David Simmonds

One of the first things I counsel people about when they contact me about their desire to move to Mexico is that they need to make damn sure they know what they are getting in to. They usually know about the many benefits of living in a paradise for up to one-half the cost and the the interesting culture where people mostly practice the live-and-let-live philosophy. What many don’t consider sufficiently is how they will adjust to being a minority, or how much they will miss home, or what it’s like to change shirts three times a day when the humidity hits.

I always advise people to rent a place for several months before moving their stuff down. Many find that six months is a good experience, but the American life of the 21st century is where they are most comfortable. The corner convenience store open 24/7, local TV news blandly covering the latest house fire…the security of the familiar. But once they decision has been made, and they decide to go for it, the more minute decisions are considered. And one of the most important is what do you take and how do you get it there? The best advice is to move the stuff that you abolutely need but not everything you think you want. If you have a large house to fill you might want to move some beds and some furniture, but keep in mind that Mexico makes beautiful furniture that is going to be more practical than the Early American set that you purchased three decades ago. In very humid areas of Mexico you will want wood pieces that do well in that environment, and you don’t want things that rust easily if you are near the coast. You will want to take your computer equiptment and some other electronics, but you never know for sure what mood the custom inspector will be in…they have been known to supplement their incomes while haggling these issues. And you, the harried traveler, are not in a good negotiating position, as you just want to be on your way.

Which brings us to what I believe is a good solution: hire someone who knows what they are doing to move your goods for you. One such company, based in San Miguel de Allende, is SanMiguelMoving.com http://www.sanmiguelmoving.com/. They use a 26 foot trailer and will move you anywhere in Mexico. Prices generally run in the $4,000 - $12,000 range, depending on where and how much. They have a quote form on their web site and you can email them direct at SanMiguelMoving@gmail.com . The also offer auto delivery if you just want to fly in but have your car when you arrive.

Moving to another country is a big deal, and will stress you considerably at the beginning. You can lessen the physically hard part of it by contracting out to people who are experienced.

David Simmonds 

Working in Mexico is not easy for foreigners. Unless you are sponsored by a company based in Mexico you are prohibited from being employed as long as a Mexican can do the same job. Of course, there are exceptions. You can always find gringos selling condo timeshares in Cabo, PV and Cancun, and others find ways to work under the radar, hoping they don’t get caught. If/when they do get caught they are often expelled from the country and may have a hard time gaining entry again for some time. Generally, if you own a business you can work that business, but may even be limited there in what duties you can perform.

Now that you know you probably can’t work in Mexico, I’m going to tell you that you can. This web site http://www.esljobs.com/mexico/tesltefl-in-mexico-2/ contains a constant stream of jobs teaching English in Mexico. I counted 20 job opportunities that have been posted in just the last 2 months. Some only pay $600 - 700 a month or so, including room and board, but a Mexico City job pays $1400 plus housing and a food allowance. Speaking Spanish is generally not required, and is seen as a negative in some cases.

This is a great way to spend a year. You won’t get wealthy, but you will be enriched. Guaranteed.

David Simmonds 

In one of the least surprising news stories of the day, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State Department announced that it will be another year (June 2009) before the new ID requirement takes affect for border crossers. They must be a little backed up working on that border fence that will never get built, or perhaps brainstorming something akin to having all plane passengers remove their shoes before boarding. That one was inspired genius.

 Evidently there is something called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (rumors of Dr. Strangelove being involved are highly exaggerated), that, when fully enacted, will make us all a lot safer…or is it paranoid? I wonder if the delay has anything to do with the timing of the  presidential election next fall. You know, not wanting one more inconvenience to be layed on the $3.50 a gallon voting public shortly before going to the polls. No, that would be way too cynical a thought. Forget I said that.

