Thanksgiving 2025 - Christmas Is Coming

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It was a fast ten days in San Miguel de Allende.  One of the strangest trips down the highway as well.  Our friends Paula and Jerry are in SMA along with their friend Pat.  We met Pat back in 2014 in Nova Scotia on our Canada RV trip.  

It was a fun time, going for walks, visiting the markets, and showing Pat around Mexico.  She stayed for a week and went home just after we did.   It was interesting to get someone's view on Mexico who had never visited before.  SMA is not a real picture of Mexico, only a small part, but it does show several facets of the country.

Christmas is everywhere, and you can see in the picture that it is becoming more and more commercial even in the south of the country, known for its traditional and cultural aspects.  We went to the mall to do some banking, and it was well decorated.  

We hadn't made any special plans for Thanksgiving, and most of our friends had made theirs weeks in advance.  Canada had already celebrated their Thanksgiving in October, so we put it off.  Then, one morning, I thought we could at least stuff a chicken.  I rang up P & J, and they agreed to dinner.  No one had to do anything.  We bought a few things, and I set out cooking.  Juan makes a truly delicious green bean casserole with bacon, small potatoes, and mushrooms.   

I made the dressing using day-old ciabatta and multigrain from the Canadian bakery.  Delicious!  I don't mean to brag, but it always turns out great.  Homemade mashed potatoes and gravy.   It was a fun evening, and a good time was had by all.

Few things we don't like, and some things we don't buy because of our favorite go-tos.  Our friend Cheryl had us over a few weeks ago and served some warmed brie with honey.  It was fantastic.  I decided to do the same, and it was great.  Add that to the list of favorites.

Here's the bird.  Turkeys this year in Mexico are very expensive.  I'm glad that we didn't buy one more for all the leftovers since there were only three guests.

Homemade cinnamon rolls!  

Christmas decorations give somebody a photo opportunity!

Many of the restaurants in town have become high-scale and very expensive.  This is the restaurant inside the City Market.  It's pretty fancy, but the prices are very accessible. 

On one of our walks, we came across this iris.  My mom was well-known for her flowers and flower beds.  After she passed away, my sister dug up the bulbs and shared them with all of us.  30 years later, my sister still has a flower bed with the irises.  

While making a reservation at the famous La Tratoria, Juan came across this photo of the fork in the avenue where the restaurant is today.  This dates back to 1963.  Much is the same, and yet a lot has changed.

I'm still trying to get used to the empty driveway.  Good times with that RV, and it was a great place to go to for trip planning and happy hours.  Oh well.

Van Builds - Hindsight Is 20/20

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An example of what we would like to do.  It has to have a shower and toilet.

Hundreds of floor plans and ideas to choose from or to modify to your needs.

Now that the travel trailer is gone, it's time to move on.  We've thought about a van for quite some time and have met many people who have them and watched dozens of videos. There are floor plans for all brands and models of vans, including pre-built containers that slip right into the van of your choice.  From cheap to very expensive, it's all there.   The main purpose is stealth, to be able to travel without being harassed or extorted by police, Guardia Nacional, and military, mostly in checkpoints.  

First thing is to find a van.  We considered importing a used Class B from the U.S.  The problem is, our infamous president made a change to the import program.  If you import a vehicle, you can have it legalized in Mexico, but you can't take it out of the country.  Many unsuspecting persons who imported a vehicle crossed into the U.S. for many reasons, and upon return, had their vehicles confiscated.

I'll begin looking locally first to see what we can find.  I would prefer a vehicle purchased originally in Mexico.  Price is the first criterion and then year, length, and condition.  I need to check on the above information about importation, as many of the vans I have found in the past were imported and may apply to the new rules.  

Now on to the latest events in Mexico.

This was painted on the 10-foot-high barriers put up before the demonstrations began.

A lot is going on in Mexico right now, and that has allowed me to reflect on many things.  Yesterday, the 15th of November, three important marches took place in the country.  In fact, 55 cities were involved.  

1)  The Sombrero Movement was started by the now deceased Carlos Manzo, ex-municipal president of Uruapan.  His grandmother led the march from her wheelchair in Mexico City.

2)  Generation Z  The mobilization adds a public dimension to the debate on generation: social participation, youth visibility, and questions of origin.  Mexico's youth are concerned about their future; safety, employment, direction of the country.

