MORE ON THE NEW APARTMENT

Moving anywhere can be difficult and trying on the nerves.  Moving in Mexico is a whole new experience.  My Realtor (who spoke perfect English) went on vacation shortly after renting me the apartment (or he is just refusing my calls).  Neither the manager or the "super" speak one word of English (mind you, there isn't a Mexican in the building).  I have a list of 15 questions and complaints and no one to give it to.  I still have no signed copy of the lease (which is in Spanish). It has now been over a month, since I paid three months rent in advance.  Since all the furnished apartments were rented, they told me that they had to order new furniture (thus the three months in advance).  Did I have a choice?  NO!  It would be the same ugly Mexican modern that the rest of the units had.  I did insist on a queen size bed.  A king would be too large for the room and since I sleep alone (regrettably) it would be a waste of space.  We will see.

I was given permission to paint, providing I returned it to the same ugly off white when I left.  What I did not realize at the time is that the entire apartment would have to have been painted for any other tenant.  The former occupant had a dog.  You can tell by all the dirty spots on the wall where the dog scratched himself.  Either the apartment had been vacant for a long time of the former tenant was a real pig.  I had to clean the walls and base boards before I could paint.  I am still waiting for the apartment to be cleaned (as they promised).

I told you of my problem in getting a painter, so I have painted the entire apartment myself.  I bought small cans of paint first, as I was not sure of the colors I wanted (I now have four unused paint cans).  What I did not know is that each time you order a can of paint, it is a slightly different shade.  It gives the walls a sort of water color look, and I thought it looked more Mexican so I did not fuss.  When I decided on the yellow I wanted, I did want to make the same mistake so I ordered a gallon of paint.  It was so different from the one I selected I had to repaint every bit of yellow.  It was a Sunday and the paint store was closed and complaining would do not good anyway (complaining never does here, they do not care).  Their thought would be, "Hey they are both yellow.  What is your problem?".  As it turned out the new yellow was a little more subtle than the brilliant Mexican yellow I had picked out and maybe easier to live with anyway.

The customer may be King in the U.S. but in Mexico he is a second class citizen.  I was told that I needed a powerful "surge box" for all my electric gadgets because the electricity goes on and off so often.  I bought one at Office Max, but in six months it died.  I took it back with the receipt and they said that their products are only warrantied for one week.  If it does not fail in one week, you are out of luck.

Gas and water were included, but I had to pay for electric, cable and Internet.  After my four month fight with Telecable, I did not want to go back there, but found out that they are the only cable company that has the English channels.  I was hoping they would not remember me.   In order the get electricity you must go to the main office downtown to sign a "contracto".  Even a Mexican can not do it by phone.  I was told where the office was located and I was sure I knew how to get there by bus (I did not)  Once I found the office it went very smoothly.  Since I do not have a signed lease they took the receipt I have for the three months I paid in advance.  You have to give them a deposit (normal) but you also have to pay what ever the last tenant left without paying (fortunately for me, he did not owe that much).  Then it was off to the dreaded Telecable.  No one recognized me (all old, fat, grey haired gringos look alike to them).  It will cost me more money each month since I am no longer sharing the Internet with my neighbor, but hopefully I bought a more reliable and faster network.   They also needed the name and address of a local who knew me, and my pass port.  WHY?  Well, because it is Mexico. 

The cable company could not install until I had electricity.  The electric company said the power would be turned on in one to five days (that is Mexican days).  After eight days I had the building manager call them.  The electricity had been connected a week ago.  There is a switch below the meter on the street that had to be flipped (wouldn't you think that the manager or super would know that?).  I still have not been able to get an answer from Telecable.

Since I needed permission to install tile in the kitchen, I had to wait until the following Monday.  The tile man needed 7 to 9 days to finish the tile and he needed money for materials.  I went ahead and gave him 2,000 pesos and ordered the tile.  I had to have it finished before moving in and I wanted it done before the furniture arrived.  There was no margin for error.  I know, I know, in a country where nothing happens on time or goes according to schedule.  I got permission and the tile was started two days later.  The problem was the new sink I bought.  It was not "exactly" the size of the old one.  That was just the first problem, when the old sink was removed the rotted pressed wood underneath collapsed.  One good thing about Mexicans is that they can fix or salvage almost anything (In the US the whole thing would have been thrown out).

The tile is almost done and looks gorgeous (photos will have to wait until I get back).  So I went down to the office to find out where my signed lease was, and where the furniture was and when it would be delivered.  The don't have the lease back from the owner of the building and they are going to bring the old furniture I don't like, down from an empty apartment (the man died).  They said my Queen size bed would be delivered later and they would take the old King out (what are the odds??).  I still have not been able to arrange for my "stuff" to be brought across the border or I would have taken the apartment unfurnished.

