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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

So Why Sahuayo?

Sahuayo de Morelos, Michoacan, Mexico
(Pronounced: Suh-WHY-oh day-mow-RAY-los, MEE-show-a-kahn, MAY-hee-coh)
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Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

Leaving classical Zamora, we're on towards Sahuayo, about one and a half hours away by bus.

 

Fifty pesos each buys a ticket on a 1st class Primera Plus bus and we're continuing our trip around Lake Chapala. Scenery is lush and easy on the eyes as we whiz past the beautiful countryside.

If you have ever entertained the notion of traveling by bus in Mexico, take it from us. It's easy! Reasonably priced and well-connected to most destinations, why not leave the stress of driving to the expert? Drivers stop regularly for food or bathroom breaks and if you have luggage, place it in the stow away under the bus. Marking your luggage in an identifiable manner will prevent someone from taking it by mistake.

Then relax, sit back and enjoy the view.

 

Small towns dot the fertile landscape. We're headed through Jiquilpan (hee-KEEL-pan) before our final push to Sahuayo.

 

 

 

 

Inviting markets with fresh food and brightly-colored flowers are commonplace everywhere in Mexico.  We made a quick stop here in Totolan to pick someone up.

Depending on how long the driver stays at each stop, you could run across to the market here and buy some fruit, nuts or other travel snacks. Be sure to ask him how long he is stopping before you leave the bus!

Arriving in Jilquilpan for a quick stop, here we see a man waiting for his bus to come by. Especially with the sweatshirt, he reminded us of Sarge from the Beetle Bailey comic strip.

Suhuayo.

With a population of 60,000 and lying at an altitude of 1,540 meters, the word Suhuayo comes from the Nahuatl language meaning turtle shaped pot.

Every Mexican town, no matter how grand or how 'chico' has a plaza. Here you see attractive stonework arches with the city's church in the distance. Well trimmed ficus trees line the interior of the courtyard.

This sculpture is a tribute to an indigenous dancer. You cannot see so clearly here in the photo, but the vest-type coat he is wearing has a carved rendition of the hundreds and hundreds of silver tube beads in rows which chink together as he pounds his feet in the dance movements. His huge headdress is normally quite colorful, edged in gold trim with guidelines in his hands to keep it from falling off. We have seen these dancers in parades and the weight of the hat they carry on their head is astonishing.

 

A closer view of the manicured gardens surrounding the pleasant plaza of Sahuayo. You can see the back side of the indigenous dancer's headdress and see just how large these are.

 

Ingredients ready to be made into tacos and other delicious treats. Onions, jalapenos, potatoes and chorizo are all cooking together here in a pot. Many regional foods in Mexico are drenched in grasa. Packed with flavor and creating the sensation of being full for little money, in the 'olden days' when people could not afford much meat, animal fat was highly prized. The recipes are still made in the traditional manner.

 

This vendor sells a little bit of everything, and a tricycle cart is the form of transporting his wares. We were wondering if he could possibly pack any more onto his bike?

The sight of white wash on the bottoms of tree trunks is common all over Latin America. Some say that it's just for decoration, 50-50 paint and water. Others say it's lime and water mixed together to repel ants and nasty insects from climbing the trees. If you look closely into this photo, you will see the whitened bottom of the tree trunks. 

An Indian woman selling nopales and flowers. Nopales are cactus leaves or 'paddles.' The prickly spines are scraped off and then cut into strips. Packed with vitamin C, these nopales are cooked or soaked and eaten as a staple in Mexican foods. Cold with lime juice and onions it is a salad. Cooked with melted cheese, spices and tomatoes it becomes similar to a fondue.

Notice the elaborate embroidery on the woman's blouse. This amount of embroidery can take a month or more to complete. Often indigenous people will sell their embroidered blouses, bags and tablecloths for extra income.

Fantastic aged Mexican queso! 

We found this man in an open air market where he was proudly tending to his handmade cheeses. He spoke some English and we were surprised to learn how many of the local residents had family working in Chicago or Oklahoma. He gave us samples of his deee-licious aged product. Similar to parmesan but bigger crumbles.

 

 

 

 

Various tequilas are being offered here at this store for a decent price. We purchased a bottle of the Hacienda Sahuayo, the second bottle from the left, made in Sahuayo. It was both smooth and tasty. We like trying the local flavors of everything.

Decent tequilas are meant to be sipped straight or poured over ice. Cheaper tequilas are used in blended drinks like Margaritas.

 

Very proud of their City's product, this label was painted on a wall which we saw as we were walking by. The 100% agave means that this tequila is made 100% from the agave cactus. Cheaper tequilas will have lesser quality ingredients mixed into it.

The No Name Saloon.

Notice there is no signage giving a name or stating what this place is. We spoke of this cantina in an earlier story. Hearing loud music with the accompanying Mexican bar cries, it stopped us in our  tracks. We watched this older gentleman negotiate the swinging door with his walker. Someone on the other side was kind enough to help him in.

 

Come join the fun!

Music, and hootin' Aiy-yaa-haa! is a form of male bonding and a playful way to relax. When you put a six piece mariachi band in a small place it gets loud. Which is exactly the way the locals like their music.

Although we ladies were welcomed in, Martha and I opted for an ice cream on the plaza instead. The flavor I chose was Besa de Angel or Angel's Kiss; An appropriate juxtaposition to the scene above.

The boys joined in on the festivities, and were welcomed as if they had known these guys for years. 

 

The next day we made a special effort to visit La Providencia Sombreros D'Avila hat factory. World known for quality hats, Roberto, the owner, has been making them since 1926.

So, why did we come to Sahuayo?

For the Hats!

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About the Authors

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

 

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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