A Single Woman Chose the Simple Life in La Bocana
Shirley had been to Puerto Vallarta a few times on Vacation, but said she felt so much more at home in Huatulco. “Every time I came, I stood at the lookout at la Bocana and thought to myself - I don’t want to leave.”
After her son married a local girl and decided to live here full time, she thought that she might eventually retire and live her permanently also. “I couldn’t live as well in England on my limited income. It’s cold in England for much of the year, so people seem to be stuck in the house just watching telle.”
Prior her move, she owned a hair salon. In 2006 she left England and built her retirement home in La Bocana. this is a tiny village about 30 minutes from Huatulco’s town center. It surprised her how simple life can be here.
“It’s like living in a different era. People you don´t know greet you on the street as they pass by. If you did that in England people would think you were daft! The people are so nice, I think they’re friendlier here than other places I’ve been. People haven’t been put off by tourism, It just feels safe and friendly.”
As a single woman she says she has only been harasses once. That was in a bar in La Crucicita. “A drunken man began to harass me because I didn’t speak Spanish. The owner tossed him out and that was the end of it. Really it was nothing, I only mention it because it´s so rare. I feel save wandering around alone, even at 2:00 AM.”
When she came, her Spanish was non-existent and she admits that it is still pretty bad but she says she gets by and she doesn’t need much and she has found everyone is accommodating.
Shirley is on a small budget so she doesn’t go out a lot but she has friends that she meets up with. “Sometimes I go to the supermarket and run into someone, then we end up having lunch and before you know it it’s nighttime. I have a good group of friends and we can be rather spontaneous. Of course, I also have 3 wonderful grandchildren living right here! I spend most of my time at home and I enjoy gardening.”
The only advise she has for someone considering moving here is “Go for it!”