As we prepare to make the long trek to the United States to give Uncle Sam his due and visit family and friends I am gearing up mentally for the drive through a good portion of Mexico.
You have read about the topes which are essentially speed bumps that have proven to be low cost traffic controls. Also there are many mounds of pavement that I call ‘undocumented topes’. There are no signs when approaching these rascals – some blend in with the help of the sun and shade trees along the road or the pot holes and topes get missed when the roads are wet.
When you hit one of these without notice your head may meet your headliner; a cup of coffee held between your legs may drench you and if you are real unlucky you might see you gas tank lying in the street in your review mirror.
Then there is the Mexican driver. The freedom of Mexico includes driving without many rules; often with abandon. Young virile hombres zoom around passing on blind curves, traveling at excessive speeds and manning machines that would never pass muster in the more traffic civilized north. They bring new meaning to defensive driving.
Then the equipment violations. In Mexico these are pretty much accepted like costume malfunctions – sometimes things don’t work but whose complaining. If a truck or car is more than five years old there is a good possibility the brake lights and or tail lights no longer work. A missing headlight – well that is why there are two – one goes out you can drive with the other for many months or even years – no problem. Need more light? Just run that single lamp on bright – never mind it is nearly as easy to blind another driver with one bright light instead of two.
Equipment failures aside it seems like their horns always work – maybe it is because they are nearly in constant use – things tend to keep working when they are used often.
The marking or cautioning of broken or damaged roadway is not something to count on. I have driven right up to the precipice of a road many times without so much as a marker. On our trip to Puerto Escondido in February we notices in a few places where a full lane turned to three quarters of one, roadway simply broken away. Painted white rocks designated the less than complete pavement – in some cases the white-wash paint had nearly worn away over time or the ‘warning rocks had long since tumbled down the fault line.
Most readers have already made bail for another year with the U.S. taxman. We expatriates have the luxury of not filing until October 15th – however we must but fully paid up at the same time as the rest of you April 15th or before. The taxman cometh – there is no stopping him.
I am reminded of the very clever tune with great lyrics by Ray Stevens. “If Ten Percent Is Good Enough For Jesus (It Oughta Be Enough For Uncle Sam)”. Oh sure! I am pretty confident that my six figure earning son gives more to the taxmen than he gets out of the deal.
I tell my son that when I was earning the big bucks back in the sixties the highest tax bracket was 77 percent, and that was just Federal tax – this ancient history does not ease his pain however.
I also recall the year I started working at Capitol Records “Taxman“ written by George Harrison was released as the opening track on 1966 Beatle album Revolver. George had stated at the time, “Taxman” was when I first realized that even though we had started earning money, we were actually giving most of it away in taxes. The Beatles’ large earnings placed them in the top tax bracket in the United Kingdom, responsible to pay a 95% supertax introduced by Harold Wilson‘s Labour government. Ouch! I am sure this still does not ease my sons 44 percent plus tax pain.
“Let me tell you how it will be;
There’s one for you, nineteen for me.
‘Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.
Should five per cent appear too small,
Be thankful I don’t take it all.
If you drive a car – I’ll tax the street;
If you try to sit – I’ll tax your seat;
If you get too cold,– I’ll tax the heat;
If you take a walk, – I’ll tax your feet.
‘Cause I’m the taxman,
Yeah, I’m the taxman.
Don’t ask me what I want it for, (ah-ah, mister Wilson)
If you don’t want to pay some more. (ah-ah, mister heath)
All you U.S. folks are familiar with winning or losing ‘by a mile.’ You were raised on inches, feet, ounce, pounds etc. An ounce of prevention…. They want their pound of flesh…. Walk a mile in my shoes…. 100 yards to the goal… 90 feet between bases…. 0 to 60 (MPH) in 4 seconds….
In Mexico you will live the metric system and spend precious moments converting in your head so many things from the unique U.S. method. There are few that make the conversions that don’t end up figuring the metric system is a 100% better.
A standard set of prefixes in powers of ten are used to derive larger and smaller units from the base units. When you get the hang of it you will not want to go back.
Only three nations do not officially use the metric system as their system of measurement: Burma, Liberia and the United States. Is it arrogance or ignorance that keeps these three nations from adopting the International System of Units. Metric units are widely used around the world for personal, commercial and scientific purposes.
Metric Standard Countries in GREEN
If you are heading this way or planning on retiring to Mexico add learning the metric system to your need for Spanish lessons and dollar to peso conversion skills.
My take on this is the United States missed it by a 1.60935 kilometers on choosing a measurement system. Sunday I will be watching the Indianapolis 800 (kilometers) Race here in Mexico. Stay Tuned!
