Contents:
* Record temperatures
* Inflation in the Costa
Maya
* Topes -- some rules
to be aware of
* Accidents -- what
to do and how to make
it as painless as possible
* Car Storage in Cancun
* Current Exchange rates
* Steps for moving a
road
* Holidays in the Costa
Maya
* Identify that bird
* Prayers needed
* Chamber of commerce
Hi
Neighbors,
We had to pay attention
to the dates so we didn't
loose track of them, but
the Holidays came and
went with beautiful weather
and great times here at
Mayan Beach Garden. I
decorated a Chit Palm
with chili lights and
sentimental decorations
I had brought with me
from the US. The Chili
lights "cooked"
the chit palm and it lasted
only a week before looking
very dry and saggy indeed.
Everyone was very kind
and pretended not to notice.
Next year I will have
to experiment with something
else! We combined Christmas
foods from the US and
from Mexico for our Christmas
day dinner and also celebrated
Jan. 6, or Epiphany which
commemorates the arrival
of the Three Wise Men
in Bethlehem. On that
day, throughout Mexico,
everyone serves roscas
de reyes, a round cake
topped with dried fruit
and stuffed with one or
more little plastic babies.
The person or persons
who find the babies become
the godparents of the
Christ child and must
throw a fiesta on Feb
2nd, or Candlemas. This
day officially ends the
Christmas season, so if
you still see Christmas
decorations in and around
Mexico, you now know why!
We
had many neighbors visiting
us as guests this Christmas
along with some return
guests and new visitors.
It really is great to
get to know the Costa
Maya neighbors. Many of
you who stayed elsewhere
made a point of stopping
by so it really felt special
to me -- more "Christmassy"
than I ever remembered
in the past. Thanks for
being such great neighbors
and we hope you had an
equally fabulous holiday
season complete with your
own traditions, new or
old.
You can find this newsletter
and archives of past newsletters
at this
location: Newsletter
Archives .
RECORD TEMPERATURES
Many of you may be aware
of record cold temperatures
descending on the Florida
pan handle. Normally the
Costa Maya is not affected
by weather in Florid,
but on Jan 8, the same
day that citizens in Florida
we bundling up, Merida,
the capital of Yucatan
hit a low 48 while Chetumal
was 57 degrees. In a place
that has no heat, this
is indeed cold. My heart
went out to people that
have no doors and windows.
Many locals here only
have curtains for doors
and windows because normally
it is so hot. We just
closed our windows, put
on sweats and ate inside
for a change. The next
day, the cold front moved
through and we were back
to warm temperatures.
INFLATION ON THE COSTA
MAYA
January 1st brought a
wave of price increases
to the Costa Maya. Most
noticeable was the price
of gas. Magna (82 octane)
shot up from 6.1 pesos
to 7.9 and Premium from
7.1 to 8.9. This is a
huge increase. There must
have been some protest
against the state-run
Pemex because the prices
were back down to a more
reasonable increase yesterday.
The latest rate is 6.5
for Magna. They didn't
have Premium so I couldn't
verify the price. Using
a bathroom also went up.
Bathrooms in Chetumal
and at the Pemex are now
$3 pesos instead of 2.
I noticed other prices
going up as well, like
the rate for sodas, meat,
tortillas and eggs --
normally things that don't
fluctuate. We give our
staff a raise at the first
of the year, but it is
sad to think that most
of it may end up going
to cover inflation. We
have decided not to raise
our prices in the near
future, but when you visit,
you may find prices all
over Quintana Roo and
Costa Maya higher than
you had remembered.
TOPES -- SOME RULES
TO BE AWARE OF
Those annoying speed bumps
located everywhere in
Mexico and known as Topes
or "sleeping policemen"
aren't just there to launch
your vehicle into flight,
potentially damage your
suspension, and possibly
cause you to bite halfway
through your tongue as
you land. They are poorly
marked, but their purpose
is clear -- they are meant
to slow you down. They
range from a rope laid
across the road to giant
concrete bumps across
the highway. Even the
smallest town will have
2 speed bumps. When approaching
a town, assume there are
topes. There are most
always topes at schools,
military installations
and fire stations.
A wide tope often doubles
as an elevated crosswalk.
These are often marked
as pedestrian walkways
and have yellow stripes.
The pedestrian always
has the right-away on
these types of topes and
failing to stop can be
a ticketable offense.
