Feb 11, 2020
For people considering where to buy property, and in what areas of Yucatan State foreigners can buy property  without a Fideicomiso (real estate trust) … Notice that to get outside of Mexico’s 50 km Exclusion Zone limit for our shorelines,  foreigners have to choose sites well south of Merida … all the way down & over to Acanceh … to get out of the 50 km restricted coastal zones.

Continuing East from Acanceh …  Tahmek is just INside the 50 km zone … Kantunil is far enough south to be OUT of the zone … Continuing further east, Tunkás is just outside the zone… … Espita is the next town to the east, outside the zone … and then there’s not much east of Colotmul.

= = =
Next: Notice that Acanceh is about 28 km south of Merida … That means ALL of Merida is inside the 50 km restricted coastal zone (regardless of persistent gringo-rumors).

Valladolid is well outside the Exclusion Zone … about 40 km south of Espita.

Curious about other locals … check out this detailed map:
(when in the site … double click on the map, to make it BIG)
https://www.mapshop.com/mayan-riviera-yucatan-peninsula-wall-map/

and finally …
The Exclusion Zone, restricting foreigners from owning properties, extends to 100 km at the borders.

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Feb. 3, 2020

As of this moment …  there are 60 countries whose citizens will be required to obtain an “ETIAS travel authorization” before entering the Schengen Zone** in 2021.      Notice that the ETIAS-countries include USA, Canada & Mexico … plus Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, and most of South America

Citizens of these countries will need to complete an online ETIAS application form to visit the Schengen Zone countries**.

… but NONE of the Republicans “Terrorist” travel ban states are included. …  North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, et al are ALL FINE … not needing the ETIAS travel authorization to enter Europe.

What countries are restricting entry in 2021?

**Think   ~Europe’s Schengen Zone~ … Currently, that’s 22 EU member countries, four non-EU countries, plus three European micro-states.

**ETIAS registration will be required for Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Vatican City.

Details:
Fortunately, the ETIAS online application form is quick & straightforward to complete.   ETIAS travel authorization requirements require applicants to have a valid passport, a credit or debit card to pay the ETIAS fee, and an email address to receive their electronic ETIAS permit.

Applicants answer basic questions, including their travel itinerary, basic health history items, and descriptions of their criminal record. … Travelers details will be checked against security databases, like the Interpol and Europol databases & ETIAS email-approvals issued fairly quickly.

In a somewhat odd twist … Children under 18 (from ETIAS countries) must get an   ETIAS visa waiver   to travel to Europe.

Implementation Date:
The ETAIS rules were approved last July, 2019, describing a 2021 start date … but most recent ETAIS website updates now describe a “late 2021” kick-off.

Official details here:
https://www.etiasvisa.com/etias-news/who-needs-etias-visa-europe

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Jan. 27, 2020

This report is a heads-up to all the people who have been staying in Mexico by using a succession of 180 day Visitante visas … aka “tourist” visas.  Since the Nov. 2012 publication of the Reglamentos (Regulations) by INM,  INM officials have been moving slowly to restrict foreigners from living in Mexico on a 180 day Visitante visa, and then exiting Mexico briefly to try to re-enter on yet another new 180 day Visitante visa.

Since 2012, INM has had nationwide-computer access foreigner’s immigration records, documenting all of our exits and entries – in easy to look-up records, that allow them to identify people who clearly reside in Mexico,  but who have not gotten Residente visas.

Along these lines … Recently,  some INM officials have internally proposed implementing a policy of … a 90 day waiting period between 180d Visitante Visas …  to stop foreigners from residing in Mexico, without getting Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente visas.

Will it happen?

Is it happening, now?

A recent internet report points to some INM agents cracking down on serial-successive Visitante visa usage – now including deportation back to the USA:

“I have only used tourist visas to stay in the country, and have never stayed past the 180 days the visa allows. On Thursday, I travelled back to Mexico through the Mexico City airport, but I was denied entry because they said I should have a resident visa. I was deported to Houston the next day (yesterday)“.

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We have no special insights about where INM policies will ultimately land … but we offer this latest twist of sending AIRLINE PASSENGERS BACK  to the USA … as a caution to people who have potentially overused 180 day Visitante Visas in the past.

