Summary: Ron Hoff calls himself a Gringo who discovered that you can make a living and enjoy the good life on a Baja California, Mexico beach. This heartfelt article describes his transformation in his new home on the Baja.

Packing up the last boxes in the kitchen of my California home I caught myself looking around at the empty walls. It was an odd feeling and I could sense that this move was not like anything I had ever done before...

Life on foreign soil was nothing new to this old Gringo as I had taken advantage of many opportunities through the years to explore living and working abroad. So why was this time different I asked myself? The question stayed on my mind as I finished packing and loaded the few remaining boxes that I had carefully labeled onto the truck. That was done and I checked off the box on my list of things to do. With an engineering background I had become accustomed to always doing my homework and planning everything down to the very last detail. This move to Baja California, Mexico was no different. I had been able to find a company that would rent me a truck that I could take into Mexico and I ended up with something so big it almost scared me. Friends had helped me load the large and heavy furniture earlier in the day and now the house was empty.

After closing and locking the truck doors I went back in for one last look. Standing alone in what had been my living room for many years I watched the late afternoon sun cast its light across the bare floors and I could see the distinctive marks on the carpet where my furniture had been so carefully arranged. My steps echoed down the hallway as I peered into empty rooms now devoid of all sound and color. This empty house had been my home but now seemed unknown to me in some strange way. I had kept a small radio turned on in the background while packing that last day but now even it was gone, sealed into the very last box I taped shut and now aboard the truck awaiting our departure.

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About the Author Ron Hoff calls himself a Gringo who discovered that you can make a living and enjoy the good life on a Baja California, Mexico beach. Find him at TalkBaja.com.

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First Published: May 28, 2009