IL Postcard

After having spent 6 to 8 months in Mexico each year for the last 11 years, I feel I know something about the system. We live in the Playa del Carmen area and I do believe this area may be some what different because of the huge number of people needing visas, but, the immigration office is not the "nice, helpful little office" this post card leads people to believe. We figure we spend appx 15 hours a year in line to get our FM3's, our visa to do business, so we finally gave up our small hotel business and changed it to a retirement visa. During the many hours we have spent in line we get many chances to share stories. In the Playa area over the last two years, the immigration office has been dening FM3's to many long term residents, making many demands on proff of income. Simply having over $220K in a bank is not sufficent for this office. Many of these people having had visas for years and years. I know this is an over simplification, the discussion could go on for hours, but the Cancun office and the Playa office are not encouraging people to come and retire. It makes no sense to us, there is no government give aways to save anyone that is there without money. Anyway plan on paying $500 for each visa, every year to an attorney unless you have a very long fuse and speak excellent spanish, if you plan to move to the Cancun Playa del Carmen area.

I've spent quite a bit of time in Tijuana for dental work.
Both my wife and myself.
As an American, we've saved thousands of dollars.

I was there alone for work on a day 18 murders occurred in that city.
All were drug/political related crimes. I didn't see any evidence of anything going wrong in Tijuana. But I suppose I didn't go to the right places. Nor did I travel there at night.
Also I don't travel to Harlem, Bed-Stuy, S. Chicago or E/S Los Angeles at night.

There were many more Homeland Security guards at the border crossing walkway than usual. I was not stopped or interviewed.

On my trips to the Yucatan and Costa Maya, I noticed no crime where I stayed. There was a lot of Mexican federal police presence in Playa del Carmen when I drove through there.

My many trips to Panama were wonderful. I detected no crime at all, and no threat to safety there of any kind. I believe IL does not pretend to be unbiased. But I may be wrong.
Past publisher was in Panama; current one in Merida, MX.
Lately their articles indicate strong recommendations for Ecuador.
So maybe they'll move there!!

I still am considering retiring to Mexico, but not likely Tijuana!!!

Hi IL,

I appreciate the fact that you did not post my comment for this on Saturday - goes to show that it is a valid point - and you guys practice censorship.

When are we going to get a Mexico Alert about the 76 killings in Tijuana the last 4 days - and that travel in this part of Mexico - you know, that rates a 92% on safety - is not recommended by IL and its staff?

Does IL need to wait until some of its (valued) members are killed attending a conference - say in the Yucatan - like in Merida - before you guys say something about this?

How about when one of your members, drives down from California as you recommend, and gets in the middle of an all out 500 bullet street war that just happend this week - during the day?

Or the latest mayor, Salvador Vergara Cruz, of Ixtapan de La Sal, who was gunned down in broad daylight?

It is completely obvious that President Calderon is out gunned and out manned - and this isn't "just in certain areas" of Mexico - but a Mexican National Security issue.

Its time that IL starts looking after the safety of it's readers - not just IL's wallets - and brings to light the seriousness of this situation.

Happy censorship!

Thomas

The article title leads one to believe that the process for obtaining a Mexican visa will be presented. Not so. Any one can get the same information by logging on to any of the Mexican Consulate Offices. And, the processes for obtaining any of the visas are there too.

Hi IL,

Great stuff!

I love your magazine.

I was curious to hear if the Mexico Insider Magazine or the Mexico Owner's Manual also talks about the fact that Mexico has more kidnappings than any country in the entire world?

To be more specific - Mexico has more kidnappings than Columbia, Iran, Iraq, or any African country.

I am also curious to know if the Mexico Insider Magazine or the Mexico Owner's Manual happens to mention that in the past year alone - there have been 4,000 gruesome murders directly related to the drug trade?

Or - more specifically - over 100 people being beheaded - thats is, having their heads cut off - in the last month alone in Tijuana, the Yucatan, and Ciudad Juarez.

I see that Mexico has a 92% rating in Safety in your latest 2008 Retirement Index.

Geez, let me pack my bags for Iraq - must be a 95%.

Hmmmm?

And that the top place to retire in the world, according to the (un) biased staff of International Living - is Merida.

But, that's not because the current Publisher and his wife are living there - right?

I guess that means it happens to be a great coincidence that the previous IL Publisher rated Panama the top retirement haven in the world for, I believe, 4 years straight.

All the while she and her family owned a soon to be residential development in Panama - called Los Islotes - and her new Publishing business is now located in Panama.

Strange coincidences, huh?

Keep up the great stuff!

Your (un) biased commentary is great -

Thomas

Suzan,

Cindi and I heard somewhere that there is a limit to owning property in Mexico for 99 years. Is this true? What are the stipulations or requirements? Let us know at fivehousecats2000@yahoo.com. Thanks so much Suzan. We enjoy all your information on Mexico. We look forward to spending a lot of time down there in the future.

It is a shame that you have turned Mexico into a boring American enclave. I considered moving there last year but once I began my investigations on what the scene is now, I gave up! I joined several forums, and made a good search to see what was happening there now. I have been to Mexico several times before but it was never over run so completely by boring, untraveled Americans.

Mexico has now become an extension of America. They all go there and set their lives up as though they were still in America; but living cheaper. Instead of adapting to Mexican ways, they have forced the Mexicans to adapt to the ways of the usa. It is a pity to see that.

I was told by one man that he couldn't rent his apartment to me because I was a smoker! How stupid is that in Mexico!? I came back to Spain where I have lived for most of my life, and I can smoke anywhere I want! Thank God you can't come here and turn into a little, stupid, America!

You are not just transporting people to Mexico, you are transporting the American way of life to Mexico. So, why go there? It isn't much cheaper, (thanks to the American influx) than many parts of the states now. The Real Estate Agents, (mostly Americans) are upping the prices to the sky by their greed. They have already destroyed the Dominic Republic.

CAn't you leave any place alone for travelers like myself to be able to relax in? I left the states years ago because I couldn't stand their "small" way of thinking, and now all you people are doing the same to other precious places that use to be safe get-aways.

You have made Mexico a place for super 'straight', boring Americans. Who the heck wants to hang around them:! Not me or any or my sophisticated, multi-tongued friends.

Have fun. YAWN.

There is some debate as to whether one has to sacrifice his or her native citizenship if one seeks Mexican citizenship. If you call and listen to the recording at the U.S. Embassy, it actually states that you CAN lose your U.S. passport if you seek Mexican citizenship. You will also get a myriad of answers from immigration lawyers. It would be great if International Living could find out the real facts about this to educate us readers!