As I am fond of saying I would not have voted for them to be here but now that they are I do use it not exclusively but I do use it nonetheless.

There have been a few issues with scams going on inside by perpetrators asking other shoppers for help and while they are distracted an accomplice steals their purse or wallet. My advice to that is if someone asks you for help refer them to the manager and move one clutching your purse firmly. I keep my pursed zipped and strapped into my basket when I shop at Walmart as an added precaution.

There has also been the issue of expensive items such as meat not finding their way into your basket after checkout. So I now watch that everything is, in fact, put into my basket before I head for the parking lot.

There have been complaints about some people working the parking lot with various scams so keep your wits about you and do not engage with anyone you do not know.

Now there is another issue that has come to light not to mention the millions of dollars in bribes to get all the necessary permits to be able to build and open Walmart here in Mexico.

That issue is we all love the “roll back” prices and Walmart certainly does offer very good value. Sometimes, however, the advertised price of an item in the store does not make it into the computer system. So, for example, if you select a product that is “on sale” for $100.00 pesos you might find that it gets rung through at the price not on sale for $150.00-$200.00 pesos.

So now, while I am carefully watching that my pork chops get into my basket I keep my other eye on the price of each product as it is scanned through. You will find, unfortunately, many discrepancies.

At this point you can go to Customer Service and lodge your complaint and in all cases that I know of restitution is made.

Walmart is not all bad. The prices are good and the meat is excellent. If I do have a complaint, other that the ones I have heretofore outlined it is the lack of selection or, in some cases, of even one of something or the quality of the products.

In Canada and the US you do have the choice of inexpensive items but you also have the option of a higher quality item it you so choose. For example the in linen department (and I use that term loosely) the highest thread count seems to be 144 which to me is equivalent to a low grade sandpaper.

So, by all means, include Walmart into your shopping rotation but it seems to be a case of “buyers beware”.

Getting across the border from Mexico to the US can be a tricky business, at best, depending on the agent you get at the crossing and their mood when you pull into their lane.

The thought of customs people going through all the stuff was daunting not because there was anything to hide but because there was so much. Everything from paintings to salad spinners and the usual assortment of electronic devices were carefully jimmied into their space and I doubt if you could have fit another manila envelope into the vehicle.

They had a route all planned out but at the last minute they heard about another route through Matehuala in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi. The reason they chose to go this route was, from all accounts, it was a very safe place to stop overnight with an overloaded vehicle. Evidently, the hotel Las Palmas happily accepts pets which is a plus for many travelers.

They left about noon on Sunday and arrived in Matehuala by 8:00 pm that night. They had a good night’s sleep and crossed the border into the US without incident the next day and were in Dallas, Texas by 11:00 pm last night.

They will stay in Dallas for a couple of days visiting relatives and getting any more necessary paperwork and then will head out again for more relatives’ fabulous cabin retreat in Virginia. They will stay here for another couple of days and then head north to Toronto, Canada.

They should arrive in Toronto early next week where they have friends and family eagerly awaiting their arrival.

We are all hoping the crossing into Canada will be as straightforward as the one into the US. .

This trip was a massive undertaking for newlyweds especially as the driver was recovering from a dislocated shoulder but they are happy and glad to be starting their new life.

We wish them safe travel for the rest of the trip and I am the first to admit that I will not rest easy until I know they are both safe and sound in Toronto.

No one had asked “Is it safe or will we be OK?”. Everyone happily hopped on a plane and came to support the family. Granted it is not terrific weather in Toronto at this time of year but nonetheless…

Unfortunately, our widely touted perfect weather did not co-operate and it rained every day for 15 days or more days and we seldom saw the sun. It also teamed cats and dogs on the day of the wedding but we moved inside and took comfort in the old wives tale that rain on your wedding day is good luck.

The weather did not prevent us from going everywhere in the day time and at night.

We frequented many restaurants both upscale and not so much and even some of the troops went to the Carnivale in Chapala at night. Fijate! (Imagine that!)

Long walks in Ajijic and on the Malecon were taken and all forms of markets visited and purchases made.

