Author Archives: yucalandia

How to Pass Safely on Rural Mexican Highways

Aug. 23, 2023:A good issue was just raised in one of the smaller local expat FaceBook forums about how to safely make a left turn, when on a rural highway in Mexico. Sadly, foreigners reported innocently, yet-proven-guilty**, getting into accidents … Continue reading

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Salitre ~ Efflorescence ~ Rising Damp Pushing-Off our Yucatecan Walls’ Paint … and Unnecessary Black Mold Scares

August 19, 2023 The issue of paint blistering off of Yucatan walls has recently come up about 7 times in various local expat FB groups, where people new to Yucatan are very worried about patches of paint coming off damp … Continue reading

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How to do Monuments ~Mexican Style~

The Piedra de Tízoc, a stunning piece in Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, was found in 1790 under the Plaza de Constitución. This big piece, 93 cm tall, 2.65 meters diameter, and circumference of 8.31 meters, … Continue reading

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Latest Updates on Mexico’s Tren Maya

Tren Maya Information: There are lots of recent comments & posts popping up on various expat FB groups here, inquiring about the details of next year’s upcoming Tren Maya services for Yucatan, Q. Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas & Oaxaca … … Continue reading

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New Study on Why Some People Attract Mosquitoes, While Others Repel Mosquitoes

May 22, 2023:A very small study** from Zambia just found that “high attractiveness (to Malaria mosquitoes) is associated with whole body odor profiles from humans with increased relative abundances of the volatile carboxylic acids butyric acid, isobutryic acid, and isovaleric … Continue reading

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Useful Information for Homeowners in Mexico on Repairs, Plumbing, Electrical & Maintenance

May 20, 2023:There are many basic things about Mexican home construction, Mexicab home design, & home maintenance that don’t seem to be documented on the Internet. This article serves as a repository for some of the answers to these issues, … Continue reading

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Yet Another New Mutant COVID Subvariant that Evades Our Vaccines

Jan. 26, 2023:As of this week, the USA has a new dominant mutant COVID substrain called Omicron XBB.1.5 … yet another highly contagious strain out of South Africa. In further COVID news: The CDC just announced that the “bi-valent” vaccines … Continue reading

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Easy Solutions to Some Common Challenges of Having a Home in Yucatan

A recent post by a foreigner here reported that they were *shocked* to find that their tinaco was secretly overflowing into their pool’s disposal well – wasting 1,000’s of gallons of treated water … and she commented: “…how were we … Continue reading

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COVID Vaccine Causing Elevated Ischemic Stroke Risks for Patients Over Age 65

Jan. 14, 2023 Have readers seen this latest CDC update on COVID vaccine problems? ~ COVID Booster Shots Causing Elevated Ischemic Stroke Risks for Patients over age 65 ~ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/bivalent-boosters.html Because the ‘latest’ COVID vaccine shots showed no real efficacy … Continue reading

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Yet Another ‘ Spanish Made Easy ‘ Article

Jan. 6, 2022:As we watch expat Message Boards & FB Groups, posts from people seeking a Spanish teacher, keep popping year after year, which leaves me wondering about how much Spanish language do typical Americans & Canadians already know, without … Continue reading

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Places to Go to Enjoy the Best of Yucatan … To See How Things Are Made

Jan. 5, 2022:Looking for something new to do, or a place to go, that’s not on typical tourist agendas? aka … Where to Go … Fun Places Around Yucatan …~ where local people specialize in making some fun products ~ … Continue reading

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COVID Vaccines Continue to Fail Against Yet More New Mutant COVID Omicron Subvariants

Jan. 3, 2022 Yet more new heavily-mutated COVID Omicron subvariant strains are driving new mutant Omicron COVID waves across the USA, unimpeded by the USA’s failed vaccination strategies.** Omicron XBB.1.5 is now causing 40% of COVID infections across the USA, … Continue reading

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2023 Vacation Days ~ Aguinaldos ~ and Holiday Season Pay Rules for ALL Mexican Workers

December 27, 2022 UPDATE: Rather than the previous minimum 6 legally required paid-vacation days off work for Mexican workers, it’s now a minimum of 12 “continuous”** total paid-vacation days off work for all employees in 2023. D.O.F. 12/26/2022 (Diario Official … Continue reading

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New COVID Wave Underway in Yucatan … Along with 2 New COVID Subvariants Spreading in the USA and a New Mutant Omicron BW.1 Subvariant Spreading in the Yucatan

Dec. 3, 2022 New heavily-mutated COVID subvariant strains are now driving a new 6’th COVID Wave in Yucatan, including the Omicron BQ.1, BQ.1.1 subvariants, along with Yucatan’s own surprising new Omicron BW.1 subvariant … all & all of which even … Continue reading

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2 New COVID Subvariants Spreading in the USA and the Best Ways to Avoid COVID Infections

Nov. 27, 2022 UPDATE The CDC announced this weekend that COVID is surging in the USA, with the relatively new OMICRON BQ.1 and OMICRON BQ.1.1 subvariants causing 57% of new COVID cases nationwide. This is really significant (as described below), … Continue reading

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Annual Filing Requirments for Continuing US Social Security Benefits when Living Abroad

August 19, 2022:Generally, the US Social Security system requires all people living abroad*, receiving Social Security benefits, to file a form SSA–7162 every year, but those policies have been offficially suspended this past 2 years due to COVID issues with … Continue reading

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Yucatan Police Cracking Down on Expired License Plates

August 16, 2022:If your Yucatan license plate has a green stripe and a pyramid at the top, it’s high-time to get new plates. If your plate looks like the plate above, the Yucatan police have already “temporarily arrested” (temporarily detained … Continue reading

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Yucatan’s COVID Cases Returning to pre-Omicron Levels … Fourth Wave is Over

August 15, 2022 COVID Update:We are now back to just under 500 new COVID cases in Yucatan State.This likely means it’s safe to get back to ordinary life when out of doors, yet wearing masks when indoors with strangers. * … Continue reading

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COVID Updates on Vaccination, Boosting, Long COVID for Even Mild Cases, and Best COVID Treatments

July 29, 2022 COVID Updates:It has been a very busy past 3 days in COVID scientific news reporting, with no less than 5 critical updates. Summary: ~ As many as 1 in 5 Americans are now experiencing long COVID, as … Continue reading

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COVID Cases Spiking: Vaccines & Boosters ~ Prior COVID Infections Give Almost NO Protection from Hospitalization from the USA’s New COVID BA.5 Variant

July 17, 2022 COVID Update for Yucatan, Mexico:The latest COVID wave may have peaked in Yucatan. After 12 prior consecutive weeks of significantly increasing Omicron 2.12.1 COVID cases, last week’s PCR confirmed COVID cases across Yucatan finally stabilized at 4160 … Continue reading

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