makeyourhomeinmexico.com Blog

When I lost my ATM card on a recent trip to Mexico City, I had no way to get more funds since I depend on my US ATM card for my funding when in Mexico.

So I researched the various methods of accessing my US bank account while in another country. The best solution for me seemed to be an online company named XOOM. So I proceeded to send $800.00 to my account at the BANAMEX branch (Sucursal) located in the local, Chapala Soriana Mercado. The first try was unsuccessful. Xoom began processing a refund without my permission. When I called customer service they said that their Banamex in Mexico said something in my account information was wrong, but they refused to say what it was. This is typical of financial institutions in Mexico. Most likely it was my Email address since all of the other information that I used came right off my monthly statement from BANAMEX.

I was highly incensed at the money transfer company for allowing eight days to refund my money. Nevertheless, I decided to try again with a small test amount. I sent $25.00 USD to my MASTERCARD number (”Plastico” option on XOOM) which is associated with my BANMEX account. This is essentially a prepaid debit card / credit card. This time the transfer went through in a matter of hours.
I did not appreciate the eight days wait for my refund and felt that this was purposeful kiting of funds. The company claims to be able to transfer money out of your account in fifteen minutes to several hours to your Mexican account. So why can’t they put it back in in a similar time frame?

Since then, I have made two more transfers at a cost of $4.99 USD each, again using my MASTERCARD to identify my account.

Recommendation: Using XOOM online is a low cost way to send money to Mexico. Just do not make any mistakes!

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The 99¢ Sympathy Cane- A travel tip.

 The knee problem started when as a thirty-something year old man, I continued to play  young men’s sports. I blew out the right knee taking multiple corner kicks at the urging of my amateur coach.  I knew it was weak, but thought that the knee would last. It came apart, moments later when I blasted a soccer ball into the net.
 
Two  years ago, I had thrown out my weak knee, again. Although I really did not need it, I bought a cheap, light Chinese cane at the 99¢ Only Store. The tip on the cane was useless so I bought a real tip replacement at Walgreen’s. Many times, I have found the crutch very useful when I needed to get off the floor during my travels. In Japan, people mostly sleep on mats on the floor. The cane was hepful for pulling up off a weak knee.
 
I quickly found out that the item led to an outpouring of offers of travel assistance from airline employees, Homeland Security and from fellow travelers (whatever their political persuasion J  ).  Electric carts stopped and offered rides. I was immediately ushered to the security checkpoint line for crew and security. No more waiting in long security clearance lines! People offered me their seats on inter-terminal trams. Often,  I politely refused the seats. Sometimes, it was just easier to accept.
 
Since that first trip, I always take along a light cane. The hook is great for reaching for objects on high shelves, turning off lights. If necessary the cane can be used to whack agressive animals. I no longer care that it makes me look old. I even use it on International buses. The Sympathy Cane is the traveler’s best friend.

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It was time to renew my Visa FM2 which allows me to stay in Mexico yearly without renewing my car sticker and to have a home in Mexico. Lisa does not have to renew since she has dual nationality by virtue of her father’s birth in Jalisco, Mexico. On Cinco de Mayo, I went to the Chapala office of Mexican immigration (INM) in the Presidential Palace (City offices), the former Hotel Nido where Maria Feliz spent her wedding night, according to the bronze plaque on the building. The mayor is called a President in Mexico. After waiting from 10:30 until noon, I found out that INM was not coming. I thought that although Cinco de Mayo is not an official holiday in Mexico, that INM must have celebrated it anyway. They were not answering the phone in the Guadalajara office. I must have left town for my house just before the assassination ( See my previous post) just two blocks away between 12:30 and 1:00.

Today, I made the trek to Guadalajara to pick up the renewal forms. Arriving at the office of INM, I was told that no longer was INM coming to Chapala every Wednesday, in fact they were never coming to do business in Chapala again. INM procedures seem to be different every year, but this year it a big change! From now on, foreigners must fill out forms on-line and be assigned a number for application processing. Note: The Mexican website is in English because of the kindness of the Mexican Government. But a foreigner must be able to speak either English or the American corruption thereof or have a translator. Seriously, American English is the standard, just as is Mexican Spanish. After the form is filled out and full copies are made of the visa and foreign passport, the applicant must pay the fee directed on one of the forms (make two copies before signing) and take all three copies to a bank to pay the fees. The bank will stamp all copies. Also four 2 cm. X 2 cm. photos of the applicant must accompany the application. Attach three months bank statements to prove that you make enough money to live independently in Mexico and you are ready to go back to Guadalajara, but only from 9:00 to 5:00 weekdays, not including holidays.

