and we were back home within an hour of our appointment time.

• Our (second) new fridge arrived mid-June and the poor delivery guys once again had to carry it up to the third floor for us.  They set it up and plugged it in, and within minutes you could feel it was starting to cool inside.  This one seemed to work!  We kept the old one around for a couple of weeks (just to be sure) and then had our property manager send someone to pick up the old one for donation. 

• As well, our new washer and dryer arrived the end of June and again, the poor delivery guys had to carry them up to the third floor.  During installation, the dryer needed to be converted from natural gas to propane, but the process went quickly, and we are loving our new appliances.

July 2021

• Towards the end of June, we noticed our water levels were starting to get a bit low and were surprised that the city water had not filled our cistern in a while.  By the first week of July, we had to call a water truck to come fill up our cistern.  After checking around, we found the construction site next to our complex had broken a major water pipe, which was preventing the city water from reaching our complex.  Everyone in our complex was in the same situation and there was a parade of water trucks coming up the hill daily which continued until the construction site was able to fix the pipe.

• Canicula (dog days of summer) started July 12 where Mexico experiences the 40 hottest days of the year.  Throughout Mexico the temperatures would climb between 40C (104F) – 50C (122F) during the day, with night temperatures not much lower.  And let me tell you, IT WAS HOT!  We needed the AC on in the office during the day, and after shutting it off at the end of the workday, we left puddles of sweat as we walked down the hall to go prepare dinner.  We also needed to keep the AC on at night in our bedroom.  Electricity can be expensive here, so we were always being cautious about using the AC too much, but soon found that having a good night’s sleep was indeed worth the cost.

• We received our second COVID vaccine in July.  Since we understood the process better, it was super easy to make the appointment and they were once again super-efficient at administering the vaccine.

August 2021

• Cabo’s third wave of COVID started to decline which put us back into Level Yellow (medium risk) and some restrictions were lifted, including the sale of alcohol, which was now permitted until 10pm.

• We finally chose a colour to paint our bedroom and long hallway and had it painted early August.  From the moment we bought this place, I always wanted to paint the hall a beautiful blue colour, but ended up it didn’t match the new kitchen, so we went with a sage green instead and it turned out to be the perfect colour.

• 

• 

• Canicula officially ended August 20, but it seriously did not get any cooler for quite some time after that.

• After an 18 month break due to COVID, Cabo welcomed back their first cruise ship mid-August.  Cruise ships have been stopping in Cabo weekly ever since, bringing around 3,000 passengers each time to help boost our local economy.

• The end of August was busy with preparations for Hurricane Nora (Cat 1) which was headed straight for Los Cabos but at the last minute veered more east just before she would have reached here.  Nora caused the most damage during the whole 2021 Pacific Hurricane season (USD$125 million) along with three deaths.  We were so grateful to be spared.

September 2021

• The beginning of September our new bedroom furniture was delivered.  We had the same guys who did our kitchen and laundry doors build us a new headboard and side cupboards.  The side cupboards were a bit unique as we wanted an opening to be on the side rather than in the front.  This was so we could easily reach our bedside lamp and see our cell phones during the night.  The contractor thought this was a very interesting idea, and a couple weeks after they delivered it, they asked if they could bring a potential client over to see the design as their client was looking to have some furniture built for her place.

• Hurricane Olaf (Cat 2) wreaked havoc on Los Cabos September 9^th.  This was our first experience with an actual Hurricane making landfall over us.  Olaf moved so fast, he was named on September 8^th and arrived the very next day.  Los Cabos ended up with USD$10 million in damages and one death from Olaf’s destruction.  We will never forget how loud that wind howled throughout that very long, very hot night.

• The first year of Lorne’s Temporary Residency was expiring, so we were able to renew it for three more years.  In 2024, after these next three years are completed, Lorne will be able to apply for Permanent Residency.

October 2021

• Cabo’s COVID cases continued to decline and in October we officially reached Level Green (low risk) and we moved into the “new normal”.  This meant all businesses/schools/events are allowed to open to a maximum of 80% capacity. However, to keep the case numbers low, the Secretary of Health for Baja California Sur advised that the use of facemasks and social distancing protocols would still be required. 

• Cruise ship season was in full swing, often seeing a few cruise ships stopping in each week.  On October 29, we were surprised to find four cruise ships in port – Grand Princess, Disney Wonder, Celebrity Millennium and Norwegian Bliss.  This meant we had approximately 10,000+ passengers visiting our little town that day.

• The end of October we decided to treat ourselves and went out to Casa Martin for a very nice dinner.  It was the first time in months that we had been out for dinner, so we were rather excited.  This restaurant is off the beaten path and the entrance looks like a little hole in the wall.  But once inside, it was so beautiful, the service amazing and the food and drink were so delicious.  We cannot wait to return to try some of their other menu items.

So, that pretty much sums up what we have been doing this past year.  We are so happy that the transition of moving to a foreign country has been relatively easy for us, but we must admit, we have had some help along the way.  As we have said before, Angelina from Patricia Property Management, has been absolutely indispensable in helping with all the things for our condo and Josefina from Mexico Paperworks has been a lifesaver navigating all the other things for us (residency, medical, taxation etc).  We affectionately call them our “fixers”. 

Living here has actually rejuvenated both of us and our health has improved immensely.  I no longer suffer from chronic migraines and by being able to get an abundance of natural vitamin D, Lorne no long experiences seasonal depression.  The reduction of stress has improved both our lives, and as a side effect Lorne’s diabetes has been much easier to manage.  We are so happy we decided to take the opportunity to experience all this life has to offer us here.

And of course, we cannot forget the most important thing we have experienced living here – the true meaning of ‘mañana’, which apparently is not ‘tomorrow’ as per the standard translation.  It is best described as “sometime in the unspecified future, despite the fact that were told tomorrow without fail”.  Mañana is the busiest day in Mexico!

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