Yucatan News: Quality of Life
Montejo Beer Coming to California
Montejo Beer, originally made in Merida, will soon be on sale in California. Look for it first in Los Angeles’ Dodgers’ Stadium. By September 1, Montejo Beer will be available in California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, the states that have more than 70% of all Mexican-Americans in the United States. Montejo Beer is currently manufactured in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca and distributed by Anheuser-Busch.
Yucatan Receives International Quality of Life Recognition
Yucatan was rated in first place in three of the eight quality of life indicators by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Yucatan got a 9.8 (out of 10) for environment, an 8.7 for rate of employment, a 7.4 for security. Overall, Mexico did not do well on quality of life issues such as education, security (with the exception of Yucatan) and level of disposable income, so there is much work to do. You can rate where you live on OECD’s website. That may help some to make the final decision about where you want to retire.
International Expo of Nontraditional Products
Next week, August 19 – 21, the 18th Annual International Expo of Nontraditional Products will be held in Merida. The purpose of this convention is to create business opportunities for nontraditional products for small businesses, organizations and companies throughout the world. Most of the participants are entrepreneurs and forty of the expected 270 Mexican representatives will be from Yucatan. Products will include sour sop, guava, passion fruit, fig, raspberry, blackberry, rambutan, tamarind, nuez de castilla, macadamia, henequen, annatto, pejelagarto, white-tailed deer, emu, ostrich, alligator and frog... quite an assortment and certainly non-traditional! There have been several experimental farming projects with some of these crops right here in Yucatan. Since there will be business buyers from across Mexico, Canada, the United States, Asia and Latin America, it will be interesting to see what our 40 participants bring away from this convention, especially when sustainable rural development is a stated part of every package.
Snake-bite in Progreso
A city worker was bitten by a snake along the side of the road between Merida and Progreso. He was taken to the hospital, in Progreso, where he was treated immediately and is doing well. Snake bites are most common when the weather is warm, as snakes are out and about, searching for a cool spot. Snake bites are particularly common during hot, dry weather, when snakes are searching for both shade and water. Snakes also come into contact with people more often during hot weather for the simple reason that people are also more likely to be out and about during the summer. In either case, snake bites can usually be avoided simply by being aware of your surroundings and taking proper precautions. If you are bitten by a snake, don’t wait to see if you have a reaction to it. Go to the nearest hospital immediately! Yucatan’s hospitals are well equipped to care for these emergencies.
Navy: Operation Lifeline, Summer 2014
From July 12 through August 18, the Navy is doing all it can to keep folks safe on, in and around the beaches of Yucatan. They have search and rescue boats, coastal patrols, a high speed boat for interceptions, ambulances, and a variety of trucks and other vehicles. They are trained to provide first aid and are even serving as life guards on eight beaches along the coast. All they ask is that folks follow the rules, behave responsibly, and pay attention to any instructions they give you. They are here to help. We hope everyone has a wonderful – and safe - extended vacation this year!
Markets to be Remodeled
As of now, Chembech Mercado is being remodeled. When it is finished, it will be in clean and modern and will serve the public for many years to come. Until work is complete, vendors are being housed in a temporary site nearby. Next on the list will be Lucas de Galvez... again! It has been 15 years since any work was done in this beloved old market, so look for lots of work going on. They are looking for temporary locations for the vendors, some of whom may have stalls in the streets for a little while. After that, San Benito will get whatever it needs to catch it up to the level of maintenance necessary to serve the people safely. Finally, La Pepita never officially opened due to construction issues. It will be remodeled, but probably not during this administration. Work on Lucas de Galvez and San Benito are not scheduled to begin until mid-2015.
Young Entrepreneurs Networking Worldwide
In generations past, young people were encouraged to follow in the footsteps of older, successful businessmen. Today, we watch in wonder at the young men and women entrepreneurs as they hop a plane and head for their Summit of Young Entrepreneurs of G20YEA (G20 Young Entrepreneur's Alliance). The most recent summit just happened last month in Australia. These young people are bringing home all sorts of entrepreneurial opportunities, including some from India, New Zealand, and Australia. The “green economy” is the area that really has their interest right now, so look for Yucatan’s young business ladies and gentlemen to use their network of connections wisely and know that we will all benefit from their sense of adventure and excitement about the future.
Tzucacab: Riot Over a Lagarto
For those of our readers who are not familiar with Yucatan’s flora and fauna, and who may use one of those online translators to read the local news in Yucatan, “A Lizard (lagarto) Causes an Uproar” means it was an alligator, and this one turned out to be a 15 foot long alligator. The first day it was around, nobody saw it, but a bunch of chickens went missing. The next day, when it got a turkey, people got interested and the police were called. Imagine everyone’s surprise when they found themselves having to rope and rescue an animal like that! There’s no way, especially in this heat, that the alligator could have crossed Yucatan (north to south) to get to Tzucacab, which is deep in the bottom of the southern cone of the state. However, it might not be such a stretch of the imagination to consider that it may have easily crossed Quintana Roo at that point. Some believe it must be an escaped pet, but it is awfully big and would, most likely, have been put back into the wild long before it reached 15 feet in length. However it got there, the “lizard” really did provide everyone with plenty of entertainment. Life is now back to normal in Tzucacab.
Wildlife Photo Master Class
We just learned that some pretty amazing photographers will be teaching master photography classes on the Mayan Riviera over the coming months. The Yucatan has always impressed us as an incredible photo opportunity almost everywhere we go. Well, apparently other photographers think so as well. These master classes are going to be conducted at one of the nicest, most upscale resorts on the coast, the Mayakoba. Each class (and there are three in the upcoming months) will be taught by one of three National Geographic photographers. Each one is a three-night program where students will receive both group and one-on-one instruction in photographing wildlife, and will include daily boat tours and walking excursions. For more information, check out the website here.
Illegally Parked Vehicles and Trailers, and the Fine
Whenever we come across a current legal issue in Yucatan, especially if a fine is involved, we try to pass that information along. This week, someone illegally parked a trailer across an entrada (entrance road to the beach). Will he get a ticket? His infraction will have to pass several tests. According to the police, Yucatan’s Transit Rule 162 prohibits the parking of trailers or damaged or unusable vehicles in public places for more than 72 hours. So, if this individual moves the trailer within a day or two, he just might slide by. However, it isn’t looking good because this is the second time he has done this. At the end of the 72 hour grace period, the state will pick up the trailer or vehicle and the penalty will be nine minimum wages ($574 pesos). But, really, you have to love a place that is such a small community it puts things like this in the news!
