14 Days In Mazatlan

Why do I have to leave, again?

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon Speaks About Safety

Just days before Mexico's President Felipe Calderon is scheduled to arrive in the United States to meet with President Obama, ...Calderon speaks candidly with Gabriela Zabalua-Goddard, vice president and editor of AARP VIVA, the organization's bilingual publication for Hispanics, about safety for tourists and retirees in Mexico, the graying of his nation and how U.S. retirees in Mexico are having an impact in his country.

After a tumultuous year of being in the headlines for the violence and drug trafficking running rampant throughout the country, and at a time when the U.S. continues to warn its citizens against traveling to Mexico, the country's leader offers his views on hot-button issues. In this rare interview, he insists that Mexico is not a dangerous country.

Translated Excerpts from the Interview:
His Personal Message to Tourists
"They shouldn't worry. Obviously, there are problems, but these are associated with certain places and to conflicts within criminal elements. Over 2.5 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico--half of them retired--and they live very peacefully. For them, Mexico is a safe country, and we are always very alert to any incidents that may occur."
"Mexico welcomed over 20 million international tourists last year, 49 million tourists from across the border, 6 million tourists by cruise ships, and there were no real major incidents. I can assure you that Mexico is a peaceful, safe and pleasant country. We have lovely retirement communities: San Miguel de Allende, Chapala, Morelia, Vallarta; we're very happy with them. Mexico is a great place to live and enjoy, so, come with peace of mind, feel safe. We're also working to improve the living conditions of our people in Mexico."

Changes Taking Place In Mexico
"In Mexico, we are carrying out a very important transformation of our infrastructure, of its economic, social, educational and health areas. Mexico is a vibrant democracy where people live within the law. Where human rights are respected; a society where there's freedom, you can have your opinions and vote in absolute freedom."


On Financial Security and Poverty in Mexico
"In 1997/96, there were nearly 40 million people in Mexico still living in extreme poverty. And that figure has decreased considerably, to approximately 18 million now, even with the severe economic crisis we had. And we're doing even more. Mexico has a program, Oportunidades, that has been copied by many countries, especially in Latin America, where we provide financial support to mothers with the condition that they take their children to school and to the doctor. This is a way of breaking the cycle of poverty. This program has been able to get millions and millions of Mexican families out of poverty."

Two Weeks To Vacation!

We are down to the final two weeks before leaving for two-week vacation in Mazatlan starting March 6th. We check the weather forecast every day and it clings to 80 to 85. Here in Portland, we are expecting snow on Thursday and then an extended stretch of 13 days with temps below freezing and snow almost every day.

I have lost almost 15 pounds and can fit into my new red and white swimming trunks with only a little "dunlop." I go to sleep thinking of sitting in my lounge chair looking out over the pool at PBEB, sipping a smoothie or cold beer sin alcohol.

I saw an ad today for a fourth floor two-bedroom condo that looks out over the Mazatlan marina for $250,000. Sight unseen it looks pretty good. However, we need to visit a number of Mexican places for at least a month before deciding to put down roots.

This week I started throwing out junk that clutters our home thinking, "Would I take this Mexico?" If the answer is no, then out it goes. It's just junk that no one would want.

Reason TV: Another Mexico-A Conversation With Storyteller Sam Quinones

Am I Being Naive?

The question always comes up, "Aren't you worried about living in Mexico?" Frank Holmes,chief executive officer and chief investment officer of U.S. Global Investors Inc. that manages approximately $4.8 billion in 13 no-load mutual funds and for other advisory clients, has written an article titled Is Mexico a Country on Fire? Is the country going to the hell of drug dealers kidnapping for ransoms? Actually, Holmes says that as the economy in the U.S. goes, the Mexican economy is leveraged to ours. If the U.S. grows at 3%, Mexico will grow at 4.5% to 5%.

The Mexican BOLSA is up 20% in the last three months, total monthly exports are at a new record high, and "retail sales as of October,  posted a 4.4 percent year-over-year change—more than twice the level seen in July."  Mexican GDP is upwards of $1 trillion  and public debt is about 25% of GDP as opposed to the U.S. of almost 100% of GDP.  Bill Gross of PIMCO, the largest fixed income investor, advises buying Canadian and Mexican debt and selling U.S. debt.

The one major negative is that "2010 ranks as the deadliest year yet in Mexico’s war against the drug cartels, with 11,041 drug-related deaths as of mid-December, representing a 385 percent increase since 2007, according to global intelligence firm Stratfor."

The high number of deaths is likely a result from the capturing and killing of several kingpins which set off a power struggle among the remaining crooks. You might think this has created a modern-day Tombstone but the law enforcement captures have left many of the cartels significantly weaker.

Am I being naive and overlooking the risk or is Mexico poised to expand and carry its citizens to higher standards of living?

Where to Go in 2011

NYT picks Loreto, Mexico as one of top 41 places to go in 2011:

Loreto, Mexico
A hideaway with empty beaches, historic architecture and sport fishing gets a luxury resort.



Credit: Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

Martha Stewart in San Miguel de Allende with Casa Dragones Tequila

While in San Miguel, our friends saw Martha Stewart. This was one reason she was there: