for today,,,

First topic message reminder :

New Requirements for Bringing Foreign-PlatedCars into Mexico

Post by dean on Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:27 pm


http://yucalandia.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/new-requirements-for-bringing-foreign-plated-cars-into-mexico-banjercito/

New Requirements for Bringing Foreign-Plated Cars into Mexico: Banjercito
Posted on June 17, 2011 by yucalandia

The Mexican Ministry of Finance and Public Credit has issued a new decree affecting expats bringing foreign plated cars into Mexico: “New Requirements for Bringing Foreign-Plated Cars into Mexico: Banjercito”. From the Banjercito website:

“IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
The Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) has issued a decree which states that beginning on June 11th, 2011 anyone applying for a temporary import permit for vehicles must make a deposit in the amount determined by the following table:

Vehicle Year Model:…….Amount to be paid in Mexican Pesos*
2007 and later…….USD $400
2001 until 2006…….USD $300
2000 and earlier…….USD $200

*Peso amounts are based on applicable exchange rate

This deposit is compulsory and can be paid by credit card, debit card, or cash (in US Dollars only).

Users must keep in mind that if the deposit is charged to a credit card, the charge will be made in Mexican Pesos and will be calculated based on the exchange rate of the day on which the payment is made. This deposit will be refunded to the same credit card on the next banking business day after the vehicle is fully returned and based on the exchange rate of that day.

The vehicle must be returned on time and within the time period stated on the temporary import permit. If the vehicle is returned after the stated time period, the entire deposit amount will be transferred to the Office of the Treasury on the day following the expected return date, as allowed by current law.”


Last Item:
Another clause in the new updated regulations requires FM2 Rentista and FM3 holders to notify Aduana within 15 days of when they renew their FM2 or FM3, otherwise Aduana is allowed to confiscate/keep these “new” deposits. Aduana’s address is listed in Yucalandia’s main article on cars in Mexico: “Importing & Driving a Car in Mexico”

* * * *
This post is meant as a public service announcement (not meant as legal advice), so, we here at Yucandia will keep the post updated with further understandings and clarifications as they develop.

* * * *
Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
'Noise quenching' curtains open window to quiet

Post by dean on Fri Jun 03, 2011 10:51 pm
great new product for noisy rooms

http://news.cnet.com/noise-quenching-curtains-open-window-to-quiet/8301-17938_105-20059612-1.html
'Noise quenching' curtains open window to quietPost by dean on Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:06 am
Water, I have tasted it when not brushing my teeth and it is not salty. My meter reads about 1750 ppm which is about 1000 ppm less of what we use to have. But the taste tells me it is it is lower. My meter reads correctly on bottled water about 40ppm so not sure.

bookmark this site/thread as I will add pictures and issues from time to time.

here is a picture of one of the water tanks by the shrimp factory that will have the de-sal water. you will bring your own jugs here to fill up. a real watering hole...

right now they have the de-sal hooked up to the city water, our water is good but not great, 560 ppm disolved solids. I was told by the workers the plant can do 300 cubic meters per day. that is probably about 1/2 our requirements in the summer and 1/3 when everyone is here. I was told another well will be dug for the desal plant. also they ran a three inch line to all these tanks.

here is the tank in progress picture


here is the first structure being built in the campground by a comercial business. note the total area via the orange markers.


second commercial business in the campground. not sure, coffee or taco stand. white building to the right of the gate.


the first arroyo to the north of the campground, the new concrete fence with barbwire to stop people from parking there?


and finally in parting, we had a real cloudy morning here a week or so ago, this is the sunrise...




and lastly here is my suggested air seperation piping to keep water bills low, i have a discussion of it in the water section under building in this forum.

a new department store has now opened next to Home Depot. It is called Liverpool and is very popular on the mainland. I have been in one on the mainland and they are a high end Nordstroms type of store.


lpg

Just in case anyone is interested, Liverpool was first called The Cloth Case. It was founded in 1847 by a Frenchman who first started selling clothes in cases in Mexico City. In 1872 he started importing merchandise from Europe. Much of the merchandise was shipped via Liverpool, prompting him to adopt that name for his store.

