BajaNomad

Mexico Headaches

sanfelipebob - 9-9-2010 at 07:12 AM

As much as I enjoy being in Mexico, it seems to get more difficult every year. Regulations, rule changes, police harrasment, mordida, drug wars, banking changes, FM3 headaches. I just want cold beer in the hot sun with plenty of Tequila and fish tacos!!!!;D

[Edited on 9-9-2010 by sanfelipebob]

[Edited on 9-9-2010 by sanfelipebob]

DENNIS - 9-9-2010 at 07:19 AM

Remember the good 'ol days while memory still serves.
As for today, it seems like expats up here on the north end who live on a harsh, limited income, have avoided lots of the over-regulation that the better-off are subjected to.
There's something to be said about a more simple life. ;)

Pescador - 9-9-2010 at 07:19 AM

And if you think it is getting bad here, have you journeyed back to the United States lately? It is almost completely out of hand there. So enjoy paradise and don't sweat the small stuff (p.s., it's all small stuff)

bajabass - 9-9-2010 at 07:55 AM

It is just a matter of picking your own spot. Most all problems can be avoided, depending on where you choose to be. I know the areas where both Pescador and Dennis live. Neither is ABSOLUTELY perfect, but very close. For them it must be darn close!!! My little place in La Mision is another little area that has been able to avoid MOST of the current problems in Baja. :biggrin:I will be moving just outside La Paz soon, and it is a little close to a a big city for me, but better than living too close to Ensenada, TJ, Cabo. All I know, is I would rather be almost anywhere there, than here in Orange County! Maybe that is why I am on the 5 south every Friday night:light:

shari - 9-9-2010 at 08:13 AM

I feel your pain Bob...but my headache this morning is from celebrating the WFO yellowtail bite at the Tide Pool last night with happy fishermen...woe is me.

seriously though...yes, things are getting a bit more organized in baja now thus more rules to play by and crime...well...its up everywhere. Luckily in our small villages we arent much affected by this so like others have said...depends on the area...try to relax and look at the bright side and remember how crazy things are NOB too.

sancho - 9-9-2010 at 09:33 AM

Mex Immigration inconsistency gets me in
a lather, one guy says one thing, the next
time you get another answer. I'm getting older
and less tolerant I suppose, yrs. ago,
driving to La Paz, beer in hand, no insurance,
now very cautious, paper work in line.
The live and let live attitude is what I
most enjoy

rocmoc - 9-9-2010 at 05:11 PM

It's not getting any easier NOB! All in all you are the lucky one!

rocmoc n AZ/Baja

BajaBlanca - 9-9-2010 at 06:35 PM

Sancho - after getting the run around for years, I finally asked if we could pay a little extra and have them take care of everything for us, and they said yes. I am not sure how much more we pay but it is so worth every peso. Now, all we do is hand over a photograph and go to the bank and pay. By the time we return (after some lunch), it is all finito. This is in Santa Rosalia ....

next thought - can you get your paperwork done NOB ? Les got his FM3 in San Diego before we moved here FT.

good luck with all of it and yeah - don't sweat it too much ya all, life can be real short sometimes.

David K - 9-10-2010 at 07:31 PM

I think it's funny when a guy going to L.A. Bay wants to do the right thing and stops at the border to get a tourist card... and is told he doesn't need one!:rolleyes:

So, per the INM official, I guess all of Baja (norte) California state is in the 'border zone', for stays up to 1 week??? :o

i don't

capt. mike - 9-11-2010 at 04:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
I think it's funny when a guy going to L.A. Bay wants to do the right thing and stops at the border to get a tourist card... and is told he doesn't need one!:rolleyes:

So, per the INM official, I guess all of Baja (norte) California state is in the 'border zone', for stays up to 1 week??? :o


theeeeeeeeeeeeenk so....

DavidE - 9-11-2010 at 08:26 AM

Here's some more crap to keep things in perspective...Calif...

Cheap(est)

Bananas .45 pound
tomatoes .88 pound
avacadoes 1.75 each
oranges .59 pound

Driving in carpool lane violation 388 minimum
75 in a 65 188 minimum
coin op air or water gas station .50
car wash exterior 8.00
internet cafe 7.00 / hr.

minimum license plates 73.00
cheapest car insurance 300

Burger combo fast food king size 8.83

this sucks, I want to go home! Just as soon as my medical eqpt arrives I am the hell out of here and I mean f-a-s-t.

