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George Puckett
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Baja Diaries-Chronicles of A Paradise Lost Kindle Edition

by George Puckett (Author), Argentina Puckett (Author), Laura Longo (Editor), Format: Kindle Edition
2.9 2.9 out of 5 stars 75 ratings
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Like many Americans, George and Tina Puckett decided to retire to Mexico. After careful planning, they settled on Ensenada, a picturesque city on Mexico’s Baja Coast. This location enabled them to experience true Mexican life while still being within easy reach of the business they owned in the U.S
.
This book details the interesting events that transpired during their years in Ensenada. Some of their experiences will be familiar to American expats living in Mexico and other countries. Yet in some ways, their experience was unique because they were one of the few African American couples living there.

Baja Diairies- Chronicles of a Paradise Lost is an autobiographical tale that transports readers to Ensenada and lets them get a taste of what daily life is like there for Americans.

The Pucketts had some good times and some very bad times there. There are some important lessons to be learned by their experiences, and through it all their humanity shines through. This is a “must read” for anyone who has ever thought about retiring to Mexico or is curious about life there.
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  1. Print length
    182 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    September 21, 2012
  5. File size
    4037 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008YE9TV0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ESP Media; 2nd edition (September 21, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 21, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4037 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 182 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    2.9 2.9 out of 5 stars 75 ratings

About the author

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George Puckett

George Puckett

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Mexico-Adventure of a Lifetime

Like many Americans and Canadians, George and Tina Puckett decided to retire to Mexico. After careful planning, they settled on Ensenada, a picturesque city on Mexico’s Baja Coast. This location enabled them to experience true Mexican life while still being within easy reach of the business they owned in the U.S

.

Why Mexico? Because it is a third world country right at our southern border. Make no mistake: when you cross the international border from Texas, Arizona, or California, you are entering a third world country.

Why Mexico? Because we are African Americans, and it was fascinating to live in a country where non-whites were in charge. The government is not without its problems, bribes, and corruption, but we have our share of that here in the good old USA as well.

Why Mexico? Because we could afford to live in a home a stone’s throw from the Pacific where we could watch the dolphins in the distance, see pelicans diving for their dinner, and observe the whales going south for the winter to spawn in warmer waters. We could easily afford the luxury of a weekly housekeeper and other services which were particularly costly in the US.

Why Mexico? Because the Mexican people are so friendly and accommodating. They are remarkably tolerant of the Americans trying to learn their language and even those Americans that are ignorant of the Mexican customs and traditions.

“Why not Mexico?”

My first book, “Baja Diaries-Chronicles of a Paradise Lost” was written about this 7 year period of our lives. I am currently working on a sequel to the “Baja Diaries…” The title is, “Our Sons Our Dreams.” Hopefully it will be finished by the end of January and certainly by Valentine’s Day.

Customer reviews

2.9 out of 5 stars
2.9 out of 5
75 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Macdivee
1.0 out of 5 stars Worst written book I've ever read!
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2012
Verified Purchase
I bought this book based on a glowing review, but now I realize it must have been written by a relative of the author. The writing style was choppy, with misspellings and grammatical errors. It did not flow as a book should; it skipped around and regressed.
It was like a bad personal diary: full of gossip and innuendos, which greatly interfered with any story line possibilities.
Names were mainly unchanged, according to the author, which is not a good literary strategy.
I wanted to know more of the history and legal battles of Punta Estero, so I was greatly disappointed when it fell into malicious gossip instead.
Buyer beware!! Giving it one star is an amazing gift!!
6 people found this helpful
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Ted Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars My First Book Review
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017
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I have read thousands of books. I have read only one diary. Many years ago (I was born in the 40s) I read The Diary of Ann Frank. Because of George's book I will read more diaries. You will discover why George gave this book for free. These stories must be read. I share with George a love of Mexico. I have been living winter months for 10 years in Mexico. I was surprised to read so many things that I did not know about living in Mexico. I will only provide a few examples. "Do not buy property in Mexico if you are a Canadian or an American." Which sand should you use to make cement for the foundation of your house if you do decide to build? Beach sand or river bottom sand? Which is the "perfect" business? Renting out horses or renting out ATVs (all terrain vehicles)? Why pass a truck on the left if the truckers left signal light is on? Why do so many "gringos" chose to leave their comforts of home and live in a "Third World Country"? Why was George's Paradise lost? How did George and Tina continue to seek another Paradise after losing their first one? Like life in general, there are moments of heaven and there are moments of hell. Besides many useful facts, there are very funny considerations. Excuse the cliche:"this book is compelling".
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R. Patrinellis
2.0 out of 5 stars A very unorganized account of the authors perspective of expats loss of property in Ensenada
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2015
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After reading the book I am left with bad feelings. George's assertion that many people he knew in Ensenada that were a part of the story died due to the "wrath of God" for their mis-deeds is absurd. It would make no more sense to say that the accidents which befell his two sons leaving them as Paraplegics were a result of Gods wrath.
After reading, I have no idea of what George and his wife lost or if they even owned their home in Ensenada. The assertion that Ensenada is a "True Mexican town is absurd." It is 2 hours from the U.S. Border and home to more expats than Mexicans. There is a reason for that. George, It is not my intention to be unkind but I would suggest you re-visit this tale and try to tell whole the story of what happened from the perspective of both the original land holders and loose the rants about Christian wars.
You repeat information you have already covered in the book several times and literally the words from one chapter are repeated verbatim.
9 people found this helpful
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Angela Summers
3.0 out of 5 stars Was an interesting read but it started to lose me ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2015
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Was an interesting read but it started to lose me towards the end. Not being there myself, I can understand why too much detail of daily life could be overkill. However, despite the atrocious behavior of the Mx govt, near the end of the story, my perception was complaints of racism being an aside to the main point. As though to say, "oh, and by the way...". Well, you get it. But that is only my take on it. I also had dreams of becoming an expat to Baja for many years. I am impressed that others could make it a reality, even if only for a short time. What really bothers me the most is folks who do this & then expect the U.S. govt to have their backs when things go sour. You left, deal with it.
3 people found this helpful
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Aisling D.
4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, true story, and a real page-turner
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2012
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When I opened my Kindle copy of this book, I was just checking to be sure it downloaded okay. I don't have time to sit and read an entire book today.

