Noticias La Paz

 The judicial elections are over in Mexico.  I think they were nationwide.  Only 13% of people showed up to vote.  It's not that they were lazy, the cartels were intimidating people.  Since they burned two buses in my city I'm trying to keep up with the local news.  

It's weird how in the beginning I was all about keeping up with USA news, and I still do, but living in Mexico with blinders on is foolish.  Things happen here and you need to be aware.  

I still love it here.  I love being able to walk to a pharmacy in 3 minutes and get the pills I once had to do humiliating urine screens for and pay out the ass for the privilege.  And I take less of them now.  They had an antidepressant effect that I took advantage of, and I just need less of that here.

I have less stress about my future.  I know I won't end up in a urine soaked bed at a horrible nursing home one day, and that when my mom needs elder care I'll be able to afford it for her.

I know that if I lost my game vendor I'd have more than enough money to live on in my savings until I turned 62 and could then live well off social security.

Everything has changed, and it's been for the better.  Even when there's headaches, like the furniture woes, Walmart theft, and not getting the medication I needed the first time I saw the doctor, they're few and far between compared to my problems in the USA.

In Mexico they would never let my mom wait a month before she received news of her cancer diagnosis.  In Mexico I wouldn't have to struggle to get a vet appointment to save my poor little cat's life when she had some lung issue and was near death.  In Mexico people are kind, eager to help, and it's not all about money.

But they do need jobs here, and I love this place so much I want to give back.  It has to wait until I get permanent residency however.  I can't legally work here right now.  Having a 'front man' to run the business through is just asking for problems.  

We don't know if we're buying a house here.  The reason to have a house paid for in the USA is so you don't have to deal with housing costs when you're trying to survive in retirement.  Here I could always afford rent, and when I get older I'd want to live in some gringo senior living situation anyway.  So...maybe we won't buy.

We like the little house we have.  Four bedrooms with a nice bonus room with a balcony upstairs.  $700 for rent each month, $160 for electric every two months, $20 for propane every three months, and $10 for water every other month or so.  And my landlord kept all the bills in her name to make our lives easier.  We just add our costs to the rent each month.  She tells me what we owe through WhatsApp.

WhatsApp Web is amazing because I can talk to so many people and businesses with the aid of my computer translator.  But I am learning Spanish, bit by bit, day by day.  I'm not running into trouble when I go to stores anymore.  I'm able to talk on the phone.  I still struggle, but I know I'll be fluent in a few years.  It takes studying diligently as well as immersion.  You can't learn through osmosis.

I was sick for most of last month.  What was I sick from?  I'm somewhat sure it was a bladder infection due to not bathing due to the faucet situation I spoke of previously.  The antibiotics did make me better, though I still struggle with fatigue.  I also think I had a Graves disease flare since my heart was racing.

We got blood tests at a nearby lab.  My Graves is high but in a reasonable range.  I think I was higher a few days ago but upped my pills enough to get it under control.  I'm not anemic either, which was a fear I had.  My mom is also not anemic.  My blood did have signs I'm fighting an infection, so that tracks.

During the illness I seemed to sweat out my medications and minerals.  And somehow I'm no longer addicted to nicotine gum.  This is the perfect chance to get a hysterectomy.  And this month I'll start looking into that.  I'd like to just pay for it at the private hospital and not sign up for insurance, because the private insurance down here is the same as USA prices.  And I didn't leave the USA to come to Mexico to pay $500/mo in health insurance.  

I also am too spoiled to use the public health system here.  That, and I don't think it's right that I should be adding to the overloaded system.  The Mexican people need care and shouldn't be delayed because some gringa showed up.  Private hospitals will keep me out of their way.

Cartel Troubles

About a month ago we were hearing a lot of police sirens.  It turns out a drug cartel burned two public buses (no one was inside).  There was trouble in Los Cabos (an hour from us) and Cabo San Lucas (two hours from us). 

This is a mural on the wall of one of our favorite restaurants here. It's of Frida Khalo, of course, the famous painter and a national treasure of Mexico.


Then yesterday a man was outside of a bar at night and a car went speeding past him.  He yelled for them to slow down.  It was a cartel member.  He rolled down the window and shot the guy in the foot.