3)  Farmers have been on strike now for over a month, blocking major highways, especially the routes from Mexico City northbound.  They are asking for an increase in the price per ton.  They are about $90 US short per ton compared to international corn market shares.  It's a lengthy story about a fraudulent campaign initiated by AMLO to provide more resources to rural areas, aiming to create a stronger socialist agrarian society.

Many people in the U.S., Canada, and expatriates in Mexico were not aware of the marches and the current news developments.  Get with it, turn on the television, watch some local Mexican news stations, and get out the translator for the headlines.  Pick up a local rag and review the headlines.  Get the old head out of the sand.  I know, most people really don't seem to care as they don't have a stake in the country.  When Mexico heads south, tourists and expats will head north.  Guerrilla wars are taking place in many parts of Mexico, and they are creating havoc: extortion, cobro de piso, kidnappings, disappearances, and tens of thousands of murders.  

Our sticker was similar to this one.  I recommend that people put some type of satellite pic, or GPS sticker on their vehicles.  Mexican companies use them on their vehicles.

My hindsight came into play with the marches above and all the organized crime activity taking place.  When we had our travel trailer, I had a sticker on the back 20cm x 60cm that had a satellite icon and the GPS letters.  We didn't have an issue with bad guys attempting to push us off the road, cut us off, or anything of that nature.  I took that sticker off before we went to the States in December for our Quartzsite trip.  I'm wondering now if I had not taken it off, we wouldn't have been assaulted.  Who knows, the whole thing is a crap shoot.

Day Of The Dead - Family Visiting Videos and Pictures

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We were fortunate to have visitors from the U.S.  My oldest niece and her husband came this last week.  They left yesterday completely exhausted.  We took them everywhere we could think of sans the thermal waters and the pyramids.  They would have needed a professional translator but the cost was $80 USD per person.

The main purpose of their visit was to see and understand the Dia de los Muertos, which we did.  Each day we had an activity.  

Dia de los Muertos in San Miguel de Allende

Trick or Treat in the Jardin.  Childen and adults of all ages participate in this event.  People come to see the costumes and hand out candy to the kids.  Someone said we shouldn't do that but pass out toothbrushes.  😅

The next day was a visit to the cemetary and the big parade.  It was huge.  Thousands participated as well as thousands of onlookers.  Truly an event to remember.  I know we dragged our niece around for six days but we wanted them to take in as much as possible.

Parade Videos

This gives you an idea of the dimensions of the parade.  

Day trip to Atotonilco, starting off with breakfast.

We took a day trip to the Charco del Ingenio Botanical Gardens.  My niece is a hiking guide and naturalist.  She takes groups in Ohio on backpacking trips and hikes that include meditation and natural healing.  She truy enjoyed the botanical gardens.

An exhibit of the investigation, research, and life of Helia Bravo Hollis.  The first female biologist who founded the first university degree program with a basis in native plants and cactus.  Very interesting and informative.

Barrel cactus.  It takes decades to reach its maximum size.  The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked.  The seeds are ground and used as flour.

Calendula is used for softening the skin and for superficial burns.

Who's this guy in the greeenhouse?
 

Morning Glory, used for scorpion bites and a tea for indigestion.

The presa or lake at a pretty full capacity thanks to recent heavy rains.  

Saying goodbye as they take their bags to the van.  BajioGo is a good shuttle service.  Roughly 1200 pesos for the 1 hour and 40 minute drive to the airport. 

I'm so glad they found each other.  They make a perfect couple!

The militarization of Mexico continues.  With all the financial and personnel support, nothing is being done to combat the cartels.  Abrazos no balazos, looking at ways to find the and attack the root causes 😊

12 Billion USD for military defense

Increase of 59% in military personnel.  425,000 soldiers

The military now controls the following:

Guardia National

AIFA (Felipe Angeles Airport)

Mexicana Airlines (the complete airline is run by the military, pilots, flight attendants, maintenance)

Tren Maya

Interoceanic Corridor (train that runs from coast to coast in the Isthmus)

All new hotels related to the Tren Maya

All new railines that are being built or refurbished for passenger use.  (throwback to the days of the great Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz):

Sad News - End Of An Era

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I practically threw myself in front of it as we signed the papers.  The Funfinder is no more.  A couple came yesterday to look at it, and even though the price was lower than we had asked, it was a good deal and time to move on.  He'll pick it up the first week of November.