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Jan. 19, 2020

A good friend just forwarded the following issue(s)  … and question(s) on Facebook:

“Do you have experience with parasites?
I lived in Mexico for over a year recently with no health issues. Unfortunately I had to return to the US. I have been sick ever since I came back to the USA. “

The FB friend commented~requested:
” Steve … I have seen some of your excellent comments you have made on similar (GI) problems. Trouble is the cooments and advice are difficult to locate now. How about sharing your wisdom with a column on gut health for expats? What meds should we be taking every six months? Appreciate your willingness to be so helpful to all of us expats! ”
= = = =
Whew … What a challenging set of issues.

Continuing … In addition to parasites … also more broadly consider all the GI Microbes … most often E, coli … Salmonella (even becoming endemic), Shigella, Campylobacter (popular-common in the USA), rotovirus, the varieties of Clostridium (including “C. diff” ) …

General Advice on Prevention & Avoidance?:
Eat only well cooked meats …
e.g. Avoid ceviche … (the lime juice is NOT magic .. encysted worms & their encysted eggs are NOT affected by lime juice – it takes either cooking, or  a sharp knife & good eye  to eliminate them) … unless the people preparing the ceviche put thin sliced fish fillets on a light box & cut out the parasites – like what good sushi chefs do to protect their customers.

Eat foods with a peel:  Bananas … apples … pears … Oranges & pretty much all citrus fruits.

Mexican Street-Foods:  Eat what comes out of hot oil, and goes straight into a sterile piece of paper, cup, napkin etc, without being touched …   (Continued in our main article on this at

https://yucalandia.com/answers-to-common-questions/gi-problems-parasites-bacteria-fungi-what-can-we-do/

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Disclaimers:

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Jan. 18, 2020
It’s time to get new license plates & registration papers for all vehicles in Yucatan state.  This year,  you go in during an assigned month, based on your current license plate number, per this table:

.
.
.and here’s the list of fees:

Enjoy!

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Jan. 16, 2020

Public Service Announcement:
We just got a request for some simple-but-proven ways to test the general water quality of your Merida City (JAPAY) water … or any chlorinated city water …. to determine if there is very likely ~no~ bacterial contamination in your home’s city water.

Here are 3 simple steps (tests) you can do at home:
1.  Take a water sample at the city water meter for your house (or from a spigot close to the meter) and test that sample for “free chlorine” using a swimming pool tester.

… If the incoming JAPAY City water tests positive, for acceptable “free chlorine” levels … ( 0.4 to 1.2 ppm Free Chlorine) … then GREAT … there’s enough disinfectant to ensure no bacterial contamination.

2.  Inspect the tinaco (and ground level cistern if there is one) … Make sure there is no accumulated detritus (leaves, dead birds, etc). If present: Remove any detritus & clean & disinfect the tinaco.

If the water in your tinaco looks clean & smells clean … then:
… Use your swimming pool chlorine tester to test the “free chlorine” levels in your tinaco water. … If the tinaco water tests positive, for acceptable “free chlorine” levels then GREAT … there’s enough disinfectant to ensure no bacterial contamination.

3.  Go to your kitchen sink tap & bathroom sink taps (where you brush your teeth) … Use your swimming pool chlorine tester to test the “free chlorine” levels at your two main sink taps … If the sink tap water tests positive, for acceptable “free chlorine” levels then GREAT … there’s enough disinfectant to ensure no bacterial contamination.

Past testing of Merida JAPAY city water has shown that 3% of home’s meters had no free chlorine, and had fecal coliforms in the water coming through the meter.  If this is true for your home’s meter,  CONTACT JAPAY & file a complaint (there’s likely an  underground leak in the pipes under the streets) …

Past testing of Merida JAPAY city water has shown that 26% of home’s kitchen sink water samples had no free chlorine, and had fecal coliforms in the water coming through the kitchen sink faucet.   If this is true for your kitchen or bathroom sink … when your meter water tested positive for “Free Chlorine” … then you have significant contamination somewhere in your home’s plumbing.

If you have no free chlorine in your sink-tap water:
Typically, the in-home contamination comes from dead decaying organic matter (detritus) in your tinaco or cistern. … If your tinaco (and cistern) test positive for “Free Chlorine”,  but your sinks do not have any “Free Chlorine” remaining in their water,  then you need to clean your home’s plumbing.

After cleaning detritus from the system (organic gunk, like leaves, dead birds etc) …  Then disinfect the home water system: Put ¼ cup of unscented laundry bleach into a standard 1100 L tinaco (300 gal) … to get swimming pool levels of free chlorine for the next 2-3 days.

If you want professional testing to determine the typical kinds of contamination found in Merida home’s water,  then consider ordering one of the tests listed in this .pdf file:

Click to access LQM841126MG8.pdf

If you want professional testing to determine the typical kinds of contamination found in Merida home’s water, contact one of our local water quality laboratories.   Since we have had no experience with the current laboratories, we cannot vouch for the relative quality of any specific laboratory – but fecal coliform testing is a pretty simple & reliable test.

We welcome readers to volunteer (comment) on their experiences with any of our local water testing laboratories.

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Jan. 1, 2020
The State of Yucatan begins the first stage (of 3 stages) of it’s gradual ban on single-use plastic bags & straws ….   So … People often imagine that the “Yucatan BANS Plastic Bags Starting Jan.1, 2020”  is the headline … but it’s not quite that simple.
😉

When we read the Yucatan State’s published regs on this, the single-use plastic bag ban is a staggered implementation, rolling out in 3 gradual stages, staggered over the next 18 months.

The first stage applies to commercial establishments that are in the vicinity of cenotes, natural protected areas and ecological reserves.  … These commercial establishments  have six months to be in compliance (on both single use bags & straws).

The second stage requires supermarkets, self-service and convenience stores, pharmacies, markets, restaurants and the like must end their use within 12 months. (basically using up existing stocks and buying only limited new stocks of bags from existing stocks at distributors – until those distributor’s stocks are depleted).

The third stage requires the wholesale and retail sellers of single-use plastic bags & straws … to stop selling them within 18 months.

Finally … the state’s municipalities have six months to adapt their environmental regulations to reflect the new State law.    As such, Yucatan’s municipios must initiate municipal programs for the substitutions and a gradual elimination of single-use plastic bags, polystyrene containers (unicel) and plastic straws.

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After-Christmas returns are expected to surpass $90 Billion this year.

… including Amazon mail-order Brides …

HAPPY HOLIDAYS !!

Hope you’re all ready for the Roaring ’20’s !

Dec. 27, 2019
Mexican archaeologists have just recently revealed the remains of a vast Mayan palace, that’s over 1,000 years old.   This big Maya palace is just one part of the ancient city of Kulubá, roughly 100 miles west of Cancún, in Northeast Yucatán.

The Kulubá palace’s form is somewhat unique (see the foto below) …
It’s dimensions:  55 meters long, 15 meters wide, but just 6 meters high.  Overall, the palace consisted of just six big rooms.    The Kulubá palace is one part of a larger complex that also includes two residential rooms, an altar and a large round oven.

The Kulubá palace & the site are somewhat unique, because it bridges 2 Yucatec Maya epochs.   The palace was in use during the Yucatec Mayas late classical period (600 AD – 900 AD), through the terminal classical (850 AD – 1050 AD) between AD850 and AD1050, per award-winning Yucatecan archeologist & lead archeologist director Alfredo Barrera Rubio.

Per Rubio:
“We know very little about the architectural characteristics of this region, the north-east of Yucatán. So one of our main objectives, as well as the protection and restoration of cultural heritage, is the study of the architecture of Kulubá. ”

“… This is just the start of the work. We are only just uncovering one of the largest structures on the site.”   Rubio hopes that as the work continues, Kulubá “will become a natural attraction for visitors to the region.”

Specifically, the Kulubá site lies midway between Tizimin & Kantunkin … off the Tixcancal road.

This link takes you to a map:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ruinas+de+Kuluba/@21.1161301,-87.8465939,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x7e465de2013985af!8m2!3d21.1161301!4d-87.8465939

Check out the official INAH fotos here:

https://www.elsoldemexico.com.mx/cultura/video-palacio-zona-arqueologica-kuluba-yucatan-cultura-maya-descubrimiento-4625294.html?fbclid=IwAR3_yp66POzGHGQoJsSPUtV0CwXVn_w8fN0UG5_3kF0YcZT4TkjpX9eXjO8

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December 21, 2019
Mexico’s daily minimum wage will be going up Jan. 1, 2020, to $123.22 pesos per day (20% increase).    Because the Mexican Government’s personal monthly income & personal savings requirements for Residente visas are tied directly to the minimum wages,  the SRE’s (Consulates) and INM’s “personal solvency” requirements for foreigners will also automatically rise 20% in January, 2020.

Residente Permanente visa applicants must show a monthly income of 500 times the daily minimum wage =>  $3,243 US dollars ($61,610 MXN pesos) using an exchange rate of $19:1 … That income must be documented by 6 months bank statements. … People who have liquid assets can also qualify by proving an annual average balance of 20,000 times the minimum wage =>  $130,ooo US dollars ($2,464,400 MXN pesos) using an exchange rate of $19:1 for 2020 applicants … documented by 12 months of bank statements.

