Author Archives: Thomas Lloyd

The Hidden Magic of Guanajuato, Mexico

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Recently, we’ve started exploring some of Mexico’s “Hidden Gems” – places that absolutely fabulous to visit, but in the international picture, are entirely off the radar.

The central Mexican city of Guanajuato is one such place.

The Magical City

With beautiful, classic old homes, and alleyways so narrow that two people leaning out two opposite windows could kiss, this city is not only very beautiful, but also very romantic.  The hill landscape and and the seemingly orderless roads add an element of the unknown and discovery.  There are also the classic old churches and gardens with bright flowers:

The city is also fmous for its mines and mummies:

A Beautiful State

Besides the beautiful city, there are many amazing places to see throughout the state, which has the same name.  These include the town where the Mexican War of Independence started (Dolores Hidalgo,) old monasteries and a huge statue of Jesus on hill (called “Cierro de Cubilete”) just north of the city of Guanajuato:

A Touch of the International

While I’ve said that Guanajuato is largely off the international radar, there are a couple of striking exeptions.  One is the town of San Miguel de Allende, which is a beautiful colonial town that is home to between 8000 and 12,000 expats, mostly Americans.  This is one of the largest community of Americans in Mexico, and they have been largely responsible for restoring and keeping up the authentic colonial beauty of the town.

Another exception is that in 2012, the pope visted the City of Guanajuato and gave a Mass at the bottom of the hill where the huge state of Jesus; since he was old, he couldn’t travel to the top:

Some Americans will be familiar with San Miguel de Allende or the pope’s visit to El Cierro de Cubilete, but even most of these will be unaware that these are located within the State of Guanajuato, or of the riches to be seen and experienced here!

I would certainly recommend Guanajuato as a top option for a place to visit on your travels around Mexico – or even to live in for those interested in a small colonial town like San Miguel.

-by Bea Lozano
Mexico Preconstruction Condo Kit

Running the 10 Kilometer Cancun Neon Race

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For all you runners out there!  We wanted to draw attention to the great race opportunities that are being offered here in the Riviera Maya.  Like other major cities all across the world, the Riviera Maya is joining in on this much participated trend. Last month we told you about 5k and 10k (3 and 6 mile) race that was held right here in Playa del Carmen and since then we have traveled to Cancun to participate in the 5 and 10 k Neon Race in Cancun.

A Family Event

This turned out to be an incredible event for runners and also for supporters who were cheering on their friends and family!  The event started at 6 pm where runners got themselves all decked out with Neon Paint and glow sticks!  There were other items for sale like funny colorful hats, sunglasses and glowing headbands!  It was a chance to express yourself and be creative while you run!  We saw people all dressed up with neon colored wigs, body paint, crazy skirts and stockings and bright colored running sneakers!  It definitely brought personality and fun to running!


Neon Night

As soon as the night sky came along the sky was lit up with Neon colors and it looked awesome!!  There was a slight hiccup when a huge raincloud made its way through about 10 minutes before starting but that didn’t stop the runners.  The race went on!  Thankfully the rain stopped shortly after and the runners had a dry run!

Why Pay to Run?

But what’s with the trend?  Why would someone pay money for a number for something they can do for free every day in their own neighborhood?

One of our team members who ran the race says:

“I don’t necessarily love running but I am addicted to the feeling you get when crossing the finish line!  It’s amazing to see all the people out there cheering you on!  It’s invigorating and exciting and gives you adrenaline!

“Nobody actually wants to run a 21k or 42k race but they want the feeling you get from surviving it and accomplishing the seemingly impossible task of pushing your body to the limit and fighting through to the end.  It makes other things seem less impossible in life. 

“We all run for different reasons and all of them being great ones and healthy ones!  You can run because your happy or maybe you need to burn some anger, or maybe you just want to let your mind be free for each step you take towards the finish line; it could be as simple as running for a cause like breast cancer or other wonderful organizations where your efforts will be appreciated. 

