My offer on the land has been accepted! The contracts are signed – over 100 signatures in total. We went through much paperwork… contracts in Spanish… many hours of review and questions. I feel pretty secure in the deal and with my decision.
The place:
Magical. I spent 5 hours walking around it yesterday. 83 acres is a lot. Walked in the ravine. Looks like much much water comes through there in the summer. Make a dam to create pools? Make a bridge for passage when there is rain? (About 25 acres are on the other side of the ravine.)
Walked on hills and flat places. Cool topography. I found new places yesterday that I hadn’t seen before. Many places to build a shrine, a house and art studio, a camping place or to plant exotic trees. Not much underbrush. Places to play and lie with trees.
The two rustic houses have two bedrooms each. Not much space really. I will have to make more space for visitors. Of course it is super easy to camp out here in the winter. In the winter there is no rain. In the summer there are 3 month when it rains for an hour a day or at night. It doesn’t drizzle; it pours warm rain in the hotest part of the year. Then it stops and the sun shines bright. Good rain.
The place will need a name. It has one now, and I will use it in the surrounding community since everyone knows it. It is a “rancho”. Ranch. Used to have horses. Hmmm…. I might change that name for my use though.
I will let the place find its name, though suggestions are welcome.
The place is off the grid. No electricity. No water.
There is no water run to the land. Wells rumored to be expensive. Currently there is rain catchment which is rumored to supply plenty of water. Several large cisterns. And I would get a truck to bring out thousands of gallons as needed.
There are amazing views on the land. One is from a pointy litle hill that is destined to become a temple. Perfect spot to watch the sun as it rises over the islands in the lake.
The area:
The nearest town… a short walk away through the forest… is small. The men I talked with there said there are 100 households. Maybe 700 people. No resturaunts. One catholic church. A couple tiny grocery stores, smaller than my living room.
Next closest town. A couple miles away. Has one resturaunt I can find, though supposedly there are 5. One internet cafe. Men on horseback chat outside in the tiny plaza while drinking beers. Some foreigners living there though I see no sign of them. I am told people from Italy, France, US and Canada live there. And I am told about some hippies on one side of town.
But from there a combi to a nearby larger town is less than a dollar.
The nearby tourist town. Pretty cool place. people love it. Magical. Lots of colonial architecture. Bustling markets. Basilica that any goddess worshipper would love. Cool islands nearby. Very cool.
The area is lightly populated. Many rolling hills and some cute peaks. Maybe perfect for mountain biking. There are many trails already. I want to check out an abandoned railway station sometime and some of the little hill towns.
There people all around here are rural and safe. Friendly nice people. Few speak english, and some don’t speak Spanish well as they are natives. I feel very safe here and people are friendly and curious. I wil be careful about my impact on the locals here. Any strange living will be on the privacy of my land.
The towns around here have many cool crafts. Pottery and textiles. Copperwork. Strange sculptures in clay and stone.
And now…..
I return to Seattle in late March.
Sell the hot tub and many other things. Pack it up for a couple months, then drive for Mexico.
http://www.rollybrook.com/how_to_move_to_mexico.htm
Then figure out the rainwater system. Install new solar panels. Need to put up a dish to get internet access? Equipment is $3000 but I heard of a guy who might sell his used.
Make the place be the place. Make places for guests? Build little cabins? Nights around the campfire. Piles of fruit from the market. Combine the best of primitive living with the best of the cutting edge technology and culture.
It will be a place to play at building sustainable worlds.
Hard to believe I have done it.
The check I am writing is far far bigger than any I ever have. And now I will have to figure out new ways to survive. Living cheap and making opportunity. Yay! Feels good!
I am the craziest guy I know. You are welcome. 🙂
I hope your feet walk this new place with me.
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