RG, When i first moved back I mailed all the bills for the simple satisfaction of doing so. That lasted an entire month now everything is paid online. However recieving mail is still as fun as it ever was. We have netflix and beleive it or not if they show a returned DVD as outstanding and you "sent it" they will simply mark it up as recieved and send you a new dvd. I have many fond memories of Mexico and my time there. There are many things that I miss but, I am happy to be back in the U.S.
Why I live in Cancun Well, Rawkus, that is bad enough to make one rethink using FedEx. Sorry about the string of bad luck, particularly as it affected some pretty important stuff and, I'm sure, necessitated a lot of backtracking to make up for the losses. __________________ I've spoken, generally, about what led us to settle in Cancun. Now, I'd like to talk about what's keeping us here, and perhaps some of the rest of you have something to share, but with a different emphasis; because, you see, for us it's primarily about health and well being. Both of us are "semi" retired. We like to work, but we don't have to hit it as hard as we did in former years. We now enjoy devoting more time to getting fit, staying fit and healthy; and, having fun. For us, the availability of lots of tropical fruits at relatively low prices in Cancun is appealing. And, the climate here lends itself to outdoor exercise most of the year. There are about six hours a day- this time of year- when we mostly stay indoors, but almost any early AM you can find us out exercising in one form or another. Also, the air is quite clean, especially if you happen to live anywhere near the sea, as we do. This makes me happy to take a deep breath. Without getting too personal, both of us have never been as fit as we are now, after six months here. With this added fitness comes added energy, relative fatiguelessness (perhaps "tirelessness" is a real word!), and zest for living. Recently, we've been taking advantage of the "low season" discounts to spend time at some of the places tourists stay when they come to Cancun. This has also been fun. I appreciate that Cancun is an important enough international destination to attract some "name" entertainers, and some (relatively) important sporting events. For those who like outdoor activities, there seem to be lots of opportunities for participation in competitive and other sports; and, of course, water sports. The existence, nearby, of world class diving venues makes living here attractive for those who enjoy visiting the undersea world, which we've now tried for the first time. Little by little, as we get better acquainted with the environment here, we are enjoying "life in Cancun" more and more.
Re: Why I live in Cancun Well said V. For us, it's exactly the same. We may grouse about the mail, the immigration hassles, and even the incredible patience that seems native to most Mexicans and trying to those of us who have spent the majority of our lives in the fast lane. But in balance life here is healthier and we are very content. This is our 5th year here. After the first 6 months we were both able to say that we had never been healthier. In my case, weaned off a 12 year blood pressure medication addiction and my wife off a daily Prilosec dose for the ulcers she earned during 21 years of nightclub and restaurant management. The ulcers went away after about 2 months here, even though we were going through a particularly trying rebuild of our home. Come to think of it, I didn't stroke out either . After breathing New York air for most of my life, the Caribbean atmosphere, while corrosive to all things ferrous, has had a wonderful effect on both of us. We swim most days, dive on others, do some beach walking and in general enjoy the non-scheduled life of retirees. We both find that on our trips back to the States or to Europe to see friends and family, we start yearning for home by the end of the first week. That speaks volumes for how much we like and need our new life here. Of course there's the financial advantages too. Our retirement dollar goes a lot farther here than it would have in New York and to relocate to a community that would present all of what we like about Cancun, i.e. climate, beaches, sports, etc, would probably have meant locations as expensive or maybe even more expensive than our New York digs. And no, relocation to East Elbow Bend, Iowa was not going to be in the cards.
It seems to me that the happiest people I know here are retirees. For us Cancun has been healthier in some ways and much less healthy in others. In Colorado we were outdoors riding bikes, skiing or running almost every day of the year. Hubby rode his mountain bike at least 3 days a week and played squash usually 5 times a week. We had a world class gym 5 minutes from our house and it cost us $60 USD a month. Here there isn't a gym as nice at that one, none come remotely close. Sport City is a sorry joke at more than twice the money. Here mountain biking means riding on a dirt road, which to Mr Technical Husband means it's nothing like mountain biking in Colorado was. I love running hills and talus slopes. Doing a run with 1000 feet of vertical gain in it was sometimes a daily event for me. Here it's so flat that EVERY time I run here I feel that the fun part of running is missing. I keep running because I still love it, but running here, for me is not close to the same fun it was in the mountains. And so I run less often and with less excitement. The big health positives for us here in Cancun are the clean air and the fact that our lifestyle allows for plenty of sleep. Colorado has clean air, but it's dry and it's at altitude, so it's not like here where there's just TONS of oxygen and super clean air. And because we have no debt and don't pay rent I don't have to work very hard. Hubby works hard, but has every other day off, so his schedule allows him to get plenty of sleep in a 48 hour period, if that makes sense. I almost never have to get up before I feel rested, and that's a luxury I've never had before. On the other hand I fight depression here in a way that I've never fought it before. So I have a much greater interest in sleeping than ever before. Some days it's all I can do to go through the motions and come up with a couple of billable hours worth of work for a client. I know that if I were back in Colorado I would pull a 40 hour work week and hit the gym every day afterward. And I wouldn't miss all that sleep I get here. One thing that I notice here is that LOTS of people I know here smoke and drink way too much. Now I like to party too, but many people here party WAY more than can be called healthy. And I find that I've had to limit contact with friends who imbibe too frequently, just to keep from getting pulled off balance. Back in Colorado people would give you dirty looks if you were seen in public with a cigarette. I only knew a couple of people who smoked and ALL of them were Brits or Mexicans. Virtually none of the Americans I knew smoked. On balance I have to honestly say that for me Cancun is not healthier...but the air is cleaner than anywhere I've lived...and I do love that. To be fair where we lived in Colorado repeatedly gets voted the healthiest place in the US to live, it is exceptional.
