The Truth About Mexico!
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Featured Article #1

Reviewed: Hotel Ibis in Merida

Having stayed in our share of small Mexican hotels that are trying to copy the larger chains, usually with limited success, we had been regarding the newly-opened Ibis Hotel with a bit of a raised eyebrow. An overnight in “the big city” is not uncommon for us; we book a hotel room at the drop [...]

Malcolm | February 26th, 2010 | Continued

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Featured Article #2

Renovating Our Beach House, Volume 7

If you have been following along, you know it has been a long road to take our squat, one-level “beach box,” a structure whose only intended purpose was to have a shady place for a wealthy Meridano to hang a hammock and drink a Sol in the summer, and turn it into a modern, year-round [...]

Malcolm | February 5th, 2010 | Continued

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Featured Article #3

Renovating Our Beach House, Volume 6

As we may have mentioned in prior volumes, our house was built by the previous owners one room at a time, as money allowed, with no (as far as we can tell) over-arching plan driving the whole thing. Because of this, the bedroom was tacked on to the house with a separate entrance, which meant [...]

Malcolm | February 3rd, 2010 | Continued

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Featured Article #4

… And We’re Back (But Not For Long)

 
As it turns out, as we have proven, you can abandon your pressboard life, board a plane to a place you’ve never been and carve out an existence – and a pretty sweet one at that – in an uncanny valley far, but not too far, from home. We didn’t drop off the edge of [...]

Jillian | February 2nd, 2010 | Continued

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Featured Article #5

Dropped Out.

Jillian: How will it end, I wonder? In order to address this unanswerable question with poetry and symmetry, I look back to the beginning. Rereading the early entries, from the planning stages to our first enthralled weeks in Mexico, through all the trials up to this present moment; as I listen to the waves, I [...]

Malcolm | May 4th, 2009 | Continued

About this Site

We’re Malcolm and Jillian, two young Americans who decided against waiting until retirement to bail out on America, hit the road, and live out our dreams. Our blog has been around for a couple of years now, and a lot has changed. Here’s how we introduced ourselves to the world way back in October 2005, when [...]

Other Recent Articles

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Buenos Dias, Portland

Every morning, since the first day we woke up here, I’ve heard the carefree call of seagulls. To me their song is carefree; maybe other birds sense they are distressed or pissed off, or lonely. But to my imaginative ear this is the sound of freedom of flight, and open air over a northern ocean. [...]

9Jul2010 | Jillian | 1 comment | Continued
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Site Unseen

Four years ago we were storing what we hadn’t sold, discarding unwanted Robin bookshelves, packing away winter clothes and sorting through out summer items, deciding what we we were bringing and what would not be appropriate in our new lives as tropical expats e.g., bridesmaid dresses, tube tops, mittens. Our last days were spent among [...]

23Jun2010 | Jillian | 3 comments | Continued
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Technomads: Day 1

I doubt anyone has ever enjoyed twenty-four hours at a Holiday Inn Express as much as we have been. We are technically on the clock, so during business hours we’re in front of our monitors in the room, but there’s TV, AC, and vending machine snacks to distract us and keep our spirits up. Seriously, [...]

23Jun2010 | Jillian | 0 comments | Continued
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The Leavers

We’ve left home. We are officially on the road. This morning we said goodbye, got into a rental car and drove off, wiping away tears. The fog lifted as we drove deeper into the peninsular jungle and soon the sky was brightened blue. We listened to music and watched mexico out the window. We had [...]

22Jun2010 | Jillian | 3 comments | Continued
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We Wish Someone Had Told Us (Part 1)

We wish someone had told us to make sure, before moving to Yucatan, to have our plans for a car sorted out before arriving. If you are contemplating a move, it is absolutely critical that you either:

Drive your own car down from the States, or
Arrive with enough cash on hand ($10k or so should do [...]

17Jun2010 | Malcolm | 4 comments | Continued
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Everything is Everything

Fay Weldon said, “Nothing happens, and nothing happens, and then everything happens”, which is where we are today, the first day of June, 2010. It’s all happening. One week from today my best friend, maid of honor, and traveling companion is coming for a girl getaway to the Caribbean. We’re going to Isla Mujeres, Playa [...]

1Jun2010 | Jillian | 2 comments | Continued
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Here We Go Again

I don’t know about you, but I never believe anything is actually happening until it is. Because it isn’t. Once you make reservations, however, you can feel somewhat certain that you’re really going, flying, driving, renting, buying, on the move again. The totally impromptu trip to Maine last week inspired expediation [sic]. We are no [...]

30May2010 | Jillian | 1 comment | Continued
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Changing (P)lanes

One thing we excel at is making plans. We just don’t always follow them through. I’ve mentioned many times that we are very lucky to not have constraints right now. There is nothing pressing us back into the US map, expect our own sense that it is time to get back in a groove there. [...]

28May2010 | Jillian | 0 comments | Continued
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Major Tom to Ground Control

Mexico is a world away. In spite of geography and technology and our best intentions, it is quite impossible to wrap your mind around this Other place. I get it. When I am in the States I even have a hard time envisioning our house, our dogs, the life we live every day, so I [...]

28May2010 | Jillian | 0 comments | Continued
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The Last and Lazy Days of a Life Less Ordinary

It’s 10 am on a Wednesday and I’m in bed with my dog, my laptop and a mug of tea. I am almost unbearably lucky. It’s delicious and and I plan to revel in every moment. In two months we won’t be here to sleep in, wander the cement-studded sand, work under covers, have two [...]

19May2010 | Jillian | 2 comments | Continued
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The Only Time I Will Ever Write About My Underarms

I’m not one of those bloggers who emulates the notoriously grodi Say Anything column from sadly now defunct YM Magazine. I have no plans to discuss or disclose anything we might have learned about in 5th grade health or 6th grade gym class. Boys do not have to leave the room giggling. There will be [...]

16May2010 | Jillian | 0 comments | Continued
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A Virtual Museum Date With My Dad

My dad has a thing about Magritte. There’s this one painting at the Yale Art Gallery that has captivated his attention for at least 40 years. It’s his; he says other people should pay him to contemplate the muted red sky, white rose and bowler hat. I get it. There are works of art I [...]

14May2010 | Jillian | 0 comments | Continued
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