A stupid marine battery at costco now costs almost eighty dollars. Big Lots and other retailers have gone to hell. Prices are stupid.

%^&*!$#@%!!!!!

woody with a view - 9-11-2010 at 08:34 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Don Jorge

Maybe we should all remember what brought us to Mexico in the first place. Those memories might help us all to remember who we were, not what Mexico was or isn't.


that's why we still go! to be reminded of how good it really is....

100_6015.jpg - 45kB

wilderone - 9-11-2010 at 08:44 AM

"driving to La Paz, beer in hand, no insurance"

yeah - and no seatbelt, just giving a military guard $1 at Maneadero instead of having a visa, waving at every car that passed - because a car only passed every 20 minutes or so.
We need to adjust to the impositions, and for me, I can return to the old days with the help of 4WD. As soon as I turn off Mex. 1 onto a dirt road, I slow down, take off the seat belt, get out a cold beer, and let the dust settle where it may. Still plenty of dirt roads with nobody on them.

As for everyday impositions, not so bad:

Bananas .33 pound at my independent grocery that I can walk to
tomatoes - free from my friend who grows them
avacadoes - free from my mom's friend who grows them
oranges - free from my tree in my back yard
I wash my own car
Order from the $1 value menu
Try the 99 Cent Only stores - better than Big Lots

nobaddays - 9-11-2010 at 02:14 PM

Christ, it seems like many of my baja friends are Law-breaking cheap bastards ! How many of you are WANTED or NOT WANTED in the states ?

BajaBlanca - 9-11-2010 at 04:29 PM

it is really important to adapt to another country's culture - you cannot judge this country by the US way of living or the Canadian way of life ....

Here I go bringing up Brazil agian but it is apropos. When I was 20 I went to get a driver's license in Brazil. I had just arrived there from studying at college at UCSD. I took some driving classes (Italy and Brazil are equally crazy for driving) and then as I was signing up for the driving test, the instructor told me I had to pay to pass. Nope, righteous Blanca said, there is NO WAY I am paying. I drive fine and I can pass on my own.

It took the guy a couple days, but he did make it clear that if I did not pay up, I simply would NOT pass. No ifs, ands or butts. Did I like it ??? NO. Did I have to abide by the standing rules ? NO. but then I would have had to pay the cops every time one stopped me for driving without a license - more expensive in the end !! Common sense ruled on that one.

stanburn - 9-11-2010 at 09:35 PM

Avocados on my tree in the back, free
Limes on my trees in the back, free
Oranges on my tree in the back, free
Mangos on my trees in the back, free

just walked home with a burger and a hotdog with everything, 40 pesos.

Of course this is on the dangerous state of Colima (at least according to the USG).

I would rather slit my wrists than go back NOB.

6 years full-time in November.

[Edited on 9-12-2010 by stanburn]

mtgoat666 - 9-11-2010 at 10:25 PM

every poster on this thread is complaining about today, telling us that things were better yesterday. are y'all a bunch of old farts in rocking chairs?

the modern world rocks! get off your fat duffs, and get out there and check out the new things! quit moldering over your beer on some dusty beach in the desert.

while baja is fun to enjoy for a while, you guys are friggin' nuts to think that big cities in the US don't have as much or more to offer!

most of you are californicators -- get out there and sample LA and the bay area!

bajafam - 9-11-2010 at 10:34 PM

sure, goat, but at what cost?
Can I buy oceanfront property in Cali for under 1 million? Nope. Can I build a house for under $100,000? Not likely. Can I watch my hubby get into a stranger's car in the middle of the night to go get beer and expect him to return alive?? I'm going to go with no. Can I let my kids play outside by themselves without worrying someone's going to run off with them or sell them drugs? Um, no. Can my family live off of $200 a week without sweating it? Yeah, right!!!

But I can do all those things and oh so much more in many of my Baja destinations. So, I will take my baja over your big US city any day!!!

