January 18, 2011 Part Two (Tulum, Mexico)

Looking Down at the Caribbean from Just Behind El Castillo at Tulum

The great Maya walled city of Tulum is about 80 miles (2 hours) southwest of Cancun (8 miles south of Xel-Ha). It is known as a great "post-classic" Maya site dramatically overlooking the shimmering aquamarine Caribbean Sea. The post-classic sites (further divided into "early" and "late" post-classic periods) flourished from 1000 AD until the Spanish invasion in the early 1500's. Tulum was built during the 10th century AD, which meant that the structures I saw today were over 1000 years old! Tulum was built as a sea port and a fortress, but only about 600 people actually lived in the city during its prime. Most of the inhabitants lived outside the walls. The inner sanctum -- protected by imposing walls over ten feet high-- was reserved for priests, governors and its amazing ceremonial structures shown in several photos below.



El Castillo Rising Above the Other Main Structures at Tulum

Tulum was finally abandoned about 70 years after the Spanish conquest in 1521. Today many of the structures have been restored and the site has become a very popular tourist attraction. After a 50 peso (approx. US$5.00) taxi ride from my hotel to the beach about 5 miles away and paying my 50 peso park admission fee, I entered the site near "The House of the Chulton" and started my tour. My favorite structure was the magnificent "El Castillo"-- a combination temple and fortress which stands perched on a big hill just above the Caribbean. Park visitors can take the stairs just behing El Castillo down to the beautiful beach below for a refreshing swim. Unlike the majority of Maya sites in Belize and Guatemala, you are not allowed to go into or climb on any of the structures in Tulum. With the high number of visitors the Tulum ruins receive each year it is believed that allowing this would lead to significant deterioration of the limestone structures. I think it's a good policy.

The imposing "Temple of the Frescoes" located in front of El Castillo apparently contains a number of 13th century wall paintings but- unfortunately- entry inside the temple is not allowed so you can't see them. There is still plenty of great stuff to see as the photos below illustrate:



A Close Up of One of the Structures at Tulum



El Castillo at its Lofty Perch above the Tulum Site

Looking over at the House of the Cenote

After my day of exploring ancient ruins I had worked up a huge appetite so that evening I visited the seafood restaurant recommended by Liz and dined outdoors on fresh shrimp cocktail and a local (white) fish called "boquinete". The entire meal-- with two Pacificos and dessert -- totaled 200 pesos (about US$20.00.) AND it was delicious. What am I gonna do tomorrow to top this?

January 18, 2011 (Tulum, Mexico)

What I Left Behind in Minnesota!

I awoke refreshed and energized on Tuesday morning -- my first morning in Mexico. I had slept about eight solid hours (notwithstanding another night of dogs barking until about 2:00 AM), and the temperature was so perfect I didn't need air conditioning. My first realization was that I was starving, so embarked on a mission to find this great breakfast place my hotel proprietor (Liz) had recommended the day before. The name of the place was AZAFRAN, a really basic but cute little place owned and operated by a sweet lady from Germany named Michaela Brand who goes by "Millie". Millie had been running her little restaurant-- specializing in breakfast and lunch- for the past eight years. Her hours were 8:00 to 3:00 at present, but she is planning to move to a 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM operation very soon. She seemed like a woman who loved her business AND living in Tulum. I had a fabulous breakfast Millie called "The Hangover Special" along with her special coffee that was to die for. My favorite thing about eating breakfast in January in Mexico is eating outside under a sweet umbrella!

During breakfast I spoke with a nice lady named Tanya who made her living practicing reflexology in Tulum. Among other things, we discussed Tulum real estate. Everyone says the time for buying in the area has long passed. Tanya says she bought a parcel of land three years ago for the equivalent of about US$20,000 which is now worth about US$80,000 (and she said that seven years ago the same parcel sold for about US$6000). If only we had a crystal ball! Tanya also said development in the Tulum area only really happened in the past few years. Four years ago, she said, none of the shops even bothered with glass windows. After breakfast, I explored "downtown" Tulum for a bit (there's not much to see, unfortunately-- as all the action is down on the beach at the pricier properties along "hotel row" near the famous Maya ruins). With my brain totally relaxed and refreshed, I decided to finally sit down at my (daughter's)  laptop and write the preface to my blog during the peak heat time of the day when smart Mexicans take their traditional "siesta". After a couple of hours of thinking and typing I was ready to tackle the first actual "adventure" of my trip-- an exploration of the famous ruins of the walled Maya city of Tulum. The story will unfold in my next blog entry.

