CONSTRUCTION, CONSTRUCTION, CONSTRUCTION!

This has been a week of holidays here in Chelem.  Monday was Children's Day, Tuesday was Labor Day (holiday for professionals, banks, lawyers office etc. were closed.  And then Thursday, low and behold is one more holiday, this one if for concrete workers, so supposedly none of them worked.  I want to give you a few pictures of my backyard in the past week or so and then show you some of our clients projects.

When we first bought our home 2 years ago, this is what the backyard looked like, don't be deceived, that is not grass that you see, it that horrible stuff that only grows those nasty stickers that attach themselves to anything that walks:

I was eager to get the pool up and running!  It wasn't filtered, which is a very common thing in this area, but we figured with daily maintenance it would be just fine!

 
All the nasty weeds in the yard had to be removed, and then I was ready to start planting in my very own private paradise.  I carefully took snippets of real grass, cuttings of plants and starting fixing up the backyard:

We decided that we needed electric run along our wall for a more romantic and resort style setting at night,

We had lots of fun in the pool and I loved watching my flowers and palm trees grow,

Finally we had a beautiful backyard living area,

Newly painted walls, Mexican wall sconces, plants growing beautifully, ahhh, almost paradise,

But as we humans are, we felt that we needed a couple of more things.........pool filtration and a concrete terrace on the same are where I had so carefully and loving planted grass.  So the construction starts again, we contact Joel Medina and the work begins.........

Here is where they are digging up my grass for the new terrace,

The pool is empty once again awaiting jets, skimmer and filter. The dirt that dug up all around the pool is in flower beds....

Supplies fill up my front yard, but, soon we will have a great filtration system and a new terrace.  As the work progresses I will post more pictures.

All of this happened over a 3 holiday week, pretty impressive for Mexico!  Now to check on our other crews and see what they are doing.

This is the front of Todd and Joys home that they purchased in January,

Veronica Torres is our administrative assistant as well as being our project manager.  This is Veronica on the days she works as our clients personal shopper and our administrative assistant,

 This is Veronica managing one of her crews at Joy and Todd's home,

The crew has added new windows, kitchen counters and more under Veronica's careful watch,

New pool being built too!

Veronica and crew invited us over on workers day to check out the progress, have some yummy chicken tacos and enjoy a soda or beer.  Remember, this is a holiday, no one is supposed to be working!

Now we move over to the next project being run by Joel Medina and his crew, they are installing a pool at Andrew and Jane's house. Once again a holiday, but all of our crews are hard at work! 

The pool is getting close to being finished, notice the square holes in the wall, that is for night lighting,

Just one more crew to check on.....we head over to Peter and Marie's home where they are having a new pool installed and AC put in.  This is Angel, one of Veronica's workers.

And of course, here is Eduardo who has been with us for years, he is starting the process for Peter and Marie's new pool.

We at Mayan Living are so happy to be able to offer you your choice of contractors to complete your dream home renovations.  Each and every one of the workers pictured above has worked on our home personally so we can attest to their competence.

If you are looking for your own dream home in the Yucatan and can't afford one that is totally redone remember that labor is so much cheaper here than what you are used to at home.  Find one that you like today and have the work done as money permits.

The Mayan Living Team is here to offer you their expertise, before, during and after the sale.

Until the next time, we are just "Chillin in Chelem."

Before and Afters - for my Fabulous Swedish Friends, Peter and Marie!

One of the things that I love the most about our job is meeting great people! Every time we are getting ready to meet new people I always wonder, what are they going to be like? Will they like me? Will I like them? Will they love Chelem like I do? I have to honestly say my feelings get a bit hurt if they don't love my little village.

A few years ago I started corresponding with a client from Sweden, Marie. She had never been to Chelem, but had traveled in Mexico extensively in the past. As we kept emailing back forth she found a house on the Mayan Living website that she wanted to buy. The house was right around the corner from me so I knew the area like the back of my hand. The problem was that she wanted to buy it sight unseen and it needed ALOT of work. I tried to discourage her, sending her links of other homes in the same price point that needed less renovations. However she was adamant on the one she wanted......I learned later that when Marie makes up her mind about something that there is no needed trying to change it:)

Long story short, she and her husband Peter bought the home without ever seeing it. Doug and I sent photo after photo of all the work that needed to be done, but, it didn't matter, this was the home they both dreamed of.

I'm sure that you can imagine how nervous I was when they flew in from Sweden to see their new home. Marie and Peter were both thrilled! They loved Chelem, they loved the local people and they loved their house, YEA!!!!! The very best thing about it all was how much we loved them, they are absolutely some of the coolest and best people we have ever met, Doug and I felt that we had known them forever. They feel right into the groove of Mexico, practicing their Spanish, eating local seafood and understanding that they weren't in Sweden and things aren't done the same here as in the country they came from.

We introduced them to our Mexican "son" who does most of all construction and repairs for us and they treated him like family. They discussed what they wanted done, pricing etc, all in Spanglish and then started upon their renos.

Every winter they come down for a few months to languish in the sun, have a few beers and enjoy life. This winter they weren't able to come due to some health issues and we miss them terribly! Because we haven't seen them I wanted to dedicate this post to them and show you some of their before and after pictures of their beach cottage.

This is what their dream home looked like when they bought it:

This is the front of it today:

A "before" side view:

And after:

The kitchen before:


And after:




One of the bedrooms, look at the walls......



Actually the whole ceiling and roof had to be replaced!

Master bedroom after:

The back of the house before:

And a peek through the new sliders in the dining/kitchen area after:

And another peek:

Their new living room, with arches added to separate the space:

Marie and Peter have created their own personal paradise for very little money, Peter said he spent about $20,000 USD including new wiring and plumbing, wall in the backyard the pictures above and a back yard terrace. In his words, "it's almost free!"

