MY LAST TRIP

It was over six weeks ago and may have been my last trip to what I used to call "home".  Not because I am about to die, but because there isn't much left there to go back to.  Before I moved to Mexico many of my close friends had died or moved.  There are maybe a half dozen people that I do enjoy seeing (they can visit me).  Oh well yes, I will go back one day, but not any time soon.

When I moved out of my house, I rented a storage area and moved in what I thought I could not live without (how wrong I was).  I think the rent was $120.00 a month at first.  Each six months, they raised it to the point that it was now $200.00 a month (a lot of money here in Mexico).  For over one year I had tried to find someone who would drive some of the stuff down to Puerto Vallarta.  On this trip my former gardener said he had someone who would do it, but could not give me a price without seeing how much I wanted to move.

One early morning I met my gardener and the man I assumed was the truck driver.  He explained (or rather my gardener explained for him) that he was taking a trunk to Tepic and could put my furniture in the back of the truck. It would pass with do duty.  He did not care about weight, but measured everything to assess the volume it would create.  He could deliver it to an address in Tepic for me to move, or rent another truck to bring it all the way to Purerto Vallarta (about a 5 or 6 hour drive). for a higher price.   I asked "how much more" and he said another $125.00!  The entire move would cost $850,00.  I was thrilled and told him it's a deal!  Knowing that weight was not a problem I began packing more stuff into the Mexican trunk and breakfront. 

With the idea of the furniture going, I decided it was time to clear out the rest of my "stuff" and empty the storage unit.  Once I began to open boxes I found that a lot of it consisted of paper products, spices, and general kitchen stuff.  What my friend couldn't use I threw away.  Another friend who ran a consignment shop said that he would try to "get rid" of some of it.  Besides 30 or 40 paintings I had boxes of Lalique, Baccarat, and Waterford crystal.  He told me that he knew someone who handled more "high end" things and had him call me.  I took him to the unit and started opening box after box.  Much of it I had forgotten I owned.  At first I was a little reluctant to part with some of the pieces that I had lived with for 40 years or more.  Some were fairly expensive.  I had a baccarat horse that cost $1,250.00 and I knew one Lalique bowl went for $750.00.  I also gave him my grandfathers gold watch, several ivory pieces, and two painting that were by "know" artists, plus a sterling silver candelabra.  I told him to just take it all and make of a list and tell me how much he thought it was worth.

At retail, we are talking about $7 to $10,000, but I figured he would only offer maybe 25 cents on the dollar.  When I was told that the six boxes of crystal, a sterling silver candelabra, ivory, and paintings came to $500.00 (about 5 cents on the dollar)  I was shocked.  Then I thought, it was stuff I had enjoyed for many, many years, I now had a new life and I would be saving $200.00 a month.  I had already sold a couple hundred dollars worth and my friend with the consignment store could send me what ever he made later.

At 6:00am I met the "supposed" driver at my storage unit.  He was standing out side the gate and when I opened the gate he motioned for someone else to pull in a small pick up truck.  Many of the larger items I wanted to bring down would not fit (including the life sized portrait of me!!)  As it was they had to stack everything so the legs of the chairs were poking into the leather.  One table was  inlaid wood and it was raining.  The truck had no top or tarp.  Some how they managed with ropes to secure it which was now about an eight foot high pile of furniture and "stuff".  I handed the man I had originally met the $850.00.  He gave $100.00 to the truck driver and he drove off.  I wondered how long it would be, or even "if" I would ever see the stuff again.

After about three weeks I called my gardener to find out where the truck was.  He said he would call me back.  He did not, so I called him.  He said that he had tried to reach me to say that it should be there very soon.  A month passed and finally six weeks after the truck left my storage unit, I reached my gardener again.  He insisted that Arturo (the truck driver) had sent me several messages and so had he.  I never got them, so what is the bottom line?  I was leaving for Japan in a week.  Then I found out that he and Arturo had been texting my "magic jack" line.  It is a computer phone that takes messages, but not text messages.  At least I felt somewhat relieved to know that "maybe" I might see the "stuff' again.  He said it should arrive in a week, but that "someone" would call me a few days before.

Three days before I was to fly to Japan, I called my gardener again, for I still had heard from no one. He said that "who ever" had my furniture had a storage area in Tepic and could put it there until I returned.  I don't even know who has the furniture and not sure that my gardener did either, but told him that I would call him when I got back and either arrange for them to get it to me, or my young Mexican friend (whose mother lives in Tepic) would pick it up for me.

After finishing packing and watering all the plants I decided that rather than clean the apartment one more time I would go off to the beach.  On my way back home, one of the men who sell tours below me said that someone came with some chairs.  He wasn't sure if I was still here, or in Japan, but the guy said he would try again.  WHEN!!!  I was leaving for Japan in a matter of hours and had no way to contact the man.

Why no one every calls you ahead of time, I do not know.  But they don't.  I waited around about 3 hours and did manage to shower.  I had already missed "happy hour" and had nothing in the refrigerator to eat, so I decided to tape a note to the door telling "who ever" showed up that I was around the corner at the local bar.  Just then my buzzer rang.  One guy in a truck big enough to have hauled several households was parked around the corner.  I had to bribe one of the bus drivers to move out of the way and finally he started to unload.  My stuff was definately not the only stuff on it.  There was a car toward the back.  Any way it is here piled in my living room.   It was all there, one French chair had a broken leg, but what really surprised me was that everything was wrapped.  Cardboard had been wrapped around and then it was all sealed in plastic.  When or where this occurred I have no idea.  Now I just have to remember what I did with the key I used to lock the cabinet.   I will sort it out when I get back from Japan.

