5C's Que Pasa

~woke up to a very cool 3C/37F this morning.  Sure nice to have both the furnace and the fireplace heating the house up.

~got our Mexican Travel Insurance ordered yesterday.  A quick effortless phone call to San Xavier Mexico Insurance Nogales @ 1- 888 – 377  1570.  Lupita pulled up our file ( we have been dealing with them for 14 years ) and told me it would cost the same this year as it did last year.  $642.91 USD for the RV and $252.53 USD for the HHR toad.  Next spring I will send these figures plus proof of our time in Mexico and get the entire amount refunded through our B.C. vehicle insurance policies.  I even make a profit, they refund me more than I pay out.  Bonus.

~I know someone is going to ask,”how to I prove my time in Mexico”?  We always provide the statement from the RV Park we stay in during our last night in the USA showing the date in and the date out and ask them to add both of our vehicles license plates to the statement.  I usually also have a final purchase receipt of something that is dated.  We do the same for our first night in Mexico, getting a statement with date and license plates.  It is a good thing to keep the first few toll booth receipts as well as the vehicle import receipt you will get.  Then do the same thing again when you leave Mexico and enter the USA next spring.  By turning in all of these receipts, we have always received a full ( and more money yet ) refund.

~I forgot to mention, San Xavier will both email and snail mail you your Mexican Insurance papers.  Nice to have that out of the way with one quick phone call.

~I also managed to get the ball rolling on our Travel Medical Insurance.  I write about this every fall and if you need more information you can check my posts from past Septembers and Octobers when I blog about getting ready to leave and all the to do’s.  Colin and I are relatively healthy and take no medications other than natural supplements.  We don’t feel the need for constant medical coverage and only purchase travel insurance from the day we leave until the day we arrive on the Isla.  I do suggest adding a few extra days in case of unexpected delays.  Last year we were stuck in Las Vegas with engine problems for 2 days so I always add on 3 -4 days for the just in case scenario.  We also pre purchase our return from Mexico to Canada, again adding a few extra days.  You can call and change your return dates for a small fee.  We deal with a local insurance company who deals with TIC Travel Insurance.  The policy we get is called ‘Take Flight, Single-Trip Plan”.  Should something happen to us in Mexico we will go to the local hospital and pay for the service we receive and then would get our provincial B.C. Health Care to reimburse what they would have paid for the same procedure here at home.  The following is a copy/paste from the government web site.

Out of Country Emergency Medical Care

The cost of medical care outside Canada can be much higher than the amounts payable by MSP and extended health care plans. For complete protection, additional medical insurance should be purchased from a private insurance company, even if you only plan to leave the country for a day. Check the exclusions and limitations of your private insurance policy carefully to ensure that the policy meets your personal needs.

If you have extended health benefits through your employer you should contact them to determine the policy provisions prior to purchasing additional medical insurance.

When you receive medical services outside Canada (or in some instances outside B.C.), you will need to claim reimbursement from MSP using an Out of Country Claim Form. The completed form should be returned with:

• an itemized account, including the dates of service and details of services performed, and
• either the unpaid bills or the original receipts if the bills have been paid.

Note: Out of Country claims must be submitted within 90 days of the date of service. In-patient hospital claims (and any associated medical claims) must be submitted within six months of discharge.

Payment for physician services will be issued in Canadian funds only and will be paid at the same rate that would have been paid if the services were received in B.C.

~this is the direct link to the exact medical form you will need.  Print it out now and travel with it.

~Colin’s newest acquisition arrived yesterday.  Long time readers will remember how badly he has suffered with ringing in his ears, not nice for a musician.  While in Mexico we saw the miracle worker chiropractor Diego.

Diego suggested that Colin hang from a high beam a few times per day to stretch his neck and shoulders and it works.  That along with a few other exercises has eliminated the ringing in his ears.  The hanging however has pulled tendons in one of  his key guitar  fingers so he needed a new way to stretch.  Gotta love this guy, he is always searching for the answer and never gives up.

He bought an inversion table.

No that is not me, ours is till in the box and it is heavy.  We might just leave it in the box until we get to Mexico.  We bought in online through Amazon and last week we paid $120.00 before taxes with free shipping.  Today it is on sale for $ 155.22.  I am looking forward to trying it out.  Lots of great information on the positives of using this therapy here.