Night clubs were visited until the wee hours and admittedly some alcohol was consumed.

ATMs visited in all locations and I am very happy to report that there was not one incident of any note that threatened anyone’s safety.

We did, however, suggest to our visiting guests, that they might not wish to get involved in dealing drugs while they were visiting the lakeside area.

They took our advice to a man and all was well. I also mentioned that one has to keep one’s eyes open and wits about them wherever there are people and this advice was followed.

Having been born and bred in the big city of Toronto, Canada, I am no stranger to the dangers of a big city. I still feel very safe and happy here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala and so did our visiting friends and family.

Come on down. The weather, once again, is fine!

We have had dogs since we moved here in 1994. We rented a house that had in its garage a mother dog and her five new puppies. One of the conditions of the rental was that we allowed the dogs to stay until the person looking after the house for the owners could find the puppies good homes. As we had 2 children aged 10 and 12 we readily agreed.

Our son fell in love with the mother dog a beautiful cross between a Doberman and a Lab and I knew we would probably take a puppy too. We did and they had full happy, healthy lives with us until they passed away. The puppy was almost purebred Dalmatian and impossible to train. She was, however, the smartest dog we have ever had.

The maid had accidently left the gate unlocked so our puppy opened it easily with her paw and she and her mother set out on an excellent adventure. The mother dog was brought back by the person who was looking after our rental house but the puppy was missing for 2 and ½ days and we thought she was gone.

Late one night I heard scratching and crying at our front door and I knew our clever puppy had found her way home in the pouring rain in the dead of night. There was elation all around.

A few years later our daughter had become attached to a little miniature Schnauzer that was living on the street outside her school in Chapala. Our daughter had been feeding this feisty little puppy and lined a cardboard box with an old sweatshirt and fed her every day she was at school. I broached the subject of a third dog with my husband who said “no” without hesitation. I explained that this situation was different and our daughter had become attached to this animal.

To my great delight my husband went to my daughter’s school and picked up this puppy (who he hoped was the right one) and brought her home. The next day we took her to be shampooed, clipped, rid of fleas and dosed with all the appropriate shots and picked up our daughter who had been staying overnight with a friend. I will never forget the look on her face and the puppy was jolly happy too.

When our first mother and daughter dogs were getting older we were lucky enough to get a wonderful street dog a baby girl Lab who we all love to pieces as we have loved all of our dogs. She is an amazing watch dog and takes her job of protecting the family very seriously.

Last year we lost our little Schnauzer to a heart condition and so we were down to one dog. I could not even think about getting another dog.

Then another street dog this time a little boy Bichon Frise/Poodle mix came to my husband’s office. We put up signs trying to find the owners but when no one came forward we adopted him happily and he soon took the pain out of our hearts from losing our little Schnauzer.

Aside from the immense pleasure our dogs bring to our lives with their unconditional love we also appreciate the fact that they protect us and our house. I am not saying not to look into various security systems but the best security is a barking dog.

4 out of the 5 dogs we have adopted over the years were or are street dogs and I highly recommend these animals as they are so appreciative to have found a good home where they are loved and looked after that the reward is tenfold.

Call the Animal Shelter at 765-5514 to see about adopting a security system today.

There were 29 people in attendance and there was plenty of room for 29 more.

It is a beautifully finished condo with a 180 degree view of Lake Chapala from the master bedroom, den/guest room, open concept living/dining room and kitchen. Our friends amazing artwork adorns the condo and complements the formal style.

There are three bathrooms in the unit and the terrace goes right around the condo offering a spectacular view of Lake Chapala. Last night the view was beautiful in shades of grey which looked like a painting.

There is rigid security in this building and many common areas offering outdoor living. Tennis, swimming, barbequing, party rooms along with hairdressing and spa facilities are offered to name a few.

My tablemate was noting that one could not distinguish this condo from a fabulous one in New York
City but, of course, for considerably less money.

