Welcome to Barra-dise

We consider ourselves lucky.

As of today, our friends and family are all COVID-free and somewhat still employed. Most of them still have some semblance of sanity. Okay, okay, we admit, a few of them were already crazy going into the pandemic, but we still love them. Our “tribe” is hanging in there.

John and I are “stuck” in Mexico.

To many people, the idea of being quarantined in a foreign country can be unnerving. In fact, it’s so scary that many expats have fled back to their home countries. But, for us, we are living out what’s probably the most calamitous global crisis in recent history while barefoot and bikini clad. As I said, we are lucky. Our current isolation conditions here in Barra de Navidad, Mexico, are absolutamente perfecto! (downright perfect!)

From Sea to Shining Sea –Mexican Style

Fear not. I promise, this isn’t going to be a geography lesson. Geography is my worst category on Jeopardy. But on May 1st, we traveled from Cancun, Mexico, to Barra de Navidad, Mexico, which afforded us the privilege of being on the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean) and then the seashore of the Pacific, within 24 hours! This may not be a big deal for a lot of folks, but for us, it was.

Falling for Isla Mujeres

Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) is one of the best kept secrets on the Mexican Riviera. It is a wonderful little island just a few miles off the coast of Cancun. If you are looking to relax in a hammock on the beach or by a pool, it has a vast selection of picturesque hotels and resorts to make it happen. If you are looking for adventure, the diving and snorkeling is superb. If entertainment is your pleasure, the Isla night life is electrifying…you won’t be bored.

Yippee – We’re 3!

June marks our 3-year Barefoot Diary birthday…or anniversary…or milestone…whatever you choose to call it. It has been three years since we sold everything we owned and hit the road as house sitting travelers. Yee haw!

So far, we’ve survived two hurricanes, gasoline rationing, and two “mini” earthquakes. We’ve stumbled through communicating in Español for three very distinct Spanish dialects. We’ve wandered around totally lost many, many times in many, many places. And, to top it all off, we have hunkered down in two separate cities as the CV pandemic hit. We are still hunkering and, miracle of miracles, we still like each other! (well, most of the time)

Fish Monitor

February 2, 2018 Xcalak, Mexico When I’m writing or cartooning, I get really absorbed in what I’m doing.  John knows not to bother me or make a lot of noise when I’m in “creative” mode.  If my thought train is jostled around, when I’m on a roll, it takes me at least 20 minutes to get […]

Shell Shock

Have you ever seen the movie, The Long, Long Trailer? It’s a Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz classic about a newly married couple, who decide to spend their honeymoon trekking across the United States in a brand new travel trailer.  

In it, the trailer itself almost becomes a character in the story and the scene, where Lucy tries to cook dinner while Desi is driving the pair to their next destination, is uproariously funny. It made me have hiccups I laughed so hard the first time I saw it. Do yourself a favor and watch, or re-watch it. Well worth the time.

So, here we are at a wonderful housesit on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, also known as the Mexican Riviera.  It’s gorgeous, however getting here was arduous, at best.  Thank goodness we weren’t pulling a trailer!

Rancho San Francisco

Once upon a time in a fun land called Mexico, there lived a multi-talented lady named Doña Stephanie. Doña Stephanie loved animals. Not the “Aw, aren’t these puppies cute?” or “May I pet your kitty?” kind of love. She fervently cherished anything “animal” so much that she decided to build a kingdom that would be a sanctuary for multitudes of creatures to live in blissful harmony and peace. She wanted her animal kingdom to be a magical kingdom. She just loved happy critters!

The Fun Side of the Wall

Just south of Guadalajara, sister cities, Chapala and Ajijic sit on Mexico’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Chapala. Both cities have unique charm, temperate climates and amenities galore, which have made this area a mecca for retirees and ex-pats.

You might think that for a community focused on so many retirees, that activities would be sedate, laid-back and mundane. Oh contraire! Boredom is not allowed. In fact, even mediocre is not permitted! We had heard horror stories about safety in parts of Mexico, but found this area to be one of the safest places we’ve ever been. I ran on the highways to and from town and felt perfectly safe. So after spending a few days here, we decided that all the tales of retirement blah and fear are made up to scare “un”fun people away from this lovely area and the fun side of the wall!