~we have hired a writer to do the writing part of our tommie Award submissions.  I could do it, but I am long winded and each entry has to discuss a huge amount of information in only 250 words.  So we hired Albert.  One of the new odd categories that is available this year is “Out of the Box”.  So we came up with the open line of the entry yesterday, ‘built in a box for out of the box living’.  I think that sums up our lifestyle perfectly.

It was built in a factory

...and we certainly don't lead an ordinary life.

Tags: 319, emergency, health, insurance, Isla de la Piedra, Mazatlan, Mexico, Stone Island, Tommie awards, travel, Tres Amigos RV Park

The past week has been spent thinking about what we need to do to get ready for Mexico.  I have made lists and lists of things, like prepaying our business taxes for 6 months, arranging post dated cheques that need to be in place for March 1, 2014, arranging for our year end report to be written by a lawyer the end of February as well as arranging for a bank reconciliation to be written on February 28, 2014 and so on.  Unlike others we can’t just pack up and leave and hit the road.  We still have a business that runs year round even though we take off half the year.

An example of that is that I was in the RV yesterday for the first time since the end of April.  We were still setting up the house when we got back and then my body decided it needed a new hip and then my Mother died, all of which took precedent over the RV.  Last week our RV repairs were completed and in a few days our carpets will be cleaned, something we normally do within a few weeks of getting back home.  Colin told me I just had to get into the RV this weekend and put things away so the carpet and upholstery could be cleaned.

I had no idea that this is what I would find.

It was a bit of a shock but it did get all put away.

We had unloaded everything into the house and as I did the RV laundry Colin would take it over to the RV in the storage lot.  As I sorted things I would make RV piles and they would be carted over.  We  also got a new mattress delivered which I am eager to try.  As Colin cleaned the RV he just took everything out of the cupboards and left them out.  My job is to put things away.  I am able to squirrel tons of things throughout that thing.  It took over four hours but we got it done and even rehung the front window curtains I had washed.  The bed is made and the towels are hung, ready for occupancy.

Once the carpet is cleaned  I can then start shopping for those items I can’t find in Mexico that we just can’t live without all winter.  Once thing I do buy is all the napkins, paper towels and toilet paper we require for 25 weeks as the paper products in Mexico are not the same as what we get here and enjoy.  Hey we have the space so we can bring whatever we want. Then there are those 13 jars of peanut butter which I don’t use at all.  Within a few weeks the RV floor will be full of  bags of things waiting for me to put away.  Thats when I get really excited as it means we aren’t far off from hitting the open road.  Two days before we actually leave will come the loading of clothes and personal items and the food in our fridge.

We have to do a bit here and there as this is Colin’s busy time of the year.  He did a 12 hour photo shoot on Friday and then another 5 hour job on Saturday.

It was raining so hard on Saturday morning before he left that the girls refused to go outside to do their business. We couldn't find our golf umbrella ( found it in the RV yesterday ) so he used a patio umbrella. Notice that our new maple tree is slowly turning color.

The weather changes so fast. Later in the day Caeli found a patch of sun for her nap.

One of Colin's masterpieces from the 12 hour job last Friday.

Tags: 319, CJPS, Mexico, RV repairs, The girls, travel

Things are not good in certain parts of Mexico right now because of the various storms this past week. The Acapulco area is heavily affected and we have many friends there, as well as in the Monterrey area and much of Sinaloa area.  We have been hearing from various friends throughout Mexico and of course you can see things on TV and read about it yourself in the various forms of media.  I had no idea of the damage between Mazatlan and Culiacan until I saw this photo today.

Several detours were still in place as authorities inspected damage to the asphalt. This is the autopista between Mazatlan and Culiacan.

Yet another scene in Sinaloa thanks to CNN.

That full story can be read here.  Hopefully some of the repairs will be completed by that time we travel through that area in early November.  I could hear the relief in one of our friends’ emails….

Compadrito:

The bad weather punched very hard to my state (Sinaloa) as you know to press. Fortunately my family (Isela, Chris, my relatives…) is in good condition. Thanks.

Then if you read Chris’s blog where he describes what they went through in Monterrey, you realize the extent of the damages.  As you scroll down and read his various entries you get caught up in the drama.

We have several sets of friends who live near this area in the Acapulco area. How are they managing? Again thanks to CNN.