Oh by the way, I will be in Japan for almost a month, so don't expect anything too soon.

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A BANK ACCOUNT IN MEXICO

Doing anything financial in Mexico is always a problem, so I was prepared (I thought) for spending some time to open an account.  I had thought about it since I moved here and I was told that with my FM3 card I could open one.  One, if I ever needed a large sum of money, it would be difficult (if not impossible) to get it from an ATM machine.  With an open account here, I could have my bank transfer money when (and if) I needed it.

I have also been talking about visiting Cuba.  I really did not want to use a charge or debit card in Cuba that could access what little money have left in the U.S, and I was told they do not like American currency.  Why, I am not sure since the exchange rate is 1000 Cuban pesos per dollar.  I thought with a small account here and carrying some Mexican pesos,  I would be fine, since my friend assured me that it would be quite cheap..

Armed with my passport and FM3 card and my check book from the United States I entered the bank where I use the ATM machine.  That bank is associated with Bank of American so I pay no ATM fee, nor do I pay a conversion fee.  There were at least 5 windows, but everyone was seated in the middle of the room.  There was one young man seated at the only desk in the lobby, but he was on the phone.  I stood in front of him for at least ten minutes and when he refused to acknowledge my presence, I sat at the chair in front of him.  At this point he put the person on hold, so I told him that I wanted to open an account.  He motioned to the group of chairs in the middle of the room and said,  ":Sit down".

  I sat there for a while then realized that everyone was getting a numbers out of a machine by the door.  Numbers were posted on a screen telling you which window to go to.  I got a number and sat down again.  Then I notice that the numbers on the screen were past the number I held in my hand and went back to the man at the desk.  He said, "Sit down!"  Finally my number came up (maybe they run them backwards here).  I went to the window and told the girl I wanted to open an account.  She told me to see the man in the cubicle around the corner.  He too was on the phone.   I sat down and waited while he remained on the phone for another 5 or 10 minutes, then I finally had the opportunity to tell him why I was there,.  He spoke not one word of English, so he called the young man at the first desk.  I was pleased to discover he spoke more that two words,  ("Sit down!") I asked if I could open the account with a check.  No! he said, We do not take checks.  Now I am familiar with paperless banking, but it did seem a little odd.  I asked him how I could get money from a US bank to his bank.  He handed me a paper with the routing number of Morgan Chase in New York.  Well, that is nice I said, but I don't bank with Chase in New York and I would prefer to have an account open before having money transferred.  He said,  "Six thousand Pesos" and proper I.D".  At that point I left went outside to their ATM and drew out 6,000 pesos.  But when I returned someone else was sitting at the desk so I had to wait again.

Finally I got his attention and he took my passport and then he asked for a utility bill.  I have my electric bill at home but not with me.  "We cannot open an account without a utility bill"  Why my passport and residency card (with my photo on it ) from the Mexican government is not enough, no on can explain.  I left to get the electric bill and returned after lunch (I was hungry by then).  Of course everyone was busy with other clients so I had to wait again.  Not to be out maneuvered by someone else, so rather than sit, I stood by his cubicle.  At last he was done, but unfortunately I had not brought the latest electric bill.  After a deep sigh (and a little sobbing)  he brought up my latest bill on his computer.  Then he wanted two references: their name, telephone number, and addresses.  Phone numbers are in my phone, addressed I do not have.  No one here uses addresses as even cab drivers don't know addresses.  Then he said, just put down your address.  Does any of this make any sense to you??

Then he asked me to sign my name.  Not once, not twice, but at least 20 times (sometimes twice on a page and then again on the back)  At last I handed over the signatures and 6,000 pesos and shortly he handed me an ATM card, but said I could not use it for five days (is that 5 working days, or 5 Mexican days?).   I could understand had I given them a check, but I gave them cash!!  Oh, well it is Mexico.

But Wait!!  There is more.  The first young man suddenly rushed over and told me that my signatures did not look like the one in my passport.  I would have to sign them all again.  My hand had already begun to cramp and by this time I was shaking a little,  As carefully as I could I repeated the 20 signatures and explained that the passport was 4 or 5 years old when I wasn't quite so old.  In fact it said,  "I was a young man when I first walked in here"  He said he was satisfied and to come back in five days.  Again I asked about transferring money from my U.S. account and he pointed to Morgan Chase.

Then I found out that my bank in the U.S, will not do international transfers on the internet.  There is no way to initiate a transfer without returning to the U.S.  Oh, well I thought at least I could use it in Cuba.  I asked for the name of a bank I could use in Cuba, but he either did not understand or just decided to ignore me.
I waited for over a week to go back to the bank with several questions.  One, I wanted to know how I could use the card in Cuba and I wanted a debit/charge card with my name on it.  It took an equal amount of time to get someone's attention and he pretended not to understand a word I said.  Finally I found someone who (I think) understood English and was told that the card was of no use in Cuba.  I could not use it at an ATM nor could I book flights or charge with it.  And NO! they do not give out charge cards or debit card with names on it.  I decided that the account was of absolutely no benefit to me and told them I wanted to close the account.  I was told to go outside and use the ATM machine.  Would you believe it was OUT OF ORDER!!   True, I swear I still don't have my money back.  Ahhh Mexico!!

I have since found out that there is one bank here that does issue a charge/debit card that is usable in Cuba both for cash, booking flights to Cuba and for use as a charge card in Cuba.  I have yet to muster up the necessary energy (and patience) to start all over again


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