Casa de Hippie I call it. This incredible life-changer for me started only two weeks ago. I had one hell of a good “Brain Fart”. I had finally moved back to Southern California in November of last year to be closer to the kids and my grandson. I realized that no matter where I lived in the “Good Ole USA”, the fact was, that it was just too expensive to have any comfortable life living on just my Social Security. Like ten million other folks just like me, I had no choice but to leave the country that I love dearly. We are called, “XPATS”, (expatriates).
I began my search into countries like Panama, Costa Rico, Portugal, etcetera. Then it came to me like a vision. Why not Mexico? Specially, Rosarita Beach or Ensenada. I began researching both areas on the internet.
I picked Ensenada. I’d been there only twice. Once when I was 26 years old (a great story for another time) and once on a Cruise Ship with my ex-wife before the kids were born.
Now I have soooo many reasons to detest farcecrap but I still use it as a communication platform primarily to draw folks to a few of my websites. Whenever I publish a new post on my primary, and most important website, tcsblog.net, I also post the link to my story/thought/opinion/stand-up routine on farcecrap. Since I was now focusing my research on housing in Ensenada, I joined a few Ensenada specific groups and posted a brief statement of what I was trying today to accomplish.
What I stated that I was looking for in my post on those two groups was that I was looking to partner with another person on leasing a house. I think it was the second day that my posting on farcecrap was up, and I received a PM (Private Message) from a person that would become my compadre in my search for a house, my sister.
Within a week, after much googling, and many responses from folks that had places for rent, I received a PM from Esmeralda. Her and her husband Roy had a house for rent in a little community called Rancho Packard, which first established as a campground by Roy’s grandfather in 1948 (the year I was born) making the little private community 70 years old. Esmeralda sent photos and I eventually spoke with her husband Roy.
Well, after fast-tracking my Passport on May 28th, I drove down to Ensenada and took the house. The photos that Esmeralda had sent me were very nice but nothing compared to what it really is. The only word to describe Casa de Hippie is AMAZING!
Part of the AMAZING part of course is what we are paying for a two-bedroom house. All I can say is that it is a third of what I was paying just to rent a frickin room in Simi Valley California, plus, utilities are also significantly less expensive.
Roy and Esmeralda are amazing people. So generous in so many ways. The main thing a person needs to be a generous person is not, the act of giving money or “Stuff” to those less fortunate. People can appear “generous” when in fact, they give what amounts to a wee pittance out of their vast wealth, ego and selfish reasons, to be noticed and appreciated, and that, folks, is Narcissistic behavior.
Real generosity is what Roy and Esmeralda have, a natural “spirit” of generosity, i. e., something that is inside a person, that some folks have, and some folks don’t. Roy and Esmeralda have it. I attribute that natural ability/sense “Generous Spirit” to something everyone has heard of but most people don’t exhude, and that’s Good Karma, the “Golden Rule”, treating others how you want to be treated. The few that I have encountered over my lifetime didn’t even recognize that they had that kind of spirit about them.
Tonight as I’m sitting here on my deck overlooking the ocean, still writing this, a few songs popped into my head. The first is “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”. The second song is “Like a Rolling Stone”. Both songs were written by the greatest poet/songwriter of all time, Bob Dylan. The ONLY songwriter in history to be awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature, category, “Poetry”. Amazing! Take a listen to the songs on “The Essential Bob Dylan “Revised Edition“ released in 2000, the turn of the Century.
Before I conclude this post,I also have to share another result of my huge Brain Fart. As I was going along in my search for a house, I responded to a posting on farcecrap. A reporter from the San Diego Union Tribune had posted in the Ensenada farcecrap groups that she was looking for folks Expating to Mexico to interview for a series of stories on the subject. Her and I communicated by email (I dangled a carrot) and she wants to interview me. I am sure that part of this post will be used as inspiration for her article about my incredible journey.
