# It might be time to return to the beach.



## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I'm thinking it might be time to leave the mountains and move back to the ocean. As I write this I am thinking of somewhere between Puerto Morelos and just a little north of Cancun. I would like to walk out the door and walk on the beach/watch the sunrise. I would like an 1-2 bedroom apartment in a 2-3 story 'modern' building with impact glass and a generator. Ideally it would be 'near' a marina where I could keep a small open fisherman if I wanted. I don't need a large expat community - but I would like a range of restaurants in the area. I do not want to live next to a cantina. 

I would prefer to not deal with a realtor. I would prefer to rent for a while before buying. 

Any ideas ? Thanks.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Mango, I think you're in a time of high stress these days, and so it's probably better to defer any major decisions until your time of testing has passed. I don't know if there are any affordable houses on the beach left anywhere in Quintana Roo, I "settled" for an apartment in a building right on the beach. More or less kind of like the one in Miami that fell down, but only about 20 years old instead of 40.

It's a bit noisy. During the day there's always some work going on in somebody's apartment, at 20 years basically everyone is renovating their apartments, one by one, and it always involves pounding that can be heard throughout the building. And there has been some deterioration of the front edge of the balconies that faces the ocean, and the condo has been renovating that, one or two balconies at a time, with the work lasting the best part of a year, always lots of drilling to chip away loose cement. It's a bit like living next to a dentist's office. I cope by turning on a fan I have that drowns out the noise, it's not so loud that I can't deal with it.

But I'm not going to recommend my building to you, much as I'd like to have a friend around. There are apartments for long term rent available in the building - no airBnB though, 3 month minimum leases, but it's not what you said you were looking for.

I think the standard advice applies for relocating within Mexico as it does to the fresh expats, wanting to rent first is smart. As to finding a rental, that standard advice also applies, boots on the ground and look around.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

This year the sticky season came late to Cancun, it has been really pretty nice, even during the day, all the way through May and into June. I'm not very careful about tracking these things, but it seems to me that's a month or two later than normal. Well the dry season broke a couple weeks ago and we've had a lot of rain, and the first thunderstorm of the season. We had about a week of rain from Claudette before it moved into the gulf and got organized and named. Now we're being missed by Elsa. Not sure it's affecting our weather at all, but the last couple days it's been hotter than its been, and noticeably sticky. It's now the kind of weather where you want a shower and a clean shirt every time you come back inside from being outside.

It's certainly, finally, warm enough for swimming, even if you're acclimated to Mexico. But we've had a lot of seaweed messing up the beaches. I was kind of hoping we'd get a bit more excitement from Elsa and it would wash it away or at least wash it far enough up on the beach they can haul it away, but no luck. 

The best time to walk along the beach is at night. Of course don't take valuables along.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I thought of you when I saw this on the local english speaking website - not sure you can see it - but it is pretty painless to join otherwise...

Log In

Probably about the same size as a van...

Anyway - this morning I have been letting my fingers do the walking on google earth - primarily in Puerto Morelos. I _think_ the beachside part of that town might be what I am looking for. Kind of reminds me of an old town in south florida near where we lived for many many years. 

That seaweed has been around for decades. In South Florida they get the Deere tractors out at 4AM, scoop up the seaweed and bury it so the tourists don't see it. There have been times when the tractor also scoops up people sleeping on the beach - and there are rules regarding not messing with the turtles.

Is there a newspaper in that part of the world which might have a classified section with for rent/sale by owner ? I have made it 7 decades without creating a Facebook account and would still rather not...


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

They were out running up and down today with the beach groomers going past the seaweed. They don't want to get bogged down in the wet stuff, so they stay above the tide line, which means they miss most of it. It takes a good storm or high tide to toss it up further on the beach, then they can scoop it up when it's dry. But there's more coming in all the time, and hurricane Elsa will have uprooted a bunch more out there where it comes from, and that will be washing over this way too.

On my part of the beach the tourist police patrols up and down the beach at night on 4 wheel ATVs, with two guys on each one. The guy riding in back has a flashlight he shines around. I doubt anyone can get away with sleeping on the beach here. 

Somebody needs to invent a spider robot that can go up and down right in the breakers and filter anything floating in the top 6 inches of the water.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

In South Florida they use really really big farm equipment to remove the seaweed. Maybe they have 6-8 ft tall wheels. They get right down into the surf-line. In fact they are restricted between the surf-line to the high water line (turtles). 

Spider robots might be a solution but perhaps someone needs to come up with a way to associate a monetary value to those weeds. Fertilizer seems too obvious. A food source doesn't seem likely. Perhaps it can be used as some sort of hemp like alternative for clothing etc. OR - perhaps some ingenious person can come up with a way people can smoke it for some affect.