Now you know more than you need to know about the Liverpool chain. And yes, I do have more to do than to look up trivia, but I wanted to know also.

and I can not emphasize enough do not drive on the arroyo road. It really must be a nightmare. FYI they are building another road on the other side of the arroyo to alleviate this problem and will make each side 2 lanes one way. this will be a great traffic fix. the new side arroyo road will connect all the way down to the malicon road. this will give us a good way to even get to the new Mega Grocery Store by the old CCC now Chedruai without the mess of traffic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/world/americas/united-states-infiltrating-criminal-groups-across-mexico.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2

WASHINGTON — American law enforcement agencies have significantly built up networks of Mexican informants that have allowed them to secretly infiltrate some of that country’s most powerful and dangerous criminal organizations, according to security officials on both sides of the border.

As the United States has opened new law enforcement and intelligence outposts across Mexico in recent years, Washington’s networks of informants have grown there as well, current and former officials said. They have helped Mexican authorities capture or kill about two dozen high-ranking and midlevel drug traffickers, and sometimes have given American counternarcotics agents access to the top leaders of the cartels they are trying to dismantle.

Typically, the officials said, Mexico is kept in the dark about the United States’ contacts with its most secret informants — including Mexican law enforcement officers, elected officials and cartel operatives — partly because of concerns about corruption among the Mexican police, and partly because of laws prohibiting American security forces from operating on Mexican soil.

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality of a National Holiday. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.



Cocina Alfonso at Villa Paraiso
I will be serving this november 2 a Mexican bufette in a ocean view lounge ambiance garden.

MENU

Salad bar, Mexican dishes, full bar and variety of deserts (all you can eat)



Cost: $180 pesos per person includes a soft drink, beer or margarita

Come and enjoy us on a million dollar view and our friendly service.
For more information or reservations contact Alfonso cell 612 1510811 chefalfonso@hotmail.com

added 10/27
Cocina Alfonso at Villa Paraiso
Dia de Muertos Part 2 (Day of the Dead)
"According to the belief of the ancient Mexican civilization, when the individual dies, his spirit continues to live in Mictlan, place of residence of souls who have left the earthly life. Benevolent gods created this great site that has nothing dark and rather quiet and pleasant, where souls rest peacefully until the day appointed by the custom, when returning to their former homes to visit their relatives. Although during that visit each other are not mutually they feel.

We have some very low tides the next three days. Low tide in LaPaz is at 3:21pm Tues , 4:03pm Wed, 4:46pm Thurs. we lead/lag on the rise/fall by roughly 30-40 minutes.

http://www.cooksleys.com/General_Cooking_Times.htm

http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/tips/calculators-and-conversions
Calculators and Conversions
From calculating all of the measurements in your favorite recipes to converting everything properly, we give you the resources you need to take your meals from shopping list to table with ease.
Plan Perfect Portions Calculator

Make your time in the kitchen easy when you use our Plan Perfect Portions Calculator on the right side of the page to help plan the perfect amount of turkey and stuffing you need.
Liquid & Dry Conversion Chart

Don’t waste time wondering how many ounces are in a pint or how many tablespoons equal a stick of butter. Use our Liquid & Dry Conversion Chart to find the answer quickly.

http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/10/20/fast-and-infuriating-americas-cops-need-to-be-an-example-for-mexicos/

The numbers, published by Mexico's National Public Security System, are in fact telling. The average monthly pay for a state police officer in Mexico is 9,250 pesos, or about $685. That's low enough by international standards. But in the border state of Tamaulipas – which today is all but under the control of Mexico's most vicious drug gang, the Zetas – the salary is a miserable $268 per month. Mexico's drug-trafficking cartels, which earn as much as $40 billion a year, have no trouble doubling or tripling that income for each officer they co-opt. In Chihuahua, home to the world's most murderous city, the border town of Juárez, it's only $590. In Guerrero, where ghastly drug-cartel beheadings now plague the once glamorous Pacific beach town of Acapulco, it's even lower at $573. The pay in other drug violence-racked states like Michoacán, Sinaloa and Durango also fall below the national average.

But nothing, of course, is that clear-cut. In Nuevo León state, for example – where cities like Monterrey, Mexico's business capital, have been overrun by drug thugs, some of whom recently killed 52 innocent people after setting fire to an upscale casino – the police pay is above average (though, at $700 a month, not much above average). What that points up is that better salaries, though critical, won't solve Mexico's cop crisis by itself. Other factors have to be addressed in order to develop the modern, professional constabularies that are the country's only real long-term path to rule of law.

Read more: http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/10/20/fast-and-infuriating-americas-cops-need-to-be-an-example-for-mexicos/#ixzz1bZ8nKI4T

just for inquiring minds, this humidity is as bad is it gets here during the peak summer. But at least the night temperature, morning is 80 degrees, about 4 degrees cooler than the summer, and that makes a huge difference.