“I have good strong legs!  When I run I remember the people who don’t have legs and wish they could run.  This is why I run and why it feels good!”
As the Good Feeling catches on we will likely see more and more of these races popping up and definitely more contributors.  If you are looking for other race opportunities close to Playa here are a couple recommendations:

“The running Dead Cancun” https://www.facebook.com/TheRunningDeadCancun coming to Puerto Morelos on September 22nd!  You may choose to be a runner having to escape the zombies or twist it up a bit and do a monster chase to scare away the runners.  Sounds like a super fun haunted house type event to me!

Then there is the Annual Marathon Riviera Maya coming October 27th right in Playa del Carmen! https://www.facebook.com/maratonrivieramaya

 

-by Bea Lozano 
Mexico Condo Hotel Kit

Travel Advisory Against Connecticut: American Woman Killed in Drug Conflict

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“BREAKING NEWS: Travel Advisory against Connecticut: American Woman Killed in Drug Conflict”

“After a 40-year-old American woman was shot dead in a conflict involving the cocaine trade, U.S. Officials have issued an official advisory against travel to Connecticut, and have strongly suggested that Americans avoid New England …”

Sounds absurd doesn’t it?

Well, this would be only a little more absurd than many headlines that are thrown out there about Mexico.  The only part that’s more absurd is that if someone were killed in a drug conflict in Connecticut it would be taken for granted that it is an American.  Also, it would be impossible for the millions of Americans in the area to avoid such travel!
But there are two ideas we need to notice; one is that we don’t avoid going to Connecticut or the surrounding area because people are killed in drug conflicts. The other is that people do, in fact, get killed in drug conflicts and similar senseless crime on a regular basis there, as in many other parts of the U.S.

You can read the news story here.

Yet, if an American were shot in a drug conflict in Tijuana, it would be all over the news, and some Americans would be canceling their trips to Cancun.

People should always be careful when they plan their travels, whether it’s in Mexico or in the U.S.  But the best tool is to be informed by actual data and not by sensational news stories.

-by Thomas Lloyd
Mexico Closing Costs Kit

Let´s paddle to our next adventure!

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“Sure, you could be safe.

If you leave your boat at the dock,

it’s unlikely that you’ll come into any kind of real harm.

That said, why did you get the ship in the first place?

Wasn’t it so that you could explore the open waters?

Wasn’t it so you could challenge yourself to tame the seas and view the world from a whole new perspective?”

Craving for an adventure has been one of the engines of mankind, and it is as present today as it was a hundred years ago! Happy #ThrowbackThursday

-by Bea Lozano

Mexico Condo Hotel Kit

Photos: A Sacred Cenote Used to “Return the Dead to the Place of Origin”

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The more they find out about the ancient Mayan civilization, the more impressive it is to be right here in the heart of it and see the sacred places of these people.

 

National Geographic recently published an article about a cenote, a large sinkhole leading into an underground river/cavern system, in Yucatan. The cenote seems to have been used a burial place for the bodies of nobility, as attested to in the ancient Mayan writings.  The idea was that the people had originated from the cenotes, and that they were returning them to their place of origin:

 

“The work has already yielded significant new insights into the cenote that many here still believe is guarded by a large serpent, that some say has feathers and the head of a horse.

 

“We have located 15 human crania and a large number of other bones, attesting to the use of the site as a burial location. Some of the remains are as delicate as small finger bones, sternums and a patella (knee cap). Indications are that there are many more bones located below the heavy silt that blankets much of the floor of the feature.

 

“Early data suggests that the site contains burials of both sexes and a range of ages from young adult and up. Ceramic fragments from water jars and a plate show a mix of Preclassic and Postclassic Maya use of the cenote. We have recovered a small sample of the bones (two femurs, a mandible and a tibia) that we will used to gain radiocarbon dates for the burials themselves.”

 

Here are some pictures of the cenotes and the discoveries:

Diving down into a cenote is purely magical; it’s easy to see why the Mayans connected these places to the underworld and afterlife, so dark and isolated, yet teaming with a secret life of their own.  This is part of why living in Mexico is so cool!