Blog Note:  Hindsite being 20/20 as always, if I was able to have a "do-over" of my "Tulum leg" I would consider adding a couple extra days to explore the nearby Maya ruins at Coba, deep in the jungle but only about 40 miles inland from Tulum. The nearby attractions of Xel-Han (the "world's largest natural aquarium) and the Xcaret "natural park by the sea" would have also been nice to see (although I was concerned that they may be a little high on the "Disney scale").

January 17, 2011 (Departure Day)

Today my adventure begins! In order to save money I had booked a flight from Minneapolis ("MSP")  to Cancun on Delta Airlines which was scheduled to depart at 6:10 AM. This meant I had to arise at about 3:30 AM! What kind of "vacation" was this? My daughter - bless her heart - dropped me off at the airport at precisely 4:30 AM- which I figured was plenty early- even for an "international" flight - for such an ungodly hour!

My destination was Belize, but I had decided to fly to Cancun and take the bus from there to Belize to avoid the ridiculous $300 - $400 "tax" the Belize City airport was apparently forcing passengers from the U.S. to pay for the privilege of using their airport. Before deciding to begin my exploration in Belize I had checked ticket prices for flying into several other Central American airports (i.e., Managua, Panama City and San Jose) and found that this crazy tax situation was going on throughout the region. Because I had read in one of my books that the bus from Cancun is an inexpensive, safe and pleasant alternative for traveling to Belize, I then checked Orbitz for the best airline ticket prices from MSP to Cancun and was pleased to find that Mexico - or at least the Cancun Airport- only charged a $100 "tax" on top of the airline ticket price.

Check in at the Delta counter and my security screening went like clockwork, and by 5:00 AM I was sipping a latte at McDonaldbucks and trying their new "fruit and maple" oatmeal. Not bad! The plan took off on time - always a worry in January in Minnesota -- and a few short hours later I landed in Mexico! And to think that a couple days earlier I had just finished what I hope to be my LAST 55+ hour week as a full time employee!

My luggage was waiting for me when I finished waiting in a very long line to get my passport stamped and I quickly slid  through customs. Almost everyone outside was being sucked into some type of special transport to either Playa del Carmen or downtown Cancun, but I asked one of the locals where you catch the bus to Cancun. I had to wait a bit, but the extremely reasonable price of the bus was worth it. Since I had to pass right by Tulum on the way to Belize, I decided to stay in Tulum for a couple days to relax and check out the famous Maya ruins nearby. Once in downtown Cancun, it was easy to find the bus to Tulum. The bus was clean and comfortable -- and seemed very safe. The view along the way was great as well-- particularly since I had just rscaped from several feet of Minnesota snow (still remaining from our record-setting December avalanche).

The day before departure I had booked a fairly inexpensive room at a smalll hotel in Tulum called the "Hotel Latino". Most of the rooms I had seen during my check Internet check were fairly pricey (for Mexico- I thought), but January is the peak of tourist season and the Cancum/Playa/Tulum coast has become the new Florida anyway.  My room was in the neighborhood of US$ 75.00 per night, but at least it had wireless Internet AND air conditioning. As it turned out I didn't even need the A/C and the weather in the evening was perfect and during the day my ceiling fan was plenty good. A pleasant young couple was running the place, and the female member of the team - Liz- gave me a ton of helpful information about good (and reasonable) things to eat and do in the area. Having had only about an hour of sleep the night before, and just completed a flight AND two bus rides, I was a total zombie by 3:00 PM so I tried napping and finally fell asleep about six P.M. When I awoke about 8:30 PM I realized I was famished, so I tried to find the great seafood restaurant Liz had recommended. I DID locate the place a short time later but found that it had closed at eight! I found a mediocre place to eat on the way back to my hotel and tried some chicken tacos and beer. My bill came to 53 pesos (approximately US$5.00-- with each Corona costing about US$1.50).

After my meal, I cruised back to my hotel and crashed. Even with several dozen dogs barking outside (apparently this is common throughout Mexico and Central America), I had a fabulous night's sleep. The first day of my adventure had gone pretty well indeed.

Preface: Part 3 (But...How Can You Retire with No Money?)

