makeyourhomeinmexico.com Blog

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.

View my videos about Mexico.

Recently family members and I visited Mazatlan, Sinaloa in June and Sayulita, Nayarit in August. Both were beautiful beaches, although admittadly both were hot and humid in the daytime. Nights were beautiful and the water was great. Mazatlan is a great overall destination and Sayulita is a surfer’s paradise. Both offer low cost accomodations if desired or no limit high end places to stay.

From my E-book, available by request @ $10.00. Email your requests.

Chapter 9
Security & A Layered Defense Plan

Excluding the drug port border towns and Mexico City, Retirement or vacation in Mexico is likely safer than the USA. Nevertheless, security of your household should be a major concern in any country or city in which you construct your home.

If you are building a vacation home, it will be vacant for long periods of time. In many neighborhoods, burglary can be a major problem if your house is left unsecured and unguarded. Fortunately, instances of home invasion are fewer in Mexican cities than in most US cities. My own home town, Phoenix, comes to mind. There, home invasions are largely tied to illegal drugs.

If you are slightly paranoid or just very careful, you can enact an effective layered defense plan for your home. That is what this chapter is all about.

The first layer of defense starts with the community, fracciamento, or colonos in which you live. Select your place to dwell based in part on the security considerations. A guarded, gated community or a walled, multi-family complex is the most secure. If you cannot afford a secured community, locate in family neighborhoods in a small town and make a lot of friends, especially with your closest neighbors. This group of friends will be your informal neighborhood watch group.

The second layer of defense should be the periphery of your property. You should have high fences and walls, not easily scaled. The planting of low care, thorny plants such as Bouganvillas against fences is a friendly barrier to intrusion.

Gates should be locked with a system which is not easily defeated. An effective option is an electrified cattle fence on top of the walls where no one should be touching casually. These battery powered units, continually recharged by household current, make the charge received by an intruder non-lethal. The shock will still be sufficient to make the intruder lose muscular control and fall. I have never heard of these being breached. Even if the intruders shut off power to your house, the battery will provide plenty of juice to keep them off your walls.

I have discovered, after being locked out, that rectangular padlocks, either keyed or combination, are the easiest to defeat, almost silently. Take one of those locks (even one which is advertised as being bulletproof). While it is locked to something secure, try this: take a hardened chisel and a large ball-peen hammer. Put the chisel edge on the lock case, inside of the locking u-bolt. Strike the chisel sharply with the hammer. The undamaged lock will spring open! These locks are not dead bolts. They depend on spring action for locking. You need a dead-bolt system. In Mexico, Fanal or Phillips are brands (marcas) most often used for deadbolt locking gates.

The third layer of defense should be your watchdog(s). Anyone who gets inside the fence faces that threat. If you just do not want an animal, then your watchdog should be electronic. An alarm system, monitored or not should face an intruder at this point. A monitored alarm will bring an armed guard. Monitored alarm systems cost anywhere from $300 pesos to $500 pesos per month, about equivalent to the cost in the USA.

An unmonitored alarm will make a lot of noise and light to alert you and to intimidate the intruder(s). Security cameras are a bonus to warn you of the specific threat and to record images of intruders. If you install a noise-making unmonitored alarm, you must have a plan for shutting it off when it goes off in your absence. A neighbor who can be trusted should have a key. Otherwise, the police will break in to shut off the alarm for the sake of your neighbors.

This defense layer includes your cell phone. Once the alarm is sounded, a cell phone with emergency numbers pre-programmed can quickly summon police. Do not wait to seek help.

The fourth layer of defense is the walls of your house. Barred windows, steel doors with steel frames and deadbolts are best. But most of us opt for fancy wooden doors which are easily kicked in. The door itself may be sturdy oak, but the door frame gives way when kicked by a stout intruder. If you put a steel security door outside of your fancy door, you can sleep peacefully.

After kicking in a door, thieves entered my house in Glendale, Arizona, in a “nice neighborhood where nothing like this ever happens.” No one was home. At that time we had no dog nor security system. I feel much safer since moving to Mexico. Our colonos provides a manned gate and a 24 hour armed police patrol. Our Chow-Chow / Shepherd dog bites and barks at the same time. We have to keep her away from strangers.

The fifth layer of defense (last ditch) is your personal defense equipment. This includes pepper spray, weapons of choice: firearms (not generally available in Mexico) and stun guns, swords, knives, clubs, crossbows all of which are perfectly legal in Mexico. Your house dog can be included as a defense item.

In the unlikely case that a break-in happens, the outer layers of defense should prevail over the intruder(s). Use your cell phone at the first hint of trouble and you will never have to face an intruder at the fifth level.

Return to home page.

This is a light salsa, perfect for hot summer days. Serve with chips or baked salt free tostadas (tortillas). The fruit salsa also makes a good topping for meats. I could not resist adding the cucumber because it was on sale at the local grocery for $0.95 pesos per kilogram. It did not detract from the fruit taste at all.
Ingredients:
1/2 ripe pineapple
2 ripe mangos
1 large or 2 small cucumbers
2 fresh jalapeños
¾ teaspoon salt
Juice of one lime
½ large onion
2 pods of garlic
black pepper to taste
Cilantro (coriander) leaves to taste ¼ t0 ½ cup.
Splash of wine vinegar.
Preparation:
Slice the pineapple lengthwise into strips. Peel it and dice it, including the core. Add the diced fruit to a large mixing bowl.
Peel and dice the mango fruit. Discard peels and seeds.
Peel the cucumbers. Split them lengthwise and scoop out and discard. soft center and seed . Dice the cucumber and add it and the diced fruit to the large mixing bowl. Cut the ends off the jalapeños, slice them lengthwise, remove seeds and dice them. Peel onion, slice off the ends and discard. Dice ½ of the onion. Store other half of the onion for other use. Shred or chop the cilantro leaves, no stems. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. Place a saucer on top to seal the bowl and store it in the refrigerator to chill.

08/04/2009 from: admin
Karin,

On my website http://makeyourhomeinmexico.com/Dictionary4.html
you will find links to weaher in major cities of Mexico. When you open a link, there is also a choice to view tropical weather in the Pacific or in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Most expatriates who live here have internet access in their homes or use an internet cafe. Weather bulletins are put out by the Mexican Government in Spanish in case of Tropical storms, Hurricanes and tsumanis. Most people also have satellite or cable television with both English and Spanish language channels. Ther is plenty of warning on the internet weather sites for storms.

In the case of earthquakes, there are no warning system anywhere in the world as effective prediction techniques are yet to be developed. As in any mountainous country, there have been devastating earthquakes in Mexico in the past, just as in California, Alaska and Asia.
The key is to live in a secure, well constructed house. There have been no earthquakes in the immediate vicinity of Chapala and Ajijic in recent years. Not long ago there was a significant tremor off the coast of Colima, maybe 150 miles from Guadalajara. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/today/his_04_25.php

http://countrystudies.us/mexico/49.htm

Some sixty miles away to the Southwest the Volcan Colima is active and emits smoke occasionally. The wind very seldom comes from the southwest in Chapala.
http://www.gomanzanillo.com/old_articles/volcano/index.htm

I hope that this information answers you questions and helps ease the minds of your friends.

John P Lintz
____________________________________

— On Tue, 8/4/09, Karin wrote:

Subject: Moving to Mexico
To: “‘John Lintz Sr’”
Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009, 7:32 AM

Hello John,
Thank you so much for the valuable information you are providing. I’m fulfilling the requirements my husband had, that I needed to communicate with a “real person” before embarking on a journey such as this… At first the prices took me by surprise until I realized the $ sign was meant for pesos…

It’s very difficult for Phil to think that he could live anywhere else but the USA , whereas I’m the adventurer. I was born and raised in Germany and came to the USA when we married…

I have been talking with a co-worker for a number of years about moving to Mexico when the time comes (retirement) and it will now be a reality in another 2 years.

My co-workers question is about the weather. What about severe conditions such as hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes etc…Which ones would apply and what are the warnings and evacuation conditions?
Karin