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

By coincidence, I was just editing a paper yesterday by some biologists who did a chemical study of the seaweed around Cancún with the end goal of seeing whether it could be suitable for making fertilizer for ornamental plants. It may be obvious, but that doesn’t mean it need be ruled out. As for the study, like most scientific papers, it just chips away at one corner of the issue. The conclusion was that based on the particular aspects they studied, it’s not unsuitable for fertilizer.


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## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

MangoTango said:


> I'm thinking it might be time to leave the mountains and move back to the ocean. As I write this I am thinking of somewhere between Puerto Morelos and just a little north of Cancun. I would like to walk out the door and walk on the beach/watch the sunrise. I would like an 1-2 bedroom apartment in a 2-3 story 'modern' building with impact glass and a generator. Ideally it would be 'near' a marina where I could keep a small open fisherman if I wanted. I don't need a large expat community - but I would like a range of restaurants in the area. I do not want to live next to a cantina.
> 
> I would prefer to not deal with a realtor. I would prefer to rent for a while before buying.
> 
> Any ideas ? Thanks.


A lot of SPF 55. Basal cell carcinomas are on a epidemic of sorts for those who are under constant sun (UV) exposure.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

LoggedIn said:


> A lot of SPF 55. Basal cell carcinomas are on a epidemic of sorts for those who are under constant sun (UV) exposure.


I hear you - we lived 30+ years in South Florida about 1/4 mile from the ocean AND we owned a boat that we were on most every weekend. I never wore a hat and I never in my life have a worn sunglasses. Last time I visited the optometrist she suggested that might have been a good idea.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

... "she suggested that might NOT have been a good idea".


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

So MangoTango, I see you’re leaving our neck of the woods, or mountains more precisely. Have you checked out websites like Trovit, Vivanuncios, or Lamudi? You can filter by state, City, type of accommodation, rent vs buying. Here’s one I found with a quick search:








Penthouse nuevo en renta en Puerto Morelos


Consigue al mejor precio Departamento Renta en la colonia Puerto Morelos en Puerto Morelos, con 4 Recámaras, 1 Estacionamiento y mucho más ¡Ingresa para más información! ID AP60481AFC0BED0MX




www.lamudi.com.mx


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

@ojosazules - Thanks for the info. I am bending to the pressure of my wife and our small group of friends and putting all relocation/real estate ideas and plans on pause and we are going to let my wife pass peacefully in her bed, surrounded by her cats, in this house. I will deal with my future after that. Thanks again.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

MangoTango said:


> @ojosazules - Thanks for the info. I am bending to the pressure of my wife and our small group of friends and putting all relocation/real estate ideas and plans on pause and we are going to let my wife pass peacefully in her bed, surrounded by her cats, in this house. I will deal with my future after that. Thanks again.


That is a wise decision on your part.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

Isla Verde said:


> That is a wise decision on your part.


Well it was a decision but I wasn't prepared to quit. I hope that doesn't sound selfish. Some oncologist looks at a scan and tells you that you have four months and so you accept his opinion as gospel. I once knew a guy whose sister had multiple myeloma. She was given the bad news yet he managed to give her 3 more years of good life. True, she was in her 40s. I read somewhere today that the surviving spouse typically makes it 6 months.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

MangoTango said:


> Well it was a decision but I wasn't prepared to quit. I hope that doesn't sound selfish. Some oncologist looks at a scan and tells you that you have four months and so you accept his opinion as gospel. I once knew a guy whose sister had multiple myeloma. She was given the bad news yet he managed to give her 3 more years of good life. True, she was in her 40s. I read somewhere today that the surviving spouse typically makes it 6 months.





MangoTango said:


> Well it was a decision but I wasn't prepared to quit. I hope that doesn't sound selfish. Some oncologist looks at a scan and tells you that you have four months and so you accept his opinion as gospel. I once knew a guy whose sister had multiple myeloma. She was given the bad news yet he managed to give her 3 more years of good life. True, she was in her 40s. I read somewhere today that the surviving spouse typically makes it 6 months.


My father died of cancer at the age of 90. My mother outlived him by 6 years. She passed away at 94.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

My Dad died of a stroke at 78, my Mom is still going 23 years later, aged 101. Granted, she doesn't remember being married anymore, but that's only the last year or two.

If you end up a widower, you can move to the beach then. It's not quitting to have a bucket list.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

My father dies at 71 and my mother is still going strong at 99 soso much for the 6 month survival.
One way to cope with stress and you are going through lots of stress is to live one day at a time and not think of the future. Enjoy every minute you have with yyour wife and then when she passes away move on to fullfill your dreams whatever they are at the time.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

LoggedIn said:


> A lot of SPF 55. Basal cell carcinomas are on a epidemic of sorts for those who are under constant sun (UV) exposure.


