On Sunday morning our son and his bride had the Ford Explorer packed to the rafters and headed off to Toronto, Canada via Dallas, Texas and Virginia. All the necessary preparations had been made including insurance, new US license plates, all paperwork for the vehicle, passports, exit visas etc.

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.

THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC REALITY

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.
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The travel industry reveals huge investments in Mexico signaling a brighter future.

There is a new web site you might want to check out about The Good News about Mexico Travel and Culture

It is: www.themexicoreport.com

Living in Mexico

When you live in Mexico you can truly enjoy the good life.

Just across the border from the U.S. , Mexico is now “closer than ever” – that’s a motto used by the Mexican Tourism Association – and as many expats are choosing to live in Mexico, we couldn’t agree more.

What does that mean exactly? Well, in terms of physical proximity, Mexico is the closes southern neighbor to the U.S. and a NAFTA partner, with all the good roads, high-speed communications, and top notch health care that you’d expect up north. Those who move to Mexico find living and doing business there to be very easy.

Mexico is served by a large number of international airports with regularly scheduled flights from all over the world. But imagine having the option of driving from the U.S. or Canada to explore this magnificent country in your own car, at your own pace. Imagine returning to the U.S. and not having to worry about skyrocketing airfare or – perish the thought – disrupted air service caused by strikes, weather or other delays.

By living in Mexico you will be ble to enjoy its rich culture and customs.

Previous administrations did little in the way of infrastructure improvements, but President Filipe Calderon seems committed to allocating funds for new and expanded road, ports and telecommunications infrastructure. This goes hand in hand with increased privatization, which will allow concessions in the national airport network and the telecommunications sector. The idea is that all of those improvements will further encourage and facilitate commerce.
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Reprinted from The Catalist empowering the Mexican – American Relationship (August 11th, 2010)

In recent months the debate about violence in Mexico has heated up significantly. Most news channels have been giving a broad coverage on the facts of crime, which are usually focused on the issue of combating organized crime.

When it comes to human lifes, it is always difficult to speak coldly about figures. But when we need to know what really is going on, in terms of crime, we can do nothing but refer to them.

The indicator which measures the violence in a country is the number of violent deaths per 100,000 people. This indicator has the advantage of allowing us to compare figures between countries with different population sizes.
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Soon the “snowbirds” will be packing up in search of a climate warmer than their own to spend the winter.

As we want those “snowbirds” and retirees to continue to come to Mexico I thought I would outline a few excellent reasons to live in Mexico.

A lot of people worry about the language problem in Mexico but here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala there is a lot of English spoken as it is largely an ex-pat community. You only need to learn Spanish if you wish to do so. For me, I found learning a new language at this age a very exciting and challenging undertaking.
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These are two accounts of people safely traveling to and crossing into Mexico at Ciudad Juarez and Laredo.

Day 1

The first couple left from Durango, Colorado about 10:00 am on a Tuesday with a full car and roof carrier bursting at the seams.

They had dinner that night at Las Cruces in New Mexico and then arrived on the west side of El Paso at 7:30 pm. They stayed at La Quinta at Exit 11 because they had two pets with them.

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This is information from the U.S. Department of State and other experts.

Most of the tourist and resort areas are separated by hundreds of miles from the volatile battlegrounds of the drug war. Tourism officials say staying away from Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta and other areas of Mexico because of what is going on it Ciudad Juarez would be like not traveling to Nebraska because of something happening in New York City. (Wall Street Journal)

According to the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. and Mexico border areas are most affected by the drug wars and if there is some sort of drug violence or serious crime, it generally doesn’t take place in tourist areas. (Fodor’s)

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As we recently had occasion to find out it is possible to obtain or renew your driver’s license in Riberas del Pilar on the carretera near Muebles Rustico on the lake side before you come to Maskaras Clinic on the way to Chapala.

I am going to speak about specifically renewing your license as that is what we needed to do. However, a visit to the Secretaria de Vialidad y Transporte (also know as the Transito) will provide you with the information and documents necessary for a new driver’s license.

To renew an existing driver’s license you will need:

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