Mazatlan

(Land of Monuments and Chicken Feet)

by Richard Kiser
This is the second of a three-part series on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.
 Welcome to Mazatlan. Step out to the veranda and take a deep breath -pure Mexico fills the lungs. Your eyes are greeted by an industrial marina and the worker ants are very busy. Time to set out on our next adventure. In order to get to the main gate for cruise passengers you must first hop on a little trolley that winds it’s way through cargo containers and moving forklifts –sort of like a mechanized bull fight with steroids involved. We were dropped off in front of the exit and moved through the building that contains every Mexican trinket you can think of. Exiting the building we were greeted by the entire Mexican tourist bureau. Tip #1- I suggest to everyone who is going to hire a taxi for the day to make sure your driver speaks English well, maybe have some questions in mind to force them to demonstrate their English ability. What we found was when it comes to negotiating a price for the day where money is involved they all speak perfect English. Enter Henry. While we are talking money, this guy does everything but quote Shakespeare to demonstrate his command of the language. We hire him for $60 for the day. We climb into his open air taxi and are set to go, just one thing, we are parked in. As he tries to extricate the taxi I am thinking about Austin Powers, one inch forward, one inch back repeat 20 times. As we pull out he mumbles something about his English no being so good—whatever. We’re off! We wind our way through the marina district headed to the hills and beautiful coastal views that only mainland Mexico has to offer.  Travel tip #2 - take 2 cameras, extra batteries and memory sticks.  Within 5 photos, Laura’s camera craps out, my camera runs out of memory and that sinking feeling takes place. Luckily, our cameras use the same memory and disaster is averted.  This part of the tour is where no buses will take you, hillside homes, narrow and hilly streets with great views of the ocean and the city of Mazatlan. If you take this route you will see many homes under construction and you realize they definitely have different building codes than the U.S. and from this moment on we were not entering a multi-story structure. Here come the monuments. We leave the hills and head north along the coast. This stretch is marked with a monument every 20 feet. (Small exaggeration)  Henry drops us off in front of cliff divers just getting ready to perform. I have just enough time to snap a photo of the diver platform and I catch the diver in midair, perfect. We wander a little bit and find a monument to a mermaid and her child, this is a serendipitous moment as Laura has brought Dominic with us in the hopes of leaving a little bit of him behind in beautiful and meaningful places. (Dominic passed away the previous week). We continue viewing coastal monuments from motorcycle policeman to beer making, the only one I thought was missing was a bronze of the Frito Bandito, more on this later. Off to downtown. Downtown Mazatlan is alive. Narrow streets, beautiful buildings that give you a feeling of Europe and traffic congestion to complete the feel. Henry drops us off and we head to the Mexican version of Wal-Mart. The market is a block size building containing 30 stands that sell exactly the same tourist stuff but also fresh produce you will never see in the states, and the best part, meat stands featuring pig heads, assorted entrails, and of course chicken feet. We did look for iguana on a stick but had no luck. So instead we watched the little “Mexican Deli’s” located through out the market. Now remember, there is no FDA in Mexico and we have already viewed the slicing, dicing and handling of meat and poultry without  the sanitary standards we take for granted -time to eat. We found a stand with several locals and decided to take the plunge. We ordered and while waiting watched the locals to gain the proper application of condiments to our food. Mission accomplished and no one got sick. Next stop Forte de Mazatlan. Heading north, across from the El Cid resort hotel is a private country club and armed guards. This area is where the Mexican Mafia along with Americans and Canadians choose to live. Why? Remember the Frito Bandito? Kidnappings happen every day in this area of Mexico. The homes in this area go from about 350K upwards. Nice setting, golf, tennis, pool and spa.  We stop at the club house and have a margarita while watching some tennis. Tip #3. Just pretend you belong. Off to find another special place for Dominic. 

About a mile north is the gold zone. This area is way developed and has several ocean front palapas. Henry takes us to the first spot - an ocean front restaurant that he has a deal with. We reject it and after 3 u-turns and a couple of miles, accept it. Great lunch, great margaritas, and the music playing was the Mexican version of “I did it my way”. This was played at Dominic’s life celebration and it was only natural for Dominic to also rest here. A small sprinkle of eternal life and love and it’s time to head back to the ship. I wonder what’s for dinner?

