Hola!! It is Sabado and sorry to all looking for Vierne’s blog update. I actually went to Blue at 1030pm last night, but could not get a connection.
So here is ayer’s update and a photo taken right before I headed out last night.
This insect was almost 3 inches long and hung onto the outside of our window for quite a while.
Howdy!! Happy Viernes to all!!
It was a great night, my meeting with Roman went well, and it has also been a successful day.
Anoche (last night) we first gave Lalo his cumpleanos cupcake and the home made card Bex had printed up. I have called Lalo the Calabaza when he wears this shirt.
He appreciated both gifts. Across from the jewelry shop where he works, is the town square, the zocalo. We heard some activity coming from the bandstand so we went to take a look.
It was a large group of young adults and some people in the bandstand wearing masks that represented ex-Mexican presidents. Some of the younger people were wearing parts of Halloween costumes. Not sure what the event was really about, but here are some photos.
I met Roman at 730pm and 3.5 hours later we were done our cervezas, a poco comida and a lot of discussion regarding Mojon, our actual property, construccion as well as some discussion about Mexico as a whole.
Mojon
· Water level is only high because of time of year…beach is not disappearing
· Big development project is being discussed for an area west of Mojon. Could positively impact land values and well as infrastructure over the next 10 years.
· The property with the closure sign on it did not conduct their environmental study and was fined $300,000 pesos. The owner, a Nacional, will probably walk away as she does not have the $$.
· Property next to ours has a ½ finished structure and has been that way for years. It might be for sale and we will look into the price, only so we can pull that ugly structure down.
· Government does not want electric lines visible. If there ever is power, it will probably be underground wiring. I like that.
· Once every 3 years some big wave action comes into Mojon and takes a chuck of sand, generally from Abel’s (a local old timer) property.
Our property, and in order of importance:
· Need to conduct Federal zone survey first. This takes two weeks and determines if any of the property is actually on Federal land. The survey costs $6900 Cdn for the complete playa (beach) as well as $640 for a minimum of 10 official land markers. If any of the land is Federal (and I am sure some of ours is), then we pay another $3000 Cdn to have all the paperwork drawn up for a Federal lease.
We will send out an email to all the beach front owners and see who wants to chip in for this. If they do not pay now but want to use the markers later for their own survey, we collect $$ from them.
Officials in Mexico City determine the marker locations, and then the local guy uses GPS to accurately place them. Not 100% sure how it works, but the rule is 20 metres from high tide marks the end of the Federal zone. This includes property right on the beach, and if it was on a cliff over looking the beach. It is meant to ensure public access at all times, even though we would not expect to see people camped out in front of the villas, as a public beach, they have the right to walk there.
· The Federal lease process takes a year but is cheap. If the complete 900 m2 property was in the Federal zone, the annual lease would be $864 pesos…$80 Cdn. As it was shown to me, the survey line is normally not straight across, as it goes with the lay of the land.
· Next up would be the Environmental study. This is a fairly new process, but can take 6 months to one year to be completed. Don’t have a quote yet, but was given a $75k peso ($6500 Cdn) ball park figure. The study has some meaning behind it, but construccion guys like Roman all believe it is another money grab.
· Bank Trust or Mexican corporation is next. Currently only Nacionals can own beach property. Foreigners need to have a bank trust or their own Mexican corporation.
The big differences? Bank trust you pay $2500 Cdn to set it up, $300 Cdn annually, and the property is actually in the bank’s name. In a corporation, it costs $1400 Cdn to set up, your corporation owns the property and you can write off all costs associated with the build as well as fees associated. Yes you need an accountant and file regular reports, but a corporation is the recommended route if we plan on running the villas as a business (as we plan to do).
Roman can assist with all these processes and charges a fee for these services. It is worth the $$ because he speaks both languages, knows the systems and also knows the people in the “game”. He will not charge for assisting in the Federal zone and lease if he can get a survey marker for his property for free and if he does not need to pay for the actual work. It is a fair deal.
· Our property taxes for 2010 were $610 pesos, or $50 Cdn
Construccion
· I saw some current quotes and designs from his company. I really liked one of the three and we reviewed some ideas we have for our villas
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W Wood frames for windows is a nice upgrade…looks and will feel upper end vs aluminum
·
H His current quotes range from $117 US/square foot for the main villas he is building, $77 for garages (4 concrete walls and a roof), $9 for landscaping and he just installed a small solar system for $28k US.
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H He likes the idea of semi underground parking for the cars (under the villas), as it frees up a lot of surface area and allows for more flexibility
·
One of his designs included the split level dining/living room that I had shown him last year!!
At the end of the day, Roman is a good guy but he is still a business man looking for my dollars. We will continue to work with him on all these surveys etc and possibly into some design components, but we also know of other designers and builders here in town, and will ensure we are getting the best bang for the buck before we build.
It is important to not only have the correct design, but the quality of the finished product here in Mexico varies greatly. We want the tradicional (Espanol) Mexican feel, with a modern twist to it and the construccion and finish needs to be up to North American standards.