And, I'm NOT old! I'm just a pup :)

woody with a view - 9-12-2010 at 06:48 AM

hey goat,

your version of paradise (san diego?) won't let me have a beer on the beach. so you can keep it all to yourself while i hang out with 1 or 3 of my closest friends and have the entire beach to ourselves.

oh, and use the trash receptacle, hillbillie.

[Edited on 9-12-2010 by woody with a view]

Won't you miss these in Baja?

mcfez - 9-12-2010 at 07:39 AM

Disneyland
In and Out Burger
Drive In movies
Well kept roads
Mail service
Malls
Amtrak
I won't miss them at all!

[Edited on 9-12-2010 by mcfez]

0.jpg - 16kB

monoloco - 9-12-2010 at 08:19 AM

If Mexico didn't have problems, it would probably look like that in Baja.

rhintransit - 9-12-2010 at 09:04 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DavidE
Here's some more crap to keep things in perspective...Calif...

Cheap(est)

Bananas .45 pound
tomatoes .88 pound
avacadoes 1.75 each
oranges .59 pound

Driving in carpool lane violation 388 minimum
75 in a 65 188 minimum
coin op air or water gas station .50
car wash exterior 8.00
internet cafe 7.00 / hr.

minimum license plates 73.00
cheapest car insurance 300

Burger combo fast food king size 8.83

this sucks, I want to go home! Just as soon as my medical eqpt arrives I am the hell out of here and I mean f-a-s-t.

A stupid marine battery at costco now costs almost eighty dollars. Big Lots and other retailers have gone to hell. Prices are stupid.

%^&*!$#@%!!!!!


well, I'm up in the USA/Arizona for my annual summer escape from the heat. cheap electricity and air conditioning everywhere PRICELESS!
okay, as to the rest, I cannot stop marveling how CHEAP everything is.
food/veggies, hitting whatever various big food store chains, Safeway, Basha's, Fryes, and, wow oh wow Trader Joe's, Walmart, Target, etc, always yields really fresh, really great condition produce... huge variety, glorious variety, great quality!!! take my money please!
driving in car pool lane violation, speeding violation...zero cost if you don't break traffic laws, always a good recommendation in any country. not breaking law in Constitucion BCS 200-600 pesos.
tire air at my home owner's place...free. tire air at Safeway with a fillup...free
exterior carwash yesterday at a car 'spa' (la te dah) 4.99
license plate for my new car, okay, 240 bucks. can't speak to 'cheapest' but it was only 40 bucks on my old GEO in January.
car insurance. 500/yr on the new one, full and plus options. liability only on the GEO, 220/yr. belief that I may actually get some satisfaction if I do have a claim PRICELESS. (try totaling a car in Mexico with Mexican insurance, I have...)
Burger King kid's meal, plenty for me, 2.33.
better yet, hit Costco, great hotdog and endless soda, 1.49.
tons of places where I can lunch for under 5 bucks.
sales EVERYWHERE on almost everything. many items huge discount, I've been stocking up at 50-75% off general stuff I need. fantastic thrift stores.
and on and on and on.
internet FREE at local library. not to mention other library services.
we left out airfares...RT Phoenix-Baltimore 280. RT Los Angeles-Loreto 400-650.
everyone has their own cost illustrations from wherever they live. this is Phoenix.
bottom line, I can live cheaper in the USA. much cheaper. MUCH much cheaper.
cheap is not why I live in Baja, though it was when I began coming to Mexico 15 years ago. that cheapness enabled me to first work seasonally then to retire at 55 on a modest budget. it's not cheap, or even comparable, anymore. cheap is not why I'm living there now.
the migration dance has always been complicated and stressful. having been involved in the Loreto immigration mess/clean up, I can vouch for problems most of you have never experienced but I have every belief and experience that it is getting better.
that's not why I'm considering leaving Baja. but that's another thread.

mtgoat666 - 9-12-2010 at 09:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajafam
sure, goat, but at what cost?
Can I watch my hubby get into a stranger's car in the middle of the night to go get beer and expect him to return alive?? I'm going to go with no.


