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living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com
A couple of good things are going on here at the home base. The trees are blooming already although we still have a couple of cold fronts coming through. All that effort to clean up the falling leaves. Too many trees I guess but I don't do the raking anymore! That's certainly a plus. This winter has been the coldest and longest on record for these parts. I´m not quite sure how we'll make out on the electric bill but we didn't economize this time around. We decided that since we didn't do any holiday travel we deserved to enjoy our time at home. Even this week we have the radiant gas heat on at night just to take the chill off along with the electric blanket. That darn electric blanket is better than any sleeping aid you could ever take. Truly a deep sleep.
I received my invitation to Ecuador for 10 days starting the second week of April. Semana Santa this year is the last week of March and the first week of April. They asked me to come sooner but we want to keep an rving date with Ruth and Kevin to go to Parque Natl Sierra de Organos. It's not written in stone but we are planning on going there. I've got itchy feet so we will take next weekend and go down the road a ways to our resort and spend the night.
Keeping money safe. There seems to be some counterfeit bills running around in Mexico. Big surprise? Hardly. Counterfeit money has been around as long as paper bills have been around. U.S. bills are counterfeited to the tune of 300 million in the U.S. alone.
- Here is my solution although I've never had a counterfeit or beknownst to me counterfeit bill. Go to Office Depot and buy one of those marker pens you see people use in businesses as well as banks. They're cheap and might give some paranoic souls some peace of mind. This pen only on the paper bills not the plastic or polymer 20 and 50 notes. Another good piece of safety is to stay away from non-bank ATMs. Now be wise. That doesn't mean you have to go to a bank to use the ATM. It just says that you should use a bank brand ATM which are located in malls and convenience stores.
- Also remember that you can make withdrawals/deposits on your Mexican accounts, transfer money nationally and internationally, make utility and credit card payments at any OXXO convenience store. Life in Mexico has never been easier.
...but we want to keep an rving date with Ruth and Kevin to go to Parque Natl Sierra de Organos.
ReplyDeleteYep, that's the plan!
In my early days in Mexico, I somehow ended up with a faked 50 peso note. When I tried to spend it, the clerk handed it back and said it was counterfeit. That was it: no calls to any authorities; no attempt to detain me; nothing. While I'm grateful I wasn't interviewed extensively by police, it also seemed like no one was doing anything about the counterfeiting problem either. In contrast, in the USA I've never seen a counterfeit bill.
ReplyDeleteSaludos,
Kim G
Redding, CA
Where we've always been fascinated by the art of counterfeiting.
Strangest statement I've ever heard. There is an estimated 137 million dollars in counterfeit bills circulating in the U.S. alone. Markers are also used in the U.S. by merchants on 20, 50 and 100 bills.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. Treasury has seven measures one should take if they come in contact with a counterfeit bill. Also, if the bill you have is counterfeit, there is no reimbursement.
BTW, Mexico works just as hard to capture countfeiters and has similar laws as the U.S. You should check both the U.S. Treasury website and the Banxico website for more true information regarding counterfeiting in both countries.
As I always say, KNOW BEFORE YOU GO.
https://www.google.com.mx/search?q=counterfeit+money+in+redding+ca&oq=counterfeit+money+in+redding+ca&aqs=chrome..69i57.7976j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
DeleteI think the difference between the USA and Mexico (based on my minuscule sample of 1) is that in the USA getting a counterfeit bill is a big deal. In Mexico, as I said, they just handed it back to me and I gave them another one. Also, I don't think (though I could be wrong) that counterfeiters are bothering with $5 bills. Fifties and hundreds are probably the bill of choice, in contrast to my puny 50 peso note. (Which was kind of badly done; I just wasn't paying attention when I got it in change.)
DeleteBut I'm now on the lookout for counterfeits, and probably should get one of those pens when I go back to Mexico.
Saludos,
Kim