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Hello all,
I've been "planning" my relocation for 3 years...from the relative comfort of WA and it's time I get moving on where.

Here's what I'm looking for:
Clean air, clean water (filters will work) and trees, lots of trees.

Not that interested in beaches, spent 30 years in Hawaii so beaches I can do without except for an occasional visit.

Work online 90% of the time, by mail the rest so finding a job isn't high on my list of must haves.

In pretty decent health, no medical issues at the moment but definitely need to consider it.

Can not take humidity anymore, I go through a Jeykll and Hyde personality change and I've had about enough of sliding on icy roads, live in Seattle and you'll find hill climbing is not a recreational sport

Prefer to not get 'locked in with the nuts' in some transplanted version of the US gated community.

Would love to learn Spanish (right now, I know enough to get myself into trouble and a gotta have is a library within at least 3 miles of anywhere I live.

Now here's the thing, I want to visit Baja for 3 months to get a cat's view of the people, the area and to decide if it's where I want to spend the next part of my journey...

My problem is finding a rental for a single, older female who does not fit the: Grandma, rocking chair, nurturing model. I'm a Birkenstock, Wrangler, sneakers and T-shirt wearing seriously independent woman who simply wants to explore, maybe have a Cerveza once in a while and chill out...yes, I'm a byproduct of the late 60's

Any suggestions, recommendations and warnings would be appreciated.
Solotr

I'll put my dos centavos in here. Assuming your aversion to humidity is coupled with heat. In my book, the most moderate climate you'll find would be Pacific side BCS virtually anywhere from the border to San Quintin. The prevalent Northwesterlies tend to keep the climate moderate, even as on the Sea of Cortez side as in San Felipe, the tropical humidity and temp can get quite high in the summer. For someone who feels a comfort in having the boder nearby, like an hour or less, any farther South than Ensenada would not be advised. That said, because of sizeable population, there are also many amenitites that state-siders are used to. Home Depot, Walmart, Costco, Etc. On the other hand, the San Quintin area does have a more "Mexican" feel.

Baja and trees are not two words that go closely together in my mind. It is mostly an arid desert. There are some towns in Baja California Sur(San Ignacio, Mulege, San Jose del Cabo) with palm trees, but they are not native and are fairly isolated plantations along arroyos compared to the US northwest's forests.

An emerging concern in Baja California Norte is crime. A few years ago a horrific tidal wave of narco violence started. Although most is criminal-on-criminal and concentrated in border towns, a very-alarming trend is kidnapping and extortion of primarily Mexican nationals. Not many American/other foreigner victims so far, but there are some examples of that, along with some armed robberies of businesses near Rosarito Beach recently.


You can use a translator
http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en#"
to read the Mexican news and get a feel for what's going on. It's laughably awkward but you can gain the gist of what is said. These are in mostly-alphabetical order; some English:

http://www.afntijuana.info/
http://borderreporter.com/
http://crimensincastigotijuana.blogspot.com/
DiarioSanDiego.com
En Linea Tijuana
http://www.frontera.info/
Google Noticias
Hechos.tv :: Noticieros en Vivo - Noticias en Video
http://www.lacronica.com/
El Mexicano Gran Diario Regional - Tijuana, Tecate, Rosarito, Ensenada, Mexicali y EUA


Here's an English RSS feed about Mexico in general
Justice in Mexico

http://www.mexidata.info/index.html
Narco Tijuana
http://narcotraficoenmexico.blogspot.com/
http://www.thenews.com.mx/home/tnportada_h.asp
http://www.radarpolitico.com/
Rosarito en la Noticia
SintesisTV el canal de la frontera. Noticias, Deportes, TV en vivo por internet, Cultura y mucho más
El Sol de Tijuana
http://www.oem.com.mx/elsudcaliforniano/locales.aspx
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/news/world/mexico/
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/news/tijuana/
El Vigía.net : Periodismo con la gente
ZETA Bienvenido

Lotta stories in Spanish that are not reported in English.

Grunon 90 degrees every day in the summer? Where?

Sounds like you might be a candidate for the Punta banda area....

Don't know if this is till available, but sign up for the newsletter....plenty of good info.........

Found this info on the Punta Banda (just south of Ensenada) newsletter...

puntabandanewsletter : PUNTA BANDA COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

puntabandanewsletter : PUNTA BANDA COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

I have a two story, 2 bedroom house for rent, available immediately.
The bottom floor has one bedroom and a bathroom. It is attached to the upper level by an exterior stairway. The upstairs has a kitchen, bedroom, dining area,a small livingroom, and 1 bathroom. Both floors are fully furnished. There is a view of the ocean from the upstairs, and a short walk to the beach. The house is at the end of a short road and is very quiet.

The upper and lower can be rented separately or together. $320 for the upstairs only, and $350 for both upper and lower, plus security and last months rent.
Please email or call Dann at 646-131-9737.

Great area and full of friendly people. Close to all of the services of Ensenada
but far enough away to have a small town feel and lifestyle

WELCOME, solo~

You have a long lost for Santa, not sure how many you'll be able to find in one spot

just a couple other mentions-
There are lots of places that rent by the week or month and if you find a couple of places that look interesting, maybe rent in 2 or 3 places to get a feel and then go back a few months or a year later for 3+ months in your favorite place.

Originally Posted by solotr

......

Work online 90% of the time, by mail the rest so finding a job isn't high on my list of must haves. (SNAIL MAIL HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING REALLY BAD IN MX, OTHERS MAY BE ABLE TO VERIFY OR DENY THAT REPUTATION)

gotta have is a library within at least 3 miles of anywhere I live. (DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU CONSIDER A GOOD LIBRARY, I DON'T THINK THIS IS COMMON AND IF THERE IS A LIBRARY, I'M GUESSING ALL THE BOOKS WOULD BE IN SPANISH?!? MAYBE ONLINE BOOKS SUCH AS KINDLE WORK?!? )

Sound like a great adventure ahead. There's lots of good folks around who will help with info and whatever. Some solo ladies such as yourself also. In time, you'll be able to network with them as you find them in the forum.

Go for it!

'Nuts1

If you want lots of trees, the closest thing I can think of is San Pedro de Martir. It is a bit out of the way but the summers are great and you get to see some snow in Winter.

Yes, it does snow in Baja...

And welcome!

Thank you all for giving me enough useful information. Now comes the task of going over it all. I don't intend to drive (someone mentioned the roads) and have a tendency to use the local farmers markets whenever possible - no matter where I live

My only possible concern like most people is the crime thing. Have well honed 'city dweller' skills and late night anywhere isn't my idea of a good time anyway without an excellent taxi service...prefer entertaining at home with a few close friends.

That suggestion of renting by the month sounds good, will give it more consideration. 90 days is normally when the 'newness' wears off and the reality of living in an area kicks in. A six month to year lease makes it a bigger hassle, especially if the choice comes down to walking away and starting over.

Have a lot to think about and sources to check before making a reservation. Thank you all again for the advice. Starting new in Baja might be what fits the bill, but I'm holding off at least another month before making the leap.