We spent our entire first week in Oaxaca looking for a place to live. We've owned our own place for more than 10 years, so it's been awhile since we've been house-hunting. I'd forgotten the cycle…..reading the listings, winnowing them down to the most promising ones, contacting landlords, discovering that the most promising places are all taken…..rinse and repeat until you get some appointments set up. And then you have the emotional cycle: first excitement. I wonder what this place is going to be like? Then, inevitably, because no place is perfect, disappointment. That part was pretty good, but what about that location? Hm…..make a noncommittal answer, and then move on to the next appointment. Until (because we're looking in high season and need parking, both of which severely limit our options), we run out of options and have to make a choice.
We ended up in a place that's far larger than we need, and was priced way at the high end of the range of places out there. We have a whole three bedroom house to ourselves on the edge of a ritzy neighbourhood. it was built as a family home by a Canadian a few years back, but now he lives and operates a taco stand in Budapest.
It has it's advantages….the location is great, close to a very convenient bus route to downtown. The place itself has beautiful bones. It's spacious, open to the garden which hosts lots of birds, has some interesting artwork, and a comfortable feel. But it's also been a rental place for a long time, and hasn't been getting a lot of love and attention. The pots need to be replaced. There's only really one partial set of linen for the whole place. The beautiful outdoor furniture is falling apart. There was no hot water for the first two days we were here. And really, we're paying too much.
But we're settled, have an English speaking landlord, and can finally get down to living in Oaxaca.
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