When I hear that I thought:  this guy lost his foot.  But I'm thinking of 'American Guns' not the tiny pistol this guy had.  The bullet hole looked slightly bigger than a bibi gun.  (Lucky for him).

Something else has happened today, but we don't know what.  We're hearing a lot of police sirens.  

This is the other mural on the restaurant wall of Rosalinda.  I don't know who this is, so apologies if she's another famous Mexican.  We believe she's the owner of the restaurant since it's called Rosalinda's.

This is very worrying, obviously.  According to the USA Travel Guidance two cartels are fighting to claim La Paz as their territory.  The long-term expats and locals are saying that's not what's going on and this is about the election for new judges after a crackdown on corrupt judges who worked with/for the cartels.  Some say the cartels are trying to intimidate people to vote in corrupt judges.  There is also intimidation at the polls and at political events.  

My neighbor said the cartel used to rule La Paz, but they were cleared out.  It's scary to think they're back.

But this is why we agreed not to buy a house right away in La Paz.  First, it's hard to buy property as a temporary resident anyway, so better to wait until we get permanent residency.  Second, we need to make sure we're staying where we buy long-term.  Obviously, if the cartel is taking over La Paz we will need to get out.

This is not easy.  We have our USA car here because you're allowed to drive with US plates in the Baja peninsula (and also the 'border zone' 20 miles from the US border).  We like having a car.  It makes life a lot easier.  We are also able to lock it inside our gate every night so we don't have the stress of leaving it parked on the street.

Chevy Exquinoxes are very reliable cars, and this could very well be the last car I buy.  It only has 70k miles and they give you 200k miles at a minimum, usually up to 250k and more.  Considering we've had the car since 2017 (bought it used) that means many more years of enjoying this car.  

Nationalizing it so it's legal in all of Mexico is a cumbersome and difficult process, that requires driving all the way back to the border and importing it.  Then registering it.  But we don't have Mexican tax IDs and that's needed to do this.  If you get a Mexican tax ID, you end up in the system and other expats warned this can cause problems.  (I don't remember exactly what.)

So staying in La Paz means I don't have to blow upwards of $36k on a new car (because we'd want a nice one) with all the headache of registering it, getting the tax ID, etc.  Also we're in month 2 of a one year lease of our very nice rental.  We like it here.  We like the area.  I don't want to leave.

But safety is paramount, so yeah, if we have to leave we'll get a reliable moving company to move us to the mainland in one of the expat strongholds.  We'll fly there, and probably give our car to our neighbor since she drives without a plate anyway.  (A lot of cars don't have plates here.  She says she knows someone on the police force).  I don't know if I'd actually do that.  I have to consider it carefully first, but that's an option.  An expensive, difficult, and heartbreaking option.

What isn't an option is going back to the USA.  The truth is, if everywhere in Mexico became too dangerous we'd go to Belize or Costa Rica or some other safe Central American country.  I don't want to endure all the BS and disadvantages we faced in the USA again.  Mexico has spoiled us.  

What do I mean?  Here's the list:

• Cheaper housing, food, utilities, and goods in general, so you can retire on just social security here.
  
  
• No prescriptions needed for most drugs, and when needed there's a doctor right in the pharmacy ready to see you for $3-$4.
• This is especially important to me because I need Tramadol to be able to walk due to nerve damage from a bone cancer surgery.  In the USA I had to go through 'Pain Management' which was horribly expensive, humiliating (urine tests/pill counts), and inconvenient.  I had to drive 3 hours to Phoenix to get to my appointments, and then every pharmacy except two very obscure/inconvenient ones stopped offering it.  It seemed every month there was one less place I could get this medication.  Here?  No prescription needed.
  
  
• Get lab tests for a few bucks whenever you need.  Walk right in.  No lines/waiting.  Today we got anemia tests and I got my thyroid numbers to manage my Graves disease.
  
  
• Friendly people.  You know your neighbors.  You make new friends everywhere you go.  People are genuinely kind here.
  