Then, I had a related, secondary Brain Fart. What if I could get a professional videographer to film my entire transition to becoming an Expat in Mexico. I communicated with two different videographers and dangled a different carrot. The primary thought? Developing a series, first for YouTube and then moving over to either A & E Network, the VICE channel, or HBO. Name of the program? EXPATS R US.
Following my debut segment will be stories of Expats all over the world, beginning with countries like Panama, Costa RICO, Columbia, etcetera.
The fact is that there are ten million people, U. S. citizens, living all over the world as Expats, mostly to make the most out of their retirement years in a country that is more affordable than The Good Ole USA. That number is growing, and I believe the timing is right for my series. A sort of Anthony Bourdain style of show, but instead of focusing on food, EXPATS R US will focus on the people who migrated and the indigenous peoples of the countries the show visits. We will also be highlighting the major differences economically, between the USA and, in my case, Ensenada, Baja, Mexico.
Neither one of the two videographers were available on such short notice, but both have indicated that they definitely want to be involved with the production of EXPATS R US. Since they both were already booked, the three of us agreed that we will film my first story as a re-enactment of my journey, but still in documentary style. By the way, Roy and Esmeralda have agreed to be in this first episode. Stay tuned folks.
In conclusion, this life-changing move of mine was made possible by three important people in my life, my son, my daughter, and her boyfriend. It all began two weeks ago with the best “Brain Fart” I’ve ever had, and now I am here, sitting on our patio of the home I have named “Casa de Hippie”, having a seventh cup of my world famous “French Pressed” coffee, listening to Bob. My transition has just begun, so I’m sure by time we film the re-enactment, there will be many other interesting experiences to share when we film.
P. S. Watch for a separate but related posting titled, “The Gate Keeper”
P. S. S. If you fart in the Grand Canyon, does it echo? Just asking for a friend. By the way, the bathroom in the new house would make a great Recording Studio.
P. S. S. S. Dangling a carrot here for those long-time readers of my website as well as for the new readers. If you enjoyed this post, please share it.
P. S. S. S. S. Here’s a little scripted scene for the documentary that we are going to film as part of the re-enactment of my transition to becoming an EXPAT.
Add this scene for comic relief
Holding my cell phone as I film myself, with a US Border Agent behind me in the scene, my car is ten feet in the background behind the officer, as I say, “Yes, here I am, at the main border crossing into Tijuana. The officer has allowed me to film this as he’s about to ask me to put my hands behind my back so he can cuff me for his claim that there was two pounds of weed in my suitcase, found as a result of their very thorough inspection of my automobile, and all of the contents there of.
Disclaimer; This video contains footage shot in real time and some filmed as a re-enactment of the event, including some footage added strictly for comic relief. All footage is copyrighted by “Dead Armadillo Films”, copyright 2019
When I actually do get to the border, should I ask the Supervising Officer if I can film the above scene? I could write and print out a “Release” form for whoever (Officer) actually is in the scene make-believe scene.
Well folks, I changed my mind, did NOT do this in real time. My vehicle and all my personal effects were clean as a whistle. Might be funny to do as part of the “re-enactment” if I can get the proper governmental approval.
This post was written entirely on my iPhone. If you enjoyed reading it, please share the link.
One last “Postscript”. As I’m sitting here having breakfast and transferring what I wrote using my iphone memo thingy this past few days, I thought to myself, I must write a short review of the restaurant I am sitting in ((for their WiFi). All I can say is every meal I have had here is like dining in the best French Restaurant in France. What I am having this morning is absolutely the BEST Eggs Florentine I have ever had in my entire life! The French Toast I had a few days ago, filled with a creamy cheese and topped with a Strawberry sauce was to die for. If you ever get to Ensenada you MUST make this a priority stop in your travels. The name of the restaurant is, “The Restaurante La India Bonita”, translated means “The Pretty Indian Restaurant” (Indian as in, Kimosabe). This wonderful place is located at: Kilometer 6 La Bufadora Road, Ejido Sanchez Taboada, Ensenada, Baja, California.
Peace & Abide (La paz y la morada),
Dr. T. C. Saxe, DD, RSISHE
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