Things That I Have Learned in Mexico

Surfer’s handshake - Right hands palm to palm. Pull your hand towards yourself then bump fists.

Zihuatanejo Handshake ( Mexican) - Right hands - slap palms gently then shake hands.

Mexican Kiss (Greeting) - Right cheek to right cheek then kiss the air.

Speed Bumps – the drivers nightmare!!

Speed bumps will occur on any highway or road and sometimes for no apparent reason. Speed bumps can be;

well marked with warning signs “vilosidad retardo”.

marked with white lines on highway before and yellow lines on speed bumps.

marked with only yellow lines on speed bumps.

not marked at all!!!

The not marked at all can make a car airborne. If you have a roadside business, make a speed bump and the traffic will slow for your business. Also, it is probably entertaining to watch the Gringo tourists fly through the air. “Bump” has become our warning cry. The louder you yell – the closer the bump.

Friday is payday and Saturday is shopping day - Do not go to the bank on Friday or the supermarket on Saturday.

Mexican Security Systems - There are more dogs in Mexico than people. The ones that wander the streets avoid cars well and they are not vicious. Mexicans do not seem to mind that all these dogs bark all night.

Roosters crow all the time day and night.

You should always have toilet paper with you.

Nobody uses street names only landmarks – directions start with “you know where the………..is?”

Most Mexicans do not eat hamburgers.

There is no such thing as a logical progression of events in Mexico.

In Mexico all things take much longer and are more complicated than you think.

Not all properties are a good idea.

Zihuatanejo caters to baby boomers - this photo was taken in a bar that is a boomer hangout and has live rock and roll music.

You hear the sound of a bugle playing something that should be followed by “they’re at the post” from 6am until dusk. After the bugle playing stops “gasssss” is yelled. It is gas delivery.

Gringos drink wine, therefore wine is expensive.

Mexico has good cheap beer.

You never get a glass when you order a beer and you always get lime.

Food products that are manufactured and packaged in the USA, cost up to 50% less in Mexico than Canada.

You can bargain for almost anything.

There are virtually no: McDonalds, Burger King, Harveys, KFC, Pizza Pizza, Pizza Nova, Starbucks, Tim Horton’s or other donut shops.

You are never too old to make good friends.

Mexico has a way of heightening your senses .....the bright colors, the wafting smells, the array of sounds and the warm air that envelopes you and hugs your body.

Summary

Mexico is a vast and interesting country with a long history. On our trip we saw only a small bit of Mexico and almost none of the ruins of a once strong civilization. As the media hurt Toronto with the Sars scare, so has the media hurt Mexico with their sensationalist coverage of the H1N1 virus and the drug wars. Tourism is down and people’s lives have been hurt. At no time on our road trip were we ever the lease bit frightened. We found that Mexicans are a kind and gentle people who enjoy life and have a wonderful sense of humour.

We had a fun and a great adventure that we will always remember!

Our Last Days

It is a cloudy and drizzly day and we spend the morning in the food, clothing, and silver markets. Then, in the rain, we drive to Mexico City. We get lost again! Mexico City is even worse than Rome for driving. The lanes are narrow and no one seems to stay in them anyway and there are almost no road signs. After about 2 and a half hours we finally get rid of the car and checked into the airport Marriott Hotel. Not wanting to waste anything we proceed to finish the left over scotch and wine and then stagger down to the restaurant for a remarkably good dinner and even more wine.
Morning comes too soon. We have 2 fights and arrive home at about 7:30. Syd, Clay, and Syd’s boyfriend Les have created a delicious welcome home meal. We have a great party with presents that we have brought for them and Birthday presents that they have for us.

Syd, Clay and Les really made us feel missed.

On the Road Again

It is 6:30 and we are leaving. “adios XOXOX” has been written on our car window... Bev did that we are quite sure! It is sad to leave.
As the sun begins to rise we are in the Sierra Madre Del Sur Mountains which are much higher and steeper than I expected.

There are amazing panoramic views as we go this way then that way, up, up, up, then down, down, down. The road is perched on the side of the mountains with no barriers and steep drop offs. These are the biggest mountains that we have driven through on this trip and we call this nerve racking drive the “Really Jim” or the “Don’t Look Jim” *copyright Susan Smith last trip to Mexico.

