Yoga Program – Cookbook CDs – Silent Auction Meeting

If you would like a CD of the iQue Sabroso! Cookbook, a set of CDs for the TCBYoga Program (one music, one power point) or a DVD of the turtle “Lolly” movie, simply agree to spend $25 per CD more than you otherwise might at the upcoming Fiesta Gala and Silent Auction. We are starting to identify 2012 Auction Items and anyone with anything of value they would like to donate to the Silent Auction will be greatly appreciated. If you made a donation last year, please think about repeating your generosity. The date is Friday evening, March 2, 2012. The venue is the patio of the Las Villas hotel.  All arrangements have been completed but we still need Silent Auction Items.  There will be a meeting at Phase One Condo #116 on Monday, January 30 at 2pm so we can brainstorm Silent Auction items. If you are interested in helping our this worthy cause, please come and see what it is you can do to make a difference in some kids’ lives.

Call For Volunteers – Monday January 30 – Condo 116 – Get a FREE T-Shirt

As the date for the Fiesta Gala approaches, Friends of Barron would like to call a meeting for those EDM residents and guests who are interested in lending a helping hand.  The planning itself is complete… We will dine and dance under the stars at the Las Villas Patio. There will be live music and a cash bar. What we need help with is soliciting and securing the donations of Silent Auction Items. This is our real moneymaker. Proceeds will help fund the ongoing student scholarship program as well as various school projects. Volunteers will receive a FREE T-shirt!

If you will be here that last week of February and would like to hear more about what you can do to help, please come to Condo 116 (Phase One) at 2 pm on Monday, January 30th.

Mexperience Newsletter

Welcome to the January 2012 edition of Vista, your monthly email round-up of news and opportunities about Living & Leisure experiences in Mexico.

If you enjoy reading this newsletter and it’s been sent to you by a friend, family member or work colleague, you can subscribe now and get your own copy each month! Registration is free, and takes less than a minute… your privacy is assured.

Please do not reply to this email. To contact us or unsubscribe, use the links below.

Happy New Year!

On behalf of everyone at Mexperience.com, Happy New Year! As 2012 gets into full swing, we’re rolling-out a comprehensive program of initiatives to make Mexperience.com and this newsletter even more useful and more valuable to you. If you’ve visited Mexperience in the last couple of weeks, you’ll have noticed some changes already. We’re making the site more visual and this year we want to bring you more insightful ideas and inspiration that will help you to better experience Mexico, whether you plan to live here, take leisure time here, or both. If you have any comments about the work we do, please get in touch and tell us: your feedback really does shape the future of this independent web site.

New Mexico Immigration Law ‘Within Months’

Mexico’s immigration institute was expected to adopt the country’s new immigration laws into its code by the end of November 2011, but by early December the laws had not been adopted and there was no news about when they would be. Shortly before Christmas, the Mexican Ministry of the Interior, SEGOB, published a statement on its web site (in Spanish) saying that they are working hard to implement the new laws, and that they expect the new immigration code to be implemented ‘within the next few months’. Meanwhile, the current immigration rules remain in effect. The updated edition of the Guide to Mexico Immigration will be published soon after INM adopts the law code and the new procedures are known. Everyone who has downloaded the current edition of the Mexico Immigration Guide since January 1, 2011 as well as all those who download a copy now, will receive an automatic complimentary upgrade to the new edition when it is published.

Last Call for Monarch Butterflies

The awesome Monarch Butterflies, which arrived in Mexico last November to over winter here, are coming to the end of their stay. By mid March they will begin leaving and by the end of March they will have vanished from the Oyamel trees in the mountains of Michoacan. Our Monarch Butterfly tour partners, S&S Tours, are undertaking a final tour at the beginning of March–if you want to participate this season, get in touch with S&S Tours for more information–spaces are limited. If you want more information about the Monarch Butterflies in Mexico, connect to our online guide.