why does your husband get into a strangers car in the middle of the night to go get beer? :?:

whenever I need a beer at 3 AM I always go out on my street and hitchhike :lol: However, my neighbors have started talking about me as the drunk who hitchhikes at 3 AM :!:

bajafam - 9-12-2010 at 10:00 AM

Well, it was a one time thing...beer was necessary and there was only one guy with a car. But, the good news, he did return...alive and with beer. Wouldn't have happened in LA, I don't think.

rhin ~ cheap electricity in Phoenix?! Umm, when I was living there it cost me $300 a month to air condition a 400 sq foot studio. My aunt and uncle have a bill upwards of $500 in the summer. That's not cheap to me.
And, sure you can eat off the dollar menu in a fast food joint, but what are you eating? I'd rather have a plate of fresh sashimi at the Tide Pool for $50 pesos any day!!

[Edited on 9-12-2010 by bajafam]

durrelllrobert - 9-12-2010 at 10:00 AM

Monthly Operating Costs for home in Hemet,CA (2003 prices)
1. Property Taxes ($5064/yr)…………………………… $422
2. Gas and Electric (even pay)……………………………$350
3. Water/Sewer………………………………………………. $325
4. Phone/ Internet……………………………………………. $89
5. Cable TV (100 channels)……………………………….. $98
6. View of Neighbors backyard ………………… big minus
7. Traffic noise in street …………………………… big minus
8. 110 degree summer/ 30 degree winter. big minus
Total…………………………………………………………$1,284
Monthly Operating Costs for home in Punt Banda, BC (2010)
1. Land Rent ($1500/yr)…………………………………….$125
2. Gas and Electric
a. CFE ($1600MN-2 month)…………………. $62
b. Z propane (1500 lt/yr = 11,400MN))…. $73
3. Pila Water ……………………………………………………… $30
4. Phone/ Internet (573MN)……………………………… $44
5. Direct TV (200 channels)………………………………… $69
6. Million $ view of bay and island …………… Priceless
7. Watching cruise ships coming in……………. Priceless
8. 72 degree summer/ 40 degree winter…… Priceless
Total………………………………………………………… $ 403

bajalou - 9-12-2010 at 10:35 AM

Having lived in Baja almost full time for the past 15 years, I have a couple thoughts on this subject. (By almost full time I mean taking a month or so vacation NOB each year till the last couple.) As some of you know, I'm in San Felipe.

All of you Baja vacationers and week-enders will have a much different take on all this, I'm sure.

Spending my time on a deserted beach, fishing, shell collecting or ? is great - for a while. But I can't stand over a couple of days of all that excitement.

The first few months of actually living in Baja is much like the vacation times, checking out all the local restaurants, gathering up tons of sea shells, exploring your new world, both the sea and the desert. But some point along the line, we decide that we don't want to go out every night, just fix dinner and say home with TV or internet or a book. But the local stores don't have many of the things we've enjoyed over the years. OK we'll have what's available and that's good. Then one evening we think, "It would be nice to go out to a movie wouldn't it?" But the nearest theater is 120 miles away so that's out.

The car needs a new battery, so check out the autopartes stores. $60-80 bucks US and the locals tell me they last a year, maybe two. Boy, Costco sure would be good with their 3 year replacement warranty. But that's only in the USA.

My only point is the difference between living in and visiting a place. I remember when Nomads were complaining about the road paving going on and Shari said that the locals really wanted it - it would make their necessary trips to GN or other places so much easier and faster. Many of the changes are making locals happy, while disappointing the visitors.

Now these same things apply to many places in the USA alos. I am now living part time in New Mexico in a town that believes it was a great thing when Wal-Mart opened last year. Saving drives of 65 to 75 miles to visit Wal-Mart in the next town. A movie - the old 40s era theater has shows 3 nights a week - not any choice of pictures. Their are doctors and clinics in town, but the hospitals of choice are 75 to 120 miles away. Really working on getting a good hospital here. And halve the population is saying "No changes or development" and the other half is wanting new industries, jobs for the locals etc.

So my take on all this - It's great to have open space and places to get away when you want to, but it's also great to have conveniences and choices for our daily living.

