If you are wondering why it has taken me so long to write another blog, it isn't because I am lazy (which I am) or because I am out of ideas (which is also true). It is because my Internet has not been working except a few hours in the middle of the night or early in the morning. When the company was called, they said, "we are working on it" In Mexico that translates to "we do not have a clue". This has been going on for almost a month. It is Mexico!!
When you enter Mexico, you are given a six month visa. With a FM3 card, you are considered a legal resident and can stay as long as you want. Since I planned on returning every 4 or 5 months for doctors, etc. I did not see the need for one. Then I began to hear more reasons to apply. You cannot open a bank account here without an FM3 (I have yet to decide if I need an account here). As a senior you can use the card to apply for a discount on buses and Mexican Airlines. Then I heard that within the first six months you can bring a whole household down here with no duty. I do have "stuff I would like to have shipped down here, so after a friend of mine got his card, I decided to apply.
He paid a lawyer 1,800 pesos, plus fees to handle it for him. My apartment manager said they had a lawyer who would handle it for 1,500. Then a new friend told me that I could do it on my own and he would take me to the immigration office, and walk me through it. How could I resist?
Part One was easy. I waited only about 20 minutes for the "downstairs" lady" to go over my paper work. I was told that among other items, I needed to copy every page of my passport. The first thing she did was to rip off the first two pages and throw the rest away. She gave me a form that had to be filled out in Spanish, told me a needed a "request letter' and gave me a bill of about $40.00. You can't pay her, but must find a bank (about a half mile away), pay the bank and get a receipt, then make two copies of the receipt. My friend then took me to a woman about a block down the street who filled out the form and printed out the letter for about $2.00. Next the trek to the bank to get the receipt.
Once I had the receipt and the copies made across the street at an Internet cafe, I carried the paper work back to the "downstairs lady" She looked over the paper work and gave me a number and sent me upstairs. My number came up in about 15 minutes. Every paper was stamped with something then he told me to check their web site for when the card was approved in about 10 days.
I found the web site, but of course it was all in Spanish, so I had a friend of mine check it. Within one week, the web site said it was ready. On my own, I managed to find the place and went to see the downstairs lady. I waited for almost an hour for her to check my status and give me another bill that I had to take to the bank. I raced off, but the bank wasn't operating. It was open, but not working (maybe their computers). A man told me to come back in two hours. Since the Immigration place closed at 2:00, I had less than an hour. He directed me down the street to the next bank. I asked how far and he said it was "a couple of blocks" I walked for 15 minutes and no bank. Then I spotted an American walking toward me that looked like he lived here. I asked him. He said the bank in the direction I was headed was about a 30 minute walk, but there was one in the other direction. I told him I was just there and the bank was not working. He told me that there were three banks there. ( I guess the guy was directing me to one of their own branches.) I raced back with less than 30 minutes to go. I found the other bank, got my receipt, got the duplicate and raced back to Immigration. I had 5 minutes to spare, but luckily once you are inside they continue to process you application.
It took about an hour, but I finally got my FM3 card. I am now officially a Mexican resident. I thought
this would make it easier to go in and out of Mexico. No so! Before I leave the country I have to go to an immigration office at the airport and get permission to leave (Nothing is easy in Mexico). Now I must find out what kind of paper work I need to get my "stuff" sent here without paying duty on all of it.
I went back to the same "downstairs lady" and found out that there are forms I must get at the Customs office at the airport. Stay tuned.......
************
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
THEN THE RAINS CAME
In Puerto Vallarta, rain is legendary. I heard tales of thunder and lighting displays that are unbelievable. They have torrential rains that turn the streets into rivers. There are no storm drains here, so the streets carry all the water (and dirt) from the mountains to the sea. I did not know how much was true, but I was looking forward to the "rainy season".
As the summer progressed, the temperatures rose; I began to pray for rain. There had been some rain in the mountains that surround us, but not a drop in the village. Each week, I was told, "It will rain next week" NOTHING!! Then one night just as I was leaving my favorite bar, there was a light sprinkle. It was not a real rain, but it did drop the temperature by about 20 degrees. As soon as I got home, I took off my clothes and headed for the deck where I let the cool mist fall on my naked body. I loved it. Don't get excited, I was wearing my underpants. In the heat and humidity nothing is more comfortable than underwear. After the "snow birds" across the street went back to wherever they came from, my deck is really private. No sane person would ever want to look at my naked body anyway.