Healthcare Matters in Mexico

As healthcare prices in the U.S. continue to increase, increasing numbers of people living there are looking abroad for treatment, and Mexico–for its closeness–is emerging as a major healthcare center in North America. Whether you are planning to visit Mexico for affordable healthcare (for example, dental care is much less expensive here than it is in the U.S.) or plan to live in Mexico and are wondering how you will provide for your healthcare needs, our comprehensive section about Healthcare in Mexico will help you to get yourself informed. In addition to the guides, you can also connect to a series of regularly-updated blog articles, written by Monica Rix Paxson, author of theEnglish Speaker’s Guide to Medical Care in Mexico.

Things to Plan Ahead for in 2012

Although it might seem a little early in the year to be talking about distant events, if you’re planning to visit Mexico to experience one of the ‘big events’ here, you really need to book your arrangements early. And with this being 2012 (Maya prophecies and all that) if you plan to be anywhere near Yucatan / Chichen Itza in the first half of December, book now. You can find a list of the Major Events you need to book ahead for on our When to Go to Mexico guide which is also loaded with lots of other useful trip-planning information.

The Other Migrants

Since we launched our eBook Working and Self Employment in Mexico it has shot to the top of our best-sellers list. Judging by the keen interest people have demonstrated though their purchase choices, there are increasing numbers of working-age people considering a move to Mexico–to work. While working in the local economy in Mexico can be challenging, the advent of low-cost communications and the Internet have created many opportunities which did not exist fifteen years ago. Foreigners working in creative and ‘knowledge’ industries are finding that they can live in Mexico (and live here for less) while working for clients based in their home country and around the world. Some expats are also finding local employment legally and legitimately. The concise guide toWorking and Self Employment in Mexico explains what you need to know if working in Mexico is something you want to consider.

The Problem With Predicting Exchange Rates

In recent years, one of the hardest things to predict has been the peso/dollar exchange rate. Just when the peso seemed to be making a comeback from the 2008 devaluation, something else has happened leading investors to move back into dollars, either buying US Treasury bonds as a safe place to park money, despite very small returns, or buying dollar contracts in futures markets to protect their foreign investments against depreciation of the currencies in which they have invested.Read full article online…

Cost of Living Report 2012 Nearly Complete

Our eBook, Mexico Cost of Living Report has been very popular with readers over the last year. Our research team has completed the collection of pricing data and we’re now working through the details to update the entire report for 2012. This year’s edition will carry a number of enhancements and also show last year’s prices for the same goods, so a year-on-year price comparison will be possible. If you purchase the Cost of Living Report (2011 Edition) now, you will automatically receive the 2012 Edition free. Additionally, everyone who purchased a copy from October 1, 2011 will automatically receive the free upgrade. If you purchased the report before October 1, 2011 and wish to upgrade in 2012, a 50% discount will be offered when the updated edition in published in February.

Mexico Remains a Top Destination for Weddings and Honeymoons

If you’re planning to get Married abroad, and/or want to plan a sensational honeymoon experience, we have two complete guides to help you plan your special day in Mexico. Whether you want to get married in Mexico, or just spend a life-memorable honeymoon here, our guides will help you to find the right places and the right people to help you make it all happen… Weddings & Honeymoons in Mexico

Wholesome Fresh Food (And It’s Affordable)

With so much processed food about these days, and health concerns surrounding them, some people are seeking alternatives and going back to fresh ingredients to prepare their meals. There’s a catch to this: fresh foods can be more expensive than those TV dinners and fast food ‘favorites’. Curiously enough, we looked for TV dinners in Mexico (to include them on the Cost of Living Report), but couldn’t find any. Turns out that Mexican consumers prefer fresh food to pre-packaged frozen boxes. No Supermarket Required is a blog post we published that explains how local independent food traders (like butchers, fishmongers, bakers, etc.) are still thriving here in Mexico. A sister blog-post related to that is Wholesome Food Without the Whole Paycheck. Both posts give insights into how you can eat fresh, eat well, and not spend a fortune doing it here in Mexico.

