[Edited on 12-15-2009 by BajaNomad]The Gull - 12-14-2009 at 07:10 AM
One would hope that Bob Dawson understands the rules of working and running a business in Mexico. After announcing he is doing both, he could be
visited by authorities.bajabass - 12-14-2009 at 07:51 AM
At last a story that concentrates more on the positive than most we have seen in over two years!arrowhead - 12-14-2009 at 09:32 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by bajabass
At last a story that concentrates more on the positive than most we have seen in over two years!
Well, I guess people get out of a story what they are looking for. Here is what I saw after reading it and watching the video:
1. Live in Mexico in a 24-hour secured Gringo Ghetto.
2. Drive an old car so as to not draw any attention to yourself.
3. Stash money in your old car in case of you-know-what.
4. Go to the abarrote and order your meat in English, because you live in a Gringo Ghetto and after years in Mexico, still cannot say "one-half kilo"
in Spanish.
5. The 17-year old Mexican soldiers with loaded high-powered rifles pointing at you make you feel "safer".
6. Go visit your son, the joto (puka shell necklace who manages a spa, give me a break! ) who lives on a dirt street with weeds and untagged dogs
wandering around, across a four-lane toll road from the beach, and call it "paradise".SteveD - 12-14-2009 at 09:50 AM
We get the first really positive story in a major US newspaper (First Page, no less!) and two of the first three comments from Nomads are negative.
Give me a break!surebought - 12-14-2009 at 10:36 AM
I live in relative tranquility in Ensenada. I live inside the city on a paved street with nice neighbors and my electricity didn't go out during the
last storm. We have running water all the time. I am related to nearly everybody in San Diego because because my family has been there since 1912.
But no one ever comes to visit. When I do see one of them up in Gringolandia, they beg me to move back. In the business, I shifted the focus to the
local customers. I have re-invented myself away from tourism. The American Tuna embargo forced the local Tuna people to focus on the Mexican Market
and it saved them and I think this strategy will save us too. I never feel threatened here in Ensenada, but I did a few weeks ago in San Diego on
University Avenue when a local local gansta Rapper looking guy said, "What are looking at old man." when he thought I was looking at his girlfriend.
There is not that kind of tension here in Mexico at all. Even at 58, I could have easily out run the fat slob. He must have been reading my mind.
What I was thinking was that, for his poor girl friend, it must be like making love to a sloth. I couldn't wait to get home.arrowhead - 12-14-2009 at 10:43 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by surebought
University Avenue when a local local gansta Rapper looking guy said, "What are looking at old man."
Just curious. Was the gangsta rapper a Mexican?Bajahowodd - 12-14-2009 at 01:48 PM
There's about the same number of US and Canadian citizens as along the baja Coast, living in gated communities outside Guadalajara in and around
Ajijic. As far as I'm concerned, if they are happy with their lives and are contributing to the economy of Mexico, while simultaneously spending less
to live than they would NOB, then good for them!The Gull - 12-14-2009 at 03:46 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by SteveD
We get the first really positive story in a major US newspaper (First Page, no less!) and two of the first three comments from Nomads are negative.
Give me a break!
Whaa whaa, what are you reading? Negative? You haven't been around long enough to read a true negative comment. Wait until the Baja-experts start
chomping on this article.
The main character is likely breaking the law with his property management activity. That is not negative - that is a strong possibility.
There have been no real credible good news stories in two years. That is not negative - that is a sad fact.
While some Nomads would not concur with all six of Arrowheads observations, I dare say that many of us would conclude that most of the six apply to
too many Americans in Mexico.
Surebought, do you know Bob Dawson, personally? Swing by Las Gaviotas the next time you visit your gangsta rapper friends in SD. Just ask at the
Security Caseta for the guy who is famous.
[Edited on 12-14-2009 by The Gull]DENNIS - 12-14-2009 at 04:15 PM
Link doesn't work for me. "Page not found."
