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.

Eatin' Good in the 'Hood

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

The dictionary defines poor as: Having little money, wealth or few possessions. Miserable, wretched, homeless, needy, indigent.

We spent the holidays in Panajachel, Guatemala, where many would consider the locals to be in a state of need. But I guess that depends on one’s definition of poor.

Staying in a family-run hotel we have gotten to know the owners quite well, and for Christmas we decided to buy the them a turkey as a gift. Since these birds are imported to Guatemala, they are not cheap ($40.00 USD) and it's something few Guatemalans would ever buy for themselves.

One of two birds we purchased for them

The bustle that is Christmas found each family member working at the hotel with the influx of holiday guests, or in a hardware store in town. Even ten year old Martin opened the store on his own, helped customers and made change until his Father joined him later on in the morning.

The plan was for the entire family to enjoy the turkey on New Year’s Eve when all eight of them could be together and the work shifts had settled down.

Upon delivery of the featherless and frozen beasts, the oldest daughter informed us that their oven was not working and that none of the daughters had any idea how to cook a turkey. This was an unexpected turn of events but at this point we figured we had done our part and the rest was up to them.

Days later about 8p.m. on New Year’s Eve, the owner came to our room and invited us to join his family for dinner. Even though we explained that the turkeys were for them and we had not expected to be invited to dinner, he insisted we sit with them.

Since the oven in the household did not work, Ana, his energetic wife and mother of six remarkable children, had arranged to use a nearby bakery’s oven to cook the turkeys. We have noticed the strong sense of community in these small towns, and in Pana it is no different. Need an oven? Just go ask the Baker.

Outside in the back of the hotel, fifteen year old Adelaide - the live in maid from a mountain town two hours away - was making tortillas on the grill as fast as she could. Ana is whacking away at the turkey with a cleaver to serve it up. There was no traditional carving here, just huge chunks of meat on a platter from which to choose your meal.

So here we were in a three dimensional Norman Rockwell painting, drinking some bubbly, laughing, joking, and enjoying ourselves in this intimate family setting. There was no TV blaring, no iPhone or iPad at the table, only iFamily. To consider these people disadvantaged is not a possibility. Rich with each other, their community and in health, they would be the envy of many we know back home.

As if we weren’t given enough food for the evening, we were invited back for traditional tamales and ponche at breakfast the next morning. Since Billy had a 3 hour massage appointment already scheduled, we had to decline.

Wishing you all contentment in the New Year,

For more stories, photos and information about Antigua, click here

For more stories and photos of Guatemala, click here

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.