Social security posts from veritasdelapaz

I believe that social security seguro social laws ley are on the internet the last time I looked something up they had some of the laws in english
In mexico you are responsible to pay seguro on any employees part or full time. Some gardeners and maids are already covered by their husband or wife through their spouses seguro.
Any one interested can go to the offices on Altamirano y Cinco de febrero and speak with someone about your specific situation but you are responsible.
Severance pay vacation pay christmas bonuses
These are all recommended and required under seguro social. Amounts required to pay are based on length of employment and hours worked per week
It's complicated but worth your while to look into your legal responsibilities legal and moral as an employer

Just to address your specific case, the type of services you receive from
gardeners and house keepers are considered "professional services" or
special services that they render as self employed workers, in this case and
assuming they do this kind of work for you once a week and perform the same
services for other people during the rest of the week, you are not required to
provide any of this benefits, as you would if they had a weekly schedule
either full time (48 hrs per week) or part time.

It is important however that you have a written agreement stating such
arrangement as well as the activities they will perform and the payments they
will receive plus any other bonus you may want to grant, such as aguinaldo
(end of the year bonus), equivalent to two weeks worth of salary.

Here is a list of the things you could inlcude in the contract (but not
limited to):
1. Date and place were the agreement is being signed.
2. Information related to the people signing the contract such as name,
nationality, address, etc.
3. Obligations of both parties signing the contract regarding the services
that will be rendered.
4. Amount and type of payment as well as when payments will be submited.
5. Any other agreement that will you may want to include for your legal
protection and or benefits for the service provider.

Hopefully this will help you clear your doubts.

Kind regards,
Angel Arteaga

new sorianas by home depot is now open, much nicer one. The guy in the meat department even asked me if his product positioning/layout was acceptable.

Just for everyone's reference they are paving the other side of the arroyo down to home depot and down to the malicon rd there so that each side is one way from what I was informed. this should make the traffic flow more reasonable/convenient. today it was a nightmare, good thing I was on my motorcycle and just drove the center of the lane to the front of the line about 50 cars or so I passed this way. Always get a bit nervous when I also pass a police vehicle that is in the line. I would avoid the arroyo rd right now.

Where is tom?

Meteor shower alert: 2011 Orionids are on their way.. Sky watchers, mark your calendars: The 2011 Orionid meteor shower is on its way, and scientists say it's expected to peak just before dawn on Oct. 21 and 22, otherwise known as Friday and Saturday of this week. The Orionids occur each October as the Earth passes through a trail of dust left by Halley's comet. When one of those dust particles — about the size of a grain of sand — enters Earth's atmosphere, it excites the air molecules through which it passes, causing them to give off light.

Dean http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/10/meteor-shower-alert-2011-orionids-are-on-their-way.html

forgot to mention, a friend went out fishing with Lalo last week, and they were stopped by a military ship, that sent a small boat to inspect Lalos boat for proper licenses. He had the proper licenses.


well they should be done paving as of today. Here are some picts this morning. They were done with one side all the way as you can see. and would be starting up today the other side from Kijote coffee as seen here. And should be finished paving early today as I saw the truck spread oil on the unpaved side first. now if they just don't add the topes. it is so nice to not have to hit a zillion topes... I don't see people driving crazy down my hill like they use to. well we will see if it lasts and they have to go for the topes all over again.

The topes did not stop the stupid driving and deaths this year, so they will not in the future.

Today I bring you two friendly reminders: if you are an FM2 holder or plan on applying for or renewing a working visa please read the following:

FM2 Holder I would assume that all FM2 holders are aiming at upgrading to an inmigrado status (permanent resident) after four consecutive renewals, so you never have to renew anything again. If that's your case, then do not submit any of your renewals late, not even one day late. If you submit your FM2 renewal paperwork after the expiration date on the back of the card, immigration will take away any accumulated years thus far and your four year count starts all over again.

Working Visas If you're currently outside of Mexico and will be traveling this upcoming season and plan on possibly applying for a working visa, then this is for you: If you plan on working as an independent contractor, such as an artist, musician, English teacher, massage therapist, kite surfer instructor, real estate agent etc. you need to prove to immigration that you are certified in that specific field. You don's necessarily need to have a BS degree; a certificate of completion is fine. Just for the record, immigration likes any document that resembles a diploma /certificate (w/ the fancy margins around) rather than a pocket size license card. So before coming to Mexico, if you're in the USA, take your diploma style-document to your nearest notary get it notarized then take it to the Secretary of State and get it apostille (this step is very important). If you're in Canada, take your document to the nearest Mexican consulate office and get the document rectified, in other words, have them put a stamp on it.

