Our Little Town in Mexico

Yucatan Living » Art » Pottery Lives On in Valladolid

Yucatan Living » Art » Pottery Lives On in Valladolid



Here’s a piece by one of our regular writers that is something we don’t
get enough of… a story about a local artisan who has learned his craft
from his elders and continues to pursue it. In the early 21st Century,
we are happy to see that increased tourism and attention from the world
outside the Yucatan is starting to bring interest in local arts and
crafts. We hope that continued interest will inspire more young people
to pursue and perfect these crafts, to the benefit of all. 

Did You Know...?

 In a Zero Hedge guest post about Gold: "...it is perfectly legitimate to travel with precious metals. If you're entering, leaving, or transiting through the US, be sure to file FinCEN form 105 if the FACE VALUE of your gold exceeds $10,000.

For example, as a US 1-ounce gold Eagle has a face value of $50, you would need to file the form if you're carrying more than 200 Eagles (not including any additional cash/currency you happen to be carrying).

 It's also worth mentioning that if you are a US taxpayer, foreign safety deposit boxes where you have ultimate custody of your metal are currently non-reportable to Uncle Sam.

 So not only can you make a giant vote against the financial system, you can also regain some privacy.

Bug Out To Sayulita

Thinking Of Bugging Out?

The Activist just released its recommendations for the five best countries to move to.

1. Chile - go to Chile in our winter and spend summer there. "Chile is one of South America's most stable and prosperous nations, a recognized middle power and an emerging economy. It leads Latin American nations in human development, competitiveness, income per capita, globalization, state of peace, economic freedom, and low perception of corruption.  It also ranks high regionally in sustainability of the state."
2. Uruguay - "Uruguay, also in South America, is considered one of the freest, most libertarian countries in the world. This small peaceful country has the charm of Europe, modern infrastructure, a stable economy with agricultural self-sufficiency, world-class tourism activities, and a healthy banking system. Uruguay maintains the highest nominal GDP per capita in South America."
3. Thailand  and
4. Malaysia -  Both countries have very low cost of living. For me, though, it would take a huge adjustment to live in an asian country.
5. Mexico -  Nice to see Mexico on this list. "Mexico is an economic powerhouse and, although they rely heavily on trade with North America, they maintain a high level of food and energy self-sufficiency and have a much freer economy than the US. Also, Mexico's national debt is about 43% of its GDP compared to America's 106% debt-to-GDP.  Healthcare is an entirely free-market system with both public and private options for a fraction of US prices but with similar high quality care."

Mexico would be my choice for a bug out location. I suspect a lot of baby boomers will be eyeing Mexico.

A recent conversation on Mazinfo had an expat seeking info about flour weevils. What to do if you find contaminated food and how to rid your kitchen of it. Stephanie Raney in "How to Get Rid of Flour Weevils and Keep Them Away," writes that you should take all your food out of your cupboards, throw away all that you know is contaminated or that you think might be contaminated. "Be sure to check all sugars, grains, dried beans and breakfast cereals for signs of flour weevils. Do not throw the contaminated food away in your kitchen trashcan you will want to remove it from your home immediately." Then, thoroughly clean and disinfect your cupboards. Even replace the shelf paper.

When you bring in new sugar, flour, cereal, beans etc. first put them in the freezer for four to five days. The freezing will kill any weevils. Raney writes that "...the most important things are to keep foods prone to infestation sealed in airtight containers, to use older food first, and to only buy small amounts of foods that are prone to becoming home to flour weevils at a time. Good advice!