  
• Great workers.  Recently I ordered something from Temu, but still had the Air Bnb address.  I figures that package was lost.  No.  The delivery man called me, got my new address, and brought it to me.  And that's typical of the service you get in Mexico.  Everyone goes the extra mile.  And they do it with a smile on their face.  On the world 'Happiness Index' Mexico is the 10th most happiest country in the world.  You know it.  You feel it.  You see it here.  The vibe is joyful.  The USA is in 24th place.
  
  
• Healthier food.  They have to put warnings on all the junk food, and have greater restrictions on ingredients here.  I recently bought a variety pack of little cereal boxes because I had a craving for Corn Pops.  One of the other flavors was Fruit Loops.  I avoid Fruit Loops in the USA because something about it is off.  I can tell when I eat it that it's not right. It makes me a little sick. It colors my poop green.  In Mexico I ate the Fruit Loops and I couldn't believe how delicious it was.  It didn't make me sick.  It was sugary junk food, yes, but it had fewer chemicals than the USA version.  
  
  
• Things are easier.  I don't really know how to describe this, but getting an apartment was simple.  You need new eye glasses?  No appointment needed.  Get your exam then and there.  Need car insurance?  Not only is it only $300/year but it's a simple process.  Getting our residency cards did have a hiccup, but it wasn't as stressful and difficult as I'd worried it would be.  Every time I need something there's someone who has it or knows someone who does.  Yes, money is usually needed, but in Mexico I have all the money I need.

Obviously I can't speak for all of Mexico or on behalf of all Mexicans, but I like it here much better than the USA, and I don't plan on ever going back.  If the cartels make it unsafe I'll have to go to another country and hope for the best--but right now I feel like we have the best.  Mexico is a large country with lots of resources, infrastructure, and organization.  I don't think we'd have as good a quality of life in a different Central or South American country.

Hopefully we'll never have to leave.

Got Sick

Stop the tape, this kid needs to be locked away!
 

Dr. Dre, don't just stand there, operate!

I'm not ready to leave, it's too scary to die.

I'll have to be carried inside the cemetery and buried alive.

As you can tell from my quote of Eminem's 'My Name is' lyrics...I've been sick.

If you can get through my personal life blather I explain how I dealt with this while in Mexico.

I had fevers, chills, night sweats, racing heartbeat, and several other symptoms I can't describe here because my brother reads this blog.

I thought it was my Graves Disease because I'm a dumb slut when it comes to taking my medication.  It's like this, okay?  When I hit the proper baseline I'm supposed to take half a pill every other day to stay there.  I'm EXTREMELY sensitive to the pills so I have to go easy on them, because being sent from hyperthyroidism (metabolism too fast) to hypothyroidism (metabolism too slow) is a hellish nightmare of fatigue, brain fog, and gaining literal pounds every day when you barely eat anything. 

Who the fuck can remember to take a pill EVERY OTHER DAY.  I don't have a brain that powerful.  Just ask my staff.  They have to remind me of who I hate all the time so I don't accidentally work with them again.

Anyway, racing heart is a major symptom so I started treating with my medication and thought I was getting better.  Thought I could do a workout today.  Thought wrong.

I could barely drag my ass out of bed, and the chills were gone but the fever was drowning me in sweat.  I figured I'd at least take a shower.

Note:  Hot water in Mexico is a privilege, not a right.  And I demanded it because I can't take cold showers.  I can't even deal with tepid showers.  I just won't stay under the water.

We made sure this place had hot water on demand after staying at many hotels and an Air BnB that did not provide it.  The Air BnB said they had hot water when we asked.  Then when I complained he said to shower in the afternoon and it should be warm enough.  Huh?  "The tank is on the roof and it's black.  That's how you get hot water."

😑

Anyway, this place legit had hot water so long as we keep the propane tank full.  And it's $400 pesos every few months to fill it.  ($20).  So yeah.

I found that one handle of the tap didn't turn at all and the other could be turned.  This had a big C on it.  So I knew it would be caliente.  First few showers, fine.  

Then the mineral build up hid the letters and I turned the other handle with ease.  So I thought that was caliente.  But it never got hot.  I thought our propane was out, so I tested on the stove and we still had some.  My mom said she had used up all the hot water to do laundry.

