Midlife Eat, Pray, Love ERA…
July 28, 2024 -The Epiphany That Changed It All…
It began at a campfire. A great evening with friends, everyone talking about their real estate in Puerto Vallarta, and suddenly, out of nowhere, an idea lodged itself in my head and wouldn’t go away: What if I quit up my career, put Ruby in the car and drive to PV?
Let go of everything I had built. Start over. Dare an adventure. Why not, actually?
Wait a minute. WTF? That’s crazy. But… what do I actually have to lose?
The honest truth: I was completely burnt out. I no longer took any joy in my career. I had become impatient with others and wasn’t showing up as my best self anymore. On top of that, I had only just come out of a very toxic relationship. I was empty. Frightened. Lost.
A few days later my friends asked me: “Are you really serious about this?” Yes. I couldn’t let go of the thought.
Most big decisions in my life I’ve made impulsively, and I’ve always believed that if something resonates that deeply in me, there’s a reason. So I joked about it. I talked about it. I turned it over and over in my head… and then I decided - I was going.
When I told my family and friends, they were speechless. They supported me, but you could tell they thought I’d lost my mind.
Okay. Time to get prepared.
A guide on the ground - My friend Michelle introduced me to Gibran, who comes from the area around PV but had lived in Calgary for many years. He quickly became a dear friend and the person who helped me approach this whole journey strategically and safely.
A place to stay - I signed a contract for a cute little apartment in Versalles… blind. In Mexico, rental contracts are usually handled through Facebook and real estate agents, which was completely foreign to me, but it seemed legitimate. Gibran had concerns about me choosing a place before I’d even been there. My stubborn streak wouldn’t be reasoned with. In hindsight? I probably should have waited. But the apartment was secured and the route was planned.
The route - I would drive down the coast as far as San Diego, where Gibran would meet me. We’d cross the border at Nogales and pick up Ruben (a former police officer who now does transport), and he would chauffeur us safely to Puerto Vallarta. We had taken every precaution, because the fear mongering about driving in Mexico can be real, especially in Sinaloa.
Temporary residency - This part was a bit complicated. For the application, I had to prove a certain income to the consulate, so I hired a lawyer in PV to help me. My consulate appointment in Calgary was a flop: I had too many accounts, and they couldn’t determine my actual amount. So it was on to Plan B: Enter on a short stay visa and start the process for the temporary residence permit from inside Mexico, using a stopgap solution that had been introduced during COVID.
(A note for anyone planning something similar: immigration rules change constantly. Please have the current requirements confirmed by a Mexican consulate or an immigration lawyer instead of simply copying my path.)
Packing up - Good grief, that’s a monumental task! I wanted to take a few sentimental things from home, plus all of my summer clothing, because I’d been told that clothes in Mexico are incredibly expensive (that’s totally true). There were countless trips to the storage unit, a mountain of donations, and about five full hours of playing Tetris with the car. Thank you, Brooklyn, for your help.
November 4, 2024 - Goodbye, Calgary
8:00 a.m. I had said goodbye to the kids as they set off for school, and to Mandie as she went to work. The emotions were enormous. I packed the last things, and it was time to go. Dan was the last one still at home. I hugged him and completely lost it - Shit is getting real.
I was excited and frightened at the same time and had no idea what I was doing. I had no plan. Just get there and figure it out. Trust the universe. That’s a lot to ask. But I kept telling myself: It’s okay. You’ve got this.
Calgary → Fernie → Oregon → California → Hermosillo → Mazatlán → Puerto Vallarta.
Eight days. Seven hotels. One overnight stay with a friend. Long days at the wheel and some of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever experienced.
And somewhere along the way, the fear began to disappear. The moment I left British Columbia I felt an enormous weight fell from my shoulders, as if the universe were quietly reminding me: This is the right journey for you.
And for the first time in a very long time, I believed in myself.
Total cost:
Drive from Calgary - Puerto Vallarta
Fuel - $988
Hotels - $923
Temporary Import Permit for the car - $554
Toll Roads - $325
Ruben - $900
Temporary Mexican Residency - $2300 (this included the cost of the lawyer and only paid 1 year - of 4)