Anyway...hey Gull. I think we need a dog picture. It'll kinda warm and fuzzy up the place.TBcountry - 12-14-2009 at 04:20 PM
copy and paste the whole threadDENNIS - 12-14-2009 at 04:35 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by TBcountry
copy and paste the whole thread
Just found out that, in order to copy a link, it has to be done right to left. Thanks.
Dennis, Fresh out of Dog pictures
The Gull - 12-16-2009 at 08:04 AM
Will a cat picture suffice?
I call this Cat potato.
oldlady - 12-16-2009 at 08:51 AM
Looks just like me.SteveD - 12-16-2009 at 08:54 AM
"Surebought, do you know Bob Dawson, personally? Swing by Las Gaviotas the next time you visit your gangsta rapper friends in SD. Just ask at the
Security Caseta for the guy who is famous" The Gull
I don't know about Surebought, but I do know Bob Dawson. I don't know what problem The Gull has with people living in Las Gaviotas. His generalities
do not fit the people I know. Many are learning or already know Spanish. Many deal with the locals and try to support the local economy by
purchasing as much as they can locally. Many support local orphanges, the Primo Tapia Police and Fire depts., Crus Roja, etc.
And don't try to sound like you are the only Baja expert since you've been coming to Baja since 1968. We've been coming down since 1958!The Gull - 12-16-2009 at 06:58 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by SteveD
I don't know what problem The Gull has with people living in Las Gaviotas. His generalities do not fit the people I know.
Please enlighten me about the "generalities" that I have written about people in Las Gaviotas. What did I write that mentioned Las Gaviotas people
and problems I had with them? Please be specific. Supply the quotations that you must have read. If you can't, old boy, then best to shut up.
Since you are a friend, tell Bob Dawson that Hacienda is coming to talk with him, soon. I'm sure he would be delighted to know you stuck up for
him.
1958! Wow, you win, Big Guy. Do you want to measure manhood by the stiff inch, next? While you are wasting your time stalking my posts from other
threads, get a life, Stevie.
From the insulated safety of Baja's luxurious seaside gated communities, American expatriates say reports of kidnappings and violent drug cartels seem
a world away.
By Richard Marosi
December 14, 2009
Reporting from Rosarito Beach, Mexico - Bob and Carol Dawson love living in Baja California, but the region's violent reputation has put them on the
defensive. They have been called delusional and reckless -- all because they choose to live in an oceanfront gated community about 30 or 40 miles and
a world away from the U.S. border.
Americans living in this part of Mexico are often grilled, half-jokingly, about their sanity. They get asked whether they've seen decapitated heads
rolling down the street. Friends wonder whether they wear bulletproof vests or drive around in armored cars.
When the Dawsons moved here in 1999 to retire, they were enticed by the area's charm and peacefulness. They bought an expansive home with ocean views
for $175,000. "Live like a millionaire without a million bucks" is the local real estate mantra.
In recent years, the tranquillity has been eclipsed by the mayhem of battles between the Mexican government and organized crime. Military trucks
brimming with heavily armed soldiers have rumbled through the manicured grounds of luxury developments; gunmen pepper local police stations with
automatic-weapon fire; and Baja California's most notorious crime boss once eluded authorities by running through a beach popular among American
retirees.
Since 2008, more than 1,000 Mexicans in the northern Baja California area have died in the drug violence. Rarely does a week go by without news of
another person being beheaded or dissolved in acid or chopped up and left in a parked car.
But for most expatriates the violence seems as distant as headlines from Iraq. Along the 70-mile stretch of coastline from Tijuana to Ensenada, 14,000
Americans live in a bubble of relative security, many in gated developments or high-rise condominiums where they run a greater risk of being
sideswiped by a golf cart or a wave-tossed surfer than staring down an AK-47-toting drug trafficker.
Not that expatriates are oblivious to the drug war. Bill Kirchhoff, the former city manager of Redondo Beach, said he suspects that some of the
boaters speeding by his seaside house at Playa La Mision are drug traffickers. He's not moving back to the States any time soon, though, saying a few
precautions can keep people out of harm's way.