Cut flower bouquets and tequila are not exclusive to Mexico. The difference is in Mexico they are surprisingly affordable.
Take the Gladiolas and tequila you see gracing our counter in the photo . Twenty pesos or about a dollar fifty U.S. will get you those beautiful long stemmed gems at our local florist. You will need a tall vase and probably still cut a good portion off the stems at that.
Beautiful fresh cut flowers in a vase gracing our casa makes us feel like we are living like rico folks.
Did you know the long sword-like leaves give the gladiola its name? The Latin word gladiolus means long sword. Its relationship to lilies probably encouraged the nickname “Sword Lily”. The gladiola is actually a form of iris in the family Iridaceae. Happy gardeners who know how to grow gladiolas fondly call their easy-growing flowers, “glads”.
Now you might assume tequila can be possessed for a bargain here in Mexico. The truth is Don Julio and Patron do not come cheap. Jarana does at 94 pesos or seven dollars and a quarter for 1200 ml (not the 750 ml fifth so common in the U.S.).
The Calypsos love taste tests. We blind test water, coffee, wine and tequila; and oh so much more food and drink. Jarana Tequila has come up as a clear winner – well a color of gold winner.
Glad tidings of cut flower bouquets and savory libations can make you feel like you are living large South of the Border! Stay Tuned!
Vacation season is coming fast. Some of you may plan on a trip to Mexico. Here in Mexico we have a situation called “Mordida” (bite). It has been going on a long time in this country and doesn’t look to be ending any time soon. Mordida is essentially giving a ‘payoff’ to avoid a more problematic traffic ticket.
If you have actually perpetrated a traffic infraction mordida might be called expedient justice. In this instance it is efficient and usually will cost less than a comparable infraction in the United States; if nothing else it will not have an effect on your insurance and driving record.
Mordida fees generally run from 50 pesos to as much as 1500 pesos. It is mostly administered with threatening actions about how you will pay more, be delayed or possibly have your vehicle impounded etc. So that when you do give up a couple 500 pesos notes you will go away relieved, until you have time to stew on it.
Understand that the penalty fee is negotiable. The more intestinal fortitude you possess the less you will pay. This does not mean the one that shouts the loudest wins – quite the contrary. You must remain calm and polite at all times. You can be firm about your stand but this must be done in a respectable manner. In Mexico generally there will be no gain in exhibiting an upset demeanor – none.
We advise not carrying much money in your wallet with your license. DO NOT flash a lot of cash – this is their money in your possession. We usually have a 50 peso and two 100 peso notes – no more. If you don’t have pesos yet then a five and two tens.
We use a laminated copy of our actual driver’s license – not the original. It is in a cheap wallet with a few expired credit cards and a temporary membership card to AARP. A few photos are a nice touch – but if they take your wallet it won’t be missed. I have heard of a wallet being held – but have not experienced this.
On one occasion I was asked if the license I provided was an original. I explained it was a copy as I didn’t want to lose the original – nothing further was said on that. Do not lie to them.
There are a few things you can do to lessen the mordida fee or have it expunged all together. The first I have brought up several times. If we are motioned to pull over by a uniformed person standing next to or in the street, we ignore them and continue driving. Of course this takes great courage – ignoring a police officer’s attempt to detain you.
When you spot ahead one of these uniformed bandits, avoid eye contact as you approach and pass them. This will substantiate your story if need be.
We have done this more than a dozen times and NEVER have we been chased down. If we do get sopped by an officer with transportation – the plan is simple – we didn’t see the person motioning to us to pull over – simple. Again, we have never been tracked down and we have driven past no less than 12 attempts to pull us over.
If you have been here a while you have heard all that. Here is some additional information:
There is a public workers union office specifically charged with investigating police matters and dismissing corrupt officials. Sindicatura is the name of the outfit. That is: SEEN-DEE-KAH-TOO-RA. Regardless of the bribing officer’s ability to understand your Spanish or English, the officer will understand this word. Declaring the word is like driving a stake into Count Dracula’s heart. Actually calling in the Sindicatura group is like notifying ‘Internal Affairs’.
The mere mention of Sindicatura will most likely end any further effort to relieve you of your money.
If the officer offers the option of going to the Police Station when you know you have not broken some driving law – tell the officer you do want to go to talk to Juez Califvador (WHES CAL-EEF-AH-DOR). This is a qualifying judge. This person will determine whether the fine amount and accused violation(s) is reasonable and appropriate.
Using either of these two words and methods will most often be perceived as too much trouble. You will be kindly told to move on.
