Author: Wrestling veteran and brother of the late-great “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “The Genius” Lanny Poffo has given up hurricanes in favor of earthquakes! Find out what we mean in his latest editorial here on Pro Wrestling Stories.
Lanny Poffo – The Next Chapter
As I write this, I’m 65 years old. Every year, I take stock of my life. With travel to visit family not an option right now (but with communication by video still quite prevalent), I’ve decided I might as well make my dreams come true for this next chapter in my life.
I’ve been to Ecuador twice before, vacationing and looking. I’ve also been to Costa Rica and Colombia, looking for a place to retire.
I decided on the Pacific coast of Ecuador; I just needed to find the right town. I searched painstakingly on the internet. Through this, I discovered Manta was the best town for me in regards to livability.
I am right on the beach in a double-gated community. There’s absolutely no danger. Even my beach has a private entrance and exit. I’m in total safety and tranquility, and there is absolutely nothing that I need that can’t be delivered to me.
Theoretically, I would never have to leave my gated community. However, as I’ve made friends since arriving here in October, I do leave, but not because I have to, but because I want to.
Once the pandemic passes us by, besides visiting my daughter and grandchildren, I plan to travel to various South American locations — places like Brazil, Uraguay, Chile, and Argentina, to explore while I’m still young enough to do it.
Tercera Edad
When you reach the age of 65, in Spanish, they call it “Tercera Edad.” This translates to “Third Age” — the age of 65 through death. As I’ve passed this threshold by age, I intend to make the best of it.
My decision to move to Ecuador had nothing to do with who won the election. It had to do with the 3 Cs: Climate, Comfort, and Cuisine! I want to enjoy my golden years to the fullest!
The climate here is around 70 degrees low, 80 degrees high, which is 21 to 27 degrees Celsius. It’s never too hot and never too cold. It’s always just right.
My condo has air conditioning, but I haven’t used it yet. There’s just no point. I keep the windows open. People pay money to simulate ocean waves. I leave the balcony windows open, and I hear the waves all night long.
Speaking of money, the currency here is the United States Dollar. This makes things very convenient.
Plus, as I’m a health nut, I really like the tremendous variety of fruits and vegetables they’ve got here, like the dragon fruit. Being on the equator, the season is always on for fruits and vegetables because we don’t have daylight savings. It’s always the same time.
Right now, we share Eastern time. When they do daylight savings time, we will be an hour behind because we don’t change.
Future Plans With Wrestling
When you get something, you have to give something up. When I moved here, I had to ask myself, “There won’t be any more autograph signings. Am I willing to give that up?” And I said, yes, I am.
Even though I’m trying to live to be 100-years-old, that doesn’t mean I’m going to. Every day is a miracle. I am going to try to make out of the lumber of what’s left in my life.
In this life, one has to make decisions. If this decision that I just made to move here doesn’t fulfill me, I reserve the right to sell my place, flip it, and get the heck back to the States. I’m not a masochist. I’m not going to do something that doesn’t do me any good.
The only thing is, right now, Ecuador has checked every box for me, including some boxes that were surprises.
I consider every day not only peaceful but adventurous. I’m very happy here. I walk the beach several times a day, and I find a lot of joy in it.
I’ve also made a lot of friends here immediately, something I feel fortunate about. Whether they are expatriates from Canada, the United States, or Europe, or locals, the people that I’ve come across so far are good and kind. I speak some Spanish, which puts me at an advantage, and it is improving each day.
So far, my first two months here have been excellent. I just know that I’ve done the right thing.
This isn’t to mean that I won’t be a part of wrestling in some way. People know how to get ahold of me. That said, I was willing to turn my back on all of it because you have to give something up when you make a decision. That said, if somebody contacted me, I would definitely consider it. But, as it is right now, I’m not holding my breath for offers to come over the phone.
In other words, I’ve just about done everything I want to do in wrestling. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I am not bitter. I’m not angry. I am very, very happy, and thankful that I was lucky enough to be in wrestling, got to travel all over the world, and it didn’t cost me a dime.
Now, here I am in a foreign country that seems every single day like home. Thanks to modern technology, even though I’m eight hours away from my family, I can still see my loved ones face to face each day.
Life in Manta, Ecuador
Nearby, there’s a place called The Malecon Escenico, a boardwalk with stores and plenty of restaurants.
If you walk via the beach, you cross one street, and you’re at the mall. Everything one needs is within reach.
One of the blessings that I’ve had is meeting Garrett Parker, his father, Richard Parker, Sean Seaman, and the rest of the wonderful people at Ecuadorian Coastal Properties.
They really have gone out of their way to help make the transition smoother for me, showing me around the town and taking me to places like Santa Marianita, twenty minutes from here, where they have kite surfing.
Because of my experiences so far, I’ve gotten some of my friends interested in retiring here, too. With anybody that I bring in, I get a commission. So, basically, I’m an agent for Ecuadorian Coastal Properties, which happened kind of accidentally, but now it’s happening on purpose.
If you’re interested in moving down here, send me an email, and I’ll help you out!
As the great George Carlin once said of advertisements, “‘Chocolatey. Real chocolatey goodness!’ Do you know what that means? No fuckin’ chocolate!”
This is the way most advertisements go. If an ad says it’s near the beach, that means there’s no fuckin’ beach!
I didn’t want to be “near the beach,” “footsteps from the beach,” or “across the street from the beach.” I wanted to be on that beach. It’s one of the things I insisted on.
But with all the pros — the fruits and vegetables, the perfect weather, and living on the Pacific Ocean — there has got to be some cons. Ecuador gets earthquakes from time to time. That’s a con that must be acknowledged. They don’t get hurricanes here, however. Nor do they get tornadoes. It hasn’t even rained here since I’ve arrived, and things are pretty dry.
It’s a pretty arid community, and because of that, there aren’t many bugs. The vegetation out here isn’t really lush due to the lack of rain, but if you want to go to the Amazon Rainforest, you can. It’s not too far. And if you want to go to the mountains, you can do that, too. There are plenty of options by car, bus or train.
My decision has worked out very well for me so far. Although I have no intention of leaving, it is nice to know that I can also leave at the drop of a hat. I soon look forward to exploring the rest of South America while I’m young enough to enjoy it.
Until then, I hope you all are keeping healthy and happy, despite the circumstances of the world we currently live in. If you are looking for a nice gift or surprise for a family member or friend, I am available for personalized shout-out videos on Cameo.
If you enjoyed this piece, be sure not to miss my other articles here on Pro Wrestling Stories:
- Vince McMahon Saves the Day for Future Endeavored Workers
- Remembering My Brother Randy Savage on His Birthday
- Randy and Liz’s Episode on Dark Side of the Ring
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