Inexpensive house in Melaque - Yes possible

I got tired of looking at lots on the beach side of the highway in Melaque with prices of $40k and up and always listed in US dollars. The Realtors here are out of control and hopefully the current economy will put a plug in them. That's the main reason we bought our lots in Pinal Villa.

So Ron was down for a few weeks and a waiter we've known for a long time said he knew a place for about $450,000 pesos. After a few meetings with the owners the price went down to $370,000 which is about $28k US. Now this place is very Mexican but well built and has water, sewer, electric, walls around, lot size 10x20 and two rooms that with just a little work would be livable (maybe no work says Ron). I'm sure with $10k he could make this place very nice and another $10-15 could put on a second story. Ron should be down from Vallarta in about a week to finalize.

This place is still available.  Ron's wife didn't like it so they bought a couple of lots on the east side as of (3/15/2010)

Calderon cuts energy costs to calm crisis

MEXICO CITY, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon unveiled sweeping cuts to energy prices on Wednesday, his latest measure to soothe the impact of the global economic crisis on consumers and businesses.

The steps announced by Calderon should help the central bank get a handle on inflation, currently at a more than seven-year high.

Calderon said he would freeze gasoline prices and would lower household gas prices by 10 percent and electricity rates for businesses by up to 20 percent.

"Gasoline prices are being frozen across the country for the whole year," Calderon said.

Mexicans have increasingly called for the government to lower gasoline prices, which the government administers, since oil prices tumbled from record highs late last year.

Mexico is a major oil producer and gasoline is subsidized at the pump. The government accelerated price rises last year as soaring world prices made subsidies a bigger burden.

Lofty inflation has kept Mexico's central bank from cutting interest rates to shore up economic growth, expected to take a hit this year because of slumping U.S. demand.

"We're going to live through a period of big difficulties, in terms of economic growth, investment and employment," Calderon said. (Reporting by Jason Lange and Luis Rojas; Editing by James Dalgleish)


Reuters Article

11 Ton Three Kings Bread - Mexico City

A huge, 11-tonne (10,000 kg) bread was readied Sunday for the traditional Magi party that sees thousands of Mexican families coming together to celebrate with food and gifts for children.

"This event is important ... we will not lose our traditions" that unite families, said Laura Vazquez, Mexico's secretary for economic development.

A central part of the celebration of the nativity's Three Wise Men -- described in the Bible as bringing presents to the newborn Jesus Christ -- revolves around baking and eating La Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Bread), a sweet, dry delicacy.

The bread in question, unveiled in all its glory at the central Zocalo square in Mexico City, is about 1,600 meters (one mile) long, and weighs close to 11 tonnes (10,000 kilograms).

It will be shared between some 200,000 people gathered to celebrate in the city center.

Around 2,300 bakers affiliated to the national baker's association (Canainpa) helped bake the bread.

In all, the sweet bread used seven tonnes (6,600 kg) of flour, 3.3 tonnes (3,000 kg) of butter and 396 gallons (1,500 liters) of milk, according to Canainpa head Antonio Arias.

Families in Mexico and throughout Latin America celebrate the Epiphany on January 6, remembering the day when the Three Wise Men following the star to Bethlehem arrived bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the Baby Jesus.

The new entance to Manzanillo Airport - ZLO

The new entrance to the Manzanillo Airport (ZLO) is moving right along - and it's huge. Actually the first clover-leaf (4-way) intersection I've seen in Mexico that looks designed from scratch.

The rumor is that will become part of the new coastal highway that will bypass Melaque, Barra, Jaluco and a number of smaller towns north. The big rumor is that a new bridge will be built as an extension of this clover-leaf and bypass Cihuatlan closer to the coast. That would be a large improvment but a long project.