barrbower

I can completely understand hard and fast rules in public buildings or spaces where nobody has a choice like government offices, grocery stores, hospitals, airplanes, etc. Private businesses can determine rules for their own establishments and customers and employees can choose to be there or not. There are topless bars which you don't have to enter if you choose not to spend money there. No shoes, no shirt, no service. Mask required to enter. No running allowed in store. Lots of examples. So why can't private business decide what they wish to do in their own business? Besides, MC is correct...do not expect enforcement of these rules. I'm with RickS as well. I'm not spending money in a place that allows smoke that bothers me. I can vote with my money and my feet by walking out. I don't see much benefit in potentially putting a business in peril by forcing them to comply with rules when the business and the customers might prefer it like it is now. I am afraid there is more conflict ahead. Alan

Guad Reporter is saying starting this December that new second hand smoke laws will go into effect. All smoking areas must be outside and completely sealed off from the rest of the establishment. No food or drink will be allowed to be served in smoking areas. Smoking areas must have separate entrance from street. I notice several things here. I don't know of a single place that currently can meet those standards. I have no idea who is going to enforce the new rules...maybe the same ones who "enforce" the noise ordinances. In small communities with close quarters folks are going to have to walk on the sidewalks/streets to smoke and then return to the establishment after perhaps offending a fellow pedestrian or even a homeowner who has an open window and smells smoke. Might as well say smoking only in your own home with all the windows closed. I don't smoke and never did and I really don't like the smell of cigarette smoke but this seems a little extreme. What do you guys think? Alan

Unless you are forced to do it for some reason...don't. Alan

As I said...Alan

You are exactly correct and I'd add that many US states require an emission inspection prior to issuing plates. Some still require a state safety inspection. Some require proof of insurance in effect prior to renewal on plates. These things are very hard if not impossible to get for many expats living here on Temporal or even snowbirding on tourist visas but who own cars here (which is actually not legal but not uncommon.) It isn't a scam if South Dakota wants to issue legal plates to folks who meet their state's criteria for getting them. Having said that, I'd still recommend buying a legal car here and getting a legal Jalisco registration. It just makes life easier especially when dealing with cops. Alan

Seems like more reasons to stay away from Mexican banks. Alan

I have bats in my belfrey...oh, wait, I don't think I have a belfrey. What is a belfrey? Never mind...Alan

They are connected...twin brothers. Martin's vivero is closed or soon closing because the property owner wants the land for something else. Eduardo's vivero is just 1/2 block up from the Ajijic hospital. He is almost always there if you'd like to speak to him in person. Alan

I'm not really sure what is involved to close the account. There is only the minimum balance in it now to keep from having to pay monthly fees. But based on past experience, it will not be as easy as it could be. It is based on a cultural feature generally present in all of Latin America. Alan

My point is even if you live here full time you can have options other than the peso accounts in Mexican banks. Most folks I know who are here full time permanent residents do not feel the need to invest or even bank with Mexican banks. They handle things via the internet and ATM transactions and have the bulk or all of their money in Europe, Canada, USA, or even Panama. We had to open an account at Bancomer years ago in order to buy a car with a check. PITA for a variety of reasons. We still have that little account but never use it. We actually had debit cards attached and when they were set to expire we went in to get new ones. Two hours later I finally got mine with so much paperwork and signing I couldn't believe it. My wife never did get hers and since we never really use them for anything we just skipped it. I'm sure we will one day just close the account but expect that will take many hours as well. Like I said...just not very good at these kinds of things that in many countries (but not all) are just simple transactions. It can be charming sometimes but can also be a headache. Still love it here but I've learned to avoid complications whenever possible. Alan

If a person had arranged a one year investment exactly one year ago at a 7% annual rate of return, that person would actually have lost money since the peso has declined against the dollar from 19.23 to 22.17 today. That is a decline of about 13% so one would lose about 6% after cashing out. Peso market is just too unstable. Better to invest in a rental here if you feel the need to invest locally or better yet, just leave money in US dollars or dollar investments. Avoiding the bank and legal hassles here in the process. Alan

One of the reasons we moved to Mexico was to find a slower paced/easier lifestyle. The truth is that culturally, Mexico loves bureaucracy but they are not really very good at it. For that reason, I try to keep my dealings with the government, police, and banks to the very minimum required. We just use a US bank and ATM's to get pesos. We only use a card that accesses our checking account where we keep a small balance with the rest in savings where it can be transferred to checking when needed. Alan

Sherwin Williams on the west side of Ajijic. Quart cans in satin and gloss of Minwax water based poly but no spray. Most clear sprays you can buy in Mexico are now "acrylic" but are really not soap and water clean-up and they smell more like solvent based (?) products. Good luck, Alan

Actually, WIZZ TV service is not all in Spanish. I get approx. 22 channels in English...most of the time. The trick is to switch your TV remote to SAP on. Channels 77 and 78 and maybe others are in English if you turn off the SAP and go back to stereo. Even have channel 98 which is all Paramount movies with infrequent commercials. Commercials will still all be local and Spanish language even with SAP on. I've been watching the PGA on ESPN today on WIZZ channel 76. But none of the major big 4 US networks. We only pay 300 pesos per month and it doesn't go off when it rains or when the internet is down. We also have free streaming TV where we can watch anything...in theory but not live. Has to be the next day. We have Kodi, Cyberflix, Dream TV, Unlock My TV, and a couple of others for watching movies and series as long as somebody has put them in the cloud. Alan