I can't believe it's 17 years old.  It was a cheap model.  Some might remember the story.  We had sold our 18ft Funfinder, but I needed something on wheels.  We searched for months and found this unit on RvTrader.  I sent an email, and it turned out it was the factory.  They had done a trial with consignments to dealers.  It failed, and they returned the units.  This one had been on the lot for some time, tied up in the bankruptcy.   Brand new, everything in the box for $8500, no warranty or dealer repairs.  We took it.  I wanted to drive to Indiana, but the snows was coming.  I put it on a site where movers bid for it.  Prices were all over the place and over $2500.  One bid came in at $850.  What!  I asked the guy if it was a mistake, and he said that he used biodiesel.  He delivered it to San Antonio.  As he pulled up, we could smell the French fries.   I sold it today for $8100!   That was a deal of a lifetime.

So here I sit broken broken-hearted.  We have trips planned for San Miguel and San Cristobal de Las Casas this year.  Spring will take us to the United Kingdom, we're hoping.  Then, we will start again.  A van?  A very small travel trailer to keep in Texas?  We won't use a standard RV in Mexico anymore, but a van would do the trick.

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Back to the headlines in Mexico.  People really talk up the president.  Yes, she's a woman, but you vote for the best candidate, not gender.  Her approval rating is soooo high, and it's all we hear about.  Of course, for those it's high.  Everybody receives a check now.  

65 and over, you receive 3000 pesos a month 

60 and 64 women receive 1500 pesos a month

30 to 64 men with a disability receive 1600 pesos a month

Birth to 29 indigenous and Afro-Mexicans with a disability receive 1600 pesos a month.

Farmers with less than 5 acres of cleared land receive 6250 pesos a month.

Hell yes, people are happy and happy to vote too!

As Hugo Chávez from Venezuela said, "cuando los pobres dejan de ser pobres y tienen [propiedades], entonces se vuelven de derecha y viene el problema".  "When the poor stop being poor and have properties, they will return to the 'right' and then become a problem.  Promise them hope, give them enough to just barely get by, and they will continue to be on your side.  

At the same time, the perception of insecurity has risen and continues to rise.  Statistically, homicides are down, and at the same time, disappearances have replaced that higher number.  One has been traded for the other.  If you have disappeared and mothers are digging holes all over the country looking for their children, isn't that a pretty good sign that they are no longer living?

A Couple of Projects Finished - The Plot Only Thickens

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September was a long month in terms of getting things done here at the ranch.  We had the cover put on the patio a few years back, but we never finished the job.  It was supposed to be sheet rocked and painted but like everything else, always put off until tomorrow what you could have done today. It was worth the wait, and we are very happy with the work.

We also had some interior work done.  It may look the same to those that know our house, but it was pretty much a refresh.  The electrician did his thing and moved the outlets in the bedroom and also put one behind the television.  No more ugly cables.  Not sure why we are living with cables anyway.  It must be big business.  Everything should be wifi.  The cracks in the walls were fixed and the bedrooms painted.  Looks the same but fresh and new!  

The stackable washer/dryer finally gave out.  It was 25 years old, and we had it repaired a couple of times for minor issues.  We didn't spend much on repairs, but it kept it going.  Old reliable.  A guy here in our town buys, sells and repairs appliances.  I pass his place everyday on my morning walk.  He had a nice used unit that comes with a lifetime warranty (his lifetime).  He should be around for a few more years.  New units were running 23,000 to 35,000 pesos.  He let us have this one for 11,000.  Works great and we should get another 10 years or more out of it.  Looks new.

I saw this guy when I went for the Sunday paper this morning.  What a cool Vocho.  Many moons ago I had a 1972 navy blue with white interior.  

The weather has changed and now we have cool evenings and mornings.  We can enjoy our new patio and spend more time outside.  It has been great the last two weeks on my morning walks.

The Mexican oil scandal continues taking more people with it.  We are now at 11 murders and two suicides.  A naval officer on the most wanted list was picked up in Paraguay.  The other is still on the loose and not sure where he could be hiding.  The total estimate of stolen oil and money is at 11 billion U.S.  Amazing how it is dragging in Mexican port authorities, aduana personnel, and admin employees who faked documents.  This is now considered the largest corruption scandal in Mexican history.  In 2019, just after his election, the then president AMLO said that if there were corruption the president would have to know about it.  Well, I guess he dug his own grave.   We don't know where he is hiding.  I just think of all the poverty and where all that money has gone.  Out of the pockets of tax-paying Mexicans and permanent residents.  In the chart below are senators and state governors who are still in office and trying to climb out of this scandal.  Good luck fellas.

My new look for fall!