Residente Temporal visa applicants must now prove a monthly income of 300 times the daily minimum wage => $1,946 US dollars ($36,966 MXN pesos) per month (using an exchange rate of $19:1.   Consulates want 6 months of bank statements. … People who have liquid assets can also qualify by proving an average annual balance of 5,000 times the minimum wage => $32,426 US dollars ($61,6100 MXN pesos) account balance for 2020.

If you want more details on immigrating to Mexico, or visiting Mexico, see our main immigration article at:

~ Current Rules and Procedures for Immigration, Visiting, and Staying in Mexico

~ Current Rules and Procedures for Immigration ~ Immigrating to, Visiting, and Staying in Mexico

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December 14, 2019
Every once in a while, we get fun news~updates from some of the minor (smaller) Maya sites. Consider recent reports offering beautiful insights into the founding & lifestyles of Paso del Macho … Think BOTH Jade & Chocolate.

There’s a fun Archeology.org article out describing fun jade (ritual?) items found under the plaza of Paso del Macho Puuc site, that describes

“ … an offering made when the settlement was founded between 900 and 800 B.C. It contains some of the earliest evidence of Maya fertility rituals. … (describing)  more than 30 artifacts made of greenstone, including small stones that symbolize maize sprouting from the underworld, represent events in the story of the maize god’s birth. ”

… https://www.archaeology.org/issues/366-2001/trenches/8254-digs-mexico-paso-del-macho?fbclid=IwAR0gEiTYlnmyDUN1vKzOZeEIK3dY2k_B138kr3rZR-Pcs5HYEtsS9UzaATA

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This latest article fits nicely with past fun    chocolate   findings from Paso del Macho, from a separate-but-related article on chocolate found at Paso del Macho:

http://www.yucatancompass.com/article/69/2500-year-old-cacao-residue-discovered-in-the-maya-puuc-region-of-yucatan

“2,500-year-old Cacao Residue Discovered in the Maya Puuc Region of Yucatán.”

“Traces of cacao – or chocolate – have been found for the first time in an archeological context in Yucatán; the chemical residues of the seed (usually called “beans”) were found adhered to two fragments of 2,500-year-old Mayan ceramic pottery, recovered from the Paso del Macho archeological site.”

“One of the fragments discovered is a plate, which suggests to scientists that the pre-Hispanic Mayans may have used it for their food as a sauce having a consistency similar to that of mole*.

“The discovery is of relevance to archaeology, because it indicates that the use of cacao may go as far back as 600-500 B.C., ”

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Jade,  mole   and   Chocolate !

Our Puuc Maya knew how live !

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December 14, 2019

Data driven worlds …

or … Get swept along by the hype?

= = = = = = =
Lots of US Lefties are moaning that the UK election of Boris (with an 86 vote majority) … somehow magically predicts a big Trump win in 2020…

Is that a reasonable conclusion?

The actual UK election results say a resounding …. ” No ” …

= = = = = = =

Why-how did UK-ites lose their minds, electing Boris the Goon with an “86 vote” majority?

When the vast majority of the British public believes that their deep complex problems (of failed-collapsed Empire) should be solved by easy feel-good solutions … (falsely-easy solutions offered by all sides) …

When pretty much all talented leaders leave-the-field (years ago) due to over a decade of intractable messes … leaving only very low-talent options … Who (or what) do they vote “for” ?

… or … Do you vote “against” ?

Notice that it’s the same as the USA where millions of votes “for” Trump… were actually just votes “against” the arrogant more-of-the-same Washington-insider Hillary.

Then notice that UK’s “first past the post” election rules too often guarantee non-democratic results … where Boris (ab)used  the UK Parliamentary system to    steal  an 86 vote majority (56% of Parliament),    with just 43% of the vote …

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/general-election-results-pr-alternative-voting-system-tories-labour-hung-a9246661.html?fbclid=IwAR0gCSRhT1w8_yHMMoby8exUMkQhccNpkv4U13ImR2_IBEi_k1BPAdEIThs
Notice that Tories’ vote share only increased by a paltry 1.2%, even though they LOST over ½ their seats in Scotland – ( getting a WEAK 43% of the total UK vote).

while … Labor votes FELL by 7.8%
… (led by the repulsive, dithering, bland Labour leader Corbin)

The election results were NOT a resounding “YES” to Boris-the-Goon (a paltry 1.5% gain to just 43%) … Instead, they were a rejection of Corbin & Labor’s weakness & confusion.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2019/dec/12/uk-general-election-2019-full-results-live-labour-conservatives-tories

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December 6, 2019

For all the people who don’t have a US Consulate nearby,  or whose Consulate makes them wait 2 – 4 weeks for an appointment … note that there’s now another legitimate option to get US documents notarized while abroad:  the app “Notarize”.