I might have to, anyway.

This book is so vividly written, and so quickly conveys the combined ex-pat and Mexican experiences, I was enchanted within the first few paragraphs. I'm eager to get back to it, but -- especially while this book is on special promotion -- I want to recommend it to anyone who's even thinking of buying it. This book is sure to be a best-seller.

The author is telling a true, compelling story. The writing style is magnificent. Already, I can tell that this is an absolute page-turner, and the kind of book I'd like to see as a movie. (In fact, the imagery in the writing is so clear -- appealing to all of the senses -- reading it is like watching a good, engaging movie.)

The opening hints at how this book will end. I think I'd like to get there, slowly. However, as I'm dashing through this review, I can tell: This is a book I'm going right back to, now, and I probably won't put it down until I'm at the last page.

Count this review as a virtual standing ovation. It's a real delight to discover an author who writes this well.
3 people found this helpful
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Wendy Kain
1.0 out of 5 stars If a zero stars was possible, this would be the book to earn them. What book did you mean to review, those who gave many stars?
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2015
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If this atrocious book had not been given a four star rating (I can only imagine by friends of the author, who I am sure is a very nice man and I would expect him to have many friends,) I would not have reviewed it. However the glowing reviews are completely misleading. I forced myself to read about 40% of this book, and just could not go any further. Gail L Swainson did an eloquent one star review which is so perfectly spot on there is nothing which I need to add. I am amazed by how many retired people are driven to write, and I am often embarrassed on their behalf. When I finally closed the Kindle after spot checking to ensure that somehow miraculously the book did not become a good read, later on, I could not help but think that life is too short to spend one's time reading stuff like this.
8 people found this helpful
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KerryWTH
5.0 out of 5 stars A slice of expat life in Mexico
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019
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If you’ve never lived in Mexico, this is a slice-of-life diary of the years the author lived here. If you have lived in Mexico, you will find the stories true to form and familiar: church wars, a cast of characters from central casting, people building on ejido or communally-owned land and surprised that they cannot stay forever. I could not stop laughing at the mother-in-law who died and was loaded on top of a station wagon to return to the states... without declaring her body. You will have to read it yourself to find out the ending.
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Top reviews from other countries

Mary Wu
1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother
Reviewed in Canada on August 4, 2019
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This is a real bad read. The author is definitely not a story teller and cannot string together enough words to keep the reader interested.
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Mike
4.0 out of 5 stars An epic story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2012
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This is not a short read but then it couldn't be as it covers a number of years in people's lives in tremendous detail. Vivid scenes are painted by the author and it includes all the asides and details that really lend authenticity to it. I've read a few travelogues but this one has to be one of the most emotionally wide-ranging of them and really gets into the nitty gritty of life in Mexico. I read the introduction and expected to then get into the book proper only to be reading what felt to me like another introduction, that's my only negative comment about this book, once past that and into the body of the book it's forgotten and turns into a highly enjoyable read. Recommended.
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June Oliver
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2015
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Some interesting stories
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