Edd:  I just realized something. We rented this apartment in Cuenca a little over three months ago. That’s the longest we’ve been in one place for over 2½ years!

Cynthia:  You’re right, and most of our readers will probably find that revelation shocking. It was a bit strange at first to be reunited with our own things. When the movers started bringing the furniture in you asked, “Has our stuff grown? I feel like we’re seeing the grandchildren after we’ve been away for a while!”

E:  Our new home is smaller than where we previously lived, and at first we were concerned we had made a mistake. But we’ve managed to make it work.

C:  And you’ve been busy with your recent side hustle—selling a lot of things online that we either don’t have room for or no longer need.

E:  Indeed I have, and what an adventure it’s been. I went through a similar experience with Craigslist when we were moving here from Las Vegas years ago. Now there’s Facebook Marketplace as well as our local GringoPost commu...

Edd:  Well, we’ve been traveling full time for the past 2½ years looking for the next place to call home.

Cynthia:  After 11 years in Cuenca that ended with months of COVID lockdowns, we were ready for a change and decided it was time to explore more of the world.

E:  We started in Mexico, and our first stop, Mérida, was outstanding. Beautiful colonial city, great amenities, less than an hour to the beach…

C:  But OMG the heat! Granted, we were there in May, the hottest month of the year. Honestly, with 100+ temps and oppressive humidity we thought we were going to perish. Would certainly consider a return visit in the winter but moving there? No thanks.

E:  Living at the beach isn’t really for us, so Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Cancun were more about research for our subscribers than ourselves. Tulum? Ugh. Cancun? We were surprised how much we liked the actual city away from the hotel zone.

If a coastal destination was on our radar, Playa is actually pretty great.

C:  San M...

Showing up in a new foreign city for an extended stay we always wonder, “Will we like the food here?” Actually, Edd thinks about that the most. 😀

Since several meals a day are going to be consumed over a period of months, it is a pretty important consideration.

The Colombian peso is currently taking a beating versus the USD, so we knew before our arrival in Medellín that prices were going to be low. A welcome relief after experiencing the runaway inflation taking place in the States.

Note:  When US$1 = 5000 pesos, transactions in this country involve a lot of zeros. For instance, a $500 monthly rent is 2.5 MILLION pesos! Believe it or not, once the shock value wears off, you get used to it.

“Cheap” doesn’t necessarily translate to “tasty,” though (looking at you, cardboard frozen pizza).

No country can match the abundance of food in the States. Would Medellín restaurants have a decent variety of different cuisines? What about choices in the grocery store?

We’ve found it’s a bit...

Cynthia:  We’ve been wanting to visit this popular expat destination for some time. Sorry to report our trip to explore Lisbon got off to a rocky start. I don’t know what was going on at the airport, but the crowd waiting to get through immigration was massive.

Edd:  It took us a couple of hours there. When we got to the city we couldn’t find the Airbnb rental and were clickety-clacking our suitcases up steep hills over Lisbon’s tile sidewalks.

C:  After a red-eye flight from the States we were beyond exhausted when we finally arrived at the apartment.

E:  Our place was in a hip area called Barrio Alto. This was the view from the terrace.

C:  “Hip” means the bars and restaurants spilled out onto the streets, and patrons were eating and drinking until the wee hours. That, plus major jet lag, made the first few nights less than restful.

E:  We’re sharing this not to complain, but to make readers aware the self-planned, economical travel we do isn’t always flawless. Once we adjus...

Cynthia:  I’m getting excited about where we’re headed next. What a dream trip this is going to be!

Edd:  I’m pumped too. You know what, since our departure is in less than 10 days, it’s time to share the details with our subscribers.

C:  Less than 10 days?? I’ve been so focused on our family visits, I haven’t thought much about it. Time to shift gears and start getting ready to go. Planning to be gone for 2 ½ months doesn’t seem as overwhelming this time around.

E:  Well, it helps that we’ll only be in one climate. Packing for last year’s trip to Mexico was tough with oppressive heat and humidity on the coast and springlike weather in the highlands.

C:  Especially with only a roll-aboard and backpack each. Which is the way we’ll be traveling this time as well.

E:  She says while rolling her eyes.😏 Hats off to you for agreeing to downsize. It’s really made airport logistics easier. And for this upcoming trip, the minimal luggage will be even more appreciated with all the train tra...

Cynthia:  In the midst of a pandemic we left behind our safe, predictable lives last March to reimagine our retirement by becoming global explorers. I’m sure a lot of people thought we were crazy.

Edd:  They probably also believed we had some kind of detailed plan for our travels. The truth is we knew we were going to Mexico for at least a month. We booked a one-way flight to Mérida and our accommodations there. The rest unfolded one stop after the next.

C:  Hmm—putting it that way, yep, sounds like we were nuts! To be fair, we did have a general itinerary. But since we were scouting locations for our website, we wanted to give ourselves maximum flexibility to stay at each place long enough to gather the info we needed.

E:  That “plan” worked out for the best since the four original destinations grew to six, and we ended up staying in Mexico for 2 ½ months. Let’s talk about some of the things we learned during our adventure.

C:  Wow, where to start. Well, I want to congratulate you...

Cynthia:  We’ve heard a LOT about Lake Chapala over the years and were anxious to see for ourselves why it’s home to so many North American expats.

Edd:  Right. It’s estimated that out of a total population of about 50,000, there are between 15 and 20 thousand expats living full time in the town and municipality of Chapala, which includes the town of Ajijic. And that number swells to more than 30,000 in winter when the snowbirds show up!

C:  Those are remarkable statistics. We were so lucky to find an Airbnb right between the two places, which made for easy exploration.

E:  A duplex with a pool that we shared with the owners? Perfect way to end our Mexico travel adventures! 

C:  It was such fun to meet up with friends from Cuenca living nearby that were happy to show us around. We were incredibly grateful for their help since we didn’t have a car, and their perspective as residents was invaluable. 

E:  Sure was. We hadn’t thought about the logistics of lakeside living, but by de...