After we vacationed in several Mexico places, we fell in love with San Miguel de Allende, Mexico which is 4 hours north of Mexico City in the high central desert of the Sierra Madre mountains, 6,600 feet above sea level. It’s dry, which is a big change from the rain forest of Panama.
As you may know, every 5 years or so I get the urge to move to a new place. In 2008 it was to Cuenca, Ecuador. 18 months later I returned to Boquete. So, I’ve rented a house here in San Miguel de Allende (SMA for short). I’ve had to construct a fireplace and 2 split heat/air units to handle the cold in winter and heat of summer. I’ve also added water treatment, electric garage doors, gardener bodega, washer/dryer and done lots and lots of fixes to plumbing and electrical. I know that’s not a good idea, but I can’t help but make myself comfortable.
Jim is working on some finishes in our Boquete house, preparing it for sale. He joined me here in late February for his birthday, then on to the US for business, and back to Panama to continue work on our house. When he is finished the project he will return to San Miguel, where we will stay through November. We will have had a full year’s experience by then, and will decide whether to split our time 1/2 Panama and 1/2 Mexico, or choose one or the other full time.
Becky the Boston Terrier came with me…we survived the cold weather and are now (in mid-March) enjoying the warm.
A few days after I arrived I celebrated my 75th birthday. As someone said “If I’d known I would live this long I’d taken better care of myself”. But this special day was full of surprises.
My cousin Joy, who moved to Panama 6 years ago, came with me when I moved. She fell in love with SMA too, and bought a cute condo on a beautiful garden with a river at the bottom. After trips to see her family in SFO and a trip to Spain with her best friend from childhood, Donna, she will return to SMA to close on and occupy her new condo. We had a big BOOM the other day, and the whole house shook…turns out a condo under construction across the river from Joy’s condo, had a gas explosion.
Gas explosion across the river from Joy’s new condo in San Miguel
Our wonderful driver Roman is a fabulous guy. He’s a professional baseball player in northern Mexico, and returns to San Miguel (SMA for short) in off season. He helped me renovate the house by handling all the subcontractors for me, he took me to buy my car, get my driver’s license, etc. etc. etc. In return, Jim gave him golf lessons. Here are some Roman shots:
There are many things I love about SMA, not the least of which is the FOOD!! There’s a nearby fabulous upscale mall with great restaurants in it, including PF Chang’s.
Not only is the food (and ambiance and service) in restaurants a joy here, but there’s music everywhere all the time.
So….we look forward to posting lots of news in the future, as life develops here in SMA!
Penny In Paradise 