We miss you guys terribly this year and hope that you will soon be here to enjoy our little slice of heaven with us!

Here is a picture of Theo and Ursula's home right across the street:


Your other neighbors directly in front of you:


Theo and his new puppy Bob, wanted to tell you "hi" and saludos:

And of course I know that you want to see the beach!

Here is the ocean at your entrada:

And a pelican relaxing in the sun:

And to my blog readers here is photo of Peter and Marie, aren't they gorgeous! We just love them!

Marie, we are sending you our love and positive thoughts! We can't wait for you to be back so we can catch up and have a cold one! Until then we are just "Chillin' in Chelem."

Thanksgiving in Chelem 2011

We get many questions from our Mayan Living friends and clients about how we celebrate holidays in Mexico. Doug and I have been very lucky to find some wonderful friends in our little village and we all have started our own traditions in Chelem.

Jack and Barbara are a wonderful couple that bought a house from us a few years back and have become some of our closest friends. Every year they hold a Thanksgiving dinner at their beautiful home. Below is a slideshow that I put together of this years dinner so we could share Thanksgiving with you.

If you think that you would like to live in paradise like we do don't forget to give us a call: 302-200-0461, we will be happy to answer any questions and to help you find your dream home in the Yucatan too!

Thanksgiving Dinner in Chelem - slide show

Wishing you a safe and joyous holiday season, we're just "Chillin in Chelem."

www.mayanliving.com

Weekend in Chelem

The past week has been a calorie laden one for those of us from the US. After having a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, I felt that I should try and walk off a few of the pounds that I probably gained. This was my favorite pic from this morning:



The weather may be getting chilly back home, but it's always nice here in paradise!

Have a great weekend, Thanksgiving pictures will be posted soon! And of course, if you want to live the dream like we are, don't forget to check out our website, Mayan Living or give us a call at 302-200-0461, we'll be happy to help you or answer any questions.


Until then enjoy the weekend, warm breezes and cold beers coming at ya from Chelem!

CRUISING AROUND PROGRESO ON A BEAUTIFUL NOVEMBER DAY

TGIF! Here it is a week before American Thanksgiving, that means the Christmas holidays are right around the corner. Here in the Yucatan I am having trouble getting into the spirit, sunny days and blue skies have lulled me into thinking that it is still summer.

Yesterday was "bill paying" day for us, that meant heading into Progreso to take care of business and then hanging out for a little fun. Progreso is about 5 minute away from where we live in Chelem and has become a Port of Call for assorted cruise ship lines. When there are no cruise ships in town it is a sleepy little place, but when there is a ship in, the party begins!

We started the day off stopping by our favorite used furniture and junk store, owned by Reuben and Marisol (Marisol means Sea and Sun in Spanish, I just love that name.)

Here is a picture of their store, they were closed when we stopped by, but we hollered and they opened up for us!


This is the telephone company Telmex, they also offer DSL internet service called Infinitium. Unfortunately it doesn't go all the way into Chelem just yet, so we use a Satellite service.


Our favorite hardware store, Niplito, right on the main drag heading towards the beach. They have a good supply of things and have a great guy that speaks English who can help you out.

This is our local electric company, CFE. You can either pay your bill here or at various convenience stores located around Progreso and surrounding areas.


The Municipal building, we pay our annual taxes here, last year they were less than $38 US. Isn't this a gorgeous piece of Mexican architecture?

Right across the street is CMA, Progreso's hospital. Great care at very reasonable prices!

Progreso has 2 grocery stores, this is the one we all refer to as "Bodega." It sells everything; clothing, tires, liquor and food.

With all the boring details of everyday life taken care of, it's time for a stroll around the Malecon, a concrete beach boardwalk or promenade.

This is one of our favorite places to eat, Eladios. They start out by bringing you 6-7 varieties of botanas (free appetizers.) If you sit there long enough they will do this 3 different times, each time different than the first.

It turned out that yesterday was an unscheduled cruise ship day. The Progreso Pier is about 4 miles long and allows no foot traffic. If you ship a container of your household goods from back home, this is where it will come in.

The tourists from the ship are offered free shuttles from the ship to Casa de Cultura (local market) in the center of town.

Beach massages are offered for $10 USD for half an hour.



Another very good restaurant, right across the street from Eladios.

Cute little palapas (thatched roofs) offer a place to escape the sun and relax. There is beach service from the local restaurants.



This is the view from the beach looking towards the Malecon. Yesterday, November 17th it was 86 degrees with 50% humidity and soft Gulf breezes. Don't you wish you were here?

Looking east on the Malecon.

Moving a block off the beach is one of our favorite stores, it is owned by an American who travels all over Latin America buying unique items. A percentage of all he sells goes towards helping the indigent people of the area.

Some of my favorite things in his store.




I love this colorful tour bus that takes you around the town while a guide points out local points of interest.


Most everybody ends up here, at the local vendors market. They have lots of handcrafted items and souvenirs. You won't find vendor approaching you along the beaches or haggling with you on the streets. The government recently built this new area so all the vendors are in one place.






This gentleman drives from Chichen Itza 2-3 times a week to sell his hand carved and painted Mayan masks. Chichen Itza is one of the new 7 wonders of the world, a great archeological site and is just a few hours away.


The day is done and time to head back to Chelem and enjoy my own home in paradise. First though we have to make a quick stop for a cool beverage!

Barloventa is a friendly place where ex-pats like to gather, sit outside and catch up on what's going on locally.
Not a bad way to spend the day is it? If this is the kind of life that you are dreaming of don't hesitate to give us a call on our US land-line: 302-200-0461. Check out our Mayan Living website and find the beach home of your dreams today!

Until next time, we are just "Chillin' in Chelem."