After living in Tequisquiapan for a little over four months, I have come to a decision—Tequis is not for me. It is a lovely town, with its colonial architecture, flowers everywhere, quaint paved roads and a view of the mountains from practically every part of town. But I cannot live without a library and the possibility of companionship with English or French speaking expats. Sure, I’m learning Spanish but to acquire the fluency I aspire to will need many more months, if not years, of study and practice. I get by for the necessities of every day life in Spanish, that’s it for now.
And there is the question of cold. Not the kind of cold associated with snow and the thermometer plunging below the freezing point for weeks on end, but cold nonetheless. Tequis sits at 5,600 feet of altitude. In the winter months of December, January and February, the days are mostly sunny but the night temperatures often zip down to the freezing mark or barely above. The cold that seems to permeate the stone walls reminds me of the south of France where I spent quite a few miserable weeks huddled under a ton of blankets, afraid to get up in a room that felt like a refrigerated warehouse. There is no central heating in either of these parts of the world. No insulation in the walls either.
The latitude for Tequis is 20º 58; for Oaxaca it is 16º 58, with an altitude a notch above 5,000 feet. AND the city has libraries, the main one with many English books. AND there are hundreds of expats living in Oaxaca. AND the city is renowned for its many artists and artisans. AND it has a university. AND it is renowned also for its culinary confections, its many festivals, its proximity to a great many archaeological sites. AND the state of Oaxaca boasts 500 kms of beaches and bays on the Pacific coast. And I could go on and on. . .
The strange thing is that for years now, when I thought of moving to Mexico, Oaxaca was always my first option. Lately, I found a site posted under http://www.mexicoguru.com that is chockfull of information about Mexico and even has a questionnaire to help determine where to retire based on one’s preferences. I wish I had discovered it before crossing the border. Now, guess what? After filling it, the place that popped up as to where I’d be most likely to find all that matters to me was … OAXACA!
So, Oaxaca here I come! By January end, I’ll have made it there in my motor home. I’ll be looking for a place to live and anxious to discover the area and tell all about it. I’m really excited about the move!
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