Others have suggested having a camera handy to capture a photo of the officer. Although I have yet to try to grab a photo – this can be a sign of disrespect and might even lead to losing your camera – no experience here on that.
We notify the officer right off – first thing- we live here in Mexico. Occasionally that alone will end the bribe attempt. Their designs are on the fearful and uneducated. They don’t need to get into a verbal joust or engage potential problems – there are plenty of others, read most that will fearfully and willingly shell out the dough.
Write these words down on paper. Put it in your glove box – a copy in all your cars. Mordida is a fact of life in Mexico. The situation is a lot less threatening than a new visitor usually perceives. We find the police pleasant and even considerate – willing to ‘forgive’ or strike a deal or respond to reason like the two words above. Stay Tuned!
I have read Arizona’s SB 1070 Statute – it disgusts me. Someone that supports Arizona’s new law SB 1070 wrote to me in its defense, “…I would like to point out that even the new Mexican Consulate assigned to Arizona says that Mexico respects the law and sovereigns of the USA/Arizona in [its] laws, and added that they don’t have to like it.”
I would expect such diplomacy from the Mexican Consulate. However it is apparent that diplomacy is not Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s strong suit.
If there is any question as to Mexico’s take on SB 1070 I include here a political cartoon found in the Opinion Section of Friday’s Xalapa Diario, our areas daily newspaper.
Political Cartoon – Xalapa Diario – Friday May 14th, 2010
I will translate for those not speaking Spanish:
The Heading: All Against the Witch Jan Brewer
Boicot = Boycott Repudio = Repudiate
Ms. Brewer comments in the balloon, “Bring more fuel — all (those) with ‘Mecsican’ and Latino faces!”
And we see Obama’s hand trying to pull witch Jan back.
A distinct advantage to retirement is we can access hot water when it is available. For working folk hot water use is usually concentrated in the morning or evening – but not so for we retired types.
Disclaimer: The Calypso’s are frugal; some have actually referred to us as cheap.
We recently read a Blog where there was conversation about the ATM machines charging more for their use here in Mexico. An anonymous commenter took several to task for complaining about such a trivial charge and how we should expect to pay for the convenience and the cost of maintaining the machine etc.
All well and good and perhaps true – however we fixed income types never seem to catch a break – everything goes up and up and up!
Now here is a savings tip for the frugal at heart that includes an environmental pat on the back.
One of the recommendations the frugal traveling Calypso’s have made is the Coleman Solar Camping Shower bag. This is merely a 5 gallon capacity plastic bag with a vinyl plastic tube capped with a sprinkler nozzle.
We have found one can easily take a shower with five gallons of water. This includes a total clean-up and hair washing. The other day we were up at Rancho del Cielo. I wasn’t sure how much propane gas we had in the tank; it had been a while since our last visit. I decided to breakout the solar water heater bag. It is our hottest month of the year here in Xico, prime time to put the sun to work.
If you have been reading along I have mentioned our solar oven on more than one occasion. That too is a great gas saving device we use regularly. Now the solar bag for still more environmental saving fun!
The Coleman bag requires about 3 hours of sun to heat up a nice 5-gallon shower. It is easy to transport; and a bit difficult to heft with 40 pounds of water – but it works nicely.
A for instance: Two weeks in Puerto Escondido – the room rental will be no less than 100 pesos additional if hot water is included; often the upgrade is even higher. Currently 100 pesos is $8.00 U.S. per day. Eight dollars times 14 days equals $112.00 savings minimally. And you are helping the environment while saving!
Using the Coleman at the Ranchito got me to thinking. We decided we want to make a solar hot water collector with a more sophisticated delivery system. This won’t be one of those $2500 and up systems – remember we are the FRUGAL Calypso’s. We hope you follow along with this project. I will give this project its own category (Solar Water Heater) so you can follow it unencumbered from the rest of the blather – so Stay Tuned!
In the “What is Different About Living in Mexico” category we must add the fact that here in Xico and many parts of Mexico there are no animal ownership restrictions. You can own a pig; or a cow; a goat; a mule or burro; or four dogs and a cat and a horse – any combination or quantity thereof. Of course much running a fowl by turkeys, chickens, ducks and geese.
The Calypso’s co-exist with a variety of farm animals as well as domestic dogs and cats. Our Fraccionamiento (neighborhood) gives new meaning to the words free range – the chickens mingle with the burros and horses; pigs are heard squealing from over our wall. We are never surprised to see a horse or goat chomping away in our yard.
I mentioned a while a back that horses have the right of way on our roads around these parts. This is true for our yards as well. Fence ‘em in or fence ‘em out – no fence means no offense.