We’ve all been there, right?. You have just spent a day and a half dealing with airports, unplanned layovers and flight delays, knee-destroying plane seats, humorless flight personnel, lost luggage, a view-room that overlooks a parking lot…but it’s OK, because now you’re on the beach, settling into a bright-blue wooden beach chair with a cold Pacifico floating in a bucket of ice and a fresh shrimp cocktail on order. Your heart beat clicks down to about 120 as you gaze out to sea as all your life troubles suddenly seem trivial, or at least manageable. Life is damn good. This well-deserved peace lasts about, oh, two minutes, when the first “salesman” squats next to you, welcoming you to paradise, and oh, by the way, how about a nice piece of “real silver” jewelry, and if that doesn’t work he happens to have a line on some good ganja or blow, or his cousin gives a great massage.

 Now most of us don’t want to be rude. After all, the beach hawkers work very hard and make very little. It’s good, honest work (the part about the drugs is actually rare) and they deserve your respect and kindness. But what you really want is to just be left alone to chill with your numb thoughts. So, how do you handle this without being a crass jerk? First, learn these three words of Spanish ” no gracias, amigo (a)”. Say this in a friendly manner, but with no equivocation. And above all, do not so much as glance at their merchandise, unless, of course, you really are in a buying mood. Then you are likely to barter a good price compared to the shops, as there is no storefront overhead for the seller. Once you show any degree of interest you have opened a door that will not easily close. If you can’t remember the three words, gaze straight ahead and simply shake your head. Generally, the same people work the same beach day after day and they all know one another. Eventually, it will be known that you are not a buyer and will be left alone, more or less.

In town it’s the time-share people who you encounter. It varies from beach town to town, but generally they have a small booth on the sidewalk. They might employ a “hook” to entice you, like “free information” or “$25.00 jeep rental”, and like all successful vultures, they can spot you  two blocks away. You, the savvy traveler, have a couple of workable options. One, when you see you are approaching  a sales booth, cross the street. Of course, you could spend way too much time doing this and it increases your chances of getting run over and badly maimed. A better method is to look and act like a local. If they perceive this they will leave you alone. This means walking with a purpose, like you know where you’re going, even though you have no clue. Lose the bright new t-shirt that advertises the local cantina and the straw hat with the multi-colored headband. Try to have tanned legs and arms. If they still come on to you, and you feel obligated to repsond, just say “I live here”. They’ll probably know you’re lying, but they won’t push the conversation.

Then, when you actually move to magical Mexico and find that time-share sales are one of your only employment opportunities, you will despise people like me who share their dubious wisdom.

There is a genuine land rush going on anywhere near the beach in Mexico. Prices are rising very fast, with village after village near the major tourist areas experiencing price escalations that are sometimes hard to believe. The coast line north of Puerto Vallarta, mostly in the state of Nayarit, has been designated as the next major area of development by the Mexican government, and the cost of ownership has skyrocketed. Not surprisingly, rumor has it that ex-president Fox owns a good chunk of that coast acquired before leaving his six-year term, which may be a factor in why it has been targeted (ya think?).

I have seen houses selling for $500,000 - $700,00 that would have been $50,00 ten years ago and $20,000 ten years before that . A little village 1 ½ hours north of PV is selling ocean lots (just the dirt) for $400,000. If you do find something for a steal, it’s probably ejido land, which legally can’t be transferred to a private party until it becomes regularized….a daunting and complex procedure. Developers are buying up large tracts of land for future development. The same thing is taking place on the Riviera Maya, the Los Cabos region, just south of Tijuana in Baja Norte, Zihuatenejo/Ixtapa, and Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) and other beach locales. Much of what is not in the cross-hairs is still ejido land.

Are there still deals to be found? Yes, but you really have to scratch and search. A more compelling question is where will it go from here? Will the declining prices in the U.S. filter down to Mexico? If so, by how much? Rationally, I have to believe that there will be a price adjustment, but a lot of the buyers these days are coming from all over the world, which might keep prices rising.

So, where does the smart money go now? Don’t tell anyone, but I like the area around Manzanillo, a town that has stayed below the tourist radar due to a lack of flights into their airport from the U.S. The town itself is not the best, but the surrounding areas, in the state of Colima, is as beautiful as Mexico gets…and you’ll pay less than ½ the price of today’s hot markets.