People don't understand sunscreen numbers. I listened to a doctor explaining it on the radio- the numbers are exponential, like half-lives of radiation. Number 4 sunscreen is twice as protective as 2, but when you start going up, the difference becomes less and less- 16 doesn't offer anywhere near twice the protection of 8. He said anything above 30 isn't significantly more protection, that it's just a scam to sell more sunscreen.
If you're fair-skinned, just limit your sun exposure, because 55 isn't really any better than 30.

Not that darker skinned people can't get skin cancer, it's just way less common. I know lots of people who live in Mexico who've had skin cancers, and they are all fair.


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## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

surabi said:


> People don't understand sunscreen numbers. I listened to a doctor explaining it on the radio- the numbers are exponential, like half-lives of radiation. Number 4 sunscreen is twice as protective as 2, but when you start going up, the difference becomes less and less- 16 doesn't offer anywhere near twice the protection of 8. He said anything above 30 isn't significantly more protection, that it's just a scam to sell more sunscreen.
> If you're fair-skinned, just limit your sun exposure,* because 55 isn't really any better than 30.*
> 
> Not that darker skinned people can't get skin cancer, it's just way less common. I know lots of people who live in Mexico who've had skin cancers, and they are all fair.


Ill be sure and correct my dermatologist who just cut several basal cell carcinomas off my face.


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## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

MangoTango said:


> I'm thinking it might be time to leave the mountains and move back to the ocean. As I write this I am thinking of somewhere between Puerto Morelos and just a little north of Cancun. I would like to walk out the door and walk on the beach/watch the sunrise. I would like an 1-2 bedroom apartment in a 2-3 story 'modern' building with impact glass and a generator. Ideally it would be 'near' a marina where I could keep a small open fisherman if I wanted. I don't need a large expat community - but I would like a range of restaurants in the area. I do not want to live next to a cantina.
> 
> I would prefer to not deal with a realtor. I would prefer to rent for a while before buying.
> 
> Any ideas ? Thanks.


Mahahual - just don't be around when the cruise ships land.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

yes now they have ruined about the whole coast, time to look for another place..


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I was last in mahahual perhaps 15-20 years ago. I think the concrete was still hardening on a massive pier. At that time perhaps there were 3 or 4 palapas on the beach. We were in and out of there in maybe 30 minutes. Is THAT where you live ? Xcalak was a much more developed spot at the time. 

When we last looked there was one hidden gem still left along the coast - but it was kind of isolated and pricey - and would be a lonely place for a single person to live. I'd have to learn how to write or paint or fish (a lot).


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

LoggedIn said:


> Ill be sure and correct my dermatologist who just cut several basal cell carcinomas off my face.


Just passing on information, no need to get snarky.

Most skin cancers are from burns we got decades ago. I have a friend who had a carcinoma develop on her forehead at the age of 40. She was fair skinned, and always covered herself in the sun, wore a hat, not to mention this was in Canada, not exactly skin cancer capital of the world.

But she had lived in Kuwait as a child, where her father was a diplomat, and had gotten plenty of sunburns then.

Most of us grew up before the days where the dangers were realized and there wasn't any sunscreen.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

yes that is what I like: isolated beaches that are not developped. I new Destin Florida before all the uglu condominium and would never go back same with Gulf SHores. the Camargue and on and on. I worked for 30 years giving wine tastings in the Ritz, Four Seasons, Prince , and a bunch more deluxe hotels and resorts. all over the place. and I enjoyed those resorts for a day or two and the could not wait to get out When the Japanese got all the hot spots in Hawaii and built al the big resorts I literally lived in comp suites and I am glad it is over.. I like nature , can do without all the show off , ostentatious places.. 
Majajual was a whole in the ground and Xcalak was not much better. I like the Oaxaca Coast way more than Quintana Roo ,


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## LoggedIn (Nov 21, 2017)

surabi said:


> Just passing on information, no need to get snarky.
> 
> Most skin cancers are from burns we got decades ago. I have a friend who had a carcinoma develop on her forehead at the age of 40. She was fair skinned, and always covered herself in the sun, wore a hat, not to mention this was in Canada, not exactly skin cancer capital of the world.
> 
> ...


I'm sending this along to my dermatologist who will very heartily disagree but do as you feel is right.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

LoggedIn said:


> I'm sending this along to my dermatologist who will very heartily disagree but do as you feel is right.


Yep, dermatologists want to cut out everything they term "pre-cancerous". Our entire bodies are pre-cancerous. What people used to term "liver spots", that all seniors had, and which they lived with with no ill effects, would be removed by the dermatologists of today.

This, of course, doesn't mean that all skin abnormalities are benign, as in your case, and shouldn't be aggressively dealt with.


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