I think most of us Americans have been programmed to believe that we will need at least a million dollars to retire comfortably. What does this mean for so many of us who either lost our fortunes along the way or simply never tapped into a decent retirement program? Are we supposed to keep working forever? Is this what happened to the smiling seniors who politely bag my groceries at Lunds supermarkets in the Twin Cities? This question- and a million other ones - ran through my head constantly as I moved through the year 2010. And all this time I continued to see the "teasers" on the Internet about how one could retire comfortably in a number of countries on just Social Security. At some point, I clicked on one of the Internet ads for articles and books about afforable retirement options. And they say that curiousity killed the cat!

A number of the articles and Internet postings posed the question of "what would YOU do with the extra 40 hours of time each week that retiring from your job would give to you"? My reaction was an instant blissful fantasy of what I would be able to do with the 50 to 60 hours per week it would mean to me. To FINALLY have more time to do all the things I like to do but never seem to have the time and/or energy to do? I first read a couple of the Internet articles posted by ... -- a woman who has traveled to and lived in a number of foreign countries over the past .. years or so. As I read about possibilities in countries like Belize, Nicaragua, Pamama and Thailand, I became increasingly excited. Perhaps there were alternatives to the standard American dream of a "comfortable" retirement in Arizona or Florida afterall? My next step was to purchase --- and start reading -- a couple of the myriad of books available on the subject. After reading several chapters of ... it dawned on me that as intriguing as this adventure seemed to be --- it was going to be a lot of work! But if it enabled me to finally get off that damn treadmill I would definitely have to check it out!
As I read more about the various options for living a more afforable life in a number of foreign countries with fabulous weather year round, I began to formulate my own "list" of preferences. Based on my personal circumstances, I had three primary requirements. First and foremost, my ultimate destination would have to be close enough to the USA to allow me to travel home to see my kids frequently. This eliminated several destinations in Asia and Europe which sounded fantastic, and pretty much pointed me toward Central America. Many Americans don't realize that all of the Central American countries are closer to the US than New York City is to Los Angeles! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the following international airports are surprisingly close to Minneapolis:

Belize City, Belize:
Managua, Nicaragua:
Panama City, Panama:
San Juan, Costa Rica:

My second requirement was to have fabulous weather with great beaches in particular and other highlights such as mountains for hiking and other outdoor activities. Being a great lover of the outdoors -- but not particularly kiler winters -- and having lived through about 60 Minnesota winters -- I was looking for a radical change of pace. Although each country in Central America has a wide variety of different climates, zones and physical ... I realized that with a little investigation I might just be able to find my dream destination in terms of climate, weather and physical...

Finally, my third requirement was to find a destination where the cost of living was significantly lower that in the USA, and where my meagre Social Security earnings-- becoming available to me as of my 62nd birthday -- would enable me to live (fairly) comfortably. The books and articles I read explained in great deal how this is possible-- in many cases breaking out typical monthly budgets line-by-line. Although significant differences exist from country-to-country relative to food, transportation and entertainment, without a doubt the paramount expense item to be dealt is going to be housing. Someone with a nest egg has the option of purchasing property on any of these countries, which sets in motion an entirely different world of possbilities not avaialble to some one without a nest egg. In each of the countries mentioned- and in the various regions of each country -- there are many different real estate stories. Usually, people in any place you visit will tell you stories like: "If only you had bought property here five or ten years ago, you would be wealthy now." The great real estate rush is over in some countries. In other countries it is apparently just beginning. And the only way to find out is to jump on an airplane and check it out!

But-- I digress. I don't have the money to invest in real estate. However, since -- in a prior life I was a real estate lawyer and could possibly help someone else make a smart investment-- who knows? For the time being I intend to first explore the options in the various countries for renting an affordable but clean and safe place. The books I mentioned are helpful, but the only way to really learn about renting real estate in Central America is to visit each prospective destination and start looking. That's about to happen-- and I will be writing about my "big adventure" -- starting in Belize (via Cancun and Tulum) -- in this blog!

Preface: Part 2 ("Why Now"?)