"A lot of people simply don't understand the level of danger that exists in this kind of environment," he said. "But if you're aware of it, you can
manage it to a great extent."
Bob Dawson, 66, said the dangers are exaggerated, but shares a pioneer attitude. "We're a different kind of breed even to try this," he said.
From the balcony of their home one row back from the ocean, the Dawsons can see dolphins dancing in the waves and pelicans gliding low over the surf
break. Carol keeps watch for the first signs of migrating whales; Bob pours his locally famous margarita mix -- dubbed Bobby-Ritas -- for neighbors.
They just don't get many visitors.
Loved ones beg them to move and many won't visit, including their son-in-law, who for much of the last few years has refused to bring their grandsons
to visit. "He thinks we live in a dream world," said Carol, 65. "But if I feared danger to my life, I wouldn't be here."
The curving, craggy coastline of northern Baja California, a one-hour drive from San Diego, was once a popular getaway for Southern California
residents. They came for the solitude and the surf. They would unwind at gringo bars and spend weekends at funky beachfront hotels.
In recent years, the coastal stretch has taken on an upscale look with condominiums, spacious homes, bed-and-breakfasts, and spas rising on bluffs. In
the nearby Guadalupe Valley, hacienda-style inns and wineries sit amid vineyards blanketing the tawny hills.
The area attracts a range of Americans. Young telecommuters and Internet entrepreneurs live alongside artists and urban refugees in hillside villages.
Retirees enjoy five-star luxury resorts with vanishing-edge pools, private beaches and shuttle service to the border.
For less than $300,000, people can buy a spacious home on an 18-hole golf course at Baja Mar. Ocean-view houses with balconies and gardens can be had
for $400,000.
"Look at this. I can't live in La Jolla like this," Richard Cargill, 66, said as he took in the ocean views from his deck at the Palacio Del Mar
resort. The retired mortgage banker paid $490,000 for the 2,300-square-foot condominium one year ago. "I call this the smart man's San Diego."
For the Dawsons, the appeal was an early retirement. Bob, who used to own a paper packaging company, and Carol, a former flight attendant, cut their
expenses 30% when they moved down from Santa Ana. They live in the Las Gaviotas development about six miles south of Rosarito Beach, where 298 homes
sit behind high walls and visitors must pass through a gate manned 24 hours a day by security guards. There's a clubhouse, a pool, tennis courts and a
promenade lined with mini-mansions that overlook the palapa-dotted beach.
After the Dawsons bought their home as a weekend getaway in 1996 they passed out keys to relatives, and their two daughters brought friends down on
weekends. "This was a party house," Bob Dawson said.
In those days the beach and pool at Las Gaviotas teemed with families and children on weekends. "It was filled with laughter and noise," Carol Dawson
said. "It was fun."
Five years ago, anticipating more visitors, the Dawsons expanded their house, adding two bedrooms, a bathroom and an elevator. They started a property
management business catering to Americans who owned second homes in the area.
Then the troubles started.
The Mexican government's crackdown against organized crime struck Baja California in 2007. A few Americans fell victim to the upheaval late that year,
when heavily armed men dressed as police pulled over a San Diego-area family on the coastal road. They pointed guns at their heads, pocketed cash and
jewelry, and stole their truck and trailer.
That attack, along with the robbery of a surfer and the rape of his girlfriend on an isolated beach, was repeated in media accounts of Baja California
violence. Though the situation has calmed considerably, some media outlets continue mentioning the incidents, angering residents and Mexican
officials.
To the Dawsons, the recycled reports give the distorted impression that Americans are constantly under siege. Media coverage of "a shootout in the
States lasts one day," Bob said. "We have a shootout here, and it lasts for years."
The negative publicity has taken its toll. At Las Gaviotas, dozens of houses sit empty, many with "For Sale" signs. Of the 11 homes managed by the
Dawsons, not one was rented in September and only a few have been leased since.
