I'm Joining The Blogging World

OK. So. I read lots of blogs but this is my first attempt at creating my own. I'm not very tech savvy so this thing will take a bit to figure out. I see some buttons on the post bar thingy (yes, that's a technical term...lol) that I don't know how to make work. Yet. The site is pretty basic right now. I'll figure out how to jazz it up later. Please bear with me, and forgive my mistakes, as I stumble along.

I've started this blog so that friends and family can keep up with our travels. I don't do Facebook (has there ever been a more vile, privacy invasive creation?) but would still like to share our holidays. This seemed a logical arena in which to do that.

Señor B and I bought a condo in Progreso, Yucatán last Oct. It was everything we were looking for...close to the beach (there's one row of houses between us and the beach), 2 bedrooms and well within our price range. We even had to check with the realtor to make sure it wasn't a typo.

It's brand new. In fact, it was still being built when we went to check it out. You know, to make sure there was actually a condo to buy. It's about 850 sq ft and looks like a typical apartment. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen, living room and small storage room that doubles as the laundry room. The deck extends the full length of our unit and we can access it from both the living room and our bedroom. It has 9 foot ceilings (I think). Maybe they're 10. High ceilings are typical in México. This is so the hot air can rise and help keep things a bit cooler lower down. We have a view of the Gulf that would be better if the neighbour across the back alley didn't have that danged tree in the way. Wonder if they sell Round-Up in México? Just kidding!

Purchasing it was uneventful. Because it's a new dwelling, there were certain details we didn't have to concern ourselves with. Buying a previously owned home entails different paperwork. For instance, if the previous owner has a handyman to whom he owes money, that handyman can come after you, as the current homeowner, for back wages. So it's important to have a paper stating that said handyman has been paid and is released from the property, so that you're not responsible for his wages. Weird, I know, but it's not Canada and we can't expect another country to have the same laws that we do. There are other things involved with purchasing pre-owned homes that aren't typical in Canada. This is just one example.

Having a condo means no yardwork. Who wants to do yardwork when they're in paradise? Not us! Our condo fees include the yard guy, pool maintenance, wifi in the condo, gas, and tap water (which they say is safe to drink but we're not that brave yet so we get our drinking water from the truck that drives through the neighbourhood). The fees also go towards the wages of the administrator, the guy who collects the fees and is in charge of looking after the complex. Property taxes are...get this...$23.00 a year. Makes one wonder how the city can function. But they do. Obviously, they have other methods in place that work for them. Again, it's not Canada so we can't expect things to be the same.

Señor B and I will retire in 2015 and plan to be snowbirds to Progreso. For now, our little place is our destination for our annual winter getaways. I hope you enjoy reading along.

Hasta luego.