I thought I would bring this up because this is a major problem that I see constantly when helping people with their working visas as independent contractors. They forget or didn't know they needed this requirement and they end up having someone back-home do all the leg-work for them after they get here, so I wrote this to avoid that. All the other requirements needed are done here in Mexico.

There are other ways of getting working visas. For example, people that have their own Mexican corporations don't need diplomas. However if you're going to be sponsored/hired by a corporation or an private individual and the job-role requires an expertise, then you'll need it. If the job-role does not require you to be an expert in the field, e.g. manager, you don't need any certificate.

- Francisco Gonzalez , info@southernbajalegalservices.com, www.southernbajalegalservices.com, 612-158-5776, La Paz

Mexico’s newest export to US may be water

http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/business/8231459-420/mexicos-newest-export-to-us-may-be-water.html

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Mexico ships televisions, cars, sugar and medical equipment to the United States. Soon, it may be sending water north.

Western states are looking south of the border for water to fill drinking glasses, flush toilets and sprinkle lawns, as four major U.S. water districts help plan one of two huge desalination plant proposals in Playas de Rosarito, about 15 miles south of San Diego. Combined, they would produce 150 million gallons a day, enough to supply more than 300,000 homes on both sides of the border.

did you see the fireworks WOW.......

From Guadalajara, Mexico.

Just a suggestion...

the original blog notification site of this area was Eugenes bajalovers@yahoogroups.com it was started in 2003 when the dengue was real bad down here so people could get information to make informed decisions. We now have ventana view which covers that very well, but for real urgent issues it does not work because we can not expect her to be at her computer all day and night.

a good for instance is one year when I caught a person stealing on my property stealing things and he got away on foot. down the beach side to the campground, (it was empty) I could have posted for people to be on look out for that person. What I did do is with my motorcycle found what was probably the get away vehicle after driving by Corys place and he went for the police. I followed that suspicions vehicle and the police found me and I pointed out the car. He was not in the car and the police detained the persons in the vehicle that were parked in the campground at 6 in the morning. they moved to the edge of town. so then it would have been nice to post to not pick up a hitchhiker that day. the guy was not from here, so assume he had a nice walk back to LaPaz in May when it was nice and hot... and he obviously had no water.

anyway there have been other suspicious activity that I have heard about the NEXT day. If people post on the bajalovers it goes out in seconds if you have it set for immediate notification. And in light of the various thefts again this year we would all be well advised to do some neighborhood watch and reporting.

The second area where it can be lifesaving is like the incident in Barriles with a kiter needing a certain type of blood and for platelets with that blood type so he could get emergency surgery.

a recent example is just recently another request for blood of any kind went out, i responded and then posted on the view I was looking for a ride as I did not want to drive and give blood. But the view put up the request too late for anyone to see it before I was giving blood.

and lastly some things are not appropriate for the view. And she will not post them, for her liability issues which is understandable. Where on the bajalovers it is you posting so the ultimate responsibility for your words is you. we would not post on the baja lovers except for real important things like that.

it is easy just sign up for the yahoo group bajalovers. and have instant notifications, we see only a few messages a year there so it is not a bother. and lets hope we only have a few notifications.

this is different, they are paving the second lane today a sunday. I will post some pictures later. yet yesterday they did nothing.





signs up, getting close, maybe another 20 days

http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Mexico%20Reduces%20Trucking%20Retaliation%20against%20Agricultural%20Products_Mexico_Mexico_7-11-2011.pdf

this should allow for instance Some products that face tariffs from 5-25%. but in 2010 to 2011 most of these tariffs had been reduced by 50% but we have not seen the results on the shelf price.


pork like ham, Onions (fresh or chilled), Head lettuce (fresh or chilled), Fresh and dried dates, Fresh grapes, Fresh pears, Fresh apricots, cherries and strawberries, Mixtures of nut or dried fruits, Some types of frozen potatoes, Prepared or preserved peas, Shelled, prepared or preserved peanuts and almonds, Juice of any single fruit or vegetable or a mixture of juices, Wines with alcohol content up to 14 percent, cheese, fruit like apples, pears, even pet food, not to have the duties as they cross the border from importers. I have never figured out how COSTCO seemed able to get around this.