If we were just flopping here in Huatulco, it wouldn’t be as critical, but the level of quality built into the villas, is part of the over all business plan. We cannot charge what we will be charging if the product does not support it.
So, overall a great meeting and I have Roman quoting me on some small projects that might get accomplished over the next few weeks.
So, that brings us to hoy (oy…today).
Bex was up early doing some work and after I got up and had breakfast, it was off to gym and a few errands. I was on the hunt for the a/c remote as well as a stop at Che, so I took the truck. We really do not use the truck much and have spent a total of $50 Cdn on gas in the 5 plus weeks we have been here.
Ayer (yesterday), I was told by Lalo that one of the refrigeration stores we had visited but had was cerrado (due to siesta), DOES carry the a/c remote. The store is in a neighborhood I had not been to, but I managed to retrace the route and when I got in, I asked the senorita “se vende aqui?”. She said “si” and I asked “cuanto questa?” and the reply was trescientos cincuenta pesos…$350 pesos or $33 Cdn.
A great conversation continued as she could tell I wanted to see it and she brought it out. I needed to ask if it needed to be programmed, but I got to “pila”…battery and she said no, thinking I was asking if she sold batteries.
I started again, vende remote, vende pila en Che y finito? She said si and ta-da…a remote was about to be bought.
Uno momento as I went to the truck to get the pesos, I asked for a recibo (receipt for the landlords) and she asked por que (why?). I said for mi patron (boss), not knowing how to say landlord, and she said ok. Easy peasy.
Before I left, she asked me another question and I did not understand it. She was asking if I wanted the remote tested before I left. I have learned that this is how business is conducted as we had the same thing happen when we bought our beach umbrella. I guess they do not have a return policy here in Huatulco. Either way, the unit worked and I was off to the gym.
Passed a collectivo (taxi stand) at the 2nd bus station, but no new taxis to add to the collection. But here is today’s taxi.
This is a taxi from Chahue, which is an area that includes a marina, a playa, several condo buildings, Bexico’s yoga studio as well as several restaurants.
Good session at the gym and saw a sign that when translated, stated they were only going to be open 7am-7pm on Nov 1 and 2, vs their regular hours. The next sentence stated that on November 6, the gym was “permanecera cerrado”. That words looks like “permanent”, but I could not find it in my libro (dictionary). I was thinking oh oh, my gym is closing.
I asked Rosa and she tried to explain por que regarding the hours on Nov 1 and 2, but I only caught a few words. Then I asked about November 6th…”cerrdao por una dia? “. She said si and I asked “abierto Nov 7?” and she said no. Now I was confused and concerned until she stated that Nov 7 was Domingo….the gym is cerrado on Sundays!! Phew!!
Another interesting tid bit about the gym…the “lock” used on the stacks of weights are actually old valves from car or truck engines. I just noticed that today.
All was good in gym land and I was off to Che. We have noticed more and more gringos are in town. The charter flights have started and the locals are anxious for the business. With Mexicana going bankrupt, the number of flights bringing tourists into Huatulco has been drastically reduced.
At Che, you notice that a lot of the food that gringos eat is almost sold out. They too have come into Che and stocked up, so I bought some of the last 1000 Island, some frijoles (beans for chili believe it or not) as well as pasta sauce.
At Che, your groceries are bagged by local school kids (9-12 years old) who work for the propina. I bought a Hulk mask for $14 pesos and my bagger looked at me and laughed when he bagged it. I pay by amex and had forgotten my coins in the truck, so I let the young man know I would return, but I think he did not believe me.
Came back with coin and could not see my guy. I asked the cashier “donde esta mi amigo?” and she smiled and pointed me to where he had gone. He had done a great job and was appreciative of the tip.
I followed this truck for 5 minutes. Notice anything wrong?
I didn’t know where they were headed until it dawned on me as I was floating in the alberca. They were headed to the llanteria (tire store), which is located on the way to my gym. I must get you a photo, as it is truly a drive in kind of shop. You drive to the curb and they do the work right there.
I came home and Bexico put away the groceries as I tried out the a/c remote (all is good!!) and then we hit the pool.
Bex went off to the internet and I worked on this novel (sorry about that) and then cooked dinner. Pollo (we love the pollo) and more yummy super fresh French stick with oil and balsamic vinegar. Bex picked it up on the way back from the internet…as well as a Mexican short bread galleta (cookie) for her Bubba. My dessert!!
We have discovered that clocks here will fall back one hour next Saturday. If you look this up on the internet, you will see that there is no rhyme or reason to where the time boundaries are in Mexico.
Well, that is a full day. Not sure of our plans for Sabado or Football Domingo, but we may hit the playa.
10pm and finishing the dvd K-Pax, a fun little film and then will make the short trek to post this entry.
We hope you all have a great weekend!!
Hasta luego.
One last photo…
This comes from a fortune cookie we had at PF Chang’s in Las Vegas. A good fortune indeed.
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