The kitchen had three cooks preparing our delicious supper. To start there were beautiful fat shrimp and almond stuffed Greek olives. Then we had Chiles en Nogadas which is the traditional chile served on Mexican Independence Day as is sports the three colors of the Mexican flag. Also a cheese filled chile relleno was on the plate and chicken fajitas with spicy beans, guacamole and flour tortillas.

For dessert we had individual mincemeat in artful pastry packages with whipped cream and a chocolate truffle.

Naturally, there was white and red wines and champagne.
It was a terrific mix of people both expats and Mexican and I am sure everyone had a lovely time in lovely surroundings. Also the visiting friend regaled us with stories and songs after dinner.

The point of this story is to illustrate that there is something for everyone here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala in terms of property to suit every taste and pocketbook. Quaint village homes are available right up to high end carefully guarded condos overlooking our beautiful Lake Chapala and many other opportunites in between. Select a broker who knows the area and ask them to show you the many faces of Ajijic.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1074406–peaceful-canadian-port-thrives-amid-a-mexican-drug-war

Why it is necessary to have a different key for every door is something I have never been able to figure out despite extensive interrogation but there you have it.

The Lock Shop is a small blue kiosk affair beside the Coca Cola outlet just east of Walmart on the south side of the carretera in San Antonio Tlayacapan. It is clearly marked Lock Shop but the hours seem to be a little haphazard. As I was joking with a friend today that The Lock Shop has a very small window and seemed to open from 2:-00-2:15 pm every second Thursday. I jest, of course.

If you are able to ever find them open you can procure a business card which gives you several phone numbers and they do provide service to your house. They also have a wide selection of key rings and other paraphernalia and all makes of car keys.

English is spoken and I have personal firsthand knowledge of their professionalism and prompt service.

Once when my friend could not get into her rental house I drove to the blue kiosk and the owner jumped in the car with me and he managed to fix the broken lock in minutes for a mere $200.00 pesos and even found his own way back.

The service of making keys is very fast and reasonable. Today I needed 6 keys for a new front gate lock and the cost was $78.00 pesos. Having said that I remember when it was $5.00 pesos per key but everything has gone up in the 17 years we have lived here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala.

I will give you the phone numbers for emergency services:

Yiyo Cel. 045 331 021 6637
Juan Cel. 045 331 250 7819
Abe Cel. 045 331 040 9838
Casa (376) 766-1074
Taller (376) 766-5839

Another very worthwhile service The Lock Shop provides is Transponder Car Key Programming and they also replace these controls.

I think they open around 10:00 am and close about 2:00 pm but I will not be held responsible for the validity of these hours.

First: A reality check on Mexico

Mexico is in a unique position to reap many of the benefits of the decline of the US economy. In order to not violate NAFTA and other agreements the U.S.A. cannot use direct protectionism, so it is content to allow the media to play this protectionist role. The U.S. media – over the last year – has portrayed Mexico as being on the brink of economic collapse and civil war. The Mexican people are either beheaded, kidnapped, poor, corrupt, or narco-traffickers. The American news media was particularly aggressive in the weeks leading up to spring break. The main reason for this is money. During that two-week period, over 120,000 young American citizens poured into Mexico and left behind hundreds of millions of dollars.

Let’s look at the reality of the massive drug and corruption problem, kidnappings, murders and money. The U.S. Secretary of State Clinton was clear in her honest assessment of the problem. “Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent the weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians,” Clinton said. The other large illegal business that is smuggled into the U.S.A. that no one likes to talk about is Human Traffic for prostitution. This “business” is globally now competing with drugs in terms of profits.

It is critical to understand, however that the horrific violence in Mexico is over 95% confined to the three transshipping cities for these two businesses, Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales. The Mexican government is so serious about fighting this, that they have committed over 30,000 soldiers to these borders towns. There was a thoughtful article written by a professor at the University of Juarez. He was reminded of the Prohibition years in the U.S.A. and compared Juarez to Chicago when Al Capone was conducting his reign of terror capped off with The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. During these years, just like Juarez today, 99% of the citizens went about their daily lives and attended classes, went to the movies, restaurants, and parks.