I'm not sure the US has a lot of room to suggest that any other country is not doing a good job fighting the virus. The US has approx. 4.7% of the world's population and approx. 26% of confirmed Covid19 cases and 22% of deaths. I'm sure these numbers are not exact because of the numerous ways they have been played to reflect political reality instead of actual reality. Not just in the US either. I'm pretty sure Mexico is playing the same games now. In any case, it sure doesn't look like traveling anywhere is going to be a good option anytime soon. Alan

Not sure these days but in years past the sidewalks were the responsibility of the property owner. That's why they are all so different. Also the same property owner or resident was responsible for keeping weeds, trash, loose rocks, etc. cleaned up to the middle of their street and over to the property lines. I'm pretty sure the same rules apply today but nobody does it and nobody enforces the rules either which is why nobody does it much anymore. Alan

By the way, when WalMart required the wearing of masks, it was soon made obvious that was only PR since they never seemed to enforce their own rules in the US stores. At least here they try to enforce them and there are few incidents where violence is the result of those attempts...unlike Texas and other independent countries.

As of July 20th, WalMart in the entire US is requiring customers to wear masks. You can Google it. Secondly, I was born and raised in Texas and still have family living there. "All my exes live in Texas" (1) is also true. I recently spoke to my sister who lives in East Texas and she wears a Gov. Abbot mandated mask when she leaves her home. She says it is quite rare to see another person doing the same...even inside stores. So that is just one more reason to never return. To quote an old song, "I feel like a stranger in the land where I was born." Alan (not Debra)

There wasn't a "manager" present on Sunday...only one of the young ladies at the customer service area. Next time I go I will see if that manager is available. I plan to live with it as I do with other aspects of life that don't always meet my criteria of "could be better". I just wanted to give others who can't "live with it" a heads up as I stated pretty clearly in the OP. I do shop other places and am hoping to see an improvement at WalMart next time I have to go there just like has happened at Pancho's. JB why does "move" even come into the conversation? Should I go to Texas where things are perfect? Alan

I've been to WalMart twice recently and just wanted to give a heads-up to any folks who might need to be especially concerned about their health. I saw maybe a dozen employees earlier today and none of them were meeting mask protocols except the young lady at the pickup desk near the exit. Two cashiers when I was checking out had face shields and masks. One had the mask below her nose with shield up and the other had the shield down and mask under her chin. I went to the customer service area to suggest they pay a little more attention to how the employees were wearing safety gear. I was confronted with three young ladies who were all wearing their masks below the nose or under the chin and all three had the shields up. It was like talking to a wall. No response, no comment, and no effort to correct their own gear. So, there you go. The customers are required to at least wear a mask covering the nose and mouth (I know some customers do expose the nose after entering) out of respect for the health of other shoppers and all of the employees but I guess we shouldn't expect the same level of respect from WalMart staff towards us. Alan

Much like in auto accidents, there is unlisted damage in Covid 19 sickness after not dying in the original event. The final tally for that damage will perhaps take a full generation to calculate. The seasonal flu is quite dangerous to those with complicating conditions but it does not seem to potentially cause life threatening/altering conditions after one is healed. Also, the acute suffering caused by Covid during the actual illness is apparently much more severe. Also not an easy to chart factor when doing comparisons. Alan

I recently pointed out to a friend of ours, who is quite afraid to venture out, that using statistics based on total population of gringos in this area vs. total deaths from Covid he is more likely to be murdered than die from the virus. Somehow he did not take much comfort in that. Alan

I've been in every country in Central America and all of western South America. There is not another place that suits our needs quite like this area. We have lived in San Miguel de Allende and I lived in Patzcuaro. I have been in 26 different states of Mexico. Always with an eye out for potential living or retirement. The combination of elements that exist here does not exist anywhere else that I have ever been. If you feel like Ajijic is too much like "gringolandia" then consider places like San Nicolas or Santa Cruz or even Jocotepec. Same weather, proximity to Guad and airport, four hours from the best beaches in Mexico, and Ajijic amenities within a short drive. It can depend on your comfort with the language. There is crime and corruption in all of Latin America as well as in many places in the US. Some folks just love South Texas, Florida, or Arizona. Not our choice though. Half of the fun of expat living is exploring your options...something that much of the world just does not have the luxury of doing. Alan

Mainecoons is right. And it is not just the flight on the plane. Lines at check in, getting through TSA checkpoints, lines for boarding, customs, immigration, and baggage claim are all choke points. You really might as well hang out in the crowded bar while you wait for your flight to board. Then public transportation to get to your destination. You are crazy to risk flying (or taking a bus) anywhere until you can get a proven vaccine. Most travel is really non-essential when it comes down to it. Alan

I'm sure the cases are under reported in the US as well as Mexico. We have been told from the start that unless you have other health issues which put your life in danger you should just stay home and treat symptomatically. There could easily be ten times as many cases as there are official ones. That does make the death rate much, much lower. The 4% is what is officially reported. Also it could be that many of the deaths were of people who had Covid19 but died of something else just made more serious by the addition of the virus. The sad part of the really low case numbers compared to what might be really out there is that in spite of a lower death rate you have a hugely worse sickness rate. 30,000,000 instead of 3,000,000 is not really good news. Same number dead but lots more terribly sick. I am pretty healthy and would likely not die from the virus. I still do not want to get sick with it and risk dying from it. It is not the flu and anybody who has shown serious symptoms has said the same thing. Also unclear are the potential long term health effects after recovery. Many have few symptoms and some die. A lot of unknown in between. Just take care of yourselves and wear a mask if you go out. It might keep somebody else from getting sick. Alan