Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
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. |
|
Streets of
Torreon
Cuahuila, Mexico
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Currency Converter
We have traveled a lot
through Mexico,
but we had never been to
Torreon in the state of Cuahuila.
Billy purchased round-trip
tickets on Volaris Airline for $180USD each, so the one hour flight was
affordable.
Taxi from
Chapala
to Guadalajara Airport was 450Pesos (about $23USD) and the taxi from the airport
in Torreon to our hotel was 232Pesos (about $12USD).
Looking out the window at the dry desert
land below
Torreon has a high desert climate and here
you see how very dry that area is.
Map of Mexico's states
Here is a map of Mexico's 31 states. In the
center right at the top, you will see the state of Cuahuila (pronounced
kwah-HWEE-lah) which borders the US state of Texas to the north, Durango and
Zacatecas to the south, and Nueva Leon to the east.
The large colorful letters of Torreon at
the Municipal Plaza
Since we were only staying a few days, we
wanted to get out and about, discovering what we could of this city.
Not far from
our
hotel, is the
Municipal Plaza. This Plaza was handsome, wide open, and clean. It is a
fashionable trend to spell out the name of the Mexican city in large colorful
letters. This happens
all over
the country.
Behind the letters is the beautiful building
of the Municipal Theater, which we initially mistook for a church.
A closer look at the Municipal Theater
Looking at the front of this building, you
could see why we might have thought it was a church.
This area of town was spotless.
Hotel Galicia
Opposite the Plaza del Armas is Hotel
Galicia.
The style of architecture is Spanish, Muslim,
Arabic and Art Deco.
The downtown historical section looked a bit
neglected with miscellaneous buildings here and there repaired to the original
colors.
The President of the Morelos Centro Historico
Council said: Almost no one lives in the center of the city anymore. It's
becoming more and more alone and abandoned. If you walk the streets of the
center, most of the day they are deserted, without people and the atmosphere is
effectively desolate. Graffiti artists take advantage of this to deface shops,
houses and buildings that are unoccupied. People then paint it white to try to
cover up that graffiti, but things are very bad.
Mr. Villarreal attributed this condition to
government fraud and graft.
He was very pained over this, and it was
something we sensed very clearly on our visit.
Entrance to the
Canal de la
Perla
Built in 1893, these underground irrigation
canals used to bring water from the Rio Nazas to the lands of farming and the
upscale neighborhood called Hacienda La Perla.
Years later these canals were used as a storm
and sewage drain and eventually forgotten about.
However, one morning in March, 2003, a truck
lost control and fell into a ditch in the pavement covering, breaking a vault.
Had it not been for that peculiar incident, this underground canal would not
have been re-discovered.
It was opened as a tourist site in 2014.
Palm-lined street
Torreon had hints that this city used to be
wealthy with beautiful streets and buildings. But today it is such a mix of
remembrances of a prosperous past and old, broken streets and architecture.
Sculpture at the Municipal Plaza
The wide open
Municipal Plaza had several
sculptures displayed. This one, of a child holding the finger of a trusted loved
one, was touching.
The modern building in the background is an
art museum.
A beautiful corner building
Fortunately, this building has been preserved
from more prosperous times and into the present.
It is now Scotia Bank.
Historic Center of
Torreon
This is the Historic Center
of Torreon. You will notice
the
modern clock tower and gazebo in the center of the photo. Amazingly, this
clock tower had the correct time! We have found that to be a rare occurrence.
The Arocena Family Home
Nearing the 1920s, Torreon was experiencing a
Golden Age due to the business of growing cotton. the Arocena Family moved here
from Spain during the Spanish emigration in the late 19th, early 20th century.
Inside there are displays of the upper class
Spanish style of living at that time - living rooms, parlors, bedrooms and very
modern bathrooms with running water!
Old hotel for rent
It was very common during our visit in
Torreon to walk through stately areas of town, and then to come upon other
sections that were not maintained, looking derelict.
Here is an older hotel for rent that also
needs a facelift. This would be a massive project.
Another For Rent sign
This building is in much better shape with a
tile front and bottle glass windows.
Another neglected commercial structure
Just around another corner is this place,
with graffiti and overgrown weeds at sidewalk level.
Many places in Torreon needed restoration and
some loving attention.
Well-kept homes behind a privacy wall
Clean sidewalks, trimmed palm trees and a
mansion behind a privacy wall. These places would surprise us as we might turn a
corner or walk a street or two from the previous photo above.
Kentucky Fried Chicken
delivery team
Modern motor bikes deliver
KFC orders around town.
A celebratory meal at Palenque Restaurant
Billy loves going to fine steak houses.
Steak Palenque Restaurant gets 4.5 stars out of 5, and the meal was really delicious.
Service was fun and attentive.
It was my birthday, and the waiter made
points with me, calling it my "29th birthday."
Wadda guy.
In our summary of Torreon, we could tell that
at one point (during the Golden Era) this city was financially booming, and had
great culture and wealth.
Then with one thing and another, times
turned. In more recent days, it was fraud and graft from the government which
left the city seemingly without an identity or without pride. It was obvious.
Hopefully the citizens of Torreon will be
able to turn this bleak situation around and shine once again.
For more photos and
stories on Torreon, Mexico,
CLICK HERE
For more photos and stories on Mexico,
CLICK HERE
VIDEOS, VIDEOS,
VIDEOS See Mexico for yourself! Beaches, Bars, Babes, Great Food, Live
Music.
About the Authors
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.
HOME
Book Store
Retire Early Lifestyle Blog
About Billy & Akaisha
Kaderli
Press
Contact
20 Questions
Preferred
Links
Retirement
Country Info
Retiree
Interviews
Commentary
REL
Videos
|