Blog posts and articles about Chacala and our life & adventures in this small fishing village on the Nayarit coast.

When life in Mexico gets tough, ‘home’ can seem a tempting option
Contrary to what most “move to Mexico” social media feeds would have you believe, life in Mexico isn’t always sunsets and margaritas. Life continues to “life” no matter where you live. And sometimes life in Mexico as a foreigner can feel, well, quite foreign. Never have these feelings been more acute for me than during the last few months when our community was plagued at the same time by fires, smoke, heat and drought, as well as water, internet and cell service outages. (Originally published in Mexico News Daily July 19, 2023)

Nayarit – Mexico’s fruit basket
The state of Nayarit is a fruit lover’s dream. Where we live on the coast, we are surrounded by trees, vines, and orchards filled with mangos, coconuts, papayas, limes, bananas, passionfruit, and so many other fruits I had never heard of nor tasted before moving to Mexico like nanches, guanábanas (soursop), tuna (nopal fruit) and yaka (jackfruit). For a woman who loves fruit and spent her entire pregnancy stuffing as much of it into her maw as possible, I am smitten by my surroundings.

Playing with Food
Living in rural Mexico, I don’t have access to the specialty stores and products that I did when I lived in suburban Colorado. No Trader Joe’s, Cost Plus or Whole Foods Market — heck, there’s not even a full-size grocery store less than a 2-hour drive from where I live. The lack of access to these Western temples of overabundance means that I’ve had to adapt my cooking style to what’s available locally.

A Tale of Two Cities
It’s been about three weeks since we returned to Mexico after our first visit back to the U.S. While the plane ride between the two countries is short, it feels like they are worlds apart. The feeling is especially acute when you compare our old suburban life in Louisville, Colorado, with our village life in Chacala, Nayarit.

Summer in Chacala
Summer has arrived in Chacala big time. It’s hot, humid, buggy, muggy, stormy, and did I mention hot? The entire Pacific coast of Mexico is sweltering right now. This is the time of year when most gringos flee northward to milder climates.

Preschool in Paradise
One of our prerequisites for a place to live in Mexico was a good preschool for Maya. Initially, we thought we had that covered when our plan was to live in Sayulita. But when the high cost of living and other factors led us to look elsewhere, we weren’t sure where to turn.

Christmas in Chacala
If you like Christmas, you should really consider celebrating in Mexico. The holiday lasts nearly two weeks, starting with nine nights of posadas, followed by Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here in Chacala, the holiday is festive and fun, but not overdone. There are no large displays of Christmas lights, blow-up Santas, or nativity scenes like you typically see in neighborhoods across the U.S.

Paradise Found
When we told people that we’d be living in Playa Chacala for six months, some who know of the town told us we’d be bored after a few weeks. Well, we’ve been here more than two months, and we’ve been enjoying it so much that I haven’t found time to write about it yet.