But then the sun came out and the humidity went up. For the next week or so we had a few light mists, but not real rain. Then one night after "happy hour" I was headed for a little (cheap) side walk cafe around the corner. Then it really began to pour. I was under a little awning while I ate, so I was fine. After paying my bill, I still had a full glass of beer (in a plastic cup) so I decided to walk home in the rain and finish my beer on the way. Drinking in public is not only NOT against the law, it is a tradition here. The rain felt good, but my sandals got soaked crossing the streets. It rained all night long.
The next day, I ventured out anxious to see what the rain had done. The trees and plants were washing clean and looked wonderful. The sidewalks and streets were another thing. There were mud puddles everywhere. It takes about a month of rain to wash everything down (there is a lot of dirt here). It has rained some almost every day, mostly at night.
Then one night I was awakened by a clap of thunder so loud it sounded like a bomb had gone off. The lightning was so frequent it looked as if the street was being lit by strobe lights. I went up to the deck. The drain spouts were shooting water 3 or 4 feet into the street. I love the sound of rain on a roof (as most people do). But my building (which has a tile roof) is surrounded by commercial buildings with corrugated aluminum roofs. You can not imagine the sound of several inches of rain an hour on all those tin roofs. It sounded like the opening act of a Cirque de Soleil. It rained all night and in the morning the trees on the mountains seemed to have greened up overnight (maybe it was just that the dirt was washed off)
The rain has continued for over a month, some of them fierce, but we have not had the 10 to 12 hours of rain that put the streets under two feet of water. We'll have to wait and see if the tales are true.
******
As the summer progressed, the temperatures rose; I began to pray for rain. There had been some rain in the mountains that surround us, but not a drop in the village. Each week, I was told, "It will rain next week" NOTHING!! Then one night just as I was leaving my favorite bar, there was a light sprinkle. It was not a real rain, but it did drop the temperature by about 20 degrees. As soon as I got home, I took off my clothes and headed for the deck where I let the cool mist fall on my naked body. I loved it. Don't get excited, I was wearing my underpants. In the heat and humidity nothing is more comfortable than underwear. After the "snow birds" across the street went back to wherever they came from, my deck is really private. No sane person would ever want to look at my naked body anyway.
But then the sun came out and the humidity went up. For the next week or so we had a few light mists, but not real rain. Then one night after "happy hour" I was headed for a little (cheap) side walk cafe around the corner. Then it really began to pour. I was under a little awning while I ate, so I was fine. After paying my bill, I still had a full glass of beer (in a plastic cup) so I decided to walk home in the rain and finish my beer on the way. Drinking in public is not only NOT against the law, it is a tradition here. The rain felt good, but my sandals got soaked crossing the streets. It rained all night long.
The next day, I ventured out anxious to see what the rain had done. The trees and plants were washing clean and looked wonderful. The sidewalks and streets were another thing. There were mud puddles everywhere. It takes about a month of rain to wash everything down (there is a lot of dirt here). It has rained some almost every day, mostly at night.
Then one night I was awakened by a clap of thunder so loud it sounded like a bomb had gone off. The lightning was so frequent it looked as if the street was being lit by strobe lights. I went up to the deck. The drain spouts were shooting water 3 or 4 feet into the street. I love the sound of rain on a roof (as most people do). But my building (which has a tile roof) is surrounded by commercial buildings with corrugated aluminum roofs. You can not imagine the sound of several inches of rain an hour on all those tin roofs. It sounded like the opening act of a Cirque de Soleil. It rained all night and in the morning the trees on the mountains seemed to have greened up overnight (maybe it was just that the dirt was washed off)
The rain has continued for over a month, some of them fierce, but we have not had the 10 to 12 hours of rain that put the streets under two feet of water. We'll have to wait and see if the tales are true.
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