Your Escape Blueprint

We have been house sitting for various clients around the world for a year now.

One of the benefits of house sitting is looking after other peoples pets – like Elle an 11 year old American Golden Retriever.

Here is a video we made of Elle’s trip to the river.

Our client who was still away on a 2 month business trip was delighted to see  his “puppy” on Youtube.

Sadly Ellie passed away a few months later, which made this video all the more special for us and our client.

Exactly one year ago, we were in a whirling frenzy of activity, not only physically but mentally as well.

We had emptied a four-bedroom house, found property manager and renters for what had been our home. We were officially homeless. Add to that wrapping up a business, changing banking, addresses and mindset!

We left the house just five minutes after completing packing and we were on our way to an uncertain future.  We had made plans for where we going to be (at least physically for the next 5 months), would they pan out?

One year later, that day is merely a distant memory. Stress, anxiety, doubts, confusion & near exhaustion have trickled away. We left them behind somewhere on our journey, Italy maybe?

In 12 months, we have visited 24 countries; spent meaningful time with family on both sides of the globe and learnt a lot about ourselves. Apparently Mike now resembles a movie star due to his tumbling curls, and Yvonne has a look alike named Lois.

The first 6 months were hectic, as we drove across Europe and got our feet wet in the house sitting business. It also took that time for us to learn to slow down and start enjoying the moment, and not to miss it, because we were planning or worrying about the next.

We are now considered “experts” in the house-sitting world, all of our clients have asked us back. This June, July & August we were invited to housesit in San Jose & Arenal, Costa Rica, Tuscany, Italy & Placencia, Belize. Unfortunately, we had to say no too many of them as we had already committed to Belize.

Instead of spending 40, 50 or 60 hours per week working, we have had time to consider what we want from life. It is not working 40, 50 or 60 hours per week! In the last month, we have made big moves forward in what we do want!

After reviewing our finances we know that with just some slight changes we can make our nomadic lifestyle sustainable for as long as we wish! One of those changes is to undertake more longer term housesits the other is to take advantage of our time freedom to learn and grow.

Michael has always been intrigued with online information products and I have always wanted to be a published writer.  I have spent the last few days understanding the art of the “query” letter. I am pleased to announce that one of those letters hit target and I have the go ahead to write and submit my first article for publication.

“Large streams from little fountains flow, Tall oaks from little acorns grow.”  ~ D. Everett

We are one-year-old toddlers just finding their feet; a big wide world waits with open arms. Life is good.

Pura Vida!

Reason # 97 to travel light

It has often been said if you can’t run a 1/2 mile with all your gear you are carrying too much.

There are many compelling reasons why one should travel light including more mobility, flexibility and economy. I recently discovered the most compelling reason for travelling light – It can  literally save your back.

There comes a point in a persons life when your body says “Frick you – your are not 20 anymore” then promptly bodyslams you into the pavement. “Macho Man” Randy Savage style.

I faced that point after two long days of bus travel from  the North of Costa Rica to David Panama.

As I pulled our large bag (loaded with dive gear and other necessities) my back made a gruesome pop combined with a rather interesting squelching sound.

A few days later the pain was wicked and constant, I got to know the local chiropractor quite well!

I pinched my Sciatic nerve and now understand how painful sciatica is, it is major pain in the ass, thigh and calf!

After two  weeks of agony, I was able to get off the couch for short periods. Walking any distance took a further 3 weeks of building up my tolerance.

Take my advice,

Travel light or get somebody to haul your garbage for you.

Even if you are 20 – abusing your back will catch up with you – even if you think you are the World Westling champ of the world!

Eleven months ago we were putting in what seemed like 20 hour days in the run up to handing over the house keys and flying off on our new adventure. All the angst, anxiety & excitement meant very little sleep and zero time for reflection. Almost a year has gone by and a lot has changed!!!

We are “working” our seventh housesit in Boquete, Panama and have had a couple of very quiet weeks as we recover from a very hectic travel schedule to get here. The huge covered patio with a sublime view of Volcano Baru is our favourite part of the house and where we have had some in depth discussions recently.