Across from our rental casa in Xico there are two grassy vacant lots. Goats, burros, mules and horses are often staked out in those lots to graze.
Not being a particularly knowledgeable ‘horse person’ there is no difference between a BIG horse and a pregnant one in my eyes.
For a few months now there has been a lovely paint mare occasionally staked out in lots here and there. I had remarked at the size, the girth, of this particular steed.
Getting up early the other morning I noticed a new addition to the neighborhood prancing about in the lot across. No need to stake out the little ones – they do not stray far from mama. I grabbed my camera. I learned this little colt was less than 48 hours old.
There are few things cuter than a new born animal of any variety – this little colt was no exception to that rule. Gangling and awkward with gobs of innocence thrown in, all legs with a head of disproportionate large size the new-born was sure to capture attention. And always close to mom.
In the United States today is Mother’s Day. In Mexico Mother’s Day is tomorrow – go figure on that one.
Sunday or Monday – Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms; and to our new mom across the street. She would make all you moms proud as she openly demonstrates her loving and protective nature for her little one.
When it settled down to nudging moms under side for a brief suckle I noticed the star smack dab in the middle of the little colt’s forehead. Indeed a star had been born. Stay Tuned!
The bathroom experience is quite different south of the border. For those uninitiated there are areas of Mexico where the flushing of toilet tissue is not allowed. You need to deposit your tissues in a container next to the tasa (toilet).
You might imagine that in a public setting this can be rather disgusting. Even in public restrooms where everything is flushed away often the environment is left in despicable condition. Inconsideration for one’s fellow men behind closed (stall) doors runs rampant regardless of the country.
Add to this an open container with spent toilet tissues in a public setting and well you get the idea – not pretty.
We have stopped at public restrooms in Mexico where there is a bucket of water to fill the back toilet tank after use; and of course the occasional soil pit outhouse. But, even in some very nice public places you will leave your soiled tissues in a waste container.
The other day we were viewing a partially completed casa for sale. In the bathroom there was a fine dark green toilet. But the base of the toilet was covered more than half way up with smeared cement.
Here in Mexico many times you will find instead of using a wax seal to affix the toilet to the drain pipe the toilet either rocks on the pipe or it has been cemented to the floor.
If the seal between the pipe and the toilet effluent exit is leaky – then merely cement around the bowl so the fluid doesn’t leak out on the floor area – you might imagine what collects beyond the pipe connection within the toilet base.
I have read of Mexico travelers that travel with their own toilet seat. The hinged seats are not common around these parts. Our rental for example which was brand new when we moved in was without toilet seats.
You might consider bringing your own, although don’t plan on bolting one down anywhere – the toilet seat bolt pattern is different in Mexico. You will have to buy one south of the border to get a fit.
While toting your own bowl seat cover might seem extreme – do not travel without your own toilet tissue. It is often not found in public restrooms.
Hot Wheels Plunged into bathroom humor with its “Hot Seat” toilet bowl car.
Like third wire grounded electrical receptacles and drain pipe vents; wax seals, proper drainage systems and toilet seats are not standard building practices in Mexico.
Have you noticed how prevalent bathroom humor is in movies these days? I detest bathroom humor. Compost toilets anyone? Stay Tuned!
The Arizona law, which also makes it a state crime to lack immigration papers, is the toughest measure against illegal immigration in the United States. It has been denounced by a wide range of people, including U.S. President Obama and Colombian pop star Shakira. In a Gallup poll, 51% of Americans who’d heard of the Arizona law supported it; 39% of those who had not heard of the law supported it. Its backers say it is needed to stem the tide of illegal immigration into Arizona, the current favored gateway across the Mexican border.
Blog comments are often passed over; also they are often valuable to the subject at hand. If you are reading this Blog within Global Post News then the comments will not appear unless you go to the original Blog here.
Two comments appeared on the previous Blog entry from my friend Greg Schell. With Greg’s permission I am including both comments here in their entirety. He explains who he is and enlightens us by way of his expertise about the newly enacted Arizona immigration statue. It is long, but well worth reading:
I have worked for the past 30 years as a public interest lawyer providing free legal assistance to migrant farm workers with regard to employment problems. I have seen this debate from both sides, because over the years, I have represented U.S. workers who have been unfairly denied jobs in favor of immigrants, as well as literally thousands of undocumented workers who have been exploited at the hands of unscrupulous employers and landlords in the United States.
The debate regarding the recently-enacted Arizona statute is not about the wisdom of controlling borders. Most folks agree that all nations need to have the ability to control who enters their country.
The issue with the Arizona law is the means of accomplishing this objective. Although Governor Brewer promises training for law enforcement personnel on the “proper” means of determining who can be reasonably suspected of being undocumented, neither the governor nor anyone else has explained what the indicia of undocumented status are, independent of ethnic background.