Oh.  Okay.  I barely cleaned myself in icicle water and moved on with my life.

Next shower:  Ice fucking cold.  'Oh, I took a shower this morning.'  😐

Okay, I could not deal with another cold shower so I tested the water every day.  It never warmed up.  There was always a reason.  But now I'm sick, I smell because my Graves Disease is acting up and massive amounts of sweat will eventually become unpleasant.  I told my mom the day before:  I NEED TO SHOWER IN HOT WATER.  I'M SICK.  DO NOT USE ANY HOT WATER!

"Oh, you can just come down and use my shower.  I always have hot water."  Yeah, like I want to haul my sick slippery naked ass up and down 26 stairs when I'm just trying to recover.

Well she didn't use any hot water.  I HAVE to have hot water, right?  Wrong.  I let it run for ten minutes.  So I figured I needed to tell the landlord something got disconnected or some shit.  I took my brutal icicle shower then when I shut it off it finally occurred to me to try the other tap.  

Yeah.  I'm really that stupid.  Don't laugh at me.  I'm sick.

I finally got clean enough to leave the house and I told my mom to come to the pharmacy with me so I can get UTI test strips, because this is more than Graves Disease at this point.  The pharmacy is around the corner from us.

They didn't have the strips I wanted.  They wouldn't prescribe Cipro without a prescription.  I thought antibiotics were given freely here, but either that's just for the gringos doing border crossings, or they changed the rule to prevent the antibiotic resistance crisis that was on the horizon.  

I pleaded, I don't have a doctor.  I don't know how I can get a prescription.  They said to go next door.  ?

Yeah, so there's a doctor's office attached to the pharmacy and she took down my symptoms as translated by my mom and gave me a more appropriate script than my shot in the dark after some Web MD search.

The consultation was $70 pesos.  $3.50  😵

I started my prescription and I'm pretty sure the lack of proper showers for so long really did give me a UTI because my symptoms matched.  

I'm dead on my feet, but I need to try to do my work.  I'll take all the pills and hopefully get better.  If not...then it might be that the aggressive uterine cancer that runs in the family has decided to get me out of the way early (my mom is literally the only woman in the family to ever survive it).  I'm confident enough that it's not that not to worry.

Sams Club in Mexico

 Sometimes you want a really good beef roast or an American-style sheet cake for your eminent 50th birthday (mine is coming next month).  And...the best place to get stuff like this is a gringo store, populated by other gringos and wealthy Mexicans (mostly the latter, Mexico is doing just fine, thank you).  

Sams Club in Mexico very much has 'not quite but close enough' American prices.  And I balk at how few products I got for $2400 ($120usd) pesos.  

• $172 ($9usd) for crunchy perfect 'just like you remember them back home' green grapes.  
• $40 ($2usd) for 7 organic platanos (aka bananas) 
• $180 ($9usd) for 12 botellas (remember to pronounce the ll as a y sound) of sparkling water
• $155 ($8usd) for 32 botellas of agua
• $40 ($2usd) for 6 grande botellas of agua (Easier for me to fill my kettle upstairs with than the liter bottles)
• $214 ($11usd) for .646 kilos (1.4 pounds) of Strip Steak
• $275 ($14usd) for 24 packages of toallitas aka butt wipes for my mom
• $142 ($7.30usd) for boxes of Kleenex...which aren't made by Kleenex, but all blow your nose tissues are just called Kleenex here.
• $281 ($14.50) for a big thing of toilet paper...Cottonelle.  It's slightly worse than USA Cottonelle, and has a bigger tube making the rolls go a lot faster.
• $408 ($21usd) for 2 boxes filled with catfood sachets.  Cat food in cans are rare.  You get little pouches here.  
• $604 ($30usd) for 8 boxes of trident gum.  They each have little packets with four pieces each, matching the chicklet style of gum that's so popular here.

All together $2,406 or $123.  Which is exorbitant for Mexico.  But we knew that walking in.  