The new stretch of 307
that looks like a freeway
is littered with these
type of topes. The signs
in that area call them
"reductors de velocidad"
or "speed reducers.
A tope that is placed
before an oncoming left
turn indicates that you
must yield to the left
turning traffic. The tope
is replacing the function
of a left turn light for
the oncoming traffic.
You won't see too many
of these, but Chetumal
has one in front of the
Police station on Insurgentes,
so watch for this.
ACCIDENTS -- WHAT
TO DO AND HOW TO MAKE
IT AS PAINLESS AS POSSIBLE
Accidents are never fun
-- regardless of what
country you are in. Hopefully
no one gets hurt and the
insurance will take care
of everything leaving
you to breath a big sigh
of relief. What do you
do in Mexico if you have
an accident? Well, Kim
and I have both experienced
the anxiety of auto accidents
in Mexico and I have to
say that I am glad I had
insurance, although it
cost me a day of my time.
I made the mistake of
hitting a Taxi in Chetumal.
The incident was extremely
minor -- broken headlights
and scraped paint, but
it was clearly my fault.
The Taxi driver immediately
called up his reinforcements
and 15 taxi drivers swarmed
the place. He was thinking
"new car" and
I was thinking that I
was clearly out numbered
and out maneuvered by
my lack of English skills.
Thankfully, a woman who
had seen the accident
and who had a clear aversion
to taxi drivers, found
someone to help me out.
He quickly informed me
that they told the late
arriving policeman that
the taxi was undrivable
and the vehicle severely
damaged. They were all
discussing where we were
going to go so that I,
a north American as I
was being referred to
as, could pay for the
extensive damage to the
"undrivable"
vehicle . Up to this point
no ticket had been written.
When I produced my insurance
policy, things immediately
changed. My translator
cheered because he felt
the forces of local corruption
were beaten. I wasn't
sure what he meant, but
at that point we all proceeded
to the police station
where they confiscated
my car and I watched taxi
drivers and policeman
greeting each other like
long lost friends. I wasn't
so sure that my new friend
was correct as I watched
the equivalent of a police
sergeant, who looked very
much like a caricature
of Mexican corruption.
My fears escalated as
my translator conveyed
a story of his own experience
where 10 years prior he
had been held in the jail
of the very building and
had been beaten severely.
Things changed quickly
once my insurance representative
arrived. He quickly negotiated
everything with the taxi
drivers AND with the police,
making sure I was not
over charged for my offence.
I got off with a $200
peso ticket, which according
to my translator was a
very good deal. He protected
my vehicle, taking possession
of my key (apparently
insurance companies garner
a lot of influence). The
only downside was that
I had to return the next
day to pick up my vehicle
mainly because the other
party didn't have his
license on him and they
gave him 24 hours to produce
his license, which he
did. Had he not been able
to, the insurance company
would not have had to
pay.
The agent told me that
he worked for several
companies and the one
I used - GNP was the best
of all the ones he worked
for. I purchased it over
the internet after doing
a search for Mexican Insurance.
I have a US vehicle and
the insurance was very
reasonable and is valid
only in Mexico with similar
coverage as exist in the
US. They have a local
office in Merida and in
Chetumal and are available
24 hours.
CAR STORAGE IN CANCUN
If you visit the Costa
Maya often, you will want
to have a car at your
disposal. Renting a car
is expensive. You may
find that it is cheaper
to purchase a car and
store it in Cancun. California
Transmission, an auto-repair
shop stores cars in its
walled enclosure. When
you arrive, you can arrange
to have them pick you
up in your own vehicle
and also drop you off
at the airport when you
are ready to leave. You
can reach them at 01998-886-4100
or 886-6093. The owner
speaks English and has
room for a few more vehicles.
CURRENT EXCHANGE RATES
Exchange rates have been
hovering around 10.4-10.5
pesos to 1 USD or the
last couple of months.
Rates on Jan 20th, 2006
are:
1 USD to Peso: 10.52,
but the best the banks
will give you is 10.4
and the money exchangers
10.3. Compare that with
.89 at the airport!
1 Euro to Peso: 12.17,
similar ranges apply as
listed above.
1 CAD to Peso: 9.05
STEPS FOR RELOCATING
A ROAD
The following is an excerpt
from a newsletter that
Denis Couture sends out
to potential investors
in the area. Denis Couture
also is a neighbor and
owns property south of
Mahahual. He wrote in
detail about his experience
relocating a road to the
back of his property:
"Over the past 2
months I've been involved
in a road relocation project.