Passing through the development's tall gates for a quick trip down the road to Rosarito Beach, the Dawsons encounter a somewhat shabby landscape of
roadside coconut stands and shanties. They drive by construction-supply and appliance stores, restaurants and other businesses where owners have
downsized or closed down because the expected influx of baby boomers never materialized.
The Dawsons point to the fancy Las Rocas resort, where their nephew's wedding was nearly spoiled in April when the maid of honor considered canceling
because she was worried about crime. Security concerns have contributed to a shutdown of filmmaking at nearby Baja Studios; entertainment-industry
workers on movies such as "Titanic" and "Master and Commander" once injected millions of dollars into the local economy.
Outside the studio gates, where a replica of a tall ship is docked, the Mexican military runs a northbound checkpoint. Masked marines with assault
weapons question drivers. In the distance, another marine mans a .50-caliber machine gun.
A marine quickly waves the Dawsons through. "It makes me feel safe," Bob said as he passed the military's sign: "Welcome to Baja California. This is a
routine military checkpoint."
Kirchhoff, the retired Redondo Beach city manager, feels uneasy whenever he comes to a checkpoint. "They're there for a reason and it's not a good
one," he said.
Earlier this year, Baja California crime boss Teodoro Garcia Simental was believed to be at a party at an oceanfront resort a few miles from
Kirchhoff's property, but he escaped onto the beach, according to officials and media reports.
Kirchhoff said federal police and soldiers scoured the area in helicopters, boats and trucks, and walked up the sand to search neighboring properties.
"They were chasing some of the most heinous criminals in Baja. That ought to give anybody cause for concern," said Kirchhoff, 67.
But it's not enough to get him to leave his sprawling home perched over the beach and his four-acre ranch near- by. Kirchhoff and other expatriates
who have been touched by crime -- usually home break-ins or petty theft -- have adapted to the risks. They drive junky cars, avoid late-night trips
and stay away from crime hot spots like eastern Tijuana.
The Dawsons also have their own rules. They never carry large amounts of cash, and they keep a stash hidden in the car just in case they're robbed.
The couple says they use the kind of common-sense rules that people follow in any community affected by serious crime, like Los Angeles or their
former hometown. Carol says she feels safer in Las Gaviotas, where she leaves her front door unlocked.
"I heard gunfire in Santa Ana. I've never heard gunfire here," she said.
It's a point she's made countless times to her son-in-law, without success. "He was very hard-nosed about coming down here," she said. "He thought
people were putting their children in danger."
A few weeks ago, Carol was returning from an errand when she was greeted at the front door by squeals of excitement. "Surprise, Grammy," yelled her
two grandsons. Her son-in-law, seeing that crime has declined significantly from two years ago, made the trip from Laguna Niguel with his family.
It was like old times. The boys batted a Wiffle ball on the putting green, took walks on the beach with their three golden retrievers and played in
the pool. Carol's daughter and son-in-law got side-by-side massages at a spa, played golf at Baja Mar, and the family dined at the La Fonda restaurant
down the coast.
Carol Dawson and other expatriates see signs that things may be turning around. Some hotels are selling out on weekends and there are more surfers
trickling down south of the border. Then there's her son-in-law's change of heart.
"I think he finally realized," she said, "that it can't be all that bad."BajaNews - 12-18-2009 at 08:05 PM
Sold on Baja
Re “Paradise, and peril, by the sea,” Column One, Dec. 14
December 18, 2009
Thank you for printing an accurate story on Americans in Baja California. The violence in Baja, while frightening, has been almost exclusively within
the drug trade. The random violence we see in the U.S. is unheard of in Mexico. In Long Beach, where I have lived all my life, we have had many
shootings over the years, including the recent killing of an innocent girl at a local high school football game. We had a couple of house break-ins
down the street last week.
I first went to Baja in 1958 and have been vacationing there with my wife since 1969. We finally bought a house in 1991. We feel much safer in Baja.
Time to start packing for our next trip south!
Looks just like me.
