Where would I like to live?

Yesterday we were out for a drive and went past one of my favorite houses on the island - Casa del Sol al Sol. The house has been on the market for at least a year. We met the owners a few months ago and they previously owned another cool house on Sac Bajo near Villa Rolandi. They have great taste in houses, if you ask me.

Something I've never seen here before is "Open House" on properties for sale, but yesterday there was an open house at Casa del Sol al Sol. Miguel has been lucky with the Mexican lottery lately and I was thinking that if he was really lucky, we might be able to buy the house.

But then I thought - it is on the east side, where the wind almost never stops blowing. Great breeze in the hot summer months, but too much wind for my taste on that side in the winter months - you can't get away from it. And during hurricanes, it's way too exposed on that side for my comfort. Nope, I would not buy a property on the east coast of the island.

My mind moved on to Sac Bajo - the west side of the island. Lovely calm waters, but almost no breeze most of the time and in the summer, it is just plain hot with too many bugs. And sometimes the intercoastal waterway mangroves smell funky. So even though those are multi-million dollar properties, I wouldn't want to live there.

What about Punta Sur/Garrafon? Too hard to get down to the edge of the water, too far out, and too dark at night. I would not feel comfortable home alone, it's too remote for my taste. So I wouldn't buy property there either.

The north end? Either the beach itself or in town? No, not in town - too congested, too noisy, and too commercial. Playa Norte? No, not for a private home - wedged in between hotels along the beach, there wouldn't be any privacy in my own yard.

So I've ruled out buying property here on any coast. That leaves the central part of the island. An island that is only half a mile wide at best. My home is in the center of the island, and the location suits me well. Sure there are things I don't like about my neighborhood, but I do like:

- being more protected from some of the wind and salt;
- that my street has street lamps;
- that the lagoon near my house does not smell;
- that there are families near me;
- that our home is private;
- that we live amongst other local families.

But would I buy another piece of property here if it was not on a beach? No, probably not. Many tourists are really looking to stay at places on the beach - that is prime rental property. There are "For Sale" signs all over this island at the moment, but to invest in more property that is not in high demand doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. And so, on that short little drive past Casa del Sol al Sol yesterday, I came to the conclusion that my land-buying days here on the island are over. I will keep what I have, but if Miguel ever gets that big windfall, we'll be looking elsewhere to build my dream hacienda estate. Maybe Oaxaca?