Les and Nan (Yolisto:
LegalBlonde) Logan traveled all over Mexico before deciding to spend their retirement years in Chelem. They considered Lake Chapala, Puerto Vallarta and other resort areas during their search.
"Lake Chapala was like an old folks home. It was like Florida," Nan said. "In Puerto Vallarta, people would leap out of doorways wanting to sell us a timeshare. We didn't want a gated community."
What they sought was a warm climate, friendly people and a relaxed lifestyle.
They wanted to avoid winters in Calgary, Canada, where they lived for the past 10 years, prompting two visits to the Yucatan in the winter months.
"We came down here twice. Both times in November and we did like it," said Nan. "The beach here is quiet. Merida is historical and yet modern. It's everything we could look for because we like history."
The Logans lived in many parts of the world. Les is an electrical engineer who built power stations all across Canada, Nova Scotia, Nigeria, Panama, Miami, Kuwait and Libya. The decade in Calgary marked the longest the couple ever spent in one place.
As they discussed which warm climate was most suitable, the Logans weighed the cost of airline flights so their two daughters and son could visit frequently. The children will fly into Cancun from Canada and vacation in Mexico.
Since their arrival in June, the couple has adopted a mellow lifestyle. Les jokes that he spends an inordinate amount of time tending his rose garden as he shows off a lone, spindly, pink bush.
"When we got it it had one bud. I call it my rose garden but it's a weak little plant," said Les.
The best thing about living here, he added, is not having to report to an office every day. He complained in jest about putting on a pair of shoes once to trim a bougenvilla. That night he had a blister. He learned to stick with sandals.
The Logans are remodeling their house but find not much gets accomplished in a day.
"We quickly adapted the Mexican manana," Nan said. "Nothing gets done but there's no rush. Sometimes I still feel guity sitting and reading a book. Every so often I think I should be doing something."
While living in Libya, Nan served as the academic administrator of an international school. She started out as a volunteer and ended up managing the facility. She is also a Scots lawyer, and worked as a compliance officer for investment companies in Kuwait.
Once back in Canada, Nan used her experience living in foreign countries as a relocation specialist to help ease the transition for others.
"The husbands are going to a job but the women worried about not knowing the language. I was able to comfort them," she said.
Nan learned "pidgeon Spanish" in Panama that helps her here.
"It's not very good. I get the tenses all wrong but (the local people) will listen to you and seem interested in helping you," she said.
Her husband has set learning Spanish as a goal but it's apparent he doesn't take life too seriously. He said he communicates fine with a local deaf man who is working on his house, despite a wide language barrier.
"I usually can get what I want. I just talk louder," he teased. "He stops here and we chat away. He speaks Mayan and he's stone deaf....I think he reads lips. We are probably not talking about the same thing but it really doesn't matter."
Nan also doesn't fret about things some people find inconvenient in Mexico. Since English books are not plentiful, she reads about subjects she would have passed up previously. She even looks forward to the hunt for rare food items and the pleasure of finding them.
"One of the things I like down here is that you can't get things. In Canada it's so boring. You know things are going to be there. It's the same thing in all the supermarkets. Here, you really can get everything. You just have to go to different places."
Last winter, the Logans saw a sale sign on a house near the plaza in Chelem. Within 15 minutes, they made an offer. They sold most of their possessions and their home in Calgary, loaded a van and drove south for the next chapter in their lives.
The couple has no desire to return to Canada. They found the climate they were seeking, friendly people and tranquility. Traveling in the future doesn't appeal to them.
"Been there, seen it, done it, don't want to do it again," Les said. "I can't wait until winter in Canada so I can start sending photographs from down here."
Beachbum conducts interviews with expatriates and collects their stories. Her column, Expat Profiles, can be found here on Yolisto.
Tags: Expat Profiles