It will not surprise you to know that we are thoroughly enjoying our new lifestyle. Therefore the question is how do we sustain it indefinitely? (Or at least until we are ready to settle down)

It is very easy to see that Central America is a lot more cost friendly than Europe, looking back over the year it is easy to track our biggest expenditures.

Getting from A to B is the biggest drain on finances, especially flying or leasing cars, Europe’s toll roads add on a tidy sum too.

Our expenses over the last year averages out to $3000 per month, that includes 5 months in England and the European continent. It also includes transport, accommodation, food, wine, scuba diving, various tours and having the time to do what we want.

That may seem like a lot of money, however let’s put this in perspective…. how much did you spend on your last 2 week vacation? Probably more than $3,000?  We were spending more than that on food, heating, power etc. in our home near Vancouver and that’s with no mortgage!

A very well-known travel blogger has just produced a book titled “How to Travel the World on $50 USD Per Day”

Doesn’t sound possible does it? It is, we have proved it, $3,000 per month is $100 per day as there are two of us that is $50 per day each. Even better is that we did not have to stay in dormitories or hostels, in fact we stayed in some very nice resorts.  We only used local transit when it was convenient and for the longer hauls we used, planes, shuttles, taxi or the more upscale tourist buses.

Our European adventure lifestyle was not sustainable, however Central America certainly is. Nicaragua and Panama have excellent pensianado programs making it very easy to move and retire here.

The cost of basic supplies is a lot less, a 24 of local beer is only $11 (cold ones at that), chicken breast is less than $4 a kilo, a big bag of fruit & vegetable’s is just a few dollars. I paid $1 for a kilo of my favourite Passion Fruit yesterday.

Long term rentals are available throughout the area, starting as low as $350 per month. Houses in one very scenic Boquete neighbourhood rent out for only $800 a month, that’s 3 bedrooms, office and a stupendous view! Many expats live very comfortably here for less than $2,000 per month.

For us it is even cheaper as we get to stay here rent free in exchange for looking after a delightful home and pet. Needless to say we are planning on doing a lot more housesitting. In fact we have 4 of the next 5 months booked with housesits and will be caretaking a small resort in Belize!

Accommodation costs are going to be minimal over the next few months, if only we could get access to a Star Trek transporter………. Instead of “Beam me up Scotty” it would be “Two to beam to Belize, please”. The goal is to work on minimizing our transport costs as well and to get our expenses closer to our income.

We are also exploring other ways of supplementing our income…… ways that do not involve trading hours for dollars. We would love to hear your ideas and suggestions on how to do this.

We will keep you posted on our progress…. Who knows we might become professional caretakers, stock photo photographers, famous bloggers even?

Granada is famous for its beautiful churches and colonial houses; it is also famous for one feature of these buildings that I found absolutely fascinating.

Unlike the grand buildings of Europe, marble is not readily available here. Instead the floors are made of colourful tiles set in intricate designs. The more elaborate the design the richer the household.

Most of us are used to ceramic glazed tiles, some with hand painted finishes. Granada’s famous tiles are made in a very different manner, as we found out when we visited the Tile Factory in town.

Upon entering the building there is no clatter of big machinery, just the occasional trundle of a laden wheelbarrow moving finished tiles or delivering materials to the two tile makers.

Each tile is hand made using molds that are over 100 years old. The base is highly polished and oiled onto which clamps the frame, into this is poured a mixture of cement and color pigment (all made from natural ingredients and mixed by hand). While we were there they were making plain 12 “tiles in a ochre red, once the pigment was poured it was set with a sifting of dry cement on it. On top of this the workers added handfuls of mixed cement, smoothed it out & topped it up as necessary. They then added a press plate and slid it on a well-oiled grove under a press (the only mechanical device used in the entire process). The tile is then turned out and stacked on its side to dry.

The second worker who also was using the same press, was making edging tiles these are approx. 3 x 6 inches and are used to edge a room (just as we would use baseboards) and are of course designed to complement the main design. This is where we really got to see the difference in how these tiles are made. Again a oiled base and a mold into which was placed a metal divider, the different colour pigments are then carefully poured into the separate compartments (some of the tiles we saw had designs using 4 or more colours). The divider is carefully removed and again the pigment is set, by sifting cement over it, add the wet concrete and then press.