A good US attorney notes that US law dictates that several basic requirements be met for properly Notarizing a document:
~  The Notary must see you during the Notarization, to establish that you are the actual person who signs the document.

~  The Notary almost always has to be licensed in the jurisdiction of the document being Notarized.

Because “Notarize” does this through a video chat, it should be legal in all states since they appeared to be licensed in all states  … because the “Notarize” Notary actually sees you at signing.

“Notarize” is at:  https://www.notarize.com/

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December 4, 2019

For everyone who “has seen it all” …

I just returned from a very peculiar gas-leak job … where electric current was passing along the metal mesh covering on the gas hose to the stove … due to electric current leaking from the copper GAS LINE in the wall – looking for ground – running through the wire mesh covering on the rubber gas hose – getting hot … and ARC-ing .. where the metal touched metal … MELTING through two different gas hoses …

~ Electrical Short ~ Burnt Gas Hose(1)

This is what the 2 day old “new” hose looks like – from the Yucatecan plomero-electricista … “plumber-electrician”‘s installation on Monday.

~ Electrical Short ~ Burnt Gas Hose(2)… because another local Yucatecan electrician-plumber just slapped in a new metal mesh covered hose … that lasted just 2 days before burning through the rubber gas hose … again …

Fortunately … they did not make the 10:00 o’clock News.
aka   … no BOOM …

Repairs Part 1:     Make & install a high quality poly-hose that does NOT conduct electricity …

Repairs Part 2:     I bonded-the-shite out of all of it (gas pipe, stove & outlet) to 2 different earth grounds – using 2 fresh new copper wires. => Belt & suspenders …  AND a bungee-cord.
🙂

Disclaimer: For professionals only … Do not try this at home.

November 20, 2019

Our friends in Illinois have ~already~ been shoveling serious snow …

~twice~ …

… It’s not even Thanksgiving, yet.
😉

~ Our Yucatan sidewalks ~   …  ??

In need of shoveling …     😉

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

and

There are other reasons to visit here …

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November 20, 2019
The issue of drinking water quality keeps coming up over & over on Expat web-boards, webpages, and Expat FB pages, for at least the past 14 years.

The common ~lurid rumor~ that many newbies propose is that our Merida City tap-water is somehow ~magically~ “bad” …

Fortunately, the opposite is true. … Merida City tap water consistently tests clean roughly 97% of the time, when tested before the water enters the home. … Sadly, so many Merida homes have contamination in their tinacos** and cisterns** that just 75% of Merida homes test clean at the kitchen sink tap. *  (See below for instructions on inspecting your home water system quality.)

Continuing… Why is Merida tap water so clean, but SO HARD??

Our Merida City Water (JAPAY) comes from 130 ft deep wells … and it’s from 10 million years ago. … Were there pesticides & herbicides 10 million years ago?

Since there is 100 feet of limestone between modern surface water and our 130 ft deep Merida City drinking water wells, there really is no practical way (route) for surface contamination to get down 130 ft to our drinking water supply. … Merida is not New Orleans whose Mississippi River contains the effluents & sewage & feed-lot & farm run-off from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians… like in the USA & Canada (tar sands & fracking) …

USA water??

Not Merida … 😉

Fortunately, here in Merida … We have no tar-sands oil… We have no fracking .. We have no Mega-hog farms or Mega-chicken farms … No big chemical plants nor refineries …  and there’s NOBODY “upstream” from our drinking water …

=> Remember … USA-nians are justified to fear the over 5,000 USA water districts** who have been failing US EPA standards for years … But those fears simply do not fit Merida. … Seriously … It’s US drinking water that people should fear.

**https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-05/documents/nejac_white_paper_water-final-3-1-19.pdf

Again … 40 years of Scientific Testing show … It’s USA water we should fear …   That’s the USA … Think Michigan ..  New Jersey ..  Texas … Louisiana … Chicago .. Pittsburgh

Fortunately, Merida City JAPAY water is proven clean at 97% of the homes tested***, when it enters our homes.

