Halloween 2010 Playa Sonrisa

Halloween for 2010 was hosted by our friends from Playa Sonrisa. Great food, strong drinks, and fantastic friends always makes for a fun time. Donn and Cindy the owner of Playa Sonrisa went all out to make sure everyone had fun. With Nick and the guys on drums and Berry on guitar people took to the dance floor. The costumes were something to see. Living so far from a Walmart we cant just drop in and pick up a costume so most were home made. I came as King Neptune and my wife came as a blow-up-doll. Everyone did a great job on there costumes. There was a costume contest at the end of the night. The winners were The blow-up-doll (my wife) and my buddy Tom the cereal killer (great job Tom). I just don't know why I didn't win I sucked up to everyone I could. But in the end I just did not look as sexy as the Blow-up-doll who took 1st and i was not as sophisticated as Tom the cereal killer who took 2nd plus he had weapons. He even pulled a knife on me. Don't laugh one of those plastic knife can give you a mean scratch. As King Neptune, well it is just not good to have blood coming from a scratch on your arm in the ocean. Well it was a great night to live in Xcalak

Casa de Suenos

Hello friends of my blog sorry to make you wait so long. I have been very busy here. As some of you know we have been living in a 20foot trailer here on the beach for over a year. The Owners of a resort up the beach felt that we would make good managers for their resort. Well Lorrie and I talked it over then we talked to the owners. Well we are happy to tell everyone the we are the new managers of Casa De Suenos. The owners gave us free run of the place and told us we could change the name if we wanted to. Well we did not want to change the name but we did add to it. We are now calling it Olldhippie’s Casa De Suenos or in English Olldhippie’s House of Dreams. Now we plan on doing some tie dying and naming of the rooms. Some of the room name we are looking at are Purple haze, orange sunshine, Panama red and so on. We love meeting new friends and this is a great way to meet friends and make some money too. One of the best things is we are back up the beach again. My wife and I are nudist and enjoy the nudist life. Now this resort is not a nudist resort but if we have nudist stay with us and we don’t have any non-nudist here then we can stay naked and when we don’t have any guest we stay naked. There is nothing like getting up and going out back to the beach for a swim then laying back on a beach chair for some sun nude. It feels so good with the warm sunshine and the cool breeze on your body. It also cuts down on the laundry. Being a solar powered resort that is a big thing. Being a solar resort has good and bad points. First thing that any guest must know is that this is not the type of resort for everyone. If you cant live with out AC then you don’t need to come here, we don’t have AC. If you want to be waited on hand and foot, don’t come here. If you love the beach and the simple things in life this is a great place to find them. We have no TV, no AC, no cell phones, we do have internet but not all day. So if you want to get away to a place you can get to know each other again or you just want to relax and unwind, you will love it here. Well living in Mexico on the beach is great as a nudist, but this time of year we get our biggest rain fall. It is much need to fill our cisterns and bring the wells back up. It feels good on the body to go out in the warm air and have the cool rain wash the heat away. But with all good things there is always a down side. The bugs always come after the rain. I hate the bugs. The land crabs are now moving around too. it is funny to see them all over the place with one big claw and one small. You walk out in the yard and they take of running with the big claw up in the air to threaten you, it is funny to see. Even with all the rain we try to take our swim everyday. As we walk to the water the crabs run out of our way. Rain, crabs, bugs it is all part of life as Nudist in Mexico.
This is our avatar for the resort. Olldhippie's House of Dreams (Casa De Suenos)

The passing of a friend

This week has not been the best week we have ever had here in Xcalak. Let me go back to where we first meet Cliff shortly after we arrived in Xcalak. Some time around Nov 2007 I was at our new friends Neal and Shawn who at that time operated the Flying Cloud Hotel here in Xcalak. They were telling me of this friend of theirs (Cliff) and what a strange old guy he was. Well about that time Cliff showed up driving this old beat up blue truck that looked like it was way past its expiration date. You could hear this truck coming from 2 blocks away. He turned it off and it loped about 2 or 3 time before it stopped. Out stepped this tall skinny guy with a beard something like mine with a smile and a nod he walked up. Neal said speak of the devil this is Cliff he reached out with his one good arm and shook my hand (Cliff was born handicapped his left arm went to about to his elbow but had small finger tips on it and he called it his nub). He said howdy in a pure Texas drawl. We talked for a short time and I had to leave. On the way out I told Cliff to stop by anytime. Well I got home and was telling Lorrie (my wife) about this new friend. I had not been home 10 minutes when up pulled Cliff in Old Blue (his truck). He wanted to meet Lorrie and talk to me some more. Well over the next hour or so we talked about allot of things from Old Blue to music. Cliff was a real music lover. Well I love my music and I have allots of Cd's. Cliff had recently lost his hard drive that was full of old music. He was over joyed to see all my Cd's (over the next 2 years Cliff had copied every CD I had). It was a start of a good friendship. Now I am not going to tell you that Cliff was one of them lovable type of guys. Cliff was Cliff. Very opinionated some what gruff very out spoken take me as I am type of guys. He did not care if you liked him but if he liked you he would do anything for you. He would push buttons just to see what happened. If you stood up to him and gave it right back he could deal with that. I think he even liked it. Cliff live south of town as he put it "I am the last gringo before Belize". It was just him and his pit bull Toro 3 miles south of the town of Xcalak down a very bumpy path that they called a road. The house was in the middle of an old coconut plantation in the largest mosquito breading reserve in Mexico. Cliff was one of them great story tellers. He had done everything from the largest roach clip manufacture to one of the largest Ford dealers in Texas. The stories never stopped. Now I will never know how much of it was true or if it all was. He would stop by our trailer in town and stay all day. Cliff did not have many friends that he would take the time to go visit but when he did stop to see you it was never a short visit. I could go on and on telling you of how he put on camouflage paint snuck on to the Mexican military base to get his dog back or the million other crazy things he did. What I did need to tell you is my friend Cliff has passed away. He came by on Jan 8Th to tell my wife happy birthday, he stayed for a short time to catch up and he had to go get gas and water. After a time of not hearing from him I emailed him. We had an understanding that he was suppose to email me once a week but he never did. But when he did not return my email I started to worry. So I sent him one more telling him if he did not email me back I would have to come down there. Again he did not answer. So my wife and I started the trek to Cliffs house down the bumpy path they call a road. It is not an easy thing to get to his house and once there you first have to get by Toro a very lively pit bull that takes his job of guarding Cliff and the house with all the gusto of a full blown tiger shark attack. We pulled up and Toro met us half way to the house. As we pulled close to the house the door was open as Cliff always had it during the day. We got out and Toro did his jump and bump thing as always. Everything looked right but Cliff was no were to be seen. So we in to went to the house and yelled for him. No reply as I went in to the lower floor looking for him Lorrie went upstairs. As I was returning from my walk Thur Lorrie called to me from the stairs. She had opened the door to the upstairs and slammed it. She said "Oh my God the room is full of flies". I went up the stairs and told her to get back and I went in the room. There is no way I can tell you how it feels to see a friend who you love in the state I found him. The smell of the room and the look of the body of some one who has been dead for over 14 days. It is something you will never want to know. I came back out of the room and told my wife he is dead. So we went in to a kind of mindless do what needs to be done mode. From getting the Mexican cops (fun in its own way) to taking care of the dog and the house till the owner got here from the states. Now we are done with what we felt was our duty to our friend. We can sit back and mourn the loss of a good friend. Cliff you were a good friend and we will miss you so very much. You did what you once told me was your reason for coming to Mexico "I came here to die". Cliff died of a heart attack while taking his afternoon siesta.
Here is a link to Cliff's blog page. Great stories about his life here in Xcalak.
http://portillas.com/

stuck boat

this boat was stuck in the mud out behind our trailer this morning. Xcalak you never know what you will wake up to.

Xcalak real estate

We lost our house after 6 months of working a deal with the owners. 8 days after one of the owners told us he was looking over the contract I got this letter

December 2, 2009

Dear John,

I regret to inform you that Xcalak Properties Inc. has accepted a cash offer on the corporations property in Xcalak. As majority shareholder, I will return the monies paid towards said properties taxes as soon as you provide either Mr. Hodges or I a secure address/bank account.

Sincerely,

Duncan Ray

so I post this info for all to read and I hope it helps.
This is good info if you are buying a house in Mexico.
If you are buying in Xcalak Mexico I would print this and take it with me when dealing with any realty companies here.
This was sent to me by a very good Mexican friend (not a gringo)who knows what he is talking about.


Dear John & Lorrie,



Again I wanted to let you know I am really sorry about how all this turned out. I honestly was in disbelief at the unfortunate series of events that took place. Having said that, I am going to limit my remarks and avoid making judgments since I am not as wise and measured as Murph is and would not be able to make a point in such good form, in turn, I´m going to make an attempt at clearing up several misconceptions about buying/selling property in Mexico so that you have more resources next time an opportunity arises and perhaps so that others can be better served.



I´m going to start with a quote out the Xcalak realty website:



“Currently, there are no licensing requirements or regulations governing agents for land sales. Unfortunately, this allows anyone to call themselves a real estate bróker. There are some people that use the prefix LIC in front of their names in front of their names in an attempt to mislead their clients into thinking that they are licenced real estate brokers. Our goal is to provide clients with accurate information that will help them through the process of purchasing property and be confident that their investment is secure”



Firstly, I would like to address the statement that affirms that there is no licensing requirements or regulations governing agents for land sales. To better understand this, we need to look at how property records and sales are regulated. Eeach state has a “Registro Público de la Propiedad” with translates literally as “Public Property Registry”, it equates roughly to your House of Records. That is where all titles or “Escrituras” are kept. An “Escritura” is a document issued by the State that GUARANTEES property rights. There are other types of titles, such as “Título de Propiedad” or “Certificado de Ocupación” that grant you some rights, but are less legally secure. Inexperienced foreign investors should only invest in property that has an “Escritura” (the property you had an agreement to buy did). If this is the case, the rules are very simple, straight forward and safe.



The main reason why there is no regulation over real estate agents is because a land sale transaction of a property with an Escritura cannot be completed independently by two individuals. One must go through a “Notario Público”. I want to make the point that these are not at all like your Notary Publics. Notarios in Mexico are very respected attorneys that are registered with the federal government and have considerable power. There is a finite number of Notarios in the county, dependent on the number of inhabitants in each place. One cannot become one unless one of them dies or retires, at which time a public announcement is made and the Notaría is up for grabs. Then a very stringent and lengthy vetting process that starts with many written tests, mainly on REAL ESTATE and SUCCESSION LAW.



One of the main attributions Notarios have is that ONLY THEM can make changes in the Registro Público de la Propiedad. This means that whenever two parties have reached an agreement and wish to carry on with the transfer of an Escritura, they both approach a Notario (of the buyers choice, of course. It is them who hires them and it is their best interest they are looking out for) and need to provide a number of documents to establish the following:



1- That the seller has unrestricted rights over the title/property. The main documents one needs to produce are the following:



a. Original title

b. If the title is in a persons´ name (with Mexicans), official ID is enough, in case of a corporation or trust (for foreigners) one needs to produce the corporation charter (where power of attorney over the corporation and it´s assets is granted to the person designated to carry out the transaction) or the trust contract with the bank.

c. Recent “Cedula Catastral” (Property ID). This is a document issued by the Registro Público which is a sorts of “Registration” of the property, it states the propery´s owner, area, limits, assessed value, etc. And it´s easily obtained for a small fee at the Registro Publico.

d. A “Certificado de Libertad de Gravamen” which literally translates to “Certificate of no leans”… so the Registro Publico will issue ANYONE with a copy of the Cedula Catastral and 220mxp pesos (around $20 usd) a certificate where it says the title is clear and that there are no leans on it.
(we were charged around $200 us dollars)

e. All property tax receipts.

f. A letter from the CFE (electric) and CAPA (water) stating that there are no monies owed to them.

2- That the buyer is legally able to purchase the property

a. If the buyer is Mexican, official ID will do, for foreigners, passport and proof of legal stay in the country (FM3 or current tourist visa)

b. For foreigners, a purchasing vehicle (corporation or trust). The charter for a corporation or Trust.

