The Utterly Soul Crushing Costs of Altiplano Living

 

So many choices but so mega expensive thus.......

The ways I suffer down here at latitude 17 north. This eternal spring weather, with attendant 4 growing seasons and shit ton of small indigenous truck farmers all about, means one wastes away, especially with the simply awful, exorbitant prices.

NOT..................................................................   Actually I can think of no other climate or spot on planet earth as beneficial and wonderful to live than the altiplano region, aka the high tropics. Most specifically about the mile high mark. 3000 feet is about the lowest I would go since days would be hot but nights just cool enough to sleep well and still not require AC or heating. 7000 feet and above means nightly heating of some sorts to truly be comfortable..... nice for some folks. Not me. 5000-6500 is the sweet spot, requiring no air conditioning or heating and nothing a good stack of sweaters cannot handle on the occasionally cooler nights or a fan in the few months of the heat season.

So: a few costs in a few key categories.

Power: I live in a modest country casita (small house) and run only a small refrigerator, a few lights, and my computer rig. I have a small solar generation rig on my van but it simply makes no sense to invest in solar for my little house since, at this level of usage, I fall into the lowest tier of electricity fees in the mexican system. In short, folks who use my level of power are considered low income (would not a wealthy mexican naturally have a monstrous house with all new doodad appliances and such?  >>>>>  western brainwashing and sadly the gringo wanna-be syndrome is rife with the wealthy down here) so we campesinos are subsidized by the mexican national power company. My monthly bill is $4.

Water heating and cooking gas:  we have 3 wells on this property, pumped up to 200 gallon tanks on the roof, then gravity fed to the house. Campesino (country person) style. No pumps to give out or maintain once in the roof tank. A small 2 gallon gas water heater is turned on once a day for a daily shower then turned off right afterwards. Hot water at the sink is not necessary and cold water dish washing works just fine. Cooking is by gas stove. We have 3 tanks we alternate with for deep storage and each is filled for about $20. One tank lasts about 2 months at our level of usage.

Rent:  since I have, to date, elected to not seek permanent residency it has made no sense to buy a house or land. My rent on a well built little cement house, in the country (the campo, thus I am, by definition, a campesino), is 2500 pesos a month. At the current exchange rate about $130 a month. Which I consider cheap for a human (which prompts the philosophical question: if man is the most gifted and intelligent creature on the planet why are we the only species that has to pay to live here?). I frequently pay our fairly cool landlord 6 months ahead which, of course, he revels in since mexicans, in general, are notorious for getting months behind on their rent..... even wealthy ones.

Car costs:  a years insurance on my van is $140. Gasoline cost has held fairly steady these past 3 years at about 4 bucks a gallon (21 pesos per liter, 3.8 liters per gallon). I have a mechanic I trust who works diligently to keep my trusty 1988 (classic) van in tip-top mechanical condition. I would estimate at a fifth of similar USA mechanic costs. Parts are about the same as the USA. My two mex import permits, per year, cost about a hundred bucks.

Medical and dental:  my english speaking doc charges 25 bucks for a office visit. A colonoscopy costs $300 all in. I had a hernia operation a few years back and it was $1500 for everything. Ultrasounds about $40. Drugs much cheaper than the very same pill in the USA. Dental costs about a fifth of USA costs and I have a wonderful lady dentist who does bang-up work. Full set of mouth x-rays for $17. Cleaning for $25.

Food:   fruits and veggies, tons in the markets, maybe a fifth of the USA costs. Red meats about the same as the USA. Top quality beer (Bohemia.... the best of the mass producers) about 5 bucks a six. Good wine $5 a bottle.  I do not drink anymore. If you do then go crazy. Eggs a bargain, especially ¨criollos¨ (brown, organic eggs). A variety of local cheeses. Street food delicious in Oaxaca and a bargain but be ready for a gut bug once ot twice a year..... the price paid for adventurous eating.

Internet:  wireless for this country house, capable of streaming but not fairly fast for up and downloading big files, runs $20 a month. Faster then up to $50 a month. In the capital city faster, cheaper, and up to 100 meg speeds. Oh well...........

In short: entirely affordable in a delightful climate with friendly locals and cops who do not go out of their way to be surly or bad asses. How I suffer here. It is crushing to the spirit. Do NOT come here. Stay away. You will NOT like it and will flee like little girlie men or dainty ladies. I will tough it out for you. Feel sorry for me, please.

Another terrible light sweater morning with flip-flops.

Messing About At Tlacolulas Sunday Market

 

Tlacolula is 25 miles west of Oaxaca city but is a ¨real¨ mex town to me. Lots of indigenous folks from the surrounding central valleys villages come in for the Sunday market. Exotic.................. even after 8 years here.

One Of My KCAW Raven Radio Shows In Sitka

 

In the historic Cable House broadcasting out to the Alaska sea islands and Sitka proper.....

GDRStuesday.mp3

¨Side B¨ went out weekly, a mix of jazz and rock, but this show was sitting in as host of the Good Day Radio Show, 9-10 am weekdays. The first locally manned program after the morning canned streams form NPR. Prime time for little Sitka anyway.

Such fun on Side B though with musical guests brought in for live performances often and interviews I had done out in the community. But the music was the ace. Sadly I got booted from the station finally for being ¨political¨ on-air. Shame, shame. Oh well.

EL MAT MISTERIO

 

It STILL challenges me to surf a mat. Looks so simple..... NOT!!

BAND OF FREQUENCIES

 

Film by George Greenough, the "Mad Scientist of Surfing", who just turned 80 this year and whose kneeboard "spoons" in the mid to late 60s revolutionized surfing and surfboard design, ushering in the "shortboard revolution.

Happy 80th and a fine role model for us aging salt heads.

Rust Never Sleeps

Surf Art by 7 Year Old Rafa

 

Rafael is one great kid, as are his 3 and 5 year old brothers. All bright alive kids and very healthy (no vaccines, good food, great parents). I gave them my old foam surfboard last week. Seems giving the youth boards is a theme this month.

So a few days later he gives me this art. He and his way cool traveling musician family are moving to the Shetland islands soon and, believe it or not, there is surf there. Frosty, but surf and surfers.

Here is Rafa a few months ago, following in his singer-songwriter moms footsteps. It is his composition: