Overview: I'm willing to coordinate or change dates for the right person. I'm looking at approximately one week, anywhere from August 4th to Aug 25th, depending on flights for me as well as for you. (Please see other listing for my Sept/Oct trip). You will stay in my beautiful, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a shared, fully enclosed garden and strong WiFi, only four blocks from the malecón (boardwalk) on the Gulf of California (aka Sea of Cortez) in a traditional fishing neighborhood near to the Centro of the capital city of Baja California Sur. Artemis is my 14 year old cat who has lived around the world with me and, albeit youthful in many ways, requires you to be home off and on throughout the day due to her nutritional needs (explained below). The wild birds in my garden will also require you to feed them daily.

My cat: Artemis is a gorgeous athletic Snowshoe Siamese, moderately talkative, with a distinct personality. Even people who normally don't like cats are taken in by her and I'm sure you'll love her almost as much as I do. She doesn't like to be picked up but will happily sit on your lap or your chest and will regularly follow you from room to room. If she feels comfortable with you, she may even sleep near you. She will get stressed when I'm not there but will be much more manageble with you being there to keep her company.

You: I need someone (or a couple) who is (are) quiet and responsible as I share the garden/courtyard with another person, although they are only there part-time. Perhaps you are a digital nomad who requires good internet to work from home or you are simply more of a homebody who wants to relax in a tranquil environment and occassionally go for a swim in the warm waters of the Bay of La Paz.

I prefer someone who has at least a basic grasp of Spanish. Although there are many foreigners here who speak no Spanish, I am not one of those people, and you will find life much easier if you're comfortable practicing and willing to make mistakes. You don't need to be fluent (I'm far from it) but, the more you know of the language, the easier it will be. This isn't a typical resort area so, although there are many who speak or at least understand English (and other languages) it's not the norm. There are many active "expat" groups and Spanglish conversation groups, as well as an active Couchsurfing chapter which welcomes locals and visitors from all over the world (if you have an active profile, I can share it with our local WhatsApp chat).

You need to have WhatsApp. I will expect updates to the Google Doc but also texts and photos every day or two.

House Details: I have fast and generally stable internet and an extender in the other rooms. There is a small Roku tv in the kitchen / living area which regularly disengages from the internet and needs to be reconnected (a simple process) but, otherwise, you'll have access to your Netflix or Prime or other accounts.

I have an older but super reliable Mercedes SUV (named Calafia) that I'd be willing to let you drive IF you have good insurance. My insurance currently has a $1000 deductible and doesn't cover other drivers.

There is a Hi-Efficiency (HE) washer and dryer but I rarely use the dryer and would encourage you to do the same, using the line to dry your clothes. But, in an "emergency" it's nice to have the dryer. If you're good with technology, you can ask Zelda, my robot, to vacuum and/or mop for you.

There are "mini-splits," aka air conditioners, in each room but I ask that you keep it to a minimum (I'll show you some tricks to help). I also have two fans. if you are in need of a little more breeze. There are rocking chairs in the garden to sit and enjoy the birds and the ambiance.

I also have a woman that I regularly hire to clean that you could also hire.

Neighborhood: As mentioned, it's a neighborhood which still is where many fisherfolk have lived for generations. You'll see many pangas (small, open, outboard-powered fishing boats) parked all around, some derelict, others being repaired. It's going through a moderate amount of gentrification from both wealthier Mexicans and foreigners but those homes are tucked in between homes of long-term families.  I do have a neighbor who will sometimes play his music very loud all night, right outside the bedroom windows. He's rather an institution. Once I take out my hearing aides and my head is stuck in the pillow, I don't hear much but others may be bothered by it.

There is a very good, small tienda de abarrotes (grocery store) next door which is super convenient for when you run out of basic supplies or have an urge for an ice cream bar or cola or beer. There are a couple of places to eat within two blocks (two are only open in the morning for breakfast/coffee, and the other is only open in the afternoons/early evening for seafood). We have a lovely Mercado Étnico four blocks away which has several woman (primarily from Oaxaca) selling all sorts of yummy food, as well as beautiful handmade gift items. Other restaurants and grocery stores are a longer walk or drive. It's a 20-30 min. walk to the "centro" or downtown district.

The malecón (aka boardwalk) here is the best in Mexico, as far as I'm concerned. It stretches all along the Cove of La Paz (which is part of the Bay of La Paz, so most people refer to it as the bahia rather than the ensenada), including several beaches along the way, volleyball and exercise areas, walking/running/biking paths, sculptures, and benches...all of which is well-lit and safe at all hours of the day. There are regular concerts and exhibitions scheduled by the city and other organizations in the central part of the malecón. There are a couple of skate parks and a BMX park, too.

Getting around: Public transportation is an option for the adventurous who speak Spanish. It's a loosely organized network of different types of small to large buses  without a published route or schedule anywhere (but there's a FB group where you can ask for advice from the community about different stops, lol) but, just recently they created an app to go with a new set of buses that are air conditioned and actually have a schedule, called the Tiburon Urbano (Urban Shark, in honor of our famous whale sharks).

There are three ride-sharing apps which all work (and I encourage you to check them all as they sometimes will have radically different prices and availability without consistency): Didi, Uber, and InDriver.

Getting here:  There are direct flights to La Paz from LAX (Alaska Airlines), CDMX, GDL, TIJ, and a few other Mexican cities, depending on the day of the week (Volaris, Viva Aerobus, AeroMexico, ec.). There are also flights to Los Cabos (the cape towns) and you can take a bus (3 1/2 hours) to and from there. Or, you can drive from the US down the Baja California peninsula, as this is considered the "free zone" for foreign cars.

Personalize your visit: Let me know of your interests and I can direct you to many options throughout the area, whether for art, music, hiking, swimming, snorkeling, museums, history, literature, dancing, sea safari's, bird-watching, sand boarding, boating, and more.

Responsibilities

As already mentioned, your primary responsibilities will be to care for the cats and garden bird feeders (and fountain). I would like you to arrive one or two days before I leave on my trip so that I can orient you and get Artemis more comfortable with you while I'm there). I do expect regular updates (e.g, a photo/brief text every 1-2 days).

Artemis (and the birds) need to be fed early in the morning. You will often need to hang around long enough to coax Artemis into eating (as she'll often tell you she's hungry and then walk away from the food as soon as you put it out) or put the food away and then out again (so it doesn't spoil as it's chicken). Then, ideally feed her again mid-day, + and again a couple times in the evening. Occassionally you can extend the time in between feedings to go do an outside activity (as I do) but generally she needs this routine maintained.

You will also need to keep track of all her food and whether she vomits and what her feces looks like on a Google doc that I will share with you. I have been working with a vet who specializes in nutrition to stablize her health and it's working but requires monitoring. Depending on how long I'm gone, I'll prep all her food (chicken and rice) in advance so all you'll need to do is thaw it and add her nutritional supplements as needed. Otherwise, buying, weighing,  cooking, weighing again, calculating, pureeing, and packaging her food takes a lot of work.

Artemis gets bored if she doesn't at least get to do a "walk about" in the garden 2-3x/day but, currently can only go out when accompanied by a human to ensure she doesn't eat any grass or palm leaves as those trigger her vomiting. Or, you may occassionally connect her to her harness and hook her up where she can't reach any plants.

Additional Cat duties:

• Brush and pet daily.


• Clean litter box daily (I use a clumping tofu litter).


• Clean and change water fountain (petkit brand) every 10 days. Will provide instructions / video.

Bird & Garden duties:

• I feed the birds in my garden daily, so you will need to mix up the hummingbird "nectar" every few days and clean the feeders with vinegar every day.


• Some watering of the garden will be needed but we mostly rely on the automatic sprinklers.


• Keep the fountain full (I have a hose that stretches to it) so the motor doesn't wear out.


• The garden fountain must be cleaned every 5 days so the birds (and bees and wasps who all drink and bathe in it) don't spread bacteria and there is no algae buildup. I've got it down to a fairly simple routine now that takes less than 30 mins. and will teach you.


• The 2 hummingbird feeders need to be cleaned with vinegar and hot water every time you change them (1-2x daily). I keep two containers full of sugar water in the fridge so that you don't have to make it as often. It's a simple 4:1 ratio of water to refined (aka white) sugar.


• 1 seed feeder for the doves and sparrows. Spread an extra scoop of chicken "scratch" on the ground in addition to filling the feeder. Clean with vinegar every few days.

Additional notes:

• As is the case in most parts of the world without adequate sewer systems, etc,, we throw the toilet paper in the trash can, NOT the toilet.


• Regularly sweeping the patio of the leaves and picking up the garbage in front of the house often left by others on a weekly basis.


• Garbage pick-up is twice a week.


• I recycle basic cardboard/paperboard, plastic and glass bottles, and cans.


• I have a water filter in the kitchen, so we no longer need to use garrafones for drinking water, although the city water is generally safe to drink for short-term use.


• Keep my house clean, but especially before I return give it a good cleaning (I will leave it clean for you!), you could even hire my cleaner, as well as laundering and changing the sheets before you leave