How To Buy A Decent Mexican Hammock

There is some debate about where and how hammocks came into being, although it’s thought that hammocks arrived in Mexico from the Caribbean, a couple of centuries before the Spanish landed on the shores of present-day Veracruz. Mexican hammocks are woven in a variety of colors and patterns, although not all hammocks are created equal: there are certain features which need to be considered closely if you are going to procure a hammock that will last you and be comfortable to lie in… Read full article online

We’ve Improved Our Mexico eBooks Store!

We launched our Mexico eBooks store in October 2010. Our eBooks are proving popular with readers who value the knowledge and experience offered through a range of carefully selected titles, many of which cannot be found elsewhere. With eBooks, you can download immediately and read today. We guarantee you’ll find them valuable – or we’ll refund the purchase price through our 30-day money back guarantee. We’d like to thank everyone who is purchasing eBooks from Mexperience:your patronage supports independent authors and publishers who are investing their time to document specialized knowledge and experiences about Mexico that may not otherwise be so readily available, and your purchases also support the work of this independent web site. Thank you for your valued custom!

Real Estate Opportunities

Connect to these current real estate opportunities in Mexico:

Eco Homes - In San Felipe, 2 hours drive from the US Border, from $12,800

Colonial Home - Beautifully restored colonial home for sale in Patzcuaro for $225,000

Unique Investment - Hacienda & Land for Sale near Puerto Vallarta, in parcels of 1 hectare

Buy, Build or Extend Your Home in Mexico

This eBook is the definitive guide for anyone planning to buy a home, build a home or extend a home in Mexico. It’s packed full with solid, practical advice to help you make smarter choices in relation to buying, building or improving/extending your home in Mexico. If you plan to invest in real estate here in Mexico, the $19.95 download price will pay for itself time and again. If you don’t agree, tell us within 30 days and we’ll refund your money.

Learning Spanish

If you plan to live in Mexico, day-to-day situations will require that you speak Spanish to at least a basic conversational level. Daily routines, buying food and groceries, arranging for home repairs, dealing with home deliveries, your gardener and your maid, etc. … you really need to make an effort to speak the local language if you are going to get the most from your life in Mexico. Our guides toLearning Spanish will help you. We also publish a series of blog articles with tips and insights for anyone learning the language. You can also find connections to Spanish Language Schools in Mexico and to home-learning courses.

Thank You For Recommending Mexperience…

Word of mouth is our best source of new visitors, newsletter readers, and customers.   Thank you for actively recommending us to your friends, family, colleagues, and on your Social Networks; and for supporting the people and companies who sponsor Mexperience. Your personal recommendations, custom and patronage are all sincerely valued and enable this independent resource to operate and thrive!

Changed Email? Update Your Email Address!

Changing your contact email address is quick and simple on Mexperience Email Update

Contact Mexperience

If you have questions or comments to share, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us

About Vista, Your Mexico Newsletter

This Newsletter (“Vista”) is published and distributed by Mexperience.com. You are receiving this newsletter because you have a confirmed subscription to our newsletter service.

This Newsletter and Mexperience.com are (C) 2012 Mexperience. “Mexperience” is a Registered Trademark (R). All Rights Reserved.

No Longer Need This Email Newsletter?

To Unsubscribe from these Vista Newsletter emails click: Unsubscribe

 

Plastic Bottles Needed

There is a government sponsored program to help the less fortunate build homes in the Colonia, a district of Stone Island (Isla de la Piedra). The current goal is to complete 10 homes in the next two months. Three homes have been completed, and 7 more are under construction. These homes are built with plastic bottles. In order to complete the homes, more plastic bottles are required NOW. Depending on the size of the house, a total of 5000 to 6000 bottles are used. Please save 600 ml and 1 litre plastic bottles with the caps. For example, soft drink and water bottles. The bottles are filled with sand and cemented in to construct the walls.

On the Isla, bottles can be placed in the blue bin beside Fredrico’s store, or left at Chabela’s (Ecococo’s) at the end of the street where the RV Parks are. In Mazatlan, at Recrea: 209 Constitucion in Centro.

If your community is able to provide a central drop off in your area, we can arrange to have the bottles picked up.