Some of my "amigos" have asked my why I would choose to "retire" now-- when I am still sharp and healthy and full of energy. I have told them that is a big part of why the time is right to get off the treadmill now-- while I am still able to run around like a college kid and enjoy ALL the aspects of life before I am too old to be able to do it. Being a single guy, I feel like I only have a few years left to explore the world, do things I love to do but never seem to have time to), chase the girls and party like it's 1999 (before I am 99!). The various "self help" books I have read over the years all seem to agree on the same basic advise: You can't go back. Life doesn't allow "do-overs". Don't cry over spilled milk. The Serenity Prayer-- apparently originated by St. Francis of Asissi and featured in every AA, Alanon and ACA meeting throughout the world-- reminds us that we need to learn to ACCEPT the things we cannot change. Unfortunately, the "time machine" I have often imagined has not yet been invented. Therefore we cannot change history. But the Serenity Prayer also tells us we need to have the courage to change the things we can change. We CAN change what we decide to do tomorrow. One of the fortunate things about being born and raised in the USA is that America is -- for the most part -- a free country. Unlike Nazi Germany, the USSR of the past, and numerous other countries throughout the globe and over the millennea, Americans can-- among other things-- freely quit their jobs, divorce their spouses, sell their homes, and move to foreign countries. However, after growing up and living in the USA all these years most of our brains become "hard wired" and we THINK we are locked in. Locked in to the same job. Locked in to a spouse we no longer love and cherish (or who no longer loves and cherishes US). And locked in to the same house, mortgage payment, or location -- even though (like my Minnesota) it might feature virtually neverending winters with temperatures often below zero Fahrenheit and five months of snow cover.

Sometimes a person needs something radical or earth-shattering to emerge from the fog of his or her day to day existence. As Sir Isaac Newton told us several hundred years ago, the physical concept of momentum is hard to overcome. And "emotional inertia" is even harder to defeat. The year 2010 delivered not just ONE but THREE different shock treatments to my brain. After receiving my third shock treatment, it was almost as if my mind and soul opened at the seam to allow me to see three important things with perfect clarity. First, life is too short. If I just keep waiting to change my life, the only thing that will be different is that I will be that much older, weaker and closer to the final act. Second, apparently it is possible that I have NOT necessarily "blown it". It MAY be possible that I can stop working full time to allow me to immediately have more time to do the things I really want to do. More about this later. Third, since I have been fortunate enough to have maintained excellent health and vitality by maintaining my exercise habits since my college days, eating - for the most part- a fairly healthy diet, and staying away from tobacco use and being careful to use alcohol moderately (sorry Chelsea Handler)-- I had the realization that the time to make the move was NOW rather than later. Each one of us has a "chronological age" based on the dates of our birth. But-- according to recent medical literature-- each one of us also has a different "biological age" depending primarily on genetics and lifestyle habits -- including stress, alcohol and tobacco use, and eating habits. I also submit that each one of us also has a different "emotional age" depending on a myriad of different factors. For example, some of us guys suffer from "arrested development" and still think we are in a college fraternity somewhere. Juvenile you say? Maybe so. But if the alternative is to be committed to a life of quiet celibacy, bring me to the Animal House!

You might be curious about those three shock treatments I received last year. The first two are nothing that unusual-- they happen to everyone at some point. But when they happen to YOU the impact can be profound-- if you are listening to your inner voice. Four days into the year 2010 I had the ignominous distinction of turning the age of 60. I had truly become a "man of a certain age". In America, many programs consider you an official "senior citizen" when you hit 60. Many people choose to "retire" at 60, and to start collecting Social Security at 62. Others wait a few more years to make the move, but there is no doubt that your perception of life is suddenly different. You are constantly reminded that you have reached the "twilight zone" of life-- where you still FEEL young and energetic but you are a joke to a lot of people (Ke$ha my dear take note).

My second personal jolt of 2010 was the passing of my amazing father in May at the ripe old age of almost 87. As sad as it was to lose the old man, I was actually happy that he would be spared the agony of spending another year or two unable to walk comfortably, remember if he had breakfast any given day, or get out of bed on his own. He was literally a day or two from having to be spoon fed his meals by my wonderful sister when the Lord called him. But my dad's passing -- just a few short years after he had written his memoirs of being a World War II bomber pilot and shot his age (80) on a legitimate golf course in Florida on several occasions-- was a defining moment for me. My dad had retired at the age of 60 -- and lived the next 20+ years bouncing back and forth with my mom between the sunshine of Florida and the wonderful summers of his native Minnesota. By retiring in good shape at age 60 after working 30+ years as a mechanic with Northwest Airlines in Minneapolis, my father was able to experience 20+ years of having more time to do the things he loved -- like playin golf, fishing, and just putzing around. For me, my dad's death was another reminder that life is just too damn short!