The blog is becoming a " Book".  I have been so busy painting and cleaning that I have not even begun to pack.  I leave for Turkey in less than two weeks and must move before packing for the trip.  The air conditioners do not work and they have yet to install my fan.  The ceiling light in the bathroom is broken and the buzzer to the downstairs door does not work.

Stay tuned.......


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NEW APARTMENT

I arrived here last year in the height of the season.  There were almost no apartment for me to choose from.  I took the first decent one that I found.  This year I did not want to make the same mistake so I started looking in July.  To my surprise, there still weren't that many choices.  I wanted to remain in the Zona Romantica (I like the name and that is where all my bars are located).  I also did not want to have to climb several blocks straight up a hill when coming home from the bars.

I wanted a two bedroom so I had an extra room for my office and another room for guests.  Another big requirement for me was a large covered deck or terrace.  I love plants and have really enjoyed sitting on my deck and watching the rain pour down.  I also wanted a Mexican looking place (but not too Mexican).  After a while I realized that I might have to give up on some of my requirements.

A Realtor showed me a very nice place, but it was too far up the hill, then he told me about one he had not yet seen.  It turned out to be the large modern building I pass almost every day going to my gym or my Spanish class.  I had never looked up at the building to see the "For Rent" sign hanging off the building.  I wasn't thrilled with the look, but amazed when I saw the size of the apartments.  There were five available at the time.  Within one week there were only two, so I knew I had to make a decision.  There was only 1500 pesos difference between the one and the two bedroom, but the only two bedroom left was on the top floor which did not have a roof over the deck.  The one bedroom had the same huge living area, so I took it.   From the laundry room through the kitchen, dinning area and living room is forty feet long, plus a fourteen foot terrace. 

I was hoping for a "quiet neighbor".  This one does not have a lot of cross traffic, but the tour buses are loaded and unloaded in front of my building.  The time when they start and finish varies with each person I ask.  Either they do not kow, or they do not want me to know (I assume they do not run all night long).  I am not sure there is a "quiet neighborhood" anyway, as Mexicans are just noisy by nature.

Even furnished, there was plenty of room for my desk and I could bring down my card table and four french chairs, my breakfront and several other pieces of furniture that I have lived with for 35 to 50 years.  Of course I still don't know how successful I will be in getting my "stuff" down here.  The furniture in the apartment is new, and what I call Mexican Modern (truly hideous) so I need something to make it more Mexican and more "me".  I was surprised when I emailed the Mexican Consulate in Santa Ana that they immediately sent me a form to start the process.  Time will tell, nothing is easy in Mexico.  With the FM3 card I am allowed to bring down an entire household duty free.  The duty can be quite high.  Of course I have also been warned that even if the truck passes customs, the "corrupt fedaralis" can stop the truck and demand more money or simple take the goods or the entire truck.  You never know in Mexico.

The first thing I thought I could do was to paint some bright colors on the walls.  I have decided on green, yellow, peach and orange (just about what I have now). I know it sounds more like Bermuda than Mexico, but you will see, it will pull together.  I am still trying out different shades and have yet to settle of which colors I like.  Of course I wanted a "professional painter".  I have painted all my homes, but I have no equipment here.  What a shock when the paint store did not know of a "professional painter".  I think the problem is that every Mexican thinks he can paint.

My favorite bar tender (whom I regard as a close friend) suggested I hire an unemployed friend of his.  I was not crazy about the idea, but figured I could work with him to make sure he was not too messy and it would help him out.  I wanted to know what he charged by the hour.  He did not want to do that, but rather bid on the total job.  Not my plan, but I arrange to meet him at the apartment.  He arrived with another friend and they carefully measured every inch of the place, then took a long time to figure up the price.  It was 8,850 pesos, plus paint (a months salary to most Mexicans)  Keep in mind that it is a two day job (one for two professional painters).  After they picked me up off the floor they dropped it to 7.500 (what I pay for a months rent).  I said I would call them, but told my "bartender buddy" that the price was just to high so I was going to paint it myself.  In truth, I will have the "super" for the building paint the ceilings and laudry room (I don't trust him with the rest of it)  He offered to paint the entire apartment for 2800 pesos.  I know all Mexicans think that they are expected to rip on the "gringo" but if they were a little more reasonable, they would get more work.


The photos are the "before shots".  You will have to wait a while for the finished product as I am leaving for Turrkey a week after I move in.  I will order more equipali (pig skin) furniture and new drapes for the bedroom when I return.  You will also note that I do not have the view I had.  Mostly I just look at the streets, but there is an large abandoned garden directly across the street.  I think I will like it, mainly because it is exactly the location I wanted.

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