But, hey, if you were a Mexican applying for a US Visa, it would be much, much more difficult. You have to pay $100 USD just for an interview and then most people are turned down.

A Moment of Silent Violence-
An Assassination in Our Little Pueblo

Sixteen quick shots were discharged, but shopkeepers in the busy town of Chapala, forty kilometers south of Guadalajara, heard nothing. According to the Guadalajara newspaper, a silencer must have quieted the reports of the weapon(s) used. It was on Cinco de Mayo, just two blocks from City offices and five blocks from the police station, at a little past high noon when the sicarios (hit men) took the life of the Subcomandante de la Policia of Chapala. The Assistant Chief of Police, forty year old, José Guadalupe Gollas Mejia was the former Chief of Police in the smaller, rural town of Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, a town of about 25,000 people, just over the hill on the highway from Chapala to Guadalajara.

The newspaper article showed the bloody body of the Assistant Chief , with his shirt opened to show the wounds, lying on the street in the bright sun. La Prensa reported that a pistol was used. The El Informador said that pistol cartridges of .380 caliber were found. Caliber .380 is a common pistol round also used in some semi automatic and fully automatic pistol/ carbines (MAC for example) with high capacity magazines. Obviously, this was a job done by professionals.

The three hit men were seen to be driving away in a White Ford Explorer SUV which was found with the keys in the ignition and the engine running, in an unpopulated area, within the city limits of Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos. The killers got away, transferring to another vehicle.

When I drove through the crime scene intersection, five hours later, I knew nothing of the murder. There was no crime scene still in place. No hint of trouble. I am glad that I was not on scene at the time when bullets flew.

This is the first real serious violence in our little lakeside community, since we came down in 2004. The largest number of both expatriate Americans and expatriate Canadians is here and in nearby communities on the north shore of Lake Chapala. There are many reasons for this, not the least being the ideal climate. Chapala is in the Central Highlands of Mexico at an altitude equivalent to that of Denver, Colorado. Chapala is in the tropics, but the weather is typically subtropical. There is never freezing weather nor temperatures over 96 degrees F. The area has always been serene and a fine place to enjoy retirement. Food and housing are reasonable. Local people are friendly and the police have treated the foreigners well.

We are still not ready to pack it in and leave Mexico permanently. My wife and I frequently commute to our home in Phoenix and back by air or by bus, when airfares are expensive. Our home in Mexico is above the lake on a small hill. We require neither air conditioning nor heating in this part of Mexico.
We believe so far, that Chapala and surrounding areas are safer than Phoenix. If expatriates stay clean, stay out of bars and do not get mixed up in extra-legal activities, there seems to be no problem.

Mexico has welcomed us and we have many good friends, both Mexicans and foreigners. Mexico’s government has provided for discount travel for older residents, including foreigners. We can take a First Class Mexican bus for the equivalent of $72.00 each from Guadalajara to Phoenix. Unfortunately, we cannot get the same discount on the return fare because the same bus in the United States does not offer one.

Mexico’s government also provides everyone with cheap health insurance- less than $300 USD per year each for our age. I do not know if we can afford the new US planned medical care or not, especially since Medi-Care benefits will suffer. It remains to be seen. Meanwhile we live in Mexico without fear.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Depending on number of diners, place two to four washed chicken breasts (on a broiler pan) into the oven. B Cook for 30 minutes. Then reduce heat to 300 degrees F. Cook another 30 minutes.

While the chicken cooks. Prepare the sauce.

Add the following ingredients to a blender jar:
For two whole chicken breasts:
1 cup Mango nectar
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
½ large cube chicken bouillon (Mexican caldo de pollo). The Mexican cubes are larger than US size and contain a lot of salt. Do not add more salt.
1 chipotle pepper with one teaspoon of adobado sauce from the can.
1 peeled pod of garlic (ajo)
One jigger or three ounces of dark Tequila or substitute dry sherry.
Juice of 1 lime.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
1 tablespoon rice flour. Substitute corn starch, if desired, for the rice flour.