                                                         Cabo San Lucas
                                 (You too can be a proportional owner of the arch)

by Richard Kiser
This is the first of a three-part series on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.

It’s about 6AM and we are approaching our first port –Cabo San Lucas. I was sleepless
and found myself walking the deck and soaking in the view when it happened. The
sky was clear and the ocean motionless. I was facing east just as the sun was rising.
I’m sure you all have heard of the green flash; here is a new one for you, the yellow
burst. Just as the tip of the sun appeared, it seemed to me I had just witnessed one of
the most amazing sights in my life. A small flicker of yellow and then the birth of a new
day. Wow!

We take a ship tender to the marina with no thought as to what we are going to do
ashore. There was some discussion the previous sea day involving a rent-a car that I
strongly objected to. My idea of a vacation in Mexico has nothing to do with driving,
driving while drinking and bribe money or Mexican hospitals. Laura was not pleased,
but the point is made clear later.

Bouncing along the marina we are approached by every vendor, boat trip, jewelry
sales person known to man. I was wishing for a can of Raid. We decided to head to the
office of a friend of mine who sells yachts. As we approach David’s office we meet
Ernesto, nice smile, great English and a deal we can’t refuse, a paid shore excursion.
This is what we were promised for a 90 minute time share presentation: $100 in pesos,
2 tee shirts, a bottle of tequila, lunch, drinks and roundtrip transportation in writing.
Our taxi driver is great! Along the way to the resort he points out places of interest, celebrity homes, and general pleasantry’s. Suddenly I feel Laura’s fingernails digging into
my knee. I look at her and her face is displaying a bit of alarm. She points forward to
the road and whispers “The road arrows for traffic are pointing at us”.  About the same
time our driver points out the traffic accidents where fatalities took place the day before
and that they were rental cars with Americans involved. I did my best not be smug face
here.

I have a question for you. If you know you are going to be lied to is it OK to lie back?
The resort is beautiful. Our paperwork is handed off and check-in begins. Usual stuff.
Are you married? Yes. Why are your address’ different? Laura, you really need to do
something about that. Where is your wedding ring? As I answer with “I left all jewelry on
board for safety”, Laura is removing her ring and putting it on her ring finger. Good job!
After the tour it is time for the closer. I don’t remember his name but he did have a nice
watch. The price starts out at $49,500. It drops to $24,500. We decline. Enter closer
#2. A nice woman who drops the price to $10,000. Closer #3 arrives and the final offer
is $2995. Let’s get our goodies. Of course they try and leave out the lunch and drinks
but Laura stands pat. Lunch was great and I bought the drinks –whatever. Back to the
marina. Taxi time. We get dropped off at the office –home of topless strippers and baracho y loco.

The Office is located about 3 miles walking distance from David’s office so we had a
pleasant stroll along the beach and marina boardwalk. Arriving at David’s office I realize
he has moved—crap! Time for a drink. We sit in the front corner and order an adult
beverage. Within 5 minutes I hear a familiar voice– it’s David. He has been selling yachts in Cabo for the past several years and has attained duel citizenship. He explains to us the whole concept of proportional ownership (new name for time share). This is mind boggling. He points out a development on the hillside and explains that the total cost of construction is 40 million. It is all pre-sold and the total revenue generated is 640 million—almost all proportional ownership.

The watch: David shares a story about his visit to the local pawn shop. He asks to see
the watch collection. The owner opens the safe and displays thousands of dollars in
worth of watches. The owner explains that they all belonged to time share salesmen.
The first thing they do upon arriving and being successful is to purchase an expensive
watch. When the economy, life, or anything else goes south they use the watch as get-
out-of-town money. The other tidbit David dropped on us was how to put down the can of Raid and just use your index finger for the same result. When approached by a vendor just raise your index finger and wag it back and forth –just the finger and not the wrist without making eye contact. This worked like a charm for all future stops.
Our last tour of Cabo was of million dollar yachts. I am guessing it was Laura’s first
time really looking at one and her comment was “I could do this for a couple of weeks”.
Nothing like a vision. Hmmm, I wonder what’s for dinner? Home.

Street Food in Mexico…Is it Safe?