If you have questions, email or call and we will do our best to get the info for you.

In advance, thanks to all who give a helping hand…or we should say bottles.

Ernie and Alexis

Ernest.stapleford@gmail.com

Landline: 981 – 9121 Cell: 669 – 113-8429

Open Letter to Cruise Ship Companies

Attached is an open letter to cruise ship companies urging them to put Mazatlan back on their ports-of-call list.

Hi everybody,

We invite you to read the attached Open Letter  we have sent to the Presidents of the Cruise Lines International Association [CLIA] and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association [FCCA].

Also, please take a few minutes  to browse through its Addendum with 17 pages of E-mails we received from the Foreign Community in Mazatlan in response to the question  ”Is Mazatlan Safe to visit?”.

Our narrative is very simple…

 

 This is all about  expats and part-timers from north of the border campaigning to correct Mazatlan’s false image and revive the city’s tourism industry.

 

 We realize that the Mexican Government and other organizations are  working hard toward that objective, but it will not hurt for the Foreign Community in Mazatlan to support those efforts….”y poner nuestros dos granitos”….

 

 We are making a broad communication of this message  to the US and Canada Embassies in Mexico, Mazatlan  Foreign & Mexican Media as well as the Major US and Canadian Newspapers.

 

How can you help?

1. Pass along this E-mail to your Friends and Family members in Mexico AND Abroad.                                                                                              Click here to view the Open Letter and the Addendum.
2. Post it in your Social Networks to go viral and spread the word
3. Send a short  and constructive message to the Cruise Lines Associations addressing the question ”Is Mazatlan Safe to visit?”.
   Please E-mail your responses to safemazatlan@aol.com                

 Thanks for your support,

 Henri & Frances Jarrat             USA- Nevada- Half time Maz. residents

Jackie Peterson                        USA- California- Full time Maz. resident

Bill & Jacque Demmer              USA- Texas- Full time Maz. residents

Jack & Valerie Moreau              CANADA- B.C- Half time Maz. resident

Gordon & Lynda Wainwright     CANADA- Alberta- Full time Maz. ResidentsOli & Betty Cajanek                    CANADA- Ontario- Half time Maz. resid

Olga Luna, Phase Two HOA Representative

Olga is a Maztaleca, meaning she was born and raised in Mazatlan. She is married and has two grown daughters aged 22 and 25. She attended high school in Mazatlan and University down in Nayarit, near Puerto Vallarta majoring in Tourist Administration. She has been with EDM for 4 years and is the only HOA Manager that Phase two has ever known. Previous to her employment at EDM, Olga worked for El Cid, Sheridan Hotels in Guadalajara, Sea Garden and Paraiso del Mar here in Mazatlan. As an only child, her parents were sad to see her leave Mexico after graduation to go to Montreal, Canada. She had no specific plans when she left but she spent a year there, living in the YWCA and studying both English and French. She has very fond memories of Montreal and hopes to visit there again soon. Her passion is art and architectural drawing. When her daughters were small, she attended architectural school for 6 months but was unable to complete the course. But both of her daughters were inspired by her passion and they both are architects today; the older one lives in Belgium and the younger, here in Mazatlan. Olga is a very good artist in her own right. She prefers working in acrylics when she is not doing line drawings. Her husband is a real estate agent in Mazatlan. To all you Canadians, help Olga practice her French. Bonjour!!

Cosgrove’s Golf Goodbye

“Fear not the words of a simpleton. Just don’t lend him money”

Let me announce today I have ended my 50 year relationship with the game of golf. After years of worshiping at the feet of the Gods of Golf it is over.

No more will I gild the pockets of the evil rulers of the game with $150(US) putters, the next foolproof cavity irons, overpriced Callaway drivers or shoes which are touted to improve my “game”. Titleist 1 golf balls, Tiger Wood shirts; I don’t need them anymore.

I tried to win your love. New clubs. Lessons. Videos. Hours on the practice range. You played me. A few ups, many downs. Like a girl on a first date you didn’t deliver. You lured me away from my family. You dominated my discussions with friends and business associates.