We also bought a bag of oranges and a box of dates from a woman who set up shop in the parking lot.  I also gave someone $20 pesos who tried to sell me cold drinks of red or brown.  But I know the brown is sweet tamarind juice and the red is koolaid of some variety, both loaded with sugar, so I said no, but gave him a gringo tax.

Before we shopped we went to a seafood restaurant under a hut made of palm fronds.  Open to the outdoors.  They had posted such glorious seafood pictures and had enormous oysters...I mean, two bites to get them down.  The oysters were literally brought in while we were waiting to order from a vendor with a dripping net bag of them.  They were amazing.

The lunch was $900 pesos $46usd with our $100 peso tip.  I told the waitress no necesita cambio (keep the change) and she presented it to her boss at the counter who was talking to a local.  He said in Spanish:  'Why can't you be like the gringos and leave a tip?'  The man said: 'Tipping is gringo culture! We don't tip here!  They just never learn!'

Excuse me?  There was a big cocktail goblet by the register that had 'propios' (tips) written on it.  They definitely take tips there.  

We came home and my neighbor grabbed my mom to take her to the dentist with her.  She's there now and just sent me a WhatsApp (official communication means of Mexico) so see you later!

 

USA House SOLD!!!

 First off...I committed murder.  Imagine my shock and heartache when I opened my window and saw a poor little creature stuck to it.  😭 I had no idea he had crawled in.  I would have loved to see the little guy alive.  I love lizards!  

May God have mercy on my soul.  😣

In other news, I may have mentioned before:  WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!  I'm clearing close to six figures so I'm happy.  That's enough to buy the place we're living in or several other houses available.

We've decided we want to rent for a while.  Maybe for the next 4 years until we get permanent residency, when it will be easier to buy.

Renting is cheap.  The house is nice.  Moving is exhausting.  So...?  Also I'm not going to spend $250k for a fancy American house when I can get a liveable house in the local area for $100k or less.  Y'know?

My therapist said, "I remember last month (I usually only see him once a month) you were worried you made the wrong decision to move to Mexico.  I bet you know you did right now."

I never had a moment where I thought, 'Yep!  I did the right thing!'  I know this is a good life for us, and I don't regret moving here.  I just haven't paid as much attention to the catastrophe going on in the USA.  But for him, living there, having it in his face, he must see that I had the right idea.

All along I was stressed over still having a house to sell in the USA.  Our realtor contract was up in June and I didn't know what we would have to do once that was up.  I worried it could be years until we could sell it.  I worried I'd have to arrange to have it rented out and live through that nightmare a few years.

The amount of stress that lifted off me when we finally sold this place.  It's like a miracle.  I feel that yeah, NOW I know I made the right decision.  Now that I no longer have property in the USA and now have money.  NOW I can relax.  Now I know everything is going to be okay and there's nothing to stop me and my mom from living our best lives here.

And the money will grow.  At least for a year, but probably 4 years until we're permanent residents.  Maybe longer.  Rent is cheap and I can see myself renting until I have to move into assisted living in 25 years.  Who knows.

I do know that it's hard to sell a house in Mexico.  These are not the good investments you find in the USA.  The houses here don't appreciate at the rate of the USA.  It takes a long time to sell.  So...if I bought a house and had to sell it, it would again be a big pain.  And we like our rental.

I told my therapist that we like it here because we're friends with the neighbors and there's so many little shops, restaurants, beauty salons, pharmacies, convenience stores, butcher shops, grocery stores, etc. that are just a short walk away.  We only have to take the car out of the locked gate once or twice a month.  I'm spending a lot less on gas.  

Delivery is dirt cheap here too, just not from Walmart anymore.  It's fine to just order a few things from Didi food.  Yesterday we got bananas, mangos, oranges, potatoes, and soda.  400 pesos or $20 including everything, and the drivers are super fast.  Gotta hustle out here.  

I noticed this sign outside the Oxxo by my house.  Here's what I found out:

Punto de Reunion is a pre-designated, easily accessible location where people should go in the event of an emergency, such as a fire, earthquake, or any situation requiring evacuation. Its main purpose is to facilitate coordination, counting, and ensuring the safety of people during an emergency, avoiding chaos and confusion.

Good to know!