**The water for Merida City wells at 130 ft depths is very clean … but it is very hard (High calcium carbonate levels – which are NOT a health risk – but just taste a bit “off”)…   Why is Merida city water so clean? …. because that water is 10 million yrs old … and there were no pesticides 10 MILLION years ago.

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***Past independent studies show clean Merida city water 97% of the time, ~ENTERING~ the house … but that water entering the house … is not the same as water at the kitchen faucet … That means that roughly 25% of the water tested in Merida kitchen sinks had microbial contamination (fecal coliforms) FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE’s plumbing.

KEEP YOUR TINACOS CLEAN !!

No dead birds … no dead ‘possums … no accumulated leaf litter … SERIOUSLY … people leaving the tops of their cisterns & tinacos open is THE REAL ISSUE, per 20 yrs of test results.

and yes, Virginia … You can test your own water!
~ Note that if you test the water coming into your Merida home  for free-Chlorine (swimming pool test kit) … and if you measure chlorine present – then your water is FINE !

= = = = = = =
Next:  Are you unsure about the quality of your Merida City water in your tinaco or cistern ?

*Tinaco~Cistern Inspection & Maintenance:
For people on Merida City water (JAPAY) … Basically … LOOK in your tinaco~cistern    and  ~sniff~  it. 😉

If you see organic detritus (dead leaves, dead rotting vegetation, dead birds, dead iguanas, or roots) … then REMOVE all the detritus, rinse it out … and disinfect it with normal laundry bleach**.

If the tinaco~cistern water looks clear & clean, and smells OK, then it’s 97% likely OK … And yes,  some accumulated “sarro” … scale … is OK.

To ENSURE it’s OK, you can add enough ordinary laundry bleach** to disinfect it: … ¼ cup of bleach per 1,100 liter tinaco (300 gal) … completely eliminates bacteria, viruses, microbes. … This free-chlorine concentration is equal to a US public swimming pool … (for about the next 2 days). 😉

After adding the bleach, mix the water gently … and wait 15 minutes. … Then flush the toilets, run the sinks & showers … etc to fill your all of your home’s pipes with the nice free-Chlorine disinfectant (bleach) …

Allow that water to stand for about 15 minutes … to kill everything that may have accumulated in the pipes.

Then …. use the water as normal.  … Note that there will be a light chlorine smell (like a swimming pool) for the next 2-3 days => thoroughly disinfecting your home’s plumbing !

**Use ONLY normal plain dull household-laundry bleach .. Not scented bleach … Not “Gel-no-splash” bleach … Just normal household bleach.

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As long as you have a good top on your tinaco~cistern, this bleach treatment is likely needed only about twice a year. … If you get dead birds, dead possums, dead iguanas or dead leaves in your tinaco~cistern, in the meantime … then start over. 😉

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What if you are not on Merida City JAPAY water?

If you are drinking private well water from TOO SHALLOW wells across Yucatan – or drinking cenote water … then all bets are off. 😉

If you are drinking well water from a TOO SHALLOW well, dump a bottle of blue food dye into the toilet … flush the toilet … and turn on all the faucets in the house for about 10 minutes … collecting the water into white containers (like a white bowl) …  then wait 30 minutes,  and run your kitchen sink water again into a white bowl  (and flush the toilet) … and look for blue …

Why?
The first 30 ft of ground water here ACROSS YUCATAN is often contaminated … most often by private homes septic systems.   … That means shallow wells are a problem, but GOOD wells drilled to 18m – 20m almost always have hard, but clean  water …    Why?? … Note that our BIG hard limestone aquatard between 30 ft to 60 ft (20m) ~blocks~ surface contamination from reaching even private wells drilled to 18 – 20m.
😉

Final note … A literal 47 years of scientific measurements show there is very little horizontal (sideways) movement of ground water in Yucatan, with 2 exceptions.*   … Notice that there are NO mythical “underground rivers” flowing in almost all of Yucatan. … 47 years of measurements shows that most (95%?)  of our surface water moves vertically through our limestone.

Notice that if there was lateral-horizontal movement of water in the caves that connect cenotes … then the sediment in this channel would be stirred up by the flow of the mythical “underground river” …

No flowing river here… just quiet still water ..
<===

*The 2 exceptions to “no under-ground rivers”:   

Near the coasts, the rainwater in the first 10 km – 15 km of rainwater does slowly move out towards the sea.   and … In the hilly areas of Yucatan – like Campeche & Bacalar – the rain water does move downhill underground …

But notice how slow the flow is … from how clear the happy diving-girl image is. 😉

Don’t worry …. Be happy …

You’re in Yucatan! ….. Enjoy!