On the Isla at Tres Amigos RV Park, Deb reports that the park has water sitting on the ground, somewhat like ground cover, but efforts are being made to drain the water by cutting grooves into the cement wall so the water will drain into the sand.  Sadly the gravel road to the village from the airport is a huge mess but not to worry as that will be repaired once the rains stop.  Many locals are suffering from very wet roads, and  sodden yards.  It has not been an easy time for them or their fellow Mexicans.

Many of us RVers always bring down extra clothing, used or new, household items, toys and school items for the children.  It certainly looks like they will be needing our help this year.  Hopefully you will make some space in your RV for them.

Tags: Isla de la Piedra, Mazatlan, Mexico, Stone Island, travel

There has been so much controversy during the past few months, so many questions and statements and much confusion.  As long as you remain in Canada you will not be affected.  You also have the option of travelling within Canada or going to the cottage and still being able to legally use the system.

That is no longer true if you travel to the USA or further south to Mexico.  Right now you can still receive TV signals from the original two satellites but you can’t receive the new channels that come with the third satellite, Anik G1, that was launched April 15th.

First of all I have confirmed with RVers in both the USA and in Mexico that they are currently, as of today, receiving a Shaw satellite signal.  Shaw however does not allow this due to some regulation that really doesn’t matter. They can’t stop it though.  Actually over the past years we were not supposed to have received TV south of the Canadian border but we did and customer service at Shaw supported us.  Well that is no longer happening.

As long as you can set your system up and make it work you are good to sit back and watch all the TV you like.  However should you need technical support it is no longer there for you.  In fact if you call Shaw from south of the Canadian border and actually speak to a support person you stand an excellent chance of having your service immediately terminated.  This has already happened to some RVers in the USA.

What to do?  Well it really depends on your problem.  The most usual problem is refreshing your receiver after having driven for a while without setting up your system and the connection is lost.  First try refreshing your receiver online and if that doesn’t work try a phone call and use the prompts.

Don’t speak to a person.  If you do end up speaking to a Shaw technician, don’t tell them where you are.  You might still be able to get the help you need to get up and running again.  Be cagey.

I’m sure we will hear many more stories in the months to come.  Whatever you do, remember, remain reticent when speaking to Shaw but send me your story  😎

Tags: Mexico, satellite TV, Shaw, travel, USA

Too much is happening, I can’t even keep up with my blog posting.  I received my new camera a few days ago and it has been taking photos just fine but when I went to download them into iPhoto they came up out of order and then totally disappeared forever.  I managed to edit a few of them first but I will have to get this sorted out soon.

We saw this storm appear out of nowhere.

It carried a huge amount of rain.

The rain chains were overwhelmed.

Even with her special thunder coat on, Carmeh could not take the sound of the thunder. She hid under the sink in the bathroom. Caeli slept through the whole thing.

Fortunately it seems that the thunderstorms have stopped.  That is mainly because our hot temperatures have stopped.  At noon today as I write this it is only 13C /56F and for me that is cold.  It was suppose to be a sunny day with a high of  23C/72F.

As you can see Colin is wearing a jacket as he takes apart the plant pots and the sun is not shining.

Good news from our friends in Mazatlan, they are managing to brave Hurricane Manuel and dealing with the full moon high tides and lots and lots of rain.

Find the blue dot near the bottom edge of the storm on the coast ....that is Mazatlan.

Now we worry about our friends in Culiacan. Fortunately the storm bypassed Mazatlan before it became a hurricane. Of course I am concerned for all of our friends who still live in Acapulco as they have had a hard past few days with all the flooding and our friends in the NE of Mexico. Very difficult times for them all.

We finally got our repairs completed on the RV.  It took the RV tech three visits but he got lots of little things done and a few major ones like changing the air cleaner on the generator, redoing the toilet flange seal, servicing our fridge, blowing out the furnace and hot water tank and lots of caulking.  After all most RV’s are held together with caulking. I even have the carpet cleaner scheduled for next Thursday so I now have to get in there and put things away.

I made a delicious quinoa tabbouleh for dinner with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from a friend’s garden.  Then I added left over BBQ’d salmon to a caesar salad  to complete the meal.  This will become one of our favorites on hot nights in Mexico.  I ate mine right out of  the bowls, while Colin put his on a plate.  We make our caesar salads in different bowls as I use a low fat dressing.

Tags: food, garden, Mazatlan, Mexico, storm, The girls