Is there corruption in Mexico? YES !!! Is there an equal amount of corruption related to this business in the U.S.A.? YES !!!. When you have a pair of illegal businesses that generate over $300,000,000,000 in sales you will find massive corruption. Make no mistake about the Mexican Drug Cartel; these “businessmen” are 100 times more sophisticated than the bumbling bootleggers during Prohibition. They form profitable alliances all over the U.S.A. They do cost benefit analysis of their business much better than the US automobile industry. They have found over the years that the cost of bribing U.S. and Mexican Border Guards and the transportation costs of moving marijuana from Sinaloa to California have cut significantly into profits. That is why over the past 5-7 years they have been growing marijuana in State and Federal Parks and BLM land all across America. From a business standpoint, this is a tremendous cost savings on several levels. Let’s look at California as an example as one of the largest consumers. When you have $14.2 billion of Marijuana grown and consumed in one state, there is savings on transportation, less loss of product due to confiscation and an overall reduction cost of bribery with law enforcement and parks service people. Another great savings is the benefit to their employees. The penalties in Mexico for growing range from 5-15 years. The penalties in California, on average are 18 months, and out in 8 months. The same economic principles are now being applied to the methamphetamine factories.

FOX News continues to scare people with its focus on kidnapping. There are kidnappings in Mexico. The concentration of kidnappings has been in Mexico City, among the very rich and the three aforementioned border Cities. With the exception of Mexico City, the number one city for kidnappings among NAFTA countries is Phoenix, Arizona with over 359 in 2008. The Phoenix Police estimate that twice that number of kidnappings goes unreported, because like Mexico 99% of these crimes were directly related to drug and human traffic. Phoenix, unfortunately, is geographically profitable transshipping location. Mexicans, just like 99% of U.S. Citizens during prohibition, go about their daily lives all over the country. They get up, go to school or work and live their lives untouched by the border town violence.

These same protectionist news sources have misled the public as to the real danger from the swine flu in Mexico and temporary devastated the tourism business. As of May 27 2009 there have been 87 deaths in Mexico from the swine flu. During those same five months there have been 36 murdered school children in Chicago. By their logic, if 87 deaths from the swine flu in Mexico warrants canceling flights and cruise ships to Mexico, then close all roads and highways in the USA because of record 43,359 automobile related deaths in the USA in 2008.

What is just getting underway is what many are calling the “Largest southern migration to Mexico of people and real estate assets since the Civil War” A significant percentage of the Baby Boomers have been doing the research and are making the life changing decision to move out of the U.S.A. The number one retirement destination in the world is Mexico. There are already over 2,000,000 US and Canadian property owners in Mexico. The most conservative number of American and Canadian Baby Boomers who are on their way to owning property in Mexico for full or part time living in the next 15 years is over 6,000,000. Do the math on 6,000,000 people buying a $300,000 house or condo and you will understand why the U.S. Government is trying to tax this massive shift of money to Mexico through H.R. 3056. The U.S. government calls this “The Tax Collection Responsibility Act of 2007″. Those who will have to pay it are calling this the EXIT TAX.

Mexico: A better economic choice than China

Another large exodus from the U.S.A is high paying skilled jobs. The job shift in automobile sector, both car and parts manufacturing, is already known by most investors. In the last few months as John Deere and Caterpillar have been laying off thousands of workers in the U.S.A., and hiring equal numbers in Mexico. The most recent industry that is making the shift is the aerospace manufacturers. In the city of Zacatecas there is currently a $210 million aerospace facility being built. With the 11 U.S. companies moving there, it is estimated to provide over 200,000 new high paying jobs in the coming years. One of the main factors for the shift in job south to Mexico instead of China is realistic analysis of total production, labor and delivery costs. While the labor costs in China are 40% less on average, the overall transportation costs and inherent risks of a long distance supply chain, and quality control issues, gives Mexico a distinct financial advantage.