This may not be particularly
relevant to some of you,
but for those of you that
could benefit by moving
the road to the back of
your beachfront property,
this may be of interest.
I've often been told,
particularly by realtors
trying to sell property,
that the road can be easily
moved back in order to
gain distance between
the road and the beach.
Be very cautious of these
claims. While it's true
that there is a process
for doing this, it can
get quite bureaucratic
and expensive.
First of all, I would
recommend finding a local
contact that has experience
with the process and is
well connected with government
officials. I used such
a person, and it's amazing
how much faster and efficiently
the process flowed. This
road relocation project
is still in process but
it appears we're getting
through it. Let me provide
you with some background
on the project. A group
of landowners with property
measuring approximately
200 meters were interested
in relocating the road,
in an area south of Mahahual.
The first step was to
apply for an environmental
study and permit. The
study is actually performed
by a trained biologist
who comes to the property
and assesses the impact
that the relocation will
have on the environment.
An accounting of the vegetation
on the property is performed.
Of particular concern
is the impact the relocation
will have on protected
plants like mangroves
and chits. Only under
special circumstances
are mangroves allowed
to be cut. Chits need
to be literally transplanted
and moved to an alternate
location on the property.
The process of performing
the study and obtaining
the permit took about
1 month and cost 45,000
pesos. At about the same
time the environmental
study is being performed,
a surveyor (topografo)
is sent out to locate
and mark the centerline
of the proposed road relocation.
When this is complete,
a cutting crew comes out
and cuts away trees and
vegetation to allow the
road to be built. This
is the step we are at
in the process. When this
is complete, the road
construction can begin.
All of this may seem relatively
simple, but making all
of this happen requires
the knowledge of someone
familiar with the process
and contacts. There are
some pitfalls that can
complicate things.
Pitfalls:
(1) Unknown Landowners
In our particular case,
most of the owners were
identified with the exception
of one parcel of 100 meters
whose owner could not
be identified. Keep in
mind that county records
are not that good and
often are not updated,
so it may be impossible
to find a particular landowner.
The option at this point
is to stop, or move forward
without the consent of
the unknown landowner.
Technically, all landowners
must approve of the relocation;
sometimes the relocation
takes place without this
approval, which could
pose a risk. In any event,
without knowing the landowner,
the cost of the relocation
for this property must
be borne by the other
landowners if they so
desire. In most cases
it turns out to be a good
investment, so the landowners
agree to paying this extra
cost.
(2) Non-Paying Landowners
It's quite common for
some landowners to refuse
to pay for the road relocation.
There's not much you can
do about this. There's
nothing that requires
them to participate in
and pay for the project,
even though their property
increases in value as
a result of the relocation.
Once again, a decision
by the paying landowners
must be made to determine
if they will absorb these
extra costs.
(3) Non-Consenting Landowners
Some landowners can be
spiteful enough to object
to the relocation across
their property. In such
a case, consenting landowners
must decide if it's worth
relocating, and having
to jog the road so as
to avoid the non-consenting
landowner's property.
This obviously complicates
the relocation and can
also add additional cost
to the project.
Even with the pitfalls
identified, relocating
the road across your property
may well be worth it to
gain the extra distance.
The increased value in
property, in my opinion,
can range from $10,000
to $25,000. The cost of
relocation for our project
was about $110 per meter,
or $2,200 for a 20 meter
lot. That's a good investment,
as I see it."
You can find out more
about Denis' activities
at www.mexicocaribbean.net
PRAYERS NEEDED
Tom Woodward, who owns
Paradise Lodge, went to
the US for a checkup.
He ended up having by-pass
surgery and never really
recovered. He is now in
critical condition and
could use your thoughts
and prayers. We wish him
luck and hope he returns
here to the Costa Maya
soon.
IDENTIFY THAT BIRD
With over 350 species
of birds making their
home along the Costa Maya,
you may often be struggling
to identify a certain
bird. Try the following
link to a great website
to help identify the bird
you may be looking for.
http://identify.whatbird.com/mwg/_/0/attrs.aspx
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ACTIVITY
The chamber of Commerce
has been idle during the
holidays as have been
all government offices.
Until Next month...
Regards from your Costa
Maya Neighbor
Marcia
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