It is a truly beautiful and spectacular drive. We are lucky that we had a full tank of gas and packed a lunch as there are only a few small farming communities.
The valleys get wider and the mountains are not as high when we reach Ciudad Altamirano.

On the map the tiny short road to Taxco seemed like a better idea than the much longer highway route. It was definitely more picturesque but much longer in driving time. However the towns that we went through made it worthwhile.

We finally arrive in Taxco. Joanne and I were here in April 2008 and loved its narrow streets and charm but hated all the cars.

Finding a hotel and parking were difficult, and finally we got a room in Hotel Los Arcos, a small old hotel that we found on our last trip. From the courtyard in our hotel lobby a large tree trunk filled the corner and on the third floor the beautiful purple blooms became the focal point of the rooftop deck. We must find the name of these trees that are so common in Mexico.

We settled in quickly as we realized that Carnival was about to start with a fireworks display in the main square.

The fireworks were not your regular high in the sky bursts but all took place on a large tower that had been erected in front of the church in the square.

An amazingly good horn band played Mexican music with improvisational jazz-like sections as the fireworks on the tower spun and exploded.

This was fireworks with a religious theme. Goblets, bells, stars and other symbols whirled round and shot out coloured sparks. A drawing of Jesus that looked like it had come from The Family Guy television show, unfolded and on each side there were two flaming angels spinning round and round. The end finally comes when the band played an almost "um- pa- pa" beat as the top of the tower exploded in sparks and a whirling crown shot a halo of light far into the sky and the church bells began.

Oh brothers and sisters I have seen the light.

Following this spectacular display, cages of fireworks that resembled a toy bull were lit and young boys charged around the square carrying them. When the burning sparks became too much for the carrier, the firework bull was dropped and another boy would pick it up and charge through the fleeing crowd. There were about ten of these bulls.

“No need to worry William”

The only thing that makes Joanne happier than shoe shopping is looking at plants.

It’s Monday and we should leave Zihuatanejo tomorrow. Our plan is to drive to Taxco and spend the night and from there it is only about three and a half hours to Mexico City Airport. We have done this drive before and it is on good roads with no mountains. The only problem with this plan is that we have no idea what is happening with the land purchase. “No need to worry William” our lawyer tells me. He assures us that he will take care of everything and that there is no reason for me to be here until closing in 60 to 90 days. We just have to make sure that the minor changes that we have made to the contract are OK with the seller. This requires a few trips between offices. There seems to be one problema, the seller wants to have the property evaluate at a low price to save capital gains tax. This is essentially passing the tax onto us as we would have to pay it when we sell the property. All the books and articles that I have read state clearly that you should not do this and I have stated clearly that we will not do this. Now we wait again, the seller will be in Zihuatanejo at the end of February to meet with the Notario (powerful government lawyer) to try and solve his tax problems without assessing the land at a low level.
We arrived in Zihuatanejo and booked our apartment for one night and we have been here for 29 nights. Tonight is our last night and we are getting together with Bev, Pete, Neil and Halina to say goodbye.

It is very sad to leave. We have made good friends, had fun, and hopefully accomplished what we came to Mexico to do - "search for a vacation property in a warm climate that is a "unique fixer upper opportunity".

Do Worry be Unhappy

Will this real estate deal ever happen? Our lawyer’s father has taken ill and he has gone to Mexico City and promises that he will be back on Monday. We met with his assistant, who we were told spoke English, he doesn’t and yet he help translate a document. I have asked about the amount of money that will be required on Monday and I have received no answer. I have just found out that the seller is out of town and won’t be back until February 26.

Joanne keeps saying “calm down, stop freaking out”. Our plane leaves Mexico City early Thursday morning and we are a long way from Mexico City. The maps and internet say that it is an 8 to 9 hour drive. We have heard this before, 3 hour drives become 6 hour drives because there are mountains (who knew). Also the people who make these times don’t allow time for being lost and we seem to be constantly lost.

We anxiously wait the return of our lawyer and Monday’s meeting. This lot is far from a done deal.