The courts have struggled with similar issues in cases involving over-zealous efforts by Border Patrol and have attempted to articulate what constitute objective means to permit questioning and detention of a person regarding possible unlawful immigration presence.
These standards do not appear terribly objective – the refusal of a person to look the Border Patrol officer in the eye, furtive glances, carrying a lot of belongings, etc. These “objective” standards seem mighty arbitrary and in practice, courts have frequently found that these standards are only used WITHIN a targeted ethnic or racial group, rather than applied across the population as a whole.
It seems likely that in spite of all the training law enforcement personnel receive regarding the Arizona law; its provisions will be directed almost exclusively at ethnic and racial minorities. It is difficult to imagine how these enforcement efforts will not devolve into fairly transparent racial profiling.
The vast majority of undocumented immigrants, including most from Mexico, are drawn to the U.S. by the availability of jobs. Those who seek to control unauthorized immigration should demand that enforcement efforts be directed at those parts of U.S. society which are the principal magnet for most unauthorized immigrants, namely employers.
Although the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act imposed sanctions on employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers, virtually no U.S. employers have been prosecuted for such violations and, when prosecutions occur, only lower level supervisors, often immigrants themselves, bear the brunt of the penalties. Company CEOs and others who benefit the most from the availability of cheap, exploitable labor have virtually never been fined or jailed for violations of these portions of the immigration laws.
This is partially due to an enormous loophole in the 1986 statute – employers are not obligated to verify the validity of the documents job applicants present when seeking employment.
While this may have been sensible in 1986, with the technological advances of the past 25 years, the e-verify system, which almost instantaneously matches an applicant’s Social Security number against the data base of the Social Security Administration, should be at the center of enforcement efforts.
The Social Security database still has errors – studies have shown several percent of the verification efforts result in errors – these problems can be rectified through better technology and reasonable safeguards. Until e-verify or some comparable system is in place, employers can continue to wink at the law’s requirements and hire with impunity unauthorized workers who present fraudulent documents.
Once verification of employment documents is made mandatory and still penalties are adopted and enforced on employers who continue to flout the law’s requirements, there will be considerably less attraction for undocumented individuals to travel to the U.S. in search of employment.
The impact on civil liberties from an e-verify system, with the Social Security card becoming a de facto national ID card, pales in comparison to the sort of roughshod trampling on individual liberties which will result from misguided efforts such as the Arizona law. The nation can then direct its efforts on trying to craft provisions that allow a controlled number of guest workers to enter the U.S. to meet genuine economic shortages, a system with far more protections for guest workers than under current law.
Unfortunately, under the current political climate in the U.S., it is difficult to imagine a deliberate and reasoned discussion of this polarizing issue. Most informed observers speculate that it will be years, maybe even decades, until the U.S. undertakes and completes a comprehensive review and restructuring of its immigration laws. In the interim, sadly, laws such as those passed by Arizona will continue to pop up, which will only serve to further divide the country over these issues.
Second Comment (In response to another reader’s comment):
The Arizona law differs from federal law in several important respects. First, it criminalizes “illegal presence” by unauthorized immigrants. Under federal law, it is a crime to unlawfully enter the country, but once in the U.S., unauthorized presence is not a crime, but an administrative violation of immigration laws with deportation, rather than imprisonment, the sanction ([Recall] the highly-publicized enforcement efforts at the meatpacking plant in Iowa involved prosecution of the unauthorized workers for the crime of document fraud, that is, using fraudulent documents to obtain employment).
Second, enforcement of immigration laws has traditionally remained in the hands of the federal agency that regulates immigration, most recently the Department of Homeland Security. The Arizona law places enforcement responsibilities on local police, which is problematic for several reasons. The police are not well-trained in the intricacies of immigration law and almost certainly will end up arresting folks who, in fact, have lawful status in the U.S.
[Third], enforcement of immigration laws runs counter to the primary job of police officers, preserving order and protection of the public against criminals. If unauthorized immigrants are subject to arrest by local police solely because of their undocumented status, very few of them will report crimes (unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. are frequently the target of crimes) or step forward as witnesses to assist the police in investigating and prosecuting crimes. For this reason, the majority of police chiefs who have taken a public position on the Arizona law have OPPOSED it, knowing full well the detrimental impact it will have on the ability of law enforcement officers to prosecute criminals.
In the news today it is reported Arizona Legislature is already modifying the language to tone it down. I encourage readers to go to the original Blog entry and read the comments. Your comments are welcome – Stay Tuned!