Double the recipe for four whole chicken breasts.

Blend sauce ingredients at high speed until a nice uniform mix is obtained. It will be a dark burnt orange color. Cook the sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring as needed. Finished sauce should be the consistency of a thin gravy.

Prepare white rice in a cooker/steamer, while the sauce cooks: One cup rice, two cups water, juice of one lime. Cook until done.

Serve the chicken, with skin removed and sliced next to the rice. Cover the chicken slices generously with the sauce. It is spicy and tasty but not too hot. Garnish the plate with lime slices, mint or cilantro leaves. I like to squeeze a little lime juice onto the white rice for extra flavor.

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Wash all vegetables and fruits well before preparing.
Several leaves of Acelga (Swiss Chard) without the bitter stalks.
One peeled cucumber, split and seeded.
Several leaves of Lechuga Lisa (Italian Lettuce).
Two small apples, washed, unpeeled, cored and sliced.
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar.
1/2 cup sweetener, sugar, honey or ice tea mix.
1/4 cup or more active yogurt.
One pod of garlic,

Put all ingredients in a blender. Fill with clean water. Blend on high speed. Pour mixture into a refrigerator container and place in refrigerator.
Drink a glass when you want to add vegetables to your diet, between meals or anytime.

For the pizza dough recipe, see Packham’s recipe .

To make a quicker sourdough starter, use two cups of whole wheat flour, about the same amount of water, one package of dry yeast, two tablespoons of sugar and a tablespoon of active yogurt (Activia, Svelty, Yakult, etc.). After about a week, it is perfect for baking. I keep it going, refrigerating it when I do not use it and feeding it on the night before using.

Active yogurt is widely used in Mexico to help prevent gastric upsets. It also adds lactobacillus to the starter mix for a quicker to make starter. Yeast is hard to find in small towns and expensive in Mexico and I prefer sourdough anyway.

Follow Packham’s recipe for sourdough pizza dough, except use a total of 1/3 to 1/2 whole wheat flour to white flour. I roll the dough as thin as possible, less than 1/4 inch thick.

For Pizza toppings and Calzone filling I use:

Hunts Spaghetti sauce which is readily available in Mexico or I make my own with a three table spoons of mixed Italian spices from a jar, which I brought from the States, cooked in Herdez or Del Fuerte plain tomato salsa.
Toppings: chopped Jamon de Pavo (Turkey ham), cooked and sliced hard Chorizo (preferred) or (Italian) sausage, jalapeño peppers, ripe olives, chopped onions, grated Mozzerella and Paese (Parmesan) cheese. Sometimes, I add whole little tomatoes that grow in my garden. They are too small to be called cherry tomatos. I call them “Berry Tomatos.” They are sweeter than any other tomato variety that I have tasted.

Since our house is at 5400 feet elevation, I use a lower baking temperature (400 to 425 deg. F) for a slightly longer time (30 to 40 minutes).

To ensure baking success, I buy cheap oven thermometers at the $.99 store in Phoenix. They make good gifts to my Mexican friends since they are labeled in both Farenheit and Centigrade.

With the leftover dough from the 14 inch diameter Pizza, I make a large Calzone using the same ingredients and bake it same as the Pizza. Just roll the leftover dough thin on a floured cutting board or countertop and use water around the edges to help seal it when you pinch it closed. I usually give away half of the Calzone to my housekeeper and her husband. They seem to like my cooking.

Note: I have the old van See December 2009 blog post) running well and am fixing up the 1991 Mexican VW for sale.

Back to my site: home in Mexico

My two sons and I departed Phoenix, Arizona on December 10, 2009. Dan had come all of the way from Tokyo, Japan and John from Tampa, Florida to join their dad on his quest to get cheap transportation back to our home on the hill at 5,400 feet, overlooking Lake Chapala, Jalisco. Mexico.

The van is a 1993 Mazda MPV (Multi- Purpose Vehicle) with 170,00 miles on the odometer. I paid $950 US dollars for it because it needed some work. I spent another $85.00 on parts and $260.00 on labor to get it into shape for the trip. The van had new tires and brakes, courtesy of the previous owner. I had loaded the car up with things for our Mexican home, gifts for friends, a notebook computer, tools, a Haynes repair manual for the vehicle, food and emergency supplies. I carried a US cell phone and two pay-as-you-go Mexican cell phones.