What happens then is the Notario carries out A THOROUGH TITLE CHECK. This is NOT OPTIONAL and is included in the closing costs (this is particularly important) because a “Title check” is carried out regardless (and included in the closing costs, that the buyer pays) so there is NO NEED for a second or independent “Title Check”, especially at considerable expense, since all they do is go to the Registo Publico and obtain a Certificado de Libertad de Gravamen (for just over 20usd), have it translated (it´s one page long), put it in a folder and give it to you.

Then the Notario writes up a new Escritura, that generally speaking says the following

1- States both parties names, birthdays, occupation and nationality

2- States that they want to carry out the sale of X, Y or Z lot and then ALL of the lots pertinent information

3- The value of the transaction

Lastly, both parties meet at the Notarios office. This is usually where the buyer gives the seller a cashier´s check or finalizes a wire transfer, etc. and they both sign the new Escritura.

Having an Escritura that was issued through this process GUARANTEES you BUYER IN GOOD FAITH STATUS with all and any courts, authorities and pretty much allows everyone to be safe.

Recapitulating, these lawyers take the place of a Licenced Real Estate Agent. There in no such thing as an Escrow account in Mexican law, and no person can mediate in any legal capacity to carry out real estate transactions other than Notarios.

Now, it is NOT UNUSUALL for a Realtor in Mexico to RECOMMEND either Notarios or lawyers/advisors to their clients. However, what is highly unusuall is for them to go any further than giving you their contact information. It is unheard of that they deliver quotes, bills and especially collect money in their behalf. It is considered a conflict of interest and is both unethical and illegal.
(this happened to us)


Closing costs at a Notaría are transparent and commoditized, and usually about 3% of the value of the transaction (percentage might go up for transactions for less than 100k usd, because there is a flat fee).



I would also like to make the point that in more complex real estate transaction, like those involving structured loans, institutional financing, etc, a foreign investor would probably benefit from the counsel of an independent real estate lawyer (there are some very good, bilingual ones) that are able to explain what each legal document is in terms they can understand, act as intermediaries with the Notario and especially as a person of trust that guides you through the whole process. These services are valuable and sometimes expensive, but not required in a straightforward purchase (even with a simple mortgage) like what you were attempting to do.



Now let´s address the statement where it is argued that certain people misrepresent themselves with the prefix “LIC”.



In Mexico, in order for one to be legally authorized to carry out any profession (lawyer, doctor, accountant, etc) one must be a “Licenciado”. This literally means licenced and Licenciado status is achieved after one has completed the curricula at a registered university, has written a lengthy, original research project on one´s area of expertise and has sat through a day-long verbal exam with four examiners. There is actually a document issued by the “Secretaria de Educacion Publica” that says that one is a “Licenciado”. So, whenever you meet anyone that gives you a business card with the prefix LIC before their name, the only thing that means is that they have a bachelors degree.



I hope this has been a learning experience and that you approach any future opportunities without fear or preconceptions.



All the best,

Halloween 2009 Xcalak

Well Halloween has always been my favorite Holiday. When Lorrie and first got here we were surprised that there were no big Halloween party's here. Now I know in Mexico Halloween is the Day of the dead and it is not celebrated the same. But as a nudist Halloween was a time for us to cover our bodies with great costumes (god knows my body needs cover). So Lorrie and I set up a party at the Leak Palapa ( see link on this page) . Now this is the 2ND year and the party's keep getting better and better. The Girls at the Leaky set the party up this year and did such a great job. We Had more rain that night than we have all year but the turn out was great. Even with all the rain we had so much fun. Thanks to the girls for all the work they put in to the party. The dance floor was full of sexy ladies all night. The drinks and the food was over the top. We could have partied all night. Wow for a small town we sure have great parties.

Well lobster season started on the 1st and most of our Mexican Friends have been out at Chinchoro Banks Lobstering. They came back this week and one of our friends gave us 4 lobster tails and 2 Red Sapper fillets. Well I was in Chetumal this week and picked up 2 New York strips. Today was the day for surf and turf. I grilled the Steaks on the grill and deep frayed the lobsters. We had butter Cilantro potatoes, home made Guacamole and Salas. Now i am so full I cant move with a big smile on my face. The only down fall to a meal like that is it takes 2 hours to make and 10 minutes to eat. So now I sit here not moving much thinking of ways to fix the next lobsters that come my way. I sure put a hurtin on these ones. Yeppers life at the end of the road is hard and not for everyone.