 

Read the entire National Geographic article here.

 

-by Bea Lozano
Kit_PurchasingProcess

Miss Latin America Comes to Playa del Carmen!

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We always like to highlight events in Playa del Carmen, and every year events of all kind – fun, interesting, international, prestigious, delicious, or simply nice to see – are more and more common.

Livin' Playa video interview

Just last week Playa del Carmen welcomed the beautiful young women who represent their various countries for the Miss Latin America.

Are You Safe in Mexico? What about the U.S.? Australia Says “No!”

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Just a little food for thought on this beautiful day!  It is no secret that Mexico has been the target of bad publicity over the recent years.  But why does Mexico get hit so bad without the mention that there is awful news happening all over the world?

 

It seems American’s are still incredibly fearful to travel to such an amazing place like the Riviera Maya, yet they remain content while crime is rising in their own back yards.  The fact is that no matter where you are things happen!  And that’s the truth!

 

But an interesting reaction that happened in the news struck me this week, after an Australian baseball player had been shot and killed, by two Oklahoma teenagers, while out for a normal training run.  Here’s the worst part – they said it was “just for fun!!” It seems we hear this kind of bad news more and more lately in the United States, yet the U.S. is never listed as a dangerous place to travel.

For what seems like the first time, a former Australian Deputy Prime Minister made a statement by encouraging a boycott against travel to the United States. Although this was not an official travel warning it was definitely a message pointing out that loose gun laws in the United States are offering more opportunity for these kinds of horrific scenes and it is indeed dangerous.

 

Remember Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut this past December?  The United States definitely has its fair share of life loss by innocent victims who were simply just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I am not in any way bashing the United States, as I am American and love my country, but merely pointing out that their efforts to scare travel away from Mexico are not very justifiable when they have their own set of concerns.

 

And with that being said, I think that for the first time Australia made a bold move to point this out!

 

As an American living here in the Riviera for quite some time now I can honestly say that this is wonderful safe place to live and travel.  The type of crime that people are warned and afraid of in Mexico is restricted to other areas in which neither tourists nor expats are entering; and on top of that the specific kind of bad guys you are thinking of are not looking to kill or kidnap innocent bystanders, or to do it “just for fun” like the two kids in Oklahoma. This is a misconception that has been twisted by the media.

 

There are so many horrific things that happen in this world; killings, kidnappings, bombings, domestic violence, abuse of all forms but unfortunately there is no safe haven from those things. They happen everywhere and yes, even in the United States as you can see on the news every day!  I would encourage you to use your best judgment and listen to your gut all the time and everywhere.

 
Don’t refrain from an amazing country or city just because you heard a bad story on the news; you could actually be doing yourself a terrible disservice not discovering something so wonderful.

 

An American friend of mine recently expressed her feelings after coming back from Mexico City.  Her reaction was that she is sad that so many people in the United States will never know such an amazing beautiful city rich in culture, beauty, delicious food and fun, because the U.S. media has continuously worked to demolish its reputation.

 

I have to say I agree as I spent many years living, working and enjoying Mexico City as I do today in the Riviera Maya.

 

-by Thomas Lloyd
Mexico Real Estate Investment Kit

How Does Playa Animal Rescue Work?

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Over the past week, we’ve seen a couple of videos about Playa Animal Rescue and its founder, Jan Northenscold.  But when we hear about an animal shelter, or pretty much any other charity, we’re often left with a bunch of questions:

  • How does it work?
  • Where do the animals come from?
  • How can people take one into their home?
  • How do you teach a street dog to be a family dog?
  • Can I volunteer?
  • What would I get to do?

Jan has taken some time to answer these and similar questions for us:

 

 

Again, it’s wonderful to see the work that Jan, Playa Animal Rescue and so many volunteers do!  150 dogs rescued each year and put into nice homes!

 

-by Bea Lozano
My real estate - Mexico real estate buyers tools