Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in Merida

Attached below are some pictures of our oldest son's Boy Scout Troop including the country club at which his meetings are held every Saturday afternoon. The seed for Boy Scouts in Mexico was planted as far back as 1912 in the port city of Veracruz. In 1981 the opportunity for girls to enter scout troops presented itself. Many of the youth in our city participate.

The website to Mexico scouts is http://www.scouts.org.mx/about_mexico.html.

Our son is very much enjoying his participation in the program. A number of the youth are bilingual in Mexico today as many take varying levels of English study in schools. So if you move down with children you are not going to have a problem finding a troop for them. We know of another American family here that has their 10 year old daughter participating. Let us know if you have more questions.



Club Campestre



Our son's Scout Troop.



How To Buy Real Estate In Mexico

Properties in México can be legally purchased by foreigners
If you are interested in purchasing property outside the restricted area (32 miles from the coast or 63 miles from the borders), you can do the same way you can do it anywhere else in the world, with a simple deed.

Fideicomiso
To purchase a property that is within the restricted area, which includes Mérida and most other popular areas of Yucatan, you will need to sign a trust contract with a Mexican bank. Such contract is called a "fideicomiso", and both your name and the bank's appear in the "escritura" (contract).

The contract creates a trust for the benefit of you, the foreign buyer. The bank has a fiduciary obligation to the owner. The owner retains all the benefits of ownership and has legal rights to rent, sell or inherit property as they see fit. Normally these contracts expire after 50 years, but they can be renewed at the end of those 50 years for an additional 50 years. There is no limit on the number of times the fideicomiso contract can be renewed. The 50 year renewal cost is currently about $900 USD.

Currently, the cost to start a trust is approximately $2000 USD. There is an annual fee to the bank for maintaining the trust, which is based on a percentage of property value. For a house in the range of $100,000 USD, the fideicomiso maintenance cost is approximately $ 600 USD a year.
Currently, the law only allows trusts for properties of less than 2000 square metres (about 21,520 sf). You can apply for an exception to this law.

Owning a Mexican company
If your property is over 2000 square meters, you can create a Mexican corporation to buy the property. The cost to create a legally-registered company is approximately $ 1500 USD. You need to be incorporated under the laws of Mexico and all the proceedings must take place under the supervision of an accountant. The cost of the accountant varies from $ 50 to $200 USD per month, depending on how much activity takes place in your corporation.

To form the company requires at least two partners who are at least 18 years of age. The legal representative of the company must be in possession of an FM-3 Visa. You can apply for a visa yourself in the offices of Mexican immigration or you can hire a lawyer to do it for you. The cost for a visa is about $ 500 USD.
Whether buying a property, starting a business, or creating a corporation, you should always consult with a local lawyer. Our sister company, Yucatan Lawyers, provides legal services for real estate transactions, immigration issues and all corporate issues.

Salsa In Merida Yucatan Mexico

Time To Work Out!

One of the many great things about home schooling out kids is that our schedule is really flexible and we can take advantage of certain deals offered during school hours only! We really believe in the importance of exercise for ourselves and for our kids and were thrilled to find the WWGym here in Merida for a very affordable rate.

We love to swim in the huge pool!

Mom & Joseph head for the treadmills while Dad swims laps and Joel plays in the pool. Then Dad works out in the gym while Mom and Joseph and Joel have swim time.

They have several work out areas for every level of need

We pay 690 pesos ($55.00 USD) for 25 visits, no contracts, no fees

This is about half of what you pay for prime time hours as we go during the hours of 10am-4pm

Is the Yucatan Safe?

Is Travel to the Yucatan Safe?

In view of headlines about crime and violence Along the border, and the State Department ’s travel warning concerning travel to Mexico, many people are wondering about the safety of visiting or moving to Mexico. 

Mexico is a big country and it’s incredibly diverse, so violence Along the border will not have Any effect on your vacation or move in, for example, the Yucatan any more than an earthquake in California would affect people in Chicago. Most of the violence that has taken place recently is due to conflicts between drug cartels and the Mexican and U.S. Authorities near the border.

Research your destination and choose a place that you will enjoy and feel safe in. There are plenty of places in Mexico where you can have a tranquil, relaxing vacation or move to and still be safe secure. Merida is the Capital City of the Yucatán and known as the “White City” due to its white buildings. Merida is only 15 minutes from Progreso, a beautiful & quaint beach town.

When people think about the Yucatan region of Mexico, they usually think about the archaeological Mayan site of Chichen Itza. But Merida is a beautiful colonial City that can serve as home base for exploring Mayan ruins, cenotes, haciendas and cathedrals. It is an extremely charming city for those that come to visit or stay here. Beyond that, it is known as the safest and most peaceful in Mexico City. Many American and Canadian expats have moved here for those reasons.

Let us help you find your own piece of paradise here in the Yucatan! Our family of 4 moved to Merida from San Antonio, TX & we love it! You will too!