lpg

OEM newspapers, Mexico City .- Finally, after retaliation and trade
disputes, the American authorities granted the first permit to a Mexican
company to provide trucking service between Mexico and the U.S. so that next week the Mexican government will
lift tariffs on 99 U.S. products that was applied as pressure.
Transportes Olympic, Mexican company located in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon,
received from the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety permission to
transport international cargo beyond the commercial zone of the United States.
Olympic Transport was the first participant in the 2007 program, and over the
life of it, established a solid and reliable safety record.. In light of this
and according to the commitment announced last March by Presidents Felipe
Calderón and Barack Obama, and as a result of the issuance of this permit, the
SE reported that Mexico shall suspend, within five working days, the import
tariffs on 99 U.S. products that the Mexican government imposed in retaliation
after the cancellation in 2009 of the previous program.

http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2009/04/nafta-trucking-war-leads-to-mexican-retaliation-u-s-farm-pain/

i have added a not wanted and wanted section for people to get rid of items. we can not put in the amount in dollars or pesos due to mexican regulations. so just put in words like clams, sand, sea shells and so on.

I have listed a concrete mixer, a car, a wave runner and tile and some windows I do not want anymore.

they will stay there till you remove them and for up to 90 days. you must be a registered user to post, and you can post pictures. so post it on the view and then list it here with pictures.

http://www.la-ventana.info/f37-wanted-or-not-wanted-items

Cocina Alfonso at Villa Paraiso Restaurant is open attended by Chef Alfonso – now serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner every day!
specials of the week
BREAKFAST Huevos Rancheros $35.00 pesos (roughly USD$3.00)
LUNCH 2 tacos: Fish, Beef or Chicken and 1 beer, fruit drink or soft drink $60.00 (roughly USD$4.50) pesos or margarita $70.00 pesos (roughly USD$5.25)
DINNER Vegetarian pasta with chile poblano sauce $75.00 pesos (roughly USD$6.00)

We are also serving on our set menu burgers, pizzas, salads and sea food.

Come and enjoy our comfortable restaurant with a million dollar view and our friendly service.

If you are planing to have a group event this is the right spot…

for more information or reservation please contact chefalfonso@hotmail.com or call to my Cell. 044-612-151-0811
Muchas gracias y buen provecho Chef Alfonso

here are the pictures for today, just 10 minutes ago. 1:40pm

coming around the bend paving one lane

took some pictures of them doing the final paving. they did from a mile out of town to yoyos today. I will post the pics tomorrow.

no wind today and when I returned from LaPaz was a bit humid again.

as I left town in the morning one lane paved from the end of town south.

as I returned from roughly 1 mile out of town, up ahead both lanes paved.




then two lanes paved basically to yoyos by 4pm. it is so nice in town right now not have those darn speed bumps.



we will see how far they get today. see if they get to my hill.

http://la-ventana.forumotion.com/t361-english-spanish-automotive-terms#1124

for a very large list of terms do to above link.


The Gasoline Engine English-Spanish
combustion chamber = cámara de combustión
camshaft = árbol de levas
crankshaft = cigüeñal
engine block = bloque del motor
exhaust manifold = válvula de escape
flywheel = volante
fuel injector = inyector
gasket = junta, empaque, sello
head cover = tapa de la cabeza
head gasket = junta de la cabeza
...
* * * *
Read the Full Article at: "Auto Parts Terminology: Spanish-English / English-Spanish - The Article "
* * * *
Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

lpg

Payment will be accepted beginning October 15 for current property tax liability, and a discount of 30% will apply for paying before the end of the year. In January the discount reduces to 20%, etc.

Of course the senior discount still applies for those who qualify. Now, don't ask me how to qualify, or complain that the municipality won't give you your discount.

Also this year, you can go to your favorite OXXO and for a service fee of seven pesos, pay at the checkstand. [who would DO that?]