I packed the bean and chorizo burritos that my wife had made, into the cooler, kissed her goodbye and headed to the airport to pick up my two adult sons. I had a 24 pack of pint sized bottles of water in the cooler along with three containers of frozen tapwater for cooling.

After family greetings at the airport, We were on the road from Phoenix before 11:00 in the morning. This was perfect, because I wanted to cross the Mexican border before 3:00 to allow mostly daylight driving to Guaymas/San Carlos Sonora, Mexico.

It took us a couple of hours to clear Mexican customs (Aduana) and Immigration. When we finally got the paperwork together, we drew the Red (Revision) light meaning that we had to get a physical inspection of the almost fully loaded minivan. The inspector opened two suitcases and two sealed boxes of items that I was bringing to our young accountant, Alma, in Chapala. She helps us a lot with government paperwork including IMSS (Social Seguridad) Healthcare for ourselves and the workers that we hire for construction and maintenance. The boxes that he opened were from Victoria’s Secret and Banana Republic. The suitcases belonged to my sons.

On the first fill up outside, Tucson, the little van was getting 20.5 mpg. We had one disconcerting problem. At the truck stop, the van would not start when we returned from our rest stop. After several tries, it finally started.

On the second fill up in Mexico, we recorded 21.09 the trip’s high mileage. This was not too bad for a 3.0 liter V6 fully loaded van. It helped that we had no roof rack and no luggage above. the van has an automatic three speed plus overdrive transmission. It can start off in any gear except the fourth overdrive gear. There is a power/economy button on the shift lever, whose sole function, I believe is to block out overdrive. This feature might be useful in climbing or in decending steep grades, but we never used it.

My two sons and myself, as well, appreciated the burritos lovingly handmade by my wife. It was breakfast for one and lunch for Dan from Japan. He slept a lot, rewinding his biological clock. Japan is 14 hours ahead of Phoenix. Although he did get a short night’s rest in San Francisco, it is a long tiring trip from his home in Japan, far south of Tokyo.

The van was driving well, the company was pleasant as I drove, the first day to our night’s destination, the Hotel (motel) Santa Rita just north of the city of Guaymas. This is a place where my my wife and I usually stopped on our many past trips to our home, south of Guadalajara. The Santa Rita was always clean and reasonably priced. We arrived on this trip, well after dark. Although it is advisable for tourists and non-commercial drivers to avoid night driving in Mexico. Long stretches of unlighted highway may have such hazards as wild animals, livestock, disabled vehicles, rocks in the road or bicyclists with no lights or reflectors. We narrowly missed what I think was a coyote or possibly a yellow dog, the ultimate mongrel, according to an article that I read long ago. If you mix a lot of different breeds, you get a skinny, little, generic yellow dog. It really helps to use the high beams when there is no oncoming traffic and the lane ahead has no nearby vehicle.

When we reached the motel to rest for the night, a three double bed room cost $650 pesos. This was quite a bit more than my wife and I usually pay. A room for two is currently $450 pesos. The air-conditioned room was clean and comfortable, although my sons thought that it was somewhat musty. The old man in the room could not smell that. Perhaps because it was too cool for the A/C, moisture had accumulated in the room. Anyway, we all slept soundly until 7:00 the next day.

Early the next morning, I arose with the sun and checked under the hood for the source of the electrical problems. I found that the ground battery cable was loose. It had been tightened all of the way, but the battery post was smaller than closed inner terminal circumference. I asked myself what would McGuyver have done? I loosened the terminal as far as the bolt would allow without losing the nut. Next, I took a US penny and flattened it thinner with a claw hammer on a hard concrete curb. Then, I wrapped it around one side of the battery post, hammering it in tight between the terminal and post. I tightened the terminal nut onto the bolt. This cured the electrical problems.

The only other mechanical problem that we had was that day before we reached Mazatlan. A bad gasoline odor developed. It was worse when we pulled off the highway after running at high speeds. I had driven the minivan at no more than 70 miles per hour, but my sons when they drove, sometimes topped 80 mph on the good Mexican toll roads. This was probably not the cause of the gas leak which was five of the six fuel injectors leaking around the O-ring seals to the engine. We pushed on to Mazatlan, arriving just before dark.