Jay & Christine Blackshear.
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Hibiscus Tea

We had been in the Yucatan only three days when we ran into Larry & Tammy Allred, a family originally from Alabama that has been here for 10 years. We have become fast family friends. The following weekend, Tammy fixed us a wonderful dinner and introduced us to a few native Yucatan foods and drinks. The watermelon juice was a little too rich for me, but we loved the Hibiscus tea, which is a prominent drink here in the Yucatan of Mexico. I was excited to also find out the great benefits of drinking hibiscus tea.

Hibiscus tea is the infusion made from the calyces (sepals) of the Hibiscus sabdariffa flower, an herbal tea drink consumed both hot and cold by people around the world. It is also referred to as roselle (another common name for the hibiscus flower), flor de Jamaica in Latin America, karkadé in Egypt and Sudan, bissap in West Africa, sorrel in Jamaica, and red sorrel in the wider Caribbean, and other names in other regions. Hibiscus tea has a tart, cranberry-like flavor, and sugar is often added to sweeten the beverage. The tea contains vitamin C and minerals and is used traditionally as a mild medicine.


Hibiscus tea contains 15-30% organic acids, including citric acid, maleic acid, and tartaric acid. It also contains acidic polysaccharides and flavonoid glycosides, such as cyanidin and delphinidin, that give it its characteristic deep red colour.


Health Benefits of Hibiscus Tea

Blood Pressure

Studies have shown hibiscus tea to be beneficial in lowering blood pressure and may control cholesterol.

One study was done using adults with pre-hypertension or mild hypertension. Those who had three cups of hibiscus tea a day had better results than those who didn't (a 7.2 point drop in systolic blood pressure compared to 1.3 points). Those who had the highest blood pressure reading at the start of the study, showed the greatest results.

Weight Loss

Hibiscus tea contains an enzyme inhibitor which blocks the production of amylase. Amylase is an enzyme that breaks down complex sugars and starches. Drinking a cup of hibiscus tea after meals will reduce the absorption of dietary carbohydrates and will assist in weight loss.

Immune System

Hibiscus tea is rich in vitamin C and makes a wonderful herbal remedy to fight off colds and infections by strengthening the immune system.

Other benefits of hibiscus tea include preventing bladder infections and constipation if taken regularly.

Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/

Life In Merida

Merida is modern and traditional all at the same time. Yes, you will find many American companies here. They all look the same as the ones in the States. Just picture Costco, Sam’s, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Burger King & McDonald’s, all the major car dealers, Office Depot, Blockbuster, …..then add some palm trees to the parking lot and you’ve got the picture.

Then to imagine the traditional side~

My first thought as we got closer to our new home was that these people should be getting notices from there Homeowners associations, if in fact they had any. They do not always separate commercial and residential dwelling on some streets. In some of the older areas you will see a home next to another home that has been turned into a café or store of some sort. Then you can go 5 streets over and see several of the most gorgeous Meridian mansions in a row and then one block over is a partially vacant lot, with a torn apart building on it, and then several three room homes with clothes lines hanging in the front yard one street over from that. In some strange way though, it is still very picturesque. Real eye candy on a regular basis. I find myself wanting to take pictures constantly as this is very different from what you see in America. I am lured at times with a desire to go sit on the sidewalk and just people watch for hours, or drive around in the evenings when people stroll in the streets.

So far, Jay does all the driving here and I am real okay with that. I think my husband described the traffic movement here perfectly. If you have ever seen the animated Bee movie, were the bees race around in perfect close harmony and never run into each other…..that can be driving in Merida. I have never seen anything like the way people drive here in Merida. From the faint lines in the street, you can assume at one time they did have lanes and then someone came along and painted new lines a few feet over. So you have to take a good look at the street and decide where the new lane really is. Nevertheless, you see very few wrecks here as compared to the states. You just have to make sure you are always going fast enough, turning quickly enough and if you don’t, someone will let you know with a prompt blow of their horn. I could safely say that traffic movement here is managed mostly by horns blowing.

Saying Goodbye!

We have a few close friends from San Antonio & saying goodbye was not easy. We know we will stay in touch and maybe even see each other again soon. My friend Karen is a sweety and her son, Chris is our Joseph's best friend. Karen & Chris took us to Peter Piper Pizza for a farewell party & we sure had fun. Karen is pregnant with their little girl Faith, due in August. Karen has a  miraculous testimony about her pregnancy & God has graciously blessed them & I am so happy for her.

Our good neigbor and friend, Lydia, treated our family to the best enchiladas in San Antonio. Our last few days in San Antonio we had sold our refrigerator and dining table with chairs, practically everything we had. Lydia new exactly what we needed along with the great night of fellowship. We will miss them, but will stay in touch. Lydia took our
last family photo from San Antonio.

The boys were very excited to get on that airplane. Joel asked about it for days, although he thought we were going to visit Grandma in California. We highly recommend Mexicana Airlines. We were so impressed with their service, standards and meals. Very clean airplanes, very gracious stewardesses. Our trip took us to Mexico City to change flights, which is an old but very clean airport. Then on to Merida, Yucatan Mexico.

As you read this post, we have been in Merida for 6 days and are settling into our new home and town. I promise to have the blog running on real time in the next few days as I know some of you wanted to see pictures of  Casa de Blackshear & the town itself.