Category: Chuck

Friday, March 28, 2008 - 05:59 PM

The salt-air and humidity in Mazatlan don't mix well at all with anything metal. Anyone who lives here and most who have visited will have already figured that out and be wondering if I have a point. We've all seen the rust on the iron bars on our gates, on metal shelving, silverware, pots, cars, and numerous other things. Most of us know that things like iron gates need to be painted to protect them from rusting. I want to mention a few things that won't be news to anyone who has spent extensive time here, but may be a bit of a surprise for short time visitors or people starting to consider moving here.

Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 12:25 AM

Since the start of my career in IT, I have excelled at what I do. I'm very fortunate in that I really understand all the little technical details, and can also explain things well in everyday terms to people that don't have a lot of experience with computers. From the start I have always quickly become the person that both my customers and my bosses know they can hand a problem to and trust that it will be resolved without any further worry on their part. This gave me great opportunities to advance my career. I often was given responsibilities or projects that would ordinarily be outside the scope for my position. This meant that when questions of advancement arose, I already had experience and a working relationship with the people in whatever group I would be moving to. In short, I guess you could say I was really on the fast-track to success.

Friday, February 22, 2008 - 08:51 PM

Saturday night we returned home around 10PM. We were feeling pretty good after an evening out with friends, but it wasn't to last. We parked the truck and Jennifer got out and went to open the front door. Only the lock wouldn't turn. We kept messing with it for a while, but finally had to admit that it was broken and we had a big problem. Like many houses here, all of the windows have iron bars over them so breaking window wouldn't get us in the house. We do have other exterior doors, but they are bolted from the inside and not at ground level. I've got lots of tools I could have used to remove the lock, but they are behind two doors in a locked tool box. Since the door in question is about 2” thick and solid wood my shoulder certainly wasn't going to convince it to give.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 08:25 PM

After receiving requests from many people, we are pleased to announce we have added a new community forum to MeXscape, and it goes live today. It is free to register for an account so you can post, and we hope with your help to make this a great resource for everyone interested in Mazatlan.

Monday, June 25, 2007 - 12:37 AM

This Sunday morning saw Jennifer and I having a lazy morning. The weather was beautiful and clear. We had been out rather late last night so it was nice to take things easy. Sundays are very quiet days here, with most shops closed and few people on the street. All of a sudden the tranquility was rudely interrupted by a sound that is very unusual here, but somewhat familiar. Even though it had been a while since we've heard it, it only took a second to place it because it was a regular, daily sound in Fort Worth. Sirens! Lots of them and very nearby.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007 - 03:30 PM

Living in mainstream society in the US, it is not hard to decide how much of anything to buy at once. Everything comes prepackaged or in set amounts. If you like something typically you buy more of it at once because you get a bulk discount. Even produce is priced in groups. 5 limes for $1.00; 2 pounds for $1.89.

Monday, May 28, 2007 - 03:56 AM

One of the things you have to deal with in moving to Mexico is money. On the surface this is not too difficult. Mexico uses Pesos; the US uses Dollars. A fraction of a peso is a centavo. One hundred centavos make a peso. That's pretty simple. It gets even easier. The current exchange rate very roughly works out to 10 pesos make a dollar. Right now it is probably somewhere between 11 and 12 pesos to a dollar, but 10 is very easy and I'm not hurting myself. About now you are thinking about skipping to the next post. I would be. I mean this is easy stuff why bother writing about this anyway? I'm going to ask that you keep reading, but at the same time, I'm going to tell you it gets even easier.

Saturday, November 04, 2006 - 01:23 PM

Not for the reasons most people think. I have no fear of armed marauders, highwaymen, con men, or the like. What I'm referring to is more insidious. I'm talking about the real danger in Mexico - Addiction! Spending time in Mexico can leave you battling a number of addictions.

Thursday, July 20, 2006 - 10:50 PM

Ok, after spending a little more than a week here, I have to revise one of my earlier statements about life in this city. It is entirely possible to feel uncomfortable or even unsafe in this town. I'll describe the scenario for those of you who haven't been there:

Monday, July 17, 2006 - 06:04 PM

Mazatlan- the misconceptions

Mazatlan is a small town. From everything I've heard and read I expected a small town with a central downtown area, probably around a square. A few main roads. Some sprawl as things spread out along the coast and of course the newly developed tourist and resort areas north of town.

Monday, April 03, 2006 - 04:34 PM

So far, these posts have all been from my wife, but now I’m going to jump in occasionally and offer my thoughts. It just amazes me how little accurate information is available. Mexico is so close, but no one really knows anything about it. I keep having the same conversation with people when I tell them I’m going to Mexico. They start with something to the effect of “be careful”, “You’re going to get robbed”, or “Watch out for bandits”. We talk a little more, then they exclaim, “YOU’RE DRIVING!! Its so dangerous, you shouldn’t drive in Mexico”, etc.