From my back door, I can hike into the mountains or bike on the web of dirt roads that make up much of my new hometown and surrounding area. It's a short bike ride to several rivers, which provide delightful rock-hopping and swimming through natural pools or under waterfalls, and there are lakes for fishing or boating or just enjoying a picnic with friends on the shore.
For the more adventurous, we have two rock climbing areas only 15 minutes away, offering several hundred climbing routes along a picturesque river bed. It's such a luxury for me to live so close to my favorite activity, when I used to drive over three hours for it back in California.
Another popular adventure sport here is paragliding—why walk down from the top of a mountain when you can jump off? I love watching the brightly colored parachutes drifting down towards town with a tiny pair of legs swinging underneath.
All of this outdoor time is made possible by the wonderful climate here. If you're a sun-worshipper like me, you'll relish the 300+ days of sun per year. The coldest daytimes in winter get down to around 50 F, but I can usually still sit outside comfortably under the strong sun in the middle of the day.
The summer months (Dec to Feb) can get very hot, sometimes pushing over 90 F, so everyone flocks to the rivers to cool down. These are the same months that the town fills with tourists, and we think about taking a vacation either to the snow in the US or to the beach in Central America.
A Small Town with Big Charm
Another significant factor in my love affair with my new home is the balance between small-town peace and vibrant downtown life. We can sit on our porch hearing only the sound of the hummingbirds buzzing around our yard, enjoying magnificent views of sunset over the lake and alpenglow on the mountains. Yet, we travel just a few minutes and find ourselves on the main covered street, which is usually bustling with people.
The street is frequently shut down to traffic, whether for the annual alien UFO parade in February (this part of the country is famous for UFO sightings, and attracts crystal-loving hippies from all over), or for Halloween in October, and the street fills with revelers.
In the summer months, the whole downtown area comes alive with pop-up events like a puppet show for kids or live music from local bands, and the restaurant tables spill out onto the sidewalks.
While our choice of restaurants is nothing like in a big city, there are plenty of options to keep you entertained and fed. The Italian influence is strong here, so the staple foods are pasta and pizza, but always with an alternative offering of giant slabs of meat. The BBQ is an unshakeable institution here, and we often see locals setting up their grill at the river, lake, or campground for a multi-hour family meal involving several pounds of meat.
The community here definitely leans to the "hippier" side of the scale—people are really into exercise, healthy foods, and looking out for the environment and each other. You'll be spoiled for choice when it comes to yoga classes and health food stores, and you'll have endless opportunities to sit back and chat with the locals, who never seem to be in a rush.
So what's the cost of living in this nature-lover's paradise? If you can earn in US dollars and spend in the local currency, then you can live a relatively easy life here.
A few examples: We're renting a three-bedroom house with a pool for about $250 a month. My husband gets an osteopath treatment every week for about $10. A nice dinner out for two people with wine is around $20. Dentist and teeth cleaning are $5. The exchange rate fluctuates wildly—but the low cost of living is reliably consistent.
My adopted mountain-town home is a wonderful place to live if you're looking to really immerse yourself in a new culture. You won't find a significant expat community, and there are few people who speak English, so you'll thrive here if you're excited to learn Spanish and be part of the local community. We've met a handful of US, Canadian, and UK expats who have become friends, but we've also had no trouble connecting with locals through outdoor activities or music or school.
The people here are friendly, outgoing, and welcoming to newcomers, so you'll find yourself invited to BBQs and making new friends in no time. If you want to spend more of your life outside enjoying nature and mountains, or you love nothing better than sitting in the sun with friends sharing tea and chatting, then you'll fit right in.
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