Dailykos is a great read with many excellent diaries and opinions. Too often the stories are dire; war, global warming, pollution, health care, Bushco and so forth. Sometimes you just want to get away from it all. So I did just that. I booked 10 days in Mexico, to get away from it all. For me, time to blog.
This diary is about the weather, the issues, the people, the moment and a big question mark. Months ago, while contemplating the trip to Mexico it occurred to me 'vacation first' with the alterior motive of relocating to Mexico. What will it be like in a foreign country? Could sunny, affordable Mexico be the missing link between my native, sun-starved, tax rich Ohio?
I should point something put to me by a local here in Mexico- it is about citizens of the Americas. Some of us 'Americans' are from Mexico and south; others from United States and north. But we are all Americans. Somehow the term 'Americans' had become obfuscated as the 'province of the people north of the Rio Grande but south of Canada.' This is my first lesson in humility.
It is a bustling Monday morning, the workers are back on construction sites. Sites all around me that had been abondoned for the weekend so that families could go to the beach and revel all hours of the night in celebration of the Christian holiday. This morning for the Mexican worker it is back to business as usual.
This is only my 2nd trip to Mexico. My first, in May of '06 was a business trip to San Carlos, Sonora. Then I had no time to take in the sights and sounds of Mexcio. This week is different- it is vacation (with a bit of business) with my family in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico.
One of the first things one notices in Mexico is the relaxed pace. Here it is not about the hustle and bustle. Not that the locals sit around on idle hands, but there exists an unhurried attitude; a joy of life for its own sake.
I sit here on my balcony under a great blue sky overhead. Birds are chirping, Pacific waves are gently rolling ashore. The air is clean with a hint of balmy coconut mixed with salty sea breeze. Here in the rented condo the elderly Mexican cleaning lady goes about her day with a smile on here face. She scrubs, sweeps, stacks and folds; she certainly knows her craft. Does she stop to sniff the clean air or does she take it for granted?
What is it like to be the Mexican cleaning lady? Does she have the same concerns as I do? Concerns for retirement, health care, global warming, baby seals and all the rest of it? It occurs to me to strike up a conversation with her about these issues. I glance over to her and she still smiles. Perhaps she is in her moment, her 'out', to get away from it all is in her work. Why ruin her day with my issues? I decide to let it go.
The Gringos Are Coming, The Gringos Are Coming
There is wealth here in Mexcio. It is in the newly constructed condos pushing up from the sandy beaches. It is in the stores and boutiques filled with designer merchandise; it is on the menus of the fancy restaurants. It is in the condos, the stores and the restaurants where the locals earn their meager wage; about ten dollars a day on average. The newly discovered wealth is from the North.
The gringos are coming to Mexico and the Federales are glad to assist. Changes in Mexico real estate laws now allow foreigners to own property in prime coastal areas. The Mexican government realizes the opportunity of the retiring boomers of Canada and the United States. They are rolling out the red carpet (so to speak).
Taxes for example, are much lower in Mexico. Not that the government has lowered taxes for boomers, but taxes are generally much lower compared to the States. There are trade-offs for lower taxes. What are they? What am I willing to give up back home for a piece of paradise? And what about this piece of paradise? Is it a healthy chunk rich with cultural joys or is it a thin, emaciated Melba Toast kind of a slice?
Here in Mexico it is easy to forget about the Big Brother up north; that in itself is liberating. One easily forgets about the demands on its citizenry to acquiesce or else; the warnings of code yellow, orange or red; terrorists round every corner; passport tracking; prying and spying on emails, library records, party affiliations. It is easy to forget about the Big Brother who confiscates the wealth of its people to 'free' Iraqis while it forsakes the health care of its voiceless, hapless citizens, of whom have earned and deserve that right to basic health care.
Today it's too much to think about the issues, issues that have a way of sucking the marrow from the bones. This week it is 'when in Rome do like the Romans.' That being said there are freedoms here that seem to go unnoticed that in the United States are crimes and misdemeanors- like a gang of youth riding about town in the back of the pickup truck; maneuvering a 4 speed Civic, shifter in one hand and the other a beer; younger than sixteen at the beach enjoying margaritas in full view of the policia; vehicles with no plates; taxis with no meters.
Amongst the buildings and las casas are code violations so numerous, that if fines (taxes)were levied upon the people here, as they are in the States the government coffers would be overflowing. Routine things like electrical wires perilously close to persons and metal railings; outdoor electrical boxes with meters removed thereby exposing 100-200 AMPs of instant death to the unwary; bathrooms with out toilet seats and running water. This is but a few.
It is not that these freedoms come without a price tag. High risk situations lead to higher rates of mortality. Yet there seems to be an air of 'Tal es vida', or such is life. Throw caution to the wind. It is so un-American, or is it?