My Life In Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico

Bill Edsell on the History of Gran Sueños and the Beach at Bahia de Los Sueños

Gran Sueno Baja California Sur, Mexico, dining room – Best Places In The World To Retire – International LivingFrom an interview by Jet Metier of Bill Edsell, Baja California Sur pioneer, in July, 2016.  In this interview, Bill talks about the odd history of a local beach and a great place to explore from the sea.
 
Jet: We had a great time at Gran Sueños last week.  We drove the 40 minutes or so from La Ventana Bay and spent the entire day enjoying the pools the gorgeous ocean, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and walking along the beach.  Please...

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Bill Edsell of Ventana Bay Resort on the Best House Orientation, Solar, Septic and Water in Baja California Sur

Bill Edsell on patio of Ventana Bay Resort, Baja California Sur – Best Places In The World To Retire – International LivingFrom an interview in early July, 2016 by Jet Metier with Bill Edsell, pioneer, innovator, and proprietor of the Ventana Bay Resort.
 
Jet: I there any innovation that you’ve learned over time regarding the best way to situate a house in La Ventana?
 
Bill: Well, yeah. It’s pretty simple here. You want to face east for the view obviously and this nice breeze we’re getting today.  They also face the way they do because of...

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Bill Edsell on the Physics of Coolness in the Baja California Sur Summers and the Beauty of Domes

Open window and stone door at La Ventana Bay Resort, Baja California Sur – Best Places In The World To Retire – International LivingIn this interview, Bill Edsell, of La Ventana Resorts, explains to Jet Metier how to keep buildings cool in Baja California Sur
 
Jet: Here we are, in early July, sitting in the main room of your resort, in La Ventana, about an hour southeast of La Paz, on the Sea of Cortez.  The roof is a palapa.  It’s about two o’clock in the afternoon and it’s not uncomfortable. You’ve got a stone fireplace and then I guess these are cement blocks. ...

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Bill Edsell on the Beauty and Usefulness of Palapas in Baja California

La Ventana Resort palapa ceiling and roof – Best Places In The World To Retire – International LivingFrom an interview by Jet Metier with Bill Edsell, of Ventana Bay Resort in July, 2016.
 
Jet: We're speaking with Bill Edsell, owner of Ventana Bay Resort, in a large, palapa-covered room the resort uses as a restaurant.  It is very comfortable; you don’t notice how hot it is outside. One side of the room is open to the Sea of Cortez and on the other side, a sliding glass door in the back is only half open. You can’t tell its 95 degrees with moderate...

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Bill Edsell, of Ventana Bay Resort in Baja California Sur Gives a History: From the Luck of Odd Shaped Lots to Why the Community is So Great

Bill Edsell of Ventana Bay Resort – Best Places In The World To Retire – International LivingFrom an interview in July, 2016 by Chuck Bolotin, Best Places' VP. Business Development:

Chuck: Bill, you are a real legend and pioneer here in the La Ventana area, which we should let everyone know is a little seaside village about 40 miles southeast of La Paz.  Everybody knows “Mr. Bill.”  Please let our visitors know your story in the area.

Bill: My story starts in 1982.  I had been to Mexico and I wanted to open a wind surfing school. I looked around all...

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Tips and Observations About Living in Baja California for Six Weeks in a Little Mexican Town

Chuck Bolotin with Pemex attendants in Baja California Sur, Los Planes – Best Places In The World To Retire – International LivingHere is some flavor of what it’s like to live in a small village in Baja California Sur for six weeks and some tips that could save you lots of aggravation.
 
It’s Just Like…
 
Renting our home in La Ventana for six weeks was just like camping, except without the bugs, uneven and hard sleeping services, the work setting up and breaking down, everything being dirty, and very dicey bathroom and shower accommodations.
 
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The Woman at the Pemex

Jet at beach before meeting woman at the pemex – Best Places In The World To Retire – International LivingMy husband pulled our high-top white van with the dogs in the backseat into the Pemex, the ubiquitous gas stations of Baja California, Mexico. We were returning to the outskirts of La Paz, a busy little town that fronts a bay and is held in by the mountains.  He spoke in Spanglish to the attendant about the price of gas as the van was serviced. I sat inside, drowsy from a day of walking along soft surf. From my side of the van, I watched a woman approach the car to the right of me....

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