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Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read on, MacDuff.

Nov. 16, 2019

Mexico beats the USA in extra innings … to advance … as just 1 of 6 teams … into the 2020 OLYMPICS !!

Before we go to the official MLB recap … note that the USA was   ahead   the whole game … Going up 1:0  in the top of the 2’nd  …  then… finally Mexico tied,  1:1 in the bottom of the 6’th  … then  top of the 7’th …  Vaughn sped around third and made it home just ahead of the throw ….  2:1 …  staying @ 2:1 through the bottom of the ninth …

Bottom of the ninth … with their Olympic bid   slipping away  …

Mexico’s Matthew Clark  (a Mexican-American professional of the Bravos de Leon)
~ CRUSHED ~ a   solo   HOME RUN … to  tie  the game.

I’ll leave it to the official MLB Recap to describe the ending … 😉

” … In the Bronze Medal Game of the Premier12 tournament in Tokyo, Mexico defeated USA, 3-2, in 10 innings to earn a spot in the 2020 Olympic Games.

The WBSC rules for the event called for runners on first and second to begin each extra inning. Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec, who drove in a run earlier in the game for the United States, opened the inning with a perfect sacrifice bunt, which was followed by an intentional walk. Mexico’s Carlos Bustamante, a 25-year-old pitcher who spent some time in the D-backs’ system, came up clutch with a strikeout and a popout to end the inning tied at 2-2 despite entering with a pair of runners on and no one out.

Mexico would not falter  with the same advantage presented to it in the bottom half of the frame, as a sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk were followed by a broken-bat single to center by former Angel Efren Navarro to plate the game-winning run to earn Mexico a spot at Tokyo 2020. ” **

A broken-bat bloop single    WINS THE GAME !!!

https://www.mlb.com/news/mexico-defeats-usa-to-earn-olympic-baseball-bid

Here’s an official video of the highlights:

**The Rest of the Story …
The United States will have another chance to qualify for the Olympics via the Americas Qualifier, held in Arizona in March 2020, where the winner will advance to the Tokyo Games, and the second- and third-place nations will be placed into the Final Qualifying Tournament for … one last chance  … to earn a berth in the Olympics.

¡¡ VAMOS MEXICO !!

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Feel free to copy with proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read-on MacDuff . . .

Nov. 14, 2019
Roughly every 2 months, there’s a post on expat forums complaining that their gas stove doesn’t all them to get low-low flames for simmering things slowly.

It’s NOT a  “regulator”  problem … It’s NOT a  “propane vs Natural Gas ”  problem … It’s NOT a  “Call a plumber”  problem  … It’s not a  “Buy a new stove with lower BTU burners”  problem … It’s not a “Use an electric hot-plate to do low simmer”  problem. … 😉

… The real real problem is just in   how you adjust   the burner dial. 😉

If the burners light fine and run well on normal higher settings … then you have the correct regulator & correct orafices (in the burners), and correct gas … because the stove lights & operates.

Want to avoid this? 

The problem is that there’s no low “simmer” normal setting on your burner control dial … Instead, you simply needs to use a little trick to get the low low “simmer” flames:

Low flame trick:
Light the burner … Turn the dial clock-wise to the High Flame “stop” position (burner on FULL – High) … Next… Push in the dial slightly, and ~continue~ turning the dial clockwise to get a low low flame.

Note: Don’t use a fan anywhere near the stove when using this trick to get the super low flames, … Don’t blow out the weak low flame. 😉

Enjoy cooking … simmering … braising … by using this simple ~safe~ low-flame special-setting trick . 😉

and yes, Virginia … Over 80% of the stoves in North America are made by Mabe (regardless of the name-plate brand) … so this nice trick works on basically all  Mabe, GE, Acros* etc brand stoves in the Americas. 😉

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Feel free to copy with proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read-on MacDuff . . .

October 24, 2019

The British Museum has digitized a big part of their extensive Maya collection, and put ~some~ of it on-line for us to look at.

