Month 1: Settling In

It is hard to even say how long we have been here, time has become a different thing now that we are retired and settling in.  According to the calendar it has been 4 weeks today. A lot has happened in a month.  We agreed to foster a small dog for a friend, who rescued it just before leaving town for two weeks.  That foster dog is now officially our dog.  He is our third Mexican rescue and much smaller than any of our other dogs, he weighs in at probably less than 10 pounds.  His name is Mani – accent on the “I” -  which means peanut in Spanish.

I was not ready to get a dog and have that responsibility but Mike is one that needs routine and purpose and Mani’ provides that for him, besides he is about the cutest little guy and so sweet.  In addition, he has a village here all willing to love him and help care for him. 

Other than now having a dog in our life we are finding Puerto to completely meet our needs.  We have lucked into a stellar condo on the water with a lot of light and great views.  In addition to that we have some awesome neighbors, which is a really huge plus when you go from having a lot of privacy at home to life in a condo complex.  New friends in addition to wonderful old friends make for a great support system and a lot of fun times.  We miss our friends back home, just like we used to miss our friends here when we would leave; it is sort of like trading places.  Retiring where you already have friends is a real bonus.

A friend of ours lent us her golf cart while she was traveling and I have to say it made living in Puerto even more fun.  You can get everywhere in a matter of minutes, course it also limits the amount of walking we did in a day, but in the heat of the summer that will be an even better thing.  I think now that we are dog owners, and have to run back to check on him, a golf cart may be in our future. 

We don’t have a typical day but we have things that we do now on certain days.  Saturday and Wednesdays we head to the farmer’s market.  The market has a variety of booths set up but we go especially to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.  It’s nice to stock up twice a week, especially since we love being more vegetarian with our meal options.

Mondays and Wednesdays I am now teaching  a water fitness classes in the bay.  So far I have done two classes and am still figuring out how to best utilize the area, but I have to say it is by far the BEST location I have ever taught in.  White sandy bottom, crystal clear water and so far very flat seas.  And instead of music, we are listening to the sounds of the water, birds and the occasional fish jumping. 

In addition to doing my water fitness classes, we are getting plenty of exercise walking and swimming/snorkeling in the bay.  I don’t think we will ever tire of swimming in the bay, you never know what you will see, and the conditions vary from day to day.  Mike saw a huge stingray the other day. 

I am also looking forward to adding some kayaking to my exercise routine, a neighbor has kindly offered me the use of her kayak, and the canal is a great place to explore.

Evenings are spent having “docktails” with neighbors on the dock, or wandering down to hear music at a number of local spots.  There is always someone playing at any number of restaurants you can choose from country, blues, classical, disco, mariachi, karaoke or good ole rock ‘n roll.

Puerto is not the least expensive place we could have chosen to settle, and recently some places have raised their prices and gotten a few people upset, but Mike and I have a very different attitude about that.  We spent 28 years in one of the world’s top tourist destinations, Charleston, SC, and if you want to have a drink with a view you better be prepared to pay for it.  Here we can take our own drink to the beach and sip it without penalty, or sit in a jacuzzi beach bar with a fabulous view, and incredibly pleasant waiters, and pay 80 pesos for a beer and get a 20-25% discount – that my friends comes out to be $4.00, with discount a whopping $3.00.  No complaints here. Life is too short and all good things come with a price tag. If you opt to go to happy hour you can find beers at some local watering holes for about $2 - $2.50. 

In addition to exercise, great music and fun happy hours, there are plenty of restaurant options all within walking distance.  There are several Italian restaurants and cafes, French bakeries, Sushi/Thai, American Pub, Spanish/Cuban, Seafood, Argentinian and of course Mexican.  Another food option is to keep an eye out for the fishing boats coming back to the marina, they will fly flags on the back to let you know what they caught that day, and you simply wander down to the boat when it docks, purchase a fillet from the captain and fix your own ceviche or fish any way you want.

Shopping options have been a little more challenging.  We have been lucky to get rides with friends who are heading to Playa, but we can take a collectivo and cab back.  The stores are limited here, inside the gate, to essentials and do tend to be a tad pricey. Across the highway in the pablado, there is a large, recently renovated Chedraui and a new Aki, also a number of great places to get food and essentials.  And there is no shortage of Farmacias in the area.  Playa del Carmen has any store you need and Cancun, just a little further north, boasts a Costco! There are locals here that make a weekly run to Costco and offer a great service to do your shopping for you and deliver it right to your door.

Directly across the street from our condo complex is a brand new Central Park.  It is currently still under construction, but will eventually have a lovely jogging/bike path and who knows what all. Currently there is a playground, outdoor gym with a number of pieces of equipment, 2 bocce courts, a fenced in dog park and the beginning of a farmer’s market.  They have actually planted a number of fruit trees and vegetable beds there. 

All in all we are enjoying Puerto and really feel we have found our home!  What is even more exciting is that we have company coming in January and February!  One of the best things about living in Charleston was how much fun it was when friends came to visit, we loved playing tourist in our home town and I know we will feel the exact same way here.

Coming up soon, we will actually start exploring outside of Puerto Aventuras – I promise!  And we’ll share those stories here.

Lydia Pontius