Les, the breadguy

Hurricane Jova sweeps across Mexico's Pacific coast
With top winds reaching 75 miles per hour (120 kph), Jova was about 30 miles (50 km) south-southeast of the tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta at 5 a.m. PDT (1200 GMT), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

we have a el norte hitting. very strange to have a hurricane a few hundred miles south and we have an el norte ...

here are a few picture updates,

I do not know why they made this so wide in front of Capt Kirks. they have not widened the entire area. mybe they will come in with a lot of fill?

on the west side at Tims they definitely made this wider. there is still a large rock pile so maybe they will make a sidewalk so we do not go on the road. There was a sidewalk there till hurricane john waters took it out.

here is in front of Tims. they extended the wall a significant amount north. they have a detent for the water to flow into so maybe it will not wash out the side again.



here is a street sweeper removing the lose sand. so I am guessing they are getting close to paving.

this morning was about 75 degrees, wow that nice....

the road work continues, today they put on tar and sand in the arroyo section.

kiters out again. this is third or fourth day in a row.

a second camper in the free arroyo north of the campground. 3/4 of front row of the campground is full.

I heard that past oscoritos 3 houses were broken into in one night last week.

windsurfable yesterday and first night i did not use AC in 2-3 months...

here are more pictures up by captain kirks and past from yesterday.

to go on sale in a year.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9220547/3M_film_turns_windows_into_transparent_solar_panels

3M film turns windows into transparent solar panels
3M said the thin film can easily be applied to windows, generating power and cutting heat, and will begin sales next year.

IDG News Service - 3M has developed a see-through film that turns ordinary windows into solar panels. It will go on sale next year.

The solar film, on display at the Ceatec electronics conference in Japan, is arrayed in narrow, translucent green strips with clear gaps between and then glued to windows in large patches. A square meter of the film can generate roughly enough electricity to charge an iPhone under peak sunlight, but still allows for high visibility.

The product currently generates only about 20% of the electricity that a traditional silicon solar panel does, and will cost about half as much, though the final price has not been decided.

But it is also far easier to install and takes up no additional space. 3M has strong expertise in adhesives, where its less technical products include Scotch tape and Post-it sticky notes.

"An average person could go to the store, buy some of this, and then bring it home and install it themselves," said Yasuhiro Aoyagi, a senior manager in the company's construction markets division.

He said it is made from an organic photovoltaic material that is printed on in sheets, and will come down in price as production increases. The film blocks or absorbs about 80% of visible light and over 90% of infrared light, so it also acts as a sunshade.

8am line up of trucks. Was interesting, today there is no way to get out of this side of the road without a 4 wheel drive.

8am

first camper of the season in the north arroyo.

the progress goes over the hill.

you can see the machine on the left rips out the old road in front of the arroyo. we now have a alternative dirt road to the west side of the street.



and here it is now close to tims, you can barely see it a speck of yellow way up there.



3pm





4pm

Ride board....... First wanted to note I have started using this forum for posting rides, it is a much easier to use format, it stays posted till you delete your ride request. more user friendly for you to find a person and date they need the ride. and anyone can find the list from the internet, they do not have to receive daily postings of all things laventana. I found myself deciding to go to cabo and could not find the list where someone needed a ride, so it is accessible 24/7/365. I just posted one for February which I am confident no one would have a clue or not if they were going at this point. But by then someone will, and we do not need to know about it every day till then. catch my drift...


I do not know why my neighbors come out in the middle of the day and catch sun. They seem to like the heat. this winter they may post on the ride board to go farther south.


this is 6pm photo of the work going on. Note the one way new road on the far right while they are working on the road.



today by 1pm they have made 3 deliveries of rocks behind the trucks, and they are digging a ditch to put them in on the water side.



and the below link for higher resolution.

I talked to the blood bank when I was there about a blood drive in LaVentana. They are willing to come out here for a blood drive. If anyone has a suggestion on date I was thinking the day before USA’s thanksgiving. Or even thanksgiving day. Please email me at dean@la-ventana.com with your suggestion. And those who will definitely or tentatively give blood please also chime in. Obviously they will only come out if we have a reasonable number of people interested in participating. I picked thanksgiving as a giving symbol , and we are thankful to be here then because we eat well to replenish ourselves. The negative is they told me for instance, for 24 hours no strenuous activity, also why I am aiming for thanksgiving, because it is a social day. A goal here is to make sure there is blood for anyone that has some sort of need in our area.