The stacked tiles are allowed to dry and are then soaked and dried three times in total to make them stronger. The result is a very sturdy thick tile, with a built in pattern that graces and cools these beautiful colonial homes.

Granada tiles are reproduced by machine worldwide due to a growing demand and I can understand why.  If we ever have a need for them, this is where I am placing my order. Who would have thought that tiles could be this beautiful and fascinating?

Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca with an area of 8,264 km² (3,191 sq miles) is the largest lake in Central America and probably the first thing you notice when looking at a map of Nicaragua. It dominates the map and our visit to this beautiful country.

Within a few hours of arriving we were advised that we had to visit the Islets of Granada: (Isletas de Granada) just southeast of Granada city.

There are quite a few tour operators here so you can take your pick as to which you go with, they do not all run the same tour. So make sure you know exactly what you are getting. We wanted to explore the islands and were not interested in spending a hour to have lunch at one of the islands restaurants.

We choose Leo tours, a small 100% Nicaraguan owned outfit and were glad we did. The meeting point is the small office in town, to get from there to the boat involves a 10 minute bicycle ride or if you are lucky a delightful ride in one of the cities horse drawn buggies. Our gaily painted boat, complete with plank seats, awning, outboard and skipper nosed out through green water, overhanging trees and a light breeze.

Our guide pointed out the huge volcanic boulders that make up these  365 small islands sprinkled around us. He also pointed out the imperfect peak of nearby Mombacho volcano,  it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where these islands came from. They were formed when Mombacho blew its top into the lake thousands of years ago, thereby creating the archipelago.

Most of the islets are covered with vegetation and rich with life, including birds (Montezuma Oropendula) that build pendulous hanging nests resembling the latest fashion in ladies handbags.

The islands closest to Granada  belong to, rum and beer magnates, ex-presidents, politicians and movie stars  who maybe use these magnificent homes once or twice a year. All I can say is what a pity!

They appear to be idyllic little oasis in this huge fresh water lake. Some of the outer islands are more exposed to the waves that crest in this imitation sea,  others are tucked away behind their bigger cousins.

Our little boat braves some of the waves and leave the luxury homes behind, we putter past deserted islands or those barely inhabited. “Monkey Island” is home to a family of spider monkeys and one solitary capuchin, who willingly pose for photographs especially if there is a chance of fresh fruit to be had.

A little further and the islands are populated by the ”normal people”, 3 or 4 families may live together on one island, their homes are small wooden huts, the residents ply the waters with small boats and cast their nets for supper and a little extra to sell at Granada’s market. Not all of them follow in the family tradition, Leo the tour company owner was born on one of these little rocky isles.

We glide up to a mossy stone dock, stepping gingerly to avoid clusters of bright red ants feasting on fallen fruit, our guide Victor takes us to the trail. The fisherman and the school children walk this every day. The school that services the families in these islets is close by. The fishermen have a longer walk to get to Granada’s market place. No wonder the fish section had a distinct aroma.

The trail  skirts the swamp which is home to the local crocodiles……. Not sure who is more in danger, the humans from the fast moving crocs or the crocs from the money hungry locals! Crocodile skin fetches a good price here and is in plentiful supply in the Masaya artisan market, cunningly disguised as bags, belts and shoes.

This is where we saw and heard Howler monkeys; a small group live in the area and will loudly proclaim their right to the territory, especially when roused with our guides Howler call. By the end of the walk we could all speak Howler …. I wish Spanish was as simple!

Break time consisted of fresh fruit and a refreshing dip. Once we were all safely back on land we discovered that Lake Nicaragua is home to a species of Bull Shark, not something I want to encounter in the murky water.

We arrived back in town in time for a spectacular sunset, a quick shower and another stupendous meal. One of the best tours we have done and a unbeatable price at US$15 per person.

Lake Nicaragua contains other islands which are crying out to be explored especially after reading this article from  Go Nomad. We will be back to explore more of this fascinating country.