ExPat Archives - New Nomads

Rainy Day, Dream Away

A small tropical storm is moving past Isla Mujeres today, so we are all socked in with wind and rain. While the island tremendously needs the moisture, along with the rain brings a few ‘uniquely’ Caribbean problems. Hmmm.. where to start? Since my lovely wife bought me a scooter, I have been remiss in driving the Vocho. These are the problems of abundance I have to deal with! The rains, rather than bringing a rinse for the accumulated salt, will wash the salt into the corners and send the rust into overdrive. Everything here rusts. The cargo rack on the back…

Every place, every culture, every peoples – have their way about them. We go to Europe and stand in awe of the work/life balance of the Italians, the diligence of the Germans, the loyalty of the British. We travel to Malaysia and see a wonderfully tolerant and welcoming culture. In our time in Australia, we found a genuine spirit that pervades the people. As every place and culture has its own wonderful elements, so too does it have a few less desirable traits. Let me be very clear, I love Mexico. I love the heart of the people, the depth…

Over the last week, Diane has been in Boston visiting her elderly aunt (shhh, no one tell her I called her that!). Modern air travel being what it is, she was taken from a tropical, island lifestyle and plopped back into her ‘old world’ in a matter of a few hours. Having made a few similar trips over the past few months for my work, I understand the immediate shift that is required to get ‘up to speed’ and in tune with a big city in the United States. It is not easy, even though it is automatic. Fortunately, our Global Entry has…

A few years back, when we were staying in Mazatlán, I contracted dengue fever from one of a seemingly insignificant series of mosquito bites. In my life, I have been lucky enough to have only endured a few medical conditions of this type, food poisoning, valley fever, stomach flu, etc. Dengue is another level of misery. It makes all of the others pale by comparison. Living on the Caribbean, we take great pains to ensure we reduce the number of times we get bitten by mosquitos. Of course you can’t totally eliminate bites, so lowering your chances is the best…

I read lots and lots of blogs about how you should ‘travel while you’re young’, which implies that traveling as an older person is not something that most folks can (or should) do. It logically follows that traveling young is what you do ‘before life starts’. As the typical Western narrative tells it, “be crazy and adventurous when you are young, then settle down to a ‘normal’ life, raise a family and perhaps squeeze in some time near the end for a last chance at reliving your ‘glory days’.” To a certain extent, that’s a true story – if you believe…

Over the past few days, I have been reading and reviewing many different travel blogs, vlogs, and sites. One thing is for certain, there are A LOT of folks out there doing this. I did notice that there was a thread through them all that targeted specific audiences. Few, if any of the millennial readers of vagabrothers, or Hey Nadine are going to care about my perspective on the world. Likewise, the adventure tour folks who seem to run from adrenaline rush to adrenaline rush like Expert Vagabond share little of the same audience a middle aged couple that lives and works…

Early this morning, I made the short trip downtown to pay the water bill. At 352 pesos ($22.30 USD), we had moved into the second tier pricing (more expensive) because of our late dry season lawn watering. Prior to June 1st, it had not rained significantly in over 70 days, so everything had dried to a crisp – even here in the Caribbean. Of course, the proto-Tropical Storm Bill dumped 10.5 inches of rain on us in 24 hours, so our water levels returned to somewhat normal. The Cancun water authority – AguaKan – is one of the more interesting…

It is rare to have a day pass that someone does not say “oh, you’re so lucky” or “livin’ the dream” to us. Typically, we nod and acknowledge their compliment with a mock toast or a knowing grin. It is only when we get the ‘Oh I wish I could do that, but…” that I generally answer with one short, somewhat terse response, “Then do”. What follows is a litany of reasons that justify why they are trapped in their world. In the past, I have tried to give a few words of wisdom to help those few who actually…

One of my long lost quests has finally come to fruition! I bought a VW Bug. Down here, they are referred to a ‘Vochos’ – the origins of which, no one can seem to agree upon. Google translate, my trusty companion, fails me in a quite amusing way though! It turns heads! Last night, as we were sitting at dinner, a little boy from a Canadian family stopped to make a photo. I ran across the road and opened the door so his father could make a shot of him at the steering wheel. He was grinning from ear-to-ear! On…

Rainy Day, Dream Away

Sometimes, It All Catches Up To You

Lost In My Old World

Blood, Sweat and Tears

Travel When You’re Old

Now is the Future

AguaKan

Not Lucky

Bought a Bug

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