Our 50 Surprising Norms of Living Off-Grid in the Tropics

Four years ago, if you had told me I’d be living off-grid in the tropics, eating $1 lunches off the back of a truck, and shaking out my shoes for scorpions, I would’ve laughed. But here I am — living a life I never imagined possible. Here are 50 things I never thought would become normal… until they did.

1. I would be living outside of Canada

2. My view from my porch would be of foothills and palm trees

3. I would fall asleep to monkeys howling

4. I would wake up to the song of the parrots

5. I would be considered an immigrant -a title that came with both challenges and deep insight- more on this in another blog

6. I would find Elders and begin taking classes from them where I begin remembering our ancient ways, the inner gifts that I had forgotten I had and the deep connection to all beings (human, 4 legged, creepie crawlies, winged, plant, tree, mineral) Mother Earth and Creator

7. I would be starting a new business

8. I would no longer need an alarm clock

9. I would be planting cacao, vanilla, citrus and so many more tropical plants

10. I would have over 100 medicinal/edible plants/trees on the land that we are stewards of (more in another blog)

11. License plates on our truck are non-existent (until the country has more available and so far we have been waiting for over a year)

12. Traffic check points along the highway are to be expected, as well as seeing officers carrying BIG guns

13. Purchasing your lunch from the side of the road, the back of a truck or bicycle, can be delicious and very inexpensive

14. Lunch can cost as little as $1 usd (that does not include a drink)

15. Animals on the road that can hold up traffic, such as cows, horses, pigs...

16. Seeing a 14 foot snake on the drive way

17. Living completely off grid

18. Shaking out shoes, boots, and towels before putting them on, just in case a scorpion or tarantula has decided to make it home

19. Sitting with 10-12 hummingbirds while enjoying my tea on the upstairs deck

20. Living in a community with people from all over the world, working together to make life easier

21. Having our water come from a mountain spring directly to our house

22. Fighting forest fires

23. Being asked to assist the police as back-up (no, we didn’t answer that call)

24. Being able to eat wheat again. After years of being diagnosed with Celiac disease, a misunderstanding while at a restaurant helped me see that the wheat here is different, in the way it is grown, the soil it is grown in and the way that it is processed. I dared to try it again and have found that I can eat it without any side effect. I don’t eat it a lot, and tend to stick to my own sourdough recipes, but it was a wonderful chance discovery.

25. Sunrise and sunset times are almost always the same year round

26. Rainfall would effect the river so much that it would flood entire roads (up to 8 feet high in some spots) leaving some people stuck for days

27. Most stores close at noon on Saturdays and don’t open again until Monday

28. No amazon to your door deliveries

29. Seeing a family in the back of a pick up truck is fast way to get around

30. Helmets being only used by drivers of motorcycles

31. Seeing an entire family of 4 or 5 on a motorcycle

32. Taking a local bus for 4usd to get me 3 hours away, is the most economical and environmentally friendly way to travel

33. Finding ancient artifacts in caves while out on a hike

34. Feeding lizards vegetable seedlings, when you were hoping to grow them for yourself

35. Putting used toilet paper in the garbage vs the toilet at home and everywhere you go

36. Planning weekend trips to Mexico or Guatemala

37. No one stop shopping

38. Living in your bathing suit/shorts all year long

39. Being attacked by 1000’s of fire ants

40. Purchasing freshly picked fruit such as pineapple for .50us each

41. Watching the weather for hurricane warnings

42. Never worrying about snow, snow tires or splitting wood to keep warm

43. Our vehicle insurance would cost us less than 200/year

44. Cooling off in the creek when temperatures reach around 40 degrees celsius

45. Being stung by a scorpion

46. Hearing the rain before it arrives over the foothills

47. Going out into our yard and harvesting bananas, avocados, mangos, oranges, soursop...

48. Missing asparagus, rhubarb, peaches and blueberries

49. Driving where honking the horn is a courtesy not a complaint

50. Applying for residency in another country

All these things-some wild, some mundane-are now just a part of my everyday life. They have become normal, yet none of them feel ordinary.

This journey south has taught me more about myself that I could’ve imagined. It burst the bubble I didn’t even know I was living in. By stepping away from the familiar, I’ve come to see the beauty that’s always in front of us-and the unseen walls that often keep us from it. I am deeply grateful I took the leap. No matter where I end up next, I know this chapter was exactly what is was meant to be.