Immigration for the financially self-sufficient In the first post on this thread, I mentioned that Mexico has a (relatively) simple and (relatively) inexpensive process of immigration for those who are financially self-sufficient, as evidenced by money in the bank, or by other means. My wife's first hand experience with this process is reproduced, here, from another thread, below. ___________________ My wife has completed the process of obtaining the non immigrant visa "Visitante Rentista". The process involved a total of five trips to immigration, if we count the visit to obtain the forms for the application. At each stage, the staff was helpful (within the limitations of their English and our Spanish) and not unpleasant, if not overly solicitous. First, we presented the application (no appointment required), together with the required proof of financial self-sufficiency which, in our case, was money in the bank in the U.S., as neither of us was receiving a pension, at the time. We attached the last three month's bank statements, along with official translations of them into Spanish. (The required attachments to the application are detailed in the forms provided, and includes a receipt for payment to any local bank of the sum of 491 pesos.) We were told that the application appeared to be complete, with all the required items present, and to return in five days. Five days later, we again went to immigration where we were told the application had been approved. We were then given a specific date and time, about five weeks later, to complete the next step. But, we had a problem with the date they gave us (we were planning to fly to the U.S.). When we told the staff about it they changed the appointment time to a nearer date so we could get the FM3 before our trip. At our appointment, we presented proof that we'd paid the fees for the FM3, 1291 pesos, and presented the required black and white passport photos, front and side view. (The initial fee, 491 pesos, was charged to review the application; the subsequent fee is charged for the issuance of the FM3, once it's approved.) They reviewed with my wife the details that were to go on the FM3, filling it out in her presence; then, told us to come back in one week to collect the officially signed and sealed FM3, with photo inserted. One week later, it was ready, as promised. We reviewed the new FM3, immediately, before leaving the office, and found it contained an error in the personal data. We called the error to the staff's attention, and they corrected it while we waited. This took about ten minutes. We paid only the official fees, as posted in the office, and no employee hinted that extra money would be required, or helpful, at any stage of the process. The total cost for obtaining the FM3, Visitante Rentista, including the required translations, copies and photos, was about 2,500 pesos.
Corruption I mentioned in my previous post that we experienced no corrupt influences in applying for, and obtaining, an FM3 based on financial self-sufficiency. If you talk with Mexicans they will mention corruption as one of Mexico's major problems, right after lack of jobs/poverty. Interestingly, the World Bank says the two things are linked, with those countries having the largest amounts of poverty also, typically, having higher levels of corruption, as well. It's easy to understand why, with corrupt acts limiting the effectiveness of almost any law/governmental action, or mandate. But, corruption has both a supply, and demand, side. The supply side is easy to identify, comprising those holding any governmental position which controls decision making in any area directly affecting the public. The demand side is where it gets a little more personal, and uncomfortable. As long as people wish to make their life just a little simpler, get things done more quickly or reliably, there will be the Temptation to pay, or offer to pay, for a favorable act from a governmental official. The supply side is the most easily dealt with: studies have shown that corruption retreats when there are high profile prosecutions occurring often enough to keep the matter in the public eye. The demand side is much harder to deal with, there being many more potential "consumers" of corrupt acts than "vendors". Mexico, like many countries, has in place a great many programs to try to reduce the number of corrupt acts which may occur. In virtually every governmental office you will see signs posting the official fees which may be charged for all the governmental services provided there. Often, as in the case of immigration, those fees must be paid at a bank, rather than in the governmental offices. In addition, there will often be signs posted in Spanish and, in the case of Immigration Cancun, in English, warning that money is not to be given to any employee there; and, providing a number you can call if anything occurs which you consider improper. Corruption is never completely eradicated, in any case, from any country. The most developed countries tend to have mainly what has been termed, "grand corruption", the most secretive and well hidden form, involving the largest sums of money, typically with the consumer of the corrupt act being a multinational or domestic corporation, or a very wealthy individual. Though you may never have the opportunity to settle a traffic ticket with a small "tip" to a police officer in the U.S., the U.S. is no stranger to this other form of corruption. Getting back to our experience with immigration in Cancun, I mentioned that no employee, at any time, suggested or hinted at a need for any extra, unofficial payments directed to anybody. That wasn't the case, though, for a young American man who introduced himself to us in the office, on one of our visits. (Perhaps he will recognize himself as he reads this post, if he does.) My wife and I were sitting, waiting for our number to be called, when we were approached by this youth and straightforwardly told that, for 8,000 pesos total, he could guarantee my wife's FM3 would be issued, without any problems or delays. He went on to explain that he had a relative by marriage working in the immigration offices who could speed everything through. _________________ People like this young American, and those holding government positions, take advantage of stressful situations and the fear of adverse governmental action to induce people to pay/offer bribes; this, when coupled with a Desire to escape the stress and fear, sometimes leads those who would never offer a bribe in their own country to respond in this way. As Rivergirl has said, we can make little difference to solving the problems in Mexico; but, we can avoid contributing to its problems by not allowing ourselves to benefit from corrupt acts.
We just had our FM3s renewed within 7 days of applying.No bribes, no lawyers, no hassles.................amazing. Tracey
Nice, TraceyUK. :daveandmo: Now if someone just writes to tell us they've had good experiences with the Mexican Post....
My friend Ruben says he's had really good luck with the "new' MexPost... having shipped and received various sports stuff with them. I guess changing the uniforms really worked. LOL :roll:
