Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya [Paperback]

Jeanine Lee Kitchel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

Imagine running away to the Mexican Caribbean and never coming back. That dream became a reality for author Jeanine Kitchel and her husband who traveled to the Yucatan in 1985 and a decade later, left their jobs in Silicon Valley to pursue a relaxed lifestyle in Puerto Morelos, a small fishing village on the Quintana Roo Coast south of Cancun. Chance links them with a contractor who offers to build them a beachfront house, and this is where the true story begins. After side-stepping disaster on several fronts, they build their home, settle into Mexico, and then travel deep into the heart of Yucatan to explore the Mayan ruins. Share their dreams, their heartaches, but most of all, see how they cope with buying land, building a house, and retiring in a foreign country. This evocative adventure is a cockeyed love letter to Mexico, thier adopted homeland.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Her Mexican adventures will make you turn page after page,and in the end, you'll want to read more." -- Kathy Loretta, Miami Herald/Cancun Edition, October, 2003

"This book leads the reader on an incredible journey to the Yucatan ... will delight anyone who knows and loves Mexico." -- Ron Mader, Planeta.com, October, 2003

About the Author

Jenine Lee Kitchel graduated from Ohio University in 1971 with a double major in Journalism and Comparitive Literature. Her travels took her to the West Coast where she worked in journalism, publishing, and sales in the San Francisco-Bay Area until 1997. Her ongoing love of Mexico led her to the Yucatan in 1984, and slightly more than a decade later, she left San Francisco for a relaxed lifestyle in Puerto Morelas, a small fishing village on the Quintana Roo coast. She is a contributor to The Miami Herald, Cancun Edition, and Mexico Files. she divides her time between Puerto Morelos, Mexico, and Haiku, Hawaii. This is her first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Enchanted Island Press (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974483907
• ISBN-13: 978-0974483900
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,317,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Midnight in the Garden . . ." South of the Border, February 10, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya (Paperback)

From the jungles of the Yucatan to the jungles of border patrols and immigration authorities, from pristine beaches to ancient ruins, Jeanine Lee Kitchel's story is a spellbinding, chilling, and humorous adventure of her impassioned effort to realize her dream of "Living in the Land of the Maya."
Beginning with a serendipitous meeting with a man toting a yellow umbrella, Jeanine follows her intrigue to the ends of civilization as we know it, and back. Refusing to be exiled to the land of the "gringos," she links the otherly world of the Mayas with today's Mexican societal peccadilloes and reconciles the differences such that she (as well as we) better understand the fusion.
This book will make you feel as if you've watched a movie where the characters are either so despicable or likeable that you're sure that you've met them somewhere in your life, where the scenes are so enticingly vivid that you can't choose which you'd like to visit in real life. This is a story of hope, perseverance, survival, and love-love for the Mayan people, their rich history, and the place in which they live: "Where the Sky is Born."
No less than a south of the border "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," "Where the Sky is Born" effervesces comedic characters, ancient ruins, history, culture, mystical beliefs, as well as promise for an end to the frustrations Jeanine experiences along the way. You will not be disappointed! This is a beautiful story.
Donna Lee Gorrell, author, "Perfect Madness"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great insight on dreams and how to realize them., January 21, 2004

By 

Tony Perez - Know & Enjoy Mexico - knowmexico.com (Marin County, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya (Paperback)

For a first time published writer, Jeanine Kitchel does a wonderful job of narrating the trials and tribulations she and her husband experienced in realizing their dream ... building and owning a home in Mexico's Riviera Maya. Her book is factual, delightful, easy to read and hard to put down. Reading it anywhere is fun. Reading it in the Riviera Maya lying in a hammock under a "palapa" with a "cold one" on a tray next to you would be sheer delight.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Account...., June 22, 2007

By 

R. Adams (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya (Paperback)

I want to let others know how much I enjoyed this book.
When I began reading, I was immediatly transported back to the Yucatan, to many of the places we had just visited; Coba, Puerto Morelos, Valledolid, Ek Balam, Chichen Itza (of course), and Merida. Jeanine's candid narrative hit home with me and my impressions of the people and the places she wrote about. To me, Yucatan is vastly different (and much more comfortable) than other parts of Mexico that I've visited - and her book paralleled and reinforced my experience while adding the depth of her experience. She colorfully described the perils and pleasures of building a house in the Yucatan - which encourages me to think more about retiring there. We must also share an appreciation of wonderful Yucatecan food, although I would have enjoyed longer descriptions. Jeanine clearly writes from the heart. A good read by an interesting lady who, with her husband, dreamed, planned, then lived the adventure. Perhaps, in a future edition, Jeanine will write a sequel. I certainly hope so.