You piqued the optimistic side of my brain. I believed money and practice would win your love. Once I went without sex for a month on the nights before heading out to golf. No help. I dreamed of a pill that would do for my golf swing what Viagra did for erectile dysfunction.

So it is goodbye you bullying bitch of my futile search for par and happiness. You were the sand in my trap of life. The divot of my dreams for a five on number one. Get your evil jollies off watching someone else hitting balls into the water on number six.

There are others who will continue to worship blindly at your feet. I wish them well and leave those brave souls with these words: Don’t look up.

Ken Cosgrove

Anyone Feeling Adventurous?

For those of you that are up for an adventure into the foothills of the Sierra Madre, a group from Mazatlan will be taking a tour to the village of Tacuitapa. This village is located about 20k south of San Ignacio, in the picturesque Tacuitapa river valley.

The trip will begin in Mazatlan at 9:00am Saturday, January 28.  The first leg will be to the Spanish colonial town of  San Ignacio where they will have lunch across from the town plaza. After lunch they will follow the road into San Juan and then head south to the village. The afternoon will be spent wandering around the forest and along the river. Dinner will be served around 7:00 and then the evening will be spent socializing on the veranda.

After breakfast in the morning, they will take a very short drive to access a hiking trail along a small stream. The trail is a shady path that winds through giant trees, some of which are only found in this part of Sinaloa. In the past, several Macaws as well as smaller parrots and pale billed woodpeckers have been seen. Even though this is the heart of Jaguar country, an actual sighting would be one in a million, however we could find paw prints along the trail. The walk will end at the village of San Juan where they will have drinks and sandwiches before heading back to modern Mexico. They will be back in Mazatlan by 6:00 pm Sunday afternoon.

The accommodations for our stay will be a modest hacienda on the outskirts of Tacuitapa, a village of about 130 people. The hacienda was built in the 1890’s and has been occupied by members of the original family ever since. The sleeping arrangements are dormitory style in the main room of the hacienda and there are 2 indoor bathrooms available.

Transportation will be a large, air conditioned van with storage space for personal gear. Travel from Mazatlan to Tacuitapa is north on the free road and then east to San Ignacio and then south to the village for a total of 140k. With favorable conditions, and minimum pit stops, the drive can be done in a leisurely two hours.

The cost for this back country tour is 1500 pesos per person and includes 4 meals plus transportation. The proceeds will go towards improving the lives of the villagers and as a eco tourism demonstration project. When they first went to this village 5 years ago, the inhabitants were killing every jaguar they could find. Now some members of this same community are actively protecting both the jaguar and their habitat.

The long term plan is to demonstrate that the jaguars and their unique habitat hold an economic opportunity when left unmolested and intact.  Eco-tourism is a rapidly growing industry as many people seek out distinctive and exceptional encounters with the natural world, which are abundant in the areas surrounding Tacuitapa.  With an overall mission to improve the lives of 130 villagers and preserve critical habitat, each of these trips to the village cultivate the process of positive transformation from resource extraction to resource utilization.

They only have room for 6 people on this trip, so if you are interested, please contact  tacuitapa@yahoo.com or call cell number 669 108 4804.

Save the Date! March 2nd!

The 3rd Annual Fiesta Gala and Silent Auction to benefit the Friends of Barron will be held this year on Friday, March 2. It will be staged at the Las Villas patio and will include dining, dancing, live music and of course, the Silent Auction. Items for the auction have already been donated:  we have a beautiful piece of original art, accommodations at Las Villas, a “iQue Sabroso” Cookbook, a sport fishing trip, a sunset cruise, a table top wine opener, and other lovely things.  Please go to www.FOBNews.org to check out the list. Also, if you have something of value or interest to donate to the cause, please contact Dale Lyster (condo 116) or Luis Medina.

Hit ‘n Giggle on Wednesday

There will be a Hit ‘n Giggle on Wednesday. The cost is $200 pesos and there is a sign up sheet in the golf pro shop.