Mexico’s real economic future

Mexico has avoided completely the subprime problem that has devastated the U.S. banking industry. The Mexican banks are healthy and profitable. Mexico has a growing and very healthy middle and upper middle class. The very recent introduction of residential financing has Mexico in a unique position of having over 90% of current homeowners owning their house outright. U.S. banks are competing for the Mexican, Canadian and American cross border loan business. It is and will continue to be a very safe and very profitable business. These same banks that were loaning in a reckless manner have learned their lesson and are loaning here the old fashioned way. They require a minimum of a 680 credit score, 30% down payment, and verifiable income that can support the loan. In most areas of Mexico where Baby Boomers are moving to, with the exception of Puerto Penasco (which did not have a national and international base of buyers), there is no real estate bubble.. The higher end markets ($2-20 million) in many of these destinations are going through a modest correction. The Baby Boomers market here is between $200,000 and $600,000. With the continuing demand inside the Bay of Banderas, that price point, in the coming years, will disappear. This is the reason the Mexican government is spending billions of dollars on more infrastructure north along the coast all the way up to Mazatlan.

The other major area where America has become overpriced is in the field of health care. This massive shift of revenues is estimated to add 5-7% to Mexico’s GDP. The name for this “business” is Medical Tourism. The two biggest competitors for Mexico were Thailand and India. Thailand and India’s biggest drawback is geography. Also recent events, Thailand’s inability to keep a government in place and the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai, have helped Mexico capture close to half of this growth industry. In Mexico today there are over 56 world class hospitals being built to keep up with this business.

Mexico is currently sitting on a cash surplus and an almost balanced budget. Most Americans have never heard of Carlos Slim until he loaned the New York Times $250 million. After that it became clear to many investors around the world what Mexicans already knew: that Mexico had been able to avoid the worst of the U.S. economic devastation. Mexico’s resilience is to be admired. When the U.S. Federal Reserve granted a $30 billion loan to each of Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, and Brazil, Mexico reinvested the money in Treasury bonds in an account in New York City.

According to oil traders, Mexico’s Pemex wisely as the price of oil shot to $147 a barrel put in place an investment strategy that hinged on oil trading in the range of $38-$60 a barrel. Since the beginning of 2009 Mexico has been collecting revenues on hedged positions that give them $90-$110 per barrel today. Mexico’s recent and under reported oil discovery in the Palaeo Channels of Chicontepec has placed it third in the world for oil reserves, right behind Canada and Saudi Arabia.

The following is a quote from Rosalind Wilson, President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce on March 19, 2009. “The strength of the Mexican economic system makes the country a favorite destination for Canadian investment”.

OPPORTUNITIES: WHY PUERTO VALLARTA & THE RIVIERA NAYARIT

The answer is simple and old fashioned: SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

The area of Puerto Vallarta/Riviera Nayarit inside the Bay of Banderas is an investor’s dream. This area has the comprehensive infrastructure in place, world class hospitals and dental care, natural investment protection from the Sierra Madre Mountains, endless future water supply, low to nonexistent crime, international airport, and limited supply inside the Bay, first class private bilingual schools and higher than average appreciation potential. Like many areas in Mexico there is large demand for full and part time retirement living and a lot of construction underway to meet this demand. Pre construction of course is where the best bargains are available.

I would offer a word of caution for investors in Mexico. Do not be seduced by the endless natural beauty that is everywhere, both inland in colonial towns and along thousands of miles of beach. Apply conservative medium and long term investment strategies without emotion. The demand for full and part time living by American and Canadian Baby Boomers is evident throughout the country. The top two choice locations are ocean front, and ocean view. The third overall choice, which is less expensive, is inland in one of the many beautiful colonial towns or small cities.

Mexico, with the world’s 13th largest GDP, is no longer a “Third World Country”, but rather a fast growing, economically secure state, as the most recent five-year history of its financial markets when compared to the U.S.A.’s financial markets suggests.

DOW JONES AVERAGES MAY 2004 10,200 – MAY 2009 8,200 20% LOSS IN 5 YEARS

MEXICAN BOLSA MAY 2004 10,000 – MAY 2009 23,000 130% GAIN IN 5 YEARS