We recently, about 3-4 months ago saw a experienced kiter in Barriles requiring a significant amount of blood donors specially A positive and platelets from same blood type before they could do the needed surgery, it appears 1 in 5 people meet the qualifications for their screening for this vs. giving blood only. We have a responsibility not to be a burden on the Mexican medical social system if we can, which we were not in his case. This is an opportunity to make sure we pay forward. And let’s hope there are no serious kite accidents that need this but let’s make sure we were proactive vs. reactive. dean

I thought this was interesting, but remember they are about 12 hours time difference, so

http://www.evk2cnr.org/WebCams/PyramidOne/everest-webcam.html

A new HD camera is keeping an eye on the world's tallest peak. Set at more than 18,600 feet on a nearby mountain, the world's highest camera will help scientists understand climate change when paired with data from the Everest weather station. Designed to withstand frigid temperatures, the camera operates during the daylight hours, or 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Nepal. That's roughly 8:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. Eastern time in the U.S

http://www.komando.com/coolsites/index.aspx?id=11467&utm_medium=nl&utm_source=notd&utm_content=2011-10-03-article&utm_campaign=end-f

down my hill

for large pictures go to
http://www.la-ventana.com/laventana-news2.htm


up my hill later that day


shifting baja joes culvert about 3 feet so the road will be wider.

up the road heading out of town




coming back to town



the new grocery store. "mega" close to opening, has underground parking. near the VW corner across the street from Ford. also has a movie theater on the left.







so for larger full pics click below this to get there.

larger pictures

lapaz information

http://purelapaz.com/

so nice, under 80 degrees (79.5) the second time in about six months... this would be perfect...


so here again is another definitive, COSTCO is NOT coming to LaPaz as per this person investigating.


from LPG

I posted that Costco was going in at the new shopping center in the WalMart area. This information came from a Mexican friend who is a building contractor and engineer. I was asked to verify this information by a Forum moderator. So I stopped by CSL Costco and talked to store management this afternoon. They said unfortunately Costco will not be opening a La Paz store in the next year. They said that site selection and construction of a La Paz Costco store has not been scheduled yet, as far as they knew.

Can't wait to get to Adela's!

here is the malls website (sorry no costco despite the constant rumors)

http://www.theshoppesatlapaz.com/

a few clouds came through and we got some rain maybe 1/16th of an inch to 1/8th. at least laventana got this rain.

this will be great for our humidity.

here are a few pictures on the road construction going on and the campground. and yo yos campground has a fence down the middle of it. So new rumor... the main campground may be a bit more full this year.

The road construction, they are shoring up the culverts with rock supports all throughout the town. It appears they are also widening the road, they have ripped out from the police station to the baseball field and as you can see in the picture it appears to be about 3 feet wider if they pave it the entire width. you have to look closely but there is no paved road just 50 feet ahead and you can see where the dirt part is newly visibly wider. I think in town we are going to have a real nice street....




next you can see some rocks stacked up at culverts along the way. they do not have rocks piled up at all areas that need it, like at Tims bridge area,.



and here you can see them doing the culvert work and the road is removed in the distance.


here is yoyos campground you can see the new cyclone fence in the middle of the gate and divides the property.



here is construction in progress on the hot bread girls bakery...



and here is construction going on at Adela's! tower restaurant



here is picture of campground today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/health/27mosquito.html?_r=1

They filled old soda bottles with a solution of brown sugar, the juice of rotting nectarines, Spinosad and a dye. They put each in a sock with a wick that helped keep the sock soaked with the colorful fatal elixir. They suspended a bait at the opening of each cistern.

In tests in Israel and in West Africa, the baits knocked down mosquito populations by 90 percent. Even better, they nearly eliminated older females, the most dangerous mosquitoes.

driving to laPaz saw a convoy of campers heading to LaVentana. and when I returned they were in the campground.

right now exchange rate is 13.6 this weekend thursday it hit a bit above 14, a very high rate just hit that last week. vs the last time of 2009 it hit that rate. so would be a good time to head down and change some money...

if camping or no ac still a bit hot. but the water as i mentioned is about the best it has ever been.

another camper in the campground

they are tearing up our road also in the village.

and this morning was under 80 degrees first time since may. could be the hurricane? also our air temp was high but unusually dry yesterday, so quite nice.

A warning for all large motorcycles on the LaVentana road. They are
repaving. And sending the traffic to the side of the road in some deep
sand on hills. Not fun.

there were rumors around that they were going to do the entire road. From where they are starting it may demonstrate they are not going to do the entire road. They started a little less than 1 mile from the first speed bump and are working their way to the speed bump direction. So they are doing the worst area. Probably one of the worst areas of the baja.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/travel/the_new_tijuana_cool_PYIFsMdE8ssg72RrmqAiHK

the hot bread girls place is adding a little enclosure to block the wind by the pizza oven. I have not gone for a close up inspection.

also I forgot to mention we also do not have those annoying little strings of stingers that nail you. not bad like a jellyfish or a man-of-war but they sting you here and there. I have been swimming without a rash guard all summer and not a hit. amazing water this year... no kites out today. they made it out briefly yesterday.

and just a refresher on banking, I use bank of america and I pay 0 fees when I use the Santader ATMs. and there is a Santader right across the street from Sorrienas, and a ATM in the old CCCs.

looks like Bill and Yen are in the campground this evening.