Finally -- the one that most of you NOT have the misfortune, is another matter that I am not able to discuss at the present time for "legal" reasons. I will just leave this one up to your imagination for the time being!

Preface;

Preface; Part 1 (Getting off the "Treadmill")

Those of you who have frequented fitness clubs over the years will understand my use of the treadmill as an analogy for my life and career. For the past 34 years I have - literally- been running on a treadmill. A treadmill that almost never stops. And - just like running on a treadmill- when you finally climb off you are in exactly the same place you were when you first jumped on. Sounds pretty horrible! Of course, hind sight is always 20/20. But when I think back to may carefree days in college, law school and what not, it is a little hard to believe that today-- having just turned the almost magical age of 61-- I am virtually penniless, have a net worth of "zero" -- and I have really gone nowhere in all these years! At least in accordance with America's general scorecard for male success-- how fat is YOUR wallet?

This is not to say that I haven't had some happiness and other successes in my life -- outside the realms of career and finance. I have - fortunately-- been able to retain excellent physical and mental health. And-- most importantly- I have assisted in bringing into existence possibly the two finest children on the planet. I could not be happier or more satisfied with ALL aspects of being a father that I have been graced with for the past 26 years. It was almost exactly 26 years ago that my son Jerome was born. In my wildest imagination I could not conjure up a more amazing son than Jerome. And that's not to say that our 26 years together have been "perfect". But the fact that we experienced some serious bumps in the road along the way has made our relationship all the more magical. I can pretty much say the same about my lovely and talented daughter Courtney -- who is 18 months younger than her brother but every bit as amazing.

But I need to get back to the treadmill. Just a few days ago I celebrated a very special occasion. I finally climbed off the treadmill-- after over 30 years of running almost non-stop. Most Americans-- hereafter to be referred to as "gringos" -- have been programmed to think we need at least a million dollars to "retire" comfortably. This past year I came to the conclusion that life is too short to keep chasing that dream of accumulating millions (even though one of my favorite songs now playing on my iPAD is the fabulous "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars). I finally realized that I could easily be fooled into working forever. And then-- when I finally climbed off that rusty old "mill" -- I would just be that much closer to being a real "senior citizen". I guess we all have our own definition of being a "senior". When you are in your prime, you think of seniors as gray beards who life life in a different manner than young people. At a certain point-- for each of us-- things like working out, partying, and the pursuit of romance and sensual pleasure take a back seat to just surviving and getting out of bed morning. As I have finally arrived at the brink of that turning point myself, I have noticed the huge range of each individuals' willingness to succumb to the old age "disease". More than anything, I think surrender to "the dark side" primarily a matter of choice. Some people say that "age is just a number". It could also be said that age is most importantly an attitude. My attitude is that I am a fighter. I am not willing to let go of all the great things young people can do.. until nature takes over and tells me I have to stop. Hugh Hefner may be a male chauvenist pig. But he is still my hero!

As I said, just last week I jumped off the treadmill and vowed to never again put in a 50+ hour work week (unless some disaster occurs and I am absolutely forced to do it). Since about 1991-- with the exception of two short sabaticals-- I have worked for the same (small) Minnesota-based company. Unfortunately--by hitching my wagon to a very small (tiny in fact) entrepreneural company owned by a good friend-- I was taking a number of risks. One of the risks of working for a small company- especially in this day and age-- is that you will probably end up with "zero" as a retirement package. As I now watch friends and family members who were school teachers and cops retire with comfortable retirement deals, I think back to the sacrifices I made to give my blood, sweat and tears to obtaining a law degree about 33 years ago. Back "in the day" many of us thought we were "too good" to take low paying jobs like teaching and public service. How the tables have turned! One of my best buddies for the past 50+ years (who became my pal at the age of either three or four depending on whose story you believe) is on the brink of retiring from a 30+ year job with the Metropolitan Waste Treatment Facility in St. Paul with a $3000+ per month pension waiting for him. Adding this nice monthly check to the Social Security payment he can start collecting in about 18 months will enable him to finish his life in the style of a prince -- or perhaps a king -- if he follows me on MY adventure.