The cost of living in NM is higher than Baja, but not by a really big margin. Of course, living in a growing city is always higher. But as someone already pointed out, it's not all about cost, it's about how we feel about a place that counts. Today I'm glad to have both worlds.

sancho - 9-12-2010 at 01:32 PM

Old Guys, rocking chairs? Throw in
an afternoon siesta and I'm in

rhintransit - 9-12-2010 at 04:15 PM

Quote:
rhin ~ cheap electricity in Phoenix?! Umm, when I was living there it cost me $300 a month to air condition a 400 sq foot studio. My aunt and uncle have a bill upwards of $500 in the summer. That's not cheap to me.
And, sure you can eat off the dollar menu in a fast food joint, but what are you eating? I'd rather have a plate of fresh sashimi at the Tide Pool for $50 pesos any day!!

[Edited on 9-12-2010 by bajafam]


1350 sq ft house, central air. when I'm home my electricity bill is never more than 80-90/month for summer months. how well was your studio insulated? how big is you aunt's house/how cold does she keep it? all is so individual...like 350 bucks a month in Hemut, CA. wow1
I agree I'd rather have fresh sashimi anyday! yum. but in Loreto I can't get that for anywhere near that price...
and, yes, Morgaine, absolutely, I just spend more when I'm up in the states. all in preparation to go back down to Baja...

[Edited on 9-12-2010 by rhintransit]

[Edited on 9-12-2010 by rhintransit]

TMW - 9-14-2010 at 08:28 AM

1. Property Taxes ($5064/yr)…………………………… $422
2. Gas and Electric (even pay)……………………………$350
3. Water/Sewer………………………………………………. $325

Per month cost:

Holy moly Bob that's really high. Considering your property taxes you must have bought when the housing prices went up, really up. My gas and electric is about $1,500/yr and my water is about $200/yr ($10/mo winter and $30/mo summer) and sewer is part of my property tax bill but can't be too high since my property tax bill is only $1,800 for the year.

k-rico - 9-14-2010 at 08:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by morgaine7
Quote:
Originally posted by rhintransit
sales EVERYWHERE on almost everything. many items huge discount, I've been stocking up at 50-75% off general stuff I need. fantastic thrift stores.
and on and on and on.
Don't you just buy more, though? When I visit the US, there is so much stuff in my face all the time that I end up buying stuff I don't need, just because it's there. I'll spend more in two weeks than I would here in months. (Luckily, my trips are infrequent and by plane, so I'm constrained by my suitcase.) And if looking for something in particular there, I get so tired from running around and being overwhelmed by too many choices that I often end up buying the next whatever-it-is that seems okay and reasonably priced, just so I can stop shopping.

I agree that US thrift stores are great, especially for clothing and shoes, which are generally overpriced here and rarely fit me. For nearly everything else, I prefer shopping here. I don't want more, less expensive stuff. I want fewer choices and less time spent shopping.

Kate


Glad to hear I'm not the only one that experiences this. Since I can leave my house in playas and be across the border in 20 minutes with my Sentri pass I used to drive to the US regularly to pick up my mail (mostly magazines). Invariably I'd go to Walmart and/or Home Depot for a couple of items and end up spending $100 or more.

No more, I haven't driven across the border in 6 months. I moved my mailbox to San Ysidro, a short walk from the border. I now park on the Mexico side and walk across. Saving hundreds every month. I stop in a grocery store once-in-awhile to buy sweet or bread and butter pickles though. They're impossible to find in TJ and I gotta have 'em.

Anybody know where I can buy them in TJ or Rosarito?

DENNIS - 9-14-2010 at 09:24 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by k-rico
Anybody know where I can buy them in TJ or Rosarito?


Wht don't you make your own??

k-rico - 9-14-2010 at 09:37 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Quote:
Originally posted by k-rico
Anybody know where I can buy them in TJ or Rosarito?


Wht don't you make your own??


Hmmmm, not a bad idea. I could make some pickled eggs too! YUM.

I also get the Joneses for potato salad but they only sell russetts here. They make a lousy salad. Need red or white ones. None here.

And try to find good sausages.

I tell ya, living in Mexico is tough!

DENNIS - 9-14-2010 at 10:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by k-rico
And try to find good sausages.




Make those too. Cabelas sells all of the necessary equipment.