The Heat has Gone And the thrill of Mazatlan is still on. Returning to Mazatlan is very much like going from your parents’ well-ordered house to your crazy aunt’s apartment where anything goes. Coming from the sedate San Miguel with its muted colours and controlled architecture, we revel in the wackiness of Mazatlan. Houses are…
Category: Mexican Moments – A Book
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 13
Guadalajara Bound September is like being trapped in a hot steam sauna and you can’t get out. No one will ever pass by to unlock the door. While we promised Warren we’d spend next Carnaval in Guadalajara with him, the high humidity has forced us to break that promise. As Soren checks the internet for…
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 12
August in Mazatlan When I telephoned Ritchies Auction House in May, I might as well have invited a common thief into our apartment. Ritchies knew in May they were bankrupt. We are in Mazatlan. The liars, cheaters and robbers are in Toronto. We feel helpless, like all innocent victims of fraud. We phone our amigo,…
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 11
Mexican Cash Flow Well, part of Pepe’s e mail is true. The “we wait for you” sentence is correct. Pepe, his wife and four children live in their original family home next door to us. They built the two- storey apartment last year as an investment to supplement Pepe’s fishing income. “Let’s go fishing with…
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 10
Toronto the Chilly The damp, cold, grey days of May are easier to accept than the reception of our friends. The Toronto press has done a superb job of spooking everyone; don’t go near a person who’s just returned from Mexico, the press insists. Despite not having a single symptom, despite not having being near…
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 9
April in Mazatlan Spring is here. How can we tell without the filthy snow banks melting and shedding of our down coats? Here’s how: trees are bursting with new buds, the wild canaries are chirping louder, the bougainvillea blooms brighter, the surf splashes onto the Malecon, the days grow longer, the air is warmer and…
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 8
FM3 and Copper Canyon We know we are moving here. I know we are going to take a trip to Copper Canyon; I just haven’t sold it yet to Soren. To facilitate our move from Toronto and our travels throughout Mexico, an FM3 is required. FM3 is our Mexican resident papers, which will open up…
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 7
Cigars and Carnaval By now we have found our rhythm and the rhythm of Mazatlan. Our close friend, Warren Holder, is due to visit us from Toronto. He has an excellent position with the University of Toronto and travels the world promoting the university’s electronic library. Although he’s never been to Mazatlan, I am optimistic…
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 6
So This is January and What Have We Done? Quite a lot, actually. We had no intention of ever buying another property again. Yet we do, complete with Mexican bureaucracy and all its bank/ trust complications; meaning, you never ever really own your property because the bank holds it in trust. Scary stuff if you…
My Mexican Moments: Chapter 4
Red Rock Fever Strikes Again Years ago in Sedona, Arizona, Soren and I contracted Red Rock Fever. It’s not fatal, but it can cost you a bundle. We were enchanted with the desert landscape. It was our second visit to Sedona and one afternoon, for reasons we will never know, we got talked into a…