Here are some LINKS to click, to check out some of it:

Guatemalan Maya Masks & Stelae:
(They get especially cool about 7 slides into the show)
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/guatemalan-masks/BwIyWmZyU4NhKA

Untangling Maya Glyphs & Maya Codices … Learning to read dates, names & events:
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/untangling-maya-glyphs/pgJilqaqtBwwIw

A Brief History of the British Museums Maya Collection:
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-ancient-maya-at-the-british-museum/FQKC3cwFgTgbKA

The British Museums official Maya Collection Website:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/research_projects/preserving_maya_heritage.aspx

Enjoy !!
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Feel free to copy with proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read-on MacDuff . . .

October 19, 2019
Curiously, we got an anxious PM (FB chat) message & phone call from an expat here in Merida, from Clinica de Merida, whose daughter was admitted just last night for a 40.6ºC (105ºF) fever … needing a transfusion of platelets … aka plaquetes …**

So … Dengue Fever infections are being transmitted ~now~ in Merida. … Take precautions …

This is the Worst Dengue Year in Nearly a Decade. It May Get Worse from Here.

Educate yourself on how to protect your families from Dengue risks … See the ~”How To Avoid Dengue”~ articles listed below.

**FORTUNATELY, she was not bleeding from nose, eyes, gums or stomach (GI system), and she had no DSS symptoms (no fluid in the lungs, no shock symptoms) … If a family member has Dengue symptoms (high fever, plus possibly achy joints) ~Pay special attention~ to their symptoms on Days #4 – #6, because that’s when the real health risks happen.

Education … and actions … are the keys to staying safe. 😉

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Sidelights:
~ If someone in your household (or neighbors) gets Dengue … SPRAY YOUR HOME carefully to eliminate mosquitoes that may (likely) be infected with Dengue virus to protect your family & friends.

… Past studies show up to 95% of household members get subsequent Dengue infections, when one member is bitten by a Dengue-infected mosquito. … Those Dengue-infected female mosquitoes can easily live ANOTHER 10 to 30 more days – biting other household members & biting neighbors (because the females go back outside to lay their eggs).

~ SPRAY every room carefully with typical mosquito killing ~indoor~ sprays … like H24 … Aedes aegyptii mosquitoes LOVE to hide underneath furniture … in with our clothes (lightly-stinky from our body-odor residues) … and up by the ceiling … So, FOCUS the spraying on those areas … briskly moving-disturbing the clothes when spraying them.

~ Check ALL screens & doors to find & block even small holes that mosquitoes can enter. …. You can cut little pieces of fiberglass screen material, to fold & fit … to block the gaps, openings, tears & spaces …

~ We personally have nylon sheer curtains over our exterior doorways … weighted at the bottom corners (to hold the curtain closed over the doorway) … because the mosquitoes LOVE to ride in on our backs, and fly-in in our wake … as we enter the house.

~ ELIMINATE or treat ALL water that stands more than 5 days. … fresh Aedes aegyptii hatch out & fly in just 7 days of only 1 tbsp of standing water here … Plus: Pay special attention to   flower-pot drip trays,   bits of old crockery,   bits of poly*styrene pkging   or even small pieces of plastic trash & plastic bags …

~ Treating water that stands for more than 7 days? … There are 2 good larvicides that kill all the mosquito larvae in standing water:   Copper Sulfate (-trihydrate or pentahydrate crystals)  ~ works permanently ~ … or Abate (lasts for 3 months) …  Note that after checking 12 different ag-chemical stores & pesticide vendors, there’s no Abate tablets~puck~pellets available in Merida … so use Copper Sulfate. … Just 1 or 2 crystals in a tire kills larvae for years. … AND   for swimming pools or fountains, your chlorine disinfectant is enough … AND for unused (drained) pools or fountains with standing water, Copper Sulfate (‎ CuSO4 – 5H2O ) works GREAT at just 3 ppm (3 mg/L) levels.

For both mosquito & algae control in pools and fountains, just 1½ tablespoons of the pretty blue crystals of ‎Copper Sulfate (… CuSO4-5H2O  or ‎CuSO4 – 3H2O … ) in 30,000L of pool water works great & is very safe   (per WHO, EPA & US State Health Depts).

See this good article for additional ways to protect yourself & your loved ones:
https://yucalandia.com/science-health…/dengue-fact-sheet/

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Yes, I am available for PMs & chats on Facebook … Please read the “Dengue Fact Sheet” (see second link below) … first.

Plus … Two good sites:

Chikungunya, Zika & Dengue Virus Information

and

Dengue Fact Sheet:

Dengue Fact Sheet – Oct. 2019 Update

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Feel free to copy with proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry

Read-on MacDuff . . .