For the most part, it’s not only safe…it is cheap and it is good. In 35 years of traveling Mexico I have been taken ill from bad food many times. But I can’t think of one time that I could trace the problem back to eating street food. And in recent years I rarely get sick…ever. And it’s not because I have become “used” to it, somehow convincing rogue bacteria that they are powerless trying to invade my aging immune system. Sanitation and proper food preparation have improved immensely in Mexico over the past 10 years or so, and if you use just a little common sense and pray daily to the juju gods you can chow down at the street stands just like the locals.

The first thing you should look for when choosing your street food is to discover who is doing all of the business. If a street stand operator is dishing tainted food he’ll be out of business in a week. The locals know who has safe food and just as importantly, who has good food. You can fill up on three sizzling meat-filled tacos (try to find the stand that is cooking with mesquite wood for the best flavor) for under $2.00. There is usually a small tienda nearby to grab a soda, beer or bottle of water. Generally, you’ll order what you want and they’ll hand over your plate in a minute or so. Load up the tacos with the bowls of salsa, guacamole, onions, cilantro, etc. Find a place on the street or lean against the counter to enjoy your meal. Then you pay the lady at the cash register after you have finished. You can find open stands all day, but many don’t open until the evening, staying in business late into the night. A couple of tacos right after a night of cantina-hopping will lessen the hangover symptoms immensely the next morning…or so I have been told.

Having your own transportation while traveling in Mexico has many advantages. You’re not spending hours in airports and bus stations, you can go wherever a road takes you, no time schedule and no annoying people (other than your travel partner who sings the same Led

Zeppelin song hour after endless hour). Of course, there is a downside of having the responsibility of knowing how to drive in Mexico, auto insurance, fuel costs, plowing into farm animals…and getting lost.

I’ll cover driving in Mexico in more detail another time, but for now I just want to encourage you to give it a try and to get a good road map. There used to be limited resources for maps, but now most of the major book stores and the better guide books carry them, or you can use the web. These web sites: www.mexicoroadlogs.com and www.maps-of-mexico.com/mexico_states.shtml do a good job covering most of the roads, and you can buy and download just certain regions or the entire country.

I like traveling between towns in a car, but it is also nice to have even if you have one destination where you are staying and want to see the nearby areas. A compact car can usually be rented for $20 - 30 per day. You can get the best deal by going to the major car rentals’ web sites and doing your booking online or by calling their 800 number. Many times the cost of the car for two days will equal the cab ride to and from your hotel. Just make sure you know where you’re going…and carry a good map.

When I first started traveling to Mexico, carrying money was an issue. Dollars were accepted in the border areas, but deeper in Mexico you had to have pesos. These days you can spend gringo dollars in the tourist towns throughout the country, but it is best to convert your money to Mexican money. You won’t be perceived as a rookie Mexico traveler (which increases the chance that you might get fleeced) and you don’t have to do mental math calculations when they give you change in pesos (not recommended while slamming margaritas in a cantina). When a six-pack of beer at a market is marked at 39 pesos you pay that amount in the local currency just like a local. If you pay with a $20 US bill, the clerk, if he accepts your $20, will give you change in pesos using a conversion scale to his liking. Most likely you will pay more for the brew that way.

I always save a wad of pesos from a trip so that I have will them available for the next time…usually around $50 - $100. That way, if I am flying in, I have pesos as soon as I land. The airport may have a bank window or a casa de cambio (money exchange), but they aren’t always open when you need them. The large airports (i.e.,Mexico City) now have ATM’s, but many do not. I also carry a couple of $100 US bills in a safe place (not my wallet) for emergencies at odd hours. Years ago everyone used travelers checks, requiring waiting in bank lines in order to cash them, which was a huge hassle. In the last seven years or so ATM’s have become very common all over Mexico, at least in any town large enough to have a bank. An ATM will offer you the best conversion rate and will leave you a legitimate paper trail. A case de cambio is the second best option, but that is for converting your US dollars into pesos, which requires that you carry cash. Why carry cash that you might lose when you can use plastic, getting enough cash every day for that day’s needs? The ATM’s also handle cash advances for Visa and Mastercard.