Kiters are out today....
Here is my update. This summer in the early part we had a few man-of-wars and a few sting rays. I snorkel on average every other day. Since the early midsummer I have literally seen only a handful of man-of-wars and only one sting ray. For sting rays, I have seen other years with few too and have seen years when there are 20-100 during a snorkeling session all season.. But this is unprecedented for man-of-wars. In all the other years on days when I would go for a walk you could see ten to hundreds almost every day. I was not measuring the surface water temperature but un-scientifically I have noticed this year the water is much more refreshing than usual. It seems to me that works to cool you off much better than other years, is this why we do not have them? And I noticed the hurricanes that formed did not get sucked up even close to the sea of Cortez this year, they bee lined out to Hawaii. Which was great. So which leads me to post this. I highly suggest people head on down earlier than normal to snorkel and and windsurf/kite while you do not even have to wear a rashguard just a swimsuit is all that is needed to enjoy…. While the weather seems a bit nicer right now, like the heat part has broke, It is still a bit warm down here for camping but if you can endure it I think with the great snorkeling it is worth it. And as far as bugs this is the least amount of any kind of pesky flying ones I have seen too.

i drove by the location of the new theatres and the Mega grocery store. It appears they just need to add the store sign on the front is about all from the street it looks like it needs to open. all glass on the exterior is in place and the front is painted. Parking lot finished. This is over by the VW intersection in front of the ford dealership. huge parking lot with underground parking like the one in San Jose.

At least it is a store we can pronounce the name....

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/border-crossing-re-opened-after-scaffolding-collapse.html

Officials reopened the San Ysidro border crossing between the U.S. and Mexico early Thursday morning, a day after a scaffolding collapse injured 11 people.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency said 13 lanes were reopened. The far right northbound lanes, however, will remain closed.

this person reported that they went to get money out and no money came out and the bank here reported that the ATM did not have extra money. they lost, their bank in Canada did not refund the several hundred dollars.

BWO

Similar Bancomer ATM Problems - I placed an ad last February to collect incidents for failed ATM transactions with no public response. To the couple asking in the last issue and others who experience this problem, please know that this happens all of the time and it is my belief it is the internet/online connection to the States that gets interrupted during these transactions.

I was told upper management doesn't deem it a big problem. Vivian in the office asked me to compile documentation so she could forward to management. I personally have experienced this twice, the last being in February when one of my guests experienced this problem while on vacation. The incident left them without funds for a least that day last March. My neighbor experienced the same issue prior. This is what happens: The transaction transmission is interrupted and if you go to the bank the next day, they then have their records which will show the card number with a debit amount and a credit amount just below. This means the money never reached Bancomer. What I had to do is contact my bank in the States, give them the day, amount, location of ATM attempt so a live person could research (which can take up to 2 weeks) to find the transaction in their records and credit back my account.

It is a real bummer if you don't have an alternative cash source to tap and freaks out our visitors/tourists in a foreign country. Suggestion: Document your incident and drop off or email to the bank's English-speaking representative, Vivian. - Debora, Pescadero
Update: ATM Complaint at Bancomer - Thank you all for your support, advice and words of encouragement. I tried to email everyone individually, and I apologize if I missed anyone. I received so many emails telling the same story at Bancomer and also many from Banorte, Banoro and others. Seems to me that this is very rampant and unexceptable. I spoke with my bank, CIBC, and insisted that they reopen my complaint file and also that I posted an article in the BWO. I then called CIBC bank on Saturday to tell them I was flooded with emails from people who have had the same experience. I would like to bundle all these emails together and present them to both my bank and Bancomer when I return to Todos Santos in either December or January -- that is unless anyone would like to stay anonymous (just let me know). So, again, thanks to all who wrote. I hope to have this resolved and have money back in my account in time for our return - Doris , Todos Santos

we have real high water pressure for the last few days.

and the water reading is about 3000 ppm. I think that is the worst I have ever found.

we have a pop up camper sitting up in the campground.