We spent a pleasant night in Mazatlan. The Cabinas al Mar four bed suite on the old Malecon across from the beach was only $450 pesos. It included a bath, kitchenette with refrigerator and a two burner propane cook-top. We asked the driver of the open air VW taxi (Pulmonia) where to eat, so he took us to his favorite Restaurante, the Restaurant la Costa Marinero. At first, I believed that he took us there because it was likely the farthest restaurant on the Zona Dorado. After we ate the good, reasonably priced fish entrees, I decided that the taxi driver was really OK. .

On the next day we had a shorter drive into Guadalajara and then Chapala, less than eight hours total.

My Bricklayer/Handyman/Gardener/Mechanic, Luis, got quotes on having the Van repaired in Chapala. I had visions of a large repair bill. My repair manual indicated that O-Rings and various gaskets including the air intake plenum would have to be replaced. The gaskets and parts totaled more than $50.00 US dollars on the AutoZone website. I was afraid that they would likely have to be ordered from the States. However, Luis was able to get a low bid of $400 pesos. I do not know how the mechanics fixed the car without buying the expensive gaskets. It is likely that they used automotive silicone sealant. I really do not care. The car is now running driving fine. After the van was fixed, one of my sons skidded into a black cow crossing the dark road to our colonos (neighborhood). I did warn them about the local problem of black cows on dark roads. The only damage done was a broken turn signal lens. So far I have not found a replacement. An on-line search of junkyards in the States indicated that they want to sell the whole lamp assembly not the lens. I will get one when I get back to Phoenix to spend Christmas with my wife. The cow was not injured by the collision. It scampered away into the darkness, I am told.

I was happy to have shared this mini-adventure with two of my five adult children.

For more about living in Mexico see the parent site: makeyourhomeinmexico

I made that 1300 mile bus ride back to Phoenix. The good thing is that it only cost me $72.00 US dollars charged to my credit card. I have the tarjeta INAPAM (INAPAM card) issued by the Mexican government to older Mexican residents. I applied for the card in Chapala and received it in two days. For more information about the INAPAM card available to all citizens and residents of Mexico older than 60 see my pages on discount bus travel in Mexico at:
http://www.makeyourhomeinmexico.com

While in Phoenix, I purchased an old Minivan, a Mazda MPV. It was cheap because the seller had to move and he did not want to install the heater hose which ran from low on the engine block to high on the firewall heater connection. I just hired a mechanic (who spoke little English). He replaced the hose for $75.00. So as of now, I have a total of $1025 invested in the 8 passenger vehicle. The car seems to be in decent shape and I hope that it will give me good service in Mexico.

I do not want a fine car down there. It will have to be very reliable to beat out my wife’s 1991 Mexican air-cooled VW which we purchased for less than $1500 over four years ago. It has been very cheap to repair, but has been breaking down more frequently lately.

My son and I will drive the car down in two weeks. I will post more about the trip as we go.

MAZDA

Preparation time: three minutes, less if your microwave oven works better than mine.

Take a small cereal bowl, rinse it out, pouring off the water. Do not dry the bowl.
Place one or more thinly sliced pieces of Deli Ham or Turkey Ham in the bottom of the bowl. Add one thin slice of your favorite low fat cheese on top of the ham. Crack the egg carefully and add to the bowl. Be careful not to break the yolk. Instead, if you prefer, You could scramble the egg in a cup or a small bowl and add atop the cheese. Microwave for 50 seconds, and then check on the condition of the egg. If it is not cooked to your tase, cook 15 seconds at a time until the egg is just as you like it. In my microwave it may take up to 90 seconds total.

While the egg is cooking, warm a tortilla on the stove top in a dry griddle or skillet. Or toast two pieces of whole grain bread, English muffin, or a split bagel, whichever you prefer.
When the egg, cheese and ham combo is cooked, remove it from the bowl with a large serving spoon, placing it on your bread of choice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or with Louisiana hot sauce to taste. Roll tortilla or put on top slice of toasted bread. This makes a tasty breakfast and a good Breakfast to Go.